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How many people are using sharepoint as a document management solution? I'm looking at it as a solution for us, but am not sure if it's the right product. I know I can create columns which are my fields, or tags, for each file, but is there a way to automate this instead of manually adding tags for each document? How does indexing work in general for this product? Enlighten me, please.
I can't enlighten you on the tags or indexing but will give my opinion.
I was not a fan of sharepoint when I used it. The biggest reason is that it is stored outside your domain and has only one single backup per day. If you lose a file or one goes corrupt you must backup ALL files and possibly lose a whole day's work for everything as oppsed to your network server which you can backup just a single file or folder. For that reason it was always difficult to decide which documents we kept on the network server and which were on Sharepoint so now we had to look 2 places for things snd frequently it was in BOTH places. This may be sue to the version of SharePoint we were on but that was my issue.
I never understood the checkout system for the documents. You can open and modify a dosument without checking it out so too frequently we did and I was always worried about too many versions out there being worked on at the same time.
I also hated the fact that I had to now keep Raiser's Edge, Outlook and Sharepoint open all day long to get my work done. One more place for me to check for announcements, tasks, etc. was the last thing I needed. We were all within 40 feet of eachother yet we used Sharepoint. I can see using it for companies spread out all over the place but it was overkill at my last job.
We're just getting into it as an organizational collaboration tool, one aspect of which is the document management feature. As an international organization, we see potentially tremendous benefit/gain from using this - as such, I'd agree with Melissa - depending on the size of your org - might be overkill, but worth using IF you can implement it correctly & IF your org culture can adapt to it (always a dicey proposition). We're already encountering a mix of those who 'get' it & those who don't.
Our consultant is on site so I'll try to get some guidance from her re: your questions.
__________________ Jim DiGiovanni Applications Manager, CSM Wycliffe Bible Translators jim_digiovanni@wycliffe.org Life is a series of short equations
After a brief discussion with our consultant, here are some equally brief responses - which I'll preface with this suggestions - before you attempt to solve detailed questions like the one you've posed, I would strongly recommend doing two things first
1. Go the Microsoft Sharepoint site & read (if that's effective for you - it can be daunting)
2. Engage a consultant to review your needs (if that's an option budgetarily) & help you do the ESSENTIAL business analysis review of what you would put on Sharepoint & how you could most effectively use it.
Re: your first question - she suggested a list template
re: your 2nd question - you can index just about anything (folder shares on network drives, lotus notes DBs, etc) - but since we've just started, we're just learning how to do that...as I learn more I'll share
Re: Melissa's experiences - don't know how it was implemented but sharepoint need not be stored outside your domain - is not limited to just one B/U perday - can be as needed, versioning can be 'enforced' so multiple doc copies can't happen & checkout wasn't in prior version so that would explain the situation you had to deal with....all of which reinforces IF you really want to implement this, $$$ spent on a good consultant (we are working with Michelle Boccia from Microsoft CRM, Microsoft ERP Software, Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Business Application Development, Tampa, Florida - and would recommend them - you may use my name) will go a L-O-N-G way toward a successful installation. Otherwise, it could be a public relations disaster. Hope this helps
__________________ Jim DiGiovanni Applications Manager, CSM Wycliffe Bible Translators jim_digiovanni@wycliffe.org Life is a series of short equations
Wow - this is extremely helpful - thanks so much for comments thus far. Fortunately, I am a big reader, so I'm going through documents online to read up on Sharepoint. Our primary purpose would be the document management part. We're a foundation with approx 450 funds. We want to scan in our funds and be able to pull documents from there -- for example, I'm searching for a legal/correspondence/financial document from fund XYZ. So basically, it would be for storage more than everyday use.
While I believe your question (Melissa) is specifically how to (can you?) save/retrieve a single document according to the historically prevailing mechanism to which we're accustomed, I believe the Sharepoint approach is to handle this by document versioning http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sh...CH101779681033
and /or records management http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sh...735961033.aspx- which is the sort of paradigm shift we have to make when considering this product instead of how we store/retrieve data (specifically documents) currently.
Another alternative appears to be establishing a recycle bin that allows retrieval of 'deleted' documents http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointserver/HA100214341033.aspx? - while that doesn't directly relate to backup/restore, it is another way to deal with document 'backup' & 'restore', if you will.
Again, I'm just starting to work with this, but as you can see, it is much more than taking your existing shared folder data 'sources' and reconstructing that under Sharepoint, which kinda defeats the whole MOSS concept. Rather, it forces us to look at our data/document handling in a whole new way - one that looks to be superior to just saving/sharing data & documents in what has become (inevitably) a rather haphazard manner. Plus, you can construct specialized 'views' that let you define who can see what or see what they need to see by dint of their role/responsibilities.
__________________ Jim DiGiovanni Applications Manager, CSM Wycliffe Bible Translators jim_digiovanni@wycliffe.org Life is a series of short equations
Hope my reply was more help than hindrance & especially for Melissa, I really wasn't trying to be evasive so much as point out the whole new mindset one must adopt here. To answer your question directly, if you do a traditional b/u, you would have to restore the entire doc library or site to retrieve the one desired document. Point is, given the other options I cited, a backup (of the entire Sharepoint DB per se) would be for restoration after catastrophic failure due to unforeseen contingencies (act of God, extreme power surge , etc). Utilizing versions and/or the recycle bin, both at the user site level and site admin level (where everything would go & theoretically be retrievable - sort of like a pseudo-backup if you will) could be established operationally to deal with such a single doc retrieval need.
__________________ Jim DiGiovanni Applications Manager, CSM Wycliffe Bible Translators jim_digiovanni@wycliffe.org Life is a series of short equations
The thing with the versions is that if you create something that never needs a new version you could lose it and if you make significant changes between versions you would lose those.
I just never liked the interface after being so addicted to Outlook mail and calendering that one more thing to keep track of was too much. And my colleagues would never give me a satisfactory answer as to what were the policies and expectations for use so things were here there and everywhere - I, honestly, hated the experience for those reasons.
This does not mean that it would not benefit others or is not a good product. I also hate eggs and refuse to eat them - I hope this would not cause anyone to stop eating eggs!
L-O-V-E your honesty - not to say we won't 'discover' the flaws under the makeup here too - but then, given what we're trying to accomplish, it's the logical choice...AND, after all, it IS Microsoft, so we sorta know what to expect... And thanks for raising a good question, one I expect our users here to bring up as well - gives us a jump on crafting a solution to it (ability to retrieve a single document or select documents from 'safe' storage or a backup) early on.....
__________________ Jim DiGiovanni Applications Manager, CSM Wycliffe Bible Translators jim_digiovanni@wycliffe.org Life is a series of short equations
I don't think I can say Thank You enough. This "scanning project" is a thorn in my side, so I will be THRILLED when I find a solution. I know there's a Sharepoint trial on the Microsoft web site - that may be worth checking out. I hope to meet a lot of you at the conference. If you need some suggestions on where to stay & what to do, let me know. Since I work downtown Charleston, I may be of some help.
I am trying to decide if SharePoint Services or a staff intranet I create using BBNC will be the better option for document storage and sharing. We have a relatively small office (20 employees total by Spring). Right now, employees in our administrative office have access to the shared files (with docs that are created and saved at will under numerous categories) and staff who work out of their home offices don't. I want both our remote employees and admin office staff (while they are on the road) to have access. I want this access to be both secure a limited by user or department function. Other than access, our main problems lie with duplicate, triplicate and sometimes more of the same doc in multiple folders. We also have old docs that need to be archived. What are your thoughts?
__________________ Cat Lee
IT Specialist
ALS Association - DC/MD/VA Chapter clee@ALSinfo.org
I'm kind of in the middle of the process discussed in this thread. I set up sharepoint Services to use as an intranet. The IT and admin department uses it indepth; however, the rest of the company has not embraced it yet. However, it was set up as a learning/utility tool and I haven't properly introduced it to the company. I would want to move from Sharepoint services to Sharepoint server before I did that.
We also share some specific documents with staff through an extranet in BBNC.
Also, I fight the duplicate file issue also and use some tools like Duplicate File Detective to help clean this up.Mostly, I archive a year's worth of files each year. Sometimes it's not worth the time to find duplicate files - it's more timely just to keep my active files to three years and archive off the other years.
I don't plan to offer a document share as an option to staff when outside of the office. Instead, we use a vpn to allow those who need access to get to the network.
My long-term goal is to use Sharepoint Server as an internal dept/team site where we can share files and information specific to an event/appeal, etc. Security is pretty easy to set up. We do restrict by department.It needs to be searchable. I plan to continue to use BBNC to offer an employee area where info can be shared such as phone lists, office info, etc. and also to offer targeted content to a few staff members who need access to only a few files and not the vpn.
I have plans, but I realize that moving people from their current comfort zone is difficult.
__________________ Nora Isaac
Senior Manager Information Technology
The ALS Association, Greater Phila. Chapter www.alsphiladelphia.org
You raise some interesting points. Please excuse my ignorance, but what are the differences between SharePoint Services and SharePoint Server? Also, which staff (in terms of role/function) make use of the extranet created through BBNC?
__________________ Cat Lee
IT Specialist
ALS Association - DC/MD/VA Chapter clee@ALSinfo.org
I am trying to decide if SharePoint Services or a staff intranet I create using BBNC will be the better option for document storage and sharing. We have a relatively small office (20 employees total by Spring). Right now, employees in our administrative office have access to the shared files (with docs that are created and saved at will under numerous categories) and staff who work out of their home offices don't. I want both our remote employees and admin office staff (while they are on the road) to have access. I want this access to be both secure a limited by user or department function. Other than access, our main problems lie with duplicate, triplicate and sometimes more of the same doc in multiple folders. We also have old docs that need to be archived. What are your thoughts?
Cat - I'm wondering if you have plans for external users to access SP (such as board members) or if SP would be strictly for staff and you have a board page set up on BBNC?
We're in the process of implementing SP and from what I'm reading, it looks like securing by user or dept function should be relatively easy to do. Again, I'm still learning it myself, but if I pick up any tips, I'll post them.
Cat - I'm wondering if you have plans for external users to access SP (such as board members) or if SP would be strictly for staff and you have a board page set up on BBNC?
We're in the process of implementing SP and from what I'm reading, it looks like securing by user or dept function should be relatively easy to do. Again, I'm still learning it myself, but if I pick up any tips, I'll post them.
Sharepoint 
