Work Smart: Using Microsoft SharePoint Workspace 2010

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About Using Microsoft SharePoint Workspace

2010
Microsoft SharePoint Workspace 2010 is a client application that offers
a seamless experience when you work online and offline with document
libraries and lists on Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and Microsoft
SharePoint Foundation 2010. Additionally, it conducts real-time, automatic,
transparent synchronization of that content when you connect to the
SharePoint server.

enables real-time synchronization of your desktop content with online

SharePoint libraries and lists. This enables you to collaborate with others on
continuously synchronizing data, or work locally on your own machine on a
customized SharePoint workspace that then synchronizes the next time you
connect to your corporate network.
SharePoint Workspace 2010 offers two kinds of workspaces that you can
create, including:

A Groove Workspace, also known as a peer-to-peer workspace, which

enables you to collaborate with other people securely, on a shared
workspace. This means that team members can access continuously
synchronizing files and folders regardless of where they are in the
world. Groove workspaces also enable teams to schedule meetings and
conduct discussions regardless of network conditions and across
firewalls.

A SharePoint Workspace, which enables you to create a customized

copy of a SharePoint site, on your computer. Additionally, you can
check in and checkout SharePoint list and library content, work on it on
your computer, and then synchronize your cached SharePoint site after
you connect to the SharePoint server.

SharePoint Workspace, previously known as Microsoft Office Groove,

enables teams of people to work together securely, by using two kinds of
workspaces, even if team members are in different locations, time zones, or
companies.
Topics in this guide include:

Creating a new local SharePoint Workspace from SharePoint

Creating a new local SharePoint Workspace from your computer

Creating a new Groove Workspace

Working in SharePoint Workspace

Synchronizing content in a workspace

Important
You must be running Microsoft Office Suite 2010 if you want to use
SharePoint Workspace 2010.

What is SharePoint Workspace?

How to Start SharePoint Workspace

Click Start, point to All Programs, click Microsoft Office, and then
click Microsoft SharePoint Workspace 2010.

SharePoint Workspace starts. If you have multiple accounts, SharePoint

Workspace prompts you to specify the account to which you want to log on
to.

SharePoint Workspace 2010, a new and improved version of Groove 2007,

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Work Smart: Using Microsoft SharePoint Workspace 2010

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Why Use SharePoint Workspace?

Using SharePoint Workspace provides many benefits, especially for a team of

people who are working from different locations and who connect to a
SharePoint server at different times. SharePoint Workspace enables you to:

Synchronize SharePoint libraries and lists to your computer, and then

update documents and lists offline. The next time that you connect to
corpnet, SharePoint synchronizes your files automatically and
transparently to the applicable SharePoint server.

Coauthor Microsoft Office Word and Microsoft Office PowerPoint

documents while other people work on them too. You can edit
documents, spreadsheets, or presentations, and SharePoint tracks and
updates your changes in SharePoint Workspace and on the SharePoint
server.

Use the familiar Windows Search to scan your computer for files, and
also customize your queries so that you can streamline your search
results.

Check in and checkout current documents quickly, and review the

various versions of documents on the SharePoint server.

Use drag-and-drop functionality to move files directly into your

workspace from anywhere, including other Office applications such as
Microsoft Office Outlook.

Use SharePoint Business Connectivity Services (BCS) to connect to

external data sources, including line-of-business applications. This
means that you can view external data inside SharePoint Workspace,
change it, and then continue working while SharePoint Workspace
synchronizes your changes directly to the external data source.

Use the Launchbar to view all the workspaces in which you are a
member. You can see in which workspaces people currently are
working and which workspaces have new content that you have not
yet viewed.
The following graphic shows a Launchbar, which indicates people are
working in three of the workspaces in which you are a member. If you
click Groove Workspace (3), a list of the active workspaces appears.

Additionally, you can configure alerts to notify you when new

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Work Smart: Using Microsoft SharePoint Workspace 2010

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SharePoint content synchronizes to your computer by clicking Alert Me to

Workspace Changes, and then following the steps in the wizard that appears.

Use the ribbon, which enables you to access commands quickly and
create custom tabs to customize your view.

Creating a new Local SharePoint

Workspace from SharePoint
1

Go to your SharePoint site, click the Site Actions menu, and then click
Sync to SharePoint Workspace.

In the dialog box that appears as SharePoint Workspace 2010 creates

a workspace on your computer, click OK to start the download and
synchronization of all files from the online SharePoint site.
--OR-You can select specific lists and libraries to download if you do not
require all site content. On the Site Actions menu in your SharePoint
site, click Configure. The SharePoint Workspace dialog box appears,
from which you can select lists and libraries that you want to download
for offline use.

After you select either the full download or you select specific files to
download, a dialog box that indicates the progress of the download appears.

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Work Smart: Using Microsoft SharePoint Workspace 2010

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Downloading and synchronizing the workspace content may take several

minutes.
Once SharePoint Workspace 2010 downloads the content, you can create and
change documents and list items in your new workspace. These items will
synchronize to the SharePoint server after you reconnect to the network

Creating a New Local SharePoint

Workspace from Your Computer
1

From the ribbon in the SharePoint Workspace application, click New,

and then click SharePoint Workspace.

A status window will open to show you the progress of your

workspace being created. If your site is large, it may take a while to
create your workspace. As soon as it is complete, you are ready to use.

Creating a New Groove Workspace

You can use a Groove workspace to share files, exchange messages, and
collaborate with a team. To create a collaborative Groove Workspace:

From the ribbon in the SharePoint Workspace application (refer to the

previous graphic), click New, and then click Groove Workspace.

In the Create New Workspace window, click Standard.

Change the Name of Workspace to a name relevant to the work that

you will be doing, and then click OK.

SharePoint Workspace 2010 creates the new Groove Workspace, which

opens in another window.

Working in SharePoint Workspace

Invite Others to Your Groove Workspace
You can only invite people to your Groove Workspace. You can invite people
to your Groove workspace by designating roles for each person, including:

In the dialog box that opens, paste the URL to the site that you want
to copy to your computer, and then click OK.

Managers who can invite other people, edit existing files, and delete
files or the whole workspace.

Participants who can edit and delete files.

Guests who can view existing content, but who cannot make any
changes to it.

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Work Smart: Using Microsoft SharePoint Workspace 2010

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To invite another SharePoint Workspace 2010 user to your Groove workspace:

Right-click the workspace in the Launchbar, and then click Invite to

Workspace.

In the Send Invitation window, click Add More.

In the Add Recipients window, click Search for User.

In the Find User window, type part of the users name, and then click
Find.

Select the users name from the list that appears, click Add, and then
click OK.

To invite a person who is not using SharePoint Workspace 2010 to your

Groove workspace:

Click Options, and then click Invite to Workspace.

Enter the persons email address in the Send Invitation window.

When you send the invitation, the recipient must open and accept it. You then
receive a message that confirms their acceptance.
Once you confirm the acceptance, the workspace is sent to the new
member's computer, and the new member is added to the member list
in the workspace.

Share Files in Your Groove Workspace

The Files tool enables peer-to-peer workspace members to share
and collaborate on different file types, including files from all
Microsoft Office applications.
To see what file types you cannot share within SharePoint Workspace,
click Options, click Preferences, click Security, and then click View
restricted types.
All members in a Groove workspace can open any files that appear in
the Files tool. When a member changes a file and saves the changes,
SharePoint Workspace automatically synchronizes that file to the
SharePoint server. This enables other team members to see the most
current files.
If several workspace members are working on a file concurrently, the
SharePoint Workspace updates the original file on the server the first
time someone saves changes. If another member saves changes to the
original version, a second copy of the file is created that has the
persons name in the title.
To share a file in a Groove workspace:

From the Launchbar, double-click the workspace.

At the bottom of the workspace window, click the Files tab, and then
click Add Files.

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Work Smart: Using Microsoft SharePoint Workspace 2010

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Browse to, and select, the files that you want to add, and then click
Open.
The selected files appear in the workspaces file list.

To see whether one of your contacts is online, look in the Launchbar

workspace. The icon next to each contact indicates the contacts availability.

Add Contacts to SharePoint Workspace

You can add users as SharePoint Workspace contacts, and then send
messages or chat with those people through SharePoint Workspace. To add a
contact:

In the Launchbar, on the Contacts tab, click Add Contact.

In the Find User window, type part of the users name, and then click
Find.

Select the users name from the list, and then click Add.

Check the Status of a Contact

The presence indicators for contact and workspace members correspond to
those that you see in Microsoft Office Communicator. However, there are a
few additional presence indicators that are specifically for SharePoint
Workspace.

Tip
By default, SharePoint Workspace sorts your contacts according to
whether they are Online, Away, or Offline. To change how your
contacts appear, click Options, point to View Contacts By, and then
select a different sorting method.

See What Tools Your Contacts are Using

In a Groove workspace, you can see what tools your contacts are using by
resting over the Files and Discussion tabs at the bottom of the workspace. As
you rest the mouse pointer on each tab, SharePoint Workspace displays the
number of people who actively are using each tool. You can click a tab to see
the names of the people who are using the tool currently.

Begin a Discussion
The Discussion tool enables you to exchange ideas and news with other
workspace members. You can send an announcement, news item, or other
information for everyone sharing a Groove workspace, but unlike a chat, which

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Work Smart: Using Microsoft SharePoint Workspace 2010

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displays a running stream of replies in a flat view, a discussion lets you see the
entire thread of a conversation in a hierarchical structure

Double-click the workspace from the Launchbar.

Click the Discussion tab at the bottom of the window.

Click New, and then click Topic to open a new topic form.

Type a Subject name, and then enter the first posting for the
discussion in the box below.

Click Save.

The new discussion displays in the Groove workspace, and other workspace
members can respond by double-clicking the discussion. Every time that you
are online, SharePoint Workspace synchronizes the discussion so that all
workspace members can see new postings and topics.

Send a Message
Send messages to a contact at any time, regardless of whether you or your
contact is online. SharePoint Workspace sends the message as soon as you
both are online, and notifies you when the contact opens the message and
replies. To send a message:

1 Right-click a contact in the Launchbar, and then click Send

Message.

In the Send Message window, type a message, and then click

Send.

Tip
You can use a shortcut to send SharePoint Workspace messages. Press
SHIFT+ENTER to display a new instant message window or to display your
next unread instant message from your Inbox.

Chat with Workspace Members

Each Groove workspace includes a Chat tool that is on the right side of the
workspace. The Chat tool posts messages that all online workspace users can
view. You can chat by clicking in the blank box at the bottom of the tool.
SharePoint Workspace notifies you and other online workspace members
when someone posts a new message. Additionally, the Chat tool lists the
number of users currently working in the tool.

Use the Calendar Tool

SharePoint Workspace 2010 introduces a new Calendar tool. If you are
upgrading from Groove 2007, you will recognize this tool, as it combines
concepts and features from that application.
The Calendar tool lets workspace members manage the lifecycle of a
meeting, including scheduling individual or recurring meetings, setting up
meeting agendas, managing meeting attendees, taking meeting notes, and
recording a meeting summary. Additionally, it is a valuable resource for team
collaboration, as you can use it to display project schedules, milestones, and
other important activities.
In your Groove workspace, click File, point to New, point to Tool, and then
click Calendar. A Calendar tab appears at the bottom of the workspace. You
can:

Create a Calendar entry by clicking New Appointment.

Change the Calendar view by clicking the View menu, and clicking one
of the available options.

Click Show Day Pane to see a detailed view of the current day next to
the main calendar.

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Work Smart: Using Microsoft SharePoint Workspace 2010

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Note
Currently, the Workspace Calendar tool does not synchronize with Outlook
Calendar or SharePoint Calendar.

Synchronizing Content in a Workspace

When you copy SharePoint content to your computer, by default, SharePoint
Workspace synchronizes the content if you are connected to your corporate
network.
If you disconnect from the corporate network, and work on the documents
locally on your computer, SharePoint caches your content. When you reconnect
to the corporate network, it immediately pushes, or synchronizes, those
changes to the SharePoint Server. Any other changes that you make while
connected to the corporate network will be synchronized during the next
synchronization period.

For More Information

SharePoint Workspace 2010 overview

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee649102.aspx

SharePoint Server 2010

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-workspace/

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This guide is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS
DOCUMENT. 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

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