Another Solution To “The list cannot be displayed in Datasheet view”

I have a fair amount of information in SharePoint 2010 (just as I did in MOSS 2007), and for speedy editing of a lot of the entries, there is no beating the datasheet view. For some time now I have been getting the following error when I tried to edit the list in datasheet view:

The list cannot be displayed in Datasheet view for one or more of the following reasons: A datasheet component compatible with Windows SharePoint Services is not installed, your browser does not support ActiveX controls, or support for ActiveX controls is disabled.

There are a lot of answers on the interwebz, none of which solved the problem for me in the past.

Recently, though, I found an answer accidentally. I was trying to import some data from an Excel spreadsheet into a SQL Server database using the Import Data task. It was throwing an error that I was able to track down to having Windows 7 64-bit. My Office 2010 is 64-bit, and the import data wizards were 64-bit, also. However, Access and Excel importers are 32-bit only, and unless you knew to select 32-bit wizards also during installation, you don’t have them on a 64-bit machine.

Finally I found a form post that pointed me to the Office 2007 Data Connectivity Components (formerly known as the Access Database Engine). Installing these solved my data import, but also fixed my datasheet view!

Now that I can load the datasheet view, this makes a lot more sense. The Access icon is clearly in the upper left corner, and the status bar says “For assistance with Access Web Datasheet, see Help.”

So, if you’re getting the same error in SharePoint, and you’re running the 64-bit version of Office, and nothing else has worked, try the Data Connectivity Components from http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=23734.

Sept 2011 Is Microsoft Month at Packt Publishing

Apologies to my SQL Server friends for not getting this posted sooner, the SQL Server book specials have expired.  However, there is still time for the SharePoint and Silverlight folks to save on great books from Packt Publishing.

From 9/11 through 9/20, the featured subject is SharePoint.  Take 20% off all print books, and 30% off all e-books.  Included are titles on development, administration and books for end users!

From 9/21 through 9/30, take the same discounts off all Silverlight books.  This includes books on MVVM, Silverlight 5 LOB apps and a Windows Phone 7 Cookbook!

For full details, including all titles, check out http://www.packtpub.com/packt-10-days-of-sql-server-silverlight-sharepoint.

Salesforce Chatter’s Misleading Ad

The ad below has run on the front page of the Wall Street Journal on a number of occasions, and it’s one I find very misleading.  Salesforce compares itself to Lotus Notes and SharePoint, and  undercredits SharePoint’s features.  In my career, I’ve implemented SharePoint 2003 and 2007 from bare metal servers to fully functioning portals, and I’m and end user on our SP 2010 portal.  Here’s where I disagree:

Social Networking

In SharePoint 2007, Microsoft introduced a number of features that we take for granted in today’s social media, most notably friends, likes and alerts.  These features aren’t implemented exactly like Facebook or Twitter, but they have the same result—end users can self-build their social circles and easily stay in touch with the people around them.

Cloud Computing

This is patently false, and has been for several years.  See SharePoint Online at http://www.microsoft.com/online/sharepoint-online.aspx.  Add in the other BPOS offerings, and you have a cloud suite that has been adopted by an impressive customer list.

Mobile

This might be truth-by-degrees.  Notice they don’t list Windows Phone 7?  WP7 and SP 2010 are a pretty good match, and I’ve used my Droid with SP 2010—that could be better.

Development Tools

I doubt Salesforce has a richer development environment than SharePoint.  From building native web parts in Visual Studio, to a market of pre-built web parts, to InfoPath, there are many options to expand SharePoint, all of which leverage existing Microsoft development skills (which is a large pool of talent).

What did Saleforce skip?

When it comes to ads, oftentimes the silence is deafening.  Since it’s their ad, Salesforce doesn’t have an obligation to list areas where they are weak and SP is strong.  I’d include seamless network authentication (meaning users don’t have to remember additional passwords), workflow, and translation services as some big features SharePoint has that Salesforce left off.  And let’s not forget integration with Exchange and SQL Server Reporting Services.  In these features, I think we can assume at least parity between the two, perhaps SharePoint leading.

WP_000033

Lotus Notes, you’re on your own here.  Other than Ray Ozzie being involved, I know very little about the platform.

FAST Search Engine – Where is it now?

Remember FAST search engine?  Maybe this will ring a bell:

FAST Search and Transfer isn't known for stealth technology, but it should be.
Its AllTheWeb.com search engine has snuck up on all of the major search engines
with new features, speed and customization capabilities, and is now a viable
challenger to pack-leader Google.

"There are four new technologies that will drive customers to the site," said
Bob Thomas, spokesperson for FAST. These include dynamic clustering of results,
real-time news search, a "pre-analysis" tool that helps refine search queries,
and enhanced user interface and customization options, according to Thomas.

http://searchenginewatch.com/2158181, Nov 13, 2001

This was written almost 9 years ago, and the 2001 concept of "real time news" seems almost charming with the increase in blogging and creation of Facebook and Twitter since then, but kudos to FAST for innovating on something we all take for granted today.

Reports of FAST challenging Google were rather optimistic, and as we sit here in 2010 we can guess how that worked out for FAST.  But what happened to them?  Well, in 2008, Microsoft consumed FAST and rebranded it Enterprise Search (http://www.microsoft.com/enterprisesearch/en/us/fast-customer.aspx).  Heard of it?  Yeah, me neither.  I'm not even sure I could find it in my MSDN DVDs going back to 2003.

Well, speaking of MSDN, when I logged in to grab Expression 4 (shiny new thing!!), something else was listed in the new downloads: FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint.  Heard of it?  Yeah, me neither.  One thing hasn't changed in 9 years–the stealth aspects.

BTW–AllTheWeb.com still exists, it's a Yahoo! property now.  And, I suspect, still challenging Google. 

Resolution: Can’t Open SharePoint 2007 Document Library in Explorer View with IE8 and Windows 7

After migrating to Windows 7 and IE8, our users were unable to open SharePoint 2007 document libraries in Explorer View.  There was not a problem with Windows XP and IE8.  We found two issuses involved here.

First was Urlscan Filter 3.0 was installed on our server.  The Windows 7/IE8 combination apparently sends header verbs not used by Windows XP/IE8, most of which are disallowed by rule.  If possible, the best thing to do is uninstall Urlscan from your SharePoint server.  In order to utilize Explorer view, you pretty much need to allow all the verbs.  If you need to keep Urlscan installed, you'll need to work through the logs, performing the different oprations in Explorer View, making sure you have all the needed verbs allowed.  We have up after 5 verbs and justuninstalled Urlscan.

The second issue we found is that IE8 on Win7 doesn't actually support Explorer View.  Instead, a Windows Explorer window will open, and you can work with the library that way, but yuo aren't actually in the IE browser.  To me, this is preferable than opening the Explorer View in the browser, as the Windows Explorer is faster and more fluid.

Questions? Comments?  Use the Contact Me form above.  Comments are disabled due to comment spamming scum.

Windows 7 Cannot Save Documents to SharePoint 2007/Windows Server 2008

After we began rolling out Windows 7 at the day job, we found our first issue–when people checked out documents from SharePoint 2007, the documents were opened as "Read Only", and the users could not save the edited document back to the portal.  The work-around was to save the document locally and re-upload.

After four months of working with Microsoft, we were able to find the solution.  The problem was in URLScan, and Windows 7's use of the OPTIONS verb.  By default, this verb is blocked.  If you look in the URLScan logs (by default, %WINDIR%\system32\inetsrv\urlscan\logs), you'll see an entry like the following (important parts are in bold):

2010-03-19 02:12:15 127.0.0.1 778810668 OPTIONS /<document library path>/ Rejected verb+not+allowed HTTP+method – –

All we need to do to fix this problem is edit urlscan.ini by default, (%WINDIR%\system32\inetsrv\urlscan), find the [AllowVerbs] section and add OPTIONS.  Then scroll down a little to the [DenyVerbs] section, and remove OPTIONS from that list.  Do an IISRESET and all is well.

For reference, our server platform is Windows Server 2008/IIS 7/SharePoint 2007, and clients are Windows 7 Professional using IE8.  This issue does not seem to affect Windows XP users with IE 8.

Questions/comments?  Please use the contact form.  Because of jackass comment spammers, I've had to turn off comments for a while.

SmartPart error: sharepoint Request for the permission of type ‘System.Data.SqlClient.SqlClientPermission, System.Data, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089’ failed.

We recently upgradedf from SPS 2003 to MOSS 2007.  In the old portal, I had a couple of user controls running via the SmartPart.  After installing Return of SmartPart and adding the controls, I got an error every time I tried to search.  Way back in the dusty cobwebs, I remember troubleshooting this, and it was a permissions issue.  Checking in the Applications log, I found the following error: "sharepoint Request for the permission of type 'System.Data.SqlClient.SqlClientPermission, System.Data, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089' failed.".

Here's the fix:

Cause: Anything that access database from SP requires at least the WSS_Medium security policy in the web.config file. If you receive a security message from the web part, it's usually the trust element in the web.config file.

  1. Open wss_mediumtrust.config & wss_minimaltrust.config usually (C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\config\) look in your web.config file for the exact path.
  2. Find in wss_mediumtrust.config: <SecurityClass Name="SqlClientPermission" Description="System.Data.SqlClient.SqlClientPermis sion, System.Data, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089"/>
  3. Copy and paste it in to the <SecurityClasses> node of wss_minimaltrust.config.
  4. In the PermissionSet section of this configuration file, add the following: (Find in wss_mediumtrust.config) <IPermission class="SqlClientPermission" version="1" Unrestricted="true"/>.  Copy and paste it in to the a <PermissionSet> node of wss_minimaltrust.config.
  5. Save your wss_minimaltrust.config
  6. Reload your site, and try again

Presto!  Original source is http://objectmix.com/sharepoint/297402-request-permission-type-system-data-sqlclient-sqlclientpermission-system-data-version-2-0-0-0-culture-neutral-publickeytoken-b77a5c561934e089-failed.html.

Pittsburgh Area SharePoint User Group

A SharePoint User Group is coming to the Pittsburgh area:

The Pittsburgh Area SharePoint User Group  is dedicated to
providing educational  and informational resources for Microsoft
SharePoint technologies and related products.  Its purpose is to bring
the local SharePoint community together to network, and to share tips, tricks,
and ideas on SharePoint technologies, as well as to provide a forum for people
involved with SharePoint.  The target audience for this users group
includes developers, designers, administrators, and power users. 

The first meeting of the SharePoint User Group will be held at the end
of April or early May.  To help us define the format, content, and timing
of this meeting, and to be notified of upcoming meetings, please help us by
filling out a brief survey, at
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=495253496362 
This survey, which is being administered by the Pittsburgh Technology Council,
will only take a few minutes to complete, and we hope to have all responses by
March 31st. Your responses will be collected by the Council and kept
completely confidential and, without your permission, no material that
identifies your response will be distributed.

The Pittsburgh area User Groups have proved to be a great source of
information and knowledge for users over the years–and we anticipate that the
SharePoint Users Group will be as equally successful.

Additional comments and concerns are always
welcome.