Document sets and their usage

Question

What are the scenarios where you would want to use a document set. Can you create a content type for document set?

Answer 1

As already answered: a DS (document set) gives you the possibility to group a specific set of related documents, much like in a folder.

For example: if you always use the same documents for a customer quote, you could create a Quote DS with perhaps 3 required documents:

• Excel document with quote calculations
• Word document with specifications
• PDF with standard conditions

This way, if you create a new Quote for a customer using this content type, the required documents will be provisioned automatically. You don't need to upload or create them, just edit them.

Extra benefits:

Document ID: the DS is handled as a seperate entity, so using Document ID's, all the documents AND the DS itself will get Document ID's.

Workflow: you can use workflows for the entire DS. so you could use a approval workflow to approve (or reject) a DS, not just the seperate documents it contains.

Answer 2

An example of using a document set would be for something like a RFP for a potential client. There might be a Powerpoint Presentation, a Sales Document, and some Marketing material. These can be rolled into a document set content type so that each new RFP contains these 3 files. It helps organize process where multiple types of content define the function.

Answer 3

Document Sets are like folders, but it has some unique features as compared with folders. A Document Set can have a seperate view for welcome page and also the welcome page can be customized, We can also create reusable workflows associated with it.

Answer 4

DocumentSet is a new feature introduced in SharePoint 2010. For managing the multiple documents with a single user interface, common metadata, behaviours. So we can handle the multiple documents with a single content type.

We have to activate the Documentsets features in Site Collection Administration to enable the documentsets in Document Library. We can also create content type for DocumentSets and associate with Document Library.