SharePoint Introduction
SharePoint is a family of
Microsoft technology, used for document sharing, publishing, collaboration. Or,
you can say that SharePoint is a browser based document management platform
given by Microsoft. Or, simply you can say SharePoint is a Microsoft's Content
Management System. SharePoint includes 2 techniques, MOSS and WSS; i.e. MOSS +
WSS = SharePoint.
Although collaboration is at the heart of SharePoint, it includes many other important core features to help in the following business needs:
Although collaboration is at the heart of SharePoint, it includes many other important core features to help in the following business needs:
·
Document Management
·
Web Content Management
·
Business Process Management (Workflows)
·
Enterprise Search
·
Business Intelligence (Dashboards, Reports)
·
Social Networking
·
Electronic Forms (InfoPath)
MOSS
MOSS stands for Microsoft Office
SharePoint Server. MOSS is a portal based platform for managing and sharing
documents.
WSS
WSS stands for Windows SharePoint
Server. WSS is the core framework on which SharePoint works.
BUILT - IN FEATURES OF SHAREPOINT
So what features can you expect in
SharePoint 2010? The answer depends on what version you implement: SharePoint
Server or SharePoint Foundation. The following sections address everyday
scenarios and show you examples of how SharePoint can make things easier for
you and your users.
·
Alerts
One feature that both SharePoint
Foundation and SharePoint Server offer is something Microsoft refers to as
alerts. An alert is a request you create in SharePoint to be notifi ed by e -
mail or by text message (SMS) when SharePoint content changes (for example,
when a document is updated, a contact is deleted, or news items are created).
Using alerts, you can be sure to keep yourself updated about changes to
information that is important to you! SharePoint will send you an e - mail or a
text message (SMS) to your phone, to notify you what has happened. The
following information types are examples of what can be monitored by alerts: A
document library or a single document A picture library or a single picture A
contact list or a single contact A link list or a single link A news list or a
single news item An event list or a single event.
·
RSS
(Really Simple Syndication)
A very handy feature introduced
in SharePoint 2007 that also is supported in SharePoint 2010 is support for the
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) technique. Using this feature, a user can be
notifi ed when new items are added to any type of SharePoint list, such as
document libraries, contacts, news, and tasks lists. This is similar to alerts
mentioned earlier, but the main difference between them is that alerts send e -
mail that will be stored in your inbox along with other e - mail, whereas all
RSS notifi cations will be collected in one folder, thus giving you a much
better overview of all the notifications.
·
Managing
Meetings
If there’s one thing that almost
all employees agree on, it is that most meetings are a huge pain! Why? The
usual complaints are that they are a waste of time, boring, and too long; that
meeting participants are unprepared; and that following up on tasks and
activities after the meeting is hard. All of this indicates that even a small
step forward to make meetings more effective is important. SharePoint enables
you to change many tasks related to meetings into something more positive.
Before a typical meeting, the meeting organizer uses Microsoft Outlook to
invite participants, as well as to book resources such as the conference room.
Take a closer look at a meeting to understand how you can enhance this type of
activity. A meeting is an event where the following steps typically occur: 1. A
number of people are invited. 2. The invitees come together, usually in a
meeting room. 3. While together, they discuss a number of topics defined in an
agenda. 4. The discussion results in a number of actions and decisions,
documented in meeting minutes.
Pages:
A SharePoint site, like any other
web site, is comprised of pages. A page in SharePoint is a container for
smaller components called web parts that provide some unique functionality or
content. A page in SharePoint automatically inherits its permissions settings
from the library that it’s stored in within the site.
Webparts:
Webparts are the smallest
component for a web application in Sharepoint. A webpart is having their own
unique functionality. On a same web page there may be several web parts. A page
in SharePoint is comprised of web parts that exist within zones on a page. Web
parts are components that come either out-of-the-box in SharePoint, or are
available from third party vendors or custom developed by SharePoint
developers. A web part can be re-used throughout the pages within a SharePoint
site or in some cases across sites. For e.g. one web part will define the
weather report, another web part will define the news and so on.
Library:
A library is a component in
SharePoint that stores files i.e. documents. Think of a library as a folder on
your file system that can also contain sub-folders. For example, a library can
be created to store "project status" in the Project management team
site. Libraries can contain metadata to describe the particular file in more
detail and to make it easier to find.
List:
A list is a component in
SharePoint that stores rows of information. For example, a list can be created
to store product list in a production team site. Lists can contain metadata to
describe the particular row in more detail and to make it easier to find.
SharePoint Farm:
The base level for any SharePoint
implementation is the SharePoint farm. Physically a farm can consist of one
server or many servers. An organization may implement one or more farms. This
usually depends on security and performance needs. From a performance
perspective it may make sense for an organization with locations across the
globe to maintain multiple farms with those locations accessing content closest
to them for speed. In these cases, content between the farms need to be
synchronized. From a security perspective an organization may have a SharePoint
intranet for internal content and a SharePoint extranet for third party access.
All or some components of the extranet farm might have to be located in the DMZ
whereas security policies or concerns may prohibit any portion of the intranet
farm outside of the organization's physical network.
Site:
A Web site is a group of related
Web pages that is hosted by an HTTP server on the World Wide Web or on an
intranet site. Most Web sites have a home page as their starting point. The
home page is interconnected with other pages by using hyperlinks. You can use
top-level sites and subsites to divide site content into distinct, separately manageable
sites. Top-level Web sites can have multiple subsites, and subsites themselves
can have multiple subsites. The entire structure of a top-level Web site and
all of its subsites is called a Web site collection.
What is a site collection?
A site collection is where the
design, security, navigation, content types, web parts, workflows and etc. are
maintained for all the sites within the collection. An organization might
create a site collection for the HR department, for IT department and one for
the Finance department each with its own design, security policy and navigation
requirements.
Site Template:
Windows SharePoint Services
provides the following collaboration templates that you can use when creating a
new site.
SITE TEMPLATE
|
DESCRIPTION
|
Team Site
|
This template creates a site
that teams can use to create, organize, and share information. It includes a
document library, and basic lists, such as Announcements, Calendar, Contacts,
and Links.
|
Blank Site
|
This template creates a Web
site with a blank home page that you can customize with a browser or a
Windows SharePoint services-compatible Web design program by adding
interactive lists and other features.
|
Wiki Site
|
This template creates a site
where you can quickly and easily add, edit, and link Web pages.
|
Blog
|
This template creates a site
that you can use to post information and to allow others to comment on it.
|
Application Templates
|
These templates are tailored to
address the requirements of specific business processes or sets of tasks
within organizations of any size. The templates can be applied to common
scenarios, such as managing a help desk or tracking a marketing campaign. To
learn more and download the templates, see the Application Templates for
Windows SharePoint Services Web page.
|
Content Type:
SharePoint content types provide
a way to package security, metadata and workflows for a specific file or
document type or list item. That package of security, metadata and workflows
will follow that file, document or list item wherever it's stored in
SharePoint.
Comments
Post a Comment