Doc-db is (as you can tell from the name) a document database. A document can be almost anything – a PDF, a tarball, a Zoom recording of a meeting. We have set up a structure for the Frontiers and the Topical Groups. It can be changed if needed but we hope people can work within the current structure. Our doc-db is at

https://projects-docdb.fnal.gov/cgi-bin/sso/DocumentDatabase/

Click Topics, Click “Snowmass”, and click the box to open up the hierarchy. (if you have a link to the document you don't need to go through all this – this is only needed for writing documents).

Doc-db has many advantages: people can find everything in one place, it creates versions as documents evolve (and you can go back to earlier versions), and it is backed up by Fermilab. So you don't need to pass around links to Google docs. You just need tell people “look for doc-db 12345” or you can look up a document by title, subject, author, etc. Everyone has different tastes but this system has the advantage of permanence and an organized hierarchy. You can link Indico talks to it as well. Or you can save all the talks in a meeting into doc-db later so that they're somewhere everyone can find. More detail is below.

Our plan is that almost all documents in doc-db are public read – anyone can look at them. Write access requires a bit more work and we would prefer that be Frontier and Topical Group conveners just to keep our overhead down. Exceptions can be made as needed.

To get write access to doc-db you need a Fermilab service account.

Then AFTER you have a services account go to

https://fermi.servicenowservices.com/wp?id=evg-kb-article&sys_id=695391cddb726f840bc630dc7c961977

for general instructions; then to

https://projects-docdb.fnal.gov/cgi-bin/sso/CertificateApplyForm for access type; Write access is snowmass21conv if you're a convener, snowmass21 otherwise.

then if you are adding an author,

https://projects-docdb.fnal.gov/cgi-bin/sso/AuthorAddForm

Note: do not add other people as authors unless you need to. Every doc-db instance has the same person added as authors multiple times and that makes bookkeeping difficult. It is best if you only add yourself or if you do need to add someone else, do it in a controlled way – check with the person first.

Snowmass documents can be uploaded to arXiv (final versions of documents) and to doc-db (internal documents, proposals, white papers).

You need to have a Fermilab Services account for creating and modifying documents, not to read or download them. This is really a 5 min process. Instructions at Fermilab service account

I agree this looks complicated the first time, but after a couple it is mindless and it does let us collaborate on documents, preserve them, sort them into frontiers and topics, and have versions.

At

https://projects-docdb.fnal.gov/cgi-bin/sso/DocumentDatabase

1. click the top link, '“Create or Change…”
2. click “create a new”, top link. The number is there if you want to create a Word doc but also a PDF version for example. I routinely put the PDF of a LaTeX doc plus a tarball with all the files, so I would type 2 for number.
3. Now you see a complicated looking page that's actually not bad. Title, abstract, ignore Keywords, notes, changes unless you want.
4. Choose File: click that, and it will bring up your Finder, etc. and choose the file(s).
5. Document type, doesn't much matter for us. If you are saving a talk, Meeting or Conference Presentation is probably right.
6. Submitter/Author find your name
7. can view: normally the very top one, “Public”. Anyone in the world can see it.
8. can modify: just pick the last four
9. topics: scroll down, find Snowmass, click the + sign as many times as you need to go down the hierarchy and pick a topic.
10. then don't forget to “submit document” at the bottom

It will then tell you you've created some document with a number. You can mail this sort of link around: see “quick links, public version” that will bring you to a page with a URL like:

https://projects-docdb.fnal.gov/cgi-bin//ShowDocument?docid=6509

and anyone can get it. These can be linked to Indico and we can create conference material out of them. If you're familiar with doc-db, feel free to create meetings or do whatever else you like.

The list of Snowmass documents are listed https://projects-docdb.fnal.gov/cgi-bin/ListBy?topicid=645