SharePoint Designer is now FREE!

It just keeps getting better for SharePoint users doesn’t it? Microsoft has just announced that the tool that allows you to customize SharePoint sites, SharePoint Designer, is now FREELY available! Yes, I did say free and Microsoft in the same sentence.

This is big news as it means probably the three best tool for improved productivity in a business, Windows SharePoint, Search Server Express and SharePoint designer are now all FREE to download and use. Combine this with the new Windows Foundation server that has just been announced (and assuming it will run SharePoint) you can now drop a high quality Intranet solution into a business for very little money.

If you want to see the video of the announcement about SharePoint designer click – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=901f0335-63da-4e9c-bfbe-4ed22a92d276#filelist

To actually download SharePoint Designer to start modifying your SharePoint site click – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=baa3ad86-bfc1-4bd4-9812-d9e710d44f42&hash=gw61uO9NAwuBCXKIqV1LhuYD9Omkv5eLYQkFoqVFMUp9BZFnh8BuAaLkZa3gI1ndEgvoXQhF9vcR7Oy0%2fSJPLg%3d%3d#filelist

and the Homepage for SharePoint designer is here – http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointdesigner/FX100487631033.aspx

All Windows SharePoint Operations Guide subscribers will receive this free version of SharePoint Designer in the May DVD release.

I’m excited!

Web Edition

I’ve been doing some investigating into some questions I’ve had for a while around Windows Server 2008 Web Edition. Web Edition is a basic version of Windows Server that is really only designed to run web sites. It won’t allow the installation of high end database applications and also has certain memory restriction. The good thing is that it is cheaper than Windows Server Standard given it is designed for a single purpose.

I have always wondered –

Q1. Will Windows SharePoint Services run on Windows Server 2008 Web Edition?

A. Yes it can.

Q2. Will Search Server Express 2008 also run on Windows Server 2008 Web Edition?

A. Yes it can.

Don’t believe me? Here’s a screen shot of my test machine.

The top windows shows Search Server, the middle window shows Windows SharePoint and the lower window shows the system is running on Windows Server web.

My preference is normally to run Windows SharePoint and Search Server Express on a separate machine for performance and reliability reasons. That would always require an additional Windows Server license (typically Windows Server Standard). Even though both Windows SharePoint and Search Server Express are free it makes doing things this way pricey. However, now that I know you can use the Windows Server 2008 Web Edition it significantly reduces this price, making it a very viable option in my opinion.

So what you could provide is a stand alone server running Windows Server 2008 Web Edition, Windows SharePoint and Search Server Express. Not only does that give you a great intranet solution but it also provides a search solution for all the documents and public folders in your network. If you then install this configuration on a virtual machine (i.e. no hardware cost) all you are up for is the cost of Windows Server 2008 Web Edition. That’s a a lot of functionality for very little cost.

So, if you are thinking about a stand alone SharePoint / Search Server Express server you can definitely achieve that using Windows Server 2008 Web Edition.

Default location

For those who are not aware, when you install Windows SharePoint Services v3 onto a machine and you use the Basic install

SharePoint will also install Microsoft SQL Server Embedded Edition (SSEE) onto your system and do so into the C: Drive! By default the location is C:\windows\sysmsi\ssee\msql.2005\mssql\data as shown below.

This means that SharePoint data and indexes (including search data) will reside on your C: drive. Thus, as the amount of SharePoint data grows the free space on you C: drive will shrink. Normally the C: is also the boot partition that holds the Windows boot files. If that drive starts to get full it will generally make your system unstable.

Unfortunately, if you use the basic install there is no way to avoid this. The best option then is to move the SharePoint databases straight after installation to a data drive. You can do this using the SQL management tools which are available via the command line (messy) or via a free downloadable GUI tool from Microsoft. You simply need to detach the databases using the SQL tools, move the files (both MDF and LDF) to another location and then reattach using the SQL tools again.

SBS2008 has exactly the same issue as, by default, the SharePoint databases live on the C: drive. The great thing about SBS 2008 is that it has a built in wizard that will move the databases (detach, move, re-attach) for you automatically. The recommendation is to always move these data files immediately after installation as SharePoint databases can grow very large, very quickly.

SQL database management is something that I cover extensively in my Windows SharePoint Operations Guide. So, if you have SharePoint installed on a system and the C: drive is running low on space check C:\windows\sysmsi\ssee\msql.2005\mssql\data to see whether the databases are filling the disk. If so then you should shift them elsewhere as they are only going to continue to grow.

SharePoint Guide – April

The latest update of the Windows SharePoint Operations Guide has been released for subscribers. One of the major additions this month, is a new chapter titled – tutorials. In here you’ll find out how to do things to improve your use of SharePoint. The first three tutorials are:

– Connecting to Outlook – How to link SharePoint with Outlook

– Creating linked fields – How to utilize look up fields in SharePoint

– Configuring a basic workflow – Implementing a basic workflow

Over time this chapter will continue to grow with step by step instructions about how you can get the most from Windows SharePoint.

I’m also excited to announce that next month (May) will be the first birthday of the Windows SharePoint Operations Guide (who would have ever thought?). I’m planning some special offers to attract new subscribers plus a swag of additions as a thank you to existing subscribers, so stay tuned for more details. As always, I thank my subscribers for their ongoing support of the Guide, without them it would not be possible and remind them to go to the download site for the latest updates which are now available.

If you have any questions about the Windows SharePoint Operations Guide or suggestions for inclusions please contact me (director@ciaops.com).

Companyweb regional settings

Because not all SBS2008 installations are completed in the United States it is necessary to change the regional settings on Companyweb, even though you selected them correctly during the SBS2008 installation process.

Open the Companyweb site as a SharePoint administrator and select Site Actions | Site Settings like shown below:

Select Regional Settings under Site Administration like so:

Change the Locale setting to what ever is appropriate as shown:

Scroll down the page and make any other changes that are necessary and then press the OK button at the bottom to save your changes.

If you return to your Companyweb home page by selecting the Home tab you should find your time and date settings have been updated.

SharePoint databases in action

In a previous blog post about Windows SharePoint Services databases I spoke about what SQL technology was used to hold Windows SharePoint Services content and configuration information. In this post I’ll have a look at these databases in action.

After creating a SharePoint site the information that is now entered into SharePoint is stored in a SQL database. To locate the name of this database you need to go into the SharePoint Central Administration for your site. You do this on the server on which you installed SharePoint via Start | Administrative Tools | Windows SharePoint 3.0 Central Administration like so:

Now select the Application Management tab then the Content Databases from under the SharePoint Web Application Management section. You should now see the name of the database used by SharePoint like that shown below:

If you click on the database name (in this case ShareWebDb) it will bring up further information about the database. As you can see from the above screen shot it is also possible to add additional databases from this window. Another important fact to remember about SharePoint is that you not only have GUI tools like what is shown here but you also have similar tools that can be run from the command line, allowing for scripting if necessary.

In terms of the file system, where exactly is the SharePoint content database stored? It is stored wherever the default data directory is for the SQL instance that you installed on your machine. In this case because we are examining Companyweb on SBS2008, which is using SQL 2005 Embedded Edition you will find those files in C:\windows\sysmsi\ssee\msql.2005\mssql\data like shown below.

Remember that for each SQL database there are normally two associated files, a .MDF (data) and .LDF (index). Both of these files are important for correct database operations. The actual file size of these database files will grow as the information in your SharePoint site increases, to as large as allowed by your version of SQL server or hardware. In this case, because Companyweb on SBS2008 uses SQL 2005 Embedded Edition it can grow by as much free disk space as there is available on the drive.

Note that you can relocate these databases to other locations if required, which is something the SBS 2008 wizards automate for you.

Finally, if we take a look in the SQL management tools we can also see the database. Because I am again using SBS 2008 here these GUI tools have been automatically installed since they don’t, by default, come with SQL 2005 Embedded Edition even though they are a free download from Microsoft. To launch the GUI tools go Start | All Programs | Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and run SQL Server management Studio Express. To connected to the SQL 2005 Embedded Edition instance you will need to use the following connection string

\\.\pipe\mssql$microsoft##ssee\sql\query

Once entered you should see something like:

Now simply locate the database (SharedWebDB) under the databases folder and right mouse click to view the properties.

More detailed information about Windows SharePoint Services databases and Windows SharePoint in general is located in my Windows SharePoint Operations Guide.

SharePoint databases

I’ll be talking about the storage requirements around Windows SharePoint Services v3 (WSS v3) specifically here.

One of the core components required for WSS v3 to operate is a place to hold its content and configuration data. It does so in SQL databases. There are quite a range of SQL databases available from Microsoft starting with the Embedded and Express Editions (both free), moving up to Workgroup, Standard and Enterprise. There are also different versions when you consider SQL 2005 vs SQL 2008. The good news is that they can all be used to store WSS v3 content and configuration.

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Feature comparison (Embedded Edition is not listed here)

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Feature comparison

Prior to installing WSS v3 on a machine a SQL Server instance needs to exist. If one is not present then you can select to have WSS v3 install SQL Server 2005 Embedded Edition (SSEE). Now SQL Server 2005 Embedded Edition is a far cry from the old MSDE database although it still does have limitations (as you would expect in a free version). The most important of these are the fact that it doesn’t come with any GUI tools, cannot be version upgraded and cannot be accessed across a network. Another overlooked default is that fact that it installs itself, programs and data, into the C: drive which can lead to space issues later. However, one major plus of the Embedded Edition (unlike the Express Edition) is it does not place a limit on the size of a database (the Express Edition limits databases to 4GB in size).

Thus, the Embedded Edition is a great option to get started with WSS v3, especially in the fact that you can work around some of the initial limitations. For example, you can download some free GUI administration tools from Microsoft and you can also relocate the databases to another drive to free up space. This is exactly what the SBS 2008 ‘Move SharePoint databases’ wizard does. I have heard people say that you should use a more upmarket version of SQL (e.g. Workgroup or Standard) because it give better performance. I must admit that I have never been able to prove the fact that SQL Embedded Edition is any slower than SQL Standard for typical WSS v3 sites. Now that may not be the case when you get really large WSS v3 sites ( ie > 4GB) but how many WSS v3 sites have you ever come across that are that large initially? Not many I would think. The only reason I can see you wanting to use a more upmarket version of SQL is if you wanted some of the specific high end SQL tools and abilities, like integrated SQL backup and restore as well as clustering. However, for most WSS v3 sites, at least initially, this is generally not required and because you can easily upgrade to another version of SQL later if required it doesn’t make sense to me to go this expense until absolutely necessary.

If you are happy using the SQL Embedded Edition that comes with WSS v3 then you can simply complete a Basic install (although not on SBS 2003 which requires a side by side install to prevent things from breaking). This will install SQL Server 2005 Embedded Edition (SSEE) onto you machine, install WSS v3 and use SQL Embedded Edition automatically to store content and data. Nothing could be simpler. If however you want to use another version of SQL server as your data repository that version needs to be installed prior to installing WSS v3 and then you’ll need to select an Advanced install.

The difference between a Basic and Advanced install are quite marked in that a Basic install does everything for you, including setting up the first WSS v3 site. With the Advanced installed you need to do everything manually.

In summary then, WSS v3 requires a version of SQL Server to hold its content and configuration databases. You can choose from a wide range of SQL Server version from Microsoft, however the Embedded Edition that comes with WSS v3 is suitable for most initial deployments. If you plan to do much work with WSS v3 then it is beneficial to have a good basic knowledge of SQL Server as well.

Detailed information about WSS v3 databases and installing options can be found in my Windows SharePoint Operations Guide along with more information about getting SharePoint up and running in a business.

SharePoint videos

Microsoft has just released a swag of SharePoint videos. Details below.

Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Demo: Use a blog to connect with your coworkers

You can use a blog to improve communication in your workplace. The blog authors can post information such as updates on benefits changes, promotions of seminars, and detailed information on policies. Employees can post their questions or comments and see the responses from the blog author.

Office SharePoint Server 2007 Demo: Search for information on a SharePoint site

When you use a Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 site, you can use the search feature to help you find information, files, Web sites, and people. In this demo, you will see how an employee at a fictitious company called Adventure Works uses search to locate information on a SharePoint site and complete job-related tasks.

Office SharePoint Server 2007 Demo: Display KPIs in a dashboard

A dashboard is a special Web Part Page that displays business data from a variety of different sources in high-level visuals like reports, charts, and key performance indicators (KPIs). The data displayed in dashboards can be filtered automatically or filtered by properties selected by users, enabling comparative data analysis across an organization. Because they pull together important business intelligence data from different sources in an easy-to-understand visual format, dashboards are useful tools that enable managers or decision makers to quickly assess the status of their business. This demo shows you how to create a dashboard page on a Report Center site and how to add a KPI Web Part to the dashboard page to display KPIs. You will also see how to add a KPI Details Web Part to a dashboard to display detailed information about a specific individual indicator.

Office SharePoint Server 2007 Demo: Make better business decisions with reports and dashboards

Business intelligence (BI) is the process of aggregating, storing, analyzing, and reporting on business data in order to support informed business decisions. Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides tools that can help you extract data from a variety of sources and present that data in ways that facilitate analysis and decision making. In this demo, you’ll see how employees at a fictitious company called Adventure Works use a Report Center site to create and manage reports, dashboards, and key performance indicators (KPIs).

Office SharePoint Server 2007 Demo: Enterprise Content Management with SharePoint Server

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides powerful Enterprise Content Management (ECM) features for creating, managing, and storing content across an enterprise. In this demo, you’ll learn how a fictitious company called Adventure Works uses SharePoint Server to publish Web pages, archive and audit records, and manage documents. The demo shows how the Technical Documentation team uses a Document Center site as a centralized repository to create, organize, edit, and review all customer-facing external publications, such as user manuals and product specification sheets.

Office SharePoint Server 2007 Demo: Streamline business processes with forms and workflows

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 can help you integrate and streamline your business processes. You can use the InfoPath Forms Services server technology in Office SharePoint Server 2007 to create browser-based forms and gather data from organizations that do not use Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007. People in those organizations can complete forms in a Web browser or HTML-enabled mobile device. Workflows automatically move documents or items through a sequence of actions or tasks related to a business process. Workflows can streamline the cost of coordinating common business processes, such as project approval or document review, by managing and tracking the tasks involved with those processes.

Office SharePoint Server 2007 Demo: Simplify collaboration with a SharePoint team site

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides organizations with a platform for sharing information and working together in teams. A SharePoint site offers specific kinds of tools and workspaces that you can use to communicate with team members, track projects, coordinate deadlines, and collaboratively create and edit documents. In this demo, you’ll see how employees at a fictitious company called Adventure Works use features on a team site such as lists, document libraries, calendars, slide libraries, and blogs to collaborate on documents, track projects, and share information.