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Finding Information with Metadata

2 minutes Last update 4 months ago

    With M-Files you never have to wonder where something is. It’s all in M-Files. All you have to know is something about what it is or what it’s related to, and you’ll find it.

    In this lesson, we go through how metadata helps you find documents instantly and reliably. 

    Find Documents Instantly

    We all know the pain of spending minutes, if not hours, looking for where a document might be. In M-Files, you never need to know where a document is. All you have to know is something about the document and you’ll find it immediately.

    This is because everything in M-Files is tagged with metadata that describes what it is, what it relates to, and how it ought to be managed. So as long as you know something about what you’re looking for, you’ll find it.

    For example, let’s say that you want to see everything related to a customer – the ESTT corporation. All you have to do is use features like search or views to find all information that’s been tagged with the Customer: ESTT Corporation in the metadata and M-Files will bring the documents to you instantly and reliably.

    Relationships Through Metadata

    Most documents are related to some larger context, like a customer, project, or an asset. Whenever two documents are linked to something in common, like a project, then M-Files creates a relationship through that common metadata.

    What this means is that you can use these relationships to browse and find information. For instance, if you want to know where a project stands, you can easily browse through all the documents that are related to that project.

    This is another big benefit of metadata – information is no longer hidden and separated by location, it’s all connected and related through metadata.

    FAQ

    Got Questions?

    Since everything in M-Files has a metadata card that explains what it is and what it’s related to, to find a document all you need to know is something about it.

    For example, let’s say that you need to find a proposal that you colleague Tina showed in a meeting, for your customer, XYC corporation.

    So, what do you know? – it’s a proposal that Tina created, and it’s related to XYC. This is exactly the sort of information that’s captured on metadata cards. All you have to do is ask M-Files, with features like quick search and views, to pull up all information that’s been tagged with that metadata.

    By using features like quick search and views, you can easily find what you’re looking for with just that information.

    There are ways you can organize your documents in M-Files in a way that feel like folders.

    For instance, views look and feel like folders, but they don’t have any of the disadvantages of folders. Creating your own views is a great way to give easy access to the information that matters most to you.

    Another option is to use the Pinned tab. You can use it to organize information in a way that makes sense to you.

    Once you get to know these features, you’ll see that M-Files offers you much better ways to organize your information.

    What's next?

    How to Use Quick Search

    M-Files quick search functionality provides results fast, so that the right information finds you at the right time.

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