Why? SharePoint (WSS/ SPS) is the place for end users to access corporate information.

Why? SharePoint (WSS/ SPS) is the place for end users to access corporate information.

--> Customers need to expose this corporate information from many data sources into a single coherent view. SPS and Office Server provide the single coherent view via the BI Portal. Reporting Services is the means to exposing this critical corporate information in the BI Portal.

Report Center – Central Storage for business reports.

SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services SP2 is integrated with Windows SharePoint Services to enable seamless publishing, viewing, and management of reports

-Report server namespace and security is hosted in WSS content database

-Report Server database used for additional metadata (schedules, caching, subscriptions)

-WSS DB used for storing Report Server items – reports, data sources, models, resources etc.

SharePoint Solutions: Smart Investments in a Recession

If collaboration solutions were a smart investment in 2008, they are even smarter in the recession of 2009. Well architected SharePoint solutions are likely to be one of the smartest investments companies can make to survive and thrive in this challenging economy. Here are a few ideas to help justify or accelerate your SharePoint solution investment and ensure that your investment shows a quick and sustainable return.
Why SharePoint now? [in the time of recession]
Solutions that automate business processes, especially those processes that are designed to replace lost workers, can help organizations deliver value with fewer resources. If an organization already owns SharePoint (and we all know that many do), building an automation solution on the SharePoint platform may be easier to justify than an expensive investment in business process automation software.
Effective collaboration solutions help to minimize travel expenses. Pretty much every organization I know is severely cutting back on travel expenses this year. In a geographically dispersed organization, cutting back on travel doesn’t mean project teams aren’t expected to work together; it must means that they have to work more effectively at a distance. SharePoint team sites, wikis, and blogs are a key enabler for effective distance collaboration.
Now, more than ever, companies can’t afford the productivity drain resulting from not being able to find information. I’ve read some estimates that the infamous “knowledge worker” spends close to 50% of his time searching for information. Can organizations really afford not to invest in a solution that helps increase information transparency and improves “findability?” Should we really be paying our scarce resources to navigate through endless LAN folders or should we be investing in solutions that promote asset re-use and facilitate knowledge transfer?
When you get the commitment to move ahead, here are some implementation considerations that are even more important in a recession than they are in a growing economy:
Don’t just throw SharePoint “over the fence” and expect users to jump on board. Create sample solutions and model sites so that teams can quickly begin to take advantage of the improved ability to find information in a well-architected SharePoint solution.
Don’t skip the information architecture step – it’s just as easy to design an “unfindable” SharePoint solution as it is to create a nested folder hierarchy that is 14 layers deep. A small investment in information architecture (from an expert consultant either inside or outside the organization) can help ensure the success of your SharePoint investment.
Be sure to include a governance plan to ensure things don’t get out of control and that users have a plan to maintain content over time. The only way your strategic collaboration investments will have a chance of being a valuable investment to ride out the recession and provide a platform for growth in a turn-around is if the content is reliable and current (in addition to being “findable”). A strong governance plan is critical to ensure that your investment delivers value in both the short and long term.

Maximize your performance review as an administrative assistant

By Susan Fenner, Ph.D.
Most of us get just one opportunity each year to highlight our contributions in the workplace — and hopefully, to justify a salary increase. Here are some things that you can do to ensure that your manager notices your worth and receives ample documentation to support a recommended bonus, merit pay raise, or both.
Incorporate manager feedback. You should have begun to apply any suggestions made by your manager in your last review as soon as it was over. Even if you didn't necessarily agree with your review, you want your manager to see that you heard — and responded to — his or her feedback.
Document your accomplishments. Also as soon as your last review was over, you should have begun collecting supporting information for your next review. Consider scheduling a regular time for yourself each month to quantify and record your accomplishments.
Solicit testimonials. Whenever someone indicates that they're pleased with your work, ask them for an e-mail message stating their satisfaction so that you can add it to your review file. Ultimately, it'll be worth much more than any token of appreciation, and it's more professional.
Keep your testimonials yourself. Rather than just passing along letters of praise or recommendation to your manager to place in your personnel file, maintain your own copies. You can save your manager the hassle of organizing the letters, and you can keep them for future reference.
Organize your documentation. Use whatever format makes the most sense to display your evidence of accomplishments at review time, but keep it concise, with the accomplishments summarized and easy to read. Some people use a one-inch, three–ring binder with dividers for various sections. Use a highlighter to call attention to relevant paragraphs or phrases.
Acknowledge your manager. Begin your notebook with a positive letter to your manager recognizing his or her efforts toward your accomplishments. List the things that you appreciate about your working relationship with the company and with your manager.
Include an annual summary of achievements. This is not a list of routine tasks that you performed as part of your regular job function. Rather, focus on ways that you have gone above and beyond the call of duty, with numbers to verify your contributions. Demonstrate that you have saved the company money, increased sales or profits, or provided a unique contribution that would have cost more had it been outsourced.
Negotiate your review date. If your review date falls at the end of a budgetary period, see whether you can change it to an earlier date — before all the money for the year has been spent. Likewise, steer clear of tense times when your manager may not be in the best mood, like before big meetings or the due dates of complex reports. Most employers will make raises retroactive to the anniversary date of hire, even if reviews are conducted later.
Be prepared one month before your review. Have all of your supporting review documentation organized to give to your manager approximately one month before your scheduled review date (which is often the anniversary of your hire date). If you wait too long, your manager may have completed your review already, and your documentation cannot be used to influence the decision.
Do your homework. Compile information on how your company is doing financially, and listen to the rumor mill about whether other associates are getting raises. If so, try to get a feel for the range of increases. Some companies will openly acknowledge the average percentage of increase that employees can expect each year. If you work with a departmental budget, you can get an idea of the total pool that's been set aside for staff.
Start on a positive note. Ask your manager whether you may start your review discussion by telling him or her about your top achievements for the year and then asking for feedback. This sets a positive tone and spotlights your best work before any negative points are discussed.
Accept criticism gracefully. Be prepared for your manager to mention problems or shortcomings with your performance. Respond by explaining how you plan to improve in the future (such as identifying training or mentorship offerings in areas where you need to improve your skills).
Avoid disputes. Don't argue, especially about any perceived negative points being discussed. Whether they're true or not, they are your manager's perceptions. Respond thoughtfully: "I understand how you might have viewed it that way. Next time, I will handle it by doing such and such. I want to do whatever I can to strengthen our working relationship. I consider us a team."
Show improvement initiative. Ask what you can do to better meet your manager's needs. Ask about upcoming changes, and what new skills your manager recommends to meet them. Show that you're forward-thinking and willing to expand your skill base.
Ask for help and offer solutions. Tell your manager whether there are things that you require to be more effective on the job (like dedicated time without interruptions during rush projects, a new software program, or the support of a temporary worker for an especially busy period). Have reasonable, workable solutions to offer for your needs and concerns. This is far more effective than complaining or belittling others.
Discuss your goals. Get your supervisor's buy-in for your professional goals, such as preparing for professional certification, enrolling in a technology course or seminar, subscribing to industry publications, or purchasing resource material that will benefit you and your colleagues.
Be honest — with tact. It's all right to indicate that you're disappointed with your salary increase, if you feel that it's too low. Ask for another review in six months, or suggest a perk that would make you happier with the salary. Examples include renegotiating your duties, receiving help from outside the department during rush periods, receiving a membership to the IAAP, getting permission to attend a conference, or getting approval to purchase educational materials.
Remember to listen without interrupting, hold your temper, and remain professional. Your performance review is your opportunity to provide your manager with the supporting evidence that he or she needs to make you shine and to reflect positively on the past year. How you end this year will definitely influence how you begin the next.
About the author Susan Fenner, Ph.D., is the Manager of Education and Professional Development at the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), the world's largest association for administrative support staff.

Save Hundreds of Administrative Hours with Microsoft Office Word 2003

Progress isn’t all bad. Recall the time you spent setting margins and headers, hunting down and correcting typos and grammatical errors, inserting repeat information in hundreds of places, and then creating that same document, oh, maybe thousands of times in a single year.
Thankfully those days over and, with each new Microsoft® Office release and improved connectivity to the Web, your administrative skills are ready to double. Today, with tips, training, tricks, and more, delivered right to your desktop, you can learn and stay on task.
Here’s just some of the progress identified at your fingertips by using Word 2003. Save hundreds of administrative hours with the following:
Microsoft Office Templates Save time with templates such as business cards, invoices, calendars, and reports. If you don't see what you want, tell us using the feedback link on the homepage.
Check spelling and grammar No more referring to bulky dictionaries and style manuals that take your time and attention away from work.
Automatically correct text as you type Create an automatic smiley face, raise up those "th" and build long em dashes. In the blink of an eye.
Find and replace text or other items Your manager tells you that a product name has changed. No problem, find all entries in the spreadsheet and replace with the new name, at the click of a button!
Look up words in the dictionary Use the new Research task pane to view definitions of words in your document. You can also look up words, phrases, and paragraphs in another language.
Look up words in the thesaurus Use the new Research task pane to view synonyms of words in your document. You can also words, phrases and paragraphs in another language.
About research services Add services that you use daily such as dictionaries and intranet sites to the Research task pane. Get regular service updates too.
Translate text Impress your international clients by translating words, phrases, and paragraphs in their native language. In the Research task pane you have access to bilingual dictionaries and machine translation.
About mail merge for form letters and mass mailings Use the Mail Merge task pane to guide you through creating a mass mailing or other output scenario.
Data sources you can use for a mail merge You can use mail merge to create any type of document that maps fields to data, not just mailings or directories. For example, if your videotape collection is listed in a spreadsheet, you can use the Labels option to create videotape labels.
Print a list of changes made to a document Need to work through lunch? Print a list of document changes and review them outside in the sun.
So that's how! Great Word features Train yourself on all the great featurs that Word 2003 has to offer.

Design logical architecture (Windows SharePoint Services)

Logical architecture is the manner in which logical components of a solution are organized and integrated. In Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, the logical components include Internet Information Services (IIS) application pools, Web applications, zones, policy for Web applications, content databases, site collections, sites, and host-named site collections.



Logical architecture components (Windows SharePoint Services) introduces each of the logical architecture components and discusses the following considerations for each component: capacity, sharing and isolation, configurable items, administration, and planning recommendations.
Plan alternate access mappings (Windows SharePoint Services) provides information about configuring Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 to map Web requests to the correct Web applications and sites. It describes how to implement alternate access mappings for common Internet deployment scenarios in which a Web application that receives a request for an internal URL, in one of the five authentication zones, returns pages that contain links to the public URL for the zone.
Plan for host-named site collections (Windows SharePoint Services) provides information about creating host-named site collections to provide a scalable hosting solution with distinct host names for each site collection.
White paper: Create shared hosting solutions on Windows SharePoint Services provides information about using Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 to host sites. It explains different recommended hardware architecture solutions, security and authentication issues, ways to add sites and users, and how to configure search.

reference:http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc287994.aspx