Hi Roz

The term document type, is a hangover from other EDRM systems who used this as a key search filter and an aggregator of content. SharePoint never really used that term, instead there is functionality associated with 'Content Types' which is far more rich than a one dimensional list and helps organise content, apply specific metadata values so for example, if a document is a contract the metadata captured is specific to that type of content; e.g. contract ID, term, value, parties etc. 



The first piece of advice I would give you is to check on why you are being asked the question - what is it the outcome you are expected to achieve? If the intention is to aid search & retrieval (most common), then consider creating a couple of views at the same time you deploy this metadata as it will make it meaningful for users. If you don't, this becomes an extra step for the user to complete and they won't bother, or they will do it poorly. The document type list can be used as a piece of managed metadata so that it is available both for search but also possibly for management later on (as part of disposal processing for example).  There are often 2 key differences in the way people design and deploy it: 



 - Document Type = format.  In some people's minds they will think in terms of PPT, DOC, XLS etc which is already captured elsewhere and available as a filter natively in SharePoint, so no need to follow this approach 😊

 - Document Type = category. You can end up replicating elements of your navigation here, so care needed. Examples in your context could include; report, presentation, financial, specification, legal, plan



While the document type can be useful as a search term, you need to keep the list short and well defined so instead of contract, variation, deed etc you have "legal" 

Also remember that if a user has to complete the metadata you may find that over time they don't bother or they chose the first one on the list. If you have any automatic classification tools in place, these can give you the same outcome, and at a higher accuracy rating, but without the burden on the user.



Hope that helps, but please feel free to contact me if you want to talk through this in more detail.

Have fun!

Paula





Paula Smith | Intergen | Practice Manager | Modern Workplace - Cohesion | [log in to unmask] | T +64 4 472 2021 | M +64 21 290 0830

 

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Date:    Wed, 11 Sep 2019 09:27:25 +0000

From:    Rosalind Ryan-Mills <[log in to unmask]>

Subject: Document types in SharePoint



Good morning all,



We are preparing to move to SharePoint and have been asked to produce a list of document types. The plan is to have users manually enter the document type as part of the metadata whenever a file is placed in SharePoint. If done correctly, I can see this being a very useful way to organise information. Does anyone else do this on SharePoint and can they provide me with the list they use?



Service areas have been asked to provide us with suggestions but I'm concerned we will end up with an unwieldly list! It's my understanding we need a list of document types which is not too comprehensive or service specific, so really a generic set of terms which can be used across the organisation with clear definitions. Would be great to know how others have approached this and if staff uptake has been successful.



Thanks,

Roz





Rosalind Ryan-Mills | Records Management Officer West Yorkshire Combined Authority | Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (the LEP) | Legal & Governance Services





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