SharePoint

How it works#

The SharePoint connector will go through all configured sites belonging to an organization and index all the documents attached to that site. Note, it currently does not parse the site page contents, only the attached files.

This includes:

• Word Doc, Excel, PDF, PowerPoints, and all plaintext files like .txt, .mdx, etc.

Setting up#

Authorization#

We support two authorization methods, pick one that fits your environment:

• Client Secret Authentication

• Uses traditional client secret credentials

• Certificate-Based Authentication

• Uses certificate-based authentication (required for permission sync)

Note: Permission sync is only available with certificate-based authentication.

Indexing#

Once you've set up your authorization method, follow these steps to index your SharePoint sites:

Open SharePoint connector#

Navigate to the Nexus Admin Panel and select the SharePoint Connector.

Configure authorization#

In Step 1, configure your authorization:

• If you have existing credentials, select them from the list

• If you don't have existing credentials, click Create New to add new authorization:

• Client Secret: Enter your Application ID, Directory ID, and Client Secret

• Certificate: Upload your certificate file and enter Application/Directory IDs

Save configuration#

Click Create to save your configuration.

Continue with selected credential#

Ensure your chosen credential is selected, then click Continue

Specify SharePoint configuration#

In Step 2, specify your SharePoint configuration:

• Connector Name: Enter a name for the connector (e.g., "MySharePointConnector")

• Sites: Select a list of sites to pull from or leave blank to pull everything (Note: this option only works for English, Spanish, and German Sharepoint instances. Contact us if you require further language support)

• Permission Sync (Certificate auth only): Enable to sync SharePoint permissions with Nexus

Create connector#

Click Create Connector to begin indexing.

The connector will start indexing your SharePoint sites and you can add more sites or modify settings as needed.

Understanding SharePoint Structure#

SharePoint organizes content into sites, which can contain document libraries, lists, and pages. Each site can contain an unlimited number of documents. The connector focuses on indexing documents stored in document libraries across your selected sites.

For more information on SharePoint structure, visit the Microsoft SharePoint documentation.

Before using this source with students#

Start with approved course material. Check which documents the connector can retrieve and how it maps source permissions. Test with a student account and a teacher account before widening access. A successful sync does not prove that the intended class boundary is correct.

Use source troubleshooting when a document is missing or visible to the wrong audience.