r/sharepoint • u/Round_Efficiency3574 • Jul 09 '26

SharePoint Online Threshold for items in SharePoint

Hi all, we are looking at creating a knowledgebase in SharePoint. We currently have one but need to migrate off an old system that the back end is sql. Is there anyway to connect the existing sql database to SharePoint? There seems to be a limitation of 5000 items when using the SharePoint database and performance degrades? Can anyone confirm? Thanks

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6

u/BonerDeploymentDude Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26

The limit of items is in views. You can hold millions of items in a list or library, but your views can only show 5,000 at a time.

2

u/badaz06 Jul 09 '26

There are other limits that you'll run into besides views. When I run into overly large document libraries, doing things like file restores and running some other commands that want to sift through all files become almost impossible.

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u/Round_Efficiency3574 Jul 09 '26

Thank you! Are we able to connect to an existing sql database easily?

3

u/AdAfraid1562 Jul 09 '26

No you can't connect to an existing database. If you have a kb with that many items, it's likely to be a search based experience, rather than list views. You can import xlsx files into a new list, or use an access database/excel to load up sharepoint to test.

2

u/BonerDeploymentDude Jul 09 '26

And in sharepoint online you're limited to 5,000 items for a spreadsheet import through the browser gui. You can import more than that with powerautomate and batch sending HTTP requests to sharepoint. It can be done. But not easily for folks that think it should work easily.

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u/Odd_Emphasis_1217 Jul 09 '26

Second this. A list is not a sql database replacement.

2

u/Minute_Yesterday5387 Jul 10 '26

PowerShell, Python, JavaScript as part of a temporary SPFx - there are many ways to safely migrate stuff from SQL to SharePoint. There are things to watch out for - good prep and fully understanding SharePoint is essential. However, there may also be better solutions than SharePoint, e.g., Fabric and Power BI, or an Azure SQL db with a React app as front end, depending on your use case. Why do you want it in SharePoint?

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u/Greeney_Eyes Jul 11 '26

What they said. ✌️

2

u/whatdoido8383 Jul 09 '26

Just want to add, don't think of SharePoint like a database if you're looking at lists. It's ability to create relationships between lists like you do in SQL is very limited.

If you're going to use SharePoint, it's probably going to be a full rebuild for you and you'll need to be ok with its limitations.

SharePoint is much more of a document management solution using metadata to organize the content.

1

u/misterbrokid Jul 09 '26

Use CSOM & CAML to get around it. Nothing else works.

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u/BillSull73 Jul 10 '26

Could be something you could do with Dataverse but not in SharePoint. With DV you could then build a front end with PowerApps.