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Bobby Chang
@bobbyschang

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2 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
Contact Info
• slideshare.net/bobbyschang
• linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang
• @bobbyschang
• bobbyschang.com
Bobby Chang
Consultant, Microsoft Certified Trainer
er er

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3 | @bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com

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4 | @bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com

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5 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bchang | bobbyschang.com

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6 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bchang | bobbyschang.com
Provide Value to
Your End Users
Photo Credit – Matthew Keagle & Creative Commons

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7 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
• SharePoint appends all folders into URL
• URL encoding applies, e.g.: Space = %20
Team
Alpha Site Project
Document
Library Project SOW
Proposal
Draft Copies from Team
My Personal Original Copies
I Very Much like Subfolders
http://mycompany.com/sites/TeamAlpha/ProjectDocuments/Project%20SOW/Proposal/Draft%20Copiesfrom%20Team…
/MyPersonal%20Original%20Copies/I%20Very%20Much%20Like%20Subfolders/My%20Favorite%20Document.docx
My Favorite Document.docx

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8 | @bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
Reason # 1

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9 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
• Requires drilling down to sub-folders
• Rigid structure leads to difficulty in finding content
• Can be inefficient during file upload
Number of clicks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

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10 | @bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
Reason # 2

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11 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
• Every file HAS to belong to a folder
• Cannot account for file that falls into multiple categories
Company A Company B
Document for
Company A & B Merger

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12 | @bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
Reason # 3

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Your links don’t work!!
SharePoint is broken
I HATE SharePoint!!!

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SharePoint 2016

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new
NOT activated
automatically
Photo Credit – ScienceDaily LLC

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Photo Credit – Julie de Waroquier

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Reason # 4

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18 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
• Folder is directly correlated with URLs
– Deep Folder Structure = Long URL
• System Constraint
– MS Office restriction of 259 characters max for URL links
– User may not be able to save, open, or update the files

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19 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
• Renaming folder may result in Threshold Error
• Generally occurs when total number of files in all
sub-folders are greater than 5,000 files

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Solution

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Picture listening to a song in iTunes
What do you see?

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22 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
1. Linear folder structure
2. Inability to account for multiple categories
3. Risk in broken links upon document move
4. Higher chance of running into error

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Demo

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24 | @bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
Reason # 5

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You’re at the mercy of
the person
who created the
folder structure
• Folder presents only one
way of grouping info
• Users have different
preference to consume info
• Provides for a taxonomy
challenge

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Region > Year > Project Phase > Document Category
vs.
Year > Document Category > Region > Project Phase

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Demo

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Demo

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Reason # 6

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30 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
• Synonyms are typically appended
• E.g.: “Status / Progress Report / Project Team Update”
• Folder names can’t contain special characters
(e.g.: /)
• Adding Synonym Folder Name Change URL Change

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31 | @bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
Demo

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Reason # 7

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”Is she changing our
spectacularly designed
folder structure?”
• Contributors have too much
control
– Create, Delete, or Move folders
– Rename folders
• Folder structure could be
altered by team members

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34 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
• With folders, contributors have free reign
over taxonomy management
• Reserve capability for selective individuals
– i.e.: Content Manager or Site Manager
• Avoid the Wild Wild West scenario

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35 | @bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
Demo

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Reason # 8

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37 | @bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
Demo

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38 | @bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
Demo

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Reason # 9

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40 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
2012
Southeast
Project Status
Weekly Status Reports
Team A
M A N U A L C O P Y P R O C E S S
2012
Status
ProjectReports
WeeklyProjectStatus
Southeast
2012
Project Status
Weekly Status Reports
2012
Status Reports
Team B Team C Team D
Inconsistent

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41 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
• Foundation of SharePoint Content Management
• Even if you’re not aware of Content Type, you most
likely have already interacted with it
• Provide standardization:
• Consistent set of tags or metadata
• Ability to attach standard document template
• Associate automated business workflow process

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42 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
Weekly Status Reports
Content Type
Team A Team B Team C Team D
A U T O M A T E D

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43 | @bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
Demo

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Reason # 10

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Demo

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No.
NEVER

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48 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
• People are comfortable with folders
• Metadata is a Huge Mind Shift
– Expect Resistance & Initial Uphill Battle
– Requires Continuous Education and Training
Nice to
meet you
Meta
data

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49 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
• Permissions can be set at the folder level
• Documents residing in a folder would
inherit the permissions of that folder
• Fantastic for complex permission
requirements within a single repository

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50 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
1. Document Sync
2. Drag and Drop Feature
3. Open with Explorer
What do they have in common?

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51 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
Where do I tag??
Just uploaded
TONS of files

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52 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
• Content Type unsupported in Datasheet/Quick Edit
• In SharePoint 2010:
– Managed Metadata unsupported in Datasheet View
– Content Type unsupported in Inline Editing

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54 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
• Combine Folders with Metadata
• Utilize “Common Default Values”
– Metadata value can be automatically assigned
– Each folder can have different default values
• Create “Without Folders” SharePoint View
– Hides folder structure when displaying documents
– Eliminates hierarchy issue when browsing

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55 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
• Different options for different audience
• Display Folder View for Contributors
– More efficient for upload
– Auto-assigns tags via Common Default Values

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56 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
• Display Non-Folder View for Visitors
– Removes reliance on navigating by folders
– Leverages power of metadata

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57 | @bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com
Should I NEVER use folder?
No. Not necessarily.
But Folder should be the Exception
NOT the Rule

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linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang
bobbyschang.com
@bobbyschang
Questions?
Feel Free to Contact Me
Bobby Chang
twitter.com/bobbyschang
slideshare.net/bobbyschang