Autofill: The SharePoint Metadata Hero
Managing metadata in SharePoint has always been a necessary but time-consuming task. What if we told you there's now a way to automate this process using AI? Meet SharePoint's Autofill feature: it transforms hours of manual work into minutes of automated processing.
The Evolution of SharePoint Metadata Automation
SharePoint metadata automation has come a long way. In the early Syntex days, organizations had to train custom AI models – a process that required significant effort and expertise. Today's generative AI landscape has changed that. Users no longer need to train models themselves; AI comes pre-trained and ready to work.
With Autofill, capturing metadata is now as simple as writing a prompt. Looking ahead, we're moving toward a future where the tool might even set up columns and prompts automatically, requiring minimal human intervention.
How Autofill Works
Getting started with Autofill is straightforward, whether you're working with a new document library or enhancing an existing one. Here's a step-by-step walkthrough:
Setting Up Your Library
1. Start with your documents: Begin with a library containing a few documents or files.
2. Add metadata columns: Create columns for the information you want to capture automatically
For example, in a contract library, you might want to track:
Vendor name
Contract amount
Effective dates
For a policy library, consider capturing:
Policy name (single line of text)
Description summary (multiple lines of text)
Responsible department (managed metadata)
Effective date (date and time)
Last reviewed date (date and time)
Page count (single line of text)
Here’s an example Policies library with columns setup:
Example library with columns ready for Autofill
Enabling Autofill
The magic happens in the column settings:
Navigate to your column settings
Enable the Autofill option
Enter a descriptive prompt for what you want the AI to extract
Autofill setup option on Column Settings
Autofill setup walkthrough video (41 seconds)
Pro tip: Start typing a few words, and SharePoint will suggest more detailed prompts to help you get started.
Note: If you don’t see the Autofill settings on your Column settings, it’s likely not enabled. The Pay-as-you-go feature must be enabled in the Admin Center first: More details here.
Processing Your Files
For existing files in your library:
Select the files you want to process
Click the Autofill button in the toolbar
Processing time varies from a few minutes to several hours, depending on your library size. You can monitor progress by showing the processing status columns in your library view. Here’s a quick video showing the processing columns and the end result (the video is sped up, and the total time was about 2 minutes of processing):
Important Tips for Success
Working with Date Fields
When setting up date fields, you can specify formats in your prompts. While the test preview might not show the formatting correctly, the actual processing will apply the proper date format to your columns.
Before processing, the prompt test result does not match the desired output for dates
After processing, the date is formatted correctly
Managed Metadata Optimization
For managed metadata fields, you have two options:
Use the standard Autofill feature
Enable the automatic tagging feature in column settings
For documents already uploaded that need metadata backfill, use the Tag option in the command toolbar:
In our testing, the dedicated tagging feature tends to be more accurate when working with predefined term sets, though both options continue to improve.
Cost Considerations
Autofill operates on a pay-per-use model at $0.005 USD per page processed – a rate that's actually decreased over time. To optimize costs:
Plan all your metadata fields upfront before running the initial processing
Avoid multiple processing runs on the same documents
Remember that new documents added to the library will automatically trigger Autofill processing
Quality Assurance
While Autofill dramatically reduces manual work, human validation remains important. In our testing across various document types, we occasionally found empty fields or minor inaccuracies. The feature is still significantly faster than manual entry, but review the results to ensure accuracy.
The Business Impact
When you apply metadata through Autofill, you can get substantial benefits as we’ve discussed on this blog before including:
Automated workflows: Rich metadata enables business process automation and can trigger reminders and alerts
Enhanced user experience: Better categorization improves navigation and usability
Improved discovery: Comprehensive metadata powers more effective search functionality
Compliance support: Automated metadata capture supports retention and governance policies
Metadata often works behind the scenes, but it's frequently the unsung hero that makes SharePoint truly powerful for organizations.
Getting Started
SharePoint's Autofill feature represents a significant leap forward in making metadata management easier. Once you experience the magic of watching empty fields populate automatically, you'll wonder how you ever managed without it.
Ready to implement Autofill in your SharePoint environment? Contact Gravity Union to help you plan and optimize your metadata strategy for maximum impact.
