Using Metadata Effectively

A workspace by itself has a flat data structure with a minimum of predefined hierarchy. The data organization can be structured on the fly by using the metadata of each file. Since each file may have several metadata that can be used for categorization, the user defines the file tree representation within each session and each workspace independently for other views. Different user-specific tree view settings can then be stored and selected for later use. 

Metadata of files can be modified or extended by different mechanisms  

If metadata are predefined for a workspace or on file-type level, the user is prompted for entering missing metadata, either entered manually or via selection from a pick list. Predefined pick lists help to avoid misspellings, multiple ambiguous definitions. 

An easier way to automatically assign metadata is to create or upload data directly to a folder by using the context menu. In this case, all the metadata underlying the folder are automatically added to the entry. This a major difference from conventional file systems If a file is moved from one folder to another, the information that this file once belonged to the original folder is lost. This might be intentional but is not in the most cases. With the described metadata concept, this information is inherent to the file and will only change or drop out on explicit action of the operator. 

The same applies to drag-and-drop operations with files in the navigation tree. Dragging a file and dropping it into another folder will cause a change of metadata for the file, and the system will ask the user to confirm the change. In this case, the user has several options  

---

Organizing your data more effectively. An electronic solution can store a huge set of wide variety of data. Since each user may have a different view on data, it is important to follow an easy concept for classifying and categorizing entries. Data visualization in electronic solutions can be structured on the fly by using metadata. 

---