3.2. Content Is Stored in a Site Collection

Even though a web site has been created, a site collection needs to be added to have a place to store the content of the site. The site collection is a top-level site that will contain all of the other pages in the site. It is the parent to all the child sites that can be created. Once the site collection has been created, the site can be viewed. When a new SharePoint web application is created, a site collection is not automatically created by SharePoint. Therefore, when you are finished creating a new web application, SharePoint will prompt you to create a site collection. To create a site collection navigate to the Application Created page, click on the Create Site Collection link.

Another way to access the site collections page is from the Application Management tab, under SharePoint Site Management by clicking on Create Site Collection.

The Create Site Collection page allows the first customization of the site you are creating. It is here that a title, description, and URL can be provided (see Figure 3-2). A template needs to be selected, depending on the needs of the site. A primary and secondary site collection administrator can be named here, as well as a predefined quota template, used to limit resources used for this site collection. After filling in all of the information, click OK and the top-level site will be created!

Figure 3.2. Figure 3-2

SharePoint provides a link to the URL so that the site can be opened in a new browser, while providing an OK button that will return you to SharePoint Central Administration. At this point, the rest of the changes will be done in the site collection, so follow the URL to the new site, instead of going back to the Central Administration page. The SharePoint site has been set up and is now ready for customization. Figure 3-3 shows a simple team site that has been selected as the template for the site collection.