Methods for Exporting Materials: Admin PDF Download vs Document Export

Updated August 30, 2022 15:05

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The following charts compare two methods of batch exporting materials to help determine the option that best meets needs.

Admin PDF Download

Document Export

Administrative PDF downloads are preset groups of materials, and are designed to allow Slate users to easily download an application "bundle" in a web browser. These are downloaded directly from the student record or using Query Builder.

Admin PDF downloads are set up within Reader Tab Groups and Reader Tab Materials. Using these options, a specific order for documents included in the package can be defined.
The admin PDF download groups appear in the "Insert Part" selector when selecting the "Download PDF" link from the application record view, or when selecting the "PDF Document Export" output from a query run.
Admin PDF downloads are typically more suitable for smaller, ad-hoc document downloads.

Document Export queries are generally intended for exporting documents to an external document management system (for example, OnBase, ImageNow, or Docfinity).

Document exports can be created in Query Builder using document export resources available in the Slate Template Library.
The documents can be packaged in one of three ways: in a zip archive with an index file, in a zip archive with the index keys included in the file name, or with every document included in a single PDF.
This method is suitable for larger document downloads on a regular or scheduled basis.

Feature Comparison

This side-by-side feature comparison looks at specific details and settings available for each export option.

	Admin PDF Download	Document Export
Export one PDF for each:	Applicant	Material/document (multiple files per applicant) using the Document Export (Application) query base
Supports custom PDFs created using Reader Tab Materials	Yes	No
Supports combined PDF of all documents in export	Yes	Yes
Supports Index File	No	Yes
Supports custom file names and sub-folder creation within the zip file output	No If using zip format, the naming convention is: Student Last, First (REF).pdf	Yes See Customizing Document Export File Names for Scheduled Exports for more information.
Order of documents/materials may be defined	Yes	No
Ability to Schedule Job Runs	No	Yes

Still not sure which option to use?

Here are some scenarios where the admin PDF download option is more appropriate:

A faculty member needs a copy of a few candidate application files but the faculty member does not have a Slate user account or the necessary permissions to view student records.
Off-site interviews are scheduled in some locations where there could be limited internet access, so a "packet" of interviewee information is printed to help interviewers prepare for the conversation.