Think about your team’s Microsoft usage – do you have “source of truth” Excel worksheets or SharePoint folders that only stay accurate because someone remembers to update them manually? FormAssembly’s Microsoft connectors close that gap by sending workflow data into Excel and SharePoint automatically, every time a form is submitted.
In a recent training webinar, “FormAssembly’s Microsoft Connectors: Automate Excel and SharePoint Workflows,” FormAssembly’s product team walked through live builds of the Microsoft Excel connector and the Microsoft SharePoint connector, showing how workflow response data can be written directly into an Excel workbook and how uploaded files and signed documents can be routed into SharePoint without manual filing. Below are five takeaways from the session.
1. Microsoft connectors extend FormAssembly workflows, not just forms
The Microsoft Excel connector sends workflow response data directly into a Microsoft Excel workbook, with each response written as a row in the destination worksheet. The Microsoft SharePoint connector sends files uploaded in a workflow, or documents the workflow generates, directly into SharePoint. Both connectors can also return information back into the workflow for use in later steps.
These connectors work specifically with FormAssembly workflows, so they require a Team plan or higher, along with the Microsoft connectors added on and a connected Microsoft account for authentication. Teams on lower-tier plans, or teams that haven’t yet built a workflow, won’t see the option until those are in place.
2. The Excel connector turns responses into usable rows, not a raw data dump
The webinar’s first demo built an IT equipment request workflow that follows these steps:
- An employee requests items, such as a computer monitor and keyboard
- IT reviews and approves the request
- The details land in the Excel workbook IT already uses to track inventory
Configuring that mapping starts with the destination spreadsheet and destination tab, then moves field by field. A one-click “add all standard fields” option pushes every form field over for teams that want raw data, but the presenters mapped fields individually so the sheet matched exactly what the workbook needed.
Pro Tip: One useful option is “edit choices,” which translates the multiple-choice labels respondents see (low, medium, high, urgent) into the internal codes a team actually tracks by (one, two, three, four), so the form stays easy to fill out while the workbook stays consistent with existing reporting.
Repeatable sections, like a list of requested equipment, get their own setting too: they can write as a single comma-separated cell or as a separate row for every repeated item, which makes it much easier to analyze which equipment gets requested most often.
Each mapped field can also be sent as the raw form field value, a static value, or a formula built in a formula editor that can reference other form fields or workflow variables, which opens the door to conditional values, like flagging whether a request was approved or denied before it ever reaches the spreadsheet.
3. The SharePoint connector keeps documents organized automatically
The second demo built an HR onboarding workflow:
- A new employee fills out their information, uploads documents, and completes an e-signature step on a contract
- The workflow generates itself automatically from the form data the employee provided
- Every document (including the uploads and the signed contract) lands in the right SharePoint folder without anyone having to take manual steps to make it happen
The destination folder path can be pasted directly from the folder’s details pane in SharePoint, which removes any guesswork about which library or folder is correct. A subfolder setting adds real structure on top of that: rather than dropping every employee’s files into one folder, the formula editor can pull the respondent’s first and last name into a subfolder name automatically, so each new hire gets their own folder the moment they submit the form. Configuring a second SharePoint action for the signed contract, and pointing it at that same subfolder, keeps every document for one employee in one place.
4. Return variables carry the automation past the connector itself
Sending a file to SharePoint or a row to Excel doesn’t have to be the end of the workflow. Both connectors can return information, such as a file’s URL, and save it as a workflow variable. That variable can then be referenced in a later step, such as a Salesforce connector or an email notification, so a record in another system can link straight back to the document in SharePoint without storing a duplicate copy.
Multiple connectors can also run in the same workflow. A workflow can include more than one Excel connector to write different data to different tabs, more than one SharePoint connector to send files to different folders, or a mix of Excel, SharePoint, and other connectors like Salesforce, so a single response can be split across systems exactly the way a team’s existing processes need it to be.
Here is an example that was raised during the session: a team collecting event registrations can send the core contact details to Salesforce while routing event-specific details, the kind of information a CRM doesn’t need cluttering its records, to a dedicated Excel workbook instead. Because FormAssembly isn’t owned by Microsoft, Salesforce, or Google, that same workflow can pull from or push to any of those systems without being locked into one ecosystem.
The presenters also pointed to use cases well beyond IT and HR, including admissions document collection in higher education, grant and permit submissions in government, and patient intake forms in healthcare, all following the same underlying pattern of collect, generate, sign, and store.
5. Plan the destination first, and revisit connectors as forms change
The session closed with a short set of practical habits worth adopting before building a connector:
- Know the destination before configuring anything. For Excel, that means understanding the workbook and worksheet structure in advance; for SharePoint, it means understanding the site, library, and folder structure.
- Decide up front how repeatable data should behave, since a single comma-separated cell and a repeated row serve different reporting needs.
- Revisit connector mappings whenever a form changes, since a new field or an adjusted process only reaches Excel or SharePoint if the mapping is updated to match.
- Think about what should happen next, whether that’s a conditional branch, a return variable feeding another system, or a notification confirming the record was stored.
As the presenters put it, the goal is to “start with the processes and things that you’re already using” and look for the manual steps a connector could pick up instead.
A few quick answers from the Q&A
The session closed with audience questions that are worth surfacing on their own:
Q: Who can access the Excel file a connector writes to?
A: Access is controlled entirely in Excel, the same way any shared workbook is controlled. FormAssembly only needs the connector to be authenticated by the workbook owner; sharing the file out to a team is a normal Excel permission, not a separate FormAssembly setting.
Q: Can the Excel and SharePoint connectors be used in the same workflow?
A: Yes. A single workflow can include multiple Excel connectors, multiple SharePoint connectors, or a mix of both, sending different pieces of one response to different destinations.
Q: Can a response be sent to SharePoint as a PDF automatically?
A: Not the raw response PDF itself. Sending a document to SharePoint requires a generated document step first, such as the advanced document generation used in the HR onboarding example, rather than the built-in response PDF.
Q: What if an expected Excel workbook or tab isn’t showing up?
A: Check that the connector’s authenticated account has permission to the file first. If it’s a newly created workbook, using the refresh list option is the recommended fix; re-authenticating the connector also works but clears existing configuration, so refreshing the list is the safer first step.
Watch the full webinar
The full session includes live, click-by-click builds of both the Excel and SharePoint connectors, plus an audience Q&A covering workbook permissions, troubleshooting missing worksheets, mapping fields to formulas and workflow variables, and what to do if the Microsoft connectors aren’t showing up in a workflow yet.
Watch the presentation on-demand today, or request a personalized demo to take a deeper dive.
