Eric Legault, May 2009 - Power Features, Cool Tools and Hot Tips

Eric Legault (MVP: Outlook) Blog: blogs.officezealot.com/legault Web site: www.collaborativeinnovations.ca Email: elegault@collaborativeinnovations.ca Today’s Agenda Content Types  The “Fantastic 40”  Connecting To SharePoint  Taking your SharePoint content Offline  Tips and Tricks and Tools  Housekeeping Bathrooms out the door and to your left for men  Break at 7  Done by 8  Questions are encouraged!  Speak loudly please  Content Types… • An object that defines several elements of a piece of content • The unit of measure for managing metadata What are they? Content Types… • Make it easier for information workers to find the content they are looking for when they need it • Make it easier to classify information when they create content Why? Content Types… • The fundamental key to a content management strategy is the development of an understanding of the types of documents in use within the organization How? The “Skyscraper” Metadata Strategy Information Skeleton Steel infrastructure • Flexible, so it can bend in the wind • Yet fundamentally the same structure Content Type Other structural components Content Type • Works with the steel to complete the building • Provides the platform upon which specific needs can be placed Content Type Rapid Storage vs. Rapid Retrieval Conflict between the speed at which an item can be retrieved and the speed at which the item is stored  Easy to use just a file name (File -> Save -> OK)  Difficult to find title from thousands of files  Storage is easy, retrieval is difficult  The Classification Conundrum Define numerous Content Types with many required fields  Retrieval is easy   Limit search to Content Type  Search on specific metadata Um...Ahhhh…Fuhgeddaboudit Overcompensating... May take several minutes of categorization and data entry to save a document  Unlikely that users will cope with additional load  They will circumvent the system   Save locally or not at all! “K.I.S.S.” "Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." Metadata Consistency Often, the same metadata item is called different things by different departments within an organization  sometimes each use the same word or phrase to refer to different information  The Bard’s Wisdom "That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Develop a Common Vocabulary      Names are ingrained within the corporate culture Arriving at a clear, consistent vocabulary is difficult Establishing consensus is essential to improving comprehension Combine terms with / or – to solve short term issues One will win out over time – drop the loser Heteronym Hell        Same word, different meanings “Content” Types are no different... Some orgs describe two different types of metadata with the same label Rely on context clues Is a “customer” the direct client/buyer? Or the end user/consumer? Is a “product” the product family/line, or the SKU? Avoid generic terms Metadata Metamorphosis As the environment of the organization change so does the organizations need to organize data  Similar to issues with OLAP solutions   Data structure evolves  Challenge for architects – need to maintain clear meaning of values over time New regulations  Corporate restructuring  Metadata strategy must adapt  Content Types - Overview Benefits • Centralized Management • Organization of Metadata and Behavior • Control and Governance • Reuse • Inheritance Defines • Metadata / Document Information Panel • Document Template • Workflow • Information Management Policies • Document Conversions Content Types: In Use     Choose which Content Type you want to create an item from Content will inherit all columns/settings/workflows from the Content Type, even if the Library doesn’t define them Define multiple Content Types in one Library Search on specific Content Types Content Types: Management   Top-level site “gallery” Child sites inherit Content Types: Creating    Name / Description Parent Content Type Group Content Types: Metadata   Existing “Site Columns” New “Site Column” Content Types: Document Templates  Use Document Templates to avoid “Copy Document Syndrome” Content Types: Policy   Policy enforcement Capabilities  Labels  Auditing  Expiration  Barcodes  Custom Content Types: The DIP Document Information Panel  InfoPath 2007 Form  Requires Office 2007  Content Types – Best Practices Inventory your Document Types first!  Note common properties/meta data for implementation as site columns  Document types with the largest set of shared properties are ideal for base Content Types  Content Types – Best Practices All other Document types that share the same largest common grouping of fields, but have one or more different columns, are ideal for child Content Types  Decide on the most appropriate data type for columns early – changes will destroy values in that field when the changes propagate if inheritance updates are enabled  Content Types The “Fantastic 40” WSS 3.0 Application Templates Out-of-the-box custom scenarios Addresses specific business processes or tasks Great starting point to build deeper solutions Can customize with SharePoint Designer Two flavours: • Site Admin templates; can be installed by end-user admins • Server Admin templates; requires server admin installation All 40… Site Admin Templates Board of Directors Business Performance Reporting Case Management for Government Agencies Classroom Management Clinical Trial Initiation and Management Competitive Analysis Site Discussion Database Disputed Invoice Management Employee Activities Site Employee Self-Service Benefits Employee Training Scheduling and Materials Equity Research Integrated Marketing Campaign Tracking Manufacturing Process Management New Store Opening Product and Marketing Requirements Planning Request for Proposal Sports League Team Work Site Timecard Management Server Admin Templates Absence Request and Vacation Schedule Management Budgeting and Tracking Multiple Projects Bug Database Call Center Change Request Management Compliance Process Support Site Contacts Management Document Library and Review Event Planning Expense Reimbursement and Approval Help Desk Inventory Tracking IT Team Workspace Job Requisition and Interview Management Knowledge Base Lending Library Physical Asset Tracking and Management Project Tracking Workspace Room and Equipment Reservations Sales Lead Pipeline Installing the “Fantastic 40” ECHO ON REM - Needed for all solutions stsadm -o addsolution -filename "C:\Temp\ApplicationTemplateCore.wsp" stsadm -o deploysolution -name "ApplicationTemplateCore.wsp" allowgacdeployment -immediate stsadm -o addsolution -filename "C:\Temp\AbsenceVacationSchedule.wsp" stsadm -o deploysolution -name "AbsenceVacationSchedule.wsp" allowgacdeployment -immediate stsadm -o addsolution -filename "C:\Temp\BudgetingTrackingMultipleProjects.wsp" stsadm -o deploysolution -name "BudgetingTrackingMultipleProjects.wsp" allowgacdeployment –immediate   Etc. Add the Site Admin templates manually to Site Collection galleries Eric Legault My Eggo: Batch Installing the WSS 3.0 Application Templates http://blogs.officezealot.com/legault/archive/2007/06/18/20420.aspx The “Fantastic 40” Linking SharePoint Lists to Outlook Connect Contacts, Tasks and Events List Two-way synch! Work with data offline in Outlook Linked Outlook folders treated the same way Linking Lists in Excel      Excel 2003 offers two-way synch Updating SharePoint Lists in Excel 2007 is deprecated Existing files from Excel 2003 load and continue to support update functionality when opened in Excel 2007. Lists that link to a SharePoint site are converted to read-only tables when you save existing files to the new Open XML file formats. It is still possible to publish a table to SharePoint lists; however, this is a one-time write operation to SharePoint Linking is back in Excel 2007…   Use a VBA macro  http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/930006 Install an add-in  Excel 2007 Add-in: Synchronizing Tables with SharePoint Lists: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?fa milyid=25836e52-1892-4e17-ac085df13cfc5295&displaylang=en  See also Publishing and Synchronizing Excel 2007 Tables to SharePoint Lists http://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/library/bb462636(office.11).aspx  Cons: cannot link to existing Lists… Editing SharePoint Lists in Access Link to data (or export) Work with data offline Two-way synch Easy to collect more data Easy way to import Contacts from Outlook Connecting SharePoint Data in InfoPath • XML Document • Database (SQL or Create data Access) connections • Web Service for: • SharePoint Lists and Libraries Tips and Tricks The most important folder ever: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\  Get to know stsadm.exe   Add to Path system variable  Use stsadmWin if you don’t know the commands and as a learning tool  SharePoint Manager  Useful for digging out properties  Tree view of entire farm Best Practices  Use named service accounts  E.g. sharepointservice, mossservice, sqlservice, sspservice     Change service account passwords AT YOUR PERIL!!! Practice installing Farms, SSPs and Web Apps on Virtual Servers Practice backups Rename servers and join to a different domain AT YOUR PERIL!!!  Use stsadm –o renameserver –oldservername “MOSS1” -newservername “MOSS2” DM and Collaboration Best Practices Folders SUCK  Use Content Types   PLAN AHEAD!!! Use AD groups for permissions  Add to SharePoint groups   Default SP groups are ROLE based (e.g. Contributors, Readers)  Modify role rights when required ○ E.g. create Super Reader (can add and update, but not delete) DM and Collaboration Best Practices  Plan your Portal and Site Collections  Portals are great for org wide Intranets  Site Collections are great for Depts and Divisions  Gather requirements from EACH team, project, department, division, etc.  Find the group champion, get them involved  Encourage playing in sandbox sites  Know the pros and cons of using the Collaboration Portal template  Great central aggregator and “meeting place”  Not good for creating dept and division sites Colligo for SharePoint Colligo® for SharePoint® (CFS) Features • • • • • • • Synchronizes multiple SharePoint sites to desktop Initiate sync from IE, then background sync Supports Document & Picture Libraries Supports Custom Metadata & Views Supports Custom & Standard Lists Very small (5 MB) .NET 2.0 Client, no server installation Familiar Interface - Little or No Training Required for End Users • Search local SharePoint cache with Windows Desktop Search Use Cases • Rich client user experience vs. browser (used as primary SP interface) • Works offline as well as online • Archiving/Sharing emails in SharePoint Desktop Collaboration Tools for SharePoint SharePoint Desktop Client Outlook Add-in Offline Access / Online Synchronization Email/Document Drag-and-Drop Colligo Contributor & Office 07 Requirements Drop content into Doc Libs through Outlook folders Offline cache, 2-way sync of custom lists Offline cache, 2-way sync of document libraries Apply standard and custom metadata at time of capture Automatically extract email message properties to metadata SharePoint + Outlook 2007 SharePoint + Groove 2007 SharePoint + Colligo Contributor       Solution Benefits Scenario Examples Improving performance of SharePoint • Remote offices over WAN • Networks with high latency Supporting offline use of SharePoint • Mobile workers (e.g. sales, field services, etc.) Migrating Exchange Public Folders to • User-based migration SharePoint through Outlook Email collaboration or archival in SharePoint SharePoint as an ECM / DM solution • Compliance and retention • Project collaboration • Information workers (e.g. professional services firms) Cool Tools       stsadmWin http://blogs.msdn.com/ronalus/archive/2007/01/04/st sadmwin-has-an-2007-version.aspx SharePoint 2007 Test Data Population Tool http://www.codeplex.com/sptdatapop SharePoint Tips Utility Pack http://www.codeplex.com/spstipsUtilityPack SharePoint Manager 2007 (keutmann's blog) http://www.sharepointblogs.com/keutmann/default.as px SharePoint 2007 Features Pack http://features.codeplex.com/ SharePoint Tool Basket http://sptoolbasket.codeplex.com/ SharePoint Features Pack Log Viewer  Print List  Toolbar Manager  Content Type Hierarchy  SharePoint Tool Basket SharePoint Document Rating  SPForms Designer  SPFeature Explorer  SPContentType Explorer  List Columns Manager  Cool Tools     Microsoft SharePoint Administration Toolkit http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?fa milyid=412A9EF1-3358-4420-B8200CA3F4641651&displaylang=en SharePoint Capacity Planning Tool http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?Fa milyId=DBEE0227-D4F7-48F8-85F0E71493B2FD87&displaylang=en Microsoft Best Practices Analyzer http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?di splaylang=en&FamilyID=cb944b27-9d6b-4a1f-b3e1778efda07df8 Planning worksheets for Office SharePoint Server 2007 - http://technet.microsoft.com/enus/library/cc262451.aspx