Protected: Ontolica Preview Software Highlights
February 3, 2011
Protected: Making Microsoft Duet into a Trio
February 1, 2011
Oracle Targets SharePoint
January 27, 2011
Maybe Oracle knows that search in SharePoint is a secondary consideration. Oracle has a couple of different search solutions. SES11g is the flagship, but I don’t think of the system as a user friendly, SharePoint snap it. Nevertheless, Oracle senses weakness in the SharePoint ranks, and it is going to go for the kill. Navigate to “Oracle Makes a Fresh Run at SharePoint.” The main point of the write up in my opinion is:
But Oracle is positioning WebCenter Suite as something more robust than “purely ad-hoc” SharePoint installations that mostly play the role of file servers, MacMillan said. “What we’re talking about is how you are collaborating around key business processes,” he said.
If this is indeed true, Oracle is going to have to find a solution to the “findability” challenge that this type of portal play presents. We continue to hear rumors about tire kicking, management change, and new investments in search at Oracle. What is clear to me is that talk has not translated into action. If Oracle does snag former SharePoint customers, Oracle is going to have to get with the search and content program quickly. We think this opens some opportunities for vendors who play well with SharePoint and who have smiled and hugged Oracle in the last couple of years. Good news for some search vendors. Not such good news for Microsoft?
Stephen E Arnold, January 27, 2011
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For Your SharePoint Cubby
January 24, 2011
We’re tucking the following items in our SharePoint cubby:
First, see SharePoint FullTextSQLQuery index will not clear at Stackoverflow for a discussion of that issue. Apparently, the query index can fail to clear when you reset the crawled content.
Second is an article on the crucial issue of database recovery after receiving a the MOSS error “masterpage is invalid.” See whether this sounds familiar:
“Are you receiving the error ‘The URL ../../_catalogs/masterpage is invalid’ when you try to check out a page using SharePoint Designer?”
See this blog at blogspot.com for the solution.
Cynthia Murrell January 24, 2011
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SharePoint Sharing from Attivio
January 19, 2011
Of interest to businesses overwhelmed with voluminous SharePoint content: “Attivio Announces AIE for SharePoint Integration” tells of the Active Intelligence Engine’s new availability to aggregate information across not only SharePoint, but also websites, databases, email, CRM and other information sources.
According to the announcement,
“The difficulty of discovering and delivering timely insight derived from all of these resources exposes gaps in an organization’s ability to integrate and rapidly update information; providing a single method for users to find the information they need, regardless of its origins. AIE for SharePoint Integration enables secure access to all types of information by unifying diverse datasets, while avoiding the cost and delays of cumbersome legacy integration stages. “
With AIE companies no longer have to worry about SharePoint silos, easily accessible only within departments and can instead maximize insight and collaboration across the entire enterprise. Attivio promises retention of data relationships from text sources, rapid implementation, and tight security to result in maximized competitive advantage. We believe the company has a good approach to a very tough SharePoint challenge.
Alice Wasielewski, January 19, 2011
Overanalyzing Microsoft SharePoint
January 18, 2011
Clever Workarounds has an amazing write-up called, “SharePoint Analysts—Stop Analysing!” It first starts off with a reassuring advice that life experience comes from making mistakes, which makes you an a better person at the end of the day. This is related to business analysts in that customers do not want and cannot connect with consultants who invade their offices and tell them what they are doing wrong. Customers want an average Joe who has been in their same situation to help them figure out the best solution to their problem.
Microsoft is pretty much doing this with SharePoint. They’re overanalyzing the program, while forgetting the customers’ needs. By ignoring the customers’ needs, Microsoft is taking the attitude that their users will adapt to anything without consideration.
“I actually don’t need to talk to them. Oh sure, someone might do some communications planning, but I don’t need to address user adoption because adoption is already there! People adapted to email, telephone and Microsoft Windows years ago.”
What Microsoft is doing is downright breech of business etiquette: being rude to clients.
Whitney Grace, January 18, 2011
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Free Visio Stencil Art for SharePoint Planning
December 27, 2010
Why get lost in design search architectures when you could reference a map? Microsoft recently released a handy collection of Visio shapes created specifically for generating diagram models of server deployment. These shapes prove useful for the Microsoft 2010 versions of Office, SharePoint Server, Project Server, Search Server and SharePoint Foundation.
It only takes seconds to grab this 1-MB .zip file from the website and extract its contents into your Visio shape folder. The system requirements and download instructions are clearly posted on the webpage, making the whole process a snap. Microsoft was even thoughtful enough to provide several examples of sensible ways to employ the custom shapes; the IT pro content publishing team put together a smattering of SharePoint Server and Office 2010 technical diagrams as guidelines. Now your own SharePoint installations can quickly become a matter a record, making following the path easier in the future.
Sarah Rogers, December 27, 2010
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Tollfree Offers SharePoint Quick Start
December 24, 2010
Before you can do a Fast search, you have to get SharePoint up and running. If you are in a hurry, there’s another vendor offering to turbo charge your SharePoint deployment.
Microsoft SharePoint 2010 is a key business collaboration tool that allows users to easily share information with one another as well manage documents and reports. The recent announcement “Tollfree Launches Fixed Price SharePoint 2010 ‘Quick Start’ Package” from the Cambridge Network website gives details about a new less expensive SharePoint package.
Companies using Microsoft SharePoint 2010 can run into huge costs especially if outside consultants are needed to properly setup the system. “Tollfree Networks fixed price SharePoint 2010 Quick Start solution is the answer to overcome this barrier as our costs give clients good value for money and, with a short time to implementation.” Companies get the valuable Microsoft SharePoint at a reduced and pre determined price. If Tollfree’s less expensive Quick Start package becomes a household name other SharePoint sellers could be forced to overhaul their own prices. Microsoft SharePoint is becoming a familiar face and it’s only a matter of time before the pricing follows suits.
With complexity looming as one of the key marketing points for cloud solutions, will SharePoint quick starts, fast take offs, and speedy deployment keep Microsoft’s grip on the enterprise firm? People using SharePoint want to search now, not later.
April Holmes, December 24, 2010
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SharePoint White Papers Categorized
December 17, 2010
I know you need some reading over the New Year’s holiday. I just learned that Bill Baer, a “master for SharePoint”, has published “Categorized Index of SharePoint 2010 White Papers. I don’t know too much about building categories. My miserable attempts ended with the ABI/INFORM controlled term project and limped through several taxonomy projects for the late and lamented Ziff Communications Corp. Certainly my skills are nothing compared to the 20 somethings now pitching ontological skills that would make a monk in Mont St Michel’s scriptorium weep.
I did notice that there was a top level category for search called “Search.” There is one white paper in the category: “Search Topology Operations in SharePoint Server 2010.” The fastest category was the collection of white papers about making SharePoint run like an Olympic sprinter. Search is a tidy little category.
We all know that search—particularly with the tools Microsoft provides—is no big deal. If it were a challenging function, I would anticipate more white papers. Now that performance topic warrants lots of words.
Is SharePoint search trivial? Is performance the big problem? Interesting page. All those white papers about performance. There is message there.
Stephen E Arnold, December 17, 2010
Freebie just like the white papers
Controlling SharePoint Craziness
November 28, 2010
Windows IT Pro’s article “When and How to Include End Users in SharePoint Migration Planning” explains that SharePoint end users avoid the program because their input is ignored by developers. The article says,
The problem with this view is that your end users know their requirements, essential business processes, and data better than you do. Input from the staff and managers who are responsible for the artifacts managed within SharePoint is a critical factor for a successful migration.
You can learn a bit about how to use a migration plan to integrate end user feedback into SharePoint. The Rational Unified Process is recommended to guide the process. It is initiated by gathering feedback from end users. After the feedback is gathered, the mitigation team needs to document all aspects of the system to understand its current state. Use cases are then created to evaluate new ideas and determine what will work best for the future-state environment. To guarantee a successful SharePoint migration, prototypes and testing are necessary. The most important aspect is to include the end user at every part of the process, otherwise the migration plan won’t work.
I like the “won’t work” part. Exclusion of end users is a common practice, particularly with regards to search and content processing. End users are so annoying and some complain about SharePoint too.
Whitney Grace, November 28, 2010
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