Marc Anderson, a SharePoint MVP, discusses his experience with SharePoint and “middle tier” development. He will be presenting on the topic at SPTechCon Boston June 1–3.

Hey, @sympmarc..ready?

@SPTechCon You betcha!
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@SPTechCon is now going to try to keep me to 140 chars. Should be interesting!

.@sympmarc Although most people here know you, please tell us a little about yourself and your experience with #SharePoint. #SPTechCon

.@SPTechCon is now going to try to keep me to 140 chars. Should be interesting!

I’m one of those people who claim linkage to SP going back to Tahoe et al. You can real my bio here. http://sympmarc.com/about/ #sptechcon

To me, SharePoint is the platform we have been trying to build since at least the mid-90s for KM and collaboration. Bees knees. #SPTechCon

Because of that fabulousness, I’ve dedicated myself to working w/ #SharePoint for the last 5 years or so. #SPTechCon

Ok, so @sympmarc you’re teaching about the “Middle Tier” at #SPTechCon, what exactly is this concept about?

Best way to understand what I mean is to read my Manifesto. http://ow.ly/4JU9dhttp://ow.ly/4JU9d #SPTechCon Basically the working place b/w the UI and VS.

It’s an alternative way to develop powerful solutions within SharePoint. Not always the answer, but often it is. #SPTechCon

Your unique governance model should dictate how it fits into your own development portfolio. Governance understanding is key. #SPTechCon

The Middle Tier tools are SharePoint Designer, DVWPs, XSL, jQuery/JavaScript, CSS, and SPD-based Workflows. #SPTechCon


.@sympmarc We understand that you’ve had some pushback on this, why do you think that is? #SharePoint #SPTechCon

I think pushback comes for several reasons. 1st is that “middle tier” can mean other things. (So does “customization”.) #SPTechCon

2nd reason for pushback is that it’s not the “Microsoft way”. It’s non-traditional development to a .NET developer. #SPTechCon

3rd is specific reasons it may not make sense from a deployment perspective. Did I mention governance? #SPTechCon

The good thing is that these techniques have won many converts since I wrote the Manifesto. #SPTechCon They just plain work well.

When people hear me talk about the Middle Tier at #SPTechCon, they see that it makes sense as prt of their development portfolio. #SPTechCon

Governance of the process, @sympmarc? #SharePoint #SPTechCon

Governance as applied to development and content mgmt. In the Middle Tier, code is content, too. #SPTechCon

When I talk about governance w/my clients, it encompasses everything about the way people interact w/SharePoint. All people. #SPTechCon

Have I mentioned yet that if you register for #SPTechCon with the code ANDERSON, you can save an extra $200? 🙂

You stole my line, @sympmarc! I was going to ask if you knew of a discount code!

f more people use the code ANDERSON than any other, I win a Motorola XOOM, which I’ll raffle off to someone who uses the code! #SPTechCon

So, @sympmarc what new things about #SharePoint and middle tier tools can be learned at #SPTechCon?

Since the Middle Tier has gotten some street cred, I’m not the only one talking about it at #SPTechCon. Many others will be talking abt it 2

Great minds like @jbhoward and @mrackley will also be talking about doing things in the Middle Tier. #SPTechCon It’s great venue to learn.

I’ll be doing my session “Developing in SharePoint’s Middle Tier” and I’ll be at #SPTechCon the whole time. Too valuable to miss any of it!

(If you know me, you know that I’m not blowing smoke. #SPTechCon rocks.)

Well, awesome and thank you, @sympmarc. Can’t wait to see you in Boston @ #SPTechCon! :o)

Learn more about the Middle Tier at #SPTechCon. Reg now with code ANDERSON for $200 off & a chance to win a XOOM Tablet http://bit.ly/lalILr