MacroView DMS and DMS Pro provide a number of ways to move or copy a document from one SharePoint library to another (even on different sites and site collections) while keeping its existing metadata and version history.

How it works

You can move or copy a document from one location to another using cut/copy and paste:

1. In the MacroView tree view, click to select the area containing the document you wish to move.
2. a. To move: In the file list, right-click your chosen document and select Cut from the right-click menu.

OR

2. b. To copy: In the file list, right-click your chosen document and select Copy from the right-click menu.
3. In the MacroView tree view, click to select the destination library you wish to move or copy the document to.
4. Once inside the library, right-click on an empty space in the file list and select Paste from the right-click menu to complete the process.

What metadata gets brought along in the process?

When moving documents and emails between libraries or sites within the same site collection, existing metadata on documents will be carried over if the following condition is met:

• The destination library contains the same internal column name as the source library.

This means that if you're moving documents and emails between libraries that share the same library template you will be able to move the documents freely knowing that your metadata integrity is maintained.

If you're moving documents and emails to locations that may not be based on the same library template, these are some things you should keep in mind:

• If the destination library does not contain columns that were present in the original location, the metadata will not be captured and subsequently lost.
• If the destination library contains columns that were not present in the original location, you will be prompted by the DMS profiling dialog to enter metadata for the new fields.
• If you are moving a document or email to a different site collection, values of type Person and Group will not be carried across in addition to the rules stated above.

Advanced: Control what metadata to retain during a copy or move

There are three options in the MacroView DMS registry list that provide further flexibility with what metadata is maintained when you or your users move a file from one SharePoint location to another. These options are:

1. ColumnsToNeverReuse
2. DisplayMetadataColumnsOnCopyMove
3. UseDestinationDefaultsOnCopyMove

See the DMS ADMX file available for more information on how these options may be useful to your organisation.

• DMS 8.4 for SharePoint Server (on-premises)
• DMS 8.4 for SharePoint Online (Office 365)