Project Metadata sheet for each project or Master Metadata sheet. Which is best?

wdouglass

I've just started working with Smartsheet. The Learning Center is very helpful and I'm setting up a proof of concept in the trial version following the directions here for setup: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=8c1ace8ce2d14472a986005d454626d8 I have a single Project Intake Sheet with all projects on it and I'm starting to create the Project Metadata sheets. The directions read as if there should be a separate metadata sheet for each project, but that seems as if it may be cumbersome to report off hundreds of separate metadata sheets later in any type of rollup report or dashboard. Should there just be a master project metadata sheet or is it really best to have a separate one for each project?

Thanks for any insight.

Wendy

Paul Newcome

I would suggest a separate one for each. You can create a report that looks at an entire workspace and filter off of sheet name containing "Metadata" for example and all of the metadata sheet will be included in the report. From there you can use additional filters, grouping and summaries within the report builder to generate almost everything you would need.

If you wanted a master metadata sheet then you would definitely want to start exploring the premium add-on Control Center.

Andrée Starå

Hi @wdouglass

I hope you're well and safe!

It depends!

Is all the metadata in the Intake sheet, or do you need to add more? And would it work to add the additional metadata to the project sheet(s) instead?

I hope that helps!

Be safe and have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

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Paul Newcome

I would suggest a separate one for each. You can create a report that looks at an entire workspace and filter off of sheet name containing "Metadata" for example and all of the metadata sheet will be included in the report. From there you can use additional filters, grouping and summaries within the report builder to generate almost everything you would need.

If you wanted a master metadata sheet then you would definitely want to start exploring the premium add-on Control Center.

Andrée Starå

Hi @wdouglass

I hope you're well and safe!

It depends!

Is all the metadata in the Intake sheet, or do you need to add more? And would it work to add the additional metadata to the project sheet(s) instead?

I hope that helps!

Be safe and have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

✅Did my post(s) help or answer your question or solve your problem? Please support the Community by marking it Insightful/Vote Up or/and as the accepted answer. It will make it easier for others to find a solution or help to answer!

wdouglass

Thank you both for the quick reply!  Andree - not all of the data we think we want to track is available at Intake, so I see where it makes sense to track the additional metadata on the project sheet.  I'll take your suggestion Paul and use a separate one for each. As we grow in learning the report builder it should get easier to see how everything fits together better.

Thanks again,

Wendy

Anne BWarren

Hello.

I actually have the same question as @wdouglass.

I am a grant manager and I have multiple grant projects that will roll up into a single dashboard. I am also relatively new to Smartsheet, and just starting the setup for the Project Management Office template set. It seems as though having a single metadata sheet in the Project Level folder (rather than in each project folder) wherein each line would link out or in to/from its own project (grant) would be the easiest way to ensure that all the projects have identical metadata fields for the dashboard.

Is my thinking totally off-base on this?

Thank you!

Anne

David R

Anne,

I have set this up for a couple of organizations now and there are a few tradeoffs to consider if you do not have control center.

One of the biggest weather you want the different data types to be in rows or in columns. When you set up a separate sheet for each project's metadata, you create different rows for the different pieces of data (location, client, start date, etc., etc.) this arrangement naturally lends itself to people being able to easily read and reverence info as they read and scroll down a sheet or report. However, you will loose the powerful data validation and type selection features that come from the different column types (drop down list, date, etc.).

Alternatively, using a single sheet for all projects will enable/force you to put each different piece of data into it's own column and it can therefore have column properties tailored to control the specific values input there. This structure and control also lends itself to use of column formulas across the columns as needed. What you loose is the vertical representation of the data on the sheet or even in the reports of the sheet. That is why control center automates to copying and cell linking of data from the intake sheet to a separate project metadata sheet. If you do not have control center, you can create a vertically represented meta data sheet and add these cell links manually, or populate it using a "Collect" cell formula for each data type. A cell formula using "Collect" could be set up in advance on a project specific metadata template but would not allow for bidirectional editing. A formula could be baked into a template, but if the value were edited o the project specific vertically represented sheet, the source data on the intake sheet would remain unchanged.

If there is a small enough about of data, that it can be represented across a single screen, I would start with a single sheet.

Good Luck!

-Dave