Thursday, May 22, 2014

April 2014 cumulative update packages

April 2014 Cumulative Update Packages for SharePoint Foundation 2013 and SharePoint Server 2013 have been released

April 2014 CU for SharePoint Foundation 2013 - KB 2863892
April 2014 CU for SharePoint Server 2013 - KB 2878240

Access Denied when we start SharePoint 2010 approval workflow


Error:
Access Denied when we start SharePoint 2010 approval workflow

Troubleshooting:
  • From the workflow reports I found an error  -" The workflow could not update the item, possibly because one or more columns for the item require a different type of information."
  • Created a test list without content 
  • Got the same error on all ootb approval workflow
  • Disabled content approval on the list, still got the same issue
  • During troubleshooting found – "Update the approval status after the workflow is completed (use this workflow to control content approval)" enabled on the workflow
  • First disabled it on test workflow as we already have content approval enabled for the list
  • Checked workflow behavior
  • It worked successfully, so chnaged and applied the same settings to prod workflow
  • Once all testing done successfully on test list, implemented the same settings to actual list 

Solution and Cause:
  • "Update the approval status after the workflow is completed (use this workflow to control content approval)" enabled on the workflow
  • Workflows started working by removing check box option from this option

Monday, May 19, 2014

SharePoint 2010 awesome resources

You might need to practice SharePoint 2010 a lot more but unavailability of such high configuration is common and you might need all the funds to invest for such machines but as many many people listed online and as MS did a great job in getting us the virtual labs available to us. 
I saw this MSDN blog online and thought that the publisher Eric Lingman did a great job in putting up the links in here. 


SharePoint Server 2010 Virtual Labs
In addition to the SharePoint Server 2010 Virtual Labs, here are a few other SharePoint 2010 resources that I thought you might also be interested in:
Lets learn all we can for free … happy learning.



Friday, May 16, 2014

InfoPath 2010 gives "A problem caused the program to stop working correctly. Please close the program. "


Yesterday we had an issue reported by a few users that the InfoPath form library would just not open on a few desktops only, for the sake of information all other users and the effected ones were using IE 8 and InfoPath 2010. There was no difference in the environments.
What would happen is if you open a form from a Sharepoint library it would download in infopath and throw an error message as "A problem caused the program to stop working correctly. Please close the program. " and give you a close this program button.

We started troubleshooting

  • We checked for the IE 32 and 64 bit then recent patch installed.

According to a lot of links in internet they recommend KB2760406 and http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office_2010-infopath/kb2760406-infopath-error-after-update/58631190-8bc1-401a-921c-b6351474350b but this patch wasn’t installed on our clients machine.
  • Checked the event viewer and got the error as
  • Faulting Module Name: IPEDITOR.DLL version14.0.7010.1000

We also doubted the IPEDITOR.DLL to run a repair by running SFC / Scannow that did not help.

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2817603/ )

Query parameters are lost when you open a new form in InfoPath 2010
Although we did not have the KB 2553210 which causes this issue we were still able to resolve the issue.



This resolution seems like a mystery to me but has saved our lifes, posting it so you guys can use it and also make me understand if possible why did this work J

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Avepoint DocAve 6

We have recently started working on Avepoint DocAve with our Sharepoint and as we are getting to know this tool better the more easier Sharepoint sites management seems.

I wanted to write a post about DocAve which I will do soon but for now I want to share this amazing youtube video by BCW for an Idea what doc ave is and what does it do.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXnuVJD6aVE

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Ultimate whitepapers guide

Ultimate white papers for Sharepoint


http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/13614.sharepoint-the-ultimate-white-paper-gallery.aspx

contains:

ExploreAbout Service Pack 2 for SharePoint Products and Technologies
Case Study: Creating a Highly Available Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Environment by Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Database Mirroring in a Windows Server 2008 Virtualized Environment
Case study: Dell.com upgrade to SharePoint Server 2010
Database Maintenance for Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Products
Enterprise Search: The View from the Crawl Space (The search journey)
Hybrid SharePoint Environments with Office 365
Integrating SAP data by using the Business Data Catalog
Microsoft SharePoint Online: An Overview for Enterprise IT Professionals
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Edition and Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010: Better Together
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 end-to-end walkthrough
PerformancePoint 2010 and PowerPivot
Publishing PerformancePoint Server in Extranet Scenarios
Self-Service Analytics: Sales Solution
SharePoint 2010: IT Pro Evaluation Guide
SQL Server RBS Performance with SharePoint Server 2010 and StorSimple Storage Solution
Web Content Management Training Modules - Module 1 - Web Content Management Overview
Web Content Management Training Modules - Module 2 - Architecting Content Management for Your Web Site
Web Content Management Training Modules - Module 3 - Server Infrastructure and Content Deployment
Web Content Management Training Modules - Module 4 - Securing a Web Content Management System
Web Content Management Training Modules - Module 5 - Optimizing Performance for Web Content Management
Web Content Management Training Modules - Module 6 - Extending Web Content Management
Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise and Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010: Better Together

Plan
Analyzing Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies Usage
Best practices for using fine-grained permissions (SharePoint Products and Technologies)
Configuring Kerberos Authentication for Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Products
Connecting SharePoint 2010 to Line-of-Business Systems to Deliver Business-Critical Solutions
EPM and Office SharePoint Server 2007 Coexistence — Intranet Scenario
Governance: Implementing Governance in SharePoint 2010
InfoPath 2010 Enhanced Integration with SharePoint Server 2010 and Its Implications When Designing Forms for Applications
Governance: SharePoint 2007 Internet Presence Governance Plan
Managing Multi-Terabyte Content Databases with Microsoft SharePoint 2010
Planning and Deploying SharePoint Server 2010 User Profiles for My Site Web Sites
Planning and Monitoring SQL Server 2008 Storage for SharePoint: Performance Recommendations and Best Practices
Planning, Budgeting & Forecasting for the Office of Finance: Understanding Planning Solutions and Scenarios with Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2
Search Topology Operations in SharePoint Server 2010
Governance: SharePoint 2010 Governance Planning
SharePoint 2010 Virtualization Guidance and Recommendations
Governance: SharePoint Collaboration Service Governance Plan
Governance: SharePoint Intranet Portal Service Governance Plan
Tasks for published intranet solution
Test Lab Guide: Install SQL Server 2012 Enterprise
TLG: Configure SharePoint Server 2013 Preview in a Three-Tier Farm
TLG: Demonstrate intranet collaboration with SharePoint Server 2013
TLG: Test Lab Guide: Demonstrate SAML-based Claims Authentication with SharePoint Server 2013 Preview
Topics to consider before deploying SharePoint Products and Technologies
Understanding Updates for SharePoint Products and Technologies
Using AAM URL redirection as part of the upgrade process (SharePoint Server 2010)

Deploy
Building Windows Phone 7 applications with SharePoint 2010 Products and Unified Access Gateway
Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 and Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010
Service Pack 2 for SharePoint Products and Technologies
SharePoint Deployment on Windows Azure Virtual Machines
Solution: Surface external data from AdventureWorks in SharePoint 2013 Preview and Office 2013 Preview

Operate
Database maintenance for Office SharePoint Server 2007
Implementing Persistent Cookies in SharePoint 2010 Products
Perform a search-first migration (SharePoint Server 2010)
SharePoint Diagnostics Tool (SPDiag) User Guide
SharePoint Server 2010: Operations Framework and Checklists

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

SharePoint Server 2013 known issues

Yammer App for SharePoint: App part doesn’t render and gives an iFrame error in Internet Explorer

Because the Service Manager component in Office programs automatically adds SharePoint tenant domains to Trusted Sites security zone in Internet Explorer whenever you open a document from a SharePoint site, you get an IFrame error. The login endpoint isn’t added to Trusted Sites. The user authentication to SharePoint still succeeds, but the iFrame itself isn’t rendered as it’s blocked by click jacking protection.
Workaround    Add following sites into your Trusted Sites list and restart the session.
  • https://login.microsoftonline.com
  • https://*.sharepoint.com
If adding these sites doesn’t solve the problem, please turn on Protected Mode for Trusted sites.

Yammer App for SharePoint: Blank dialog box pops-up on login when using Internet Explorer

Having *.yammer.com and *.sharepoint.com (like your SharePoint domain) in the Intranet Zone setting in Internet Explorer prevents you from logging into the Yammer from the Yammer App for SharePoint. You’ll see a blank dialog box after logging into Yammer from the app.
Workaround    Add following sites into your Trusted Sites list and restart the session.
  • https://*.yammer.com
  • https://*.assets-yammer.com

Context menus might not be available for PerformancePoint content on mobile devices

If your organization is using SharePoint Server 2013 running in SharePoint Server 2010 mode, context menus for PerformancePoint content might not be available when viewed on a mobile device such as a Windows 8 tablet or an Apple iPad. This is especially true when users are viewing content using the Internet Explorer app as opposed to running Internet Explorer from the Windows 8 desktop or when using the iOS 6 Safari browser on Apple iPad.
Workaround    We recommend running SharePoint Server 2013 in its default mode. Or have people open Internet Explorer from the Windows 8 desktop.
No workaround is currently available for the iOS Safari browser.

Delete the AverageRating property prior to upgrading from Preview

The upgrade from Preview to the released version will automatically add a new managed property called AverageRating. If you created this property in their Preview installation, the upgrade will fail.

My Site upgraded to 2013 but is set to run in 2010 mode, clicking Gear Menu >Add an App gives an error

When the My Site is upgraded to 2013 but is set to remain in 2010 mode, you will get an error message.
Workaround    There is currently no workaround available.

Indexer process doesn’t free up old memory after repartitioning

One reason to trigger repartitioning might be high memory pressure on index nodes. The issue is that after index repartitioning old index nodes are still at the same memory usage, which stays forever until the Index node restarts.
Workaround    We recommend you restart spsearchhostcontroller service on old index components and to run this step before doing $ssa.ResumeAfterIndexRepartitioning(). But before restarting hostcontroller it makes sense to check that old index replicas are in sync with their primaries.

Trying to retrieve fcocount when collapsing/grouping isn’t turned on causes the query to crash

If TrimDuplicates=False or TrimDuplicatesIncludeId is used while retrieving the managed property fcocount then the query fails.
Workaround    Don’t request for fcocount while TrimDuplicates=False or TrimDuplicatesIncludeId is used.

New-SPEnterpriseSearchIndexComponent checks the existence of RootDirectory in the wrong server

You want to add a new index component to the search topology, and want to specify a non-default root directory for the index files. For example:
New-SPEnterpriseSearchIndexComponent -SearchTopology $t -SearchServiceInstance $ssi -IndexPartition 1 -RootDirectory ""d:\index4"
The cmdlet might fail with the following error message because it incorrectly checks if the indicated root directory exists on the server the cmdlet is run on:
Cannot bind parameter 'RootDirectory' to the target. Exception setting ""RootDirectory"": ""Could not find a part of the path 'd:\index4'."
Workaround    You can create the new index component using the following procedure instead:
$host02 = (Get-SPServer"").Name
$ssa = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchserviceApplication
$t = $ssa.ActiveTopology.Clone()
$ic = (New-Object Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Administration.Topology.IndexComponent $host02,1);
$ic.RootDirectory =""d:\index4"
$t.AddComponent($ic)"

PerformancePoint Dashboard Designer Help doesn’t open as expected

When you click Help in Dashboard Designer, Help for SharePoint Server opens, and there is no mention of Dashboard Designer on the page.
Workaround    Help is available for Dashboard Designer, even though it's not visible on the Home screen of the Help Viewer. To view content about Dashboard Designer, in the search box near the top of the Help window, type "Dashboard Designer." A list of resources for Dashboard Designer appears.

PowerPoint intent isn’t shown

PowerPoint intent isn’t shown as PowerPoint query rule condition is missing semicolon in Spanish build and results in incorrect behavior in OOB intent for PowerPoint. Also this happens only for Arabic and Spanish server, without any language packs.
Workaround    Administrators can copy the existing query rule condition for PowerPoint and insert the missing semicolon or correctly place the semicolons that were causing the issue. The old entry can then be deleted to ensure the updated query rule is picked up.

SharePoint Server search

Trouble getting search to work with anonymous access

You might get the following error message when you try to use search with anonymous access.
An exception occurred when trying to issue security token: The security token username and password could not be validated.

Workaround    The workaround is to change the OS locale to a local language.

reference: http://office.microsoft.com/en-in/help/sharepoint-server-2013-known-issues-HA102919021.aspx#_SharePoint_Server 

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Office 2013 Integration with SharePoint 2013


As we all are now inclined towards the new SharePoint 2013 and frankly not many of us have it in our organizations and Labs it makes it more interesting, so I was watching some videos with Office and Share points Latest Integration and found out some interesting points. I am putting it out here

1.       Co-authoring feature in Office 2013 with SharePoint 2013 so people with typical SharePoint experience (from 2007) might find this weird because we work on check in and check out, with co-authoring the document can be checked out to more than one user and yes if you want to know how it works, well the part your editing shows up via Blue line like a Square bracket and that potion is locked for you, you also get notifications when some other people are editing the document which is highlighted by green highlighter once they save it.

This makes it easier to edit the same page when you have to rush with work on a document, brilliant Microsoft!!!


2.       Co-authoring locks lines in WORD and locks Slides in PowerPoint Presentation.

3.       Calendars from SharePoint  can by synced in your Microsoft Outlook they can also be overlaid, because looking at two calendars is not a great thing to do
Image source: http://blogs.technet.com/b/hub/archive/2012/01/19/viewing-a-sharepoint-calendar-in-outlook.aspx

4.       You can also sync your outlook calendar back to SharePoint but you need the appropriate permissions to do that, once you sync the items it takes about 20 minutes to reflect on the calendars.

5.       Everything that you create in One Note stores the files in the SkyDrive, you can permission, share the OneNote notebooks from SkyDrive.

6.       You can chose just a table in your excel workbook and publish it to SharePoint, this builds and active connection between excel and SharePoint list, so later anything added to the Sharepoint List is synced to excel and anything added in excel is synced to Sharepoint.

7.       You can save the documents to Sharepoint from the Word and Excel > going to file save as > web location and give in your SharePoint site.

8.       Microsoft InfoPath is used to created forms and publish it to Sharepoint as a list, initially InfoPath was launched to work with the Biztalk server but now Sharepoint itself had the BizTalk server included.

9.       You can use the InfoPath Form designer to create the form in InfoPath. The fields can be added first and then moved to the form always remember to use the CAML case to name the fields like.  First Name should be FirstName.

10.   When the form is published from InfoPath to Sharepoint you will be prompted twice for authentication, first one will be to create a library in Sharepoint and second one will be to replace the template.

11.   We can create Apps in Microsoft access that needs to be use in Sharepoint.

12.   You can export table from Access to Sharepoint and also import table from Sharepoint to access. Again editing data in either Access or Sharepoint will edit the data in the synced counterpart.

13.   Microsoft Visio files uploaded in Sharepoint will open up with Visio web browser, which makes it easier to comment and discuss on the file before publishing it.

Hope these pointers are helpful for you to understand the integration between Office 2013 and Sharepoint 2013 integration.

Monday, May 5, 2014

HTTP 500 error when users delete objects to include documents, lists, and Webs

Cumulative update packages for Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 contain hotfixes for the SharePoint Foundation 2010 issues that were fixed since the release of SharePoint Foundation 2010.

Note This is build 14.0.6120.5006 of the cumulative update package.

UpdateA recent, isolated issue was discovered in the SharePoint 2010 Products April 2012 Cumulative Update that could result in an HTTP 500 error when users delete objects to include documents, lists, and Webs and a new object is created using the same path where the original object remains in the Recycle Bin. The following packages were affected:

KB2598151 - SharePoint Server Package
KB2598152 - Project Server Package
KB2598321 - SharePoint Foundation Package
KB2598304 – Wss-x-none.msp

Resolution
This issue has been resolved in the revised packages. The revised packages include support for resolving issues related to the originally published updates.

Products Affected
SharePoint Foundation 2010
SharePoint Server 2010

reference : http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2598321