Auto-tagging documents with metadata

Matter-centric filing is common with lawyers and other users who are used to filing documents in a folder structure. FileHold helps these users retain the folder structure concept, but additionally add metadata to make searching for documents easier than browsing folders. Since many metadata values are common to documents that are stored with a single matter, FileHold provides an easy method to automatically add the common metadata simply by filing the document in the correct folder. This method is auto-tagging.

Auto-tagging can be defined for a cabinet or folder. If auto-tagging is defined at the cabinet level, it can be inherited or overridden at the folder level. When a folder is auto-tagged, all documents in the folder must share the same schema. When there are existing documents in a folder and the auto-tagging settings are changed for the folder, the changes will affect all documents in the folder and may effectively erase metadata that is defined on the document where it differs from the auto-tagging definition.

​Auto-tagging rules are set up by the folder owner or higher roles.

To set auto-tagging on folders or cabinets

  1. When creating a new folder go to the Auto-Tagging tab or for an existing folder, go to Folder Name > Properties > Auto-Tagging.

  2. In the Auto-Tagging tab, select the Enable Auto-tagging check box to have all documents in this folder automatically “tagged” with the same metadata based on the schema as they are added to this cabinet. This assumes that all of the documents that are being added to the cabinet have mostly the same metadata as all the other documents in the cabinet. This ensures a highly compliant filing system and standardization across all documents within the cabinet or folder. Users can select to have some standard repetitive metadata added automatically, manually, or a combination of both.

  3. Select the Make this the default auto-tagging settings for all folders in this cabinet if desired if you are setting up auto-tagging at the cabinet level. This option is not available at the folder level.

  4. In the Auto-Tagging Metadata area, select the document schema and the metadata. You do not have to set all the metadata fields; you can leave them blank for the user to enter them.

  5. Click Save.

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Auto-tagging at the cabinet level

Auto-tagging can be set up at the cabinet level by a library administrator that owns the cabinet or higher role.

  1. All folders that have auto-tagging applied to them are marked with a capital A.
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Folder with Auto-tagging

Other auto-tagging considerations

Watched folders can use auto-tagged folders as the target location, however auto-tagged folders cannot be named the target when using the managed imports.

Auto-tagged cabinets and folders can be copied, cloned and moved like any others in the document management system. If any auto-tagged folder is moved from a cabinet where it inherits the auto-tagging definition, it will automatically be changed to override the new cabinet auto-tagging definition in order to protect its documents.

Changing the auto-tagging definition on a folder with existing documents will cause a mass update to those existing documents. If there are a large number of documents in the folder you should take care to ensure the appropriate resources are available in the SQL server to process all of the documents in a single transaction. This is no different than a mass metadata update. Since a folder can contain an arbitrarily large number of documents, it is possible that you may not be successful changing the definition when the number of documents exceeds your SQL server's capability to process the transaction. If there are a large number of documents, you may wish to plan the change to the definition outside of normal usage hours to avoid disrupting normal users.