Datasheet

❑ Automating Operations: Taking advantage of SharePoint’s workflow features, Rossco created a
strict content approval process that routed documents from approver to approver before they
were finally publishing them to the Internet-facing portal.
❑ Content Aggregation: Using built-in Web Parts, such as the Content Query Web Part, Rossco
could gather the most sought-after and important information in its sub sites and funnel this
information to the Internet-facing portal where users had quick and easy access to support
information for multiple products at a glance.
SharePoint Components Overview
SharePoint includes several components and elements that are key to the effective use of the system and
will be very important concepts to master as you progress through this book. Although each of these
items is addressed in detail in later chapters, the following sections offer a brief overview.
SharePoint Lists
The list is a fundamental component of SharePoint Products and Technologies. They act as both the store
for the information and the vehicle for creating, adding, and sharing information from the store. For a to-
do list that you might create using a notepad and pen, each task is an individual item and has certain
properties or characteristics that differentiate it from the others in the list. In SharePoint, you can create a
digital to-do list with each new task requiring that you fill out a form to describe the task. This means
you can view a list of all completed items and rank them in order based on when you must complete
them, or when they will start, or even how long each will take.
Although advanced and dynamic, SharePoint lists are easy to create, requiring absolutely no code, spe-
cial development skills or tools. In the past, such lists took time to create and required using an applica-
tion and hiring a developer or user with technical skills. By using SharePoint, users most familiar with
the information tracking and sharing needs of the organization can create the tools they need.
You can use lists to store virtually any type of information. The most commonly used list types are
Contacts, Tasks, Issues, Announcements, and Calendar lists. You can create other lists for just about any
usage scenario to track and share information related to a single item. Chapters 2 and 4 examine the
common list templates and how you can extend them to meet your team’s goals and objectives.
SharePoint Libraries
Libraries are much like lists with one major difference: their intended content. Whereas lists store infor-
mation about items such as events, contacts, or announcements, libraries store documents. You can think
of libraries as superfolders that help users find files faster and easier than ever through the use of special
properties or keywords such as status, owner, or due date. Once you add a number of properties to docu-
ments, you can create special views or reports to filter, sort, and organize documents based on those
properties.
Through SharePoint 2007-specific technologies such as content types, document libraries can now man-
age multiple types of files and templates from a single library, making it possible to quickly create and
manage common document types such as Word or Excel right from the browser. Chapters 3 and 4
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Chapter 1: Getting Started with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server
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