Before You Build That Agent: Master These SharePoint Fundamentals First
I started working in SharePoint (Aka MOSS 2007) in 2008/09. There were many changes/updates to SharePoint product from the beginning. You got upgrades from MOSS 2007 to SharePoint 2010, then from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013. Later upgraded to SharePoint 2016. While all these things were happening, SharePoint Online slowly gained attention when Microsoft migrated a lot of customers to the cloud.
I worked as a “Microsoft Velocity Manager“ on some of the largest projects initiated by Microsoft to bring customers from on-premises to the cloud. Since then, there have been many changes to SharePoint Online, and it has become so large that now it is one of the main pillars of Microsoft 365 (Aka Office 365). Every agent that Microsoft releases nowadays is based on the foundations built many years ago.
A few things fundamentally stayed the same across all these years with SharePoint. And it’s in DNA.
If you are trying to learn how to build Agents rather than solving business problems, you should know these fundamentals of SharePoint.
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Organizations are rushing to build AI agents without understanding the underlying SharePoint DNA that powers them. Without these fundamentals, your agents will fail security audits, break governance models, and create data chaos instead of business value.
They focus on the shiny new AI features instead of mastering the unchanging foundations. They build agents on weak data structures, ignore permission models, and skip metadata strategy - then wonder why their agents can't scale or meet compliance requirements.
Every SharePoint agent is built on foundations laid down 17+ years ago.
1. Collaboration
What it is: Tools and features that enable teams to work together effectively
Key capabilities:
Comments - Contextual discussions directly on documents and pages
@mentions - Tag specific people to draw attention and trigger notifications
Mobile access - Full functionality on smartphones and tablets
Business impact: Breaks down silos, accelerates decision-making, and supports hybrid work environments.
2. Sites
What it is: Digital workspaces that organize content and tools around business purposes
Key capabilities:
Site hierarchy - Parent and child sites mirror organizational structure
Navigation - Consistent menu structure across related sites
Site templates - Pre-built configurations for common scenarios (team sites, communication sites)
Hub sites - Connect related sites for unified branding and navigation
Business impact: Creates organized digital workplaces that match how your business operates.
3. Document Libraries
What it is: Your digital filing system that replaces network folders
Key capabilities:
Version control - Every edit creates a new version, so you can restore previous versions
Check-out system - Lock files while editing to prevent conflicts with other users
Metadata columns - Add custom properties like project name, status, or department
Views - Create filtered displays showing only documents that meet specific criteria
Business impact: Eliminates version confusion, reduces email attachments, and provides audit trails for compliance.
4. Lists
What it is: Structured data storage that works like enhanced spreadsheets
Key capabilities:
Custom columns - Text, numbers, dates, dropdowns, people picker, and more
Data validation - Enforce business rules and data quality
Calculated fields - Automatically compute values based on other columns
Forms - Custom input forms for data entry
Business impact: Centralizes business data, reduces spreadsheet sprawl, and enables better data governance.
5. Metadata
What it is: Descriptive information about your content that makes it discoverable and manageable
Key capabilities:
Content types - Templates defining what metadata applies to different document types
Managed metadata - Enterprise-wide taxonomies and tag hierarchies
Required fields - Enforce metadata entry for better content organization
Automatic tagging - AI-powered suggestions for consistent tagging
Business impact: Transforms content from hard-to-find files into discoverable business assets.
6. Permissions
What it is: A Security system controlling access to content and functionality
Key capabilities:
Inheritance - Child items inherit permissions from parent containers
Unique permissions - Break inheritance for sensitive content
SharePoint groups - Manage permissions for multiple users at once
External sharing - Securely share with customers, vendors, or partners
Business impact: Protects sensitive information while enabling collaboration across organizational boundaries.
7. Search
What it is: An Enterprise search engine that finds content across your entire Microsoft 365 environment
Key capabilities:
Security-trimmed results - Only shows content you have permission to see
Refinement filters - Narrow results by file type, author, date, or custom metadata
Search scopes - Limit searches to specific sites or libraries
Query suggestions - Predictive search based on content and user behavior
Business impact: Reduces time spent hunting for information and increases content utilization.
8. Integration with Microsoft 365
What it is: Seamless connection between SharePoint and Office applications
Key capabilities:
Co-authoring - Multiple users edit documents simultaneously with real-time updates
Office Online - Edit documents in a web browser without desktop applications
Sync - Local copies stay synchronized with SharePoint versions
Teams integration - SharePoint provides a file storage backbone for Microsoft Teams
Business impact: Eliminates productivity friction and supports modern collaborative work styles.
9. Workflows
What it is: Automated business processes that route content and trigger actions
Key capabilities:
Approval processes - Route documents through review and approval chains
Power Automate integration - Connect SharePoint to hundreds of other business applications
Conditional logic - Different actions based on content properties or user roles
Notifications - Automatic emails and alerts when process steps are complete
Business impact: Reduces manual tasks, ensures process consistency, and speeds business operations.
10. Web Parts
What it is: Modular components that add functionality to SharePoint pages without coding
Key capabilities:
News web part - Display announcements and updates with rich formatting
Document library views - Show filtered document sets on any page
Calendar integration - Display Outlook calendars and schedule information
Third-party web parts - Extend functionality with solutions from Microsoft partners
Business impact: Creates engaging intranet pages and dashboards that serve real business needs.
Final Thoughts
There will always be more changes to SharePoint going forward and it would only speed up with AI tools available. But the fundamentals won't change - they're the bedrock every successful agent implementation stands on.
Before you build your next agent, ask yourself: Are my lists structured properly? Is my metadata strategy solid? Do my permissions make sense? Are my sites organized for scale?
Get these foundations wrong, and no amount of AI wizardry will save your project.
Get them right, and your agents will be the ones who actually deliver business value while others struggle with governance nightmares.
The organizations winning with AI agents aren't the ones with the fanciest demos - they're the ones who never forgot these SharePoint fundamentals.
Did I miss any other core SharePoint feature that you think should be added to the list? What’s one thing that didn’t change for you, and why it’s important?