In this article I would like to explain new features of SharePoint 2013.
Document Collaboration
- The user experience is better compared to SharePoint 2010.
- Improvements in the applications of metadata.
- Includes the ability to edit Managed Metadata in a spreadsheet view.
- To upload documents to a SharePoint library without opening a document library in an explorer view.
- Easy to drag and drop (upload) the documents into libraries.
- Word and Power Point Co-Authoring are used in Document Collaboration.
- Added new file extensions, like docx, xslx and other file formats by adding an “x” at the end of the file extension.
Search
- Users can find relevant information more quickly and easily.
- It shows the number of times a document has been viewed.
- It remembers past search results and clicked results and also displays the values in a top of the result page.
- “View in library” in one click.
- In a search query tool, view all types of result sets, like Primary Query results, query suggestions, query rules and Secondary Query results.
- It includes admins to promote a result to the top of the search results by using some keywords.
Expertise Location
- The most recent documents display the default people search authored by those users.
- In those news feed posts, the following people can see the updates.
- It also includes Everyone, Mentions and Activities as in a newsfeed information.
Social Computing
- Users have Newsfeed information similar to a Facebook activity stream.
- Using @mentions and #hash tags for post and reply to the activity stream.
- In SharePoint 2013 the my site is categorized into three different sections (news feed, SkyDrive and sites)
- The Social features are tightly integrated, so it’s no longer necessary to launch a web browser to access them.
Communities of Practice
- It’s completely focused on conversations of people (Yammer).
- Users can easily observe a conversation and join the community when they want to post.
- Conversations are categorized by topic with a use of image.
- Has increased innovation, better communication among people and an improved customer experience.
- Users are automatically “Following” a community site when they become a member.
- Selected users can be “gifted” a badge (like Expert, Thought Leader). It’s easily identified conversations in which participants have provided distinguished contributions.
Workflow
- SharePoint 2013 workflows run on the Azure workflow engine. That includes a visual workflow that uses Visio 2013.
- It adds new building workflow blocks called stags, loop and App step.
- Without writing any code it is easy to call a web service.
- Users can query and configure a workflow setting using Power Shell commands.
Collaborating with others outside the work group on individual documents as in the following:
- In any site and document the “Share” button is easily visible for users.
- Easier to collaborate, but still controlled by someone to edit an individual document “in place”. But all documents are approved by site administrators.
Mobile Access
- Users can render a single published SharePoint site with multiple designs to provide various device types in Device channel.
- In Office web apps, end users are allowed to view Word, Excel, and Power Point documents in mobile browsers.
- A "Contemporary view" that supports sites in HTML5 and also it works with the most recent mobile IE, Safari and Android browsers.
- SharePoint Server 2013 enables a user to view certain kinds of dashboard content, that includes Performance Point reports and scorecards, and Excel Services reports (iOS 5.0 Safari browsers on iPad devices).
Branding (creating a custom look and feel)
- SharePoint 2013 has added composed looks, it provides several pre-built looks and feels in the SharePoint UI.
- It also controls the arrangement and general look of the site, colors, fonts and a background image.
- Web designers are allowed to use a Dreamweaver tool to create designs for SharePoint 2013.
Better Email Integration
- Introduces a site mailbox feature. It creates an Exchange inbox for a SharePoint site.
- Easily drag and drop the emails to a site mail box. And also drag and drop an attachment in Outlook to a SharePoint site.
- Duplicate email checking.
- Upload attachment information defined by the destination (library/ list and content type).
References
Summary
In this article, we explored some of the social and collaborative features of SharePoint 2013 at a high level.