Guide to SharePoint Data Access in Blockbrain
Guide for Blockbrain users on choosing between SharePoint delegated access (Agent) and Knowledge Management Indexing (EPL Pipeline)
When integrating SharePoint with Blockbrain, users can choose between two main approaches:
A. Knowledge Management Indexing (EPL Pipeline)
B. SharePoint Delegated Access via Agent
This guide explains when to use each method, their pros and cons, and provides practical use-cases.
Data Volume
Small/Medium or Selective
Large
Cost
Higher (for large data)
Lower (selective access)
Answer Quality
High (Blockbrain controls search/indexing)
Limited (MS Graph API dependent)
Search/Analytics
Full
Limited
Use-Case
Comprehensive KM, Selective
Selective, cost-sensitive, agentic
Multi-Tool Workflows
No
Yes
Control of Search
Blockbrain
SharePoint (Microsoft Graph API)
Decision Criteria
A. Knowledge Management Indexing (EPL Pipeline)
When to Use:
You need high-quality, comprehensive search and answers across your selected/specific SharePoint folders or files.
Your SharePoint data volume is manageable (not extremely large).
You want specific documents/folders indexed for advanced knowledge management features.
How it Works:
The platform triggers an ETL pipeline to index selected SharePoint data (not the entire SharePoint).
Data runs through Blockbrain’s knowledge extraction and indexing pipeline.
Blockbrain controls the search and retrieval queries on its own index, enabling advanced and customizable search.
Pros:
Best answer quality and search experience.
Full content of indexed files is available.
Enables advanced analytics and knowledge discovery.
Selective indexing: You can choose only the folders/files you need.
Cons:
High cost for large data volumes (gigabytes/terabytes).
Indexing large SharePoint sites or many folders can cause cost spikes.
Not suitable for massive datasets.
B. SharePoint Delegated Access via Agent
When to Use:
Your SharePoint contains large volumes of data (many GBs or TBs).
You want to limit costs by only connecting specific files or folders.
You need on-demand access to selected SharePoint content.
You want to combine SharePoint access with other agentic actions (e.g., drafting emails, cross-checking CRM, generating charts).
How it Works:
The Agent connects to SharePoint with delegated access.
You choose which files/folders to connect—no indexing or data extraction on our platform.
Extraction, indexing, and search are controlled by SharePoint (Microsoft Graph API), not Blockbrain.
Agentic tools can combine SharePoint actions with other workflows.
Pros:
Cost-effective for large datasets.
Flexible—connect only what you need.
Avoids unnecessary indexing and storage costs.
Can combine SharePoint access with other tools (e.g., email drafting, CRM checks, chart generation).
Cons:
Answer quality and search capabilities are limited by the Microsoft Graph API (not by our platform). Note: We cannot influence the search quality provided by the API. For most use cases, this is sufficient.
Not all content is available for AI-powered insights.
Currently, it does not support SharePoint search folders.
More information on SharePoint access via Agent: SharePoint Agent.
Use-Cases
Use-Case 1: Small/Medium SharePoint Site
Scenario: A team wants to search and analyze project documents (few GBs).
Recommendation: Use Knowledge Management Indexing for best results.
Use-Case 2: Large Enterprise SharePoint
Scenario: An organization has several TBs of archived data but only needs to access current project files.
Recommendation:
Use Selective Indexing to index only the required folders via Knowledge Management, if advanced search is needed.
Alternatively, use SharePoint Delegated Access via Agent for on-demand, cost-effective access.
Use-Case 3: Cost-Sensitive Project
Scenario: A department has a tight budget and only needs to access a handful of files for a short-term project.
Recommendation: Use Delegated Access to avoid unnecessary indexing costs.
Use-Case 4: Cross-functional Tool Usage
Scenario: A user needs to read a file from SharePoint, draft an email with its content, and cross-check information in a CRM.
Recommendation: Use SharePoint Delegated Access via Agent to enable multi-tool workflows.
Recommendations
For best answer quality and full knowledge management:
Use Knowledge Management Indexing (EPL Pipeline) for small to medium data volumes, or selectively index only the folders you need.
For large datasets, cost control, or agentic workflows:
Use SharePoint Delegated Access via Agent to connect only what you need and combine with other tools.
Tip: Always assess your data volume, business needs, and workflow requirements before choosing the integration method.
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