Almost every type of File has an information stored at the File/Document level.
This information can be the author name, the computer name, organization name and so on.
Do not get confused with the data inside the document which is data content.
The document data is the content while the metadata is the document attributes.
Metadata help us with the document management.
This can also be called Intelligent content. Intelligent content among many usages
can wrap a data content with attributes that can be handled by machines.
So with these attributes we can get fully dynamic
We can select a document by its metadata, archive it by meta data etc.
Metadata is also very helpful in the matter of Interactive documents.
For example, we generate a document from SAP and stored it over the network
or send it to a recipient by mail.
The recipient is filling data inside the document and send it back to the generating system.
How will the system identify the right document?
When the document is generated it writes the document name into the Metadata.
So when it reads the document, a check is done to the document name.
In the image below you can see an example of how to use the document
type in a Ms-Office document.
The type “ABC” inserted into the Title Metadata field.
Each document or Template type has its own attributes on the system such as data binding(schema), Output directory and more values.
So by using Metadata, we are sure to use the right attributes to handle the document data.
This video demonstrates how Metadata assists in the case of Interactive documents.
Documents without Metadata equal to objects in an empty space.
Think for example about letters sending without any recipient.
The letter got a content but we can not deliver it.
The same is with documents. a document should have its metadata so we
can be searched and be manipulated as we have to.
Metadata with documents integrates well with SAP ECM and establish
a well-suited content management for SAP business documents.