Introduction ​

These Docs will help you get CaseFusion up-and-running quickly, guide you through advanced features, and explain the core concepts that make CaseFusion so unique.

What is CaseFusion? ​

CaseFusion is a platform for building highly configured case management applications.
It comes from Ona Insights' experience building and configuring case management applications for humanitarian organizations such as UNICEF, UN Women and Jacaranda Health. CaseFusion is a GPLv3 fork of Directus 10.6.4, maintained by Ona Insights.

Its primary uses are case management applications and master data management. Custom workflows, strong security, tight access controls, easy integration and a web-based interface make it possible to build very custom apps that support operations needing a high degree of confidentiality, such as child protection, customer feedback management, and the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.

CaseFusion is an Open Data Platform built to democratize the database.
This platform provides everyone on your team, regardless of technical skill, equal access to data and digital file asset management, for any data model or project. First, link CaseFusion to your desired SQL database and file storage adapter. After that, CaseFusion enables you to perform CRUD operations, create users, assign roles with fully configurable permissions, build complex and granular queries, configure event-driven webhooks and task automation... the list goes on!

Database Introspection & Abstraction
SQL flavors all come with slightly different data types and idiosyncrasies. CaseFusion uses Database Introspection to read your database structure and create an abstraction layer to handle all the nitty-gritty details behind the scenes. This technique works seamlessly with any major SQL database. It also lets you link CaseFusion to your new or pre-existing database or remove it anytime, with no impact on your existing data model. That means you'll never encounter vendor lock-in.

The App and APIs
Once your database is introspected and abstracted, CaseFusion dynamically generates REST and GraphQL API endpoints to manage your data with granular control. You also get CLI tools for file management and a complete JavaScript SDK.

The API and CLI power the no-code App. In other words, the App is just a GUI that provides no-code access to the API. This architecture is how CaseFusion democratizes the database and provides control to the whole team.

Open-Source, Modular, Extensible, Scalable
At the highest level, CaseFusion organizes its features and functionality into Modules. Each Module allows you to interact with data in some specific way, such as data and content management, digital file asset management, drag and drop analytics dashboard creation, or whatever. If you find CaseFusion is missing something that your project needs, no problem!

Built entirely in Typescript, primarily on Node.js and Vue.js, CaseFusion is 100% open-source, modular and extensible, ensuring your project never hits a hard feature ceiling.

You can use it with any (or many) stacks or frontend frameworks.

Custom Configuration Options
Extensive configuration options are also available as global variables in the codebase. Developers can custom configure SSO authentication method, caching details, default file storage location (local, S3, google, etc.) for digital assets, emails, and much more.

What Do Teams Use CaseFusion For? ​

• Case Management
• Master Data Management
• Product Inventory Management

How It Works ​

CaseFusion is installed as a layer on top of your new or existing SQL database.

The App and API dynamically "mirror" your actual schema and content in real-time. This is similar to how technical database clients (like phpMyAdmin) work. However, Database Introspection has many unique advantages:

• Absolute control over your pure SQL database schema.
• Complete transparency, portability, and security for your data.
• Allows importing existing databases, unaltered and without migrations.
• Direct database access and the full power of raw, complex SQL queries.
• Significant performance improvements through optimizations and indexing.

In contrast, other platforms typically use a predefined or proprietary one-size-fits-all data model to store content . That is not the case with CaseFusion. CaseFusion gives you direct access to your pure and unaltered data. That means you have the option to bypass the CaseFusion middleware (API, SDK, App) and connect to your data with proper SQL queries. This effectively removes all bottlenecks, latency overhead, and proprietary access limitations.

Who's It For? ​

CaseFusion lets the whole team work together and access data in one place.

Developers
Developers get a complete data connection toolkit with REST and GraphQL APIs, a JavaScript SDK, access to global variables to customize configuration options, and direct command-line access to digital assets.

Power Users
Data analysts and data scientists have in-app tools to query data, build out in-app analytics dashboards, and extract or upload data in file format. Additionally, these users are still free to link other services and run raw SQL queries directly on the database.

Business Users
The no-code app is safe and intuitive enough to make data accessible to everyone, even the most non-technical users. Administrators can create fully granular permissions for roles as well as individual users.

When to Use It ​

CaseFusion is built for operational data that has to be configured closely and kept confidential.

Case Management ​

Track people, cases and the services delivered to them through their whole lifecycle. Model each programme's case types and forms, route work with custom workflows, and use role- and field-level permissions so that each caseworker, supervisor or partner sees only what they should. This suits sensitive work such as child protection, customer feedback management, and the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.

Master Data Management ​

Keep a single source of truth for shared reference data: beneficiaries, locations, facilities, organizations or service catalogues. Other systems read and update it through the REST and GraphQL APIs, and changes can trigger flows that keep them in sync.

Product Inventory Management ​

Manage stock, supplies and assets with their locations, movements and history, with dashboards to monitor levels and flows to automate reorders or alerts.

Why Use It? ​

CaseFusion is a simple, data-first solution to complex problems with no downsides.

CaseFusion is plug-and-play, so you're free to link or remove it anytime, with zero impact on your data. You have no vendor lock-in whatsoever, your data is yours. There are no artificial data limits (e.g. limits on users or roles).

You can test it immediately on an existing database or build a new data model from scratch, with no impact on your data and no long-term commitments.

The following core principles guide this platform:

• Pure — No predefined or proprietary schema. All system metadata is stored separately.
• Open — CaseFusion Core is open source, with no obfuscated or cloud-only code.
• Portable — No vendor lock-in. Your database can be exported or migrated anytime.
• Limitless — No arbitrary limits or paywalls on users, roles, translations, and data.
• Extensible — Every aspect of this platform is modular to avoid any hard feature ceiling.
• Unopinionated — Choose the stack, database, and architecture as you wish.

Ona Insights Managed Cloud ​

Ona Insights offers managed cloud hosting for CaseFusion. Get in touch with Ona Insights for more information.