Microsoft Visio is not a mere diagramming tool!

As described on several Microsoft sites, Microsoft Visio 2010 situates diagramming to an advance level with dynamic, data-driven visualization tools, and advanced Web sharing capability. It composes data from various sources, including Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Services list, Microsoft Office Excel workbook, Microsoft Office Access database, Microsoft SQL Server database, and other OLEDB or ODBC data source and presents it using vibrant graphics design. What is more, it facilitates SharePoint workflows creation and publication for instantaneous implementation.

The Visio Graphics Service is a SharePoint Server 2010 service application that enables dynamic viewing, refreshing, and sharing of data-driven Microsoft Visio 2010 diagrams through Visio Web Access Web part, Web part Connections, and Visio Services Mash-up API. This piece will provide high-level steps in consuming this service application.

Step 1: Enable Visio Graphics Service

Using the Farm Configuration Wizard from Central Administration, as illustrated below, enable the Visio Graphics Service. This is not to mention that the same configuration could be done through Windows PowerShell.

Step 2: Create SharePoint List

For the purpose of demonstration, create a SharePoint list to server as the data source of the Microsoft Visio diagram to be created in Step 3. Conversely, this is an optional step since we could use Microsoft Office Excel workbook, Microsoft SQL Server database, and other sources mentioned above.

Step 3: Create Microsoft Visio Diagram

Create a Microsoft Visio diagram and link the shapes to data from the SharePoint list created in Step 2, as illustrated below.

And to have an effervescent presentation of data, edit the data graphics of the diagram.

As illustrated below, save the diagram to SharePoint as Visio Web Drawing.

Step 4: Embedding Microsoft Visio Diagram

Embedding Microsoft Visio diagram in SharePoint Server 2010 could be facilitated through Visio Web Access Web part in SharePoint Server 2010.

And finally, it could also be viewed directly from a SharePoint list through View in Web Browser facility.

Recommended readings:

Installing and Configuring Visio Services - http://blogs.msdn.com/visio/archive/2009/11/12/installing-and-configuring-visio-services.aspx

Introducing Visio Services - http://blogs.msdn.com/visio/archive/2009/10/30/introducing-visio-services.aspx

Publishing Diagrams to Visio Services - http://blogs.msdn.com/visio/archive/2009/11/03/publishing-diagrams-to-visio-services.aspx

Embedding a Web Drawing into a SharePoint Page - http://blogs.msdn.com/visio/archive/2009/11/05/embedding-a-web-drawing-into-a-sharepoint-page.aspx

Thanks!

Office Web Apps are online companions to Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft OneNote applications that allow us to access documents from anywhere. Yes! You read it right! We can view, share, and work on documents within supported Web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari. Not to mention its availability through Windows Live, Office Web Applications can be greatly hosted in Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 or Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, where this piece will focus.

We are three steps away from this groundbreaking technology:

1. Download and Install Office Web Apps
2. Activate Office Web Apps Services
3. Activate Office Web Apps Feature

Download and Install Office Web Apps

Important notes in installing Office Web Apps:

1. Download Microsoft Office Web Apps from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=27d81b1c-18ae-4983-8e1c-224bb747eb99
2. We will use the pre-release product key stipulated in this document.
3. For our purpose, choose the default file location on the Choose a File Location window.
4. Upon completing the setup, make sure to check the Run the SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard now checkbox. Below is the illustration.

5. On the Modify Server Farm Settings page of the configuration wizard, let us make sure to select Do Not Disconnect From This Server Farm. Below is the illustration.

Activate Office Web Apps Services

Important notes in activating Office Web Apps services:

1. As illustrated below, we will use the farm Configuration Wizards in activating the services. This is not to mention that we can correspondingly use Windows PowerShell in activating the services.

2. During the configuration process, merely choose the Office Web Apps services that you want to activate.

3. Note that you can optionally create a top-level site.

Activate Office Web Applications Feature

1. As illustrated below, let us activate the Office Web Apps feature in all our site collections.

2. Additionally, we can similarly use Windows PowerShell in activating this feature.

We could now enjoy our Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft OneNote within a web browser.

We can download the detailed installation guide from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=4ac8442d-0974-4902-84fe-1ade382ab2a1#filelist

Thanks!

An article of Jeff Teper of Microsoft, Corporate Vice President, SharePoint Server, Describing SharePoint 2010 in 1 Sentence, 8 Categories and 40 Feature Areas, clearly describes the significant features of SharePoint 2010. In a sentence, according to him, SharePoint 2010 is “The Business Collaboration Platform for the Enterprise and the Web”. What does it mean? From the same article is it explicated, and I quote:

“We decided “Collaboration” was broad enough to cover the spectrum of publishing, sharing, finding, analyzing and managing information that SharePoint enables. We chose “Platform” not only because custom solutions are a major focus of the 2010 release but also "platform" conveyed a solid base for all the out-of-box usage that never requires a developer. Finally, we want to call out “the Web” to highlight both internet scenarios reaching customers and partners and the cloud-based delivery of SharePoint Online.”

The entire features of SharePoint 2010 could be categorized as Sites, Communities, Content, Search, Insights, or Composites. Other features are categorized as Administration and Development.

Below are the top investment areas/features highlighted by Microsoft for each category:

Additionally, there are significant investment areas under Administration and Development categories. For the detailed description of these features, it is recommended to visit http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2009/10/19/sharepoint-2010.aspx .

Thanks!

Microsoft has provided us the hands-on lab manuals in C# and Visual Basic for us to get started learning SharePoint 2010 development.

We need to have Visual Studio 2010 Beta and SharePoint Server 2010 Beta. However, since SharePoint Server 2010 Beta is not yet available for download, we could start reviewing the manuals.

The manuals could be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=C010FC68-B47F-4DB6-B8A8-AD4BA33A35C5&displaylang=en#filelist .

Thanks!

A day ago, I posted a blog on the new and enhanced features of SharePoint 2010 based on the pre-released copy - since the beta copy is not yet available publicly, we still don’t have a chance to explore it. Now I am posting on deploying and upgrading to SharePoint 2010 still based on the pre-released version, a rudimentary topic that every SharePoint fan must know.

Deployment

Deploying SharePoint 2010 includes scriptable or wizard driven options.

For SharePoint 2010, we can write deployment scripts entirely from PowerShell. Scriptable deployment significantly reduces the resources required to deploy multiple server computers without sacrificing deployment efficiency. Secondly, of course we are still in our comfort zone of using a setup wizard to access associated resources, to install the prerequisites, and to execute the setup program. Below are the facilities available in the installation wizard:

1. Plan

1.1. Hardware and Software Requirements

1.2. Installation Guide

1.3. Upgrade Guide

2. Install

2.1. Required Software

2.2. SharePoint 2010

2.3. Updates for SharePoint 2010

3. Other Information

3.1. Browse the Installer

3.2. Office Online

Upgrade

Upgrading to SharePoint 2010 includes to option to:

1. Preserve the look and feel of existing SharePoint sites, and allow end users to upgrade their sites’ user experience.

2. Change existing SharePoint sites to use the new user experience.

2.1. Preserve customized pages, but update template and application pages to use the new user experience.

2.2. All sites and pages use the new user experience.

The upgrade feature automatically fixes orphaned objects and common upgrade failures. An orphaned object maybe a document library without an associated document. While a common upgrade failure maybe an inaccuracy in a given upgrade sequence or action.