Moving Files in SharePoint - maintaining Version History

If you are using out-of-the-box Microsoft SharePoint you can move and copy files from one document library to another by cutting and pasting in the Explorer View or by opening in Windows Explorer. Trouble is that this does not preserve any Version History on the files and neither does it prompt for any meta-data required in the destination library.

As part of our WISDOM Document Management Framework add-on for Microsoft SharePoint 2007 MacroView provides WISDOM Explorer, which does a great job on moving and copying files around in SharePoint.

WISDOM Explorer displays an intuitive tree-view of your SharePoint environment so that you can visualise all the document libraries that you have permission to access. WISDOM Explorer let's you drag-and-drop to move (or copy) files from one document library to another. As it does the move or copy WISDOM can re-use any meta-data that it already recorded for the file(s) and will prompt for any new meta-data columns that are defined in the destination document library. WISDOM supports all the meta-data column types that are available in SharePoint, including Business Data columns (if you have the MOSS Enterprise CAL).

WISDOM will also preserve any Version History that is available on the file(s) that you move between document libraries (provided of course that Version History is configured for the destination library).

WISDOM makes moving and copying documents and files in SharePoint easy for users and generally maximises the effectiveness of SharePoint as a document management environment.