Chapter 1. Understanding SharePoint Development Choices

SharePoint provides a robust platform that contains many services from which we can create business solutions. While many solutions can be configured using the included features, it is often necessary to develop customizations in order to meet all of the business requirements for a project. Customizations can come in many forms that range in complexity from simple visualizations in web part displays, custom forms, and timer jobs , all the way to a custom service application that extends the application to provide fully packaged solutions.

These customizations can be created using a number of different techniques so it is important to understand the strengths and limitations of each of the development paths. It is also important to understand the development tools that are available and what they can produce.

In the sections that follow you will find a brief overview of the different customization options that are available, tools that can be used to create them, as well as some additional considerations when choosing a development path.