Skip to main content

O365: Meta Data - the key to success?

 O365: Meta Data - the key to success?


Having introduced the concept of Meta Data in the last post I will expand on its importance in the Office 365 environment.

Auto generated Meta Data, such as dates of file creation and modification, added to author's ID and last editor's ID, provide very convenient methods to categorise and index both files and data.

Manually added Meta Data, such as entry in the SharePoint or Office Title field, increase the power of search, sort, categorisation and index exponentially.

Simply adding an 'Allocated to' field to any SharePoint library or SharePoint list means that ownership of any file, document or task can be identified with ease and speed.

Changes to the same field can be updated to move data from one filtered list to another to accommodate simple and effective work flow.

Adding the Field 

For this exercise I am using an existing SharePoint List. 

The list records events for a CRM style workflow.

Click on the gear wheel and select List Settings.


In the settings view click Create column

Configure the column

First name the column, select Person or Group as the column type and ensure that you check the option to allow selection of both people and groups.

Save the new column and return to the main page view for the list


Highlight an item in the list as above and open the information pane


The Allocated to column will be available for selection

Start to type in the Allocated to field 


and you will be presented with a selection list of all relevant groups in the Office 365 domain.

In Practise

The list can be filtered by any user to show only items allocated to a particular group. Items can be picked from this filtered view and actioned. The user can then select a different group in the same way to move the item on in the workflow.

Selecting from a list of available groups removes the possibility that users may mistype a group name or enter a group name that is not viable.

More Control

In more controlled situations users can be restricted to views showing only items for a particular group. This can then form the basis for a group task home page.



Don't be afraid to experiment, make Office 365 work for you.

We can show you how, or we can do it for you.






 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

O365: SharePoint Searching in Office 365 and Teams

 O365: SharePoint Searching in Office 365 and Teams See also -  Other Office 365 Posts Earlier posts have discussed the huge advantages of centralising documents, files and communications in SharePoint and Office 365. One of the strongest functions in Office 365 is the ability to search all content so that locating data is easy. However, the search tools in Office 365 are not always obvious. Teams Search Teams is becoming really popular, not least due to the fact that it makes SharePoint very easy to deploy, use and control. At the top of each Teams General Tab is a search box This is multi function. Type / into the box and you will see a list of commands that will perform all sorts of Teams functions    The /Files option will return files you have recently accessed. Great, if the file or document you are looking for is actually in the recent file list. What if the information you require is in an older file, or in a different location? Location Search Also in Teams ...
Post a Comment
Read more

O365: Mobile Apps - the easy way

 O365: Mobile Apps - the easy way See also -  Other Office 365 Posts Anyone following these posts will now know how easy it is to create data stores in SharePoint for documents and files and for listing data, such as customer details. We've also looked at making this data easily findable, how to flag items for the attention of individuals and teams within the Office 365domain and moving work through the system in a controlled manner. We've also seen how we can access this content when away from the office via mobile apps for Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive. Occasionally the standard apps aren't really convenient and fail to lend themselves to mobile use. I'm thinking here of functions like stock lists, customer contact lists and the like, when the standard app delivers too much detail for a small screen, or where links and buttons are small and difficult to use. For these functions it would be better to deploy an app that is designed for fast, effective use on a mobile. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

O365: Getting the best out of SharePoint

O365: Getting the best out of SharePoint See also - Libraries , Lists , Linking List and Library Simplicity Anyone who has read my earlier posts on creating, populating and joining data containers like Libraries and Lists in Office 365 SharePoint will know how simple it is. Giving a little thought to what data or information you want to keep and what you will use it for in the future is the hard part. Once you have that, building the lists and libraries is as easy as creating a spreadsheet.  But, a SharePoint list or library is far more flexible and effective than a spreadsheet can ever be. Shadow IT This is the name given by IT departments to the practice of hiving off chunks of corporate data into silo data stores controlled and maintained by individuals. A mobile phone contacts list is a great example. The same data might be held in a dozen or more separate phones and the data might never be synchronised. Personal spreadsheet lists can fall into the same category. Data from any ...
Post a Comment
Read more