Tagging in SharePoint: Managed Metadata vs. Choice Columns | Nested Choices

We explore the world of tagging in SharePoint, comparing the use of Managed Metadata columns to Choice Columns. If you've ever wondered which one is the best fit for your work context, this video has you covered!
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#SharePoint #ManagedMetadata #ChoiceColumns #Tagging #NestedChoices
00:00 - Intro
00:20 - Use Case
00:35 - How bad data enters
01:09 - Using Managed Metadata
01:30 - "Add Columns" = Devil
01:37 - Create Managed Metadata Column
02:14 - Using Managed Metadata
02:37 - Users have more control
02:54 - Allowing Users to create values
03:36 - MM with Power Automate
03:48 - Free Training

[@Cryogenik_1]

You're a natural teacher, high quality lessons learned here, thank you!

[@SeanAstro]

Appreciate you!

[@bitokay147]

This is amazing !

[@wellingtonperalta5039]

This is incredibly helpful!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much, I've been looking for something similar for weeks. 🙌🏽

[@Untethered365]

Glad to hear!

[@JuanGinez]

I had no idea that "Managed Metadata" was even a thing in SP! wow!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@Untethered365]

Right! They lump it the bottom of the list of options but it's sooo helpful.

[@CuriousJo1122]

I love this!

[@jimfitch]

Thank you! I have been using Managed Metadata in our SP libraries & lists for years and never realized that users can create terms from the library/list without going first to Term Store. I’ve been reluctant to open the Term Store to less disciplined users. This may be the ticket!

[@Untethered365]

Glad it was helpful!

[@francomussocom]

Awesome job on the delivery. Love the style and energy. Superb job. I look forward to reaching this standard with my video presence. Ps looking forward to our Power Platform collab 😎

[@SeanAstro]

Thanks! This one is rare in such high post production but I'll try and keep it up.

[@AnthonySchattenberg]

Great video, thank you very much

[@Untethered365]

Glad you liked it!

[@richarddeisinger2700]

Thanks for sharing this, it really opened my eyes to better data collection. How about a video on using meta data on views/reporting? Grouping in views and how SP meta data can be used in Power Bi.

[@SeanAstro]

Grouping in Views is creative! I've been focusing on Dataverse videos but may switch to this topic soon :)

[@golikehaaron]

Also terms are multi-language so you can for a given term value add the correspondent translated value for the same term in other languages :)

[@SeanAstro]

I didn't know that! Version 2 of this video needs that. Thanks!

[@claudegiguere8731]

Very interesting and presented! You have 1 more follower 👍👍👍 Thanks!

[@KasperBoLarsen]

And it IS possible to migrate a site column from a specific site collection to the Content type gallery. It will require a short PowerShell script, but it is better than not being able to use the site column on multiple site collections 😂

[@SeanAstro]

Hey Kasper great thought - I've been dragging my feet on making a Content Type video but I may just pull the trigger :)

[@ec6736]

REALLY easy to follow thank you...But when I went through the steps and clicked 'ok'.... I click NEW and no options for a new column pops up like it does in your video...why is this! ???

[@SeanAstro]

It's just video editing most likely :)

[@hawkinsmitch]

Thanks for the short summary. Can the data displayed be structured differently, i.e not using : as the separator? Are there any drawbacks with filtering, grouping by, and is it possible to apply styling to the options similar to a choice pill?

[@Untethered365]

Out-of-the-box you can't style Managed Metadata like you can a choice pill, BUT Managed Metadata does support JSON styling if you want to get fancy and go that route: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/declarative-customization/column-formatting#supported-column-types You can do top level Group By (parent of the managed metadata. i.e. "Brand" ) but I haven't tried it with the child ("model"). Feel free to reach out on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sean-astrakhan/

[@johnbrennan8442]

Hello 1:36 you said there’s a very good reason not to use Add Column on the list and you’d explain at the end but didn’t could you let me know please . Also how do users change the options in an easy way please

[@Untethered365]

It's in the free training link. We're releasing it next month if you want to sign up.

[@chriswho6794]

as a site collection admin and part of the sharepoint "owner" group of a particular site. I don't have the option to create more than one site level term group. The "new group" option isn't there. I am able to add term sets and terms and even rename the term group. Is there some other permission thing I'm not considering?

[@johnbrennan8442]

How do you add the column to the list ?

[@bayobizzle]

What if you'd like to separate Brand and Model with managed metadata? Or must they be chosen together at a go?

[@SeanAstro]

That's kind of the point is to have them nested but for display you don't have to show the whole path

[@tchrapko]

Great video, thank you. I've been grappling with the design of content management in SP to support a complex, but relatively small, department. I think I'll try to blend in some managed metadata to go with my usual list & lookup columns combo. SP is famously tricksy when it comes to keeping limitations in mind for any given feature. Do you have any rules of thumb to help prevent frustrations down the road? e.g. MM columns can't be the source for a lookup column, and can't readily be added to a calculated column formula.

[@Untethered365]

Heyo! Glad it helped. I wouldn't say there are many rules of thumb specific to SharePoint, but rules of thumb for building in low code solutions in general. I'm happy to share more resources on that if you're interested.

[@tchrapko]

@Untethered365 If you know a way for me to build cascading lookup columns, you could be my hero. I've requested an app that would add this functionality, but SP is new in our organization, and they're awfully cautious about approving app store requests.

[@squid86cool]

How does this work if ure using power apps as the way to add data and not the sp form

[@LONGBEACH2ARIZONA]

I am also wondering about this very thing? I hope there’s a response

[@zacharymcdonald8929]

Has there been an answer to this question? I am interested as well.

[@chap666ish]

Great video, thanks. But a quick question: in your example how would you ensure users picked the child term rather than simply picking "Apple", "Samsung", etc?

[@SeanAstro]

I haven't tried that one but i don't remember an OOTB way to do it. A workaround could be a calc column that validates if the MM column has at least 2 values or something to that effect.

[@chap666ish]

​ @SeanAstro I'm really not sure you can use a calculated column that way (happy to be proven wrong though!) My solution to a similar problem (i.e. two related choice columns) is to have one choice column with both values. e.g. "Apple - iPhone", "Apple - iPhone Mini", "Samsung - Galaxy S", "Samsung - Galaxy M", etc. It prevents "bad data" and is also easier to process in PowerApps/Flow.

[@Untethered365]

@@chap666ish creative! Sounds perfect for your context. The only downside I see is if you get more and more nested it'll require making a lot of options, and you miss out on some UI perks like only displaying the child value (not full path) or having users choose their values.

[@chap666ish]

@@Untethered365 Indeed. It's definitely not a replacement for hierarchical managed meta data(!) but it's handy for small-ish data sets and solves the problem of users only choosing the parent-level term.

[@csv1971]

any way to get in contact with you ?

[@AnthonyGUERRA69]

Just be carefull as there is a 20 items limitation when you try to use managed metadata in a Powerapps forms. Too bad...

[@SeanAstro]

Great call out! Did you find using them in Powerapps forms fairly straightforward?

[@AnthonyGUERRA69]

@@SeanAstro Yes, but the only way I found was to launcher a daily flow to store manager metadatas directory in a SharePoint List and call this list directory in the App. It works great but is quite complicated.

[@jason-m]

What a ridiculously and typically Microsoft unintuitive and complicated way to do such a barebones yet crucial thing. Between this, Teams, Lists, Loop, Planner For Loop In Teams, Teams For Planner in Project In Teams In Loop - MS is making organisational teamwork and secure file management an absolute joke. I wonder in the future how many times confidential information will be publicly available due to the new Microsoft Minefield way of working.

[@Untethered365]

"Minefield" is absolutely the right word for it. Luckily, Lists & Teams is all just SharePoint behind the scenes but it is super tricky to make sense of it in combination with the other products.