10 Reasons to Avoid Folders in SharePoint
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Transcript of 10 Reasons to Avoid Folders in SharePoint
10 Reasons to
Avoid Folders
in SharePointBobby Chang
@bobbyschang
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About Me
Contact Info
• slideshare.net/bobbyschang
• linkedin.com/in/bchang
• @bobbyschang
• bobbyspworld.com
Bobby Chang
SharePoint Consultant at Planet Technologies
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NO FOLDER FOR YOU !!
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Provide Value to Your End Users
Photo Credit – Matthew Keagle & Creative Commons
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Folder = Physical Location• SharePoint appends all folders into
URL• URL encoding applies, e.g.: Space =
%20Team 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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Linear Structure
Reason # 1
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A Linear Structure• 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
34
56
7
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Forced Grouping
Reason # 2
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Multiple Categories?• Every file HAS to belong to a folder• Cannot account for file that falls into multiple
categories
Company A Company B
Document forCompany A & B Merger
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Moving Document = URL Change
Reason # 3
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Your links don’t work!!
SharePoint is broken
I HATE SharePoint!!!
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Higher Chance of Running into Error
Reason # 4
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Deep Folder Structure• 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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Threshold Error• 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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Metadata / Document Tag
Solution
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Picture listening to a song in iTunes
What do you see?
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Recap Reason #1 thru #41. 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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Metadata / Document Tag
Demo
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Lack of Flexibility in Display
Reason # 5
Photo Credit - Mind Yourself
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
Lack of Display Options
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Region > Year > Project Phase > Document Category
vs.
Year > Document Category > Region > Project Phase
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Custom Filters & Key Filters
Demo
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SharePoint View
Demo
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Inability to Track Synonym
Reason # 6
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Limitations with Synonym• 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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Managed Metadata
Demo
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Lack of Control Over Taxonomy
Reason # 7
”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
Contributors and Folders
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Governance Concern• 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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Termstore Management
Demo
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Loss of Office Integration Functions
Reason # 8
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Document Information Panel
Demo
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Quick Parts
Demo
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No Standard or Reusability
Reason # 9
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2012
Southeast
Project Status
Weekly Status ReportsTeam 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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Content Type• 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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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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Content Type
Demo
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No Folder Workflow or Automation
Reason # 10
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Document Set
Demo
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No. Not necessarily.
Should I then NEVER use folder?
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Why You May Consider Folders
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• People are comfortable with folders
• Metadata is a Huge Mind Shift– Expect Resistance & Initial Uphill Battle– Requires Continuous Education and Training
Risk of Low User Adoption
Nice to meet you
Metadat
a
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Varying Permission Model• 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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Bulk Upload Native Tools
1. OneDrive for Business sync client err… Document Sync
2. Drag and Drop Feature
3. Open with Explorer
What do they have in common?
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Where do I tag??
No Metadata SupportJust
uploaded TONS of
files
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More Bulk Update Limitations• 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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How to Use Folders Effectively
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Using Folders Effectively• 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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Contributors vs. Visitors View• 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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Contributors vs. Visitors View• Display Non-Folder View for Visitors
– Removes reliance on navigating by folders
– Leverages power of metadata
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Should I NEVER use folder?
No. Not necessarily.
But Folder should be the Exception
NOT the Rule
linkedin.com/in/bchang bobbyspworld.com
@bobbyschang
© LoveToKnow Charity
Questions? Feel Free to Contact Me
Bobby Changtwitter.com/bobbyschangslideshare.net/bobbyschang