SharePoint Integration with Business Central using Graph API

System integration is the process of combining different subsystems or components into a single, cohesive system. This involves linking together various computing systems and software applications to function as a coordinated whole.

Why is System Integration Important?

1. Improved Efficiency: Integrated systems allow for seamless data flow and communication, reducing redundancy and improving productivity.
2. Better Decision-Making: With integrated systems, data from different sources can be aggregated, providing a comprehensive view that aids in more informed decision-making.
3. Cost-Effective: Instead of replacing existing systems, integration can be a more economical solution, leveraging current investments while enhancing overall functionality.

System integration is essential for modern businesses to streamline operations, enhance data accuracy, and reduce costs. It involves a strategic approach to connect disparate systems, ensuring they work together efficiently and securely.

Here in my first article I'd like to talk about one such topic of integrating SharePoint with Microsoft Dynamics Business Central, this article is meant to help understand the mechanics and to pave way to the How to???

Integrating SharePoint with Business Central using Microsoft Graph API can streamline your business processes by enabling seamless data flow between these platforms.

Steps for Integration

1. Set Up Azure AD Authentication:

Register your application in Azure AD to get the necessary credentials (Client ID, Tenant ID, and Client Secret).

The permissions are given using the Graph API option, as we are working with SharePoint we have to provide permissions to the Sites and the Lists, the accessibility to the SharePoint resources should be as per the requirement.

2. Fetch the access Tokens to access the Graph API

To get the access token, one has to pass a POST request to "https://login.microsoftonline.com/{tenant}/oauth2/token"

3. Access SharePoint Data

Use Microsoft Graph API to interact with SharePoint sites, lists, and document libraries. You can perform operations like reading and writing data to SharePoint lists and libraries.

Example API endpoints:

Access a specific site: https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/sites/{site-id}

Access a list within a site: https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/sites/{site-id}/lists/{list-id}

Access items within a list: https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/sites/{site-id}/lists/{list-id}/items

If you get this far then a big congratulations!!! ?? a handshake has been established to SharePoint via Graph API.

4. Integrate with Business Central

Business Central as a product has matured enough so that it can enable integration to be carried out quite effortlessly, below is the demonstration of a test case where we import a CSV file from a folder "Orders" in the SharePoint Document Library into csv buffer table and move the file to "Archive" folder once read. But first I'll walk you through the code to achieve this.

Now when the action Read File from SharePoint Folder is clicked it will read the file from the Source Folder which is "Orders" in this case read in CSV buffer and move it to Archive.

Integrating SharePoint with Business Central using Microsoft Graph API can significantly enhance your business operations by ensuring seamless data flow and improved efficiency.

By following the steps outlined above, you can create a robust integration that leverages the strengths of both platforms. Whether you’re looking to streamline order management, improve data accuracy, or enhance collaboration, this integration offers a powerful solution.

I've barely scraped the surface of the topic and there maybe some aspects which were not touched in this article, but the blog will indeed give some technical inertia to developers.

Thank you for reading! If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to leave a comment.