Mastering the Art of SharePoint DMS implemenation

CM301 - Thinking LEGO
Mastering the Art of SharePoint
DMS Implementation
Oliver Wirkus (MVP, MCT)
Sr. Consultant with 2toLead
oliver@2tolead.com

INITIAL SITUATION
How many DMS projects are starting

DETERMINING FACTORS
Considerations regarding a DMS implementation

REQUIREMENTS WORKSHOP
Gather requirements from the stakeholders
 What does the customer understand when thinking
about document management?
 How does the customer work with documents today
and where are the “pain-points”?
 How does the customer envision a future document
management system?
 What internal processes, requirements, and
characteristics must be considered?
Important: Understand your customer and their requirements by listening!

INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOP
Introduce SharePoint DMS functionality and provide next steps
 Quick introduction to SharePoint and standard
possibilities for working with documents
 Examination of observed pain-points and outlines of
possible solutions
 Detailed description of the migration plan and the
migration process
 Explanation of further steps based on a project plan
and definition of milestones
Important: The customer wants to be confident that they have been understood!

METADATA WORKSHOP
Work with stakeholders on a corporate metadata structure
 Short presentation on metadata and their value to
document management
 Involve all units and divisions
 Support tool: Use an Excel sheet to build metadata
structures (can be imported back into SharePoint)
 Term sets should be comprehensive…these can still be
amended later
Goal: Coordinated metadata concept for the entire enterprise!

CONTENT-TYPE WORKSHOP
Work with stakeholders on a corporate content-type structure
 Short presentation about content types and their use for
document management
 Involve all units and divisions
 All available document types should be known and
validated (e.g. via a review)
 Consideration should be given to the previously defined
metadata structure
Goal: Clear alignment of corporate document types to content types!

CONTENT-TYPE CONCEPT
Work with stakeholders on a corporate content-type structure
 Up to three (3) company-wide (global) metadata
definitions per content type (required)
 Up to four (4) unit-specific metadata definitions per
content type
 Optional metadata and required metadata should
be well-balanced
Content
Type 1
Global Global Global Devision 1 Devision 1 Devision 1 Devision 1
Content
Type 2
Content
Type 1
Content
Type 2

USING TEMPLATES
Associate approved corporate document templates to Content-Types
 Close tie-ins with the MS Office client application
 Saving directly to libraries, no need to navigate with
URLs
 Easy transition from previous ways of working
 Ensures that new documents are created based on
an approved corporate document template

DOCUMENT EDITING
Enable additional features regarding editing of documents
 Enable Versioning
 Clear User Experience advantages
 Be aware of Draft Item Security!
 Recommendation: Set up Shredded Storage!
 Offer Check-In / Check-Out functionality
 Helps users transition from previous ways of
working
 Enable Co-authoring
 Microsoft Office client application
 Microsoft Office Web apps

DOCUMENT SET vs FOLDER
Avoid folders if possible – check if Document Sets are an alternative
 Multiple documents can be grouped together as a Document Set
 Comparable to a typical file folder
 Document Sets are saved as one single entry in libraries
 Document Sets are much more powerful than folders
 Recommendation: avoid using folders in libraries!
 To use, the relevant Site Collection Feature must be activated
 … and a custom Content Type based on Document Set must be added to each library!

DOCUMENT SET BENEFITS
Document Set provide the following benefits
 Permitted Content Types can be defined
 Metadata are inherited from Shared Columns by all documents in a
Document Set
 The Welcome Page is configurable
 Columns to display metadata can be defined
 Individualized logos can be displayed
 SharePoint Designer can be used for configurations
 Default documents can be added automatically when a Document Set gets
created
 Workflows can be linked with Document Sets
 Version control can be implemented for Document Sets und embedded
documents

RATING vs LIKE/DISLIKE
Rating is a great feedback channel, 5-Star rating is more meaningful
 SharePoint offers two (2) different types of Ratings
 Both types of rating can be configured for every library or list individually
 Helps to engage users and to improve search results
5-Star Rating (anonymous)Like / Dislike (personalized)

DOCUMENT CENTER
Create a Document Center to be a central repository for corporate documents
 All available possibilities are introduced and
summarized in the “Document Center”
 Configure Document Center
 Design the Welcome Page
 Set up permissions
 Create libraries based on Content Types
 Define procedures, e.g. when documents are
moved to a Document Center

DOCUMENT CENTER APPROACHES
There are mainly two approaches which can be used to build document repositories
Traditional Distributed

DOCUMENT CENTER STRUCTURE
How to build an internal structure for a corporate document center

CONTENT-TYPE SYNDICATION
Utilize the Content-Type hub as central repository for all corporate Content-Types
 Content Types should be saved and managed centrally
 Site Collections are defined as Hubs within the Managed Metadata Service
 Activate the Site Collection Feature Content Type Syndication Hub
 Later, the Content Type Hub can only be changed via PowerShell!
 Content Types are published via a TimerJob (Content Type Subscriber Job)

CONTENT-TYPE SYNDICATION
Utilize the Content-Type hub as central repository for all corporate Content-Types
?

CONTENT ORGANIZER
Create a rule-based automatic document forwarding system
 Users will not know where a document should be saved
 The Content Organizer automates saving within the Document Center
 Documents are moved to target Libraries based on defined rules
 Users use the Drop Off Library exclusively
 The required Site Feature must be activated:
 Documents can also be moved to other sites:

CONTENT ORGANIZER
Rules are based on Content Types…
…and expressions that evaluate metadata…
…and a target library where documents are moved
when rule applies

CONTENT ORGANIZER
 Documents should not remain in the Document Center forever. They must be checked or subjected
to review periodically!
 Setting Retention Rules (in Information Management Policy Settings)
 Retention Rules are based on conditions and actions
 For example: “When document is older than one (1) year, execute a workflow”
 Retention Rules are configured based on Content Types and Metadata
 Local Retention Rules apply to individual Libraries or Folders. They are activated via this Site
Collection Feature:

CONTENT ORGANIZER
 The Records Center template allows
documents to be archived
 Configure Records Center
 Design the Welcome Page
 Set up permissions
 Set up retention
 Create libraries based on Content Types
 Define procedures, for example when
documents are to be moved to a Records
Center

CONTENT ORGANIZER
 How are documents moved to a Records Center?
 Establish ‘Send to’-connections
 Central Administration, General Application Settings
 Note: a valid URL for a ‚Send to‘-connection can be obtained, for example, via the target Site
Settings: Site Administration -> Content Organizer Settings -> Submission Points
 Configuration of Retention Rules in a Document Center
 Rule-based transfer of documents to a Record Center
 Manually use the ‚Drop Off‘-Library of a Record Center
 Utilize Custom Workflows

BYPASSING RULES
Sometimes the automatic processing of rules needs to be suspended
 Occasionally, documents should be exempted from automatic rule-based manipulation, e.g. during
legal contestations
 This site feature must be activated in order to define exceptions to rules:
 Now, Hold will appear in Site Settings
 A new Holds entry defines a new exception
 In order to apply the exception, open the Compliance Details
 Exempted documents are marked with a lock icon

SUMMARY
In a nutshell – this is what I want to show you
 Professional Document Management is possible
with SharePoint
 Many features improve working with documents
 Templates support the building of structures
 Document Center
 Records Center
 Content types and metadata can both be
managed centrally
 SharePoint is optimized for large volumes of data

MY BEST-PRACTICES
Personal lessons-learned from various DMS-related SharePoint projects
 Use workshops with all divisions in order to create metadata structures truly reflective of company
requirements
 Use Content Types and Content Type Inheritances whenever possible!
 Carefully plan Content Organizer Rules! Involve corporate divisions as Rule Administrators!
 Subject Metadata and Content Types to multiple validations before beginning the implementation of
a Document Center or Records Center in SharePoint!
 Involve corporate divisions as metadata administrators. Metadata should not be administered by the
IT department alone!
 Integrate Document Center and Records Center with existing Intranet structures. Multiple Document
Centers and Records Centers are possible!

QUESTIONS
Are there any questions regarding Document Management in SharePoint?

Mastering the Art of SharePoint DMS implemenation

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