Microsoft Teams Archival Workflow User Guide
The Microsoft Teams Archival Workflow enables organizations to export and archive Microsoft Teams channel content to a supported destination connector. The workflow can archive:
- Channel member lists
- Files and folders
- Channel posts and reply threads
Administrators can configure default archival behavior through Admin -> Workflows
Admin Configuration
Default Options
The Admin Panel provides a Default Options screen for the Teams Archival Workflow.
Administrators can pre-select which export options are enabled by default:
- Export User List
- Export Files
- Export Posts
- Automatically Create New Parent Folder
- Latest Version Only
Each export module can be enabled or disabled independently.
Permissions and Connectors
Required Permissions
The following permissions are required to enable MS Teams archival.
Supported Target Connectors
The Teams Archival Workflow supports the following destination platforms:
- HighQ
- NetDocuments
- Cloud iManage
- On-Premises iManage
- Box
- Dropbox
- Google Drive
- OneDrive
- SharePoint (the same SharePoint location including subfolders cannot be used for Archiving).
Export Modules
Export User List
One Excel spreadsheet is generated per workflow run containing:
- Name
- Email Address
- User ID
- Role (Owner or Member)
- Job Title
Destination
Teams Reports/channel_users.xlsx
Export Files
The workflow copies all files and folders associated with the selected Teams channel.
What Is Exported
- Channel folders
- Nested folders
- Documents
The original folder structure is preserved in the destination connector.
Export Posts
Exports channel conversations into HTML files.
What Is Exported
- Posts
- Replies
- Attachments
- Images
- Reactions
- Mentions
- Rich formatting
Output
A separate HTML file is generated for every channel post.
Each HTML file contains:
- Original post
- All replies
- Related attachments
- Formatting and metadata
Files are uploaded into:
Teams Posts/
How Teams Posts Are Exported
Author Resolution
Each post and reply displays an author using the following lookup order:
- Original user account
- App or bot identity
- Device identity (for example, Teams Rooms)
- Unknown
Examples of supported app-generated content include:
- Polls
- Approvals
- Updates
- Praise
- Connector webhooks
Timestamps
All timestamps are displayed in:
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time)
This ensures archived content appears consistently regardless of where or when it is viewed.
Special Message Handling
Importance Indicators
High Importance / Urgent Messages
The export displays:
- Red IMPORTANT label above the message body
- Red visual indicator on the message card
Deleted Messages
Deleted messages display:
This message has been deleted
For deleted messages:
- Message body is not rendered
- Attachments are not rendered
- Reactions are not rendered
Announcement Posts
Announcement messages retain both:
- Banner
- Subject line
Message Body Rendering
| Content Type | Export Behavior |
| Rich text | Rendered as formatted HTML |
| Bold, italic, lists, quotes, tables | Preserved |
| Links | Preserved |
| Emoji | Rendered as native emoji characters |
| @Mentions | Rendered as highlighted text displaying the person's name |
| Inline images | Embedded directly into the HTML |
| Inline video clips | Rendered as a link card to the original video |
| Code blocks | Rendered in a syntax-highlighted monospaced container with scrolling support |
Offline Viewing
Embedded images are stored directly within the HTML file, allowing them to be viewed without internet access or Teams access.
Video Clips
Videos are not embedded because video files can be very large.
Instead, exports show:
- Clip caption
- Duration
- Link to open the clip
Attachment Handling
Why Some Content Is Not Exported
Certain Teams experiences are interactive and cannot be accurately captured as static content, including:
- Loop components
- Fluid workspaces
- Interactive app cards
- Bot interactions
For these items, the export provides a link back to the original Teams message.
Reactions
Message reactions are preserved.
Each unique reaction appears as a reaction pill showing:
- Emoji
- Total reaction count
Reaction Details
Hovering over a reaction displays:
- User name
- Avatar initials
- Exact UTC timestamp of the reaction
Reply Threads
Replies are preserved as part of the original conversation.
Each reply is:
- Rendered directly below its parent post
- Visually indented
- Displayed in chronological order
This provides a complete conversation view within a single HTML file.
Audit History
The workflow detail page provides searchable audit history.
Filters include:
- Outcome
- Export module
- Time range
Displays summary statistics for the workflow run, including:
- Folder count
- File count
- Post count exported
Error Handling and Retry
Failed items are placed into an error queue in the same way other workflows handle errors.
Administrators can:
- Retry all failed items
- Retry individual items
- Ignore specific errors
This allows workflows to continue while problematic items are reviewed separately.
Summary
The Teams Archival Workflow provides comprehensive export and preservation of Microsoft Teams channel data through three independent modules:
- User List Export for channel membership reporting
- File Export for channel documents and folders
- Post Export for rich conversation archiving
The workflow preserves formatting, attachments, reactions, replies, and metadata while maintaining a clear audit trail.
Comments
0 comments
Article is closed for comments.