designer

Using SharePoint Designer to Carry Out Common Tasks 5
necessary customizations of a SharePoint site by using a browser; 15 percent require the
use of SharePoint Designer, and 10 percent require a developer who is skilled in Visual
Studio 2010.
Whether you are an administrator, a developer, or an information worker, some of the
most compelling uses of SharePoint Designer are as follows:
●●
●●
●●
●●
●●
●●
Using the Data View and Data Form Web Parts to create data-driven solutions
based on eXtensible Markup Language (XML) and eXtensible Stylesheet
Language Transformations (XSLT) technologies, including creating custom views
of data from external systems exposed by Business Connectivity Services (BCS). If
you need to use either of these Web Parts on multiple sites, you can export and
import the Web Parts or make them part of the Web Part gallery. This lets you
produce maintainable solutions, where you store the XSLT in a central document
library and point these Web Parts to it. You can then centrally manage changes to
the Web Parts you create without visiting every site that uses them.
Connecting to other data source connections, such as XML Web services, databases,
and lists and libraries on other SharePoint sites, including the use of external
content types (ECT) and external lists.
Using Web Part connections to pass data from a Web Part on one page to one or
more Web Parts on another page. With Web Part connections, you can manage the
data displayed on a page in a dynamic and interesting way. Using a Web browser,
you can connect only Web Parts that are placed on the same page.
Creating workflows for lists or libraries, a content type, or a site by using the builtin
workflow editor—complemented by business workflow diagrams produced with
Microsoft Visio 2010 and without having to write server-side code. These workflows
can be exported and given to a developer with Visual Studio skills.
Creating solutions to meet the needs of specific business processes or sets of tasks
in your organization, and then reusing them as a basis for future SharePoint sites.
Prototyping a solution to justify business expenditure. Before submitting a proposal
or requesting additional resources, you can quickly create solutions with SharePoint
Designer to gather requirements and verify the business process the solution must
meet. You may need to export your solution and involve a developer or an administrator
so that the final solution is easily deployed and managed. When you start
to develop a solution using SharePoint Designer, your intention might be to create
a solution that will be used immediately. However, as you work with the business,
the solution might become more complex or the business might not be able to