Microsoft SharePoint 2007 - Taxonomy Piece

Microsoft entered the Electronic Content Management market with SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS). Organizations will want to examine its capabilities when planning enterprise systems for content management and search - taxonomy design and deployment may be a piece of that.

BA-Insight has published a white paper on the search capabilities of SharePoint -- SharePoint Search: Five Keys to a Successful Implementation

"BA-Insight is a Microsoft ISV partner whose product Longitude for SharePoint extends the search capabilities of SharePoint to deliver dramatic improvements in usability and relevance for the user."

One of the five keys listed is to "Plan and build an effective taxonomy in SharePoint". In the paper, BA-Insight recognizes that taxonomies provide a means for "clarifying" results, but argues that the "centralized, classified and managed store of content", attractive as it is, is impossible. They recommend leveraging SharePoint to create a "simple" taxonomy.

The first step is to accurately map the hierarchy in your organization to you SharePoint Site structure. A site per department is typical and useful. Secondly, identify what types of content is useful to each department, and create a document library and/or List for each type. Heavily leverage the Content Type construct in SharePoint to tag specific types of content. Finally, and most importantly, optimize the SharePoint ranking algorithm. Taxonomy is only necessary, because the ranking algorithm isn’t doing its job.

Some might take issue with the statement that "taxonomy is only necessary because the ranking algorithm isn't doing its job". A taxonomy can also provide navigational access, big picture, vocabulary, and greater precision in search.

BA-Insight's Longitude module adds to this the capability for users to tag content - claiming that "over time a rich set of metadata is derived". There is some value to user tagging - different points of view, meaningfulness to the user - but "rich set of metadata" is a stretch unless the tagging is managed or guided.

Microsoft SharePoint Server has a large presence in corporations and with SharePoint 2007 Microsoft is taking on content management along with enterprise search. Taxonomy design and use will need to be figured into the plans. There may be other vendors, like BA-Insight, who will develop products that will enhance the MOSS search function.

SharePoint 2007 Review: Six Pillars of MOSS (Nov 2006) at CMS Wire provides a full description of the direction and capabilities of SharePoint.