Crafting a Customized Search Application to SharePoint
March 25, 2014
A lot of organizations will hire an outside company to customize and implement their SharePoint infrastructure. Others are big enough to have staff onsite devoted to building and maintaining SharePoint. However, either way there are many individuals who have a vested interest in creating customized SharePoint components. Search Content Management covers one “how-to” in their article, “Building a SharePoint 2013 Search-Based Application.”
The article describes its objective:
“While this article doesn’t have the space to cover all aspects of how to build a Microsoft SharePoint 2013 search-based application, we will provide an overview. The key components are list and library structures to store content; metadata and metadata sources, including the Managed Metadata Service; search to crawl the content; user interface elements to surface the content and display templates to render the content with the required formatting.”
Stephen E. Arnold is a longtime follower of all things search, including SharePoint, on his Web site ArnoldIT.com. He focuses on the reality of the situation – how users can get the most out of search solutions. For SharePoint, he often finds that customization is key; so building unique components like this could be the difference between a frustrating deployment and a well-used and well-loved solution.
Emily Rae Aldridge, March 25, 2014
Partnership with SAP, SharePoint, and Open Text
March 24, 2014
SharePoint is improved by customization. Third-party add-ons are often the backbone of this customization, since SharePoint has become such a complex infrastructure. In the latest news, SharePoint is partnering with other vendors to increase efficiency. Read more in the Fierce Content Management article, “OpenText Brings Governance to SharePoint, SAP.”
The article begins:
“In one of the more odd product announcements in some time, three giants of enterprise software–OpenText, SharePoint and SAP–have come together around a governance, content management and an ERP solution. This three-headed monster is called SAP Content Management for Microsoft SharePoint by OpenText. You can view SAP data inside SharePoint or SharePoint content inside SAP, and OpenText takes care of the governance bits to make sure everything is done within the rules of the organization.”
Stephen E. Arnold has made a career out of reporting and analyzing all things search. His SharePoint coverage also points to the importance of customization, especially through add-ons. Read more on his Web site ArnoldIT.com.
Emily Rae Aldridge, March 24, 2014
SharePoint Conference 2014 Keynote
March 21, 2014
The opening keynote of SharePoint Conference often helps set the tone for the event and signals what Microsoft wants to focus on in coming initiatives. This year kept with the usual pattern. Jeff Teper delivered the keynote, which is available to watch online on, “Keynote: Connect. Reimagine. Transform.”
The summary of the video says:
“Join Jeff Teper and the Microsoft SharePoint team for the opening keynote of SharePoint Conference 2014. The keynote will introduce the main themes of the conference and highlight new innovations across SharePoint, Yammer and Office 365.”
Stephen E. Arnold also keeps a close eye on all things SharePoint. He has made a career out of following search and reporting on its highlights on his Web site, ArnoldIT.com. One of the keys to a successful SharePoint deployment is being able to update and customize successfully, so staying on top of changes is essential.
Emily Rae Aldridge, March 21, 2014
Machine Learning on Display at SharePoint Conference 2014
March 20, 2014
SharePoint Conference is always a prime time for Microsoft to make new announcements regarding their ubiquitous platform. And true to form, SharePoint Conference 2014 did not disappoint. Lots of exciting announcements were made, but ComputerWorld focuses on the Office 365 updates in their article, “At SharePoint, Microsoft Talks Up Ambitious Enhancements for Office 365.”
The article begins:
“Microsoft didn’t disappoint with the new and improved capabilities it announced and demonstrated for Office 365 this week, but how well they work in the real world remains to be seen. At its SharePoint Conference in Las Vegas, Microsoft laid out its vision for making Office 365 a more intelligent collaboration suite via new social interactions, APIs (application programming interfaces) and machine learning capabilities.”
It is no surprise that machine learning is a big focus. The article goes on to describe some of the details. A more intuitive and user-friendly platform is no doubt what Microsoft is striving for. Stephen E. Arnold of ArnoldIT.com has long followed SharePoint. He often finds that the major complaints center on efficiency and the high demands of customization. Machine learning could help improve both areas.
Emily Rae Aldridge, March 20, 2014
SharePoint 2014 Conference Roundup
March 19, 2014
The 2014 SharePoint Conference just concluded. Microsoft hosts this large conference devoted to the SharePoint platform. Bill Clinton made headlines as the keynote speaker, but there were lots of other great noteworthy points. Get the rundown in the article, “Roundup: Microsoft SharePoint Conference 2014.”
The article starts with an overview:
“This year, the conference offered a wide range of presentations, certification testing, labs, workshops, Q&A sessions, and networking events for the attendees to polish their talents and to meet the professionals from various fields of SharePoint and Yammer. Tons of topics were discussed.”
The article then goes on to discuss the finer points of the conference. Stephen E. Arnold is a longtime leader in search and maintains the Web site ArnoldIT.com. He pays attention when SharePoint makes the news, working to disseminate points of interest to enterprise managers and end users.
Emily Rae Aldridge, March 19, 2014
Determining SharePoint Cloud Deployment
March 18, 2014
Not so long ago, SharePoint deployment only meant one thing – onsite. However, users are now faced with a multitude of deployment options, which can be overwhelming. Even if users just look at cloud deployment, the options are numerous. CMS Wire helps break them down in their article, “SharePoint in the Cloud: You Have Options.”
The article begins:
“When it comes to hosting SharePoint on premises or moving it into the cloud, there is never one right answer. Companies need to understand every hosting option available to them and find the one that best fits their available resources and technical needs. In this article, we’re going to take a look at the available platforms and who might benefit most from each.”
The article then goes on to detail several different deployment options. Stephen E. Arnold gives a lot of attention to SharePoint on his Web site, ArnoldIT.com. He has made a career out of following search and its implications for organizations. SharePoint is perhaps the search application with the greatest reach.
Emily Rae Aldridge, March 18, 2014
Improving SharePoint Search Efficiency
March 17, 2014
For many users, search is pretty much the main point of SharePoint, yet many complain of the inefficiency and inaccuracy of the search function. Search Windows Server addresses the issue in a great article that highlights search features from SharePoint 2007 to SharePoint 2013. Read the details in “Five Ways to Make SharePoint Search More Efficient.”
The article begins:
“Admins and end users alike find that using the search feature in SharePoint is helpful, but it can be frustrating . . . We compiled the five best tips to help SharePoint users work through common questions and situations with SharePoint search. Covering multiple versions of SharePoint, these tips highlight how to make searching in SharePoint more efficient, how to improve search functionality and more.”
Stephen E. Arnold has an interest in search; in fact he has made a career of it. His Web site, ArnoldIT.com, highlights the latest in search – the good and the bad. SharePoint gets a lot of coverage.
Emily Rae Aldridge, March 17, 2014
Big Changes in Store for SharePoint 2013
March 14, 2014
Microsoft is rolling out some big changes for Office 365. Most users won’t be surprised, as it is in response to frequent user requests, but social aspects will be front and center. Read more in the ZDNet article, “Microsoft to Integrate New Social, Machine Learning Technologies into Office 365.”
The article begins:
“Microsoft is about to make some big changes as to how Office 365 looks and works. At the company’s SharePoint 2014 conference . . . executives will preview some of these coming changes — specifically ones involving social and machine-learning technologies that Microsoft is baking into its cloud suite of Office apps. Once these technologies begin rolling out later this year, the lines between Exchange, SharePoint and Yammer will be blurred, and social collaboration will become more of a centerpiece of the more tightly-integrated suite.”
The conference concluded last week and the headlines are starting to roll out with announcements of what users can expect from Service Pack 1. Stephen E. Arnold has been following the news closely, and continues to report on SharePoint through his Web site, ArnoldIT.com. As a longtime leader in search, Arnold has seen SharePoint evolve and grow, but customization and training tend to be the two consistent components that make SharePoint work for an organization.
Emily Rae Aldridge, March 14, 2014
Analytics Improves SharePoint Experience
March 13, 2014
Microsoft partners are responsible for SharePoint add-ons that increase usability and efficiency for users. Webtrends is one such partner that offers an Analytics for SharePoint solution. Broadway World covers their latest announcement in the article, “Employee Adoption for SharePoint Soars With Webtrends Analytics.”
The article begins:
“Webtrends, a Microsoft-preferred partner for SharePoint analytics, today announced a 64% year-over-year increase in customer bookings for its Analytics for SharePoint business . . . Leveraging deep analytics expertise and use cases from customers like BrightStarr and Siemens, Webtrends highlights key insights and successes, including a preview of an analytics for Yammer solution, during the SharePoint Conference in Las Vegas, NV on March 3-6.”
Stephen E. Arnold has a lot to say about SharePoint from his platform, ArnoldIT.com. As a longtime search expert, Arnold knows that SharePoint’s success hinges on customization and add-ons, which allow an organization to take this overwhelming solution and make it work for them.
Emily Rae Aldridge, March 13, 2014
Pleading with Microsoft to Step Up Mobile Development
March 12, 2014
Mobile computing is not just the latest trend. It is here to stay, and users of all varieties are pleading with major platforms to offer more mobile functionality. SharePoint should be used to hearing the pleas of users in this arena, but Search Content Management offers a well-written request in their article, “Dear Microsoft: Step Up Mobile SharePoint Development.”
The article sums up the issue:
“Microsoft now stands at a crossroads, surrounded on all sides by able competitors and imprisoned somewhat between its behemoth server technology stack, the growing cloud and the critical need to reinvent the face of its applications. Microsoft has been dragged kicking and screaming into the mobile era. Now it needs to update SharePoint development to really embrace the mobile revolution.”
Stephen E. Arnold of ArnoldIT.com is a longtime expert in all things search. He knows that the future is mobile and gives a lot of attention to the growing movement. He has found that while mobile is a “want,” security and functionality are “needs” in the enterprise. So Microsoft’s challenge will be to give equal weight to these areas.
Emily Rae Aldridge, March 12, 2014
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