# Copying Documents

Vault allows you to reuse your documents or binders with the **Make a Copy** option. The new object can duplicate the fields, content, structure, and/or relationships of the original document. A relationship is created between the source object and its copies to allow for traceability.

## How to Copy Documents {#howto}

To make a copy of an existing document or binder:

  1. Select **Make a Copy** action from the **Actions** menu.
  2. In the dialog, enter a **Name** for the new document or binder. You cannot enter a name for automatically named documents.
  3. If you are executing **Make a Copy** for a document, use the checkboxes to choose whether to **Copy content (Large Size Asset not included)**, **Copy fields**, and if applicable, **Copy attachments**. Contents includes the document's source file, renditions, annotations, and references, including reference relationships. Fields include the document fields (metadata) and (non-reference) relationships. These options are not available when copying binders or placeholder documents. If **Copy content (Large Size Asset not included)** is not available for selection, your document source file or rendition file is larger than 4 GB.
  4. Click **Continue**.
  5. The Doc Info page opens for the new item. Make any needed changes and click **Save**. If you exit without saving, Vault does not create the new item.

## Copied Elements {#whatcopies}

| Object | Elements Copied | Elements Not Copied |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Binder | * User editable fields and field values<br>* Binder structure and document links<br>* Version binding rules | * Previous versions<br>* Calculated fields (_Creation Date_, etc.)<br>* Document number<br>* Fields set as "read only" or "hidden" using field\-level security<br>* _Country_ field (in PromoMats only) |
| Document | * User editable fields and, if _Fields_ is selected, field values<br>* All relationships except _Based on_, if _Fields_ is selected<br>* Source file, if _Content_ is selected<br>* Annotations and document references, if _Content_ is selected<br>* Read only _Study_, _Study Country_, and _Study Site_ fields (in Clinical Operations only)<br>* Read only field values (if the read only field is blank, Vault applies the default value, if any)<br>* Manual Links and Claim Links, when _Suggest Links_ is enabled | * Previous versions<br>* Based on relationships<br>* Calculated fields (_Creation Date_, etc.)<br>* Document number<br>* Fields set as "hidden" using field\-level security<br>* _Country_ field (in PromoMats only)<br>* Suggested Links, Approved Links, and Auto-Accepted Links, when _Suggest Links_ is enabled<br>* Anchor annotations<br>* _Study_, _Study Country_, _Site_, and _Location_ fields (in Clinical Operations only)<br>* _Owning Facility_, _Impacted Facilities_, _Owning Departments_, and _Impacted Departments_ (in Quality only) |

Admins in your Vault can configure specific fields to not copy during the _Make a Copy_ action.

## Tracking Source & Copy Relationships {#track}

Vault automatically creates a new _Based on_ relationship between the original and copy when creating the new copy. This enables traceability between the original and its copies. You can see if users have copied a document from the _Where Used_ report for the source document.

### Original Source Tracking {#original-source-tracking}

If enabled, Vault can also keep track of the original source document with the _Original Source_ relationship. For example, I made a copy of my _WonderDrug_ document, which I named _WonderDrug NA_. I then made two copies of _WonderDrug NA_, which I named _WonderDrug USA_ and _WonderDrug Canada_. Both _WonderDrug USA_ and _WonderDrug Canada_ have a _Based on_ relationship with _WonderDrug NA_, but their _Original Source_ relationship is with _WonderDrug_.

Note that _Original Source_ is version sensitive, meaning that if the _Original Source_ relationship points to V1.0, it will always point V1.0 even if a user uploads a new version of the source. An Admin must enable this feature. When enabled, all existing documents will have the _Original Source_ relationship applied where applicable.

### Copy Depth

To keep track of how far away a document is from the _Original Source_, you can view the **Copy Depth** of a document on the Doc Info page. In the Original Source Tracking example above, both _WonderDrug USA_ and _WonderDrug Canada_ would have a copy depth of two (2). This field is hidden by default, but an Admin can enable it. Note that Original Source Tracking must be enabled before this field will record a document's copy depth.



## Permissions for Make a Copy Action {#perm}

In order to use **Make a Copy** on a specific document or binder, you must have permissions to create a document or binder of the same document type. For example, you could not copy a document with the document type Promotional Piece if you are not also able to create a document of that type.

Note that you must also have the **View Document** and **View Content** permissions on the document you want to copy.