Integrating SharePoint with ArcGIS Experience Builder: Using Connect for ArcGIS

One of the most powerful capabilities of Connect for ArcGIS is its ability to integrate ArcGIS with enterprise systems using standards-based APIs.

In particular, the support for OData provides a flexible way to query and retrieve content from systems such as SharePoint, Dynamics, SAP, and others—without custom development or data duplication.

In this post, we walk through how to use Connect for ArcGIS to surface SharePoint documents inside an ArcGIS Experience Builder application.

👉 If you prefer to see this in action, a full video walkthrough of the solution is included below, demonstrating the end-to-end setup and user experience

Example scenario

In this example, we build an ArcGIS Experience Builder app that allows users to:

• Select a property from a map
• Instantly view related documents stored in SharePoint
• Open those documents directly within the workflow

The application is driven by a simple but powerful idea:

• Each feature in ArcGIS contains an identifier (e.g. ZONE_CODE)
• SharePoint documents include the same identifier in their metadata or naming
• Connect for ArcGIS uses this shared ID to dynamically match features and documents

This creates a real-time relationship between spatial features and enterprise content, without moving or copying the data.

See the integration in action

The video below provides a full walkthrough of this scenario, including:

• Setting up the SharePoint connection
• Defining the relationship between features and documents
• Configuring the Experience Builder application
• Demonstrating the end-user workflow

For many users, this is the easiest way to understand how Connect for ArcGIS works in practice—seeing the transition from map selection to document access in real time.

Configuring the SharePoint connection

Configuration is completed through the Connect for ArcGIS Admin Console and involves two key steps:

• Defining a data source that connects to SharePoint
• Creating a Layer Link that describes how documents relate to GIS features

SharePoint service root

For SharePoint, the connection uses the standard API endpoint:

https://<tenant>.sharepoint.com/sites/<site>/_api/web

This enables Connect for ArcGIS to query document libraries directly.

⚠️ Authentication is handled via Microsoft 365, typically requiring a one-time app registration in SharePoint.

Defining the relationship with SharePoint

The relationship between ArcGIS features and SharePoint documents is defined through the Layer Link configuration.

Key elements include:

• Resource URI
  Points to the document library or folder (e.g. HeritageDocs)
• $filter
  Limits results to files where the filename contains the feature’s ZONE_CODE
• $select
  Returns only relevant fields (e.g. file name and document URL)
• $top
  Restricts the number of returned documents (e.g. latest three)
• $orderby
  Ensures the most recently modified documents are shown first
• $expand
  Includes additional fields such as the URL required to open the file

The result is a highly targeted, user-friendly view of relevant documents for each selected feature.

Using the widget in ArcGIS Experience Builder

Once configured, the Connect for ArcGIS widget can be added to any Experience Builder application.

This works for both:

• ArcGIS Online
• ArcGIS Enterprise

From within Experience Builder, you can:

• Configure how features are labelled
• Select which document attributes are displayed
• Rename fields for user clarity
• Hide technical metadata returned from SharePoint

When the app is run in Live View, selecting one or more features immediately surfaces the related SharePoint documents, including clickable links.

The end result

The final application delivers:

• Real-time access to SharePoint documents
• No duplication of files into ArcGIS
• Full respect for SharePoint permissions
• A clean, map-driven user experience

Most importantly, it demonstrates a scalable pattern for connecting ArcGIS to enterprise systems—one that can be extended beyond SharePoint to other data sources.

Final thoughts

Integrating ArcGIS with SharePoint does not need to involve complex ETL pipelines or custom development.

With Connect for ArcGIS, organisations can:

• Keep systems of record authoritative
• Surface relevant content in context
• Deliver intuitive, feature-driven workflows

The video walkthrough above shows just how quickly this can be achieved and how powerful the result can be for end users.