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( votes)Integrating SharePoint with Dynamics 365 is a popular option as it provides organizations with an effective solution for document management. Using SharePoint metadata in Dynamics 365 documents helps organizations further enhance their document management practices. By effectively capturing SharePoint metadata, businesses can improve document retrieval, foster better collaboration, and streamline workflows. This approach is essential for any organization that is using Dynamics 365 and integrating it with SharePoint.
Metadata in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 and SharePoint Integration
SharePoint document metadata is great for organizing documents, making document retrieval and management much more efficient.
What is document metadata in SharePoint?
If you are not familiar with metadata, think of it as data that describes other data. For SharePoint documents, metadata provides descriptive information that helps categorize, locate, and manage them more efficiently. It will be presented as a column when you are viewing a list or library and users can search on it. You can check an example further down in this article.
When integrating Dynamics 365 with SharePoint, you will see many documents stored in SharePoint that originate from Dynamics 365. Ensuring all users tag these Dynamics documents with proper metadata is essential. You need to make life easy for users by allowing them to tag documents directly within Dynamics 365, without needing to switch to SharePoint. This will encourage user adoption, increase the number of documents with metadata, and minimize errors.
The Drag & Drop and Metadata for Dynamics 365 CE tool discussed in this Connecting Software article is a comprehensive solution that does just that. For a demonstration of the drag-and-drop and metadata capture solution, you can follow the video link or click the thumbnail below.
This quick one-minute video presents how users can upload multiple documents to Dynamics 365 via a simple drag and drop and then populate the metadata fields in Dynamics itself. They can do this without needing to switch over to the SharePoint environment.
Metadata is a critical element of any document management system, especially when integrating SharePoint with Dynamics 365. This approach helps maintain consistency in tagging, reduces manual errors (and missing metadata), and ensures all relevant data is captured.
SharePoint metadata fields allow businesses to categorize information more effectively, making it easier to locate relevant data. With the metadata in place, rather than manually opening SharePoint folders and navigating through a labyrinth of files, users can quickly retrieve documents by searching on metadata fields—effectively turning metadata into an intelligent retrieval system that enhances productivity.
Metadata fields can capture generic details like types of customers, document types, and status, enabling easy search and retrieval. Additional metadata fields specific to that industry or organization typically prove even more valuable. Further down we will have a look at a specific example.
Key Benefits of Using SharePoint Metadata in Dynamics
- Enhanced Searchability: By incorporating metadata, documents stored in SharePoint can be easily located in both Dynamics 365 and SharePoint, eliminating the need for manual searching. This results in improved efficiency and reduced time spent locating documents.
- Improved Collaboration: SharePoint document metadata makes it easier for teams to access the correct documents, collaborate more effectively, and ensure everyone is working with the most up-to-date information.
- Streamlined Workflows: With metadata tagging and integration directly in Dynamics 365 through the drag-and-drop solution, users can trigger workflows without switching systems. For example, when a document is tagged as “Approved,” it can automatically be routed to the next stage in a workflow.
How to Use SharePoint Metadata in Dynamics 365
The solution provided by Connecting Software makes filling in the metadata easy and intuitive for Dynamics 365 users. Users can enter metadata right after document uploads – without switching from Dynamics to SharePoint. This seamless integration ensures that users consistently apply relevant metadata, maintaining an organized document management system.
Start With the Metadata Configuration
To unlock the full potential of SharePoint metadata in Dynamics 365, you’ll need to have metadata properly configured so that users can then start with metadata capture. Microsoft Learn provides extensive resources for configuring document metadata in SharePoint, ensuring smooth integration. When setting up metadata, focus on creating individual metadata columns that reflect the needs of your organization.
For example, organizations can set up taxonomy properties to group documents according to business units, document types, or other relevant classifications. Taxonomy properties help establish a structured system, which not only makes document management easier but also supports compliance and governance by standardizing how documents are tagged.
An Example with SharePoint Document Metadata
A construction and real estate company can leverage SharePoint metadata within Dynamics 365 to effectively manage numerous projects involving design plans, contracts, permits, inspection reports, and customer agreements. Efficient document management is crucial, especially with the large number of artifacts generated during the lifecycle of each project.
In this example, metadata fields such as “Project Name,” “Property Type,” “Document Type” (e.g., “Contract,” “Blueprint”), “Project Phase” (e.g., “Planning,” “Construction,” “Inspection”), and “Approval Status” (e.g., “Pending,” “Approved”) are used to tag each document uploaded into Dynamics 365.
The drag-and-drop and metadata tool lets users quickly fill in the metadata within Microsoft Dynamics without switching to SharePoint. Entering the data in this way is more convenient for users and makes it easier to organize documents according to key classifications, such as the specific construction phase or property type, improving clarity and productivity for the team. The improved user experience in this scenario (compared to users toggling to SharePoint every time they need to fill in a metadata field) makes user adoption smooth.
Metadata values can also be used to trigger workflows, such as automatically routing an inspection report for approval once the “Project Phase” is marked as “Inspection.” This streamlined process ensures compliance and timely approvals, ultimately supporting efficient project management.
Best Practices for SharePoint Metadata in Dynamics
- Enable Seamless Integration: The tool we mentioned earlier, Drag & Drop and Metadata for Dynamics 365 CE allows users to fill in metadata fields without having to leave Dynamics 365. This seamless experience encourages adoption and makes document management a natural part of everyday workflows.
- Standardize Metadata Terms: Creating a properly standardized set of terms and term sets is crucial for effective tagging. If you get the correct terms and terms sets, document tagging will be more intuitive for users.
- Structure Metadata for Relevance: Use individual metadata columns to represent essential information about documents, such as client types, project types, and document status. Structuring metadata in this way makes it easier for users to find the exact information they need when searching.
- Same SharePoint Taxonomy in Multiple Sites: By using the same taxonomy within all your SharePoint sites, you will have a common structure organization-wide, making it easier to browse or search for files. This method aligns with compliance needs if you use the metadata for retention.
Did you know?
A critical best practice, although not related to metadata, is to synchronize the security models of Dynamics and SharPoint, as described in the article Dynamics 365 Security Model and Its Synchronization to SharePoint
Conclusion
Integrating SharePoint metadata with Dynamics 365 can significantly enhance document management and streamline workflows. You can optimize the synergy between these two platforms by configuring an adequate taxonomy and using a tool for metadata capture within Dynamics itself. This will make your documents more organized, searchable, and compliant.
Unlock the full potential of your Dynamics 365 and SharePoint integration today. If you want more details on the SharePoint metadata add-on we discussed above, contact us. You can use this form or reach out via email. It’s time to make SharePoint metadata an essential part of your document management strategy.
By Ana Neto
Software engineer since 1997, she is now a technical advisor for Connecting Software.
Connecting Software is a producer of integration and synchronization software solutions since 2004. We operate globally and we are also a proud “Top Member” and “Top Blogger” at CRMSoftwareBlog.
Further Reading
Blog Article – Dynamics 365 Customer Service Portal: Challenges and Solutions
Case Studies and Success Stories – Dynamics 365 Success Stories
List of Blog Articles – Dynamics 365 articles
The post Using SharePoint Metadata in Dynamics 365 for Better Document Management appeared first on CRM Software Blog | Dynamics 365.
