Microsoft SharePoint 2013 Certification Training Course

Editorial Take

This SharePoint 2013 certification course from Edureka delivers a well-structured, hands-on curriculum ideal for IT beginners aiming to master on-premises SharePoint environments. It successfully blends end-user functionality with administrative depth and light development workflows. While centered on an older version, its focus on foundational concepts remains valuable for professionals entering legacy enterprise ecosystems. The course excels in practical skill-building, offering real-world labs that reinforce configuration, security, and site management tasks critical to SharePoint roles.

Standout Strengths

• In-Depth Coverage: The course dives deep into SharePoint architecture, site collections, and sub-sites, ensuring learners grasp foundational hierarchy and deployment models. This early focus builds confidence for managing complex site structures in enterprise settings.
• Comprehensive Content Types: Module 2 thoroughly explores custom lists, document libraries, metadata, and content types, which are essential for organizing enterprise content. Learners gain hands-on experience structuring data effectively for compliance and searchability.
• Practical Branding Skills: Module 3 offers valuable experience with Web Parts, master pages, and themes, allowing learners to customize SharePoint interfaces. These skills are critical for creating user-friendly intranet portals aligned with brand standards.
• Workflow Implementation: The course provides clear, step-by-step guidance on building approval workflows using SharePoint Designer and InfoPath. This practical exposure prepares learners for automating document review and publishing processes in real organizations.
• Search Configuration Expertise: Module 5 delivers strong training in search schema, result sources, and refiners, which are vital for enterprise usability. Learners practice setting up custom search centers, a highly transferable skill across SharePoint versions.
• Security & Permissions Mastery: Module 6 offers detailed instruction on permission levels, inheritance, SharePoint groups, and audit logging. These are mission-critical skills for maintaining data integrity and meeting compliance requirements in regulated industries.
• Administrative Hands-On Practice: Module 7 includes essential labs on Central Administration, service applications, and backup/restore jobs. These exercises build real confidence in maintaining SharePoint environments and recovering from failures.
• Service Application Deployment: Module 8 focuses on deploying Managed Metadata, Search, Excel, and PerformancePoint services. This gives learners rare insight into backend configuration that many beginner courses overlook.

Honest Limitations

• Version Limitation: The course is built entirely around SharePoint 2013, which is outdated compared to modern cloud-based SharePoint Online. This limits immediate relevance for organizations adopting Microsoft 365 platforms.
• Lack of Cloud Integration: There is no discussion of SharePoint Online, hybrid environments, or integration with Teams and OneDrive. Learners won’t gain experience with current collaboration ecosystems.
• Minimal API Coverage: The course offers limited exposure to custom development using SharePoint APIs or CSOM. Aspiring developers will need supplemental resources to advance their coding skills.
• No Mobile or Responsive Design: Modern user expectations for mobile access and responsive layouts are not addressed. The course focuses on desktop-centric 2013 interfaces, which may not reflect current usage patterns.
• Deprecated Tools: InfoPath and SharePoint Designer are both deprecated by Microsoft, reducing long-term value of workflow skills taught. Learners should transition to Power Automate for future-proofing.
• Narrow Upgrade Path: The curriculum does not bridge knowledge to newer SharePoint versions or Microsoft 365 features. Learners must seek follow-up training independently to stay current.
• Legacy Authentication Models: The course likely emphasizes on-premises authentication without covering Azure AD or modern identity practices. This creates a gap for cloud-first organizations relying on SSO and MFA.
• High Availability Gaps: While high availability is mentioned, the depth of clustering, load balancing, and disaster recovery planning is likely insufficient for enterprise-scale deployments.

How to Get the Most Out of It

• Study cadence: Follow the 8-week module structure at one module per week to maintain momentum and allow time for labs. This pace ensures deep understanding without rushing through complex administrative tasks.
• Parallel project: Build a mock corporate intranet with departments, document libraries, and approval workflows as you progress. This reinforces learning by applying concepts to a realistic, end-to-end scenario.
• Note-taking: Use a digital notebook to document each lab’s steps, configurations, and troubleshooting tips. This creates a personalized reference guide for future SharePoint administration tasks.
• Community: Join the Microsoft Tech Community forums to ask questions and share insights from the course. Engaging with real-world SharePoint administrators enhances practical understanding beyond the classroom.
• Practice: Replicate each hands-on lab in a local SharePoint 2013 virtual environment or trial instance. Repeating tasks builds muscle memory for site creation, permission setup, and service configuration.
• Lab Expansion: Extend provided labs by adding features not covered, like alerts or document sets, to deepen expertise. This proactive experimentation fosters problem-solving skills essential for real jobs.
• Peer Review: Share your workflow designs and site structures with fellow learners for feedback and improvement. Collaborative review helps identify usability and security improvements you might miss alone.
• Version Comparison: Research differences between SharePoint 2013 and SharePoint Online while learning, noting evolution in features. This contextualizes your knowledge and prepares you for future learning paths.

Supplementary Resources

• Book: 'SharePoint 2013 Plain & Simple' by John Pierce offers clear explanations that complement the course’s technical labs. It’s ideal for reinforcing foundational concepts in plain language.
• Tool: Use Microsoft’s SharePoint 2013 Foundation free edition to practice installation and configuration locally. This hands-on environment is perfect for experimenting without cost.
• Follow-up: Enroll in Edureka’s Microsoft 365 Fundamentals course to transition from on-premises to cloud-based collaboration. This creates a logical progression in your learning journey.
• Reference: Keep Microsoft’s official SharePoint 2013 documentation open during labs for troubleshooting and deeper dives. It’s an authoritative source for configuration details and best practices.
• Video Tutorials: Supplement with Pluralsight or LinkedIn Learning videos on SharePoint 2013 administration for alternative teaching styles. Different perspectives can clarify complex topics.
• Template Gallery: Explore free SharePoint site templates on GitHub to see real-world design and structure examples. These provide inspiration for your own projects and labs.
• PowerShell Guide: Download a SharePoint 2013 PowerShell cheat sheet to automate repetitive tasks learned in administration modules. This extends your efficiency beyond the GUI.
• Migration Guide: Read Microsoft’s SharePoint migration documentation to understand how 2013 content moves to newer platforms. This adds strategic value to your technical skills.

Common Pitfalls

• Pitfall: Skipping labs or only watching demonstrations without hands-on practice leads to weak retention. Always complete every lab to build muscle memory and troubleshooting confidence.
• Pitfall: Misconfiguring permission inheritance can cause security gaps or access issues in real environments. Always test permissions with different user roles after setup.
• Pitfall: Overcomplicating master pages or themes can break site functionality or hinder usability. Stick to simple, tested branding changes during early learning phases.
• Pitfall: Ignoring backup and restore procedures risks data loss in lab environments. Always perform backups before major configuration changes as taught in Module 7.
• Pitfall: Assuming InfoPath skills are future-proof can mislead career planning. Transition to Power Automate early to stay relevant in modern workflow development.
• Pitfall: Not documenting service application configurations makes troubleshooting harder later. Keep a log of settings for search, metadata, and Excel services as you configure them.
• Pitfall: Relying solely on GUI tools limits automation potential. Begin learning PowerShell commands alongside Central Administration tasks to enhance your admin toolkit.

Time & Money ROI

• Time: Completing all 8 modules with labs takes approximately 60–80 hours over two months with consistent effort. This investment yields strong foundational skills applicable in enterprise support roles.
• Cost-to-value: Given lifetime access and structured learning, the course offers solid value for beginners entering SharePoint roles. The price is justified by the breadth of hands-on administrative training provided.
• Certificate: The completion certificate holds weight for entry-level positions in organizations still using SharePoint 2013. It demonstrates verified, practical experience beyond self-study claims.
• Alternative: Free YouTube tutorials lack structured progression and verified labs, making them riskier for job readiness. The course’s guided path reduces learning gaps and increases employability.
• Career Entry: For those targeting roles in government or legacy enterprises, this course accelerates job placement. SharePoint 2013 skills remain in demand where upgrades are slow.
• Future Learning: The knowledge serves as a springboard to SharePoint Online and Microsoft 365 certifications. Understanding 2013 architecture makes cloud transitions easier to grasp.
• Salary Impact: Entry into SharePoint roles can lead to salaries starting at $75,000, with growth as skills expand. This course provides the first critical step toward those opportunities.
• Access Value: Lifetime access allows revisiting modules as reference, increasing long-term return on investment. You can rewatch sections when preparing for interviews or new job tasks.

Editorial Verdict

This course is a strong choice for IT beginners aiming to enter organizations with legacy SharePoint 2013 deployments. Its structured, hands-on approach ensures learners gain practical experience in site management, security, workflows, and administration—skills that are directly applicable in real-world enterprise environments. The inclusion of service applications and backup procedures adds rare depth for a beginner course, making graduates more job-ready than those relying on fragmented tutorials. While the focus on an older version may seem limiting, the foundational concepts in permissions, content organization, and search configuration remain relevant across SharePoint versions, providing transferable knowledge.

The course’s true value lies in its balance of end-user, developer, and administrative topics, creating well-rounded learners capable of bridging functional and technical teams. Although modern tools like Power Automate and SharePoint Online are absent, the skills learned here form a critical stepping stone for future upskilling. For learners in government, healthcare, or large enterprises still on-premises, this training offers immediate career relevance. We recommend pairing it with cloud-focused follow-up courses to ensure long-term growth. Overall, with a 9.6/10 rating, this course delivers exceptional value for its target audience and justifies its place in any aspiring SharePoint professional’s journey.