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Working with Team Foundation Clients

You can use one of several Team Foundation client applications to interact with Visual Studio Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) and Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010. All clients require that you connect to a server that runs Team Foundation Server, and select a project collection and a team project. All clients require that you have the required permissions to access the team projects that you select.

Each client supports your ability to collaborate and coordinate your efforts with other team members in building a product or completing a project. The versions of Team Foundation clients that you can use are as follows:

  • Team Explorer is installed with each version of Microsoft Visual Studio 2010. You can use Team Explorer to access application lifecycle management features of Visual Studio, including team projects, version control, team builds, and project management.

  • Team Web Access is a customizable Web interface that provides most, but not all, of the functionality available through the Team Explorer client. Team Web Access also enables you to quickly find work items by using a special search syntax.

    Team Web Access is automatically installed and configured when Team Foundation Server is installed. For information about supported Web browsers, see Managing Work Using Team Web Access.

  • Team Web Access - Work Item View Only enables people to create work items and allows team members to view only their assigned work items.

    This view is designed to help you work with work items in Team Foundation without a client access license (CAL). With this view, you do not need a CAL to create work items or to view and update work items that you created. The work-item only view restricts functionality so that you are in compliance with this aspect of the Team Foundation Server end-user license agreement.

  • Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Project. Team Foundation integrates with Excel and Project to help you manage your project and stay synchronized with the work item database for Team Foundation.

    After you install Team Explorer, Excel and Project can communicate with Team Foundation Server. In Excel, a Team tab displays work items in a list. In Project, a Team toolbar and a Team menu appear, and work items appear as tasks in a project plan.

  • Microsoft Test Manager. You can use Test Manager to define your test effort and create and run manual tests. Test Manager also integrates with the work item database in Team Foundation to create and track bugs that are found during test efforts. For more information about Test Manager, see What's New for Testing.

The following sections summarize the tasks that you can perform with each of the client applications of Team Foundation Server. A blank field indicates that the task is not supported for that client.

Common Tasks: Connection and Access

Tasks

Team Explorer

Team Web Access

Team Web Access - Work Item View Only

Office Excel

Office Project

Related topics

Grant permissions to connect to team projects and access Team Foundation functions

Yes

  

  

  

  

Change Permissions for a Group or User

View permissions assigned to groups or users

Yes

  

  

  

  

View Permissions

Connect to a team project

Required

Required

Required

Required

Required

Connect to and Access Team Projects in Team Foundation Server

Connect a Microsoft Office Document to Team Foundation Server

Customize the appearance and modify the application behavior

  

Yes

  

  

  

Customize the Appearance of Team Web Access

Refresh the display and update the client cache

Yes

Yes

Yes

  

  

Refresh Your Team Foundation Client

View process guidance and project portals (requires SharePoint Products)

Yes

Yes

  

Yes

Yes

Access a Team Project Portal and Process Guidance

Access report site (requires SQL Server Reporting Services)

Yes

Yes

  

  

  

Reports (Agile)

Reports (CMMI)

Access source control (requires Team Foundation version control)

Yes

Yes

  

  

  

Open Source Control Explorer

Access builds (requires Team Foundation Build)

Yes

Yes

  

  

  

Run and Monitor Builds

Share documents and reports

Yes

Yes

  

  

  

Managing Documents and Document Libraries

Manage Reports

Common Tasks: Tracking Projects, Progress, and Work

Tasks

Team Explorer

Team Web Access

Team Web Access - Work Item View Only

Office Excel

Office Project

Related topics

Create a team project

Yes

  

  

  

  

Create a Team Project

Set areas and iteration paths

Yes

Yes

  

Yes

Yes

Create and Modify Areas and Iterations

Add, modify, copy, and view work items

Yes

Yes

Yes (with restrictions)

Yes

Yes

Adding and Modifying Bugs, Tasks, and Other Work Items

Manage work items

Yes

Yes (with restrictions)

Managing Work Using Team Web Access

Manage Work Items in Work Item Only View (Team Web Access)

Link work items, and attach files and hyperlinks to work items

Yes

Yes

Yes (with restrictions)

Yes

Yes

Creating Relationships Between Work Items and Other Resources

Find work items and create work item lists

Yes

Yes

Yes (with restrictions)

Yes

Yes

Finding Bugs, Tasks, and Other Work Items

Find work items by using a specialized syntax

  

Yes

Yes

  

  

Work Item Search Syntax (Team Web Access)

Open frequently and recently accessed work items, queries, and reports

Yes

Yes

  

  

  

Access Frequently Used or Recently Viewed Work Items, Queries, and Reports

Share work items and work item queries

Yes

Yes

  

  

  

Sharing Work Items and Queries with Team Members

Organize queries into folders and subfolders

Yes

Yes

  

  

  

Organize and Set Permissions on Work Item Queries

Restrict access to shared queries and query folders

Yes

  

  

  

  

Organize and Set Permissions on Work Item Queries

Export or import work items to or from Office Excel

Export

  

  

Import

  

Managing Work Items Using Microsoft Excel Bound to Team Foundation Server

Export or import work items to or from Office Project

Export

  

  

  

Import

Scheduling Tasks and Assigning Resources Using Microsoft Project

Publish and refresh work items in Office Excel

  

  

  

Yes

  

Refresh Work Items and Change the List Type in Office Excel

Publish and refresh work items in Office Project

  

  

  

  

Yes

Publish or Refresh Work Items in Office Project

Work offline, when you are disconnected from Team Foundation Server

  

  

  

Yes

Yes

Work Offline and Reconnect to Team Foundation Server

Set alerts to notify you when changes are made to work items

Yes

Yes

  

  

  

Setting Alerts

Generate reports from a work item query.

Yes

  

  

Yes

  

Creating Reports in Microsoft Excel by Using Work Item Queries

See Also

Concepts

Compatibility between Team Foundation Clients and Team Foundation Server

Artifacts (Agile)

Artifacts (CMMI)

Working in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Project Connected to Team Foundation Server

Tracking Bugs, Tasks, and Other Work Items