Key Takeaways:

  • Every Teams channel has a SharePoint document library behind it. Files shared in Teams are stored in SharePoint.
  • OneDrive for Business is personal SharePoint storage. The two are technically the same platform with different access models.
  • Power Automate connects SharePoint to the rest of Microsoft 365 and external systems, enabling document approval workflows and automated notifications without custom code.
  • Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 reads your SharePoint content to answer questions and generate documents grounded in your organisation's information.

Most Microsoft 365 users interact with SharePoint without knowing it. When you share a file in a Teams channel, that file is stored in a SharePoint document library connected to that channel. When you save something to OneDrive for Business, it is stored in your personal SharePoint site. SharePoint is the document and content foundation that Microsoft 365 is built on. Understanding that connection changes how you approach deploying and governing the platform.

SharePoint and Microsoft Teams

Every Microsoft Teams team and channel has a connected SharePoint site behind it. When a Teams team is created, Microsoft automatically creates a SharePoint team site for it. Files shared in Teams channels are stored in the Files tab of that channel, which is the document library of the connected SharePoint site.

This means any file governance, permissions, or retention policies applied in SharePoint also apply to files in Teams. And any documents stored in the SharePoint site are accessible directly from the Teams Files tab. They are the same files in the same location, accessed from two different interfaces.

SharePoint and OneDrive for Business

OneDrive for Business is personal SharePoint storage. Each Microsoft 365 user gets a personal OneDrive site, which is a SharePoint site accessible only to them (unless they choose to share specific items). Files saved to OneDrive are stored in SharePoint infrastructure. The technical difference is the ownership and access model: SharePoint sites are owned by teams or departments, OneDrive sites are owned by individuals.

Power Automate and SharePoint workflows

Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow) is the workflow automation tool in Microsoft 365. It connects directly to SharePoint, enabling automated workflows that respond to document events: when a file is created, when a column value changes, when a list item is updated.

Common SharePoint workflows for Australian organisations include document approval processes (a policy is uploaded to SharePoint, Power Automate notifies the approver, the approver approves in Teams, the document is marked approved in SharePoint), onboarding checklists, and automated notifications when a document approaches a review date.

  • Document approval: files submitted to SharePoint trigger an approval workflow with email or Teams notifications
  • Review reminders: Power Automate checks document dates and sends reminders before review deadlines
  • Form-to-list: Microsoft Forms submissions create list items in SharePoint for tracking
  • External notifications: SharePoint events can trigger emails, Teams messages, or connections to third-party systems

Microsoft Copilot and SharePoint content

Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 uses your organisation's SharePoint content as a knowledge source. When a staff member asks Copilot a question, Copilot searches across the SharePoint sites and documents they have access to and provides an answer grounded in that content.

This means the quality and organisation of your SharePoint content directly affects the quality of Copilot responses. Poorly structured, outdated, or inconsistently labelled SharePoint content produces inconsistent Copilot outputs. Organisations preparing for Copilot adoption typically need to audit and improve their SharePoint information architecture before deploying it.

Viva Connections and the modern intranet

Microsoft Viva Connections surfaces your SharePoint intranet directly inside Microsoft Teams. Staff can access company news, policies, team sites, and organisation-wide communications from the same Teams interface they use for chat and meetings. For Australian organisations where Teams is the primary collaboration tool, Viva Connections reduces the friction of navigating to a separate intranet, which increases adoption of the intranet content itself.

About Dapth

Dapth helps organisations “unlock business advantage” by connecting customer, employee and operational systems into scalable digital ecosystems. Built on understanding, knowledge and collaboration delivering ROI through efficiency and/or revenue.

Contact us: www.dapth.com

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Simon Brown
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