Filevine Fusion

The Filevine Fusion tool allows users to leverage the power of reports to consolidate any data entered in Filevine into a cohesive PDF or Word document or Excel workbook. When combined with a custom export template for Word or Excel, Filevine Fusion enables nearly limitless permutations of data export.

You can also watch the training video on Report Fusion, or read the Word Templates and Excel Templates articles for more in-depth examples. 

Filevine Fusion is an Advanced tool and will need to be enabled by a Filevine Employee.

• What is a Fusion?
• How to Create a Fusion
• Fusing
• Permission Details

What is a Fusion?

Unlike basic Filevine reporting and DocGen, there are no limitations to the data you can include in a fusion, even when considering project type, project section, or Org. Some of the many possibilities include:

• a cohesive settlement statement per project, including data from a Meds Section, Liens Section, Expense Section, and from anywhere else in the project.
  
• a workbook of all fees, settlements, and expenses from all project types displaying all financial data entered in the past week in graphs, charts, and pivot tables.
  
• a PDF export with a personalized letter to every tenant.
  

Before you use this tool, keep in mind that Filevine Fusion has the potential to make data from projects available to team members lacking proper permissions, but only if configured incorrectly. Be sure to understand the function of the tool and the Permissions Details before proceeding.

How to Create a Fusion

Create a Fusion Template in the Filevine Fusion Tool

Filevine Fusion combines saved reports and “fuses” them together. For more information on how to build and save a basic report, read the Build a Report article.

1. Navigate to the Filevine Fusion Section. In the left top menu, select “Advanced.” Then, in the lefthand sidebar, click “Filevine Fusion.” If prompted, select the Org where you would like to house your Filevine Fusion button, and then click “+ Create a Filevine Fusion,” or just “+” if you’ve already created and saved fusions.
   
2. Fuse the reports. Choose a name for your fusion template. All of your reports will appear in the “My Reports” box on the left. Select up to 10 reports and move them to the “Included Reports” box on the right. When you have the correct reports, click “Save” in the bottom right. If you intend to nest data in a Word template, be sure to keep project reports on top of the report list.
   
   
3. (Optional) Edit and attach a fusion template. After you click “Save,” you will be directed to the “Template” tab. From this tab, you can download, edit, and reattach a Word or Excel template, which will determine how the fused data is arranged in your exported file.  

Fusion templates can dramatically enhance the power of Filevine Fusion. For more about creating and editing templates, read the articles on Word templates, MergeField formatting, and Excel templates. If you do not attach a template, Filevine will use the default Excel template for the fusion. This template exports a simple table with headers for each report, with every report on a separate sheet.

Create a Filevine Fusion Button

Once you have built a fusion template, you need a way to run that fusion. This is done through a widget called a fusion button in the Customs Editor. Once it’s configured, you will click the fusion button inside a project to generate the file—be patient, it can take some time!

The fusion button works just like a DocGen button: the generated file can be downloaded, moved, renamed, and shared. Once the fusion button has been clicked, you can navigate away from the fusion button page while the file generates—the file will be waiting for you when you return. Click the button again to run an updated fusion.

You can use either a single Fusion button or a Fusion Multi-Template button which will allow you to attach multiple fusion templates to one button.

1. Navigate to the right Section. In the hamburger menu at the top left, click “Advanced.” Then click “Customs Editor” in the lefthand sidebar. Choose the Org, Project, and Section where you’d like to insert the fusion button.
2. Create a new Widget. Scroll down in the selection section and select “+ Add Field/Widget.” In the “Create New Field Template Window,” select the “Widget” button. In the widget type dropdown menu, select either “Report Fusion” or “Report Fusion Multi-Template.” Fill out the prompt  
3. Select the fusion template. Select the fusion template you wish to assign to this button from the “+ Add Report Fusion” dropdown. If you have selected “Report Fusion Multi-Template, you will be able to add multiple fusion templates. 
4. Optional: Add auto-hashtag and auto-move to folder. Fusion buttons can be configured to automatically add hashtags and a folder location to any document they generate. These options make it easier to search for the documents and help to organize the documents within the Docs Section.
   
   Entering an auto-hashtag here will attach that hashtag to the document upon generation. Selecting a folder in the “auto-move to folder” section requires a project folder template, and will automatically move the document to the correct folder within the Docs Section when it is generated. (If the folder chosen for auto-move does not exist in the project, folders will automatically be created, including the entire folder path.) If you are using a multi-template fusion button, all documents generated by that button will share auto hashtag and folder settings.

Limit Data to Current Project

Unless specified otherwise, the fusion will include all data available to the user configuring the fusion, rather than the data for a single project. This default universal scope is useful for generating files that need to provide a birds-eye view of your organization, like a consolidated “activity log” that includes all calendar events, notes, and other deadlines from all projects. 

However, in many cases, the generated file will need to have its scope limited to the project where the fusion button is activated. For instance, to generate a comprehensive list of parties and their notes from three separate Collection Sections from a single project, the scope of the fusion button should be limited. In this case, you will select the “Limit Data to Current Project” option in the Field Options. When adding a fusion button in a custom Collection Section, you will be given the option “Limit Data to Current Project and Item.” Both of these options automatically add criteria for the relative project or project/item.

Fusing

Once you’ve followed the steps above, you will be able to press the fusion button in a project. If you are using a single Report Fusion button, simply click on the “Generate” button.

If you are using a Report Fusion Multi-Template, you will be able to choose which template you would like to generate from the dropdown. Click on the desired template and then select the “Generate” button.

If you’ve chosen to be notified when Fusions generated by you are completed, you will receive a notification via whichever notification methods whenever the Fusion is finished. Learn more about notifications.

Once a document has been generated for a Report Fusion Multi-Template widget, it will appear in a list underneath the widget. Click on the carrot next to the document to move, download, and more, just as you would with a document in the Docs Section. Click on the “Refresh” icon to regenerate the document. The most recently generated document will always appear above this list after “Current Template.”

Permissions Details

It is important to note that the permissions of the user activating a fusion button dictate what data is brought into the generated file. If a user only has access to a few projects and they press the fusion button, the generated file will only include data from those few projects even if the reports used to set up the fusion include all projects. The exception to this is that Org Admins are not limited in any way, as they can grant themselves permission to any data regardless.

Be careful! If an Org Admin clicks a fusion button configured with reports that include sensitive data, users added to that project will be able to access the generated document and all the data. Anyone with a collaborator or follower access to a project has permission to see exported files. It is best practice to keep unlimited fusion buttons in projects/project types that are only accessible to administrators. In most cases, you will want to select “Limit Data to Current Project.”