This is an exam specific scenario as I am preparing for 70-496 exam.
Suppose I have Team project collection and I want to split the collection in two Team projects collection and move few of project to new collection. as per exam video's on microsoftvirtualacademy site, power tools are not recommended.
What can be other possible ways to do this?
I know one way
1)In the TFS Administration Console, create a new empty team project collection.
2)Use the TFS Integration Platform to copy the required team projects to the new team project collection.
but this using power tools.
You can do this by detaching the collection, cloning the database, reattaching as 2 collections, then selectively deleting team projects.
It's all described in this MSDN article: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd936158(v=vs.120).aspx
Related
I have an existing solution under TFVC which needed restructuring and figured this would be an ideal scenario for branch/merge.
My existing solution and projects are in \Main and this is mapped to a workspace Data Warehouse. I branched this to \Restructure and mapped to a new workspace Restructure though when I tried to merge this back I received an error that Main wasn't mapped in my workspace.
Changing my workspace to include Main allows the merge process to continue but when looking in Team Explorer I have duplicate solutions and other than the tooltip showing the path there is no visual indication what branch they are in and it looks to be very easy to work on the wrong one.
I'm not clear on how I should be configuring workspaces to work with branches/merges and how Visual Studio 2017 Team Explorer represents multiple branches in a workspace.
Found this blog post answered my question:
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/phkelley/2013/05/30/using-multiple-workspaces-with-visual-studio/
Performing integrations
Some customers have mentioned that the reason they map all their
branches in the same workspace is to perform integrations (merges)
from branch to branch. You can still merge when using multiple
workspaces described above. You always want to be performing the merge
in the target branch – if I’m integrating from Development to Main,
then the workspace selected should be PHKELLEY-DEV_Main, since that’s
where changes are being pended and that’s the branch to be modified
with a check-in. The source branch doesn’t have to be mapped in the
same workspace (or mapped at all!).
When creating a new build definition, we have the Process section as below snapshot where the items in the list is untouchable - i.e. I don't know how to refresh and/or clear that list and add new ones (by hitting New button next to it).
If you know how to, please share.
ps.
A google for this question comes up with this discussion; and it seems the cache folder might relate to this issue.
Similar solution here can be applied to this question.
Use the below script to delete the registed build process template in TFS database:
use Tfs_YourTeamCollectionName;
delete from tbl_BuildProcessTemplate where ProcessTemplateID = 'Your ProcessTemplateID';
Create/Edit new build definition again.
The database name is your TFS team collection name e.g. Tfs_YourTeamCollection in the backend SQL Server of your TFS server.
I'm using TFS 2012.
Hope it helps!
I am working on a SP2013 project for a customer, and I need to set up a working environment for development, testing and production. Let's assume for the sake of simplicity that the work consists only of various customizations (lists, libraries, apps, themes etc.) and no code.
My setup is as follows:
The production environment is on some servers on the customer site
The test environment is set up in Azure
The development environment is on a virtual machine on my PC
Now, let's assume everything is set up correctly on each environment, and I want to be able to support the following tasks:
I do customizations on my dev environment, and want to deploy this in test for others to test, prefereably with existing data
After testing and QA, I want to deploy from test to production. This must of course only affect customizations, not existing data
Every now and then I would like to take a snapshot of the production environment and move it to test, so that the deployment of a new feature from development can be done as realistic as possible
I want to perform these tasks as smoothly and efficiently as possible, especially when deploying from dev to test which is done often. Deploying from test to production will not be done that often, and hence some more manual work will be tolerated.
I know of a few mechanisms that might be relevant:
Content deployment
Cross site publishing
Content database backup/restore
Save site as template, export wsp and import
(Last resort) Manually set up each customization by hand
Could some of you experienced SharePoint devs/admins make some recommendations as to which mechanism to use in which situation, when to not use it etc.? Are there other methods that should be mentioned? Remember that the three environments reside in separated physical environments, which will probably make a fully automated solution difficult. Would it make it easier if I set up the test environment on the customer site (i.e. part of the same farm)?
Another option depending on your specific customisations might be a third party tool. There are a number of them out there. ShareGate is one I have personally been using for migration work and seems very simple and effective for moving content around quickly between environments. Attunity Repliweb for SharePoint is another that might be worth looking at for the sort of development specific release work that you require.
As for native options, I am still finding my way as well but here are my suggestions :
Where possible I have used Visual Studio to create solution packages containing features to deploy pieces of functionality. A branding solution package for example might include several features that deploy your custom master pages, theme / look files, common JavaScript libraries and images.
Feature deployment makes it easy for you to deploy or remove functionality between environments and to reuse functionality between sites. Additionally you can add your Visual Studio solutions to a source control system such as VS Online or GitHub.
For one off sites I have created a dev site, configured it then used the built in SharePoint backup and restore to deploy it to prod. Subsequent changes have been created in dev and then manually applied to test and prod. Depending on the customisations this has been quite time consuming. You might combine this with a tool such as ShareGate to automate the deployment of individual artifacts such as a customized list from one environment to another.
For moving content around I have been using a combination of ShareGate for things such as documents alongside Boost Solutions Excel Import for handling list data. This allows me to export large amounts of list data to excel and easily reimport it into a new list which might be a copy that I have added new functionality to in preparation for replacing the old prod list or perhaps dev / test lists that I am populating before doing a full site backup to restore to production.
Good luck and hopefully some of these suggestions are useful to you ! I will be following this question as I am also interested to hear of better methods / habits for managing the SharePoint development cycle.
I finished setting up a development environment for a SharePoint 2013 production environment that I maintain. The last step was to move my production content to my development environment. I had to dig around a bit to find the PowerShell etc. Rather than go through that again next time, I decided to write a blog about it, so that I’d have all the steps in one place.
The first step is to back up the content database that you want to restore to development. To do this open up SQL Server Management Studio, right-click on the database you want to back up, hover over tasks, and select backup. You will be presented with the Back Up Database window. Make sure that your backup type is set to full, give the backup a name or stick with the default, and note or change the destination.
You can skip these steps if you have scheduled backups running and are able to access the backup drive. In that case just go grab a copy of the most recent full backup and copy it to your development SQL Server.
The next step is to restore the database to development. To do this open up SQL Server Management Studio in your development environment, right-click on the Databases folder, and select Restore Database. When presented with the Restore Database window, click on the Device Radio Button and click the ellipsis next to the text box. This will bring up the Select backup devices window. From there click Add, locate your backup file and click OK, click OK again to be returned to the Restore Database Window, and finally from there click OK. Now your database has been restored, and you are ready to add it to SharePoint.
If you don’t already have one with content in it that you don’t care about in it, create a new Web Application…
https://sharepointv15.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/create-a-web-application-in-sharepoint-2013/
Don’t worry about creating a site collection.
Now go to Central Admin and click on Manage content databases under Application Management.
rsd1
Make sure that the correct Web Application is selected. If it is not click on the drop down arrow next to the Web Application name, click change web application and select the correct Web Application in the window that you are presented with.
rsd2
Next click on the Content Database name
On the Manage Content Database Settings screen scroll down, click on the Remove Content Database check box, click OK on the warning pop up and click OK at the bottom of the screen.
rsd3
Now you’ll need to open up the SharePoint 2013 Management Shell as an administrator. To do this click on your start menu, click all programs, click on the Sharepoint 2013 folder, right-click the SharePoint 2013 Management Shell and select Run as Administrator.
From here you will run the Mount-SPContentDatabase cmdlet
Mount-SPContentDatabase “MyDatabase” -DatabaseServer “MyServer” -WebApplication http://sitename
Click below for details on this cmdlt…
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff607581.aspx
At this point you should be able to navigate to the web application URL and see the Site Collection that lives in the database you just mounted.
Note: This will work in SharePoint 2010 or SharePoint 2013. However, the database must be the same version of SharePoint that the farm you are trying to mount to is. If it is a lower version it will automatically try to upgrade it, so keep that in mind.
follow the below link.
https://sharepointv15.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/moving-content-between-environments/
I am working on a copy of a SharePoint 2007 site for a client.
I would like to be able to automate as much of the update process as I can with minimal disruption to the client's system when the updates are ready for production.
To that effect, I was wondering if anyone knows how to automate creating a SharePoint workflow (created using SPD 2007) in another SharePoint server/site.
Perhaps I haven't searched enough yet, but I have not discovered if there is a way to do this with web services, which I believe would be my preference.
I do not believe I have the ability to use STSadm on this, as the hosting for the SharePoint site is separate.
I think I can export the workflows in a personal web package and I'll admit, I haven't experimented with this yet on workflows, but my current experience with other exports, such as lists, is that guids seem to get messed up between sites. Even if this is not an issue, I'm not sure if there is a way of automating the import process (without STSadm).
I'm hoping not to have to work through a long list of manual procedures (that could accidentally get missed) when implementing these changes on the target production site.
My preference is to be able to create some sort of update batch or application that will make the changes quickly and that I can test before implementing on the production system.
This entails quite a few things, but for now, I'd like to focus on getting workflows into the target system.
Any suggestions on where to get started would be welcome.
SharePoint Designer workflows are not portable between sites. (Reference) 1
For your situation, I would recommend taking the Visual Studio workflow route. Take a look at this tutorial: How to Create Custom SharePoint Workflows in Visual Studio 2008. The key for you is how you will associate it to lists.
The other option is to create a custom Workflow Activity (2007 has less options that 2010). You will still have to create the workflow using SharePoint Designer and add your custom activity to it in each site.
1. Yes, there is the "hack way" of trying to do it by copying the XML and changing the GUIDs... but it is error prone and difficult.
SharePoint 2010 gives more flexibility for workflows and thus the first #Kit Menke statement isn't true for readers using SP2010 (i see that this is tagged as sharepoint2007, but i'm making it clear for readers using SP2010)
However, if you publish a workflow template to a SharePoint site
collection, you can download that template as a WSP file and then
deploy it to other site collections.
Read more about Workflow deployment process (SharePoint Foundation 2010)
I'm attempting to get an understanding of what is a best practice / recommended setup for moving information between multiple Sitecore installations. I have a copy of Sitecore setup on my machine for development. We need a copy of the system setup for demonstration to the client and for people to enter in content prelaunch. How should I set things up so I people can enter content / modify the demonstration version of the site and still allow me to continue development on my local machine and publish my updates without overwriting changes between the systems? Or is this not the correct approach for me to be taking?
I believe that the 'publishing target' feature is what I need to use, but as this is my first project working with Sitecore and so I am looking for practical experience on how to manage this workflow.
Nathan,
You didn't specify what version of Sitecore, but I will assume 6.01+
Leveraging publishing targets will allow you to 'publish' your development Sitecore tree (or sub-trees) from your development environment to the destination, such as your QA server. However, there is potential that you publish /sitecore/content/home/* and then you wipe out your production content!
Mark mentioned using "Sitecore Packages" to move your content (as well as templates, layout items, etc...) over, which is the traditional way of moving items between environments. Also, you didn't specify what version of Sitecore you are using, but the Staging Module is not needed for Sitecore 6.3+. The Staging Module was generally used to keep file systems in sync and to clear the cache of Content Delivery servers.
However, the one piece of the puzzle that is missing here is that, you will still need to update your code (.jpg, .css, .js, .dll, .etc) on the QA box.
The optimal solution would be to have your Sitecore items (templates, layout item, rendering items, and developer owned content items) in Source control right alongside your ASP.NET Web Application and any class library projects you may have. At a basic level, you can do this using built in "Serialization" features of Sitecore. Lars Nielsen wrote an article touching on this.
To take this to the next level, you would use a tool such as Team Development for Sitecore. This tool will allow you to easily bring your Sitecore items into Visual Studio and treat them as code. At this point you could setup automated builds, or continuous integration, so that your code and Sitecore items, are automatically pushed to your QA environment. There are also configuration options to handle the scenario of keeping production content in place while still deploying developer owned items.
I recommend you looks at the staging module if you need to publish to multiple targets from the same instance, i.e. publish content from one tree over a firewall to a development site, to a QA site, etc.
If you're just migrating content from one instance to another piecemeal, you can use Sitecore packages which are standard tools to move content. The packages serialize the content to XML and zip it up and allow you to install them in other instances.