When working with files in any software, it is important that you have a good folder structure. This is to ensure that you are able to access your files with ease as everything should be well organized. Also, if we were to be working on a group project or with a client, your colleagues should be able to navigate about these files efficiently otherwise it will make it harder to work on the project collaboratively and it will cause a disruption in the workflow just because you are unable to locate the necessary files.
Specifically, in Maya, it is essential that you save a scene for your project in the correct places. If this is not done, there is the risk of the file becoming corrupted and you will be unable to retrieve the work which results in you having to redo it and consuming more time where you shouldn’t have.
Files in Maya can be saved as 2 different formats:
Maya ASCII (MA) is a larger file that saves your scene as a text file of commands that you can open and edit directly in a text editor which is helpful for if a file becomes corrupted and you want to try to restore it using scripts. This is generally the better format to use due to its versatility.
Maya Binary (MB) is a version that is optimised by stripping out information and condensing it into numerical values so that it becomes a smaller file. Thus this type cannot be edited in the same way as an MA file.
source: https://blog.animationmentor.com/8-things-maya-noobs-must-know/
https://darryldias.me/06/difference-ma-mb-file-type-maya/
Jasmine Cooper 