29/Jul/2006
In this brief introduction to SharePoint, we give some reasons why you may be interested in investing in a SharePoint implementation.
Windows SharePoint 2003 Technologies lie in the middle ground between ad-hoc data storage (typically spreadsheets or documents on shared folders) and enterprise-strength applications, professionally developed using databases such as SQL Server. Inevitably there is never enough time, budget or inclination to migrate all the spreadsheets to database applications, so the ability to centrally manage and share disparate ad-hoc data becomes attractive.
Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) is Microsoft’s answer to fill the space in the spectrum between the file share and the database. For those with experience of Lotus Notes, the similarities in approach between the Microsoft and Lotus products may not go unnoticed. In recent years, Microsoft have put their weight fully behind SharePoint, and the technology is now really coming to the fore. More and more applications from the Microsoft stable have some sort of SharePoint integration.
Out of the box you get the ability to set up team sites. These are mini-portals that are your entry point into SharePoint. Rather than communicate on a one-to-many basis using email, announcements, discussions, events and team documents are placed in the team site for the team to access. Security and permissions control exactly who can add, modify and view data.
Uses
SharePoint has a wide variety of uses. It allows you to set up an intranet site without the need for professional development. In general it is best served when:
- There are potentially a large number of users
- The amount of data or information to be stored isn’t huge
- There is a need to get something running quickly.
A great example would be a Health and Safety site. This is something that an organisation would want all employees to have access to, and the amount of content would be just right for SharePoint. The document library would store the safety policies, first-aiders would be listed in the contacts lists and could have their photos in the picture library. Issues list could be set up to monitor ongoing concerns. Accidents and near-hits can be logged on custom forms, with alerts set up to notify the site safety manager by email. Other features such as announcements, discussion boards, links, events and surveys also have a role to play on such a site.
Top 10 great things about SharePoint:
1 It’s free
Being free is maybe not the best reason to “buy” anything, but Windows SharePoint Services is a free download from Microsoft. Larger organisations may be best served by the premium SharePoint Portal Server (SPS), as it provides better content management and search facilities.
2 Web-based
One of the great advantages of “vanilla” SharePoint is that is that everything is done through the browser interface. This means that deployment is simple – assuming users have Internet Explorer, there is no client application to install. Pages can be built, edited and viewed using the browser.
3 Simple interface
Simple lists, announcements, document and photo libraries, discussions and surveys can be set up in minutes. The interface is intuitive and most users can become proficient in the basics after only an hours use.
4 - Central storage
All data is held centrally on the server. This makes the data easy to manage, and, more importantly, to share.
5 - Document management
SharePoint provides a useful document management environment for controlling files placed into the document libraries. Basic check in / check out facilities prevent concurrent updates, and version history can be enabled, allowing auditing and tracking of changes. Libraries can be accessed using Windows explorer or the browser interface.
6 - Office integration
SharePoint provides the capability to link directly into a number of Office applications. All Office 2003 documents can be opened and saved directly to the document libraries, using the normal open/save dialogue boxes. Lists can be exported to Excel for analysis; Access can link to SharePoint lists, allowing more complex queries and joins.
7 - Share Calendars and Events
Events calendars can be linked to Outlook. Users can then view the events calendar alongside their own calendar. Events can be dragged from the team site to their own calendars using the side-by-side view.
8 - Add metadata
Metadata can be added to all items stored with SharePoint. Metadata is additional summary information about an item. This is especially useful for document libraries, where it may be necessary to categorise documents by client or by project. Adding metadata improves the usefulness of the search capability, and allows document listings to show more than just the basic file information.
9 - Web parts
Web parts are the components that make up the SharePoint page. Microsoft provide a number of web parts with the product, but additional web parts can be downloaded, bought or custom built. Web parts provided by software vendors can be used to create a much more powerful intranet desktop, bringing together team information and application data to create a rich content portal.
10 - Search
Searching across the teams site is easy in WSS, the search facility is built in to all the pages on the site. The search facility is considerably more powerful in the Portal Server version, as the capability is extended to search across all sites
It gets better with Windows Sharepoint Server 2007
To be released alongside Office 12 (Office 2007) in Q4 2006, the next generation of SharePoint services promises better features and better integration.
Top 5 SharePoint "gotchas"
SharePoint services are great for a variety of applications, but there are few hurdles to jump and bear pits to dodge to get there. Thankfully, once up and running, SharePoint is a very stable and reliable platform for your intranet. Listed here are few “gotchas” for those new to the technology.
It takes over your web server
Installing SharePoint does some fairly significant low-level tweaks to your web server’s setup. As a basic recommendation, never install SharePoint on any server currently running a production IIS. This will include Exchange servers running Outlook Web Access. For smaller business with only one server, Small Business Server is the way to go as it is already set up for WSS.
It only runs on Windows Server 2003
It’s a Microsoft product. It runs on IIS on Windows Server 2003. Other platforms are not supported. You can’t install it on XP etc. even for test purposes.
It works best with the latest versions of client software
A truism in so much software, but SharePoint is a relatively new technology, so the best support is provided in the latest versions of Office – currently Office 2003. Remember though that no client software is needed, it just improves the overall experience and productivity.
Backups
Backups are best performed with the supplied command-line tools. Tools like ntbackup will not correctly back up your sites. Check your 3rd party backup solution supports SharePoint, and that your operations team have the necessary training to perform restorations if needed.
Upgrading to Portal Server
If you have tried the basic SharePoint services and would like to upgrade to Portal Server, the upgrade path is not easy, and a proper migration project is needed. If you just go straight ahead and install SPS, existing WSS data may be lost. The easiest approach is to decide right up front which product is right for you, and stick with it. If you do need to migrate, then seek advice from a Microsoft partner.
More information
For more information on how Contigo can help you with your SharePoint implementation and Web Part development, email sharepoint@contigo.co.uk or contact us.