Christchurch.NET User Group Christchurch SharePoint User Group (C-SPUG)

 What is SharePoint (WSS/MOSS)?  WSS Out Of The Box  WSS Development (select topics)  Why SharePoint?  Calls to Action and Resources

Line of Business functionality Content + Document Management Glorified Database Editing Tools Workflow and Process Engines Comms Mgmt and Threading Multi-Tenant Management /Duplication Extensible Field Architectures Security Nightmares Dashboards and Navigation Control Base Language + API

Line of Business functionality.NET + API Rich Frameworks: WWF, WCF, WPF, … App Framework: Windows SharePoint Services

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) Microsoft Project Server Microsoft Dynamics CRM ? Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) IIS, SQL, ASP.NET, WWF

Collaboration Platform Services Workspaces, Mgmt, Security, Storage, Topology, Site Model Docs/tasks/calendars, blogs, wikis, integration, project management “lite”, Outlook integration, offline docs/lists

BusinessIntelligence Collaboration Search Portal Business Forms Platform Services Workspaces, Mgmt, Security, Storage, Topology, Site Model ContentManagement Server-based Excel spreadsheets and data visualization, Report Center, BI Web Parts, KPIs/Dashboards Integrated document management, records management, and Web content management with policies and workflow Rich and Web forms based front- ends, LOB actions, enterprise SSO Docs/tasks/calendars, blogs, wikis, integration, project management “lite”, Outlook integration, offline docs/lists Enterprise scalability, contextual relevance, rich people and business data search Enterprise Portal template, Site Directory, My Sites, social networking, privacy control

Farm Web Application Web Application Site Collection /sites/Marketing Site /Div1 Site /Div2 Root Site / Site /D1A Site /D1B Site Collection /sites/Main Site /Div1 Site /Div2 Root Site / Site /D2A Site Collection /sites/Development Site /Div1 Root Site / One Configuration DB per Farm>= 1 Content DB per Web App

 Home page with logo and welcome message  Announcements (RSS-able)  List of events (sync with Outlook Calendar)  Useful links list (configurable)  Documents with description (sync with Explorer and RSS)  Discussion board (RSS-able, conversation mgmt, posting by )  Editable database of possible topics  Ability for members to customise views (e.g. only relevant topics)  Search engine on all the above  Navigation facilities  For Dan and Bryn:  Interface/admin to update all the above (e.g. upload docs)  Wiki for DNUG charter development/collaboration  Admin task list (sync with Outlook Tasks)

 Whirlwind tour of WSS

 What if Auckland DNUG wants in?  Server admin templates (.stp) – easy, limited  Site admin templates (.wsp) – requires developer, powerful  Many pre-built business solutions are provided this way (“Top 40”)  Community Kit for SharePoint (CKS): UGE!

 WSS inherently customisable/flexible  New breed of “solution developers” - blurred roles  Power users/IT pros can develop solutions without code  Great for prototyping and POCs  Don’t worry, coders needed more than ever!  For solution development, best to approach in feature-oriented fashion with quality process

 Server 2003 hosted in a VM  VS 2005  SharePoint:.NET 3, WSS, SDK  WSS Extensions for VS 2005  Ready shortcut to the 12 HIVE  U2U Query Builder for CAML  IntelliSense – copy 12\Templates\XML\*.xsd to Visual Studio\XML\Schemas  STSADM.EXE in the ClassPath  SharePoint Designer  Patience + Coffee

 Everything you see is exposed programatically via the Object Model, including UI  Also extensible through declarative feature, list and site definitions - CAML  Large number of web services exposed – easy to build composite apps  SharePoint plays nice in your SOA or can be a focus of it

 Object Model + Querying with CAML

 Re-usable interface components  Build from scratch, or with VS WSS extensions  Customisation and personalisation  Custom properties  Can aggregate standard user controls  Can consume/provide data to/from other parts  Can be AJAX-ed

 Creating a Web Part using VSE

 Major new Feature (!) of WSS 3  Collections of interdependent components  Declarative extensibility (CAML) – many elements  Activate/deactivate manually/programatically  Installed in Farm, four activation scopes  Can have dependent features  Site definitions  Real templates – collect all components for a site  Best to simply aggregate and package features

 Features, Custom Actions, Page Provisioning

 Most actions in WSS generate events  Before (ing) vs After (ed)  Pre-synchronous with cancellation support  Useful for plugging in business logic/ validation/integration/…  Handle through event receiver DLL (in GAC)  Best packaged inside feature  Feature events themselves can be handled  Significantly improved over WSS 2

 Event Receiver

 WSS adds custom extensions to WWF runtime  Allows Workflows to hook into any SharePoint content item, with tasks and notifications  Useful “UI” for Workflow  Great for process automation, business process visibility, compliance  Use SP Designer (no code) or VS (for tough guys)

 WWF and WSS (if time)

 Needed for drag-and-drop customisation  Replaces FrontPage (hooray!)  Branding/Style: extensive use of master pages + CSS  No-code Workflows  Customised pages vs non-customised pages  Data view web part: composite apps with no code

 Branding + Style (if time)

 Site columns  Content types  Custom field types  List, view, and site definitions in detail  Solution packages and provisioning assemblies  Workflow definitions, activities, templates  Timer jobs  Custom connectors  Custom file convertors  Search extensions  Records + version management  Custom authentication  Advanced Web Part techniques  Architecture/administration/governance: plan plan plan!  Deployment/installation/upgrading  All the MOSS stuff…  Change management, best practices…

 Personalisation  Desktop integration  Can own the content  Web 2.0 is SharePoint (!)  Can and should contribute to design – rapid turnaround  Collaboration and knowledge sharing is a philosophy – requires change management and buy-in from all involved

 Work smarter, not harder  Appear agile to the business  Easy to develop POCs  Create powerful functionality with no-code

 Work smarter, not harder  Build solutions, not foundations  Focus on business value in your software  Re-use, adapt, customise  Leverage existing skills  Extend reach of software  SharePoint skills in demand

 Powerful base collaboration/ intranet functionality at low cost  Ubiquity – fastest growing server platform ever!  Scalable road map – small steps  Microsoft are very committed to this platform  No-one was ever fired for choosing IBM SharePoint!  Significant improvements in 07 - extensibility + integration

 Install WSS and play  Download the Top 40, and CKS projects  Online learning resources, labs, web casts (start at  Get certified: (WSS), (MOSS)  Try using it within your organisation for collaboration – it sells itself

 IT help desk  Development wiki  Development standards + quality systems  Project workspaces/portals  Social club portal, events etc  Process automation e.g. leave approval  Customer portal/support site  Knowledge base  Internal blogs + knowledge sharing  Your ideas…

 Want to go deeper?  Register at  Technical and business audience  Monthly meetings (approx last Tues)  Geek and business user lunches in 2008  Knowledge shared as part of the NZ SPUGs  Looking for contributors...  See Matt Smith or Gary Payne  Please tell your friends!

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