This article explains the Document Relationships functionality, including how document families are used to organize related documents and manage relationships such as translations, attachments, duplicates, and email threads.

Key Concepts

Term	Description
Document Family	A group of related documents connected through a relationship
Principal Document	The primary document within a family
Related Document	A document linked to the principal document through a defined relationship
Relationship Type	Defines how documents within a family are connected
Custom Relationship Type	User-defined relationship category

Creating a Document Family

Step 1: Select Documents

1. Navigate to the Documents page.
2. Using the checkboxes, select one or more documents to be added to the family.

Step 2: Open Relationships

1. Open the Actions dropdown menu.
2. Select Relationships.

Step 3: Configure the Family

In the Relationships dialog box:

1. Choose a relationship type from the Relationships dropdown.

   • You may choose an existing relationship type.
   • If creating a custom relationship, enter a new relationship type.

2. Select the Principal Document from the dropdown list.

Step 4: Create the Family

1. Review your selections.
2. Click Create Family.

Result

The new document family is created and can be viewed in the Related Documents tab within the document's Details Pane.

Relationship Types

Document Relationships can represent various document associations.

Common Examples

Relationship Type	Description
Translation	Connects translated versions of a document
Attachment	Associates attachments with a parent document or email
Duplicate	Identifies duplicate copies of the same document
Email Thread	Groups related email messages into a conversation
Related Document	Connects documents that share a business or evidential relationship

Users can also create custom relationship types to meet specific case or project requirements.

Adding Documents to an Existing Family

Step 1: Select Documents

1. Navigate to the Documents page.
2. Select one or more documents using the checkboxes.
    

Step 2: Open Relationships

1. Open the Actions menu.
2. Select Relationships.
    

Step 3: Select Existing Family

1. In the Relationships dialog box, select the family from the Other Families dropdown.
2. The existing family members will appear on the right side of the dialog.

Step 4: Add Documents

1. Select Add Selected to Family.
2. Click Save.

Result

The selected documents will now appear as members of the chosen family.

Removing Documents from a Family

Document relationships can be managed from two locations:

1. The Relationships dialog box
2. The Related Documents tab in the Details Pane

Removing Documents from the Relationships Dialog Box

Step 1: Select Family Documents

1. Navigate to the Documents page.
2. Select one or more documents that belong to the family.

Step 2: Open Relationships

1. Open the Actions menu.
2. Select Relationships.

Step 3: Load the Family

1. Under Update an Existing Family, select the family you want to modify.
2. The family members will be displayed on the right side of the dialog.

Step 4: Remove Documents

1. Click the X next to any document that should be removed from the family.
2. Click Save.

Result

The selected document is removed from the family.

Removing Documents from the Related Documents Tab

Step 1: Open Related Documents

1. Open the Details Pane.
2. Navigate to the Related Documents tab.

Step 2: Remove the Document

1. Click the X next to the document you wish to remove.
2. In the Remove Member dialog box, click Remove to confirm.

Result

The document is removed from the family and will no longer appear in the Related Documents tab.

Viewing Document Relationships

After creating or updating a family:

1. Select a document that belongs to the family.
2. Open the Details Pane.
3. Navigate to the Related Documents tab.

The tab displays:

• Principal document
• Related documents
• Relationship type
• Family membership

Deleting an Existing Family

Document families can be deleted when the relationship between documents is no longer required.

Important: Deleting a document family removes the relationship grouping between documents but does not delete the documents themselves from the project.

Step 1: Open the Relationships Dialog

1. Navigate to the Documents page.
2. Select any document that belongs to the family using the checkbox.
    
3. Open the Actions menu.
4. Select Relationships.
    

Step 2: Select the Family

1. Under Update an Existing Family, select the family you wish to delete.
2. Review the documents within the family to ensure the correct family has been selected.
    

Step 3: Delete the Family

1. Click the X next to the Family you wish to delete.
2. The Delete Family dialog box will open.
3. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

Result

• The document family and associated relationship structure are removed.
• All documents remain in the project.
• The documents will no longer appear as related within the Related Documents tab.

Benefits of Document Relationships

Using document families helps users:

• Quickly identify related documents
• Improve document organization
• Maintain document context
• Simplify review workflows
• Reduce duplication
• Navigate between related content more efficiently