Introduction to the Workspace

                 

 
Special Edition Using Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server
By Robert  Ferguson

Table of Contents
Chapter  9.   Managing the Workspace


In this chapter, we will look at what makes up a SharePoint Portal Server workspace, and how to manage the workspace both holistically and at a component level. As we cover this information, we will drill down into the areas that keep most Administrators and Coordinators on their toes ”security considerations, managing internal and external content, workspace capacity planning, and more. We will also address the goal of simplifying workspace management by sharing various checklists, detailed procedures, and structured processes throughout this chapter.

To review, a default workspace is created after SharePoint Portal Server is installed. The workspace is actually a Web folder or a Network Place itself. However, the workspace can be thought of as an organized compilation of data, distributed and managed by Document, Management, Category, and Portal Content folders, including a Web page with links to Help files and configuration wizards. As such, the workspace affords access to data ”views, content, and shortcuts to content ”and includes organized data categories. This data, most of which is housed in the Document Library , may consist of any file types. The following are representative file types found in typical workspaces:

  • Text and image-based documents

  • Presentations

  • Spreadsheets

  • Graphics files and fax images

  • Audio files

  • Web pages

  • Scripts

  • Links to content stored elsewhere, such as on Microsoft Exchange Servers, file servers/shares, other Web sites, Lotus Notes databases, and other SharePoint Portal Server workspaces

The default dashboard site also facilitates access to the Document Library, along with Categories, other dashboard site content, Search, Subscriptions, Home, Help, and a Management folder (for users with this level of access). This last folder, the Management folder, makes possible management of all of the portal content or data in the form of management tools ”the workspace node is managed by using this folder or SharePoint Portal Server Administration. Links to document profiles and discussions may also exist in the workplace/dashboard site.

For introductory and general information regarding the dashboard, see "Dashboard Overview," p. 42.

All of this data, or content, is accessed by users via Web folders, or through the associated digital dashboard site. The folders mentioned previously ”Home, Search, Categories, Document Library, Subscriptions, Management, and so on ”simply organize and assist in managing this data. Each one will be discussed in detail in the next few pages. What is important to understand first, though, is that the workspace is the vehicle leveraged by the dashboard to house and publish Portal data, or pointers to data, for the benefit of its users.

Documents Folder

The Documents folder resides under the Document Library folder of the digital dashboard, and is where documents are stored and managed in SharePoint Portal Server. Much of the work associated with preparing the workspace for document management and group collaboration involves configuring the Documents folder. While this folder is visible to all users, regardless of roles or security considerations, not all data necessarily is. Other important considerations include

  • Only data stored in the Documents folder or in the Portal Content folder in the workspace are added to an index.

  • A hierarchy of Document folder subfolders is usually fashioned to create an organized workspace, and aid in managing the Portal's content.

  • Different Coordinators may be assigned to each subfolder, thus allowing distributed management and configuration of the various workspace folders.

  • All subfolders inherit enhanced folder settings unless otherwise specified ”the Documents folder is an enhanced folder.

Portal Content Folder

The Portal Content folder, like the Documents folder, resides underneath the Document Library. It contains default folders used to configure and manage the information displayed on the dashboard's default Web Parts. Some of these include Resources, Announcements, News, and Quick Links folders, which correspond to identically named Web Parts. These and other details are covered to a greater degree in the next section. What is important to remember is that the Portal Content folder is simply a folder that contains frequently reviewed content, accessed via the digital dashboard.

Management Folder

Tools and folders used by the Coordinators to manage the Portal's data ”and to configure the workspace, document profiles, and content sources ”reside in this folder. While other tools, Web Parts, and so on exist to manage data, this folder allows specifically for managing the following:

  • Document Profiles

  • Content sources

  • Subscriptions

  • Discussions

Document Profiles

Every document in the workspace is coupled to a document profile and its associated set of properties. In fact, the Document Profiles folder located in the Management folder allows you to create, organize, and store document profiles.

  • All document profiles are based on a template, and contain some basic properties, like the title and any keywords that might apply. This further allows for rapid organization, and plays a key role in permitting data to be searchable.

  • Users can use a profile form to add incremental data to a document's profile. To this end, document profiles may be leveraged to determine which documents are stored in a folder, or to limit the kinds of documents that may be housed in specific folders.

Content Sources

Indicated by a URL, a content source represents a location used to access documents residing outside of the workspace. This content can be located outside of the workspace but on the same server (that is, another workspace on the server), on another server on your intranet, or on the Internet. Lots of types of information may be added to a workspace as content sources.

To read more about content sources in general, see "Content Source Types," p. 30.

NOTE

SharePoint must be configured to crawl Exchange 5.5 public folders and Lotus Notes databases.


NOTE

Before adding a Lotus Notes content source, the Lotus Notes client must first be installed and then the server must be configured with the NotesSetup utility.


A content source may be added to a workspace by following the steps in the Add Content Source Wizard. This is accessed in the Content Sources folder ”you must have Microsoft Windows 2000 installed on your computer to view the Content Sources folder and to create and manage content sources. That is, computers running Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows NT cannot access the Content Sources folder.

Additionally, after a content source is added to the workspace, SharePoint Portal Server regularly creates and updates an index of the content made available through that content source. And once the content source is included in the index, users with the appropriate level of security or role can search for and view its content on the dashboard site.

TIP

Unlike documents, users can neither check out nor edit content sources or the documents accessed through the content sources.


Subscriptions and discussions are discussed later in this chapter, in "Managing Subscription Settings," and "Enabling Web Discussions," respectively.

Categories Folder

This folder is complementary to the Documents folder, as the Categories folder aids in classifying, describing, and organizing documents into a hierarchy of topics and subtopics. This is accomplished via a series of special folders called Category folders. Categories are highly recommended across the board as a must for assisting portal users in finding content relevant to their needs.

Some of the more salient points regarding managing Categories include

  • Coordinators at the workspace level can create and modify the category hierarchy.

  • An optional category contact for each category may be identified, to allow for feedback on the category's content.

  • The category contact may be different for each category, or it may be the same person for all categories.

  • A single document may be associated with multiple categories (to better describe or categorize it than would otherwise be possible).

  • Categories contain links to the documents regardless of their storage location.

  • A document is added to a category by using the profile form. Any number of roles may accomplish this ”the Coordinator at the workspace level, a category contact, or the Author of the document can add the document to a category.

  • The Category Assistant may also be configured to categorize documents automatically.

  • Categorization may also be accomplished by using the Search and Categories tab on the Properties page of a document.

Thus, categories assist SharePoint Portal Server users in locating and managing information. This is done by sorting documents into a hierarchy of groups ”categories ”under different headings according to subject matter. These categories provide a list of terms, too, that help users consistently characterize documents, thereby facilitating sound document management practices.


                 
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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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