Document Sets - SharePoint 2010 New Feature

Today’s post is all about awesome reading & a brand new feature named 'Document Sets' of SharePoint 2010. An airline customer was excited about MOSS 2007 document management capability. They were asking us to explore all option how they can manage their airline manual in December 2008. Those days I was working as SharePoint lead & very soon I have realized it’s a genuine challenge to manage multiple documents as single entity.

Well why I am talking about the above stories because if the requirement comes these days, believe me it’s no longer a challenge. SharePoint 2010 offers the robust document management capabilities by which organization can manage their content in more efficient way.

Visit SharePoint blog for more about Document Set:

• What is document sets in SharePoint 2010
• Bamboo Solutions Community: cookbook document sets

Site Content Type, Site Column Concept & Common Confusion

After a long break, again I am back to write another blog post. I don’t have much work at office so you can imagine where I am investing time & energy. Yes, of course lots of coffee & debate with colleagues. Today’s most interesting argument was on confusion between site columns, content type’s relationship & dependency. Below are the few glimpses of baffled questions.

• What happen if we delete Site Columns or Content Types which are already using throughout the site?
• What happen if we update/ modify existing Site Columns or Content Types?
• Will we really be able to delete existing referenced Content Types or site Columns?
• What exact difference between Content Types and Site Columns?

Well enough confusion to address. Please allow me to have another big cup of coffee to finish this article before my coffee.

Back now! Content Types is a coolest feature of MOSS 2007. 

It is introduced to manage, organize content in a meaningful & steady way across site collection. It’s a reusable collection of metadata or other settings can be applicable to certain type of content.

Content Types only holds the reference of Site Columns or fields but does not contain columns or fields itself. As a result, columns can only be referenced in a Content Types so columns need to be created separately.

The reference between Content Types and site Columns maintained using SPFieldLink (Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFieldLink).

Site Columns are basically working as a template. It means whenever you attach any Site Columns to SharePoint list, a local copy of that site columns (i.e. as list column) will be created. But interestingly SharePoint maintains the same field GUID for the above mentioned local copy or list column as well as for Site Column.

So now you can understand how the SharePoint apply any changes in Site Column to its local copy. Yes, SharePoint uses that field GUID to track which list columns/local copy of site columns are "children" of a given site column and based on that the changes propagates.

Same way if you add a content type to a list, the site columns included in that content type are copied locally onto the list as list columns.

If you update site columns using feature or object model, you can specify whether you desire to propagate those changes to the list columns based on the site column or not.

Now come to last point to discuss if you want to delete site column or content types then how it will behave? If you want to delete any site column which is included in content types or list, you need to first remove all instances of site column.

But if you remove any site column from site content type, then it will remove from site content type but the local copy/orphan column will not be deleted. Keep in mind that removing the site column from site content type is not the same as deleting it in the lists that use it already.

Enough funda, huh!! But still you need it please visit the links in Ref. Site Section.

Ref. Site:

Content Types Introduction | Content Types Basics | About SPFieldLink | Andy Burns' Blog

SSP concept is gone !!

Hi All,

Microsoft has wiped out SSP and launched new concept Service Applications in SharePoint 2010. SSP was the most interesting and powerful concept of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007. I am thrilled about this new feature because of its flexibility.

So what is SSP?

This is a collection of application servers that provide shared services out to any portals or sites that need them. These services include:
• Search
• Index
• Audience compilation
• User profiles database
• My Sites
• Business Data Catalogue
• Excel Services

Problem with SSP concepts:

When we create SSP, it automatically creates with all the above mentioned services which could share between many web applications. Think a scenario where web application A uses search service with same configuration with others web applications but profile/BDC configuration is totally different with others.
In the above mentioned scenario single SSP will fail to fulfil the needs. What will we do to overcome this situation?
Yes, the only option is to create new SSP and make necessary changes to the profile/BDC configuration. But in that case two SSPs need to create which are totally independent with each other’s and both SSP consist the common services apart from profile/BDC.
SSP sharing over cross farm is very difficult.

What is Service Applications?

Service applications are services that are shared across sites within a farm (for example, Search and Excel Calculation Services). Some service applications can be shared across multiple farms. Every service is working independently and at least one service is associated with Service Applications.
• Attach those services with web applications which are needed rather than entire set like SSP.
• Share services across multiple web applications within same farm
• Deploy at Application Server
• Some services can be share across multiple server farms
• Third party companies can develop services and add to the platform

Service Applications Advantage

Key advantage of the new architecture is the flexibility and addresses many of the scalability negotiation inbuilt in the SSP model.
SSP model enforce web application to use a bunch of services irrespective of utilization but in new model web application can consume individual service and any number of services or combination can be associated as per the needs.
Now services can have its own database and also deploy in a dedicated server. Service Applications are managed through Central Administration. Neither separate web application is required nor is Content Database required.
New model also allows you to deploy multiple instance of the same Service Application in a farm. Service application can be published to other farms easily.

Ref Sites:
MSDN Blog | Andrew Connell Blog | Harbar.net Articles

BLOG dedicated for SharePoint

Hello my dear friends, at last I have created my own blog in blogger. I am really very excited about this newly created blog named “SharePoinThoughts”. I though this is one of the most powerful way to share my thoughts, knowledge, solutions and technology updates.Well why I have created this blog? Yes I am blogging to give you the SharePoint related solutions, architecture and development methodology which may be helpful for you. I should highlight the following section on which I will talk much

• SharePoint Architecture


• SharePoint Object Model


• SharePoint Solutions


• SharePoint Tips & Tricks


• SharePoint Troubleshooting

Happy reading and definitely share your thoughts as well through comments.