Docu | base: Frequently asked questions

Docu | base stores each version as its own unalterable archive entry; corrections arise only as a new version with a reference to the original. A SHA-256 checksum is kept for every file, and accesses are logged without gaps and in a chain. This makes it possible to show that the document and the log have not been changed since filing. Every month Docu checks the checksums, chains and readability.

This is a technical description, not a statement of legal conformity. Whether your archiving as a whole is sufficient, clarify with your auditors.

Yes, with a template. You fill in your part, file versions with a validity date and download them as a PDF; the part on the operation of the software is attached. The template is an aid and replaces neither a review by your auditors nor legal advice.

Before the annual accounts, the view “Archive complete?” shows whether, for each financial year and company, documents, books of account, financial statements, VAT, payroll and procedure documentation are in the archive.

Each document belongs to a retention class with a period and a legal basis. Depending on the class, the period runs from the end of the financial year, from the document date or from an event such as the end of a contract. For books of account and accounting records, the law specifies ten years from the end of the financial year (Art. 958f, para. 1 of the Code of Obligations, CO, OR).

The retention overview shows what expires soon, what may be deleted and what is blocked. With a deletion lock (legal hold) you hold back documents for proceedings, and you lift the lock again with a justification.

You delete expired documents only on request, which a second person approves or rejects. You make the request directly on the document page, for all versions at once.

Early deletion is possible if there is a legal ground, such as a deletion request, a withdrawal of consent, a purpose that no longer applies or a misfiling. For classes with a statutory period it is never possible. In the recycle bin of the network drive, Docu requests deletion only after 30 days, and again a second person decides.

New files land in the inbox first. There you confirm the type, company and fields; only then is the file archived. Docu reads scanned pages on its own servers in German, French, Italian and English, without passing data to the outside.

For Swiss QR-bills, Docu takes over the IBAN, amount and reference, and structured e-invoices fill the fields of the incoming invoice directly. You drag and drop several files into the inbox.

Full-text search covers content and fields, including in scanned documents. You find a document by terms, invoice number or IBAN. With the search syntax you combine terms with AND, OR and NOT or search by fields and date ranges.

The search also works with word parts: “scaffold” also finds “scaffolding”. You see only hits that you are also allowed to open. If you have permissions in other apps, the search also shows their archive documents.

Yes. In the visual workflow editor you draw workflows with tasks, branches, parallel branches, actions, waiting and end. A workflow becomes active only when there are no check findings. Templates are available for invoice approval and contract approval, among others; you only assign the roles.

Tasks go to people, roles or line managers; one person, all or the majority decide. Depending on the amount, the approval can go to a different level. During an absence, a deputy takes over.

Docu offers the simple electronic signature. Employees sign a PDF while signed in; the signed version with a signature sheet becomes a new version. External parties sign through a link with a code by email or decline with a reason, in a fixed order if you wish.

Docu does not currently offer an advanced or qualified signature. Whether the simple signature is sufficient for a particular contract or another form is required, you check case by case.

Yes, via WebDAV. Docu appears in Finder or Explorer as a network drive, and you open and save documents directly from your programs. To do this you create a separate drive access with a password that is shown once and can be revoked.

In the drive you create folders, move and rename them, with the same folder permissions as on the web. Deleted documents and folders stay in the recycle bin for 30 days; archived documents and those subject to retention cannot be deleted on the drive. A scanner can save to the “Eingang” folder; the document appears in the Docu inbox.

Yes, if you switch it on. You decide yourself whether Docu archives emails. You import existing emails unaltered from .eml and .mbox files, with duplicate detection and immediate archiving.

You can additionally connect further mailboxes by IMAP, read-only. You reconcile them at the press of a button, and connected mailboxes are reconciled automatically every night. Whether and which emails you archive is for you to decide, in line with your own retention and data protection requirements.

You transfer legacy collections as a ZIP file. Docu reads the company, year and type from the path and shows you beforehand, in a dry run, what will be created. Only then do you import.

Anyone moving from a file server or another document system transfers the existing filing including folder structure and permissions: first a dry run, then the import, without duplicates and repeatable as often as you like. For larger collections you can get advice.

Yes. You can export all of your company’s data from all apps at any time: JSON and CSV (Excel), documents in the original, field description and checksums. The export is created in the background, can be downloaded for 7 days and is logged.

After cancellation your archive remains readable and exportable; changes are then blocked. For auditors or your fiduciary there is also a verifiable full export as a ZIP, which you can check without our software using the enclosed script.

Your auditors receive a time-limited, read-only link. It shows the inventory and allows download and export of the approved years, without an account of their own. Every access is logged, and you can revoke the link at any time.

Alternatively, you hand over the verifiable full export as a ZIP with files, metadata, hash list, log extract and verification instructions. With it, the auditors check completeness and integrity even without access to Docu.

For each folder you determine which person, role or department may read, change or manage. Subfolders inherit the permissions; inheritance can be broken. The view “Who has access?” gives the reason.

Only the roles you unlock for it see sensitive document types. Each person also has a personal storage area that only they see and from which they share selectively. Ready-made roles for document management and archive responsibility give no access to HR or payroll.

Archive files are stored only in encrypted form (AES-256-GCM) in Swiss object storage, with a separate key for your company. On arrival, each file is checked by its content for its format and scanned for malware. Every read access checks tenant, company, document type and archive class.

An encrypted copy is stored daily at a second location. Individual documents or the data state of a given day can be restored selectively. You will find further details in the privacy policy.