Finding Project Server 2010 documentation

Documentation for Project Server 2010 is spread across three websites: TechNet, Office.com, and MSDN. Each of these sites addresses a different audience. TechNet focuses on the IT Pro, Office.com focuses on the end user, and MSDN focuses on the developer audience. In addition to these three sites, blogs are also a great source of information.

TechNet: Planning, deployment, migration/upgrade, and more

TechNet provides Project Server 2010 documentation that focuses on the functions performed by administrators. You can find content on planning, deployment, migration/upgrade, operations, and troubleshooting, as well as technical reference material. There are two ways content is surfaced on TechNet: TechCenters and the Library.

Project Server 2010 TechCenter

First, let’s look at the Project Server 2010 TechCenter. The TechCenter provides links to content that we’ve identified as most commonly-used, as well as themed Resource Centers with links to content pertaining to a specific topic.

To browse to the Project Server 2010 TechCenter:

1. Go to TechNet.
2. At the bottom of the left navigation list, click More TechCenters.
   
3. Under Server Products, click Project Server 2010. The Project Server 2010 TechCenter is displayed.
   

Information on the Project Server 2010 TechCenter is broken out into separate sections:

The Project Server 2010 TechCenter also includes many links to other resources, including blogs, forums, downloads, and other websites containing relevant content.

Project Server 2010 Library

For an all-up look at Project Server 2010 content on TechNet, use the Library.

To browse to the Project Server 2010 Library:

1. Go to TechNet.
2. Click Library on the tabs going across the top of the page.
   
3. In the left navigation tree, expand Products and Technologies, and then expand Project Server 2010.

Here, you can browse through all published Project Server 2010 articles on TechNet, broken down into categories. The Newly published content article (as mentioned earlier, also available as an RSS feed) is updated regularly with links to recently-published articles, and is helpful for staying on top of new content on TechNet. Another great resource for learning about new content published to TechNet is the Enterprise Project Management Content Publishing News blog (also available as an RSS feed). This blog helps to surface broader updates to content on TechNet, as well as links to individual articles.

Providing feedback

To provide feedback on TechNet articles, first determine which view you are using: Classic, Lightweight, or ScriptFree.

If you are using the Classic view, in the bar just above the article, you can use a five-star rating system. When you click to provide a star rating, a box appears where you can type in comments specific to the current article.

If you are using the Lightweight view, scroll to the bottom of the article and click Feedback. From there, you can type comments specific to the article you are viewing.

If you are using the ScriptFree view, click Feedback in the top-right portion of the article. This takes you to the MSDN, TechNet, and Expression Library Feedback Forum, where you can provide feedback on the script-free version of an article.

Office.com: End-user content for Project Web App

Office.com provides documentation for Project Web App users. You can find content on creating and working with projects, managing portfolios, submitting and approving time and status, reporting on projects, setting up Project Web App, and more.

To browse to Project Server 2010 content on Office.com:

1. Go to Office.com.
2. Click Support on the tabs going across the top of the page.
   
3. In the Current Product Help box on the top right portion of the page, click Project Server.
    
   The Project Server Help and How-To page is displayed.
   

Here, you can see links to content in the main graphic at the top of the page, as well as in the lists below the graphic. These lists help to surface some of the more commonly-used topics within the Project Server 2010 content on Office.com.

For the full Project Server 2010 content set on Office.com, click through the categories listed in the Project Server 2010 box, on the top right portion of the page. Within a category, use the links on the left navigation list to browse through subcategories, or click Show all categories to return to the full list of top-level categories.

Providing feedback

To provide feedback on Office.com articles, scroll to the bottom of the article, and then use the buttons to answer “Did this article help you?”

Once you’ve clicked the Yes, No, or Not what I was looking for button, you can provide comments specific to the article you’re viewing.

MSDN: Project Server 2010 Developer Content

Developer content for Project Server 2010, including the Project 2010 Software Development Kit (SDK) and the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) Developer Reference, is available on MSDN. You can find API documentation, sample code, and other supporting information. Much like TechNet, there are two ways content is surfaced on MSDN: Developer Centers and the Library. MSDN also has other resources you may find helpful.

Project 2010 Developer Center

The quickest way to get to the Project Developer Center is to type msdn.microsoft.com/project.

To browse to the Project 2010 Developer Center on MSDN:

1. Go to MSDN.
2. In the gray box at the bottom of the page, under Core destinations, click Office Developer Center.
   
3. Click Products on the tabs going across the top of the page.
   
4. Under Project, click Project 2010.
    
   The Project 2010 Developer Center is displayed.
   

Similar to TechNet, the Project 2010 Developer Center provides links to content that we’ve identified as most commonly-used, as well as links to links to other resources, including blogs, forums, downloads, and other websites containing relevant content. Note that the Project 2010 Developer Center includes information for both Project Server 2010 and the Project 2010 client application. You can subscribe to an RSS feed for newly-published content across all Office applications, and then filter for Project Server.

Project 2010 Library

For an all-up look at Project Server 2010 content on MSDN, use the Library.

To browse to the Project 2010 Library:

1. Go to MSDN.
2. Click Library on the tabs going across the top of the page.
   
3. In the left navigation tree, expand Office Development, then expand Microsoft Office 2010, and then expand Project 2010.

Here, you can browse through the Project 2010 VBA Developer Reference and the SDK Documentation to find the relevant Project Server 2010 content. There is a link on the Project Developer Center home page to download the Project 2010 SDK, which contains documentation, 11 code samples, IntelliSense XML files for Web Services, VBA Help, schema references, and more.

Other useful MSDN resources

In addition to the Project 2010 Developer Center and the Project 2010 Library, MSDN has several other resources you may find helpful:

• MSDN Community Content Wiki. If you are using the Classic view, you can also annotate Project topics in the MSDN Library using the MSDN Community Content Wiki. For example, you could add a tip or remark that you think other developers might find useful. This is different from providing feedback about a topic; you should use MSDN Feedback to report issues. The Project developer documentation team regularly monitors and responds to feedback, and we republish topics based on customer feedback. See “Providing feedback,” below, for more information.
• MSDN Forums. You can also post a question to the Project 2010 MSDN Forums. There are three Project 2010 forums, including Project Customization and Programming.

• Context-Sensitive Help and IntelliSense in Visual Studio. If you are using Visual Studio, you can also get context-sensitive Help by pressing F1 in your code. By default, Visual Studio 2010 uses online Help as its primary source. You can change this setting by clicking Help, and then clicking Manage Help Settings. The Welcome Guide of the SDK, which is accessible through the Start Menu shortcut by clicking Start > All Programs > Microsoft SDKs > Project 2010 SDK, includes detailed information about installing and using the updated IntelliSense XML files included in the download. Once the files have been copied to the right directory, you can get tooltips, auto-complete, and API descriptions in the Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE) as you type and browse through code.

Providing feedback

To provide feedback on MSDN articles, first determine which view you are using: Classic, Lightweight, or ScriptFree.

If you are using the Classic view, in the bar just above the article, you can use a five-star rating system. When you click to provide a star rating, a box appears where you can type in comments specific to the current article.

If you are using the Lightweight view, scroll to the bottom of the article and click Feedback. From there, you can type comments specific to the article you are viewing.

If you are using the ScriptFree view, click Feedback in the top-right portion of the article. This takes you to the MSDN, TechNet, and Expression Library Feedback Forum, where you can provide feedback on the script-free version of an article.

Blogs: A great source for all kinds of information

There are many, many blogs out there with Project Server, or enterprise project management, as a focus. Here are just a few Microsoft blogs worth checking out:

• Enterprise Project Management Content Publishing News
• Project product group
• Project Admin
• Project Programmability and Business Intelligence
• Project Support
• Christophe Fiessinger