SharePoint and Business Intelligence

Moving to Wordpress

2012-01-16T05:17:00.001-08:00

Hello,

been a while since I ever blogged but now I'm back but with new Address and new blog

follow me on wordpress for more Exciting BI , Performance Tuning and DWH SQL Server updates

http://zeemoussa.wordpress.com

SharePoint 2010 Architecture Diagram

2010-04-30T12:27:00.001-07:00

I came across this intelligent diagram that describes the SharePoint 2010 Architecture it as release as a part of SharePoint practices and patterns blog.

Modifying PPS Dashboards with SharePoint Web Parts

2010-04-30T12:23:00.001-07:00

Microsoft PerformancePoint blog has released an excellent Article on how you can customize your dashboard…

Check this blog entry here

Programming Performance Point Services 2010 – Create a new Standard KPI

2010-04-27T17:09:00.001-07:00

This Post is a Part of Programming PeformancePoint 2010 Series.

public IKPI CreateNewDefaultKPI(string listURL,string kpiName,string description,LocationManagement.Location displayFolder)

            Kpi newKpi = Kpi.CreateNew();

            newKpi.Name.Text = kpiName ;

            newKpi.Description.Text = description;

            // Set the DisplayFolder

            if (displayFolder != null)

                newKpi.Folder = displayFolder.Path;

            // Fixed value actual

            newKpi.Actual.DataSourceLocation = new RepositoryLocation(Constants.FixedValuesDataSourceLocationKey);

            newKpi.Actual.ModelCurrent = 80;    // this sets the value for the actual

            // Fixed value target

            Target target1 = new Target();

            target1.Guid = Guid.NewGuid();

            target1.Name.Text = "Target";

            target1.DataSourceLocation = newKpi.Actual.DataSourceLocation;

            target1.ModelCurrent = 100; // this sets the value for the target

            target1.IndicatorLocation =

                BuiltinIndicators.GetIndicatorByCode(BuiltinIndicators.IndicatorCode.ShapesJagged3Small).Location;

            target1.Pattern = KpiPattern.IncreasingIsBetter;

            target1.RelatedActualId = newKpi.Actual.Guid;

            // set up the banding; 3 bands:  < .5; .5 - 1.0; > 1.0

            target1.Banding.ActualWorst = 0;

            target1.Banding.Type = BandType.Normalized;

            target1.Banding.SpreadMaximum = 1.2M;

            target1.Banding.SpreadMinimum = 0;

            target1.Banding.CustomBoundary.Add(.50M);

            target1.Banding.CustomBoundary.Add(1M);

            newKpi.Targets.Add(target1);

            newKpi = PPSWebService.GetInstance().WebService.CreateKpi(listURL, newKpi);

            return new KPI(newKpi);

Part of the Question I always get is how can I create a new Performance Point KPI, The Above function will help you through it.

Install SharePoint 2010 Complete on Domain Controller

2010-04-20T08:15:00.001-07:00

If you are a Developer you may need to create a Single Machine that contains SharePoint 2010 , VS 2010 and the Machine is a Domain Controller

The Problem is : SharePoint 2010 don’t support Complete Installation on Domain Controller

to Over Ride this Behavior

1. Open Command Line
2. Extract the OfficeServer.exe File C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\14.0.4730.1010_OfficeServer_none_ship_x64_en-us.exe /extract:c:\SP2010\
3. Run the Setup using the following Command:
setup /config c:\SP2010\Files\SetupFarm\config.xml

Hopes this help

Programming Performance Point Services 2010 – Part 2 (Create a new DataSource In Performance Point Programmatically)

2010-04-15T08:44:00.001-07:00

Check the First Post (Click Here)

The Below function will allow you to create a new DataSource inside Performance Point

public IDataSource CreateNewAnalysisServicesDataSource(string dataSourceName,string serverName,string databaseName,string cubeDisplayName,DSConnectionContext connectionContext)
        {
           // Get a New Instance from the Service
            PPSWebService service = PPSWebService.GetInstance();
           // Create a new Data Source Instance
            DataSource newDS = DataSource.CreateNew();
            newDS.Name.Text = dataSourceName;
            newDS.Description.Text = "Created By System";
            
            newDS.ServerName = serverName;
            // Set the Data Source Type to Analysis Services Type
            newDS.SourceName = "ADOMD.NET";
            newDS.CubeName = cubeDisplayName;
            newDS.MinutesToCache = 10;
            newDS.ContentType = FCOContentType.PpsDataSource;
            
            // Set the Connection Type Based on Enumerator
            if(connectionContext == DSConnectionContext.PerIdentity)
            {
            newDS.ConnectionContext = ConnectionContext.ConnectAsUser;
            }else if(connectionContext == DSConnectionContext.SharedUser)
            {
                newDS.ConnectionContext = ConnectionContext.ConnectAsSharedUser;
            }

            newDS.DatabaseName = databaseName;
            
            // Request the Service Instance to Create the DataSource
            PPSWebService.GetInstance().WebService.CreateDataSource(Configurations.PerformancePointDefaultDataConnectionsList, newDS);
            return new Datasource(newDS);

        }

Note:

To be Able to restore the DataSource Again Always Store the List URL (Relative Path and the Item Index in your Data Store)

The Default List Should be store in a Relative Path like the below sample:

"Data%20Connections%20for%20PerformancePoint/"

Feel free to Contact me for more info mahmoud.m.moussa@gmail.com

Programming Performance Point Services 2010 – Part 1 (Communicate with the Service)

2010-04-15T08:32:00.001-07:00

I’ll Start My PerformancePoint 2010 Programming Set with the the Basics how to communicate with the the PPS Monitoring Service

Monitoring Service

First you need to know where is the service URL:
”http://<Your Site URL>/_vti_bin/pps/PPSAuthoringService.asmx”

Try to type the Above URL in your browser to make sure you can communicate with the server

The Required Assemblies

To Access the Performance Point you need to include these set of Microsoft.PerformancePoint.Scorecards to your project

This Assemblies is available in GAC

The Namespaces

using Microsoft.PerformancePoint.Scorecards;

Create The Service Proxy Instance

IBIMonitoringAuthoring pmService;

pmService = BIMonitoringAuthoringServiceProxy.CreateInstance(
http://<Your Site URL>/_vti_bin/pps/PPSAuthoringService.asmx);

Some Notes You need to know

1. The PerformancePoint Items you need to create should be added to the same site you’re accessing from the Performance Point Service

By Now you have access to the Monitoring Services and you can start working with your Performance Point Items

Keep your feeds ready for more posts in PerformancePoint Programming.

SharePoint 2010 as A Development Environment

2010-04-13T15:24:00.001-07:00

I faced a hard time with my Current Development environment so I decided to recreate it on Sun Virtual Box with windows 2008 R2

Believe it or not the Performance Difference Is huge so I totally Recommend that you build you Development Machine on both you will find it much simpler to implement and much much better performance

Programming PerformancePoint Services 2010

2010-04-13T15:21:00.001-07:00

I’m Planning to Start a Series of Post Regarding Programming the PerformancePoint Services 2010

This Posts will help you with the following

- Programmatically Manage All PerformancePoint Objects
- Managing Security
- Designing new Views for Scorecards and Strategy Maps using Silver light

So Keep your Feeds Ready co’s Its about to get Rushed :)

My SharePoint 2010 Virtual Machine

2010-03-29T06:41:00.001-07:00

I’ve Just Completed the Preparation of my SharePoint 2010 RC Development Virtual machine

The Machine is
3 GB is RAM
100 GB Hard Drive

The Machine has the following Software Installed

- Microsoft Windows 2008 Service Pack 2
- Microsoft Office 2010
- Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1
- Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 RC
- SharePoint Manager 2010
- NotePad ++
- Flidder

Now I’m Ready to Try the New SharePoint 2010 Development

Keep Following new Performance Point Service Updates Coming Soon

Error While Configuring SharePoint 2010 Release Candidate

2010-03-29T05:22:00.001-07:00

While Configuring SharePoint 2010 RC on my Virtual Machine I faced a problem in Step 5 of 10 While Starting Search Service. It Sends a Timeout Exception and terminates the Configuration Wizard

To Over Come this problem:

1. Open Services from Administrative Tools
2. From Start Menu Start SharePoint Products and Configurations Wizard
3. When the Configuration reaches step 5 of 10 while Configuring SharePoint Search Service Go to Services and Find the Microsoft SharePoint Search Service

1. Change Service Logon to Local Account

2. And Start the Service

Do the Same for the SharePoint Search Foundation

I hope this Will Help

How to : Disable Shutdown Event Tracker in Windows 2008

2010-03-27T17:32:00.001-07:00

The Shutdown event tracker is one of the most annoying features in windows 2008 to disable it follow these instructions

Configure the Shutdown Event Tracker

Click Start, Run, and then enter gpedit.msc. Click OK.
The Group Policy Object Editor console opens.
In the left pane, expand Computer Configuration, and then Administrative Templates.
Click System
In the right pane, find and double-click the Display Shutdown Event Tracker.
When the Display Shutdown Event Tracker Properties dialog box opens, select one of the following options:
- Not Configured
- Enabled
- Disabled
If you select the Enabled option, you can choose between the following options to specify when the Shutdown Event Tracker should be displayed:
- Always: This option is self explanatory.
- Server Only: When selected, the Shutdown Event Tracker is displayed for only Windows Server 2003/2008 servers.
- Workstation Only: When selected, the Shutdown Event Tracker is displayed for only Windows XP Professional workstations.
If you want to view help information on the Shutdown Event Tracker application, click the Explain tab.
Click OK, and then close the Group Policy Object Editor console.

Installing Share Point 2010 on Windows 2008 R2 and Windows 7 Prerequisites

2009-11-20T17:51:00.001-08:00

If you will be installing the SharePoint Server 2010 Public Beta on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 or Microsoft Windows 7, then you will need to download and install an update from http://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/Downloads/DownloadDetails.aspx?DownloadID=23806 to resolve an issue that occurs in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 when provisioning Service Applications or when accessing pages that make service calls. Without the hotfix, these operations will result in an error "System.Configuration.ConfigurationErrorsException: Unrecognized attribute 'allowInsecureTransport'. Note that attribute names are case-sensitive. (C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\WebClients\<Service Area>\client.config line <Line Number>)".

If you have already installed Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 on a server running Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 or Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 does not need to be reinstalled when the update becomes available; however, Service Applications that have been successfully provisioned without the update installed may need to be removed and re-provisioned once the update has been successfully applied

Microsoft SharePoint 2010 beta Get Ready

2009-11-17T01:27:00.001-08:00

I heard from an MVP friend that Microsoft Release today the first beta for both SharePoint and Office 2010 this is a A great news for me co’s this means welcome to PPS 2010 era I waited for the beta to starting checking it out

Microsoft Performance Point SP3 Released !!! Finally :)

2009-10-19T16:30:00.001-07:00

Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 Service Pack 3 hits RTM on schedule and is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center.

· Download sites: PerformancePoint Server 2007 SP3 (x86), PerformancePoint Server 2007 SP3 (x64)

· Documentation: Service Pack 3 for Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007, IW documentation is being published.

What’s New in SP3

Focused on the supportability of PerformancePoint Server 2007, Service Pack 3 offers not only a wide range of bug fixes but also a few new features and feature enhancements. For Planning customers, this release offers the following new features:

× Submitting line-item details with assignments. This new feature enables users to add, edit, view, and submit line item details. They can also view the submitted line-item details in reports.

× Adjusting security with the PPSCmd utility. This feature enables users to lower security changes within PPSCMD. For example, it is now possible to move security from Read/Write to Read Only within the PPSCMD utility.

× Extending the application calendar beyond 25 years. This feature enables users to manually change the maximum limit of future years to a value greater than 25 and less than or equal to 200.

For Monitoring & Analytics customers, SP3 offers improved usability, with better handling of zone adjustments, scrolling, and filtering and improved messaging. SP3 also provides better integration with Excel Services, SharePoint Server, and ProClarity.

PerformancePoint Server 2007 SP3 is being released in 18 languages (including English). The localized versions of PPS SP3 will be released by tier beginning in December, 2009. All versions are being released to the following channels:

· Microsoft Download Center. Localized versions of SP3 will be available beginning in December 09.

· Volume licensing (VL). The English version will be available in early December; localized products will be available in early January.

· MSDN. All languages are expected to be available by mid-December.

· ProductsWeb. All languages are expected to available within 4 weeks of the respective release dates.

ProClarity 6.3 SP3 was released on October 9 and is available on the Microsoft Download Center.

· Download sites: ProClarity Analytics Server 6.3 SP3 (ENU), ProClarity Desktop Professional 6.3 SP3 (ENU)

· ProClarity 6.3 SP3 documentation: ProClarity SP3 Readme and ProClarity SP3 Hardware and Software Requirements

ORA-12154 : TNS Could not resolve the connect Identifier

2009-09-29T11:25:00.001-07:00

Accessing an Oracle DB over a 64 bit system was a pain for many SQL Server DBAs.
The purpose of this document is to explain how to fix issues running a SSIS package, Linked Server and SQL Agent which are using Oracle OLEDB under 64bit SQL Server 2008.

The Following solution is based on Oracle 11g version. You can download Oracle 11g client from http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/products/database/index.html

You will need 32bit and 64bit both Oracle clients.

Oracle Client & OLEDB component Installation steps in 64bit Windows:

If you have old Oracle clients, copy tnsnames.ora and sqlnet.ora files for backup.
(They are under %ORACLE_HOME%/network/ADMIN/.)
Uninstall & Delete previous version of Oracle client include installed directory.
If you have or ever installed Oracle client, uninstall them and reboot the server. Then you can delete old Oracle directory. If you don’t reboot, you cannot delete them.
Run setup.exe of Oracle 11g Client in 64bit SQL Server running machine.
You have to install 32bit first.
Select “Custom” for OLEDB component installation in "Select Installation Type" step.
Properly select Oracle Base and Path.
You must select “Oracle Windows Interfaces 11.x.x” component for OLEDB in “Available Product Components” step.
After installation, restore TNSNAMES.ORA backup file under the new location of %ORACLE_HOME%/network/admin folder.
Repeat above step #4-#7 with 64bit Oracle 11g Client setup.
Oracle "Base directory" is same as the 32bit, but Path is supposed to be different from the previous one in above step #5.
i.e) If Oracle 32bit Client Path was C:/Oracle/product/11.1/client_32,
Then 64bit Client Path is under C:/Oracle/product/11.1/client_64.
You will see an error message “OracleMTSRecoveryService already exists” as below screenshot during the 64bit client installation. You can “Ignore” it.
Modify the system registry settings as follows. And then reboot server!
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSDTC\MTxOCI and
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\MSDTC\MTxOCI
are correct:
a. OracleOciLib = oci.dll
b. OracleSqlLib = orasql11.dll (old: SQLLib80.dll)
c. OracleXaLib = oraclient11.dll (old: xa80.dll)
Test sqlplus.exe or tnsping.exe in command console.

Now you can access Oracle OLEDB provider in BIDS (Business Intelligence Development Studio) & SSMS both places. What I tested was:

Design SSIS package with Oracle data source (OraOLEDB) in BIDS
SSIS package debug & run in BIDS
C# & VB sample code test to access OraOLEDB.Oracle provider in VisualStudio
Add the developed SSIS package & run on SSMS
Add SSIS package job in SQL Agent & run on SSMS
Add Linked Server to access Oracle Server through Oracle OLEDB in SSMS

One thing you have to keep in mind is that BIDS is based on Visual Studio 32bit modules. When you design & test a new SSIS package on it, actually it’s using 32bit Oracle OLEDB modules.
After the SSIS package added in 64bit SQL Server, SQL Agent is using 64bit Microsoft & Oracle OLEDB modules.

NOTE1:

While you are developing or testing SSIS package, you might see the following ignorable messages: “Warning: Cannot retrieve the column code page info from OLE DB…”.

NOTE2:

When you add new SSIS package in SQL server, you have to select “Rely on server storage and roles for access control” in Package Protection Level as below screenshot to avoid XML password encryption error. For some reason, saved Oracle password couldn’t be decrypted by SSIS service on my test.

NOTE3:

You might see the following error “Cannot obtain the required interface (“IID_IDBSchemaRowset”) from OLE DB Provider “OraOLEDB.Oracle” for linked server XXX (Error:7399)” in an Oracle Linked Servers as follows.

To resolve this, open properties of OraOLEDB.Oracle provider, and set “Enable” for “Allow inprocess” option as follows.

Instance>>Sever Objects>>Linked Servers>>Providers>>OraOLEDB.Oracle

Microsoft Reporting Services in Silverlight Applications is Possible

2009-09-24T00:12:00.001-07:00

The main obstacle to the spread of Microsoft Silverlight as a platform for line-of-business RIA’s is the lack of built-in reporting components. At the same time, not a single corporate application can function without effective reporting system.

Perpetuum Software allows you to combine two powerful Microsoft technologies: Silverlight and Reporting Services, so that you can leverage their advantages in your business intelligence applications.

Silverlight Viewer for Reporting Services provides you the ability to view Reporting Services reports in Silverlight applications. The component is a native Silverlight control and it easily integrates into any Silverlight application. Thus, it is possible to use the entire set of features which are, as a rule, available in the original desktop applications, including dynamic scaling, smooth panning with animation, interactive sorting, search and so on.

Silverlight Viewer can be used in applications, located directly on the html page, as well as the out-of-browser mode.

Delicate setup of viewer appearance with the use of styles and templates allows the inclusion of the component into the design of any application. All aspects of the Silverlight Viewer component behavior can be controlled from the code.

The user will view only the necessary report pages without loading the entire report. This feature provides quick reporting while reducing internet traffic Fonts will be loaded automatically if they are not set on the client side.

The main competitive advantages of the Silverlight Viewer for Reporting Services are:

WYSIWYG report preview in web browsers with support for scaling, scrolling, panning. The reports are displayed in vector graphic. The advantage is that it provides high quality report representation which is impossible to achieve when reports are converted to html;
Out-of-browser mode;
Abilities of the full-functional desktop applications: search, interactive sorting, dynamic zooming, navigation through the reports via hyperlinks, input of the report parameters by the user and so on;
Smooth animation when you manipulate reports, no sudden changes on the display occur when you scroll, zoom in or out or navigate the report;
Support for styles and skins allow the change of any control elements;
Reports export to PDF, Excel, Html, Cvs, Xml, Mhtml, TIFF;
Automatic font loading.

The current product version only supports MS Sql Reporting Services 2005. The support for MS Sql Reporting Services 2008 will be available in the next Silverlight Viewer for Reporting Services release.

Use the functionality of the Silverlight technology for displaying reports from Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services!

Download Silverlight Viewer for Reporting Services...

Error in Performance Point 2007

2009-09-22T15:10:00.001-07:00

I was involved in a Project with Microsoft Performance Point 2007 that requires Integration with lot of PPS Web Service APIs and 3.5 Asp.NET Application

I logged most the issues I faced and I’d like to leave this thread as an open discussion thread to help other in there deployments and Development with PPS.

Below are a list of Issues and Fixes that will help you solve your problem.

Configuring PPS on Production Environment

1. Install PPS on the SharePoint Server

2. Configure PPS to Install Dashboard Viewer for SharePoint on the Moss Server

3. Please note the following Steps will be done on all Moss Servers in the production farm

a. Locate the web.config file for your SharePoint site, as well as the PerformancePoint Monitoring Designer web service and its Preview directory.

b. Use any text editor (or Visual Studio), and do a search/replace to replace all references to System.Web.Extensions 1.0.61025.0 to .Net's3.5.0.0.

c. Add the following line to your web.config under the <configuration> node:

<runtime>

    <assemblyBinding xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1">

      <dependentAssembly>

        <assemblyIdentity name="System.Web.Extensions" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" culture="neutral" />

        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="1.0.61025.0" newVersion="3.5.0.0" />

      </dependentAssembly>

    </assemblyBinding>

</runtime>

Remember there are 3 web.configs that needs to change here:

i. under PPSMonitoring/WebService

ii. under PPSMonitoring/Preview

iii. SharePoint Site[MM1]

4. Open your SharePoint web.config for the current web application and find HTTPHandlers replace it with the following Set [MM2]

<httpHandlers>

<remove verb="GET,HEAD,POST" path="*" />

<add verb="GET,HEAD,POST" path="*" type="Microsoft.SharePoint.ApplicationRuntime.SPHttpHandler, Microsoft.SharePoint, Version=12.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c" />

<add verb="OPTIONS,PROPFIND,PUT,LOCK,UNLOCK,MOVE,COPY,GETLIB,PROPPATCH,MKCOL,DELETE,(GETSOURCE),(HEADSOURCE),(POSTSOURCE)" path="*" type="Microsoft.SharePoint.ApplicationRuntime.SPHttpHandler, Microsoft.SharePoint, Version=12.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c" />

<add verb="*" path="Reserved.ReportViewerWebControl.axd" type="Microsoft.Reporting.WebForms.HttpHandler, Microsoft.ReportViewer.WebForms, Version=8.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a" />

<add verb="*" path="*.asmx" validate="false" type="System.Web.Script.Services.ScriptHandlerFactory, System.Web.Extensions, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35" />

<add verb="*" path="*_AppService.axd" validate="false" type="System.Web.Script.Services.ScriptHandlerFactory, System.Web.Extensions, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35" />

<add verb="GET,HEAD" path="ScriptResource.axd" type="System.Web.Handlers.ScriptResourceHandler, System.Web.Extensions, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35" validate="false" />

<add verb="*" path="_vti_bin/ReportServer" type="Microsoft.ReportingServices.SharePoint.Soap.RSProxyHttpHandler, RSSharePointSoapProxy, Version=10.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89845dcd8080cc91" />

<add verb="*" path="Reserved.ReportViewerWebPart.axd" type="Microsoft.ReportingServices.SharePoint.UI.WebParts.WebPartHttpHandler, Microsoft.ReportingServices.SharePoint.UI.WebParts, Version=10.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89845dcd8080cc91" />

</httpHandlers>

5. If you installed URL Scan in our production Environment (as in testing) you may face a problem on all Images are not Displayed in the PPS Dashboard Viewer WP The Solution would be the following

a. Open the following folder “C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv\urlscan”

b. Edit URLScan.ini file

i. AllowDotsInPath = 0 to 1

6. Go to the following path in both SharePoint Servers

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\wpresources

Replace the content of the web.config with the following

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>

<configuration>

<system.web>

<customErrors mode="Off"/>

<httpHandlers>

<add verb="*" path="*.aspx" type="System.Web.UI.PageHandlerFactory, System.Web, Version=1.0.5000.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a" />

<remove verb="*" path="*.asmx" />

<add verb="*" path="*.asmx" validate="false" type="System.Web.Script.Services.ScriptHandlerFactory, System.Web.Extensions, Version=1.0.61025.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35" />

<add verb="*" path="*_AppService.axd" validate="false" type="System.Web.Script.Services.ScriptHandlerFactory, System.Web.Extensions, Version=1.0.61025.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35" />

<add verb="GET,HEAD" path="ScriptResource.axd" type="System.Web.Handlers.ScriptResourceHandler, System.Web.Extensions, Version=1.0.61025.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35" validate="false" />

</httpHandlers>

</system.web>

<runtime>

<assemblyBinding xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1">

<dependentAssembly>

<assemblyIdentity name="System.Web.Extensions" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" culture="neutral" />

</dependentAssembly>

</assemblyBinding>

<assemblyBinding xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1">

<dependentAssembly>

<assemblyIdentity name="Microsoft.SharePoint" publicKeyToken="71e9bce111e9429c" culture="neutral" />

<bindingRedirect oldVersion="11.0.0.0" newVersion="12.0.0.0" />

</dependentAssembly>

<dependentAssembly>

<assemblyIdentity name="Microsoft.SharePoint.Dsp" publicKeyToken="71e9bce111e9429c" culture="neutral" />

<bindingRedirect oldVersion="11.0.0.0" newVersion="12.0.0.0" />

</dependentAssembly>

<dependentAssembly>

<assemblyIdentity name="Microsoft.SharePoint.Dsp.OleDb" publicKeyToken="71e9bce111e9429c" culture="neutral" />

<bindingRedirect oldVersion="11.0.0.0" newVersion="12.0.0.0" />

</dependentAssembly>

<dependentAssembly>

<assemblyIdentity name="Microsoft.SharePoint.Dsp.SoapPT" publicKeyToken="71e9bce111e9429c" culture="neutral" />

<bindingRedirect oldVersion="11.0.0.0" newVersion="12.0.0.0" />

</dependentAssembly>

<dependentAssembly>

<assemblyIdentity name="Microsoft.SharePoint.Dsp.Sts" publicKeyToken="71e9bce111e9429c" culture="neutral" />

<bindingRedirect oldVersion="11.0.0.0" newVersion="12.0.0.0" />

</dependentAssembly>

<dependentAssembly>

<assemblyIdentity name="Microsoft.SharePoint.Dsp.XmlUrl" publicKeyToken="71e9bce111e9429c" culture="neutral" />

<bindingRedirect oldVersion="11.0.0.0" newVersion="12.0.0.0" />

</dependentAssembly>

<dependentAssembly>

<assemblyIdentity name="Microsoft.SharePoint.intl" publicKeyToken="71e9bce111e9429c" culture="neutral" />

<bindingRedirect oldVersion="11.0.0.0" newVersion="12.0.0.0" />

</dependentAssembly>

<dependentAssembly>

<assemblyIdentity name="Microsoft.SharePoint.Library" publicKeyToken="71e9bce111e9429c" culture="neutral" />

<bindingRedirect oldVersion="11.0.0.0" newVersion="12.0.0.0" />

</dependentAssembly>

<dependentAssembly>

<assemblyIdentity name="Microsoft.SharePoint.Security" publicKeyToken="71e9bce111e9429c" culture="neutral" />

<bindingRedirect oldVersion="11.0.0.0" newVersion="12.0.0.0" />

</dependentAssembly>

</assemblyBinding>

</runtime>

</configuration>

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2

2009-08-18T03:21:00.001-07:00

Microsoft Released a new version of SQL Server 2008 called it release 2 or R2

It contains a lot of updates: use the below like to view it’s latest version http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=E19689BD-38DD-46C4-8645-F58CA4D61D1F&displaylang=en

For what’s new inside SQL 2008 R2 Check the following link

http://blogs.msdn.com/mattm/archive/2009/08/14/no-new-features-in-for-integration-services-in-sql-server-2008-r2.aspx

Deploying Reporting Services 2005 in Integrated Mode

2009-08-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

Probably the biggest benefit of running Reporting Services in SharePoint Integrated Mode is that you can deploy and manage reports directly in SharePoint rather than the Report Manager web application. This is probably easier for our business users. As a matter of fact you no longer use the Report Manager after you switch to SharePoint Integrated Mode. The highlights of the capabilities provided by SharePoint Integrated Mode are the following:

A Report Viewer Web Part that provides report viewing capability, export to other rendering formats, page navigation, search, print and zoom.
Web application pages so that you can create subscriptions and schedules as well as manage reports, models, and data sources.
Support for using standard Windows SharePoint Services features including document management, collaboration, security, and deployment with report server content types.
A new delivery extension that you can use in subscriptions to deliver reports to SharePoint libraries.

You can review all of the details of SharePoint Integrated Mode in SQL Server Books Online.

This tip will walk through the steps to configure Reporting Services to run in SharePoint Integrated Mode. The following assumptions will be made:

You have installed Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007
You have installed Reporting Services 2005
Both of the above are on a single server. This is not a requirement; it just simplifies the installation. You can get the details on the additional steps for a distributed install here.

Create a Report Server Database for SharePoint Integrated Mode

In order to run Reporting Services in SharePoint Integrated mode, you need to create a new reporting services database. Start Reporting Services Configuration (click Start, All Programs, Microsoft SQL Server 2005, Configuration Tools, Reporting Services Configuration). Click Database Setup and you will see the following:

Note that the Server Mode is Native; this is the default when you install Reporting Services. Click the Change button and you will be prompted: Changing the report server mode requires creating a new report server database. Do you want to continue? Click Yes and the SQL Server Connection Dialog will appear:

Fill in the Database Name, make sure that Create the report server database in SharePoint Integrated mode is checked, then click OK. The Task Status dialog will be displayed; click the Apply button to complete the database setup:

Leave Reporting Services Configuration open; we will return to it after the next step.

Install Reporting Services Add-In for SharePoint Technologies

The SharePoint code required for running Reporting Services in SharePoint Integrated mode is contained in the Reporting Services Add-In for SharePoint Technologies. The add-in is packaged in the file SharePointRS.msi; you can download it here. Launch the msi file to install the add-in accepting the wizard defaults.

Configure Reporting Services Integrated Mode in SharePoint

The final step in setting up Reporting Services in SharePoint Integrated mode is to perform configuration steps in SharePoint itself. Return to Reporting Services Configuration and click on SharePoint Integration. You will see the following:

Click the link Click here to go to SharePoint Central Administration. This will launch a new browser window and navigate to the SharePoint Central Administration web site. Click on the Application Management tab and you will be presented with quite a few options; the only options we are interested in are under the Reporting Services heading as shown below:

Click Manage integration settings. You will be prompted to enter the Report Server Web Service Url and Authentication Mode; e.g. http://bi-moss:5150/reportserver and Windows Authentication. Note that your Report Server Web Service Url will be different than what is used in this example. In my case I installed SQL Server 2005 and allowed the installation to automatically configure Reporting Services. I installed SharePoint on a new IIS web site but allowed it to run on its default port of 80. Since the automatic Reporting Services configuration uses the default IIS web site and port 80, I changed the default web site to use port 5150 to eliminate the conflict. Another point about the default configuration of Reporting Services is that the application pool identity will be set to Network Service. You should change it to a domain account (e.g. the same one as the SharePoint application pool).

Click Grant database access. You will be prompted to specify the server for the report server database. In this example my server is BI-MOSS. Note that your server will be different that what is used in this example.

You can just go with the defaults in the Set server defaults page for now.

Testing Reporting Services in SharePoint Integrated Mode

To test running Reporting Services in SharePoint Integrated Mode, we will use the Adventure Works sample reports that come with SQL Server 2005. Open the sample project then click Project, Properties from the top-level menu. Edit the properties as necessary for your environment; e.g.:

For TargetDataSourceFolder and TargetReportFolder I have selected a document library in my SharePoint site. TargetServerURL is set to the URL of my SharePoint site collection. This would normally be something like http://servername/reportserver. However when you are running in SharePoint Integrated Mode, the URL must be the SharePoint site collection URL.

Right click the project in the Solution Explorer and select Deploy from the context menu. Open a browser and navigate to the document library specified in the project properties above; you will see the following:

Note that you can also deploy reports to the document library by clicking on Upload. Click on one of the reports to display it; e.g. Product Line Sales:

The Actions button provides the following capabilities:

You can also render a report by using the Report Viewer web part which is part of the Reporting Services Add-In for SharePoint Technologies. With the web part you have additional control over the toolbar; the above report shows the full toolbar. You can render the report with just the navigation part of the toolbar:

You can render the report without the toolbar:

Using Merge in SQL 2008

2009-07-25T16:38:00.001-07:00

First let's begin with the basic type 1 usage.

All fairly self-explanatory. We have a source and a target. We join the two tables, identify new records, changed records and deleted records. And deal with them appropriately.
So let's move onto the type 2 changes. Here we need to:

Insert New Records
Disable changed records
Add a new record for the changed records

That's 2 inserts and an update. The MERGE won't allow that so we have to nest our merge inside an insert. Luckily this works because MERGE allows output!

Ignore the outer INSERT for the moment. We have a MERGE statement which is very similar to our type 1 MERGE. Compare the Source and Target, INSERT new records as required. The difference being that when the matched record contains a change, instead of updating the changed field, we set the CurrentFlag and the EndDate so as to disable the record.

Of course that means we still don't have a record which contains our updated values. So, now lets turn our attention to the OUTPUT clause.

This will be familiar to anyone who used it in SQL 2005 in much the same context - to identify rows which have been modified/added/deleted. Really the origin of MERGE seems to be strongly rooted in the SQL 2005 OUTPUT clause. On the upside, unlike the SQL 2005 version and UPDATE is an UPDATE and not a DELETE and an INSERT. Small but handy! Anyway, where were we? Let's return the columns we need to create a new record and a special $Action column - this tells us what actually happened ie UPDATE, INSERT or DELETE. We need this because the OUTPUT will return everything that occured in the MERGE.

Now we have a set of rows that have been actioned by the MERGE. Still, we haven't actually done anything with them.
To do that, we enclose the entire MERGE statement, including it's OUTPUT clause of course, into brackets so we can make it the FROM clause for an INSERT. Our OUTPUT clause is return the columns we need for the INSERT remember? So now we just add our INSERT INTO at the front, add an alias to the closed bracket of the FROM clause AND, drumroll... whack a WHERE clause on the end. This where clause just filters the OUTPUT from the MERGE so we only insert new records for those that were updated, ignoring those that may have been inserted etc in the MERGE.

Microsoft Silverlight Financial Dashboards

2009-07-25T16:31:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone,

I just came back from my vacation and I found this interesting Article about Microsoft New Financial Dashboard using Silverlight The Reports are amazing and i find something awesome to talk about.

Please check the below this for this Demo

http://www.microsoft.com/msft/IC/FinancialStatements.aspx?table=IncomeStatements

The Layout was based on XBRL which is something I need to study more before I start talking about it.

Anyway I think that Microsoft Started doing something interesting in the BI After all

Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Sneak Peek Videos

2009-07-14T03:04:00.001-07:00

Microsoft releases the first look for Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Extra Info can be found on

http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/2010/Sneak_Peek/Pages/default.aspx

It seems like Year 2010 will be an interesting on for all SharePoint Lovers :)

Localizing Reports and Reports Models

2009-07-01T01:51:00.001-07:00

Reports and report models can be localized at many levels. Following are some ideas around the current support in SQL Server 2008 for each type of localization.

- Localized metadata at report design time

Example: Arabic report author sees “3ameel” instead of “Customer” in model explorer
Report models do not support multiple languages for metadata names in a single model file
It should not be difficult to build a custom solution to generate localized versions of the model file

Original .smdl file + XML file with localized entity/attribute/role names => localized .smdl file
Could use either XSLT or minimal code
If implemented, reports would run against any localized version of the model because IDs are unchanged

Metadata displayed in the report (such as column labels) would be in the language of the person who designed the report. Since they are merely text values copied in from the model explorer, they would not change at report run time.

- Localized metadata at report run time

Example: Arabic report consumer sees “3ameel” instead of “Customer” in report column label
SQL RS reports do not directly support localization of text labels in a report
Some customers have implemented this using a custom “resource” assembly deployed on the server, and all labels in the report are replaced at report design time with expressions that retrieve the appropriate resource string from the custom assembly (sample)
This is obviously cumbersome to set up at report design time, but it does work

- Localized data formatting at report run time

Example: Arabic report consumer sees numeric and date values in the report data formatted as “1.234,56” and “27/04/2009” instead of "1,234.56" and "04/27/2009".
o This is supported by the default number formats available on the ribbon in Report Builder 2.0. In the dialog box, select the “Use regional formatting” checkbox.

- Localized data values at report run time

Example: Arabic report consumer sees product category “Akala” instead of “Bicycles” in report data
This is typically done by storing localized values in the database as separate columns or as lookup tables based on user culture.
Offhand I can’t think of a slick way to do this with report models. If you have some ideas, let me know.

Stsadm Technical Reference Using Silver light [SharePoint]

2009-06-29T02:29:00.001-07:00

I came a cross this article on Technet regarding the stsadm. It Displays all stsadm commands as a small silver light movie

what I liked on this one is

1. Commands are categorized.
2. The Description on every thing command
3. Separation between what was available in SP1 and what is available in SP2

How Performance Point Objective KPIs Rollup

2009-06-17T11:33:00.001-07:00

The KPIs Rolls based on Weight

The mathematical calculation is done using the following formula

(Actual1/Target1) + (Actual2/Target2) ……. (Actual(n)/Target(n)) / n

Where n is the number of KPIs

The default banding is the Average of the KPIs Thresholds

In case we have decreasing is better

The value will be

(1-(Actual1/Target1)) + (Actual2/Target2) ……. (Actual(n)/Target(n)) / n

Where KPI1 is Decreasing is better

And for the banding its

KPIs Thresholds is calculated based on (1-thersold)

Create scorecards Programatically in PPS

2009-06-15T10:01:00.001-07:00

Hello,

After working with PPS I came across a Project which requires Building of Scorecards Programatically and assign KPIs to it

the below Sample can show you how to create scorecards inside PPS

protected void CreateScoreCard()
{
Guid AGuid;
// create a new scorecard instance
AScoreCard_wows = Scorecard.CreateNew();
// Setting the name property;
BpmPropertyText NameProperty = new BpmPropertyText();
NameProperty.Text = "The ScoreCard";
AScoreCard_wows.Name = NameProperty;
AScoreCard_wows.Description.Text = "This Scorecard was created by code";
// Setting the owner property
AScoreCard_wows.Owner.Login = @"Server\Administrator";
// Configuring the scorecard view
ConfiguredView ACofiguredView = new ConfiguredView();
GridViewDefinition ParentChildDefinition = new GridViewDefinition();
GridHeaderItem ParentX = new GridHeaderItem();
AGuid = Guid.NewGuid();
ParentX.Guid = AGuid;
ParentX.DefinitionGuid = AGuid;
ParentX.DisplayText = "ParentX";
ParentX.DimensionName = "Scorecard__";
ParentX.DimensionValue = "cd30315e-bd40-4977-b21b-cbb47cc83494"; // Guid of KPI
ParentX.HeaderType = ScorecardNodeTypes.Kpi;
ParentX.Depth = 1;
ParentChildDefinition.RootRowHeader.Children.Add(ParentX);
GridHeaderItem ChildX = new GridHeaderItem();
AGuid = Guid.NewGuid();
ChildX.Guid = AGuid;
ChildX.DefinitionGuid = AGuid;
ChildX.DisplayText = "ChildX";
ChildX.DimensionName = "Scorecard__";
ChildX.DimensionValue = "e9ec1e6b-8c7e-4f7d-b87d-28cad4b29d7f"; // Guid of KPI
ChildX.LinkedKpiId = new Guid("e9ec1e6b-8c7e-4f7d-b87d-28cad4b29d7f");
ChildX.HeaderType = ScorecardNodeTypes.Kpi;
ChildX.Depth = 2;
ParentX.Children.Add(ChildX);
GridHeaderItem ChildY = new GridHeaderItem();
AGuid = Guid.NewGuid();
ChildY.Guid = AGuid;
ChildY.DefinitionGuid = AGuid;
ChildY.DisplayText = "ChildY";
ChildY.DimensionName = "Scorecard__";
ChildY.DimensionValue = "8878d533-b7b7-40f7-8772-4da81c54c85b"; // Guid of KPI
ChildY.LinkedKpiId = new Guid("8878d533-b7b7-40f7-8772-4da81c54c85b");
ChildY.HeaderType = ScorecardNodeTypes.Kpi;
ChildY.Depth = 2;
ParentX.Children.Add(ChildY);
GridHeaderItem ActualColumn = new GridHeaderItem();
AGuid = Guid.NewGuid();
ActualColumn.Guid = AGuid;
ActualColumn.DefinitionGuid = AGuid;
ActualColumn.DisplayText = "Actual";
ActualColumn.DimensionName = "Scorecard_Measures__";
ActualColumn.DimensionValue = "Actual"; // Guid of KPI
ActualColumn.HeaderType = ScorecardNodeTypes.KpiActual;
ActualColumn.Depth = 1;
GridTargetSettings ActualColumnTargetSettings = new GridTargetSettings();
ActualColumnTargetSettings.ShowImage = true;
ActualColumnTargetSettings.ShowScore = true;
ActualColumnTargetSettings.RollupType = RollupTypes.AverageWeighted;
ActualColumnTargetSettings.ScoreType = ScoreTypes.Normalized;
ActualColumn.TargetSettings = ActualColumnTargetSettings;
ParentChildDefinition.RootColumnHeader.Children.Add(ActualColumn);
GridHeaderItem TargetColumn = new GridHeaderItem();
AGuid = Guid.NewGuid();
TargetColumn.Guid = AGuid;
TargetColumn.DefinitionGuid = AGuid;
TargetColumn.DisplayText = "Target";
TargetColumn.DimensionName = "Scorecard_Measures__";
TargetColumn.DimensionValue = "Target"; // Guid of KPI
TargetColumn.HeaderType = ScorecardNodeTypes.KpiTarget;

Technorati Tags: Scorecards,PPS,Performance Point

TargetColumn.Depth = 1;
GridTargetSettings TargetColumnTargetSettings = new GridTargetSettings();
TargetColumnTargetSettings.ShowImage = true;
TargetColumnTargetSettings.ShowScore = true;
TargetColumnTargetSettings.RollupType = RollupTypes.AverageWeighted;
TargetColumnTargetSettings.ScoreType = ScoreTypes.Raw;
TargetColumn.TargetSettings = TargetColumnTargetSettings;
ParentChildDefinition.RootColumnHeader.Children.Add(TargetColumn);
ACofiguredView.GridViewDefinition = ParentChildDefinition;
AScoreCard_wows.ConfiguredViews.Add(ACofiguredView);
// Publishing the ScoreCard
Publisher.CreateScorecard(AScoreCard_wows);
}

How Performance Point Scorecard Objective value is rolling up

2009-06-11T02:35:00.001-07:00

Did you ever wonder how to PPS Actually Calculating the Objective KPI value inside a scorecard.

Okay Actually it’s……. (Count)

for example if we have 10 KPIs that are rolled to a specific Objective

These KPIs colors was

4 = Green
3 = Yellow
3 = Red

The Result Color for this Initiative is (Green)

if the KPIs has different weights that calculations may change

if you have a single KPI and it weights 90% of this Objective the color of this KPI will control the color of the Objective

How to install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SP1 on Vista x64/x86

2009-06-04T02:22:00.001-07:00

f you are a developer for SharePoint your best friend has been Virtual PC or VMWare. It’s time to introduce a new friend, Bamboo Nation's SharePointOnVista J

We have put together an installer that allows you to install WSS3.0 SP1 on Vista, both x86 and x64. This will allow you to develop on your workstation with all the power of a non virtualized environment. You still need VPC and VMWare so don’t feel sorry.

There’s been much discussion about SharePoint being a "bad" development platform. This will remove the objection that you NEED to develop on a Server OS. I think we all as SharePoint developers have built our “virtualization skills” to a comfortable level now so it’s time to give us a break ;)

So please download the setup helper and try it out. I really want to hear from you about problems you encountered so we can fix them. Please leave your comments here or we can discuss in this forum. It would be nice to hear about successful installations too J

UPDATE: If you run Windows Vista Home Premium IIS only supports Basic Authentication. Therefore you MUST manually enable Basic Authentication in the IIS management console.

UPDATE: ~~John McBride has posted a solution for all of us that runs Vista 64 bit so we can install the new~~ ~~VSeWSS 1.2~~ ~~with support for VS 2008. Just go~~ ~~here~~ ~~to see how to solve it. Thanks John!~~

You no longer need this workaround since the latest version of VSeWSS 1.3 CTP supports 64bit operating systems and we have successfully installed it on both Vista and Windows7. Look at this post for more information.

UPDATE: Jim Parshall has created a detailed video tutorial that walks you through everything you need to do to get WSS running on Vista. It's pretty big so it takes a while to download but it's well worth it. Click here to get the video. Thanks Jim!

UPDATE: If you are installing on Windows 7 RC (build 7100) you need to read this post before continuing.

Current limitations:

You must select the Advanced option during install.
If you want to run on SQLExpress, manually install it first. Get it here.
You have to manually enable IIS7 with the proper options (explained).
Your workstation has to be part of a domain. UPDATE: This is not required.

Here’s how you install it.

First download the installation helper and the correct version of WSS with SP1.

Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 with Service Pack 1

Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 x64 with Service Pack 1

Go here to download our Setup Helper file

Now run the setup helper (WssVista.msi).

You will see an UAC prompt select Continue to proceed with the installation.

Once the install has completed you will find the SetupLauncher.exe in the install location you selected. If you didn’t change the default option you will see it under the directory ..\Program Files\WssOnVista\Setup

Configuring IIS7

Before we go any further we need to make sure IIS7 is installed with all required options .

Go to Control Panel and click Programs.

Under Program and Features click Turn Windows features on or off.

Under Windows Features select Web Management Tools and World Wide Web Services. Enable at least the following options and choose OK.

Wait until Windows has configured all options.

Installing Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SP1 on Vista.

After completing the above steps it’s time for the interesting part. Locate SetupLauncher.exe and start it. You will once again see an UAC prompt, select Continue.

After the SetupLauncher run, select the WSS installation file Sharepoint.exe, or the MOSS installation file, and click OK. First, the package will be extracted.

After the files have been extracted the WSS setup program will be started.

The current version only supports the advanced installation option so select that one.

Select Web Front End when asked about Server Type. The database will be created later.

(If you are installing MOSS select the option which installs all services on the Web Front End)

Sit back and relax while SharePoint is being installed, you are running Vista remember ;)

Hopefully you will see the following screen at the end of the installation. If you would get an error during the installation step try to run a Repair.

Leave the checkbox checked and click Close to run the Configuration Wizard.

At the second screen select the option to create a new server farm.

Specify your database server (e.g. MYLAPTOP\SQLEXPRESS) and account information.

Let the Configuration Wizard do it's work.

And you should end up with this screen, congratulations!

The final result is WSS running on Vista, Enjoy!

/Jonas

Note: Remember that this is a "beta" product tool from Bamboo. Do not use it for any production work, as well as the usual "backup your system before install this program". Obviously, running WSS v3 or MOSS on Vista is not a supported environment by MS.

UPDATE: Additional discussions and solutions on instalation issues can be found in this forum.

UPDATE: If you run Vista Home Premium you have to enable Basic Authentication in IIS, if you don't you will only see a blank page.

Here's how to do it:

Open up IIS management console and Enable Basic Authentication. You have to do this for ALL Web Applications you are creating.

Windows 7 RC2 Build 7201 ( 6.1.7201.0.090601-1516) Out

2009-06-04T02:17:00.001-07:00

Build String is 6.1.7201.0.090601-1516, indicates that the build was compiled just a few days back, exactly on June 1, 2009, at 3:16 PM. Since the build 7200 is very close to RTM, we can expect better performance and stability from this.

However, note that downloading or installing leaked builds are not recommended as they might be infected with malicious code. In our opinion, if at all there is a RC2, we should hear an official announce soon.

Install performance Point 2007 on Windows 2003 SP2

2009-05-25T07:18:00.001-07:00

I faced this problem while installing performance Point on a Virtual Environment that has windows 2003 Service Pack 2 installed

to do this you need to execute the following command in your Run prompt

msiexec /i PscSrv.msi SKIPOSCHECK=true

Installing PerformancePoint Monitoring Server on a Domain Controller

1. If you are using a domain account, you must add it to the Administrators and IIS_WPG groups before installing the Monitoring Server. You don’t need to do this if using Network Service (recommended).

2. To add a domain account to the appropriate groups: Use Start\Administrators\Active Directory Users and Computers:

a. Add it to the Domain Administrators group Add it to the IIS_WPG group

3. Install the Monitoring server MSI using this command line:

a. msiexec /i PscSrv.msi SKIPOSCHECK=true

How to Install Performance Point Services Service Pack 2

2009-05-20T03:05:00.001-07:00

The Below Diagram will help you installing and Planning your PPS SP2 Deployment.

Just for the memo: you can’t install PPS SP2 on the free trial version of PPS. Still working on a work around

BIDS Helper 1.4.1.0

2009-05-20T02:18:00.001-07:00

CodePlex has just released a new version of the BIDS which is a tool that extends the BI Development Studio with a large set of features found below from Code Plex

Features

Installation

To install BIDS Helper, download the installer from the Releases tab.
If for some reason you cannot use the installer the latest release includes an xcopy deploy option.

The Data warehouses and the Average of Averages

2009-05-19T03:22:00.001-07:00

Currently working on a project that uses Data entry screens as a Data source for users. The Data will be polled from an Operational Database to the Data warehouse in Quarterly bases and users Enters the values of the KPIs in Quarterly Bases Only

The Problem is if we have a Measure that is calculated using the following Formula (A+B)/C . What Should I store in the Data warehouse is it the Actual Value or the value of each metric alone.

Anyone faced this design before. If yes Any Ideas?

Performance Point : Programmatically Create a new Scorecard

2009-05-18T07:06:00.001-07:00

Working with PPS programmatically requires an understanding on the PPS Web Services

Below is the first blog entry to help other on working with PPS programatically to do some actions

void CreateScoreCard ()

{

Scorecard scorecard = new Scorecard();

scorecard.Guid = Guid.NewGuid();

/////////Even the following Lines are optional,

///If you didn’t enter a name for the scorecard it will be created with an empty name

BpmPropertyText NameProperty = new BpmPropertyText();

NameProperty.Text = "The ScoreCard";

scorecard.Name = NameProperty;

//To publish the scorecard on the server

Publisher.CreateScorecard(scorecard);

}

Ralph Kimball vs. Bill Inmon

2009-05-17T03:46:00.001-07:00

I came Across this wonderful comparison between Ralph Kimball and Bill Inmon in the way data marts Should be built I decided to share it on my blog for your reference

Areas of agreement

Consensus on need for solid business requirements and end-user validation
Agreement that it is rarely feasible to build an entire warehouse at once - incremental development with a focus on high-priority elements
Conformed dimensions are desirable
Warehouse data needs to be tracked as atomically as possible
Star schema is most desirable format for data marts

Areas of differences

Bill Inmon
- Approach is known as Top-Down, or Corporate Information Factory
- Warehouse data should be stored in a centralized relational structure
- Dependent data marts should be created from central warehouse
  - These data marts will employ star schemas
  - Additional transformations may be employed between the warehouse and the data marts
- ODS is used for transaction level detail with little to no history

Inmon Kimball

Ralph Kimball
- Approach is known as Bottom-Up, or Kimball Bus Architecture
- “… The data warehouse is nothing more than the union of all the data marts …”
- Conformed dimensions are the glue which unite disparate data marts, while Inmon maintains conformed dimensions within centralized relational structure
- ODS may be integrated directly into warehouse

Office 2010 Features List

2009-05-14T04:07:00.001-07:00

I came across an amazing list of features from Office 2010 I decided to publish it here for reference

Here’s what is known, at this point:

The next version of Office is codenamed Office 14
A private Technical Adoption Program (TAP) alpha test-build of Office 14 — at least until recently — was slated for November or December 2008
Microsoft officials have been dropping hints over the past year that Office 14 would ship in 2009
Office 14 will include a local Office client, a server (SharePoint) and Office Web applications components

Microsoft officials are continuing to decline to comment on Office 14’s timetable or feature list. Nonetheless, there have been a few bits of information about O14 which have gone public. Among them:

Office 14 will include more “ribbonized” versions of the core set of client apps
The Web applications will go to a limited number of non-Microsoft testers before the end of this calendar year. (A broader test build of Office Web apps won’t happen until 2009, and the testing program for these Webified Office apps won’t be tied to the rest of the Office 14 beta.)
Master data management (MDM) will be “aligned with”the Office 14 release in some way

Upgrade SharePoint SQL Express to Standard or Enterprise

2009-05-14T03:00:00.001-07:00

Source : Todd Klindt's SharePoint Admin Blog

Microsoft so very graciously provides a free version of SQL 2005, SQL Express, with MOSS. If you install MOSS using the Basic option or Single Server under Advanced you get SQL Express automatically. So what if as a budding newbie SharePoint admin you chose the Basic option, but now as a wise aged SharePoint admin you've seen the error of your ways and want to use a more respectable version of SQL for your SharePoint backend? You're in luck. In this blog post I'll walk you through upgrading SQL Express to SQL Standard or Enterprise.

First thing you need to do is get a copy of SQL 2005 Standard or Enterprise. Which version you choose depends on the redundancy and availability you want. Either will upgrade from Express. After you have your media you can start the install. This step is important as you have to pass the setup program a parameter to let it know you're doing an upgrade. To upgrade use the command setup.exe SKUUPGRADE=1. It should look like this:

The setup should kick off and it won't give you any indication that you passed it a parameter. Never fear, it will come up later. When the setup gets to the instance selection make sure you don't accept the default instance and you choose the SQL Express instance. First click Installed Instances:

Then choose the OFFICESERVERS instance from the list and hit OK:

Your next screen should confirm that it found SQL Express:

If you click the Details… button you'll see that the setup confirms that SQL Express can be upgraded. This step is optional.

At this point you can Close the box and hit OK until the setup is finished. After the setup is finished you'll want to apply SP2 for SQL 2005 and any post SP2 patches that are available. I don't know if it's required but I always do an IISRESET after this to make sure that SharePoint reconnects properly to SQL.

That's all there is to it. Once you are using full SQL you have quite a few more options available to you like log shipping, database replication, SQL Profiler and more. If you have any questions about how to leverage those tools with SharePoint, leave me a comment and let me know.

Try your Reports Before Publishing it

2009-05-12T16:10:00.001-07:00

I’ve came a cross a site that gives you an option to publish your reports online and see it working before adding it to your site try it. It’s An Amazing Idea

http://www.reportsurfer.com

Report Surfer is a community site for users to upload, share and run sample reports built on Microsoft's SQL Reporting Services platform

Integrating CS2007 with Moss 2007

2009-05-12T16:04:00.000-07:00

So, if you have been wanting waiting to use Office SharePoint Server 2007 in conjunction with Commerce Server 2007, this is the whitepaper for you.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=2AEB1A5E-43B8-483B-8CB2-86C0E82BF0AB&displaylang=en

This document covers the topics needed to take Commerce Server data and services and make them visible in portal sites based on Office SharePoint Server 2007. Samples are provided to show how to make custom Web parts that access the Commerce Server APIs.

Microsoft Office 2010

2009-05-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

Microsoft released some information about SharePoint 2010 and Office 2010, this is conslidated list with information released till now

Announcing SharePoint Server 2010 Preliminary System Requirements
Office 2010 the movie
Microsoft Office 2010 IT Blog
Next Wave of Microsoft Office Products Will Redefine How People Work
Visual Studio 2010 SharePoint tools

http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/en-us/products/2010/default.mspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/somasegar/archive/2009/02/19/sharepoint-tools-support-in-visual-studio.aspx
http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/VisualStudio/Sharepoint-Development-with-Visual-Studio-2010/
http://download.microsoft.com/download/C/0/9/C0965791-049B-4200-9008-F07A783026F6/VisualStudio2010_ProductOverview.pdf

Live webinar: Accelerate the deployment and provisioning of your SharePoint e-learning platform

2008-11-26T03:01:00.001-08:00

Challenges faced by today’s educational institutions typically lie in three main areas: efficiency, security, and accuracy.

When it comes to building a Microsoft based e-learning platform, thousands of students, teachers, and parents’ accounts should be provisioned for tens or hundreds of your schools on an interrelated set of Microsoft application servers such as Active directory, SharePoint, Exchange, and Office Communication Server (OCS). In reality, these activities are painful. In such large-scale deployments of Microsoft Learning Gateway (MLG) or other connected e-learning solutions, manual provisioning becomes practically impossible. Consider data incompleteness and inconsistency. And add the fact that mass provisioning is needed every new academic year and ongoing re-provisioning is needed through the year.

Build your Microsoft e-learning platform. Automate your most mission-critical provisioning and ongoing management activities. Rely on a secure, reliable, and scalable provisioning solution; ITWorx Education Catalyst Provisioning Suite.

ITWorx introduces Catalyst 2.0, the second release of its market- sweeping provisioning product, with a richer set of functions and capabilities to further expedite and facilitate your provisioning processes.

In this webinar you will learn how Catalyst can:

Decrease the provisioning time from weeks to hours.
Meet the real education business challenges.
Automate the synchronization with Schools’ Management Information Systems.
Guarantee data consistency and accuracy across the board.
Tailor to administrator needs for reduced complexity.

Science : Scientists Store and Retrieve Data Inside an Atom

2008-10-27T04:29:00.001-07:00

I ‘m a fan of science I think that is we are going some where then science will simply lead the way. I read the following Post on Science Blog. Scientist stored data inside an atom. I think it’s worse reading.

Another step towards quantum computing – the Holy Grail of data processing and storage – was achieved when an international team of scientists that included researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) were able to successfully store and retrieve information using the nucleus of an atom.

In a paper entitled: “Solid-state quantum memory using the 31P nuclear spin,” published in the October 23 issue of the journal Nature, the team described an experiment in which exceptionally pure and isotopically controlled crystals of silicon were precisely doped with phosphorus atoms. Quantum information was processed in phosphorus electrons, transferred to phosphorus nuclei, then subsequently transferred back to the electrons. This is the first demonstration that a single atomic nucleus can serve as quantum computational memory.

MOSS 2007 and WSS 3.0 Service Pack 2 has been officially announced

2008-10-27T04:15:00.001-07:00

Microsoft preparing for the release of Microsoft SharePoint 2007 WSS 3.0 Service Pack 2.

The Expected release will be something between February and April 2009

Here are some of the expected highlights for the SharePoint Area provided by the SharePoint Technical Product Managers:

Improved Read-only Content Databases
Whenever a content database is marked read-only, all of the site collections in that database are automatically marked as read-only.
ECM Performance and Manageability Improvements
Improved performance and manageability in variations, including STSADM commands for repairing links between source and target pages.
Improved Index Rebuild Timer Jobs
SharePoint content databases running in SQL Server 2005 will undergo an automatic index rebuild, which helps stop defragmentation, and stop the database from degrading in performance.
Upgrade Checker
This will scan your SharePoint farm in advance of applying SP2 and will provide feedback on the environments readiness to upgrade.

Information for customers who have not yet applied Service Pack 1: Based on the support lifecycle page support for systems without Service Pack 1 will end on January 13th 2009.

Welcome to My Blog

2008-10-21T05:41:00.001-07:00

Hello,

My Name is Mahmoud Moussa and I’m a Senior Software Engineer In ITWorx. I’m Working mainly with Sharepoint. and lately I’ve been invasitagting on using SQL BI tools on SharePoint so I decided to start this blog to post so of the issues I have faced and help others to avoid it I hope that it will be helpful blog

Yours

Mahmoud Moussa