The ask, update the metadata of a document set using a Power Automate cloud flow. In this ask, the document sets are created when certain conditions are met in an external source system. Post-creation, that metadata is kept in sync, receiving updates as changes are made in the source system. So, creating the document set … Continue reading Power Automate: SharePoint Online | Update Document Set Metadata
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Power Automate: SharePoint Online | Check If Document Set Exists
Document sets aren't new to SharePoint Online (SPO), but plenty of organizations are just discovering them as they're a great way to bundle related documents. And document sets allow organizations to group and manage these related files as a single entity, defining metadata for the entity instead of individual files. Figure 1 - SharePoint Online … Continue reading Power Automate: SharePoint Online | Check If Document Set Exists
SharePoint Online: Add Shortcut to OneDrive | Explained
There are essentially two content sync options in SharePoint Online (SPO). Traditional Sync, which is pretty straight-forward, and Add shortcut to OneDrive, which is a bit more confusing for some. Because the shortcut button is stand-alone and it doesn't explicitly say "sync," it does something completely different, right? Figure 1 - SharePoint Online document library … Continue reading SharePoint Online: Add Shortcut to OneDrive | Explained
SharePoint Online: Understanding | Permission Levels
SharePoint Online (SPO) permissions are similar, but a bit different than permissions typically applied to the file share. Partly because SPO is designed to be self-servicing, meaning that it could be managed by end-users, the non-IT people. Historically, the IT group was responsible for configuring all permissions for all business content. Now, the site owner, … Continue reading SharePoint Online: Understanding | Permission Levels
SharePoint Online: Document Sets | Default Folders Only
Document sets are essentially metadata-enabled folders, ideal for standardizing and bundling documents in a predefined folder structure, allowing people to manage their related assets as a single entity. Imagine HR onboarding a bunch of new hires. On their first day, HR creates a record for each person, then shares the item with the respective new … Continue reading SharePoint Online: Document Sets | Default Folders Only
Power Automate: SharePoint Online | Folders to Document Sets
Nested folders are abundant in many, many SharePoint Online (SPO) tenants. Largely because a lot of organizations aren't ready to adopt a flat content architecture. Fortunately, plenty of their root directories adhere to strict folder naming conventions, so several of those root folders can be recreated as document sets. One perk of document sets is … Continue reading Power Automate: SharePoint Online | Folders to Document Sets
SharePoint: Understanding | Content Architecture
SharePoint is a complex (not quite complicated), document management solution. It's grown quite a bit over the years, so its architecture can be confusing to newer adoptees. However, understanding a few of the higher-level SharePoint concepts can help uncomplicate things for most people. For simplicity, imagine moving some local computer files to SharePoint. How could … Continue reading SharePoint: Understanding | Content Architecture
SharePoint Online: JSON Formatting | Hide ‘Add shortcut to OneDrive’ Button
SharePoint Online [SPO] is a modern, cloud-based service accessible from any modern browser. Emphasis on modern service and modern browser. Still, because of many legacy business processes, end-users flock to sync their SPO files the first chance they get. They ultimately achieve the same purpose, but there are actually two ways they can sync their … Continue reading SharePoint Online: JSON Formatting | Hide ‘Add shortcut to OneDrive’ Button
Office Scripts: Generate Custom GUID(s)
Office Scripts in Excel is an automation alternative to Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Macros are still recorded as a series of actions, but now, these steps are performed using TypeScript, which a superset language of JavaScript. Assuming everything is licensed and configured correctly, everyone should see an Automate tab along the top of their … Continue reading Office Scripts: Generate Custom GUID(s)
Power Automate: Application Lifecycle Management | Housekeeping
Power Automate cloud flows are environment specific when they're created. Power Platform application lifecycle management controls the management of cloud flows as solution assets, and proper management guides the deployment and maintenance of these solutions. Whether the solutions are managed or unmanaged, flows are deployed from one environment to another. Typically, makers create and test … Continue reading Power Automate: Application Lifecycle Management | Housekeeping
Power Apps: Canvas App | Merging Data Sources w/ AddColumn()
Scenario: There is a canvas app with a text box, two radio choices, a vertical gallery, and two data sources. Toggling the radio button changes which data source is filtered and used to populate the gallery. Problem: The data sources don't have any data columns in common and Power Apps doesn't like that. Solution: Create … Continue reading Power Apps: Canvas App | Merging Data Sources w/ AddColumn()
Power Apps: Canvas Apps | Office365Users – Profile Errors
The Office365Users connector gets tricky when makers are working with incomplete user profiles. Especially when trying to display user profile photos. Does everyone have a picture? Even the contractors? Unfortunately, everyone isn't guaranteed to have an uploaded profile photo. Making the assumption that they do only invites future problems. To be proactive, default to the … Continue reading Power Apps: Canvas Apps | Office365Users – Profile Errors
SharePoint: Access Issues | Authentication vs. Authorization
SharePoint access issues are sometimes tricky. Simplifying things though, access issues ultimately fall into two categories: authentication or authorization. Authentication asks a very simple question. Are they permitted/ allowed to access the content? If yes, then they can open SharePoint. Otherwise, they get an access denied screen. Figure 1 - Account not authorized, but able … Continue reading SharePoint: Access Issues | Authentication vs. Authorization
SharePoint: Prevent Folder Move
SharePoint is a collaboration platform that also encourages self-governance. Sure, the IT department could deploy and manage all things SharePoint, but that isn't always best. In an ideal, balanced partnership, IT would just handle the administrative tasks and empowered users would provision their own site collections, manage their own site access, and create their own … Continue reading SharePoint: Prevent Folder Move
Power Apps: SharePoint | Delegation + AddColumn()
So yeah, this won't work for everyone, but it was a creative delegation workaround for me. In my scenario, I used several SharePoint Online (SPO) lists as data sources and needed to filter on a multi-line column of employee Names, separated by a semi-colon: Figure 1 - SharePoint Online new item form. This example SPO … Continue reading Power Apps: SharePoint | Delegation + AddColumn()