43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great introduction to using sharepoint services, September 1, 2005
This review is from: Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services Step by Step (Step by Step (Microsoft)) (Paperback)
If you have never used Microsoft's SharePoint Services, then this is a good book for you.
However, if you are looking to learn how to administer an SPS server, this is not the book for you. It has basic administrative knowledge such as adding users and setting up alerts. Troubleshooting etc, is only for the user side of things. However, as mentioned it is worthwhile to run through it as it will give you a feel for the tool and it will point out some possible problems with office installations. And of course the users will ask you "how to" questions so this will increase your knowledge in that area.
Again one thing to note: You do need access to Windows 2003, SharePoint server 2.0 and office 2003.
The authors took that stance that you are computer literate. They did a great job with the screen shots and walk you through the steps of doing things. There were things that blew up but there usually was a tip telling you how to correct them.
Chapters in the book:
1) Introduction to Windows SharePoint Services
2) Navigating a SharePoint Site
3) Creating and Managing Sites
4) Working with Lists
5) Creating and Managing Libraries
6) Working with Library Settings
7) Working with Document Workspaces
8) Working with Meeting Workspaces
9) Working with Surveys and Discussion Boards
10) Using Windows SharePoint Services with Outlook 2003
11) Using Windows SharePoint Services with Excel 2003 and Access 2003
12) Working with WebParts
The last three were quite useful and showed how easy a user can integrate with a SharePoint server.
One annoying thing is the fact that two extra bits of info (Using Windows SharePoint Services with InfoPath 2003 and Finding Information on the SharePoint Site) were PDF files that had the print disabled. You have to switch back and forth to work the lesson with InfoPath.
On the CD, you get:
* A copy of the book in PDF form. Printing disabled but good for fast scanning.
* The Practice files.
* A PDF of Using SharePoint with InfoPath 2003. Definitely worth a read as I never bothered looking at InfoPath before.
* A PDF of Finding Information on the SharePoint Site
* Office system reference Pack which has templates, clip art, and the reference ebooks.
a) Microsoft Office System Quick Reference. Looks useful especially for people new to Office.
b) Insiders guide to Microsoft Office OneNote 2003. Looks useful but I haven't found a use for it yet.
c) Introducing the Tablet PC. Microsoft slipping in some advertising
d) Microsoft Computer Dictionary, 5th edition. Surprising contains a great deal of information.
Of course there is the reference to get adobe reader, visit the Microsoft support learning site and a survey about the book. I did the survey out of curiosity.
Over all I am happy with the purchase. I only knocked it one star because it probably could have added some third party info and the locked PDF files.
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34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent resource for someone beginning to implement SharePoint, June 27, 2005
This review is from: Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services Step by Step (Step by Step (Microsoft)) (Paperback)
I found this book to be a GREAT! resource. I run a Small Business Server 2003 Premium for my small business and was interested in learning how to use the SharePoint functionality.
One of my challenges with other books I have seen on SharePoint is that they often cover both SharePoint Services AND SharePoint Portal Server. SharePoint Portal Server won't run on SBS2003P, so all of that information is wasted for me. It just means I've got to wade through that to get to what I want to do.
This is the first book that I have found that was actually helpful. It discussed how to set up a site, how to implement and use a SharePoint site. (It's easier with Small Business Server - a FANTASTIC tool for small business' from Microsoft.)
Each of the chapters do a good job of discussing the subject and then walking the reader through the process of getting the site setup. I have implemented many of the features of SharePoint functionality for my setup and am very impressed with the both the software's capability and this book's clarity in explaining how to get things running.
I think the last several chapters "SharePoint and Outlook 2003", "SharePoint and Excel and Access 2003" and "Working with Web Parts" are exemplary and create a vast amount of value for the reader.
There is also a chapter on "Using INFOPATH with SharePoint" included on the accompanying CD which is also excellent. InfoPath is a forms creation tool which can link to a SharePoint site, Access Database or SQL if you have the Premium version of SBS (or many other databases for that matter) and allow for very fast, very easy means of data collection. It makes setting up forms ALMOST a no-brainer and is a joy to use. InfoPath is sold as a seperate product and you'll need one copy per computer which will access the forms it has created.
I only gave it 4 stars because I was really looking for more ways to use functionality from 3rd party, or new ways to use the existing services in creative ways to solve problems. Perhaps this was an unrealistic expectation.
This is the first Microsoft Step by Step book that I have read, and I must say, I was very impressed with it. If you are new to SharePoint and can play with it (Download the 180 day eval copy of Server 2003 from Microsoft to play with it for longer or get an eval of Small Business Server 2003 - even the Standard version implements SharePoint. I think the SBS eval is 180 days too).
There are also a couple of other books included on the CD which I thought were interesting. How to use Microsoft OneNote - a fantastic data collection tool that works so simply, that I've had to get a copy for my wife too. We both love it and think it is fantastically useful. There's also a book on Tablet PC's (I don't have one so didn't really care), and "Office System Quick Reference" and there's a dictionary of computer terms. I checked it out briefly and was impressed with its breadth. It's a great addition to the book.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good take on difficult subject, March 10, 2005
This review is from: Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services Step by Step (Step by Step (Microsoft)) (Paperback)
The topical outline for this book is excellent. The problem is how do you create self-paced demo exercise files for such a complex product. Unless you have access to a SharePoint site (you can get free access for 30 days online), this book will be of limited benefit. Also, it is difficult to present end-user material without also presenting the administrator function of creating and configuring. If you are interested in learning just the features of SharePoint there are better books. If your company has SharePoint implemented or you can access a free site, then this book will prove helpful.
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