A digital dashboard is a customized portal for knowledge workers that consolidates personal, team, corporate, and external information and provides single-click access to collaborative tools. With the introduction of the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit 2.0, Microsoft is enabling customers and partners to develop a new generation of customizable digital dashboards based on Internet standards.

Across an enterprise, different groups of users need access to distinctly different types of information. The executives in a company may need a high-level view of up-to-date sales statistics in addition to industry news and competitive intelligence, while the sales team in the same company may need detailed customer, product, and sales information. With its flexible, modular architecture, a digital dashboard makes it easy for you to create personalized applications that meet the needs of users throughout your organization.

The following illustration shows a digital dashboard for a company called Adventure Works. The dashboard is running in Microsoft Outlook and displays a user’s inbox, team information, and sales and IPO data. Links to other Adventure Works dashboards appear under the dashboard header, which is customized with the company’s logo. At the upper-right corner are links to customization pages with which the users can customize the look and feel of their dashboards.

The Digital Dashboard Resource Kit 2.0

When Microsoft released the Digital Dashboard Starter Kit in April 1999, it was an instant success. The company distributed more than a million starter kits, demonstrating a huge demand for customized applications that developers and administrators can build quickly and easily. Microsoft listened carefully to feedback from customers and redesigned the digital dashboard around the following requirements:

· End users need access to relevant information through an application that has a familiar interface. End users need to be able to tailor their dashboards to display customized information.

· Developers need a platform that exposes a variety of services and can incorporate any kind of data from a variety of sources. To meet the needs of multiple groups throughout an organization, developers need to be able to build reusable components that adhere to a common standard.

· Information technology professionals such as system administrators need a flexible deployment model that is easy to manage and maintain.

Using the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit 2.0, developers and administrators can quickly build and deploy customized digital dashboard solutions. The resource kit includes all necessary tools and documentation, in addition to sample dashboards and Web Parts—reusable components that can contain any kind of Web-based content.

Introducing Web Parts

At the heart of the digital dashboard are Web Parts. Web Parts are reusable components that contain Web-based content such as XML, HTML, and scripts, and have a set of standard properties that controls how the Web Parts are rendered in a digital dashboard. These properties make Web Parts and dashboards storage-neutral and completely reusable.

Web Part properties include the following:

· Basic metadata, such as a title, description, and date the Web Part was last modified.

· Content, such as the type of content the Web Part contains and the source from which the Web Part gets its content. For example, content can be embedded in the Web Part itself, or it can come from for a URL on the Internet or your company’s intranet.

· Appearance, such as the height and width of the Web Part.

· Execution, such as whether and how often Web Part content is refreshed, and whether the Web Part is isolated from other Web Parts on the dashboard.

Because Web Parts adhere to a common standard, you can store them in libraries that you can draw from to assemble all digital dashboards in your organization.

Many Web Part and dashboard properties are user-specific, but as an administrator, you can control the extent to which a user can modify Web Parts or dashboards. For example, you can lock down the Web Parts in a given dashboard, making it impossible for users to remove them. For information about how to set Web Part properties, see “Adding Web Parts” later in this paper.

Digital Dashboard Samples

The Digital Dashboard Resource Kit includes a set of sample digital dashboards that you can use to jump start your digital dashboard deployment. To help minimize desktop impact, these samples are hosted on a server and users connect to their dashboards using a Web browser. Because these digital dashboards are samples, you may want to consider working with one of Microsoft’s digital dashboard partners for large-scale digital dashboard deployments that require a sophisticated set of management tools.

The digital dashboard samples have an enhanced user interface that combines familiar Office features with easy-to-use Web-browser-style controls. Users can click links to customization pages that allow them to customize their digital dashboards, create new Web Parts, or import Web Parts from Web Part libraries on the Internet or a local intranet. The customization pages are intuitive to use and feature controls that are familiar to users; for example, on the layout page, users can position Web Parts on a dashboard using a drag-and-drop operation.

The sample digital dashboards in the resource kit feature a separate interface for administrators. Using the Administration dashboard, you can manage the digital dashboards in your organization. The Administration dashboard has links to customization pages similar to those that users see. For more information about the Administration dashboard, see “Managing Web Parts and Digital Dashboards” later in this paper.

Digital Dashboard Terminology

This section lists terms that are specific to the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit 2.0. To use this paper fully, you should read this section before continuing.

Digital dashboard: The rendering of a set of Web Parts in an HTML page.

Digital dashboard application: A digital dashboard plus all support pieces, customization pages, and Web Parts.

Digital dashboard factory: A set of ASP, XML and XSL files that assemble Web Parts into a view layout suitable for rendering in a dashboard.

SQL Server Web Part database: A SQL Server database (version 7.0 or later) that stores dashboard and Web Part definitions and properties.

SQL Server Web Part server: An Internet Information Services (IIS) extension that serves as an access layer between the database and IIS. This access layer transforms all calls that retrieve, update, and store definitions into a format that the underlying SQL Server engine can interpret.

Web Part: A digital dashboard component that can contain any type of Web-based content. Web parts have properties that you can set to control their appearance and functionality.

Web Part catalog: A library of Web Parts located on the Internet or a local intranet. Users can add Web Parts to their dashboards by importing them from Web Part catalogs.

Choosing Your Platform

You’ll need to make a number of key decisions before you deploy digital dashboards in your organization. One of the most important is choosing a store for your Web Parts and dashboards.

A digital dashboard offers native support for three types of stores: Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server, the Microsoft Windows 2000 file system, and Microsoft SQL Server. You can also use a mixed storage model, but this requires a custom dashboard factory.

Each type of store offers different benefits, which the following table describes.

Platform	Benefits
Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server	· Microsoft’s Strategic digital dashboard platform · Native WebDAV support makes administration and maintenance straightforward · Integrated with Microsoft Office · Integration with Active Directory™ enables sophisticated management of users and groups
Windows 2000 File System	· Native WebDAV support makes administration and maintenance straightforward · Familiar and easy to manage
Microsoft SQL Server	· Scalable application platform · WebDAV support · Sophisticated relational user, Web Part, and dashboard management
Mixed Storage	By creating a custom dashboard factory, you can use a mixed storage model that combines the benefits of the various storage platforms. The Digital Dashboard Resource Kit does not include mixed storage samples.

The Digital Dashboard Resource Kit includes two sample dashboards—one for the Windows file system and one for SQL Server. When the final version of Exchange 2000 Server is available, Microsoft will make the Exchange 2000 Server digital dashboard sample available on the Internet. Each sample has a different set of native characteristics, but you can customize these dashboards to better meet the needs of your organization. Keep in mind that one of the key issues in choosing a store is the skill sets of the administrators in your organization. The following sections describe the characteristics of each storage engine in detail.

Windows File System

The simplest digital dashboard to understand, run, and modify is the Windows file system sample dashboard because it uses many of the conventions of an ordinary Web site. This sample was designed as a companion to the Web Part Builder and is a great test platform for Web Part developers. The Windows file system sample dashboard is also a great learning tool for administrators and an excellent platform to use for smaller deployments.

SQL Server

The SQL Server digital dashboard sample is an excellent starting point from which you can create scalable, enterprise-ready digital dashboards. Because SQL Server is a relational database management system, it offers certain advantages as a Web Part store. For example, users’ settings for each dashboard are stored in a set of relational tables, which allows different users or groups to type the same URL and see customized portals.

Exchange 2000 Server

Exchange 2000 Server is an excellent platform for companies that want to increase worker collaboration through the use of collaborative tools and applications. Because Exchange 2000 Server provides native integration with Microsoft Office, it is an ideal platform with which to create digital dashboards that incorporate the analytical capabilities of Office applications. In addition because Exchange is integrated with Windows 2000 Server Active Directory service, you can manage users and groups simply and easily. The Exchange 2000 Server digital dashboard sample will be available on the Internet in the fall of 2000.

Installing a Sample Digital Dashboard

This section describes the process of installing the sample dashboards included in the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit 2.0. Because these dashboards are samples, they have default out-of-the-box characteristics. However, you can easily tailor the sample dashboards to meet the needs of your organization.

Installing the Windows 2000 File System Sample Dashboard

The Windows 2000 file system sample dashboard stores Web Parts and digital dashboards in the Microsoft Windows 2000 file system. These components are stored in folders that have a special set of WebDAV properties identifying them as Web Part and digital dashboard folders.

You must install the Windows 2000 file system sample dashboard on a computer running Windows 2000 Server and IIS 5.0.

Note The computer and drive on which you install the sample dashboard must be formatted with NTFS.

To install the Windows file system sample dashboard, choose Install the File System Sample Digital Dashboard from the Building Digital Dashboards page of the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit. You can also run DDRK_FS.msi from the CD- ROM. An installation wizard guides you through the installation process.

During installation, the wizard will prompt you for the following information:

· The name of the folder or virtual root that will hold your users’ digital dashboards. The default virtual root is Dashboards.

· The name of the virtual Web root that contains the Dashboard factory. The default virtual Web root is Factory.

Setup also copies the following files to your computer.

Files

Description

\Factory\*.*

The dashboard factory, a set of files that support dynamic rendering at run time. During installation, these files are copied to a \inetpub\wwwroot\dashboard folder.

A virtual directory with Execute and Write permissions is created based on this folder. The name of this virtual directory is Dashboard. You reference this virtual directory when you access your dashboard through a browser.

\Dashboards\

The Welcome and Administration dashboards. Also the default location for users’ dashboards.

Installing the SQL Server Sample Digital Dashboard

The SQL Server sample digital dashboard stores Web Parts and digital dashboards in a SQL Server database. This sample dashboard includes a special IIS extension supporting the HTTP 1.1 and WebDAV methods that handle HTTP requests for dashboard contents that are compatible with Exchange Server and Microsoft Office.

Before you install the SQL Server sample digital dashboard, you should create an empty SQL database to store your dashboard resources. During installation, Setup adds tables, stored procedures, and triggers to the database you specify.

You must install the SQL Server sample digital dashboard on a computer running SQL Server version 7.0 or later, Windows 2000 Server, and IIS 5.0. The SQL Server Web Part catalog server, the catalog database, SQL Server, and IIS must reside on same computer. You cannot distribute these components across multiple computers.

To install the SQL Server sample digital dashboard, Choose Install the Microsoft SQL Server Sample Digital Dashboard from the Building Digital Dashboards page of the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit. You can also run DDRK_SQL.msi from the CD-ROM. An installation wizard guides you through the process.

During installation, the wizard will prompt you for the following information:

· The name of the SQL Server and an authentication mode.

· The name of the Web root that users will use to attach to a dashboard. The Dashboard Factory files will be stored in the Web root that you specify. The default virtual root name is Dashboard, on the default Web Site server.

· The name of the Web root that will be used to access the catalog. The default name is sqlwbcat.

· The name of the database. You must specify an existing database.

Your responses are recorded in the IIS Metabase and used by the catalog server to locate the dashboard and database. If you modify virtual root directory names, or the database name and location, you should reinstall your software to update the IIS Metabase settings.

If you need to reinstall the SQL Server sample digital dashboard, be sure to remove the prior installation first. Use Remove All in the Add/Remove Programs utility in Control Panel.

Setup also copies the following files to your computer.

Files	Description
\scripts\sqlwbcat.dll	The SQL Server Web Part catalog server. During installation, this file is copied to the \inetpub\wwwroot\scripts folder and registered in the IIS Metabase.
\dashboard\.	The dashboard factory. This is a set of files that support dynamic rendering at run time. During installation, these files are copied to a \inetpub\wwwroot\dashboard folder (or to another subfolder name that you specify).

Creating a New Digital Dashboard

After you install one of the sample dashboards, you will see a Welcome dashboard and an Administration dashboard. You can use the Administration dashboard to create a new digital dashboard application and set its properties. After you’ve created a new digital dashboard, you can add Web Parts by building new Web Parts or downloading existing Web Parts and adding them to your digital dashboard.

To create a new digital dashboard application:

1. From the Administration dashboard, click New.

2. In Dashboard Properties, specify any or all of the following properties:

· In Name, type a name for the new dashboard.

· In Title, type a title for the new dashboard.

· In Description, type a brief description of the dashboard.

3. Click Save to save your new dashboard.

There are also a number of extended properties that affect the look and feel of your new dashboard. For additional information about dashboard properties, see “Customizing a Digital Dashboard” later in this paper.

Adding Web Parts

After you create a dashboard, you can tailor its functionality by adding Web Parts.

You can add Web Parts to a digital dashboard in four ways:

· End users can use the dashboard’s built-in customization pages to create a simple Web Part.

· Administrators can use the built-in customization pages of the Administration dashboard.

· End users and administrators can use the dashboard Web Part Catalog Listing page to import existing Web Parts from a corporate catalog.

· Developers can use the Web Part Builder, a Microsoft Visual InterDev® add-in included in the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit 2.0, to create a complex Web Part.

The following section walks you through the process of adding Web Parts using each of these methods.

Using the Customization Pages

In this example, you’ll use the customization pages of the dashboard application itself to build a Web Part that displays the MSN™ home page and add it to your digital dashboard.

When you create a new Web Part, you specify properties that determine basic metadata, such as a title and description for the Web part; appearance properties that define height and width of the Web Part and where it appears on the dashboard; and content properties that specify the type of content the Web Part contains and its source. You do not need to define every property. To create a Web Part using the digital dashboard customization pages:

1. From the dashboard, click the Content button in the upper-right corner.
The Content customization page appears.

2. Click Create a New Web Part. The Properties for “New Part” page appears.

3. In the General Settings section, in Name, type MSN, which is the title the Web Part displays in the dashboard.

4. Navigate through the rest of the General Settings section, and specify the following:

· A description of the Web Part; for example, This Web Part displays the MSN home page.

· Whether you want the Web Part included on the dashboard. For this example, select the Include this Web Part on the dashboard check box.

· The position of the Web Part on the dashboard.

· Whether the Web Part should be displayed in a frame.

· Whether the default state of the Web Part is expanded or minimized.

· The width and height of the Web Part.

Note If you do not specify a height and width for the Web Part, the Web Part will expand to fill the space available.

5. Click the Advanced Settings link to navigate to the page in which you will set the Web Part’s content properties.

6. In the Advanced Settings section, in Link to Content, type http://www.msn.com.

7. Select the Isolate this Web Part’s content from the other Web Parts check box, and then click OK.

Note Always isolate your Web Part when it contains content from a URL on the Internet. This eliminates the possibility of name collisions between various items on the dashboard.

You can now see the new Web Part in your dashboard.

Using the Web Part Listing Page

When you use the Web Part Listing page, you import an existing Web Part from a catalog that’s located on your intranet or on the Internet. As the administrator of the digital dashboards in your organization, you will use a Web Part catalog to store Web Parts that users can add to their dashboards. You can use the Web Part Builder included in the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit to build Web Parts and import them into the Web Part catalog and export them from the catalog.

To add a Web Part using the Web Part Listing page:

1. From the dashboard, click the Content button in the upper-right corner.

2. Click the Browse for a Web Part button.

3. Select the Web Parts you want to import, and click Import.

Using the Web Part Builder

Developers can use the Visual InterDev add-in included with the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit to create Web Parts that are more complex. You must install the Web Part Builder on a computer running Windows 2000 and Microsoft Visual InterDev 98. This section walks you through the process of creating one of the most common Web Parts on a digital dashboard—a Web Part that displays the contents of a user’s Inbox. For more information on installing the Web Part Builder, see the Web Part Builder Documentation in the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit.

Before you create this Web Part, do the following:

· Connect to the root Web of a Windows 2000 file system digital dashboard site with Visual InterDev.

· Make sure the Outlook® View Control is installed on your computer.

For information on how to connect to a digital dashboard site and create the necessary folders, see the Web Part Builder documentation included in the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit.

To build a Web Part that displays a user’s Inbox:

1. Right-click the Dashboards folder in the project view, and select Add a Dashboard folder.

2. Type a name and a title for the new dashboard folder.

3. Right-click your new dashboard folder, and then select Add Web Part.

4. In the Create Web Part dialog box, type a name and description for the Web Part, and then for the content type, select HTML.

5. Add the Outlook View Control to your Toolbox: from the Tools menu, select Customize Toolbox and select the Microsoft Outlook View Control check box.

6. Drag the Outlook View Control onto your new Web page.

7. From the File menu, select Save.

To see how the Web Part looks in the dashboard, right-click the Dashboard folder and select View Dashboard.

Customizing a Digital Dashboard

After you have created a dashboard application, you can customize it by modifying its properties. You do not have to define all properties for a given dashboard. Properties that you do not define use default values.

The digital dashboard samples include Administration dashboards that allow you to modify the properties of the dashboards on your server. You can also customize a digital dashboard from the dashboard itself by clicking the Settings button; however, if you are customizing a large dashboard site, this is a less efficient method than using the Administration dashboard.

This section outlines the customization options that are available to you and your users. They include:

· Modifying the basic properties of the dashboard, such as its title and name.

· Changing the appearance of the dashboard by using a custom style sheet or pre-defined styles sheet and adding a corporate logo.

· Creating sub-dashboards and adding images to the navigation bar that represent those dashboards.

The following sections describe how to set digital dashboard properties using the sample Administration dashboard.

Modifying Basic Properties

You set the properties for the digital dashboards in your organization using the Administration dashboard. Users can customize the properties of their dashboards using the Dashboard Settings customization page.

To customize a the basic properties of a digital dashboard:

1. In Dashboard Navigation, select the digital dashboard whose properties you want to modify, and then click Settings.

2. In Dashboard Properties, modify either or both of the following:

· In Name, type a new name for the dashboard.

· In Title, type a new title for the dashboard.

3. When you have finished setting properties, click Save.

Changing the Appearance of the Dashboard

It’s easy to change the look and feel of the sample dashboards. You can customize them to display your company’s logo, colors, and fonts, or you can use one of the predefined styles that are included with the sample dashboards.

Choosing a Predefined Style

When you install one of the sample dashboards, you have five predefined styles to choose from:

· Standard—white background, black text, blue header and accents.

· Arctic—white background, black text, light blue header and accents.

· Desert—white Background, black text, sand header.

· Midnight—black background, white text, dark blue header and accents.

· Tropical—tan background, black text, medium blue header with light orange accents.

When you apply one of these predefined styles, all Web Parts on the page inherit that style unless a Web Part author has chosen to override the style sheet by applying custom styles to a specific Web Part.

To choose a predefined style:

1. In Dashboard Navigation, select the digital dashboard whose style you want to modify, and then click Settings.

2. In Style, select Use a predefined style:, and then select a style from the drop-down list.

3. Click Save to apply your changes.

You can add styles or edit the existing ones to match your corporation’s color scheme. This default style sheet is called Standard.css. You can find it in the dashboard factory folder and edit it using Visual InterDev.

Linking to an External Style Sheet

If you don’t want to use one of the predefined styles or edit the Standard.css file, you can use the Dashboard Settings customization page to supply a link to an external style sheet.

To link to an external style sheet:

1. In Dashboard Navigation, select the digital dashboard whose style you want to modify, and then click Settings.

2. Select the check box Apply a style based on the following style sheet:, and in the accompanying text box, type a URL that points to the custom style sheet you want to use.

3. Click Save to apply your changes.

Adding a Corporate Logo

If you choose, you can add a header image to your digital dashboard; for example, you may all dashboards in your organization to display your corporate logo. Use an image that is at most 105 by 30 pixels. You can use any image format that will render in the browser, such as a .jpg or .gif.

To add a header image:

1. In Dashboard Navigation, select the digital dashboard to which you want to add a header image, and then click Settings.

2. In the text box Use the following image in the header:, type a URL that points to the header image you want to use.

3. Click Save to apply your changes.

Displaying Sub-Dashboards

You can nest related dashboards and set properties that allow users to navigate between them. The dashboard user interface displays sub-dashboards in a navigation bar that appears under the dashboard header.

To display sub-dashboards:

1. In Dashboard Navigation, select the digital dashboard to which you want to add sub-dashboards, and then click Settings.

2. Next to Show Nested Dashboards, select one of the radio buttons to indicate whether this dashboard should show nested dashboards.

3. In Navigation Order:, type a number to represent this dashboard in the hierarchy of nested dashboards.

4. Click Save to apply your changes.

Representing Sub-Dashboards in the Navigation Bar

After you add a number of dashboards you may want add an image to represent each sub-dashboard. Use images that are 16 by 16 pixels. You can use any image format that will render in the browser, such as a .jpg or .gif.

To add a navigation image that represents the dashboard:

1. In Dashboard Navigation, select the sub-dashboard to which you want to add a navigation image, and then click Settings.

2. In Navigation Image, under Use the following image to represent this dashboard:, type a URL that points to the image you want to use to represent this dashboard in the navigation bar.

3. Click Save to apply your changes.

4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each sub-dashboard that appears in the navigation bar.

Integrating a Digital Dashboard with Outlook

If you run digital dashboards as folder home pages within Outlook, users can access their dashboards from within the familiar Outlook environment. Running a digital dashboard within Outlook provides offline capabilities and allows developers to access the Outlook object model to create sophisticated collaborative dashboards.

Running the Digital Dashboard Samples in Outlook Today

Outlook Today hosts a special version of Internet Explorer that has a smaller feature set than Outlook Folder Home pages. To run the digital dashboard samples in Outlook Today, you must change an entry in the Windows registry to enable customization of the dashboard. You can use the full version of Internet Explorer to display Outlook Today by adding the following two settings to the registry:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Outlook\Webview\mailbox]

"url"=<http://digidash/home.htm> (Type the location of your digital dashboard here.)

"navigation"="yes"

To run a digital dashboard within Outlook:

1. In Outlook, create a new folder called Dashboard.

2. Right-click the new folder, select Properties, and then click Home Page.

3. Under Address:, type the URL that points to the dashboard you want this folder to display, as shown in the following illustration.

4. Select the Show home page by default for this folder check box, click Apply, and then click OK.

Configuring a Digital Dashboard for Offline Use

Once you have configured a digital dashboard to run as a folder home page, it is easy to mark the dashboard for offline use. Configuring a folder so that users can take it offline is a simple two-stage process.

Integration between Outlook and the Internet Explorer Synchronization Agent enables users to see Internet and intranet content offline through folder home pages. After synchronizing Exchange Server content, Outlook launches the Internet Explorer Synchronization Agent. Because all Web pages are stored in the same cache, they are available through both Internet Explorer and Outlook.

This feature is extremely powerful. Not only does the Internet Explorer Synchronization Agent make it possible for you to configure Web pages that users can take offline, but you can also specify that the offline content include lower-level, supporting pages. By setting up folder home pages correctly, you can build a variety of interesting offline applications that merge Internet, database, and collaborative information.

To configure a folder for offline use:

1. Right-click the folder you would like make available offline (in the earlier example it was Dashboard), and then click Properties.

2. Click the Synchronization tab.

3. Select the When Online or Offline radio button.

4. Click the Home Page tab, click Offline Web Page Settings, and then select the Make this page available offline check box, as shown in the following illustration.

5. Click the Download tab, and in Content to download, select at least two levels of links to follow to get the best offline experience.

6. You may also select either or both of the following options:

· Whether to follow links outside of this page’s Web site.

· A limit on the hard disk space this page can consume. When you are finished the dialog box should look the one in the following illustration.

7. If you want a notification sent to a user when the page changes, select the When this page changes, send e-mail to: check box, and then type the user’s e-mail address and server name in the accompanying text boxes.

8. If the site requires a user name and password, click Login, type the user’s login credentials, and then click OK.

9. When you are finished configuring the Web page for offline use, click Apply, and then click OK.

Note If you are experiencing problems with your network connection, the Web page synchronization may time out, resulting in particular pages not being synchronized. If problems occur during synchronization, a small icon appears in the task bar.

Managing Digital Dashboards and Web Parts

You can use the Administration sample dashboard to perform most of the basic operations of managing a dashboard site, including:

· Creating and deleting dashboards and Web Parts

· Setting properties on dashboards and Web Parts

· Setting permissions on dashboards and Web Parts

The Administration sample dashboard consists of four Web Parts:

· Navigation Pane

· Properties Pane

· Web Part Chooser

· Web Part Properties

When you select a dashboard in the navigation pane, the properties pane displays its properties. The Administration dashboard features links to customization pages that are similar to those that an end-user sees. The following illustration shows the SQL Server sample Administration dashboard.

You can also use Web folders to perform basic administrative tasks. You can navigate through Web folders to see what items are available, and you can double-click an item to open it in a browser window. In addition, right-click commands allow you to rename, move, or delete items in the SQL Server Web Part catalog database and the Windows file system. However, you cannot create new dashboard folders or Web Parts through this interface.

To access Web folders:

1. From the desktop, double-click My Network Places.

2. Double-click Add New Network Place.

3. Type the URL to the dashboard site; for example, http://MyServer/Dashboards.

Managing Security and Personalization

When deploying digital dashboards, one of the most common issues that administrators face is how to configure dashboards to supply information tailored to the roles of various users in the organization. For example, an executive needs access to information that is very different from what a salesperson or a shop foreman needs. Some Web Parts designed for executives should be inaccessible to a majority of users, but at the same time, there are Web Parts that everyone needs, such as a Web Part that displays company announcements.

When a user or administrator modifies the properties of a dashboard or Web Part, the dashboard factory writes those settings back to the store. For this reason, security is an essential consideration.

A digital dashboard is an Intranet application that is fully integrated with Windows 2000 Internet and file system security. You configure digital dashboard security by setting Access Control Lists (ACLs) on the underlying store. This allows you to control security for individuals and groups in addition to Web Parts and dashboards. Integration between the stores and Active Directory allows you to link group and user permissions to the core company directory.

The following sections describe the two-step process of configuring security for digital dashboards.

Configuring an Authentication Method

The first step in setting security is choosing an authentication method to verify the identity of users requesting dashboards. Both the SQL Server and file system sample dashboards use Windows NT® security for authentication. The sample dashboards support the following methods:

Anonymous log-ins Enabling anonymous log-ins is not recommended. For the file system dashboard, if you enable anonymous log-ins, the dashboard factory ASP files run under a process logged in as IUSR_SERVER. IUSR is not a trusted account and therefore, cannot write changes to the dashboard back to the server. To run a digital dashboard with anonymous log-ins, you must enable write permissions for the IUSR_SERVER user on the underlying dashboard factory and Dashboards folder, which creates a security hole. In addition, because every user is logged in under the same account, IUSR, users cannot personalize their dashboards.

Windows 2000 Authentication This is the recommended authentication method for both the SQL Server and Windows file system sample dashboard. When you install the sample dashboards, Windows 2000 Authentication is turned on by default. Using Windows 2000 Authentication gives you a significant level of control over dashboard access; for example, you can control user and group access to specific dashboards (both read and write) by setting security on the underlying folders.

To configure an authentication method for the sample dashboards:

1. Start Internet Service Manager: from the Start menu, point to Settings, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Internet Service Manager.

2. In the left pane, right-click the virtual root, click the Properties tab, and then select Directory Security.

3. Make sure that the Integrated Windows Authentication check box is selected, as shown in the following illustration.

4. Click OK to apply the authentication method.

Setting Folder-Level Security

Digital dashboards are designed to honor security on the underlying dashboard folders and Web Parts. Once a user is authenticated, the dashboard factory runs on the server under the security profile of the user. By setting security on dashboard folders and Web Parts, you can prevent users from seeing dashboards and Web Parts to which they should not have access.

Windows 2000 File System Sample Dashboard

In the Windows 2000 file system sample digital dashboard, there are three fundamental sets of user permissions for dashboards and Web Parts:

· No Access—the user cannot see the dashboard or Web Part. This maps to a user being denied both read and write access to the item in the file system

· Read Only—the user can see the dashboard or Web Part but cannot modify it. This maps to the user having read access to the item in the file system

· Modification—the user can create and edit the Web Part or dashboard. This is equivalent to the user having read and write access to the item in the file system

To set security for the Windows 2000 file system sample dashboard:

1. In the Windows file system, right-click the Web Part or dashboard folder on which you want to set security, and then select Properties.

2. Click the Security tab, and then do one or both of the following:

· Add users and groups: click Add, and then select the users and groups to which you want to give permissions.

· Remove users and groups: click Remove, and then select the users and groups who currently have permissions on the folder that you want to remove.

3. Under Permissions, allow or deny permissions to the users and groups you’ve chosen by selecting the appropriate check boxes, Click Apply, and then click OK to apply the permissions you just configured.

Note If the folder on which you are setting permissions is a subfolder, and you want the permissions of the parent to propagate to this folder, select the Allow inheritable permissions from parent to propagate to this object check box.

SQL Server Sample Dashboard

In the SQL Server sample digital dashboard, there are four fundamental sets of user permissions for dashboards and Web Parts:

· Full Control—the user has full control for the dashboard or Web Part. This means that a user has the ability to read, write, delete and change permissions for the item. When the SQL Server sample dashboard is initially installed, all users are given full control.

· Modify—the user can read, write, and modify the Web Part or dashboard. This is equivalent to the user having read and write access to an item in the file system.

· Read & Execute—the user can see the dashboard or Web Part but cannot modify it. This is equivalent to a user having read access to an item in the file system.

· Write Personal—the user can personalize the dashboard or Web Part. Personalization is described in “Deploying the Sample Digital Dashboards”.

If you have installed the SQL Server sample dashboard, you can configure security for dashboards and Web Parts from the Administration dashboard. To configure security from the SQL Server Administration dashboard:

1. In the Dashboard Navigation pane, select the dashboard for which you want to configure security.

2. In the Dashboard Properties pane, click Permissions. The Permissions dialog box appears, as shown in the following illustration.

3. Add or remove users and groups by doing the following:

· To add users or groups, click Add, and then select the users or groups to which you want to give permissions.

· To remove users or groups: click Remove, and then select the users or groups who currently have permissions on the dashboard that you want to remove.

4. Click Apply, and then click OK to apply the permissions you just configured.

To configure permissions for Web Parts using the SQL Server Administration dashboard:

1. In the navigation pane, select the dashboard containing the Web Part for which you want to set permissions, and then click Content.

2. On the Content customization page, in the Current Web Parts section, click the title of the Web Part for which you want to set permissions.

3. On the Web Part Properties page, click Permissions. The Permissions dialog box appears.

4. Add or remove users and groups by doing the following:

· To add users or groups, click Add, and then select the users or groups to which you want to give permissions.

· To remove users or groups: click Remove, and then select the users or groups who currently have permissions on this dashboard that you want to remove.

5. Click Apply, and then click OK to apply the permissions you just configured.

Deploying the Sample Digital Dashboards

This sections outlines ways in which you can use the sample dashboards included in the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit to create your own enterprise-wide solutions.

Deploying a File System Digital Dashboard

The file system digital dashboard is intended for smaller deployments in which ongoing management is not a critical issue. This sample dashboard is designed primarily for developers who need a platform on which to build and test Web Parts. However, it is simple to manage small deployments with this type of dashboard because you can manipulate dashboard and Web Part folders in the file system. Two deployment scenarios work particularly well with file system digital dashboards: the static portal and the template dashboard.

Static Portal

In a static portal scenario, the administrator group has total control over the look and feel of the dashboard. As the administrator, you create the dashboard, Web Parts, and all sub-dashboards. Users have access to the portal and all information but cannot customize the dashboard. Although this can be a drawback, you can easily set up multiple dashboards very quickly for different groups within your company.

To set up this type of digital dashboard deployment, create a dashboard or set of dashboards using the Administration dashboard. Then, set the permissions on the dashboards to give users Read-Only access. Give the administrator group full access to allow them customize the dashboard remotely.

Template Dashboard

The template scenario allows each user to have his or her own dashboard, which is based on a template dashboard application. Keep in mind, though, that if you have a large number of users, your site may be difficult to maintain using this scenario, because each users has his or her own dashboard.

Inside the dashboard factory folder there is a Web page called wwwDefault.asp. The page is an entry point to the dashboard site, and it is generally saved in the wwwRoot directory. The page captures users’ Windows authentication information and redirects them to their personal dashboard folders. When a user visits the site for the first time, the page copies a template dashboard, which you specify, into a new folder created for the user. You can edit this template to create new templates, and then you can allow your users to choose from a list of available templates.

Deploying a SQL Server Dashboard

The SQL Server digital dashboard provides a scalable platform for deploying digital dashboards. SQL Server provides the ability for administrators to secure dashboards as well as provide the ability for users to personalize shared dashboards.

Secure Dashboards

As an administrator of a SQL Server digital dashboard, you can control the extent to which your users can modify their digital dashboards and Web Parts. The amount of control you give your users will often depend on the types of dashboards you deploy in your organization; for example, you will probably want to give users full control of their personal dashboards but allow users to only modify limited properties on a team dashboard or a dashboard that displays company news.

Here are some of the options that are available to you:

· Complete lock down—in this scenario, you set ACLs to restrict all write permissions to the administrator group only. Users cannot add or remove Web Parts or modify dashboard properties. When you deploy a digital dashboard that’s completely locked down, links to the Layout and Settings pages do not appear in the user interface. The link to the Content page is still present, but on the Content page users can only see a list of Web Parts: they cannot import or delete Web Parts or modify their properties.

· Users can view Web Parts in a dashboard based on role—in this scenario, you use read ACLs to limit who can access certain Web parts in a given dashboard. This way, you can create a dashboard with a large number of Web Parts and then control which users can see specific Web Parts in their dashboards; for example, the executives in your company would see a different set of Web Parts than the salespeople. If a user does not have permission to access a specific Web Part, that Web Part does not appear in the list of Web Parts on the Content page.

· Users can customize Web Parts but cannot import or delete them—in this scenario, you use ACLs that control whether users can insert or delete rows in the SQL Server catalog database. The Web Parts on the dashboard are locked down, but users can still customize the look and feel of the Web Parts and the dashboard. If users cannot import or delete the Web Parts on a dashboard, the Content page does not display a list of available Web Part catalogs.

· Users have full control—in this scenario, you use ACLs to give users full control over a dashboard. Users can import and delete Web Parts and modify the look and feel of the dashboard by setting Web Part and dashboard properties.

Personal Dashboards

The SQL Server digital dashboard supports a flexible personalization scheme that that allows each user to configure dashboards, Web Parts, and related content. Personalization is supported through user-specific properties the user sets and the server maintains in the SQL Server catalog database. When a user first accesses a dashboard, an entry is automatically made for that user in a profile table, which subsequently stores any custom property settings the user defines. If the user does not personalize the dashboard, the storage is unused.

When a user requests a dashboard for the first time, a set of default properties determines its appearance and functionality. After that, customized properties are applied when the page is rendered, overriding the default properties that are defined for the catalog item. If a user’s profile definition is unavailable, the default properties are used. If a developer or administrator changes the default global property set, those changes do not affect the personalized settings the user makes. Only security settings or functionality changes override the personalization layer of a digital dashboard environment.

Not all properties can be personalized. In addition, to be able to personalize a digital dashboard, the user must have the appropriate permissions. For more information about customizable properties, see the “Web Part Schema” and “Dashboard Schema” reference documents provided in this release.

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