SharePoint workspaces and Groove workspaces

SharePoint workspaces

 

With this workspace type, you create a copy of a SharePoint site on your local computer that is automatically synchronized with the server.

A SharePoint workspace is your own personal copy of the SharePoint site, or selected lists and libraries you choose to take offline and synchronize from that site. The workspace contains only you as a member. You share content updates with other SharePoint users as the workspace is synchronized with the SharePoint site.

 Note    Unlike Groove workspaces, SharePoint workspaces do not synchronize across multiple computers on which you have your account. You must create separate copies of your SharePoint workspaces on each computer.

In simple terms, a SharePoint workspace gives you access to SharePoint site content at any time, whether or not you are connected to your network.

 Note    SharePoint workspaces can synchronize only with sites running on Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010, or SharePoint Online servers.

Why create SharePoint workspaces

The most obvious reason to create a SharePoint workspace is have access to your SharePoint site data when you are unable to access your network, or when you are offline.

Additionally, many users may prefer the features and work environment found in SharePoint workspaces, as compared to those found working directly on SharePoint sites in a Web browser. For example, SharePoint workspaces provide quick and easy navigation among lists and libraries. You can switch among these lists and libraries by clicking with the mouse and thus avoid loading Web pages. If you work with content from several SharePoint sites, you might download this content into a number of SharePoint workspaces, and organize them in the SharePoint Workspace Launchbar for quick access.

Finally, many users may find that they enjoy the rich application features found in SharePoint workspaces, and appreciate the simplicity of performing many standard activities, such as adding or editing new items or files to lists and libraries.

Groove workspaces

This is the original workspace type developed for Microsoft Office Groove, before the product name changed to SharePoint Workspace.

With this workspace type, groups or organizations with common purposes and goals can share ideas and work together. A Groove workspace typically contains two or more "members," that is, people who join the workspace via invitation. Workspace content is highly dynamic. All members who are currently online see instantly any updates either they or other members add. You and other members send and receive updates as you come online.

Groove workspaces allow members to work with a variety of specialized application tools. For example, suppose you conduct a weekly meeting to discuss developing marketing materials. Activities might involve setting deadlines, assigning tasks, and reviewing completed work. To facilitate this meeting, workspace members might post files in a Documents tool, discuss issues in a Discussion tool, and collaborate on meeting agendas using a Calendar tool. All members currently online at the same time in the workspace could interact using real-time chat.

The Lists tool is used in conjunction with Microsoft Office InfoPath to create custom tools to be added to a workspace. The complexity and features in a custom tool can vary widely, depending mostly on the goals and creativity of an InfoPath tool designer. Any designer should be able to build a simple tool that consists of a variety of data-entry and input fields laid out on a form.