File Organization Best Practices

Establishing a consistent file naming convention policy is crucial for records management. With a documented plan to organize and name digital files, your agency can find those files when needed, understand what they contain, sort materials in a predictable manner, and properly dispose of them in accordance with the Statewide Records Retention Schedule.

Make sure that any naming conventions are documented and implementable. Records management activity can be highly personal, and what makes sense to one person may be nonsense to another. The tips below list common risks to avoid and important factors to consider when naming and organizing digital files, whether those files are scans of paper records or born-digital records.

File Naming

Create a consistent and descriptive naming practice and document it through policy.

Train staff on policies and procedures to ensure consistent application.

Create file names that distinguish any documents that are grouped together, and try to impose unique names for each file

Avoid non-alphanumeric characters if possible. For file names created in non-English languages, learn about how to encode diacritical marks and how to ensure interoperability between operating systems.

Avoid the characters: ~! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) ‘ ; , < > ? “

Avoid using spaces in file names. Spaces are not supported by all operating systems and computer operations, which can hinder file transfers between computers. Replace any spaces with underscores, camel case, or hyphens.

Avoid using periods in file names

Periods separate the file name from the format extension (.docx or .tif, for example). The format extension is the main way a computer understands which program to use to open a file, so it’s best to avoid any ambiguity and remove extra periods from a file name.

Keep file names between 25-30 characters

Web URLs and some operating systems impose character limits for file names.

Use leading zeros to sort files in sequential order

For example: 001, 002 … 010, 011, etc.

Format dates by year, month, and day for chronological sorting

Use YYYYMMDD, or YYYY-MM-DD, or YYYY_MM_DD

Document version control via file names

For example: CollectionPolicy_firstdraft_2022_06_03.pdf, CollectionPolicy_finaldraft_2022_06_07.pdf

Examples of well-formed file names:

2009_01_15_planning_board_meeting_minutes.docx
2009_02_10_planning_board_meeting_minutes.docx
2009_CommitteeEventImage_001.jpeg
2009_CommitteeEventImage_002.jpeg

It is much easier to implement file organization and naming decisions when a file is created, rather than impose those decisions on hundreds or thousands of existing files. Still, it is never too late to start this important records management practice. There are many software tools available that can assist in the process of bulk renaming or bulk modifying file names. Contact your IT department to learn more about what methods might work best for your office.

File Organization

Folder structures can help organize and provide contextual information for files. For example, one method of keeping track of a file’s retention period is to include this information in the folder name. Ideally, records creators will be able to strike a balance between organizing files in directory or folder structures that reflect not only the file’s business purposes, but also their retention periods.

When retention information for a file is tracked through different means, such as using an Electronic Content Management System (ECMS) or through spreadsheets, directory and folder structures that include this information may be redundant.

Here is an example of a directory structure that reflects retention periods:
E:\Planning_board
E:\Planning_board\Minutes-Perm
2009_01_15_meeting_minutes.docx
2009_02_10_meeting_minutes.docx
E:\Planning_board\Notices_public_hearings-1_year

In this example, the files stored in the Minutes folder do not explicitly contain “Planning Board” in the file name because that information is inherited or inferred from the directory structure (meeting minutes are saved in a Minutes folder for the Planning Board). However, keep in mind that files can be moved. It is important to determine what critical information, such as date information, should be kept in the file name—and what other information may be helpful to record in the folder or directory name.

When implementing policy and procedure, consider file organization strategies together with file naming preferences and review these policies on a regular basis. For questions regarding file naming and file organization of public records, contact the Digital Archives staff.