Metadata and access permissions under control
How can you make a document collection discoverable without exposing its contents or sensitive metadata?
3500 € per session, excl. VAT
In short
Over two days, totalling 14 hours excluding breaks, you build a prototype document catalogue combining metadata, controlled vocabularies and access rules. Generative AI helps suggest descriptions, which are subject to human validation. You test the quality of indexing and access permissions, then formalise a measurable pilot plan.
Why this training?
An accessible but poorly described document remains impossible to find; a protected document may nevertheless be revealed through its title, facets or abstract. Metadata and permissions must therefore be designed together. AI can suggest descriptors and extract attributes, but it can also invent a date or disclose sensitive content. A workable strategy specifies sources, human checks and responsibilities for corrections. Case study used throughout: The fictitious organisation Avelune Études holds a collection of reports, contracts and technical notes. Ambiguous titles hamper searching, and some abstracts reveal confidential information. A fictitious sample of thirty documents is used to prototype a catalogue for information specialists, internal researchers and partners. Application at work: After the training, propose a pilot on a limited collection, have the rules validated by those responsible for document management and security, then compare descriptive quality and access test results before any expansion.
Objectives of this training
- Mapping search uses and exposure risks
- Building a metadata dictionary and a controlled vocabulary
- Formalising an access matrix by role and sensitivity
- Prototyping AI-assisted enrichment with human validation
- Measuring descriptive quality and preparing a pilot
Who is it for and what are the prerequisites?
Roles and tasks concerned
- Managers responsible for documentation, specialist libraries and knowledge management
- Electronic document management project managers and document governance leads
- Security leads involved in document permissions
Prior skills
- Have practical experience of cataloguing or administering a document collection
- Know how to use a generative assistant and verify its responses
- Understand the concepts of role, permission and confidentiality
What you will work on
Uses and scope
Objective: Define the scope of the pilot catalogue. Collection, users, priority searches, sensitivity.
Descriptive model
Objective: Define the core fields. Identifiers, provenance, version, dates, cardinalities.
Vocabulary and standardisation
Objective: Stabilise search terms. Synonyms, hierarchies, formats and permitted values.
Access policy
Objective: Translate confidentiality into rules. Least privilege, deny by default, temporary exceptions.
Visibility of descriptions
Objective: Prevent indirect disclosures. Titles, abstracts, facets, results and exports.
Controlled enrichment
Objective: Produce traceable suggestions. Source-backed extraction, abstention, structured instructions.
Prototype assembly
Objective: Consolidate the experimental catalogue. Human validation, anomalies, correction history.
Documentary quality
Objective: Measure descriptive deficiencies. Completeness, conformity, accuracy, validated reference.
Testing permissions
Objective: Detect unauthorised access. Positive tests, negative tests, role removal.
Pilot governance
Objective: Prepare a limited trial. Responsibilities, review, thresholds, rollback.
What you take away
- Metadata dictionary and controlled vocabulary
- Permissions matrix and visibility rules
- Enriched catalogue prototype and validation log
- Test report and documented pilot plan
Method and assessment
- Short instructional sessions followed by immediate practice using the ongoing case study.
- Individual work followed by work in pairs, with peer review of the outputs.
- Guided group discussion: what works, what needs correcting and what remains a human decision.
- Preparation: Identify frequent searches and authorisation difficulties without sharing sensitive content. Check which tools the organisation permits; the exercises use only fictitious or anonymised documents.
Observable criteria: Each field has a definition, type, mandatory status, source and owner. ; Each value proposed by the AI is sourced or flagged as unknown. ; The tests also check access denials and metadata confidentiality. ; Completeness, compliance and accuracy are calculated on the sample. ; The pilot specifies scope, owners, acceptance thresholds and rollback..
Frequently asked questions
Does AI decide on access permissions?
No, authorised managers approve the rules; AI helps document the scenarios.
Does an electronic document management system need to be available?
No, a tabular catalogue and a simulation of access permissions are sufficient for the prototype.
How should an uncertain value be handled?
Mark it as unknown and request verification, without filling it in based on assumptions.
Will the solution be deployed to production?
No, the deliverables prepare for a pilot subject to technical and organisational approval.
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