SAP NetWeaver Portal: Collaboration Rooms, Groupware Framework and Synchronous Collaboration Services

The collaboration capabilities of SAP NetWeaver Portal still contain collaboration rooms, groupware framework and synchronous collaboration services. Be aware that these applications are considered as feature-complete.

Collaboration Rooms

Collaboration offers rooms as configurable virtual working environments for portal users. In a room, the members of teams or project groups can collaborate across time zones and between geographical locations. Rooms are virtual workspaces that can be set up for any topic or purpose. They are especially convenient for teams or work groups, since the rooms ensure that all required tools, services and information sources are available from a single point of access. Collaboration rooms are based on room templates that define the room's structure, content, and access authorizations.Rooms have the following capabilities:

• a single point of access to all business-relevant information from documents and business applications
• ability to share business information and work globally across locations and time zones
• corporate best-practice standards using template-based rooms that can evolve during their life cycle (the functions of rooms can be extended)
• integration with 3rd-party groupware systems

  For more information look at the following documents: 

• Presentation on Rooms and Room Administration
  This presentation provides an overview of rooms and explains all administration aspects: Creation of room templates and room parts, room creation, collaboration with team members in rooms, and life cycle management for rooms.
• Presentation on Room APIs
  This presentation covers the following topics: Integration of rooms into SAP applications, Collaboration rooms infrastructure and framework, and the use of the Collaboration room API.
• Presentation on Room Extensions
  This presentation provides an overview of room extensions, explains the mapping plan, and how to develop an extension.
• Presentation on Rooms and External Business Partners
  This presentation explains how to collaborate in virtual rooms with trusted external business partners.

Integrating Complementary 3rd Party Collaboration Services

Third-party integration helps protect customers' existing investments and lets users work with tools they are familiar with. SAP NetWeaver Portal offers various possibilities to create either own collaboration services or integrate complementary 3rd party collaboration services.

Access to e-mail and calendaring services
SAP NetWeaver Portal provides a flexible framework for the integration of e-mails and the calendar services from your groupware server, for example, Microsoft Exchange Server or Lotus Domino Server. For more information, check the presentation about the Groupware Framework. This presentation provides an overview of the groupware framework, and explains how to configure groupware integration for e-mail and calender.

• Server-side integration with groupware solutions such as MS Exchange and IBM Lotus Domino. Detailed information is available in the "Tutorial: Connecting Groupware to Portal Applications" (Developer Guide)  and "Installing and Configuring E-Mail / Calendar Connectivity" (Administration Guide)
• Client-side integration for integrating native groupware clients such as MS Outlook: "Tutorial: Integrating Native Collaboration Services" and code samples.
• Web client integration such as Outlook Web Access or Lotus iNotes.

Access to synchronous collaboration services (such as instant messaging or web conferencing)

The Synchronous Collaboration Framework (SCF) can be used to connect various synchronous collaboration tools, such as Webex or Instant Messenger, with applications such as rooms that can benefit from this integration. For more information see the presentation on the Synchronous Collaboration Framework. 

• Integration with real-time service providers such as WebEx. This hosted service also gives portal users the option of sharing information with non-portal users and eliminates IT involvement, since no additional servers have to be installed and maintained. Details are available in the "Tutorial: Creating an SCF Service Connector"
• Client-side integration for integrating messenger clients such as Windows Messenger "Tutorial: Integrating Native Collaboration Services" and code samples.

Application Sharing is an interactive collaboration service that allows portal users to share their desktop or run applications with other portal users regardless of their physical location. It can be used for light-weight collaboration scenarios for small user groups. For enterprise-wide use of real-time collaboration services, please consider the integration of third-party real-time collaboration tools. Not sure if your collaboration scenario fits? - Take a look at the document Real-Time Collaboration - Going Forward  or the Administration Guide.

Administrating and Extending SAP's Collaboration Solution

Additional information on how to administrate and extend SAP's Collaboration solution is available in the following resources:

• Collaboration Architecture
• Collaboration Administration Guide for SAP NetWeaver 7.0 and for SAP NetWeaver 7.3
• Collaboration Developer Guide (API Development, Tutorials, Samples, Checklists)
• API Documentation SAP NetWeaver 7.0 (Javadocs) and SAP NetWeaver 7.3
• Code Samples for Collaboration
• Interoperability with IBM and Microsoft