SharePoint 2013 Field Guide: Advice from the Consulting Trenches

by Errin O'Connor

Overview

Covers SharePoint 2013, Office 365’s SharePoint Online, and Other Office 365 Components

In SharePoint 2013 Field Guide, top consultant Errin O’Connor and the team from EPC Group bring together best practices and proven strategies drawn from hundreds of successful SharePoint and Office 365 engagements. Reflecting this unsurpassed experience, they guide you through deployments of every type, including the latest considerations around private, public, and hybrid cloud implementations, from ECM to business intelligence (BI), as well as custom development and identity management.

O’Connor reveals how world-class consultants approach, plan, implement, and deploy SharePoint 2013 and Office 365’s SharePoint Online to maximize both short- and long-term value. He covers every phase and element of the process, including initial “whiteboarding”; consideration around the existing infrastructure; IT roadmaps and the information architecture (IA); and planning for security and compliance in the new IT landscape of the hybrid cloud.

SharePoint 2013 Field Guide will be invaluable for implementation team members ranging from solution architects to support professionals, CIOs to end-users. It’s like having a team of senior-level SharePoint and Office 365 hybrid architectureconsultants by your side, helping you optimize your success from start to finish!

Detailed Information on How to…

• Develop a 24-36 month roadmap reflecting initial requirements, longterm strategies, and key unknowns for organizations from 100 users to 100,000 users
• Establish governance that reduces risk and increases value, covering the system as well as information architecture components, security, compliance, OneDrive, SharePoint 2013, Office 365, SharePoint Online, Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and identity management
• Address unique considerations of large, global, and/or multilingual enterprises
• Plan for the hybrid cloud (private, public, hybrid, SaaS, PaaS, IaaS)
• Integrate SharePoint with external data sources: from Oracle and SQL Server to HR, ERP, or document management for business intelligence initiatives
• Optimize performance across multiple data centers or locations including US and EU compliance and regulatory considerations (PHI, PII, HIPAA, Safe Harbor, etc.)
• Plan for disaster recovery, business continuity, data replication, and archiving
• Enforce security via identity management and authentication
• Safely support mobile devices and apps, including BYOD
• Implement true records management (ECM/RM) to support legal/compliance requirements
• Efficiently build custom applications, workflows, apps and web parts
• Leverage Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780789751195
Publisher:	Sams
Publication date:	06/29/2014
Pages:	800
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 8.70(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Errin O’Connor is the founder and CEO of EPC Group and has completed more than 900 Share Point and “Microsoft stack-related” implementations, including efforts relating to business intelligence (BI), custom application development, hybrid cloud strategy, Microsoft Azure, Office 365, SQL Server 2012/2014, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Microsoft Project Server. This is Errin’s third Microsoft SharePoint book; he is also the author of Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 Inside Out and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Inside Out, both by Microsoft Press. Errin continues to work closely with EPC Group’s clients to develop and implement scalable SharePoint 2013, Office 365, and SharePoint Online initiatives, as well as BI, ECM/RM, and hybrid cloud strategies with identity management, security, and compliance in mind.

Miranda Salley is the Vice President of EPC Group and she manages the full range of EPC Group’s technology consulting and solutions offerings. Miranda also oversees EPC Group’s operations and marketing teams and tailors EPC Group’s go-to-market strategies. She works with the full range of Microsoft technologies, including EPC Group’s hybrid cloud advisory practice, to ensure that the organization continues to stay on the leading edge of consulting. Miranda has over 14 years of experience in information technology, marketing, sales, and communications management. For the past 10 years, Miranda has served as a volunteer technology teacher, and a life skills and career mentor, as well as a leading board member for various Boys & Girls clubs and not-for-profits, allowing her to further her passion for technology and community responsibility.

Timothy Calunod has been an active and involved SharePoint enthusiast since SharePoint’s first release. He has worked with every version of SharePoint in terms of design, implementation, architecture, administration, maintenance, troubleshooting, and solution creation to meet the unique needs of SharePoint deployments in various organizations and industries. Timothy has worked on hundreds of initiatives and is able to adapt to the technology requirements of EPC Group’s clients, whether it be for a business intelligence initiative, for a hybrid and federated SharePoint 2013 and Office 365 initiative, or to develop a governance and architecture strategy for a SharePoint implementation to support more than 250,000 users.

Joseph Jorden is a leading industry expert in designing and implementing various complex technical solutions for clients both large and small. Joe’s primary field of expertise is in custom software development for EPC Group’s clients, focusing on SharePoint 2013 as well as all areas of custom .NET application development including application architecture, custom workflow development, SharePoint development and administration, SQL Server development and administration, database design, and security. Joe is also the author of numerous technical books on SQL Server, SQL Reporting Services, and business intelligence.

Andrew Christen has over 11 years of experience in developing, designing, coding, and testing applications using C#, ASP.NET, SharePoint 2013, SharePoint 2010, SharePoint 2007 development, C++, BizTalk, and multiple other scripting languages. Andrew’s industry-leading architecture skills that he provides to EPC Group’s clients expand beyond SharePoint development into seamless integration of other line-of-business (LOB) systems, C#/ASP.NET financial and inventory systems, custom .NET applications, and responsive web design, as well as architecting and designing web services using SOAP and XML. Andrew has extensive experience in SQL Server 2012 business intelligence, as well as migration initiatives from non-SharePoint systems into new SharePoint 2013 environments.

Daniel Galant has focused on educating clients on the latest SharePoint 2013 technologies, as well as architecting the overall design and implementation of Microsoft solutions for EPC Group clients both large and small. Daniel’s experience includes SharePoint system design, implementation, branding, and administration, as well as information architecture design and analysis. Over the past 15-plus years, Daniel’s expertise has also included Active Directory migration and consolidation, Exchange architecture deployment and administration, and network architecture and security. Daniel’s background in training helps him to convey difficult and often misunderstood technical topics in an easily relatable manner, and he has twice been awarded Microsoft MVP status.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction to SharePoint 2013 (On-Premises, Office 365 Cloud, and Hybrid) 1
Key SharePoint 2013 Methodologies and Best Practices 3
Presenting SharePoint 2013 9
Overview of SharePoint 2013 Key Features 10
SharePoint 2013’s On-Premises and Office 365 10
SharePoint Server 2013 Technology Updates 12
Feature Comparison of SharePoint On-Premises Versus Office 365/ SharePoint Online 16
SharePoint Server 2013’s Capabilities 18
Summary 30
2 Proven Implementation Strategies for SharePoint 2013 and Office 365 SharePoint Online 31
Where to Begin 31
SharePoint Public Relations and Communications Strategy 36
High-Level Overview of a SharePoint 2013/Office 365 Deployment 40
Identifying the Core Tasks and Milestones of Your Initiative 44
Identifying Common Terms and Features of SharePoint 2013 54
Getting Acquainted with SharePoint Server 2013/Office 365’s Architecture and Understanding Its Components 60
Summary 65
3 Governed Utilization of the Features and Functionality in SharePoint 2013/Office 365 67
Understanding Device Channels in SharePoint 2013 (BYOD) 70
SharePoint 2013/Office 365: Preparing for Governance 71
Implementing a Best Practices Information Architecture from the Very Beginning 79
Introduction to SharePoint 2013 and the Hybrid Cloud Mind-Set 82
Social Computing in SharePoint 2013 87
Summary 99
4 Understanding SharePoint 2013 and Microsoft Office Integration with Office 365 Now in the Picture 101
SharePoint 2013 and Office 365: An Overview 102
Planning for Apps in SharePoint and Office 2013 109
Office 365 Compliance 111
How Safe Is My Organization’s Office 365 Data? 113
Summary 117
5 Implementing a Best Practices SharePoint 2013/Office 365 Information Architecture 119
Planning SharePoint 2013’s Taxonomy, Navigational Hierarchy, and Overall Topology 121
Where to Begin 126
Translating Your Business and Functional Requirements into SharePoint 2013/Office 365 Lists and Libraries 138
Modifying Lists and Libraries 150
Creating and Modifying List and Library Views 160
Working with List Content 163
Creating Discussions and Surveys 166
Summary 170
6 Using Out-of-the-Box Web Parts in SharePoint 2013/Office 365 171
Blog Web Parts 171
Business Data Web Parts 173
Community Web Parts 177
Content Rollup Web Parts 180
Document Sets Web Parts 191
Filters Web Parts 191
Forms Web Parts 192
Media and Content Web Parts 192
Search Web Parts 194
Search-Driven Content Web Parts 195
Social Collaboration Web Parts 195
Summary 196
7 Implementing a SharePoint 2013 System Architecture with Future Hybrid Scalability in Mind 197
Understanding On-Premises, Cloud, and Hybrid Environments in SharePoint 2013 197
Three Major Types of Cloud Services 207
Should I Prepare for a Hybrid SharePoint Platform? 216
SharePoint 2013’s System Architecture 218
Key Areas to Consider Regarding Scalability in Your SharePoint 2013 Architectural Roadmap 227
Understanding SharePoint Server 2013 Search Architecture 229
SharePoint 2013 BYOD Best Practices 233
Summary 234
8 Business Intelligence Overview for SharePoint 2013 and Office 365 235
Business Intelligence Considerations in SharePoint 2013 237
Microsoft Excel Services, PowerPivot, and PowerView 240
Microsoft PerformancePoint Overview in SharePoint 2013 243
Visio Services Overview in SharePoint 2013 244
Database Connections and External Data Sources 245
SOAP Service Connection Review 254
REST Service Connection Review 256
Reviewing an XML File Connection 257
Reviewing Linked Data Sources 259
Microsoft’s Power BI for Office 365 266
Summary 267
9 Governance Strategies for SharePoint 2013, Office 365, and SharePoint Online 269
Governance Best Practices “from the Trenches” for SharePoint 2013 and Office 365’s SharePoint Online 269
SharePoint Architecture Governance 285
Security Governance for SharePoint 2013 and Office 365’s SharePoint Online 292
Social Computing Governance 302
Operational and Technical Policies and Standards 304
Uptime and Performance Standards 307
Public and Hybrid Cloud Governance 311
Customization Governance 313
User Interface Governance and Related Policies 317
Acceptable Usage Policy to Enforce in Your Governance Strategy 319
Summary 322
10 Enterprise Content Management (ECM), Records Management (RM), and eDiscovery Best Practices 323
Proven ECM and RM Strategies for SharePoint 2013 and/or SharePoint Online 324
Records Management Best Practices 328
Key RM and ECM Features for SharePoint Server 2013 and SharePoint Online 333
Content Types in SharePoint Server 2013 340
Content Type Hub 341
Content Organizer 341
Library and List Settings in SharePoint 2013 345
Record Center Overview 353
eDiscovery Strategies in SharePoint Server 2013 355
Summary 360
11 Upgrade and Migration Best Practices 361
Ensuring That Your System and Information Architecture Strategy Aligns with Your SharePoint Roadmap 363
Understanding and Reviewing Your Current Technology Landscape 367
Performing a Content and Configuration Assessment on Your Existing Environments 371
SharePoint 2013 Upgrade and Migration Strategy Overview 380
Upgrading or Migrating SharePoint 2007 to SharePoint 2013 381
Upgrading or Migrating SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013 386
Windows PowerShell Related SharePoint 2013 Upgrade and Migration Tasks 391
Summary 406
12 Installation and Configuration 407
Detailing the Installation, Deployment, and Configuration Requirements 408
Implementation Plan Overview—“In the Trenches” Scenario 410
A Proven Installation Process to Follow 414
Overview of the Configuration Process and Related Granular Tasks 416
Summary 428
13 Development Strategies and Custom Applications in SharePoint 2013, Office 365, and SharePoint Online 429
Overview of SharePoint 2013, Office 365, and Microsoft Azure Development Strategies 429
Reviewing the SharePoint App Model and the Composition of an App for SharePoint 440
SharePoint 2013’s APIs, Office 365 API Tools, and the Development Options for Accessing Data and Resources 449
Security and Identity Management Considerations for Application Development 458
Development Tools and Related Strategies for Public, Private, and Hybrid Environments 462
Developing Workflows in SharePoint 2013, Office 365, and SharePoint Online 481
BCS, External, and LOB Systems Integration Strategies 496
Summary 489
14 Search, Web Content Management, Branding, and Navigational Strategies 501
Overview of Search in SharePoint 2013, Office 365, and SharePoint Online 502
Web Content Management Feature Deep-Dive 524
Multilingual Sites in SharePoint 2013, Office 365, and SharePoint Online 538
Implementing Custom Branding for SharePoint 2013, Office 365, and SharePoint Online 543
Summary 551
15 Administration and Maintenance Strategies 553
SharePoint 2013, Office 365, and SharePoint Online Administration Overview 553
SharePoint 2013 Administration Considerations 559
SharePoint Admin Center in Office 365 566
Exchange Admin Center in Office 365 569
Lync Admin Center in Office 365 573
SQL Server 2012/2014 Best Practice Administration for SharePoint 2013 575
SharePoint 2013 Backup and Recovery 577
Windows PowerShell Administration Overview 579
System Center 2012 Overview 581
Administration of Mobile Devices 582
Summary 583
16 Social Networking and My Site Strategies 585
Overview of Social Capabilities in SharePoint 2013, Office 365, and SharePoint Online 585
SharePoint Communities: Best Practices and Proven Strategies 586
My Sites in SharePoint 2013, Office 365, and SharePoint Online 595
Yammer Overview 602
Summary 603
17 SharePoint 2013, Office 365, and SharePoint Online: Training and End-User Adoption Strategies 605
Key Considerations and Strategies to Ensure Long-Term Training Success 606
Training Requirements and Required Knowledge of Your Users 610
Using Training to Drive User Adoption 616
Implementing a SharePoint and/or Office 365 Training Site for Your Organization 619
Free Training Material and Courses Available from Microsoft 620
Summary 622
18 Disaster Recovery (DR) and Business Continuity Management (BCM) Considerations 623
Developing a Best Practices Approach to Disaster Recovery and
Business Continuity for SharePoint 2013 623
Preparation for SharePoint 2013 DR/BCM 624
Inventory of SharePoint 2013 and Related Components 628
Backup of SharePoint 2013 and Related Content and Components 631
Restoration of the Environment 642
Summary 648
Index 649