Integrating Outlook 2003 with Microsoft SharePoint Technologies - Mauro Cardarelli

Introduction

I'm often asked about the integration between Microsoft Outlook and SharePoint (SharePoint Portal Server and Windows SharePoint Services).  Given SharePoint's native capabilities to manage contact lists, task lists, and calendars, it is a natural assumption that users can share data between these products.  This article will highlight key integration features between Outlook and SharePoint as well as illustrate some best practices for enhanced collaboration.

Viewing SharePoint Data in Outlook

One of the easiest ways to bring SharePoint data into the Outlook interface is to present specific portal pages as Outlook folders.  This can be done with the following steps:

  • Right click on Inbox and select 'New Folder...'
  • Give the folder a name representing the specific portal page (i.e. 'Portal Home Page' or 'My Active Project')
  • Right click on the new folder and select 'Properties'
  • Select the Home Page tab
  • Enter the URL for the portal page; be sure to check 'Show home page by default for this folder'
  • Save changes

Now, clicking on the new Outlook folder will present the portal page within the Outlook interface.  This avoids having to open a new Internet Explorer session.

Another way of getting SharePoint data into Outlook is via a data import.  Because SharePoint supports vCard and iCalendar standards, it is possible to import a contact or event directly into Outlook.  This can be done with the following steps:

  • In a SharePoint contact or event list, select a specific contact or event
  • Click 'Export Contact' or 'Export Event'
  • A File Download dialog will appear; click 'Open' to launch the specific Outlook form
  • Click 'Save and Close' to save the contact or event directly into Outlook.

Note, SharePoint has built-in web parts to display Outlook data related to specific Outlook content.  Very much like the scenario above, these web parts are designed to expose Outlook data in the SharePoint interface.  This data includes items such as personal inbox, calendar, and task list.

Document and Meeting Workspace Sites

When an Outlook 2003 user sends an email with an attachment or creates a meeting request, Outlook offers the option to create a corresponding Document Workspace or Meeting Workspace.  The workspace is a site within SharePoint dedicated to the collaboration around a specific document or meeting.  Typically, users create Document Workspaces or Meeting Workspaces under their 'My Site' section within the portal.

For a Document Workspace, the email sender is designated an Administrator for the site.  Recipients can open the file as an attachment or click on the link in the body of the message to bring them to the Document Workspace.  One of the nice features of using a Document Workspace is that it automatically manages updates to that specific document.  That is, if a recipient opens an Office document attachment associated with a Document Workspace he/she will automatically receive any updates previously submitted by other recipients.

For a Meeting Workspace, Outlook automatically adds attendees to the workspace site based on its ability to resolve them through Active Directory.  A meeting request sender will have the ability to view a tally for attendance response as well as provide additional meeting details (agenda, directions, etc.).

Linking Events and Contacts in Outlook

It is possible to display a Sharepoint contact or event list in the Outlook interface by creating a link from the list to Outlook.  This can be done in the following way:

  • Navigate to the appropriate SharePoint contact or event list
  • Click 'Link to Outlook'
  • Click 'Yes' at the 'Do you want to add the folder to Outlook?' prompt

The new folder will be listed in Outlook under 'Other Contacts' or 'Other Calendars'.  By default, Outlook checks for updates to the list every time the user navigates to the folder.  The user can force a data refresh by right clicking and selecting 'Refresh'.  However, the user cannot create new items in the SharePoint list through Outlook.   

Transferring Outlook Data to a SharePoint Site

There are five ways to transfer data from Outlook to SharePoint.

  1. Export data from Outlook to an Excel spreadsheet.  SharePoint can use this file to generate a new list, where each sheet column is a new list attribute.  In SharePoint, the user can click 'Create' then select 'Import Spreadsheet'.  This will allow navigation to any Excel file.  Click 'Import' to generate the new SharePoint list.
  2. In a SharePoint contact list, click 'Import Contacts'.  An Outlook 2003 address book dialog appears.  Select one or more names from the address list.  Any enterprise (Global Address List) or local contact can be imported.
  3. Send a document via email to an Exchange public folder that has been configured to redirect the attachment into a SharePoint document library.
  4. Send a document file email and select the Outlook 2003 option to create a Document Workspace site.
  5. Send a meeting request and select the Outlook 2003 option to create a Meeting Workspace site.

Managing Alerts in Outlook

SharePoint offers the ability to subscribe to content changes within the portal.  On a specific portal page, users can select 'Alert Me' as a notification mechanism for new or altered portal data specific to that page.  When the alert criteria is met (i.e. "tell me when a new document is added to this document library"), an email is sent.  It is possible to have several alerts defined.  Management of the alerts can be done through Outlook.  This is a great feature since the Outlook environment is where results are displayed.  By going to 'Tools' then 'Rules and Alerts' and selecting the 'Manage Alerts' tab, users have management capabilities for all defined SharePoint alerts; this includes editing or deleting existing alerts as well as creating new alerts.

Summary

As you can see, Outlook 2003 and Microsoft SharePoint technologies offer a tightly integrated solution for sharing data between the products.  Users can continue to use Outlook as their enterprise-standard email and calendaring application.  However, with Outlook 2003, information workers can recognize enhanced productivity through the inclusion of email and calendaring data in their collaboration environment.