For the past year I have been working on SharePoint Sites for use in the organization and it feels like I am in the ‘Battle of the Sexes’. There is a constant battle of whether metadata/content types should be used instead of folders and vice-versa.
I have to tell you up front that I am not a formally trained SharePoint Designer; however I have managed to develop and implement the use of SharePoint sites. My ability to meet with some success has been primarily due to Google and YouTube coupled with the assistance of my colleagues. Thank You!!!
From where I sit we struggle with a plethora of issues as it relates to document/file management on shared drives. Folder/multiple sub-folder creation, unstructured folders and file names, are major problems resulting in numerous files being duplicated. In addition to this, files are arbitrarily stored on various devices.
Here are some of the reasons why I do not advocate the use of folders:-
- Using folders usually results in deeply nested folders upon folders where no one can find anything (even the people that put it there)
- You usually end up with links all over the place (which will easily break and become out of date) or multiple copies of the same thing
- If the file path is to long you end up not being able to transfer the file or an error message
- Folder names are sometimes only understandable by the creator
Despite all these issues end-users are still reluctant to embrace the concept of metadata. There is a constant battle to get a shift from the primitive world of folders to the flexible new world of metadata. Users have become so comfortable creating folders that any other way seems like an insurmountable mountain.
Let me tell you from the outset, I am not an advocate for the use of folders in SharePoint; my experience of managing large quantities of documents without a formal Document/Record Management System has been a nightmare.
Below are some of the reasons why I prefer metadata over folders:
- Metadata allows a user to create views and pull together a list of documents that is specific to that user's needs
- Metadata allows for sorting and filtering specific to the user's needs
- Metadata can be configured to have default values based on content type to simplify document classification
- Metadata allows for library configuration that enforces consistent document classification
- Consistent metadata across documents within a library will help improve the user's search results
Now, I know some of you may say that there is nothing wrong with using folders and there is a method in SharePoint to display the documents with/without folders. Blah! Blah! Blah! Encouraging the use of folders in your SharePoint Sites only serves to perpetuate and replicate the myriad of problems that are experienced on your shared drives. End-users tend to create arbitrary folders in file shares instead of following the specified folder structure. More than likely you would find someone creating folders to categorize content that makes sense only to them (e.g. My Stuff, JDoe Files).
Whilst I am not a fan of the folder structure it is helpful in some situations and therefore careful consideration should be taken when implementing its use. Folder use should be the exception and not the rule. It is my view that it may be better to remove the folder option, and put some extra effort into training and demonstrating the benefits of using metadata over folders. It will take some time, but in the end most users will come to appreciate the benefits that metadata provides.
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