Enrich your SharePoint Content with Intelligence and Automation
Published May 21 2018 09:00 AM 73.9K Views
Microsoft

Across Office 365 and SharePoint we have a great tradition of taking technologies that required specialized expertise and making them mainstream. This morning at SharePoint Conference 2018 we introduced Microsoft AI in SharePoint with cognitive services, data management and analytics. These aren’t just for developers any more – they’re for everyone, thanks to SharePoint.

 

Also, millions of users rely on SharePoint lists every day to keep track of critical business data. From T-shirt sizes to issue management to public health programs, SharePoint lists can do it all. We’ve done a lot to make Flow and PowerApps work well with lists. This year, SharePoint lists will get even better – easier to build, easier to edit, and easier to share and analyze.

 

Here’s a summary of our announcements:

• Flow for Cognitive Analysis - Process any text for sentiment, key phrases, translation or moderation [Available Now]
• Row Formatting - Create immersive formatting for any list or library with scripting [Available later 2018]
• Image Analysis - Create immersive formatting for any list or library with scripting [Available now]
• AI for Images - Teach the cloud to recognize new objects for auto-tagging [Available Now]
• New ways to create lists - Create lists based on Excel, templates, or other lists [Available later 2018]
• Quicker list editing - Edit list content in place, and paste data from other sources [Available later 2018]
• Link list items - Connect list items to Planner, Outlook calendars, locations, and more [Available later 2018]
• Realtime list updates - See updates to lists and libraries instantly without refresh [Available later 2018]
• Analyze lists with Power BI - Connect list items to Planner, Outlook calendars, locations, and more [Available later 2018]
• Build Microsoft Flow workflows with Visio – Model a new process in Visio and export it to Microsoft Flow to activate and run custom processes [Available July 2018].
• Add file upload to Microsoft Forms – Add a custom question to allow users to supply a file to upload to SharePoint

 

Let’s look in more detail.

 

Cognitive Analysis with Flow

Our cognitive services engine can take any text input and analyze it for sentiment, key phrases, translation, and moderation. And all that AI is connected directly to Microsoft Flow. That makes it simple for anyone to get a sentiment score for any text, like a tweet, for further action.

Sentiment analysisSentiment analysis

 

Row formatting
In the example above, we are using the new row formatter. Like the column formatter released in 2017, the row formatter provides a way to use scripts to define conditional formats to be applied to an entire row. The formats can also take over a full screen in a responsive design, as shown below, for a complete app solution.

Row formattingRow formatting


Image Analysis
Any image file loaded into Office 365 is automatically scanned for object recognition – like receipts, people, whiteboards, business cards and more. We also identify geolocation data and any extractable text images. These are tagged in metadata columns on each document library, as shown below, for ease of searching and filtering.

Image analysisImage analysis

Later in 2018, we’ll also make these tags processable – you’ll be able to trigger a Flow any time image analysis result in a tag contains “France” for example.

 

Custom Image Models
Recognizing business cards and receipts is helpful for search. But you may have thousands of custom images to sort for custom objects, like logos or designs. Cloud cognitive services is available now at https://www.customvision.ai to let you build, test and deploy custom models to add visual AI to your content and processes. And it’s easy to invoke a custom model on any Office 365 file using Flow.

Custom Vision ModelsCustom Vision Models

 

Build new lists
Great processes need a great place to centralize essential business data. We’re making it easier to build new SharePoint lists – by copying from other lists, by importing form Excel, or by reusing published templates for common data used in your organization.

Build New ListsBuild New Lists

 

Edit in place
You can move data from Excel to SharePoint and keep the same ease of use. Our new edit in place feature is as simple as clicking on a value to edit it – without moving in and out of “edit mode” or relying on a properties page.

Edit in placeEdit in place

 

Office 365 integration and real time updates
We’re also making it easier to link list items to other Office 365 apps, such as Planner, Outlook calendars, locations and more. And with real time updates, your views of lists (and libraries will also be current without needing to manually refresh the screen to see the latest changes.

Planner integrationPlanner integration

 

Power BI Integration
With so much critical, real-time data in SharePoint lists, you need a way to build c=great visualizations and insights against that data too. Power BI integration lest you automatically mine that data for patterns and charts. And those insights can be easily pinned to the home page of your list for easy access across the team.

Power BI InsightsPower BI Insights

 

Design and automate business workflows using Microsoft Flow and Visio
Microsoft Visio enables enterprises to capture their business processes using its rich modelling capabilities. Anyone who creates flowcharts or SharePoint workflows can now use Visio to design Microsoft Flow workflows. You can use Visio’s sharing and commenting capabilities to collaborate with multiple stakeholders and arrive at a complete workflow in little time. With a single click, you can publish the workflow to Microsoft Flow, then supply parameters to activate it.

Visio for FlowVisio for Flow

 

Many processes share a common model but have minor variations throughout an organization. This allow  an organization to create a master workflow model and adjust instances with specialized parameters.

 

This feature will be available to Visio Online Plan 2 subscription users. Office Insiders can expect early access in July 2018. In the future, you’ll also be able to export existing Flows and modify them in Visio. Follow the Visio team on  Facebook,  YouTube  and  Twitter  for the latest news.

 

Microsoft Forms File Upload
Coming this summer, you’ll be able to let Forms users upload a file where they submit their responses. Forms designers can limit the file types - for example, only PDFs or images. Files are stored in the SharePoint library for group connected forms. By year end, we aim to bring similar capabilities to anonymous forms as well.

File uploads with Microsoft FormsFile uploads with Microsoft Forms

Conclusion
SharePoint lists to empower you to do more. With Microsoft Forms, PowerApps and Flow, you can build better business apps than ever before. And with lists coming to Teams, you’ll be able to bring your data to more places than ever.

27 Comments
Deleted
Not applicable

Oh my

Copper Contributor

Flow for Cognitive Analysis states Available now but do not see the option

Copper Contributor

Pinning Power BI insights to the home page of a list could be a game changer! Looking forward to all the possibilities this brings!

Silver Contributor
I think bringing Microsoft Flow to Visio Online Plan 1 would increase adoption. Sometimes it would be good not to place new functionality in a premium SKU.
Iron Contributor
It would be useful if each new feature could feature a visual of some sort to say whether it's free to certain subscribers or at cost. Given the scale some of us work at, there's no point in getting excited about a new feature if it's going to add £50K to the running costs.
Iron Contributor

What about documenting Logic Apps with Visio? Is this really exclusive to Flow?

Copper Contributor

I know I am beating on an old drum but your "availability" dates would be for the GA (I am assuming and I know what that does)? Any date on when these might be available in the GCC areas? We are excited to see some of this new functionality!

Microsoft

Thanks!  @Gary Griffin I'll try to get more details on GCC availability, and will update this blog post as they are confirmed.

Steel Contributor

Nice, I like all new features, Cognitive Analysis with Microsoft Flow.

Do we need to have a Cognitive Services subscription pre-configured on Azure below leveraging it on SharePoint Online?

Iron Contributor

Tried some of the features that are now available. Cognitive Analysis with Flow works great! It is pretty easy to get the sentiment scores.

Also tried Image Analysis on a modern document library. I am getting the MediaServiceAutoTags & MediaServiceLocation columns. But I don't see the MediaServiceOCR column yet. Does it take some time to process to extract the data. Or do you currently don't support the MediaserviceOCR column yet?

Brass Contributor

Interesting, looking forward to get more BI feature.

Copper Contributor

@Expiscornovus:  I can't get image search to work either:  https://stackoverflow.com/questions/51934105/does-office-365-image-search-work-if-so-how.   I've had a Microsoft support request (#10638094) open since June 27th.  It's been escalated, and no one can answer the seemingly simple questions of "Does this work?  If so, how?"   I am using PNGs in a modern team site.  Don't see the "OCR" column.

Iron Contributor

@John Huschka, I haven't seen the OCR column working after my post overhere.

 

But that was on a demo targeted release tenant that has expired. I just created a new test on a new tenant. I will get back to you when I have some new findings.

Copper Contributor

@Expiscornovus: Thanks!   I wonder if @Chris McNulty@Naomi Moneypenny or Kathrine Hammervold monitor this forum and could respond?  Chris, of course, says here that the functionality works.  Naomi and Kathrine demonstrated it at Ignite (https://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Ignite/Microsoft-Ignite-Orlando-2017/BRK2181).  

 

I did just have the inspiration to check my search schema for "OCR" managed/crawled properties.  Found nothing.

Iron Contributor

@John Huschka, I am still able to reproduce it.

 

I am also unable to see the MediaServiceOCR column. The other columns work though.

 

imageanalysis_test.png

Copper Contributor

@Chris McNulty@Expiscornovus, @Naomi Moneypenny:  So, after research, digging yet further, I have an escalated support ticket at Microsoft (#10638094, unsolved) and there are conversations at https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Intelligent-Search-Discovery/Search-for-words-in-your-images-..., https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Microsoft-SharePoint-Blog/Enrich-your-SharePoint-Content-with..., and https://stackoverflow.com/questions/51934105/does-office-365-image-search-work-if-so-how/51999323#51....  I have yet to hear of this functionality working for anyone.  I will keep digging, and I will certainly post if I hear anything.  J

Copper Contributor

 AI for Images??

It is stated at first lines of this article, but didn't mention it after so.

 

How to enable the sentiment analysis workflow, don't see it under the flow ribbon....

Copper Contributor

Hello- Any one here who can share exact steps to enable - Image Analysis on a Modern page? Step by step instructions would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks in Advance

Copper Contributor

@Deleted, John Huschka : Any updates on the MediaService columns showing up on your tenants yet. If so, any particular steps taken to enable it. I believe we do not have any MS articles that state how we can get / enable these columns OR steps to enable Image Analysis to start with.

Copper Contributor

@Dennis Goedegebuure, @John Huschkaa : Any updates on the MediaService columns showing up on your tenants yet. If so, any particular steps taken to enable it. I believe we do not have any MS articles that state how we can get / enable these columns OR steps to enable Image Analysis to start with.

Copper Contributor

@Expiscornovus, @John Huschkaa : Any updates on the MediaService columns showing up on your tenants yet. If so, any particular steps taken to enable it. I believe we do not have any MS articles that state how we can get / enable these columns OR steps to enable Image Analysis to start with.

Iron Contributor

@O365_User, I just checked the feature in one of my demo tenants and I do see some different behaviour.

 

I uploaded some images with gps info and text (for instance a receipt I made with my phone) an hour ago in a document library. After a short while (an hour or so) I am getting three additional columns I can add to my document library view. And those columns do get values from image analysis. I haven't added any values myself.


examplereceipt.png

 

These columns are Tags, Location and Extracted text. In the above example you see how it determined my image actually was a receipt made in the Netherlands. It also extracted text from my receipt.

 

The columns Tags and Location show up in modern experience library views. It looks like the Extracted Text only shows up in classic experience document library views in my demo tenant. Curious if that will change in the near future?

Copper Contributor

@Expiscornovus@O365_User@Chris McNulty@Naomi Moneypenny, @Lesly Verry: Thanks for updates.  It does seem like the functionality has matured recently.  I have been testing it more thoroughly, and I have documented the results in my blog at http://www.collaboration-foundry.com/SharePointImageAnalysis.

Bottom line: It works for me in OneDrive and SharePoint (modern and classis), but I've only seen it work on the out-of-the-box Document content type--which limits custom solutions somewhat.

It's cool functionality when it works.  Looking forward to seeing Microsoft build on this.

John

Copper Contributor

Any idea when Realtime list updates will be available?  Late 2018 was the last update to this feature.

Copper Contributor

Hi @Chris McNulty 

When will the new "Build new lists" experience be available? Any News on that? 

Thank you!

patrick

Copper Contributor

I can't find any of these features. Have they been removed? In particular, we're interested in audio transcription of sharepoint files. Any ideas?

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