How to Monitor Your SharePoint Site Collections with SharePoint API and Power Automate: 10 Practical Examples

Monitoring SharePoint site collections is crucial for ensuring the health, security, and efficiency of your organization’s SharePoint environment. By using the SharePoint REST API in combination with Power Automate, you can create automated workflows that track key metrics, notify stakeholders of issues, and help maintain optimal performance. This article will explore 10 practical examples of how you can monitor your SharePoint site collections using these powerful tools.

1. Monitoring Site Collection Storage Usage

Objective: Keep track of how much storage each site collection is using to ensure that it doesn't exceed allocated limits.

Implementation:

- Step 1: Use Power Automate to create a flow that triggers daily.

- Step 2: Add an HTTP action that sends a GET request to the SharePoint REST API:

https://<your-sharepoint-site>.sharepoint.com/_api/site/usage        

- Step 3: Parse the JSON response to extract storage metrics.

- Step 4: Set up a condition to check if storage usage exceeds a certain threshold.

- Step 5: If the threshold is exceeded, send an email alert to the administrator.

Example Flow:

- Trigger: Daily recurrence

- Action: HTTP GET request to /_api/site/usage

- Condition: If StorageUsage > 80%

- Outcome: Send an alert email

2. Detecting and Reporting Inactive Sites

Objective: Identify site collections that have not been accessed for a specified period, allowing you to archive or delete them to free up resources.

Implementation:

- Step 1: Schedule a flow that runs weekly.

- Step 2: Use the SharePoint API to query the last accessed date:

https://<your-sharepoint-site>.sharepoint.com/_api/web/LastItemUserModifiedDate        

- Step 3: Parse the response and compare the date with the current date.

- Step 4: If the site has been inactive for more than a specified number of days, log the site in a SharePoint list or notify the admin.

Example Flow:

- Trigger: Weekly recurrence

- Action: HTTP GET request to /_api/web/LastItemUserModifiedDate

- Condition: If LastItemUserModifiedDate < (Today - 90 days)

- Outcome: Log in SharePoint list and notify admin

3. Monitoring Changes in Site Collection Permissions

Objective: Track changes in permissions at the site collection level to detect unauthorized access or modifications.

Implementation:

- Step 1: Set up a flow to run daily or in response to a trigger.

- Step 2: Use the SharePoint REST API to get site collection permissions:

 https://<your-sharepoint-site>.sharepoint.com/_api/web/roleassignments        

- Step 3: Compare the current permissions with a previously stored version.

- Step 4: If changes are detected, log them and notify the admin.

Example Flow:

- Trigger: Daily or on specific change

- Action: HTTP GET request to /_api/web/roleassignments

- Condition: If permissions differ from last check

- Outcome: Log changes and send alert

4. Tracking File Uploads and Modifications

Objective: Monitor specific document libraries for new uploads or modifications, ensuring that critical files are tracked.

Implementation:

- Step 1: Use a Power Automate flow that triggers when an item is created or modified in a document library.

- Step 2: Add an action to send a GET request to retrieve details about the file:

 https://<your-sharepoint-site>.sharepoint.com/_api/web/GetFileByServerRelativeUrl('/sites/sitename/library/filename')        

- Step 3: Parse the file details and log the changes.

### Example Flow:

- Trigger: On item created or modified

- Action: HTTP GET request to /_api/web/GetFileByServerRelativeUrl

- Outcome: Log file details and send notification

5. Monitoring List Item Changes

Objective: Keep track of changes to list items within a SharePoint site collection, particularly for lists that manage important business data.

Implementation:

- Step 1: Create a flow triggered by item updates in a specific list.

- Step 2: Use the SharePoint API to retrieve item details:

 https://<your-sharepoint-site>.sharepoint.com/_api/web/lists/getbytitle('ListName')/items(<item-id>)        

- Step 3: Compare the current item state with the previous version stored in a separate list or database.

Example Flow:

- Trigger: On item update

- Action: HTTP GET request to /_api/web/lists/getbytitle('ListName')/items(<item-id>)

- Outcome: Compare changes, log if necessary, and notify relevant stakeholders

6. Monitoring Large File Downloads

Objective: Track large file downloads from your SharePoint site collections to identify potential bandwidth issues or unauthorized access.

Implementation:

- Step 1: Use the SharePoint API to log download activity:

  https://<your-sharepoint-site>.sharepoint.com/_api/web/GetFileByServerRelativeUrl('/sites/sitename/library/filename')/CheckOut        

- Step 2: Set up conditions to monitor files larger than a specific size.

Example Flow:

- Trigger: Download event (this might require custom logging or webhook)

- Action: HTTP GET request to log download

- Condition: File size > 100MB

- Outcome: Log event and notify admin

7. Monitoring Site Collection Quotas

Objective: Ensure that site collections stay within their allocated quotas by monitoring usage against set limits.

Implementation:

- Step 1: Schedule a daily flow.

- Step 2: Use the SharePoint REST API to retrieve site collection quotas:

  https://<your-sharepoint-site>.sharepoint.com/_api/site/quotas        

- Step 3: Compare current usage with the quota.

Example Flow:

- Trigger: Daily recurrence

- Action: HTTP GET request to /_api/site/quotas

- Condition: If usage > 90% of quota

- Outcome: Notify admin and recommend action

8. Monitoring Custom SharePoint Solutions and Apps

Objective: Track the deployment and updates of custom SharePoint solutions and apps to ensure compliance and proper functioning.

Implementation:

- Step 1: Set up a flow that monitors the App Catalog for new or updated apps.

- Step 2: Use the SharePoint REST API to retrieve app details:

 https://<your-sharepoint-site>.sharepoint.com/_api/web/tenantappcatalog/AvailableApps/GetById('<app-id>')        

- Step 3: Log any changes or updates to the apps.

Example Flow:

- Trigger: On app update

- Action: HTTP GET request to /_api/web/tenantappcatalog/AvailableApps/GetById('<app-id>')

- Outcome: Log and notify stakeholders

9. Monitoring SharePoint Search Queries

Objective: Track search queries within a SharePoint site collection to gain insights into user behavior and content discoverability.

Implementation:

- Step 1: Set up a flow that captures search queries from SharePoint.

- Step 2: Use the SharePoint Search REST API:

  https://<your-sharepoint-site>.sharepoint.com/_api/search/query?querytext='*'        

- Step 3: Log the search terms and analyze trends.

Example Flow:

- Trigger: On search query

- Action: HTTP GET request to /_api/search/query?querytext='*'

- Outcome: Log search queries and generate reports

10. Monitoring SharePoint Content Type Usage

Objective: Keep track of how content types are used across your SharePoint site collections to ensure that they are consistently applied.

Implementation:

- Step 1: Create a scheduled flow.

- Step 2: Use the SharePoint REST API to retrieve content type usage:

 https://<your-sharepoint-site>.sharepoint.com/_api/web/contenttypes        

- Step 3: Analyze which lists and libraries are using specific content types and how consistently they are applied.

Example Flow:

- Trigger: Weekly recurrence

- Action: HTTP GET request to /_api/web/contenttypes

- Outcome: Log content type usage and notify admin of inconsistencies

Summary

Monitoring your SharePoint site collections with the SharePoint REST API and Power Automate provides a powerful, automated solution for ensuring the health, security, and efficiency of your SharePoint environment. These 10 examples demonstrate how you can use these tools to monitor various aspects of your site collections, from storage usage and permissions to search queries and custom solutions. By implementing these workflows, you can proactively manage your SharePoint environment, address issues before they escalate, and ensure that your site collections are optimized for performance and compliance