Contents
Overview 1
Introduction to Digital Dashboards 2
Demonstration: Examining the Digital
Dashboard Interface 7
Using the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit 9
Examining the Digital Dashboard
Architecture 17
Implementing a Digital Dashboard 23
Lab A: Building a Digital Dashboard 32
Review 41

Module 1: Introduction
to Digital Dashboards
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Web Development Lead: Lisa Pease
CD Build Specialist: David Myka (S&T Consulting)
Manufacturing Manager: Rick Terek
Operations Coordinator: John Williams
Manufacturing Support: Laura King; Kathy Hershey
Lead Product Manager, Release Management: Bo Galford
Lead Product Manager, Knowledge Management Solutions: Janet Wilson
Group Manager, Courseware Infrastructure: David Bramble
Group Product Manager, Content Development: Dean Murray
General Manager: Robert Stewart Module 1: Introduction to Digital Dashboards iii Instructor Notes
This module provides students with an introduction to creating digital
dashboard solutions.
At the end of this module, students will be able to:
!
Describe the purpose and capabilities of digital dashboards and explain how
they help workers to be more productive.
!
Describe and use the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit and explain the digital
dashboard development process.
!
Describe the digital dashboard architecture.
!
Implement a digital dashboard.
Module Strategy
Use the following strategy to present this module:
!
Introduction to Digital Dashboards
Describe the purpose of a digital dashboard. Explain the capabilities of a
digital dashboard. Define important digital dashboard terms.
!
Using the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit
Explain the requirements for installing the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit.
List and describe the resources in the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit and
the Web Part Software Development Kit.
!
Examining the Digital Dashboard Architecture
Introduce the three tiers of the digital dashboard architecture: the
presentation tier, the logic tier, and the storage tier.
!
Implementing a Digital Dashboard
Explain how to use the available digital dashboard data stores. Provide an
introduction to developing, deploying, and supporting digital dashboards.
Explain how to access a digital dashboard by using Microsoft
Outlook
®
2000.

Module 1: Introduction to Digital Dashboards 1 Overview

Resource Kit, the digital
dashboard architecture, and
implementing digital
dashboard solutions.
2 Module 1: Introduction to Digital Dashboards #
##
#

Introduction to Digital Dashboards
Mailbox – Keith Harris – Microsoft Outlook
F
ile Edit View Favorites Tools Actions Help
New
Customers
Presentation
Mailbox – Keith Harris – New Page 2
http://london-2017/DDRK/dashboard.asp?
Done
123456
Past 6 Months
Outlook Sho.
Outlook
Today
Inbox (8)
Calendar
Contacts
Tasks

Vasse, Wendy
My Links
My Shortcuts
Other Shortc…
•
•
•
•
Office Bulletin B oard
MSN
Local Weather
Hwy 520 Traffic
InLinePart Inbox
Content Layout Settings
A simple Web Part like this one
can be created by using the
digital dashboard configuration
pages as follows:
From Subject R…
Micr… Welcome to.. W.
Keit… Digital Dash.. W.
Keit… Outlook Vi… W.
Keit… Web Part… W.
Keit… New Devel… W.
Keit… Please Pro… W.
Keit… Tasks Co… W.
Keit… Good Job! W.
Keit… Creating We.. W.
Keit… 2017 Cour… W.
Keit… New Web… W.

configuration page to return to the digital
dashboard view.
NWTraders NewsA digital dashboard is a customized Microsoft
®
Office
®
2000–based solution
that consolidates personal, team, corporate, and external information and
enables single-click access to analytical and collaborative tools. It brings a
personalized, integrated view of an organization’s knowledge sources to an
individual’s desktop and provides immediate access to business information,
enabling the user to make better decisions based on this timely information.
An Information Technology (IT) professional, a Microsoft Exchange Server
administrator, a Microsoft Certified Solution Provider, or a corporate developer
can tailor a digital dashboard solution to the specific needs of an organization,
integrating the organization’s existing systems with the analytical and
collaborative tools in products, such as Microsoft Office 2000, Microsoft
Exchange Server, and Microsoft SQL Server
™
.
Slide Objective
To present a sample digital
dashboard.
Lead-in
Digital dashboards enable
users to make better
decisions by providing quick

and Internet- and messaging-standards support that is built into the Office 2000
products.
Delivers Information Regardless of Location
Knowledge workers can use a digital dashboard no matter where they are
located. For example, users can connect to server-based digital dashboards
whether they are working at their desk, working at their home office, or
presenting ideas at a meeting in another city. In addition, they can synchronize
information from different sources, including favorite Web sites and shared
public folders, for offline viewing and analysis.
Slide Objective
To show that digital
dashboards deliver
information to users
regardless of location.
Lead-in
The purpose of a digital
dashboard is to enable
knowledge workers to focus
on business priorities, to
extend the capabilities of
knowledge workers, and to
deliver information
regardless of the user’s
location.
Examples of component
parts that can use filtering
include Outlook 2000
controls, Web page content,
and Microsoft Office Web
Components.

Integration of Information
A digital dashboard integrates personal, team, corporate, and external
information. It also filters corporate information and provides a dynamic
repository of external information.
Interactive Information
The digital dashboard interface provides an interactive environment from which
users can view and manipulate data. Digital dashboards use Office PivotTable
®

Web components or Microsoft Excel with SQL Server integration to provide
direct interaction with data. A digital dashboard can also incorporate tools, such
as Microsoft NetMeeting
®
conferencing software, which allows users to share
applications and collaborate over the intranet or Internet, and Microsoft
Windows Media
™
player, which enables playback of audio and video content.
Slide Objective
To show the three main
capabilities of digital
dashboards.
Lead-in
Digital dashboards enable
access to any information
source, provide integration
of information, and allow
interactivity with information.
Module 1: Introduction to Digital Dashboards 5


intranet. Users can add Web Parts to their digital dashboards by importing them
from Web Part catalogs.
Digital Dashboard Folder
A digital dashboard folder is a container of Web Parts. It has a custom property
schema, the digital dashboard schema, that applies to all of the Web Parts in the
folder.
Digital Dashboard View
A digital dashboard view is a visual presentation of a digital dashboard folder.
It results from the digital dashboard factory applying the custom schemas for
Web Parts and a digital dashboard folder. The most common way to display a
digital dashboard view is by using Outlook 2000, which uses Microsoft Internet
Explorer to display Web pages. Internet Explorer can also be used
independently to access and display digital dashboard views.
Slide Objective
To list terms associated with
digital dashboards.
Lead-in
It is helpful to understand
digital dashboard
terminology.
Explain that the Web Part
schema properties are used
to control the appearance
and functionality of the Web
Part when displayed on a
digital dashboard.
6 Module 1: Introduction to Digital Dashboards Digital Dashboard Factory

close the folders list.
3. If Outlook Today is not the default startup folder, on the Outlook Shortcuts
pane, click Outlook Today.

!
To identify the components of a digital dashboard
1. Use the pointer to point out the following digital dashboard items and
provide a brief description of each:
a. The five zones of a digital dashboard (left, right, center, top, and bottom)
b. The digital dashboard title
c. The customization page buttons
d. The digital dashboard navigation bar
2. Use the pointer to point out the following Web Part items and provide a
brief description of each:
a. The Web Part frame
b. The Web Part title
c. The Web Part control buttons (normal/minimized and remove)
d. The Web Part content
3. If the digital dashboard does not fit in the display area, to demonstrate the
scroll bars associated with the digital dashboard view, use a click-and-drag
operation to move the scroll bar handles.
Slide Objective
To demonstrate how to
quickly create and use a
digital dashboard.
Lead-in
In this demonstration, the
instructor will create a
simple digital dashboard
based on the Windows file

b. Team information
c. Corporate information
d. Internet information

!
To demonstrate analysis of data by using the Inbox Web Part
1. To open an e-mail message, on the Inbox Web Part, double-click the e-mail
message displayed at the top of the list of messages.
2. To return to the digital dashboard, close the Outlook 2000 message window.

!
To demonstrate the digital dashboard navigation bar
1. To change digital dashboards, click Level 2 Dashboard B.
2. To expose level-three digital dashboards, position the pointer over the down
arrow that is located to the right of the Level 2 Dashboard A title.
3. Click Level 3 Dashboard.
4. To expose level-four digital dashboards, position the pointer over the down
arrow that is located to the right of the Level 3 Dashboard title.
5. Click Level 4 Dashboard.
6. To move back to the level-three digital dashboard, click Up.
7. To move back to the level-two digital dashboard, click Up.
8. Point out that the Up button disappears when you are displaying a digital
dashboard that is located on the first or second navigation level.
9. Exit Outlook 2000.

Explain that users can
expose detailed information
that is not displayed on the
digital dashboard
(commonly referred to as

The Digital Dashboard Resource Kit is divided into four main sections:
!
Overview. This section contains white papers that introduce digital
dashboards, provide information for business decision makers, and provide
information concerning the deployment of digital dashboards.
!
Building Digital Dashboards. This section is targeted at developers and IT
professionals who want to build digital dashboards based on the digital
dashboard architecture. It contains installation wizards that guide you
through the installation of sample digital dashboards.
!
Building Web Parts. This section is targeted at developers who want to
develop Web Parts. It contains documents and a tool that can be used for
building Web Parts, in addition to the Web Part Software Development Kit
(SDK).
!
Web Part Gallery. This section includes 40 sample Web Parts that can be
used to add functionality to your digital dashboard.

Slide Objective
To outline this topic.
Lead-in
You can use the Digital
Dashboard Resource Kit to
start building Web Parts and
digital dashboards.
10 Module 1: Introduction to Digital Dashboards Requirements for Installing the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit

Building Digital Dashboards
Learn how to build digital dashboards that will work with Microsoft’s new Digital Dashboard
Framework.
\\digidash\builds\
Go
Links
•
Provide end users th e ability to e asily customize their dashboard envir onment through the use of Web Parts as a
common w ay of delivering web-based ser vic es t o th e desk to p
•
Develop and deploy dashboards that fit within your organization’s IT infrastructure including choosing Outlook
2000 or th e brow ser as t he cl ien t en vironment
•
Leverage a rapidly growing community of digital dashboard developers providing reusable Web Parts and
complete enter pris e-cl ass digital dashboard solutionsThe Digital Dashboard Resource Kit 2.0 is included on the Student Materials
compact disc for course 2017A, Creating Web Parts for Digital Dashboards.
Installation Requirements
Installation requirements vary for different components of the Digital
Dashboard Resource Kit.

To install the entire contents of the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit,
including both sample digital dashboards and the Web Part Builder add-in to
Visual InterDev, to the hard disk of your digital dashboard server, you should
have 50 megabytes (MB) of available hard-disk space.

Viewing the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit
To view the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit, you must ensure that your

on your server, you must ensure that it meets the following requirements:
!
Windows 2000 Server running IIS
!
NTFS file system
!
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or a compatible browser

Installing and Viewing the SQL Server 7.0 Sample Digital Dashboard
To install and view the Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Sample Digital Dashboard on
your server, you must ensure that it meets the following requirements:
!
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server running IIS
!
NTFS file system
!
Internet Explorer 5 or a compatible browser
!
SQL Server 7.0 with Service Pack 2, or later version of SQL Server

Installing the Web Part Builder
To install the Web Part Builder, you must ensure that your computer meets the
following requirements:
!
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, or
Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
!
Microsoft Visual InterDev
®
version 6.0 with Service Pack 3

Creating a Test Environment Digital Dashboard Folder
To create a test environment for testing Web Parts:
• Use the Web Part Builder add-in to Visual InterDev to create a digital
dashboard folder that is dedicated to testing newly created and newly
modified Web Parts.

Module 1: Introduction to Digital Dashboards 13 Resources in the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit
White Papers and
Reference Documents
White Papers and
Reference Documents
Web Part Gallery
Web Part Gallery
Sample Digital Dashboards
Sample Digital Dashboards
Web Part SDK
Web Part SDKThe Digital Dashboard Resource Kit includes white papers, sample digital
dashboards, a Web Part Gallery, and the Web Part SDK.
White Papers and Reference Documents
The resource kit includes two white papers and two reference documents that
discuss building, deploying, and using digital dashboards:
!
Digital Dashboard Business Process Assessment Guide. This white paper
explains the benefits of a digital dashboard and identifies key issues to

The resource kit includes installation wizards that guide you through the
process of installing the two sample digital dashboards:
!
Windows 2000 File System Sample Digital Dashboard. This is a sample
digital dashboard that stores Web Parts in the Windows 2000 file system.
Folders that contain a set of Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning
(WebDAV) properties are used to store the Web Parts that make up file
system–based digital dashboards.
!
Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Sample Digital Dashboard. This is a sample
digital dashboard that stores Web Parts in a SQL Server version 7.0
database. This digital dashboard includes user-management features that are
more advanced than those in the file system–based digital dashboard. In
addition, this digital dashboard demonstrates how to integrate business data
into a digital dashboard.

Web Part Gallery
The resource kit includes a library of prebuilt Microsoft and third-party Web
Parts that you can include in your digital dashboards. By including these Web
Parts in your digital dashboards, you can deliver customized lightweight
applications to your users immediately without writing any code.
The included Web Parts are divided among five groups.
!
Personal Web Parts. These Web Parts use the Outlook view control to
display a user’s Outlook 2000 information.
!
News Web Parts. These Web Parts connect to the Internet to display news
information.
!
Collaboration Web Parts. These Web Parts use Microsoft ActiveX