In This Article: The hands-on guide to day-to-day Lakehouse operations: uploading files, the accepted formats and the maximum file size, what Compass checks before it stores a file, the three upload outcomes and the indexing state, creating and organizing folders, using right-click context menus, moving and renaming documents, where you can and cannot upload, how the Folders panel keeps your place, inspecting file details and the activity record, filtering the file list, selecting files in bulk, linking folders to Tasks, data security, and best practices for folder structure and file naming.
Uploading Files
Before uploading, navigate to the folder where you want the files to land. Select the folder from the Folders panel on the left, and the main panel on the right updates to show that folder's contents. Files always upload to the currently selected folder. If no folder is selected, navigate to one first.
The upload zone sits at the bottom of the main file list area, marked out by a dashed border. It is available whenever a folder is selected and ready to receive files, and it prints the accepted formats and the maximum file size so you can check them without leaving the screen.
Click the Browse files to upload link in the dashed-border upload zone. Your system file picker opens, and you select one file or several and confirm. Files upload immediately and appear in the current folder's list when complete.
Drag files from your desktop or file explorer directly onto the upload zone. Drop multiple files at once, and they all upload in parallel to the current folder. The zone highlights when you hover with a file to indicate it's ready to receive.
Click upload a folder in the dashed zone to bring an entire directory in at once, structure included. Compass validates every file inside it, including files sitting in nested subfolders.
Every file is validated before it is accepted. Compass checks whether the format is one it supports, and an unsupported file is not stored. When an upload finishes, the main panel shows a green checkmark, the filename as a clickable link, and an Add another › prompt. Each individual file then lands in one of three states.
desktop.ini Nothing from the skipped file is written to the Lakehouse, and other files in the same upload are not held back.
A yellow clock icon in the Type column means the file is stored but still indexing, and it is not yet answerable in Smith no matter how clearly you have selected it. This is the most common explanation for a document that appears to be missing, and it is not a fault in Smith. Wait for the clock to be replaced by the normal file-type icon, then ask again. Check the Type column before raising a ticket or re-uploading the file.
When you upload a folder, Compass checks every file inside it, including files in nested subfolders. Supported files go through as normal. Unsupported files are skipped, and a warning appears in the bottom-right of the screen naming what was left out. The typical case is a Windows folder containing a hidden system file such as desktop.ini: the rest of the folder still lands, and Compass simply does not keep the file it cannot use.
Files land in the currently selected folder, not the last folder you visited. The top of the Lakehouse is not itself a destination: pick an existing folder or create one before you upload. If you've navigated around mid-session, confirm which folder is highlighted in the Folders panel before uploading. Moving a file after the fact is straightforward, but picking the right folder upfront saves the step.
The Lakehouse accepts a wide range of file types, including PDF, XLS, XLSX, DOC, DOCX, CSV, JSON, XML, MSG, EML and ICS, along with TXT, Markdown, SQL, HTML, Python, PowerPoint and common image files, among others. The maximum size for a single file is 4GB. The upload zone prints the current format list and the size limit, so it is the authoritative place to check what is accepted today without leaving the screen.
The inclusion of MSG, EML and ICS is worth noting: correspondence and calendar items can sit alongside the working papers they relate to. An email chain explaining why a number changed can live in the same folder as the workbook it changed.
The same supported-format rules apply on every upload route, whether you browse for a file, drag it onto the upload zone, bring in a whole folder, or attach a file to a Smith prompt with the + button. Changing the route does not change which formats Compass accepts. A folder cannot be attached directly to a Smith prompt: folder upload is handled here in the Lakehouse workspace.
The main file table shows the complete filename, including its extension, for example sample_2.xlsx rather than sample_2. That makes the format visible without opening the detail panel. The extension is guaranteed in table views; the Folders tree and Smith's file tree may continue to show the shorter display name.
Creating Folders
There are two ways to create a folder: the + Add Folder button in the top right of the main panel, and the Add Folder option in the folder right-click context menu. Both open the same Create Folder modal. If your Lakehouse is still empty there is a third route: you can create your first top-level folder straight from the empty state. The right-click method automatically sets the right-clicked folder as the parent destination, which is faster when building nested structures. The + Add Folder button defaults the destination to the workspace you are currently viewing.
Click Create with the Folder Name field still empty and the label turns red, with a message directly beneath it:
The modal stays open so you can type a name and try again. Create remains available until you click it: the check runs when you submit, not as you type.
Context Menus: Folder and File Actions
Every folder and file row carries a three-dot menu at the far right, which opens the same set of actions as a right-click. The options differ depending on whether you open the menu on a folder in the Folders panel or a file in the file list. Both are the fastest route to common actions without opening a separate settings panel.
The actions in these menus follow the permissions you hold on the folder. Editors and Contributors do not get a Delete action on files and folders that belong to other people, so the option is simply absent rather than failing when you use it. Delete is styled in red wherever it does appear, so it is harder to select by accident.
Favorite pins a folder to the FAVORITE tab at the top of the Lakehouse, alongside LAKEHOUSE and RECENT. Once a folder is pinned, that same menu item reads Unfavorite, so you can tell from the menu whether a folder is already on the tab without going to check. Opening FAVORITE before you have pinned anything shows No favorite folders.
Being able to see a folder and being able to add files to it are two separate permissions, and the difference is enforced at every level of the tree, top-level folders included. Seeing a folder does not mean you can upload into it.
Visibility access is often granted on a top-level folder purely so you can pass through it to reach a subfolder where you actually work. That access lets you open the folder and browse its contents, but it does not let you upload into it. It was previously possible to upload into a top-level folder you could only see, which meant files could land somewhere nobody expected to find them.
If you expect to be able to upload somewhere and cannot, this is almost always the reason rather than a fault. Ask whoever administers your Compass instance for contribution access to that specific folder. Access is granted folder by folder, so being able to upload into one folder tells you nothing about the next one along.
Moving Files and Folders
Select Move from the right-click menu or the three-dot menu on any file or folder. The Move dialog opens showing your complete folder tree. Expand and collapse branches to find the destination, select it, then confirm. The item relocates instantly.
Moving a folder moves everything inside it: all subfolders and files travel with the parent. The move is reflected in the Lakehouse immediately.
The FOLDERS panel on the left keeps the shape you give it. When you expand a branch to reach a nested folder, that branch stays open while you work. Renaming a file, moving a document or uploading no longer collapses the tree or forces the top-level folder back open.
The difference is most obvious in a deep structure. Every file action used to reset the panel, so moving three files into the same nested folder meant navigating back down to it three separate times. The panel now holds its position, and repetitive filing work stays in one place.
Your expansion state applies to the session you are working in. Opening Compass fresh gives you the default view, and the panel follows you from there.
File Detail Panel
Choosing Details on a file, or clicking the file name in the main file list, opens a panel on the right-hand side of the screen, titled with the file name. It carries two tabs, DETAIL and COMMENTS, and gives you the metadata, the team notes and the activity record without leaving the Lakehouse view. The folder version of the panel is also where folder access is managed: you can see who has access to a folder and add access for another person from there.
Searching and Filtering
The Lakehouse has two distinct search controls. The Search folder input at the top of the Folders panel filters the file tree in real time as you type, which is useful for navigating a deep folder structure without clicking through multiple levels. It filters the tree without discarding the expansion you have already set up. The Search button in the file list header searches file and folder names within the currently selected folder's contents. These operate independently.
Click Show Filters in the file list header to open the Filter by panel. It has four sections, stacked in this order, and they can be combined for precision:
File Types is the fastest way to pull every PDF out of a mixed folder without relying on the filename. Combine it with Created By when you know who added the file but not what they called it.
Multi-Select and Bulk Actions
Each file row in the main list includes a checkbox on the left. Clicking a checkbox selects that file; clicking the header checkbox selects all visible files in the current view. When one or more files are selected, a bulk action bar appears, giving you three operations to apply across the entire selection at once. Multi-select works in both the LAKEHOUSE and RECENT views.
Linking Files to Tasks
The fastest way to connect a Lakehouse folder to a Task is through the folder right-click menu. Right-click any folder in the Folders panel and select Add Task. The Create Task modal opens with the selected folder pre-populated in the Task folder field, saving you the step of navigating to the Tasks tab and manually specifying a folder.
The Create Task modal fields: Task Name (required), Task folder (pre-filled from your right-click), Due Date (required), Task Detail, and Assignee (required). Complete the form and click Create. The task appears under the Tasks tab and the linked folder is surfaced to the assignee when they open the task.
Create the folder, upload the source files, then right-click to add the task. The assignee opens the task and finds the folder already connected, with no attachment emails and no version confusion. Particularly effective for month-end close packages, board preparation, and recurring report deliverables where the same folder structure repeats each cycle.
Data Security
The Lakehouse is designed to hold sensitive financial and operational documents. These are the specific protections in place.
All files are encrypted using TLS/SSL during transfer and AES-256 at rest, from the moment you upload through every subsequent access.
Your Lakehouse is isolated to your account. Nobody else can reach your files unless you give them access to the folder those files sit in, and your data is never shared across accounts or used to train AI models.
Every upload, rename, move, and deletion is logged with a timestamp and user attribution. Latest Comments on any file's DETAIL tab gives you the complete record.
All uploaded content remains yours. Delete any file at any time, permanently and immediately. Compass does not retain copies after deletion.
Folder Structure and File Naming Best Practices
A well-organized Lakehouse pays off immediately when using Smith: the more precisely you scope which folder to load, the more focused and accurate the responses. These practices apply whether your Lakehouse has ten files or ten thousand.
Structure folders around how your team actually works, by reporting period, business unit, or project phase. Close / 2026 / May or Board Prep / Q2 2026 is immediately intuitive to anyone on the team. Avoid generic structures like Documents / Misc.
Lead file names with the most distinctive element: date, entity code, or report type. 2026-05 P&L Variance.xlsx sorts and scans better than May Variance Analysis Final v3.xlsx. Avoid "Final," "v2," and similar suffixes: the activity record under Latest Comments handles version context.
When you select a folder in Smith, it reads every file inside it. Narrower folders produce more targeted responses. Select only the files relevant to your question: too many dilutes focus, too few misses context.
Favorite the folders you're actively working with each reporting cycle. When the cycle closes, unfavorite them and favorite the next set. The FAVORITE tab becomes a living shortcut list: current quarter in, prior period out. Once a folder is pinned, its menu item reads Unfavorite, so you can see at a glance what is already on the tab.
Add a comment to folders explaining their purpose, or to files noting key details such as source system, reporting date and known caveats. A single sentence of context on frequently referenced files saves significant time when that file surfaces in a Smith conversation months later.
Delete outdated files, consolidate duplicates, and archive completed project folders. A lean Lakehouse is easier to search, navigate, and load into Smith, and it reduces the chance of Smith drawing on stale or superseded data.
Once your files are in the Lakehouse and indexing has finished, so the clock icon has gone from the Type column, select them directly from Smith before starting a conversation. For the full walkthrough, covering selecting files, choosing a model and getting document-backed responses, see 5.1 Getting Started with Smith and 5.3 Lakehouse Settings and Account.
The folder right-click menu is the most efficient surface in the Lakehouse: from a single right-click you can add a subfolder, upload a file, spin up a linked task, or favorite a folder for quick access. Two habits pay for themselves here. Reach for the right-click or the three-dot menu rather than navigating away to do the same thing from another tab. And check the Type column before blaming Smith for missing a document, because a clock icon means the file simply is not ready yet.
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