The SharePoint Hive

I’m finally going.. Vacation! For the first time in 1.5 years I’m finally having a well deserved vacation Got some nice SP 2010 posts lined up for january/february with all the new good stuff to know about developing with the new tools, as well as hacking about with the new object models. B … (More)
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Since Microsofts release of BizTalk Server 2006, there is a serious need for more documentation on this product. Foundations of BizTalk Server 2006 fills that void. The book will take you from novice to professional, equipping you with the tools youll need to get started in the world of BizTalk server integration.

From installation to deployment, you will grow increasingly more comfortable with the product as you work through a multitude of hands-on examples and demo applications. This book will demystify the product and emphasize the new 2006 BizTalk Server features. So even if youre a reluctant reader at first, youll gain full confidence in the product by books end.

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Overview:  I am not an expert in Test Driven Development (TDD) but the SharePoint Retreat in London has made me think about using this approach for SharePoint 2010 development.  There are various tools to help you perform TDD however, these 2 posts show the approach I am most comfortable with thanks to Andrew Woodward. 

This whole article is based on Andrew’s session and I really would recommend to any serious development team to get Andrew in to do some upfront consulting and potentially training.  Upfront costs and his experience would definately be quickly recovered.  If you have already decided to use a TDD get Andrew in to get you dev team up to a good standard with TDD for SharePoint, anyway enough of my sycophantic
dialogue.

Tools:

• Visual Studio (VS) 2010 any edition;
• NUnit - preferable to MSTest for SharePoint dev
• TestDriven.Net (optional)
• ReSharper (optional)

Objectives:
Part 1 focuses on using setting up a basic “Magic 8 Ball” to unit test the business logic using nUnit. 

Tip: using coding Katas (really good approach to training, this is the 1st time I’ve used them and they actually really work) to get a full unit testing system working. 
Tip: Write the unit test and then write the code to fix the test.

At the SharePoint retreat, each session started with a:

1. Review of the last sessions code (if appicable),
2. Followed by an overview of what will be the next bit of coding logic (instructor lead teaching/demo exercise),
3. Break into a new pair programming team to code (old code is throw away and a fresh set of code is started that includes all the exercise from all the previous sessions), and
4. Loop – Back to step 1 (Review each pairs code).

In this post I am describing the 1st session, what you are trying to do is setup unit testing and write a couple of tests for you “Magic 8 Ball”. 

Setup

1. Open VS2010, create a new solution file (MagicPost1.Sln).

2. Create 2 new C# class projects, the 1st project contains the business logic code (BOL project) and the 2nd project contains the unit tests (BOLTest project).

3. Change the default class on the BOL project to Ball and the default class on the BOLTest project to BallTest.

4. Add 3 references to the BolTest project. 

All 4 steps are shown below:

dll reference locations:

\Program Files (x86)\NUnit 2.5.9\bin\net-2.0\lib\nunit.core.dll

\Program Files (x86)\NUnit 2.5.9\bin\net-2.0\framework\nunit.framework.dll

5.  Add the basic testing structure to you BallTest.cs code as shown below:

6. Add this basic code snippet to your Visual Studio code snippets (Resharper has better code snippet support).  7. Write you 1st unit test (the simpler the better) as show below:

8. Build your project to ensure it compiles. 9. Comptete the test code as shown below and run the test.

Tip: Strictly following TDD principals your test should fail and then you write code to fix it in the BOL code.

More Info:
Andrew Woodward’s codeplex project on the magic 8 Ball which provides the code you can use to build the magic 8 Ball with TDD.
Here is a slide deck to a presentation on the Magic 8 Ball TDD project.

Next Post:
Part 2 of the series looks at testing SharePoint using Type Moch Isolator.

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Master Microsoft’s Business Intelligence Tools

Building Integrated Business Intelligence Solutions with SQL Server 2008 R2 & Office 2010 explains how to take full advantage of Microsoft’s collaborative business intelligence (BI) tools. A variety of powerful, flexible technologies are covered, including SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS), Excel, Excel Services, PowerPivot, SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), Server Reporting Services (SSRS), SharePoint Server 2010, PerformancePoint Services, and Master Data Services. This practical guide focuses on deveoloping end-to-end BI solutions that foster informed decision making.

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• Move data into the system using SSIS, InfoPath, Streamsight, and SharePoint 2010 External Lists
• Build and publish reports with SSRS
• Integrate data from disparate applications, using SharePoint 2010 BI features
• Create scorecards and dashboards with PerformancePoint Services
• Summarize large volumes of data in charts and graphs
• Use the SSRS map feature for complex visualizations of spatial data
• Uncover patterns and relationships in data using the SSAS data mining engine
• Handle master data management with Master Data Services
• Publish the components of your BI solution and perform administrative tasks

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Tap into the power of the newest member of Microsoft’s Office suite. Learn to use InfoPath’s robust set of tools to capture information that’s locked away in document-based forms. Quickly create forms and data-gathering applications that use XML to separate form and content. This raw information can then be integrated into back-end systems, providing an end-to-end solution for data capture in the enterprise.

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Windows Small Business Server 2008 provides all the tools small companies need to improve collaboration, enhance productivity, and manage and secure all their information. In this book, a team of leading SBS experts brings together the in-depth knowledge and real-world insights you need to make the most of this state-of-the-art product.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals Eriq Neale and his colleagues cover every facet of planning, deploying, and managing SBS 2008. The authors begin by showing how to install and configure SBS 2008 for maximum efficiency, performance, and ease of administration. You’ll learn how to securely utilize SBS 2008’s comprehensive Internet, file, and print services; simplify and automate both server and workstation management; and take full advantage of both SharePoint collaboration and Exchange communication tools.

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Deliver BI Solutions with Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007

Maximize the powerful BI tools available in PerformancePoint 2007 with help from this practical guide. You will learn how to collect and store data, monitor progress, analyze performance, distribute dynamic reports, and create maintainable projects and forecasts. Business Intelligence with Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 provides full details on creating scorecards and dashboards, performing advanced analysis on data, and setting up business plans. You will also learn how to integrate PerformancePoint with ProClarity, Excel 2007, and SQL Server Reporting Services.

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• Create KPIs, scorecards, reports, and dashboards with the Dashboard Designer
• Create business models with the Planning Business Modeler and create budgets and forecasts with Excel 2007
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• Take advantage of the enhanced analytic capabilities of Excel 2007
• Use SQL Server Reporting Services for analytics
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Extract and analyze mission-critical enterprise data using Microsoft Office 2007

This authoritative volume is a practical guide to the powerful new collaborative Business Intelligence tools available in Office 2007. Using real-world examples and clear explanations, Microsoft Office 2007 Business Intelligence: Reporting, Analysis, and Measurement from the Desktop shows you how to use Excel, Excel Services, SharePoint, and PerformancePoint with a wide range of stand-alone and external data in today’s networked office. You will learn how to analyze data and generate reports, scorecards, and dashboards with the Office tools you’re already using to help you in your everyday work.

• Create Excel PivotTables and PivotCharts and apply Conditional Formatting
• Convert Excel spreadsheets into Excel Tables with Conditional Formatting and Charting
• Connect external data to Excel using Office Data Connections and SharePoint
• Create SharePoint dashboards that display data from multiple sources
• Add Key Performance Indicators and Excel Services reports to your dashboards
• Harness advanced SQL Server 2005 data analysis tools with the Excel Data Mining Add-In and Visio Cluster Diagrams
• Generate integrated PerformancePoint Scorecards
• Create Visio PivotDiagrams and Windows Mobile spreadsheets

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