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3 Minute Read | April 18, 2019

Integrating OneDrive and Teams

Office 365: OneDrive, Teams, and SharePoint

Office365 continues to drive companies to push their data to the cloud. And yet, the old, familiar desktop apps, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, remain, along with some not so familiar. Take Microsoft SharePoint, for example. Although familiar to many, SharePoint has different capabilities in O365, including integration with other O365 applications.

Office 365 Apps

Teams: A Brief Explanation

Just what is Microsoft Teams? If your company already has Office 365, then you most likely already have access to Microsoft Teams, depending on your O365 license.

Teams is Microsoft’s answer to Slack as a workplace productivity application. It integrates all Office365 applications, as well as such third-party applications as Jira, Bitbucket, and Evernote.

As the name suggests, Teams allows you to create departmental and project teams of users. Each team contains “channels,” which in turn contain tabs. The default channel, “General,” contains a conversations tab for chat and general activity, a files tab, and a wiki tab. Teams also contains a private chat feature in which files can be shared.

But doesn’t storing files in Microsoft Teams just make document storage more difficult to manage?

I’m glad you asked. Files that show up in the Teams application are stored in a SharePoint document library. The files shared in private (non-team) conversations reside in your personal OneDrive.

When Should I Use OneDrive and When Should I use SharePoint?

Some applications overlap and might seem unnecessary to some people. I get this question a lot:

How do I know when to use OneDrive or a SharePoint document library? They can both store documents, right?

Well, technically, yes, they both store documents. But each application has its nuances. Generally, use OneDrive for personal documents and a SharePoint document library for public or team-specific files. The table below shows more use cases.

OneDrive
SharePoint Document Library
A document that won’t be shared (personal) A document relevant to an ongoing projectA file that multiple people or an entire team needs permissions to view/edit
A file that will be shared individually or has a limited lifecycle A file that multiple people or an entire team needs permissions to view/edit
A file that doesn’t belong to a specific team site A document to be assigned to other users via a check-in workflow

 

How do They Work Together?

When you create a Microsoft Team, a SharePoint site with the same name gets provisioned automatically with all the boilerplate features that come with a new team site. This serves as a hub for team documentation and other information.

Microsoft teams example  Migration of documents example

Additionally, for every channel added to a team, a folder of the same name gets added to the default document library for that site. Documents in that channel are in the folder of the same name, but they show up in the channel’s Files tab.

Document and channel migration example

Channel folder example

Note: Microsoft Teams does not integrate with on-premises versions of SharePoint.

Since Teams also has a chat feature and the chats are private, files shared within chats do not get synced to a SharePoint site. Instead, those files sync to a folder in your OneDrive called Microsoft Teams Chat Files.

Microsoft Team Chat Files 

Contact Northwoods to learn more about our SharePoint offerings.

Authored By

Amanda Aalpoel

Amanda Aalpoel

Back End Developer

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<h2>Office 365: OneDrive, Teams, and SharePoint</h2> <p>Office365 continues to drive companies to push their data to the cloud. And yet, the old, familiar desktop apps, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, remain, along with some not so familiar. Take Microsoft SharePoint, for example. Although familiar to many, SharePoint has different capabilities in O365, including integration with other O365 applications.</p> <p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Office 365 Apps" src="/Northwoods-2020/Blogs/IntegratingOneDriveTeamsblog1.png?Large"></p> <h4>Teams: A Brief Explanation</h4> <p>Just what is Microsoft Teams? If your company already has Office 365, then you most likely already have access to Microsoft Teams, depending on your O365 license.</p> <p>Teams is Microsoft’s answer to Slack as a workplace productivity application. It integrates all Office365 applications, as well as such third-party applications as Jira, Bitbucket, and Evernote.</p> <p>As the name suggests, Teams allows you to create departmental and project teams of users. Each team contains “channels,” which in turn contain tabs. The default channel, “General,” contains a conversations tab for chat and general activity, a files tab, and a wiki tab. Teams also contains a private chat feature in which files can be shared.</p> <p><em><strong>But doesn’t storing files in Microsoft Teams just make document storage more difficult to manage?</strong></em></p> <p>I’m glad you asked. Files that show up in the Teams application are stored in a SharePoint document library. The files shared in private (non-team) conversations reside in your personal OneDrive.</p> <h4>When Should I Use OneDrive and When Should I use SharePoint?</h4> <p>Some applications overlap and might seem unnecessary to some people. I get this question a lot:</p> <p>How do I know when to use OneDrive or a SharePoint document library? They can both store documents, right?</p> <p>Well, technically, yes, they both store documents. But each application has its nuances. Generally, use OneDrive for personal documents and a SharePoint document library for public or team-specific files. The table below shows more use cases.</p> <table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" style="width:1003px"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width:429px"> <h6>OneDrive</h6> </td> <td style="width:562px"> <h6>SharePoint Document Library</h6> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:429px">A document that won’t be shared (personal)</td> <td style="width:562px">A document relevant to an ongoing projectA file that multiple people or an entire team needs permissions to view/edit</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:429px">A file that will be shared individually or has a limited lifecycle</td> <td style="width:562px">A file that multiple people or an entire team needs permissions to view/edit</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:429px">A file that doesn’t belong to a specific team site</td> <td style="width:562px">A document to be assigned to other users via a check-in workflow</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>How do They Work Together?</h4> <p>When you create a Microsoft Team, a SharePoint site with the same name gets provisioned automatically with all the boilerplate features that come with a new team site. This serves as a hub for team documentation and other information.</p> <p><img alt="Microsoft teams example" src="/Northwoods-2020/Blogs/IntegratingOneDriveTeamsblog2.png">&nbsp;&nbsp;<img alt="Migration of documents example" src="/Northwoods-2020/Blogs/IntegratingOneDriveTeamsblog2and5.png?Large"></p> <p>Additionally, for every <strong>channel</strong> added to a team, a folder of the same name gets added to the default document library for that site. Documents in that channel are in the folder of the same name, but they show up in the channel’s Files tab.</p> <p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Document and channel migration example" src="/Northwoods-2020/Blogs/IntegratingOneDriveTeamsblog4.png"></p> <p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Channel folder example" src="/Northwoods-2020/Blogs/IntegratingOneDriveTeamsblog3.png?Large"></p> <p><strong>Note:</strong> Microsoft Teams does not integrate with on-premises versions of SharePoint.</p> <p>Since Teams also has a chat feature and the chats are private, files shared within chats do not get synced to a SharePoint site. Instead, those files sync to a folder in your OneDrive called <strong>Microsoft Teams Chat Files.</strong></p> <p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Microsoft Team Chat Files" src="/Northwoods-2020/Blogs/IntegratingOneDriveTeamsblog6.png?Large">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align:center">Contact <a href="/Contact.htm" linktype="3" target="_self">Northwoods to learn more</a> about our SharePoint offerings.</p>
/Northwoods-2020/Hero-Images/Hiker-Looking-Out-Over-Mountains.pngHiker Looking Out Over MountainsAmanda Aalpoel/Northwoods-2020/People/Amanda-Aalpoel.jpgWoman in front of a log cabin wall with soft, warm lighting<script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript" src="//js.hsforms.net/forms/embed/v2.js"></script><script>hbspt.forms.create({ region: "na1", portalId: "23630176", formId: "40c5bbae-05a2-42ea-94dd-1662181fd56e" });</script>Integrating OneDrive and Teams2019-04-18T00:00:00/Northwoods-2019/Blogs/IntegratingOneDrive.jpeg?MediumOffice365 continues to drive companies to push their data to the cloud. But with every application, there are different capabilities and integrations. Between OneDrive and SharePoint, how do you know which one do you use?3618812/People/Amanda-AalpoelAmandaAalpoelBack End Developer<p>Amanda is a full stack developer with a talent for improving interface designs, navigating the complexities of custom web app development, and Azure resource administration. She&rsquo;s experienced in SharePoint site intranet customization and business intelligence reporting and is certified as an Azure Developer Associate. Amanda enjoys getting to know clients and their specific needs to produce results that are functional, modern, and sustainable. In her free time, she enjoys video games and hanging out with her dog Leia.</p>Amanda Aalpoel/Northwoods-2020/People/Amanda-Aalpoel.jpgAmanda AalpoelAdd-In Type - NWS Data ModulesCategory - NWS Data ModulesCommittee - NWS Data ModulesDivision - NWS Data ModulesEvent Audience - NWS Data ModulesEvent Service - NWS Data ModulesEvent Type - NWS Data ModulesLocality - NWS Data ModulesModule - NWS Data ModulesNWS Data ModulesTopic - NWS Data ModulesPackage Type - NWS Data ModulesPersonID - NWS Data ModulesAmanda AalpoelProductVersion - NWS Data ModulesRecorded Webinar TopicsRegion - NWS Data ModulesSite Display - NWS Data ModulesSkillLevel - NWS Data ModulesTopic - NWS Data ModulesVideoAudience - NWS Data ModulesVideoClassification - NWS Data ModulesVideoStatus - NWS Data ModulesTeamAll StaffDevelopersAdd-In Type - NWS Data ModulesCategory - NWS Data ModulesCommittee - NWS Data ModulesDivision - NWS Data ModulesEvent Audience - NWS Data ModulesEvent Service - NWS Data ModulesEvent Type - NWS Data ModulesLocality - NWS Data ModulesModule - NWS Data ModulesNWS Data ModulesTopic - NWS Data ModulesSoftware DevelopmentPackage Type - NWS Data ModulesPersonID - NWS Data ModulesAmanda AalpoelProductVersion - NWS Data ModulesRecorded Webinar TopicsRegion - NWS Data ModulesSite Display - NWS Data ModulesNWS DigitalSkillLevel - NWS Data ModulesTopic - NWS Data ModulesVideoAudience - NWS Data ModulesVideoClassification - NWS Data ModulesVideoStatus - NWS Data Modules02024-02-20T12:50:24.37000