Wherever I go, my SharePoint tattoo travels with me. It is a part of my identity, a unique identifier that is ever prominent and always with me… a permanent reminder of one crazy night in Vegas that anyone can use to identify me.

Within SharePoint 2010, documents (and records) can have a Document ID attached to them that is carried throughout their lifecycle. By maintaining this unique identifier, a document can be clearly identified and if the document is moved to another location (such as a different document library) the Document ID is carried with it. The core value is that since a Document ID is carried with the document/record wherever it resides, the document/record can always be referenced by this unique identifier and located. Example: The SharePoint Document Center and Records Center has Document ID search available out of the box.

Sample Document with a Document ID

Document IDs are automatically applied to a document/record if the Document ID service is enabled. To enable the Document ID Service:

1)      Open Site Settings for the Site Collection(s) you want to enable the Document ID feature within.

2)      Click on Site collection features under the Site Collection Administration section.

3)      Click the Activate button for the Document ID Service

Actived Document ID Service

The actual Document ID that is generated for a document can be configured with a logical prefix to accommodate any naming convention you may need to apply (prefixes can be between 4-12 characters). Example: A prefix could be a division name such as “Accounting”, so the Document ID would look like “Accounting-12345”. Bear in mind that Document ID prefixes are set at the Site Collection level so you will need to ensure that any prefix you apply is logically equated to the site collection content, or you can use SharePoint’s default alphanumeric generated prefix for the site collection’s Document IDs. The settings to control prefixes and other Document ID options become available within Document ID settings under the Site Collection Administration section of Site Settings once the Document ID Service is enabled.

Being a huge fan of locating content by metadata and any unique identifiers available, I am of the viewpoint that in most cases the Document ID Service should be leveraged… but like any logical ECM/ERM approach it takes planning and if Document IDs don’t meet your needs, don’t use them.

Print PDF