#Automated Import for SharePoint Site Collections

To set up profiles to discover newly created SharePoint site collections in schedule and automatically import the site collections, complete the following steps in order:

#1. Create a Scan Profile to Discover Site Collections

To ensure AvePoint Cloud Governance can automatically import the newly created site collections, you must create a scan profile first. Complete the following steps to create a scan profile:

1. Navigate to AvePoint Online Services > Auto discovery > Scan profiles.

2. Create a scan profile.

   • Select Microsoft 365 > SharePoint site as the object type.

   • If you want to import all site collections that will be created in Microsoft 365, you can choose Express mode.

   • If you want to import the site collections that meet specific rules, for example, the site collection Template Title is Team Site, you can choose the Advanced mode.

   • Make sure a scan schedule is configured in the scan profile settings.

   For details on creating a scan profile, see Manage Scan Profiles.

#2. Create an Automatic Import Profile

In AvePoint Cloud Governance, navigate to Settings > Import Existing Microsoft 365 Objects > Automatic Import, create a profile, and configure the following settings in the profile:

1. Object Type – Choose Site collection.

2. Profile Name and Description – Enter a name and an optional description for the profile.

3. Automatic Import Method – Choose a method for confirming imported site collections’ governance details.

   • Predefine governance details – If you do not require end users’ confirmation for site collection governance details and you want to predefine site collection governance details, you can select this option. The import process for site collections will be fully automated.

   • Require end user confirmation – If you require end users to confirm the governance details for the newly imported site collections, you can select this option. A task will be generated and assigned to end users. When end users finish confirming the site collection governance details, the import process completes.

4. Notes to Primary Contact (This field will appear only when you choose Require end user confirmation as the Automatic Import Method.) – Enter the notes that you want to be displayed for the primary site collection contact. Your notes can help them decide if they are the correct contact and help them fill in missing site collection information.

5. Object Scope – Define the scope for this profile to scan for new site collections. Select one or more containers that were configured in AvePoint Online Services.

6. Automatic Import Schedule – Configure the Interval and Start time for the automatic import process. Configure the interval by entering a number in the text box and selecting Day(s), Week(s), or Month(s) as the unit of time. Click the calendar button to select the start date and time for the automatic import process.

7. Custom Data Source (This field will appear only when you choose Require end user confirmation as the Automatic Import Method.) – Choose whether to Retrieve site collection properties from a custom data source. If you enable this option, you must prepare a published Web Service, which connects AvePoint Cloud Governance to the custom data source.

   1. Enter the URL of your published Web Service in the Web Service address text box.

   2. Select Anonymous Access or Microsoft Entra Authentication as the authentication type that will be used to access the Web Service. If you select Microsoft Entra Authentication as the authentication type, you must enter the Client ID of Microsoft Entra application in the text box.

      NOTE

      To use the Microsoft Entra account to access the Web Service, you must configure your App service application first. Refer to the following Microsoft technical article to configure your App service application: Configure your App Service or Azure Functions app to use Microsoft Entra sign-in.

   3. Click Retrieve to retrieve the methods in the Web Service.

   4. Select your desired method from the drop-down list.

   5. If there are parameters defined in the selected method, the parameters are displayed in a table. Enter the value for each parameter in the corresponding text box.

   NOTE

   This field is only available when you choose the Require end user confirmation as the Automatic Import Method.

8. Import Options – Configure the following import options:

   NOTE

   If you enable the custom data source and the following properties are included in your data source, you can skip the following options. If one property is included in your data source and you also configure it here, the property in your data source will be applied to site collections.

   • Primary site collection contact – Enter the name of a user who should be responsible for the newly imported site collections, or enter $ to select from the following roles:

     • $Primary site collection administrator

     • $Site collection owners group

     • $Site property (“Property name”) – Enter the full role name, such as $Site property (“Manager”).

     You can choose whether to Notify the primary contact when the site collection is imported to Cloud Governance. If you enable the notification, select an email template for the notification email.

   • Notification emails for confirm governance details task assignment – Select an email template that will be used to send a notification email to the primary site collection contact, when the contact has a site collection assigned for confirming governance details.

     NOTE

     This field appears only when you choose the Require end user confirmation as the Automatic Import Method.

   • Secondary site collection contact – You can specify a user as the secondary site collection contact. Enter the name of a user, or you can enter $ to select from the following roles if you choose Predefine governance details as the Automatic Import Method:

     • $Primary site collection administrator

     • $Site collection owners group

     • $Site property (“Property name”) – Enter the full role name, such as $Site property (“Manager”).

     You can choose whether to Notify the secondary contact when the site collection is imported to Cloud Governance. If you enable the notification, select an email template for the notification email.

   • Site collection policy – Select a site collection policy for the newly imported site collections if you choose Predefine governance details as the Automatic Import Method.

     If you choose Require end user confirmation as the Automatic Import Method, choose one of the following methods to assign the site collection policy:

     • Select a site collection policy for all site collections that will be imported by this automatic import profile. Then, select Assign by IT Admin from the drop-down list. You can choose whether to show the selected policy to business users when they confirm governance details. Select either Show as Read-Only to Business User or Hide from Business User.

     • Define the site collection policy scope for business users and allow them to select policies when they confirm governance details for the imported site collections. Select multiple policies and select a default policy. Note that if you set None for the default policy, business users will be required to select a policy during the confirm governance details process. Then, select Assign by Business User from the drop-down list.

   • Keep site collection quota during the import process – If you deselect this option, the site collection quota configured in the site collection policy will replace the site collection’s original quota.

   • Automatically enable AvePoint Cloud Governance App – If you select this option, the AvePoint Cloud Governance App will be automatically added to the site collections when the site collections are successfully imported to AvePoint Cloud Governance. The app provides Microsoft 365 end users with easier access to AvePoint Cloud Governance without having to leave the site collection interface.

     For details, refer to Install the Cloud Governance Panel.

   • Metadata – You can select metadata that you want to apply to the newly imported site collections. Click Add Metadata. In the Add Metadata window, select metadata and click Add to List. You can also create or edit metadata in this window.

   • Choose whether to Synchronize the property value from the site property bag as the metadata value when the property name is the same as the metadata name.

9. Duration and Escalation (This field will appear only when you choose Require end user confirmation as the Automatic Import Method.) – You can Specify a duration for the entire automatic import process that requires end user confirmation. Enter a number in the text box and select Day(s), Week(s), or Month(s) as the unit of time. If the confirm governance details task is not completed within the duration, the import process of site collections will be overdue. You can monitor the status in the Site Collection Report.

   • Choose whether to Send a reminder email to the primary contact before the confirmation task is overdue. If you choose to send the reminder email, select a reminder profile from the drop-down list or click Create new to configure a new profile. For details on how to configure a reminder profile, refer to Configure Reminder Profiles for Upcoming Expiration.

   • You can choose to Enable automated site collection locking as the escalation action for the overdue site collection automatic import process. If the primary contact doesn’t complete the confirm governance details task after the task has been overdue for a specified amount of time, the site collection will be locked.

     1. Choose the site collection locking type: Lock site collection in “no access” status or Lock the site collection in“read-only” status. Enter a number in the text box and select Day(s), Week(s), or Month(s) as the unit of time. The site collection will be locked if the overdue confirm governance details task is not completed after a specified amount of time.

     2. Choose whether to Send a reminder email to the primary contact before the site collection is locked. With the checkbox selected, select a reminder profile from the drop-down list or click Create New to create a new one. For more information on configuring a reminder profile, refer to Configure Reminder Profiles for Upcoming Expiration.

     3. You can choose to Notify the following people when the site collection is locked. Select the checkbox and enter usernames in the text box. You can also enter $ to select from the roles $Primary site collection administrator and $Site collection owners group. For a detailed description of the roles, refer to Appendix F - Supported Variable Roles.

        Select an email template from the drop-down list to notify the people specified above when the site collection is locked.

10. Start Date for Object Lifecycle – Choose one of the following options to define the lease start date for the newly imported site collections:

    • Object created date – The date when a site collection is created in Microsoft 365 will be used as the lease start date.

    • Object imported date – The date when a site collection is successfully imported to AvePoint Cloud Governance will be used as the lease start date. Note that this option will appear only when you choose Predefine governance details as the Automatic Import Method above.

    • Object governance details confirmed date – The date when a primary site collection contact confirms governance details of a site collection will be used as the lease start date. Note that this option will appear only when you choose Require end user confirmation as the Automatic Import Method above.

    • Specific date – Select a date as the lease start date.

11. Administrator Contact – The administrator contact can monitor the automatic import process. If the default primary contact, the user specified by the default primary contact, or the preceding user does not know who the correct primary contact is, the administrator contact will be responsible for confirming governance details for site collections. Enter the name of a user or group (Microsoft 365 Group, distribution group, or mail-enabled security group) as the administrator contact. Then, select email templates to notify the administrator contact in the following circumstances:

    • When site collections are discovered and imported into AvePoint Cloud Governance.

    • When the primary site collection contact finishes confirming governance details for site collections.

12. Report Export Location – Select a report export location to store the import result report and the site collection information report.

13. Click Save on the ribbon to save the profile.

    NOTE

    Site collections with the ongoing import process, ongoing confirm governance details task, or overdue confirm governance details task cannot be imported to AvePoint Cloud Governance via other automatic import jobs.

#3. Monitor Automatic Import Results

In the Job Status tab, you can monitor the status and results of automatic import jobs. When a job status changes to Completed, it indicates that the newly discovered site collections have been successfully imported to AvePoint Cloud Governance.

If the job status changes to Completed with Exception, it indicates that one or more site collections are not successfully imported. Follow the steps below to view the import results:

1. Select the automatic import job and click Download on the ribbon.

2. Select a location to save the import result file.

3. Navigate to the location where the import result file is saved and open the file.

4. The Result column shows the import result.

   • Successful indicates the site collection has been successfully imported.

   • Failed indicates the site collection is not imported. You can refer to the details in the Comment column for troubleshooting.

   NOTE

   All root site collections will be excluded from the import process and will not be imported to AvePoint Cloud Governance.