Document metadata in BIMcollab defines how information is organized, categorized, and retrieved within a project. It helps teams maintain consistency across all documents, making it easier for users to find and manage documents based on document-specific data.
📝 Note: For a detailed explanation of what each metadata type is in BIMcollab, you can refer to this article: Document metadata types and usage.
Document upload settings
Metadata is added when documents are uploaded to a project. There are two options for document upload settings with regard to metadata. These settings can be found under the Settings tab.
At the project level, users with the Project Leader role have the permission to edit this setting. At the project phase level, users with user permissions to Edit the Settings can edit.
A. Default upload setting
By default (for new projects), adding metadata is optional. This means documents can be quickly uploaded without metadata fields having to be filled in manually.
Read more about it in this article: Upload documents.
B. Advanced upload setting
To ensure better data quality, you can enable the Advanced upload setting. When this is activated, certain metadata fields become mandatory. Users will be required to add the metadata before uploading documents.
Read more about it in this article: Advanced upload document setting.
Setup the metadata
Metadata can be either system-configured (set up centrally by administrators or project leaders) or entered manually by users when uploading or editing documents.
The table below summarises where different metadata groups are defined in the BIMcollab interface.
Group | Where configured | Metadata examples |
System-configured | Administration > CDE > Settings | - Discipline |
| Administration > CDE > Locations | - Spatial structure (location, project, phase, storey or part relationships) |
| Administration > Users > Companies | - Author |
| BIMcollab defined | - Document type |
| Project Settings tab | - Document name |
User-entered | Freely entered at document or version level during upload or editing | - Description |
1. System-configured metadata
Some metadata in Document management is predefined and standardized for consistency across projects. These are set up by administrators and, in some cases, by project leaders.
⚠️ Attention: System-configured metadata is defined once for the entire space and can be used across all projects, ensuring uniform standards and reducing duplication.
Here is a list of where and how these can be created and adjusted:
Disciplines, Labels, Statuses and Custom fields
When uploading or editing a document, users select metadata for Disciplines, Labels, Statuses and Custom fields from a dropdown list that contains the pre-determined values.
These settings are configured under Space Administration > CDE tab > Settings.
For each item, options must be added via the ‘Add’ button in the top-right corner to appear in drop-down lists.
For Custom fields, first create the fields and then add options for each field. A CSV file containing all fields and options can be imported to speed up setup.
💡 Tip: Project leaders can review what Disciplines, Labels, Statuses and Custom fields are available in their project according to the space settings by going to the relevant Document management setting.
Spatial structure
Documents can be linked to the spatial structure of a project phase including the following levels:
Location
Plot
Building
Storey or Part
When uploading or editing a document, users select metadata for the Spatial structure field from a dropdown list that contains the pre-determined values.
These options are configured under Space Administration > CDE tab > Location.
For details on how to set up the spatial structure, see: Making spatial structure for documents
Author
Users can also specify the author of uploaded documents. This helps different stakeholders know who is the responsible company of different project documents.
When uploading or editing a document, users select the author from a dropdown list that contains the pre-determined values. This is based on the user companies within the space.
These options are determined during user creation under Space Administration > Users > Companies.
For details on how to set up companies, see: Create and use companies in BIMcollab
Document type
Certain metadata is fixed and cannot be customized within BIMcollab. This includes document type metadata which has the following options:
Documents
Documentation
Drawings
Images
Models
Document name and Work package codes
Certain metadata comes from existing Project settings features:
Document name: If a naming convention is in use, the document name is extracted from certain metadata. Naming conventions are created at space level by administrators and linked to projects by project leads. Here is an article to explain how they can be used: Document naming convention
Work package codes: These codes are created on project level by project leads. Here is an article to explain how they can be used and what they are used for: Work package codes and work packages
2. User-entered metadata
Some metadata is added manually at the document or version level to enrich the information. This metadata is added during document upload or when editing document details.
The following are text or date fields that can be freely entered:
Description
Document date
Version number, version date, and version description
Scale
Paper size
External references
External links
Using metadata in Document management
Once the metadata is set up, relevant metadata can be added when documents are uploaded. Beyond enriching document information, metadata is applied across multiple features in Document management, including:
Smart grouping, where metadata enables dynamic folders and custom views based on selected metadata criteria.
Filtering, searching and grouping documents efficiently.
Defining Document naming conventions and Workflows.
Tips for consistency and best practices
When defining metadata, consider the following best practices to ensure smooth use and long-term scalability:
Start with a naming structure plan. Decide which metadata fields (e.g., Discipline, Status, Location) are essential before adding custom fields.
Plan metadata fields in advance, and align them with internal company or project standards.
Use clear and descriptive names. Create values that are easy to understand for all team members (e.g., 'Document Purpose' instead of 'DocPurp').
Restrict edit rights: Only agreed administrators should modify predefined metadata values.
Review and clean up metadata options regularly.
Document your setup and share short guidance to help team members apply metadata consistently.