How can I stop inheriting columns in templates?

Question

I created a Sharepoint 2010 site where most columns are based on the parent site but three columns are individual columns for the subsite. The subsite contains web-part pages that filter results according to the subsite columns. When I now create a template from the subsite and use the template to create a new subsite, it links the subsite columns to the original subsite columns. What can I do that I can change the subsite columns in the new subsite without changing it in the original subsite?

Here is a example.

I created a site "a". For this site I created a subsite "aa". Within this subsite I created a column "column aa" with the choices aa1, aa2, and aa3. I create a webpart that filters results, e.g. only show documents with aa2 in column aa. I save this subsite as "template aa".

Now I want to create a new subsite under site "a" similar to subsite "aa". I create the "subsite ab" using template "aa". The problem is that as soon as I change the column aa to ab and adjust the choices aa1, aa2, aa3 to ab1,ab2,ab3 it also changes the name and the choices in subsite a. Or, whenever I do any changes now in subsite a, it will overwrite my changes in subsite b.

My question is: how can I delink the two subsites so that I can modify column ab without changing column aa. Of course I could just delete column aa and create a new column ab but then all filtered views would be deleted (and they are the main reason why I use the template).

I had this problem in SP2007 already and I hoped that it was solved in SP2010 but so far I have not found any solution.

Answer 1

Hi,

From your narration, I suggest you add the column into a list in subsite aa, then save this subsite as a template, then test again.

For more information about columns, check out the following article:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms450825.aspx

Thanks,

Rock Wang

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Rock Wang TechNet Community Support