452 CHAPTER 16 maNaged metadata service aPPlicatioNs Connecting to a Web Application Whenever a new web application is created, it can either be automatically associated with the default service applications or it can be configured using a custom set of service applications. Whenever you create a new Managed Metadata service application, one of the menu options will be adding it to the list of default service applications. After the service application has been created, it can only be removed from or added to the default list by the farm administrator using the Central Administration Farm Association page. If it is added to the default service applications when cre- ated, it will be available to all sites within web applications that are configured to consume the default services. MANAGED METADATA SERVICES The managed metadata services available in SharePoint 2010 provide a way for companies to bring organization and structure to the process of tagging content. Tagging content refers to applying metadata to documents and content within the organization. SharePoint 2010 allows companies to define and manage this process, including both structured and unstructured data. Structured metadata refers to a collection of terms that are tightly controlled and only modified through a strict set of reviews. Unstructured metadata refers to a collection of terms that can be updated by users at will. These are two extreme ends of the spectrum, and most organizations operate somewhere in the middle. With the new changes introduced with SharePoint 2010, both ends of the spectrum and everything in the middle can be implemented and managed. The rest of this section discusses the different methods for implementation. Metadata services in SharePoint 2010 are implemented through the use of a term store. When the service application is provisioned, the term store is cre- ated. Within the term store, groups are created that are used to house the term sets and terms. Groups are important because they are used primarily as a security boundary. Term sets are the groupings that are used to organize the terms. At the lowest level are the terms, which are the values selected by users in the system. Each of the terms can have an associated description, synonyms, and translation or custom properties. Figure 16-5 illustrates this hierarchy. Getting Started with Managed Metadata Groups, term sets, and terms are created by selecting the managed metadata service you want to work with and clicking the Manage button in the Ribbon on the Service Applications page in Central Administration. Alternatively, you can simply click the name of the managed metadata service you want to work with to open the Manage screen. Figure 16-6 shows the Ribbon menu options for accessing this management page. FIGURE 165 Managed Metadata Services 453 FIGURE 166 From within this management screen you can create and customize new content. Key actions include creating new groups, assigning group management permissions, and creating new terms and term sets. In most cases, the option to create the next level of content is provided on the parent level drop-down menu. For instance, the option for creat- ing a new group is available on the Service Application dropdown, and the option to create a new term set is on the Group dropdown menu. An example of the Group dropdown menu is shown in Figure 16-7. FIGURE 167 454 CHAPTER 16 maNaged metadata service aPPlicatioNs For each of the different levels of content, different menu options are available. The available con- figuration options are described in the following sections. Term Store Properties Within the term store you can configure the term store administrators and the available languages. Users who are configured as term store administrators are given full control to the term store. Figure 16-8 shows the Properties screen. FIGURE 168 Group Properties Within groups, new term sets can be imported or created. To create a new term set, simply select the New Term Set option and enter the required information. To import a term set, select the Import Term Set option and browse to the document that contains the term set to be imported. Import Term Sets are contained within a . csv file. Out of the box, Microsoft provides a sample term set import document that shows the required formatting. This sample import file can be accessed from the Service Applications Management page. Once the group has been created, you can configure various properties for it. In addition to the Group Name and Description, there are two levels of configurable permissions: Group Managers and Contributors. Users in the Group Managers list may add items to the group as well as assign other users to the Contributor role. Users with the Contributor role will only be able to add terms and configure group hierarchies. Figure 16-9 shows the properties available for a group. Managed Metadata Services 455 FIGURE 169 Term Set Properties Within each term set you can configure several different properties in addition to the name and description properties. These properties can be divided into two areas: ownership and usability. From an ownership perspective, there are three different properties to be configured: Owner, Contact, and Stakeholders. The Owner property should be configured to the group or user who will have primary ownership and responsibility for the term set. The Contact property provides an e-mail address where users can submit feedback on the term set. This feedback will be valu- able in determining any updates or modifications that can be made to improve the term set. The Stakeholders property enables you to keep track of various users and groups within the organization that should be notified whenever changes are made to the term set. From a usability perspective, the following properties can be configured for the term set: Submission Policy, Available for Tagging, and Custom Sort Order. The submission policy is where the term set is configured to allow users to add items (open) or to restrict them from adding additional values (closed). If this term set is configured as an open term set, users will be able to add items to the term set whenever they are selecting values. The tagging property of the term set determines whether the items will be visible in the UI when users are selecting values. The custom sort order property allows the term set to be sorted using a custom order. A great example of this would be a term set that includes the days of the week. Logically, users would want to see the list sorted Sunday through Saturday and not in alphabetical order. This is also the location where new terms are created. Selecting the dropdown menu from the Term Set in the tree view gives you several options for creating new terms and managing existing terms. From this menu you can create new terms, move entire term sets to new locations, create copies of term Sets, or delete entire term sets. Figure 16-10 shows the Term Set properties page; note that the options for custom sorting are located on a separate tab called Custom Sort. 456 CHAPTER 16 maNaged metadata service aPPlicatioNs FIGURE 1610 Term Properties Each property within the term store can be configured with the following properties: Available for Tagging, Language, Description, Default Label (name) and Other Labels (synonyms). These proper- ties can be configured per language. This means you can have separate synonyms for English and French, for example, if you have the French language pack installed on the server. Once a synonym has been created, whenever it is entered, the value is stored as the default label instead. This allows users to enter the same data in multiple formats and still store the same values. An example of this is the term set for Regions, which contains a term for the Northeast region. There are many different ways to abbreviate this term set; one user may enter NE while another enters N.E. and yet another enters North East. By creating synonyms for each of the examples listed, all users will be storing the same value of Northeast, even though they entered an alternative value for the term. Figure 16-11 shows this configuration page. Using Managed Metadata in Sites Once the Term Stores have been configured within Central Administration, any site associated with the service application can create list columns based on entries in the Term Store. These columns can be created as site columns or list columns, and they can be associated with content types. Figure 16-12 shows the Create Column page where new managed metadata columns are configured. Figure 16-13 shows the list view of a library that is using managed metadata columns. Notice that the columns are displayed like any other list metadata column. Managed Metadata Services 457 FIGURE 1611 FIGURE 1612 FIGURE 1613 458 CHAPTER 16 maNaged metadata service aPPlicatioNs The process for creating new managed metadata columns is the same as creating traditional list columns. These can be created from within a list using the Ribbon or the List Settings page, the Site Columns Gallery, or the Site Content Types Gallery (when associated with an existing content type). These galleries are accessed from the Site Settings page in a site, under the Galleries heading. When creating a new managed metadata column, the following properties can be configured: Description (text) Required Value (yes/no) Require Unique Value (yes/no) Allow Multiple Values (yes/no) Display Value (Term Only/Term with Path) Associated Term Set (Selection from Tree) Customized Term Set (Creation of New Tree Node) Default Value The specific settings configured in the Managed Metadata Services management screen will be applied to these column settings. For instance, only term sets that have been configured as open will be able to support fill-in values (see Figure 16-14). For term sets that have been marked closed but have a configured feedback e-mail, users will be able to submit feedback but not add values to the term set (see Figure 16-15). This creates an incredibly flexible way to ensure the list contains only those values approved by the Term Set Administrator, while still being able to accept input from the user community. FIGURE 1614 FIGURE 1615 Managed Metadata Services 459 Column-Specific Term Sets When creating a managed metadata site column, you can choose the option “Customize your term set” to create a column-specific term set. This term set will be created and stored in the service application that is configured as the default storage location; however, it will only be available for use in this specific location. This implies that if it is created at the list level, it can only be referenced in that specific column within the list; and if it is created at the site level, it can only be referenced within that site. If it is created as part of a content type that is published, it would be available wher- ever that content type is available, thereby facilitating enterprise manageability to that term set. Key Usability Features Managed Metadata columns provide several key usability features that will help define the end user experience. These rich features provide a clear and easy way to create, manage, and maintain global tagging structures. These features enable users to easily use, define, and communicate suggestions for existing structures. All the commands are located within the user interface, so users will not have to leave the entry screen to take advantage of these various features. Type Ahead When a user is entering the value for a field by directly typing the value into the text field, the field will identify what is being typed and provide selections based on the values being entered. For exam- ple, as a user types the value “Nor” into the text field, the field control will offer the selections of “North,” “Northeast,” and “Northwest.” A user can then select from among these options, without having to type the complete value. Values for synonyms are also identified; for example, if the user enters “N,” the field control would recognize the value as a synonym for the value “Northeast.” For fields that are part of open term sets, any previously typed values are displayed for the user. This valuable feature enables users to quickly zero in on previously created entries. Figure 16-16 demon- strates this feature. FIGURE 1616 . the default services. MANAGED METADATA SERVICES The managed metadata services available in SharePoint 2010 provide a way for companies to bring organization and structure to the process of tagging. Tagging content refers to applying metadata to documents and content within the organization. SharePoint 2010 allows companies to define and manage this process, including both structured and unstructured. most organizations operate somewhere in the middle. With the new changes introduced with SharePoint 2010, both ends of the spectrum and everything in the middle can be implemented and managed.