Step-by-step guide to integrating SharePoint Online with Cognitive Search

You can link SharePoint Online with Azure Cognitive Search. This helps you use smart search for your documents. You do not need global admin rights. If you are a site collection admin, you can use Logic Apps. You can also use the SharePoint Online indexer for Cognitive Search Integration. This setup lets you search files like research reports. You can also search analysis results. You can control who can see files. You can set up tasks to run by themselves. You will get help for custom fields and metadata. You should know the basics of Azure and SharePoint before you start.

Key Takeaways

• You can link SharePoint Online with Azure Cognitive Search. This makes searching documents smarter and faster. You do not need global admin rights for this.

• Make sure you have the right permissions first. You should be a SharePoint site collection admin. You also need Azure AD app registration rights. This helps you set up the integration safely.

• Get your SharePoint library ready by organizing files and metadata. Then, make an Azure Cognitive Search service. Set up a good index and connect your data source.

• Use Azure AD apps to keep communication safe between SharePoint and Cognitive Search. Protect your credentials with tools like Azure Key Vault.

• Test your search setup often. Update your index regularly. Manage metadata well to keep search results correct and useful for your team.

Prerequisites

Required Services

You need some services before you start.

• SharePoint Online is where your files are stored.

• Azure Cognitive Search helps you make smart searches.

• Azure Active Directory (Entra ID) lets you manage users and permissions.

• Azure Subscription gives you access to Azure tools.

• You can use Logic Apps or Power Platform to automate tasks.

Tip: Check if your Azure subscription works. Make sure you can create resources. This helps you avoid problems when setting up.

Permissions Needed

You need the right permissions to connect SharePoint Online with Azure Cognitive Search.

• You must be a SharePoint site collection admin.

• You need permission to register an app in Azure Active Directory.

• You should ask for Microsoft Graph delegated permissions like Files.Read.All, Files.Read.Selected, and AllSites.Read.

• You also need SharePoint delegated permissions such as AllSites.Read and MyFiles.Read.

• These permissions let you read content and manage access for the integration.

Note: If you cannot get these permissions, ask your Azure admin for help. You need these rights to set up and read documents.

Tools Checklist

You can use different tools for the integration. Each tool has its own benefits. The table below shows common choices:

Pick the tool that matches your skills and needs. If you want more control, Azure AI gives you more options. If you want it fast, Microsoft 365 Copilot is easier.

Setup

SharePoint Library

Get your SharePoint document library ready for integration. Make sure your files and metadata are set for indexing. Here are some easy steps:

1. Put your documents in one library. Use folder names that make sense. Name your files the same way every time.

2. Add columns for important details like project name, author, or type.

3. Check that you can open all files you want to index.

4. Remove old or extra copies of files. This helps your search work better.

5. Turn on versioning so you can see changes.

Tip: Using the same metadata helps you find things faster. It also makes mapping fields easier when you connect everything.

Azure Cognitive Search

Set up Azure Cognitive Search to work with SharePoint Online. You can do this in the Azure Portal.

• Make a new Azure Cognitive Search service in your account.

• Set up an index schema. Add fields for your document content, metadata, and custom columns.

• Add a vector field if you want to use AI-powered search with embeddings.

• Connect your SharePoint library as a data source. Use the SharePoint Online indexer or Logic Apps.

• Add a Text Split skill. This breaks big documents into smaller pieces. It helps with searching and processing.

• Use AI enrichment skills like Azure OpenAI embedding. These make vector embeddings for each piece. Map them to your vector field.

• Set the indexer to run often. This keeps your search results fresh.

Note: Using keyword search and vector search together gives you better results.

Entra ID App

Register an Entra ID (Azure AD) app. This lets SharePoint Online and Azure Cognitive Search talk to each other safely.

1. Go to the Azure portal. Open Microsoft Entra ID.

2. Click "App registrations" and make a new app. Give it a name and pick account types.

3. Copy the Application (client) ID and Directory (tenant) ID from the overview.

4. Add a client secret. Save the secret somewhere safe.

5. Give your app Microsoft Graph API permissions like Files.Read.All and Sites.Read.All.

6. Give your app the "Cognitive Services User" role on the Azure AI resource.

7. Turn off key-based authentication on your Cognitive Search resource. This makes sure you use Entra ID authentication.

Always keep your client secret safe. You need these details to connect your data source and indexer.

Permissions

API Access

You need to make sure API access is safe. This lets Azure Cognitive Search read your SharePoint Online data. First, register an app in Azure Active Directory (Entra ID). Give the app Microsoft Graph Application Permissions. The two main permissions are Files.Read.All and Sites.Read.All. These let the app read files and site content everywhere in your tenant. Turn on "Allow public client flows" in Authentication settings. Add a platform for mobile and desktop apps to help with authentication. Make a client secret for the app. This setup lets the search indexer connect and get content from SharePoint Online safely.

Note: Admins must approve these permissions for the whole tenant. If you do not have access, ask your Azure admin to approve them for your app.

Role Assignment

Giving the right roles in Azure helps you use Cognitive Search. You do not need global admin rights. You can assign roles at the service or index level. Use the Azure portal, PowerShell, or CLI. The table below shows common roles and what they let you do:

You do not need global admin rights for these roles. Give the "Search Service Contributor" or "Search Index Data Contributor" role to manage indexes and run indexing jobs.

Secure Credentials

Always keep your credentials safe. Store your client secret in Azure Key Vault or another safe place. Never share your client secret in emails or public files. When you set up the data source and indexer, use safe ways to reference your credentials. Change your secrets often to lower risk. Always follow your organization's security rules for sensitive information.

Tip: Azure Key Vault helps you keep secrets safe and lowers the chance of leaks.

Cognitive Search Integration

When you connect SharePoint Online with Azure Cognitive Search, you get better search for your documents. You can use the SharePoint Online indexer or Logic Apps. Each way works for different skills and needs.

Data Source Connection

You start by linking SharePoint Online as a data source. The easiest way is to use the built-in SharePoint data source type. You must enter the full SharePoint site URL. Make sure you include any spaces or special marks. The connection string needs the SharePoint endpoint and your Azure AD application ID. If your SharePoint site is in the same tenant and managed identity is on, you do not need the TenantId. You also pick the document library you want to index using the container property.

Tip: Use the preview API version '2020-06-30-Preview' or newer. This helps it work with SharePoint Online.

You can make the data source in the Azure portal or with REST API. If you want more control, Logic Apps let you build workflows. These workflows move documents and metadata from SharePoint to Cognitive Search. This is good if you need to use data from many places or add custom steps.

Common technical requirements for data source connection:

• Give each data source a unique name in your search service.

• Set the type property to 'sharepoint'.

• Format credentials with the SharePoint endpoint and Azure AD application ID.

• Use the container property to pick the document library or folder.

If you see errors like "SharePoint site not found," check your URL and permissions. Site collection admin rights are enough for most tasks. You do not need global admin rights unless you want to reach many site collections or tenant-wide settings.

Index Creation

After you link your data source, you need to make an index. This step sets up how Cognitive Search Integration will organize and find your documents. You start by making a schema. The schema lists all fields you want, like document content, author, project name, and custom metadata. You can mark fields as searchable, filterable, or sortable to help your search.

Here are the steps to make an index:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal and open your Cognitive Search service.

2. Check if your service can add more indexes.

3. Use the "Import Data" wizard or add an index by hand.

4. Set up the index schema with field names and data types.

5. Pick a unique key field, like "DocumentId."

6. Set attributes for each field, like retrievable or filterable.

7. Make the index using the portal, REST API, or SDK.

Note: The import data wizard can make the data source, index, and indexer all at once. This saves time and lowers mistakes.

Custom fields and metadata mapping work well. You can use fieldMappings to match SharePoint metadata fields to index fields. For advanced needs, use a custom skill WebAPI to add extra metadata during indexing. Keep your mapping files the same to stop errors.

Indexer Setup

The last step is setting up the indexer. The indexer links your data source to the index and moves documents into Azure Cognitive Search. You can make and manage indexers in the Azure portal or with REST API.

Here is a simple guide:

1. Name your indexer and link it to your data source and index.

2. Set a schedule for indexing to keep results fresh.

3. Set file extensions and extraction settings if needed.

4. Use skillsets to add more data, like finding entities or making embeddings.

5. Watch the indexer status and check indexed documents in the portal.

Best Practice: Keep your connection strings and API keys safe with Azure Key Vault. This protects important information and follows security rules.

You can pick the SharePoint Online indexer or Logic Apps for indexer setup. The SharePoint Online indexer is easy and works for most cases. Logic Apps give you more options if you need to automate hard workflows or use other data sources.

Custom fields and metadata mapping make search better and easier for users. You can turn on facets and filters on metadata fields. This helps users narrow and sort their searches. Skillsets let you add more data during indexing, but lots of enrichments can slow down indexing.

Compliance Tip: Put your Azure Cognitive Search and related services in the same region. This helps with data rules and keeps things safe.

You can finish Cognitive Search Integration with site collection admin rights. You do not need global admin rights unless you want to manage many site collections. This makes it easy and safe for most users.

Testing and Troubleshooting

Verify Results

After you finish setting up, check if search works. Try searching for documents you know in Azure Cognitive Search. Use words from the title, author, or custom metadata. Make sure you see the right files and correct details. Test filters and facets to help narrow results. If you added AI skills, search using normal sentences. See if the search understands what you mean.

Tip: Look at indexed documents in the Azure portal. Check that all fields show up as expected. This helps you find missing or wrong metadata early.

Common Issues

You might run into some problems during setup. Here are some common ones and ways to fix them:

• The indexer may not get full, clickable SharePoint URLs. To fix this, map fields like metadata_spo_item_weburl or make a custom skill for URLs.

• Sometimes, user delegated permissions cause login problems. Use application permissions instead to stop this issue.

• Network errors or timeouts can happen sometimes. These usually go away if you run the indexer again.

• Big errors need more checking. Look at error messages in the Azure portal and check your indexer setup.

Always test your data source to see all metadata fields. Map them clearly in your indexer to make results better.

Metadata Management

Good metadata makes search stronger. Plan your SharePoint setup with site columns, content types, and managed metadata term sets. Managed metadata keeps things the same and helps search work better. If you use free text fields, you might get duplicate or hard-to-find stuff. AI services can tag documents for you by looking at them and suggesting tags. This saves time and makes search more accurate. Teach your team to use metadata the right way and check it often.

Updates

You need to keep your search index fresh as SharePoint changes. Set your indexer to run on a schedule, like every five minutes. This lets only new or changed files get indexed. Use the Microsoft Graph REST API to get content and metadata quickly. Make sure your indexer follows security rules so users only see what they should. Keep your credentials safe and update them when needed. This keeps your search results up to date and trustworthy.

Regular updates and good metadata help users find the newest and most important documents.

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You can use Cognitive Search Integration with SharePoint Online. You do not need global admin rights. You set up a pipeline that works by itself. Connect your data to the system. Use AI enrichment to make search results better. Advanced features help your team find things faster. These features also help your team work smarter.

Next, you can:

1. Use Azure OpenAI Service for talking with AI.

2. Make custom search apps for your group.

3. Work with experts to set up and launch.

Do you have questions about moving files or automating tasks? Want to know how to get indexed documents? Share your thoughts or ask below. Your ideas help other people do better.

FAQ

How do you keep your SharePoint and Cognitive Search integration secure?

Put your credentials in Azure Key Vault. Use application permissions, not user credentials. Check your permissions often. Only give access to people who need it.

Can you index multiple SharePoint libraries at once?

Yes, you can do this. Make a new data source and indexer for each library. This way, you can control and update each library’s search index by itself.

What happens if you add new columns to your SharePoint library?

You must change your index schema and field mappings in Azure Cognitive Search. Run the indexer again so the new columns show up in your search results.

Do you need global admin rights to set up this integration?

No, you do not need them. Site collection admin rights are enough for most tasks. You only need global admin rights if you want to change settings for the whole tenant.

How often should you schedule the indexer to run?

Set the indexer to run every few minutes for busy libraries. For libraries that do not change much, running it once a day is fine. Change how often it runs based on how much your documents change.