SOLA DMS Documentation

Introduction

SOLA DMS is a powerful, AI-powered document management system designed for enterprise use. It provides comprehensive features for document storage, workflow automation, intelligent search, and team collaboration.

Installation

SOLA DMS can be deployed using Docker in minutes. Follow these steps to get started.

System Requirements

Step-by-Step Installation

1. Download the Package

   Download the SOLA DMS package from our website (approximately 1.3GB).

   Copy wget https://solaflow365.com/downloads/sola-dms-package.tar.gz

2. Extract the Archive

   Extract the downloaded package to your desired location.

   Copy tar -xzf sola-dms-package.tar.gz cd sola-dms-package

3. Start the Services

   Run the start script to initialize and launch all services.

   Copy # Linux/Mac chmod +x start.sh ./start.sh # Windows docker compose up -d

4. Wait for Initialization

   The first startup takes 2-5 minutes as Docker images are loaded and databases are initialized.

   Copy # Monitor startup progress docker compose logs -f # Check all services are healthy docker compose ps

5. Run Post-Installation Setup

   Important: Run these commands to complete the setup. This configures authentication and creates the demo user.

   Copy # 1. Configure Keycloak for Docker networking docker exec sola-keycloak /opt/keycloak/bin/kcadm.sh config credentials \ --server http://localhost:8080 --realm master --user admin --password YOUR_KEYCLOAK_ADMIN_PASSWORD docker exec sola-keycloak /opt/keycloak/bin/kcadm.sh update realms/sola \ -s 'attributes.frontendUrl=http://host.docker.internal:8080' # 2. Add localhost to allowed redirect URIs CLIENT_ID=$(docker exec sola-keycloak /opt/keycloak/bin/kcadm.sh get clients -r sola \ -q clientId=sola-document-frontend --fields id --format csv --noquotes | tail -1) docker exec sola-keycloak /opt/keycloak/bin/kcadm.sh update clients/$CLIENT_ID -r sola \ -s 'redirectUris=["http://localhost:5047/*","http://localhost:3000/*"]' \ -s 'webOrigins=["http://localhost:5047","http://localhost:3000","+"]' # 3. Create demo user in Keycloak docker exec sola-keycloak /opt/keycloak/bin/kcadm.sh create users -r sola \ -s username=demo -s enabled=true -s email=demo@example.com \ -s firstName=Demo -s lastName=User -s emailVerified=true docker exec sola-keycloak /opt/keycloak/bin/kcadm.sh set-password -r sola \ --username demo --new-password YOUR_SECURE_PASSWORD # 4. Add demo user to DMS database with Admin role docker exec sola-mssql /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd -S localhost -U sa \ -P 'YourStrong@Passw0rd' -C -d DMS -Q " INSERT INTO Users (Username, Email, FirstName, LastName, SystemRole, IsActive, CreatedDate) VALUES ('demo', 'demo@example.com', 'Demo', 'User', 'Admin', 1, GETUTCDATE());" # 5. Update API configuration for Docker networking docker exec sola-api sh -c "sed -i 's|http://localhost:8080|http://host.docker.internal:8080|g' /app/appsettings.json" docker restart sola-api
   Why is this needed? Docker containers use internal networking. These commands configure Keycloak and the API to work correctly with Docker's networking model.

6. Load Demo Data (Optional)

   Optionally load sample documents, folders, and content types for testing.

   Copy ./load-demo-data.sh

Post-Installation Troubleshooting

Common issues encountered during Docker installation and their solutions.

Issue: "Invalid redirect_uri" Error

Issue: 401 Unauthorized After Login

Issue: 403 Forbidden - Account Not Set Up

Issue: Database Tables Don't Exist

Issue: Port Conflicts

Configuration

Customize SOLA DMS by editing the .env file in the installation directory.

Environment Variables

Service URLs

First Login

Access the application and log in with the default credentials.

1. Open the Application

   Navigate to http://localhost:5047 in your browser.

2. Enter Credentials

   Use the default admin credentials:

   Username: admin

   Password: admin

3. Change Your Password

   For security, change the default password immediately after first login via User Settings.

Dashboard - Main Overview with Recent Documents

User Management

Manage users, roles, and permissions through the Admin panel or Keycloak.

Adding a New User

1. Access Keycloak Admin Console

   Navigate to http://localhost:8080 and log in with admin credentials.

2. Select the SOLA Realm

   From the realm dropdown in the top-left, select "sola" realm.

3. Navigate to Users

   Click "Users" in the left sidebar, then click "Add user" button.

4. Fill User Details

   Enter username, email, first name, and last name. Enable "Email Verified" toggle.

5. Set Password

   Go to "Credentials" tab, click "Set Password", enter the password and disable "Temporary" if desired.

6. Assign Roles

   Go to "Role Mappings" tab, assign appropriate roles (admin, user, viewer).

Keycloak Admin Console - User Management

User Roles

Content Types

Content Types define the structure and metadata fields for different document categories.

Creating a Content Type

1. Open Admin Panel

   Click on the gear icon or navigate to Admin > Content Types from the main menu.

2. Click "New Content Type"

   Click the "New Content Type" button to open the creation form.

3. Enter Basic Information

   Provide a name (e.g., "Invoice", "Contract", "Resume") and optional description.

4. Add Metadata Fields

   Define custom fields for this content type:

   • Text - Single line text input
   • Number - Numeric values
   • Date - Date picker
   • Dropdown - Predefined options
   • Checkbox - Boolean true/false
   • Textarea - Multi-line text

5. Configure Field Options

   For each field, set: Required/Optional, Default value, Validation rules, Display order.

6. Save Content Type

   Click "Save" to create the content type. It will now be available when uploading documents.

Admin Panel - Content Types with Metadata Fields

Example: Invoice Content Type

Templates

Templates allow you to create documents with pre-filled content and automatic field mapping from prerequisites.

Creating a Template

1. Navigate to Templates

   Go to Admin > Content Types, select a content type, then click "Templates" tab.

2. Upload Template File

   Upload a Word document (.docx) with placeholder fields using the format: {{FieldName}}

3. Add Prerequisites

   Define which existing documents are required to create a new document from this template. Click "Add Prerequisite" and select a content type.

4. Name Your Prerequisites

   Give each prerequisite a descriptive name (e.g., "Primary ID", "Secondary ID"). This allows multiple prerequisites of the same content type.

5. Map Fields

   Link template placeholders to prerequisite document fields. This enables automatic data population.

6. Save Template

   Click "Save" to activate the template. Users can now create documents from it.

Template Management - Prerequisites and Field Mappings

Using a Template

1. Click "Create from Template"

   From the folder view, click the "Create" button and select "From Template".

2. Select Template

   Choose the template you want to use from the list.

3. Select Prerequisites

   For each required prerequisite, search and select an existing document.

4. Generate Document

   Click "Generate" to create the new document with all fields auto-populated.

Pipelines (Workflows)

Pipelines automate document processing with AI-powered extraction, routing, and approval workflows.

Creating a Pipeline

1. Open Pipeline Builder

   Navigate to Admin > Pipelines and click "Create Pipeline".

2. Name Your Pipeline

   Enter a descriptive name (e.g., "Invoice Processing", "Contract Approval").

3. Add Nodes

   Drag and drop nodes from the toolbox to build your workflow:

   • Document Input - Entry point for documents
   • AI Classification - Auto-detect document type
   • OCR Extraction - Extract text and data
   • Metadata Mapping - Map extracted data to fields
   • Approval - Route for human review
   • Condition - Branch based on rules
   • Notification - Send alerts
   • Move/Copy - Route to destination folder

4. Connect Nodes

   Draw connections between nodes to define the flow. Documents will process through connected nodes sequentially.

5. Configure Each Node

   Click on each node to configure its specific settings and parameters.

6. Assign Content Types

   Link the pipeline to specific content types so it triggers automatically on document upload.

7. Activate Pipeline

   Toggle the pipeline status to "Active" to enable automatic processing.

Pipeline Builder - Visual Workflow Designer

Permissions

Control access to cabinets, folders, and documents with granular permission settings.

Permission Levels

Setting Folder Permissions

1. Right-click on Folder

   Right-click on a folder and select "Permissions" from the context menu.

2. Add User or Group

   Click "Add" and search for users or groups to grant access.

3. Select Permission Level

   Choose the appropriate permission level from the dropdown.

4. Save Changes

   Click "Save" to apply the permissions. Subfolder permissions can be inherited or overridden.

Folders & Cabinets

Organize documents using a hierarchical structure of cabinets and folders.

Cabinet vs Folder

Creating a Folder

1. Navigate to Location

   Open the cabinet or folder where you want to create the new folder.

2. Click "New Folder"

   Click the "New Folder" button in the toolbar or use the keyboard shortcut.

3. Enter Folder Name

   Type a descriptive name for the folder.

4. Assign Content Types (Optional)

   Restrict which content types can be stored in this folder.

5. Set Permissions (Optional)

   Configure access permissions or inherit from parent folder.

Document Operations

Complete reference for all document operations available in SOLA DMS.

Folder View - Document List with Context Menu Operations

Upload Operations

View & Edit Operations

Organize Operations

Share & Collaborate

Delete & Recover

Version Control

Track document changes with automatic version history.

How Versioning Works

• Every edit creates a new version automatically
• All previous versions are preserved
• Compare versions side-by-side
• Restore any previous version as current
• Version comments for change tracking

Viewing Version History

1. Select Document

   Click on the document to select it.

2. Open Version Panel

   Right-click and select "Versions" or click the version icon in the details panel.

3. Browse Versions

   View all versions with timestamps, authors, and comments.

4. Preview or Restore

   Click "Preview" to view a version, or "Restore" to make it the current version.

Search & Filters

Find documents quickly using full-text search, metadata filters, and AI-powered semantic search.

Search Types

Search Syntax

System Architecture

SOLA DMS is built on a modern, microservices architecture designed for scalability and reliability.

Component Overview

Data Flow

1. Document Upload

   User uploads document through web interface. SOLA API receives and stores the file.

2. Processing Pipeline

   DataPipeline extracts text (OCR), classifies document type, and extracts metadata using AI.

3. Indexing

   Document content is indexed in Meilisearch for full-text search. Embeddings stored in Qdrant for semantic search.

4. Storage

   Metadata saved to SQL Server. File stored in configured storage location. Cache updated in Redis.

API Reference

SOLA DMS provides a RESTful API for integration with external systems.

Authentication

All API requests require a Bearer token obtained from Keycloak.

Common Endpoints

Troubleshooting

Common issues and their solutions.

Services Not Starting

Database Connection Issues

Port Conflicts

Getting Help