What is a Workspace?

A Workspace is the main place where you store and work on an investigation in Octostar. Think of it as a secured case container that combines a file system with structured investigative data. Inside a workspace, you can create folders, upload evidence files (PDFs, documents, images, audio, video, exports), and save Octostar items such as Link Charts, saved searches, and app outputs. A workspace can also contain structured content—Records created from the Ontology (for example Person, Organization, Event, Vehicle, Place) and the Relationships between them—so you can keep raw evidence and confirmed facts in the same working area.

Workspaces facilitate standard investigation workflows. You can begin by uploading raw evidence, and then use applications to extract entities, import CSV files, or generate reports.

As you review findings, you create or refine records and relationships, attach supporting files to preserve provenance, and save artifacts (charts, datasets, notes) back into the workspace for later reuse.

When you open a workspace, you see both the folder structure for files and the workspace records, which lets you move from a document to the related entities, then into a Link Chart, without changing tools or losing context.

Access to each workspace is managed through permissions assigned to users and roles. Octostar offers three access levels: Read, Write, and Admin.

• Read access allows you to open and search content.
• Write access enables you to upload and manage files, create and edit records, and contribute tags and comments.
• Admin access provides control over workspace membership, sharing settings, and other administrative actions.

If a user lacks access to a workspace, it will not appear in the workspace selection dialog. This permission model effectively separates investigations, supports team collaboration where appropriate, and ensures that all actions align with your organization’s access policies.