15 SharePoint Online Interview Questions and Answers

SharePoint Online is a cloud-based service that helps organizations share and manage content, knowledge, and applications to empower teamwork, quickly find information, and seamlessly collaborate across the organization. As part of the Microsoft 365 suite, it integrates with other Microsoft services, providing a robust platform for document management, workflow automation, and business intelligence.

This article offers a curated selection of interview questions designed to test your understanding and proficiency with SharePoint Online. By reviewing these questions and their detailed answers, you will be better prepared to demonstrate your expertise and problem-solving abilities in a SharePoint Online environment.

SharePoint Online Interview Questions and Answers

1. Describe the process of creating a new site collection.

Creating a new site collection in SharePoint Online can be done through the admin center or via PowerShell. The process involves accessing the SharePoint Admin Center, creating a new site collection, configuring settings like site name and URL, assigning permissions, and customizing the site collection with libraries and lists.

2. How do you implement version control in document libraries?

Version control in document libraries allows tracking changes and managing document versions. To enable it, navigate to the library settings, select “Versioning settings,” and choose between major or major and minor versions. Configure additional settings like the number of versions to retain and content approval requirements.

3. What are the different permission levels available and how do you manage them?

SharePoint Online offers predefined permission levels: Full Control, Edit, Contribute, Read, and View Only. Manage permissions through the SharePoint interface, PowerShell, or by using SharePoint groups to simplify the process.

4. How would you use the REST API to retrieve items from a list?

To retrieve items from a list using the REST API, make HTTP requests to the SharePoint server. Use jQuery’s $.ajax method to send a GET request to the API endpoint, specifying the site URL and list name. The response will be in JSON format.

var siteUrl = "https://your-sharepoint-site-url";
var listName = "YourListName";

$.ajax({
    url: siteUrl + "/_api/web/lists/getbytitle('" + listName + "')/items",
    type: "GET",
    headers: {
        "Accept": "application/json; odata=verbose"
    },
    success: function(data) {
        console.log(data.d.results);
    },
    error: function(error) {
        console.error(error);
    }
});

5. Explain how to deploy a custom SPFx web part.

Deploying a custom SPFx web part involves setting up the development environment, creating the web part, testing locally, packaging the solution, uploading to the App Catalog, deploying, and adding the web part to a SharePoint page.

6. Describe how to use PnP PowerShell to manage SharePoint Online.

PnP PowerShell extends SharePoint Online management capabilities. Install the module, connect to your environment, and perform tasks like managing site collections and permissions.

# Install the PnP PowerShell module
Install-Module -Name "PnP.PowerShell"

# Connect to a SharePoint Online site
Connect-PnPOnline -Url "https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite" -UseWebLogin

# Retrieve and display a list of site collections
Get-PnPTenantSite

7. How do you configure and use Managed Metadata?

Managed Metadata allows centralized management of terms and term sets, improving content organization. Access the Term Store Management Tool to create and manage terms, which can be used in columns across lists and libraries.

8. Explain how to create and use site designs and site scripts.

Site designs and site scripts automate site provisioning and configuration. Create site scripts in JSON format, add them to SharePoint, create site designs by combining scripts, and apply them when creating new sites.

{
  "$schema": "schema.json",
  "actions": [
    {
      "verb": "createSPList",
      "listName": "CustomList",
      "templateType": 100,
      "subactions": [
        {
          "verb": "setTitle",
          "title": "Custom List"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "bindata": {},
  "version": 1
}

9. How do you integrate SharePoint Online with Microsoft Teams?

Integrate SharePoint Online with Microsoft Teams by adding a SharePoint document library as a tab in a Teams channel. This allows collaboration on documents without leaving Teams, with changes reflected in SharePoint.

10. How would you use Graph API to access resources?

Microsoft Graph API provides a unified endpoint for accessing SharePoint Online resources. Authenticate using OAuth 2.0, then make HTTP requests to Graph API endpoints to interact with SharePoint data.

import requests

# Replace with your tenant-specific values
tenant_id = 'your-tenant-id'
client_id = 'your-client-id'
client_secret = 'your-client-secret'
resource = 'https://graph.microsoft.com'
auth_url = f'https://login.microsoftonline.com/{tenant_id}/oauth2/v2.0/token'

# Get access token
auth_response = requests.post(auth_url, data={
    'grant_type': 'client_credentials',
    'client_id': client_id,
    'client_secret': client_secret,
    'scope': 'https://graph.microsoft.com/.default'
})
access_token = auth_response.json().get('access_token')

# Access SharePoint site
site_url = 'https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/sites/your-site-id'
headers = {
    'Authorization': f'Bearer {access_token}'
}
response = requests.get(site_url, headers=headers)

print(response.json())

11. Explain how to create a custom search result page using modern search.

To create a custom search result page, add “Search Box” and “Search Results” web parts to a modern page. Configure the “Search Results” web part to customize queries and display templates. Optionally, add “Search Filters” for refining results.

12. Describe the process of migrating content from on-premises SharePoint to SharePoint Online.

Migrating content from on-premises SharePoint to SharePoint Online involves planning, preparation, and execution. Assess the current environment, define migration scope, clean up content, configure SharePoint Online, choose a migration tool, and validate the migrated content.

13. How do you secure communication between SharePoint Online and external applications?

Secure communication between SharePoint Online and external applications using OAuth 2.0 for authentication, HTTPS for data encryption, and Azure Active Directory for identity management. Grant specific API permissions to external applications to ensure they only access necessary resources.

14. Explain the importance of governance and compliance.

Governance in SharePoint Online involves establishing policies and processes to control platform use, while compliance ensures adherence to standards. Features like data loss prevention, eDiscovery, and audit logs help meet compliance requirements.

15. What are the best practices for managing external sharing?

Best practices for managing external sharing include defining clear policies, using SharePoint groups, setting expiration dates for sharing links, monitoring activity, enabling multi-factor authentication, limiting permissions, using secure links, and regularly reviewing access.