Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 has improved and changed
dramatically over previous versions of the product. The
capabilities of the platform have expanded greatly with the
inclusion of an automated workflow engine, web content management
capabilities, and a vast number of document management
enhancements. However, the value of this tool to an enterprise will
depend primarily on the ability of individuals in the organization
to understand the features and capabilities of the platform and
effectively map those to specific business requirements. This book
is designed to mentor and coach business and technical leaders in
an organization on the use of SharePoint to address critical
information management problems. It gives detailed descriptions and
illustrations of the product''s functionality and also includes
realistic usage scenarios to provide contextual relevance and a
personalized learning experience to the reader.
The mission of this book is to provide extensive knowledge to
information workers and site managers that will empower them to
become SharePoint Application champions in the organization. This
book should be the premiere handbook of any active or aspiring
SharePoint expert.
To complete the exercises in this book, you should have a basic
comfort level using Microsoft Office application to create content
and a general understanding of how to interact with a web site
through the browser. This book is intended as a starting point for
any SharePoint 2007 user whether that user has never used
SharePoint before or has some familiarity with a previous version
and just wants to understand the differences with the new
release.
Chapter 1: Getting Started with SharePoint
Server: The first chapter of the book is targeted at users
who have either never used SharePoint before or are already
familiar with SharePoint Portal Server 2003 or Windows SharePoint
Service v2 and are looking to gain an understanding of what has
changed in SharePoint 2007. This chapter lays out the foundation
for important terminology and concepts explored in the following
chapters of the book.
Chapter 2: Working with SharePoint Lists: This
chapter introduces one of the core mechanisms for sharing and
organizing content in a SharePoint site. You will review what lists
are, how they are used, and then explore the various templates that
exist in SharePoint.
Chapter 3: Working with SharePoint Libraries:
After reviewing some of the fundamental concepts relating to lists,
the chapter introduces the other major storage mechanism in
SharePoint known as libraries. This chapter discusses some of the
various templates that exist for libraries as well as brand-new
concepts in 2007, such as slide libraries and wiki page
libraries.
Chapter 4: Managing and Customizing Lists and
Libraries: SharePoint templates for lists and libraries
provide a great starting point for collaboration and information
sharing. This chapter introduces how you can extend these base
templates to address an organization's specific requirements for a
collaborative site or information management tool.
Chapter 5: Working with Workflow: Workflow is a
new feature available in SharePoint Server 2007. This chapter
discusses the templates that SharePoint provides for workflow, as
well as demonstrates how to create a custom workflow solution using
the SharePoint Designer.
Chapter 6: Working with Content Types: Most
organizations have information and documents, which often utilize
consistent templates, processes and policies each time they are
created. Therefore, SharePoint 2007 has introduced the concept of a
Content Type to allow an organization to package templates and
information to ensure that reusable components are rolled out in
the organization to enforce consistency and ease of use. This
chapter demonstrates what content types are and explores how they
can be used through some hands-on examples.
Chapter 7: Working with Web Parts: Web Parts
are an important element in SharePoint because they display
information in sites to users. A variety of Web Parts exist in
SharePoint 2007 to address the many ways that teams want to present
information. This chapter explores the various groups of Web Parts
in SharePoint, including examples on how specific types of Web
Parts can be configured and used to present information in a
desired manner.
Chapter 8: Working with Sites and Workspaces:
The fundamental components of any SharePoint environment are the
sites and workspaces that it contains. These collaborative work
areas contain all the components discussed in previous sections and
represent how each of those items come together to provide an
effective environment for collaboration, communication, and
document management. In this section of the book, topics such as
site templates, features, and look and feel are covered.
Chapter 9: User Management, Audiences, and
Profiles: Effective management of users is of ultimate
importance to any information system. The two primary tiers of
effective user management include securing content and
personalizing information on the portal. This chapter explains in
simple terms how to effectively secure a SharePoint environment at
the site level, the list or library level, and down to the unique
content items stored on a SharePoint site. In addition, an
introduction to personalization is presented to ensure that readers
understand how to effectively target information to users in a
portal.
Chapter 10: Working with Forms Services:
InfoPath is the ideal companion to SharePoint for many business
solutions. This chapter introduces readers to creating simple
business applications using InfoPath and SharePoint including new
features in 2007, such as template parts and browser based
forms.
Chapter 11: Working with Excel Services:
SharePoint addresses the need that many organizations face for
better visibility and accessibility to data that is often stored in
Excel spreadsheets or external business applications. This chapter
demonstrates how to improve the overall decision making of an
organization by providing access to important information by
utilizing browser based worksheets, visual indicators of
performance information, and building personalized interactive
dashboards.
Chapter 12: Working with the Business Data
Catalog: The Business Data Catalog is completely new to
SharePoint in 2007 and offers a fantastic way to access information
stored in other business applications through the SharePoint portal
interface and elements. This chapter introduces the concept of the
Business Data Catalog, explaining each of the key roles in detail
and then focusing on usage scenarios from the perspective of the
business analyst and end-user roles.
Chapter 13: Getting Started with Web Content
Management: All the functionality previously available in
Content Management Server 2002 has been incorporated into the
SharePoint platform for 2007. This convergence of technology allows
for the creation, review, and publishing of web content from a
single environment. This chapter provides an overview of the web
content management capabilities of the system including the use of
publishing sites and features, the automatic provisioning of
multilingual content through variations, and user-interface
customization.
Chapter 14: Working with Search: An information
system is useful to an organization only if stakeholders can easily
access and locate the information it contains. This chapter
discusses the search engine capabilities of the SharePoint platform
including methods that improve the search experience through the
use of custom search scopes, content sources, and best bets.