Dipper Park

TechEd HK 2008, See you there!

Chris Tao — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:16:00 GMT

This year's Tech.Ed, I will deliver two English sessions at Hong Kong on Dynamics Track:

BAP352: Building Workflow Processes with Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online:

BAP350: Building SaaS and On-Premise Line-of-Business Applications with Microsoft Dynamics Application Development Platform

I will mainly focus on the released Dynamics CRM 4.0 and Dynamics AX 2009, and Dynamics CRM Online which is part of the SaaS online services provided by Microsoft.

That would be the only 2 Dynamics sessions at this year's TechEd HK, So if any MBS guys are located at HK, please do attend these awesome sessions!

My Bio at Teched HK: http://www.microsoft.com/hk/technet/teched2008/speakers_sv.aspx#Chris_Tao

Tech.Ed HK 2008 Dynamcis Track Introduction:

The Microsoft Dynamics track delivers the value of the Microsoft® Dynamics™ business application suite, ranging from Financial and Supply Chain Management to Customer Relationship. It includes a broad collection of sessions that dive into what products are available today within Microsoft® Dynamics™, and how they integrate with the entire Microsoft stack in order to improve your overall business processes and empower your employees to make well-informed business decisions through business intelligence. Come and learn about the power of Microsoft Dynamics!

More information:

Tech.Ed HK 2008 Agenda: http://www.microsoft.com/hk/technet/teched2008/agenda.aspx

Tech.Ed HK 2008 Web Site: http://www.microsoft.com/hk/technet/teched2008

About Submit Infopath form data to Microsoft SQL Server database

Chris Tao — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 11:12:00 GMT

Lots of friends were asking for how to submit form data directly into the SQL Server via Form Services/Form Server, after reading my How to Configure Form Service/InfoPath to allow external SQL Data Connection. Please let me clarify something here:

For browser-compatible form template, there is no direct way to allow the form to submit data into SQL Server, but as a workaround, we can use a data connection that submits data to a Web service that works with the database.

And if you want to submit data directly into the SQL Server using the Infopath client, you must meet the following conditions:

· Forms that are based on this form template must be filled out by using Microsoft Office InfoPath. If the form will be filled out by using a Web browser, the form cannot submit data to a database directly. To configure a browser-compatible form template (browser-compatible form template: A form template that is designed in InfoPath by using a specific compatibility mode. A browser-compatible form template can be browser-enabled when it is published to a server running InfoPath Forms Services.) to submit data to a database, use a data connection that submits data to a Web service that works with the database.

· The primary database table that is used in the main data connection contains a primary key, unique constraint, or unique index.

· Any other database tables that are used with this main data connection have a simple relationship to the primary database table.

For the detail about how to Submit form data to a Microsoft SQL Server database, please read this article directly: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/infopath/HP101070601033.aspx

How to Configure Form Service/InfoPath to allow external SQL Data Connection

Chris Tao — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 10:14:00 GMT

Recently lots of Microsoft partners and customers are interest in the Form Server/Form Services in MOSS 2007. It will enable us to render our InfoPath forms into web page to make our clients access and submit it at everywhere(including using mobile devices).

One of the basic steps of that is to configure it correctly, and in most situations, the form content is needed to connect to other data source such as SQL Server. So, here is the basic step about how to configure Form Service/InfoPath to allow external SQL Data Connection:

1. Make sure your form template is marked as “browser-enabled” in “Tools >> Form Options…”

2. Then you need to convert your data connection file to be stored in the DCL(Data Connection Library, you can create this list type in SharePoint v3) and enable cross-domain data connections on your server. (You can see the “Convert” button after creating a new Data Connection file)

3. Create your form content using the data connection file stored in DCL

4. When you’re publishing, make sure you check the option for browser-enabling the form template on the server.

5. After published to SharePoint, you can see the form content which data is from external SQL databases in form web page.

Alternatively, you can make your form full trust, admin deploy it, and ensure the service account has permissions to your SQL Server database.

There are still more documents about this: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-US/library/ms772101.aspx

More reference are as below:

http://blogs.msdn.com/infopath/archive/2006/10/02/Data-Connections-in-Browser-Forms.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/infopath/archive/2006/06/14/advanced-server-side-authentication-for-data-connections-part-1.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/infopath/archive/2006/06/27/advanced-server-side-authentication-for-data-connections-part-2.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/infopath/archive/2006/07/03/655611.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/infopath/archive/2006/10/30/the-anatomy-of-a-udc-file.aspx

Addition: Lots of friends were asking for how to submit form data directly into the SQL Server via Form Services/Form Server, please refer my latest blog for this scenario: http://blogs.msdn.com/dipper/archive/2007/07/11/about-submit-infopath-form-data-to-microsoft-sql-server-database.aspx

Upgrade Toolkit for WSS Sites and Templates Guide Published

Chris Tao — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 09:35:00 GMT

Microsoft has published the Upgrade Toolkit for WSS Sites and Templates Guide at 4th,Jan 2007. Personally I suggest our partners or customers read it firstly before upgrading or migrating your current WSS v2 to v3. Below is the detail introduction:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=A70BD8F8-A0F0-4D00-9010-8E40B7C98F68&mg_id=10095&displaylang=en

Brief Description

Guidance and tools to enable IT Pros to upgrade custom Windows® SharePoint® Services 2.0 sites and templates to function in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 environments.

Overview

The Toolkit serves three main purposes:

To provide IT professionals with the guidance and tools they need to upgrade customized Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 sites and site templates to function in a Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 environment.
To provide a set of upgraded application templates for Windows SharePoint Services based on those currently published for Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 on TechNet.
To provide instructions for installing these application templates in a Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 environment.

The 60 page guide covers the following topics:

Ch 1: Introduction. Introduces the Upgrade Toolkit for Windows SharePoint Services Sites and Templates, explaining its purpose, scope, audience, and contents.
Ch 2: Planning Your Template Upgrade. Examines the site and site template upgrade process from beginning to end and gives you necessary information for planning your upgrade strategy. It explains that the upgrade process has two stages: one to perform before your Windows SharePoint Services environment is upgraded to Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, and one to perform after the upgrade.
Ch 3: Preparing a Site Template Based on a Customized Site Definition. If you determine, based on Chapter 2, that one or more of your site templates are based on customized site definitions, this chapter will familiarize you with upgrade definition files and new site definitions.
Ch 4: Stage 1: Before Upgrading to Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. Describes the Stage 1 site template upgrade steps that you must perform before starting the Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 upgrade.
Ch 5: Stage 2: After Upgrading to Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. Describes the Stage 2 site template upgrade steps that you must perform after finishing the Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 upgrade.
Ch 6: The Upgraded Application Templates for Windows SharePoint Services. Lists and describes the function of each of the upgraded application templates for Windows SharePoint Services and gives you detailed instructions for installing the application templates in a Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 environment.
Ch 7: Troubleshooting. Provides workarounds and fixes for problems you may encounter.
Appendix: Glossary. Lists the relevant terms used in this solution accelerator.

How to Remove or hiding items in List toolbar in Sharepoint Server 2007

Chris Tao — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 10:43:00 GMT

Last week one ISV asked me that he wanted to hide/remove the "New" or "Actions" menu of the Document Library Toolbar in Sharepoint 2007, maybe this would be great needs for you, now I post the way to realize this:

To realize this, you need to override the .ascx based toolbar templates by using a custom template that overrides a toolbar, and thereby customize a toolbar. Please save the following code into nonewbuttonfordoclibtemplates.ascx, and then drop it into C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\TEMPLATE\CONTROLTEMPLATES and IISRESET, you should be missing the New button on your document library toolbars.

<%@ Control Language="C#" AutoEventWireup="false" %>

<%@Assembly Name="Microsoft.SharePoint, Version=12.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c" %>

<%@Register TagPrefix="SharePoint" Assembly="Microsoft.SharePoint, Version=12.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c" namespace="Microsoft.SharePoint.WebControls"%>

<%@Register TagPrefix="SPHttpUtility" Assembly="Microsoft.SharePoint, Version=12.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c" namespace="Microsoft.SharePoint.Utilities"%>

<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="ToolBar" src="~/_controltemplates/ToolBar.ascx" %>

<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="ToolBarButton" src="~/_controltemplates/ToolBarButton.ascx" %>

<SharePoint:RenderingTemplate ID="DocumentLibraryViewToolBar" runat="server">

asdfasfasdfasdf

<wssuc:ToolBar CssClass="ms-menutoolbar" EnableViewState="false" id="toolBarTbl" ButtonSeparator="<img src='/_layouts/images/blank.gif' alt=''>" RightButtonSeparator="  " runat="server">

<Template_Buttons>

<SharePoint:ActionsMenu AccessKey="<%$Resources:wss,tb_ActionsMenu_AK%>" runat="server"/>

<SharePoint:SettingsMenu AccessKey="<%$Resources:wss,tb_SettingsMenu_AK%>" runat="server"/>

</Template_Buttons>

<Template_RightButtons>

<SharePoint:PagingButton runat="server"/>

<SharePoint:ListViewSelector runat="server"/>

</Template_RightButtons>

</wssuc:ToolBar>

</Template>

</SharePoint:RenderingTemplate>

Office Sharepoint Installation Issue

Chris Tao — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 11:49:00 GMT

When you install the Office Server Beta, setup fails while creating the configuration database with the following error message:

The language is not supported on the server.

This issue happens if you install Beta 2 on a server that previously ran an earlier or current Beta build. You should start Beta 2 with a clean server. A workaround to address this error is to uninstall the Office Server Beta, add the registry key below, and run setup again.

Workaround: The work around is to put the following information into a text file in Notepad with extension .reg and add it to the registry on the web server where the problem is occurring.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Web Server Extensions\12.0\ServerLanguage] "1033"=""

Office Project Server 2007 Note

Chris Tao — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 06:12:00 GMT

Note For this Beta 2 release of Office Project Server 2007, starting the Windows SharePoint Services Web Application service may generate the following error: Thread was being aborted. If so, or if you are using the command line to start the service, execute the following command at the command prompt:
<sys drive>:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\BIN>stsadm -o provisionservice -action start -servicetype "Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPWebService, Microsoft.SharePoint, Version=12.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c"

MOSS 2007 Beta2 Installation Issue

Chris Tao — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 06:08:00 GMT

Issue Description:

When running the configuration wizard for Sharepoint 2007 I get an error on step 4 saying: System.InvalidOperationException: This access control list is not in canonical form and therefore cannot be modified.

How to solve this problem:

This issue will occur if you are using Sysinternal's Newsid utility to reset the SID of the machine or image.

To work around this issue do the following:

Remove the Office Server Beta install.

Join a workgroup.

Remove machine account from domain.

Run sysprep from Windows Support Tool's deploy.cab.

Reboot and rejoin the domain.

Install the Office Server Beta.

You can also build the server from scratch and not use NewSID.