Document Sets Overview

Use document sets to manage your project's key deliverables and keep information related to a particular task together without moving or in any way affecting the actual underlying files. Unlike conventional document management systems that require you to move files from the file system into a repository, you can use document sets to manage related sets of deliverables without moving or changing your firm’s underlying file folder hierarchy. Document sets create a set of references to a group of files, similar to shortcuts or virtual folders (depending on the term you are familiar with). They do not alter the actual source files in any way.

Use document sets to:

You can create document sets using any file types, and you can include a file in multiple document sets without creating multiple copies of the file. For example, you could include a specification section document in one document set representing submittals, and also include it in a document set for purchase orders, as well as a document set for LEED requirements. Only one version of the actual specification section file needs to exist (the source document), thereby reducing duplication and inconsistencies. Anyone who wants to see the latest specifications, or the latest LEED requirements can be assured they are getting the latest information, as the document sets all link to the same source document.

Other features

Use case

Create a document set consisting of all the plot files for a project. Typically, this is a single folder, containing many AutoCAD drawings numbered in a consistent manner (such as A001*). However, in Windows, this folder is typically buried many levels deep in the folder structure, and often has hundreds of junk files (such as *.bak, *.tmp, etc.) that you do not want in the document set. Also, this folder likely has large numbers of important XREF files that only CAD users would ever want to look at that should not be listed in the document set. You can quickly create a document set from that folder so that it includes the plot files in that folder, but excludes all other types of files. After you create the document set, it updates dynamically when new plot drawings are added.

To use document sets

Open the Project Document Sets activity center by clicking Document Sets from the Activities list or from the Project Home activity center.

New in Seventh Edition

        The Project Document Sets activity center has been made more consistent with the way other activity centers work:

        You can now filter by active and inactive document sets.

        The following tabs have been added: Email Log, Change Log, and Related Items.

        You can now click all_users.bmp my.bmp to toggle between showing document sets for all users or only your document sets.

        When publishing document sets to Info Exchange, the Publish as Info Exchange Folder dialog box now has a Send Uploaded Files to All Recipients Immediately checkbox that allows all recipients (including CC recipients) of the published document set to be recipients of subsequent updates from both internal and external project team members. Each recipient will receive a notification that an upload has been made and will have access to the transfer on Info Exchange.