Step out from the cold and into Microsoft Enterprise Search

I have had a technical focus for sometime on Microsoft Search technologies going back in time starting with Index Server, then onto Site Server and now working with the 3rd release of our SharePoint Search technologies.

The basic principle of being able to find information and not be 'left out in the cold' of what's going on in your business has been of great interest to me and with the impact the Internet Search Engines have had on people I can only see this area of technology increase in importance. 

Consider the next wave of company employees who have grown up knowing only that the Internet exists.  It is an everyday thing for these people to first go to their favorite Internet Search Engine (mine is Live Search, but you probably guessed that) when ever they want to find some information.  Now these people enter the workplace and expect the same type of tools to be available for business information.  Well in most companies they just don't exist.  This can all change with Microsoft partners providing solutions to deliver 'Enterprise Search'.

Later today I will be presenting at the UK Search Partner Community Event in London.  It's great to see so many partners already committed to delivering search solutions using Microsoft technology today and this can only grow as Search becomes even more high profile in business.

The key topic for my presentation is about 'Technical Resources for Search' so instead of boring everyone to death with 400 PowerPoint slides I have listed my Favorite Resources here:

Search Information

Evaluation Guide for SharePoint for Search

Mike Pallot blog

Technet Virtual Labs

• Enterprise Search Overview (Lab 1 of 8)
• Enterprise Search: Security and Compliance (Lab 2 of 8)
• Enterprise Search: Customizing Search (Lab 3 of 8)
• Enterprise Search: Desktop Search (Lab 4 of 8)
• Enterprise Search: Configuring Microsoft Office SharePoint Server for Search (Lab 5 of 8)
• Enterprise Search: People and Properties (Lab 6 of 8)
• Enterprise Search: Business Data Catalog (Lab 7 of 8)
• Enterprise Search: Protocol Handlers (Lab 8 of 8)

Search Planning

• Overview: Plan search (Office SharePoint Server for Search)
• Identify your search team (Office SharePoint Server for Search)
• Plan to crawl content (Office SharePoint Server for Search)
• Plan the end user search experience (Office SharePoint Server for Search)
• Plan to deploy index and query servers (Office SharePoint Server for Search)
• Plan for administrative and service accounts
• Determine hardware and software requirements (Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Search)

Indexing Different Types of Content

iFilter Resources

• Filter Central (iFilter blog)
• iFilter org (looking a little dated, but can be handy)
• iFilters on Channel 9 
• iFilters on Live

Business Data Catalog Resources

• Adventure Works SQL 2000 Sample
• Adventure Works SQL 2005 Sample
• Adapting the Sample to work with Oracle and other Databases
• BDC Meta Man (BDC Application Definition Tool)

Get the Software

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 trial download

Microsoft Windows Desktop Search for Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003 (Not for Vista)

Live Search

Well I hope this helps...

James Akrigg