REAL WORLD

Dan Holme

In Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, services were provided using Shared Service Providers (SSPs). SSPs were monolithic units that provided multiple services, including search, user profiles, InfoPath forms, and the business data catalog. During the product life cycle of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007, enterprises discovered that SSPs did not scale well to meet the needs of complex enterprises. Microsoft created an entirely new model—the Service Application Framework—for delivering services in SharePoint 2010. The SAF promises to remove the vast majority of “pain points” that were encountered in MOSS 2007. Additionally, Microsoft introduced new services—including the Managed Metadata Service—that deliver valuable functionality that was missing entirely in previous versions of SharePoint. Unfortunately, terminology and concepts related to the SAF can be confusing. This chapter aims to equip you with a solid understanding of the SAF, so that you can digest and understand sometimes vague and conflicting documentation and messages. If you can successfully master the fundamental concepts of the SAF, you will be equipped to deliver services effectively within and between SharePoint farms.