Workspace Overview

                 

 
Special Edition Using Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server
By Robert  Ferguson

Table of Contents
Chapter  3.   Overview of the Workspace and Dashboard


A workspace is a Web folder or a Network Place created by an administrator in your group . The workspace contains the document library , where documents are stored on the server, along with management tools, the category structure, dashboard site content, and a searchable index of information. A workspace can store any type of file, including spreadsheets, faxes, graphics, audio files, Web pages, presentations, and scripts. A workspace can also contain links to content stored on network file servers, Web sites, Microsoft Exchange servers, Lotus Notes databases, and other SharePoint Portal Server workspaces. An organization can have a single workspace or multiple workspaces, depending on its needs. A single server can host up to 15 workspaces.

Accessing the Workspace

Web folders and My Network Places are utilized by end users for accessing the workspace. In addition, users can utilize a Web browser for access to the workspace through the dashboard site. As mentioned earlier, SharePoint Portal Server automatically creates a dashboard site and an associated workspace during the initial installation. Web folders are covered in greater detail later in this chapter.

Assuming end users have the appropriate rights, the initial site provides a Web view of the workspace and enables users to view, manage, and search for desired documents in the workspace as well as from other content sources. Using Microsoft Word with Office extensions enabled, for example, provides an additional access method for certain document management features.

The SharePoint Portal Server workspace is capable of storing documents of all types. Assuming the appropriate roles are enabled, Readers, Authors, and Coordinators can access and manage these documents from within the workspace. SharePoint Portal Server was designed to allow Microsoft Office 2000 and Office XP applications such as Word, Excel, and Power-Point native integration with SPS through drop-down menus .

Depending on the features enabled by the workspace or folder Coordinator, certain document management features are available from the workspace, the dashboard site, and within integrated menus from Microsoft Office applications.

Examples of this access include the ability to check in, check out, and publish documents; view document version history; review and approve documents; view document profiles; categorize documents; and participate in Web discussions. SharePoint Portal Server users should become at least familiar with the features and capabilities of the workspace and dashboard site in order to take full advantage of the product in their day-to-day work life.

The way you will use the workspace depends on your role within SharePoint Portal Server. As alluded to previously, the three roles are Coordinator, Author, and Reader. Note that these roles are actually predefined SPS Groups that are populated by NT User objects ”that is, groups and users. No other roles exist or may be added.

Workspace Coordinator Role

If you are assigned Coordinator privileges at the workspace level, you have the ability to configure and manage workspace settings, document profiles, categories, and index options. This is the SPS equivalent of "Administrator-level" access found in Microsoft's OS products.

If you are assigned Coordinator privileges at the folder level, the workspace can be used to specify settings for the specific folder. A few examples of the tasks that can be performed at the folder level include configuring access by enabling the appropriate security roles, and setting up publishing and approval processes.

Specific folders and subfolders are configured and managed by the Coordinator at the folder level. When subfolders are created, the Coordinator must choose between specifying the folder type as Standard or Enhanced. The difference between these two folders will be discussed later in this chapter. However, some examples of the tasks that can be performed on standard versus enhanced folders include

Standard Folders
  • creating folders and subfolders

  • applying document profiles to folders

  • editing and deleting documents

  • assigning roles

  • managing multipart documents (such as an Excel document linking to another document)

Enhanced Folders
  • creating folders and subfolders

  • applying document profiles to folders

  • editing and deleting documents

  • assigning roles

  • applying approval processes to allow document publishing (approval routing)

  • maintaining a private "draft" version of a document

  • document management features, like check-in, check-out , and versioning of documents residing in the folder

NOTE

The Coordinator role has the ability to deny access at a very granular level. For example, a specific user may be denied access to a particular folder, or even a specific document within the folder.


Within a folder, documents cannot be accessed by Authors and Readers, which have the Deny Access setting enabled. You can modify workspace settings only if you are an administrator or assigned to the Coordinator role.

Workspace Author Role

The Author security role can use the workspace to save, manage, and search for documents and indexed content associated with content sources. The goal of the Author role is to enable and facilitate collaboration and co-authoring with other users assigned the Author role. Authors have the ability to add, edit, delete, or read documents within a folder. Authors also have the ability to create, delete, and rename their own folders. When new folders are created, the security roles and approval policies are inherited from the parent folder. If these inherited policies are not sufficient, the Coordinator will need to make manual adjustments according to the folder level security requirements.

Workspace Reader Role

If you are a Reader within SharePoint Portal Server, you can use the workspace and dashboard site to browse and search for published documents and indexed content associated with content sources. By default, all folder users have reader permissions. A reader can search for and read documents but cannot add them to the workspace. They are also unable to check out, edit, or delete documents.

NOTE

Readers do not have the ability to view documents that are in the approval process. That is, a Reader cannot "see" a document until it is published (in other words, officially posted to the portal after being checked in for the last time by its author or the final Approver) .


To learn more about publishing, see "Managing Documents Within the Workspace," p. 263 in Chapter 10.

The Workspace Approver Role

When an Author publishes a document, if you are specified as an Approver of that document, you will be sent an email notification with a link to the document. Your role is to view the document and approve or reject it depending on approve or rejection criteria.

NOTE

The Approver role is a special role only associated with specific tasks on a per-folder basis for enhanced folders. It is important to note that this role is not a formal role similar to the three main security roles (Coordinator, Author, or Reader). This role is only associated with enhanced folders, obviously, since the SharePoint Portal Server approval process is not supported on standard folders.


During the approval process, documents cannot be checked out or edited. Authors can collaborate on documents during the approval process by using the Web discussion feature or simply sending emails back and forth. All Web discussions are retained until removed by a Coordinator.

CAUTION

Web discussions are viewable and searchable by everyone ”this may be an issue for documents named "staff reduction plan.doc" or similar such disquieting documents or titles of a sensitive nature.


Upon approval of a given document, the document is published to the workspace or dashboard. It is then available to be accessed or searched upon by readers with access to this document.


                 
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Special Edition Using Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server
Special Edition Using Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server
ISBN: 0789725703
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 286

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