Monday, November 4, 2013

Internet Explorer Error when creating a new Web Application

 

Our Farm is becoming bigger and bigger and the number of web applications and application pools is growing and growing. When creating the latest web application, i all of a sudden run into an error message like below

image

The creation of the new Web Application takes/took a long time and what in fact happens is that it times out.

As part of the creation process, IIS is reset and by default, the application pool allows 90 seconds for the connections to close off before forcibly shutting down.  These 90 seconds were no longer enough in our farm so thats why you will have to increase that number.

The solution to this is to allow the process a longer amount of time before it is forcibly shutdown.

  • On the server(s) hosting Central Admin, open IIS manager.
  • In the tree view, expand the server name and click on Application Pools.
  • Locate the SharePoint Central Administration v4 application pool. Right click on it and choose Advanced Settings.
  • In the Process Model section, set the Shutdown Time Limit to a greater value. As an example, 300.
  • Restart IIS.

Here is the KB article for the same http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2543306

 

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Web Application Service “ Starting”

 

Today we run into an issue where there was a need to start the Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Web Application Service on our Application Servers.

After starting the service and checking IIS and seeing that the app pools were getting created, thought everything was fine but later that day still no IIS Sites showed up so when checking the services, the status was “ Starting” instead of “ Started”

image

The issues was fixed by using the “old” STSADM command

Open a command and make sure you do that with the right permissions (Run as Admin)

Navigate to the STSADM directory which can be found via: (SP 2013)

cd \Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\15\BIN

 

When in that directory, use stsadm -o provisionservice -action start -servicetype spwebservice

Wait some time (can take long) but in the end your service will be started

image

 

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Repair a Distributed cache host

 

During installation, configuration, or maintenance activities, the Distributed Cache service might enter a non-functioning state. Evidence of a malfunctioning Distributed Cache service will appear in Health Rules in Central Administration, or when users use features in SharePoint Server 2013 that rely on the Distributed Cache.

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For example, the Newsfeed on a user's My Site will start reporting errors. Also, administrators might receive the error message "cacheHostInfo is null " when they run Windows PowerShell cmdlets to manage the Distributed Cache service.

Use the following procedure to restore a non-functioning Distributed Cache host.

1. At the Windows PowerShell command prompt, run the Get-SPServiceInstance cmdlet to list all services on all servers in the server farm. Make note of the GUID in the ID property of the Distributed Cache service on the server that you are repairing. The Get-SPServiceInstance cmdlet lists all services on all servers in the server farm. Ensure that you note the correct GUID from the server that you are repairing.

2. At the Windows PowerShell command prompt, run the following command:

3.  $s = Get-SPServiceInstance GUID
4.  $s.delete()
 

Where GUID is the GUID of the Distributed Cache service noted in step 1.

5. At the Windows PowerShell command prompt, run Add-SPDistributedCacheServiceInstance to reinstall and start the Distributed Cache service on the cache host that you are repairing.



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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Proxy Groups in SharePoint 2013

 

A Proxy Group is a mechanism which defines the relationship between a web application and the proxy (or connection) for a service application. This proxy enables the web applications associated with the Proxy Group to consume services (Managed Metadata, Search, User Profiles, etc.) from the service application.

By default when you install a new Farm, you will only have one Proxy Group and that group is called “ default”.

Whenever you create a new Service Application in Central Administration, this new service application will automatically be added to this “ Default Proxy Group”. When you create a new service application via PowerShell, the new service application will NOT automatically be assigned to the Default or any other Proxy group.

To see the available Proxy groups in your SharePoint 2013 Farm, you can run the following command in the SharePoint 2013 management shell (run as administrator)

Get‐SPServiceApplicationProxyGroup

 

And if you want to see them with all service application proxies

Get‐SPServiceApplicationProxyGroup | Format‐Table ‐wrap

 

To create a new proxy group and define your own name, use the following command;

New-SPServiceApplicationProxyGroup -Name "new name of your proxy group"

A Service Application Proxy can be associated with multiple Proxy Groups using PowerShell. Also, a Proxy Group is NOT required to host each and every available Service Application available within the farm.


In order to associate a Service Application to a proxy via PowerShell . Use Get-SPServiceApplicationProxy
with a where clause to obtain the identity of the service application.


$SAProxy = Get‐SPServiceApplicationProxy | ? {$_.DisplayName ‐eq "Name of Service Application"}


You can then use this variable in the Add-SPServiceApplicationProxyGroupMember cmdlet to add the Service Application's proxy to the proxy group you want to


Add‐SPServiceApplicationProxyGroupMember "name of proxy group" ‐Member $SAProxy

 

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Configure the PowerPivot Unattended Data Refresh Account (PowerPivot for SharePoint)

The PowerPivot unattended data refresh account is a designated account for running PowerPivot data refresh jobs in a SharePoint farm. By configuring it, you enable the Use the data refresh account configured by the administrator option in a data refresh schedule page (see below). Workbook authors who schedule data refresh can choose this option if they want to use the PowerPivot unattended data refresh account to run a data refresh job. For more information about how to view the Credentials options in a data refresh schedule, see Schedule a Data Refresh (PowerPivot for SharePoint).

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Depending on which options you selected when configuring the server, the unattended data refresh account might already be created. In a default configuration, the identity of the unattended data refresh account is initially set to the farm account. You can improve the security of your deployment by changing the account to run as a different user. Follow these instructions to change the account: Update the credentials of a predefined or existing PowerPivot unattended data refresh account.

 

Prerequisites


Secure Store Service must be enabled and configured, and a master key must be generated. For instructions on how to do this, see Enable and Configure PowerPivot Data Refresh (Analysis Services)

You must decide in advance which Windows domain user account to use as the PowerPivot unattended data refresh account. This should be an account that is created specifically for this purpose so that you can monitor how it is used.

You must know the application identity of the PowerPivot System Service. You will give this service account Full Control permissions over the unattended data refresh account when you create the target application for it in step 1. These permissions allow the PowerPivot System Service to retrieve the credentials of the unattended data refresh account during data refresh. To get the required service account information, open the Configure service accounts page in Central Administration and select the service application pool used by the PowerPivot service application. By default, this is the Service Application Pool – SharePoint Web Services System.

 

Configure the unattended PowerPivot data refresh account


You can configure only one PowerPivot unattended data refresh account for each PowerPivot service application. Account information is stored in Secure Store Service in a target application that is set to a predefined Windows domain user account. Once the target application is created, you can specify it as the PowerPivot data refresh account in the configuration pages of a PowerPivot service application

 

clip_image003 Note

When data refresh is performed under the unattended data refresh account, usage reporting and data refresh history is recorded against the Windows user account used for unattended data refresh. If you require a more accurate record of the individuals who are requesting data refresh or who own schedules, consider one of the other options for running data refresh. Namely, having users specify their own credentials (this is the default), or creating additional target applications for storing any Windows credentials that you want to use for data refresh purposes. For more information, see Configure Stored Credentials for PowerPivot Data Refresh (PowerPivot for SharePoint).

There are five parts to creating the unattended data refresh account.

  • Create a target application in Secure Store Service for the account and specify the credentials.
  • Specify the target application ID for the unattended data refresh account in the PowerPivot server configuration page.
  • Grant Contribute permissions to the account.
  • Grant the account read permissions to access external data sources during data refresh.
  • Verify the account is available in the Manage Data Refresh schedule page for a published PowerPivot workbook.

Configure a new account (Step 1): Create a target application and set the credentials

  1. In Central Administration, in Application Management, click Manage service applications.
  2. Click Secure Store Service.
  3. In Manage Target Applications, click New.
  4. In Target application ID, type PowerPivotDataRefresh.
  5. In Display Name, type PowerPivot Data Refresh.
  6. In Contact Email, type your e-mail address.
  7. In Target Application Type, select Individual.

clip_image003[1] Note

Specifying an Individual account type is correct for this scenario because only the PowerPivot service application will request the credentials of the PowerPivot unattended data refresh account. In practice, the service application is the sole user of the unattended data refresh account, making the Individual account type the best choice for this target application.

  1. Skip Target Application Page URL. PowerPivot data refresh does not use it.
  2. Click Next.
  3. In the Specify the credentials fields for your Secure Store Target application page, accept the default values. Field names and types should be Windows User Name and Windows Password
  4. Click Next.
  5. In Target Application Administrators, specify the application pool identity of the PowerPivot service application. The service requires Full Control permissions so that it can retrieve unattended data refresh account information at run time. In addition, specify the Windows domain user accounts of any other SharePoint user who should have administrative access to the application settings.
  6. Click OK.
  7. Select the target application you just created, click the down arrow and select Set Credentials.
  8. In Credential Owner, type the Windows user account of the person who can update or delete the credentials, and then type the Windows domain user credentials that will be used as the PowerPivot data refresh account.
  9. Click OK.
 
Configure a new account (Step 2): Specify the unattended account in PowerPivot server configuration pages

1. In Central Administration, in Application Management, click Manage service applications.

2. Find the PowerPivot Service application. You can identify a service application by its type. A PowerPivot service application type is PowerPivot Service Application.

3. Click the PowerPivot service application name. Wait for the PowerPivot Management Dashboard to appear.

4. In Actions, in the top right corner, click Configure service application settings.

5. In Data Refresh, in PowerPivot Unattended Data Refresh Account, type the target application ID you created in a previous step: PowerPivotDataRefresh.

6. Click OK.

 
Configure a new account (Step 3): Grant Contribute permissions to the account

Before you can use the PowerPivot unattended data refresh account, it must be assigned Contribute permissions on any PowerPivot workbook for which it is used. This permission level is necessary to open the workbook from a library and then save it back to the library after the data is refreshed.

Assigning permissions is a step that is performed by the site collection administrator. SharePoint permissions can be assigned at the root site collection or at any level below that, including on individual documents and items. How you set permissions will vary depending on how granular you need them to be. The following steps show you one approach for granting permissions.

1. On a SharePoint site, in Site Actions, click Site Permissions.

2. Click Grant Permissions.

3. In Select users, type the name of the Windows domain user account that you designated as the PowerPivot unattended account. This is the name of the Windows domain user account that you specified in target application in Secure Store Service.

4. In Grant Permissions, select Grant users permission directly.

5. Select Contribute, and then click OK

 
Configure a new account (Step 4): Grant read permissions to access external data sources used in data refresh

When importing data into a PowerPivot workbook, connections to external data are often based on trusted connections or impersonated connections that use the identity of the current user to connect to the data source. These types of connections work only when the current user has permission to read the data that he or she is importing.

In a data refresh scenario, the same connection string that was used to import data is now reused to refresh the data. If the connection string assumes the current user (for example, a string that includes Integrated_Security=SSPI), then the PowerPivot System Service will pass the user identity of the PowerPivot unattended data refresh account as the current user. This connection will only succeed if the PowerPivot unattended data refresh account has read permissions on the external data source.

For this reason, you must grant the PowerPivot unattended data refresh account read-only permissions on all of the external data sources that are used in any data refresh operation that runs under the unattended account.

If you are an administrator of the data sources used in your organization, you can create a login and assign the necessary permissions. Otherwise, you must contact the data owners and provide the account information. Be sure to specify the Windows domain user account that maps to the PowerPivot unattended data refresh account. This is the account you specified in “(Step 1): Create a target application and set the credentials” in this topic.

Configure a new account (Step 5): Verify account availability in data refresh configuration pages

1. Open a data refresh configuration page for a published workbook that contains PowerPivot data. For instructions on how to open the page, see Schedule a Data Refresh (PowerPivot for SharePoint).

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2. Verify that the Use the data refresh account configured by the administrator option is enabled in the data refresh configuration page.

3. Select the Also refresh as soon as possible checkbox, and then click OK.

4. In the library that contains the workbook, select the workbook, click the down arrow that appears to right, and then select Manage PowerPivot Data Refresh. You might need to wait several minutes if the data refresh job is returning a large amount of data.

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If an error occurs, you can click Configure schedule in the data refresh history page to try different credentials. You might also need to inspect the data source connection information in the original workbook to view the connection string that is used during data refresh. The connection string will provide information about the server location and database that you can use to troubleshoot the problem.

 

Using the PowerPivot Unattended Data Refresh Account


Of the three credential options in PowerPivot data refresh scheduling page, only the first one corresponds to the unattended data refresh account. Be sure to select this option when setting up the data refresh schedule.

clip_image001

Do not use the third credential option (the one that requires you to enter the target application ID) to access the PowerPivot unattended data refresh account. There is an additional impersonation check that is performed with that option that will result in a validation error if you try to use it with the PowerPivot unattended data refresh account (or any target application that is based on the Individual account type).

For more information about how to use the third option, see Configure Stored Credentials for PowerPivot Data Refresh (PowerPivot for SharePoint).

Troubleshooting PowerPivot Data Refresh on Technet:

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/3870.troubleshooting-powerpivot-data-refresh.aspx

 

Monday, September 2, 2013

Install Reporting Services SharePoint Mode for SharePoint 2013

 

The following installation will describe the installation and configuration of Reporting Services in SharePoint 2013, what permissions are needed, which accounts to use, where services should be installed based on the SharePoint Farm I am using which contains 2 App, 2 Web, 2 Search and 2 office Web App servers.

Every SharePoint server will need to be installed with both the SQL Reporting Services AND the Reporting Services Add-In to make it work. There is not a lot of information you can find about this and the information you will find most of the times is NOT CORRECT!

PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013 and Reporting Services in SharePoint mode Three Server Deployment

In the following three-server deployment, the SQL Server Database Engine, Analysis Services server running in SharePoint mode, and SharePoint, each run on a separate server. In SQL Server 2012 SP1 the PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013 installer package (spPowerPivot.msi) must be installed on the SharePoint server.

clip_image001

 

1)

Excel Service Application. The service application is created as part of the SharePoint installation.

(2)

PowerPivot Service Application. Default name is Default PowerPivot Service Application.

(3)

Reporting Services service application.

(4)

Install the reporting services add-in for SharePoint from either the SQL Server 2012 SP1 installation media or the SQL Server 2012 SP1 feature pack.

(5)

RUN the spPowerPivot.msi to install data providers, the PowerPivot configuration tool, PowerPivot Gallery, and schedule data refresh.

(6)

Analysis Services Server in SharePoint Mode. Configure the Excel Services Application Data Model Settings to use this server.

(7)

The SharePoint content, configuration, and service application databases.

 

Step 1: Install Reporting Services Report Server in SharePoint mode


This step installs a Reporting Services report server in SharePoint mode and the Reporting Services add-in for SharePoint products. Depending on what is already installed on your computer, you may not see some of the installation pages described in the following steps.

  1. Run the SQL Server Installation Wizard (Setup.exe).
  2. Click Installation in the left side of the wizard and then click New SQL Server stand-alone installation or add features to an existing installation.
  3. Click OK on the Setup Support Rules page, assuming all rules passed.
  4. Click Install on the Setup Support Files page. Depending on what is already installed on your computer, you might see the following message:
    • “One or more affected files have operations pending. You must restart your computer after the setup process is completed.”
    • Click Ok.
  5. Click Next after the support files have completed installing and the Support Rules pages show a status of Passed. Review any warnings or blocking issues.
  6. On the Installation Type page, click Add features to an existing instance of SQL Server 2012. Select the correct instance in the drop-down list and click Next.
  7. If you see the Product Key page, type your key or accept the default of the ‘Enterprise Evaluation’ edition.

Click Next.

  1. If you see the License terms page, review and accept the license terms. Microsoft appreciates you clicking to agree to send feature usage data to help improve product features and support.

Click Next.

  1. If you see the Setup Role page, select SQL Server Feature Installation

Click Next

  1. Select the following on the Feature Selection page:
    • Reporting Services – SharePoint
    • Reporting Services add-in for SharePoint Products.

clip_image002 The installation wizard option for installing the add-in is new with the SQL Server 2012 release.

    • If you do not already have an instance of SQL Server Database Engine, you could also select Database Engine Services and Management Tools Completefor a complete environment.

Click Next.

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  1. If you see the Installation Rules page. Review any warnings or blocking issues. Then click Next
  2. If you selected the Database Engine services, accept the default instance of MSSQLSERVER on the Instance Configuration page and click Next.

clip_image002[1]The Reporting Services SharePoint service architecture is not based on a SQL Server "instance" as was the previous Reporting Services architecture.

  1. Review the Disk Space Requirements page and click Next.
  2. If you see the Server Configuration page type appropriate credentials. If you want to use the Reporting Services data alerting or subscription features, you need to change the Startup Type for SQL Server Agent to Automatic. You may not see the Server Configuration page, depending on what is already installed on the computer.

Click Next.

  1. If you selected the Database Engine services, you will see the Database Engine Configuration page, add appropriate accounts to the list of SQL Administrators and click Next.
  2. On the Reporting Services Configuration page you should see the Install only option is selected. This option installs the report server files, and does not configure the SharePoint environment for Reporting Services.

clip_image005 Note

When the SQL Server installation is complete, follow the other sections of this topic to configure the SharePoint environment. This Includes installing the Reporting Services shared service and creating Reporting Services service applications.

  1. clip_image006
  2. Help Microsoft improve SQL Server features and services by clicking the check box to send error reports on the Error Reporting page.

Click Next.

  1. Review any warnings and then click Next on the Installation Configuration Rules page.
  2. On the Ready to Install page, review the installation summary and then click Next. The summary will include a Reporting Services SharePoint Mode child node that will show a value of SharePointFilesOnlyMode. Click Install.
  3. The installation will take several minutes. You will see the Complete page with the features listed and the status of each feature. You may see an information dialog indicating the computer needs to be restarted.

Make sure to do the above on all your Application and Web Front End servers

 

 

Step 2: Register and Start the Reporting Services SharePoint Service


clip_image005[1] Note

If you are installing into an existing SharePoint farm, you do not need to complete the steps in this section. The Reporting Services SharePoint service is installed and started when you ran the SQL Server installation wizard as part of the previous section of this document.

 

The following are the common reasons why you need to manually register the Reporting Services service.

· You installed Reporting Services SharePoint mode before SharePoint was installed.

· The account used to install Reporting Services SharePoint mode, was not a member of the SharePoint farm administrators group. For more information, see the section Setup Accounts.

The necessary files were installed as part of the SQL Server installation wizard, but the services need to be registered into the SharePoint farm. The SQL Server 2012 release introduces PowerShell support for Reporting Services in SharePoint mode.

The following steps guide you through opening the SharePoint Management Shell and running cmdlets:

1. Click the Start button

2. Click the Microsoft SharePoint 2013 Products group.

3. Right-click SharePoint 2013 Management Shell click Run as administrator. NOTE: the SharePoint commands are not recognized in the standard Windows PowerShell window. Use the SharePoint 2013 Management Shell.

4. Run the following PowerShell command to install the SharePoint service. A successful completion of the command displays a new line in the management shell. No message is returned to the management shell when the command completes successfully:

5.  Install-SPRSService

6. Run the following PowerShell command to install the service proxy. A successful completion of the command displays a new line in the management shell. No message is returned to the management shell when the command completes successfully:

7.  Install-SPRSServiceProxy

8. Run the following PowerShell command to start the service or see the following notes for instructions on how to start the service from SharePoint Central administration:

9.  get-spserviceinstance -all |where {$_.TypeName -like "SQL Server Reporting*"} | Start-SPServiceInstance
 







clip_image005[2] Important


If you see an error message similar to the following:

Install-SPRSService : The term 'Install-SPRSService' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program. Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try again.


Either you are in the Windows Powershell instead of the SharePoint Management Shell or Reporting Services SharePoint mode is not installed. For more information on Reporting Services and PowerShell, see PowerShell cmdlets (Reporting Services SharePoint Mode)

.

You can also start the service from SharePoint central Administration rather than running the third PowerShell command. The following steps are also useful to verify that the service is running.

1. In SharePoint Central Administration, click Manage Services on Server in the System Settings group.

2. Find SQL Server Reporting Services Service and click Start in the Action column.

3. The status of the Reporting Services service will change from Stopped to Started. If the Reporting Services service is not in the list, use PowerShell to install the service.







clip_image005[3] Note


If the Reporting Services service stays in the Starting status and does not change to Started, verify the ‘SharePoint 2013 Administration’ service is started in Windows Server Manager.


image

 

Step 3: Create a Reporting Services Service Application

Before creating the service application, make sure you have created a Managed account which you can use for the new Application Pool you are going to use and make it a domain account!




This section provides the steps to create a service application and a description of the properties, if you are reviewing an existing service application.

1. In SharePoint Central Administration, in the Application Management group, click Manage Service Applications.

2. In the SharePoint ribbon, click the New button.

3. In the New menu, click SQL Server Reporting Services Service Application..







clip_image005[4] Important


If the Reporting Services option does not appear in the list, it is an indication that the shared service is not installed. Review the previous section on how to use PowerShell cmdlts to install the Reporting Services service.


4.

image

In the Create SQL Server Reporting Services Service Application page, enter a name for the application. If you are creating multiple Reporting Services service applications, a descriptive name or naming convention will help you organize your administration and management operations.

5. In Application Pool section, create a new application pool for the application (recommended). If you use the same name for both the application pool and the services application, it can make ongoing administration easier. This can also be affected by how many service applications you will create and if you need to use several in a single application pool. Consult the SharePoint Server documentation on recommendations and best practices for application pool management.

Select or create a security account for the application pool. Be sure to specify a domain user account. A domain user account enables the use of the SharePoint managed account feature, which lets you update passwords and account information in one place. Domain accounts are also required if you plan to scale out the deployment to include additional service instances that run under the same identity.

6. In the Database Server, you can use the current server or choose a different SQL Server.

7. In Database Name the default value is ReportingService_<guid>, which is a unique database name. If you type a new value, type a unique value. This is the new database to be created specifically for the services application.

8. In Database Authentication, the default is Windows Authentication. If you choose SQL Authentication, refer to the SharePoint administrator guide for best practices on how to use this authentication type in a SharePoint deployment.

9. In the Web Application Association section, select the Web Application to be provisioned for access by the current Reporting Services Service Application. You can associate one Reporting Services service application to one web application. If all of the current web applications are already associated with a Reporting Services service application, you see a warning message.

10. Click OK.

11. The process to create a service application could take several minutes to complete. When it is complete, you will see a confirmation message and a link to aProvision Subscriptions and Alerts page. Complete the provision step if you want to use the Reporting Services subscriptions feature or the data alerts feature. For more information, see Provision Subscriptions and Alerts for SSRS Service Applications.

image

 

 

Step 4: Activate the Power View Site Collection Feature.




Power View, a feature of SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services Add-in for Microsoft SharePoint Products, is a site collection feature. The feature is activated automatically for root site collections and site collections created after the Reporting Services add-in is installed. If you plan to use Power View, verify that the feature is activated.

If you install the Reporting Services add-in for SharePoint Products after the installation of the SharePoint Server, then the Report Server integration feature and the Power View integration feature will only be activated for root site collections. For other site collections, manually activate the features.

To Activate or Verify the Power View Site Collection Feature

1. The following steps assume your SharePoint site is configured for the 2013 experience version.

Open your browser to the desired SharePoint site.

2. Click Site Contents.

3. Click Settings.

4. In the Site Collection Administration group Click Site Collection Features.

5. Find Power View Integration Feature in the list.

6. Click Activate. The feature status will change to Active.

 

This procedure is completed per site collection. For more information, see Activate the Report Server and Power View Integration Features in SharePoint.

 

 

Additional Configuration




This section describes additional configuration steps that are important in most SharePoint deployments.

Configure Excel Services and PowerPivot

If you want to view Power View reports in an Excel 2013 workbook in SharePoint, an Excel Services Application on the farm needs to be configured to use a SQL Server Analysis Services Server in SharePoint mode. Also, the application pool security account used by the Reporting Services service application, must be an administrator on the Analysis Services Server. For more information, see the section “Configure Excel Services for Analysis Services integration” in Install Analysis Services Server in SharePoint Mode for SharePoint 2013 (SQL Server 2012 SP1).

Provision Subscriptions and Alerts

The Reporting Services subscription and data alert features may require the configuration of SQL Server Agent permissions. If you see an error message that indicates SQL Server Agent is required and you have verified SQL Server Agent is running, update the permissions. You can click the link Provision Subscriptions and Alerts on the create service application success page to go to another page for provisioning SQL Server Agent. The provision step is needed if your deployment crosses machine boundaries, for example when the SQL Server database instance is on a different machine. For more information, see Provision Subscriptions and Alerts for SSRS Service Applications

Configure E-mail for SSRS Service Applications

The Reporting Services data alerts feature sends alerts in e-mail messages. To send e-mail you may need to configure your Reporting Services service application and you may need to modify the e-mail delivery extension for the service application. If you plan to use the e-mail delivery extension for the Reporting Services subscription feature, the e-mail settings are required. For more information, see Configure E-mail for a Reporting Services Service Application

clip_image005[5]

Add Reporting Services Content Types to Content Libraries

Reporting Services provides predefined content types that are used to manage shared data source (.rsds) files, report models (.smdl), and Report Builder report definition (.rdl) files. Adding a Report Builder Report, Report Model, and Report Data Source content type to a library enables the New command so that you can create new documents of that type. For more information, see Add Report Server Content Types to a Library (Reporting Services in SharePoint Integrated Mode).

Reporting Services provides predefined content types that are used to manage shared data source (.rsds) files, report models (.smdl), and Report Builder report definition (.rdl) files. Adding a Report Builder Report, Report Model, and Report Data Source content type to a library enables the New command so that you can create new documents of that type.

To add content types to a library, you must be a site administrator or have Full Control level of permission.

The Reporting Services content types and content type management will automatically be enabled in all document libraries for existing site collections created from the following site template types:


  • Business Intelligence Center

Sites created after the Reporting Services integration will not have the Reporting Services content types enabled.







clip_image005[6] Tip


If you have not previously configured content types for a library, first enable management of content types, then enable the Reporting Services content types. See the procedures on enabling content type management in a single document library.


Enable Content Types in all document libraries in an Existing Business Intelligence Center

1. To enable the content types and content management in all document libraries in an existing Business Intelligence Center site, you can toggle the Reporting Services integration feature.

2. Go to Site settings.

o In SharePoint 2013, click the Settings icon. clip_image007

o In SharePoint 2010, click Site Actions, then click Site Settings.

3. Click Site collection features.

4. Find the Report Server Integration Feature and click Deactivate.

clip_image008

5. Refresh the browser then click Activate for the Report Server Integration Feature.

clip_image009







clip_image005[7] Important


If the Reporting Services integration feature does not appear under Site Collection Features, on the SharePoint site, confirm that the Reporting Services Central Administration Site Collection feature is active. For more information, see Activate the Report Server and Power View Integration Features in SharePoint


To enable content type management for a document library (SharePoint 2013)

1. Open the library for which you want to enable multiple content types.

2. Click Library in the ribbon.

clip_image010

3. On the Library ribbon, click Library Settings. If you do not see Library Settings or the button is disabled, you do not have permission to configure library settings, including content types.

clip_image011

4. In the General Settings section, click Advanced settings.

clip_image012

5. In the Content Types section, select Yes to allow management of content types.

6. Click OK.

To Add Reporting Services content types (SharePoint 2013)

1. Open the library for which you want to add Reporting Services content types.

2. On the ribbon, click Library.

3. Click Library Settings.

4. Under Content Types, click Add from existing site content types.

5. In Select site content types from, select SQL Server Reporting Services Content Types.

6. In the Available Site Content Types list, click Report Builder, and then click Add to move the selected content type to the Content types to add list.

7. To add Report Model and Report Data Source content types, repeat the previous step.

8. When you finish adding content types, click OK.

9. Note, if the content type group SQL Server Reporting Services Content Types is not visible on the Add Content Types page, one of the following conditions is true:

o The Reporting Services add-in for SharePoint products has not been installed. For more information, see Install or Uninstall the Reporting Services Add-in for SharePoint.

o All of the Reporting Services content types have already been added to the library. If all the content types are part of a library, then the group is removed from the Add Content Types page. If you delete one or more of the Reporting Services content types, then the group SQL Server Reporting Services Content Typeswill be visible on the Add Content Types page.


Activate the Report Server File sync Feature

If users will frequently upload published report items directly to SharePoint document libraries, the Report Server File Sync site level feature will be beneficial. The file sync feature will synchronize the report server catalog with items in document libraries on a more frequent basis. For more information, see Activate the Report Server File Sync Feature in SharePoint Central Administration.

 


Installation SQL Server PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013 Add-In

 

PowerPivot for SharePoint is a collection of middle-tier and backend services that provide PowerPivot data access in a SharePoint 2013 farm. The PowerPivot for SharePoint add-in (spPowerpivot.msi) is an installer package used to install the middle-tier components

Middle-tier: Enhancements to the PowerPivot functionality in SharePoint 2013. Functionality includes using workbooks as a data source, scheduled data refresh, and the PowerPivot Management Dashboard.

PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013 is a Microsoft Windows Installer package (spPowerpivot.msi) that deploys Analysis Services client libraries and copies PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013 installation files to the computer. The installer does not deploy or configure PowerPivot features in SharePoint. The following components install by default:

· PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013. This component includes PowerShell scripts (.ps1 files), SharePoint solution packages (.wsp), and the PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013 configuration tool to deploy PowerPivot in a SharePoint 2013 farm.

· Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Analysis Services (MSOLAP).

· ADOMD.NET data provider.

· SQL Server 2012 Analysis Management Objects.

Note: This topic describes installing the middle-tier PowerPivot solution files and PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013 Configuration tool. After the installation, see the following topic for information on the configuration tool and additional features, Configure PowerPivot and Deploy Solutions (SQL Server 2012 SP1).

 

Download the spPowerPivot.msi via http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35577

Our SP Farm contains 2 App, 2 Web, 2 Search servers and an Office Web Apps farm so the below diagram is used:

PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013 Three Server Deployment

In the following three-server deployment, the SQL Server Database Engine, Analysis Services server running in SharePoint mode, and SharePoint, each run on a separate server. In SQL Server 2012 SP1 the PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013 installer package (spPowerPivot.msi) must be installed on the SharePoint server.

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(1)

Excel Service Application. The service application is created as part of the SharePoint installation.

(2)

PowerPivot Service Application. Default name is Default PowerPivot Service Application.

(3)

RUN the spPowerPivot.msi to install data providers, the PowerPivot configuration tool, PowerPivot Gallery, and schedule data refresh.

(4)

An Analysis Services Server in SharePoint Mode. Configure the Excel Services Application Data Model Settings to use this server.

(5)

The SharePoint content, configuration, and service application databases.

A recommended best practice is to install spPowerPivot.msi on all servers in the SharePoint farm for configuration consistency, including Application servers and web-front end servers. The installer package includes the Analysis Services data providers as well as the PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013 configuration tool. When you installspPowerPivot.msi you can customize the installation by excluding individual components.

Data providers: Several SharePoint and SQL Server technologies use the Analysis Services data providers including Excel Services, PerformancePoint Services, and Power View. Installing spPowerPivot.msi on all SharePoint servers ensures the full set of Analysis Services data providers and PowerPivot connectivity is consistently available across the farm.

You must install the Analysis Services data providers on a SharePoint 2013 server using spPowerPivot.msi. Other installer packages available in the SQL Server 2012 SP1 Feature Pack are not supported because these packages do not include the SharePoint 2013 support files that the data providers require in this environment.

Configuration Tool: The PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013 configuration tool is required on only one of the SharePoint servers. However a recommended best practice in multi-server farms is to install the configuration tool on at least two servers so you have access to the configuration tool if one of the two servers is offline.

 

 

Requirements and Prerequisites


  • Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013.
  • spPowerPivot.msi is 64-bit only, in accordance with the requirements of SharePoint products and technologies.
  • SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services (SSAS) server in PowerPivot mode. Excel Services will use the SQL Server Analysis Services instance as a PowerPivot server. Analysis Services can run on the local or a remote computer.
  • To install PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013, the current user is required to be an administrator on the computer and a SharePoint Farm Administrators group.
  • For more information on PowerPivot for SharePoint requirements and pre-requisites, go to Hardware and Software Requirements (PowerPivot for SharePoint)(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=247828).

 

 

To Install PowerPivot for SharePoint


The spPowerpivot.msi installer package supports both a graphical user interface and a command-line mode. Both methods of installation require that you run the .msi with administrator privileges.

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Next

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I accept the terms….

Next

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All features are selected by default

Make sure you are not using the System Drive

Next

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Install

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Finish

 

 

Deploy the SharePoint Solution Files with the PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013 Configuration Tool


Three of the files copied to the hard drive by spPowerPivot.msi are SharePoint solution files. The scope of one solution file is the farm level while the scope of the other file is the Web application level. The files are the following:

  • PowerPivotFarmSolution.wsp
  • PowerPivotFarm14Solution.wsp
  • PowerPivotWebApplicationSolution.wsp

The solution files are copied to the following folder:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\110\Tools\PowerPivotTools\SPAddinConfiguration\Resources

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Following the .msi installation, run the PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013 Configuration Tool to configure and deploy the solutions in the SharePoint farm.

When running the configuration tool, be aware that lots of settings will be automatically set for you. If you don’t want that and if you want to configure the below options yourself, DO NOT USE THIS TOOL.

There are a lot of services, service application, managed accounts (application pool accounts), permissions etc involved!! And the tool can also break stuff so be careful!

 

 

Requirements for Using the Configuration Tools


  • You must be a farm administrator.
  • You must be a server administrator on the Analysis Services instance SharePoint 2010 only).
  • You must be db_owner on the farm’s configuration database.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/616877e3-464a-4c97-bc74-1fa6f4faa756

On a Windows 2012 Server – open the start screen and look for:

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Run as Admin

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Yes

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Run

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Yes

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If you want to configure all settings yourself

Create a Managed account and use that account as the Application Pool account for your PowerPivot Service Application (Pool)

Make sure that the Application Pool Account you use for both Excel Services and PowerPivot Service application have enough permissions on your SQL box on all databases. Both accounts should have

SPDataAccess permissions on all your content databases

Make sure that bot the Application Pool accounts have WSS_Content_Application_Pools role membership on your SharePoint Admin and Config database.

Make sure that the Application Pool account which you use for the PowerPivot Service Application has Full Read access on all Web Applications

Make sure that the Secondary logon service is set to Manual and start the service on your SharePoint servers!!