A new update has recently came to SharePoint Syntex to allow users to create & train their own local document understanding models in Team or Communication sites. The models can only be used on the site they’ve been created in. Site Owners no longer need to have access to a SharePoint Syntex content centre to create Syntex models for classification and extraction on their site.
Deploying A Local Document Understanding Model
First your site needs to be enabled for local modern c
reation which adds the following lists & libraries required for Syntex Document Understanding:
- Models document library
- Training files document library
- Explanation templates list
- Model usage list
To do this going to any document library in your SharePoint site, select the files to be analysed and then click the Classify and extract button on the command bar of the document library.
A screen then comes up asking you to confirm you wish to enable local document classification and extraction on this site. Clicking Activate this deploys all of the assets required for local model creation on the site.
Our site is then enabled for Local Model creation. Lets go and create a Local Model!
A sidebar then appears to allow a model to be created, I can name the model, add a description and link it to a Content Type if I wish. Reading the documentation it appears I should also be able to create a prebuilt invoice or receipt model (see my blog on prebuilt invoice and receipts models) but currently in my tenant this is greyed out (unavailable)..
I can then go into my Models library in the Site and see my Document Understanding Model
I can then train my Document Understanding model to classify documents that are of (in my Model’s case) type Contract and then create extractors to extract specific metadata i.e. Client name. Once I have finished configuring the model and training the classifier/extractors with training files I can then deploy the model to document libraries on the site. Models cannot be deployed to any other site through the UI. The model page for local models has changed like you would expect to reflect that the model can be deployed only to libraries on this site (see below)
Below is a model page in a SharePoint Syntex Content centre but the difference is the model can be deployed to many different libraries on many different sites.
I now come back to my original Comms site where I created the Local model. I will deploy the model to a local library i.e. Documents, select the view option for the model and then click Add.
I can then navigate to the library I just deployed the model to, select files and then click Classify and extract again to see the local Syntex model run over the library. Then see the Syntex model has run and Syntex columns have been added (see image below), it has extracted the client name and the correct documents have been classified as type Contract.
Below is an image of Site Contents in my Local model site to show the Syntex assets that have been deployed
Summary
This is a great update in my opinion as it allows all licenced Syntex users that are site owners to use the power of SharePoint Syntex in their site to classify documents, extract information as metadata and then use that metadata for reporting, automation etc.
There does not appear to be any ability to turn off the ability to create local document understanding models either at the tenant, site or library level but I’m sure that will be coming. There appears to be nothing in the UI, MS Graph or any CSOM properties that refer to local models for tenant, site or library. There also may be some governance kick back on no ability to turn local models off, not knowing where all the local models are and no ability to convert them to global models.
Still this is an encouraging update and should encourage site owners to use the power of Syntex and I’m looking forward to seeing what Site owners can do with Syntex. Some user communications/training will no doubt need to take place to train users how to create local models but once they’ve got the hang of it some site owners will really see the benefit of Syntex.
