Cloud collaboration new utility: Microsoft SharePoint online

Sharepoint is a set of products that Microsoft uses to quickly build enterprise information portals, collaborative communication, content management, search, business processes, and Bi. SharePoint online is an online version of SharePoint and a public cloud version of SharePoint. SharePoint online is a cloud-based service and a public cloud online service provided by Microsoft. It can be used by SMEs or large enterprises. This is different from the self-deployment of SharePoint products by enterprises. In the SharePoint project I have experienced, some large enterprises (more than 1000) Deploy and use SharePoint products. With SharePoint online, SMEs can also use it and help enterprises create websites to share documents and collaborate with colleagues, partners, and customers. This article will first introduce some basic functions of SharePoint online, including: enterprise user SharePoint online function overview, developer SharePoint online function overview, and SharePoint online and Sharepoint Server function comparison.

　　SharePoint online functions of Enterprise Users

SharePoint online is a cloud-based version of SharePoint 2010. It provides users with many features of SharePoint 2010, however, you do not need to manage the hardware or software required for scalable and secure collaboration solutions. SharePoint online can be used with familiar Microsoft Office applications. You can easily create an Office document and save it directly to SharePoint online, or use office Web apps to create a document. Users can access important documents offline or from familiar mobile devices, and set document-level permissions to protect sensitive content. SharePoint online provides enterprise users with functions such as website, search, content management, collaboration, and workflow.

(1) Website

SharePoint online provides an integrated platform through which employees can efficiently collaborate with team members, share knowledge, and find organizational resources and information. SharePoint online contains two types of websites: workgroup websites and websites. The workgroup website is an internal website through which the working groups or groups in the organization contact each other and collaborate to process documents and other documents. A website is a group of related webpages. Working groups can process projects, store data, documents, and share information on the website. websites can be accessed over the Internet, this is also different from the website when Sharepoint is deployed in an enterprise.

Enterprise users can use the workgroup website to store documents and share them with other users. They can also publish internal notifications, schedule meetings, track tasks and problems, and store information in the list, these functions can be used by the list, document library, Web Components, views in the workgroup, or by creating various seed websites based on the available website templates on the workgroup website. The functions of the workgroup website are shown in Figure 1:

▲Figure 1 workgroup website

(2) Search

SharePoint online provides a visual search interface on the user interface for searching. You can search by using the search function on each page of the website or by using the search center; you can search for server farms, websites, and lists. You can also search for personnel and experts in organizations and establish contacts with experts; the search filtering function is enhanced and can be searched in the context. In the search range, you can search by webpage, desktop, or mobile devices.

(3) Content Management

Content management supports nine default permission levels for published websites: restricted reading, design, participation in discussions, reading, restricted access, approval, management hierarchies, full control, and viewing only. In addition, you can create a permission level and Configure permissions for it.

(4) Collaboration

In terms of collaboration, we still use documents, wiki/discussion area websites, contacts, blogs, tasks, integrated email, and offline documents. With the release of Office 365, Microsoft will release the next version of Microsoft online services, it is a cloud-based collaboration and communication service built on SharePoint 2010, exchange 2010, and lync server 2010.

(5) Workflow

Three-state workflow can be used in a workflow. The online service solves the issue of approval for outgoing employees' workflows. In addition, workflows can also be added to lists, libraries, and content types to create work tasks.

In addition, some other functions of SharePoint online, such as business intelligence, custom functions, and solution development, require developers to perform secondary development and implementation.

　　Developer's SharePoint online Function

With the release of the next version of SharePoint online, sharePoint developers will be able to use the technologies and tools they use when developing for Sharepoint 2010, including Visual Studio 2010, Sharepoint designer 2010, C # Or Visual Basic, Sharepoint API, and SDK) these development contents are concentrated on custom functions, solutions, and SharePoint clients.

(1) custom functions

Custom functions can be implemented in three modes: browser-based, Sharepoint designer-based, and Visual Studio-based secondary development. You can use the custom settings on the SharePoint online user interface in the browser. SharePoint designer 2010 is a web and application design program that can be used to design, generate, and customize websites in SharePoint online; visual Studio 2010 provides a series of specialized templates for creating sandbox solutions, including website and list definitions, workflows, Web parts, event receivers, content types, and other SharePoint projects.

(2) solution development

Solution development includes development of sandbox solutions and object models. Shows 2 SharePoint online development options:

▲Figure 2 SharePoint online development options

The object model includes the Server Object Model and client object model. The Sandbox solution provides a framework for developers to create a custom code solution, the SharePoint online Administrator provides a framework for activating a custom code solution and uploading it to SharePoint online. The development of sandbox solutions is shown in Figure 3:

▲Figure 3 sandbox solution development in SharePoint online

Because the sandbox solution is a multi-tenant environment, some sdks cannot use namespaces, their attributes, and methods. For details, refer to msdn.

(3) Client development

SharePoint online includes three client object models, each of which provides roughly the same set of server object models defined in Microsoft. Sharepoint. dll. Ecmascript,. NET Framework hosting, and Silverlight client object models both include objects that correspond to the website set-level or lower-level primary objects in the SharePoint hierarchy. The client Object Model in SharePoint online is shown in Figure 4:

▲Figure 4 SharePoint online client Object Model

The structure of the server-side object model is similar to that of the client-side object model, and client-side object models are similar to each other. This is similar to the idea of the combination mode in the design mode.

　　SharePoint online v. S. Sharepoint Server 2010

SharePoint 2010 is Microsoft's new-generation enterprise portal and collaborative work platform. Its strength lies in fast building, information retrieval, and system integration. In combination with office 2010 servers and Desktop products, sharePoint 2010 allows you to create a set of software applications and solutions for enterprise portals, knowledge management systems, document management systems, collaborative office systems, community websites, and business analysis systems, this helps SMEs improve their informatization capabilities and reduce it costs.

Some basic functions of SharePoint online have been introduced in the first two parts of this article. SharePoint online is built based on SharePoint Server 2010. From the perspective of developers, what are the functional differences between the two?

Function	SharePoint online	Sharepoint Server 2010 (internal deployment)
Browser configuration	Available	Available
SharePoint designer Customization	Create data-rich interfaces to connect to the internal and external data design and brand of SharePoint through workflow management business processes	Create data-rich interfaces connect to SharePoint internal and external data design and brand business connectivity services through workflow management business processes
SharePoint Solution	Sandbox Solution	Server Farm solution sandbox Solution
Client Object Model	Silverlight. NET Framework-managed ecmascript	Silverlight. NET Framework-managed ecmascript
Silverlight Web Components	Available	Available
Web Services	. Net SharePoint Web Service subset rest apiexcel services rest API	All. Net SharePoint Web Service rest apiexcel services rest API
Infopath form	Sandbox solution form	Sandbox solution form management form
Workflow	Declarative sandbox solution workflow Activity	Declarative sandbox solutions and field workflow activities

Table 1 Comparison of developer functions: SharePoint online and Sharepoint Server 2010

　　Conclusion

Office 365 serves as a subscription-based software as a service (SAAS) product that provides Sharepoint, exchange, and lync services. These services are hosted in a data center managed by Microsoft. SharePoint online provides an attractive and flexible option for companies that require a powerful SharePoint collaboration platform but do not have operating funds to host software internally, it also provides developers with a set of reliable and flexible development interfaces for enterprises (enterprises planning to deploy SharePoint products, there is no need to invest a lot to purchase SharePoint products and their servers at a time. This is also in line with the characteristics of improving resource utilization and pay-as-you-go in the cloud computing era, saving the IT investment of enterprises. However, there is another problem: If an enterprise that has deployed a Sharepoint application wants to use the SharePoint online service, how to migrate the existing application to SharePoint online is a problem.