i hate sharepoint
Posted by anime_at_my_side@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 53 comments
we at work almost only use sharepoint. it is made by microsoft so it has to be shit and it is.
We make our documentation in word templates, and upload them to sharepoint. now this has a whole shit ton of problems, naming some of them:
- gets uploaded as a binary blob in the database so no proper searching in the content of the file
- no version control, can not see who edited what on what document
- every document has diffrent styling or is made on some diffrent template
- make new documentation, use the shitty word program to write it, upload it some where, convert to pdf, upload it again
- "This file has been checked out by user x". User x is not present. So file stays locked. I have to upload a copy.
i want a proper solution that supports markdown, so we all have the same styling, same format, version control, and more.
God forbid we use a non microsoft product. gods forbid we use a good foss solution hosted on our own servers to kind of make like wiki pages
every time i have to write or get documentation my blood start to boil and i get very anoyed.
Grim_Fandango92@reddit
Already seeing the fully expected "skill issue, Daddy MS can do no wrong"
Yes, it's a complicated beast, and yes you need expertise to manage it, order it properly and it needs a special touch.
BUT
And this is a big BUT
There are a metric fuckton of parts of it that are completely and unnecessarily obtuse for the sheer hell of it. There are also parts of it that are complete and utter trash and it should NEVER have formed the backbone of OneDrive by default in the first place.
Yes, there are ways to work around it, rather than have it work in the way any sensible person would expect but why should you have to, and why does MS get a free pass?
Restoring data is a nightmare.
The file size/number limitations are unnecessarily cumbersome.
Moving/copying any decent number of files is a ballache if not downright impossible without a site to site migration.
SPO brought all the legacy involved with on-prem Sharepoint, and shoehorned it totally inappropriately into 365's stack. In those days you could opt not to have Sharepoint on-prem if a business wasn't equipped for it and didn't need its functions, but it's now forced on you, want it or not, should you be a business, god forbid, wanting to collaborate on and store documents.
SPO is an abomination.
roiki11@reddit
Can you still change your sharepoint domain? I don't think you can.
Grim_Fandango92@reddit
Don't think so, but can't say I've ever tried. To achieve what?
roiki11@reddit
To merge corporate domains for example?
Grim_Fandango92@reddit
In that situation I'd probably expect you'd pick whichever preferred one of the two to be the master, along with the tenant-specific sharepoint domain already associated with it, and migrate data from the other one, adjusting links/references in the data from the source domain as appropriate. I don't think you can have more than one *.sharepoint.com domain in a tenant simultaneously.
That said, don't quote me - I tend to more handle day to day sysadmin work rather than the migration projects in my org, so I'm probably not the best person to hypothesise and not 100% how we got here from my original comment.
iamLisppy@reddit
""This file has been checked out by user x". User x is not present. So file stays locked. I have to upload a copy." This is not true. As an admin, you can override this. Sorry but I think your frustrations come from a lack of understanding and skill with it.
anime_at_my_side@reddit (OP)
i am not the one managing the instance. i had requested this before, but they did not comply
Bulky-Stick2704@reddit
Ticket to team who manages sharepoint, they will get tired and provide a resolution to the problem
Delicious_Rub_6795@reddit
Nah, they'll just say that requested functionality isn't included and requires a custom change worth 600k
AppIdentityGuy@reddit
In that case why are you bitching about SharePoint when this is not a SharePoint problem?
Delicious_Rub_6795@reddit
This often seems to be the defense, but I've yet to see a properly ran sharepoint instance that doesn't have any of these issues. Seems like this product never has enough admins and isn't that intuitive to use, unlike the claims.
But so many companies are using it. Yes, badly.
pegz@reddit
In all fairness, sharepoint is a POS just not for this specific reason lol
TommyHypeBeast69@reddit
Because “Microsoft made it so it has to be shit and it is” gives you your response - People just like to bitch about the Microsoft stack when they don’t understand it let alone know how to properly administer it
roiki11@reddit
But what if you could upload an alternative copy that's different, like a branch of sorts. And then someone could combine them, merge if you will, and then you'd have the main document.
If only something like it existed.
cheapcologne@reddit
Why are you using word docs for documentation? If it's just for internal documentation, create a shared onenote and host it in your teams' site. Sharepoint can be hot garbage sometimes, but this is a process problem due to using the tool incorrectly.
Delicious_Rub_6795@reddit
What's sharepoint adding here except for more costs and complexity?
cheapcologne@reddit
If the onenote file is hosted in sharepoint, you can link the desktop app to the hosted file and edit it on your computer. If you have an IT team site that only you have access to (I hope) then everyone on that team can access it. Live changes to others with the same notebook. As for the costs, we're a nonprofit so our e5 licenses are much cheaper. If our org was different and ms licensing at this level was out of our price range, I'd figure out a different solution.
Delicious_Rub_6795@reddit
Onenote desktop stored on a simple fileshare has the same features. Live, synchronized changes.
MBILC@reddit
A file share, on a server, which you now need to have redundancy for in some way to assure uptime, and now you need on-prem infra to host said server(s), or a data center, and now you need staff to manage, patch,secure and provide external access to said share, if you have any remote workers...
Sharepoint is SaaS, you do not need any of the infra, just security and backups.
Delicious_Rub_6795@reddit
We're still running fileservers, so it's not an added cost. OP was also talking about a migration to sharepoint. So what would they have won anyway?
Most companies I've seen require a(n automatic) VPN anyway on their devices, so the external access point for internal employees is moot.
cheapcologne@reddit
Agreed. We decom'd our fileservers in January.
MBILC@reddit
Depending on your M365 license, SP is included free...M365 Business premium for example.
MBILC@reddit
This. When used properly for what it is, works great. We moved to SP online from Confluence and saved $40k a year in licensing and it works great, we have version control, approval workflows.
Sorry to say OP, but your issue are not a "Sharepoint" issue, they are end user issues and improper sharepoint configuration.
anime_at_my_side@reddit (OP)
i wonder that to. that is the companies way to do it, so i am forced to so so aswell
fraghead5@reddit
Can you suggest the better way? A lot of companies do things because someone set it up that way and it has been just working. Take the time to propose a better way and see if they will allow you to put together a plan and process to update things to work the way they should.
Raskuja46@reddit
Sharepoint has always been a solution in search of a problem.
MBILC@reddit
Not when you actually use it for what it is meant for...
MBILC@reddit
You can enable version control......
Then tell people to stop making up their own and use the company standards - Not a sharepoint issue
How does this have anything to do with Sharepoint?
Make sure people are saving as modern formats like docx and not doc.
Sorry to say, but your issues seem more like end user issues, not a product issue.
roiki11@reddit
It's because SharePoint is a shirty documentation source and they're forced to use it. Sure, that's a company issue and not a SharePoint one. But I get the frustration.
MBILC@reddit
Certainly.
We have problems with Approval workflows, they work fine for one person, but not the other, who has the exact same permissions, then one day it works, then it doesnt.
We did have the share issue with a person, and it turned out they were using an old .doc template file, changed that and problem gone.
Sharepoint certainly can be a bloated mess, but I do also feel because it is often implemented incorrectly under the thought of it being a file server, like in Windows, so people break inherited permissions, use the wrong site type (team vs collab et cetera) and just start to actually break it to try and make it do something, it was not meant to do ..
Aegisnir@reddit
This is not a sharepoint issue. This is a skill issue. You referenced it as a database, it is not. You also say a file gets checked out which implies you use the antiquated sharepoint on prem, not sharepoint online which has version history…
You also say “we at work” but is this the entire company or the it department? You can create templates in sharepoint and train everyone to use the templates instead of creating from scratch. Enforce with policies and training.
roiki11@reddit
Some people have to use on prem SharePoint. It not being updated to have same features as online one is a microslop issue.
The issue is they're using sharepoint in the first place. Which is a company issue, that's also an issue with sharepoint.
anime_at_my_side@reddit (OP)
it is not a database. the file is not uploaded on disk, but stored as a binary blob in a database.
Aegisnir@reddit
Fair i skimmed and didn’t pay enough attention. But are you using on-prem like I assume? And is this for your it department only or your whole company?
xMcRaemanx@reddit
Yea sharepoint online allows searching document contents so OP's either wrong or its an on-prem thing. Been a while since I managed one so not sure.
Zagreus3131@reddit
I agree this is definitely an issue with the org, not SharePoint.
FarmboyJustice@reddit
OP didn't refer to Sharepoint AS a database, OP referred to the fact that Sharepoint stores files IN a database. This is 100% true.
Sharepoint On-prem is still a supported platform. It's not EOL until later this year.
Kumorigoe@reddit
Sorry, it seems this comment or thread has violated a sub-reddit rule and has been removed by a moderator.
Inappropriate use of, or expectation of the Community.
If you wish to appeal this action please don't hesitate to message the moderation team.
WhatThePuck9@reddit
If you want version control, you can pay for it.
karatetoes@reddit
Skill issue
Polyphemos88@reddit
We built a QMS in Confluence and audited it to ISO 13485. Maybe a wiki system is a better option?
mraztastic@reddit
You hate Sharepoint because it’s not properly implemented and have no skill or control to actually fix the issue. This is more appropriate to post in the r/fuckmicrosoft sub you frequent as you’re not actually looking for help.
Significant-Emu-8807@reddit
We use sharepoint without problems, seems like y'all need to read the docs?
ScroogeMcDuckFace2@reddit
everyone hates sharepoint
TechHardHat@reddit
Confluence or Notion would fix every single one of those problems, the hard part is convincing management to let go of the Microsoft security blanket.
sick2880@reddit
Say it with me. Sharepoint is NOT a file server. Sharepoint is a document library and should be treated as such.
BOTTroy@reddit
Skill issue tbh
thewunderbar@reddit
This is not a SharePoint problem. This is a workflow problem.
EntireFishing@reddit
SharePoint. It was too complicated when it was first released as Windows SharePoint services and it's still too complicated for most people now. It really did have potential to work but it requires far too much skills and learning and metadata for your average employee to ever get to grips with. Hence it drives people mental. It also needs quite a bit of administration which most businesses haven't got
illicITparameters@reddit
I’ve made it clear that myself and my guys dont touch sharepoint. It either goes to the clients internal team to deal with it or it gets sent to our dedicated MS team. Fuck that ahit.
anime_at_my_side@reddit (OP)
10000% agree.
MrMrRubic@reddit
This is not a SharePoint issue. This is an "everything else" issue.
kapshus@reddit
We switched to one note site notebooks. Not perfect but searchable.