Document management
Document management with permissions and traceability
I worked on the document manager of a clinical trial platform, where every file has to be clear about who can see it and every action is recorded.
- The problem
- Nested folders and documents shared with internal and external users, with every action traceable.
- The decision
- Folder- and document-level permissions resolved on the server, and an activity record kept apart from the main operation.
- How it ended
- A document manager the team keeps extending on that foundation.
The problem
The platform needed its own document manager: organization and personal folders, versions, a recycle bin, downloads and documents shared with internal and external users. In a regulated environment, every action on a document has to be recorded.
We built it as a team. I worked mainly on the API, file uploads and the frontend.
Access was the hard part. A document shared inside a folder structure has to be visible to the person who receives it without exposing the rest, and someone with access to a folder should also see whatever is added to it later.
Decisions
Folder- and document-level permissions, computed ahead of time. We store each user's effective access to each item instead of working it out on every read. That keeps queries simple and fast. Cost: sharing, moving or versioning means recalculating, and those cases need care.
Traceability off the critical path. The activity record is processed separately from the user's operation, so it doesn't slow down each response. Cost: more moving parts to watch so no record gets lost.
Outcome
- The document manager became a central part of the platform, with folder- and document-level permissions and traceability for every action.
What I'd do differently
I'd document the permission model from the start, with examples, so the team and users understand why someone can or can't see a document.