Troubleshooting

For common issues that apply to all connectors — authentication failures, syncs stuck or not progressing, no documents indexed, stale permissions — see Troubleshooting - Enterprise Search Connectors.

Expected sites or content missing when using Sites.Selected

Symptoms: Sync completes successfully, but one or more SharePoint sites (or their files and pages) never appear in search. Other sites index as expected.

Possible causes:

1. The app registration uses Sites.Selected, and the missing site was never granted to the application.

2. Site include/exclude filters in Simpplr do not match the sites granted to the app.

3. A newly created site has not yet been granted access (required under Sites.Selected before it can be indexed).

Resolution:

1. Confirm which permission model you chose on Permissions & Security - SharePoint.

2. If you use Sites.Selected, grant the application access to each missing site using the Graph API steps in Setup - SharePoint (Additional steps for Sites.Selected).

3. In Simpplr, review site include/exclude filters so they match the sites the app can access, then trigger a manual full sync from Enterprise Search → SharePoint → Status.

Sync fails with an authentication error after previously working

Symptoms: The connector synced successfully before, but syncs now fail immediately with an authentication error even though nothing was changed in Simpplr.

Possible causes:

1. The client certificate uploaded to Microsoft Entra has expired or was replaced.

2. The certificate or private key stored in the connector configuration no longer matches the certificate on the app registration.

3. Admin consent was revoked, or a required application permission was removed from the app registration.

Resolution:

1. In the Azure portal, open the app registration → Certificates & secrets and confirm a valid certificate is still uploaded.

2. If the certificate was renewed, upload the new certificate to Entra and update both the certificate and private key in Simpplr (Enterprise Search → SharePoint → Edit configuration). See Setup - SharePoint.

3. Confirm all required permissions are still granted with admin consent — see Permissions & Security - SharePoint.

Fewer items indexed than expected

Symptoms: Sync shows as successful but the item count is much lower than expected, or specific sites, pages, or files are missing.

Possible causes:

1. Object type filters exclude Sites, Pages, or Files.

2. Site include/exclude filters, file extension, file size, or document age filters are narrowing the scope (document age defaults to the last 2 years).

3. Content is only available via an anonymous or public shared link — that content is not indexed.

4. Under Sites.Selected, the site was not granted to the application (see above).

Resolution:

1. Review object type and other filters in the connector configuration — see Setup - SharePoint.

2. Widen the document age filter if older content should be indexed, then trigger a manual full sync.

3. Confirm the missing content is accessible through standard user or group permissions in SharePoint, not only via a public link.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about sync frequency, deletions, audience filters, and throttling are answered in Troubleshooting - Enterprise Search Connectors. Security, privacy, and data questions are answered in Data & Security - Enterprise Search Connectors.

SharePoint-specific FAQs

Q1. Should I use Sites.FullControl.All or Sites.Selected?
Sites.FullControl.All grants the app access to all sites in the tenant and is recommended when you want broad indexing with low setup effort. Sites.Selected restricts the app to sites you grant individually — better when you must limit scope, but each site (including new ones) must be granted before it can be indexed, and matching site filters are required in Simpplr. Compare the models on Permissions & Security - SharePoint.

Q2. How long does the initial full sync take on a large tenant?
It depends on content volume. Large tenants can take several hours or days. You can monitor progress at Enterprise Search → SharePoint → Status.

Q3. My client certificate is expiring soon. What should I do?
Before it expires:

1. Generate a new certificate and private key, and upload the new certificate to the app registration in Microsoft Entra.

2. In Simpplr, update the certificate and private key fields in the SharePoint connector configuration and save.

3. Confirm the connector resumes syncing successfully from Enterprise Search → SharePoint → Status.

Renew before the old certificate expires to avoid a sync gap. Setup steps are in Setup - SharePoint.