Stay Updated
with the Lightning Tools Blog

Explore the latest insights, tips, and best practices on SharePoint, Microsoft 365, and our suite of productivity tools.

Learn more about the Lightning Tools Products, Updates, and Microsoft 365 Releases here.

Lightning Tools is a global Independent Software Vendor (ISV) specializing in Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Office 365 tools and web parts.

SharePoint Form External Data Lookup
26 Sep: Supercharging SharePoint Forms with External Data Lookups

SharePoint’s standard lookup column only lets you connect lists within the same site—useful, but limited. With the latest release of Lightning Forms and Forms Studio, you can now create lookup fields that pull data from external systems like SQL, JIRA, and Salesforce using Copilot Connectors. In this post, I’ll show you how we built a Helpdesk Issues form that pulls related issues directly from JIRA, and explain the difference between Lightning Forms and Forms Studio.

DeliverPoint makes SharePoint Permissions Easy
17 Jul: Why Linda Berglund Recommends DeliverPoint for SharePoint Permissions Management

In this interview, Microsoft 365 Advisor Linda Berglund shares why she recommends DeliverPoint for SharePoint permissions management. From on-demand and scheduled reporting to permission snapshots and secure SPFx development, learn how DeliverPoint empowers Site Owners and admins to simplify governance, avoid sprawl, and stay Copilot-ready—at a fraction of the cost of SAM.

Advanced Charting in SharePoint vs Quick Chart Web Part
02 Jul: Advanced Charting in SharePoint vs Quick Chart Web Part: A Student’s Perspective from Lightning Tools

Hi, I’m Joe Storr, a student currently doing a work experience project at Lightning Tools. I’ve been exploring how businesses can use SharePoint to create dashboards and reports that actually help people do their jobs better.

As part of this, I investigated advanced charting in SharePoint vs the Quick Chart Web Part, and here’s what I discovered.