Forum Discussion
Content Type Hub Best Practice?
After some early use of the CT Hub from 2012 we 'more or less' decided not to use it from 2013. Instead, we focussed on creating columns and content types in Site Collections.
The main reason for this decision was that it required a level of centralised (IT) control over document libraries (where the management of content types must selected) which we do not have; our Site Owners are responsible for the creation and configuration of document libraries.
Adding any content type is a convoluted two-step process:
- Create library > go to library settings > advanced settings ('allow management of content types') > (new library settings section) > add from existing content types > select and click Add > return to document library.
- Once they are added, you have open the library > click on FILES > click on down arrow under 'New Document' > choose content type. Not the most intuitive process.
Adding them in SPO libraries is the same but, if you do 'allow management of content types', the ability to create Office documents vanishes under the + option because - I guess - people wouldn't want to create documents at the same level as a document set. At least the option to create a Folder and Link are there.
Once you create the document set the Office options re-appear as well as the 'Folder' option (with a different icon, for some reason).
Some organisations may find that centrally managed columns and content types are good, but to date, we haven't.
Andrew,
I think that the ability to create a template with a Content Type is why the default options of Word, Excel, etc go away when you set allow management of Content Types. The same idea applies to Document Sets and the Document Set Settings were you can set which content types are available in the Document Set. I plan on providing as many templates for my client as possible to help them organize metadata, keep a consistent look and feel of their organizations documents and to use quick parts with their documents when possible so that the metadata that I am capturing in the library is useful for their document content as well as search and library views.
I wouldn't use it for any CT that will not span >1 Site Collection. SPO also may also take up to 72 hours to publish/update a CT, so just be aware of that.
Thank you for the response Trevor,
I am considering using it for some high level content types that are using some of the very high level managed metadata columns needed for certain documents around the organization. Because of the issue that you mentioned I don't think that I can capitalize on the Content Type Hub any more than than on SPO.
