SharePoint Lists: Used, Abused and Underappreciated

Lists: Used, Abused and Underappreciated
Wes Preston – Senior Consultant
SharePoint Lists

Outline
No Code Customization
Lists are used as the core of many things SharePoint but they are rarely used as well as they can be. Learn the top tips and tricks for getting the most of your lists: How to build them smarter, how to display them more clearly, and how to use them in your environment for effectively. Also see how these practices evolve from 2007 to 2010.

Wes Preston
Independent SharePoint Consultant
Based in Minneapolis, MN
https://www.idubbs.com/blog
Twitter: @idubbs
MVP – SharePoint Server
MCITP – SharePoint Administrator 2010
MCTS - SharePoint 2010, Configuration
MCTS - WSS 3.0 and MOSS Configuration
Author: SharePoint 2010 Six-in-One

Lists (andLibraries)
Things to take away that you can use NOW
It’s all about raising the bar. The baseline for business-user and end-user knowledge is too low…
If you use SharePoint, these should be core concepts
Other concepts build on these for more robust solutions, dashboards, etc…
Also applies to the Cloud
SharePoint Online: BPOS, Office365*

Best Practice #1 – Training
Users don’t know the baseline capabilities of SharePoint lists and libraries
“What’s a view?”
“What are properties?”
Too common of an issue
Easy to mitigate
BPC Survey Results: Less than 40% of organizations using formal SharePoint training is NOT going to work…

Training: Why
The Bottom Line – Users will be more effective
Realize the ROI of the SharePoint platform that you’ve already implemented/invested in
Empowered users are happy users
The more they know, the less time they’ll take to manage

Training: Different Audiences
Executive:
Understand the capabilities
Start to align business needs with solutions
Power Users:
Decision matrix – when to use which method
How do I do it?
All Users:
How to, tutorials, examples
Structured and unstructured training
On-demand

Training: Starter Topics
(These are just ‘list’ starter topics…)
2007 and 2010
Columns, Properties, Metadata
Views
Alerts
New w/2010
Validation
Easier form management
Inline editing

Training: Options
Have a Training Plan (governance)
Partners
Train the trainer
Online materials, products
Handout materials
Home-grown, BrainStorm, etc…
User groups, Brown bag sessions, Labs
Internal and regional
Newsletters, FAQS, Tips and Tricks…

Best Practice #2 - Use Columns and Views
Views provide a cleaner, more effective user experience
Effective views rely on useful columns to filter and sort on

Columns and Views: Why
Default views, especially libraries are just like file shares – We can do better
List by name, date, author
As libraries fill up, they’re just as confusing as file shares to navigate
Out of the box fields can be a step up
Modified date vs. Created date
Modified by vs. Created by

‘My’ Files and Items
Different reasons
Issues or Tasks Lists -> ‘My items’ that were submitted
Issues or Task Lists -> Items assigned to me
Doc Libs -> Items created, owned or last modified

File Naming -> Properties
Don’t keep those crazy file naming conventions
“supermonthlyreport_April_2010.xlsx”
“Sales_Monthend_2009_09.xlsx”
Titles may not be indexed the way you think they are
Implement properties to replace them
If they’re strict, migration can be scripted

Groups vs. Views
Different ways to display the same information
When to use each method is dependent on the specific scenario, but there are pros and cons that might help shape the decision

Groups vs. Views
Straight up groups…

Groups vs. Views
Separate Web Parts

Groups vs. Views
Group By
Dates
Products
Departments
Can do sub-totals, etc…
Separate Web Parts
Status or Category
Display different fields depending on the group
Different controls if desired
Cleaner look – no goofy automatic headings
Can ‘fake’ headings with CEWP

Edit the current view
Available with List Views on pages
Use on pages to limit the number of views displayed for the list
Better user experience

Folders
Users are comfortable with them
Views can be created to ignore folders
2010 allows default values based on rules
Ease some user input

‘My’ Files (and ‘Flat’ folders)

Best Practice #3: Intake List
Email sent to a single person is not scalable
Email sent to a group isn’t measurable
Content submitted isn’t standardized

Intake List
Can put a link from anywhere to ‘Add Request’ location
Can still be submitted via email
Can still be notified by email
Tasks can be assigned
Mitigates single person issue
More structured than email
Can use Views!!
More options for automation
Metrics are easier to capture

Intake List

New Tidbits for Lists in 2010
External Lists
Multi-select items
Much easier to change the forms

Recap: Best Practices
Set users up for success – Train them
Use Columns and Views
Replace the Email queue with a list

Recap: Worst Practices
Don’t keep obnoxious file naming conventions
Don’t create long lists of views if Edit the current view can be used
Don’t use item-level permissions unless needed
Don’t display every column in every view
Avoid the document library list view or educate around it

References and Resources
Productivity Hub 2010http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=4aaa9862-e420-4331-8bc3-469d7bae0ff1
BrainStorm quick cardshttp://www.brainstorminc.com/for-business/train-by-type/quick-start-cards/microsoft/sharepoint-2007.aspx

Minnesota SharePoint User Group (MNSPUG)
www.sharepointmn.com
Available via Live Meetings
Recordings and Presentations
2nd Wednesday of every month
9:00 AM Central Time

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SharePoint Lists: Used, Abused and Underappreciated

by Wes Preston on May 04, 2011

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SharePoint Lists: Used, Abused and Underappreciated — Presentation Transcript