SYSK 85: What are the key features of TFS (Team Foundation Server)?

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As was announced yesterday by Rick LaPlante, the Team Foundation Server has been released to manufacture (RTM).  The bits should be available to customers for download via Microsoft’s Developer Network (MSDN) within a few days.

 

And did you know that Microsoft used Team Foundation Server as a test case with Visual Studio Team System? To date, Microsoft has 600 developers, 1.25 million files, 170 GB of data being used by developers in USA, India and Europe and they’ve never lost a line of code.

 

So, what are the key features of TFS?

 

Team Foundation Server enables you to track and manage changes to assets such as source code, tasks lists, and project plans, with the security of SQL Server 2005. Team Foundation Server provides an environment that integrates the source code control with requirements management and issue tracking.

 

Some features include:

•           Team Communication. Each project managed by Team Foundation Server has an associated SharePoint Project Portal. Individuals to receive notifications of events in the projects they are working on that are of interest to them – everything from a notification that a new team member has joined, to a notification that a work item has been reassigned.

•           Integration into Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Project. Customers already familiar with these tools gain the ability to synchronize their work with the data managed by Team Foundation Server.

•           Version Control. Team Foundation Server version control offers shelving, atomic check-ins, XML Web Service-based communication, and deep integration with all of the other aspects of Team Foundation Server. All of this functionality is backed by SQL Server 2005.

•           Work Item Tracking Team Foundation Server provides tracking capabilities for the various tasks lists, project plans, issues and requirements that are part of any software project.

•           Reporting. Team Foundation Server ships with more than 20 reports that show detail such as source code being written, bugs being found, or requirements being recorded.

 

Make sure to give TFS a serious evaluation!  It’s an awesome product!