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Document Management Features of SharePoint 2013

In this article I would like to explain the Document Management features of SharePoint.

The following are features of Document Management in SharePoint:

  • Document Library
  • Versions
  • Check out and Check in
  • Search
  • Alert
  • Office Web Applications
  • Metadata
  • Policies
  • Document ID
  • Document Set
  • Offline working capability

Document Library

  • A Document Library is a collection of files that you can share with your team members as documents
  • We can upload multiple types of documents (Word, Excel, PDF, PowerPoint) and edit and delete the document

 

For procedures to upload, edit and delete the documents visit the following article:

Create Document Library SharePoint 2013 Online

Versions
  • Document libraries support the version controls at several levels.
  • Versioning in lists and libraries enables you to track and manage information as it evolves and to view and recover earlier versions if necessary.
  • In libraries, you can specify whether to track all versions in the same way or specify that some versions are major, such as those in which a new chapter is added to a document, and some are minor, such as those in which a spelling error is corrected.
     
  • By default, versioning is not enabled, but is enabled in the Document Library settings.

 

Check-out and check-in
  • In a SharePoint Document Library, you have one way to control the document collaboration using the “Require Check Out”. Especially when multiple users have access to this library
  • If you have checked out the file then other users cannot overwrite the file. Other users can edit the documents only after you have checked-in the files
  • You are also preventing other people from seeing the latest changes or making changes themselves, so it is important that you check files back in promptly
  • By default, the check out and check in options are not enabled in the Document Library settings

In a library settings page, you can enable the check-out and check-in option in versioning settings.

“Require documents to be checked out before they can be edited? Yes”



Search

  • Enables the users to find the relevant information faster and easier
  • Default search option is available for each Document Library pages in SharePoint 2013
  • Search can be performed based on:
    o Document Name
    o Metadata properties
    o Document Content

 

Alert
  • In SharePoint you have an option to receive an alert message when someone changes the file.
  • We can set the various notifications for operations like:

    o Add
    o Edit
    o Delete

 

Office web applications
  • Office Web Apps provide updated versions of Word Web Apps, Excel Web Apps, PowerPoint Web Apps, and OneNote Web Apps. Users can view and optionally edit Office documents using a supported web browser on computers and on various mobile devices, such as Windows Phones, iPhones, and iPads
  • You can view the Office documents in the browser using Office web apps

 

Metadata
  • Managed metadata columns provide users a list of pre-defined terms that you can apply to your content
  • You can associate additional metadata columns along with document libraries

Policies

  • Information management policies enable site administrators or list managers to control how content is managed.
  • You have Archival and Retention policies for document libraries.

 

Document ID
  • Document ID is one of the main features in a Document Library
  • Document ID’s are automatically assigned to uploaded documents and this ID will follow the item throughout its entire life cycle
  • It is unique for each document and document retrieval is very easy using the document ID
  • It helps you to manage your documents by providing an easy way to track items
  • When the Document ID service is first enabled, new documents in the site collection will automatically be assigned new IDs.

 

Document Set
  • Enables an organization to manage a single deliverable and it includes multiple documents or files
  • You can share the meta data through a Document Set
  • A Document Set is a special kind of folder that combines unique Document Set attributes, the attributes and behavior of folders and documents.

Offline Working Availability

  • In SharePoint Server 2013 Preview, My Sites include several improvements to save, synchronize, share, and move content.
  • Users have the option to synchronize their Document Library content with a local drive to enable offline access to documents.
  • “SkyDrive Pro” for SharePoint 2013 enables this feature.

Summary

In this article we have explored the Document Management features of SharePoint 2013.


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