Migrating From SharePoint 2007 to SharePoint 2013, Part 1 & Part 2

Migrating From SharePoint 2007 to SharePoint 2013, Part 1

Business and technical reasons for skipping SharePoint 2010 by SharePoint expert Dan Holme who shares tips, how-to's, ideas, and news about all things SharePoint, and more

Migrating from SharePoint 2007 to SharePoint 2013, Part 2

Skipping 2013? You might want to reconsider that strategy  by SharePoint expert Dan Holme shares tips, how-to's, ideas, and news about all things SharePoint, and more.

Upgrading to SharePoint 2013: The Planning Starts Now by Dan Holme.

ü  Microsoft planning SharePoint version 15

ü  Reduce the pain of upgrading

ü  Aim for a logical architecture

The Essential Guide to Achieving High Availability for SharePoint Data: Download Now:

Q: Can I set my newly created custom page in my SharePoint site as the home page?

Reference: SharePointpromag.

Webpart Chrome type is not working or Webpart Title is not working: SharePoint

Issue:

Today one of my user complained that she was not able to set the title of the web parts on various pages on her site.  When setting the chrome type to ‘Title’ it sets back to 'none', when we hit apply and Ok on the web part page. Hence leading to a problem of Webpart Chrome type is not working as expected.

Troubleshooting:

- We tried setting chrome type to other types. No luck.

- We tried changing the various properties of the Webpart, but no luck.

- While researching on the internet I came across an article which says that forcibly changing the

we implemented the same on the effected page and it doesn’t correct the problem.

- One of the article talks about the problem with the webpart zone, when comparing the webpart zone of the webpart with other webpart on the other sites, it was showing only one webpart zone= main.

Resolution:

This article talks about the resolution but doesn’t show how to do it. http://www.novolocus.com/2009/05/29/webpart-titles-not-shown-in-webpartzone

To do this, Open the site in SPD, go to faulty page, and open the page in the coding mode. Look for the webpart page main property.

Change the ID of the webpart to anything other than “Main”. It would bring back the tittles on the webpart. I am not sure why this issue problem had occurred but now it has corrected the problem.

Another Post which talks about the same issue: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5455893/override-chrome-type-webpart

If you have questions/queries, do let me know. I would be more happy to help you.

Restore customizations in SharePoint Server 2010

I assume that you must have read the content of Back up customizations in SharePoint Server 2010.

• Restoring solution packages in SharePoint Server
• Restoring authored site elements in SharePoint
• Restoring workflows in SharePoint
• Restoring changes to the Web.config file in SharePoint
• Recovering changes made by direct editing in SharePoint
• Restoring developed customizations that are not packaged as solutions in SharePoint

Reference: technet.microsoft.com

Back up customizations in SharePoint Server 2010

Customizations are of different kinds when it comes to SharePoint, below is small descriptions.

• Customizations packaged as solutions (.wsp files). Solutions contain developed site elements, and are typically created by developers. Developed site elements include the following:
• Web Parts
• Workflows
• Site and list definitions
• Document converters
• Event receivers
• Timer jobs
• Assemblies

• Authored site elements, which are typically created by Web designers, are not explicitly compiled and reside in a content database. Authored site elements include the following:
• Master pages
• Cascading style sheets
• Forms
• Layout page

• Changes to the Web.config file
• Third-party solutions and their associated binary files and registry keys, such as IFilters
• Changes to sites created by direct editing through the browser
• Developed customizations that are not packaged as solutions

Each of these kinds of customizations requires a different type of backup.

In this article:

• Backing up solution packages in SharePoint
• Backing up authored site elements in SharePoint
• Backing up workflows in SharePoint
• Backing up changes to the Web.config file in SharePoint
• Backing up third-party products in SharePoint
• Backing up changes made by direct editing in SharePoint
• Backing up developed customizations that are not packaged as solutions in SharePoint

Ref: technet.microsoft.com

Not able to download audit reports

Auditing is an important feature in SharePoint. Auditing maintains a log of the actions performed on content in a site collection. Administrators can retrieve the entire history of actions — from a particular user or date range.

If you want to learn as how to configure audit settings then please refer the following article: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/configure-audit-settings-for-a-site-collection-HA010099726.aspx

Coming back to the main point: One of our clients has raised a ticket with us by mentioning: They are not able to download ‘content viewing’ reports.

What exactly is happening as they are not able to download?

- Open the SharePoint site on which you are working on

- Site actions

- Site settings

- Site collection administration section

- Audit log reports

- Whenever we clicks on ‘content viewing report’ to download

- It prompts for credentials

- After entering the correct username and password, it keeps the login prompt as it is and finally ‘you are not authorized to view this page’

What is the reason behind this issue / proper explanation?

Audit settings can be configured at the site collection level only. The logs are maintained in the dbo.AuditData table of the respective content database.

You will find an excellent explanation here:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/subhajitc/archive/2009/05/20/tip-the-untold-story-of-audit-logs-in-sharepoint.aspx

Resolution:

stsadm -o trimauditlog

   -url

   -date

   -databasename

   [-databaseserver]

Important instructions:

If you are providing the site collection URL then there is no need to provide database name as well as database server name

Let’s assume that your client wants the audit data in between 21 September 2011 to 25 April 2012 then the date parameter will be 20110921, so the data before this will be deleted or u can call it as trimmed.

Note: This operation is available after the Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Servers is installed. This functionality is available only by using Stsadm.

If you have any queries/questions regarding the above mentioned information then please let me know. I would be more than happy to help you as well as resolves your issues

Cloud computing tutorials

http://www.thbs.com/pdfs/Cloud-Computing-Overview.pdf

http://www.south.cattelecom.com/Technologies/CloudComputing/0071626948_chap01.pdf

http://website.informer.com/terms/Cloud_Computing_Pdf_Free_Download

http://ebookbrowse.com/tutorial15-revised-cloud-computing-tutorial-farhat-memon-pdf-d76907411

http://seminarprojects.com/s/cloud-computing-tutorial-pdf-free-download

http://pptfreedownload.com/ppt/cloud-computing-tutorial-pdf-free-download

http://www.tutorial-ebook.com/cbt-nuggets-cloud-computing

http://www.faadooengineers.com/threads/6174-Cloud-Computing-the-basics!

http://www.acrobatplanet.com/non-fictions-ebook/pdf-ebook-cloud-computing-taxonomy-platform-and-infrastructurelevel-offerings.htm

http://www.thecloudcomputing.org/2012/CLOUD-ICWS-SCC-MS-SE-SERVICES-2012-AdvanceProgram.pdf

http://freebooks.dlworld.info/2012/10/download-handbook-of-cloud-computing.html

Cloud computing training

http://www.cloud-computing-training.in

http://www.ventosoft.in

http://www.talhunt.co.in/cloud-computing-training-chennai.html

http://yellowpages.sulekha.com/chennai/coaching-training/computer-training/cloud-computing-training/536.htm

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/cert-cloud.aspx

http://www.ducatindia.com/cloud-computing

Cloud computing interview questions

What is cloud computing?

The cloud computing is the computing which is completely based on the Internet. It can also be defined as the next stage in the evolution of the Internet. It is a service-based model of providing software as a service, where the customer does not have to implement, install or maintain the necessary hardware for using a software. It is sold as a service - much like how we use a taxi or a hotel room without owning it.

What are the concerns prevailing around cloud computing?

Security of data is the topmost concern in the consumers' minds.

How can these concerns be addressed?

By offering a more expensive - private cloud - solution, a customer's data is isolated from the public. Virtual private clouds can also be implemented. Lastly, a poorest measure against security is client-partitioning in a public cloud.

Please refer the following references which will help you to get the knowledge on Cloud Computing:

·         http://www.indiabix.com/technical/dotnet/cloud-computing

·         http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-questions-on-cloud-computing-an-interview-with-accentures-jimmy-harris/1936

·         http://questions-interviews.blogspot.in/2012/05/cloud-computing-interview-questions-and.html

·         http://www.interviewquestions365.com/interview-questions/cloud-computing-job-interview-questions.html

·         http://www.careerride.com/cloud-computing-interview-questions.aspx

Sharepoint developer interview questions

Explain the WebPart life cycle.

WebPart life cycle also same as asp.net life cycle. Here you can find some additional events like CreateChildControls, RenderContents etc.

·         OnInit

·         OnLoad

·         CreateChildControls

·         OnPreRender

·         Render (RenderContents, etc)

What are Site Columns?

Site columns are pre-defined data columns (along with default values) which are re-used in various content types. A Content type is usually a collection of site columns.

When should you dispose SPWeb and SPSite objects? And even more important, when not?

You should always dispose them if you created them yourself, but not otherwise. You should never dispose SPContext.Current.Web/Site and you should normally not dispose SPWeb if IsRootWeb is true.

How does Client object model works?

When we use SharePoint client API’s to perform a specific task, the SharePoint Foundation 2010 managed client object model bundles up these uses of the API into XML and sends it to the server that runs SharePoint Foundation. The server receives this request, and makes appropriate calls into the object model on the server, collects the responses, forms them into JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), and sends that JSON back to the SharePoint Foundation 2010 managed client object model. The client object model parses the JSON and presents the results to the application as .NET Framework objects (or ECMAScript objects for ECMAScript).

What is difference between Load() and LoadQuery() methods ?

Load method populates the client object directly with what it gets data from the server i.e. a collection object like ListItemCollection etc. but LoadQuery returns the data as a completely new collection in  IEnumerable format. Other major difference is that the Collections that you load using the Load() method are eligible for garbage collection only when the client context variable itself goes out of scope where as, in  these collections go out of scope at the end of  IEnumerable<List> list.

What is Business Data Catalog or BDC?

It is a shared service that enables Office SharePoint Server 2007 to display business data from various back-end servers into a SharePoint page. Business Data Catalog or BDC provides built-in support for displaying data with various web parts and list\list columns that can help in easy creation of dashboards with data from your SQL, web services, SAP, Siebel, or any other line-of-business (LOB) applications.

Where are Master Pages and Layout Pages located in a SharePoint site?

They are location in master Page(Master Page Gallery) under _catalogs folder of root site.

What is the Difference between Master Pages and Layout Pages in SharePoint.

Master pages and page layouts dictate the overall look and feel of your SharePoint site.

Differences are

·         Master pages contain controls that are shared across multiple page layouts,

such as navigation,search, or language-preference for multilingual sites.

Page layouts contain field controls and Web Parts.

·         Page layouts can be used by all page instances that are based on that

page layout.Master pages can be used by all page instances in a site.

What is a Site definition?

A Site definition is a collection of Files such as ONET.XML which defines the Site template for e.g. Team Sites used to create a Site in SharePoit. All the out-of-box site Templates like Blog,Wiki,Team Site etc can be found in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\TEMPLATE\

What is a Site Template?

Any Site along with the content can be saved as a template. If a site is saved as a Template it is stored in Site templates folder as a .stp file. This template is then re-used to create a new site which will have the pre-saved settings.

What are content types?

A content type is a flexible and reusable template of type list item or document that defines the columns and behavior for an item in a list or a document in a document library. For example, you can create a content type for a Requirement document with a columns such LOE,Version,Approver,Date Created,Date Revised etc and this can be re-used in various document libraries.

What are the Authentication methods for your client object model application?

Basically there are three (3) authentication options you can use when you’re working with the Client Object Model in SharePoint 2010:

·         Anonymous

·         Default

·         Forms Authentication

Please let me know in case of any queries/questions. I would be more than happy to help you as well as resolves your issues, Thank you

Stored Procedures in SQL Server.

A stored procedure is a group of Transact-SQL statements compiled into a single execution plan. SQL Stored procedures return data in four ways:

• Output parameters, which can return either data (such as an integer or character value) or a cursor variable (cursors are result sets that can be retrieved one row at a time).
• Return codes, which are always an integer value.
• A result set for each SELECT statement contained in the stored procedure or any other stored procedures called by the stored procedure.
• A global cursor that can be referenced outside the stored procedure

Why to use stored procedures in SQL server:

• Execution plan retention and reuse
• Query auto-parameterization
• Encapsulation of business rules and policies
• Application modularization
• Sharing of application logic between applications
• Access to database objects that is both secure and uniform
• Consistent, safe data modification
• Network bandwidth conservation
• Support for automatic execution at system start-up
• Enhanced hardware and software capabilities
• Improved security
• Reduced development cost and increased reliability
• Centralized security, administration, and maintenance for common routines

How to create Stored Procedure in SQL:

1.   In Object Explorer, connect to an instance of SQL Server Database Engine and then expand that instance.

2.   Expand Databases, expand the database in which the stored procedure belongs, and then expand Programmability.

3.   Right-click Stored Procedures and then click New Stored Procedure.

4.   On the Query menu, click Specify Values for Template Parameters.

5.   In the Specify Values for Template Parameters dialog box, the Value column contains suggested values for the parameters. Accept the values or replace them with new values, and then click OK.

6.   In the query editor, replace the SELECT statement with the statements for your procedure.

7.   To test the syntax, on the Query menu, click Parse.

8.   To create the stored procedure, on the Query menu, click Execute.

9.   To save the script, on the File menu, click Save. Accept the file name or replace it with a new name, and then click Save.

Example:

CREATE PROCEDURE spVendorByState
          @VendorState varchar(50)AS
BEGIN
          -- SET NOCOUNT ON added to prevent extra result sets from
          -- interfering with SELECT statements.          SET NOCOUNT ON;

          -- Insert statements for procedure here          SELECT VendorId,VendorFName,VendorLName,VendorCity,VendorState,VendorCountry,PostedDate,
          VendorDescription          FROM Vendor Where VendorState = @VendorState ORDER BY PostedDate

There are some different concepts of stored procedures.

• A stored procedure is one or more SQL statements that have been compiled and stored with database. A stored procedure can be started by application code on the client.
• Stored procedure can improve database performance because the SQL statements in each procedure are only compiled and optimized the first time they are executed. In contrast SQL statements that are sent from a client to the server have to be compiled and optimized every time there are executed.
• In addition to SELECT statement, a stored procedure can contain other SQL statements such as INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE. It also contains control-of-flow language.
• A trigger is a special type of procedure that executes when rows are inserted, updated or deleted from table.
• A user defined function (UDF) is a special type of procedure that can return a value or a table. 

Plan for disaster recovery (SharePoint Server 2010)

Disaster recovery overview

For the purposes of this article, we define disaster recovery as the ability to recover from a situation in which a data center that hosts SharePoint Server becomes unavailable.

The disaster recovery strategy that you use for SharePoint Server must be coordinated with the disaster recovery strategy for the related infrastructure, including Active Directory domains, Exchange Server, and Microsoft SQL Server. Work with the administrators of the infrastructure that you rely on to design a coordinated disaster recovery strategy and plan.

The time and immediate effort to get another farm up and running in a different location is often referred to as a hot, warm, or cold standby. Our definitions for these terms are as follows:

Hot standby A second data center that can provide availability within seconds or minutes.

Warm standby A second data center that can provide availability within minutes or hours.

Cold standby A second data center that can provide availability within hours or days.

Disaster recovery can be one of the more expensive requirements for a system. The shorter the interval between failure and availability and the more systems you protect, the more complex and costly a disaster recovery solution is likely to be. When you invest in hot or warm standby data centers, costs include:

• Additional hardware and software, which often increase the complexity of operations between software applications, such as custom scripts for failover and recovery.
• Additional operational complexity.

Choose a disaster recovery strategy

Planning for cold standby data centers

Planning for warm standby data centers

Planning for hot standby data centers

System requirements for disaster recovery

Reference: technet.microsoft.com