SharePoint Administration | SharePoint Migration

Using Excel to Apply SharePoint Metadata to Fileshares

Moving file shares into SharePoint may seem like a daunting task because of the massive work it can take to identify what content is there, which versions to delete or move, concerns over what historic metadata may be lost, and how to apply new metadata (before it is moved, or once it is in SharePoint?). With SharePoint 2010, metadata is even more complicated because you may or may not have started building out managed metadata, and definitely want to take advantage of it with your file share content.  To complicate things, this content is owned by a wide array of people, and coordinating their input into what is moved and how can be difficult.
 
While there are a few tools on the market for file share migration, Axceler's FileLoader has some unique characteristics that make it quite compelling. One of these unique features is the ability to easily map the files to be migrated to your custom content types using the FileLoader UI or using Microsoft Excel. This is not a light integration using CSV files, but a full integration with Excel, allowing you to use its full capability to clean up and reorganize your content, and apply metadata using drop down menus.
 
When mapping to a custom content type, your columns appear in the spreadsheet and all relevant metadata -- even managed metadata -- appear in each field as a drop down, allowing you to assign single or multiple terms. Why this is so powerful is that you can now distribute the spreadsheet to your end users -- the people who know the content -- and have them apply the metadata in a controlled manner. Once they have completed assigning metadata, deleting files that do not need to be migrated (as simple as deleting a line of the spreadsheet), and identifying versions that should be merged into one history (where older versions appear in the document history, in the order you determine), you can then upload your spreadsheet to complete the migration.
 
Another unique benefit of FileLoader helps with the common issue of needing to make changes to your previous migration. Someone may have added the wrong metadata, or not completed their metadata assignment task using Excel. Simply make the edits in the UI or to the Excel control file, select the option to only update the metadata, and then start the migration. FileLoader will not overwrite the previous migration, but simply update the assigned metadata.
 
It's fairly simple to use, and incredibly powerful. If you'd like a full demonstration of FileLoader 2010 (it's also available for 2007), please contact us. You can also read our datasheet here.