Farvashan's SharePoint Blog [ MVP ]

You will always get more than what you paid for, from Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS), a ton features and functionality all as free! You just need a licence for Windows Server 2003; even you can use SQL Express Edition as free for a wide range of small to mid-size businesses. This is the main reason that I love building solutions based on WSS.

We have also Office SharePoint Server 2007 (OSS), a great commercial portal and content management solution, but if you have enough experience architecting based on SharePoint, you will agree me that more than 70% of real business needs, can be implemented based on WSS and you don't need huge and great features of OSS.

Actually, I prefer to use WSS vs. OSS when you don't need more than 30% of OSS functionality. It's an old story: we are getting more than 70% of our requirements by less than 30% of system's capabilities. So you can develop some features that you need top of WSS and be away from bigger load of money, administrations, hardware requirements, and most important, training users to use OSS.

One of the most important features of OSS that might force you to use it, is advanced features of its search capabilities, as a solution you can use WSS Cross Site Search.

It's a product from Knowledge Worker Components, and support a lot languages included Persian. You can define custom scopes for search included cross site collection search.

You can also define custom properties for advanced search by a comprehensive optional operations included: And, Or, Begin, Included, Null and…

For details, take a look to snapshots below:

You will always get more than what you paid for, from Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS), a ton features and functionality all as free! You just need a licence for Windows Server 2003; even you can use SQL Express Edition as free for a wide range of small to mid-size businesses. This is the main reason that I love building solutions based on WSS.

We have also Office SharePoint Server 2007 (OSS), a great commercial portal and content management solution, but if you have enough experience architecting based on SharePoint, you will agree me that more than 70% of real business needs, can be implemented based on WSS and you don't need huge and great features of OSS.

Actually, I prefer to use WSS vs. OSS when you don't need more than 30% of OSS functionality. It's an old story: we are getting more than 70% of our requirements by less than 30% of system's capabilities. So you can develop some features that you need top of WSS and be away from bigger load of money, administrations, hardware requirements, and most important, training users to use OSS.

One of the most important features of OSS that might force you to use it, is advanced features of its search capabilities, as a solution you can use WSS Cross Site Search.

It's a product from Knowledge Worker Components, and support a lot languages included Persian. You can define custom scopes for search included cross site collection search.

You can also define custom properties for advanced search by a comprehensive optional operations included: And, Or, Begin, Included, Null and…

For details, take a look to snapshots below:

Fantastic 40 Microsoft Application Templates for WSS 3.0 are not really fantastic! Some of them, like "Project Tracking Workspace" has really nothing,  just some custom lists, but some others like "Time Card Management" are more useful, some built-in  workflows and good examples of using great features of Data View Web Part.

They are good starting points for creating your own applications and expected functionality of your company, so I prefer you getting some ideas and enhancing them to fit your business needs instead of thinking to your application from the beginning.

I'm working on to localize all 40 Templates as Farsi, so you can download them here as free, but my localizing approach is working on a practical environment, using  templates one-by-one in a real working environment and selecting perfect alternate for each strings, so it takes more time to complete but less efforts for you to reuse them in your own company.

Also we have 1 really Fantastic / Fabulous Template from the Japanese team of Microsoft, the first and the best WSS 3.0 Application Templates; you know it, Microsoft Group Board Workspace 2007.

It is a perfect example of an application top of WSS 3.0, we are using it from the exact moment of release, on December 2006, and I'm working to create a Persian version, it will be finished soon, wait for me announcement to download it as free.

There is also a Community Kit for SharePoint simple template, it is nothing yet, but seems it will be more in the future, couple of editions for Corporate Intranet use,  Enhanced WiKi, Internet-Extranet edition, SharePointPedia Edition, User Group  edition and more. Waiting for Laurence to see how he will make it a perfect solution for SharePoint 2007.

Fantastic 40 Microsoft Application Templates for WSS 3.0 are not really fantastic! Some of them, like "Project Tracking Workspace" has really nothing,  just some custom lists, but some others like "Time Card Management" are more useful, some built-in  workflows and good examples of using great features of Data View Web Part.

They are good starting points for creating your own applications and expected functionality of your company, so I prefer you getting some ideas and enhancing them to fit your business needs instead of thinking to your application from the beginning.

I'm working on to localize all 40 Templates as Farsi, so you can download them here as free, but my localizing approach is working on a practical environment, using  templates one-by-one in a real working environment and selecting perfect alternate for each strings, so it takes more time to complete but less efforts for you to reuse them in your own company.

Also we have 1 really Fantastic / Fabulous Template from the Japanese team of Microsoft, the first and the best WSS 3.0 Application Templates; you know it, Microsoft Group Board Workspace 2007.

It is a perfect example of an application top of WSS 3.0, we are using it from the exact moment of release, on December 2006, and I'm working to create a Persian version, it will be finished soon, wait for me announcement to download it as free.

There is also a Community Kit for SharePoint simple template, it is nothing yet, but seems it will be more in the future, couple of editions for Corporate Intranet use,  Enhanced WiKi, Internet-Extranet edition, SharePointPedia Edition, User Group  edition and more. Waiting for Laurence to see how he will make it a perfect solution for SharePoint 2007.

Congratulations! Persian users all around the world. Now you can use Microsoft Outlook Web Access in Farsi! Yeah, it's fantastic.

Exchange Server 2007, is the latest version of Microsoft Mail Server, and Outlook Web Access is a great feature that users can access their mail box, calendar, tasks and other functionalities of Outlook simply through a web browser. When you are using Outlook Web Access, it seems that you are using your own Outlook, but there is no Outlook installed on your computer, so you have a web base Outlook with you any where you can find a web browser and an Internet connection. This enhanced web interface that simulate your Outlook, is available by a lot languages and now included Persian.

I know also about initiation of a project on American University of Dubai for Supporting Persian on Microsoft Office 2007 & Windows Vista. Sounds good, waiting for a great announcement by me about official language pack of Microsoft for SharePoint 2007!

I'm just a bit worry about quality of these localizations, for example, take a look to the snapshot above, even on this logon page you can read an statement that has completely wrong logical meaning! Unfortunately in the previous official Persian LIP for Microsoft Office 2003, I can show you a lot grammatical, logical and conceptual faults! Sometimes you will see a train of Persian words and on the full stop station you will get no meaning!

Microsoft Officially follow supporting a new language through Local Language Program. The Local Language Program is a global initiative that fosters the development and proliferation of regional language groups, enabling them to preserve and promote their language and culture while benefiting from continuing IT advancements. Through this collaboration with local governments to offer citizens the ability to customize leading, value-based Microsoftr software applications with local language capabilities, people around the world will be able to work with PCs — some for the first time — in their native languages. Individuals will be able to build skills, open opportunities and realize overall IT progress. Through the Local Language Program, local and regional government participants can localize Windows, Office and other Microsoft products. Read more.

As you see, this program is based on collaboration of local government and Microsoft, so who is the government of Farsi speakers worldwide? This is the main issue.

Right now, it seems that Persian is locating under Arabic language! Ok, it doesn't matter, but, please do some collaborating jobs with us, there is several years we are localizing Microsoft products, we implemented some approaches to enhance quality of localization, and I know some talent candidates who are in love helping Microsoft to get Persian market.

I hope The team of 15 AUD students lead by Dr. Khalid Khawaja as a supervisor and Dr. Mulhim Al-Doori as project manager, will found a perfect IT glossaries to include the new terminology of Windows Vista, Office2007 and SharePoint 2007. I'm trying to add SharePoint because a comprehensive and coherent terminology will success the efforts.

I'm sure Microsoft will find direct approach, and It's speed of delivery and quality assurance of products I am looking for.

www.sharepointsolutions.ir

Congratulations! Persian users all around the world. Now you can use Microsoft Outlook Web Access in Farsi! Yeah, it's fantastic.

Exchange Server 2007, is the latest version of Microsoft Mail Server, and Outlook Web Access is a great feature that users can access their mail box, calendar, tasks and other functionalities of Outlook simply through a web browser. When you are using Outlook Web Access, it seems that you are using your own Outlook, but there is no Outlook installed on your computer, so you have a web base Outlook with you any where you can find a web browser and an Internet connection. This enhanced web interface that simulate your Outlook, is available by a lot languages and now included Persian.

I know also about initiation of a project on American University of Dubai for Supporting Persian on Microsoft Office 2007 & Windows Vista. Sounds good, waiting for a great announcement by me about official language pack of Microsoft for SharePoint 2007!

I'm just a bit worry about quality of these localizations, for example, take a look to the snapshot above, even on this logon page you can read an statement that has completely wrong logical meaning! Unfortunately in the previous official Persian LIP for Microsoft Office 2003, I can show you a lot grammatical, logical and conceptual faults! Sometimes you will see a train of Persian words and on the full stop station you will get no meaning!

Microsoft Officially follow supporting a new language through Local Language Program. The Local Language Program is a global initiative that fosters the development and proliferation of regional language groups, enabling them to preserve and promote their language and culture while benefiting from continuing IT advancements. Through this collaboration with local governments to offer citizens the ability to customize leading, value-based Microsoftr software applications with local language capabilities, people around the world will be able to work with PCs — some for the first time — in their native languages. Individuals will be able to build skills, open opportunities and realize overall IT progress. Through the Local Language Program, local and regional government participants can localize Windows, Office and other Microsoft products. Read more.

As you see, this program is based on collaboration of local government and Microsoft, so who is the government of Farsi speakers worldwide? This is the main issue.

Right now, it seems that Persian is locating under Arabic language! Ok, it doesn't matter, but, please do some collaborating jobs with us, there is several years we are localizing Microsoft products, we implemented some approaches to enhance quality of localization, and I know some talent candidates who are in love helping Microsoft to get Persian market.

I hope The team of 15 AUD students lead by Dr. Khalid Khawaja as a supervisor and Dr. Mulhim Al-Doori as project manager, will found a perfect IT glossaries to include the new terminology of Windows Vista, Office2007 and SharePoint 2007. I'm trying to add SharePoint because a comprehensive and coherent terminology will success the efforts.

I'm sure Microsoft will find direct approach, and It's speed of delivery and quality assurance of products I am looking for.

www.sharepointsolutions.ir

I'm getting so proud when I see ADL SCORM Certification of SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK), congratulation! for your great works, SLK's team members.

Here you can see some snapshots from my old experiences, before the birth of SharePoint, and taking all my time and energy working on it since 2002.

I had an idea a couple of years ago about using SharePoint technology as a platform for a comprehensive e-learning solution, but I has no ready customer to investigation on it, and now I'm so excited to see an open source project at Microsoft, based on Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 for developing an Learning Management System (LMS).

Using SharePoint Learning Kit 1.0,  you can store and manage your e-learning courses based on SCORM 2004 2nd edition and IMS+ standards, on SharePoint document libraries. It also supports learner-centric and instructor-led (assigned) workflows, allowing assignment, tracking and grading both e-learning and non e-learning contents.

As you know there is 5 main components for a complete e-learning solution.

1)      Learning Management System or LMS/LCMS, you can use SLK, and no other products can be much better, because we are using great functionality and facilities of SharePoint in the bed. Also you can easily customize it with your other requirements and applications especially using Workflow Foundation as a platform.

2)      Assessment tools, a bit manipulating of survey lists in SharePoint plus assignment and tracking features of SLK and WSS will be completely support our requirements for assessment tools.

3)      Authoring tools, I have no solution for this part, but I can suggest Macromedia Authorware and it's more powerful content authoring I ever seen. It receives AICC  compliance certificate. Also, once upon in time on the Microsoft web site, there was a useful authoring tools by the name: LRN Toolkit 3.0, but it seems completely faded from the earth! If you hear any voice of it, please ping me a note, This is a course based on it .

4)      Virtual Class, you can use Microsoft Live Meeting, and as you know it's integrated with SharePoint and we have some web parts for accessing your meeting from SharePoint sites.

5)      Communication & Collaboration tools, using Microsoft Live Communication will be a perfect solution for real time communication (RTC) including text, voice, video, shared whiteboard, application sharing and so on. especially you can customize it's client, Office Communicator for your university or company needs, and so fantastic, you can use an AJAX client Office Communicator web access, zero installation and configuration on the client side, just a web browser! Also, about collaboration, I know exactly, no better solution than SharePoint 2007.

As you can see, we have a comprehensive, complete, fantastic solution for implementing e-learning. Any rich lucky customer?

I'm getting so proud when I see ADL SCORM Certification of SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK), congratulation! for your great works, SLK's team members.

Here you can see some snapshots from my old experiences, before the birth of SharePoint, and taking all my time and energy working on it since 2002.

I had an idea a couple of years ago about using SharePoint technology as a platform for a comprehensive e-learning solution, but I has no ready customer to investigation on it, and now I'm so excited to see an open source project at Microsoft, based on Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 for developing an Learning Management System (LMS).

Using SharePoint Learning Kit 1.0,  you can store and manage your e-learning courses based on SCORM 2004 2nd edition and IMS+ standards, on SharePoint document libraries. It also supports learner-centric and instructor-led (assigned) workflows, allowing assignment, tracking and grading both e-learning and non e-learning contents.

As you know there is 5 main components for a complete e-learning solution.

1)      Learning Management System or LMS/LCMS, you can use SLK, and no other products can be much better, because we are using great functionality and facilities of SharePoint in the bed. Also you can easily customize it with your other requirements and applications especially using Workflow Foundation as a platform.

2)      Assessment tools, a bit manipulating of survey lists in SharePoint plus assignment and tracking features of SLK and WSS will be completely support our requirements for assessment tools.

3)      Authoring tools, I have no solution for this part, but I can suggest Macromedia Authorware and it's more powerful content authoring I ever seen. It receives AICC  compliance certificate. Also, once upon in time on the Microsoft web site, there was a useful authoring tools by the name: LRN Toolkit 3.0, but it seems completely faded from the earth! If you hear any voice of it, please ping me a note, This is a course based on it .

4)      Virtual Class, you can use Microsoft Live Meeting, and as you know it's integrated with SharePoint and we have some web parts for accessing your meeting from SharePoint sites.

5)      Communication & Collaboration tools, using Microsoft Live Communication will be a perfect solution for real time communication (RTC) including text, voice, video, shared whiteboard, application sharing and so on. especially you can customize it's client, Office Communicator for your university or company needs, and so fantastic, you can use an AJAX client Office Communicator web access, zero installation and configuration on the client side, just a web browser! Also, about collaboration, I know exactly, no better solution than SharePoint 2007.

As you can see, we have a comprehensive, complete, fantastic solution for implementing e-learning. Any rich lucky customer?

Is it really possible implementing a Sale Management System inside the SharePoint platform?

Regarding to my studies, it's more like a CRM Solution, but a nice enterprise solution that easily can integrated with other systems such as a Human Resource Management system. as a result I'll suggesting this solution versus a separated CRM application. take a look at this demonstration.

Just imagine to a comprehensive and strong Data Base design as your backend enterprise, just a database design, now you can implement all other systems as a web interface by SharePoint platform using great facilities of Data View web part and it's subclass Business Data Catalog, especially when you are using InfoPath Forms that interacts with your backend databases and are routing in your enterprise with the built in Workflow support of SharePoint 2007.

I think a traditional Management Information System can be replaced by SharePoint Platform using the above vision, what are you thinking? Tell me your idea.

Is it really possible implementing a Sale Management System inside the SharePoint platform?

Regarding to my studies, it's more like a CRM Solution, but a nice enterprise solution that easily can integrated with other systems such as a Human Resource Management system. as a result I'll suggesting this solution versus a separated CRM application. take a look at this demonstration.

Just imagine to a comprehensive and strong Data Base design as your backend enterprise, just a database design, now you can implement all other systems as a web interface by SharePoint platform using great facilities of Data View web part and it's subclass Business Data Catalog, especially when you are using InfoPath Forms that interacts with your backend databases and are routing in your enterprise with the built in Workflow support of SharePoint 2007.

I think a traditional Management Information System can be replaced by SharePoint Platform using the above vision, what are you thinking? Tell me your idea.