Create, duplicate, and manage the lifecycle of an object: add it, clone it, export it, rename it, change its type, move it, edit its attributes, delete it, or track what changed on it over time.

Add an object

In Dawiso, there are parent objects and child objects. Parent objects typically serve as categories for child objects.

  1. In the top navigation bar, click Create to add a new object. There are two ways you can determine the object’s path:
    • Automatic path detection: Dawiso will detect the current object you have opened and create its child object accordingly.
    • Manual path selection: Choose a specific space, app, or parent object (select box called Add to) to create a new object independent of your current location.
  2. Name your object and select its object type. For more information on object types, what they mean, and possible relations, refer to the application-specific articles.
  3. Finish by clicking Create.
Tip

You can also create an object using the following ways:

  • In the top-right of your app, click +.
  • In the left-side hierarchy click the three dots next to an object to add its child object.
  • In the object header, click the three dots on the right side and select Add child object.

Clone an object

  1. In the top-right of your Object page, click the three dots. Or click the three dots next to the object in the Explorer.
  2. Select:
    • Clone: Create a copy of the object along with the full hierarchy when applicable.
    • Clone without child objects: Create a copy of the object without any children.
Warning

Cloning is available under the following conditions:

  • The hierarchy is not read-only.
  • The user has at least Contributor role with write permissions. Disable cloning by making the hierarchy read-only in package settings configuration.

Behavior of cloned objects:

  • The cloned object will have the same name and its clone number in brackets (e.g., Abbreviation (1)).
  • It will start in the default workflow state defined for its object type.
  • If cloning a hierarchy, child objects will also be cloned with:
    • The same structure and content.
    • Their own default workflow states.
    • Their original names (no clone number in brackets).
  • Relations and links between objects will be recalculated.
  • User-specific relations such as watching, liked/disliked, and shared with me will not be copied to the new object.

Export an object

To export a single object:

  1. In the top-right of your Object page, click the Export button. Or click the three dots next to the object in the Explorer.
  2. Select your file type: Excel, Word, or PDF. OSI YAML is offered only when the object is a data product — see Export a data product as OSI YAML.
  3. Continue with selecting what attribute types, relation types, and user relations your export should include.
  4. Confirm by clicking Export.
  5. Download the file:
    • From the notification toast that pops up.
    • In the top-right of Dawiso, click the notifications bell and find the Click to download link.

Tip

To download multiple or all objects in an application, see Object export. Bulk import from an Excel file is also possible — see Object import (Excel).

Change object name

To change your object name, choose one of the following methods:

  • Click your object name in the Object header. Change the name and click ✓ to save.
  • In the top-right of your Object page, click the three dots and select Rename. Change the name and confirm.

Change object type

  1. In the top-right of your Object page, click the three dots and select Change object type.

  2. Select the new type from the types available in the object’s application — only types from the same application can be a target.

  3. [Optional] If the object has attributes the new type doesn’t define, map each one to a compatible attribute on the target type, or leave it stored but hidden on the object. Switching back to a type that includes the attribute again brings the value back. Overwriting an attribute that already holds a value needs explicit confirmation, and each target attribute can only receive one mapping.

  4. [Optional] If the new type doesn’t allow the current parent or some of the object’s children, pick a new parent for the object or for the affected children.

  5. Review the summary and confirm.

The object keeps its identity, history, relations, comments, and workflow state. Only its type, and where applicable its parent or its children’s parent, changes. Open concepts on the object survive the change and stay editable, and search results reflect the new type shortly after. The change appears in the object’s Activities changelog as an “Object type” entry showing the old and new type. To revert, run the wizard again and select the original type.

Tip

Change object type needs the same permission as Rename and Move: edit permission on the object’s current workflow state, plus standard move permissions when the new type also requires moving the object or its children.

Move an object

Move an object and all its open concepts and children to a different space. Objects can be moved only by users with sufficient permissions.

  1. In the top-right of your Object page, click the three dots.
  2. Select Move.
  3. Select the:
    1. Target space: Change the space if you want to move the object to another space.
    2. Target object: Select the new parent object, or choose (No parent object) to place the object directly under the target space.
    3. Optionally, check Move object including its child objects: Move the whole subtree. Available only when the object has child objects. Leaving it unchecked re-attaches the children to the moved object’s own parent instead, or to the space’s top level if that was the moved object’s position.
Warning

Move is unavailable for:

  • The moved object, if its type can’t sit at the top level (e.g., moving a business term directly under a space) and the target space has no valid parent.
  • A left-behind child, if its type can’t sit at the top level (e.g., moving a business domain without its business term children) and Move object including its child objects is unchecked.

Alternatively, you can also move the objects by holding and dragging directly in the Explorer.

If the target space uses a different workflow, the move modal shows Different workflow — states will need mapping and adds a mapping step listing only the workflow states that don’t already exist in the target workflow. For each listed state, select the state it maps to in the target space. The number below each state shows how many moved objects currently use it. All states must be mapped before you can click Move to finish.

After a move

The move creates one version. Show version on it reveals the workflow state from immediately before the move. A state change from the mapping step appears as an ordinary entry in the object’s Activities changelog. The space change itself isn’t logged there separately.

Tip

The AI assistant can perform cross-workflow moves too, via a workflowStateMapping parameter. Without it, the move is refused.

Edit attributes

In Dawiso, object attributes are essential components that define the characteristics of a specific object. They serve as descriptive elements that provide key information about the object itself.

Attributes can vary widely depending on the app. In general, there are two attribute types:

  • User-generated attributes that can be added and edited in Dawiso using a WYSIWYG HTML editor (such as descriptions, calculations).
  • Scanned attributes that are automatically created for data objects via ingestion.

Delete an object

  1. In the top-right of your Object page, click the three dots. Or click the three dots next to the object in the Explorer.
  2. Select Delete.
  3. Confirm deletion.

Track changes

To check changes made to an object, choose one of the following methods:

  • In the top-right of your Object page, click the three dots. Select Changes.
  • Scroll down to Activities. Switch to the Changes tab.

Find the change you want to compare, and click Show version.

In the comparison view, you can select two dates to view changes within that period. When a time range is selected, you can export all Word document versions that changed within it. For more information, see Activities and Object export (Excel, Word, PDF).