SharePoint is The United Church of Canada's primary platform for storing, organizing, sharing, and collaborating on files and information. It provides a secure, cloud-based environment where teams, committees, and departments can work together, access documents from anywhere, and maintain a single source of truth for organizational information.

What is SharePoint?

SharePoint is a web-based collaboration and document management platform that is part of Microsoft 365. It allows teams to:

• Store and organize documents
• Collaborate on files in real time
• Share information securely with colleagues
• Manage permissions and access
• Track document history and changes
• Create pages, lists, and other collaborative resources

Unlike traditional network drives, SharePoint makes files accessible from any device with an internet connection while maintaining security and version control.

SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams: What's the Difference?

Microsoft 365 includes several tools that work together. Understanding when to use each one will help you store information in the right place.

SharePoint

Use SharePoint for:

• Team, department, and committee documents
• Information that needs to be shared with multiple people
• Official records and working documents
• Collaborative projects and ongoing work

OneDrive

Use OneDrive for:

• Personal work files
• Draft documents not yet ready for sharing
• Individual notes and working materials
• Files that only you need access to

Microsoft Teams

Use Teams for:

• Communication and meetings
• Chat and collaboration
• Accessing files stored in SharePoint through the Teams interface

Important: Files shared through Teams are typically stored in SharePoint behind the scenes.

Understanding SharePoint Sites

A SharePoint site is a workspace dedicated to a specific team, department, committee, or project.

Each site may contain:

• Document libraries
• Pages
• Lists
• News posts
• Site navigation
• Shared resources

Think of a SharePoint site as a digital workspace where a group of people can collaborate and manage information together.

Understanding Document Libraries

A document library is where files are stored within a SharePoint site.

Document libraries can contain:

• Word documents
• Excel workbooks
• PowerPoint presentations
• PDFs
• Images
• Other file types

Libraries may also include columns and metadata that help organize and find documents more efficiently.

Working with Files

Upload Files

You can upload files directly to a document library using the Upload button or by dragging and dropping files into the library.

Edit Files

Documents can be opened and edited directly in your browser or in the desktop Office applications.

Changes are saved automatically, and multiple users can edit the same document simultaneously.

Version History

SharePoint automatically keeps previous versions of documents.

Version history allows you to:

• View earlier versions of a file
• Restore a previous version if needed
• Track changes over time

This helps protect against accidental edits or deletions.

Sharing and Permissions

Access to SharePoint content is controlled through permissions.

Depending on your role, you may be able to:

• View documents
• Edit documents
• Create new content

• Manage permissions

Before sharing sensitive information, ensure the appropriate permissions have been assigned.

Finding Information

SharePoint provides several ways to locate content:

• Search
• Filters
• Views
• Metadata columns
• Sorting options

Using descriptive file names and completing metadata fields makes information easier to find.

Best Practices

• Store collaborative documents in SharePoint rather than OneDrive.
• Use clear and consistent file names.
• Avoid unnecessary folders when metadata can be used.
• Keep information organized and current.
• Review permissions regularly.
• Use version history rather than creating duplicate copies of files.
• Follow your department's document management practices.

Video

Microsoft SharePoint Tutorial for Beginners

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