Data and file organization
At the beginning of a project, it is highly recommended to choose a logical and consistent file organization and naming convention as well as suitable file formats that allow you and others to easily find, access and use your data, to avoid duplication and ensure that your data can be backed up. The following tips can help you to develop your own organization system.
- Organize your data logically and store it in a hierarchical folder structure.
- Separate active and completed work and delete any unused temporary files.
- Make sure that the folder structure is not too nested, otherwise this will lead to long and complicated file paths.
- Make sure that all folders contain a README file that explains what is in the folder and how to use it. More about README files.
Defining a naming convention for naming the folder structure and files is highly recommended. Useful are consistent file names, that are meaningful to you and your colleagues and allow you to find the file easily.
It will be helpful to include the following strings:
- Project (abbreviation)
- Author (whole name or initials)
- Description of the content
- Date (YYYYMMDD) / Version
- Research Team / Department
Make sure that the terms are as short, clear and understandable as possible for outsiders. Please keep in mind that not all characters are allowed for folder and file naming. We recommend that you do not exceed a path length of 260 characters and use only the following characters:
(ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789-_)
Examples
| Files without employing a naming convention and the rules described above: | Recommended naming of files: |
| untitled-01.docx | 20180904_ProjectEpsilon_DesignDocument_Jones_v1-01.docx |
| untitled-001.docx | 20181025_ProjectEpsilon_Description_Data_Gonzalez_v1-02.docx |
| *09/09/2018*_"Project&Epsilon":Master&Data!_Mäkinen-(version%1%00).xlsx | 20180909_ProjectEpsilon_MasterData_Maekinen_v1-00.xlsx |
| Meier's first test data version1-01 28 / 09 / 2018.xlsx | 20180928_ProjectEpsilon_Test1_Data_Meier_v1-01.xlsx |
| Meeting-notes-of-our-meeting-on-the-25th-November-of-2018-recorded-by-Alfred-Kramer-version-1-00.pdf | 20181125_ProjectEpsilon_MeetingNotes_Kramer_v1-00.pdf |
Careful selection of file formats can ensure that your files are easily accessible and interoperable and can still be used after many years.