Create, view, or delete a group schedule

This feature requires you to use a Microsoft Exchange Server 2000, Exchange Server 2003, or Exchange Server 2007 account. Most home and personal accounts do not use Microsoft Exchange. For more information about Microsoft Exchange accounts and how to determine which version of Exchange your account connects to, see the links in the See Also section.

The Calendar group schedule makes it easy for you to see the combined schedules of a number of people or resources at a glance. A group schedule can include all of the contacts or resources from a public folder.

You can create and save multiple group schedules, each showing a group of people or resources. For example, one group schedule could contain all employees in a department. Another group schedule could contain all conference rooms in a building.

In addition to checking people's schedules to organize meetings, you might also need to schedule resources, such as the conference room where you plan to hold the meeting, or the slide projector that you plan to use for a presentation. Before you can schedule a resource, your Microsoft Exchange Server administrator must create a mailbox account on the Exchange server, and you must be granted permission to schedule resources, along with any other assosciated resources.

While viewing a group schedule, you can quickly schedule a meeting with or send e-mail to some or all of the group members. You can get the latest free/busy information for each group member before you schedule a meeting, and use AutoPick to find a time when all group members are free.

By default, the group calendar contains the details of all items shown, unless the owner of an item marked it private.

1. In Calendar, on the Actions menu, click View Group Schedules.

2. Do one of the following:

   • Create a group schedule    

     1. In the Group Schedules dialog box, click New.

     2. Type a name for the new group schedule, and then click OK.

     3. Click Add Others, and then click either Add from Address Book or Add Public Folder.

     4. Select the names or the public folders that you want to add, and then click OK.

     5. Click Save and close.

   • View a group schedule    

     1. Select the group schedule that you want to view, and then click Open.

   • Delete a group schedule    

     1. Select the group schedule that you want to delete, and then click Delete.

Note: To refresh the free/busy data in the group schedule, click Options, and then click Refresh Free/Busy.