Co-authoring - Troubleshooting

Did you encounter the pop-up 'The source file you are trying to access is missing' or experience delayed synchronization while co-authoring with Datasnipper? Here are some ways to solve the issue.

This article aims to give you an understanding of how co-authoring works in detail including what limitations may be involved
For a step by step co-authoring guide click here

Pre-requisite:

You must be using DataSnipper Version 6 or later

Case 1: Source files are stored in a non-shared location

When co-authoring, if one user imports files from a non-shared location such as their desktop, the other user(s) will encounter the popup 'The source file you are trying to access is missing' when attempting to view the Snips.

Case 2: Source files are synced at different timings

Your shared file location e.g. SharePoint, and Excel each have their own synchronization timelines, and both need to sync properly for all source files to be visible in the Document Viewer. If this synchronization doesn't occur, users may see the popup 'The source file you are trying to access is missing.'

Case 3: Sync speed is limited by OneDrive / Sharepoint

Syncing user data with DataSnipper Co-authoring is reliant on OneDrive/Sharepoint - which is can be impacted by many external factors. Normally, co-authored data is synced in less than a second, but it can take up to 30 seconds in some instances. When this happens, simply wait for some time in case you cannot view each other’s Snips instantaneously.

• Syncing errors may occur when users import or modify documents simultaneously in the same workbook. Each user's local DataSnipper instance writes updates to the workbook's XML data independently. If these updates are not synchronized properly, it can lead to discrepancies in the embedded document metadata, causing re-import loops.
• This issue arises because the last user to save their changes determines the XML data stored in the workbook, which may not align with other users' metadata.

Case 4: User(s) makes changes to the source files

Modifying the source document in its stored location can result in the pop-up 'The source file you are trying to access is missing.' When a user redacts texts or rotates / removes pages from a document, the source file is considered modified, hence 'different' from the original file.

Case 5: User's computer time differs from internet synchronized time

As part of a distributed system, each computer self-reports the timestamp for operations. While computers typically use internet-synchronized time, users can manually change the time on their machines. If this time significantly deviates from the actual time, it could cause discrepancies in the chronological ordering in DataSnipper, differing from the true sequence of event.

Case 6: Workbook Has been Updated to V6, User on V5 proceeds to import a document on the V6 workbook

This error message will be prompted when a user with version 5.0 has uploaded a document to a workbook created in version 6.0, detecting the presence of XML data. If you have received this message, a user has likely added a document to a workbook that already contained uploaded version 6.0 documents. This option is not supported, the user will either be prompted to update the new documents to the V6 structure if possible or in some cases to simply remove the conflicting data.

Co-authoring is not supported on version 5.0 and carries a risk of data loss if used within a shared environment such as Sharepoint where multiple users can make edits to the same workbook. We highly recommend you upgrade to the latest DataSnipper version.

Known Limitations: 

Co-authoring with DataSnipper is subject to specific limitations influenced by environmental and structural factors that are often beyond our control. Understanding these factors can help mitigate potential challenges:

1. Syncing Speed Variability: Syncing depends on the performance of platforms like OneDrive or SharePoint, which can vary significantly from under 1 second to over a few minutes. These delays are environmental factors tied to network speed and platform (Office) responsiveness.

2. Protected Workbooks: In V6, workbook protection may prevent DataSnipper from reading or updating the very hidden sheets where XML data for embedded documents is stored. This can result in issues such as missing documents or failure to migrate workbooks from V5.
   • In V5, this was not an issue, as the system allowed editing of XML data even in protected workbooks.
   • If documents are missing or embedded data cannot be accessed, check whether the workbook is password-protected or marked as read-only. Removing protection may resolve the issue.

3. Limited Metadata Sync: Only document metadata is synced. While users can see referenced documents in Snips, they must manually locate and import these documents unless certain conditions are met. This limitation stems from structural design to ensure document integrity.

4. Asynchronous Document Changes: Changes like page removals, rotations, or redactions sync separately from the Excel workbook. These differences in sync intervals are due to how structural changes are processed independently.

5. Constrained Co-Authoring Conditions: Real-time collaboration is influenced by environmental variables such as internet stability and shared folder configurations. External factors like these make DataSnipper better suited as a data-loss prevention tool rather than a fully real-time collaborative solution.

6. Non-PDF files: (e.g., Word, image files) may experience conversion and sync delays, which can lead to temporary document corruption until the file is fully processed.
7. Simultaneous access by multiple users: Particularly when multiple users are doing imports at the same time, can lead to conflicts in the synchronization of embedded documents, potentially causing missing document errors or incorrect references."

8. Challenges with Embedded PDFs:

   • Users may need to reimport embedded documents because embedding changes are not instantly synced.
   • Edits like redactions or page deletions only apply locally, leading to inconsistencies for other users.
   • Embedded screenshots, (pasted from the clipboard) have a higher potential to get syncing errors and data loss due to it not existing on a path on your computer, if the syncing fails the document could be lost to Datasnipper and needs to be reimported. 
     

     When embedding is turned off:

     • Documents must remain in their original import location for other users to access them.
     • Using a shared folder for imported documents can minimize issues when embedding is off.

Recommendations: To minimize issues:

• Use shared, accessible storage (e.g., OneDrive) for documents to ensure consistency across users.
• Regularly save and share updated workbooks to prevent potential data loss.
• Even if the documents are intended to be embedded in the workbook, it is a good practice to ensure that your supporting documents are uploaded to a shared environment accessible to all users. This way, if a syncing error occurs and the embedding process fails to sync with other users, they can still rely on the shared path as a fallback to access the necessary documents.
• Always export modified files to shared locations to avoid XML mismatches.
• Avoid editing embedded documents directly in the workbook during co-authoring sessions. Instead, save modified files to a shared location and re-import them to ensure all users have access to the latest version.