Microsoft Lists Fills the Gap Between Excel and SharePoint Lists

• Microsoft Lists is used to share and track tabular data in a familiar spreadsheet-like format.
• It provides better sharing capabilities and control than Excel and is easier to deploy and costs less than SharePoint and Dataverse.
• Customers should use Lists to replace widely used spreadsheet solutions to improve data control and compliance.

Microsoft Lists is a multiuser data-tracking service based on SharePoint list technology that lets users create, share, and edit structured lists of tabular data without having to create a SharePoint site. It fills a notable gap between sharing Excel workbooks and developing more IT-intensive solutions like SharePoint sites or database applications. Lists does not have all the features of SharePoint lists, but it is a mature offering that can be controlled by IT personnel, integrates with Teams, and, most importantly, is included in all Microsoft 365 and Office 365 plans.

Benefits of Microsoft Lists

Microsoft Lists fits in scenarios in which there is a need to track and share tabular data for basic purposes, primarily when users are manually solving their needs by sharing Excel workbooks. For example, figure 1 shows a content-tracking table (previously in Excel) used by authors of an analyst and advisory company to organize and schedule important reports.