# File Naming Conventions
# Background Information
There are tips to naming your files which can prevent a lot of headaches down the road. In some cases, problems can arise due to the way commercial software like ArcGIS manages data, but good data hygiene is important no matter what software you're using to make maps and conduct spatial analysis. A little mistake, like saving a shapefile as final-dataset.shp, is the first step on the path towards final-FINALdataset2_USEME—and that is not a path down which we want to go!
You can prevent these problems by always using best practices for file nomenclature to ensure data is preserved, compatible and usable in the long-run.
# Recommended Resource
The USGS has published a handy guide titled Naming Stuff in ArcGIS containing useful guidelines for naming geospatial data.