Frequently Asked Questions:

What's the difference between Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive? Where are files actually being stored?

These are all services provided by Microsoft 365. All files, regardless of how they're uploaded (Teams, OneDrive, or directly to SharePoint) are all stored in SharePoint.

Teams is a collaboration tool that allows you to make phone and video calls, chat, and share & co-edit files.

SharePoint is a cloud storage solution offered by Microsoft that allows you to group data into sites. These sites allow you to manage access via groups, are accessible via the web, allow you to organize your data in the way that works for you, and allow you to incorporate visual elements into your site.

OneDrive is a Microsoft service that provides a portal for you to access the files that you've stored in the Microsoft cloud and the files that have been shared with you.

See these Microsoft support documents for more information:

• Collaborating with Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive (microsoft.com)
• Should I save files to OneDrive or SharePoint? (microsoft.com)

What application(s) can be used to view files uploaded to Teams?

When you create a Team, Microsoft builds a SharePoint site in the background. This site will be the default repository for files that you add to your Team. When you want to access the files you've added to your team, the natural place to do so is within Teams. Since the files are stored in an underlying SharePoint site, you have the option to view the files using the SharePoint service or the OneDrive service. Choosing how you access the files will depend a lot on your own preferences and what you want to do with the files. 

To see version history of documents, do I have to view them in SharePoint, or can I view them in Teams?

Teams will only show the most recent version of a file. In order to see a file's version history, you need to access the file from the SharePoint site.

You can choose to search for the file in SharePoint directly, or from Teams you can right-click on the file, click on more options, and then open in SharePoint. There you can click the more options button to access the file versions. 

What are the retention policies for files or chat history in Teams? Where are those set and what are they set to?

Currently, the retention policy for files in Teams is set to never delete. Users have the option to delete any file or chat that belongs to them, but there are no automated processes in place that would remove an item from Teams. The Microsoft 365 support team, with feedback from the Security team and Records and Information Management team, is working to build a retention scheme for the Teams environment.

How does U of I Box integrate with Teams?

The default storage location in Teams is a SharePoint site that gets created when the Team is built. Users have the ability to designate alternative cloud storage with the following options: DropBox, Box, Egnyte, ShareFile, and Google Drive. We have an Answers KnowledgeBase article (https://answers.uillinois.edu/108149) with the steps to connect a Teams channel to a U of I Box folder. If you choose to connect your Team to a U of I Box folder, there are a few things you'll need to remember:

• Members of your team will also need accounts in Box, which may not be the case for some guest accounts.
• You can override the permissions you set on your Box folder when you connect it to your Team.
• The native Microsoft web applications available in Teams won't be used on files that are stored in Box when you go to edit; you'll be directed back to Box. 

When you create a team, you also add specific people to a group, which automatically grants access to files that you've uploaded into the Teams channel. When you choose to connect your Team to a U of I Box folder (or any other alternative cloud storage option), file permissions are set in that cloud storage's permissions, not in Teams.

Why and how do chats in Teams create "Microsoft Teams Chat Files" in Box? Who has permission to that?

When you upload a file into a Teams Chat, those files belong to you and by default are stored in SharePoint. OneDrive is your personal access point to the SharePoint files you own, so you'll find a folder there titled "Microsoft Teams Chat Files". If you instead upload the file into U of I Box (and connect your U of I Box account to this Team), then you'll find a folder in Box titled "Microsoft Teams Chat Files". Not all users will have this folder in their Box. The permission on this folder should be limited to just the owner.    

What best practices are there for document and file repositories and retention?

When you're dealing with files that are private to you, OneDrive is the recommended service to access those files. Files that are relevant to a group or department should be uploaded to a Team or SharePoint site, where either service would be appropriate to access those files. Regarding retention, our current policy is to leave items in place indefinitely, but allow users to delete anything that belongs to them. The Microsoft 365 support team, with feedback from the Security team and Records and Information Management team, is working to build a retention scheme for the Teams environment. 

Are there plans for training on SharePoint and OneDrive to help customer better understand how the three tools work together?

Some of the Teams training videos that have been uploaded to Media Space discuss this topic. You can find courses on LinkedIn Learning that discuss SharePoint and OneDrive. The Training Services team offers courses on cloud storage that you can find listed on their calendar site.  

What happens to my files when I delete a Team?

Teams can be deleted by anyone that is listed as a Team Owner. When a Team is deleted, all associated data is also removed from Microsoft 365 including the SharePoint site behind the Team and all files. This Microsoft support document goes into greater detail explaining what is removed and from where. If a Team is deleted in error, it will be recoverable for 30 days by a Microsoft 365 admin.  

Can a unit or team limit staff ability to upload files to only U of I Box or a different cloud storage solution?

Why do different people see a different number of teams and different teams when clicking the Join/Create a Team button?

When clicking the Join/Create a Team button, customers may see a variety of public (not requiring an invitation) teams available to join. The teams that a customer sees are unique to that customer and is populated automatically. The selection of teams show to each customer is based on whether those teams have members that you collaborate with (i.e., attend meeting with, have VOIP calls with, or exchange emails with). This feature cannot be disabled.