SharePoint and Teams: all the possible integrations

You surely know that all the tools in the Microsoft 365 suite are now indispensable for any self-respecting digital work environment. But do you know how to integrate them to improve your productivity even more?

In this article, we will look at the ways in which you can integrate SharePoint with Microsoft Teams. We will delve into how to integrate a SharePoint site with a Teams group, how to embed a SharePoint list in the Teams app, and how to make the integration between SharePoint and Teams smoother with Power Automate's custom automations.

SharePoint vs Teams: two sides of the same coin?

Microsoft offers a range of tools designed to simplify day-to-day activities within an organization. Within the Microsoft 365 suite, SharePoint Online and Microsoft Teams play a central role in enabling better communication and collaboration among colleagues.

SharePoint enables the creation of modern websites, granular content and document management, and digitization of corporate archives with specific functionality for each stage of a document's lifecycle (drafting, editing, approving, distributing, and archiving).

Microsoft Teams needs no introduction: at one time or another, you have certainly had occasion to use the flagship app for business communication. With its meetings, video calls, and chat, it is impossible not to have those two little blue men with their unmistakable little square with a white T in front of your eyes.

However, not a few people confuse the use cases of these two platforms precisely because of the features they offer to simplify real-time communication and collaboration. So here is a table that briefly summarizes when you need to use SharePoint and Microsoft Teams.

So on the one hand, we have a platform that allows us to create targeted content for corporate audiences; on the other hand, we have the ideal app for real-time collaboration with colleagues.

On the one hand, Teams allows us to create dynamic workgroups; on the other, SharePoint is the administration center from which to manage access permissions and securely, easily, and well-organized storage of shared documents.

But what happens when these two applications are integrated? Let's find out together.

How to create a SharePoint site with Microsoft Teams

The first type of integration between SharePoint and Teams involves groups and team sites.

A Microsoft Teams group is a collaboration space that in fact connects to one or more SharePoint sites. Specifically, we are talking about team sites.

This means that whenever a Teams group is created, a team site is automatically created on SharePoint. Here, all the files shared in the linked Teams group are saved and stored.

But that's not all.

Each Microsoft Teams group can be divided into channels, which are nothing more than smaller groups within a main group. For example, the Marketing group might need channels dedicated to specific products or events to better coordinate the activities of its members.

However, there is not just one channel type in Microsoft Teams, but three. And each of these types corresponds to a different connection with SharePoint:

• Standard channel = a folder with shared files is created in the SharePoint site linked to the main group.
• Private channel = a new SharePoint site is created, completely autonomous from the site connected to the main group.
• Shared channel = a stand-alone SharePoint site is created, as in the case of private channels.

In this way, each group and channel will have its own collaboration space within SharePoint Online to be able to save, store and collaborate on project documents without losing them in the general communication flow.

You might wonder if it is possible to operate in the opposite direction, that is, if there is a possibility to create a group on Teams from SharePoint. The answer is yes, BUT.

It is simple. But not automatic.

To create a group in Microsoft Teams with the same people with whom you share a team site on SharePoint, you must use the "Add Microsoft Teams" command at the bottom left of the SharePoint site home page.

If the unmistakable Teams icon appears in the navigation bar of your SharePoint site, then that's it: that icon is quick access to the relevant group in the Microsoft Teams app.

Integrating SharePoint with Teams:
How to add SharePoint lists in the Teams app

In the Microsoft universe, a list is a collection of data that helps organize a wide range of information in a flexible way. A list always consists of two elements:

1. Columns, which contain metadata.
2. Rows, which contain the values related to the metadata entered.

Metadata are used to group, categorize, and track information of interest to us.

Let's take the example of a contact list.

In each row, we will find the names of people of interest to us, such as those involved in an initiative or project. In each column, however, we will find metadata such as the company where the contacts added to the list work or the role they play.

In addition, it is possible to link files such as spreadsheets or documents to each item in a list so as to provide further details.

SharePoint from Microsoft 365 has specific features that make it the ideal platform for collecting and cataloging any type of data. Among these features, we find the ability to create lists and document libraries.

In particular, SharePoint web parts can be configured to add lists such as contacts, but also announcements, project tasks, quick links and more to intranet pages or to a given team site.

But what we are interested in today is the ability to insert lists as tabs within Microsoft Teams. In fact, we can add a list, a document library, and even a SharePoint site page as a quick link in the Teams app.

To do this, simply click on the "+" in the top navigation tab, select SharePoint and choose the item to be inserted.

Add a new tab to a Teams group

Add a SharePoint list or document library as a tab in Teams

Importantly, we can integrate a list from the team site linked to our Teams group or a list from any other SharePoint site to which we have access.

This will allow us to quickly get to useful content such as intranet pages (the SharePoint communication site that addresses the entire organization).

Finally, the integration between Microsoft 365 tools allows us to edit SharePoint lists and pages directly from Teams. Here, then, are added to the real-time communication features typical of SharePoint Online content management.

Not bad for teamwork, right?

To conclude the chapter, we recommend reading our article dedicated to Microsoft Lists.

This is a Microsoft 365 application that extends the functionality for creating SharePoint lists and strengthens the integration with Microsoft Teams. Check out the article to find out how SharePoint Online lists have evolved and how to use this new solution to improve collaboration with colleagues even more.

Integrating SharePoint with Teams:
How to automate processes with Power Automate

Power Automate. One of the most popular tools for companies around the world, along with Microsoft Excel. But what does it do?

In a nutshell, it tries to achieve the same goal as all Microsoft applications, which is to simplify our work, and it does so through the creation of workflows in low-code mode. This means that any user has the ability to build and implement automation, without skills in writing code.

Power Automate workflows are useful for streamlining low-value processes, such as sending an email to a colleague every time a document is approved.

The third integration between SharePoint and Teams involves Power Automate automations.

The use cases can be endless, but let's think back to the example just now: the process of approving a document. Here is how the approval process evolves when handled by a Power Automate flow, connecting SharePoint libraries with corporate Teams groups:

1. Select a file from a SharePoint site.
2. Launch the approval with the Approvalsapp . In the submitted form, we can enter any relevant data about the file and indicate the list of people whose approval is required. After that, Power Automate sends a notification message in the Teams groups involved in theprocess.
3. If the file is successfully approved, the status "Approved"is automatically set in theSharePoint librarywhere the document is stored.

To learn more, refer to reading our article on
how to build key automation flows for SharePoint Online.

With the integration between SharePoint and Teams via Power Automate, countless manual actions are replaced by a quick process. The time saved can be spent on far more strategic activities.

How to access SharePoint sites from the Teams app

We have come to the last type of integration between SharePoint Online and Microsoft Teams. We're talking about the ability to create quick access to a SharePoint site in the Teams app, while retaining the navigational context of the latter.

In fact, you can add an icon in the sidebar of the Microsoft Teams app to reach the connected SharePoint site without entering the SharePoint Online environment.

This is made possible by Viva Connections, the module in the Microsoft Viva suite that allows intranet or other SharePoint site content to be accessed from Microsoft Teams.

Administrator users have the ability to pin the Viva Connections application to the left sidebar and thus allow colleagues to access a customizable dashboard that brings together resources from the integrated SharePoint site.

Quick access to the SharePoint intranet from Microsoft Teams

In addition to the intranet, which is the SharePoint site of most interest to the corporate audience, we may decide to integrate access to the training portal.

In this way, users will be able to use Microsoft Teams as a unified platform to communicate, collaborate, keep up to date, and learn new skills.

How does a SharePoint site integrate with a Teams group?

Every time a Teams group is created, a team site is automatically created on SharePoint. This site saves and archives all files shared in the connected Teams group. Each Teams group can have different channels (standard, private, shared) that correspond to different ways of creating and managing the associated SharePoint sites.

How do you add a SharePoint list to the Teams app?

To add a SharePoint list to the Teams app, click on the “+” in the top navigation tab, select SharePoint, and choose the element to insert. You can integrate a list from the team site connected to the Teams group or a list from another SharePoint site you have access to.

How do you automate processes between SharePoint and Teams?

Power Automate allows you to create automated flows to optimize processes. For example, for the document approval process, you can select a file from a SharePoint site, launch the approval with the Approvals app, and Power Automate will send a notification to the Teams groups involved. Once approved, the document status in the SharePoint library will be automatically updated.

How do you access SharePoint sites from the Teams app?

It's possible to create quick access to a SharePoint site in the Teams app using Viva Connections. Administrators can pin the Viva Connections application to the left sidebar of Teams, allowing users to access a customizable dashboard with resources from the integrated SharePoint site.

What is the difference between SharePoint and Teams?

SharePoint is ideal for creating websites, managing content and documents, and digitizing company archives with granular controls. Teams is the communication platform for chat, video calls, and meetings. SharePoint is better suited for structured storage and document management, while Teams is perfect for real-time collaboration.