Overview

SpotDraft's new Global Metadata system is designed to create a cleaner, more intuitive, and powerful way to manage your contract data. It moves away from contract-type-specific data fields to a unified, global system.

The core benefit is creating a single source of truth for your data. Instead of having multiple versions of the same field (e.g., "Contract Value," "Deal Value," "Total Value"), you now create one global field and reuse it everywhere. This dramatically improves data consistency, simplifies setup, and makes your reporting more reliable and accurate.

Key Concepts

• Global Metadata Field: The central element of the new system. It's a data field (e.g., "Contract Value," "Region") that is created once and can be used across all your workflows and contract types.
• Global Sections: These are folders used to organize your metadata fields (e.g., Party Information, Sales, Default). They are no longer tied to specific contract types.
• Centralized Management: All metadata fields and their properties are managed from a single location: Settings > Metadata Manager.
• Inheritance: When you use a metadata field in an Intake Form, the question automatically inherits the properties (like field type and dropdown options) from the global field, ensuring consistency.

How to Create a Metadata Field

You can create a new global metadata field in two ways:

1. From the Metadata Manager 

This is the central hub for all your metadata.

1. Navigate to Settings > Metadata Manager.
2. Click the + Create New Metadata button.
3. Fill in the details for your new field:
   • Field Name: The official name of your metadata field (e.g., "Governing Law"). This cannot be changed later.
   • Metadata Section: Choose which section the field belongs to (e.g., Sales, Default).
   • Field Type: Select the type of data (e.g., Short Answer, Dropdown, Currency, Date). This cannot be changed later.
   • Description: Add a helpful description for your team so they know when and how to use this field.
   • (For Dropdown Type) Dropdown Options: Enter the values for your dropdown list. These global options will be available wherever you use this field.

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4. Configure the Visibility Settings:
   • Visible in repository and generated reports: Toggle this ON if you want this field to appear as a column in the contract repository and in reports.
   • Visible on contract details page: Toggle this ON and select the specific Contract Types where you want this field to be displayed on the summary page. You can select one, multiple, or all contract types.
5. Click Save.

2. From the Workflow Manager (While setting up workflows)

You can also create a new metadata field while building an intake form.

1. In the Workflow Manager, when setting up a question for an Intake Form, click on the "Metadata Field" dropdown.
2. Start typing the name of the new field you want to create.
3. Click the + Create option.
4. This will open the "Create New Metadata Field" modal, where you can follow steps 3-5 from the method above.

Using Global Metadata in Workflows

The primary way to collect your global metadata is through intake form questions in your workflows.

1. Navigate to Settings > Workflow Manager and open the desired workflow.
2. Go to the Set Up Intake Form step.
3. Add or edit a question.
4. In the "Metadata Field" dropdown, search for and select the global metadata field you want to link to this question.
   
5. Notice: The Question Type will be automatically set based on the type of the linked metadata field.
   • If you linked a "Currency" metadata field, the question type will be "Currency."
   • If you linked a "Dropdown" metadata field, the question type will be "Dropdown," and the global options will automatically populate. You can remove options for this specific question if needed, but the master list remains in the Metadata Manager.

Smart Data Capture (SDC) with Global Metadata

You can configure SDC to automatically extract information from your documents and populate your global metadata fields.

1. Go to Settings > Metadata Manager.
2. Find the field you want to set up and click the three-dot menu, then select Edit Smart Data Capture Setup.
3. Enable the toggle to activate AI extraction for this field.
4. Write a Prompt: Provide a clear instruction for the AI.
   • Global Prompt: This is the default prompt that will be used for this field across all contract types.
   • Contract Type-Specific Prompts: If the data is located differently in various document types, you can set up unique prompts for each. Click the three-dot menu next to the prompt box and select Setup Prompts For Contract Types to add custom instructions for different contract types (e.g., MSA, Order Form).

FAQs

1. What is the main benefit of using Global Metadata?
   • Global Metadata creates a single source of truth for your contract data. Instead of duplicating fields (like “Contract Value,” “Deal Value,” or “Total Value”), you create one global field and reuse it everywhere. This improves consistency, simplifies setup, and makes reporting more accurate.
2. Can I change the name or type of a Global Metadata field later?
   • No. Once created, the Field Name and Field Type of a metadata field cannot be changed. If you need a different name or type, you’ll need to create a new metadata field.
3. Where do I manage all my metadata fields?
   • All fields are managed centrally in Settings > Metadata Manager. This is the single hub where you can create, edit, organize, and control visibility of metadata fields.
4. What are Global Sections, and how should I use them?
   • Global Sections are folders to organize your metadata fields (e.g., Party Information, Sales, Default). They are not tied to specific contract types, so you can keep your metadata library cleaner and easier to navigate.
5. How does metadata inheritance work in intake forms?
   • When you add a metadata field to an intake form, the question automatically inherits the field’s properties (like type or dropdown options). This ensures consistency across all workflows.
6. Can I create a new metadata field while building a workflow?
   • Yes. While setting up an intake form in the Workflow Manager, you can create a new metadata field on the fly. This opens the same creation modal used in the Metadata Manager.
7. How do visibility settings work for metadata fields?
   • You can decide where a field should appear:
     1. Repository & Reports: Toggle ON to make the field available as a searchable/reportable column.
     2. Contract Details Page: Toggle ON and select the contract types where the field should appear on the summary page.
8. What if my dropdown field has different values in different workflows?
   • The master list of dropdown options lives in the Metadata Manager. When using the field in a workflow, you can hide/remove certain options for that workflow, but the global list stays intact.
9. How does Smart Data Capture (SDC) work with Global Metadata?
   • SDC can automatically extract values from uploaded documents into metadata fields. You set this up in Metadata Manager > Edit Smart Data Capture Setup, where you can provide prompts for AI extraction. You can create a global prompt (used across all contract types) and also set up contract-type-specific prompts for accuracy.