Comments inline...
I would like to know more about managing documents linked to a specific
project.
One of the features I am interested in is taking documents offline
without having to download it locally and the uploading it again. I
must then be able to synchronize with the server to update the document
as a new version (or merge, see below). Is there such a functioality
available?
I'm not too sure what you mean when you say "taking documents offline
without having to download it locally". The mere action of accessing a
document from a SharePoint site, you WILL download it to your desktop
computer. So I'm not too sure what you mean.
When you open a document (let's say a Word document) you will load the
document over the network to your desktop computer. If you want work on
the document and then save it, you will be saving the document on the
network to the SharePoint site.
Now, if you open the document via the SharePoint site and then save the
document locally on your notebook. There's still no problems. You can
work on it over the weekend and then Monday AM you can save your Word
document back to the SharePoint site. In fact, if you have Word 2003,
the application is SharePoint-aware, in that it will know the locations
(local and SharePoint Site) where this document is located. It's a very
cool feature!
My next question concerns merging changes. If I were to check out a
document on friday, work on it over the weekend and return to office on
monday I want to merge my changes with the changes some other guy made
at the office on saturday.
In this scenario you should enable versioning on your document library
so that you will be able to check-out documents. Conceptually it's very
much the same as going to your Local Public Library and checking out a
book. The only difference is that no one else can use the book when it's
checked-out of the Local Public Library. In SharePoint, the user is
allowed to open the document as Read-Only.
So when you check out a document in SharePoint it locks out any user
from saving the document back to SharePoint. In fact, when the 2nd user
tries to check out or open the document, SharePoint will inform the user
that the document will be Read-Only. But if your 2nd user were to save a
copy locally on their computer they will be unable to save it back to
SharePoint until you have check-in the document.
Now if you DO NOT check out the document, then all bets are off (in
regards to locking the document) and you may need to use the Microsoft
Word Compare document feature (for example)
http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/assistance/HA100664131033.aspx
Hope this helps...
--
Rolly Perreaux, PMP, MCSE
Project Server Trainer/Consultant
TriMagna Corporation
Microsoft Gold Partner
http://www.trimagna.com