Developing an Intranet with ASP.NET 2.0

In part two we'll cover the use of VWD in building a rudimentary contact management module for the Intranet.

Contact management
One of the core requirements of a good intranet is a contact management system. It is also one of the simplest modules to build, being a simple repository of company and personal information.

Because users in a working environment will usually be using an e-mail client with some form of built-in contact management, it can be advantageous to integrate the Intranet's contact management with users' local address books.

This can be done using shared contacts in a Microsoft Exchange environment, in which case the Intranet module can interface directly with Exchange. Otherwise, in the absence of an Exchange server, an export facility is a simple means of allowing users to manually synchronise their contacts with the Intranet.

A basic document repository can be used to track the status of files in an intranet.

Document management
Another central role for an Intranet is to provide a centralised document library which offers relationships and management capabilities beyond that of simple file storage on a server.

For instance, document versioning, work- flow and the ability to check files in and out are all basic functions that a document library has to offer.

The choice as to whether to store documents on disk or within a database will depend upon other factors such as the security and availability requirements of the application.

Project management and timesheets
Project management capabilities can be attached to a contact management system, making it possible to assign projects to clients, and then assign resources to projects.

If a document library is also in place, files can be assigned to clients, resources and projects as well. For extra functionality, projects can also be broken down into tasks, each with dependencies, a status and a user responsible for completing it. Users in turn can complete time sheets at the end of each day, showing how many hours have been spent on each task.

Shared calendars and resource booking
Although the three modules described above form the foundation for most Intranets, calendars and booking schedules can be handy for managing resources such as meeting rooms and office equipment.

As with contact management, bookings and shared calendars stored within an Intranet can duplicate functions already being performed by an e-mail client like Microsoft Outlook.

In this situation you will need to evaluate the best way of integrating the two systems. For instance, it may be possible to integrate with Exchange server shared calendars or to write VBScript macros that connect to Intranet Web services to synchronise meeting and calendar bookings.

Alternatively, it is also possible to use an Intranet calendar to generate meeting invitations and the like via e-mail. These can be enhanced to integrate with Outlook or any other applications being used for their calendar functions.

Building the database
Before coding any pages, we need to design and build the database. In the diagram below we have established 12 tables as storage for the Intranet modules discussed above. Let's take a quick look at each of these.

The database structure for the intranet.