SharePoint Online: Introduction to managed metadata

Taxonomy: This is described as a formal classification system that groups words, labels, and terms that describe something. These groups are then arranged into a hierarchical structure.
Folksonomy: This is an informal classification system that evolves gradually as website users collaborate on words, labels, and terms on a site. Folksonomies originally developed from popular applications such as bookmarking.

Term Set

A term set is a collection of related terms, which can have varying scopes based on its creation location.

Local term sets, established within a site collection, are exclusive to that collection's users. For instance, a term set designed for a list or library's metadata column is local, usable only within that specific site collection. A practical example is a media library with a metadata column categorizing media types (like diagrams, photos, screenshots, videos), where the term list applies solely to this library.

Global term sets, conversely, are usable across multiple sites linked to a particular Managed Metadata Service application. An organization might, for example, create a global term set for its various departments (Human Resources, Marketing, IT, etc.).

Term sets can be either open or closed. In a closed set, only authorized users can add new terms, whereas in an open set, any user can add terms to a mapped column.

Terms Overview

A term is a word or phrase linked with an item on a SharePoint site, a single entity within a term set, possessing a unique ID and potentially numerous synonyms. In multilingual sites, a term might have labels in various languages.

Terms are of two kinds: managed and enterprise keywords. Managed terms are pre-defined and organized into a hierarchical term set by administrators. Enterprise keywords, added by users to SharePoint items, form a 'Keywords set' and allow for folksonomy-style tagging. Sometimes, these keywords are incorporated into a managed term set.

For detailed guidance on term creation and management, refer to SharePoint documentation on managing term sets.

Group Context

In SharePoint, a 'group' refers to a collection of term sets sharing the same security requirements. Only users with appropriate permissions can manage or create new term sets in a group. Organizations typically form groups for term sets with specific access or security needs.

For instructions on establishing a group for term sets, consult the relevant SharePoint guidance.

Term Store Management Tool

This tool is essential for taxonomy managers to create or manage term sets and their terms. It showcases all global term sets and local term sets accessible from the site collection where the tool is used.

Managed Metadata Column

This special column type in lists or libraries lets users select terms from a specific term set. It can link to an existing term set or a new local term set created for the column.

Guidance on working with a Managed Metadata column can be found in SharePoint resources.

Enterprise Keywords Column

This column type, addable to content types, lists, or libraries, enables user-driven item tagging. It’s a multi-value column offering type-ahead suggestions from managed term sets and the Keywords set. Users can pick an existing value or input a new one.

Owners of lists or libraries can control metadata publishing through the Enterprise Metadata and Keywords Settings.

For adding a keywords column, refer to SharePoint documentation on enterprise keywords columns.

Tagging

Tagging is the process of applying managed metadata to an item in SharePoint.