CBT Clips

One of the most challenging aspects of a SharePoint rollout is user adoption and user education. Organizing training sessions and brown bag lunch demonstrations are good ways to inform and educate users about SharePoint and how it is used in the organization.

However, ramping up several users on SharePoint at once requires that each person has some context for what they are learning. You can't always force this on people; force them to imagine working a certain way, role play to a point where the instruction actually makes sense.

For this reason, a successful user education strategy should include reference material that is easy to locate, easy to use and relevant. It should be easily accessible at the point in time when a user has a specific question while performing a task. The reference material should address the specific question at hand, and only that. Otherwise, the user will not be able to find the answer to their question and they will lose interest.

I have found CBT Clips to be a great solution for fulfilling this need. CBT Clips offers collections of very brief, to-the-point, computer based instruction videos. These are perfect for new users who just want to know how to upload a document, how check in/check out works, or how to use Outlook with SharePoint.

The price for a company wide license is very reasonable and I think that depending on the size of the organization, an investment may easily pay for itself.

MSSQL RS: Reference Items for Creating Datasource that Queries SharePoint List Items

Here are a couple, useful reference items to have when creating MSSQL Reporting Services datasources for querying SharePoint list item information:


1. The URL location of the list web service:

http://sample1portal.domain.com/subsite/_vti_bin/Lists.asmx



2. Sample syntax of an XML query to be used in the datasource:

SharePoint 3.0: Error: Access Denied, Search Crawl Log

Description:

You receive an error when attempting to run a crawl on a content source.

Shared Services Administration > Search Settings > Content Sources > Crawl Log:

Error:

"Access is denied. Check that the Default Content Access Account has access to this content, or add a crawl rule to crawl this content. (The item was deleted because it was either not found or the crawler was denied access to it.)"


Solution:

Aside from Alternate Access Mappings (AAM) issues, Content Access account permissions issues, and invalid credentials, this error may also appear if the "Loopback Check" is enabled.

Instructions for disabling the Loopback Check are included in Microsoft Support KB 89861.

KB 89681: You receive error 401.1 when you browse a Web site that uses Integrated Authentication and is hosted on IIS 5.1 or IIS 6
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896861

SharePoint 3.0: Error: Access Denied, Excel Web Access Web Part

Description:

Excel Web Access Web Part: Error:

"Access Denied. You do not have permission to open this file on Excel Services. Make sure that the file is in an Excel Services trusted location and that you have access to the file."

Solution:

Besides permissions related issues, this error may also appear if you are attempting to display an Excel file that is stored in a separate web application where you have not enabled cross domain access.


To enable cross domain access for Excel Services, run the following command:


stsadm.exe -o set-ecssecurity -ssp SSPNAME -allowcrossdomainaccess true

SharePoint 3.0: Pointing Excel Web Access at a Separate Web Application

There is an additional, configuration step required to display an Excel file stored in a different SharePoint web applications from the location where the Excel Web Access web part is being used. The instructions below explain how to set this up.

1.
Locate an Excel file you would like to display in Excel Web Access. For this example, the Excel file is called, stoplight.xlsx. It is stored in a document library at http://sample1portal.domain.com/excelfiles_site/excelfiles_library/



2.
Verify that the intended audience has permission to view the file.

3.
Verify that Excel File location is trusted by Excel Services.



4.
If you have not done so previously, run the following command:

stsadm.exe -o set-ecssecurity -ssp -SSPNAME -allowcrossdomainaccess true

5.
Add the Excel Web Access web part to a page to display stoplight.xslx. Since you have enabled cross domain access, it will now display regardless if the Excel file is part of the same web application as the Excel file, or in a different web application.

In this example, I am displaying the Excel Web Access Web Part on a sub site of http://sample2portal.domain.com although the Excel file is being stored on http://sample1portal.domain.com.

FAST ESP: Fast ESP 5.3 for Windows, 32 Bit Only

FAST ESP 5.3 for Windows is only available in 32 bit. However, the software can be installed on either 32 Bit or 64 Bit versions of the Windows operating system.

Consequently, prior to installing FAST ESP, you must install the 32 Bit versions of Java SE Runtime (JRE) and Java SE Development Kit (JDK): http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp.

Links: MS SQL Server Reporting Services Add-In for MOSS

Here are the links for downloading:

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services Add-in for Microsoft SharePoint Technologies:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=200fd7b5-db7c-4b8c-a7dc-5efee6e19005

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services Add-in for Microsoft SharePoint Technologies:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=1E53F882-0C16-4847-B331-132274AE8C84&displaylang=en

Taking Cloud Platform Services Seriously

(Perspective from early 2009)

Based on conversations with colleagues and clients, I still don't think that the majority of long term, enterprise architecture strategies even consider Cloud Platform Services (referring to PAAS)...but I think this strategy may eventually become mainstream.

Despite the fact that the cost of hosting systems on-premises is reducing with time due to improved virtualization and management technologies, I think that in the not too distant future, there will be a point when the costs and risks of serving up certain types of applications in house will actually be greater than any compromise made by moving the same systems to a PAAS, cloud based platform.

The biggest drawbacks I see with PAAS are:
1. Perceived loss of security controls at the infrastructure level.
2. Perceived loss of control over infrastructure configurations.
3. Vendor lock-in.
4. Vendor price gouging.
5. WAN/Bandwidth limitations.

Despite the risks, I do think that visionaries are beginning to consider PAAS for certain aspects of their computing environment road map. I'm just not sure how much longer it will take before this approach is generally accepted and considered mainstream.

Where is the FAST Search Community?

I am truly excited about Microsoft's acquisition of FAST Search as well as the recent news about Microsoft's new Enterprise Search road map. Anyone who has deployed Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) as an Enterprise Search solution or internet facing solution probably can appreciate all of the considerations that go into planning and implementing as well as some of the limitations that force you to think outside the box.

Prior to becoming proficient in MOSS Search, and prior to doing numerous Search Proof of Concepts on behalf of Microsoft, I spent quite a bit of time locked inside of a small office in the North End of Boston, researching, building and testing MOSS Search on a Microsoft VM. My primary sources of information included TechNet webcasts, blogs, Codeplex, MSDN articles, and the Microsoft Partner Support contacts. I've come to really appreciate the abundance of free flowing ideas and information that exists on the Web related to MOSS. The community is fantastic.

As I embark on new and exciting adventures working with FAST ESP, I am certain that the MOSS community will continue to contribute high quality information and will eventually expand to cover more topics related to FAST ESP. As of now, I don't see the same level of knowledge sharing occurring with FAST as I have seen with MOSS. I only hope that in response to Microsoft's acquisition of FAST as well as their reasonable product licensing model, that FAST will become more widely adopted and that a FAST Search community will flourish on the Web.

Firefox Automatic Logon

Description:

Configuring automatic logon for Firefox, for Microft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) URLs


Solution:

1.
Open Firefox

2.
Address Bar: Type about:config
When prompted for a warning, click "I'll be careful I promise"

3.
About:config > Preference Name > network.automatic-ntlm-auth.trusted-uris
Right-click and "Modify"

4.
Entering String Value Dialog Box
Type the URL addresses of the SharePoint web applications (use comma to separate multiple addresses)
E.g. https://portal.domain.com, https://search.domain.com
Click "OK"


For information about more advanced Firefox/MOSS integration, read Mauro's recent blog post:
SharePoint/Office Integration with Firefox

SQL Server: How to Change the Default Database Location

Description:

Instructions for changing the default Database locations.


Solution:

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio

2. Right Click on the SQL Server Instance node > Properties

3. Navigate to the "Database Settings" menu

4. Modify the "Database default locations"

5. Restart the following Windows Service:

SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER)

6. Create a new test database to verify that it is being created in the new, default location

SharePoint 3.0: How to Move SQL Database Files, Transaction Log Files to Different Disk Location

Description:

Instructions for moving database files (mdf) and transaction log files (ldf) to a different disk drive on the database server, in a MOSS 2007 server farm.


Solution:

1. Perform the necessary capacity planning analyses and tasks to ensure that the future configuration will perform and scale for growth.

2. Schedule a maintenance window to allow for enough time to perform the configuration changes and test the SharePoint portal after the changes are complete. Communicate the maintenance window appropriately to the business users.

3. Create folders on the destination disk drive for storing the files. If the servers are physical, consider storing the transaction log files on a separate physical disk from the database files, to maximize performance. If the servers are virtual, understand the disk configuration of the underlying servers to ensure considerations including disk performance, contention, scalability, and snapshots.

In this example, D:\MSSQL_Data is the destination of data files, and D:\MSSQL_TLogs is the destination of transaction log files.

4. On the MOSS web front end servers and the Index server, stop the following Windows Services:

WWW Publishing Service
Windows SharePoint Administration
Windows SharePoint Search
Windows SharePoint Timer
Windows SharePoint Tracing
Windows SharePoint VSS Writer
Office SharePoint Search

5. For each database that is being moved, run the SQL Commands below to take the database offline

SQL Server Management Studio > New Query
--------------------
ALTER DATABASE MOSS_ContentDatabase SET OFFLINE;
GO
--------------------

6. Using Windows Explorer, physically copy the mdf and ldf files of the databases to their new location.

7. Run the SQL Commands below to update the physical location of the database files

SQL Server Management Studio > New Query
--------------------
USE master;
GO
ALTER DATABASE MOSS_ContentDatabaseMODIFY FILE (NAME = MOSS_ContentDatabase, FILENAME = 'D:\MSSQL_Data\MOSS_ContentDatabase.mdf');
GO
ALTER DATABASE MOSS_ContentDatabaseMODIFY FILE (NAME = MOSS_ContentDatabase_log, FILENAME = 'D:\MSSQL_TLogs\MOSS_ContentDatabase_log.ldf');
GO
ALTER DATABASE MOSS_ContentDatabase
SET ONLINE
GO
--------------------

8. Verify that the updated location has been properly set for each database by running the command below:

SQL Server Management Studio > New Query
--------------------
USE master;
GO
SELECT name, physical_name
FROM sys.master_files
WHERE database_id = DB_ID('MOSS_ContentDatabase');
GO
--------------------

SharePoint 3.0: Is the Installation 32 bit or 64 bit?

If you have an installation of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and you are trying to determine whether it is 32 bit or 64 bit, here are a couple ways you can do it:

* Task Manager; OWSTIMER.EXE
64 bit: OWSTIMER.EXE if it is 64 bit
32 bit: OWSTIMER32.EXE if it is 32 bit

* Windows Explorer; Program Files
64 bit: Installation directory is \Program files\common files\microsoft shared\web server extensions\12\
32 bit: Installation directory is \Program files (x86)\common files\microsoft shared\web server extensions\12\

Event: Focus On Series: Optimize Your SharePoint Investment

On Tuesday, Feburary 24, 2009 I will be presenting at an event sponsored by Vitale Caturano. For more information or to register, please follow this link: http://www.vitale.com/sharepoint

SharePoint 3.0: Search Results: How to Add a Document Properties Hyperlink

Introduction

As for a document appearing in SharePoint 3.0 search results; the standard formatting includes a hyperlink to open the document. However, you may want your search results to also include a link to open the display form or edit form of the document's associated list item. This way users have the options of opening a document as well as viewing and editing document properties all from the search results page.


Step 1. Crawl the Item ID Crawled Property

* SharePoint Shared Services Administration > Search Settings > Metadata Property Mappings > Crawled Properties
* Search for ows_ID(Integer)
* Edit/Map Property: ows_ID
* Mappings to managed properties: Check to "Include values for this property in the search index"
* Click OK


Step 2. Create a Managed Property for the Document's List Item ID

* SharePoint Shared Services Administration > Search Settings > Metadata Property Mappings > Managed Properties
* New Managed Property
Name and type
Property Name: OWSIDInteger
Description:
The type of information in this property: Integer
Mappings to crawled properties: Select - Include values from a single crawled property based on the order specified
Crawled properties mapped to this managed property: OWS_ID(Integer)
Use in scopes: No - Do not allow this property to be used in scopes

Step 3. Run a Full Crawl

* SharePoint Shared Services Administration > Search Settings > Content sources and crawl schedules > For each applicable content source, invoke the context menu and Start Full Crawl


Step 4. Make the New Managed Property Part of the Search Query

* Search Center site collection > search results page > search results web part > edit web part > Modify Shared Web Part
* Web part tool pane > Results Query Options > Selected Columns:
Modify the XML of Selected Columns to include the new managed property, OWSIDInteger

Reference:
How to: Change the Properties Returned in the Core Search Results
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms560074.aspx

Step 6. Test the Search Query to Ensure the New Managed Property is Returning Values

* Search Center site collection > search results page > search results web part > edit web part > Modify Shared Web Part
* Web part tool pane >Miscellaneous > XSL Editor:
Modify the XML so it returns raw XML results

Reference:
How to: View Search Results XML Data
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms546985.aspx


Step 5. Make the Managed Property Display in the Search Results

5A. Create an XML File Containing the Raw XML Representation of the Search Results
* Open an XML editor such as Visual Studio
* File > New > File > XML File
* Search Center > Perform a search (the results should still be coming back as raw XML)
* Copy the search results into the XML file
* Save the XML file to be used in Step 5B

5B. Create a new XSL Stylesheet
* Create a test site
* Add a Data View Web Part (DVWP) to the Test Site
* SharePoint Designer > Open test site > Open default.aspx
* Split View
* Menu > Insert > SharePoint Controls > Data View
* Data Source Library > XML Files > Add an XML file:
Upload the XML file from Step 5A
* Drag the content from the new data source to the DVWP
* Format the DVWP accoding to the desired look and feel for search results
* When look and feel is complete, open the XML editor and create a new XML file:
Visual Studio > File > New > File > XML File
* SharePoint Designer > Highlight the DVWP in the Design window
* Copy the code for the DVWP from the Code view
* Paste the XML into the new XML file
* Identify the XSL Stylesheet portion of the XML
* Cut away any unnecessary XML from the file, leaving only the XSL Stylesheet
* Save the XML file to be used in Step 5C

5C. Apply the new XSL Stylesheet to the Search Results Web Part
* Visual Studio > Open file:
Open the XML file created in Step 5B
* Search Center site collection > search results page > search results web part > edit web part > Modify Shared Web Part
* Web part tool pane >Miscellaneous > XSL Editor:
Open the XSL Editor
* Paste the XML from Visual Studio into the XSL Stylesheet, overwriting the existing stylesheet
* Click OK

SharePoint 3.0: New AD Group Unavailable for Audience Rules

Description:

When creating a new audience rule...

...a new Active Directory security group is unavailable.

Solution:

* Run a full import of user profiles:

Shared Services Administration > User Profiles and My Sites > User profiles and properties > Start full import

St. Thomas

Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas

SharePoint 3.0: Error: Crawl Log "The object was not found."

Description:

Unable to crawl a web site content source.

Error: "The object was not found. (The item was deleted because it was either not found or the crawler was denied access to it.)"

Solution:

Determine if the web site is case sensitive. If so, implement the configuration changes described in the following KB article:

You cannot crawl case-sensitive Web content in SharePoint Server 2007
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932619


Keywords:
Crawling case sensitive web sites; MOSS 2007; Crawl jsp pages; How to crawl .jsp pages with SharePoint; Case-Sensitive; sharepoint search jsp; sharepoint search .jsp

Links: Microsoft Windows Server 2008

Windows Server 2008: System Requirements
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/system-requirements.aspx

Windows Server 2008: Overview of Editions
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/editions-overview.aspx

Windows Server 2008: Compare Features
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/compare-features.aspx

Windows Server 2008: Compare Server Roles
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/compare-roles.aspx

Links: Microsoft SQL Server 2008

MSDN: SQL Server 2008 Books Online: Product Specifications for SQL Server 2008
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143287.aspx

MSDN: SQL Server 2008 Books Online: Hardware and Software Requirements for Installing SQL Server 2008
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143506.aspx

MSDN: SQL Server 2008 Books Online: Maximum Number of Processors Supported by the Editions of SQL Server 2008
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143760.aspx

MSDN: SQL Server 2008 Books Online: SQL Server 2008 Books Online: Memory Supported by the Editions of SQL Server 2008
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143685.aspx

MSDN: SQL Server 2008 Books Online: Maximum Capacity Specifications for SQL Server 2008
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143432.aspx

MSDN: SQL Server 2008 Books Online: Editions and Components of SQL Server 2008
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms144275.aspx

MSDN: SQL Server 2008 Books Online: Features Supported by the Editions of SQL Server 2008
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc645993.aspx

MSDN: SQL Server 2008 Books Online: Using Upgrade Advisor to Prepare for Upgrades
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms144256.aspx

MSDN: SQL Server 2008 Books Online: Getting SQL Server Assistance
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms166016.aspx

MSDN: SQL Server 2008 Books Online: Planning a SQL Server Installation
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb500442.aspx

MSDN: SQL Server 2008 Books Online: Overview of SQL Server Installation
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb500438.aspx

MSDN: SQL Server 2008 Books Online: How to: Install SQL Server 2008 (Setup)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143219.aspx

MSDN: SQL Server 2008 Books Online: How to: Upgrade to SQL Server 2008 (Setup)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms144267.aspx

MSDN: SQL Server 2008 Books Online: Migrating to SQL Server 2008
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb677619.aspx

MSDN: SQL Server 2008 Books Online: Backward Compatibility
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc280407.aspx