Rapid Development, Dashboards and Workflow

SharePoint on it's own is a great tool. You can get going and improve your productivity with very little technical knowledge.

On the other hand, if what you really want is a robust, polished, custom application, rather than just a useful workspace or a competent document library, then you are probably going to need programming skills and significant resources to achieve your end goal.  As soon as you begin writing your own web parts and background utilities, you are no longer just tweaking and configuring, but are into mainstream software development with all the pitfalls and necessary disciplines which that entails (code control, backwards compatibility, regression testing, etc. etc.   what a headache!)

This is where InfoStrata Solutions can help. We are experienced system builders and expert suppliers of some of the very best-of-breed SharePoint add-on technologies.

For many customers we have built line of business systems in a fraction of the time normally taken using conventional programming technologies.  We have done so using SharePoint enhanced by one or more technologies from Quest, Nintex, Coveo, UbiSys and others.

Rapid Development

For building systems with maximum power and minimum pain, we use the Quest Web Parts for SharePoint.  A great system-builders toolkit, for analysts and programmers alike, The Quest Web Parts turn SharePoint 2007 into a rapid application development platform.

The Quest Web Parts enable system builders to:

• Aggregate data from multiple sources, from inside or outside SharePoint;
• Employ many common design patterns such as many-to-many, attached data, parent-child etc.
• Simulate relational behaviour whilst using only standard SharePoint lists;
• Integrate with external databases directly or via web services;
• Link directly to custom C# code, without having to build web parts;

All this amounts to a very sophisticated set of components which enables development time-spans to reduce from months to days. So, do you need to be a programmer?  Well the true answer is: for the most part, no!  You can build complete business solutions without writing a line of code.  Configuration of the web parts is optionally via XML script or by running the wizards provided. (Most people use the wizards.)

When it comes to making a fancier job of the User Interface, most can be done by non-programmers.  If you want to really push the boundaries, well then some skills in JavaScript would be helpful and if you want to simulate workflow or automate custom data manipulations, then you would probably need C# skills.

On the other hand, if you have programmers and are looking for ways to add value to the web parts, then the ability to drop into C# code and interact directly with the SharePoint object model gives ample opportunities to be creative.  Programmers can easily integrate the Quest web parts with other products with or without interacting with the BDC or Biztalk.

Try out the toolkit for 30 days, ask us for a demonstration, or perhaps invest in a brief proof-of-concept project, the fast-track way to get tangible productivity benefits while testing the product set.

Why buy from us? Simple: We will give you the best deal on the product and you'll be buying from the company with then best track record using this product in the UK.  What's more, after our expert training, if you need further help to get going, or just feel it would be cost effective to outsource, then you'll need to look no further.  What more can we say?

Dashboards

For building Dashboards the Quest Web Parts for SharePoint also include the ability to entirely customise the look & feel and behaviour of a data layout.  The "qListView" web part, allows a rich range of graphical options using HTML, JavaScript and VBscript.  In addition, the Quest qChartView web part, which has been recently re-designed now offers both Telerik or Fusion-based graphics.

Long regarded as the standard in .NET dashboard graphics, Dundas Charts and Gauges are now offered as web parts for SharePoint 2007. Keenly priced to make it a "must-have" addendum to your development tool kit, Dundas Charts and Gauges continue to add that extra creative flair to your sites.

Workflow

Developers that have spent any time building WFF workflows for SharePoint just love Nintex Workflow. Nintex provides a slick, fast and intuitive interface to get WFF workflows established with the minimum of coding.  Why waste time writing from scratch when it takes minutes to get a workflow up and running?  Great for Analysts; Programmers avoid reinventing, and get to concentrate on tailoring and integrating.

For enterprise class BPR, award-winning Skelta Workflow presents a unique toolset for the broadest range of workflow applications. Architecturally independent of SharePoint, Skelta can coexist as a workflow platform for SharePoint and .NET applications.  Exposed via web parts or totally embedded, Skelta is highly flexible and customisable enabling developers full scope for creatively adapting their sites and applications.

InfoStrata Solutions Credentials & Services

InfoStrata Solutions was formed in 2005 to focus on the SharePoint platform.  Our most experienced architects and designers have over 25 years development experience each, covering a wide range of technologies.

The services we can offer our clients include the following:

•      Rapid Development of complete systems based on SharePoint (MOSS or WSS) using appropriate add-on technologies. This is typically a fixed-price assignment against a user requirements specification.
•      Integration of legacy systems with SharePoint using, where appropriate, Quest Web Parts and workflow products.
•      Supply and assistance with Quest Web Parts, Nintex, Coveo and UbiSys.
•      Training in the use of Quest Web Parts (Basic and Advanced), Nintex Workflow, Coveo Search & Integration.  Our training programs are exercise based, practical, focussed on achievement and are very effective.
•      Partnered Development in which we help you to get started, train you in the use of the technologies and provide ad-hoc support as-needed in your system development.  This is more appropriate for development companies who prefer to develop themselves but seek help to get up-to-speed.