SharePoint 2010 Tutorial for Beginners

What is SharePoint? - SharePoint is a Microsoft Tool which helps companies to Collaborate and Share using a friendly Intranet site. It’s mostly known an Inventory of documents along with some cool features like search, workflows, BDC\BCS, Custom Views (webparts), Business Forms etc.

How do you get SharePoint? It is Microsoft Product so you need to purchase a License from Microsoft. There are versions available for buying SharePoint. Firstly lets look at the available options.

1. On-premisis SharePoint - This means SharePoint Installed on your Server. You a bought a licensed software.

2. Cloud SharePoint - You do not Install SharePoint on your Server. It is available when you sign-up with Office 365.

Now lets look at On-premisis SharePoint and What are the available versions and Licenses.

SharePoint Versions -  Lets start from old ones to New ones.
1. Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 also known as WSS 2. 0 (came in Some 2000's) - Free
2. SharePoint 2003  (came in Some 2002's) - Purchase License

Then came WSS 3.0

3. Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS 3.0) - Free
4. SharePoint Server 2007 (Came in 2006) - Purchase License

Then came SharePoint 2010

5. SharePoint 2010 Foundation - Free
6. SharePoint Server 2010 - Purchase License

Now coming SharePoint 2013 or SharePoint 15 whatever

So lets talk about SharePoint 2010 Server's Licenses. There are Three main Licences. Foundation, Standard and Enterprise. This -> SharePoint Editions  is the quick table about three main Licenses available, that companies buy.

Next lets look at Roles in SharePoint. By Roles I mean What kind of people use SharePoint.

1. SharePoint Administartor - Person who Installs SharePoint, Configure SharePoint, Permissions Management, Backup\Restore, Manage Central admin web app, Create Web apps, Sites and Site collections, install service packs and patches to name few.

2. SharePoint Developer - First thing to say here is that a SharePoint Developer needs to know all of things that a SharePoint Administartor knows (at least most of  things). Developer is the one who builds Programs or applications for SharePoint. Developer needs to have undertanding of .Net, C#, SharePoint object Model.

3. SharePoint Designer - Person who knows SharePoint Designer tool and has good knowledge of CSS files used in SharePoint. Must also know Infopath.

4. SharePoint Architect -  Person who knows everything about SharePoint. From Developing to Administration.