How to Rename Documents in CLM with an Attribute Name Template

If you are unclear as to how to rename documents in CLM you are not alone. This is a frequent question we get from students in the CLM training classes. 

One way is to use the Name Template field as part of an Attribute Group.

Keep in mind, this is not the only way to rename a document in CLM; however, this is an automatic way of renaming documents using attribute values applied to the document. This saves your users time and ensures consistency across the repository. 

Example Use Case
Let's say there has been a recent influx of third party NDAs being uploaded into the account. A Contract Admin is in charge of renaming them all using a consistent naming convention. There could be 10s, 100s, or 1000s of documents at a time so manually renaming is time consuming! In this scenario, there is no workflow processing to automatically rename them.

How to Use an Attribute Name Template:
To reference an attribute as part of the Name Template, put the attribute name in a double set of square brackets ex:[[ ]]. 

• Step 1: Create your attribute group with the necessary attribute fields
  • Ex: Customer Name, Effective Date, Contract Type, Payment Terms
• Step 2: Using the available attribute fields, decide on your document naming convention. You can stick to one or use multiple attribute fields along with static text to construct the document naming convention.
• Step 3: Add naming convention to Name Template field in Attribute Group. Be sure to reference any dynamic attribute data in double square brackets.
  • Ex: [[Customer Name]]_[[Contract_Type]]_Document.docx
• Step 4: Save your Attribute Group. 

Video: Watch a walk-through of the setup and process

Follow along in this quick video to learn on to implement the steps:

Best Practice and Considerations:

• Verify which documents you will be renaming by running a report on the attribute data. Any document that previously had the attribute group applied or any new document that gets the attribute group applied will be renamed. 
• Ensure the data quality and consistency is high in the account as any attribute fields referenced in the naming convention that are blank on the document will come through blank in the document name.
• It is recommended to apply one attribute group with the Name Template field used to the document at a time. If multiple attribute groups using the Name Template are applied to the same document, the document will take on a combination of all naming conventions.

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