Kay McClure

Planning your SharePoint Site

Kay F. McClure — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:27:00 GMT

Probably the single most important thing you can do with respect to a new SharePoint site is planning. In particular, planning the specific lists and libraries that will be needed to accomplish the purpose for the site.

When I teach SharePoint to business users, I typically take them through a "mini planning session" and I thought that might make for a good blog post, so here we go ...

Plan your document libraries:

There are a handful of considerations when planning for the document libraries for your site. The things you need to think about are those settings that are mutually exclusive. For example, if you have some content that requires content approval, that content needs to reside in a library with content approval enabled.

Following are the types of settings you need to think about (this list is certainly NOT all inclusive):

Automated Workflows

Unique Permissions

Required Check-Out

Information Management Policies (tied to content types)

Custom Content Types

Content Approval

Versioning (none - Major only - Major and Minor)

Watch for future blog posts about additional planning tips for your SharePoint sites ...

SharePoint Training Best Practices

Kay F. McClure — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Happy New Year 2012 !!!!

I hope all of you had a fantastic holiday season … so – what’s new with me?

Well – in addition to being the Product Manager for Business User Products here at Mindsharp, as well as the primary instructor for that course, I am now teaching InfoPath Designer 2010 (two teaches under my belt so far with more on the schedule). Teaching a new class is always an interesting challenge for an instructor as we need to trust our instincts and knowledge and not let any inner insecurities pull us down (which students don’t typically ever see as we don’t let them show)!

In December, I hosted a webinar here at Mindsharp where I discussed SharePoint Training Best Practices. It received some pretty good reviews, so I thought I would also write a blog post series about this topic since my post audience may be different than my webinar audience.

One of the most important things that you can do to gain success (in addition to overall planning for your SharePoint implementation) is a solid training plan. What does that mean?

Let me break it down to a more manageable focus. At the very least, your organization needs to look at and for the following:

• Look for a training company with a solid, repeatable training curriculum

• Take a good, hard look at the training company’s reputation in the industry

• Make sure the company is willing to customize to your requirements

• Ask the right questions to get the training you REALLY need (sometimes it’s not exactly what you THINK you need).

• Get recommendations

• Attend conferences and other SharePoint events

• Look for great instructors

– Get their bio

– Be able to conference with them ahead of the teach

– See if they’re willing to conference with the proposed class ahead of the teach

• Make sure the class offers lots of hands-on lab time

While this is just a start – it’s a good start. Please look for the continuation of this topic over the next couple of weeks … be safe and happy!

Kay McClure

SharePoint Workspace 2010 and SharePoint 2010

Kay F. McClure — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 17:14:00 GMT

In my role at Mindsharp, I teach, write, speak and consult on SharePoint Business User topics. Sometimes I’m on the road for weeks on end and only home on weekends. I guess you could call me a “Road Warrior!”

For those of you who know what I mean, Microsoft Office 2010 has provided a nice solution with a new product called SharePoint Workspace. You can literally take almost an entire site offline and perform the following actions and then synchronize your changes back to the server once you have reconnected back to your network:

· Add a document from your computer

· Create a new document

· Open a document

· Check out or check in documents

· Create links to documents

· Print a document

· Manage documents

· Create a new folder

· Rename a folder

· View information about documents and folders

· Work with editable PDF files

· Sync a document library with the SharePoint server

· Download documents in a SharePoint workspace document library

· Free space for downloading documents to a document library

· View synchronization status in a SharePoint workspace

· Change synchronization settings for a document library

· Navigate to the corresponding SharePoint site for the current tool

· View the history of changes for a document

· Resolve errors and conflicts

In addition to the above, you can add, edit and delete contacts, tasks and discussion items as well as most of the content on your SharePoint site back at the office.

There are some restrictions and limitations with SharePoint Workspace so check into the details before starting to use it!

Metadata Navigation Settings

Kay F. McClure — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 22:05:00 GMT

Metadata Navigation Settings in SharePoint 2010 Lists and Libraries – Key Filters

Metadata navigation is new to SharePoint 2010. To make it easier for users to find content in large lists and libraries, you can configure metadata navigation. It enables users to dynamically filter and find content in lists and libraries by using a navigation hierarchy tree control to apply different metadata-based filters to the view. Key filters can be used in combination with the navigation hierarchy to refine the list of items that are displayed.

You can configure and use metadata navigation for any list or library even if they do not use actual Managed Metadata columns because there are additional column types that can be used as fields within a metadata navigation hierarchy, including Content Type and single-value choice fields. Key filters can use the following column types in addition to the Managed Metadata Fields:

· Content Type

· Choice

· Person or Group

· Date and Time

· Number

You must have at least the Manage Lists permission level to configure metadata navigation for a list or library.

1. Go to the list or library for which you want to configure metadata navigation.

2. Click the List or Library tab of the ribbon and then click List Settings or Library Settings.

3. Under General Settings, click Metadata Navigation Settings.

4. In the Configure Key Filters section, select the fields you want to add as key filters and then click Add.

5. When you return to the Browse tab of the List or Library, you will see the Key Filters displayed at the bottom of the Quick Launch

They work very much like using the column headings in the displayed view of the list or library.

I think you'll find your business partners will find this to be extremely useful in navigating through their SharePoint lists and libraries.

Using Document Content Types …

Kay F. McClure — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:20:00 GMT

Since I hosted a Mindsharp webinar last week on document content types, I thought I would follow that up with the steps to create, configure, deploy and test a new document content type.

All content created new in SharePoint is driven by content types. Most new SharePoint users don’t understand this concept, as until exposed, these content types act from “behind the scenes.”

When a user creates a new task in SharePoint by selecting New à New Task from the ribbon, they are executing a content type called “Task.” When in a Shared Documents library, the default content type executed when a user selects New Document, is called “Document.”

When site owners enable the management of content types in the document library settings, they can now add custom content types to further enhance the usage of the library.

For example … let’s say that your company wants to have a document library with several customized forms available to all users. One of those forms is an employee expense report. The form itself is just an Excel spreadsheet. However, there are several key pieces of metadata the accounting department needs to capture for each report, and there is an approval process involved with each new expense report submitted. Let’s create, configure, deploy and use a new content type to make this happen …

NOTE: You must be in the site owners group (or have full control) of the site to create site content types.

1. Create the new content type:

a. Select à Site Actions à Site Settings

b. Under Galleries, select à Site Content Types

c. At the top of the page, select à Create

d. In the Name field, enter à Expense Report

e. In the Description field, enter à Use this form to create all company expense reports.

f. In the Parent Content Type section, under Select Parent Content Type from dropdown box, selects à Document Content Types.

g. In the Parent Content Type dropdown box, select à Document.

h. In the Group section, you can choose to either store this new Expense Report content type in the Custom Group, or create your own group. Leave as the default à Custom Content Types.

i. Click à OK. You have now configured the shell of the new content type.

2. Configure the new content type:

a. Add the appropriate form/template to the content type

i. In the Settings section, select à Advanced Settings

ii. In the Document Template section, select the radio button for à Upload a new document template and click à Browse

iii. Navigate to where the expense report form is stored and double-click it to select it.

iv. Leave the remainder of the default settings, and click à OK. You have just added the form to your content type.

b. Add an approval workflow to the content type

i. In the Settings section, select à Workflow Settings

ii. Select à Add a workflow

iii. In the template selection box, select à Approval – SharePoint 2010

iv. In the Name box, enter à Expense Report Approval

v. Scroll down to Start Options, and check the checkbox à Start this workflow when a new item is created

vi. Click à Next

vii. Enter the name of the appropriate person in the Assign to box

viii. In the Duration per task box, enter the number of days you wish the approver to have to complete his/her task

ix. Click à Save

x. Use the breadcrumbs and return to the Expense Report configuration page

c. Add metadata columns to the content type

i. Scroll down to the Columns section of the page

ii. Select à Add from existing site columns

iii. Select the group à Core Contact and Calendar Columns

iv. Select à Department and click à Add

v. Select à Manager’s Name and click à Add

vi. Scroll down to the bottom and click à OK. You have just added the appropriate metadata columns to your new content type.

3. Deploy the new content type:

a. Navigate to the document library where you wish to use the new content type you just created.

b. Click on the library tab of the ribbon, and select à Library Settings

c. Under General Settings, select à Advanced Settings

d. In the Content Types section at the top of the page for Allow management of content types, select à Yes

e. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and select à OK

f. Scroll down to the new Content Types section, and select à Add from existing site content types

g. In the Select Content Types from dropdown box, select à Custom Content Types

h. In the box for Available Site Content Types, select à Expense Report and click à Add

i. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click à OK. You have just deployed the new content type to your document library

4. Test the new content type:

a. Navigate back to the document library

b. Click the New icon on the Document tab of the ribbon, and select à Expense Report. Click à OK when prompted to open the file

c. The Document Information Panel opens at the top of the form allowing you to complete the appropriate metadata à Manager’s Name and Department

d. Fill out the rest of the expense report form

e. Close Excel and Save the form

f. When you return to the library, you will see a new column in the document library called Expense Report Approval

g. Next to the new expense report, you will see a link stating that the workflow is In Progress

There are many, many ways in which you can utilize custom content types and many different types to choose from. Content types are a great way to extend the use of your SharePoint document libraries.

Join me again in the coming weeks to learn more about other SharePoint functionality!

Unique Permissions within a SharePoint 2010 site

Kay F. McClure — Wed, 18 May 2011 13:15:00 GMT

In past versions of SharePoint, it was extremely difficult to locate the various levels in which permission inheritance was broken within a site. SharePoint 2010 has made it easier to both locate and manage these instances of broken inheritance.

Permission inheritance in SharePoint looks like the following:

· Site

o Lists/Libraries

§ Folders / Document Sets

· Items/Documents

§ Items/Documents

Permission inheritance can broken at any point in this hierarchy. To find the instances of broken inheritance and easily manage them, do the following:

At the site level:

· Select Site Actions à Site Permissions

· If inheritance has been broken on the site, you will see an “yellow/orange” bar running across the top of the page, with the words written as follows:

o Some content on this site has unique permissions which are not controlled from this page. Show me uniquely secured content

· Click the link à Show me uniquely secured content

· A dialog will pop up showing the lists or libraries containing the exceptions

· To view the list or library, click its name.

· To manage the permissions, click the Manage Permissions link next to the appropriate list or library.

o If there are unique permissions within the list or library, you will again see the “yellow/orange” bar stating additional “uniquely secured content.”

o Follow the steps above to manage the unique permissions at the folder or item/document level.

Content Organizer in SharePoint 2010

Kay F. McClure — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 20:18:00 GMT

Content Organizer in SharePoint 2010

Has your organization ever run into a situation where it wished that it could direct contributors of documents to a single location to “drop off” documents regardless of the type of content? No URLs to memorize, no worries about permissions or security on any number of different libraries …

SharePoint 2010 has delivered the Content Organizer. When the Content Organizer site feature is enabled, it creates a drop off library, and utilizes metadata-based routing rules (written and configured by the site owner) which determine the ultimate destination of the delivered content.

It’s very simple to enable and configure this feature. Simply follow these instructions:

1. Go to Site Features:

a. Site Actions

b. Site Settings

c. Site Actions à Manage Site Features

2. Find Content Organizer and click à Activate

3. Activating this feature creates a Drop Office Library and gives us tools to configure the rules.

4. Return to Site Settings.

5. Under Site Administration à select Content Organizer Settings.

a. Redirect users to the Drop Off Library à check this box.

b. Sending to another site à If there are too many items to fit into one site collection, checking this box will distribute content to other sites that also have Content Organizers.

c. Folder Partitioning à The organizer can automatically create subfolders once a target location exceeds a certain size.

d. Duplicate Submissions à You can choose to use SharePoint versioning, or to append unique characters to the end of duplicate filenames.

e. Preserving Content à The organizer can save the original audit logs and properties if they are included with submissions. The saved logs and properties are stored in an audit entry on the submitted document.

f. Rule Managers à Enter the names of those people authorized to create the routing rules, and configure when these people will be notified in the event that documents do not meet a rule and therefore are not routed to an appropriate location.

6. Under Site Administration à select Content Organizer Rules.

a. Click à Add new Item.

b. Enter the rule name (should be a descriptor of the rule).

c. Rule Status and Priority à Rules should be given a priority. In the case where a document meets more than one rule, which rules should take priority.

i. 1 is high

ii. 10 is low

This is also where you indicate whether a rule is active or inactive.

7. Submission’s Content Type à By selecting a content type, you are determining the properties that can be used in the conditions of this rule. In addition, submissions that match this rule will receive the content type selected here when they are placed in a target location.

8. Conditions à In order to match this rule, a submission's properties must match all the specified property conditions (e.g. "If Title ‘contains all of’ Mindsharp”).

9. Target Location à Specify where to place the content that matches this rule.

You can test this by uploading a document into the Drop Off Library. SharePoint will prompt you for the metadata during the single document upload.

SharePoint "Business User" Next Steps

Kay F. McClure — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:31:00 GMT

Since this is my first post for Mindsharp, I thought I'd start by introducing myself:

My name is Kay McClure and I have been teaching "End Users" (now affectionately referred to as "Business Users" here at Mindsharp), for almost six years. I started my "SharePoint" career in 2004 while working as a project manager for a company in the Midwest, and charged with implementing SharePoint 2003. That was my first introduction to SharePoint, and trying to learn it on my own was a challenge, at best.

I then contracted with Mindsharp and attended one of their very first End User classes taught by a Mindsharp legend - Kim Lund!

My company purchased Mindsharp's training materials, had Kim come down to Green Bay, Wisconsin to run a three day SharePoint 2003 End User class, and my project was off and running.

By the end of 2005, the time came for me to make a career move, and I was offered a role in contract training with Mindsharp. Now I had the chance to combine a 35-year business career, and all the training I had done to date, and literally change my professional life. I love it!

It occurred to me recently, that since I teach SharePoint to business users in many different areas of business, that companies might benefit from a "what next?" scenario. It's pretty obvious to most of us in the business that when the official training class is over, an organization will need to implement its own internal training plan. The two key words here are "training" and "plan." You can't succeed without these two key elements.

While Mindsharp can offer lots of training opportunities for any organization (online, instructor-led, customized, and our newest UserVersity product, among others), any organization may decide to bring their training in-house and do it themselves!

Without going into a great deal of detail, my advice to you if you choose to go that route, would be to plan what I refer to as "role-based" end user/business user training. Since users could act in any number of different roles depending on the site, you must first identify the key end user roles in your organization (reader, contributor, approver, site owner, etc.). You then gather the requirements from the key stakeholders representing these roles, and plan and design the appropriate training for each role.

This is not my typical advice when teaching ... when I take a class; I want to LEARN IT ALL! That's simply not possible with this product. Users will need to learn what they need to know to do their specific job. After all ... they have full time jobs already!

I could go on and on about this topic ... I will be presenting more about SharePoint training at our Best Practices Conference in La Jolla the week of March 7, along with other Business User / Information Worker topics.

http://bestpracticesconference.com/SitePages/Default.aspx

Stop by and see me ... I have tons more ideas and would be happy to share them with you!

Can't resist since I live in Green Bay ... GO PACK GO! And ... hope to see you in La Jolla at BPC.

Kay