Where Do We Place SDL Tridion Keywords?

"You can't stay here. You belong to someone else," Categories told Keywords.

SDL Tridion Categories allow you the ability to create re-usable lists for Content Management System (CMS) fields as well as classify content for search in the CMS and querying in content delivery. In terms of BluePrinting, it should be clear we need Categories in our Schemas publications, if not higher, otherwise we can't use them in schema field definitions.

But what about Keywords?

• Non-changing, developer-controlled keywords should go in the same publication as their Category (typically a Schemas publication).
• Author-controlled keywords should go in your Content publications.

So although the BluePrint diagram may describe a publication level with "Categories and Keywords," not all keywords need to go there. It depends on who the keywords belong to.

It Depends.

Place keywords based on how they should change and where they're used. Global items and keywords that rarely change go higher in the BluePrint, author-controlled items must be at the level the authors have access to.

• US States? Schemas.
• Favorite Flavors? In the Content publication for whoever controls the flavors.
• Have a default value? Schemas (otherwise you can't use it as a default)
• Any system-related or developer-controlled values? Schemas.

Exceptions?

You can keep keywords in the same publication as their Category when authors that control these keywords should have access to the Schemas publication and/or when you really don't want any authors to be able to update these keywords.

Though Categories & Keywords sound like they should always be together, sometimes keywords belong to another publication. Knowing how keywords are used and how they change is the key to knowing where you should place them.