Key Benefits:

Centralized Repository: SharePoint provides a single source of truth for all your company’s files. No more hunting through email attachments or local drives!

Precise Permissions: Assign precise access rights to users, ensuring that sensitive information remains confidential.

Version Control: Say goodbye to file chaos! SharePoint tracks versions, allowing teams to collaborate seamlessly without overwriting each other’s work.

Tagging with Metadata: Organize files using metadata to tag files with relevant terms. Quickly find what you need with intuitive search filters.

Automated Workflows: Streamline processes with workflow automation. Approvals, notifications, and content routing become a breeze.

Integration with Microsoft Teams: SharePoint seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Teams and a variety of apps in Microsoft 365, empowering your organization with a unified hub for communication, collaboration, and document sharing.

 How Can We Help? Our team specializes in SharePoint implementation and optimization. We’ll tailor SharePoint to your unique needs, ensuring smooth file management, enhanced collaboration, and increased productivity.

 Connect with us to explore SharePoint’s full potential! Let’s transform your file chaos into organized bliss.

Microsoft Viva Connections is a powerful platform that bridges the gap between your organization’s intranet and your employees. It provides a seamless experience, allowing employees to access essential resources, stay informed, and engage with company content—all within the familiar context of Microsoft Teams.

Features

The Viva Connections experience is available worldwide, even for Government tenants! Here are some features you can expect:

Branding Capabilities: Customize Viva Connections to reflect your organization’s brand.

Announcements: Easily send important updates to your employees.

Flexible Card Sizes: Tailor the content presentation to your needs.

Conclusion

Microsoft Viva Connections empowers your employees by providing a central hub for communication, collaboration, and information. Whether you’re a seasoned user or just getting started, Viva Connections has something to offer. Stay connected, stay informed, and elevate your employee experiences with Viva Connections!

Remember, the features listed in this blog post is just the beginning—more exciting features are available. Connect with us to explore ways to enhance the employee experience and leverage the full potential of Viva Connections!

1. Enhanced Collaboration and Communication

Effective collaboration and communication are essential for success in today’s fast-paced business environment. SharePoint Online provides a robust platform that fosters collaboration among team members. Features like document sharing, co-authoring, and version control enable seamless teamwork. Real-time collaboration eliminates the need for multiple file versions, ensuring everyone stays on the same page.

2. Streamlined Document Management

SharePoint Online simplifies document management. You can organize files into libraries, create custom metadata, and set permissions. Version history allows you to track changes and revert to previous versions if needed. Plus, the integration with Microsoft 365 ensures seamless access to documents from various devices.

3. Increased Productivity and Efficiency

By centralizing content and automating workflows, SharePoint Online boosts productivity. Features like alerts, notifications, and task assignments keep team members informed and on track. Customizable forms and templates streamline processes, reducing manual effort.

4. Improved Access and Mobility

Access your documents anytime, anywhere. SharePoint Online is cloud-based, allowing secure access from any device with an internet connection. Whether you’re in the office, at home, or on the go, your files are readily available.

5. Enhanced Security and Compliance

SharePoint Online prioritizes security. Features like data encryption, access controls, and audit logs protect sensitive information. Compliance features ensure adherence to industry regulations and data protection standards.

6. Customization and Extensibility

Tailor SharePoint Online to your organization’s needs. Create custom lists, libraries, and web parts. Use Power Apps and Power Automate to build custom solutions. SharePoint’s flexibility allows you to adapt it to your unique requirements.

7. Integration with Microsoft 365

Seamless integration with other Microsoft 365 tools enhances productivity. Collaborate on documents using Microsoft Teams, sync files with OneDrive, and automate processes with Power Automate. SharePoint Online complements the entire suite.

8. Scalability and Enterprise-Grade Capabilities

Whether you’re a small business or a large corporation, SharePoint Online scales to meet your needs. It offers enterprise-grade features like content management, search capabilities, and robust APIs for developers.

9. Business Intelligence (BI) and Reporting

SharePoint Online empowers data-driven decision-making. Create interactive dashboards, analyze trends, and visualize data using Power BI. Generate reports and gain insights to drive strategic initiatives.

10. Cost Savings and ROI

Investing in SharePoint Online pays off. By streamlining processes, reducing manual tasks, and improving collaboration, organizations achieve a solid return on investment (ROI). The cost savings from increased efficiency are significant.

In conclusion…

SharePoint Online is more than a document management system—it’s a game-changer for businesses. Explore its features, harness its power, and propel your organization toward success.

Remember, the cloud-based SharePoint Online is continually evolving, so stay informed about updates and new features to maximize its benefits!

The Why:

Microsoft announced the retirement of Stream (Classic), aiming to consolidate its video platform offerings onto the newer, more robust Stream (on SharePoint) experience. Stream (on SharePoint) boasts several advantages, including:

• Deeper integration with SharePoint and Microsoft 365: Stream videos become integral parts of SharePoint sites, facilitating easier collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• Enhanced security and compliance: Stream (on SharePoint) leverages the robust security features of SharePoint and Microsoft 365, meeting the stringent requirements of government organizations.
• Improved performance and scalability: Stream (on SharePoint) handles large video libraries more efficiently, offering smoother playback and search experiences.

Benefits of the Migration:

By migrating to Stream (on SharePoint), you gain access to a modern video platform with enhanced security, performance, and integration with other Microsoft 365 tools. You’ll enjoy:

• Simplified video management: Streamline workflows with centralized management of videos within SharePoint sites.
• Enhanced security and compliance: Benefit from the robust security features built into SharePoint and Microsoft 365, meeting your organization’s compliance requirements.
• Improved user experience: Enjoy a user-friendly interface and powerful search capabilities for easier video discovery and playback.

Don’t Delay, Migrate Today!

While the retirement date may seem distant, starting your migration early is crucial. By planning ahead, you can ensure a smooth transition to the new Stream (on SharePoint) experience and continue leveraging the power of video within your organization.

By embracing the change and migrating to Stream (on SharePoint), you’ll unlock a future-proof video platform that empowers your organization’s communication and collaboration. So, don’t wait – contact us and start your migration today!

Searching for a term that is tagged with a particular keyword will bring back those results in addition to file names with those terms included.  This might be a problem if you want to return only the documents tagged with the Enterprise Keyword value. As shown below, searching for the term “Documentation” returns a document tagged with the Enterprise Keyword term and a document with the term “Enterprise” included in the file name.

Resolution: Create a Managed Property to Use in Search Query

In order to resolve this, a Managed Property must be created in order to tailor the results so that searching on a particular Enterprise Keyword will return only those documents tagged with particular terms.

Go to the SharePoint Admin Center > select Search:

Select Manage Search Schema:

Select New Managed Property:

Give the property a name you would like for people to use in their search query and apply the following settings:

Once the property has been added, go back to the library where Enterprise Keywords have been enabled, documents have been uploaded, and documents have been tagged with terms:

Go to Library Settings > Advanced Settings > Reindex the Library:

Give it some time and then test that the Managed Property along with the keyword in the following syntax, PropertyName:Keyword, returns the results as expected:

Overview: One of the distinguishing factors between a news post versus a regular page is that news posts have the Promoted State column value set to ‘2’. There is no way to easily create a view to filter out this value to see all news posts only.

A Microsoft Flow is used to retrieve the Promoted State value. The reason for selecting the SharePoint – When an item is created or modified action (in Step 2 below) is that when the post/page doesn’t have a title, SharePoint will assign the post/page random characters until the Title has been added. Once the Title has been added, SharePoint will update the actual post/page with the actual Title and sometimes the Promoted State isn’t initially assigned to the column.

Brief Solution:

• Create a News column in the Site Pages library
• Create a Flow that checks if the Promoted State = 2. If Promoted State = 2, update the News column with value ‘Yes’
• Create a view called News Archive that filters the Site Pages library where the News column equals ‘Yes’

Detailed Solution:

1. In the Site Pages library, create a column called News. To keep it simple, choose Single line of text as the column value. (Choice could be used as the column type.)

2. Create a Flow to set the value of the News column when a news post is created.

Trigger: Even though Site Pages is a library and not a list, select the SharePoint – When an item is created or modified trigger, select the site, and type in “Site Pages” as a custom value. (Site Pages do not appear in the list of library type of triggers.)

3. Add a Condition action, Select the PromotedState column, leave the default as is equal to and type in ‘2’.

4. In the Yes branch, select the SharePoint – Update item action to set the Site Pages library News column as ‘Yes’.

5. Name the Flow and Save. The full Flow should look similar to this:

Make sure it’s turned on!

6. Back in the SharePoint Site Pages library, create a view called News Archive.

Filter the view to only show where News is equal to Yes (which will be set by the Flow).

Let’s Test!

Back on the Home Page (or a page with the News webpart), add a link to the News Archive view (or even a link to a Page with the News Archive view), then add a News post:

Add a Site Page:

The Site Pages library gets updated automatically by the Flow to flag news posts appropriately.

When the News Archive link is clicked on from the home page, only the news post items appear.

Thanks for reading!

Details on Presentation:

Lists
Food Truck – columns to keep track of: the number of users who liked a submission, their names, an anonymous check box and a text field that is either updated with their name or “Anonymous”.

Comments – columns to keep track of: a lookup field to the Food Truck list, and comments multiple lines of text.
Site Assets – contains JavaScript, XSL, and image files.

Forms

New Food Truck form – has input fields for Food Truck title, image, description, and Anonymous checkbox.  Uses JavaScript Object Model to add and update list item. This file is labeled AddNewFoodTruck.aspx in the zip file.

Add a Comment form – grabs the TruckID parameter in the URL and then auto selects lookup column value. This file is labeled CustomNewForm.aspx in the zip file.  This is just a New Form created from the Comments list and modified to automatically select the lookup value in the Comments list from the URL query string parameter. This blog was a greate resource for provided the Javascript to match up the lookup value from the URL: Using JavaScript to Manipulate a List Form Field

Pages

Home Page – Displays Food Trucks linked to a Details page.  The Food Trucks list view web parts are styled with XSL for a more visually appealing look. The XSL files are added in the XSL Link property of the Food Truck list with Chrome Type set to None. The web part on the left uses MostRecent.xsl and the web part on the right uses TopFive.xsl in the zip file.

Details page – Displays one Food Truck – title, image, description, a Like button and comments.  This page is styled with XSL and the Like button has JavaScript Object Model behind the scenes that updates list items.  There are four web parts on the page: one Food Truck list web part with a filtered view to only show one list item, one Comments list web part, and two Query String filter web parts to grab the FoodTruckID parameter in the URL and filters the lists accordingly.

The Truck.xsl file is set as the XSL Link web part property on the Food Truck list. This file also has a reference to Like.js, which calls function updateListItem() when someone clicks on the Like image.  Truck.xsl also appends the ID of the Food Truck to the Comments list, which is linked to CustomNewForm.aspx.

Like.js has all the functions for capturing number of likes, who liked the submission, grabbing the current user’s name, which updates the list all using the Javascript Client Side Object Model.

The Comments.xsl file is set as the XSL Link web part property on the Comments list.

This is how the solution comes together.  Enjoy!