Create a Smart List using a SharePoint Connection

QorusDocs Smart Lists can be connected to SharePoint Online Lists so selected list data can be synchronized into QorusDocs and used in Pursuits and Smart Templates.

This article explains how to configure a Smart List using a SharePoint Connection, create a SharePoint-connected Smart List, synchronize data from SharePoint Lists, and map that data to Smart Fields.

Before you begin, make sure you have the required QorusDocs Hub access, SharePoint permissions, and access to the SharePoint List that will be used as the data source.

Considerations before you begin: 

• SharePoint-connected Smart Lists use a one-way synchronization model. Data is synchronized from SharePoint into QorusDocs only. Changes made in QorusDocs are not written back to SharePoint.

• Any fields in SharePoint that contain Rich Text will import their underlying HTML. These embedded styles can override Smart Layout styling, causing inconsistent fonts, sizes, colors, and spacing. Before using Rich Text fields from a Smart List in a Smart Layout, the content must be cleaned to remove or normalize the HTML, and this cleanup is work that must be performed via a QorusDocs custom integration. NB: Rich text is only a problem in the SharePoint field if the plan is to use it with Smart Layouts later.

In this article you will learn the main steps when connecting Smart Lists to SharePoint which are as follows:

• Prerequisites
• Configuring the SharePoint connection
• Creating a SharePoint Smart List
• Creating Smart Fields using SharePoint data

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• QorusDocs Admin access to the Hub.

Configuring the SharePoint connection

To learn how to setup a SharePoint Smart List Connection, click here. 

Creating a SharePoint Smart List

Once the SharePoint connection has been configured, a Smart List can be created using SharePoint as the data source.

1. Navigate to the Smart Lists tab and Add a SharePoint Smart List.
   
2. Enter a name for the Smart List and then select the SharePoint connection that was configured previously.
   
3. Enter the full URL of the SharePoint list you want to connect to.
   
4. Click on Retrieve fields to load the fields returned by the SharePoint list.
   
5. You can then define how the returned fields should behave within the Smart List:
   
   1. Reorder: Use the drag handle to change the order in which fields appear within the Smart List.
   2. Name: The display name of the field within the Smart List. 
   3. Reference: The SharePoint column reference returned from the SharePoint List. For standard SharePoint columns, this is typically the internal column name, such as ID, Title, Created, Modified, or a custom column name defined in the SharePoint List.
   4. Type: QorusDocs attempts to automatically identify the data type returned by SharePoint and verify whether the detected type is correct before saving the Smart List. The detected type determines how the field data is stored and used within QorusDocs. Supported field types include Short Text, Number, Date Time, Yes/No, and Image.
   5. Search: Determines whether users can search against this field when using the Smart List. When the Smart List is used in a Lookup Smart Field, searchable fields help users find the correct SharePoint record in the lookup list. When the Smart List is used in a Smart Layouts Content Source, searchable fields help users locate the SharePoint records they want to insert into a document or presentation.
   6. Filter: You don't need to set this unless you will be using this Smart List with Smart Layouts. Determines whether the field can be used as a filter when users view or select Smart List records. When the Smart List is used in Smart Layouts, filterable fields are especially useful because users may need to narrow down a large set of SharePoint records before selecting the records to insert. For example, users might filter records by Client, Region, Industry, Service Line, Status, Category, Owner, or any other SharePoint column available in the list.
   7. Visible: You don't need to set this unless you will be using this Smart List with Smart Layouts. Determines whether the field is displayed to users when viewing Smart List records. When the Smart List is used in Smart Layouts, visible fields appear in the record-selection view, allowing users to review and compare SharePoint records before selecting them. For example, users may need to see Title, Client Name, Status, Category, Region, Owner, Description, or other business-specific columns to determine which records to include.
   8. Required: Required fields are important for both Lookup Smart Fields and Smart Layouts because they help ensure that each synchronized SharePoint record contains the data needed for searching, filtering, selection, mapping, or final layout insertion.
      For Smart Layouts, mark a field as required when the layout template, filtering experience, or record-selection process depends on that value. For example, if every inserted record must include a Title, Client Name, Description, Status, Category, or Image URL, those fields should be required.
   9. X: You can click on the X to delete the field row. 
       

6. You also need to configure a Unique Identifier field to ensure records synchronize correctly and duplicate records are not created during future synchronizations.

   The Unique Identifier specifies the field that uniquely identifies each record in the Smart List. QorusDocs uses this value to manage record synchronization and updates. For SharePoint Lists, the built-in ID column is usually the safest unique identifier because it is automatically generated and unique for each list item.

   The field users search for and select in the Lookup Smart Field does not have to be the same as the Unique Identifier. In most cases, use a user-friendly field, such as Title, Client Name, or Opportunity Name, as the lookup display/search field, while retaining the SharePoint ID as the unique record identifier.

   
    

7. If you enable the Automatic Sync check box, once the Smart List is saved, the Smart List Connector automatically retrieves and synchronizes the SharePoint data into QorusDocs. Synchronization occurs automatically each day at 08:00 SAST, although you can also manually trigger synchronization at any time.

   

   Any updates in the original source system of record automatically update the Smart List available in QorusDocs during the next synchronization cycle, ensuring that updated information is available for new Pursuits. 

   Because the connector retrieves data directly from SharePoint, Smart Lists can be configured to retrieve data from any SharePoint entity that the authenticated user has access to.

Creating Smart Fields using SharePoint data

After the SharePoint Smart List has synchronized successfully, Smart Fields can be created using the synchronized SharePoint data.

Here's the recommended approach when creating the Smart Fields:

• Identify the Single Select Lookup Smart Field

Start by identifying the field that users will use to find and select the Smart List record in QorusDocs, for example, Account Name. This field will be presented to users as a searchable drop-down menu within the Pursuit. Do not create it yet. Create the related Smart Fields first.

• Create the related Smart Fields

Create a Smart Field for each of the remaining fields that should be populated from the Smart List, such as Company, Industry, Region, Service, Solution, Account, or Close Date. These can be Text, Date Time, Number, Yes/No, or Image Smart Fields.

• Create the Single Select Lookup Smart Field

Once the related Smart Fields have been created, create the Single Select Lookup Smart Field. During configuration, specify the related Smart Fields and define which Smart List values should populate each field.

To create the Smart Fields, follow the steps below.

1. Navigate to the Smart Fields area in the Hub and select Add Smart Field.

   

2. For each field that should be populated automatically, check whether the Smart Field already exists. If it does not, create a new Smart Field as usual using the appropriate Smart Field type, such as Text, Date Time, Number, Yes/No, or Image.
    
3. Create a Single Select Lookup Smart Field Type and select the SharePoint Smart List as the Smart List containing the lookup values you would like to use for this field.
   
4. Choose the Smart List field that should appear in the dropdown list for users. The dropdown will consist of the lookup values you would like to use for this field.
   
5. Configure the Related Fields by mapping each Smart List field to the corresponding QorusDocs Smart Field that should be populated when the user selects a SharePoint record.
   
6. Save the Lookup Smart Field and test it in the relevant Pursuit Type or Smart Template.