Sharing Data between Workbooks and Outlook
There are two main ways to share information between Workbooks and Outlook:
Note: The WESS uses some of the background functionality of the Dropbox, so even if you’re using WESS, your users should still set up their Dropbox. Find out how here.
Summary Table of Key Differences
The table below shows a quick summary of the chief differences between the two.
| Feature | WESS | Dropbox |
|---|---|---|
| Requires a specific licence? | Yes – a WESS licence must be purchased as an add-on module per user. | No |
| Compatible with every email client? | No (see supported clients) | Yes |
| Sync emails in both directions? | Yes – most commonly, emails are sent from Outlook & shared into Workbooks, but emails sent from Workbooks can appear in your Outlook Sent folder. | No |
| Sync People in both directions? | Yes – People in Workbooks can become Contacts in Outlook and vice versa. | No – Dropbox only supports the sharing of emails. |
| Sync Tasks in both directions? | Yes – Tasks in Workbooks can become Tasks in Outlook and vice versa. | No – Dropbox only supports the sharing of emails. |
| Sync Meetings in both directions? | Yes – Meetings in Workbooks can become Meetings in Outlook and appear in your Outlook calendar. | No – Dropbox only supports the sharing of emails. |
| Sync items marked as Private in Outlook? | Yes | Not relevant |
| Sync recurring meetings? | No | Not relevant |
| Sync meetings with reminders? | No | Not relevant |
| Runs automatically in the background? | Yes – every 30 minutes | No – manual |
| Customisable views and categories? | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum number of sync records? | Yes – subject to sync limits | No – limited by mailbox size |
| Requires Outlook rules or configuration? | No | Yes – Adding your Dropbox address as a Contact allows for quick sending. |
Introduction to the Workbooks Exchange Server Synchronisation (WESS)
The Workbooks Exchange Server Synchronisation (WESS) runs every 30 minutes in the background and automatically synchronises records between your email server and Workbooks. This enables you to seamlessly share important business information across the two platforms.
The table below shows which record types are synchronised, the direction of the sync, and any important notes.
| Workbooks | Outlook | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Emails | Emails | Emails sent from Workbooks appear in your Outlook Sent Items folder. Emails from Outlook that are marked with the Workbooks Category automatically sync into Workbooks. |
| People | Contacts | People in your ‘My People’ view in Workbooks sync into Outlook and appear in a folder called ‘Workbooks Contacts’. Contacts in Outlook with the Workbooks Category sync into Workbooks and match existing records based on email. You can disable sync from Outlook to Workbooks, but not the other way around. |
| Tasks | Tasks | Tasks in your ‘My Open Tasks’ view in Workbooks sync into Outlook in a folder called ‘Workbooks Open Tasks’. Tasks in Outlook with the Workbooks Category sync into Workbooks and match based on subject and due date. Sync from Outlook to Workbooks can be disabled, but not from Workbooks to Outlook. |
| Meetings | Meetings | Meetings in Workbooks appear in Outlook Calendar. Both public and private Outlook Meetings with the Workbooks Category sync to Workbooks. Marking a meeting as complete in Workbooks removes it from Outlook. Sync from Outlook to Workbooks can be turned off, but not from Workbooks to Outlook. |
To learn more about how the Workbooks Category works and how to apply it in Outlook, please see this article.
Note: There is a limit to the number of records that can be synchronised via WESS. Please review the sync limits in the linked article above.
If you’d like to automate categorisation, Outlook rules can help. For setup guidance, refer to Microsoft’s official help page.
Workbooks Outlook Add-in (WOA)
The Workbooks Outlook Add-in offers an additional way to work with Workbooks from within Outlook. With the add-in, you can:
- Save emails and attachments directly to Workbooks
- Create new records (e.g., Cases, Activities, or Opportunities) from within Outlook
- Link emails to existing records in Workbooks
More information is available here.
Tip: We recommend setting up a custom Outlook view to easily spot emails and items marked with the Workbooks Category.