Saturday, June 29, 2024

3 Ways in SharePoint Online to Kick Users Out of a File

The following are three ways in SharePoint Online,to kick users out of a file or ensure exclusive access during major changes:

  1. Check Out Files: If one wants to make changes to a file and ensure no one else can edit it simultaneously, one can check out the file. When the file is checked out, one can edit it online or offline, saving it multiple times if needed. Once finish editing, check the file back into the library, allowing others to see the changes.
  2. Versioning: Turn on versioning for the library. This way, if someone makes a mistake later, one can restore an earlier version of the document.
  3. Communication: While not a direct “kick,” effective communication is key. Inform users about upcoming changes, request that they log out, and coordinate the timing of major updates. Clear communication helps to prevent conflicts and ensures a beneficial collaboration experience.

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Top 3 SharePoint Gotchas and their Remedies

The following are three SharePoint gotchas and their remedies:

  1. Column Naming: When working with lists or list items, ensure one uses the correct column name—either external or internal. Internal column names remain invariant once created, and SharePoint encodes special characters differently.
  2. Lookup Columns: If one’s list template includes a lookup column, be cautious when creating a new list from it. Lookup columns reference lists within the same site collection. If one creates a child list in a different site collection, the referenced list won’t exist. To fix, recreate the referenced list in the other site collection and update the lookup column accordingly.
  3. Workflow Troubleshooting: If one’s custom workflow activity isn’t triggering, consider these factors:
    • Workflows will not trigger if the action was performed by the System Account. Impersonation or running under a service account may be necessary when triggering workflows from a timer job.
    • Ensure the client application running the object model has appropriate permissions.

Monday, June 24, 2024

Top 3 SharePoint Gotchas

The following are the top three gotchas of SharePoint Online:

         Modern List Attachments:

List attachments do not have robust management controls and collaborative features such as versioning and co-authoring.

List attachments don’t have a drag and drop aspect.

Customization Challenges:

SharePoint has extensive customization options, but what is available via best practices is ever changing and not always documented.

Be aware of customizations that might impact performance, security, or scalability. 

Anchors in Modern SharePoint Pages:

Anchors allow one to link directly to specific sections within a page. However, when working with anchors in the SharePoint Framework code, this can be difficult.

Thursday, June 20, 2024

6 SharePoint Technical Management Keys

The following are six SharePoint technical management keys: 

1) Understand and plan the scope of the technical effort by developing the technical product breakdown structure and the technical schedule.
2) Define all the interfaces and assign proper site owner authorities and responsibilities to each.
3) Control the configuration in order to understanding how changes will impact the system.
4) Conduct milestone reviews in order to have assessments of the work being performed. 
5) Understand assumptions and constraints that impact the results. 
6) Track the impact of changes and understand what needs to be retested.

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Top 3 Useful SharePoint Aspects

The following are three important aspects related to SharePoint that are useful:

  • Navigation Levels in Classic SharePoint Pages:
    • In classic SharePoint team sites, one can add up to three levels of navigation in the top menu.
  • Power of SharePoint Team Sites in Microsoft 365:
    • SharePoint team sites in Microsoft 365 offer a wide range of capabilities.
    • The capabilities include:
    • Team highlights and news Be visual while sharing information. 
    • Quick launch Add links to content available within a site.
    • Inform the team Use links, shows events, and content related to team work.
  • Effective SharePoint Project Management Sites:
    • Organizations can configure SharePoint to be utilized with project management processes. By doing so, one can create a complete collaborative workspace for project teams.

Saturday, June 15, 2024

Top 3 Reasons Why People Love SharePoint

The following are the top three reasons why people love SharePoint:

Efficient Information Organization: SharePoint allows users to organize information effectively. 

Enhanced Collaboration and Communication: SharePoint fosters collaboration by streamlining document management, automating workflows, and improving task based coordination.

Customization and Extensibility: Users appreciate SharePoint’s flexibility. The use of lists is now a common storage mechanism. Additionally, the platform, especially in SharePoint Online has integrations with the Power Platform (PowerApps, Power Automate, PowerBI etc).

Thursday, June 13, 2024

Top 3 Aspects Related to SharePoint Certificate Credentials

The following are three aspects related to SharePoint certificate credentials:

Fundamental Certification: If one is considering a career change, the fundamental level is a good starting point. It is designed for individuals who want to learn the basics of the SharePoint Server or SharePoint Online. The Microsoft 365 Fundamentals certification, covers foundational concepts related to Microsoft 365 services, including SharePoint.

Associate Level: If one is looking to delve deeper into SharePoint, the associate level is applicable for those with some experience. This certification includes Microsoft 365, and Teamwork Administrator which includes SharePoint Online administration topics. Such a certificate validates skills in configuring, deploying, and managing SharePoint sites and content.

Developer Focus: If one is interested in SharePoint development, the MS-600: Building Applications and Solutions with Microsoft 365 Core Services exam is the applicable exam for this topic. This certification focuses on client-side application development using SharePoint Framework (SPFx) and integrating with Power Platform capabilities such as PowerApps and Power Automate.

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

3 SharePoint Outputs from Requirements Management Activities

The following are three key SharePoint outputs from requirements management activities: 

Requirements Documents:  requirements documents are essential for planning and implementing successful SharePoint projects. In this way, they are linked to the requirements with all of its traceable relationships. 

Approved Changes to the Requirements: when it comes to managing changes and approvals in SharePoint, there are a few ways to ensure that only authorized content becomes visible to specific users. Some of these ways involve simple approval using out of the box workflows or more complex content/file approval workflow using Power Automate.

Requirements Management Work Products: when managing SharePoint requirements, it's crucial to create well-defined work products. Some of the key components of this are to understand how people collaborate, store files, and share information in the organization. As part of this process analyzing and validating requirements to ensure a successful SharePoint implementation. 

 

Monday, June 10, 2024

Top 3 SharePoint Cloud Services

The top three SharePoint cloud services are as such:

SharePoint Online: Cloud-based service part of the Microsoft 365 suite, offering a flexible and collaborative platform for businesses.

OneDrive for Business: Closely integrated with SharePoint Online and offers cloud storage, file sharing, and collaboration across the Microsoft 365 suite.

Microsoft Azure: Provides an enterprise-grade cloud platform for hosting SharePoint Server, enabling organizations to leverage cloud capabilities for their SharePoint environment.

Friday, June 7, 2024

Top 3 SharePoint Online Newbie Items to Know

If you are new to SharePoint Online, here are three useful tips and tricks to get started:

  1. Document Library Settings Menu: Knowing where the settings menus is located. See the official documentation on this subject: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-is-a-document-library-3b5976dd-65cf-4c9e-bf5a-713c10ca2872
  2. Organize Content: Utilize folders, metadata, and views to organize documents. This ensures easy access and efficient management of files within SharePoint. See the official documentation on this subject: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/enterprise-content-management-in-sharepoint-930dd985-5bb9-447b-affd-86fcf690e994
  3. Communication and Collaboration: SharePoint serves as a communication and collaboration platform. Explore features such as news articles, announcements, and team sites to enhance communication across the organization. See the official documentation on this subject: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/community/team-site-or-communication-site

Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Top 3 Ways to Move Files in SharePoint

The following are the top three ways to move files in SharePoint:

  • Using the ‘Move to’ Option in the SharePoint Interface:
    • Select the desired files or folders in the SharePoint document library.
    • Click the “Move to” option in the command bar at the top of the page.
    • Choose the new location in SharePoint via the window that appears for the selected files and click “Move here.”
  • Drag-and-Drop Functionality:
    • Open the SharePoint library containing the files you to move.
    • Select the files or folders.
    • Drag the items to the destination folder within the same SharePoint site.
  • Using OneDrive Sync:
    • To work locally with files, use the OneDrive Sync Client.
    • This syncs files between SharePoint and the local machine.

Monday, June 3, 2024

3 Common SharePoint Errors

The following are three common reasons for SharePoint errors:

  • Permissions and Access Control Problems:
    • Permissions and access control are key for managing a SharePoint environment effectively.
    • Issues often arise due to the complexity and granularity of SharePoint’s permission settings.
      • Common issues include:
      • Overly Restrictive Permissions: Sometimes, permissions are set too restrictively, which hinders users’ ability to perform tasks. Balancing the principle of least privilege with operational requirements is essential.
      • Permission Inheritance Issues: SharePoint items typically inherit permissions from their parent object, but breaking this inheritance without proper planning can lead to inconsistent access rights and confusion.
      • Complex Nested Groups: Using SharePoint groups and Active Directory groups together can create a complex web of permissions, making it difficult to track who has access to what.
  • Access Denied or Permission Errors:
    • Such errors can occur for various reasons, such as:
    • Permissions for a user not being configured correctly.
    • The account utilized to access the shared link is different from the account to which the sharing invitation was sent.
  • SharePoint Sync Problems:
    • SharePoint sync may encounter issues due to:
    • Poor network connectivity.
    • Corrupt or large files.
    • Incorrect configurations.
    • Conflicts with coauthoring editing the same file simultaneously.