sharepoint: the good, the bad, and the ugly sharepoint as a content management platform for the...
TRANSCRIPT
Marcel Meth 1
SharePoint: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
SharePoint as a Content Management Platform for the
Uninitiated
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Agenda
• What is SharePoint• Preliminaries• SharePoint By Example• Beyond the Example• Take Aways
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What is SharePoint?• “SharePoint is an enterprise information portal, from Microsoft, that can be configured to run Intranet, Extranet and Internet sites. Microsoft Office
SharePoint Server 2007 allows people, teams and expertise to connect and collaborate. A SharePoint enterprise portal is composed of both SharePoint Portal and Windows SharePoint Services, with SharePoint being built upon WSS. WSS is typically used by small teams, projects and companies. SharePoint Server is designed for individuals, teams and projects within a medium to large company wide enterprise portal”
• When I hear people answer the question, this is what I hear:
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“It is both a floor wax and a dessert topping!” Here, I'll spray some on your mop, and some on your butterscotch pudding.
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SharePoint
To me, SharePoint is:
• The ability for end users to manage content in a variety of forms online without necessarily having to enlist IT to do so.
• My working definition:
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EnterpriseContent
Management
Document Management
Records Management
Web Content Management
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Preliminaries: SharePoint Timeline
ConfusingOfferingSPS 2001
• Doc Mgmt• Portal• Basic search• Personalization• Forms• Webparts• Web Content Mgmt
SPS 2003
• SPS 2003 +• BI & Connect to data• Search ++• Excel Services• Extranets• Records Management
WSS, MOSS, Search 2007
• Firefox & Safari• Ajax• Connect to data ++• Internet
2010
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Painful upgradeUpgrade is
supposed to be better
Good Bad UglyQuick to stand up a site. Need clients to be MS
friendly & carefully setupUI is clunky, not pretty, & everything looks like SharePoint.
Works well for closed/controlled communities
Too many SKUs Navigation
MS Documentation is poor. User management /
creation
Lists – End users can create pseudo databases
Lists are limited List interfaces are ugly
Repositioning
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Preliminaries: Who’s involved?
• Anonymous viewer• Contribute content• Participate in business
processes
Non Technical User (Browser Only)
• Gather User Requirements• Customize Sites and Libraries• Customize Look & Feel / Branding• Build custom solutions
SharePoint Analyst”Technically Savvy User”
(Browser & SharePoint Designer)
• Hardcore .NET Developer: Builds code that must be installed through the back end interfaces.
• Build repeatable solutions
Developer(Browser, SharePoint
Designer, & Visual Studio)
• System, Network, Desktop, Security, and Database Administration
Administrator(Browser, Server
Consoles, Desktops)
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SharePoint by Example (Eco Teams)
• Request – “Build an interactive web site for the Newton Eco Teams Project.” Newton has ~80,000 residents
• No real requirements up front: Site evolved in a series of iterations.
• Mission:
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Eco-Teams, groups of 5-8 people from different households, meet three or four times to work through a fun, easy-to-use workbook called The Low Carbon Diet, which shows, step-by-step, how to dramatically reduce CO2 output in just a month's time. You learn to:
• Calculate your CO2 footprint with an easy-to-use online carbon calculator.
• Create cool household systems that save the earth while saving you money.
• Take on cool lifestyle practices to reduce CO2 emissions.
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SharePoint by Example (Eco Teams) 2
• What you should know– This site is hosted by apps4rent on a WSS server.– Cost is low ($9 / month, unlimited users,
performance is good)
– Numerous occasions I wouldhave liked to use MOSS.
– No access to back end• No developers• Very little ability to administrate
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SharePoint by Example (Eco Teams) 3
• What an anonymous user sees– Brochure ware
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User Clicks here to sign in
Clicking on “form a team”
initiates a human
workflow process
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SharePoint by Example (Eco Teams) 4
• SharePoint Analyst– User can contribute
content.
• In WSS vs MOSS– WSS has no
publishing model.– MOSS does have an
approval workflow& publishing model.
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User Clicks here to sign in
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Anonymous user requests access
SharePoint Anlyst• Creates an account• Sends back email
Anonymous user logs in, they are now an authenticated user.
SharePoint by Example (Eco Teams) 5
• Adding an account (Ugly!)– This is usually done by using Active Directory in a closed community.– For our example, apps4rent uses custom forms based authentication.
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There are third party products that can improve user account handling and password reset. Butyou need the Administrator to install them.
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SharePoint by Example (Eco Teams) 6
• SharePoint Analyst– User can connect web parts so that they pass data to each other.
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Text box passes term to filter contacts.
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SharePoint by Example (Eco Teams) 6
• SharePoint Analystcreates a list.
• Non Technical Usercan now enter data ina form that is associatedwith the list.
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Good Bad UglyForms come for free as part of a list
Forms are not very friendly Difficult to get a User Interface that makes sense .
Lists provide a good repository for data. (Pseudo Database)
List functionality is limited
SharePoint 2010 has improved lists significantly
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SharePoint by Example (Eco Teams) 7
• Comparing Excel with a SharePoint list– Excel provides a much richer user experience with immediate graphical
feedback and totals.– SharePoint lists are able to prefill somewhat intelligently.
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SharePoint by Example (Eco Teams) 8
• SharePoint can retrievedata that is embedded in Excel
• Why not store each household's data in their own personal Excel file?.
– This would be a good solution if you could control the end user desktops. In enterprise settings you can do this.
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X
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SharePoint by Example (Eco Teams) 9
• If we wanted to create a repeatable solution for each town in Massachusetts, then we would definitely need a developer.
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Eco Team site forBoston
Eco Team site forEverette
…
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SharePoint by Example (Eco Teams) 8
• Dashboards in SharePoint– WSS enables a summary view– MOSS enables charts & – MOSS can connect to
data on other data providers.
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2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
0102030405060
CO2 Used Gaso-line
Garbage
Elec-tric
Natu-ral Gas
Oil
WaterYear
lbs
of
CO
2Good Bad UglyConcept of showing aggregate data is great.
Aggregate views are not very rich
If you use the SharePoint charting and data connectors, then the solution requires MOSS enterprise, which is very expensive
SharePoint 2010 promises to fix a lot of issues.
Lots of bugs with Office files and SharePoint (Hoping they get this right in 2010)
Work around: 1. Proficient jQuery guru2. CorasWorks3. Bamboo web parts
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SharePoint Beyond the Example
• Excel Services– Can serve as a reporting tool.– Upload spreadsheet to
SharePoint. Users do notneed Excel on their desktop.
– Not a replacement for datacollection (forms)
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Good Bad UglyConcept is great! Excel Services is V1,
and still limitedVery limited user input capability.
Allows workbook to connect to data from server.
SharePoint 2010 promises to fix a lot of issues.
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SharePoint Beyond the Example 2
– My Sites– Blogs– Wikis
– Discussions– Surveys– User Profiles
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Good Bad UglyConcepts are good. In 2007, these were all
V1, and it showsThey are not very rich and the UI is not intuitive.SharePoint 2010 promises
to fix a lot of issues.
• “Social” SharePoint
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SharePoint: Beyond the Example 3
• Data Gathering and Business Process Workflows– Requires careful planning and
customization to setup.• Info Path• SharePoint Designer Workflows
• Visual Studio
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Good Bad Ugly
One can build a powerful automated workflow that can capture data from humans
Users need to have the InfoPath client installed. (Windows friendly client machines) Alternative: Use the forms server. This is expensive and requires a developer or Administrator to deploy the forms.
Really sophisticated workflows requires the use of Visual Studio, thus a developer needs to be engaged.Alternative: *Use the third party tools from:• Nintex•K2
A SharePoint Analyst can accomplish a great deal.
*http://www.sharepointks.com/post/K2-or-Nintex-Which-is-better.aspx
Tech Savvy User
Developer
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SharePoint: Beyond the Example 4
• Web Content Management & Deployment– This is a V1 feature set (Comes from the old Microsoft CMS
product)– MOSS Enterprise– Requires Back end administrative privileges to deploy
content.
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Good Bad UglyGood strategy Buggy SharePoint User Interface
is not elegant enough for a customer facing site. Thus one must spend quite a bit of time and energy to get a functional and aesthetically pleasing branded site.
2010 has a great deal of improvements.
Need to involve administrator.
Need MOSS
Publishing functionality is confusing and requires users who are savvy.
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SharePoint: Beyond the Example 5
• Search– One of Microsoft's biggest competitors is Google– Google sells an appliance for enterprise search.– Microsoft has a spectrum of search solutions that are coupled with
different versions of SharePoint.– What you should know about enterprise search:
• People are often disappointed by enterprise search• Getting Enterprise search to work well is resource intensive• You can purchase starter dictionaries• You probably want someone who specializes in search.
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SharePoint: Beyond the Example 6
• Records Management
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A record is a document or other electronic or physical entity in an organization that serves as evidence of an activity or transaction performed by the organization and that requires retention for some time period. Records management is the process by which an organization:
Determines what types of information should be considered records. Determines how active documents that will become records should be handled while
they are in use, and determines how they should be collected once they are declared to be records.
Determines in what manner and for how long each record type should be retained to meet legal, business, or regulatory requirements.
Researches and implements technological solutions and business processes to help ensure that the organization complies with its records management obligations in a cost-effective and non-intrusive way.
Performs records-related tasks such as disposing of expired records, or locating and protecting records related to external events such as lawsuits.
Good Bad
Good strategy Difficult to debug.
2010 should be better
Need to involve administrator.
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Take-Aways1. SharePoint consists of a broad portfolio of tools that allows you to
quickly standup solutions in a browser.2. SharePoint works best with a controlled “Microsoft Friendly”
desktop environment.3. SharePoint users:
• Non Technical• Analyst• Programmer• Administrator
4. SharePoint sites require effort to make them look good.5. Authentication needs to be carefully planned
• SharePoint Authentication designed to be used with Active Directory.
6. UI is clunky, but SP 2010 shows a lot of promise.
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Take-Aways continued
7. Third party eco system can be helpful, need an administrator to install
• CorasWorks – Charting & Data Connectivity• Nintex & K2 – Workflow• Bamboo Solutions – Variety of Webparts
8. “Social” SharePoint – Not really for external use.9. Don’t be fooled by Search, it is hard to implement well.10. Records Management and Web Content Management will
probably be robust in 2010.11. “Repeatable” implementations often need a developer to
be involved.
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Questions
The Mathft Technology Group - specializing in SharePoint configuration and customization for real
world businesses
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