Document ID Service in SharePoint 2013

In this article we can explore how to use the Document ID Service in SharePoint 2013.

What is Document ID Service?

The Document ID Service assigns a Unique ID to documents within a site collection. Later, we can retrieve the document using this ID, without knowing the exact location.

In short, the service provides the following advantages:

1. Creates a Unique ID for documents, so that no two documents are the same
2. Easier retrieval of documents using ID

How to enable the Document ID Service feature

Inside the SharePoint 2013 site, choose the "Site Settings" link from the top right corner.



In the page that appears, choose the "Site Collection features" link.



In the feature list page that appears, click on the "Activate" button of the Document ID Service.



Please wait some time for the activation to be completed.

How to start using the Document ID feature

Once the feature is activated, you will see a new "Document ID Settings" link in the Site Settings page.



On clicking the link, you will get the following page.



You can enter the prefix for the document ID and click the "OK" button. A timer job will be scheduled in the background to assign a Document ID to all the documents within the site collection.



It should take a few minutes to complete the job.

How to view the Document ID?

Now you can go back to a document library, upload a document & view the properties.



Clicking on "View Properties", you will see the Document ID as in the following:



Please note that you must be a Site Collection Administrator in order to activate the Document ID Service feature.

References

http://bit.ly/12VmdE3

Summary

In this article we have explored how to use the Document ID service in SharePoint 2013.