Synchronizing Outlook Data with Other Users

In older versions of Outlook, such as Outlook 98 and Outlook 2000, it was fairly easy (although a bit unpredictable) to share Outlook data with other users. Net Folders, a sharing mechanism designed to enable sharing of Outlook data between two users not connected by an Exchange Server, was eliminated in Outlook 2002. For small businesses without an Exchange Server, there are few good solutions for keeping Outlook data synchronized between multiple users. If you're new to sharing Outlook data, you might try to simply put a Personal Folders file on a network share and have multiple users access that same Personal Folders file. Unfortunately, a Personal Folders file cannot be accessed by two users at one time. If you want to share data between multiple users using a Personal Folders file, you'll need to export the relevant information to a Personal Folders file and then find a way to share that Personal Folders file with other users.

Sharing Data with Personal Folders Files

One of the most common methods of sharing data with other users is to export selected data to a Personal Folders file. If you have access to a network share, it's very easy to copy a Personal Folders file to a network share and instruct another Outlook user to copy the Personal Folders file to his local computer and open it in Outlook.

If you don't have access to a network share, sharing information through Personal Folders files can be rather cumbersome. A Personal Folders file can quickly grow to a size that is too large to fit on a floppy disk. Other methods of transferring a Personal Folders file, such as email, can also be cumbersome unless you're on a high-speed connection and aren't limited in attachment size by your ISP. In addition, Personal Folders files are one of the file types that are blocked by default by Outlook 2003's attachment security. You can, however, zip the file and still access it through email.

If you need to transfer larger amounts of information, such as the entire contents of your Personal Folders file, you can transfer the Personal Folders file onto a CD-R or CD-RW.

graphics/troubleshoot_icon.jpg

If you're having problems accessing a Personal Folders file stored on a CD, see "I Can't Access My Personal Folders File" in the "Troubleshooting" section at the end of this chapter.


TIP

Many third-party programs are available to assist you in sharing data with multiple users. Many of these programs can be found at http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/share.htm. Some of these programs depend on a mechanism similar to the old Net Folders utility; they send small bits of Outlook data back and forth between two installations of Outlook. Others utilize the Internet to upload Outlook data to a secure server and allow another user to download that same data. This process is much like the Microsoft Office Internet Free Busy Service.




Special Edition Using Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
Special Edition Using Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
ISBN: 0789729563
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 426

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net