Naming conventions: What are they and why should you use them?

Have you ever had to track down a file and found several that could be the one you need? Sales Report_FINAL.doc, Sales Report Jan 2023.doc, Sales Report for JW.doc, Sales Report for JW_JAN23_v4.doc… It takes time and effort to identify the right one and working with the wrong one could cause all kinds of issues further down the line. And don’t get us started on the dangers of duplicate files.

This is where Naming Conventions can help turn the chaos into order. It might sound a bit boring and complicated (stay with us) but understanding what they are and how to use them in your business will make a huge difference to the way you manage your documents and data. The more organised you are in managing business information, the more effective and efficient you can be in your work.

What is a Naming Convention?

The simple explanation is ‘a set of rules for naming files and information within your business’.

A consistent and effective naming convention simply allows you to find the document you want immediately.

Defining a Naming Convention

All businesses are different so you will need to define a naming convention that works for you. You may need different naming conventions for different departments. For example, the Accounts team would use a naming convention that defines how invoices are numbered, whereas the Sales team would use one that defines how orders are numbered.

An example of a naming convention.

Think about how you want to sort and retrieve your files. This will help you to define your file naming convention. Remember that file sorting reads from left to right so this will determine which piece of information will come first. Do you want your files to be listed in alphabetical or numerical order?

Think about what information you need to include in the file name, and how you will separate each section of text. Names, reference numbers, file status, file version, date, company representative, solution, product or service, country…

Separators are:

• Underscores (e.g. file_name.xxx)
• Dashes (e.g. file-name.xxx)
• No separators (e.g. filename.xxx)
• Camel case - where the first letter of each section of text is capitalised (e.g. FileName.xxx)
• Avoid using spaces in file names as some software does not recognise them.

Other things to consider…

• Date formatting. Which format should you use? Do you need your files be listed in chronological order? Examples of date formats include YYYY-MM-DD, YYYYMMDD, YYMMDD, YYMM.
• Version control. Do you need to log the file version in the file name e.g. v1, v2, v3?
• Use zeroes for sequential numbering. If you are going to have more than 9 files with the same name, formatting the numbers as 01, 07, 15, allows them to be sorted in chronological order. If you are going to have more than 99 files, format the numbers 001, 037, 095, 111 and so on.
• Special characters. Avoid using special characters such as ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) ` ; < > ? , [ ] { } ‘ ” in file names as some software does not recognise them.

Sharing a Naming Convention

Once you have your naming conventions clearly laid out, share them across the business so that your team are consistent when naming and saving files.

Useful Technology

If you want to take your document and data management to the next level, it’s time to invest in a Document Management system.

A Document Management system is a central repository that securely stores all your digital files – Word docs, jpegs, pdfs, presentations, data, reports, emails and more. Files are stored with meta data (information about a document that is digitally ‘attached’ to it. E.g. title, owner, file type, location etc.) which makes it quick and easy to search for and find the information you need.

Other benefits include:

• the Version Control feature - ensures that you are ALWAYS working with the latest version of a file
• Permissions - ensure that users only have access to the information they need and can’t access sensitive information
• File Sharing & Collaboration – easily share and collaborate on files with colleagues
• Audit Trails – a digital log of all actions carried out by users e.g. which file they have viewed, edited, shared etc

The best way to manage your documents and data is to use naming conventions in partnership with a Document Management system and let the technology do all the hard work for you. But if you’re not ready to invest in one just yet, defining naming conventions for your business is a big step in the right direction.

If you would like to find out more about the best way to manage your documents and data, get in touch with Jack Wright, Sales Director at YourDMS. Call 01285 810606 or email [email protected].

Barbers Round Chair Project supports young black men’s mental health

The Barbers Round Chair Project has been launched in north London aimed at tackling black men and boy's mental health.

Five barber shops in Islington are taking part. Barbers have been given specialist training to help them identify customers who are struggling with their mental health and direct to the help and services that they need. The shops provide a safe space to talk for black men of all ages.

According to charity Mind, young black men are far more likely to be diagnosed with a serious mental illness than white men.

The initiative, delivered by Islington Council, is designed to improve mental health wellbeing outcomes for young Black men. The three-year programme, will see a holistic approach to mental health issues among young Black men in Islington, with the aims of improving personal mental health and wellbeing, aspirations, and life opportunities, while reducing exclusions.

You can find out more about The Young Black Men and Mental Health programme here.

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