Enterprise Search. SharePoint Server
2007 lets you access data repositories
across your enterprise and provide search
results that are relevant to your enterprise
and that respect security (i.e., only show
results that you have permission to read).
Think of Enterprise Search as an inhouse
Google. (I can hear the shudders of folks
at Microsoft as I compare Enterprise
Search to Google, but they'll get over it.)
Content management, including
documents, records, and Web content. What used to be a simple platform
for document collaboration is now a full-featured solution for managing business
documents and content. Going far beyond
a simple repository for documents, SharePoint Server 2007's libraries are configurable for submission, review, approval,
and signature processes surrounding any
document, regardless of whether the document was created in an Office application
or through a Web editor interface. These
managed document libraries are controlled
by templates that provide the business
logic for controlling workflows, translating
documents into any of the 28 supported
languages, and rolling up documents into
comprehensive reports.
Business processes. The client/server
platform (InfoPath Form Services) enables
you to create, deploy, and maintain centrally managed forms. Related data is
XML-based, is Web accessible, and can
be integrated into back-end business processes.
SharePoint Server 2007 provides
access to defined data within a business
process through single sign-on (SSO),
which permits a user to enter only one
username and password to use a variety
of back-end applications in addition to
those controlled directly by SharePoint
Server 2007. Once authenticated, the
business user has access to all configured
forms within the workflow.
Forms are based on XML schemas
that you define to control the structure of
the data captured by the form, whether
the form is created directly in InfoPath
2007 or imported from an existing Word or
Excel document. A completed form is an
XML file that complies with that structure,
making it highly actionable. For example, a
loan application form might include a main
view for an applicant to fill in data using a
browser and another view visible to only
the loan officer, who reviews and approves
the application.
Business intelligence. SharePoint
Server 2007 enables you to develop Webbased business intelligence (BI) dashboards that can incorporate rich, databound Key Performance Indicators (KPIs),
Web Parts, and published spreadsheets.
Analysis is key for BI, and the familiar tool
for business users is Excel, so it's not
surprising that SharePoint Server 2007
heavily leverages it. SharePoint Server
2007 can refresh external data, recalculate
workbooks, and render them with a high-fidelity, Web-based UI in an Excel Web
Services Web Part. Based on publishing
parameters, SharePoint Server 2007 can
render a complete Excel 2007 workbook,
select worksheets, or select a region
within a worksheet.
Developers can use Excel Web
Services to calculate a complex model
built in Excel 2007 and display the results
to a user working on a Web-based UI or
custom desktop application. SharePoint
Server 2007 includes out-of-the-box
Web sites, that are hosted by the new Report Center, which has been optimized
for report access and management.
Integration and aggregation with SQL
Server Reporting Services (SSRS) into a
SharePoint Server 2007 Business Data
Catalog extends reporting capabilities
even further, making appropriate data
readily available to the business user.
SharePoint Server 2007 gives you the
ability to efficiently manage data for business processes, provide collaboration at
numerous levels within team workflows,
and secure access for all business users.
Solid planning, a logical implementation
strategy, and timely user training should
result in a healthy ROI. But with six business scenarios covered by SharePoint
Server 2007 alone, it's easy to get overwhelmed. Pick one or two scenarios that are most important to your business to focus on, but don't lose sight of
SharePoint Server 2007's other capabilities
because chances are good that as users
experience SharePoint Server 2007, they'll
start requesting solutions covered in the
other scenarios.
SharePoint Server 2007 has the potential to unlock enormous productivity potential when aligned with business processes
and strategies. Although the financial
markets have been focused on how many
copies of Windows Vista and Office 2007
Microsoft will sell, it's really SharePoint
Server 2007 that's the stealth force.
What the New office Servers Mean for You
The Office 2007 servers focus on collaboration, and I think IT can (and should) expect this upgrade cycle of Office to go beyond a simple discussion of user-level features.
Many businesses are at the tipping point
for collaboration—it isn't just a good idea to
have managed collaboration, it's necessary,
and collaboration solutions require a great
deal of planning beyond a normal upgrade
of the desktop product. Your Office servers
planning and implementation efforts will be
similar to when you planned for directory
services (i.e., going from the workgroup to
the domain mentality).
The days of simply providing users with
applications are over. The unique workflows
in today's businesses involve data and
people, and office tools need to be configured to meet the needs of those workflows.
With an Office 2007 environment, you can
make data available to the correct people,
properly secure that data, and provide users
with the tools they need to achieve their
business goals. Early adopters of the Office
2007 collaboration tools are proving that the
tools work well and that productivity gains
are huge when you invest the time and
resources needed for up-front planning and
a good user-training program. SharePoint
Server 2007 is necessary, and the supporting tools fill specific roles—you can expect
high demand from both users and business
owners for increased collaboration.
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