SHAREPOINT SITE ADMINISTRATION

Course: SharePoint 2013 for Administrators and IT Pro's | Akrura Technologies

By : Isha Kapoor

SharePoint MVP, Author, Trainer and Founder

http://www.akruratechnologies.com/

http://www.learningsharepoint.com/ | @LearningSP

SharePoint

OUTLINE…• Core Site Administration Concepts

• Creating and Managing Sites and Sub sites

• Creating and Managing Lists and Libraries

• Managing Metadata and Policies for Lists and Libraries - Columns, Views and Permissions

• Customizing Site’s Look and Navigation.

• Managing Security - Users, Groups and Permissions levels.

• Web Content Management - Creating Pages, Adding Digital Content Types, IFrames etc.

• Managing Site Administrative Settings - Site Columns, Site Content Types

• Configuring SharePoint Workflows

CORE SITE ADMINISTRATION CONCEPTSWhat is a SharePoint Collection?A site collection consists of a top-level site and its subsites. It is a logical unit for administration—there are settings that can only be configured at the site collection level which are different from Web application. Each Web application can host many site collections.

What are Sites\SubSites\Webs?A site consists of a data repository, visual elements, administration, and almost every other core element of the functionality and experience for the user. Visually, a site is represented as one or more Web pages, lists, and Web parts.

What are Lists?Lists are a data repository that can hold columns of data and/or documents. Visually, a list is represented by a Web part. Its like a record keeping table with a better UI.

What are Libraries?A Library is a List where data usually is a Word, Excel \or a PDF Document.

What are Items? Items in SharePoint are actual records of data (like a data entry) or a document (word, Excel etc.) that is added to a SharePoint List or Library.

Continued…

View all Site Content - View all Site Content is a typical page in a SharePoint site where all lists\Libraries and Subsites are displayed.

Site Actions - Every SharePoint site has a Site Actions button which is visible to Contributors and Admins of the site. Site Action menu (there is a drop-down menu from Site Action button) is an important menu where some basic administration functions are listed. One of important ones among these is “All Site Settings” button.

End users who just visit the site usually don’t see this button.

Site Settings Page - Every SharePoint site has a page that lists all the settings of that SharePoint site. All settings also called as Features are visible only to site Admins or contributors (who has limited permissions on the site).

Please note that a Site Collection (parent site) displays all the possible settings on “Site Settings” page. Other Subsites however only display settings available at that site’s level, and a link to go the parent Site collection’s settings page.

Site Templates - SharePoint Out-of-box comes with various Site Templates to create different kind of Subsites. Most common ones are Team site and a Publishing site. In addition to the existing ones, users can also create new Site Templates that can help them create a re-usable Template with their own settings for creating more subistes.

A site Template gallery is available in every site to save these custom templates.

List Template - Similar to Site Templates, every List\Library in SharePoint can also be saved as a Template. This Template can also contain some content or data but save generally saves Columns and settings or that List or Library.

A List Template Library that saves all the templates is generally available at a site collection level.

Create SubSites or Webs In SharePoint 2013, you can Create a Subsite using the “new subsite” Link available on View all Site Contents or Site Contents Page. Unlike SharePoint 2010, this Option to Create a Subsite is not available in Site Actions or Settings menu by default.

You have an option to add Subsites of the following types :

• Collaboration - Team site, Project site, Community site and Blog site. • Enterprise - Document Center, Record Center, Business Intelligence Center, Enterprise Search Center, Basic

Search Center and Visio Process Repository. • Publishing - Publishing site, Publishing with Workflow site and Enterprise Wiki Site,• Duet Enterprise - SAP Workflow site and • Custom - Any Custom Site Template.

CREATING AND MANAGING SITES AND SUB SITES

SubSite 1 SubSite 2

Top-level Site Collection

SubSite’s subsite

Sibling Site Collection

Sub Subsite 1

Site Collection Features - For every site collection a list of features are available to activate and de-activate. Some of these features are dependent features i.e. they need to be activated in an order.

These Site Collection features once activated opens up a lot of new site settings for the site collection and all its subsites.

Site Features - Like Site Collection features, every Site or Subsite also has its own features. These features can be independently activated on the site itself only after there dependent features are activated at the parent site collection level.

CREATING AND MANAGING LISTS AND LIBRARIES

Create Lists and Libraries

Lists and Libraries in SharePoint are data repositories that can hold columns of data and/or documents. It’s like a record keeping table with a better UI.

Lists are for adding records or Information where as a Library is generally for adding Documents (along with metadata i.e. information about that document).

In SharePoint 2013, Microsoft has introduced a new feature called “Apps”. As per MSDN, Apps for SharePoint are self-contained pieces of functionality that extend the capabilities of a SharePoint website. Lists, Libraries, Calendars, Discussion boards, Surveys are all called “Apps” now.

For example, a Custom List template is now called a “Custom List App” and a Document Library template is now a “Document Library App”.

List Templates - Every site Collection has a gallery called List template gallery to save custom templates that a user creates by saving his custom List or Library.

MANAGING METADATA AND POLICIES FOR LISTS AND LIBRARIES - COLUMNS, VIEWS AND PERMISSIONS

Every List and Library in SharePoint has it’s own Settings. From List Permissions to what kind of Versioning should be enabled on documents; everything is set with these List\Library settings.

Creating Columns - Since lists and Libraries are tables (like in SQL) they need to have some Columns to define their records. In a typical list, you can create various types or columns. Single line text, Numbers, Boolean and many more..

Creating columns in a List is one of the first things you do.

Metadata - For a document that you upload in a document library, the data in columns (that you create in a Library) is known as Metadata of that document. Metadata in a document library is added in a Document information Panel (in word) or in document properties window.

Views - A View is a choice or set of records that you want to see from all the records or documents in a List or Library. There can be a Personal or Public view to a list or library.

In a view users can select Columns that they want to see along with options like sorting and filtering to make their view readable.

Versioning - Setting up Versions for a document library is very important for documents that you upload. Users can create Draft Versions or final versions by editing and saving documents. A new Version of a documnet is saved whenever a user opens and saves a document.

CUSTOMIZING SITE’S LOOK AND NAVIGATION

Master Page - Master page in SharePoint sites contributes to a common outline of a SharePoint page. It consists of Header,Logo,

Top & Left navigation, breadcrumbs, ribbon and footer. There are various Master Pages available Out-of-box to switch the basic look of your site.

Themes - Besides Master Page, another option in SharePoint that can change the look and feel of your site is Themes. Themes are design templates that you can apply to your site to brand your site instantly.

Navigation - Navigation generally constitutes of Top and Left links on your SharePoint site page.

Now Top and Left Navigation are a part of Master page but you can still edit these links using the Out-of-box setting Top navigation and quick launch or Navigation (current & global) in a Publishing site.

One of the new features Introduced in SharePoint 2013 about navigation is, the new EDIT Links option. EDIT Links lets you drag drop links in navigation and lets you edit\delete links without leaving the page.

MANAGING SECURITY - USERS, GROUPS AND PERMISSIONS LEVELS.

Adding users, groups and new permission levels in a SharePoint site is an essential administration task.

When a SharePoint 2013 site is created, few Groups are created by default – like Owners group, Visitors group and Members group. Users can be added to these groups to give them various levels of access to a SharePoint site.

Groups - A SharePoint group has a name, a permission level (like Read permission) and a set of users that are added so they the permission of the group.

Users - They are SharePoint users who has valid Active Directory accounts.

Permissions levels - In SharePoint a Permission level is what gives access to a user. Permission level defines that if a user gets a permission to upload documents, view documents, View Page, Create Page or if the information on the site is read only.

SharePoint 2013 by default includes seven default permission levels and 33 permissions which are used in these default permission levels. You can only customize the permissions contained within five of these permission levels as permissions within the Limited Access and Full Control are Non-customizable.

Permissions broadly are categorized as list permissions, site permissions, and personal permissions, depending on the objects to which they can be applied. For example, site permissions apply to a particular site, list permissions apply only tolists and libraries and so on. For more precise control of user access to sites, site collections, and site content, an admin can add Custom User Groups configure custom permission levels and set unique Permissions for a SharePoint 2013 site.

WEB CONTENT MANAGEMENT - CREATING PAGES, ADDING DIGITAL CONTENT TYPES, IFRAMES ETC

Creating Pages - In SharePoint 2013, Custom pages can be added using various Out-of-box Page Layouts like WebPart page, Article page, Welcome Page, Error Page etc.

Each Page Layout has its own purpose. A Webpart Page layout for example is used for adding Webparts to a Custom page and an error page layout is generally used create a Customized 404 Error page for the current site.

A Page is a inner content of what we call it as a Layout Page.

Layout Page - A Layout is a design of a page that fits into a Master Page to complete the Page.

Images copyright : MSDN

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All the Page Layouts should be fit in a common Master page selected for your site.

Images copyright : MSDN

There are many Layouts available Out-of-box in a SharePoint site. These layouts can be used to create various pages.

IFrames - SharePoint 2013 supports Iframes. With IFrames Admins can Embed dynamic content from other sites, such as videos or map directions on a SharePoint site page.

This test or link can be added into an HTML field like the one of Content editor webpat or in a blog post Body field.

For example, to add a Youtube Video on a SharePoint Page add the “Youtube.com” Domain in “HTML Field Security” first.Any external domains that will be Inserted in an Iframe should be added as Approved domains in “HTML Field Security” first.

”HTML Field Security” is a new feature that you would find in Site Settings (of a Site collection) under “Site Collection Administration” section.

MANAGING SITE ADMINISTRATIVE SETTINGS - SITE COLUMNS, SITE CONTENT TYPESSite Columns - Site Columns are columns that are declared at Site Collection level. These columns can be used in all Lists and Libraries including the ones in Subsites. Site Columns are useful when you have to declare a Columns like Project No etc that should be used in all Lists and Libraries.

Users can create their own site columns pointing to the Content at top level and then use them in one of the Subsites for displaying data cross-site.

Site Content Types - Like Site Columns, Site Content Types are set of document templates declared at Site Collection level that can be used in various Lists and Libraries including the ones in Subsites.

For example, a document site content type can be created with pre-defined columns and settings, and can added to one of the libraries for reuse.

Digital Asset Content Types - In SharePoint 2013, to support Audio, Video and Images new Digital Asset Content Types were added.

CONFIGURING SHAREPOINT WORKFLOWS

SharePoint Workflows - Once a user uploads a document in a SharePoint Library, a workflow can be configured to run on a document to receive an Approval from Manager or other authority person.

Approval Workflow - On any document in a Library, end-users can start an approval workflow to send the document for their Manager’s approval. The document’s SharePoint link is routed via e-mail and an auto-generated form is sent to the Manager for his approval.

Admins can set the Approvers for these workflows first and then on upload or change of a document, the workflow starts or kicks in.

There are various Out-of-Box workflows that you can configure for a Library or a Content Type. E-mails for workflows are sent to Approvers who can be a user or a group by SharePoint itself.

WE ARE HERE TO HELP.

Questions?