1What it is
A collection is the core building block in Bizzmine — it is where information is captured, stored, and managed. Every collection is either a form collection, where the form data is the heart of the registration, or a document collection, where an uploaded file is the heart and the form fields provide metadata around it. Everything you build in Bizzmine — processes, document libraries, registers — is based on one of these two types.
2Who it's for
Audience: Administrators & Collection Managers ;Reading time: 5 min
This article is for administrators and collection managers who need to understand the difference before building or configuring a collection. End users benefit from reading this to understand why collections behave differently from one another.
3Prerequisites
Read What is Bizzmine? and Platform structure & workspaces first. These explain how Bizzmine is organised and where collections fit in the bigger picture.
4How it works
The two collection types determine how Bizzmine handles data, files, and workflow differently.
Form collection
Used when the information entered on the form is the essence of the record. Attachments can be added, but they are secondary to the form data itself. Typical examples include an 8D report, a customer record, a complaint, or a risk registration. A simple form collection record may be completed in one step; a more complex one goes through multiple workflow steps before it can be finalised.
[Screenshot: form collection example]Document collection
Used to store and manage files. The document itself is the essence of the registration; the form fields are metadata around that file. Common examples include procedures, worksheets, slide presentations, and contracts. If a document collection has a workflow, an uploaded file is always required. Document collection workflows include assessment steps, publication steps, and distribution steps — extended functionality specific to document control.
[Screenshot: document collection example]Tables, processes, and documents
You will hear Bizzmine collections described in three ways, depending on whether workflow is active and whether the collection is document-based:
| Category | What it means | How to recognise it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Table | A form collection with no workflow | Save button shows Save | Customers, Contacts, Causes |
| Process | A form collection with an active workflow | Save button shows Save and close step | Complaint, Risk, Incident |
| Document | A document collection, with or without workflow | Handled as a document-based collection | SOPs, contracts, worksheets |
[Screenshot: collection category overview]What administrators configure
When you create a collection, the collection wizard guides you through the main setup: data design, form design, list design, search filters, and permissions. After creation, you can extend the collection further with reports, workflow, electronic signatures, sub collections, formulas, scripting, mailing, and more.
Special tables
Departments, Functions, and Users are special built-in tables that Bizzmine requires in order to work correctly. They are managed in User Management within the Settings area, not in the standard collection list.
5Related articles
6Next in track
New admin track — next article
Create a collection — overview of the wizard →
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