SharePoint & Project Server 2010 October CU – Critical Info

Microsoft has discovered a critical issue in the recently released October Cumulative Updates for SharePoint Server 2010 and Project Server 2010, and have removed the files from download availability.  If you have already downloaded the CU, do not install it.  If you have installed the CU, please contact Microsoft Support for assistance.  Microsoft will be posting additional information about the issue as soon as they have it, and will make the Cumulative Update available for download again as soon as the issue has been fully resolved.

Issue Details

The October Cumulative Update makes some changes and updates to the user profile database.  Unfortunately there are certain situations where this update does not complete as expected and leaves the update in an inconsistent state.  This causes issues with several SharePoint features that use the User Profile Application such as MySites, People and Expertise Search & Ratings.

If you have already applied the October Cumulative Updates

You should perform the following steps below;

Note: If you encounter any issues following these steps or have questions specific to your environment/deployment please call Microsoft Product Support for assistance.

Check the following locations for the Microsoft.Office.Server.dll to determine the version. If the version is 14.0.5128.5000 or greater, the October CU is applied.

• C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\ISAPI\Microsoft.Office.Server.dll
• C:\Windows\assembly\GAC_MSIL\Microsoft.Office.Server\14.0.0.0__71e9bce111e9429c\Microsoft.Office.Server.dll

Using Central Administration perform the following steps

1. Click on Manage Service Applications
2. Select User Profile Service Application by clicking on it
3. At the top of the screen on the Service Applications tab, click on Manage
4. On the Manage Profile Service: User Profile Service Application page, click Manage User Permissions
5. On the Permissions for User Profile Service Application dialog, you will need to;
• Specify the desired user accounts and click the Add button to add them to the list
• By default SharePoint 2010 RTM has these accounts;

• NT Authority\authenticated users
• All Authenticated Users

• Once the user accounts are in the list, you will need to set the permissions appropriately for your environment and click OK.

Note: info as received from Microsoft SharePoint Team

SharePoint 2010 – how to view/list all imported User Profiles?

Applies to: SharePoint 2010

If you encounter an issue during the user profile import process, how can you view/list all imported user profiles to start troubleshooting? Or, you may simply want to view the complete list of profiles imported from AD.

Below is a note from Microsoft Tech Support which I found useful;

It seems that there is no built-in method to list out all the users’ profile and associated properties. However, all the users profiles are stored in the SQL database “User Profile Service Application_ProfileDB_XXX” > table “dbo.UserProfile_Full”. You can run a SQL query command “Select * from dbo.UserProfile_Full” to list all the users.

The Secret Mission of the Terminator – Apple fan?

Thought you might enjoy this! Watch the ending!

Did you have a good summer break?

Hi all. Sorry about the radio silence over the past few weeks. Been extremely busy with projects and then away on holiday. I had an ultimatum from my kids….it was them or my laptop. So, no laptop or Blackberry was allowed on our trip to New York. Felt helpless…some of you may know the feeling!

(The Mistry Family at the top of Empire State Building, New York)

The weather was great, food was excellent and had a wonderful time with the family.

Anyway, I came across this rather strange chap on my holiday in New York. Check out the pictures below..…will make you laugh! This guy was actually serious and stood outside the American Museum of Natural History all day! Anyone know him? I was too afraid to ask how many offers he had so far!

(click picture to enlarge)

Hope you all had a fabulous summer!

EPM2007/2010 – Scheduling your Backups & Other Services

Applies to: EPM2007/2010 | Administrators

Already have Microsoft EPM deployed? Have you planned your SQL DB or Farm backups around other automated service run-times?

The system services and where to set is shown below. 

Item	Service	Where to Find/Set?
1	Resource Capacity	: PWA > Server Settings > Additional Server Settings
2	AD Synch for Enterprise Resource Pool	: PWA > Server Settings > Active Directory Resource Pool Synchronization
3	AD Synch for User Groups	: PWA > Server Settings > Manage Users > Active Directory Synch Options
4	SQL DB Backups & Maintenance plans	: SQL database server 2005/2008 Management Studio
5	OLAP Cube Build	: PWA > Server Settings > Cube Build settings
6	Message Queue Cleanups	: PWA > Server Settings > Queue Settings > Cleanup Interval Offset (for Project and Timesheet)
7	Email Alerts and Reminders	: PWA > Server Settings > Alerts and Reminders
8	Other SharePoint Timer Jobs?	: Any other SharePoint Timer Jobs for example Farm backups
9	Custom Jobs?	: Any other custom event jobs including integration with other systems

I would recommend designing a good schedule which incorporates the services/functionality used in your deployment. Remember, the run times will depend on your deployment i.e. data, system performance etc. You may have to go through few iterations to get to an optimum schedule that works for your organisation. An example is shown below.

(click picture to enlarge)

Hope this helps!

SQL Server 2005/2008 – Latest Patches and Planned Updates

Here is some info received from the Microsoft SQL Server team regarding the planned updates;

• SQL Server 2008 SP2. Microsoft targets release in Q3/CY2010.
• SQL Server 2005 SP4 release is planned for Q4/CY2010. Extended support for SQL Server 2005 will be available through 4/12/2016.  Please see http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/ for specifics.

Latest CUs (post current Service Packs);

• SQL2005: SP3 CU#9 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/980176/en-us)
• SQL2008: SP1 CU#7 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/979065/en-us)

Note: Install current Services Packs prior to latest CUs.

Current Service Packs;

• SQL2005: SP3 (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=ae7387c3-348c-4faa-8ae5-949fdfbe59c4&displaylang=en)
• SQL2008: SP1 (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=66ab3dbb-bf3e-4f46-9559-ccc6a4f9dc19&displaylang=en)

Link between project management excellence and long-term success

Here is an interesting article that I found very enlightening.

This is extract from ‘Closing the gap’: The link between project management excellence and long-term success is an Economist
Intelligence Unit briefing paper, sponsored by Oracle. The Economist Intelligence Unit conducted the survey and analysis, and wrote the report.

(click picture to download copy of paper)

Note: The report was based on a survey of 213 senior executives and project managers worldwide and in-depth interviews with nine executives and project management experts in the fields of industrial manufacturing; architecture, engineering and construction; aerospace and defence; mining and metals; pulp and paper; and utilities, oil and gas.

Conclusion

To be successful, companies should consider the following best practices;

• To maintain a competitive advantage and ensure that projects generate maximum value for the company, business leaders must link every project management decision, from the choosing of projects to the way teams will measure outcomes, to the strategic goals of the organisation.
• Training, mentoring and other development activities for project management professionals should be tied to specific skills gaps and career planning.
• To prove that a project was a success, it is necessary to measure more than timeliness and adherence to budget; companies should also measure outcomes against project goals, determine whether the project delivered bottom-line results and assess the satisfaction of clients and stakeholders with the project.
• A lessons-learned database, in which project teams document project challenges and how they were handled, is a valuable tool for avoiding mistakes in the future.
• Leaders who continue to focus on improving project management strategies and methodologies as the economy rebounds will garner the greatest long-term success.

Hope this helps in understanding the relevance and importance of structured Project Management processes within the organisation.