SharePoint Config

So what is the difference between the standard and enterprise licenses for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server? The short answer is business intelligence and forms (or business process if you are a pie person).

Business intelligence includes the Business Data Catalog (BCD), Excel Services, Data Connection Libraries, Dashboards, KPI’s and Report Center. Forms Services provides the ability to design, deploy and manage InfoPath forms. More information on the additional features you get with Enterprise license is provided below:

Business Process Forms

• InfoPath Forms Services – makes it possible to design Web-capable forms in Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007 and distribute them on corporate intranets, extranets, or the Internet. Users can fill out forms in a browser or HTML enabled Mobile device with no download or client components needed. Forms Services also provides features to enable centralised deployment, conversion from Excel and Word, and forms publishing.

Business Intelligence

• Web-based Business Intelligence Using Excel Services – Excel Services empowers spreadsheet authors to easily and broadly share spreadsheets that use the new Business Intelligence functionality through the browser. Fully interactive, data-bound spreadsheets including charts, tables, and PivotTable views can be created as part of a portal, dashboard, or business scorecard, without requiring any development.
• Data Connection Libraries – Data Connection Libraries are centralized SharePoint document libraries that store Office Data Connections (ODC); ODCs describe connections to external data. Centralizing Office Data Connections makes it easier to share, manage, and discover data connections that can be used by any Microsoft Office program.
• Business Data Catalog – The Business Data Catalog (BDC) tightly integrates external data into the Office SharePoint Server 2007 user experience, providing access to external data residing within backed LOB applications, and enabling the display of and interaction with external data through a set of Business Data Web Parts.
• Integrated Business Intelligence Dashboards – Create rich, interactive business intelligence dashboards that assemble and display business information from disparate sources by using built-in Web parts such as dynamic KPIs, Excel spreadsheets, Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services reports, or a collection of business data connectivity Web Parts that can visualize information residing in backed LOB applications.
• Report Center – An out-of-the-box site optimized for report access and management, including a report library, data connection library, and a dashboard template. These sites, hosted by the new Report Center, provide consistent management of reports, spreadsheets, and data connections.
• Key Performance Indicators – KPIs communicate goals and status to drive results. Using the KPI Web Part, a user can create a KPI list within a Web Part page, without writing code. The KPI Web Part can display KPIs from Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services, Excel spreadsheets, SharePoint lists, or manually entered data.
• Filter Web Parts – Filters enable dashboards to be personalized by communicating shared parameters among Web Parts on a dashboard. The parameters passed can be automatically applied based on user profiles, SharePoint lists, the BDC, manually entered information, and so forth.

Microsoft also provides a SharePoint Server 2007 Edition Comparison that contains a list of the differences between all versions of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and MOSS 2007.