Data plays a huge role in every industry, including litigation. Alongside a good knowledge of data, legal professionals should know what metadata is and how it can benefit their eDiscovery process.

Metadata can help legal professionals generate context for a piece of electronically stored information (ESI) by providing a digital footprint. However, to make full use of metadata, you’ll need the correct tools. But what is metadata? And what purpose does it serve in everyday life, including litigation?

• What is metadata?
• The different types of metadata
• What’s the purpose of metadata? Its importance in everyday life
• Using metadata as a legal professional
  
  

What is metadata?

Metadata is referred to as data that describes other data. It’s structured data which helps sort and identify the information it describes. Simple document metadata can be anything a user can search to locate a specific file, such as the file’s author, creation date or modification date.

Metadata is created any time a document or file is made, modified or deleted. It helps us understand the structure, nature and context of data, allowing for easy location and retrieval.