Getting Started with SharePoint 2010

Posted by Troy on June 5, 2010 under Business Intelligence, Microsoft, SharePoint, SQL Server | Be the First to Comment

 

Business Intelligence is a core part of SharePoint 2010.  Its much more than just a content management system.  SharePoint 2010  has the following new features:

Business Connectivity Services

• Connect SharePoint solutions to external data
• Define external content types based on external data
• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-ca/library/ee661738.aspx

Central Administration Redesign

• Interface is much more intuitive
• UI now uses the well known Ribbon Toolbar

Claim-Based Authentication

• New authentication model
• Works with any corporate identity system (AD, LDAP)
• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc262881.aspx

Health Monitoring

• Analyzes and repair problems
• Allows you to view metrics for sites
• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-ca/library/ee748625.aspx

Sandboxed Solutions

• Deploy solutions onto the Farm or into a sandbox
• Sandbox is a restricted environment which can be used to control and limit resources for a solution
• Some solutions may not work in a sandbox and are better suited for a Farm deployment
• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-ca/library/ee704543.aspx

If you are planning on installing and setting up a SharePoint site I recommend checking out the following training videos from Microsoft:   

Installing SharePoint 2010 (54 minutes):

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-ca/sharepoint/ee518665.aspx

Setting up Your First Web App (24 minutes):

 http://technet.microsoft.com/en-ca/sharepoint/ee518671.aspx

I reviewed these videos and had no problems setting up a couple of web applications.    I don’t recommend setting up a VM (it must be 64-bit for one thing) to run on your laptop or desktop.  You will want to create the VM on a server and assign it at least 4 GB of memory.   This requirement may increase if you are using a  Full SQL Server Stack (Analysis Services, Reporting Services etc.) for a Business Intelligence evaluation.

My next little project will be to use Business Connectivity Services and build a simple application using external data from SQL Server 2008.

Troy

SQL Server 2008 – Released!

Posted by Troy on August 7, 2008 under Business Intelligence, SQL Server | Be the First to Comment

Microsoft announced yesterday that SQL Server 2008 has been released.   RTM version of the software is available for download from the TechNet Plus Subscription site:

SQL Server 2008 – Downloads

If you don’t have a subscription for TechNet plus you can download a trial version:

SQL Server 2008 – Trial Versions

Here is a link to SQL Server 2008 Books Online to help you get started with the new product:

SQL Server 2008 – Getting Started

You can install SQL Server 2008 side by side with an earlier version or you can upgrade the existing database to the new release:

Upgrading SQL Server 2008

Troy