26 August, 2011

InfoPath Error: This session has exceeded the amount of allowable resources + Event ID 5737


Microsoft Office InfoPath is a software application for designing, distributing, filling and submitting electronic forms containing structured data. InfoPath Forms Services uses session state to store the large amount of transient data generated while filling out a form. As a result, front-end Web servers can remain stateless between round trips, and each post back is not burdened with carrying large amounts of session state information over narrow bandwidth pipes.

One of the users opened a ticket with our team By mentioning that he is getting some error message while opening InfoPath forms:

Error Message: InfoPath Error: This session has exceeded the amount of allowable resources

It was a actually a new issue for me so i had started my troubleshooting by debugging the InfoPath forms.

Checked InfoPath form settings, tried to designed a new form, analyzed SharePoint logs as well as Event viewer. While analyzing the event viewer error messages, i found something which was very useful towards the case resolution. (Please refer the below mentioned trace)

Event Viewer details:

Event Type:      Error
Event Source:    Office SharePoint Server
Event Category:  Forms Services Runtime
Event ID:        5737
Description:    
Number of form actions 208, has exceeded 200, the maximum allowable value

Per request. This value is configurable and can be changed by the administrator.

Microsoft Note: In order for the session state database to be properly maintained, the SQL Agent must be turned on for the instance of Microsoft SQL Server where session data is stored. If the SQL Agent is not turned on, expired sessions are not automatically expunged from the session table and may eventually pose a storage problem.

As per the data from the event viewer, it states that we need to check something within central administration as "This value is configurable and can be changed by the administrator". When i checked the Central Administration settings then i found what i was looking for :-)

Resolution:

Increase the form actions in configuring InfoPath services section as mentioned below:-
  • Go to Central Administration of the SharePoint server.
  • Click on Application Management
  • In the section "InfoPath Forms Services"-->select Configure InfoPath Forms Services.
  • In the Number of Actions per Post back, enter some max value around 250 or 300 depends on your project form requirement.
  • There are chances that the error may retain same even after we increase the number of actions per post back. The second thing we have to increase is the value of "Maximum size of form session state" to 8192. By default it is 4092, by increasing it to 8192 the error should go away. 
If you have any queries/questions regarding the above mentioned information then please let me know...
I would be more than HAPPY to HELP You as well as RESOLVES Your Issues, Thanks

22 August, 2011

SharePoint 2010 Interview Questions With Answers

1. Describe the potential components for both a single server, and multiple servers, potentially several tiered farms:
A single-server SharePoint Server 2010 environment leverages a built-in SQL Server 2008 Express database. The problems with this environment is scalability, not being able to install the with built-in database on a domain controller, the database cannot be larger than 4 GB, and you cannot use User Profile Synchronization in a single server with built-in database installation.

Multiple tier farms would be a three-tier topology, considered one of the more efficient physical and logical layouts to supports scaling out or scaling up and provides better distribution of services across the member servers of the farm.

2. How will you use Web Parts or other solutions Created in SharePoint 2007 in SharePoint 2010?
In SharePoint 2010 the 12 hive is now replaced by 14 hive, So we will rewrite and recompile any code that refers to files and resources in “12 hive. In addition to we must recompile custom code written for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 that does not run on IIS.

3. When would you use claims, and when would you use classic?
Classic is more commonly seen in upgraded 2007 environments whereas claims are the recommended path for new deployments.

4. What is the difference between Classic mode authentication and Claims-based authentication?
As the name suggests, classic authentication supports NT authentication types like Kerberos, NTLM, Basic, Digest, and anonymous. Claims based authentication uses claims identities against a against a trusted identity provider.

5. What is the advantage in using Windows PowerShell over stsadm in SharePoint 2010 ?
Unlike stsadm, which accept and return text, Windows PowerShell is built on the Microsoft .NET Framework and accepts and returns .NET Framework objects. Windows PowerShell also gives you access to the file system on the computer and enables you to access other data stores, such as the registry and the digital signature certificate stores etc..

6. What are My Sites?
Specialized SharePoint sites personalized and targeted for each user.

7. What are content databases?
A content database can hold all the content for one or more site collections.

8. What is a site?
A site in SharePoint contains Web pages and related assets such as lists, all hosted within a site collection.

9. What is a site collection?
A site collection contains a top-level website and can contain one or more sub-sites web sites that have the same owner and share administration settings.

10. Differentiate zones?
Different logical paths (URLs meaning) of gaining access to the same SharePoint Web application

11. Importance of application pools?
They provide a way for multiple sites to run on the same server but still have their own worker processes and identity.

12.  Define Web Applications in SharePoint?
An IIS Web site created and used by SharePoint 2010. Saying an IIS virtual server is also an acceptable answer.

13. What are Terms and Term Sets?
A term is a word or a phrase that can be associated with an item.  A term set is a collection of related terms.

14. How many of types of Term Sets?
There are Local Term Sets and Global Term Sets, one created within the context of a site collection and the other created outside the context of a site collection, respectively.

15. What is a sandboxed solution?
Components that are deployed to run within the sandboxed process rather than running in the production Internet Information Services (IIS) worker process.

16. Why are sandboxed solutions used?
Primarily because they promote high layers of isolation. By default they run within a rights-restricted, isolated process based around Code Access Security (CAS). Isolation is possible to increase with activities like running the sandboxing service on only specific SharePoint 2010 servers.

17. What is a search scope?
A search scope defines a subset of information in the search index. Users can select a search scope when performing a search.

18. What is query logging in SharePoint 2010?
Collects information about user search queries and search results that users select on their computers to improve the relevancy of search results and to improve query suggestions.

19. Please describe what a Service Application is in SharePoint 2010.
Service applications in SharePoint 2010 are a set of services that can possibly be shared across Web applications. Some of these services may or may not be shared across the SharePoint 2010 farm.

Examples are mentioned below:
Access Services
Business Data Connectivity service
Excel Services Application
Managed Metadata service
Performance Point Service Application
Search service
Secure Store Service
State service
Usage and Health Data Collection service
User Profile service
Visio Graphics Service
Web Analytics service
Word Automation Services
Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Subscription Settings Service

20. What is Access Services?
Allows users to edit, update, and create linked Microsoft Access 2010 databases that can be viewed and manipulated by using an internet browser, the Access client, or a linked HTML page.

21. What is Visio Services?
Allows users to share and view Microsoft Visio Web drawings. The service also enables data-connected Microsoft Visio 2010 Web drawings to be refreshed and updated from various data sources.

22.  What is Performance Point Services?
Allows users to monitor and analyze a business by building dashboards, scorecards, and key performance indicators (KPIs).

23. What is the Secure Store Service (SSS)?
A secure database for storing credentials that are associated with application IDs

24. What is Excel Services?
Allows sharing, securing, managing, and using Excel 2010 workbooks in a SharePoint Server Web site or document library. Excel Services consists of the Excel Calculation Services (ECS), Microsoft Excel Web Access (EWA), and Excel Web Services (EWS) components.

25. what is the difference between SQL clustering and mirroring?
Clustering provides a failover scenario whereby one or more nodes can be swapped as active depending on whether a node goes down. In mirroring, transactions are sent directly from a
principal database and server to a mirror database to establish essentially a replica of the database.

26.what are the monitoring features that are present in SharePoint 2010.
Diagnostic logging captures data about the state of the system, whereas health and usage data collection uses specific timer jobs to perform monitoring tasks, collecting information about:
Performance Counter Fata
Event Log Data
Timer Service Data
Metrics For Site Collections and Sites
Search Usage Data

27. Explain how connections are managed with Service Applications.
A virtual entity is used that is referred to as a proxy, due to label in PowerShell.

Reff: 



If you have any queries/questions regarding the above mentioned information then please let me know...
I would be more than HAPPY to HELP You as well as RESOLVES Your Issues, Thanks

04 August, 2011

SharePoint Interview Questions and Answers


What is SharePoint?
SharePoint is a browser based document collaboration platform given by Microsoft. Actually SharePoint is an application framework as much as it is an application as its own. It is a platform where user can share Data, Collaborate and people can also take this platform and customized platform as per their requirements.

What are some of the tools that can be used when backing up a SharePoint 2010 environment?
*      SharePoint farm backup and recovery
*      SQL Server

What are content types?
A content type is a flexible and reusable WSS type definition (or we can a template) that defines the columns and behavior for an item in a list or a document in a document library. For example, you can create a content type for a leave approval document with a unique set of columns, an event handler, and its own document template and attach it with document library/libraries.

What is the difference between a Site Definition and a Site Template?
Site Definitions are stored on the hard drive of the SharePoint front end servers. They are used by the SharePoint application to generate the sites users can create. Site Templates are created by users as a copy of a site they have configured and modified so that they do not have to recreate lists, libraries, views and columns every time they need a new instance of a site.

What are the types of input forms that can be created for a workflow?
You can create four different types of input forms including
1. An association form
2. An initiation form
3. A modification form
4. A task edit form.

What are the two different products in SharePoint 2010?
SharePoint 2010 has basically two different products namely SharePoint Foundation 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010.
*      SharePoint Foundation 2010 is a free version.
*      SharePoint Server 2010 is a paid version.
How to create a simple Website in SharePoint 2010?
In order to create a Website in SharePoint 2010, we need to use SharePoint 2010 Central Administration tool. As soon as you click on SharePoint 2010 Central Administration tool it will ask for credential do put your credential and you will directed to the SharePoint 2010 Central Administration screen. Now from the Application Management screen click on Manage web applications, as soon as you click on Manage web applications a new window will open, now from the top most left of the screen click on new menu, again a new window will pop-up of Create New Web Application which enables you to create new web application.
What are features of SharePoint 2010?
Features are:
*      Document Collaboration
*      Enterprise Search FAST Search
*      New Enhance Web Part
*      Silver Light web part
*      Business Connectivity Services
*      Social Media Investments
*      Large lists
*      Enhanced collaboration features
*      Visio Services
*      Usage reporting and logging
*      Better Network Differencing & SharePoint Offline in SharePoint Workspace
*      High Availability/ Disaster Recovery Innovation
*      Admin Insights through the Logging & Usage database, and dev dashboard
*      Service Applications
*      SharePoint Designer Enhancements like portable workflows, and granular delegation
*      Sandbox Solutions

Difference between Library vs List ?
Library is used to store the document and Lists are the container of similar items in form of rows and columns. In Library you can create core document like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. But in List You cannot create document, instead of that you can attach document in a particular List.

What are content types?
A content type is a flexible and reusable WSS type definition (or we can a template) that defines the columns and behavior for an item in a list or a document in a document library. For example, you can create a content type for a leave approval document with a unique set of columns, an event handler, and its own document template and attach it with document library/libraries.

What is a Field Control?
Field controls are simple ASP.NET 2.0 server controls that provide the basic field functionality of SharePoint. They provide basic general functionality such as displaying or editing list data as it appears on SharePoint list pages.
How to create links to the mapped network drives?
Creating links to mapped drives in WSS v3 or MOSS 2007 can be done via
The new content type for .lnk files.
What are sites available in  SharePoint?
*      Team Site
*      Blank Site
*      Document Workspace
*      Blog
*      Group Work Site
*      Visio Process Repository
*      Basic Meeting Workspace
*      Blank Meeting Workspace
*      Decision Meeting Workspace
*      Social Meeting Workspace
*      Multipage Meeting Workspace
*      Assets Web Database
*      Charitable Contributions Web Database
*      Contacts Web Database
*      Issues Web Database
*      Projects Web Database
*      Document Center
*      Records Center
*      Business Intelligence Center
*      My Site Host
*      Personalization Site
*      Enterprise Search Center
*      Basic Search Center
*      FAST Search Center
*      Enterprise Wiki
*      Publishing Portal
*      Publishing Site
What is workspace?
A site or workspace is when you want a new place for collaborating on Web pages, lists and document libraries.
What are the types of authentication available for SharePoint 2010 ?
*      Claims
*      Windows
*      Forms-based authentication
What is the User Profile service?
Allows configuring and managing User profile properties, Audiences, Profile synchronization settings, organization browsing and management settings, and My Site settings
What is Performance Point Services?
Allows users to monitor and analyze a business by building dashboards, scorecards, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
What is the difference between Classic mode authentication and Claims-based authentication?
As the name implies, classic authentication supports NT authentication types like Kerberos, NTLM, Basic, Digest, and anonymous. Claims based authentication uses claims identities against a against a trusted identity provider.
What is Visio Services?
Allows users to share and view Microsoft Visio Web drawings. The service also enables data-connected Microsoft Visio 2010 Web drawings to be refreshed and updated from various data sources.

What is Access Services?
Allows users to edit, update, and create linked Microsoft Access 2010 databases that can be viewed and manipulated by using an internet browser, the Access client, or a linked HTML page.
What is Excel Services?
Allows sharing, securing, managing, and using Excel 2010 workbooks in a SharePoint Server Web site or document library. Excel Services consists of the Excel Calculation Services (ECS), Microsoft Excel Web Access (EWA), and Excel Web Services (EWS) components
What is the Secure Store Service (SSS)?
A secure database for storing credentials that are associated with application IDs
What are some useful, OOB features of SharePoint that aid with governance of an environment?
*      Site templates – consistent branding, site structure, and layout can be enforce a set of customizations that are applied to a site definition.
*      Quotas – limits to the amount of storage a site collection can use.
*      Locks - prevent users from either adding content to a site collection or using the site collection.
*      Web application permissions and policies – comprehensive security settings that apply to all users and groups for all site collections within a Web application.
*      Self-service site creation - enables users to create their own site collections, thus must be incorporated into a governance scheme.
Describe the monitoring features that are baked into SharePoint 2010.
Diagnostic logging captures data about the state of the system, whereas health and usage data collection uses specific timer jobs to perform monitoring tasks, collecting information about:
*      Performance Counter Fata
*      Event Log Data
*      Timer Service Data
*      Metrics For Site Collections and Sites
*      Search Usage Data
What are cmdlet's?
Windows PowerShell introduces the concept of a cmdlet which are simple build in commands, written in a .net language like C# or VB.
Where is Powershell located in sharePoint ?
On the Start menu, click All Programs -> Click Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Products -> Click SharePoint 2010 Management Shell.
What would you like to see in the next version of SharePoint?
*      SPS and STS on same machine
*      Tree view of Categories and Folders
*      General Discussion Web Part
*      Personalization of Dashboards
*      Role Customization
*      Email to say WHY a document has been rejected for Approval
*      More ways to customize the interface
*      Backup and restore an individual Workspaces
*      Filter for Visio
*      Better way to track activity on SPS
How can I make My site public?
By default, all sites are created private.If you want your site to be a public Web site, enable anonymous access for the entire site. Then you can give out your URL to anybody in yourbusiness card, e-mail or any other marketing material. The URL for your Web site will be:http:// yoursitename.wss.bcentral.com Hence, please take special care to name your site.These Web sites are ideal for information and knowledge intensive sites and/or sites where you need to have shared Web workspace.Remember: Under each parent Web site, you can create up to 10 sub-sites each with unique permissions, settings and security rights.
Which is faster a WebPart or a User Control?
A WebPart renders faster than a User Control. A User Control in SharePoint is usually loaded by a webpart which adds an overhead. User Controls however, gives you an Interface to add controls and styles.
If you have any queries/questions regarding the mentioned information then please let me know..
I would be more than HAPPY 2 HELP U as well as RESOLVES UR ISSUES :-)