In version 2010 this was called DataSheet View and in 2013 Quick Edit. This is Microsoft’s way of providing Excel-like editing within SharePoint, convenient for bulk editing and quick customization.
The Quick Edit appears in the SharePoint ribbon bar and works with one List View at a time. It should be used with caution as all structured relationships and connections between Lists are disabled while working within the Quick Edit view.
Users that are given this privilege should be aware that any items deleted will not go through the proper delete control process and all child items will be orphaned should an item be deleted. (See the Permissions and Privileges section and it’s sub-sections for more details.)
The Quick Edit view is a terrific tool for Bulk Editing, however the following tips can help you avoid problems:
- Make a Quick Edit View private to a specific user or create specific permissions for a group to access it.
- Ensure users are trained on how to manage the steps to avoid incorrectly edited or deleted items.
- If a Column Field type has been changed or if mandatory data values are added to the field, you might run into problems editing via Quick Edit but this is the fastest way to update large amounts of data if a field value is changed.
- Set up the Column Fields in the datasheet to show the user what is relevant to the task at hand.
- Save the items changed periodically by clicking Standard View.
- Remove Quick Edit views when they are no longer being used.
Note: The Quick Edit/Datasheet View’s access to users can be controlled via a Privilege setting. See the Permissions and Privileges section in this Guide for more details.
To enable the Quick Edit feature in SharePoint 2013, both the Default View Style and Tabular View must be selected. Within the View configuration settings ensure the following are set.