Managing Help Categories and Content
Effective management of help categories and content ensures that users can easily discover relevant documentation through logical organization, efficient navigation, and well-maintained content structures that scale with organizational needs and evolving user requirements.
Requirements
To manage help categories and content, users must be assigned a security role with the following permissions:
- All Entities, Help (system): Read, Create, Edit, Delete
- All Entities, Help Category (system): Read, Create, Edit, Delete
- Administrator System Role permissions for full category management capabilities
Understanding Help Category Structure
Category Organization Principles
Hierarchical Content Architecture: Help categories support unlimited nesting levels, enabling complex organizational structures that reflect user workflow patterns, business processes, and logical information groupings that scale with content complexity.
User-Centered Organization: Categories should reflect how users naturally think about and search for information rather than internal system architecture or organizational structure, ensuring intuitive navigation and content discovery.
Scalable Information Design: Category structure should accommodate future growth, changing business needs, and evolving user requirements without requiring complete reorganization of existing content.
Category Functionality Integration
Content Discovery Enhancement: Categories integrate with search functionality and browsing interfaces to improve content discoverability and user navigation efficiency throughout the help system.
Navigation Structure Support: Categories provide the foundation for help system navigation, enabling users to browse related content and explore connected topics through logical information pathways.
Administrative Organization: Categories enable administrators to organize large volumes of help content efficiently while maintaining logical structure and supporting ongoing content management requirements.
Category Management Interface
Accessing Category Management
- Navigate to Setup Home > Online Help (or /sys/help)
- Locate the Content Hierarchy & Categorization section
- The category management interface displays existing categories with options for creating, editing, reordering, and organizing content structure
Alternative Access Method:
- Navigate to Setup Home > Create > Entities
- Access Help Category (system) entity management
- Use entity interface for advanced category administration and bulk operations
Category Management Operations
Creating Top-Level Categories:
- In the Content Hierarchy section, click "New Top-Level Category"
- Enter a descriptive category name that represents a major help topic area
- Click Save to create the category and make it available for content assignment
Creating Subcategories:
- Right-click on an existing category in the hierarchy
- Select "Add Sub-Category" from the context menu
- Enter a descriptive subcategory name that reflects specific content focus
- Click Save to add the subcategory to the hierarchy
Editing Existing Categories:
- Locate the category you want to modify in the hierarchy
- Right-click on the category name
- Select "Edit" from the context menu
- Modify the category name and properties as needed
- Click Save to apply changes
Advanced Category Management
Multi-Level Category Nesting
Unlimited Nesting Capability: The help system supports unlimited category nesting levels, enabling complex content organization that can accommodate diverse organizational structures and detailed content classification requirements.
Nested Category Strategy: Use multi-level nesting strategically to create logical information pathways that support both broad topic browsing and specific content discovery patterns.
Category Depth Planning: Plan category depth based on content volume and user navigation patterns, balancing comprehensive organization with navigation simplicity and user experience efficiency.
Category Reorganization and Maintenance
Drag-and-Drop Reordering: Use drag-and-drop functionality to reorganize category hierarchy, adjust content groupings, and optimize category structure based on usage patterns and organizational changes.
Category Migration Planning: When restructuring categories, plan for content migration and communicate changes clearly to content creators and users to maintain system effectiveness.
Bulk Category Operations: Utilize entity management interface for bulk category operations including mass updates, category merging, and large-scale organizational changes.
Content Organization Strategies
Content-Based Category Design
Topic-Centered Organization:
- Functional Categories: Organize content around business functions, user roles, and operational areas
- Process Categories: Group content related to specific workflows, procedures, and business processes
- Module Categories: Organize help content by portal modules and system functionality areas
- User Type Categories: Create separate category areas for different user communities (employees, partners, customers)
Content Type Classification:
- Getting Started: Introductory content and onboarding information
- How-To Guides: Step-by-step procedural instructions and task-oriented content
- Troubleshooting: Problem resolution guides and self-service support content
- Reference Materials: Technical specifications, policy documents, and detailed reference information
Organizational Category Frameworks
Department-Based Structure:
- Human Resources: HR policies, procedures, and employee resources
- Information Technology: Technical support, system usage, and IT procedures
- Sales and Marketing: Customer management, lead processes, and marketing tools
- Operations: Business processes, workflow procedures, and operational guidance
User Journey Categories:
- New User Setup: Account creation, initial configuration, and first-time user guidance
- Daily Operations: Regular tasks, common procedures, and routine workflow support
- Advanced Features: Complex functionality, customization options, and power user guidance
- Administration: System management, configuration, and administrative procedures
Content Lifecycle Management
Content Organization and Assignment
Content-Category Relationships: Each help article can be assigned to one primary category while supporting cross-reference relationships with related categories through internal linking and content references.
Content Migration Management: Plan and execute content moves between categories when organizational needs change, ensuring content relationships and user bookmarks remain functional.
Category Impact Assessment: Evaluate the impact of category changes on content discoverability, user navigation patterns, and search functionality before implementing organizational modifications.
Version Control and Content History
Content Tracking Integration: Category assignments are tracked through content version history, enabling administrators to understand content organization evolution and category usage patterns.
Change Management Documentation: Maintain records of category structure changes, content migrations, and organizational decisions to support future planning and system maintenance.
User Communication Strategy: Develop communication plans for category changes that affect user navigation and content discovery patterns.
Category Usage Analytics and Optimization
Performance Monitoring
Category Usage Tracking: Monitor which categories are most frequently accessed, which remain unused, and how users navigate through category structures to optimize organizational effectiveness.
Content Discovery Patterns: Analyze user search behavior and browsing patterns to identify category structure improvements and content organization opportunities.
Navigation Efficiency Assessment: Evaluate user ability to find relevant content through category navigation and identify areas where category structure improvements could enhance user experience.
Continuous Optimization
Regular Structure Review: Conduct periodic reviews of category structure effectiveness based on content growth, user feedback, and organizational changes.
User Feedback Integration: Collect user feedback on category organization and content discoverability to inform ongoing optimization efforts and structural improvements.
Content Gap Analysis: Use category analytics to identify content gaps, underutilized categories, and opportunities for new content development.
Best Practices for Category Management
Initial Setup Strategy
Start Simple, Expand Strategically: Begin with core categories that reflect primary organizational focus areas and expand based on content volume, user engagement patterns, and demonstrated navigation needs.
User Research Integration: Survey users about how they naturally categorize information and search for help content to inform category design and organizational structure.
Content Analysis Foundation: Review existing organizational documentation, user questions, and support patterns to understand natural content grouping patterns and user information needs.
Naming and Organization Standards
Clear, Descriptive Names: Use category names that are easily understood by all user types regardless of technical expertise or organizational role, avoiding internal jargon and technical terminology.
Consistent Naming Conventions: Establish naming standards that create predictable category structure and support user understanding of content organization patterns.
Logical Hierarchy Design: Create category hierarchies that reflect user mental models and business process flows rather than internal organizational structure or system architecture.
Ongoing Management Excellence
Regular Review Cycles: Establish schedules for reviewing category effectiveness, content distribution, and organizational alignment with evolving business needs and user requirements.
Maintenance Planning: Plan for ongoing category maintenance including content migration, structure optimization, and user communication about navigation changes.
Scalability Considerations: Design category structures that can accommodate organizational growth, changing business needs, and evolving user requirements without requiring complete reorganization.
Integration with Help System Features
Search and Discovery Integration
Search Enhancement: Categories improve search functionality by providing context and filtering options that help users narrow search results and discover relevant content more efficiently.
Cross-Reference Support: Category structure enables cross-referencing between related content areas and supports comprehensive user learning through connected topic exploration.
Content Recommendation: Category relationships enable system recommendations of related content and help users discover additional relevant information beyond their initial search queries.
Content Management Workflow
Publishing Workflow Integration: Category assignments can be integrated with content review and publishing workflows to ensure appropriate content organization and quality control.
Content Standards Enforcement: Use category structure to enforce content standards, organization requirements, and quality control measures across different content types and user communities.
Collaborative Content Development: Category structure supports collaborative content development by providing clear organization frameworks and content assignment guidelines for multiple content creators.
Common Category Management Scenarios
Organizational Restructuring
Department Changes: When organizational structure changes, plan category restructuring that maintains content accessibility while reflecting new business organization and reporting relationships.
Process Evolution: Update category structure to reflect evolving business processes, new procedures, and changing operational requirements while maintaining content continuity.
System Updates: Coordinate category updates with system changes, new feature releases, and platform updates to ensure help content organization remains aligned with system functionality.
Content Growth Management
Scaling Category Structure: Plan for content growth by designing category hierarchies that can accommodate increasing content volume without losing navigation efficiency or user experience quality.
Content Distribution Balance: Monitor content distribution across categories to identify overcrowded categories that may need subdivision or underutilized categories that may need consolidation.
New Content Integration: Establish processes for integrating new content types, emerging topics, and evolving user needs into existing category structures while maintaining organizational coherence.
User Experience Optimization
Navigation Efficiency: Optimize category structure to minimize user navigation effort while maintaining comprehensive content organization and supporting diverse user search and browsing patterns.
Content Discovery: Design category relationships that support serendipitous content discovery and enable users to explore related topics and expand their knowledge beyond immediate needs.
Mobile and Cross-Platform Access: Ensure category structure works effectively across different devices and access methods, maintaining usability and navigation efficiency in diverse user contexts.
Troubleshooting Category Management Issues
Common Category Problems
Content Discoverability Issues: If users cannot find content through category navigation, review category names, hierarchy structure, and content assignment logic to improve navigation pathways.
Category Organization Confusion: When users report difficulty understanding category structure, conduct user research to identify mental model mismatches and adjust organization accordingly.
Content Distribution Imbalances: Address overcrowded or underutilized categories through strategic restructuring, content redistribution, and category consolidation or subdivision as appropriate.
Technical Management Issues
Category Creation Problems: If category creation fails, verify Help Category (system) permissions and check for naming conflicts or system constraints that might prevent category addition.
Hierarchy Display Issues: When category hierarchy doesn't display correctly, review entity permissions, browser cache issues, and system configuration that might affect category interface functionality.
Content Assignment Failures: If help articles cannot be assigned to categories, verify content permissions, category availability, and system relationships between content and category entities.
Strategic Category Planning
Long-Term Category Strategy
Business Alignment: Ensure category structure supports long-term business objectives, organizational growth plans, and evolving user community needs throughout the help system lifecycle.
Technology Integration: Plan category structure that can integrate with future system enhancements, search improvements, and user experience upgrades without requiring complete reorganization.
User Community Evolution: Design category frameworks that can accommodate changing user communities, evolving skill levels, and shifting organizational priorities while maintaining content accessibility.
Performance and Success Measurement
Category Effectiveness Metrics: Measure category success through user navigation patterns, content discovery rates, search success rates, and user satisfaction with help system organization.
Content Utilization Analysis: Track content usage across categories to identify high-value content areas, underperforming categories, and optimization opportunities for content organization.
User Experience Assessment: Regular assessment of user experience with category navigation, content discovery efficiency, and overall help system usability to inform ongoing optimization efforts.
Jump to Online Help Setup Checklist
<< Creating and Publishing Help Documentation