Beyond Search » SharePoint

Don’t Panic! Relax, SharePoint Is Easy with the Right Knowledge

Stephen E. Arnold — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:54:34 +0000

Let’s say you’re an IT professional, but you were just given your first SharePoint project. You have a general knowledge of the collaborative content platform, but not enough to tackle a project blindly. The most important thing is to not panic, take a deep breath, and check out CMSWire’s article, “Wrapping Your Head Around the SharePoint Beast.” The title rings true for many professionals who have never handled the content behemoth before. The article reads more like an advice column for handling personal problems than SharePoint, but then again you could apply the advice to your romantic relationship.

Moving on to the article’s meat, we are advised to learn SharePoint’s basic structure. Take a look at the code, visit the farm, and then migrate over to learning platform basics. You’ll be useless as a developer unless you know how the product works. Also don’t forget that the Internet provides a bevy of SharePoint communities willing and eager to provide support and talk shop.

Here’s what I take as the best advice:

Any developer who wants to stand above the fray will invest time and effort into learning the different options for SharePoint development and when to use each option. You don’t need to be an expert in every option, but you should at least know there’s a better way.

It’s true that there are many ways to arrive at the same solution and some of them are better than others. Learn what works best for different types of problems. Another thing that new SharePoint people won’t know is that the out-of-the-box search platform isn’t the best. SurfRay’s Ontolica Suite is an option if professionals are seeking a high-quality IVP search partner. It doesn’t require any programming. All you have to do is configure it in the administrator interface and it is automatically deployed to users with the options for custom searches, filters, search suggestions, and much more.

Whitney Grace, February 11, 2012

Learn How To Fix the Most Common SharePoint Mistakes

Stephen E. Arnold — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:54:45 +0000

It has been a while since I have written about a top ten list, ladies and gentlemen, but I am so glad that I found another SharePoint top ten list to share with you. The list comes from SharePointProMag.com, it is by Todd O. Klindt, and the title is, “Top 10 SharePoint 2010 Configuration Mistakes—And How to Fix Them.” What I like about this article already is that instead of simply listing the mistakes Klindt has given us the solutions, so we can also use this piece as a repair manual as well. It starts off with a basic mistake: “Scrimping on SharePoint’s RAM or Hard Disk Space.” We all know the solution for that one. Moving on we find the usual advice about only following basic setup models, using a single account, running apps in separate pools, and caching.

Here’s one I haven’t considered, however:

Mistake #10: Not Pointing Your SharePoint Servers at Themselves

When SharePoint works, it is magnificent. When it doesn’t work, it can be a nightmare to fix. For this reason, anything you can do to ease troubleshooting is time well spent. To that end, I make sure that every server in the SharePoint farm points to itself for all web apps. If I get sporadic reports about SharePoint not responding, I can easily use RDP to log into each server and try to pull up SharePoint. If this attempt works, then I know that the server is working. If SharePoint does not come up, then I know in exactly which Microsoft User Location Server (ULS) logs to look for the relevant errors.

It makes sense when you think about it, but the logical answer isn’t something we usually think about first. It reminds me about telling end users to restart their computer to fix a problem. It’s the easiest thing to do, but not many do it. I am surprised that Klindt didn’t mention augmenting SharePoint’s out-of-the-box enterprise search with a heftier product. SurfRay’s Ontolica Enterprise Search is a SharePoint search enhancement that can be deployed across many departments and configured to each department’s individual needs. Similar to the impracticality of using only one SharePoint account to administer all activity, Ontolica can be altered to fit any and all search and permissions structures.

Whitney Grace, February 10, 2012

When Disaster Strikes – Loss of a SharePoint Farm

emily — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:14:35 +0000

Most SharePoint developers and administrators have nightmares about losing their content. Any number of things can go wrong when one deals with fragile electronic data storage and retrieval. Quite frankly, it is a miracle that data disasters do not strike more often. Our blog author, Paul, describes his terrifying account in “Five Things I Learned From Losing My SharePoint Farm.”

He recounts his thoughts and actions immediately after the loss:

I went home and made the first sensible decision of the evening. I went to bed. Partly I thought I should stay up and work on the problem but I was shattered and I wasn’t going to solve anything in the state I was in. When I woke up – at 5:00AM, screaming – I got to work and thankfully by midday I had the farm back in a working state and all the data accessible. During those painful hours I learned 5 valuable lessons that I thought were worth sharing for relative newcomers – like me – to SharePoint.

Paul goes on to suggest some practical solutions so that others do not suffer his same loss. Ideas include regular SQL backups and details documentation that is stored outside of the SharePoint installation itself, outside being the operative word there.

Many organizations are turning to smart third party solutions to help make the backup and restore process much simpler. Add automatic backup to the features of the Cloud and SharePoint administrator nightmares could be greatly reduce in frequency and severity.

One alternative that many organizations are turning to is Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Their comprehensive suite of solutions can stand alone or compliment an existing SharePoint infrastructure. Particular attention is given to their backup and restore options here.

Emily Rae Aldridge, February 10, 2012

Sponsored by Pandia.com

A Corner for Helpful SharePoint Info

Stephen E. Arnold — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:06:41 +0000

Johnny’s RIA Corner publishes some valuable information, like “Fast Tips for FAST for SharePoint #2.” However, we have to say that the site wins the Hard-to-Read-SharePoint-Information Award. The inverted colors are really hard on the eyes, especially in articles with multi-colored code. Please, Johnny, consider fixing this trendy problem.

The article mentioned above shares a couple of query tips. The write up states:

When trying to query for a document that has a question mark (?) in its name or address as part of a FQL query, you may notice weird behavior from FAST. . . . Sending the query as is, will cause FAST to automatically evaluate the question mark as a wildcard character that will match any single character. Since this is not our desired result, we need to tell FAST not to use wildcards in our specific string.

The code changes for achieving this feat is included in the post.

Cynthia Murrell, February 10, 2012

Sponsored by Pandia.com

Enterprise Search Meets the Cloud in 2012

emily — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:14:37 +0000

In “2012 – Ready or Not,” Mike Alsup, Senior Vice President at Gimmal Group, lays out a summary of 2011 and speculates on 2012 in the world of SharePoint and content management. Of course, 2011 was another growth year for the ubiquitous SharePoint platform. One estimate puts SharePoint users at 125,000,000 and counting. Although, Alsup says, many of these SharePoint sites are collaboration sites, intranet, and other lightweight knowledge management, meaning lots of room to grow and innovate among the users.

Otherwise, 2011 is noted for lots of infrastructure consolidation and lots of waiting to see what happens with SharePoint Records Management. And for 2012? Alsup gives somewhat lengthy explanations on Records Management 2.0 and content enabled vertical applications. Of course, 2012 speculations are not complete without mention of the Cloud. Here’s what Alsup says,

In the world of SharePoint, the product is different in the cloud and on premise because of limitations on what can be deployed in the cloud and how it needs to be deployed. There are many SharePoint applications that provide great value that can’t be deployed in the Microsoft Clouds (Microsoft private cloud solutions, Windows Azure, Office 365) because of product limitations. If Microsoft enabled these applications to be more easily deployed in their clouds, and their customers could deploy their SharePoint applications similarly in each of the three environments, then the decisions on how and where to host would be based on economics and deployment strategy instead of the limitations of SharePoint in the clouds.

While SharePoint is a powerful and complex system, we know there are limitations when the Cloud is introduced. For a Cloud solution in your SharePoint environment, check out Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Here you can read about the power of information pairing.

Fabasoft Mindbreeze . . .

smoothly integrates itself into your website so that the user doesn’t even realize that Cloud services are working in the background. Furthermore, InSite always knows what a user is interested in. Navigation behavior on the website serves as the basis for recognizing their interests. If the user finds themselves on one of your sub-pages on the topic mobility, for example, even at this level Fabasoft Mindbreeze InSite still displays further information such as blogs, news, Wikipedia etc. on the relevant topic.

Check out the full suite of solutions at Mindbreeze to see what works for you.

Philip West, February 9, 2012

Sponsored by Pandia.com

Before They Come to Your SharePoint Site Know This

Stephen E. Arnold — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:57:07 +0000

Do you ever wish there was a checklist of things you need to know before you start a new SharePoint project, like building a web site? This is when you usually turn to a search engine and hope for the best, but Fear and Loathing: Gonzo blogging from the Annie Leibovitz of the software development world consulted his friends and gathered all their collective knowledge in “The Big Dummies Guide to Building a SharePoint Internet Site.” While the name is blatant copyright infringement on the popular series, the information is something you wont find unless you visit several different SharePoint blogs or buy a couple books on the same topic. Save the time and money and read the article instead. It breaks down all the necessary components with links to references that will help you understand how and what to do with SQL, SEO, hardening, multilingual support, HTML/HTML5.

One thing you need to remember is that this is still a work in progress and only provides you with a basis to jumpstart your SharePoint web site:

This list is far from complete and should be an evolutionary thing as it’s just what I’ve collected myself.

One thing the author failed to compile information on was SharePoint search, a vital key for any SharePoint web site. SurfRay Ontolica Suitecustomizes and increases findability and gives instant previews without downloads.

Whitney Grace, Febuary 08, 2012

A Developer Takes on SharePoint

emily — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:14:32 +0000

Wendy Neal recently shared some highlights of the SharePoint experience in her piece, “The Top Ten Reasons Why I Love SharePoint.” Neal, a SharePoint 2010 Developer/Architect for GreatAmerica Leasing Corporation, created the list so to articulate exactly why she loves to work with the ubiquitous collaboration software.

Neal cites the time and money saved due to Microsoft handling most development processes as just one of the reasons she found SharePoint to be the right system. Organizations can spend more time on configuring the technology, rather than developing and testing it. The SharePoint community, complex technology potential, and Microsoft Office integration are also discussed.

In terms of the SharePoint potential, Neal also explains the ability to easily build up your system with third party products integration.

One of the really great things about SharePoint is that if something can’t be done out-of-the-box, and if you don’t want to build it yourself, chances are that someone else has. Whether it be vendors who specialize in SharePoint add-ons, or something you find on CodePlex or other code sharing sites, there are a ton of great solutions or tools that can integrate with SharePoint. In addition, many other CMS or storage systems have created web parts that will interface with SharePoint, so that you can keep your content where it is yet still access it through the SharePoint interface.

A quality third party solution, like Fabasoft Mindbreeze, can really get you the most out of your enterprise search investments and extend the capabilities of your SharePoint system. For a deep solution that connects your business information with the Cloud and gives your users the search and navigation experience they need, check out Mindbreeze.

Philip West, February 8, 2012

Sponsored by Pandia.com

The Heat in SharePoint Semantics: January 27 – February 3

Stephen E. Arnold — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:59:09 +0000

This week SharePoint Semantics shared a variety of informative reading material that is pertinent to both SharePoint end users and search enthusiasts.

In the article “Avoid the Most Common Mistakes Made by Beginning SharePoint Developers,” Ken Toth shares an article that outlines a list of situations worth avoiding if you are a SharePoint development novice.

Toth points out:

“Sometimes reinventing the wheel means you end up with a bigger wheel, but also you will have to look after and support that wheel for when it breaks, and you may also have wasted a load of time making that bigger wheel.”

Similarly, in “Uncover Business and Staff Needs Before Deploying a Microsoft SharePoint Intranet,” we learn that staff often don’t know what they’re talking about when it comes to determining what’s best in a SharePoint intranet.

Toth advises:

“First, conduct an intranet needs analysis to determine staff needs. Then, uncover how SharePoint can allow for new ways of working through scenarios, case studies, stories, and examples. Third, get everyone on the same page by making sure all stakeholders have the same definitions and priorities.”

As SharePoint grows in popularity, many people are starting to wonder what to do with paper information in this increasingly digital world. The post “Looking to Partners to Aid with Managing Paper-Based Information in the SharePoint Environment” offers some solutions.

Writer Jeff Shuey explains the importance of finding partners to manage your paper information.

Toth concludes:

“Bringing paper and digital information together is no doubt a challenge in our information age. It is a discussion worth having so that solutions continue to be made available for handling the ever-increasing variety of formats.”

Sometimes, regardless of the number of needs assessments and situations that you avoid when implementing your SharePoint platform, your site still falls short of its target. In this case, consider turning to The Semaphore Content Intelligence Platform from Smartlogic. It will ensure that your SharePoint content is easily found and re-purposed, saving valuable staff time and money.

Jasmine Ashton, February 7, 2012

Without Data There is No Point in Share

Stephen E. Arnold — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:57:02 +0000

Like the title says, without data generated by users SharePoint cannot exist, but how do you view that data? Microsoft’s TechNet web site offers advice on how to, “View Data in the SharePoint 2010 Logging Database (SharePoint Server 2010)”. Viewing data on SharePoint farms requires knowledge of the WSS_Logging system also known as the logging database.

This article provides a detailed rundown and analysis of all the steps to initiate using the database:

To monitor SharePoint Server 2010 servers and the services that run on the servers, you can directly access various logs such as the Windows Server event logs, SharePoint Universal Logging System (ULS) logs (also known as trace logs), or usage data logs. You can also go to SharePoint Server 2010 Central Administration to review various reports. Health analyzer reports contain SharePoint Server 2010 rules for servers or services. Administration (diagnostics) reports contain search-related information. Web Analytics reports contain web analytics metrics.

Knowing how to view data on SharePoint will help you understand how users employ SharePoint and where the heaviest traffic goes. You will be able to form the necessary graphs and charts for audits and business development. This information migrates straight from Microsoft to your computer. If they can’t give you the correct answer, then try one of the many of the award-winning IVP software on the market.

One thing you need to remember when you are viewing the data generated by the logs, is the necessity of a method to search for specific cogs and wires. The trusted search enterprise Ontolica Suite will narrow and broaden your results with customizable options and personal search terms.

Whitney Grace, Febuary 07, 2012

FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint: Features Breakdown

emily — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:14:32 +0000

In “Fast Search in SharePoint 2010 – What’s that you don’t get in SharePoint 2010 Search,” the author discusses Microsoft’s acquisition of the enterprise search company, FAST Search & Transfer, and the subsequent Microsoft product development, FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint. The author notes the very visual change to the user experience and a handful of other capabilities that came with the new search. Two of the more noticeable changes include:

Thumbnails and previews for documents — Word and PowerPoint files in the search result will be displayed with a thumbnail of the cover page. Moreover, PowerPoint files can be previewed in the results list without opening the file, either with a PowerPoint client or with Office Web Applications. These capabilities can help end users visually find the expected content.

View in browser — By using Office Web Applications, Office files can be opened in the browser, without installing the thick client on the computer.

The fully integrated search server engine also lets you build user context from user profiles and define Visual Best Bets. New features and capabilities are exciting. But the learning curve and man hours for developing and customizing the features may not be.

FAST search is an improvement over the SharePoint out-of-the-box functionality; however, Fabasoft Mindbreeze is an even greater improvement. Here you can read about enterprise search with Mindbreeze’s quick, service-oriented, and cost-efficient technology:

Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise finds every scrap of information within a very short time, whether document, contract, note, e-mail or calendar entry, in intranet or internet, person- or text-related.

Mindbreeze solutions add value to your business information, no matter the data you’re looking for or the system you are working with.

Philip West, February 7, 2012

Sponsored by Pandia.com