Glossary
Active Directory
Active Directory (AD) is a directory service developed by Microsoft for Windows domain networks. It provides a centralized platform for managing and storing information about network resources, including users, computers, and services. Active Directory facilitates authentication and authorization, allowing administrators to control access to resources and enforce security policies across the network.
Adaptive Card Extension (ACE)
An Adaptive Card Extension (ACE) is a type of SharePoint Framework component that renders as a card with a quick view on a Viva Connections dashboard and in SharePoint pages, and as a card in the Viva Connections mobile app.
Admin Consent
Admin consent is the approval by a tenant administrator that grants an application the permissions it requests on behalf of all users in the organization. It is required for application permissions and for delegated permissions that are high-privilege or that the organization restricts.
App Catalog
The App Catalog is a special SharePoint site that stores apps for SharePoint, Teams, and other Microsoft 365 services. Global or SharePoint administrators can upload and manage applications from the AppSource marketplace, custom-developed apps, or third-party apps for the organization's internal use. There can be only one tenant-level App Catalog in a tenant; site collection app catalogs can be added for individual site collections.
App Page
An app page in SharePoint Online is a specialized type of page designed to host a single web part or app. It provides a focused, full-page experience dedicated to a specific functionality, allowing the app to use the entire page space without other distractions. This layout is ideal for scenarios requiring a large amount of data display or complex interactions, such as dashboards, data entry forms, or detailed reports.
App Registration
An app registration is the process of registering an application in Microsoft Entra ID so that it can use the Microsoft identity platform to authenticate users and call protected APIs such as Microsoft Graph. The registration defines the application's identity, credentials, redirect URIs, and API permissions.
Application Customizer
An application customizer is a type of SharePoint Framework extension that adds scripts to a page and provides access to well-known HTML placeholders, such as the page header and footer, so that they can be customized on every modern page of a site.
Application Permissions
Application permissions allow an application to run without a signed-in user, for example as a background service or daemon. They always require administrator consent, and the application has access to all data covered by the permission.
AppSource
Microsoft AppSource is a global online marketplace with applications and services created for Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power BI, Power Platform, and other Microsoft services. AppSource allows you to find, purchase, and deploy applications in your organization's tenant.
Azure AD (Active Directory)
Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is a cloud-based identity provider that allows employees in your organization to sign in and get access to Microsoft 365 as well as many other SaaS applications. Azure AD has been renamed Microsoft Entra ID.
Azure Artifacts
Azure Artifacts is the Azure DevOps service that lets teams create, host, and share packages, such as NuGet, npm, Maven, and Python packages, from public and private sources.
Azure Boards
Azure Boards is the Azure DevOps service for planning, tracking, and discussing work across teams, using work items, backlogs, Kanban boards, and sprints.
Azure DevOps
Azure DevOps Services (formerly Visual Studio Team Services) is a cloud-based product that provides version control, requirements management, automated pipelines for builds and releases, and testing capabilities.
Azure Pipelines
Azure Pipelines is the Azure DevOps service that automatically builds, tests, and deploys code to any platform, using continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD).
Azure Repos
Azure Repos is the Azure DevOps service that provides Git repositories or Team Foundation Version Control (TFVC) for source control of your code.
CAML
Collaborative Application Markup Language (CAML) is a case-sensitive, XML-based language used in SharePoint to define data definition objects such as lists, document libraries, views, content types, fields, and data rendering elements. For example, CAML can be used to build a query that filters and retrieves data from lists or libraries.
Column Formatting
Column formatting is a way to customize how fields in lists and libraries are displayed by using a JSON definition, for example to show icons, colored indicators, or links, without writing code.
Communication Site
A communication site is a type of SharePoint site designed to broadcast news, reports, and other information to a broad audience. Most users have read-only access, while a small group of authors manages the content.
Conditional Access
Conditional Access is a Microsoft Entra ID capability that evaluates signals such as user, location, device, and risk, and then applies policies that grant, block, or limit access to resources, for example by requiring multifactor authentication.
Consent Framework
The consent framework is a part of Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD). An application that needs to access directory data must be registered in the organization's directory, and an administrator or a user must grant consent to it. Only after consent is given may the client application call Microsoft Graph on behalf of the user or on its own behalf.
Content Type
A reusable collection of settings and metadata that defines a specific category of information, such as documents or list items. It includes metadata fields and document templates, enabling consistent management and organization of similar items across lists and libraries.
Copilot Studio
Microsoft Copilot Studio is a low-code platform for building and publishing conversational agents (copilots) and for extending Microsoft 365 Copilot, using natural language and a graphical authoring canvas.
Crawled Property
A crawled property in SharePoint search stores content and metadata that the crawler extracts from an item, such as the text of a document, its author, or its title. A crawled property is not retrievable in search results but can be mapped to one or more managed properties.
Custom Action
A custom action represents a link, ribbon component, menu item, or toolbar item. A custom action can be bound to a list type, content type, or file type.
Custom Connector
A custom connector is a wrapper around a REST API that allows Power Automate, Power Apps, and Copilot Studio to communicate with a service for which no prebuilt connector exists.
Delegated Permissions
Delegated permissions allow an application to act on behalf of a signed-in user. The effective access of the application is the intersection of the permissions granted to the application and the permissions of the user.
Document Library
A special type of list that stores files, folders, and information about them. Like a list, a document library can contain personal or shared views, item-level permissions, and so on.
Dynamics 365
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a cloud-based set of SaaS applications and services that combines customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP).
Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement
Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement is a family of Dynamics 365 applications for sales, customer service, marketing, and field service, which run on Microsoft Dataverse.
Event Receiver
An event receiver is a piece of code that handles events raised within a site, list, or document library.
Extension Attributes
Extension attributes in Microsoft Entra ID are additional properties that can be added to the default set of attributes provided by the service. They allow organizations to extend the Microsoft Entra ID schema with custom data fields that are specific to their business needs.
Farm
A farm is a group of servers that work together to provide SharePoint services and deliver functionality to end users.
Farm Solution
A farm solution is a package that can be deployed to an on-premises SharePoint farm. A farm solution has full access to system resources and to other sites on the farm. Farm solutions are not supported in SharePoint Online.
Feature
A feature is a set of SharePoint elements (artifacts), such as site columns, content types, web parts, application pages, custom actions, list templates, list instances, and others.
Feature Scope
A feature scope is the level at which a feature is defined. A feature can be defined for a farm, web application, site collection (Site), or site (Web).
Field Customizer
A field customizer is a type of SharePoint Framework extension that changes how a field is rendered in list views by replacing the default display of the field values with custom HTML.
Full-Width Section
A full-width section in SharePoint Online is a layout option that allows content to span the entire width of the page, providing a more immersive and visually impactful presentation for elements such as images and videos.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a European Union regulation that governs the collection, processing, storage, and transfer of personal data of individuals in the EU and the European Economic Area, and gives individuals rights over their data.
Home Site
A home site is the SharePoint communication site that is designated as the top-level landing site of the organization's intranet. It powers the global navigation, Viva Connections, and the SharePoint start page, and there can be only one home site in a tenant.
Hub Site
A hub site is a SharePoint site that has been promoted to a hub. It allows you to associate other sites with it and provide common navigation, search across associated sites, news, and site activities. There can be more than one hub site in a SharePoint Online tenant, but a site can be associated with only one hub site.
JSON
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight, text-based data-interchange format that is easy for people to read and write and easy for software to parse and generate. It is widely used by REST APIs, configuration files, and web applications to exchange structured data.
Keyword Query Language (KQL)
Keyword Query Language (KQL) is the query language used in SharePoint and Microsoft Search to build search queries by using free-text keywords, property restrictions, and operators such as AND, OR, and NOT.
List
A list is a storage unit in SharePoint. A list can contain columns of different types, content types, and views. A document library is a special type of list and therefore inherits the functionality of a list.
ListView Command Set
A ListView Command Set is a type of SharePoint Framework extension that adds custom commands to the toolbar or the context menu of a list or library, and runs code when the command is selected.
Managed Metadata
Managed metadata is a hierarchical collection of centrally managed terms that can be used as attributes of items in SharePoint. It is stored in the term store and is used for consistent tagging, navigation, and search refinement.
Managed Property
A managed property in the SharePoint search schema defines what data from crawled properties is included in the search index. Managed properties have a large number of settings that determine how the content is shown in search results. Managed properties can be used in search queries to specify which information to return.
Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is a cloud-based subscription service that combines productivity apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook with cloud services such as SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and Exchange Online, together with advanced security and device management.
Microsoft 365 Admin Center
The Microsoft 365 admin center is the web portal where administrators manage users, groups, licenses, domains, billing, and services for a Microsoft 365 tenant.
Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI assistant built into Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. It combines large language models with an organization's data in Microsoft Graph to help users draft content, summarize information, and answer questions while respecting existing permissions.
Microsoft 365 Group
A Microsoft 365 group is a membership object in Microsoft Entra ID that provides a shared set of resources for its members, such as a shared mailbox, calendar, SharePoint site, Planner plan, and Teams team.
Microsoft Dataverse
Microsoft Dataverse is a cloud data platform that securely stores and manages data used by business applications in tables, with built-in security, business logic, and integration. It underlies Power Apps, Power Automate, and Dynamics 365.
Microsoft Entra ID
Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) is a cloud-based identity and access management service offered by Microsoft. It allows organizations to efficiently manage and secure their users' identities and access to a variety of resources, both internal and external. These resources include Microsoft 365, the Azure platform, and thousands of other software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications.
Microsoft Graph
Microsoft Graph is a REST API secured with Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) and OAuth 2.0. It provides a single endpoint for accessing data and services in Microsoft 365, such as SharePoint, Outlook, OneDrive, Teams, and others.
Microsoft Graph Connector
A Microsoft Graph connector brings content from external sources, such as databases, file shares, and third-party services, into Microsoft Graph so that it can be found in Microsoft Search and used by Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Microsoft Lists
Microsoft Lists is a Microsoft 365 app for tracking information and organizing work. It is built on SharePoint lists and provides templates, views, formatting, and rules, and is available in the browser, in Teams, and on mobile devices.
Microsoft Search
Microsoft Search is a search experience across Microsoft 365 that returns personalized results from SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, Outlook, and connected external sources, based on what the user has access to.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a chat-based collaboration platform for business communications with features for online meetings, live events, and document sharing.
Microsoft Viva Connections
Microsoft Viva Connections is an employee experience app in Microsoft Teams that provides a personalized gateway to the organization's intranet, with a dashboard, a news feed, and resources, built on SharePoint home sites.
Model-Driven App
A model-driven app is a type of Power Apps application whose layout and functionality are largely determined by the data model and business logic in Microsoft Dataverse. Dynamics 365 customer engagement apps are model-driven apps.
Multifactor Authentication (MFA)
Multifactor authentication (MFA) is a security mechanism that requires users to verify their identity with two or more independent factors, such as a password, a code from a mobile app, or a fingerprint, before granting access to an account or resource.
News Post
A news post is a site page of the News Post type that is used to share announcements, status updates, and stories with other people in an organization. News posts appear in the News web part and on the SharePoint start page.
OAuth 2.0
OAuth 2.0 is an industry-standard authorization protocol that allows an application to obtain limited access to a user's resources on another service without sharing the user's password. Microsoft Entra ID uses OAuth 2.0 to issue access tokens for Microsoft Graph and other protected APIs.
OneDrive for Business
OneDrive for Business (previously SkyDrive Pro) is managed cloud storage for work or school organizations that lets you share and collaborate on work documents with co-workers. The infrastructure hosting OneDrive for Business can be on-premises or in the cloud as a purchased service.
Permission Level
A permission level is a named set of permissions, such as Read, Edit, or Full Control, that can be assigned to users and groups on a SharePoint site, list, library, or item.
PnP PowerShell
PnP PowerShell is a PowerShell module that provides over 600 cmdlets for working with Microsoft 365 environments, including SharePoint Online, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Project, Security & Compliance, and Microsoft Entra ID. The module is part of the Microsoft 365 Patterns and Practices (PnP) community initiative and is open source, which means that it is maintained and supported by the community rather than by Microsoft directly.
Power Apps
Microsoft Power Apps is a low-code platform for building custom business applications that connect to data in Microsoft Dataverse, SharePoint, and hundreds of other sources, without extensive coding.
Power Automate
Microsoft Power Automate is a cloud-based service that allows users to create automated workflows between applications and services. It enables the automation of repetitive tasks and processes, such as data collection, notifications, and approvals, without the need for extensive coding knowledge.
Power BI
Microsoft Power BI is a business analytics tool that enables users to visualize data and share insights across their organization or embed them in an app or website. It allows users to connect to various data sources, transform raw data into interactive dashboards and reports, and analyze data using intuitive drag-and-drop features.
Power Pages
Microsoft Power Pages is a low-code platform for creating, hosting, and managing secure, data-driven business websites for external audiences, such as customers and partners.
Power Platform
Microsoft Power Platform is a suite of low-code tools that includes Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, Power Pages, and Copilot Studio. It lets organizations analyze data, build solutions, automate processes, and create chatbots.
Profile Card
A profile card in Microsoft 365 displays information related to a person, such as contact details, organizational chart view, recently used documents, emails, and others.
The profile card may look different depending on the application you use. Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and other Microsoft 365 services support the profile card.
Pull Request
A pull request is a request to merge changes from one branch into another in a Git repository. It lets team members review the code, comment on it, and run validations before the changes are completed.
QR Code
A Quick Response (QR) code is a two-dimensional barcode that stores information. It can be scanned using a QR code reader or a mobile device's camera, providing quick access to the encoded data.
Query Rule
A query rule is a rule in SharePoint search that applies conditions and actions, such as promoting a result, to queries that match specific criteria, so that the most relevant content is displayed.
Refiner
A refiner is a filter on a search results page that lets users narrow down the results by values of a managed property, such as file type, author, or modified date.
REST API
REST API (Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface) is a standardized way for software applications to communicate over the internet. It enables clients to request and manipulate data on a server using standard HTTP methods such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. REST APIs are widely used for building web services that are scalable, flexible, and can be accessed by various client applications.
Result Source
A result source limits searches to specific content or a subset of search results, and can also transform queries. For example, a result source can restrict results to content from a specific site or to a particular type of document.
RSS
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a popular web feed format used to deliver updates from websites to users and applications in a standardized, machine-readable format. This format is commonly used for distributing news articles, blog posts, and other frequently updated content.
Search Index
The search index is the store of content and metadata that the crawler has processed and that search queries run against. Only properties that are mapped to managed properties are included in the index.
Search Schema
The search schema defines how crawled content is indexed and shown in results by mapping crawled properties to managed properties and by configuring their settings, such as searchable, queryable, retrievable, and refinable.
Search Service
The SharePoint Search Service Application provides enterprise search functionality, including crawling, indexing, and querying, and helps users find the most relevant information. The Search Service Application is available both in on-premises SharePoint Server deployments and in SharePoint Online.
Search Vertical
A search vertical is a tab on a search results page, such as All, Files, Sites, or News, that shows results from a specific kind of content. In Microsoft Search, custom verticals can be created by administrators.
Security Group
A security group is a group in Microsoft Entra ID that is used to grant a set of users access to resources, such as sites, applications, or files, by assigning permissions to the group instead of to individual users.
Single Sign-On (SSO)
Single sign-on (SSO) is an authentication method that allows users to sign in once with a single set of credentials and gain access to multiple applications and services without signing in again.
Site Column
A site column is a reusable column definition that can be added to multiple lists and content types within a site. Site columns ensure consistent metadata across lists and libraries.
Site Page
A site page is a modern SharePoint page that is built from sections, columns, and web parts, and is stored in the Site Pages library of a site. Site pages are used to share information, news, and other content.
Site Template
A site template defines the initial structure and content of a new SharePoint site, such as lists, pages, and navigation. In SharePoint Online, templates are applied by using site designs and site scripts.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Software as a service (SaaS) is a cloud delivery model in which applications are hosted by a provider and made available to users over the internet by subscription, without the need to install, maintain, or update the software locally.
Subsite
A subsite is a SharePoint site that exists within another site in the same site collection. Subsites inherit settings such as navigation and permissions from the parent site by default, but modern SharePoint recommends hub sites instead of subsites.
Team Site
A team site is a type of SharePoint site that provides a collaboration space for a team to work together on projects and share files, news, and resources. A team site connected to a Microsoft 365 group also includes a shared mailbox, calendar, and a Teams team.
Teams App
A Teams app is an application that extends Microsoft Teams with capabilities such as tabs, bots, message extensions, and meeting extensions. Teams apps are distributed as app packages through the Teams app store, AppSource, or the organization's catalog.
Teams Tab
A tab in Microsoft Teams is a page that is embedded in a channel, chat, or meeting and displays web content or an app, such as a SharePoint page or a custom application, at the top of the conversation.
Tenant
A Microsoft 365 tenant is a dedicated instance of Microsoft 365 services. The tenant holds the organization's information, such as users and domains (Microsoft Entra ID), configurations, subscriptions, and services. An organization receives a tenant by signing up for Microsoft 365 services.
Term Store
The term store is the central repository of managed metadata in a SharePoint tenant. It contains term groups, term sets, and terms that can be used to tag content and build navigation across sites.
Unified Interface (Dynamics 365)
Unified Interface is a user interface layer based on responsive web design principles that ensures all Microsoft Dynamics 365 model-driven applications provide a consistent viewing experience on any device (desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone) and any screen size.
User Information List
The User Information List in SharePoint is a hidden list that stores details about users who have accessed a SharePoint site. This list includes metadata such as the user's display name, email address, login name, and other profile information from Active Directory or Microsoft Entra ID. It is automatically updated when users interact with the site or when their profiles are synchronized. This list is essential for managing permissions, alerts, and workflows that require user information.
User Profile
A user profile is a set of properties that describe a user. The properties include basic information about the user, contact details, and other data. The user profile is used by services such as Delve, My Site, and others.
UTM Parameters
UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters, also called UTM tags or codes, are text parameters that you add to a URL to help track the effectiveness of marketing campaigns or web pages.
There are five UTM parameters: utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term, utm_content.
View
A view is a saved configuration that determines which items of a list or library are displayed and how, including the columns, sorting, filtering, grouping, and layout. Views can be personal or public.
Virtual Contact File (vCard)
A Virtual Contact File (VCF), commonly known as a vCard, is a standardized file format used for storing and sharing contact information electronically. These files can include details such as names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, URLs, logos, photographs, and even audio clips. vCards are widely used in digital communication to easily exchange contact information via email, instant messaging, QR codes, and other digital means. They are supported by many contact management applications and devices, making them a versatile tool for managing personal and professional contacts.
Web Part
A web part is a primary building block of functionality or content placed on a SharePoint page. Some web parts support customization, such as configuring the web part or changing its appearance.
Web Part Gallery
The Web Part Gallery is a central repository in SharePoint where users can discover, access, and manage pre-built components, known as web parts, that extend and customize their SharePoint sites. It offers a range of tools and widgets developed by Microsoft and third-party developers, allowing users to extend their SharePoint experience to meet specific business needs without extensive coding or development.
Webhook
A webhook is an HTTP callback that lets one application automatically send real-time notifications to another application when a specific event occurs. Instead of repeatedly polling for changes, the receiving application provides a URL that is called with the event data.
Work Item (Azure DevOps)
A work item in Azure DevOps is a unit used to track various types of work within a project, such as tasks, bugs, features, and user stories. It helps teams plan, manage, and monitor their work, ensuring that all aspects of a project are documented and progress is tracked.