In this chapter, we will cover:
Migrating a site collection
Provisioning a site via Windows PowerShell
Managing the Term Store
Adding a column with property of managed metadata
Setting up a site collection policy
Configuring a document set
Configuring multiple Send To connections
Setting up an enterprise wiki
Microsoft is making a conscious effort to push the task of site administration out of the realm of IT administrator. Organizations can be decentralized and become agile if the ability to do more comes closer to the front lines. Yet, organizations still need to retain central control and ensure the integrity of their SharePoint Farm solutions.
The Sandbox functionality in SharePoint 2010 is an example of a win-win solution. IT retains central control of the farm, the hardware, and provides limits. IT administrators can designate a power user who has the ability to roll out code for their SharePoint instance, without adversely affecting the entire farm.
Many modifications can be done at the site collection level by power users. These modifications have ramifications across the entire organization. Here is a simple clarification of the terms site and site collection:
Moving a site collection to another content database is a task that is incumbent upon a SharePoint Farm Administrator. There are several reasons why this may need to be done:
We may need to combine several site collections under one content database
The site collection is getting too large and must be moved to new content database
This is going to be shown via PowerShell. The strength of this method is that it facilitates the scripting of tasks that are considered repetitive. In this way, administrators can create scripts to move more than one site collection at a time.
User must have access to one of the servers running PowerShell 2.0 and should be a member of the WSS_ADMIN_WPG on the local computer. User must also be a member of the db_owner database role and the SharePoint_Shell_Access role in the following databases:
Source content database
Administration content database
Destination content database
Configuration database
There must be an existing...
PowerShell is a scripting technology that can be used to automate many of the tasks an administrator must perform. It is performed through a console, on the server running PowerShell.
Provisioning sites at enterprise companies is one of those tasks that can be automated. While this can be performed through the Central Administration interface, it is more efficient to perform this task through PowerShell.
This recipe will show how to provision a site collection.
User must have access to one of the servers running PowerShell 2.0 and must be a member of the WSS_ADMIN_WPG role on the local computer. User must also be a member of the db_owner database role and the SharePoint_Shell_Access role in the following databases:
Source content database
Administration content database
Destination Content Database
Configuration Database
In Chapter 2, Service Applications, we saw how to set up the managed metadata service. Using the Term Store repository, organizations can set up a common vocabulary for the entire organization. Each industry—be it be healthcare, finance, construction, or some other—has its own vernacular.
The Term Store can be leveraged across site collections so as an organization segments its processes, each can use terminology that is common.
With the Term Store, organizations can create a common taxonomy to be leveraged in their SharePoint 2010 implementation.
You must have farm-level administrative permissions to the Central Administration site.
The managed metadata service must be configured and functional. To read more about it, refer to the Setting up the managed metadata service recipe in Chapter 2.
Managed Metadata gives organizations the capability of using a common terminology across the enterprise. When properly utilized, Managed Metadata will contain the language a company speaks. There are many terms that refer to a base term and Managed Metadata does the work of standardizing the "slang" of a company.
An example of this is the term North America. It is referred to as NA, United States, or Canada. Set up properly, the base term can be NA, but any of the aforementioned terms can be put in by the user.
All of this data is saved in what is called a Term Store. The Term Store as we have seen in previous recipes is a repository where that data is stored and configured.
In order for users to leverage this data, it must be input somewhere at the site level as a function of metadata. This is done via content types, document libraries, and lists.
This recipe will show how to add a managed metadata column in a list.
Policy is a term to which people have an immediate reaction. Speaking of policy immediately reminds us of governance, rules, and enforcement. When dealing with an organization's data, having a policy in place is a positive thing.
Take the example of a publicly traded company. It is subject to audits, investor relations, not to mention Sarbanes-Oxley regulations. Data must be accounted for and properly managed.
The term policy in this context refers to management of information through a policy. In SharePoint terms, a policy is a set of rules that are applied against content types, document sets, folders, or document libraries. This set of rules governs the content, and tells the system what action(s) to take against the content, based on some type of status.
Creating site collection policies gives an organization the ability to standardize their policies. As sites are created under the root site, they inherit the policies.
The policies can be exported by...
A document set allows an organization to collect related documents and group them together. When grouping the related documents together, they can be treated as one when it comes to metadata, workflow, versioning, and compliance.
For example, a document set for obtaining a mortgage loan can consist of the following forms—credit application, asset list, employment history, deed, and sales contract.
When buying a house, there are many forms to be filled out. They are methodically handled by several different parties—the bank, the seller, the real estate company, and so on. It all starts with a mortgage application. The application is submitted and a workflow kicks off for each item such as getting a credit report, appraisal on the property, employment verification, among other things.
Once the individual workflows come back with information, the application is then submitted to another party, which must approve the loan. Each workflow item is kicked off independently...
Records management is the careful management of information for an entire lifecycle. This includes how documents are routed and referenced.
A records management feature that deserves its own recipe is the ability to set up multiple Send To connections. What is meant by this capability is the functionality to route a document to multiple areas in a site. The reasoning for this is varied.
There may be a Request for Quote (RFQ) that comes in and needs to go to several folks upon being uploaded into the system, as each individual may have a role in a particular part of the document.
Another use case is when an asset must have one source location but must be in several other locations. Thus, links are established to one source.
Farm administrators have the ability to define multiple locations where a record can be routed. Not only can an administrator specify the connections, but they can define how that record is manipulated. Is it copied? Is it moved...
An enterprise wiki is an efficient way to share knowledge across an organization. The wiki is an organic self-policing site for knowledge. In addition, the users who are consuming the site will categorize objects and the site will contain its own taxonomy.
In reality, it is an online database that promotes collaboration in an organization. SharePoint 2010 contains this functionality out of the box and includes a few bells and whistles such as:
Tagging
Comments
Ratings
Managed metadata
For some of the additional functionality to work, a managed metadata service should be set up and configured.
In this recipe, we will set up an Enterprise Wiki at the Site Collection level.
You must have farm-level administrative permissions to the Central Administration site.
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