Month: September 2024
Converting a Classic Sharepoint Hub to a Modern Hub
Hi there,
Our organization has a dated SharePoint hub that still uses the Classic Sharepoint interface and appearance. Interestingly, new pages and subsites that are created immediately assume the Modern appearance.
We’d like to adapt our Classic hub site (that is, our site that all employees are directed to, located at https://ORGANIZATION-NAME.sharepoint.com) to the Modern look. Whether this means creating it from scratch or doing some conversion, I wanted to ask for some guidance.
If we convert:
What happens to pages and document libraries that were created using Sharepoint classic? Are these converted, too? Are they lost?How do we convert the site?We have seen information such as ‘connect to a Microsoft365 Team to convert to modern,’ but we do not see this button anywhere. Our site is already connected to a Microsoft365 Team.We have a custom theme that was built into Sharepoint classic. What happens to this theme if we convert to modern? Is it lost, does it need to be recreated?
If we create a new site:
How do we assign our Sharepoint hub url (that is, the URL https://ORGANIZATION-NAME.sharepoint.com) to the new site we create?How do we make the new hub site the “parent” to subsites?
Thank you all!
Hi there, Our organization has a dated SharePoint hub that still uses the Classic Sharepoint interface and appearance. Interestingly, new pages and subsites that are created immediately assume the Modern appearance. We’d like to adapt our Classic hub site (that is, our site that all employees are directed to, located at https://ORGANIZATION-NAME.sharepoint.com) to the Modern look. Whether this means creating it from scratch or doing some conversion, I wanted to ask for some guidance. If we convert:What happens to pages and document libraries that were created using Sharepoint classic? Are these converted, too? Are they lost?How do we convert the site?We have seen information such as ‘connect to a Microsoft365 Team to convert to modern,’ but we do not see this button anywhere. Our site is already connected to a Microsoft365 Team.We have a custom theme that was built into Sharepoint classic. What happens to this theme if we convert to modern? Is it lost, does it need to be recreated?If we create a new site:How do we assign our Sharepoint hub url (that is, the URL https://ORGANIZATION-NAME.sharepoint.com) to the new site we create?How do we make the new hub site the “parent” to subsites?Thank you all! Read More
Discover how Azure HPC can improve patient outcomes
1McKinsey & Company, The next frontier of healthcare delivery, 2022.
2Sesterce, Unleashing the Power of HPC in Healthcare: A Digital Odyssey, 2024.
3Accenture, Unleashing the power of unstructured data, 2021.
4Trend Micro, Quarter of Healthcare Ransomware Victims Forced to Halt Operations, 2022.
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Session Recording
Hi,
I missed the first 20 minutes. Is this being recorded and if so can it be shared with me?
Hi, I missed the first 20 minutes. Is this being recorded and if so can it be shared with me? Read More
CNTRL + up/down not working along with certain fn keys and I tried to troubleshoot keyboard
Hi, I am in the process of learning quicker ways around excel and for some reason my cntrl up/down doesn’t work but left right does. Certain fn commands also don’t work like shift fn f8. I troubleshooted the keyboard and made sure scroll lock is off but still no dice.
Hi, I am in the process of learning quicker ways around excel and for some reason my cntrl up/down doesn’t work but left right does. Certain fn commands also don’t work like shift fn f8. I troubleshooted the keyboard and made sure scroll lock is off but still no dice. Read More
Using site templates for SharePoint in Microsoft 365
SharePoint site templates come in all shapes and sizes, save time and address numerous scenarios, and provide an opportunity to programmatically adhere to your organization’s preferred custom site creation policies.
Using a template when creating SharePoint sites improves efficiency and helps standardize site creation. While templates provide a starting point, they are customizable to adapt them to specific needs of a project or team. As your organization grows, templates make it easier to deploy new sites quickly and efficiently, with governance to ensure features and settings comply with organizational policies or industry regulations.
At their core, SharePoint site templates contain pre-populated pages, page templates, news post templates, themes, and web parts. When you create a site, you choose from either a Communication site or a Team site, and then select the site template that matches your desired outcome. You will find numerous site templates available directly within the service, ready to use. You can create and deploy your own custom site templates – for reuse within your tenant. And take advantage of custom PnP site templates from GitHub – implemented via PowerShell.
This article aims to highlight what’s possible, share what’s new, and clarify where and how you get, deploy, and use SharePoint site templates in Microsoft 365.
Use and adopt SharePoint site templates directly from SharePoint service within Microsoft 365.
Much of what we’ve learned about SharePoint site templates, and developed for use in production, now resides within the Microsoft 365 commercial service – meaning many of the deployable site templates are now available to choose from during the standard, out-of-the-box + Create site process – in SharePoint. These templates make it easy to create a SharePoint site. They demonstrate the art of what’s possible with design-focused layouts and content to save you time (and heartache 😉).
To get a broad overview of what’s available, review the SharePoint Look Book page – now hosted on adoption.microsoft.com (recently updated; more on the original look book website below). This page highlights the value of each site and breaks down what gets created for you when applying the various templates. And we published an important related Help article to learn how to apply and customize SharePoint site templates, including several guided walkthroughs to familiarize yourself with how to create sites for your organization. Below are two site template examples:
IT help desk (Team site template)
Learning central (Communication site template)
As with all our other Microsoft-provided site templates, these are automatically available in SharePoint tenants and can be applied by users with site owner permissions or higher. When you create a new site, you will be asked if you’d like to use a template. Select Browse templates to see Microsoft templates and templates from your organization. Additionally, we’ve released the site template history panel. Site owners will be able to access the Site information panel from within Settings, and then select View template history. A history of all site templates previously applied to the site will then be displayed. Selecting an entry will display all site script actions and if they ran successfully or encountered errors. Whether you’re creating a new site or applying a template to an existing site, navigate to Settings and then select Apply a site template.
Learn how to create SharePoint sites in Microsoft 365 and apply and customize SharePoint site templates.
Create your own custom site templates.
Custom templates made by your organization using site scripts will display in the site template gallery based on the type of site a user chose to start with – either a communication site or team site. Therefore, it is likely that all the custom site templates will not appear in the site template gallery at once. Soon, users will have the ability to choose to view all custom site templates in the From your organization tab regardless of the type of site chosen.
Site templates provided by your organization will appear in the From your organization tab when selecting a template type. Customization instructions will vary depending on the site template design. Review customization resources below to learn more about site personalization options.
You can create site templates to provide reusable lists, themes, layouts, pages, or custom actions so that your users can quickly build new SharePoint sites with the features they need. Learn more about how to create custom site templates for your organization.
Learn more about configuring and deploying SharePoint site template and site scripts.
Deploying scenario-based solutions with custom PnP site templates from the GitHub repository.
Explore additional scenario-based solutions with custom PnP* site templates found in the GitHub repository. Several custom site templates exist for you to utilize and are standardized for how to implement into your own environment using PowerShell.
*PnP stands for Patterns & Practices.
View available custom PnP SharePoint site templates in GitHub.
Learn how to apply custom PnP SharePoint site templates.
The following video by Microsoft MVP, Paolo Pialorsi, shows you how to provision custom PnP site templates from the GitHub repository, in this instance using the example of the ‘Learning Pathways’ site template. Watch now:
The move away from the original lookbook.microsoft.com website.
Previously, Microsoft maintained a website at lookbook.microsoft.com – where tenant admins could select scenario-based templates and deploy them – from this website directly into their own tenant. The website’s DNS registration has expired and no longer resolves. We understand this is not ideal. Going forward, Microsoft is investing in the SharePoint Look Book page on adoption.microsoft.com; we created a new aka.ms link: aka.ms/SharePointLookBook to take you directly to this page.
The SharePoint Look Book page on adoption.microsoft.com is our primary destination to display SharePoint site templates, including ones you can find in GitHub and provision using PowerShell.
I would like to thank two Microsoft MVPs and community members, Tracy van der Schyff and Marc Anderson – for sharing their thoughts and insights with everyone during this change. We aim to highlight the value of SharePoint site templates and improve Microsoft change management communications. Here are what Tracy and Marc published in support of adding clarity during this update:
“Recent changes to the #SharePoint Look Book” by Tracy van der Schyff.
“SharePoint Lookbook: What’s happened to it?” by Marc Anderson.
In the end…
In summary, templates serve as a blueprint for creating new SharePoint sites, ensuring that they are set up quickly, consistently, and with best practices in mind. They offer a balance between uniformity and customization, making it easier to manage and scale SharePoint environments within an organization.
We hope the above helps you get informed in all the ways SharePoint site templates help you save time and ground what SharePoint can do for you and your organization – be it through use site templates from within the service, custom site templates you create and deploy, or if you benefit from custom site templates from the GitHub repository.
Discover what’s possible, save time, and remember: Make it your own. SharePoint site templates are a map; you are the trailblazing guide!
Thanks, Mark Kashman, Senior Product Manager – Microsoft
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Azure Database for MySQL – August 2024 updates and latest feature roadmap
We’re excited to share a summary of the Azure Database for MySQL – Flexible Server announcements from last month, as well as the latest roadmap of upcoming features!
September 2024 Live webinar
These updates and the latest roadmap are also covered in our Monthly Live Webinar on YouTube (Click here to subscribe to our YouTube channel!), which streams the second Wednesday of every month, at 7:30 AM Pacific time. Below is a link to the session recording of the live webinar we delivered last week:
August 2024 updates and announcements
Flexible maintenance options for Azure Database for MySQL flexible servers (General Availability)
The new flexible maintenance options enable greater control over the timing of the maintenance activities performed on Azure Database for MySQL flexible server instances, so that you can align maintenance schedules with your operational needs. After receiving a maintenance notification, you can reschedule it to a more convenient time, irrespective of whether it was system or custom managed. Since we released this feature in public preview last year, we’ve incorporated several important updates and feedback to ensure a smoother and more flexible experience.
Key enhancements in GA include:
Expanded Reschedule Window: The reschedule window has been extended to cover all available maintenance dates within the region (ensuring up to 30-day reschedule windows), offering much more flexibility compared to the limited 14-day window from the public preview.
Reschedule via Azure CLI: You can now reschedule maintenance activities through the Azure CLI. This provides flexibility and automation for managing maintenance windows across multiple servers.
Learn more: Announcement Blog | Documentation | Demo video
Latest feature roadmap
Feature
Description
Release status
Coming soon!
(Tentative*)
On-demand backup and export
This feature provides you with the ability to export at-moment physical backup of the server to an Azure storage account (Azure blob storage) using an Azure CLI command. After export, these backups can be used for data recovery, migration, data redundancy and availability, or auditing. Learn more.
Public Preview
General Availability
in Q4 CY24
Long Term Retention of Backups
Previously with Azure Database for MySQL, you could retain automated backups and on-demand backups for up to 35 days. With Long Term Retention, you can now retain the backups up to 10 years, further accommodating your audit and compliance needs. Learn more.
Public Preview
General Availability
in Q4 CY24
MySQL Discovery & Assessment in Azure Migrate
With this functionality, you can use Azure Migrate to discover MySQL servers in your environment, assess them by identifying their compatibility for moving to Azure Database for MySQL, and receive compute and storage SKU recommendations along with their costs. Learn more.
Private Preview
Public Preview
in Q4 CY24
CMK-enabled support for Accelerated Logs
Accelerated Logs, available with the Business Critical service tier and designed for mission-critical workloads, is a feature provides an increase in throughput of up to two times (2x) for your applications at no additional cost. The feature will soon be supported on servers that have Customer Managed Keys (CMK) enabled.
–
General Availability
in Q4 CY24
Azure DB for MySQL bindings in Azure Functions
This new feature will ensure native support for input bindings, output bindings and a function trigger for Azure DB for MySQL – Flexible Server. That is, you will be able to read data from an Azure DB for MySQL database into a function, save data back to the Azure DB for MySQL database or even trigger a function when a change is detected on a MySQL table!
–
Public Preview
in Q4 CY24
Error Logs (in Server Logs)
This feature allows you to maintain MySQL error log files under Server logs and download them for up to seven days. These error logs can help you efficiently identify and troubleshoot performance and reliability issues, and proactively detect and respond to unauthorized access attempts, failed login attempts, and other security-related events. Learn more.
Public Preview
General Availability
in Q1 CY25
Virtual Canary
The Virtual Canary feature is an exciting solution for Azure MySQL users who prioritize staying at the forefront of technology by making sure that their servers always run the most current version. Servers opted in for virtual canary receive maintenance updates earlier in advance. You can also take advantage of the feature as an opportunity to perform an additional layer of update testing on your dev, test, or staging servers to help avoid workload-specific issues like application-level compatibility issues. The feature thus offers an efficient way to manage updates, align testing and production environments, and maintain operational stability with minimal disruption.
–
Public Preview
in Q1 CY25
Near-zero downtime maintenance for HA servers
This feature is designed to substantially reduce maintenance downtime for HA-enabled servers, ensuring that in most cases, maintenance downtime is expected to be between 40 to 60 seconds. This capability is pivotal for businesses that demand high availability and minimal interruption in their database operations. Learn more.
Public Preview
General Availability
in Q1 CY25
*The roadmap features and dates are tentative and subject to change. Please stay tuned for continuous updates.
Conclusion
As we continue to work on new features and functionalities, your feedback is very critical for our improvement. If you wish to enroll in Private Preview for any of the above features, or if you have any suggestions for or queries about our service, email us at AskAzureDBforMySQL@service.microsoft.com.
To learn more about what’s new with Flexible Server, see What’s new in Azure Database for MySQL – Flexible Server. Stay tuned for more updates and announcements by following us on social media: YouTube | LinkedIn | X.
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
IF OR AND Formula returning False value
Hello, reaching out for assistance with this formula. I am expecting a calculated value but I an only getting False. What I would really like to do is have the formula check if the cell contains “Officer” so that I don’t have to keep adding in the different possible variations. Ultimately, if the H6 is Officer or First Officer and the D equals Los Angeles, multiply by 1.5, all else, multiply by 2. Any assistance is appreciated.
=IF(OR(H6=”Officer”,H6=”First Officer”), IF(AND(D6=”Los Angeles”), 1.5*SUM(K6:L6)+SUM(N6:O6)/100*M6+SUM(N6:O6)/100*2*SUM(K6:L6)+2*R6+SUM(M6,P6,Q6,S6,T6,U6),
2*SUM(K6:L6)+SUM(N6:O6)/100*M6+SUM(N6:O6)/100*2*SUM(K6:L6)+2*R6+SUM(M6,P6,Q6,S6,T6,U6)))
Hello, reaching out for assistance with this formula. I am expecting a calculated value but I an only getting False. What I would really like to do is have the formula check if the cell contains “Officer” so that I don’t have to keep adding in the different possible variations. Ultimately, if the H6 is Officer or First Officer and the D equals Los Angeles, multiply by 1.5, all else, multiply by 2. Any assistance is appreciated. =IF(OR(H6=”Officer”,H6=”First Officer”), IF(AND(D6=”Los Angeles”), 1.5*SUM(K6:L6)+SUM(N6:O6)/100*M6+SUM(N6:O6)/100*2*SUM(K6:L6)+2*R6+SUM(M6,P6,Q6,S6,T6,U6),2*SUM(K6:L6)+SUM(N6:O6)/100*M6+SUM(N6:O6)/100*2*SUM(K6:L6)+2*R6+SUM(M6,P6,Q6,S6,T6,U6))) Read More
Download File – Sharepoint / MS Graph
Hello good evening,
I’ve been working on a problem for quite a while now and can’t get any further. I hope someone here can help me.
Initial situation:
I have a sharepoint page.
This page contains lists.
These lists contain text columns and also image columns.
The lists receive data from Powerapps.
So far so good. It works.
Now I am working on the implementation of a programme that will run on a server. This programme retrieves the data from the lists regularly.
I use Microsoft Graph to retrieve the lists. That also works. So token, graphclient, communication etc. are all good.
But: For the image column I only get a json back, which contains the server url and also the relative url. If I put the url together and call it up via the browser, I can also see the image.
Well, I thought to myself. Then I download the image directly via Http and save it accordingly, but that doesn’t work! I always get the error 401 – Unauthorised.
I load my Http client with the appropriate header and the token which is also valid.
I had created the app in the Azure Entra and also set the authorisations accordingly. Files.Read.All, Files.ReadWrite.All, Sites.Read.All, Sites.ReadWrite.All, Sites.Selected.
Retrieving the list and processing it with MS Graph also works. It’s just a matter of downloading the image file 😞
I use C#.
AuthenticationResult tokenMSAL = getToken();
using (HttpClient httpClient = new HttpClient())
{
httpClient.DefaultRequestHeaders.Authorisation = new AuthenticationHeaderValue(‘Bearer’, tokenMSAL.AccessToken);
// Download the image and save it
var img = httpClient.GetAsync(signatureUrl).GetAwaiter().GetResult();
As I am at a loss at the moment and have already invested a lot of time, I hope that someone here can give me an alternative solution or knows which authorisation must be set for the download to work.
Thank you very much and have a nice evening!
Greetings Manu
Hello good evening,I’ve been working on a problem for quite a while now and can’t get any further. I hope someone here can help me. Initial situation:I have a sharepoint page.This page contains lists.These lists contain text columns and also image columns.The lists receive data from Powerapps.So far so good. It works. Now I am working on the implementation of a programme that will run on a server. This programme retrieves the data from the lists regularly.I use Microsoft Graph to retrieve the lists. That also works. So token, graphclient, communication etc. are all good.But: For the image column I only get a json back, which contains the server url and also the relative url. If I put the url together and call it up via the browser, I can also see the image.Well, I thought to myself. Then I download the image directly via Http and save it accordingly, but that doesn’t work! I always get the error 401 – Unauthorised.I load my Http client with the appropriate header and the token which is also valid.I had created the app in the Azure Entra and also set the authorisations accordingly. Files.Read.All, Files.ReadWrite.All, Sites.Read.All, Sites.ReadWrite.All, Sites.Selected.Retrieving the list and processing it with MS Graph also works. It’s just a matter of downloading the image file 😞 I use C#. AuthenticationResult tokenMSAL = getToken();using (HttpClient httpClient = new HttpClient()){httpClient.DefaultRequestHeaders.Authorisation = new AuthenticationHeaderValue(‘Bearer’, tokenMSAL.AccessToken);// Download the image and save itvar img = httpClient.GetAsync(signatureUrl).GetAwaiter().GetResult(); As I am at a loss at the moment and have already invested a lot of time, I hope that someone here can give me an alternative solution or knows which authorisation must be set for the download to work. Thank you very much and have a nice evening!Greetings Manu Read More
Intune Decks
Hello Partner Community – I am in search of Intune PowerPoint decks and wondering if anyone has links handy or can point me in the right direction.
Any type of deck would be great (pitch deck, overview), but I am also looking specifically for more technical focused decks on Intune that might cover configuration profiles, endpoint security configuration, app deployment, device enrollment, Autopilot, etc.
Thanks!
Hello Partner Community – I am in search of Intune PowerPoint decks and wondering if anyone has links handy or can point me in the right direction. Any type of deck would be great (pitch deck, overview), but I am also looking specifically for more technical focused decks on Intune that might cover configuration profiles, endpoint security configuration, app deployment, device enrollment, Autopilot, etc. Thanks! Read More
Not for profit password reset support
Hello. I was recently successful I setting up a Microsoft not for profit account for a community organisation I volunteer for. I have however had trouble logging in an asking for a password reset. I had been emailing the support team but they have not been replying to my emails as they said they couldnt verify my identity even though I provided them with everything they asked for. I am just trying to find out who I need to speak and what I need to do to reset the password as on the login screen there is no “reset password link” and the password I originally set doesn’t work. Any help with this much appreciated as I am doing this voluntarily and what I thought would be a very simple request is turning out to be very time-consuming. Many thanks
Hello. I was recently successful I setting up a Microsoft not for profit account for a community organisation I volunteer for. I have however had trouble logging in an asking for a password reset. I had been emailing the support team but they have not been replying to my emails as they said they couldnt verify my identity even though I provided them with everything they asked for. I am just trying to find out who I need to speak and what I need to do to reset the password as on the login screen there is no “reset password link” and the password I originally set doesn’t work. Any help with this much appreciated as I am doing this voluntarily and what I thought would be a very simple request is turning out to be very time-consuming. Many thanks Read More
Excel date formula for AM & PM at same date (for one month)
Hello, I saw in format Cells you can select date / 4/3/12 1:30PM and then go agan in the cell to personalize, but how it is working to have for instance 01/10/2024 AM and 01/10/2024 PM (… for the month)?
Hello, I saw in format Cells you can select date / 4/3/12 1:30PM and then go agan in the cell to personalize, but how it is working to have for instance 01/10/2024 AM and 01/10/2024 PM (… for the month)? Read More
Nesting IF formulas in same cell
I’m not great at writing formulas and usually find answers on forums like this to help me. I’m trying to put two formulas in one cell.
My issue:
Goal 1. I want to only add two cells if they both have values (i have figured out the formula for this: =IF(OR(ISBLANK(K14),ISBLANK(I14)),””,K14-I14 and it works fine.
Goal 2. I want to format the cell to subtract time to get total shift time, even if it’s after midnight. The problem here is, it won’t calculate correctly if the time goes after midnight. Example: shift started at 11 pm, and ended at 1 am… I have to enter a special formula to correctly formula after midnight. I do have a working formula for that: IF(I15>K15,K15+1,K15)-I15
NOW…. how do combine both formulas so I get the total if both values are present ANNNND format it correctly if the time goes past midnight.
My brain hurts – please help
I’m not great at writing formulas and usually find answers on forums like this to help me. I’m trying to put two formulas in one cell. My issue: Goal 1. I want to only add two cells if they both have values (i have figured out the formula for this: =IF(OR(ISBLANK(K14),ISBLANK(I14)),””,K14-I14 and it works fine. Goal 2. I want to format the cell to subtract time to get total shift time, even if it’s after midnight. The problem here is, it won’t calculate correctly if the time goes after midnight. Example: shift started at 11 pm, and ended at 1 am… I have to enter a special formula to correctly formula after midnight. I do have a working formula for that: IF(I15>K15,K15+1,K15)-I15 NOW…. how do combine both formulas so I get the total if both values are present ANNNND format it correctly if the time goes past midnight. My brain hurts – please help Read More
Find Hardware/firmware details for a specific device using API
My customer wants to see the Hardware/firmware and Software information for a specific device using PowerApp/Power Automate by leveraging MDE API.
There is a specific API call to get the software by device
GET /api/machines/{machineId}/software
But there is no similar API call to get hardware/Firmware info for a specific device. We only have
GET api/machines/HardwareFirmwareInventoryByMachine
GET /api/machines/HardwareFirmwareInventoryExport
However, these dont support any filtering. My customer is a large customer. Downloading the full list with pagination and filtering separately in real time is not an option. Is there an easier way to get hardware/firmware information for a device directly in the API call?
My customer wants to see the Hardware/firmware and Software information for a specific device using PowerApp/Power Automate by leveraging MDE API.
There is a specific API call to get the software by device
GET /api/machines/{machineId}/software
But there is no similar API call to get hardware/Firmware info for a specific device. We only have
GET api/machines/HardwareFirmwareInventoryByMachine
GET /api/machines/HardwareFirmwareInventoryExport
However, these dont support any filtering. My customer is a large customer. Downloading the full list with pagination and filtering separately in real time is not an option. Is there an easier way to get hardware/firmware information for a device directly in the API call?
Read More
Planner for Legal and DMS Integrations
Hi there,
Like the look of the new templates. Is Planner suitable for regulated industries like law? And does planner integrate with other document systems, or just Sharepoint/OneDrive?
Thanks
Hi there, Like the look of the new templates. Is Planner suitable for regulated industries like law? And does planner integrate with other document systems, or just Sharepoint/OneDrive? Thanks Read More
Are you happy and successful with Dynamics?
I’d love to chat with a mid-sized nonprofit (in the 20-50 staff range +/-) that is up and running with Dynamics (whether or not they are using F&E), using it across more than one department, and generally satisfied with how things are going.
I’m curious how much customization is in place, how much iteration has happened since go-live, what your tech stack looks like, how much is managed internally by an admin vs externally by a partner/managed services, and the LOE for getting an admin up to speed and/or expectations for ongoing partner support (cost, hours per month, etc).
To be totally transparent, we have found Dynamics more difficult to work in than expected and would like to understand from others whether our expectations are realistic or not. Thanks in advance to anyone willing to chat!
I’d love to chat with a mid-sized nonprofit (in the 20-50 staff range +/-) that is up and running with Dynamics (whether or not they are using F&E), using it across more than one department, and generally satisfied with how things are going. I’m curious how much customization is in place, how much iteration has happened since go-live, what your tech stack looks like, how much is managed internally by an admin vs externally by a partner/managed services, and the LOE for getting an admin up to speed and/or expectations for ongoing partner support (cost, hours per month, etc). To be totally transparent, we have found Dynamics more difficult to work in than expected and would like to understand from others whether our expectations are realistic or not. Thanks in advance to anyone willing to chat! Read More
Teams 2.0 on VDI, Teams Meeting Addin, tm889514
Anyone else experiencing the issue described in advisory tm889514? Or have a workaround?
Anyone else experiencing the issue described in advisory tm889514? Or have a workaround? Read More
Microsoft Copilot Academy now available to all Microsoft 365 Copilot users
In our effort to enable more customers to upskill their Copilot capabilities, we are excited to announce the Microsoft Copilot Academy is now available to everyone with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. This academy – curated by Microsoft experts – provides a comprehensive, structured learning experience designed to help users master the use of Copilot through hands-on learning activities and experiences. Click here to learn more about what Copilot Academy includes.
To access the academy in Viva Learning, users must have an assigned base Microsoft 365 or Office 365 license (in order to launch the free version of Viva Learning – see appendix 1 for a complete list of licenses that grant Viva Learning access) and a Microsoft 365 Copilot license (in order to view the academy). A paid Viva license is no longer required to access Copilot Academy. No additional registration or administrative action is required to start using Copilot Academy.
How to access Copilot Academy
There are two ways to access Copilot Academy – directly through the Viva Learning webapp, or from the Viva Learning Teams app by using the Academies dropdown navigation menu. Copilot Academy is available in 8 languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese.
Admin setup and configuration
Copilot Academy does not require registration or special steps to configure tenant access for users. While there is no access enablement necessary, for admins and knowledge managers that prefer to disable the Copilot Academy, they can do so in the admin tab of Viva Learning.
Looking ahead
We are continuing to enhance the Copilot Academy end-user experience. The following improvements are being made to improve the experience for all Microsoft 365 Copilot license holders:
Academy content updates and refinement: We continually assess the value and impact of individual courses. We will periodically add new content as it becomes available, and are always working to ensure the materials provided are helpful and of the highest quality.
Copilot Academy nudges (2024 Q4): these Teams notification nudges will encourage new users to try Copilot Academy and keep existing users in the loop for new Copilot Academy updates on a monthly basis.
The current Copilot Academy experience is the same whether or not you have a paid Viva Learning license. However, we plan to offer a few additional features for paid Viva Learning licensed organizations looking to customize their Copilot Academy experience. See below for a sneak peek at some upcoming premium features:
Copilot Academy duplication (2024 Q4): the ability for admins to duplicate and customize Copilot Academy. This will allow admins to copy the default Copilot Academy, customize the content according to their needs (including removing content and adding net-new content), and re-publish to their organization as a customized academy. This will also allow admins to duplicate learning paths and featured sets within the academy.
Multi-layer structuring (2025 Q1): the ability for the Copilot Academy to organize content and learning paths under multiple levels or tiers. This allows for a greater level of control and structure in the Copilot Academy experience.
Appendix 1: License SKUs that include a free version of Viva Learning
SKU
Microsoft 365 E3
Office 365 E1
Microsoft 365 A3 – Unattended License for faculty
Microsoft 365 E5
Office 365 E2
Microsoft 365 A3 for faculty
Microsoft 365 E5 without Audio Conferencing
Office 365 E3
Microsoft 365 A5 for faculty
Microsoft 365 F1
Office 365 E5
Microsoft 365 A5 with Calling Minutes for Faculty
Microsoft 365 F3
Office 365 E5 without PSTN Conferencing
Microsoft 365 A5 without Audio Conferencing for faculty
Office 365 A1 for faculty
Office 365 Education E1 for Faculty
Microsoft 365 Business Basic
Office 365 A1 for faculty (for Device)
Office 365 Education E3 for Faculty
Microsoft 365 Business Basic – Prepaid Legacy
Office 365 A1 Plus for faculty
Office 365 Education for Homeschool for faculty
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Quickly Diagnose Issues with Email Threat Policies
The Microsoft 365 commercial support team resolves customer support cases and provides support to help you be successful and realize the full potential and value of your purchase. Our support services extend across the entire lifecycle and include pre-sales, onboarding and deployment, usage and management, accounts and billing, and break-fix support. We also spend a considerable amount of time working to improve the supportability of Microsoft 365 services to reduce the number of issues you experience as well as minimize the effort and time it takes to resolve your issues if they do occur.
Today, we’re excited to share some insights on working with Exchange Online Protection (EOP) and Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (MDO).
Exchange Online Protection (EOP) and Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (MDO) provide cumulative layers of email security that include multiple threat policies. Some organizations choose our quick, “set-and-forget” preset policies, while others choose to customize their email threat policies for different sets of users, groups, domains and business requirements.
Determine your protection policy strategy.
Which policies apply to which recipients?
In Microsoft Customer Service and Support (CSS), we often hear from administrators who create custom policies and find it challenging to determine which threat policy applied to a user or a message, especially if the recipient is part of multiple groups or policies. Consistent and effective policy management can lower administrator overhead, confusion, and even security risks, (e.g. bad emails being delivered to users due to overrides, or good emails being blocked because of aggressive blocks.) With that, we’re happy to announce two new tools to help you diagnose policy issues quickly and efficiently!
Introducing: Email Threat Policy Diagnostic for a Recipient
Requirements: Network Message ID, Recipient address
Run the Email Threat Policy Diagnostic as an administrator in any admin portal (Microsoft 365 Admin Center, Microsoft Defender XDR, Exchange Admin Center, Compliance portal, etc.).
The quick link https://aka.ms/diagmdopolicy will 1) open the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and 2) prepopulate the Get Help field (“?”) with the diagnostic query.
Provide a Network Message ID and a recipient address for the Email Threat Policy diagnostic to show which policies applied when the message was received, and what policies covered the recipient.
Example 1: Testing Safe Links user exclusions
Your organization has three Safe Links policies defined. Joe works in the Threat Intelligence department, which commonly requires access for testing malicious links from email messages in a virtual environment. You decide to exclude Joe from Custom and Built-in policies to skip Safe Links processing.
Upon further testing, Joe still sees Safe Links applied to email messages with malicious URLs. After you collect a Network Message ID from Joe’s last test message, run the Email Threat Policy diagnostic. In this example, we will use these two pieces of input:
Network Message ID: 42715389-04ae-4577-d1a3-08dcbad6af8a
Recipient email address: joe@contoso.com
From the results, you’ll learn that the Standard Preset Security policy applied to this message. This is because Standard and Strict preset security policies take precedence over any custom and built-in policies and apply to your entire organization. To learn more about policy order and processing, see https://aka.ms/mdoorder.
Solution and validation:
Since your organization requires a higher degree of customizations, you decide to turn the Standard Preset Security policy Off .
Now that you only have two policies remaining (Custom and Built-in), and Joe is excluded from both, new test messages go through bypassing Safe Links.
Example 2: Testing why anti-malware policies fire on excluded attachments
You have multiple malware filtering policies that block different file attachments. The Custom malware policy is your latest policy that blocks all media file types, such as .mov, .mp4 and .mp3.
Joe stopped getting voicemail messages. You know your voicemail provider uses an .mp3 file type and upon investigation, you find these messages are quarantined unexpectedly. You collect the Network Message ID and recipient address and run the Email Threat Policy diagnostic to verify which policy is applied to the message.
Solution and validation:
Since the custom policy was recently defined to block all media file types, you decide to modify the policy and remove .mp3 from the list of restricted file types. To confirm, you can run the diagnostics using the Network Message ID from the quarantine, provide Joe’s recipient address, and find out that the “Custom Malware policy” applies.
Why Network Message ID (NMID)?
A network message ID is a unique message ID value that persists across copies of the message that may be created due to bifurcation or distribution group expansion. Here’s what one looks like in message headers:
X-MS-Exchange-Organization-Network-Message-Id: 185a3445-695c-464a-d44c-08dcb7d88102
OR a different x-header that links to the same NMID value:
X-MS-Office365-Filtering-Correlation-Id: 185a3445-695c-464a-d44c-08dcb7d88102
Learn more about NMID.
Notes:
When providing a recipient, use an Exchange Online (Microsoft 365) mailbox which received the message. If a message was sent to a group, trace the message to the individual recipient first, and then provide the recipient Network Message ID.
The diagnostic also works for outbound messages and similarly requires the Network Message ID and the recipient address.
In addition to threat policies applied to the message, this diagnostic can also be used to help you troubleshoot which inbound connector was used to receive the message. This information is available in extended message trace reports, but it is surfaced in the results for your quick reference, which is helpful if you’re using multiple connectors and inbound routing configurations.
Tip: Other self-help diagnostics are available for Exchange Online, Outlook and Microsoft Defender for Office 365. While these diagnostics can’t make any changes to your tenant without your consent, they offer insights into known issues and provide instructions to fix those issues quickly.
Introducing: Threat Policy Checker PowerShell Script
Requirements: No parameters are required to perform general inclusion logic checks. Provide a recipient address for the policies scoped to a particular user.
Use the Threat Policy Checker Script to identify and resolve policy inconsistencies, and to ensure threat policies in your organization apply as intended. The script performs several checks to help you find inconsistencies in user membership and policy application without needing to provide a specific Network Message ID. If issues are found, the script provides guidance on how to resolve them. It can help with such questions as
Are there confusing policies with conditions that lead to unexpected coverage or coverage gaps?
Which threat policies apply to a recipient, or should have applied but did not? No actual detection or Network Message ID needed.
Which actions would be taken on an email for each policy matched?
The script only runs in “Read” mode from Exchange Online and Microsoft Graph PowerShell. It does not modify any policies, and only provides actionable guidance for administrators for remediation.
Quick link: https://aka.ms/mdopolicycheck *
Parameters and Use Cases
MDOThreatPolicyChecker
Run the script without any parameters to review all threat protection policies and to find inconsistencies with user inclusion and/or exclusion conditions.
PS C:UsersxDesktop> .MDOThreatPolicyChecker.ps1
MDOThreatPolicyChecker.ps1 script version 24.08.02.1321
Connected to EXO
Session details
Tenant Id: aaaaaaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaa
User: Joe@contoso.com
No logical inconsistencies found!
Script Output 1: ‘No Logical inconsistencies found’ message if the policies are configured correctly, and no further corrections are required.
PS C:UsersxDesktop> .MDOThreatPolicyChecker.ps1
MDOThreatPolicyChecker.ps1 script version 24.08.02.1321
Connected to EXO
Session details
Tenant Id: aaaaaaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaa
User: Joe@contoso.com
Policy Custom antispam policy:
Type: Anti-spam Policy.
State: Enabled.
Issues:
-> Illogical inclusions of Users and Groups.
The policy will only apply to Users who are also members of any Groups you have specified.
This makes the Group inclusion redundant and confusing.
Suggestion: use one or the other type of inclusion.
Script Output 2: Inconsistencies found in the antispam policy named ‘Custom antispam policy‘, and consequent recommendations shown — illogical inclusions as both users and groups are specified. This policy will only apply to the users who are also members of the specified group.
-IncludeMDOPolicies
Add the parameter -IncludeMDOPolicies to view Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Safe Links and Safe Attachments policies:
PS C:UsersxOneDrive – MicrosoftAttachmentsDesktop> .MDOThreatPolicyChecker.ps1 -EmailAddress “Joe@contoso.com” -IncludeMDOPolicies
MDOThreatPolicyChecker.ps1 script version 24.08.02.1321
Connected to EXO
Session details
Tenant Id: aaaaaaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaa
User: Joe@contoso.com
Connected to Graph
Session details
TenantID: aaaaaaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaa
Account: Joe@contoso.com
Policies applied to Joe@contoso.com…
Malware:
Name: Custom Malware Policy
Priority: 0
Anti-phish:
Default policy
Anti-spam:
Default policy
Outbound Spam:
Default policy
For both Safe Attachments and Safe Links:
Name: Standard Preset Security Policy
Priority: 0
Script Output 3: Parameters -EmailAddress and -IncludeMDOPoliciesEOP specified to validate Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Safe Attachments and Safe Links policies, on top of Exchange Online Protection policies.
-ShowDetailedPolicies
To see policy details, run the script with the -ShowDetailedPolicies parameter:
PS C:UsersxDesktop> .MDOThreatPolicyChecker.ps1 -EmailAddress “Joe@contoso.com” -IncludeMDOPolicies -ShowDetailedPolicies
MDOThreatPolicyChecker.ps1 script version 24.08.02.1321
Connected to EXO
Session details
Tenant Id: aaaaaaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaa
User: Joe@contoso.com
Connected to Graph
Session details
TenantID: aaaaaaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaa
Account: Joe@contoso.com
Policies applied to Joe@contoso.com…
Malware:
Name: Custom Malware Policy
Priority: 0
Properties of the policy that are True, On, or not blank:
EnableFileFilter: True
FileTypeAction: Reject
FileTypes: ace apk app appx ani arj bat cab cmd com deb dex dll docm elf exe hta img iso jar jnlp kext lha lib library lnk lzh macho msc msi msix msp mst pif ppa ppam reg rev scf scr sct sys uif vb vbe vbs vxd wsc wsf wsh xll xz z txt
QuarantineTag: AdminOnlyAccessPolicy
RecommendedPolicyType: Custom
IsValid: True
Guid: ff6ba341-625a-4a0b-b32a-65e5625a6627
Anti-phish:
Default policy
Properties of the policy that are True, On, or not blank:
Enabled: True
ImpersonationProtectionState: Automatic
EnableMailboxIntelligence: True
TargetedUserProtectionAction: NoAction
TargetedUserQuarantineTag: DefaultFullAccessPolicy
MailboxIntelligenceProtectionAction: NoAction
MailboxIntelligenceQuarantineTag: DefaultFullAccessPolicy
TargetedDomainProtectionAction: NoAction
TargetedDomainQuarantineTag: DefaultFullAccessPolicy
AuthenticationFailAction: MoveToJmf
SpoofQuarantineTag: DefaultFullAccessPolicy
EnableSpoofIntelligence: True
EnableViaTag: True
EnableUnauthenticatedSender: True
HonorDmarcPolicy: True
DmarcRejectAction: Reject
DmarcQuarantineAction: Quarantine
RecommendedPolicyType: Custom
IsValid: True
Guid: bf512d2b-bc3b-4843-a01c-433a02fd6bab
Anti-spam:
Default policy
Properties of the policy that are True, On, or not blank:
QuarantineRetentionPeriod: 15
TestModeAction: None
MarkAsSpamEmptyMessages: Test
MarkAsSpamBulkMail: On
MarkAsSpamNdrBackscatter: On
IsDefault: True
HighConfidenceSpamAction: Quarantine
SpamAction: Quarantine
BulkThreshold: 7
ZapEnabled: True
InlineSafetyTipsEnabled: True
BulkSpamAction: MoveToJmf
PhishSpamAction: MoveToJmf
IntraOrgFilterState: Spam
HighConfidencePhishAction: Quarantine
RecommendedPolicyType: Custom
SpamQuarantineTag: Notification policy
HighConfidenceSpamQuarantineTag: Notification policy
PhishQuarantineTag: DefaultFullAccessPolicy
HighConfidencePhishQuarantineTag: AdminOnlyAccessPolicy
BulkQuarantineTag: DefaultFullAccessPolicy
IsValid: True
Guid: 191b78dc-9221-4a2c-b51c-208a186e931a
Outbound Spam:
Default policy
Properties of the policy that are True, On, or not blank:
IsDefault: True
ConfigurationType: HostedOutboundSpamFilterPolicy
ActionWhenThresholdReached: BlockUser
RecommendedPolicyType: Custom
AutoForwardingMode: On
Guid: 5a6504d0-b3e8-4dda-8060-94e03f9813c6
IsValid: True
For both Safe Attachments and Safe Links:
Name: Standard Preset Security Policy
Priority: 0
Preset policy settings are not configurable but documented here:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-office-365/recommended-settings-for-eop-and-office365#microsoft-defender-for-office-365-security
Script Output 4: Parameters -EmailAddress,-IncludeMDOPolicies, and -ShowDetailedPolicies list all EOP and MDO policies applied to a user and their full details.
* Please read the disclaimer when running the script. The scripts are not supported under any Microsoft standard support program or service. The sample scripts are provided AS IS without warranty of any kind. Please use GitHub to report issues to the developers.
We hope these tools help you evaluate and diagnose issues related to the order and precedence of email protection policies better. Do you have questions or feedback about Microsoft Defender for Office 365? Engage with the community and Microsoft experts in the Defender for Office 365 forum.
Important resources:
Email Threat Policy Diagnostic
Threat Policy Checker Script
Get started with Microsoft Defender for Office 365
Order and precedence of email protection
Preset security policies
Anti-spam message headers
Message trace in the new EAC in Exchange Online (NMID)
Self-help diagnostics for issues in Exchange Online and Outlook
Alex Hudish is a Senior Supportability Program Manager in the Customer Service & Support (CSS) Supportability Team focused on Security and Microsoft Defender for Office 365
Ross_Parkel is a Senior Technical Support Escalation Engineer in Customer Service & Support (CSS) focused on Security and Microsoft Defender for Office 365.
Mithun_Rathinam is a Senior Technical Support Escalation Engineer in Customer Service & Support (CSS) Beta Team focused on Security and Microsoft Defender for Office 365
Marc Nivens is a Senior Technical Support Embedded Escalation Engineer on the Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Team.
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Join us for OneDrive Office Hours | September 2024
Are you ready to connect with OneDrive product makers this month? We’re gearing up for the next call!
Join the OneDrive product team live each month on our monthly OneDrive Customer Office Hours to hear what’s top of mind, get insights into roadmap updates, and dig into a special topic. Each call includes live Q&A where you’ll have a chance to ask the OneDrive product team any question about OneDrive – The home of your files.
Use the Teams link to register and join live: link to register to webinar. Each call is recorded and made available on demand shortly after. Our next call is Wednesday, September 18th, 2024, 8:00am – 9:00am PDT.
This month’s special topic: “OneDrive Picker integration in Office Web apps” with @Liz Scoble, Senior Product Manager on the OneDrive team at Microsoft.
OneDrive Customer Office Hours – September 18th, 2024, 8am PDT. Special guest, Liz Scoble, to share more about our special topic this month: “OneDrive Picker integration in Office Web apps.”
Our goal is to simplify the way you create and access the files you need, get the information you are looking for, and manage your tasks efficiently. We can’t wait to share, listen, and engage – monthly! Anyone can join this one-hour webinar to ask us questions, share feedback, and learn more about the features we’re releasing soon and our roadmap.
Note: Our monthly public calls are not an official support tool. To open support tickets, go to see Get support for Microsoft 365; distinct support for educators and education customers is available, too.
Learn more on our upcoming event: Microsoft OneDrive: AI Innovations for a New Era of Work and Home
Stay up to date on Microsoft OneDrive adoption on adoption.microsoft.com.
Join our community to catch all news and insights from the OneDrive community blog.
Follow us on X: @OneDrive.
Thank you for your interest in making your voice heard and taking your knowledge and depth of OneDrive to the next level.
You can ask questions and provide feedback in the event Comments below and we will do our best to address what we can during the call. 😎 Register and join live: https://aka.ms/OneDriveCommunityCall
See you there, Rob Nunez (Product Marketing Manager – Microsoft)
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Consolidating update management for enterprises
Update management for enterprise customers has been unified into a single solution, Windows Autopatch. The functionality formerly known as Windows Update for Business deployment service has been woven into Windows Autopatch, offering a more cohesive and streamlined update experience. With this change, you can use Windows Autopatch to simplify all aspects of keeping your Windows devices up to date—automation helps ensure seamless update deployment for the Windows OS, Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft Edge.
How Windows Autopatch simplifies update management
In the fast-paced world of IT, efficiency and simplicity are not just goals—they are a necessity. As an IT professional, you’re tasked with managing complex systems and ensuring that those systems are up to date and secure. This is where Windows Autopatch comes in, offering a unified approach to update management that streamlines your update processes and enhances system reliability and security.
Windows Autopatch features a new, unified dashboard, designed to make update management easier and more efficient. When you access Windows Autopatch in the Microsoft 365 admin center, you’ll see four main sections:
Update policies: Create and manage update policies that define when and how updates are installed on your devices. Choose from predefined policies or create your own custom ones. Assign different policies to different update groups, giving you more flexibility and control over your update strategy.
Update groups: Organize your devices into tailored update rings, or Autopatch groups, based on criteria such as device type, location, department, or function. Apply different update policies and schedules to each group to help ensure updates are delivered in a way that suits your business needs and minimizes disruptions. Monitor and manage the update status of each group from the dashboard.
Update status: View the update status of all your devices at a glance. See which devices are up to date, which are being updated, which need updates, and which encountered issues. Drill down into the details of each device, such as the update history, current version, and error codes. If needed, take actions such as retrying or pausing updates, or downloading update logs for troubleshooting.
Update reports: Generate and download update reports for insights and analytics on your update performance and compliance. Choose from various report types, such as update compliance, quality, deployment, and inventory. Filter and customize reports by date, device, group, policy, or update. Use reports to evaluate your update effectiveness, identify issues, and optimize your update processes.
The benefits of a unified update management system
The move to unified update management with Windows Autopatch offers tangible benefits that go beyond simplification:
Reduced complexity: With Windows Autopatch, the days of juggling multiple update tools and policies are over. A single, streamlined service manages everything, freeing up your IT team to focus on more strategic initiatives. Additionally, Autopatch deployment rings and careful rollout sequences minimize disruptions, allowing for updates to be planned and executed with minimal impact on the organization.
Enhanced compliance and security: With Autopatch, maintaining compliance with industry standards and regulations becomes more manageable, as updates are consistently applied across the board. Timely updates are also crucial for security. Autopatch’s automated system ensures that all devices receive the necessary updates as soon as they’re available, closing security gaps more effectively.
Better resource allocation: By automating update management, IT resources can be reallocated to areas that drive innovation and growth for the business. Automating routine tasks also reduces the need for manual intervention, cutting down on labor costs and the potential for human error.
Embrace the future of update management
Fully integrating the Windows Update for Business deployment service into Windows Autopatch reflects an important evolution in Windows update management. By utilizing a unified dashboard with centralized control, you can more easily manage updates for devices across your organization so they can be kept current and secure.
With Windows Autopatch, you’re not just updating your systems; you’re upgrading your entire update management strategy with an effortless shift to a unified service. And, you’re able to leverage the benefits of this change without any new licensing. The licensing requirements are unchanged from today. Looking ahead, as our endpoint management systems continue to evolve, you can be confident the familiar, trusted features, including API access, will be preserved.
Come learn about the benefits of unified update management in person at Microsoft Ignite November 19-22, 2024, in Chicago. You can also check out the Windows Autopatch documentation or watch a demo.
Stay tuned for more updates and thank you for being a part of this exciting journey!
Continue the conversation. Find best practices. Bookmark the Windows Tech Community, then follow us @MSWindowsITPro on X and on LinkedIn. Looking for support? Visit Windows on Microsoft Q&A.
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