Bill Baer

Plan for Availability Whitepaper Published

The Plan for Availability whitepaper has been published and describes at a high level, the varying methods to achieve high-availability, associated costs, and challenges specific to designing a high-availability solution for Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies.

Read more...

Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies Infrastructure Update Released!

The Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies Infrastructure Update has been officially released. The update includes both improvements in core functional scenarios such as Office SharePoint Server Search with the introduction of S2 in addition to management enhancements resolving core customer issues such as scalability and performance improvements to support search incremental crawl (WSS), patch and upgrade of WSS server farms where a large number of host header-based site collections are implemented, support for Kerberos authentication to access SSP Web services, and more...

Download

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007

x86 - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=256CE3C3-6A42-4953-8E1B-E0BF27FD465B&displaylang=en

x64 - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=6E4F31AB-AF25-47DF-9BF1-423E248FA6FC&displaylang=en

Windows SharePoint Services 3.0

x86 - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=3811C371-0E83-47C8-976B-0B7F26A3B3C4&displaylang=en

x64 - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=3A74E566-CB4A-4DB9-851C-E3FBBE5E6D6E&displaylang=en

Developing Web Parts, considerations on Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies

Background Information

Web Parts as defined by MSDN are an integrated set of controls for creating Web sites that enable end-users to modify the content, appearance, and behavior of Web pages in a browser.

In Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Web Parts ultimately derive from the ASP.WebPart (System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts) base class; however, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 also has a Web Part base class (Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.WebPart) derived from the ASP.WebPart class.  If you are developing Web Parts you can elect to derive from either the Asp.WebPart or WSS.WebPart; however you should carefully consider your approach before developing custom Web Parts for use with Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.  To help define the differences, we'll examine each class and their respective pros and cons.

ASP.NET Web Parts

When deriving from the ASP.WebPart your Web Part derives directly from the ASP.WebPart class which does not have a dependency on Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 code so it can be used in both ASP.NET Web sites or a Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 site collection/Web.  To ensure the Web Part customization is sustainable you should consider using the ASP.WebParts.  ASP.WebParts are exportable using the .webpart extension, can be displayed in SPD using attribute markup and are persisted to the Windows SharePoint Services store in binary Web Part format.

Hybrid (ASP.NET 2.0 + Windows SharePoint Services Web Parts)

Hybrid Web Parts typically derive from the Wss.WebPart base class; however, adhere to the design guidelines for ASP.WebParts though the dependency on WSS.WebPart implies its use strictly in a Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 site collection/Web.  Hybrid Web Parts should be considered only where features provided in the WSS.WebParts class are required, for example, client-side connections.  Hybrid Web Parts can also be used in version to version upgrades where the existing legacy hybrid Web Part cannot be retired in favor of a ASP.WebPart.  Hybrid Web Parts are exportable using the .webpart extension, can be displayed in SPD using attribute markup and are persisted to the Windows SharePoint Services store in binary Web Part format.

Windows SharePoint Services Web Parts

WSS Web Parts derive from the WSS.Web Part base class and meet the guidelines as provided by the Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 Web Part design guidelines.  The WSS.WebPart class is obsolete and is retained solely for backwards compatibility.  Wss.WebParts are exportable using the .dwp extension, can be displayed in SPD using XML Markup and are persisted to the WSS store in a compressed XML format.

The bottom line is, if you are considering developing custom Web Parts you should consider deriving from the System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart class and referencing the MSDN guidance on developing ASP.NET Web Parts to ensure the Web Parts to maximize interoperability and sustainability.

Resources

Working with ASP.NET 2.0 Web Parts and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb153523.aspx

Discover Significant Developer Improvements in SharePoint Services (Integration with ASP.NET 2.0 Web Parts)

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc163578.aspx

Use Windows SharePoint Services as a Platform for Building Collaborative Apps, Part 2

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc188713.aspx

Windows SharePoint Services Developer Center

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/default.aspx

Developing Web Parts (Developer Center)

http://www.microsoft.com/click/SharePointDeveloper/

Windows SharePoint Services Version Comparison

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointtechnology/FX101862291033.aspx?ofcresset=1&mode=print

Master Page Example

I used the sample master pages at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointdesigner/HA102223711033.aspx in several Feature Stapling/Receiver demonstrations over the past year and was asked if I could provide the solution package I compiled using the Clarity master page (see image) in conjunction with a Feature Receiver to update the master page on both site collections and Webs.  I've finally gotten around to uploading the .wsp, so for those interested it can be downloaded here.

Usage:

Copy the Clarity Master Page.wsp to a location on a Web front-end computer.

Open a Command Prompt and change directories to %commonprogramfiles%\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\BIN\.

Run STSADM -o addsolution -filename "<path>\Clarity Master Page.wsp" and wait for the operation to complete.

Run STSADM -o deploysolution -name "Clarity Master Page.wsp" -immediate -force -allowGacDeployment and wait for the operation to complete.

Run STSADM -o execadmsvcjobs and wait for the operation to complete.

NOTE Existing site collections will not be affected and can be modified either through SPD or the SharePoint UI.

Newly created site collections and Webs will receive the Clarity master page.

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 as a Host Operating System for Microsoft Virtual Server 2005

Suppose you would like to use Windows Server 2008 as your host operating system, but the system does not provide support for Hyper-V.  The good news is that Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 will install and run under Windows Server 2008 providing the following conditions are met (including the Virtual Server Administration Web site):  see notes http://support.microsoft.com/kb/948515.

1. You need to run Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1
2. You must have KB948515 applied to enable Windows Server 2008 host operating system support (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=a79bcf9b-59f7-480b-a4b8-fb56f42e3348&displaylang=en)
3. Internet Information Services 7.0 is configured to support the Virtual Server Administration Web site

Obtaining Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1

Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) QFE contains the latest software updates for Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1.

Download Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1 - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/bb738033.aspx

Release notes for Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1 - http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/60009f7c-9a6b-472c-949a-4f047e791dd21033.mspx?mfr=true

Obtaining KB948515

This update for Microsoft Virtual Server R2 SP1 includes support for the following additional Host and Guest Operating Systems

Additional Guest Operating System support:
Windows Vista® Ultimate Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Windows Vista® Business Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Windows Vista® Enterprise Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Windows Server® 2008 Core
Windows Server® 2008 Standard
Windows Server® 2008 Datacenter
Windows Server® 2008 Enterprise
Windows Server® 2008 Small Business Server
Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3

Additional Host Operating System support:
Windows Vista® Ultimate Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1) (non-production use only)
Windows Vista® Business Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1) (non-production use only)
Windows Vista® Enterprise Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1)(non-production use only)
Windows Server® 2008 Core
Windows Server® 2008 Standard
Windows Server® 2008 Datacenter
Windows Server® 2008 Enterprise
Windows Server® 2008 Small Business Server
Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3 (non-production use only)

Download details:  Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1 Update - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=a79bcf9b-59f7-480b-a4b8-fb56f42e3348&displaylang=en

Configuring Internet Information Services 7.0

To enable the Virtual Server Administration Web site on Windows Server 2008, Internet Information Services 7.0 should be configured as provided in the steps below:

On the host machine click Start and select Server Manager.

Click Roles.

Click Add Roles (see illustration).

On the Add Roles Wizard click Next >.

Select Web Server (IIS) from the list of available Roles.  Click Add Required Features on the Add features required for Web Server (IIS) page if prompted and then click Next >.

Click Next > on the Web Server (IIS) page.

On the Select Role Services page select the checkbox labeled CGI under Application Development.

On the Select Role Services page select the checkbox labeled Windows Authentication under Security.

On the Select Role Services page select the checkbox labeled IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility under Management Tools | IIS 6 Manageability Compatibility.

Accept the remaining default values and click Next > on the Select Role Services page.

Click Install on the Confirm Installation Selections page.

Click Close on the Installation results page.

The Web Server Role Services should appear similar to those as provided in the illustration below:

NOTES

If presented with a 401.2 error when browsing the Virtual Server Web application, ensure Windows Authentication is enabled both at the Web server and Web site levels, if the error persists, enable Anonymous Authentication for the Web site.  Authentication models can be configured in the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

The Virtual Server Administration Web site requires scripting to be enabled for navigation.  To enable scripting, either add the Virtual Server Administration Web site to the Trusted Sites zone or optionally disable Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration.

To configure Virtual Server settings using the Virtual Server Administration Web site you must run Internet Explorer as an Administrator in Windows Server 2008.

In the event an access denied-type message is presented when browsing the Virtual Server Administration Web site after performing the previous steps, reinstall Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1 after configuring Internet Information Services 7.0 as specified above.

SELECT FullUrl [Please Don't] from dbo.Webs

I was just browsing Mike Fitzmaurice's blog and I'm glad to see he continues to dissuade direct database access with Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies.  All too often I've seen what was conceptually a good idea, result in performance, scalability, and manageability problems long term.  While initially an otherwise simple SELECT statement, yes, even read, may be perceived as non-intrusive, problems later down the road may be compounded by what was offered as a "simple means" to getting a particular task accomplished.

Most often instances of directly reading and/or writing to SharePoint Products and Technologies databases occur in what I call a dotted-line deployment, where there is little or no separation of those who are responsible for Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies and those responsible for hosting and maintaining the database servers.  The problem is less frequent where there are distinct groups of individuals responsible for their respective technologies, a more physically separated deployment and management approach.  But in either case, the possibility exists.

So what's the problem:

Consider dirty reads, while SQL servers' default behavior is Read Committed Isolation Model, in this scenario while SQL server will not allow transactions to read data written to a table by an uncommitted transaction, phantom and non-readable reads are fair game.  And then we have record locking, so in the event the individuals actions result in concurrent collisions, SQL server will do its best to protect itself from the individual or otherwise you from yourself, but this comes with a measurable performance penalty.  Since this post is intended to promote a programmatic approach to accessing data stored in Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies databases, we won't discuss the last set of statements with using SELECT and disabling record locking.  ;-)

With that said, I am equally pleased to see both the Microsoft Asset Inventory Tool and Nintex Reporting 2008 offer a robust reporting solution that avoid directly accessing the database(s), using SOAP, WMI, and other providers to extrapolate the data and provide a presentation layer for the end-user or IT Pro.  Not only are these great reporting applications, but serve as an example of how a well thought solution can be implemented without compromising the integrity of the environment.

In conclusion, use the Object Model when and wherever possible to replace directly accessing Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies databases, it provides protection in the form of supportability, reduces operational complexity, and enables an upgrade path for your solutions when the time arises and can manage database schema changes, all of which are not guaranteed when manipulating databases directly with Transact-SQL and/or other methods.

Resources

SharePoint Database Access

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb861829.aspx

Office Development (Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies)

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb931739.aspx

Renaming Content Databases

I received an inquiry this morning on what procedural steps are required to rename a Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 content database and decided to make the information more broadly available.

Step 1 Detach Content Database

Detach the Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 content database from its associated Web application in either Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 using the steps as outlined below:

1. On a Web front-end computer open a command prompt and change directories to %commonprogramfiles%\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\BIN.
2. Enter STSADM -o deletecontendb -url <http://<virtualServer> -databasename <databaseName> -databaseserver <databaseServer> and press Enter to detach the content database (Windows SharePoint Services 3.0/Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007).  For additional information on the addcontentdb operation see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc287664(TechNet.10).aspx.

NOTE Content databases optionally can be detached from their associated Web application using the SharePoint 3.0 Central Administration interface.  For additional information on managing and removing content databases using the SharePoint 3.0 Central Administration user interface see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc262440(TechNet.10).aspx#section3.  In Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 you should run the STSADM preparetomove operation prior to detaching content databases.  This prevents the synchronization service from failing and losing user privacy settings for those sites after the sites are moved.

Step 2 Rename Content Database

Rename the content database (Microsoft SQL Server 2005 instructions)

1. Connect to your database server and open SQL Server Management Studio.
2. In Object Explorer connect to an instance of the SQL Server 2005 Database Engine, and then expand that instance.
3. Set the database to single-user mode.  See http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms345598.aspx for instructions on how to set single-user mode using the SQL Server Management Studio.
4. Expand the Databases node, right-click the database to rename, and then click Rename.
5. Enter the new database name, and then click OK.

NOTE Renaming databases using SQL Server Management Studio will only rename the database, to rename the data and transaction log files you must use Transact-SQL following the steps as documented in the SQL Server 2005 Books Online at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms174269.aspx.  Any time a database is renamed you should consider backing up the master database.

Step 3 Attach Content Database

After the database has been renamed on the database server, reattach the content database to its associated Web application be following the steps below:

1. On a Web front-end computer open a command prompt and change directories to %commonprogramfiles%\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\BIN.
2. Enter STSADM -o addcontentdb -url <http://<virtualServer> -databasename <databaseName> -databaseserver <databaseServer> and press Enter to attach the content database (Windows SharePoint Services 3.0/Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007).  When using a SQL login you supply the appropriate credentials using the -databaseuser and -databasepassword arguments.  To reconfigure the site warning and site maximum count for the content database, pass the -sitewarning and -sitemax arguments.  For additional information on the addcontentdb operation see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc288692(TechNet.10).aspx.

NOTE Content databases optionally can be attached to their associated Web application using the SharePoint 3.0 Central Administration interface.  For additional information on managing and adding content databases using the SharePoint 3.0 Central Administration user interface see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc262440(TechNet.10).aspx#section1.

Ensure all dependencies are updated to reference the new database name to include monitoring, backups, mirroring, etc.

Microsoft IT Site Delete Capture LE Version 1.0 Released

Microsoft IT Site Delete Capture LE version 1.0 has been released.

Microsoft Site Delete Capture LE version 1.0 is an Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 solution package that when deployed to a Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 server farm enables administrators to create a snapshot of site collections and Webs when they are deleted through the SharePoint user interface, the SharePoint Administration Tool, or Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007.

Microsoft IT Site Delete Capture LE 1.0 is a light-weight implementation of the Microsoft IT Site Delete Capture 1.0 offered as a Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 solution package. This build does not include e-mail notification logic and introduces deprecated application event logging.

Read more...

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Data Protection and Recovery Whitepaper

The Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Data Protection and Recovery Whitepaper has been updated to include guidance for all sizes of enterprises, additional information on recovery environments, and updated guidance on managing the recovery of the Configuration Database. 

Read more...

Add this to your image...

One of the most common configuration inconsistencies I find in SharePoint farms is the Web application path, in most scenarios the Web applications are provisioned under the default root path of C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectories.  This is usually the result of oversight during the provisioning process. 

Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 provides a configuration field (see screenshot) that allows administrators to configure the path to the Web application host directory; however, in many cases, this setting is overlooked.  Unfortunately, once a Web application has been provisioned, the only reliable method of moving the Web application is to delete and recreate the Web application on the server farm.

Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 derives the directory information from the Web server registry setting at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\InetStp\PathWWWRoot, this path is subsequently appended with \wss\VirtualDirectories.   To ensure Web applications are provisioned on the proper disk volume, modify the Registry values later in this post on your Web front-end computers to reference the desired path.  This can be modified either prior to or after Windows SharePoint Services 3.0/Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 has been installed; however, any pre-existing Web applications will not reflect the path change (see above).

A Microsoft Internet Information Services best practice is to avoid using the default path (c:\inetpub\wwwroot) and moving Web content to a non-system directory.  By configuring the WWWRoot default path it provides a safeguard for oversight and promotes consistency across Web servers.

Configure the WWWRoot Default Path (Windows Server 2003)

1. Click Start, and then select Run…
2. In the Open field enter Regedit and click OK.
3. Locate the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\InetStp key and modify the PathWWWRoot Value data to D:\Inetpub\vroots.
4. Locate the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\ContentIndex\Catalogs\Web key and modify the Location Value data to d:\inetpub.
5. Locate the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Control\ContentIndex\Catalogs\Web key and modify the Location Value data to d:\inetpub.
6. Locate the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ContentIndex\Catalogs\Web key and modify the Location Value data to d:\inetpub.
7. Repeat steps 1 through 6 on each Web front-end and application server.

Some of the Registry keys in the steps above may not be available on all Web servers depending on configuration and Operating System versions.  Always backup the registry before modifying any Registry settings.

Watch SharePoint Grow!

I visited http://www.carbongrove.com on the commute home this evening and planted SharePoint.  Watch SharePoint grow at http://www.carbongrove.com/Trees/243029#g=0 or plant your own!

In partnership with a world leader in planting trees for environmental restoration, Windows Internet Explorer will sponsor the planting of up to 250,000 real trees in deforested regions around the globe.

Users simply need to visit their tree once a week and watch it grow.  After six weeks of your carbon reducing efforts, Windows Internet Explorer will sponsor the planting of a real tree.

For more information about Carbon Grove visit http://www.carbongrove.com/About.

Planning a 100,000+ My Site personal site deployment? Notes...

This topic has frequented my Inbox over the past months, planning a My Site personal site deployment for 100,000+ users.  In this post we'll examine the issues and potential solutions.

First it is important to understand that while a My Site personal site is a site collection in basic form, it’s instantiation via a browser request or managed code results in significantly greater overhead than a traditional collaboration-type site collection.  The majority of overhead is presented through the numerous data building operations that occur both on the private and public pages associated with the template, private.aspx and person.aspx respectively.

The My Site private page (private.aspx) is considered to be a private view that hosts information specific to you (or the site collection owner).  This information is presented in part based on your membership in a specific audience in many configurations.  The private page also serves as a host to your documents, alerts and subsequent alert results.  Private.aspx also provides the capability to view your Inbox, calendar, and other Exchange views.

The My Site personal site public page is intended to present information to be shared with other users and contains information such as personal and professional interests, shared links and documents.  The public page also provides out of the box functionality that can be used to determine organizational similarities between the user requesting your profile and themselves (also known as the Organization Hierarchy Web Part).  Other comparative Web Parts include In Common with You and Memberships.

The result of these two unique views presented in a My Site personal site is approximately a 50% more costly public view when compared to the private view as a result of resource intensive operations required to build and present the profile information for a specific user requesting the My Site personal site public page.

The majority of the information that is presented on the public page is derived from the profile database, since that content is isolated to a single database there are no options to spread the load across multiple database servers.  The database is the smallest unit of file system representation for SharePoint and cannot be logically partitioned (clustered indexing strategy comes in play here); however, you can physically partition the database and stripe the data files across dedicated physical disks to gain parallelism which will help with data access I/O.

Topology

A distributed topology provides the most efficient mechanism to support a large number of My Site personal sites and is commonly comprised of two or more independent server farms supporting the associated Web applications from unique geographic regions.  For example, server farm A in Seattle hosts the My Site host Foo, and an audience defined in the Shared Services Provider for domain users in the North America region is configured to use the My Site host Foo as their trusted My Site host (Figure 1) whereas server farm B in Dublin hosts the My Site host Bar, and an audience (Figure 2) defined in the Shared Services Provider for domain users in the EMEA region is configured to use the My Site host Bar as their trusted My Site host.  This topology generally requires a parent Shared Services Provider to which server farms A and B are consumers, a local Shared Services Provider can be configured; however, certain profile replication mechanisms should be in place to keep the SSP’s synchronized.  In either scenario when user B who is a member of an EMEA based domain users group, e.g. Europe\Domain Users requests Foo, the audience membership is read and subsequently the user is redirected to Bar, this process conversely applies to user C who is a member of a North America based domain users group, e.g. America\Domains Users.

Figure 1 Trusted My Site host locations (Shared Services Provider administration)

Figure 2 Configure Trusted My Site host location and audience

*An important consideration is the requirement to have two or more unique URI’s to supported the distributed topology, for example http://mysite in North America and http://mysiteemea in EMEA.

Planning

Consider RAID 0+1 or 1+0 sets to supported the Shared Services Provider database and define a subsequent scale-up strategy.

Consider running profile synchronization operations during non-core business hours.

Consider removing costly Web Parts and determine their overall business value, this may include Organizational Hierarchy, In Common with You, and Memberships.

Consider a distributed topology where possible.

Remember the sizeable fraction of visits to a My Site personal site are from that of the site collection owner themselves.

RPS – Throughput can decline as the number of site collections in a given content database increase.

Consider Kerberos where possible to improve authentication performance and reduce overhead.

Plan for capacity and ensure a proper governance plan is endorsed and implemented.

Resources

About My Site
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointserver/HA011605561033.aspx

About Audiences
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointserver/HA011603031033.aspx

Plan for software boundaries (Office SharePoint Server)
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc262787.aspx

Planning and Monitoring SQL Server Storage for SharePoint: Performance Recommendations and Best Practices
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=105623&clcid=0x409

We're Hiring!

Do you want to help shape Microsoft’s Software + Services offerings?  If so, here’s your opportunity to jump into the fast growing area of Enterprise Information Worker solutions working on SharePoint Online. 

As a Program Manager on our team you’ll be:

• Helping to shape the future of SharePoint Online as a platform that our customers can extend with solutions that focus on improving their employee’s business productivity
• Driving the successful on-boarding of multiple Partners that understand our service and can build solutions that work well with the offering

Responsibilities:

• Create processes and tools that support development of new solutions built on the SharePoint Online service
• Work with our Engineering team to review and approve new solutions that customize SharePoint Online or connect to other business systems
• Collaborate across the team and with external contacts to build an ecosystem of high quality Partners that complement internal capabilities
• Develop and support a Partner readiness strategy (web sites, partner readiness kits, hands-on-labs, training materials, certification)
• Work collaboratively to create awareness of Partner capabilities and help partners make improvements to their offerings
• Support sales activities and escalation management

Experience and Qualifications:

• Passion for the software + services vision
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, business, or related study
• 5+ years industry experience in the high tech software and / or IT industry
• Ability to work with Partners and Customers to understand business strategies & requirements, and translate them into Microsoft deliverables that meet business needs
• Exceptional project management skills including managing resources, schedules, budgets, issues, risk, scope, framework / methodology
• Strong interpersonal skills, including teamwork, collaboration, facilitation, and negotiation
• Technical knowledge of SharePoint and experience managing SharePoint environments and using office web components
• Previous experience working on a scalable server product - ASP.NET, and SQL is a plus
• Experience deploying a service is ideal
• Industry experience working with Partners in the enterprise IT solutions and / or hosted services industry

Learn more...

Absence

Keeping this blog up to date over the previous month and half has been challenging due to commitments and travel; however, I'm back in the office ;-) and will resume posting regularly again.  Please keep your comments and questions coming in the interim.

 - Bill

Announcing the SharePoint Administration Toolkit

The Microsoft SharePoint Administration Toolkit contains functionality to help administrateer (good catch A Mondale) and manage Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services version 3.0. This toolkit contains two new functions - the ability to perform bulk operations on site collections and a Stsadm operation to update alert emails after a Web application has changed URLs.

 Download x86 | x64