One of the Key New Features in Office 365: Improved Metadata Editing

Metadata is a key aspect to mature document management, yet the user experience in SharePoint has a lot to be desired and hasn’t really changed since SharePoint 2013.

In SharePoint 2013, 2016 and SharePoint Online, it takes several clicks to edit the properties of the document:

As part of the new “modern” document library UI in Office 365, the document information panel now provides a complete history of the document and inline property editing, instead of requiring so many clicks.

Document metadata now available inline—You can now edit metadata directly from the main view in the information panel. No more clicking into multiple screens to apply an update! If you’re in a view that groups files by metadata, you can drag and drop files between groups to update the metadata. And if you miss something required, the document is no longer hidden behind enforced checkout—you just receive a reminder to enter the data when you can.

One-stop shopping for everything about your documents—Thanks to Office Online integration, you can navigate a complete document preview at the top of the information panel. The panel offers metadata, including the history of recent activity, updates to the file and who received a share to the file. You can also add more users or immediately stop all sharing. Finally, all other file properties are displayed, in case there’s anything else not already covered.

This will improve usability and make it easier to adopt taxonomies for end users.

Christopher Woodill

About ME

Enterprise technology leader for the past 15+ years…certified PMP, Six Sigma Black Belt and TOGAF Enterprise Architect. I collaborate with companies to help align their strategic objectives with concrete implementable technology strategies. I am Vice President, Enterprise Solutions for Klick Health.

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