SharePoint Veteran Discusses Mistake Trends Among New Developers
February 15, 2012
In “5 Common Mistakes Made by New SharePoint Developers,” James Love discusses ways new solutions developers can avoid some common SharePoint mistakes. Love covers a number of important tenants developers should keep in mind when asked to develop a solution in the farm, including doing the right research, asking the right questions, and understanding best practices.
One way to avoid many mistakes is by first understanding and researching what the SharePoint platform can do. Love explains:
Let’s face it. SharePoint is big. Massive. Enormous. Possibly bloated, even. It can do one hell of a lot of things, and one of the things that trips up a developer when asked to do something in SharePoint, is that they might not realize that SharePoint already does part of what they need. So they end up reinventing the wheel. Sometimes reinventing the wheel means you end up with a bigger wheel, but also you will have to look after and support that wheel for when it breaks, and you may also have wasted a load of time making that bigger wheel. Sometimes though, the wheel that comes with SharePoint might be square shaped, and thus not do what is required, forcing one to reinvent it. Always find out if you can if SharePoint can already do something that you need it to, before embarking on development effort to build something.
It is definitely a worthy read for new developers and a good way to learn from someone who has been through the mistakes before.
Instead of reinventing a square wheel that doesn’t do what you need in SharePoint, consider a third party solution. We like Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Mindbreeze gives your users the search and navigation experience they need. Here you can read about the Fabasoft Mindbreeze InApp – Development Environment. The easy to use tutorials will help you learn how to work in the environment, such as integrating a custom data source. To avoid common mistakes in SharePoint, check out the full suite of solutions at Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Philip West, February 15, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Instant Technologies: Findability Push
February 14, 2012
Poor, poor search vendors. Competition comes from start ups, old outfits dosing on Krating Daeng, and outliers staffed with Smith College and Radcliffe college medieval studies and environmental science and policy majors working in technical marketing.
We noted the Instant Technologies’ Integrys Archive Viewer’s tweaking of its archiving, compliance, search, and discovery solution. The enhancement makes it possible to “discover” instant messages. According to the announcement:
Instant Archive Viewer is the leading archiving and compliance, search, and discovery solution for Microsoft OCS and Lync 2010. Instant Archive Viewer helps organizations enforce internal IM usage policies and quickly respond to compliance audits and legal discovery requests. Instant Archive Viewer is a highly scalable, and stable, OCS/Lync 2010 archiving application and is in use at many of the leading financial service organizations.
Several observations:
The solution appears to be just the ticket for outfits embracing Microsoft and IBM solutions. The Instant Technologies’ solution calls my attention to this question, “Aren’t Microsoft and IBM already providing these functions with their cornucopia of components?”
Then I realized, “If Instant Technologies has an innovation, what does that suggest about the native Microsoft and IBM solutions or the functions now available from other third party solution providers?”
Finally, I wondered, “How will companies buying older solutions such as Clearwell, Stratify, and similar vendors going to respond?”
In short, traditional key word search seems to be going the way of the dodo. In its place are traditional key word search systems with tweaks and some features. The task of deciding “which system” gets more difficult each day I conclude. Perhaps an azure chip consultant will aim its intellectual fire power at this market niche, roll out a crazy matrix, and estimate that add-ins are worth billions in 2016”? One can only wait with bated breath.
Stephen E Arnold, February 14, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Protected: For Maximum SharePoint Development and Customization Option Invest a Bit of Research Time
February 14, 2012
Enterprise Cloud Services Look for Security and Compliance Solutions
February 14, 2012
Christian Verstraete of HP’s Manufacturing and Distributions Industries Worldwide, recently published, “3 Key Reasons for Enterprise Cloud Services.” He argues there is a place for the Enterprise Cloud alongside the private Cloud and public Cloud. Focus on business critical tasks, namely security, is needed for enterprise cloud services to really take-off.
Verstraete also addresses compliance issues as related to the U.S. Patriot Act. The controversial act was enacted by the U.S. Congress on October 26, 2001 at the request of then President George W. Bush in response to the September 11th terrorist attacks. The U.S. Patriot Act gives both domestic and international surveillance powers to the Justice Department for monitoring American citizens and others within its jurisdiction.
So why does this impact Cloud services? Many in the industry have pointed out that Microsoft may have to share information without notifying the owner, which some, like ZDNet, says affected European Cloud adoption. Verstraete explains these concerns for CIOs:
Another area of concern is how privacy data is managed. Google faces probes over privacy issues; Facebook makes headlines with moves that cause privacy concerns. Ok, these issues are not directly related with public clouds, but the moves concern many CIOs. They want to make absolutely sure they are compliant with legislation, and so are looking for cloud service providers that can guarantee that and are prepared to put it in their contracts.
Fabasoft Mindbreeze uses information pairing technologies to combine your on-site data with Cloud information while addressing security concerns, including those surrounding the Patriot Act. Here you can read about the Folio Cloud by Mindbreeze:
Folio Cloud is certified and tested according to the most important standards for security and reliability: ISO 9001, ISO 27001, ISO 20000 and SAS 70 Type II. The saving of data takes place in European data centers – the data remains in the European Union. Folio Cloud is based on Open Source software and is free from American owned software products. Access to European Cloud data by American authorities according to the ‘US Patriot Act’ is therefore ruled out.
Check out the full suite of solutions at Mindbreeze to find what works for you.
Philip West, February 14, 2012
DevEX PLM Receives CGT Magazine Award
February 14, 2012
Award season is upon us with the Grammys and Oscars looming this month. However, Hollywoodis not the only one showering praise on their stars. Recently, Consumer Goods Technology (CGT) Magazine named its best-of-the-best and DevEX PLM Named Consumer Goods Technology Magazine 2012 Editor’s Pick.
CGT “is the leading resource for consumer goods executives looking to improve business performance.” They recognized Selerant’s DevEx, a web-basedPLM software solution, that:
“expedites products to market with scalable modules that include: Product Development, Regulatory Compliance, Product Data Management, and Innovation Process Management.”
These modules seamlessly integrate “to provide greater visibility to the entire product lifecycle, but also integrate with legacy systems for truly comprehensive NPDI control.”
It is nice to see innovation being recognized. Don’t be surprised if companies like Inforbix start raking in awards in the near future. They are redefining how companies find, reuse and share product data. It will not be long before they are taking home the top prize.
Jennifer Wensink,February 14, 2012
Enterprise Search: Details and Substance Required
February 13, 2012
A quick look at how to implement enterprise search appeared in CIO. You will want to take a gander if you are struggling as many are with failed enterprise search implementations. “How to Evaluate Enterprise Search Options” is a compendium of quotes.
However, if you want a meatier analysis your will want to get a copy of Martin White’s and Stephen E Arnold’s Successful Enterprise Search Management. The groundbreaking book appeared a couple of years ago, but it provides detail, recommendations, a glossary for anyone wrestling with search technology, specification, selection, implementation, and management of a new or refurbed findability system. The book description informs us:
The authors, Stephen Arnold and Martin White, each have over two decades of experience in computer-based information retrieval and in this book share both their practical experience gained through client assignments around the world and their deep understanding of the technology and business of enterprise search. This book will be of value to any organization seeking to get the best out of its current search implementation, considering whether to upgrade the implementation, or starting the process of specifying and selecting enterprise search software.
Yep, everything you need to know about evaluating enterprise search options, including a comment about desktop search. Check it out.
Cynthia Murrell, February 13, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Inforbix Cracks Next Generation Search for SolidWorks Users
February 13, 2012
Search means advertising to most Google users. In an enterprise—according to the LinkedIn discussions about enterprise search—the approach is anchored in the 1990s. The problem is that finding information requires a system which can handle content types that are of little interest to lawyers, accountants, and MBAs running a business today.
Without efficient access to such content as engineering drawings, specifications, quality control reports, and run-of-the-mill office information—costs go up. What’s worse is that more time is needed to locate a prior version of a component or locate the supplier who delivered on time and on budget work to the specification. So expensive professionals end up performing what I call Easter egg hunt research. The approach involves looking for colleagues, paging through lists of file names, and the “open, browse, close” approach to information retrieval.
Not surprisingly, the so called experts steer clear of pivotal information retrieval problems. Most search systems pick the ripe apples which are close to the ground. This means indexing Word documents, the versions of information in a content management system, or email.
I learned today that Inforbix, a company we have been tracking because it takes search to the next level, has rolled out two new products. These innovations are data apps which seamlessly aggregate product data from different file types, sources, and locations. The new Inforbix apps will help SolidWorks’ users get more out of their product data and become more productive while improving decision-making. Plus, Inforbix said that it would expand the data access to SolidWords EPDM, making it possible for SolidWords customers to get more from data managed by their PDM system.
The two products are Inforbix Charts and Inforbix Dashboard. Both complement Inforbix Tables which was released in October 2011.
Oleg Shilovitsky, founder of Inforbix, told me:
Manufacturing companies are drowning in the growing amount of product data generated and found within different file types, sources, and company data-silos. They are increasingly using a mix of vendor packages and solutions, all which generate, contain, manage, or store product data, creating a hodgepodge of resources to be combed through. Product data generated in a typical manufacturing company can be both unstructured (valuable BOM and assembly information spread out across different CAD drawings) and structured (CAD drawings within a PDM or PLM system). Our apps are tools that address specific product data tasks such as finding, re-using, and sharing product data. Inforbix can access product data within PDM systems such as ENOVIA SmarTeam and Autodesk Vault and make it available in meaningful ways to CAD and non-CAD users.
When I reviewed the system, I noted that Inforbix’s apps utilize product data semantic technology that automatically infer relationships between disparate sources of data. For example, Inforbix can semantically connect or link a SolidWorks CAD assembly found within EPDM with a related Excel file containing a BOM table stored on a file server in another department.
Inforbix Charts visualizes and presents data saved from Inforbix Tables. The product data is presented in charts that include information to help engineers better manage and run processes by identifying trends and patterns and improving data control. For example, Inforbix Charts visually presents the approval statuses of CAD and ECO documents by author, date approved, last modified date, etc.
Inforbix Dashboard dynamically collects and presents important statistics about engineering and manufacturing data and processes, such as how many versions of a particular CAD drawing currently exist, how many design revisions did it take to complete a CAD drawing, or the number of ECOs processed on time. Easy and intuitive to use, Inforbix Dashboard is an ideal tool for project managers.
SolidWords users can access Inforbix apps and their product data online. Current Inforbix customers can immediately begin using the Inforbix iPad app, available for free on the Apple App Store at http://www.inforbix.com/inforbix-mobile-search-for-cad-and-product-data-on-the-ipad/. Account access taps existing Inforbix credentials. New users are encouraged to register with Inforbix to enable the iPad app to access product data within their company. The apps soon will be available on Android devices.
A video preview of the iPad app is posted at http://www.inforbix.com/inforbix-ipad-app-first-preview/. For more information on Inforbix apps, visit http://www.inforbix.com.
Inforbix is a company on the move.
Stephen E Arnold, February 13, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Protected: Common SharePoint Security Mistakes Are Easy to Make
February 13, 2012
SharePoint 2010 Solutions for Incremental Crawl Problems
February 13, 2012
The blogosphere is full of fixes and solutions for SharePoint 2010 quirks and problems. Unfortunately, we know that many of these solutions come from the pain and suffering of others – others who have had to figure these things out because of something that SharePoint failed to do. The article, “Scheduled Incremental Crawls Suddenly Stopped Due to a Stale Timer Service in SharePoint 2010” is a perfect example.
The author describes the issue he had with the SharePoint 2010 timer service:
It is always fun to get back on site after a couple of days off work. SharePoint 2010 is like an annoying little critter, if you’re not there to cuddle with it, it will do the most strange things. I currently have a support case open regarding some issues with crawled properties (I hope that will be another story to tell another day) and went into the Search Service Application admin pages in Central Admin to check some things. When poking around I noticed that the incremental crawl hasn’t been run for a few days . . . I fired up an incremental crawl manually and that worked, waited for the next incremental crawl to start – and it didn’t. Also tried a full crawl manually – which worked fine, but the scheduled crawls never started.
Ultimately, the author found a solution and was able to get everything back up and running. We know that SharePoint is a strange beast (or annoying little critter as the author stated) and these types of issues are common. However, many organizations are turning to third party solutions to either improve their SharePoint installation or replace it completely. Many find that these third party solutions are more tailored to the end user and save frustration on the part of the SharePoint administrator. One solution receiving accolades is Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
When the solution won KM World Trendsetting Product of the Year for 2011, KM World had the following to say about the easy and efficiency of the solution:
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Appliance as a pre-packaged solution (hardware and software) offers a quick and easy way to enjoy a high-end enterprise search solution out-of-the-box. The product is ready to use within in a very short timeframe.
If you are tired of troubleshooting SharePoint issues on a micro level, explore the other third party solutions available, paying particular attention to Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Emily Rae Aldridge, February 13, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Protected: Don’t Panic! Relax, SharePoint Is Easy with the Right Knowledge
February 11, 2012
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