Top 5 Salesforce Sharepoint Integration Issues and How to Fix Them

Salesforce powers operations for over 150,000 organizations worldwide, yet many teams struggle with its integration to SharePoint—a critical connection for document management and compliance. Common pain points like duplicate records, broken document links, and workflow disruptions create unnecessary inefficiencies and risk.

These integration challenges aren’t just technical hurdles; they directly impact productivity, data accuracy, and governance. In this guide, we examine the five most prevalent Salesforce-SharePoint integration issues and provide actionable solutions to resolve them. By implementing these fixes, organizations can ensure seamless collaboration, maintain compliance, and maximize the value of both platforms.

What Is Salesforce SharePoint Integration?

Enterprise organizations increasingly rely on unified systems to bridge customer data and document management. The convergence of Salesforce’s CRM capabilities with SharePoint’s robust file handling creates a powerful synergy for business operations.

Salesforce dominates the CRM landscape with its cloud-based customer data orchestration, while SharePoint serves as Microsoft’s enterprise-grade document repository. The former excels at relationship tracking, the latter at version-controlled file governance.

When combined, these platforms eliminate data silos between customer records and supporting documentation. A well-architected SharePoint integration with Salesforce ensures contracts, proposals, and compliance materials remain tethered to relevant accounts and opportunities.

How Integration Works?

Modern enterprises usually integrate Salesforce with other platforms using one of three main approaches:

– Native APIs for real-time, bi-directional synchronization between systems. These APIs allow seamless data exchange and ensure that updates in one system are reflected in the other instantly, improving operational efficiency.

– Middleware platforms such as MuleSoft are employed for more complex workflow automation. These platforms provide an intermediary layer to manage data flows, orchestrating interactions between various systems and streamlining business processes across multiple applications.

– Third-party connectors, which offer pre-built templates to handle common use cases. These connectors simplify the integration process, reducing the need for custom development and accelerating the deployment of integrated solutions.

For organizations using Salesforce cloud integration services, there are numerous practical applications. For instance, automatic attachment syncing for lead records ensures that related documents are consistently updated across systems, while centralized contract repositories help legal teams manage documents efficiently. The integration is especially valuable for regulated industries that need robust audit trails for document access, providing an extra layer of accountability and compliance.

These integration methods not only improve the efficiency of daily operations but also ensure that critical data is accessible in real-time, reducing manual effort and mitigating the risk of errors. By choosing the right integration pathway, businesses can achieve a seamless flow of information between systems, improving collaboration and decision-making across the organization.

Why Integrate Salesforce with SharePoint?

Let’s be honest – how many times have you wasted precious minutes hunting for a contract or proposal that should be right at your fingertips? Or worse, send an outdated document because you weren’t sure which version was current?
This is exactly why connecting Salesforce and SharePoint makes so much sense. It’s about making your team’s life easier while keeping your business running smoothly.

Key Benefits

• Unified document access: Sales teams retrieve contracts directly from opportunity records without switching platforms
• Regulatory compliance: Automated version archiving meets FINRA and GDPR requirements
• Process automation: Quote generation triggers SharePoint workflow approvals, then reattaches finalized documents

Who Needs This Integration?

Nearly every modern business struggles with document chaos to some degree, but some teams feel the pain more acutely than others. If any of these scenarios sound familiar, integrating Salesforce and SharePoint could transform how your organization works:

1. Revenue-generating teams

• Sales professionals who need instant access to contracts during negotiations
• Account managers preparing renewal documentation
• Business development teams creating proposals

2. Risk and compliance functions

• Legal teams managing contract versions and approvals
• Audit professionals require document trails
• Regulatory specialists maintain compliance documentation

3. Operational roles

• Customer support accessing case-related documents
• Project managers coordinate deliverables
• HR teams handling employee documentation

4. Leadership challenges

• Executives need real-time visibility into contracts
• Managers overseeing remote/hybrid teams
• IT leaders are reducing shadow IT solutions

The truth is, if your organization uses both Salesforce and SharePoint but hasn’t connected them, you’re likely:
    ✓ Creating unnecessary manual work
    ✓ Introducing preventable errors
    ✓ Losing valuable time daily

Connecting Salesforce and SharePoint eliminates these headaches, giving revenue teams instant access to contracts, legal teams version control, and leaders real-time visibility. Without integration, companies spend time, create errors, and frustrate employees.

Salesforce SharePoint Integration Issues and How to Fix Them

Even the most well-planned integration projects hit snags, especially when connecting complex platforms like Salesforce and SharePoint. What starts as a straightforward sync of documents and data often reveals unexpected technical hurdles that frustrate users and stall productivity.

Every common integration problem has a proven solution. We’ve compiled the five most frequent trouble spots—along with field-tested fixes—based on hundreds of real-world implementations. Whether you’re troubleshooting an existing integration or planning a new one, these insights will help you:

✓ Prevent costly data errors
✓ Maintain seamless system performance
✓ Empower users rather than frustrate them

Let’s examine these make-or-break integration challenges—and more importantly, how to solve them.

Issue #1: Connection Errors

Connection errors can arise when you’re unable to access SharePoint documents from Salesforce or encounter error messages about lost connections. This usually happens when syncing data or loading SharePoint documents.

Solution:

Check the connection settings in both Salesforce and SharePoint to ensure that the login details, such as usernames and passwords, are correct. Confirm that both systems can communicate properly. If the issue continues, try disconnecting and reconnecting the integration. Also, check for any network issues or firewall settings that may be blocking the connection.

Issue #2: Missing Documents

Sometimes, documents may not appear in Salesforce, or users may report that they can’t find certain files linked to records.

Solution:

Check the SharePoint folder to ensure that the files are stored in the correct location. Verify that the documents haven’t been accidentally deleted or moved. Also, ensure that users have the necessary permissions to access the files. If the documents are missing, confirm they were uploaded correctly to SharePoint and linked to the corresponding Salesforce records.

Issue #3: Slow Performance

Users may experience delays when accessing documents or syncing data between Salesforce and SharePoint if the integration is running slowly.

Solution:

Consider reducing the amount of data being synced by syncing fewer files or smaller data sets. Ensure that your internet connection is stable and has adequate bandwidth. You can also try breaking up large data syncs into smaller batches to improve speed.

Issue #4: Sync Failures

Sync failures occur when updates aren’t reflected in Salesforce or when some documents fail to sync.

Solution:

Review the error logs to identify what went wrong. Common issues include network problems, file name conflicts, or unsupported file types. Ensure that your sync settings are correctly configured, and try re-syncing the data after addressing the identified issues.

Issue #5: Access Denied Errors

Users may encounter access denied messages when attempting to open or edit documents linked from Salesforce.

Solution:

Examine the permissions in both Salesforce and SharePoint to ensure that users have the correct access to view and edit documents. Look for any recent changes to permissions that could affect access. If needed, update the permissions to ensure that users have the appropriate level of access to the necessary documents.

Final words

In conclusion, integrating Salesforce with SharePoint brings significant benefits, including streamlined document management and enhanced collaboration across departments. However, the integration process often comes with common pitfalls such as connection errors, missing documents, slow performance, sync failures, and access issues. By addressing these challenges with the solutions outlined, businesses can optimize their Salesforce SharePoint integration, ensuring smooth workflows and improved efficiency. By maintaining proactive monitoring and timely troubleshooting, organizations can avoid disruption and maximize the value of this powerful integration.

Author’s bio

Dorian Sabitov is a Salesforce Consultant and Editor-in-Chief at SFApps.info, where he oversees content strategy with a focus on Salesforce integrations, automation, and third-party apps. Since 2020, Dorian has worked as a CRM Administrator, gaining practical experience in Salesforce that allows him to simplify complex technical topics for businesses. His expertise helps teams streamline workflows, improve data synchronization, and choose the right applications from the AppExchange. Outside of his work with Salesforce, Dorian enjoys exploring how emerging technologies are shaping the future of CRM practices and continuously testing new Salesforce plugins. Contact Dorian on Twitter.