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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO SHAREPOINT 2010
SharePoint Designer
Besides making SharePoint Designer (SPD) free, Microsoft has invested in making SharePoint
Designer better in the 2010 release. SPD has been redesigned to have more of a SharePoint - based
view than the folder - based view it previously had. Now, you can browse by the types of items you
are looking for rather than just through the site hierarchy. In addition, SPD introduces a new entity
modeler to make it easier for you to build BCS connections to your backend systems and model the
backend data inside of the SharePoint entity system. Finally, SPD has enhanced the workfl ow design
capabilities that import Visio diagrams into SPD and allow you to add business logic to those
diagrams using the SPD Workfl ow Designer, and then display the graphical status of your workfl ow
overlaid on those diagrams as part of your workfl ow.
SPD 2010 will continue to be a free product, which makes it an invaluable tool
for any SharePoint developer, even if you just use it as a simple web design or
SharePoint debugging tool.
Please note that the Visio web rendering is read - only, and to get the Visio Services
functionality, you need a high - end version of Visio called Visio Ultimate.
(Incidentally, this product is not part of the Offi ce Ultimate suite.)
Visio and Access Services
Two new web companions are available in SharePoint 2010, Visio Services and Access Services,
in addition to the previous web companions — Excel Services and InfoPath Form Services. With
Visio Services, you can design your Visio diagrams, connect those diagrams to backend systems
for visualization of data, and then post those diagrams to SharePoint. SharePoint will render your
diagram, with the data connectivity, through the SharePoint web experience.
With Access Services, you can convert your Access applications to web - based applications. With
the previous version of Access, Access 2007, you could take certain Access databases that were
compatible with SharePoint ’ s logical data model and export that data to SharePoint but still
manipulate it from within Access. With the new capabilities that Access Services provides, you can
take your Access forms and move them over to web - based forms to complete the transformation of
your application.
InfoPath (Forms, List Forms, Mobile Forms)
InfoPath Form Services has a number of new enhancements, including the ability to replace list item
forms for activities such as editing properties on an item. This makes it easier to build richer forms
with business logic and data connectivity that work in the rich client through the new SharePoint
Workspace (formerly Groove), which is covered later in this chapter, and in the browser. In addition,
InfoPath Forms Services adds new mobile form capabilities that let you create forms that run across
mobile devices, browsers, and Offi ce clients.
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