How This Book Is Structured

The book begins with an introductory chapter to give you a sense of what SharePoint 2007 can do. It then continues with four more chapters of detailed instructions on how to install and configure WSS and MOSS, along with explanations of what you must think about when selecting the type of MS SQL database for your SharePoint server. These chapters include information that describes how to configure specific features of WSS and SPS, such as how to control what the users can do in SharePoint, how to work with intranet news pages, and how to set up Active Directory synchronization. In Chapter 5 you will also find information on how to customize MOSS, including how to change the colors, menus, and logos, how to configure SharePoint to accept incoming e-mail, and how to work with a records repository.

The remaining chapters are independent of each other, so you can read whatever interests you, but the book is written to encourage reading from beginning to end. Some of the content is hard to understand if you have skipped previous chapters, so I suggest that you read it from the beginning and skip parts that do not interest you at the time. Later, if you find that you need to understand those parts, you can go back to them then.

Chapter 6 describes the different site templates, including both MOSS and WSS site templates. It also describes how to use My Sites in an optimal way. You will also find an introduction to the web content management feature that now comes with SharePoint 2007.

Chapter 7 shows you the many ways that SharePoint integrates with other MS Office products, especially Office 2007. It also discusses the differences between Office 2007 and previous Office versions, including MS Outlook and MS InfoPath.

Chapter 8 focuses on advanced administration, mainly for the MOSS environment, such as managing the search feature, creating audience groups, managing user security, handling site definitions, creating templates, and more. Even if you are mainly focusing on WSS, you will still find some interesting information here about important MOSS features and how using MOSS differs from using WSS.

Chapter 9 shows you how the web content management features work in MOSS 2007. It also explains the difference between a page and a web site and how to configure them.

In Chapter 10 you will find a lot of tips on how to use SharePoint with MS Office for better file and document management. The chapter covers the ways you can configure and customize document libraries, such as activating version history, custom properties, and custom views. It also explains what Document Workspaces are used for and how to achieve workflow functionality in SharePoint 2007.

Chapter 11 shows you a practical way of building an intranet with either WSS or MOSS and how they differ from each other. This chapter summarizes a lot of features described in the earlier chapters, and will help you understand how to use SharePoint 2007.

Chapter 12 describes how to customize SharePoint sites without using a tool such as SharePoint Designer; for example you will learn how to create your own site definitions, how to create a custom CSS file, and how to customize the navigation in SharePoint 2007.

Chapter 13 describes how to use SharePoint Designer 2007 for customizing SharePoint sites and extending their functionality. You do not need any previous SharePoint Designer or FrontPage 2003 knowledge to get important information from this chapter.

Chapter 14 finally discusses one of the most important tasks for a SharePoint administrator: how to make backups and perform restores of your SharePoint environment. Sooner than you may think, this SharePoint server will become business critical, because it will contain lots of important documents, lists, and contacts. You don't want to lose that information. Make sure to read Chapter 14 to understand how to restore your SharePoint environment.