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Last Updated: 2026-04-17
Bulk Update Document Metadata

Bulk Update Document Metadata

  • Documents must exist in Contract Intelligence with an assigned DocSetID and DocID.
  • Ingestion files must contain no more than 50,000 records.
  • For file renaming or refoldering, if you rely on AI-extracted data, verify the accuracy of that data before creating the ingestion file.
  • For legacy metadata imports, ensure you have a unique identifier, such as a unique file name, to map values.
  • Create any required custom fields in the
    Admin Console
     before import. New fields created during import default to multi-select dropdowns.
  • Security: Ensure you have administrator access or a custom role with access to Application Administration.
The Bulk Metadata Updater (BMU) allows you to update metadata field values, rename contracts, or refolder documents in bulk. Each of these functions requires different templates and has unique requirements.
Before proceeding, consider this:
  • AI citations
    : Overwriting metadata field values causes the original hyperlinks to AI citations to be lost permanently.
  • Data formatting
    : Ensure values conform to the designated data types. Example: Modify EU dates.
  • Empty folders
    : Moving files to new folder paths may result in empty folders that you can’t delete in bulk or filter in the UI.
  • Field Mapping
    : Ensure metadata field names match the
    Admin Console
     exactly; any deviation creates new fields as multi-select dropdowns.
  • Rollback
    : Always keep the original export file as a failsafe rollback.
  • Special Characters
    : In the
    Filepath
     column, using a forward slash (/) creates nested folders.
  1. Search for the documents requiring changes and export the results as an Excel file.
    If you rename or refolder based on metadata, include that metadata in your base export for easier mapping.
  2. Save the original export file as a failsafe rollback.
  3. Prepare the ingestion file.
    Complete the task:
    Option
    Description
    Update Metadata
    1. Transform data into the desired state. Example: Modify EU dates to yyyy-mm-dd.
    2. Map the data to the correct
      DocSetID
      .
    3. Remove all columns except for
      DocSetID
       and the metadata fields.
    4. Remove all duplicate
      DocSetID
       rows.
    Rename Files
    1. (Optional) If relying on metadata, quality check the data before changing the
      File Name
      .
    2. Update the
      File Name
       column.
    3. Remove all columns except for
      DocSetID
      ,
      DocID
      , and
      File Name
      .
    4. Remove all duplicate
      DocSetID
      rows.
    Refolder Files
    1. (Optional) If relying on metadata, quality check the data before changing the
      Filepath
      .
    2. Update the
      Filepath
       column.
    3. Remove all columns except for
      DocSetID
      ,
      DocID
      , and
      Filepath
      .
    4. Remove all duplicate
      DocSetID
       rows.
  4. If you have duplicate file copies that require unique names or paths, split them into separate ingestion files.
    Repeat the preparation and ingestion steps for each set of duplicate copies.
  5. Save the file.
  6. Access
    Admin
     >
    More Settings
     and ingest the file.
  7. Verify the metadata, file names, and file paths in the UI.
Workday updates the metadata, file names, or paths as specified in your ingestion file. If you restructured folders, it is a best practice to verify folder access and permissions for the new taxonomy.