AI Document Read with Microsoft SharePoint Syntax

Adnan Umar
5 min readJun 16, 2024

--

In an era where the digital transformation of workplaces is not just an option but a necessity, Microsoft AI Builder stands out as a pivotal tool in redefining how we manage and interact with our documents and data.

Our reliance on technology, from Microsoft Teams facilitating our communications to SharePoint libraries organizing our files, necessitates a smarter approach to document processing.

SharePoint Syntax, powered by Microsoft AI Builder, represents a leap forward, offering intelligent document processing capabilities that extend beyond mere storage, into realms like document translation, optical character recognition, and even contracts management.

This initiative not only streamlines workflow but also imbues our digital work environment with a level of efficiency and sophistication previously unattainable.

We will delve into Microsoft SharePoint Syntax, uncovering its significance in modern document management, and exploring its key benefits.

It will include details on SharePoint Syntax features, how it can merge PDF files with ease, its integration with Microsoft 365 backup solutions, and OneDrive for Business.

There are practical applications in business, showcasing how SharePoint Syntax can be utilized for everything from image tagging to generating documents, and even implementing SharePoint eSignature processes.

Our goal is to equip you with the knowledge to revolutionize your workflow with AI, making your business more efficient and your document management processes more intelligent.

Understanding Microsoft SharePoint Syntax

What is SharePoint Syntax?

Microsoft SharePoint Syntax is a cutting-edge service within Microsoft 365, leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning for intelligent document processing.

It transforms the way organizations find, organize, and classify documents across SharePoint libraries, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive for Business, and Exchange.

By automating content-based processes, Syntax captures information from any documents and turns it into actionable knowledge, significantly reducing the need to sift through files 48 manually.

The Role of AI in Document Management

AI plays a pivotal role in SharePoint Syntax by employing advanced machine teaching and AI models to amplify human expertise. This enables the automation of content processing and the transformation of content into knowledge.

SharePoint Syntax uses AI to extract metadata for process automation, enhancing security, compliance, and the overall efficiency of document management within an organization.

Features and Capabilities

SharePoint Syntax offers a plethora of features and capabilities designed to streamline document management processes.
Key features include:

  1. Content Understanding and Processing: Utilizes AI and machine learning to automatically find, organize, and classify documents, turning them into valuable insights.
  2. Document Understanding Models: These models, based on Azure Cognitive Services, are created and managed within a Syntax content center and can be published across any library within the system .
  3. Form Processing Engine: An AI Builder-based engine that recognizes and extracts common values from documents, such as dates and names, without the need for coding.
  4. Integration with Microsoft Graph: Connects remote sources like Azure SQL and third-party sources to the Microsoft Graph, making content searchable across Microsoft 365.
  5. Content Compliance and Management: Employs retention and sensitivity labels to manage documents, ensuring compliance and better data management.
  6. AI Builder Models: Allows for the creation of AI Builder models in SharePoint for structured and freeform document processing, with training data securely stored in Microsoft Dataverse.

By leveraging these features, SharePoint Syntex empowers organizations to automate business processes, improve search accuracy, manage compliance risk, and much more, making it an invaluable tool in the realm of document management.

Key Benefits of Using SharePoint Syntax for Document Management

Automated Content Processing

Microsoft SharePoint Syntax significantly enhances document management by automating content processing.

This capability is powered by content AI and advanced machine learning, which thoughtfully find, organize, and classify documents across various platforms including SharePoint libraries and Microsoft Teams.

By automating these content-based processes, Syntax captures information from business documents and transforms it into actionable knowledge, eliminating the need for manual file sorting and data extraction.

Improved Accuracy in Data Extraction

The AI models within SharePoint Syntax are designed to improve the accuracy of data extraction from documents.

These models can automatically identify and extract key information from both structured and semi-structured documents like invoices or receipts, as well as unstructured documents such as letters or contracts.

This leads to a significant reduction in manual efforts and errors, streamlining document processing tasks and allowing organizations to gain valuable insights from their data.

Enhanced Search Functionality

SharePoint Syntax offers enhanced search functionality through its content query feature, allowing for specific metadata-based queries on SharePoint document libraries.

This makes it possible to conduct faster, more precise searches based on specific metadata column values rather than just keywords.

Additionally, new functionality extends the Advanced Search to include custom columns from Syntax models, enabling users to perform advanced searches over large amounts of content 20 quickly.

Streamlined Compliance and Governance

One of the key benefits of SharePoint Syntax is its ability to streamline compliance and governance. By understanding content and automatically applying retention labels and sensitivity labels, Syntax ensures better data management and compliance control.

This automated application of labels helps enforce security and compliance policies, reducing the risk of noncompliance. Moreover, SharePoint Syntax integrates with Microsoft Information Protection & Governance, further enhancing security and governance across the organization.

Exploring SharePoint Syntax Features in Detail:

Content Assembly and Automation

We’ve found that Microsoft Syntax greatly simplifies the creation of repetitive business documents such as contracts and service agreements.

By utilizing modern templates created from existing documents, we can automate the generation of new documents using SharePoint lists or manual entries as data sources.

This process not only saves time but also ensures consistency and reduces errors across our document creation tasks.

Prebuilt and Custom Document Processing Models

Microsoft Syntax offers both prebuilt and custom document processing models, catering to a variety of document types.

The prebuilt models, including those for contracts, invoices, and receipts, use optical character recognition combined with deep learning to identify and extract predefined text and data fields.

Custom models can be created for documents that don’t fit these categories, providing flexibility in processing structured, semi-structured, or unstructured documents. This versatility allows us to efficiently process various document types, significantly enhancing our document management capabilities.

Image Tagging and Taxonomy Management

The image tagging feature in Microsoft Syntax has been a game-changer for managing images in SharePoint document libraries.

We can easily search, sort, filter, and manage our image content by automatically tagging images with descriptive keywords.

Additionally, Syntax’s taxonomy tagging uses AI to label and organize documents by automatically tagging them with keywords from our SharePoint term store, streamlining the categorization and retrieval of documents in our libraries.

Document Translation and eSignature

Syntax also offers document translation, supporting a wide range of file types and languages. This feature allows us to maintain the original format and structure of the document while translating it, facilitating seamless communication across different language speakers within our organization.

Furthermore, SharePoint eSignature simplifies the process of obtaining document signatures, providing a secure and compliant method for signing and sharing documents internally and externally. This integration not only enhances our workflow but also ensures the authenticity and verification of our documents.

Read more

--

--