Naming and the common data environment
How do we name, share and approve files so everyone trusts them?
A predictable name for every container and four clear states in the CDE — work in progress, shared, published, archived — so nobody coordinates against the wrong file.
Understand
What it is, in plain language
- Pedia · StandardsInformation container namingThe field-based naming convention for files and other containers — project, originator, volume, level, type, role and number — and why each field exists.
- Pedia · WorkflowsCDE (common data environment)The agreed source of project information, with a workflow that moves containers through work in progress, shared, published and archived.
- Pedia · StandardsSuitability and revision codes (S1, P01, C01…)The metadata codes that say what a container may be used for (status) and which version it is (revision), as defined in the UK National Annex to ISO 19650.
- Pedia · SoftwareCDE platformsThe software used to run a common data environment — document management, model hosting, workflows and approvals — and what to check when choosing or setting one up.
- Pedia · GlossaryInformation containerAny named, persistent set of information in the CDE — a model file, drawing, document, schedule or data set.
- Pedia · GlossaryMetadataInformation about an information container, such as its status, revision, classification and author, stored alongside it in the CDE.
- Pedia · GlossaryWork in progress (WIP)The CDE state in which a task team develops information before it is checked and shared with others.
- Pedia · GlossaryProject information standardThe project’s rules for producing information: naming, codes, classification, units, coordinates and formats.
Learn
Short lessons with a quick check
- Lesson · 2 min · quizNaming information containersA good naming convention makes every file findable, sortable and checkable by a machine. Here is how the fields fit together.
- Lesson · 3 min · quizThe CDE and its statesWork in progress, shared, published and archived. Each state is a promise about how far you can trust the information.
Do
Tools that export Excel, PDF and Word
- Tool · Excel · PDF · WordISO 19650 Naming ValidatorUse it to check file names before they go into the CDE.
- Tool · Excel · PDF · WordDrawing Register and TransmittalsUse it whenever drawings are issued, so everyone knows which revision went to whom.
- Tool · Excel · PDF · WordType Name CheckerUse it to tidy family and type names before a model is shared or a library is published.
- Tool · Excel · PDF · WordNumbering Rule BuilderUse it when you agree room, sheet or asset numbering, or need to renumber consistently.
The process, at a glance
Each move is a decision: check before sharing, authorise before publishing. Information that needs changes goes back to work in progress.
- 1Prepare in work in progressMandatory
The task team finishes the model it is responsible for.
Output: A model file named to the project convention
Gate: Self-check done: name, coordinates, purged views and links - 2Check the information
Run the agreed checks: requirements (IDS), naming, clashes inside the discipline.
Output: A short check report
Gate: Every failure is fixed or listed as an agreed exception - 3Share for coordinationMandatory
Move the file to the shared area with a status code that says what it may be used for.
Output: The model in the shared area, with a status code
Gate: The status code matches the purpose (e.g. coordination only) - 4Review and authorise
The lead appointed party reviews the federated set against the plan.
Output: Review comments, or an approval
Gate: Approved by the person named in the BEP - 5Publish and record
Approved information moves to published, and the previous issue to the archive.
Output: A published revision and an updated register
Gate: Register and transmittal updated
A gate is the question a reviewer asks before the next step may start. If the answer is no, the model goes back one step.
- P2026014Project
- NDPOriginator
- ZZVolume / system
- 02Level / location
- M3Type
- SRole
- 0001Number
Common mistakes
What goes wrong most often on real projects.
- Version words in file names: final, v2, new.
- Coordinating against another team’s work in progress.
- Status and revision written into the file name instead of the CDE metadata.
Is it in place on your project?
Tick what is done — it counts towards the checkpoint on your learning path.