Sub Site V/s Site Collections
Often there is a request which keeps coming asking for guidelines to select between sub site and site collections. Some of the following points can be kept in mind while taking a decision between the 2
- How big the site will be. Will it require a separate content DB
- Does this site require separate security settings, WebParts Set, Features, etc to be done
- Does it have separate backup/restore schedules, requirements?
- Mandate that customizations should be minimal
Site Collection by definition is a logical grouping which will contain a hierarchical set of sites/sub sites that are managed together. Sites within a site collection will have common features, Security settings, templates, content types, and Web Parts, and they often share a common navigation. All sites in a site collection are stored together in the same SQL database.
So if one wants a common management of the above features then Site Collection is the way to go. But one also needs to understand that an induvidual Sub Site cannot be backed up separately and backup happens at the Site Collection level.
However if one needs independent management of these features or different back up strategies or separate Content DBs, then the approach will be to go for Separate Site Collections. However, there will be issues related to Naigation as Navigation scope is at Site Collection Level. The deafult SiteMap Provider will have to be replaced with a custom Site Map Provider which will have a custom logic for the Navigation requirements.
