Using the File Review Spreadsheet to Organize Your Department Files

This article is for department staff who have been asked to review their shared drive content as part of the migration to Microsoft Teams. The File Review spreadsheet is provided by Bowdoin IT and contains a complete list of your department's files plus a summary view to help guide your decisions

Questions

• How do I use the File Review spreadsheet to organize my department's files?
• How do I find the folders I need to review?
• How do I apply the same RecommendedAction to every file in a folder at once?
• How do I refresh the summary after I make changes?

Environment

This article is for department staff who have been asked to review their shared drive content as part of the migration to Microsoft Teams. The File Review spreadsheet is provided by Bowdoin IT and contains a complete list of your department's files plus a summary view to help guide your decisions.

• Audience: Department staff designated as file reviewers for their area
• Software: Microsoft Excel (desktop version recommended — the bulk-paste shortcuts work most reliably there).
• Not in scope: The actual move of files to Teams, OneDrive, or the College Archives — that step is coordinated by IT after your review is complete.

Resolution

1. Open the spreadsheet

Open the Excel file IT sent you. The workbook contains two sheets, shown as tabs at the bottom of the window:

• AllFiles — the full list of every file in your department's shared drive area
• Pivot — a summary view that groups files by folder and highlights folders worth your attention first

2. Identify folders that need a decision

Switch to the Pivot sheet. Your goal here is to decide what should happen to each folder. The choices are:

• Move to a Teams team or channel
• Move to a personal OneDrive or to a Research folder
• Send to the College Archives
• Delete outdated or unnecessary files

The Pivot sheet uses conditional formatting to flag folders that most likely need attention:

• Red shading on a row indicates folder size — the darker the red, the larger the folder.
• Purple shading indicates a video or image file.
• The + and − buttons on the left of each row expand or collapse a folder so you can see its subfolders.
• The Access columns shows when files in the folder were last opened — useful for spotting old, untouched content.

3. Note the folder you want to act on

From the Pivot sheet, find the folder you want to set an action for and note its folder path. You'll use the path next step.

4. Filter the file list to that folder

1. Switch to the AllFiles sheet.
2. In the Root, Path2, and Path3 columns, apply filters that match the folder you noted.
3. Once filtered, the AllFiles sheet shows only the files inside that folder.

5. Choose an action and apply it to every file in the folder

With your filtered list visible:

1. Find the RecommendedAction column.
2. In the first visible row, type the action you want for this folder. Use one of these values:
   • {Team}/{Channel}
   • OneDrive-{username}
   • Research-{folder name}
   • College Archive
   • Delete
3. Copy that cell: Command + C
4. Click the cell directly below it.
5. Select to the bottom of the visible filtered list: Command + Shift + Down Arrow
6. Limit the selection to visible (filtered) rows only — this is the critical step that prevents your action from overwriting hidden rows: Option + ; (semicolon)
7. Paste: Command + V

The same RecommendedAction is now applied to every file in that folder.

6. Clear the filter

Open the Data tab in Excel's ribbon and click Clear. This removes the filter so you can move on to the next folder.

7. Refresh the summary

1. Switch back to the Pivot sheet.
2. Right-click anywhere inside the pivot table.
3. Select Refresh.

Your most recent RecommendedAction values now appear in a column.

8. Filter the summary if you want to focus the view

At the top of the pivot table:

1. Click the filter icon next to Column Labels.
2. Check the values you want to see and uncheck the rest.
3. Click OK.

9. Repeat for the remaining folders

Work through the folders that still need an action, starting with the largest, oldest, or most media-heavy first. Once the RecommendedAction column is finalized, your department will coordinate with IT to carry out the moves and deletions.

Additional Help

Chat with Bowdoin Bot or contact the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.

Additional Resources

• Microsoft: Filter data in a range or table
• Microsoft: Copy visible cells only
• Microsoft: Refresh PivotTable data