Create a digital dashboard

You can create a digital dashboard from Microsoft Outlook 2002 or from the New File task pane in other Microsoft Office applications. To create a digital dashboard, you must have access to a folder on a computer that is running Microsoft Exchange 2000 Service Pack 1 (SP1) Server or Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server. In addition, to use either method of creating a digital dashboard, you must be running Microsoft Windows 2000 or later with 128 MB of RAM or more, and have Outlook 2002 installed.

Create a digital dashboard from Outlook

1. Start Outlook.
2. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Folder.
3. Click the Digital Dashboard template.
4. In the Name box, type the name for the folder that will contain your digital dashboard.
5. Click Select Folder and then under My Shared Folders, navigate to the folder where you want to create your digital dashboard's folder.

   Note   You must have previously opened a folder on a server in order for that server to be available in My Shared Folders. If the server you want to use is not displayed, close the Create New Folder dialog box, and then type the URL to the server in the Address box on the Web toolbar.

6. Click OK to create your digital dashboard.

   It will take several minutes to create your digital dashboard.

7. When prompted, choose whether to add a shortcut for your digital dashboard to the Outlook Bar.

   Open your digital dashboard by clicking the shortcut on the Outlook Bar, or by opening the dashboard folder from the Folder List. The first time you open your digital dashboard, it will be empty. Click Content to import Web Parts from the Microsoft Web Part Catalog. After you add Web Parts to your dashboard, you can change its layout by clicking Layout. You can change the dashboard's appearance and other settings by clicking Settings. By default, your digital dashboard is not shared with other users. If you want to share your dashboard with other users, click Permissions.

Create a digital dashboard from other Office applications

1. Start an Office application.
2. If the New File task pane is not visible, click Task Pane on the View menu.
3. In the New File task pane, click Add Network Place.

   This starts the Add Network Place Wizard.

4. Click Create a new Network Place, and then click Next.
5. Browse to a folder on a computer that is running Exchange 2000 Server with SP1 or SharePoint Portal Server, or type the URL to that folder in the Folder location box.
6. In the Folder name box, type the name for the folder that will contain your digital dashboard, and then click Next.
7. Click the Digital Dashboard template, and then click Finish.

   It will take several minutes to create your digital dashboard.

   To open your digital dashboard, start a Web browser or Outlook 2002, and then type the URL to the folder where you created the dashboard in the Address box. The first time you open your digital dashboard, it will be empty. Click Content to import Web Parts from the Microsoft Web Part Catalog. After you add Web Parts to your dashboard, you can change its layout by clicking Layout. You can change the dashboard's appearance and other settings by clicking Settings. By default, your digital dashboard is not shared with other users. If you want to share your dashboard with other users, click Permissions.

Tip

You can also create Web Parts for a digital dashboard by creating or opening a document in an Office application, clicking Save as Web Page on the File menu, and then saving the document to the digital dashboard's folder.