Solved: Change default object store to Sharepoint

Wiktor_Jurek · 07-11-2022 06:28 AM

EDIT: It's been confirmed by the devs that when using SQL-based table sources, it is impossible to choose what image storage provider you want to use outside of GCP or Amazon buckets. This means you are locked into the cloud provider your account is associated with. If it's Google, it's Google Drive, if it's M365, it's Sharepoint/Dropbox etc.

Original Post:

Hi,

I have recently moved our application instance from Microsoft to Google. I successfully copied the applications over, and re-connected the DB data sources, however, when uploading images, they're being put in the Google Drive storage location - this is understandable, as "By default, images and files captured by the app are stored in the cloud file system associated with the app owner's account".

I need to change this back to SharePoint ASAP. I know I can configure custom object stores, but AppSheet only supports custom DB's, GCP and Amazon S3 buckets.

I need to find a way to link it back to SharePoint, but there doesn't seem to be an answer to this.

Please note that I have completed all steps in this guide, however, all this does is creates folders in Google Drive that start with SHAREPOINT_SITE_ID. Not ideal.

Edit: Some important information that was unearthed from the discussion below:

Our main data store is SQL, not spreadsheets.
We are now operating from a Google-based account, not a Microsoft one
Although not explicitly stated, it seems from the documentation that there's no way to override the default store if you're using SQL. If someone can disprove that, that would be great, if not, looks like there's no solution to this.

Aleksi

Yes. I double checked this from our connectors devs as you are not able to select SharePoint as an object store.

View solution in original post

WillowMobileSys

The account used for login dictates which cloud file system is used by default. Only with an Enterprise account can you specify alternate cloud storage services. See image.

If is critical to source your images from Sharepoint then you may need to switch back to the Microsoft account.

I am curious why you switched to Google in the first place? Was there some capability you were hoping to gain?

Wiktor_Jurek

@WillowMobileSys wrote:
The account used for login dictates which cloud file system is used by default. Only with an Enterprise account can you specify alternate cloud storage services. See image.
If is critical to source your images from Sharepoint then you may need to switch back to the Microsoft account.
I am curious why you switched to Google in the first place? Was there some capability you were hoping to gain?

To your first point; we have an enterprise plan, and this only covers cloud storage services, of which SharePoint isn't one, unfortunately.

To your second point, that isn't an option as we could only have a commitment deal applied to our account through a new Google environment, as suggested by the AppSheet sales representatives.

To your third point, it's mainly because of the above. We wanted bespoke pricing, and sales mentioned that it couldn't be applied to the old instance.

WillowMobileSys

But isn't Sharepoint under the Microsoft umbrella? I am not very familiar with Microsoft cloud services and less so with their Sharepoint access.

I thought you would setup Microsoft Cloud Provider access and then can, under that Microsoft access retrieve from the underlying Sharepoint. Is that not the case?

Wiktor_Jurek

I had assumed so - it's simple enough to set up a data link to a sharepoint spreadsheet, the real trouble I'm having is setting the default file/image location for Appsheet objects to be in Sharepoint. All applications default to Google Drive, and I don't seem to be able to override that so that images save to SharePoint.

SkrOYC

I don't know what are you doing wrong but I use sharepoint with no problems at all.

If you say you have a Drive account is because you are using a Google account instead of a Microsoft one.

Also, make sure you conect your sharepoint as a data source first.

https://www.appsheet.com/Account/Account/Sources

Edit 1: I'm sorry, I didn't see you moved from Microsoft to Google. You can't have your data inside GDrive and expect the files to be on MS Sharepoint, since part of the files (the ones uploaded through the app, as well as images) check a path relative to the spreadsheet

Wiktor_Jurek

Hello

I *am* using a Google account, but want to access SharePoint through this Google account. I've added the Office account I'd like to integrate as a source, too.

In my application properties, I have the sharepoint site ID as the default.

SkrOYC

I think you can still have your enterprise account and your data inside an excel file on sharepoint, you should have any problems

Wiktor_Jurek

That's correct, AppSheet quite happily talks to Excel files, this question is to do with File and Image locations.

SkrOYC

If your spreadsheet is an excel file inside your sharepoint, I don't see a problem with AppSheet.

Maybe you did something wrong while configuring Sharepoint

Wiktor_Jurek

There is no spreadsheet - we're using Azure-based SQL servers for the table store.

SkrOYC

Gotcha! So no luck.

Afaik, you just have two options while using SQL:

Files are saved on the creator provider's storage (GDrive on this case)
You have a storage bucket

Wiktor_Jurek

If that truly is the case, then I see this causing a lot of friction. I hope someone has a bit more insight as to how this could be achieved. We were promised a seamless switch by Google.

SkrOYC

I don't trust Google at all.

Also, I hope I'm not hurting anybody but the sales team is not the most technical or even AppSheet-versed people in the world

SkrOYC

https://support.google.com/appsheet/answer/10106599?hl=en#image-and-file-columns

So I may be wrong:

In the case of an SQL Server provider, images and files are always stored in the main cloud file system associated with the app creator's primary AppSheet account, be it Google Drive, Dropbox, Office 365, or Box.

Can you check if your Sharepoint ID is correct?

Also make sure your Default folder path uses two //

Like this:

SHAREPOINT_SITE_ID_domain.sharepoint.com_XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX_XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX//Apps//

https://www.appsheet.com/Account/Account/Settings

Wiktor_Jurek

It seems like from the wording here:
"images and files are always stored in the main cloud file system associated with the app creator's primary AppSheet account"

Unfortunately, this means Google Drive for us, no?

In our case, the sharepoint site id looks like this:

SHAREPOINT_SITE_ID_<tenant_domain>.sharepoint.com_xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx_xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx//General

SkrOYC

@Wiktor_Jurek wrote:
It seems like from the wording here:
"images and files are always stored in the main cloud file system associated with the app creator's primary AppSheet account"
Unfortunately, this means Google Drive for us, no?

Seems like it.

Idk if @Steve have some inputs on this but it seems to me that it's locked on your account.

I don't know why someone on sales would tell you to adquire an Enterprise plan using a Google account instead of a Microsoft one. It seems anticompetitive

WillowMobileSys

@Wiktor_Jurek

Base on the image I posted earlier, with an Enterprise plan it seems you CAN specify an explicit cloud source provider AND it seems you can specify a DIFFERENT provider for each table.

From what I have read, it seems like you would create a Microsoft cloud provider access within your Enterprise account, assign it to your table - NOTE all FILES and IMAGES for that table will go to that provider. Then on the Microsoft side you would setup access to the Sharepoint location and surface that through your Microsoft Cloud account.

Another option, if possible, is to create a process that "shuttles" your images from Sharepoint to Google for the app to access. There are several integrator services that can detect when new images are inserted and then automatically copy them to the Google location.

Wiktor_Jurek

Yes, you can provide a different cloud source provider for each table. Unfortunately, SharePoint is not a valid cloud object provider.

"it seems like you would create a Microsoft cloud provider access within your Enterprise account, assign it to your table". I don't exactly know what you mean by that. Here are my options:

Changing the source path won't change where the images are stored, only the data table.
Changing the column order list won't do anything we care about.
Changing the data source won't work, plus, we're locked into using SQL.
Changing she source ID is the same as above.
CHanging the Store for image and file capture only supports changing to Amazon EC2, Google Cloud Buckets and a SQL server. In our case, we want SharePoint, which isn't an option.

Creating an image pipeline between two clouds is not an option; it introduces a point of failure and there are robustness requirements for this application. I'll think about workarounds as soon as I'm absolutely certain that AppSheet can't store images on SharePoint when SQL data tables are used.

Steve

I have no experience with enterprise accounts, nor with image storage anywhere but Google Drive.

@Aleksi, do you have some insight?

Aleksi

Yes that's true. Only those 3 object stores are supported right at the moment as mentioned here.. https://support.google.com/appsheet/answer/10106769?hl=en

Wiktor_Jurek

Is this confirmation that there's no way to store images on SharePoint from a Google user account while running SQL data stores?

Aleksi

Yes. I double checked this from our connectors devs as you are not able to select SharePoint as an object store.