NetDocuments workspace template saved searches are stored queries, defined once in a cabinet’s workspace template, that appear on every new client or matter workspace and run fresh each time someone opens them. They turn the profile metadata your team already captures into working views of a matter: this week’s email, the latest drafts, the documents still missing a profile.
What are NetDocuments workspace template saved searches?
NetDocuments workspace template saved searches are search containers configured at the template level, so each workspace created from that template receives them automatically. The time at stake is large, and 2024 estimates put time lost organizing, storing, and managing agreements at 6,000 hours a year per business function. A workspace saved search shows a dynamic list of documents that updates as those documents are updated, based on the criteria stored with it.
A saved search holds no documents of its own. A document appears because its profile matches the criteria and drops out when it stops matching, so the view stays accurate for as long as the metadata is accurate.
Configure five searches once, and every matter opened from that day forward carries the same five views with the same columns. Saved searches are one decision inside a larger NetDocuments rollout, which settles cabinets, profiles, and workspace design before documents move.
How is a NetDocuments saved search different from a folder or filter?
A NetDocuments saved search selects documents by query at the moment it opens, while folders hold what someone filed and filters sort documents by a single profile attribute. All three sit side by side on the workspace summary view.
- Folders. A user places a document in a folder deliberately. Folders suit hand-curated sets such as a closing binder, and they are only as complete as the filing habits behind them.
- Filters. Filters organize a workspace by one attribute, usually document type, so a matter shows containers such as Pleadings or Correspondence.
- Saved searches. A saved search combines date ranges, file extensions, authors, and exclusions, so it can show which emails arrived on this matter in the last 90 days.
Which saved searches should a NetDocuments workspace template include?
A NetDocuments workspace template should carry a small set of saved searches, usually four to six, that answer the questions lawyers ask about every matter. More than that buries the useful containers.
- Recent email. NetDocuments’ own example combines a 90-day date range with the msg file extension: `=5( ^-90-+0 ) =11( msg )`.
- Documents only. The criteria `NOT =11( msg OR ndsq OR ndfld )` removes email, saved searches, and folders, which leaves the work product. On a busy matter email can quickly outnumber documents, and this view keeps drafts visible.
- Recently modified. A 30-day window on modified date shows what has moved on the matter, which is the fastest way for you to get current before a call.
- Unprofiled items. A search for documents with incomplete profiles gives the matter owner or records team a standing cleanup list.
Watch which ones people open over the first four to six weeks, and retire the ones nobody uses.
How do you build saved search criteria in NetDocuments?
Saved search criteria in NetDocuments are built in Advanced Search first and then copied into the template’s search criteria field. That way you see the result set before any workspace inherits it.
- Run it in Advanced Search. Build the query against a real matter and confirm the results look right, then copy the criteria string NetDocuments generates on the results page.
- Paste it into the template. Add the saved search to the workspace template and paste that exact string into the criteria field.
- Leave out Client and Matter. NetDocuments adds those values automatically when the workspace restriction box is checked. Hardcoding one matter number makes the search return the wrong results on every other workspace.
You also choose how many items show on the Workspace Summary View and which attributes appear as columns, in draggable order. Five to ten rows showing name, author, and modified date suits most views.
What does “Restrict search to the current workspace” do in NetDocuments?
The “Restrict search to the current workspace” setting in NetDocuments limits a saved search to documents that belong to the workspace where the search appears. With the box checked, NetDocuments adds that workspace’s Client and Matter values to the criteria for you, so one template definition produces the right results on every matter.
With the box unchecked, the search runs across the cabinet, subject to each user’s document access, and shows identical results on every workspace. Keep the box checked for almost every template search, and when a pilot user reports that a search “shows everything,” check this setting first.
How does metadata quality affect NetDocuments saved searches?
NetDocuments saved searches are only as reliable as the profile metadata underneath them, because every result depends on documents carrying the right values. A document with a blank document type or a mis-keyed matter number is invisible to any search that filters on those fields.
That invisibility costs time. A 2023 workplace survey found 62 percent of people struggle with too much time spent searching for information in their workday. A saved search that quietly misses documents sends your lawyers back to that hunting.
- Required attributes. Make document type and matter mandatory on the profile, and keep document type values in a short, managed lookup table so “Corresp.” and “Correspondence” never coexist.
- Email filing. Emails filed through the email integration should inherit the workspace’s Client and Matter values, so they land in the recent email view.
- Migrated content. Documents moved from iManage arrive carrying whatever metadata the legacy system held, and messy legacy data can undermine a build that was configured correctly.
Who can add and edit saved searches in a NetDocuments workspace?
Saved searches in a NetDocuments workspace can be added at two levels: centrally in the workspace template by an administrator, or locally on a single workspace by a user with the right access. NetDocuments requires E and S rights on a workspace for a user to add folders and saved searches to it.
Cabinet administrators own the template, so every new matter gets the standard set, and a change there affects the whole cabinet from that point forward. At workspace level, a user with sufficient rights can add or adjust a saved search on one matter, such as a search for one opposing party’s productions.
Keep a one-page register listing each template search, its criteria, its purpose, and its owner. A practical route to a good template is to let a handful of lawyers build workspace-level searches on live matters for two or three weeks. The searches they keep opening are the template candidates.
What happens to existing workspaces when a NetDocuments template changes?
A change to a NetDocuments workspace template applies automatically to new workspaces only, so existing workspaces keep their old configuration until someone acts on them. The new saved search appears on the matter opened this morning and on none of the matters opened before it.
A refresh rebuilds filters and web pages from the current template and is the usual route for bringing template changes onto existing matters. Existing saved searches stay in place with their criteria unchanged, and the user needs A (Administer) rights. Deleting and recreating a workspace applies the template cleanly and suits a small number of damaged matters. NetDocuments also offers a Reset operation with different effects, so test it on a copy matter first.
Editing the criteria of an existing template search therefore leaves workspaces that already carry it untouched. Treat NetDocuments workspace template saved searches like any configured change, since template changes on a configured legal platform belong in a release process with testing and a named owner.
How should you test NetDocuments saved searches before rollout?
NetDocuments saved searches should be tested on a handful of real matters with known content before the template goes to the whole cabinet. Pick three to five matters of different sizes and ages.
- Known counts. For each test matter, count by hand how many emails arrived in the last 90 days and confirm the search agrees.
- Security. Log in as users with different access levels, because results respect document access, and role-based security testing catches access errors before they surface at go-live.
- Production check. Configuration proven in a sandbox still needs verification once it reaches production, so repeat the counts on two matters after deployment.
Check the summary view on a laptop screen too, the way a lawyer will actually see it.
Conclusion
NetDocuments workspace template saved searches work best as a short, tested set of views built on clean metadata and maintained through a controlled change process. Four to six well-chosen searches give every matter the same picture of recent email, current drafts, and cleanup work. The real effort sits around the search itself: required profile fields, a checked restriction box, a criteria register, and a refresh plan for existing matters. Get those right, and your metadata starts doing visible work.
How Basla can help
Basla provides certified delivery team members for NetDocuments implementation: business analysts who define the saved search set with your lawyers, configuration specialists who build the template criteria, and QA analysts who test result counts and access before rollout. Basla’s documentation writers produce the criteria register and user guides that keep the template maintainable.
Basla works through staff augmentation or Basla-managed delivery. Across its legal technology services, Basla has created and executed more than 1,000 test records for a CLM rollout and doubled delivery team capacity to meet compressed implementation timelines.
Frequently asked questions
What are NetDocuments workspace template saved searches?
NetDocuments workspace template saved searches are stored queries defined in a cabinet’s workspace template that appear automatically on every new workspace created from it. Each runs its criteria when opened and shows the documents that currently match.
Can users file documents into a NetDocuments saved search?
Users cannot file documents into a NetDocuments saved search. A document appears in a saved search only when its profile matches the search criteria, so the fix for a missing document is its metadata.
Why does a new template saved search not appear on existing workspaces?
A new template saved search appears automatically on new workspaces only. Existing workspaces need a refresh, reset, or rebuild before template changes reach them, and each operation has different effects.
Does refreshing a NetDocuments workspace update saved search criteria?
Refreshing a NetDocuments workspace leaves the criteria of existing saved searches unchanged. It rebuilds filters and web pages from the current template, and it requires A (Administer) rights on the workspace.
What rights do you need to add a saved search to a NetDocuments workspace?
Adding a saved search to a NetDocuments workspace requires E and S rights on that workspace. Changes to the workspace template itself are made by cabinet administrators.
How many saved searches should a NetDocuments workspace template include?
A NetDocuments workspace template usually works best with four to six saved searches. Recent email, documents only, recently modified, and unprofiled items cover most matters.
*This article is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Basla Solutions provides legal technology implementation and support services and does not practice law.*