Module 4: Creating and Deploying Digital Dashboards

Configuring a Digital Dashboard Server Explain how to install and configure digital dashboard environments based on the two types of Web Part stores supported by the Digital Dashboard Re

Contents

Overview 1

Configuring a Digital Dashboard Server 2

Deploying and Supporting Digital

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Instructor Notes

This module provides students with the skills necessary to create and deploy digital dashboards

At the end of this module, students will be able to:

! Install and configure a digital dashboard server that supports both Microsoft® Windows® 2000 file system–based and Microsoft SQL Server™–based digital dashboard solutions

! Deploy and support a digital dashboard

! Personalize and customize digital dashboards for individuals or corporate groups

! Enable offline use of a digital dashboard

Materials and Preparation

This section provides you with the required materials and preparation tasks that are needed to teach this module

Required Materials

To teach this module, you need the following materials:

! Microsoft PowerPoint® file 2017a_04.ppt

! Module 4, “Creating and Deploying Digital Dashboards”

Preparation Tasks

To prepare for this module, you should:

! Read all of the materials for this module

! Read the instructor notes and margin notes for this module

! Complete the lab

Presentation:

45 Minutes

Lab:

15 Minutes

Module Strategy

Use the following strategy to present this module:

! Configuring a Digital Dashboard Server Explain how to install and configure digital dashboard environments based

on the two types of Web Part stores supported by the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit version 2.0: Windows 2000 file system and SQL Server

! Deploying and Supporting Digital Dashboards Explain how to implement a digital dashboard Describe the difference between personal and team digital dashboards Explain how to access a digital dashboard by using Microsoft Outlook® 2000

! Personalizing and Customizing Digital Dashboards Explain how to personalize digital dashboards and how to customize digital dashboards Explain how to enable digital dashboards to store user

preferences

! Enabling Offline Use of Digital Dashboards Introduce the concept of enabling offline use of digital dashboards Explain how to enable offline use of Internet and intranet content and business data

Overview

! Configuring a Digital Dashboard Server

! Deploying and Supporting Digital Dashboards

! Personalizing and Customizing Digital Dashboards

! Enabling Offline Use of Digital Dashboards

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

! Install and configure a digital dashboard server that supports both Microsoft® Windows® 2000 file system–based and Microsoft SQL Server™–based digital dashboard solutions

! Deploy and support digital dashboards by using the four basic implementation models along with Microsoft Outlook® 2000

! Personalize and customize digital dashboards for individuals or for corporate groups

! Enable offline use of a digital dashboard

In this module, you will learn

how to create and deploy

digital dashboards

# Configuring a Digital Dashboard Server

! Installing a File System–based Digital Dashboard Environment

! Configuring a File System–based Digital Dashboard Environment

! Installing a SQL Server–based Digital Dashboard Environment

! Configuring a SQL Server–based Digital Dashboard Environment

The Digital Dashboard Resource Kit version 2.0 includes installation wizards for installing the two sample digital dashboards: one based on the

Windows 2000 file system and one based on SQL Server version 7.0 You can use the installed digital dashboards, along with sample Web Parts, as the foundation for your own digital dashboards The following sections explain how to install and configure network servers to support the file system and SQL Server sample digital dashboards

You should always back up your Internet Information Services (IIS) metadata before running one of the digital dashboard installation wizards The metadata can be found in the WINNT\System32\Inetsrv directory, in a file named Metabase.bin If there is a problem during setup that results in the metadata becoming corrupted, you can restore it by using the backup file

You can use either of the

two sample digital

dashboards included with

the Digital Dashboard

Resource Kit as the

foundation for your digital

dashboard

Important

Installing a File System–based Digital Dashboard Environment

Components of a File System–based Digital Dashboard

Components of a File System–based Digital Dashboard

Web Part Storage Web Page Storage

Providing Information During Installation

Installing the File System Sample Digital Dashboard

Installing the File System Sample Digital Dashboard

\Factory\*.*

\Dashboards\

Files copied to your computer

Files copied to your computer

File system–based digital dashboards store Web Parts and digital dashboards on

a network server by using the Windows 2000 file system Digital dashboards are represented by folders in the file system that contain Web Parts These folders also contain a set of properties called Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) properties that are required for both digital dashboard folders and Web Parts

Whereas digital dashboard folders and Web Parts appear to be normal folders and files in the file system, they can be created only by using the digital dashboard user interface (UI) or the Web Part Builder add-in to Microsoft Visual InterDev® version 6.0 because of the special properties associated with these files and folders After they are created, however, you can use the Windows file system to copy, move, and delete both digital dashboard folders and Web Parts—as long as they remain in a root digital dashboard folder after you copy or move them

Components of a File System–based Digital Dashboard

A file system–based digital dashboard requires two root folders:

! Digital dashboard folder This component is an NTFS file system folder

and IIS virtual root that is used to physically store Web Part files and digital dashboard properties

! Factory folder This component is an NTFS folder and IIS virtual root that

stores components used by the digital dashboard factory while rendering a digital dashboard view

Slide Objective

To illustrate the components

needed to install a file

system–based digital

dashboard environment

Lead-in

A digital dashboard can

store Web Parts in the

Windows 2000 file system

Installing a File System Sample Digital Dashboard

The most straightforward way to install a digital dashboard based on the Windows file system is to install the Windows File System Sample Digital Dashboard (included with the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit)

To install the Windows File System Sample Digital Dashboard:

1 On the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit compact disc, run the Ddrk_fs.msi file

2 Follow the instructions provided by the installation wizard

Providing Information During Installation

During installation, you will be asked to provide the following information:

! Web site server You must specify the IIS server that will be used to support

your digital dashboard site The default value is Default Web Site

! Virtual root name You must provide a name for the folder and virtual root

that is used to store digital dashboard factory files The default virtual root

name is Factory

! WebDAV server name You must provide the name of the virtual root folder

that users will use to connect to a digital dashboard The default value is Dashboards

Your responses are recorded in the IIS Metabase.bin file and are used by components of the file system digital dashboard and your digital dashboard server If you modify virtual root directory names after the initial installation, you should reinstall the Windows File System Sample Digital Dashboard to update the IIS metadata settings

Files Copied to Your Server

Setup copies the following files to your computer

File Description

\Dashboards\ The root folder that will contain digital dashboards It is

registered in IIS as a virtual folder with Write, Directory

Browsing, and Script Execution permissions enabled

\Factory\*.* The digital dashboard factory folder This folder contains a set

of files that support dynamic rendering of the digital dashboard

at run time During installation, these files are copied to the

\Inetpub\Wwwroot\Factory folder (or to another subfolder whose name you specify)

The operating system used to support a file system–based digital dashboard site can be any version of Windows 2000 Server Windows 2000 Professional can be used to develop Web Parts and can be used to connect Visual InterDev to the server hosting a digital dashboard site, but it should not

be used as a digital dashboard site host This is because a client-side digital dashboard does not support a full implementation of the digital dashboard architecture

Note

Configuring a File System–based Digital Dashboard Environment

! Verifying Server Configuration

! Verifying the Digital Dashboard Factory Configuration Files

$ Verifying the Dashboard_const.inc file

$ Verifying the Factory_const.inc file

After installation is complete, your digital dashboard site is fully configured However, if you encounter problems during installation or while using the Web Part Builder software, use Event Viewer to review the event log and verify IIS settings on your server to ensure that the configuration is accurate and

complete

Verifying Server Configuration

When you install the Windows File System Sample Digital Dashboard, two IIS virtual root folders are placed on your server By default the two folders are named Factory and Dashboards and are located at C:\Inetpub\Wwwroot\Factory and C:\Inetpub\Wwwroot\Dashboards By using Internet Services Manager, ensure that both of these folders have been set up with the following check

boxes selected: Read, Write, Directory browsing, Log visits, and Index this resource

For the Factory folder, ensure that Scripts Only appears in the Execute Permissions box, and ensure that Medium (Pooled) appears in the Application Protection box For the Dashboards folder, ensure that Scripts Only appears in the Execute Permissions box, and ensure that Low (IIS Process) appears in the Application Protection box

Use Event Viewer to modify the property settings of the Application, Security,

and System logs so that the Overwrite events as needed check box is selected

If you experience problems with Visual InterDev while using the Web Part Builder add-ins, confirm that Service Pack 3 for Visual InterDev was installed before installing the Web Part Builder

Slide Objective

To outline the topics

associated with configuring

a file system–based digital

dashboard environment

Lead-in

If you encounter problems

during installation, you

should verify the server

configuration and the digital

dashboard factory

configuration files

Note

Verifying the Digital Dashboard Factory Configuration Files

You should verify the configuration settings for two files that are related to digital dashboard factory configuration

Verifying the Dashboard_const.inc File

An include (.inc) file named Dashboard_const.inc is located in the C:\Inetpub\Wwwroot\Factory folder This file should be configured as follows:

<%

Const stPortalServer = "http://server_name"

Const stPortalVRoot = "Dashboards"

Const stDashVRoot = "dashboards/Your_Startup_Dashboard/"

%>

You can modify the value being assigned to the stDashVRoot parameter to

enable an automatic redirect from the http://server_name/factory location to

your default digital dashboard (Note the trailing / in the example listing above.) Enabling automatic redirection enables users to connect to a default corporate digital dashboard by using Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 to browse to the

http://server_name/factory location rather than connect directly to your digital

dashboard site You can change which digital dashboard the users see by changing the value assigned to the stDashVRoot parameter

The stPortalVRoot parameter contains the root folder location where your digital dashboards are stored The DBList.asp file uses this parameter to determine where to create new digital dashboard folders The stPortalServer parameter identifies your digital dashboard server

Verifying the Factory_const.inc File

The Factory_const.inc file is used by the Web Part Builder to determine which digital dashboard factory is used to process the digital dashboard folders The Factory_const.inc file is created only if you have more than one digital dashboard factory installed on your digital dashboard server—if, for example, you installed more than one of the sample digital dashboards

Installing a SQL Server–based Digital Dashboard Environment

Components of the SQL Server 7.0 Sample Digital Dashboard

Components of the SQL Server 7.0 Sample Digital Dashboard

Database

Providing Information During Installation

Installing the SQL Server 7.0 Sample Digital Dashboard

Installing the SQL Server 7.0 Sample Digital Dashboard

\Scripts\Sqlwbcat.dll Sqlcatalog.sql

Files Copied to Your Computer

Files Copied to Your Computer

Components of the SQL Server 7.0 Sample Digital Dashboard

The SQL Server 7.0 Sample Digital Dashboard provides storage and access services for Web Parts and digital dashboards through the use of two components:

! SQL Server Web Part database This component is a SQL Server

(version 7.0 or later) database that you create to physically store digital dashboard resources and properties, including user-specific properties that determine how and whether a digital dashboard is rendered

! SQL Server Web Part server This component is an IIS extension that serves

as an access layer between the database and IIS All calls that retrieve, update, and store information are routed to and transformed by this layer into a format that is understood by the underlying SQL Server engine

A digital dashboard can

store Web Parts in a SQL

Server database

The SQL Server Web Part server supports HTTP 1.1 and WebDAV methods that enable Web clients to access a Web server in the same way that desktop clients access a file system For example, these methods provide users with the ability to browse the available Web Parts and digital dashboards on a server, select and reconfigure items, apply custom settings, and then persist those changes in the database as user- and profile-specific properties

For more information about the SQL Server 7.0 Sample Digital

Dashboard, see the SQL Server Digital Dashboard DDRK Documentation reference document and the Building and Deploying Digital Dashboards white

paper, which are included with the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit

Installing the SQL Server 7.0 Sample Digital Dashboard

The SQL Server 7.0 Sample Digital Dashboard requires SQL Server 7.0 or later running on Windows 2000, with IIS Web server software The SQL Server Web Part database, the SQL Server Web Part server, and SQL Server must be located on same computer as your Web server

Before you install the SQL Server 7.0 Sample Digital Dashboard, you should create an empty database that has Administrator privileges This allows you to keep your digital dashboard resources separate from your production data During installation of the database, a setup program adds tables, stored procedures, and triggers to the database that you specify A good name for this database is SQL Dashboard The User, Domain, and Password values that you supply during the installation of the SQL Server 7.0 Sample Digital Dashboard must match those of the user login that you created for the database

To install the SQL Server 7.0 Sample Digital Dashboard:

1 On the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit compact disc, run the Ddrk_sql.msi file

2 Follow the instructions provided by the installation wizard

Providing Information During Installation

During installation, you will be asked to provide the following information:

! SQL Server You must provide the name of the computer running SQL

Server and an authentication mode (either Windows NT or SQL Server)

! Web root You must provide the name of the Web root that users will use

when they connect to a digital dashboard The digital dashboard factory files will be stored in the Web root that you specify The default virtual root name is Dashboard, and the default location is the Default Web Site server

! Catalog Web root You must provide the name of the Web root that contains

the SQL Server Web Part server The default name is Sqlwbcat

! Database You must provide the name of the database that will be used to

store the digital dashboard components You must specify an existing database

Note

Your responses are recorded in the IIS Metabase.bin file and are used by the SQL Server Web Part server to locate components of the SQL Server digital dashboard, such as the database If you modify virtual root directory names, or the database name and location, you should reinstall your software to update the IIS metadata settings

Files Copied to Your Computer

Setup copies the following files to your computer

File Description

tables for storing definitions This file is executed by the setup program

installation, this file is copied to the

\Inetpub\Wwwroot\Scripts folder and registered

of files that support dynamic rendering at run time During installation, these files are copied to the

\Inetpub\Wwwroot\Dashboard folder (or

to another subfolder whose name you specify)

Configuring a SQL Server–based Digital Dashboard Environment

1

Reviewing the Error Log File

Reviewing the Error Log File

Verifying Server Configuration

Verifying Server Configuration

2

Digital Dashboard Factory

Digital Dashboard Factory 3

Verifying Digital Dashboard Factory Configuration

Verifying Digital Dashboard Factory Configuration

Database

Verifying Database Tables

Verifying Database Tables

4

Using Web Folders with a SQL Server– based Digital Dashboard

Using Web Folders with a SQL Server– based Digital Dashboard

5

After installation is complete, the SQL Server Web Part server is fully configured However, if you encounter problems while running the software, you should review the error file and verify server IIS settings to ensure that the configuration is accurate and complete

Reviewing the Error Log File

When IIS loads the SQL Server Web Part server, an error log file is created to store notifications and errors that occur The name of the file is defined within IIS as a WWW services property If the file does not exist, the SQL Server Web Part server was not installed correctly, and you should verify your IIS settings

Verifying Server Configuration

Because the SQL Server Web Part server is accessed by using an IIS extension,

it is exposed as a virtual directory in your Web root directory and must reside in its own virtual directory

By default, the location is C:\Inetpub\Wwwroot\Sqlwbcat By using Internet Services Manager, ensure that the virtual directory supports the following

settings: Execute permissions set to Scripts and Executables, and Application Protection set to Low (Pooled) Configuration should have an application

mapping that defines an * extension for Sqlwbcat.dll

Verifying Digital Dashboard Factory Configuration

The digital dashboard factory is also installed as a virtual directory By default,

it is located at C:\Inetpub\Wwwroot\Dashboard Its settings should support

Read permissions, and the Execute Permissions box should contain Scripts Only

Slide Objective

To illustrate the steps for

reviewing the configuration

based digital dashboard,

you should review the error

file and verify server IIS

settings to ensure that the

configuration is accurate

and complete

Verifying Database Tables

The SQL Server Web Part database stores catalog items, folders, and properties The database is populated with the following tables during installation:

AccessControl, Catalog, CatalogLock, ExtensionType, ItemProperty, Keywords, Profile, and URL

Using Web Folders with a SQL Server–based Digital Dashboard

After you install the SQL Server Sample Digital Dashboard, you can use Windows Web folders to work with the database and perform basic administrative tasks

Web folders provide a simple, UI-based method to determine which Web Parts and digital dashboards are available The user can double-click a digital dashboard to open it in a browser window In addition, commands that are available on shortcut menus allow you to rename, move, delete, and create items in the Web Part database

To use Web folders:

1 On the desktop, double-click the My Network Places icon

2 Double-click the Add New Network Place icon

3 In the Type the location of the network place box, type the Uniform

Resource Locator (URL)—for example, http://my_server/Sqlwbcat This is

the URL used to access the SQL Server Web Part server The SQL Server Web Part server will subsequently access the database and present its contents in a Web folder

Adding a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) file that contains the content of a Web Part to a database does not convert the HTML file into a Web Part because none of the properties of the Web Part schema have been

populated

Note

# Deploying and Supporting Digital Dashboards

! Digital Dashboard Implementation and Support

! User Access and Deployment

When planning a deployment strategy, you must consider at least two factors:

! Digital dashboard implementation and support To properly implement a

digital dashboard, you must consider the manner in which your digital dashboard will be used and supported

! User access and deployment You must consider how to deploy your digital

dashboards so that users will be able to access their digital dashboards in an easy and consistent manner

Slide Objective

To outline this topic

Lead-in

When you plan a

deployment strategy, you

must consider digital

dashboard implementation

and support, in addition to

user access and

deployment

Digital Dashboard Implementation and Support

! Personal Digital Dashboards

$ All users have total control over digital dashboard

! Team Digital Dashboards

$ Users on a team have total control over digital dashboard, and other users have no access

To assist you in supporting your digital dashboard site—the sample digital dashboards that you install by using the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit—you should include an Administration subdashboard You can use an Administration subdashboard to navigate through a list of the digital dashboards that are installed at your site, create and delete digital dashboards and Web Parts, set properties of digital dashboards and Web Parts, and set permissions

on digital dashboards and Web Parts

For more information on using the Administration digital dashboard, see the

Building and Deploying Digital Dashboards white paper that is included with

the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit

either a personal digital

dashboard, a team digital

dashboard, a static portal, or

a customizable portal

To help the students

understand how the

Administration digital

dashboard is accessed and

used, open the

Administration

sub-dashboard and provide a

quick demonstration that

includes navigating between

digital dashboards and

selecting individual Web

Parts

Note

Personal Digital Dashboards

A personal digital dashboard gives the user total control over all aspects of the digital dashboard No other user has access to the personal dashboard, so customization of the digital dashboard and its Web Parts can be accomplished without consideration for other digital dashboard users The SQL Server Sample Digital Dashboard supports a flexible personalization scheme that allows each user to configure digital dashboards, Web Parts, and related content When a user first accesses a SQL Server–based digital dashboard, an entry is automatically made for that user in a profile table, which subsequently stores any custom property settings that the user defines

For more information on using the SQL Server Web Part database to

create personal digital dashboards, see the Building and Deploying Digital

Dashboards white paper that is included with the Digital Dashboard Resource

Kit

Team Digital Dashboards

A team digital dashboard is very similar to a personal digital dashboard, except that a team digital dashboard gives control over the digital dashboard to a team Users outside of the team cannot access the team digital dashboard

The team digital dashboard is difficult to maintain because each user on the team can change the digital dashboard and its Web Parts Because it is common for individual users to focus on their work in a manner that is different from that of their colleagues, changes to the digital dashboard can be viewed as disruptive It is generally a good idea to provide a set of customization guidelines for the team users when implementing a team digital dashboard

Static Portal

The static portal model is intended to be used for deploying your digital dashboard to a large organization This model requires a significant amount of administration As an administrator, you ensure that the digital dashboard is operating correctly and select the Web Parts that will be included in the digital dashboard, in addition to the way the digital dashboard is configured—that is, the digital dashboard layout, style, and so on

You use the schema properties of the Web Parts to design the contents of the

digital dashboard For example, you can use the IsVisible and AllowRemove

properties to ensure that a Web Part is always included in a digital dashboard You are also responsible for updating Web Parts and the entire digital

dashboard when updates to individual Web Parts and digital dashboard factories become available However, the information displayed by individual Web Parts may still be dynamic—for example, the Outlook view control Inbox displays the Inbox contents for each individual user

To ensure that users cannot modify Web Part properties by accessing the digital dashboard contents customization page, digital dashboard administrators should deny Write permissions (for all Web Parts in the folder) to everyone except the administrator This can be accomplished by right-clicking the Web

Part files within Windows Explorer, clicking Properties, clicking the Securities tab, and then selecting the Deny check box associated with the file’s Write permissions

Note

Note