Deep linking: the low-barrier, no-cost way to start integrating your enterprise systems

Introduction

In a world of ever-expanding enterprise solutions, creating a cohesive tech ecosystem can be challenging. While a solution-specific integration offers the most comprehensive way to have your systems connected and talking to each other, deep linking emerges as a somewhat little-known, yet powerful tool to establish a one-way connection that can be helpful until a full integration can be implemented.

By providing a seamless user journey from one app to another, deep linking enhances your user’s experience and efficiency allowing them in-app, to access information from an external solution with a single click.

If you’re finding yourself thinking “This sounds great, but how would I do it? When would I use it? and how do I get started?”, this is the guide for you.

What is a deep link?

Deep links, as their name implies, are links that direct a user deep into a specific place of the app. By doing so, they save users time and energy in searching for and locating a particular artifact themselves, significantly improving the user experience.

So say a user is working out of IBM Maximo and needs to pull up a drawing for the asset their looking at, rather than having a normal link that would drive that user to their EDMS’s homepage and having them search for the drawing they need, a deep link would allow them to click straight from IBM Maximo to the drawing they need.

Deep linking in RedEye

RedEye offers the ability to launch a search from an external third-party application, such as an EAM or ERP system. This can be done using a configured URL that makes drawings or documents visible in relation to the entity from which they were called. Configuring a deep link is contextual to your bucket and your search criteria.

As an example, RedEye may be launched from within an EAM against an asset number, allowing users to retrieve a specific drawing or document, or group from a single link.

Why we love deep linking

• It’s managed entirely from a URL: No additional steps are required in RedEye to generate or maintain a deep link.
• Links are not user-specific: Decoupled from the user, offering an alternative to personal saved searches when sharing organization-wide.
• They’re simple to create: Generating a deep link is easy and requires low technical knowledge compared to other integration options.
• Easy to create in mass: Deep links follow a formula structure, so they can be dynamically generated and easily scaled.
• Free bulk deep link tool: We’ve built a free downloadable tool that makes it even easier to create deep links, and in bulk too!
• Integrate with your EAM or ERP system by generating a Metadata search using your Asset ID or Site ID
• Create a manual QR Code that generates a metadata search that reflects a physical asset and easily replaces the metadata value to scale across your entire site
• Create a group in RedEye that matches a project, and integrate it with your project management software by embedding a link that generates a Group Search

Free deep link bulk tool!

Build your deep links fast and in bulk with our easy-to-use deep link builder - DOWNLOAD

Deep link uses cases

ERP solutions like SAP ERP, Oracle, and Microsoft Dynamics 365:

1. Retrieve drawings and documents: Access specific engineering drawings and documents directly from the ERP system.
2. Enhance project collaboration: Provide direct links to relevant documents, promoting collaboration between departments.
3. Facilitate customer service & support: Link engineering drawings to customer orders to assist support representatives.
4. Ensure disaster recovery: Make critical engineering drawings accessible from the ERP system during system outages.
5. Enable customer support: Facilitate quick navigation to engineering drawings in customer support scenarios.

EAM solutions like IBM Maximo, Infor EAM, SAP EAM

1. Access asset records: Quickly view design specifications, material lists, or related drawings and documents for asset maintenance.
2. Support maintenance activities: Link maintenance work orders or schedules to relevant engineering drawings.
3. Assist in compliance & certification: Create direct access paths to documents related to asset compliance.
4. Manage asset lifecycle: Link various stages of an asset's lifecycle to corresponding engineering drawings.
5. Enforce quality control: Link quality control processes to relevant engineering drawings, supporting quality assurance.

GIS solutions like Esri ArcGIS or QGIS

1. Manage assets & maintenance: Connect engineering drawings to physical assets represented in the GIS.
2. Comply with environmental regulations: Link engineering drawings to environmental features to assist compliance.
3. Coordinate land use & zoning: Integrate zoning maps with corresponding documents in the EDMS.
4. Integrate with field operations: Offer direct access to engineering drawings for field technicians.
5. Engage the public: Link to engineering drawings or plans in public-facing GIS applications

How to do it in RedEye

Deep links can be generated for the following scenarios:

1. Simple Search
2. Group Search
3. Single Metadata Search
4. Multiple Metadata Search
5. Single Artifact Search
6. Single OCR Search
7. Multiple OCR Search

Simple Search

Generate a simple free-text Search that does apply any filters or advanced methods

How?

Replace <searchterm> in the following URL with a string of text to generate a search from. To search multiple terms, you can separate each term with %20 or if you type SPACE the URL will auto-apply the %20 separators.

URL format:
https://app.redeyedms.com/artefacts/search?q=<searchterm>

Required: search term

Group Search

Generate a Search that returns all artifacts in a Single Group.

How?

Replace <group ID> in the following URL with a single Group ID. The Group ID is found within the URL when viewing the Groups page. (E.g. 12409)

URL format:
https://app.redeyedms.com/artefacts/search?group=<groupID>

Required: Group ID

Single Metadata Search

Generate a Search that returns all artifacts that match a single Metadata Value

How?

• Replace <bucketID> in the following URL with the required bucket. The Bucket ID is found in the URL the Manage Bucket Home (E.g. 1)
• Replace <metadataID> in the following URL with the ID for the required field. The Metadata ID is found in Manage Bucket > Metadata Fields > Edit section (E.g. 26204)
• Replace <metadatavalue> in the following URL with the desired metadata entry Ensure this is accurate including case and/or other characters

URL format:
https://app.redeyedms.com/artefacts/search/bucket/<bucketID>/metadata?<metadataID>=<metadatavalue>

Required: Bucket ID, Metadata ID & Bucket ID

Multiple Metadata Search

Generate a Search that returns all artifacts that match Multiple Metadata Values

How?

1. Replace <bucketID> in the following URL with the required bucket. The Bucket ID is found in the URL the Manage Bucket Home (E.g. 1)
2. Replace <metadataID> in the following URL with the ID for the required field. The Metadata ID is found in Manage Bucket > Metadata Fields > Edit section (E.g. 26204)
3. Replace <metadatavalue> in the following URL with the desired metadata entry Ensure this is accurate including case and/or other characters
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 for as many metadata fields as required with no separators or breaks between each

URL format:
https://app.redeyedms.com/artefacts/search/bucket/<bucketID>/metadata?<metadataID1>=<metadatavalue1>&<metadataID2>=<metadatavalue2>&<metadataID3>=<metadatavalue3>

Required: Bucket ID, Metadata ID & Bucket ID

Single Artifact Search

Generate a Search that returns a single artifact

How?

1. Replace <bucketID> in the following URL with the required bucket. The Bucket ID is found in the URL the Manage Bucket Home (E.g. 1)
2. Replace <artefactID> in the following URL with the required artefact ID. The Artefact ID is found in the URL when viewing an artefact (E.g. 98122238)

URL format:
https://app.redeyedms.com/artefacts/search/bucket/<bucketID>/metadata?artefact=<artefactID>

Required: Artefact ID & Bucket ID

Single OCR Search

Generate a Search that returns all artifacts that match a single OCR Value

How?

1. Replace <searchterm> in the following URL with a single term to search in OCR data. The %3A in the URL replaces a : from the Prefix/Syntax Search shortcuts available on web and will return the same results

URL format:
https://app.redeyedms.com/artefacts/search?q=%3A<searchterm>

Required: search term

Multiple OCR Search

Generate a Search that returns all artifacts that match Multiple OCR Values

How?

1. Replace <searchterm> in the following URL with each term to search in OCR data The %3A in the URL replaces a : from the Prefix/Syntax Search shortcuts available on web and will return the same results. It only needs to be added once
2. Depending on your bucket settings, AND or OR logic may apply automatically between search terms. To enforce an AND logic apply between terms, include a %26 immediately before the first search term only. Example:

URL formats:
OR Search:
https://app.redeyedms.com/artefacts/search?q=%3A<searchterm1> %20<searchterm2>%20<searchterm3>

AND Search:
https://app.redeyedms.com/artefacts/search?q=%3A%26<searchterm1> %20<searchterm2>%20<searchterm3>

Required: search term

Tips & tricks

Include/Exclude Options: RedEye metadata searching allows for specific include/exclude options such as "Must Exactly Match," "Must Contain," "Must Not Contain."

Things to note

• Limited to Searching: Only supported for generating search, no other actions.
• Limited to Selected Criteria: Supported by selected search methods only.
• Requires Bucket Administrator: Access to view the IDs required to generate is limited.
• Requires Accurate Configuration: Cannot execute without the URL configured exactly.
• Requires Manual Configuration: No system-generated method to create the URL.