Chris Parkes: A PC is not just for Christmas... : Microsoft Office System

2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 2

chrisp — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:30:00 GMT

If you feel the need to gain an understanding of what is going to be contained in Service Pack 2 for the 2007 Microsoft Office System, the Office Sustained Engineering Team have published a list on their blog. This covers both Office desktop and server products, including Microsoft Office SharePoint Server and Shared Services.

Click here for full details.

2007 Microsoft Office System SP2 is due to be released on 28th April 2009.

Ciao for now :)

VS 2008 Extensions for SharePoint - March 2009 CTP Released

chrisp — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:51:46 GMT

The March 2009 CTP Visual Studio 2008 extensions for SharePoint are now available. You can download them directly from here.

Also included in this release are ten new themes for SharePoint built as VSeWSS projects. You can download them from here.

Ciao for now :)

SharePoint, Customisation and Sample Master Pages

chrisp — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:00:29 GMT

Here's another screencast I've recorded which shows how to apply the sample custom master pages available on Office Online to Windows SharePoint Services team sites.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server - Customisation

This recording is based on the Demo Showcase virtual images, a resource readily available to Microsoft Gold and Certified partners. Total running time is just over two and a half minutes :)

Parkesy

SharePoint, Collaboration and Workflow

chrisp — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:12:58 GMT

Here's another screencast I've recorded which shows some of the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server collaboration capabilities including the out of the box Approval workflow.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server - Collaboration

This recording is based on the Demo Showcase virtual images, a resource readily available to Microsoft Gold and Certified partners. Total running time is ten minutes :)

Parkesy

Insight Into FAST Search and SharePoint Roadmap

chrisp — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:33:34 GMT

The roadmap for SharePoint Search and FAST enterprise search integration got an update today. In summary:

FAST Search for SharePoint is a new search server adding FAST ESP capabilities into Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server (SharePoint "14")
ESP for SharePoint is high-end search for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, available today.

You can find out more from the official SharePoint Team blog...

http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2009/02/10/microsoft-unveils-new-enterprise-search-road-map.aspx

Parkesy

SharePoint and 64 bit (x64) Development

chrisp — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:42:51 GMT

I've been struggling to develop anything on my 64bit Windows Server 2008 box for a while now, mainly due to lack of support for this on 64 bit. The Visual Studio 2008 Extensions for Windows SharePoint Services version 1.3 addresses my needs :)

You can download from here and more details on the content of the package can be found here.

Can be installed on x64 Server OS machines running SharePoint x64. Previously only x86 Server OS could be used
Command line build, package and retract commands are included enabling continuous integration and build servers. Previously command line build of SharePoint projects was very difficult
Refactoring support for renaming of Web Parts. Previously renaming a web part required changes in several files in the project

Enjoy!

Parkesy

SharePoint and Search

chrisp — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:49:31 GMT

Here's another screencast I've recorded which shows some of the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server search capabilities including how to search across content including the business data catalog and people.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server - Search

This recording is based on the Demo Showcase virtual images, a resource readily available to Microsoft Gold and Certified partners. Total running time is under four minutes :)

Parkesy

Microsoft ROI Calculators (from Nucleus Research)

chrisp — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:39:12 GMT

The following tools may be useful to help build business case and justification with regards to return on investment (ROI) requirements as part of a project bid which involves any of the following Microsoft technologies:

BizTalk Server
Business Intelligence
Dynamics AX/CRM/GP/NAV/SL
Enterprise Project Management
Exchange Server
InfoPath
PerformancePoint Server
SharePoint
SQL Server
Visual Studio Team System

http://nucleusresearch.com/microsoft-roi-support-center/

Enjoy :)

Parkesy

SharePoint, Business Process & Forms

chrisp — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:27:00 GMT

Here's a little screencast I've recorded showing a demonstration of some of the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Forms Services capabilities together with InfoPath forms rendered through a browser and also including simple workflow creation and deployment through SharePoint Designer.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server - Business Process & Forms

Based on the Demo Showcase virtual images, a resource readily available to Microsoft Gold and Certified partners, the demo lasts just a touch over ten minutes, I'd love to know what you think of it!

Parkesy

Demo Showcase 2008 SMB Edition

chrisp — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:34:37 GMT

The Demo Showcase 2008 SMB Edition is now available for download.

This is a set of 4 comprehensive click through demonstrations designed for partners featuring 12 different Microsoft technologies working together to resolve business needs!

Scenarios:
Business Productivity
Customer Acquisition and Retention
Security and Reliability
Business Solutions

Products:
Windows Essentials Business Server 2008
Windows Small Business Server 2008
Office 2007
Windows Vista
SQL 2008
System Center Essentials 2007
Dynamics CRM 4.0
SharePoint Server 2007

Download from here!

Ciao for now :)

Microsoft Office Accounting 2008 - UK

chrisp — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:35:25 GMT

Microsoft Office Accounting is an easy to use, comprehensive accounting package that works with other Microsoft Office applications you already know. Because it works just like Word, Excel and Outlook, it's easy to learn. Anyone wanting to download the free, Office Accounting Express 2008 product should head here.

Designed for millions of startup and home based businesses, it provides a single place to manage business finances with the familiar look and feel of Microsoft Office system programs.

There's interactive insight available into business basics and more, familiarity and ease of use, office integration, digital dashboard and PayPal information. It's also possible to import information from Sage® Line50 (v11/v12) and Sage® Instant Accounts (v12).

It can help manage customers, suppliers, employees and stock alongside paying bills, tracking expenses, sending invoices and banking online!

It also provides a complete view of your business through customisable reports so you always know how you’re doing and allows you to see all your important data at a glance with the Digital Dashboard whilst also providing reminders of important deadlines, pending bills and overdue invoices...

Sounds too good to be true? Don't just take my word for it, see for yourself :)

Ciao for now!

Product Demonstration Resource for ALL Microsoft Partners!!!

chrisp — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:07:34 GMT

The Microsoft Partner Demo Showcase download has been extended to include Deep Dive/Product virtual environments which are available to ALL Microsoft partners, including SBSC. Only Demo Showcase remains as the Gold/Cert benefit moving forwards...

The following are now available globally for immediate download:

2007 Microsoft Office System

47 Hands-on Labs
25 demonstrations

Microsoft Forefront and System Center Demonstration Toolkit

Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager
Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server
Microsoft System Center Operations Manager
Intelligent Application Gateway
Forefront Client Security

Microsoft Business Intelligence Demo (Data Warehousing, Reporting and Analysis, Performance Management)

Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
Microsoft SQL Server 2005
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007

Get your lovely new shiny Virtual Machine downloads here.

Enjoy :)

If You Know What it is, don't Turn Back

chrisp — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:00:10 GMT

A great thing happened yesterday...I saw a smorgasbord :)

I remember the first time I came across this, on a website at Microsoft. Most people would admit I have a fair handle on grammar but vocabulary...now there's something that's useful, like, mate. Now, every time I read a new word, I hit the Review tab shown at the top of the second screenshot below...

So, the "smorgasbord" bought to my mind utility companies and Star Trek films together in a symbiant circle, how bizarre! When I did research however, I learned the definition. I couldn't find it in the Thesaurus but you know what, it sounds like a feast to me!

Need to learn a new Word?

Find out more at the home of Office 2007...oh, and before you start to read the website, why not try using the ribbon bar with the tabs on at the top of the page :)

Parkesy

Demo Showcase 2007 - A Little Respect!

chrisp — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 17:01:07 GMT

I tried to discover a little something to make life sweeter, when Demo Showcase 2007 was released, there were quiet whisperings and rumblings amongst some of my colleagues here at Microsoft UK. Most of them were based around apathy "What's this release gonna give us that we haven't got already?" and sometimes even, I would hear them doubt "Is it really any good?"

Well, I'm extremely pleased to say that not only has this surpassed all of my expectations, it's even convinced some of my die hard "I build my own demos thank you very much!" colleagues to use this as a base platform for their development efforts. If you were to take a look at the Demo Showcase 2007, you would find it easy to see why. So before you jump to conclusions, maybe refrain and try this for a start.

First of all, the directory structure of the organizational hierarchy has been built with long term expansion in mind...Next, implementations of key technologies such as Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007 have been very effectively done, with Internet, extranet and intranet 'Contoso' branding attached appropriately. In addition, the twenty four scenarios that accompany the base platform package (remember, this is a fully built virtual environment so you can still go off piste if you feel the need) have all been thoroughly thought through, tested and released as Microsoft Expression simulations to allow the novice user to get a feel for what's possible.

As for other demonstration environments, was it that "You give me no sale," I hear you calling? When it comes to Demo Showcase 2007, I'm so in love with you, I'll be forever true, especially because you give me a reason why I don't need to work so hard, so maybe please, give a little respect...

And the best piece of feedback I've had so far from a partner..? Simple, an email from a partner titled Demo Showcase Simulations with a single statement in the body... "Love it!"

Ciao for now :)

Demo Showcase 2007 Download

chrisp — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 17:41:27 GMT

The Demo Showcase 2007 edition is now available for download to all Microsoft Gold and Certified partners. It's also possible to order the two disc DVD set from the partner portal here.

Technologies included in the Demo Showcase 2007 scenarios are:

Business Scorecard Manager 2005
Dynamics AX 4.0
Exchange Server 2007
Live Communications Server 2005
MapPoint 2006
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Mobile
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Mobile Express
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 (Desired Configuration Monitoring 2.0)
Office Enterprise 2007

OneNote 2007
Excel 2007
InfoPath 2007
PowerPoint 2007
Word 2007

ProClarity Desktop Professional
Project 2007
SQL Server 2005
SQL Server Analysis Services 2005
SQL Server Reporting Services 2005
Systems Management Server 2003 R2
Visual Studio 2005
Visual Studio 2005 Team Foundation Server
Windows Mobile
Windows Server 2003 R2
Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
Windows Vista
Windows Vista Enterprise

Enjoy!!!

Ciao for now :)