When I talk to SharePoint Administrators about metadata, a typical use case is that of a user uploading a document to a library.  As part of the upload process, the user is asked to populate several fields which classify the document with attributes like Department, Product, Security Level, and the like.

The main challenge with this is that users simply don’t want to take the time to complete the additional step and will populate required fields by always selecting the first item from a pick-list, entering generic values like “Test”, or simply leaving metadata fields blank. The lack of complete or accurate metadata can be an impediment for users searching for content later.  One solution is to use our Content Classification Engine to automate this process, thus removing the burden from users and assuring more accurate and complete metadata.

There is another common attribute of content which is widely used by people seeking content, but which is not generally thought of as metadata: location.  This becomes critical when users decide to look for content by browsing rather than searching; for example, a user looking for the company holiday schedule might simply look in a library called “HR Policies”.  As with metadata, it is frequently the case that users uploading content don’t take care to ensure it ends up in the right place.

There is an under-utilized feature in SharePoint call the Content Organizer that automatically places content in the correct folder.   The way it works is that users are allowed to upload content to a central “Drop-Off Library”, and rules are established that determine where the document should ultimately be placed.  These rules are based on Content Type and metadata, so it is critical that these be accurately applied. This creates a great opportunity for the Content Classification Engine and the Content Organizer to be used together.  Consider this scenario:

• A library exists called HR Documents, and it contains folders called Policies and Procedures, Benefits, and Forms.
• Someone in the HR department uploads the 2015 Company Holiday Schedule to the Drop-Off Library, and two things happen:
  • The new document is compared to rules established in the Content Classification Engine, and the document is assigned a content type of “HR Policy” as well as some metadata values:
    • Department: HR
    • Document Type: Corporate Policy
• When the document is saved, the Content Organizer rules determine that, based on its Content Type and metadata values, this document belongs in the Policies and Procedures folder

The end result is that this document is now accurately tagged with metadata and stored in the correct location.  Using the Content Classification Engine and the Content Organizer benefits both the users creating content by eliminating the need for them to manually assign metadata or correctly decide where content should be placed, as well as users looking for content- whether they choose to search or browse to find what they need.

Interested in learning more? Checkout our page on metadata management.