Suppressed duplicates are accessed in the Field Tree when the Suppress Duplicate Documents setting is enabled

If you’ve ever wrestled with a mountain of documents in Relativity, you know the feeling: some copies are duplicates, some are essential, and a few are noise you wish you could tuck away. The way Relativity handles duplicates—especially when the Suppress Duplicate Documents setting is turned on—changes where you look and how you reference those extra copies. The key idea: suppressed duplicates aren’t gone. They’re tucked into a different part of your workspace, a place that keeps your main view clean while still keeping the originals and their twins within reach when you need them. And yes, the place you look is the Field Tree.

Let’s begin by grounding what we mean by the Field Tree. Think of your project as a library, with shelves (fields) that categorize every document by its metadata—things like custodian, date, docket, author, tags, and many more. The Field Tree is the structural map of all those fields. It’s not just a pretty menu; it’s a live representation of how your documents are organized at a columnar level. When you click through the Field Tree, you’re navigating by the very bones of your data. It’s a handy way to see where information lives and how different documents relate to one another based on their attributes.

Now, what happens when the Suppress Duplicate Documents setting is enabled? Let me explain with a simple image: you’ve got a clean, readable document list—the kind you’d want a client to see or a teammate to skim in a hurry. When the suppression feature is on, the main document list becomes more focused. Duplicates are not deleted; they’re simply shifted out of the primary view to reduce clutter and confusion. This helps prevent the same document from appearing twice in the same search result or view, which can save minutes that add up over a long project.

Here’s the important part: those suppressed duplicates aren’t buried in some random corner. They live in the Field Tree. That might sound a bit abstract, so here’s the practical reasoning: the Field Tree provides a contextual framework for the document’s metadata. Duplicates share the same core data, and by placing them under the Field Tree, Relativity keeps them connected to the original’s attributes. You can still reference, compare, or re-link them when needed, but they don’t crowd your day-to-day workspace.

Why not the other options? Let’s walk through the alternatives briefly, because this is where a lot of people stumble if they’re not careful:

• Saved Search. A saved search is excellent for returning a particular set of documents based on criteria you specify. It’s designed for retrieval efficiency, not for showing suppressed duplicates. If a duplicate is suppressed, it won’t appear in typical saved search results unless you’ve crafted a search that targets suppressed items explicitly (which isn’t the standard behavior of the suppression feature).

• Classification Index. This is where you categorize documents to make retrieval faster and more intuitive. It helps you group files by topic, case type, or status. But it doesn’t directly deal with the issue of duplicates or their visibility state. In short, the Classification Index is a taxonomy tool, not a duplicate-hiding mechanism.

• Document List View. This is the broad, general view of what’s in your project. It’s designed to show the documents you’re actively working with. When duplicates are suppressed, they’re intentionally left out of this view to keep things tidy. So, the Document List View won’t show those suppressed copies by default.

If you’re chasing the suppressed duplicates, the Field Tree is your map to them. It’s where the system quietly catalogs the extra copies under the right metadata nodes, so you can still access them when needed without the main interface turning into a cluttered mess.

A quick, practical how-to for the moment you need those duplicates

• Open the Field Tree. It sits somewhere obvious in your Relativity workspace, often on the left side of the screen. If you’re not sure where it lives, a quick glance at the project layout is enough to point you in the right direction.

• Look for the relevant fields. Duplicates carry the same identifiers and metadata as the originals. You’re not looking for a separate label; you’re looking for the extra item that’s grouped under the parent document or under a duplicated-field node.

• Check related items. Because duplicates share core data with the original, you’ll usually see them linked under the same custodian, date, or tag group. This makes cross-referencing straightforward when you’re doing reviews, redactions, or productions.

• Use the context menu or actions you typically use for a document. You might find options to view, compare, or un-suppress a specific item if you need to reintegrate it into standard workflows for a moment.

• If you’re collaborating, add notes. A quick comment like “suppress duplicates here for cleanliness; reference the original in Field Tree” helps teammates know where to look and why.

Let’s connect this to real-world work habits. In many teams, the daily grind involves filtering, reviewing, and producing documents with tight deadlines. The suppression feature is a time-saver, but only if everyone understands where the duplicates go. It’s tempting to assume everything you need is in the main list, but occasionally you’ll run across a scenario where a reviewer asks, “Where did that extra copy go?” If you remember the Field Tree, you can explain succinctly that the system keeps duplicates accessible in a dedicated spot, without cluttering the main workspace. It’s a small architectural decision with big impact on cognitive load.

A quick analogy to keep it grounded

Picture a well-organized workshop. The main bench is your field-highlighting view—clean, focused, and ready for action. The spares drawer—quietly tucked away in the Field Tree—holds duplicates. They aren’t gone; they’re simply placed where they won’t get in the way of the task at hand. If you ever need a backup or comparison, you can pull from the spares without breaking your workflow. That’s the beauty of structured metadata and targeted suppression: efficiency without losing context.

Important caveats to keep in mind

• Suppressed duplicates are there for cleanliness, not invisibility. If you’re verifying a production set or conducting a thorough review, you may need to retrieve them. The Field Tree is the fastest path to do that.

• Your team should have a shared mental model of where these items live. A quick team note or a short chat about workflow can prevent confusion later.

• If you repeatedly find yourself needing suppressed duplicates in the main document list, consider whether the suppression rule is the right fit for that particular project or whether some exceptions are warranted.

Beyond the basics: why this matters in Relativity

The Relativity platform is built around the idea that structure supports speed. When you suppress duplicates, you’re pruning for clarity, but you’re not sacrificing traceability. The Field Tree reinforces that idea by presenting a logical, navigable topology of your data. It’s not just about finding a document; it’s about discovering how that document sits within the entire data ecosystem of your case or project.

And here’s a truth that often gets glossed over: the decision to suppress duplicates isn’t a cure-all. It’s a carefully chosen approach that helps reduce noise while preserving all the useful relationships between documents. The Field Tree is where those relationships stay visible, even when you’ve pared down the surface view.

A few quick reminders for staying in sync

• When you enable suppression, you’re choosing clarity over absolute surface density. This helps reviewers stay focused and reduces the chance of accidental duplicates slipping into the production set.

• If you’re teaching a new teammate, show them the Field Tree first. It’s the quickest way to convey how the system organizes data and where to find the items that aren’t in the main list.

• If you’re curious about the architecture, experiment with a small, non-critical project. Toggle suppression on and off and watch how the Field Tree and the main view respond. The hands-on feel makes the relationship between these components much clearer.

To wrap up with a practical takeaway

When the Suppress Duplicate Documents setting is enabled, the suppressed duplicates find their home in the Field Tree. This keeps the primary workspace neat and focused, while still preserving access to the extra copies through a logical metadata-driven path. Saved Searches, Classification Indices, and the Document List View each serve important roles, but for duplicates specifically, the Field Tree is the right place to look.

If you ever pause in the middle of a review and wonder, “Where did that extra copy go?”—remember the Field Tree. It’s the backbone that quietly supports clean, efficient collaboration in Relativity. And if you want to talk through a real-world workflow or hear a few more practical tips about using the Field Tree and suppression features together, I’m happy to share more insights. After all, clarity isn’t just about what you see on the screen; it’s about how you move through the project with confidence.