Tutorial / Cram Notes
SharePoint sites are areas within the SharePoint environment where teams can collaborate, share, and manage content. There are several types of sites within SharePoint:
- Team Site: The most common type, designed for collaboration on projects and documents within a team. It includes features like document libraries, calendars, task lists, and shared notebooks.
- Example: Project teams can use a Team Site to manage project documents, track deadlines, and maintain communication.
- Communication Site: Tailored for broadcasting information to large audiences. It is used for sharing news, reports, and status updates across an organization.
- Example: A corporate intranet portal showcasing company news, employee resources, and organizational updates.
- Hub Site: Connects and organizes sites based on project, department, division, region, etc. It provides common navigation and branding across associated sites.
- Example: A central Hub Site for a marketing department with links to various campaign-specific Team Sites and Communication Sites.
Site Collections
A site collection is a group of SharePoint sites under a single top-level site. Each site collection contains a single top-level site and any number of subsites beneath it. Site collections are the primary administrative units in SharePoint, each with settings, permissions, and features that can be managed independently from other site collections.
- Example: A company’s main intranet site could be the top-level site, with subsites for each department such as HR, IT, and Sales.
SharePoint Lists
A SharePoint list is a collection of data that you can share with team members and other site users. It is akin to a table in a database or a spreadsheet where you can add, edit, and delete items. Lists support columns of various data types and can have validation rules, workflows, and custom forms associated with them.
There are different types of lists in SharePoint:
- Custom List: A user-defined list where you start with a blank slate and can add your own columns and define various types of information to track.
- Example: Tracking customer inquiries with columns for customer name, inquiry type, status, and resolution.
- Calendar: Specialized list type that stores events and displays them in a calendar view.
- Example: A shared team calendar listing project milestones, deadlines, and team meetings.
- Tasks: Enables you to manage a list of tasks, assigning them to team members along with due dates and status tracking.
- Example: A project task list used to track progress on individual tasks for a project.
- Announcements: A list type used to share news, status updates, and other short pieces of information.
- Example: A company announcements list highlighting important events, policy updates, and achievements.
Comparison Table for Clarity
| Feature | SharePoint Site | Site Collection | SharePoint List |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Collaborative space for work | Container for related sites | Collection of data items |
| Examples | Team Site, Communication Site | Intranet site with departmental subsites | Custom lists, Tasks, Calendar |
| Navigation | Self-contained with possible Hub site connection | Common top-level menu | List-specific views and forms |
| Permissions | Site-level permissions | Collection-level with unique permissions for subsites | Item or list-level permissions |
| Customization | Theme, web parts, layouts | Galleries, templates, features | Columns, views, content types |
Understanding these site types, site collections, and lists is crucial for those intending to take the MS-100 exam, as you will need to be able to set up, configure, and manage these components within a Microsoft 365 environment. Familiarity with the structure, purpose, and potential applications of each will help you navigate SharePoint effectively and meet organizational needs.
Practice Test with Explanation
True/False: In SharePoint Online, a site collection is a grouping of websites under a common top-level site.
- Answer: True
Explanation: A site collection is a hierarchical group of ‘SharePoint Sites’ that share common features like templates, content types, permissions, and web parts.
True/False: Communication sites are designed primarily for sharing content with people outside of your organization.
- Answer: False
Explanation: Communication sites are designed for sharing content, news, and information within an organization, not specifically for external sharing.
Which site template is optimized for team collaboration in SharePoint?
- A) Communication Site
- B) Team Site
- C) Publishing Site
- D) Records Center
Answer: B) Team Site
Explanation: Team Sites are designed for collaborative work within a team or group within the organization.
True/False: A SharePoint list cannot contain more than 5,000 items.
- Answer: False
Explanation: SharePoint lists can contain millions of items, but there is a default view threshold limit of 5,000 items.
Which of the following are valid types of lists that can be created in a SharePoint site? (Choose all that apply)
- A) Calendar
- B) Document Library
- C) Survey
- D) Task Analysis
Answer: A) Calendar, B) Document Library, C) Survey
Explanation: SharePoint allows the creation of various lists and libraries, including calendars, document libraries, and surveys; Task Analysis is not a standard list type.
True/False: Each site collection in SharePoint can have its own content database.
- Answer: True
Explanation: Site collections can be configured to have their own content databases to manage data storage and organization.
A Hub Site in SharePoint is intended to:
- A) Replace the need for site collections
- B) Connect and organize related sites
- C) Provide a centralized content repository
- D) Deploy custom solutions across the enterprise
Answer: B) Connect and organize related sites
Explanation: Hub Sites are a SharePoint feature that allows the connection and organization of related sites to improve discovery and share navigation.
True/False: SharePoint allows unlimited nesting of subsites.
- Answer: False
Explanation: In SharePoint, there is a recommended limit to the number of subsite levels to avoid performance issues.
In a SharePoint site, a Content Type defines:
- A) The permission levels of users
- B) The branding and theme settings
- C) The attributes of a list or library item
- D) The site’s language settings
Answer: C) The attributes of a list or library item
Explanation: Content Types describe the attributes, like document or item properties, and behaviors for items in SharePoint lists and libraries.
Which SharePoint feature allows you to schedule the release of content at a specific time?
- A) Content Approval
- B) Version Control
- C) Content Types
- D) Information Management Policies
Answer: D) Information Management Policies
Explanation: Information Management Policies can include retention policies, auditing, barcodes, and labels, and can be used to control and schedule content.
True/False: Each SharePoint site collection must have a unique URL.
- Answer: True
Explanation: Site collections have unique URLs to serve as an address for the top-level site and its subsites.
Which is NOT a valid SharePoint online site template?
- A) Wiki Site
- B) Blog Site
- C) Project Site
- D) Datasheet Site
Answer: D) Datasheet Site
Explanation: SharePoint Online offers various site templates like Wiki, Blog, and Project sites, but there is no template called “Datasheet Site”.
Interview Questions
What is the SharePoint modern experience, and how does it relate to information architecture?
The SharePoint modern experience is a more streamlined, user-friendly interface for accessing and working with SharePoint sites and content. Information architecture refers to the way that SharePoint sites and content are structured, organized, and labeled to support usability and discoverability. The modern experience offers new tools and features that can help organizations plan and implement a more effective information architecture.
What is a site collection in SharePoint, and how can you create one?
A site collection is a group of SharePoint sites that share common settings, such as permissions, site templates, and navigation. You can create a site collection in SharePoint by going to the SharePoint admin center, selecting “New,” and then choosing “Private site collection” or “Public site collection.” You’ll need to specify various settings, such as the URL, title, language, and site template.
What is SharePoint Online, and how can you migrate to it?
SharePoint Online is a cloud-based service that provides SharePoint functionality to users over the internet. To migrate to SharePoint Online, you can use the SharePoint Migration Tool, which is a free utility from Microsoft that lets you move files and data from on-premises SharePoint servers or file shares to SharePoint Online. You can also use third-party migration tools, or work with a Microsoft partner to help plan and execute your migration.
What are some best practices for SharePoint site design and organization?
Some best practices for SharePoint site design and organization include creating a clear and consistent site hierarchy, using descriptive and meaningful names for sites and lists, implementing appropriate permissions and security controls, and using metadata and tags to help categorize and search for content. It’s also important to consider the needs and goals of your users and stakeholders, and to design your site and content accordingly.
What is a hub site in SharePoint, and how can it be used to manage information architecture?
A hub site is a special type of SharePoint site that can serve as a central point for organizing and connecting related sites and content. You can use a hub site to aggregate news and events from associated sites, share branding and navigation, and enforce common policies and settings. Hub sites can be used to help manage information architecture by providing a consistent and coherent structure and user experience across multiple sites.
What is a list in SharePoint, and how can it be customized?
A list is a collection of items, such as documents, tasks, or contacts, that are stored in a SharePoint site. Lists can be customized in various ways, such as by adding or removing columns, creating custom views or forms, setting up alerts or workflows, and applying formatting or conditional formatting. Lists can also be linked or related to other lists or libraries within the same site or across different sites.
What are some options for managing SharePoint permissions and security?
Some options for managing SharePoint permissions and security include using SharePoint groups to assign permissions to sites and content, setting up role-based access controls, implementing conditional access policies, and using encryption or data loss prevention features to protect sensitive data. You can also use auditing and reporting features to track user activity and monitor for security threats.
What is the SharePoint admin center, and what tasks can you perform there?
The SharePoint admin center is a web-based management console that allows administrators to manage SharePoint sites, settings, and policies. In the admin center, you can create and manage site collections, set up and manage user permissions, configure search and content features, view reports and usage analytics, and perform various other tasks related to SharePoint administration.
What is a SharePoint site template, and how can it be used to create new sites?
A SharePoint site template is a pre-defined set of site settings, pages, and content that
Great post! Could anyone elaborate on the key differences between a Communication Site and a Team Site in SharePoint?
Could someone explain what a site collection is in SharePoint?
How do SharePoint lists differ from libraries?
I get confused about the permission levels in SharePoint. Any simple way to understand this?
Thanks for this informative post!
Can someone explain how site templates work in SharePoint?
Does anyone know if it’s possible to move a site from one site collection to another?
This blog post lacks depth on site collections.