In some cases, multiple forms that have similar purposes, but differ slightly, need to be routed through the same business process. Here are a few examples of when this may occur:
-
A form can be slightly different depending on which state invoices were generated in. State laws and taxation can require different data and calculations from state to state to be incorporated on a form. In this scenario, a form template would be created for each state involved in the process tailored to the data requirements for that state.
-
A form needs to be available on an external web site, as well as internally in a company. The external form needs to have more instructions and has a fewer number of fields on it than the internal version. The forms follow the same exact process.
If all of the forms follow the same process that is defined in a Workflow Life Cycle, it would not make sense to create a Workflow Life Cycle for each form when these similar forms follow the exact same process.
In this scenario, it would be most efficient to associate all of the similar form templates with the same Document Type. Multiple form templates can be configured and associated with a single Document Type. Multiple templates should be associated with a single Document Type only when all of the templates are used for the same purpose.
When using multiple templates within a single Document Type, it is recommended to use a Keyword Type to clearly identify what template a document is using and to configure an auto-name string that will clearly identify it.