About This Book

This book provides step-by-step instruction on how to perform the most common tasks you'll encounter in putting Windows SharePoint Services to work for you and your business. Each of the chapters in this book will help you learn some of the basic functionality that can be incorporated into a team site.

Chapter 1, introduces you to the SharePoint environment and terminology. The purpose of Chapter 1 is to familiarize you with the topics that are presented in greater detail in subsequent chapters

Chapter 2, outlines the standard built-in Web Parts and their functionality. It also explains how to manage site permissions and versioning control and how these features can be applied to a team site.

Although the standard Web Parts allow you to build an extensive team site, you may require additional functionality. Chapter 3, introduces the topics of linking external content, using connectable Web Parts, and creating custom Web Parts. Note that although these topics are introduced, actually creating custom Web Parts is beyond the scope of this book.

Adding content to your site is only part of building an effective Windows SharePoint Services solution. You must secure your team site and libraries to ensure users can only view the information they are supposed to see. Chapter 4, introduces the topics of user and site group management, security architecture, and how to assign roles to groups and objects.

SharePoint Services can be integrated with Microsoft Office 2003 to add even more functionality to your team site. Chapter 5, details the steps to configure your team site to determine online presence. By using online presence, you can send team members real-time messages, as well as set meetings and appointments. SharePoint Services allows team members to work collaboratively on documents in shared workspaces.

Although most end users will not be required to deploy SharePoint Services, Chapter 6, outlines the software and hardware requirements required to deploy SharePoint Services. Chapter 6 also details the required steps to install SharePoint Services and integrate SharePoint Services with SharePoint Portal Server 2003.

Now that you know what this book is about, we should explain what this book is not about. This book is not a developer's guide or a complete reference guide. The topics presented are intended for inexperienced users. The material is not intended for people already familiar with all aspects of the SharePoint Services environment.