Below is a list of the new features and enhancements in SharePoint 2010
New User Interface including new Ribbon
The Fluent ribbon interface is used throughout much of SharePoint 2010, especially for content editor users.
Business Connectivity Services – BCS
BCS can now link many databases directly in a much easier way. The need for very complex connectors is replaced with a content type. This means it’s even more practical to create connections. Plus with BCS the connection is two way – it’s possible to write back to the db source. This means it’s sensible to build data driven applications, including data from legacy apps, in SharePoint 2010. It is equally easy to connect to ‘Object Data Sources’, notably from legacy data systems, where there is no direct DB access but where connection is possible via code.
Offline working
SharePoint Workspace, plus Outlook integration, allows better, secure working when disconnected
Wiki everywhere
SP 2010 will support wiki features in its standard (ECM) HTML editors e.g. [[ ]] constructs will work, even in lists and list items
Application Portal
Adding SharePoint as an application presentation and interface layer on existing applications. Especially true for SQL based web apps which can be embedded in a SharePoint page with additional SharePoint features wrapped around them, such as libraries, dashboards etc. This is about providing an integrated user experience
SharePoint Workspace
Improved offline-online synchronisation
Additional design themes
A number of new and more striking themes
Theme customisation
Light weight options for tweaking theme colours, allowing fairly extensive changes to colour elements of visual design
Visual Upgrade
Easy migration from 2007 to 2010
Multiple Browser Support
Now supports IE7 and above, Firefox and Safari (but no news about Chrome and Opera) at an editor level. i.e. users of other browsers can create sites, add new content etc. Note that many features cannot be supported by IE6
Silverlight Web Part
Allows inclusion of applications, functions etc delivered using Silverlight, via a standard web part
Visio Services
Allows use of data linked diagrams with real time collaboration
Rich Media Support
Support for audio and video
Streamlined Central Administration
Improved admin console
Large List Resource Throttling
Performance management of big lists of thousands and millions of items
Publishing a new content page
Can now more easily schedule a date for a page to go live, alert (and automate reminding of) the approver. Finally, can now the system can notify the page contact, x days prior to expiry
Office web applications
Very rich Office applications, delivered through a browser. Allows multi-user simultaneous editing.
Access DB import
SharePoint 2010 allows migration of MS Access databases into SharePoint, using Access Web Services. Database tables are converted to SharePoint lists which can be then accessed directly in SharePoint, this allows this data to be managed centrally/ collaboratively without needing to use Access. In addition 2010 can also convert Access forms to a SharePoint forms and convert Access reports to SQL Reporting Services reports (natively supported by SharePoint) .
Essentially it is possible to entirely remove reliance on Access once the migration has been completed, for many Access databases.
Word Automation Services to Publish to PDF
Select a bunch of documents in a library and convert to PDF through a web part that asks which documents to convert and which library to post to. You can control server resources and configure when to start and which servers to utilize to perform the conversion.
Server ready version of Word
100% fidelity with client
Maintains layout, export to fixed format, file conversion, and handles complex field calculations
Open XML SDK and Word Automated Services very complementary to one another.
Server side Word doc solutions without client
Dealing with legacy binary formats, no problem converting back from binary
Cross browser support
Fully works with Mozilla, Firefox and due to support Opera and Mozilla
BI Enhancements
PerformancePoint integration is greatly improved, with good integration to Excel and to Access and properly embedded into SharePoint, as PerformancePoint Services. Mashups and Roll ups are now viable:Mashups allow connections between data sources to be created at the power user level, so linking forms to maps to data, etc. Rollups allow drill up/down through data using multiple SharePoint web parts. Web part connections on steroids.
PowerPivot for SharePoint for live data analysis
PowerPivot allows you to drill-in, filter, and sort on any category of data in your charts. Imagine the power of Excel’s Pivot Table now inside of SharePoint. For example, a chart coming from PerformancePoint, a Visio diagram showing a map of the U.S. colour-coded based on the data, and an Excel chart, all bound to live data, all delivered live in a SharePoint page. Another cool functionality is a timeline slider that allows you to view the data in the visual chart as it progresses through time by sliding it across with your mouse.
Dependencies are: Enterprise CAL
Silverlight Mashup drive Rich Internet Applications
Can build very power data interaction applications using Silverlight components. Mashups can be driven by end users, both through interaction and by letting users join components to extend the RIA. These can interact with SharePoint data, for instance via InfoPath.
Form web parts
SharePoint now has a set of form web parts that allow creation of multi-level pages, for example a customer info form and a related list of their orders – in the way we can do in Access etc
