---
sourceDocument: Xanadu Governance, Risk, and Compliance
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/xanadu/governance-risk-compliance

 Release :

    - xanadu

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Xanadu Governance, Risk, and Compliance

ft:clusterId :

    - grc

bundleId :

    - grc

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Document Management system

# Document Management system in Third-party Risk Management {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Xanadu
* 
* Updated October 21, 2025
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 3 minutes to read

Learn how the enhanced Document Management system supports third-party collaboration and internal workflows in Third-party Risk Management (TPRM).

## Document Management Overview {#tprm-dms__overview}

Starting with version 21.1.x, the Document Management System (DMS) in Third-party Risk Management (TPRM) provides a centralized repository for storing, organizing, and managing third-party documents throughout the vendor life cycle. DMS streamlines evidence tracking, reduces duplication, and
improves audit readiness by enabling document reuse across assessments, contracts, issues, and tasks. Access DMS in the Vendor Management Workspace or third-party portal to create, manage, and reference documents. Primary contacts manage permissions in the portal. TPR assessors \[sn_vdr_risk_asmt.vendor_assessor\], TPR managers
\[sn_vdr_risk_asmt.vendor_risk_manager\], and TPR administrators have write access, while third-party assessment reviewers \[sn_vdr_risk_asmt.vendor_assessment_reviewer\] have read-only access. DMS supports metadata, version control,
search, reporting, and audit tracking for all document actions.  
The DMS is accessible for internal users through the Documents module in the Vendor Management Workspace as shown in the following example.Figure 1. Document Management System in Vendor Management Workspace  
The DMS is accessible for external users through the Third-party portal as shown in the following example.Figure 2. Document Management System in the Third-party portal

## Key capabilities {#tprm-dms__capabilities}

* Third-party contacts can upload and manage documents using the third-party portal. For more information, see [Upload and manage documents in the third-party portal](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/ru6fJRVHYyCp1irtT4DAlg "Use the third-party portal to upload and manage documents for assessments, engagements, issues, and tasks in Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM).").

* Internal users can create and access document records through the Documents module in the Vendor Management Workspace.

  For more information, see [Create a document record](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/JJiA4TzYd__RHrK0vSRRmA "Use the Document Management system to create document records in Third-party Risk Management.").
* Users can manage document versions, download attachments, and track their metadata.For more information, see [Create a document version](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/wxKhSGcmzK6ACKkGDCtNPQ "Use the document management system to version documents in Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM).").

* Documents can be linked to multiple TPRM record types with auto-rollup:
  * Tasks
  * Issues
  * Engagements
  * Assessments

  For more information, see [Link documents to a TPRM record](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/nqcf9DR18SC~peXcoxp73g "Use the Document Management system to link documents to assessments, engagements, issues, and tasks for traceability in Third-party Risk Management (TPRM).").
* Internal users can manage role-based permissions for primary contacts and other internal users. For more information, see [Define document sharing permissions](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/NclShGDn3hvGZXDb9qcSWw "Controls who can view, edit, or manage a document using the Document Management system in Third-party Risk Management (TPRM).").

* Each document version supports download options, advanced search and reporting for metadata and relationships, and complete audit tracking of actions and version history.

## Document life cycle and traceability {#tprm-dms__document-lifecycle-and-traceability}

Each document captures metadata including creation date, type, description, version, and status. Metadata is used for classification, reporting, and workflow routing.

Each document supports multiple versions. TPR assessors, managers, and administrators can upload new versions, view version history, and download attachments for any version. Versions are sorted by creation date in descending order.  
Documents can be linked to assessments, engagements, issues, and tasks. These references automatically roll up to related third-party records. Duplicate references aren't allowed.  
Note:  
A linked document is a document record associated with another record (assessment, engagement, issue, or task) for traceability and reporting. Linking creates a formal relationship that supports life-cycle tracking. A reference is the entry that represents this link, shown in the document's References tab and the related record's Documents list. Each reference includes metadata like record type and ID. The key difference is that linking is the action and a reference is the result. Multiple references to one document are possible, but duplicate references to the same record aren't allowed.

All document actions including uploads and version updates are tracked for audit purposes. Audit logs are accessible to authorized users.

## Collaboration and insights {#tprm-dms__section_oqr_tvp_3hc}

All actions, including approvals and rejections, are tracked in the audit log for transparency and reporting. You can search documents by metadata fields and generate reports on document usage, status, and relationships. Filters
include document type, risk category, expiration date, and third-party association. You can generate reports on document usage, version history, and linked records using the Reports module or Performance Analytics.  
Report types can include:

* Document inventory report with metadata and version details.
* Linkage report showing documents associated with assessments, engagements, and tasks.
* Audit report for document actions and life-cycle events.
{#tprm-dms__ul_evr_yz4_3hc}

## Limitations {#tprm-dms__limitations}

* External users can't preview documents due to restrictions; they must download documents from the portal to view them.
* The third-party field is optional when creating a document. However, if the document is associated with a third party, this field is required. For internal documents with no third-party association, the field can remain empty.
* Document creation and versioning currently require separate steps.
**Related tasks**   

* [Create a document record](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/JJiA4TzYd__RHrK0vSRRmA "Use the Document Management system to create document records in Third-party Risk Management.")
* [Create a document version](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/wxKhSGcmzK6ACKkGDCtNPQ "Use the document management system to version documents in Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM).")
* [Link documents to a TPRM record](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/nqcf9DR18SC~peXcoxp73g "Use the Document Management system to link documents to assessments, engagements, issues, and tasks for traceability in Third-party Risk Management (TPRM).")
* [Define document sharing permissions](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/NclShGDn3hvGZXDb9qcSWw "Controls who can view, edit, or manage a document using the Document Management system in Third-party Risk Management (TPRM).")
* [Upload and manage documents in the third-party portal](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/ru6fJRVHYyCp1irtT4DAlg "Use the third-party portal to upload and manage documents for assessments, engagements, issues, and tasks in Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM).")  
**Related topics**   

* [Document approval and publish process](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=document-review-approval&version=xanadu&pubname=xanadu-servicenow-platform&ft:locale=en-US)
* [Exploring Document Management](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=explore-doc-management&version=xanadu&pubname=xanadu-servicenow-platform&ft:locale=en-US)
* [Exploring Document Intelligence](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=exploring-docintel&version=xanadu&pubname=xanadu-intelligent-experiences&ft:locale=en-US)