Content source:SharePoint Maven
Microsoft 365 offers several tools that companies can use, but it’s important to understand their strengths and weaknesses before you do a full file migration.
For example, SharePoint and Teams make it easy to secure department files and keep them sharable within a team, however you may find the file structure getting unwieldy if you’re not careful and don’t have a policy in place for creating Teams sites.
Another area where you could have some trouble is if you're not aware of the current syncing limitations that Microsoft has in place for SharePoint Online.
Technology success depends on seeking out the best workflow and utlising tools that fit your company's needs. This means going in eyes wide open when it comes to any major change in the cloud apps you’re using and how you’re using them.
SharePoint has some excellent features, including offering a way to power dynamic lists, apply group security policies to department files, and share files using a company intranet. However, it also has some limitations that it’s important to be aware of.
#1 Limitation of the Number of Files You Can Sync in a Library
If you use OneDrive for file storage and are planning to move to a SharePoint system, you’re going to run into a file syncing difference that can cause major headaches.
In a OneDrive library, you have the ability to sync up to 20,000 items, including files and folders.
But in a SharePoint library, you can only sync up to 5,000 items. If you try to add more, you’ll find that you run into syncing problems and all items will not be captured.
You can get around this by separating items into several SharePoint libraries so that you only have up to 5,000 items in each. You can also “hide” folders from the sync app, allowing other files to sync, by using a permission level of “Restricted Read” on the folder.
#2 300,000 Item Sync Limit for OneDrive Sync
Another limit you’ll potentially run into when working in SharePoint and trying to sync files with OneDrive is a 300,000-document limit.
The maximum of 300,000 files is across all locations being synced. However, this isn’t a strict limit, it's more like a guideline. But it does cause problems when users try to sync files, though it is uncommon to have 300,000 or more files that you need to sync.
You can avoid this issue by not storing over 300,000 files in all synced document libraries or only syncing certain libraries, but not all of them.
#3 400 Character Limit on Path URL
One limit that you can hit pretty quickly, depending upon how you name your folders and how far you nest your files, is the URL limit. You can use up to 400 characters in a URL pathname, which includes the names of the main folder, subfolders, and file name.
What can happen is that if you already have long folder names, and a multi-folder path to your file, you can end up trying to name a file and get a warning message that you’re over the 400 character limit. It can be frustrating if you only have 2-3 characters left for a file name.
You can avoid running into problems with this limitation by planning your file structure out ahead of time. Limit the length of the folder names and flatten the structure, meaning only nest about two to three folders in.
#4 256 Character Path Limit in Windows
We discussed the 400-character limit on file names in SharePoint, but there is also one that relates to Windows PCs that you can run into.
Windows has a 256-character limit on file names. If you’re trying to sync SharePoint files with a Windows PC you can run into this issue if you try to create folders, rename files, copy documents, etc.
Mitigations would be to prevent syncing for your SharePoint document libraries and Windows PC, flatten the hierarchy within your libraries to shorten the file path, or to use metadata in SharePoint.
#5 Items Are Deleted from the Recycle Bin After 93 Days
It’s important to know file retention policies when you’re using cloud applications. It’s even more important to be backing up your Microsoft 365 platform separately so you won’t lose any files accidentally.
If you have a SharePoint file in the recycle bin, it will be deleted after 93 days, or possibly sooner if the recycle bin size quota has been hit. This could cause files to be lost if they’re deleted accidentally and it’s not found out until after the retention policy expires.
NetCare has a solution to ensure you never lose files due to cloud platform retention limits in Microsoft 365. NetCare Backup Success ensures that all files in SharePoint and your entire cloud account are backed up securely, so you always have an independent copy, no matter what.
Plan Your Technology Success with NetCare
NetCare can help your business with proper cloud strategy planning that anticipates challenges and creates productive solutions. This includes Microsoft 365 backup solutions that ensure you always have a copy of your cloud documents.
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