to folder or not to folder in sharepoint 2016 / online

To Folder or Not To Folder?Struggle Continues inSharePoint 2016/OnlineBobby Chang@bobbyschang

Photo Credit – SparkNotes

http://www.twitter.com/bobbyschang

2 | @bobbyschang | linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com

About Me

Contact Info

• slideshare.net/bobbyschang

• linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang

• @bobbyschang

• bobbyschang.com

Bobby ChangSenior Consultant at Directus Consulting

http://linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang

http://twitter.com/bobbyschang

http://bobbyschang.com/

http://slideshare.net/bobbyschang

3 | @bobbyschang | bobbyschang.com

vs.


This topic is as divisive as …


Feels like you have to pick a

side

“Some” speakers may even be slightly biased

[ Click to read ]

But … let’s play nice (for now),

shall we?


Why Folder is Good


Reason #1 Folder is familiar


Metadata

SharePoi

nt

Shutting Down Folders

may lead to

User Adoption Risks

SharePoint is a Mind Shift

Requires Continuous Education

Needs Constant Guidance

Expect Some (Initial) Pushback


Reason #2 Permissions Related


Folder is great for complex permissions

needs within a single repository


Permissions can be set per folder level

Parent Folder


Reason #3 Move & Copy Ease of Use

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

Move To & Copy To


Drag and Drop Folder(s)


Reason #4 Document Sync


Content Org in File Explorer


Sub-Folder Selective Syncing


Reason #5 Office Graph & Machine Learning


“Information comes to you” (Delve product site)


Learns your habit & interactions

SharePoint mobile app


Tracks user activity and trends


So … those files *are*

coming for you!!


But seriously, Office Graph is awesome!


Views & Interactions are tracked confidentially


But…


Office Graph is NOT (yet) a replacement for good

Information Architecture


Why Folder is NOT so Good


Reason #1 Linear Structure


A Linear StructureFolder hierarchy requires drill-down & roll-up

Could lead to difficulty in finding content

Could be inefficient for file upload


1 2 3 4

5


Linear format leads to content digging


Reason #2 Forced Grouping


A File HAS to belong to a folder

Company A Company B

Document forCompany A & B Merger


Reason #3 URL Restrictions in SharePoint


Folder & URL Breakdown

Team Site

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


Thus … Deep folder structure

leads to Long URL


SharePoint limits # of char in URL

Resource:http://bit.ly/2bWdP2r

http://bit.ly/2bWdP2r


The Solution to these Dilemmas


Picture browsing for a movieon your streaming service

What do you see?


Actors & Actresses

Movie Title

Viewer

Ratings

Length

Genre Movie Ratings

These are Metadata


MetadataDemo


Reason #4 No Flexibility in Display Options


You’re at the mercy of the person

who created the folder structure


Presents only 1 way of grouping information

Which leads to taxonomy limitation

Because everyone has different preference on how to consume info


We all have our own perspectives


Region > Year > Project Phase > Document Category

vs.

Year > Document Category > Region > Project Phase


SharePoint ViewDemo


Reason #5 Limitations with Synonyms


Synonyms are typically appendede.g.:

Status / Progress Report / Project Team Update


Limitations with Synonyms

Folder names can’t contain special characters

Long Folder Name = Potential URL Error


Managed MetadataDemo


Reason #6 Lack of TaxonomyControl

”Is she changing our spectacularly

designed folder structure?”

Team members could create, delete, move, or rename folders

Free reign over taxonomy

Content governance concerns

Contributors and Folders


Taxonomy management should be reserved for a select few

e.g.: Content Manager, Site Admin


Termstore ManagementDemo


Reason #7 Limited Search Functions


Library & Site SearchDemo


Reason #8 No Standardization


2016

Southeast

Project Status

Weekly Status ReportsTeam A

M A N U A L C O P Y P R O C E S S

2016

Status

ProjectReports

WeeklyProjectStatus

Southeast

2016

Project Status

Weekly Status Reports

2016

Status Reports

Team B Team C Team D

Inconsistent


Content TypeFoundation of SharePoint Content Management


Even if you were not aware, you have interacted with Content Type


Provides Standardization

Consistent set of tags or metadata

Centralized document template

Automated business process


Weekly Status Reports Content Type

Team A Team B Team C Team D

A U T O M A T E D


Content TypeDemo


Reason #9Microsoft’s Investment on ECM


From Ignite 2016 Conference

@AdamHarmetz@mkashman

http://twitter.com/AdamHarmetz

http://twitter.com/AdamHarmetz

http://twitter.com/mkashman

http://twitter.com/mkashman


Not everything is so black and white

What if it was

not so much

To Folder vs.

Not to Folder


Better Together


Option #1 Combine Folder with Metadata


Option #2 Document Set


Stay tune for future content ….

linkedin.com/in/bobbyschang bobbyschang.com

@bobbyschang

© LoveToKnow Charity

Questions? Feel Free to Contact Me

Bobby Changtwitter.com/bobbyschangslideshare.net/bobbyschang

http://www.twitter.com/bobbyschang

http://www.slideshare.net/bobbyschang

to folder or not to folder in sharepoint 2016 / online

Technology