SharePoint 2013 On IaaS Tutorial June 9, 2013

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/windowsazure/archive/2013/06/07/sharepoint-on-windows-azure-virtual-machines.aspx

We want to inform you on a new tutorial. With this tutorial you will learn how to:
•Configure, and deploy a SharePoint farm on a set of Virtual Machines in this tutorial.
•Create a set of Virtual Machines using images from the gallery including Windows Server 2012, SQL Server 2012, and SharePoint Server 2013.
•Create a domain, join machines to the domain, and run the SharePoint configuration wizard.
•How to enable the SQL Server AlwaysOn feature for high availability.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn275959.aspx

This tutorial contains the instructions for deploying a SharePoint 2013 farm on a set of Windows Azure Virtual Machines. The configuration consists of eight Virtual Machines. Each machine performs one of four roles, with duplication to ensure high availability:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn275958.aspx

With the Virtual Machine and Virtual Networking services of Windows Azure, it is now possible to deploy and operate a Microsoft SharePoint 2013 Server farm on Windows Azure. This document discusses the key considerations, architecture and operations required to do this successfully. This document assumes a basic working knowledge of SharePoint Server 2013 and familiarity with the services offered by Windows Azure.

SQL Cluster Installation May 29, 2013

http://www.elmajdal.net/Win2k8/Installing_Failover_Clustering_With_Windows_Server_2008_R2.aspx

Heartbeat.

Azure SharePoint PowerShell May 24, 2013

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/windowsazure/archive/2013/05/24/automating-sharepoint-deployments-in-windows-azure-using-powershell.aspx

 

SQL Server Data Tools May 6, 2013

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/data/hh297027

List of links to download site for SSDT.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/data/hh297028

Getting started with SSDT.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36843

Download.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj856966.aspx

SQL Server Data Tools – Business Intelligence for Visual Studio 2012 is available for download at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=273673.

Install SQL Server Data Tools – Business Intelligence for Visual Studio 2012

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To install SQL Server Data Tools – Business Intelligence for Visual Studio 2012

1.
Run SSDTBI_VS2012_x86_ENU.exe to begin installation.

It will be installed as a new shared feature for SQL Server 2012 and can be uninstalled from there.

This download contains the same features as SQL Server 2012 SP1 and supports the themes introduced for Visual Studio 2012.

Azure PowerShell April 16, 2013

http://michaelwasham.com/2013/04/16/windows-azure-powershell-updates-for-iaas-ga/

In the example below the new -WaitForBoot parameter is used with New-AzureVM. This switch tells the cmdlet to wait for the virtual machine to be in the RoleReady (booted) state before continuing execution. Once the virtual machine is ready the script calls the Get-AzureWinRMUri cmdlet to retrieve the connection string to execute a remote script against the virtual machine. The script block passed to Invoke-Command installs the Web-Server IIS and the related management tools.

A PowerShell scripter could easily extend this script to automatically deploy a custom web application or service with just a few additional lines of code.

Installation of SharePoint 2013 and SQL Server 2012 SP1 BIS April 13, 2013

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh231671.aspx

Install SQL Server BI Features with SharePoint (PowerPivot and Reporting Services)

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj219067.aspx

Install Analysis Services Server in SharePoint Mode for SharePoint 2013 (SQL Server 2012 SP1)

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj218792.aspx

Install or Uninstall the PowerPivot for SharePoint Add-in

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc281311.aspx

Installing Reporting Services SharePoint Mode Report Server for Power View and Data Alerting

 

SharePoint 2013 and SQL Server 2012 PowerPivot

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/analysisservices/archive/2012/08/06/verifying-the-sharepoint-2013-configuration-for-accessing-workbooks-as-a-data-source-from-within-the-farm.aspx

Very good on architecture and trouble shooting of that architecture. All new now with Excel Services taking the main role. Use spPowerPivot.msi to install the correct data providers on SharePoint Servers.

And the following is very important for the security planning.

The data providers establish direct TCP/IP connections to the data models on the SSAS server. This direct approach helps to minimize latencies in the client/server communication, which ultimately provides best performance, but it also requires the security accounts of the client processes to have SSAS administrator permissions. Only SSAS administrators can load data models on an Analysis Services instance running in SharePoint mode.

And the following for architecture and troubleshooting. Notice that SSRS is installed on the SharePoint Application Server.

and then install and configure SharePoint 2013 and Reporting Services Power View on a separate application server. Verify that Excel Services can load data models and then try to create a Power View report on top of a workbook. If all goes as advertised, then you should be able to interact with the workbook in the browser, but Power View won’t be able to create a report. Now, don’t jump to conclusions. Leave the Reporting Services configuration alone for a moment. Let’s first double-check the dependencies for workbooks as a data source by running some more or less straightforward PowerShell scripts. Start SharePoint 2013 Management Shell with elevated permissions and then copy and paste the following lines:

Is at least one SSAS server registered in Excel Services?

Is the correct data provider version installed?

Can you connect to the SSAS server directly?

Can you connect to a workbook in the local farm?

Is the SPClient assembly installed on the SharePoint server?

And there you have it, SPClient is missing! Apparently, I forgot to install the data providers via spPowerPivot.msi on this computer. I installed Reporting Services using SQL Setup, but in SQL Server 2012 SP1 CTP3, the Reporting Services options do not install the SPClient assembly. This is fixed in later builds. For CTP3, downloading and installing spPowerPivot.msi on the SharePoint server solves this problem. Note that you don’t need to run the PowerPivot Configuration Tool. Simply install spPowerPivot.msi to fully deploy the data providers included in the installer package, as illustrated in the following screenshot.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj218792.aspx

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.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/6401fd92-f43b-450e-8298-12db644c25bc

Configure PowerPivot and Deploy Solutions (SQL Server 2012 SP1)

This topics describes the deployment and configuration of middle-tier enhancements to the PowerPivot features in SharePoint 2013 including PowerPivot Gallery, Schedule data refresh, Management Dashboard, and data providers. Run PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013 Configuration tool to complete the following:

• Deploy SharePoint solution files.
• Create a PowerPivot service application.
• Configure an Excel Services Application to use an Analysis Services server in SharePoint mode. For information on backend services and installing a Analysis Services server in SharePoint mode, see Install Analysis Services Server in SharePoint Mode for SharePoint 2013 (SQL Server 2012 SP1).

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/fe13ce8b-9369-4126-928a-9426f9119424

Install or Uninstall the PowerPivot for SharePoint Add-in

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 install spPowerPivot.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.

 

 

SharePoint 2013 and SQL Server 2012 SP1 Installation April 12, 2013

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj218795.aspx

What’s New in SQL Server 2012 SP1 Installation for Business Intelligence

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• PowerPivot for SharePoint: Analysis Services provides a backend service for Excel Services to load, query, and refresh PowerPivot data models so that users can interact with Excel workbooks that contain data models in the browser. Analysis Services in SharePoint mode is fully independent of and external to SharePoint, although the server running Analysis Services must be on the same network and Active Directory Domains Services (AD DS) forest as the SharePoint farm.You install and manage Analysis Services using SQL Server installation media and tools. Choose the setup option PowerPivot for SharePoint. After you install Analysis Services in SharePoint mode, the only additional configuration tasks are to grant the SharePoint services accounts server administrator permissions in Analysis Services and to configure Excel Services to point to the Analysis Services instance.For detailed steps on installing a single server, see. Install Analysis Services Server in SharePoint Mode for SharePoint 2013 (SQL Server 2012 SP1).
• spPowerpivot.msi: A Windows Installer package available with the SQL Server 2012 SP1 Feature Pack. The installer enhances the PowerPivot for SharePoint experience with more features such as PowerPivot Gallery and Schedule Data Refresh. The .msi deploys Analysis Services client libraries, the PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013 Configuration tool, and copies PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013 installation files to SharePoint servers.After you run the .msi, you need to run PowerPivot for SharePoint 2013 Configuration to deploy the solutions and configure the farm. For more information see:
  • Install or Uninstall the PowerPivot for SharePoint Add-in
  • Configure PowerPivot and Deploy Solutions (SQL Server 2012 SP1).
• Reporting Services: The overall Reporting Services installation remains the same with SQL Server 2012 SP1 as it was with SQL Server 2012. There is an updated Reporting Services for SharePoint add-in that supports SharePoint 2013. For more information, see Supported Combinations of SharePoint and Reporting Services Components.

Overview of Installation with SharePoint 2013

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The following is a summary of the installation steps to deploy SQL Server 2012 SP1 BI Features on a single server.

1. Install SharePoint Server 2013 and enable Excel Services.
2. Install Analysis Services in SharePoint mode, and grant the SharePoint farm and services accounts server administrator rights in Analysis Services.For more information, see Install Analysis Services Server in SharePoint Mode for SharePoint 2013 (SQL Server 2012 SP1).
3. Configure Excel Services in SharePoint Server 2013 to use the Analysis Services instance you installed in step 2.See the section “Configure Basic Analysis Services SharePoint Integration” in Install Analysis Services Server in SharePoint Mode for SharePoint 2013 (SQL Server 2012 SP1).
4. Install Reporting Services in SharePoint mode and the Reporting Services add-in for SharePoint products.For more information, see Install Reporting Services SharePoint Mode for SharePoint 2013.
5. Configure the Reporting Services SharePoint service and at least one Reporting Services service application.For more information, see the section “Create a Reporting Services Service Application” in Install Reporting Services SharePoint Mode for SharePoint 2013.

Note
If you want to use both Analysis Services and Reporting Services, run SQL Server Installation Wizard twice because the PowerPivot for SharePoint option does not offer choices on the Setup Role page.

The SQL Server setup option PowerPivot for SharePoint has no dependencies on SharePoint. It does not use the SharePoint object model or interfaces to support integration. Therefore, Analysis Services can be installed on any computer running Windows Server 2008 R2 or later version. It can be but does not have to be an application server in a SharePoint farm. One of the configuration steps is to point Excel Services to the server running Analysis Services. For load balancing and fault tolerance, it is recommended to install and register multiple Analysis Services servers running in SharePoint mode.

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

A single server deployment is useful for testing purposes but it is not recommended for production deployments.

 

(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)	The SharePoint content, configuration, and service application databases.
(6)	Analysis Services Server in SharePoint Mode. Configure the Excel Services Application Data Model Settings to use this server.

http://whitepages.unlimitedviz.com/2012/07/using-the-new-excel-2013-data-model-with-sharepoint/

Follow the remaining prompts to complete the installation. After the installation completed, resist the urge to run either of the PowerPivot configuration tools. These are used if we actually ARE using full PowerPivot (see below), and that will require a SharePoint server. If you run it on a non SP farm machine, things can get very messed up.

Once that is set up, you need to tell Excel services to use it. Navigate to your Excel Services service application in Central Administration, and select “Data Model Settings”.

Now that the engine is baked into Excel, is there any need for PowerPivot any longer? As we’ve seen, for simple analysis, no. However, if we want to do anything advanced, like filtering import data, modifying the model, creating complex relationships, or using DAX (the tabular answer to MDX), the answer is emphatically yes.

On the client side, PowerPivot is actually included with Excel – no download required anymore. It is disabled by default, and is enabled through the Excel Com Add in interface. You can view this as your individual or team model designer. With it you can create complex models and then share them out via SharePoint. Optionally these very same models can be imported into Analysis Services projects if/when they become mission critical, or too large. Another nice thing is that models created with PowerPivot can be shared on a SharePoint farm that is not using the full PowerPivot for SharePoint (but does need “Analysis Services in SharePoint mode – confused yet?).

On the Server side, we can install PowerPivot for SharePoint, just as we did with SharePoint 2010. The reason that we would want to do this is to gain access to PP for SP features like the Pivot Gallery, but primarily to access refresh capabilities. In the scenarios that I’ve described above, using Excel Services, the data that we’re using is relatively static. Data is imported when creating the model, and is used for analysis, but there is no mechanism to refresh the data in the model in the way that Analysis Services can. PowerPivot for SharePoint offers this capability in SharePoint 2010, and this carries forward with SharePoint 2013.

http://whitepages.unlimitedviz.com/2012/07/setting-up-reporting-services-2012-with-sharepoint-2013/

Another thing that you should note is that the order of operations is important here. If you install Reporting Services – SharePoint prior to installing SharePoint on the farm, the option to create a Reporting Services application will not appear. That’s because it won’t be registered with the farm as a service application. If this happens, you can run the following PowerShell to register the Service Application

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/querysimon/archive/2012/07/25/installing-the-bi-features-of-sharepoint-2013-preview.aspx

The reason that I have installed both the 2008 R2 versions and the 2012 versions is that some components in SharePoint 2013 seems to need the 2008 R2 versions while others use the 2012 versions.

The reason for this is that I now want to run a installation of SQL a second time this time I choose to add features to a existing instance

This time I add Reporting Services in SharePoint integrated mode and the Reporting Services Add-in for SharePoint Products. The reason that I am doing this in a separate installation is that I had some issues with SSRS not showing up in Central Admin when I added this in the first installation. This could probably have been solved in some other way but I wanted to ensure that the install went through without any glitches.

After the installation has finished it is time to install PowerPivot for SharePoint. So I start the installation of SQL Server 2012 SP 1 Preview a third time. This time I choose to add a new instance

After the installation has finished it is time to run the configuration for PowerPivot for SharePoint. You can see that there are two different configuration tools one for SharePoint 2010 and one for SharePoint 2013. Since I am using 2013 I start that tool.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/querysimon/archive/2012/11/26/installing-the-bi-features-of-sharepoint-2013.aspx

Now it’s time to install SQL Server 2012. Note that Service Pack 1 for SQL Server 2012 is a requirement for PowerPivot for SharePoint. If you do not install it you will get an error on the “SharePoint installation requirement for PowerPivot for SharePoint” rule when you try to install PowerPivot for SharePoint.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/analysisservices/archive/2012/08/06/verifying-the-sharepoint-2013-configuration-for-accessing-workbooks-as-a-data-source-from-within-the-farm.aspx

My previous blog post, “Verifying the Excel Services Configuration for PowerPivot in SharePoint 2013,” discussed steps to verify that Excel Services can load workbook data models on an out-of-farm PowerPivot server running SQL Server 2012 SP1 CTP3 Analysis Services (SSAS) in SharePoint deployment mode so that users can enjoy full workbook interactivity in the browser. But data exploration in the browser is only the first step. The next logical step is to consume the data model as a data source in PerformancePoint Services, Power View, or in a custom solution running inside the farm. Let’s take a look at an architecture diagram to understand how this scenario works in SharePoint 2013.

And there you have it, SPClient is missing! Apparently, I forgot to install the data providers via spPowerPivot.msi on this computer. I installed Reporting Services using SQL Setup, but in SQL Server 2012 SP1 CTP3, the Reporting Services options do not install the SPClient assembly. This is fixed in later builds. For CTP3, downloading and installing spPowerPivot.msi on the SharePoint server solves this problem. Note that you don’t need to run the PowerPivot Configuration Tool. Simply install spPowerPivot.msi to fully deploy the data providers included in the installer package, as illustrated in the following screenshot. Rerunning the PowerShell script now shows that the SPClient assembly is present. Of course, you can also check Programs and Features in Control Panel to see if the spPowerPivot.msi package is installed.

 

Installing SharePoint 2013 Apps March 4, 2013

http://www.dotnetmafia.com/blogs/dotnettipoftheday/archive/2013/02/28/installing-sharepoint-2013-apps-with-powershell.aspx

There are a lot of similarities to working with solution packages but there are several differences to be aware of. The documentation on TechNet is pretty good, but putting it all together can be tricky.

Specific to PowerShell, there is some terminology to familiarize yourself with. You’ll see these for parameter names so you need to know what they are otherwise you’ll find yourself confused.
•App Package – physical file containing the app (.app file)
•App – an instance of an app installed on a particular subsite

Along with the App, you’ll find an Id property that refers to a GUID of that particular app instance. We’ll talk about that more when it comes to updates.

Overview of SharePoint 2013 Installation March 1, 2013

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee667264(v=office.15)

Although SharePoint products farms vary in complexity and size, a combination of careful planning and a phased deployment that includes ongoing testing and evaluation significantly reduces the risk of unexpected outcomes. This article provides an overview for all types of SharePoint 2013 farm deployment.