#Microsoft365 #Office365 #SharePoint Why do we invest in a product and then insist on micro managing it – just because we don’t trust people? In my next couple of blogs we’ll be looking at the ‘weapons’ that exist in OTB SharePoint and the ‘tactics’ we can develop to allow SharePoint to “manage the crazies”, while we focus on other things. And with weapons, I mean like magic wands and fairy dust – not the scary stuff 🙂

For previous posts in my #Microsoft365Challenge go to the index page.

DISCLAIMER:  I WRITE ARTICLES ABOUT OFFICE / MICROSOFT 365. CONTENT IS ACCURATE AT TIME OF PUBLICATION, HOWEVER UPDATES AND NEW ADDITIONS HAPPEN DAILY WHICH COULD CHANGE THE ACCURACY OR RELEVANCE. PLEASE KEEP THIS IN MIND WHEN USING MY BLOGS AS GUIDELINES.

We over complicate the solutions we build in SharePoint and Office 365 because we don’t trust each other and / or don’t understand what SharePoint can do for us.

For example: You have to build 5 document libraries (each with 10 different contributors) for one department. Even though the metadata and rules applied will be exactly the same – they are insisting on 5 separate libraries. Why? Is it a risk if they can access each others’ documents? No. Would it be easier for the people who consume the content to find it all in one place – yes. Then Why?? Because they don’t trust each other. 50 Contributors in one library – 5 different focus areas – CHAOS they say.

Well…. it’s not the case if you use SharePoint to manage the chaos for you.

Controls in SharePoint 

#Microsoft365 Day 190: SWAT: SharePoint Weapons and Tactics – Part 1

Some of the weapons in my private arsenal includes:

 

Today we’ll be looking at Alerts. And yes, yes…. I’ve had a lot to say about alerts in the past, but I still think this is the ‘underdog’ of SharePoint functionality and can be utilized more creatively to achieve some amazing stuff. Taking into account what’s happening in Office 365, you would also use #MicrosoftFlow to do some pretty cool stuff.

Alerts can be setup to notify any user of any type of change. So how can we use this to calm those nerves due to mistrust?

SharePoint alerts are setup based on the following:

Change Type: Specify the type of changes that you want to be alerted to
1. All changes
2. New items are added
3. Existing items are modified
4. Items are deleted

and

Send Alerts for These Changes: Specify whether to filter alerts based on specific criteria. You may also restrict your alerts to only include items that show in a particular view.
1. Anything changes
2. Someone else changes an item
3. Someone else changes an item created by me
4. Someone else changes an item last modified by me

Now the user can setup an alert and configure it in such a way to notify him/her immediately when ‘something goes wrong’. So maybe they just want to be notified if someone else ‘touches’ a document that they uploaded – voila! Or they’re nervous about people deleting stuff – done!!

But that’s not all. Lets say you’re one of the 50 people, and the only content you’re responsible for are Health & Safety – ISO 18001:2007 related content. Now if we combined these 5 libraries – we’d use metadata to “separate” the content” and build views. The Process / Document type for your documents would be “Health & Safety – ISO 18001:2007”.

Because metadata has been assigned to the content – filtered views can be written which only displays specific data. Once a filtered view has been written, you have another option on alerts: 5. Someone changes an item that appears in the following view: Health & Safety – ISO 18001:2007. You can now select the view for your documents, and you will be notified immediately if someone edits / deletes or contributes to the document type that you’re “in charge of”. Sorted!!

To read more about setting up filtered alerts, see my blog #Microsoft365 Day 189: Filtered Alerts based on Metadata

Purpose of this blog challenge:  I will write 365 blogs in 365 days around Microsoft 365. I did a similar challenge with Office 365, blogs can be found here. I won’t just be talking about the new Microsoft 365 subscription model. I will be sharing any news, tips and tricks around Office / Office 365 / Windows / Mobility and Security. And let’s not forget all the great new Apps & services available.  A lot of what I’ll share on Office and SharePoint will also be applicable to none “Office 365” versions.

You can also find me contributing to REgarding 365. I’m a member of a group of enthusiasts, sharing their stories, thoughts and opinions about Microsoft 365. Catch us at https://regarding365.com | @regarding365 on Twitter and regarding365 on YouTube