⚓ Copilot Studio: Uploading Files vs. Adding SharePoint Sites as Knowledge Sources – A Pirate’s Guide to Smart AI Agents
- Tristan Danic
- Jul 14
- 3 min read
As ye chart a course through the high seas of Microsoft Copilot Studio, one question often echoes through the crew:
Should I upload files from SharePoint, or add an entire SharePoint site as a knowledge source?
Though they may seem like two ships sailing the same waters, these options serve very different purposes.
So grab yer compass, and let’s navigate the difference like true digital buccaneers! 🧭
⚓Starting point
First of all, let's start with a blank new agent 🦑
⚓ Option 1: Upload Files/Folders with SharePoint
This be the more hands-on approach.
You select specific files or folders from yer SharePoint treasure trove and upload them directly into yer Copilot’s knowledge base.
🤨 How it works:
Browse yer SharePoint libraries.
Select the files or folders ye want.
Files are uploaded and indexed as static knowledge.
Your files are stored in Dataverse, where they're processed and indexed for use.
Your files and folders remain in Dataverse, so they do consume data storage.
🦜 Best for:
Tight control over what yer Copilot knows.
Small, curated collections of documents.
When yer content doesn’t change often (like a map to buried treasure 🦈).
🧭 Pros:
Simple to manage.
Great for quick pilots or targeted use cases.
Supports common formats like PDF, DOCX, and PPTX.
⚠️ Limitations:
Documents that were protected using sensitivity labels "Confidential" or "Highly Confidential", or have password protection, can't be indexed. If added, these types of documents show as ready for use but don't provide responses.
The maximum file size is 32 MB.
Document libraries are not supported
🏴☠️ Difference between Classical Files and SharePoint Files Upload:
Uploading files requires that you reload the file if changes were made to the file, so, if the file is updated, updates aren't reflected in the uploaded version unless manually updated.
With SharePoint, files and folders that are added are synchronized, so changes are updated automatically.
⚓ Option 2: Add SharePoint Sites as a Knowledge Source
Now this be the mighty galleon of knowledge sourcing!
Instead of uploading files, point yer Copilot to an entire SharePoint site like a vast island full o’ secrets.
🤨 How it works:
Provide the site URL (e.g., https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/hr-policies).
Copilot Studio uses Microsoft Search and Graph to crawl the site.
It indexes pages, lists, and documents.
Generative AI helps summarize and answer questions based on the content.
🦜 Best for:
Dynamic, evolving content.
Large intranet sites with multiple libraries and pages.
When ye want yer Copilot to think like a seasoned navigator.
🧭 Pros:
No need to upload or manage individual files.
Automatically reflects updates made to the site.
Supports semantic search and natural language Q&A.
⚠️ Considerations:
Requires proper permissions and indexing.
May need site structure optimization for best results.
Not ideal for highly restricted content unless access is tightly controlled.
If Restricted SharePoint Search is enabled, use of SharePoint is blocked.
If you are using the SharePoint Site option, make sure to activate the Tenant graph grounding with semantic search in order to improved the search performance.
⚓ Summary:
Choose Yer Knowledge Source wisely and keep in mind:
Feature | Upload Files/Folders | Add SharePoint Site as Source |
Storage Location | ✅ Aye! | ✅ Aye! |
AI Summarization | ✅ Aye! | ✅ Aye! |
Dynamic Updates | ✅ Manual / Automatic | ✅ Automatic |
Setup Complexity | ✅ Simple | ⚠️ Moderate |
Best For | Small, static content sets | Large, evolving knowledge bases |
Indexation | Quite lengthy for each document | Quick but less complete |
🏴 Final Thoughts from the Captain’s Quarters 🧐
When building a Copilot in Microsoft Copilot Studio, the knowledge source ye choose can make or break yer voyage.
Use Upload Files when ye need tight control over yer content.
Use Add SharePoint Site when ye want AI-powered, dynamic knowledge that scales with yer crew.
Choose wisely, and yer Copilot will guide users through stormy seas to the answers they seek! 🌊
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