Forum Discussion
Saving files to SharePoint Online is HARD
It's been a while since I made this post and I'd only think it fair to follow up with it as Microsoft has delivered some real positive improvements in this space.
Files on Demand - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/onedrive/use-group-policy#FilesOnDemandEnabled
AutoMount Team Sites - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/onedrive/use-group-policy#AutoMountTeamSites
Save to SharePoint site - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2015/11/09/attachments-in-outlook-2016-ready-for-collaboration/ and much easier when using the two features mentioned above.
Bonus points: Live document collaberation - https://support.office.com/en-us/article/document-collaboration-and-co-authoring-ee1509b4-1f6e-401e-b04a-782d26f564a4
Big thanks to ssquires , LincolnDeMaris , cfiessinger , and anybody else involved with these changes. They were a game changer when they launched and they've been much appreciated by consultants and end-users alike!!
I disagree, its never been easier to use it. If you follow the proper patterns. (I know change is tough)
1. Author, or save attachments to onedrive as a default.
- If desired, users can save to the sync folder 1st, and then open the Onedrive site to perform step 2 when ready.
2. When ready, copy the file directly from onedrive to any site or group you have access to. (using the copy or move to options in the tool bar) SUPER easy. File may be synced locally, but user never worked with it locally unless they opened the client, rather than the browser.
At that point the user should/could delete the version in their onedrive. This should be made a point for users know how to determine where they are opening a file from. That's why its just better to tell them to delete the OG file on OneDrive, or use the move option, rather than copy.
I never save anything locally. You can pretend like you are by saving to the local onedrive sync folder. (If you set that up)
All it takes is a little open minded-ness. And the acceptance that network drives are dead. Aside from a few niche applications, users should not be using local storage, or network file shares.
Joshua,
It's almost 2019, and the tech world revolves around usability. Re-read your post and tell me what about it is "easier to use."
I left a client's office today in search of a solution, and found this thread. They have email show up in their inbox, with PDFs attached, and they want to move those PDFs to a Document Library on SharePoint.
Yesterday, they could:
1. Open the attached PDF in Acrobat
2. Save As... and pick the folder on the shared drive.
What's the process now? Serious question.
Kevin
Easier is a relative term, but I see no reason why your client cannot do what you described?
You don't even "need" acrobat. (unless you want to edit the PDF)
Most of the problems I have seen with PDFs and SharePoint, are around the browser plugins for Adobe. Yes there are some versions issues, if you are using an older version of either SP or Adobe, you can face some compatibility issues. But I do not think that sort of problem is specific to SP or Adobe.
Below I pasted the URL of a SP site into the save as dialog, and then select the library I want.No Adobe installed at all.
Thanks for the reply.
Can you tell me the result if you do that with Acrobat? Or notepad? Or Photoshop? Or anything other than the 4 or 5 Office apps it works with?
Again, the workflow was very simple:
1. Get email
2. Open attachment in attachment's native app (assume Acrobat for a PDF)
3. Identify the project
4. Navigate to the right folder on the Shared Drive and save.
Now it is:
1. Get email
2. Open attachment in attachment's native app (assume Acrobat for a PDF)
3. Identify the project
4. Save to some temporary space on the C:\ Drive
5. Navigate SharePoint to the right folder
6. Find the local file
7. Drag / upload from local to SP
8. Delete the local file
I'm looking for a valid solution that doesn't require more steps than a local server with a shared network drive for filing files, regardless of the file type.
- I couldn't agree more with the original post. I do have a solid workaround at the end of this post.
It never fails to amaze me how IT pros and even power users can be so oblivious to the struggles "normal" users face with technology. The more ironic point is that many of these struggles could be avoided if the solution implementors knew the product better and spent a few minutes training the end users.
We approach our clients with these projects and sell them on the collaboration and usability benefits that they can offer. Yet seem to get irritated when they can't alter their behavior to accomodate the solution. Some of my end users have been saving company files to file shares for going on 30 years. It's really the one thing that has always been constant. I've been using sharepoint and other ecm systems for half that time and I still find myself getting frustrated with the shortfalls.
The idea that sharepoint SHOULD replace file shares is, at least in my eyes, rediculous. Sharepoint can be a complete file system but it's not what it was meant for. I can create a pretty decent report using notepad, but when I use tools specifically designed for the process I'm working on, the experience is far better. If you sell sharepoint as a better file server, your users are going to struggle. And if you force users into using it as their primary file system they will straight up revolt.
My rule of thumb has been this. If the company is willing to shift the way they work with their files from a traditional explorer based system to a web page based experience, sharepoint is the way to go. But if not, don't force them. Azure has file storage options that work beautifully. Spinning up a server vm to handle file storage also works well. But the key is, instead of forcing them to use sharepoint, give them reasons to want to use sharepoint. Train them on the ways it does save time and provide a better experience. That way if they decide to move everything to the cloud, it will be because they understand the trade offs and have weighed those against the benefits themselves.
Apologies for my long winded rant.
As for saving files. If you setup a site for document management with a drop off library, all your users need to do is have one place where they save all of their documents. Add one or two required managed Metadata fields, and sharepoint will move the content to the correct place on its own. For example, I ask users when saving a document to add two tags, 1. The desired Site(business function) 2. The related Client. 99. 9 percent of the time the document is routed to the place it needs to be and the users love it because it's even less work than navigating a filesystem set of folders. On the rare occasion that the routing is wrong or they tagged it wrong, they know to open Delve and look/search there. Delve has literally gained the nickname of the Bermuda Triangle with many of my clients. The only time they ever go there is to find a missing document. I've been doing this for several years and have yet to have a client dislike it.
