Connecting to Microsoft Sharepoint

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Steps to Add or Modify a Microsoft SharePoint Connection

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1. Start the Data Provider Wizard

• Open PADS4 and navigate to the Data Provider Wizard.
• Select Microsoft SharePoint as the provider type.
• Click Next to continue.

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2. Specify SharePoint Connection Settings

• Enter the SharePoint URL to connect to your SharePoint environment.
• Select the authentication method based on your organization’s setup:

  Authentication Method	Description
  SharePoint Online Credentials	Requires a username and password.
  NTLM Authentication	Requires username, password, and domain.
  Basic Authentication	No credentials required.
  Active Directory Authentication (ADAL)	Authenticate via Microsoft Active Directory.

• If your system uses a Proxy Server, specify the proxy settings.
• Click Next to continue.

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3. Select the Data Source

• The data source must be a folder within SharePoint.
• Click the Browse button to search and select the correct SharePoint folder. (This process may take time depending on the size of the SharePoint environment.)

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4. Apply Optional Filters

• Enable Published Date: Filter files based on the date they were published.
• Select a time period: Choose the range of files you want to retrieve.

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5. Define Data Retrieval Options

• Commonly Used Columns (Default): Limits the amount of retrieved data by only returning essential columns.
• Retrieve All Columns: Returns all available columns (may increase data load).
• Add “NoHTML” Columns: Converts string-based columns to plain text (removes HTML content).

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6. Complete the Setup

• Click Next to continue.
• Finish the wizard to save the data provider.

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Important Notes

• Supported SharePoint Versions: Only SharePoint 2013 and newer are supported. (Older versions are not implemented.)
• Performance Considerations: Selecting all available columns may increase load time and data size.
• Proxy Settings: If your system uses a proxy server, ensure that it allows SharePoint connections.