SharePoint 2013

How to Use the 'Open with Explorer' Feature in SharePoint 2013

2013-06-17T17:00:00Z

Prefer to view the contents of your SharePoint document libraries in a browser window? With the Open with Explorer option for SharePoint, you can do just that. In the Document Library List, Microsoft has added the feature which allows you to browse the content of a document library and manage folders and files in Windows Explorer. In this article, I will introduce you to the Open with Explorer feature.

Open a Document Library in Windows Explorer:

In the Document Library, select the DOCUMENT tab on the Ribbon, and click Open with Explorer:

This will open the Document Library in a Windows Explorer browser window:

Using a Document Library in Windows Explorer:

After opening the Document Library in Windows Explorer, we can drag and drop files to the library, as well as add and/or remove folders from the library, all in Windows.

Add a File:

Add a Folder:

Go to the Document Library and refresh the data:

Before refreshing:

After refreshing:

How to Create Site Content Types for a Library Document List in SharePoint 2013

2013-06-14T17:00:00Z

With a Library Document List, when you create a new document, by default the Content Type will always be labeled as "Document," regardless of what format the uploaded file actually is (i.e., Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.).

If you prefer to have the option of specifying the particular Content Type for files you add (to be labeled accordingly), you can accomplish this with a couple of simple steps and configuration.

To begin, go to Site Settings. Under Web Designer Galleries, click on Site Content Types:

Click the Create button on the top left:

Fill out details for the fields as pictured below, including Name, Parent Content Type From, Parent Content Type, and Existing Group:

After clicking the OK button, you will be taken to a menu as shown below. Under the Settings headline, select Advanced Settings:

Click OK:

Go to the Library Settings icon on the Ribbon and select Advanced Settings:

Under Allow Management of Content Types?, select the Yes radio button:

Click on Add from existing site content types:

Select the Site Content Types name which were created above:

Click Save.

When you create a new Document, you now have the option of selecting and assigning a distinct Content Type to your uploaded document.

How to Use the Note Board Web Part in SharePoint 2013

2013-05-31T17:00:00Z

Need to have a quick exchange with friends and co-workers but don't want to start a formal discussion board list? With the Note Board Web Part for SharePoint 2013, you can quickly and easily post notes to your SharePoint site. In this post, we'll walk you through how to add the Note Board Web Part to your SharePoint environment, as well as how to manage and post notes.

Add "Note Board Web Part" to your site:

On the Edit Page, select the Insert Web Part tab. From there, select Social Collaboration from Categories, and then Note Board from the Parts list:

Upon completing the steps above, you should see the following:

Manage your Note Board and post notes:

To post a note to your Note Board, simply input text into the text box. Once completed, click Post and the note will be published.
Please note that, as the author of a post, you are able to both edit as well as delete posts that you have made.

Additionally, a user with Full Control permission on a site can delete their own posts, as well as posts by other users which have been posted to the Note Board.

Lastly, a user with Design permission cannot delete posts by other users to the Note Board.

Set posting limits for your Note Board:

To begin, go to the Tool Panel and click Modify Web Part. From here, you are able to adjust the settings for your Note Board, including its layout and note count:

After you have configured your settings for posting set limits, you can click on Previous and Next to navigate through the different pages on your Note Board.

Want to know more about out-of-the-box Web Parts available for SharePoint 2013? Check out the complete series via the links below:

How to Use HTML Field Security and Insert Iframes into SharePoint 2013 Sites

2013-05-22T17:30:00Z

One of the best things about SharePoint 2013 is the new and improved Web Content Management (WCM) tools. One of these new tools, HTML Field Security, allows you to insert an iframe tag into a site page as well as control the source of its content. In this article, we will introduce you to the HTML Field Security feature, as well as walk you through some of its common functionalities.

Set available iframe source(s):

To begin, log into SharePoint 2013. Click the Page tab from the Ribbon. From there, click on the Settings icon at the upper right and select Site settings. Under Site Collection Administration select the HTML Field Security link:

Once you have reached the HTML Field Security page, you will have three options (below). Select the option which is applicable to your organization's policies and procedures and click OK.

1. Do not permit contributors to insert iframes from external domains into pages on this site.

2. Permit contributors to insert iframes from any external domain into pages on this site.

3. Permit contributors to insert iframes from the following list of external domains into pages on this site.

Add an iframe to your page:

In order to add an iframe to a page, click on the Settings icon and select Edit Page:

On the Edit Page Ribbon, select Edit Source:

If you selected Option #1 (Do not permit contributors to insert iframes from external domains into pages on this site):

A popup page will appear to which you can enter your iframe. For this example, we will try inserting an iframe from Youtube, as pictured below:

Click the OK button. You will notice that an announcement has appeared, informing you that you cannot insert the iframe on the page:

When you go back to Edit Source, you will notice that your iframe has not been inserted. Additionally, you will see a popup informing you of this.

If you selected Option #2 (Permit contributors to insert iframes from any external domain into pages on this site):

Follow the instructions above for Option #1. Since you are permitted with Option #2 to insert iframes from any external domain, rather than a warning message, you will see the iframe on your Site page.

If you selected Option #3 (Permit contributors to insert iframes from the following list of external domains into pages on this site):

Option #3, though similar to Option #2, has a caveat: you can only insert iframes from a pre-qualified list of external domains:

To insert iframes onto the page, click Edit Source as you did above in Option #1, and embed the code for the iframe you will be adding. For this example, we are using the following code:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VL0sD0Iyjzo" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Click OK:

Click the Save button on the right corner of your site. Your video will be pictured on your site as shown below:

How to Arrange the Order of Sites on the Top Link Bar in SharePoint 2013

2013-05-21T17:30:00Z

While I love that I can have so many sites in SharePoint 2013, having to manage and keep them all organized can definitely become a daunting task. To help alleviate headaches, SharePoint allows you to quickly and easily arrange the order of the sites on the top link bar. In this article, we'll walk you through two different ways to sort the order of the sites:

Method #1:

After you log into SharePoint 2013, select the site whose order you intend to arrange on the Top Link Bar. Click the Edit Links button located on the right side of the Top Link Bar:

In this example, we will be changing the order of the DemoLink Site link and putting it in a new position. To do this, simply drag and drop the DemoLink Site link to the desired position on the Top Link Bar:

After you have dragged and dropped the link to its new position, click the Save button to update the order of your links and save the new positioning:

Your newly ordered links will now appear on your Site homepage as shown:

Method #2:

On your site, click on the Settings icon and choose Site Settings:

Under the Look and Feel section, select the Top link Bar link:

On the Top link bar page, select the Change Order link:

On the Change Order page, input the order for each link you would like to change. In this example, I selected DemoLink to reside in the first position. Click OK:

You newly ordered links will now appear on your Site homepage as shown:

How to Use the Script Editor Web Part in SharePoint 2013

2013-05-20T17:30:00Z

Looking to add HTML and/or JavaScript to your SharePoint site? Don't worry, Microsoft has got you covered! With the Script Editor Web Part in SharePoint 2013, you can do just that. In this article, we'll show you how to install the Script Editor Web Part as well as introduce some of its key functionalities.

Adding the Script Editor Web Part to Your Site:

Log into SharePoint 2013 and click the Page tab from the Ribbon. From here, click on the Setting icon on the upper right and select Edit Page:

On the Edit page, select the Insert Web Part tab from the Ribbon. From the Categories menu, select Media and Content and then Script Editor from the Parts menu:

Click on the Add button at the bottom of the page to install the Web Part.

Embedding Code to Your Site:

Once the Web Part has been successfully installed on your page, you will see a hyperlink button under the Script Editor labeled EDIT SNIPPET. Click the EDIT SNIPPET link to insert HTML/Script code:

In this example, I will insert an image, button, and alert a string as pictured below:

After you have inputted the appropriate code in the Embed dialog box, click Insert to save the HTML/Script.
Click the Save button on the right corner of your site:

Once you have successfully completed the embed, you will see the results of your code displayed on your site, similar to the following:

Want to know more about out-of-the-box web parts available for SharePoint 2013? Check out the complete series via the links below:

How to Import Data from SQL Server to SharePoint 2013 Using List Bulk Import 3.0 for SharePoint 2013

2013-05-20T13:30:00Z

List Bulk Import not only lets users migrate documents, pictures, and list data into SharePoint from a broad range of sources; it also allows users to store import job configuration information to a template file for common imports and scheduled imports. In this article, we will demonstrate how to import data from a SQL Server into a SharePoint Site.

Verify Source Data

List Bulk Import supports SQL Server 2005; SQL Server 2008; and SQL Server 2012 tables and views through ODBC connection. Additionally, List Bulk Import has been certified to support the following attribute types:

Char	Vchar	Ntext	Date
Datetime	Decimal	Real	Float

To prepare for your import, you will need to create an ODBC connection on your computer. Here are the basic steps:

Go to Start then click Administrative Tools then click Data Sources (ODBC):

In the tab User DSN, click the Add button:

Select SQL Server then click Finish:

Enter a Name and Description to describe the ODBC connection. In the Server field, enter the name (or IP Address) of your SQL Server. Click Next. Please note that if the Name Instance of your SQL Server is not default, you will need to include the proper instance name, for example [ServerName]\[InstanceName]:

Select the method which you want to use to authenticate to your SQL Server and click Next:

In the Change the default database to box, select the database where your source data resides. Leave the other settings as they appear by default and click Next:

Leave the settings on this screen as they appear by default and click Finish:

Next, select Test Data Source to confirm that your computer can successfully connect to your SQL Server:

If there is a successful connection, you will see the text TEST COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY:

Creating an import job in List Bulk Import

After successfully connecting to your target site, select Create Import Job from the main landing screen. In Location of Source Data, select the SQL Server (ODBC Driver) option. A new drop-down menu will appear; locate the ODBC data source you created in the steps above and select Next:

In the Source Information tab, all Tables and Views found in the connected SQL Server database will be listed. Select the appropriate Table or View which you intend to import:

As with all Bamboo products, we invite you to download a 30-day free trial of List Bulk Import. As always, our product enhancements are driven by listening to our loyal customers, and we welcome you feedback in the List Bulk Import forum.

For more how-tos, use cases, helpful hints, and best practices for List Bulk Import 3.0 for SharePoint 2013, check out our entire series:

How to Use Microblogging in SharePoint 2013

2013-05-17T17:30:00Z

To begin, what exactly is microblogging? Often too long to be a tweet, but too short to be a traditional blog, a microblog is abbreviated content which, according to Microsoft, "allow users to quickly broadcast information to a central location while enabling other users to create a public dialog by responding with comments. Important information and news can be shared quickly among peers while keeping conversations in context." New to SharePoint 2013, Microsoft has added this powerful, much anticipated social networking function to out-of-the-box SharePoint. In addition to being able to post microblogs, Microsoft has also introduced a new feature which allows you to catch up with other users via a public dialog. In this post, we'll show you how to setup your microblog as well as introduce some of its key functionalities.

Add the Microblogging Web Part to Your Site:

On the Edit page, select the Insert Web Part tab from the Ribbon. From the Categories menu, select Social Collaboration and then Site Feed from the Parts menu:

Once installed, you should see something similar to the screen shot below:

Invite Others to Your Newsfeed:

Under your News Feed, click the Invite button. A dialog box will appear, prompting you to add other users:

Once you have entered in the names of the users with whom you would like to share your site, click on Share.

Post Content to Your Microblog:

On your microblog, you have the ability to post both text as well as images. To post content, simply do the following:

Input selected text and/or image into the content dialog block:

Once finished, click the POST button at the bottom:

After you have clicked POST, your content will become "live" and available for viewing by other users:

Where is my microblogged content stored?

Once you have added the Site Feed Web Part, you will see that a new List named MicroFeed has been created. This list contains all of the content and data which you have added to your microblog:

By clicking on the MicroFeed list, you'll see an item that resembles a folder with the title Guild ID of the Site Feed Web Part:

By clicking on the item under Title, the content and data which you have added to your microblog will be displayed:

Please note: In a given site, we are able to add numerous Site Feed Web Parts; however, we are only able to see one Site Feed Web Part and have one MicroFeed List.

Want to know more about out-of-the-box web parts available for SharePoint 2013? Check out the complete series via the links below:

How to Import an Excel File into a Tasks List using List Bulk Import 3.0 for SharePoint 2013

2013-05-17T13:30:00Z

With its user-friendly interface, List Bulk Import allows users to easily migrate documents, pictures, and list data into SharePoint from a broad range of sources. These sources include:

Excel files
- Windows (32-bit) - Excel 2003, Excel 2007 and Excel 2010 (32-bit only)
- Windows (64-bit) - Excel 2010 (64-bit only)
Text Delimited files
Comma Delimited files
SQL Server (2005, 2008 and 2012) Table or View
Existing SharePoint List or Library (2007, 2010, 2013, and SharePoint Online)

In this article, we will demonstrate how to import an Excel file into a Tasks List. Please note that the steps listed below can be applied to importing any of the sources listed above.

To start, we will use the following Excel file which contains 7 columns:

Some helpful tips before you begin your import: Here are some special cases regarding importing columns from Excel to particular data types in SharePoint:

Multiple Lines of Text (Rich and Enhanced): Importing basic rich formatting (bold, italic, underline, bullets) is supported. Attempting to import other formatting will result in an error.
Number (Percent): Excel column has to be formatted as either Number or General. List Bulk Import does not support source columns formatted as percent.
Choice, People & Group, and Lookup:
- If you want a source row in Excel to store multiple values, separate each value with a semi-colon (;), for example A;B:C will be read by List Bulk Import as three separate values.
- During configuration of the import, you will map each UNIQUE value in the Excel Source column to an available target column value. As a result, the Excel values do not require a direct update prior to importing.
Date and Time columns: List Bulk Import supports the following date formats (NOTE: time value is not supported)
- MM/DD/YYYY
- Month DD, YYYY
Hyperlink: Only supports importing the URL (Including the description will fail).
Picture: Only supports importing the URL (Including the description will fail).
Attachments: List Bulk Import supports uploading attachments to list items. Create a column (in our example, "Path") that provides the location of the attachment file.

How to import an Excel file into a Tasks List:

Upon opening List Bulk Import, you will be asked to initially configure the target SharePoint Site. This is where you will enter the URL to your on-premises SharePoint site, or SharePoint Online site. Please note that List Bulk Import expects a Site URL. For example, if you were to access your SharePoint Online site, the browser might display https://HostName.onmicrosoft.com/site/default.aspx. You will want to enter https://HostName.onmicrosoft.com/site in the target site URL field.

Also, please be aware that if your target SharePoint site is SharePoint Online, List Bulk Import only supports the accounts provided by SharePoint Online. If your company has implemented a custom authentication provider using CBA, at the present time, it will NOT be supported.

After you have successfully logged in, you will be presented with a landing screen displaying several options. For this how-to, we will be using the Create Import Job option. This mode can also be accessed by going to the Import Tools menu:

As mentioned earlier, List Bulk Import supports a variety of data sources. In this example, we are importing an Excel file, so we will be selecting the first option Excel or delimited text file:

In the next step, there are two different actions that need to be completed: the Selection of Source file and the Selection of Target (destination) List:

In the Source Information tab, browse to the Excel file which you intend to import. Depending on the file type you select (.txt, .csv, .xls/xlsx) the import file information section changes.

CSV - Since CSV is a comma delimited file, the "Field Separator" drop-down is locked to Comma (,). Next, select the "Field Data Delimiter, which will be used to specify the value for each column (especially useful if your value potentially contains a comma).
TXT - Both Field Separator and Field Data Delimiter are available as choices.

In the case of Excel files, the first option is to select the Worksheet you want to import from the Excel workbook. Next, select if the first row is column headers or actual values.

List Bulk Import anticipates individual items being imported to be in a left-to-right format. If you are importing a financial data sheet, it's possible that your data is in a top-down format. To resolve this, check the box marked Transpose selected Excel Sheet. This will display two additional settings:

Starting Cell - The upper left-most cell you want to import in the source.
Ending Cell - The lower right-most cell you want to import in the source.

Enabling this option and defining the Starting and Ending Cells will cause List Bulk Import to rotate the selected data range so the data reads left-to-right versus of top down:

After selecting the Source Information, select Target Information. Here you will select the List or Library you want to import your data to.

Please note that if you create the List or Library AFTER connecting to the target SharePoint Site, it will not be displayed in the drop-down. You must go to the File menu and select Reset Connection.

The next step is the mapping of the Target and Source columns. List Bulk Import will attempt to automatically map the Source and Target columns based on the display name in the Source and Target. Please be aware that in order to successfully automatically map the Source and Target columns in List Bulk Import, the columns' display names must match AND the columns must be in the same order.

By default, all target columns are automatically selected. If you prefer to only update a small set of columns, simply select None from the drop-down menu, or set the Source Column drop-down to None. Please note that if the Target column displays an asterisk (*), this means that it is a required field and, if selected, a Source column has to be selected as well. Optionally, you can map the same source column to multiple target columns.

To quickly start over, you can select Clear at the top of Target Columns or Source Columns to reset all drop-down menus to None. Upon doing so, the button text will switch to Default which will again automatically associate columns.

The final icon (which is greyed out at this time) is a folder icon where you are able to select which root folder to import into. This is only available for Document Libraries and disabled if the Target is a SharePoint List:

The next screen will be a listing of mapped target columns which have the following data types:

Choice
Lookup
Person or Group
Yes/No

This step allows you to map the unique values from the source data to the available values in the target list column. To define the mapping of values, select Edit Mapping:

A new window will appear with two list boxes:

Target List Values contains a list of available values found in the Target List or library.
Mapped Values contains two columns: Source Column - a listing of UNIQUE values found in the source - and Target Column, which will initially appear blank until you map a Target column value to the source value.

If the Source and Target columns contain values with the same display name, you can optionally click Auto Map and the mapping will automatically occur for all values that match. If the values do not have the same display name, select your target and one or more source values and click Map.

Once completed, you can either click Next to move to the next column for mapping, or Close to return to the main page:

The next step defines how to source values that match the existing data in the Target List. Since SharePoint columns do not by default enforce unique values (Note: If you are running SharePoint 2010 or SharePoint 2013 and have that option enabled, you ARE able to enforce unique values), we allow the user to define which columns must match for a record to be considered a duplication. Next, you will define what happens if the Source record matches a target list item, by skipping the record, or updating the record with the values stored in the source. If you select to update the SharePoint List item, a subsequent option will be available to run Bamboo cleanup. It is part of SharePoint architecture to store changes to the recycle bin as a backup. If you do not want to store the original records, select the checkbox and List Bulk Import will cleanup the recycle bin when completed:

The final screen provides a summary of the import. In this screen, you can:

Empty Target before import - This will clear all items from the selected target list or library before the import starts.
Save Import Template - This will save the import configuration to a tempalte file for future one-time imports or recurring, scheduled imports.
[Run] Import - This will execute a one-time import.

Once completed, select View Log to see the details of your import, including successes and failures:

For more how-tos, use cases, helpful hints, and best practices for List Bulk Import 3.0 for SharePoint 2013, check out our entire series:

How to Create Scheduled Imports from List Bulk Import 3.0 for SharePoint 2013

2013-05-16T13:30:00Z

List Bulk Import not only lets users migrate documents, pictures, and list data into SharePoint from a broad range of sources; it also allows users to create scheduled, routine imports. This is extremely helpful as oftentimes, the source of your import is not just a static, one-time import, but a dynamic, living document that updates on a regular basis. To assist in keeping SharePoint up-to-date, List Bulk Import provides the ability to automatically import a source to the specified target in the background without requiring user intervention.

The process to accomplish a scheduled, unattended routine import is divided into two main parts:

1. Create a template file that defines the source and the target

2. Create a Windows Scheduled Task

Part One: Create a template file

To begin, we will first demonstrate how to create a template file by importing an Excel file to a SharePoint site:

Step 1: Open List Bulk Import and connect to the Target SharePoint site:

Enter Target Site URL
Select SharePoint version
Enter account name and password

Step 2: Select either the Create Import Job menu or the Create Import Job hyperlink (it will have the same effect no matter which one you choose):

Step 3: Select the Excel or delimited text file (txt, csv or xls/xlsx) radio button:

Step 4: Select the Excel file which contains the data which you intend to import:

Step 5: Select a Target List on your SharePoint Site:

Step 6: Map the columns between Source columns and Target columns:

Step 7: Click Edit Mapping if you want to map the values for them:

From here, you're able to easily map or unmap values to the Source Column and Target Column:

Step 8: If desired, review the record and check for any duplicates:

Step 9: Provide a File Name for the template file and click the Save button to save this import configuration as a template file. When saving, you are given the following two options:

Save to Application Path - By default, the template file is saved in C:\Program Files\Bamboo Solutions Corporation\Bamboo Bulk Import Application (x64)
Save to Custom Path - You can browse to any location on your computer

Step 10: You can test your import by clicking the Import button. This will run a manual import based on the previous steps:

Step 11: Once the import has completed, click the View Log button to view the results of your import:

Once completed and verified, you can go to the SharePoint target list to see the result of your import:

Create a Windows Scheduled Task

With its latest release, List Bulk Import provides a more streamlined process for creating a new Windows Scheduled Task.

Step 1: Go to the Import Scheduler menu and select Schedule a New Import:

Step 2: Complete the form to create a new, unattended import:

Select the Search button next to the Import Template field to select the Template file we created in the previous section.
Enter the Task Name. This will be used for the name of the Windows Schedule Task when you need to modify or delete the task.
Enter a Description. This is also used for the description of the Windows Scheduled Task.
Select the frequency and timing for when the task should run.

Select Apply and List Bulk Import will create the new Windows Scheduled Task.

Modify or Delete a Scheduled Import:

To modify or delete the scheduled task, go to the Import Scheduler menu and select Modify Scheduled Import:

You will see the following information window:

Select OK to open the Windows Task Scheduler:

Select the Task Scheduler Library node and locate the scheduled task that you want to modify. Double click on the task's name:

It is recommended that you only modify the Triggers tab, as the other tabs have been optimized for List Bulk Import to function properly.

To review the resulting automated imports, open List Bulk Import, select File and then View Log Files:

Select the Search icon. This will open the Log folder. Locate the appropriate log file and open it. This will display Success and Failure information pertaining to the import session:

For more how-tos, use cases, helpful hints, and best practices for List Bulk Import 3.0 for SharePoint 2013, check out our entire series:

Easily Migrate Documents, Pictures, & List Data into SharePoint from Multiple Sources with List Bulk Import 3.0 for SharePoint 2013

2013-05-15T13:30:00Z

Now available for SharePoint 2013, List Bulk Import 3.0 allows users to quickly import and share large volumes of documents and data in SharePoint from legacy databases, spreadsheets, network file directories or SharePoint Lists. By allowing users to access their existing data from SharePoint soon after implementation, end users are able to get up and running quickly and easily. With List Bulk Import, you're free to focus on configuring the best way to use SharePoint for your business rather than spending valuable time and resources worrying about migrating your existing data.

With its friendly user interface, List Bulk Import allows users to easily migrate documents, pictures, and list data into SharePoint from a multitude of sources, including:

Legacy databases;
Microsoft Excel;
SharePoint to SharePoint Server;
Office 365;
Claims-based and Forms-based Authentication environments; and
Any SharePoint document management application with large volumes of data and/or documents that need to be widely accessed.

With List Bulk Import 3.0, you can easily retain valuable index information when importing to SharePoint, thus eliminating the need for tedious data re-entry. As an added bonus, the import program has the option of running in the background, allowing users to continue to work while the application uploads documents and data to SharePoint.

For our latest release, we've made List Bulk Import even more robust by extending the list of supported authentication types. We now support:

SharePoint 2007
- Windows
- Forms (Forms-based Authentication)
SharePoint 2010
- Windows (Classic Mode)
- Windows (Claims-based)
- Forms-based Authentication
SharePoint 2013
- Windows (Classic Mode)
- Windows (Claims-based)
- Forms-based Authentication
SharePoint Online (Office 365)

For more how-tos, use cases, helpful hints, and best practices for List Bulk Import 3.0 for SharePoint 2013, check out our entire series:

How to Migrate a Bamboo Workflow Conductor Database from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013

2013-05-13T20:11:00Z

As you know, data migration is one of the best known and swiftest methods for both transferring data from one computer system to another, as well as upgrading to a new system. To save time and headaches, it is not necessary to recreate data, but rather, create a workflow to automate the process for you.

In this article, we will walk through the steps needed to back-up a database from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013.

Step 1: On your SharePoint 2010 server, back-up the Web Application and Workflow Conductor databases.

To back-up your Workflow Conductor database, select the database -> Tasks -> Back-Up:

To back-up the Web Application database where you created the workflow data, select the database -> Tasks -> Back-Up:

Step 2: On your SharePoint 2013 server, create a temp database (we used the filename "dbtemp" in this example) to restore a Web application database to the temp database.

To create a new temp database, click on Database -> select New Database -> input a name for the database -> click OK:

Next, you will need to restore the Web application database from SharePoint 2010 that you backed up in Step 1 to the temp database you just created. To do this, select your temp database -> Tasks -> Restore -> Database:

After you have selected Database, you will be prompted to Specify the source and location of backup sets to restore. Check the button marked Device and click on the ... button to specify the location of the backup sets:

Browse to the Web application database and click OK:

After you have selected your Web application database, you will be prompted with a list of options. Select Overwrite the existing database:

Step 3: Add the content temp database that you want to restore to the new Web application database on SharePoint 2013

Please be aware that before you add content from the temp database to the new Web application database, you should remove its associated content database:

To do this, you will need to click on the database name and check the Remove Conetent database option.

After this has been done, you will need to open the command line and run as Administrator permission:

For this step, use the command: stsadm -o addcontentdb -url http://hieno15sql -databasename dbtemp

For the example above, I added the content database named "dbtemp" to the Web application named "hieno15sql"

Once completed, you can check to see if the dbtemp database was successfully added to the new Web application:

Step 4: Restore Workflow Conductor database

In your Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio, right-click on Databases -> select New Database and browse to your Workflow Conductor database:

Step 5: Site Collection upgrade

After you have completed restoring your database, by default, the user interface (UI) of the new Web application will still have the SharePoint 2010 UI template. As a result, you will need to go to Site Collection Administration and upgrade to the 2013 SharePoint UI template. To do this, select Site Collection Upgrade:

After you have successfully completed your upgrade, you will need to reset IIS, clear your cache, and login to the Web application Upon doing so, you will see that your site collection has the 2013 SharePoint UI template.

To handle the Workflow Conductor templates running on SharePoint 2013, you will need to go to Site Settings -> Site Collection Features. From there, locate Upgrade 2010 Bamboo Workflow Conductor workflows to 2013 and click the Activate button to convert 2010 Workflow Conductor to 2013 Workflow Conductor:

As a note, you can find the upgrade link in the Site Collection Administration area:

You are now able to work with Workflow Conductor in the SharePoint 2013 environment!

Please note the following:

At step 5, after upgrading to the SharePoint 2013 UI, you will not have access to the new site with accounts added into the site from SharePoint 2010. You should use command line below to fix this issue:

Open PowerShell

Add-PSSnapin "Microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Convert-SPWebApplication -Identity "http://servername" -To Claims

Open SharePoint 2013 Management Shell

Convert-SPWebApplication -Identity "http://servername" -To Claims

Bamboo Workflow Conductor have some data migration limitations. Click here to get more details.

How to Use the Content Query Web Part to Rollup Data in SharePoint 2013

2013-05-10T13:30:00Z

The Content Query Web Part for SharePoint 2013 is a powerful tool that can be used to rollup data and aggregate content from SharePoint lists and libraries from a List, Site, or Site Collection. In this post, we'll walk you through how to add the Content Query Web Part to your SharePoint environment, as well as how to configure the Web Part and display rollup data.

Add "Content Query Web Part" to site:

On the Edit Page, select the Insert Web Part tab. From there, select Content Rollup from Categories, and then Content Query from the Parts list:

Upon completing the steps above, you should see the following:

Configure the Content Query Web Part to rollup data:

To begin, select the source where the data you intend to rollup is currently being housed. This can be a Site Collection:

A selected site and all of its sub sites:

Or a List:

Next, select the List Type and Content Type for the rollup:

With the Web Part, you also have the option to add Additional Filters in the event you need to filter data while performing the rollup:

Next, you have the options of adjusting the Presentation of your data by applying different Grouping and Sorting settings:

Once you have completed configuring the settings for your data rollup, click Apply and Ok to begin aggregating your content.

Display rollup data:

Once you have successfully completed the steps above, and the data rollup process has finished, you will be able to see the data that you rolled-up in the Content Query Web Part:

Want to know more about out-of-the-box web parts available for SharePoint 2013? Check out the complete series via the links below:

How to use the Tag Cloud Web Part in SharePoint 2013

2013-05-07T17:00:00Z

The Term Store Management Tool is a beneficial feature that can help you manage Term Sets that are used in the Managed Metadata Service in SharePoint 2013. In this article, we'll introduce you to the out-of-the-box Tag Cloud Web Part and show you how to the use Term Store to manage tags and show them in the Tag Cloud Web Part.

Use the Term Store Manager to add and manage Tags:

To begin, we recommend you familiarize yourself with the Term Store Management Tool. You can learn more by checking out our blog on: Term Store Management in SharePoint 2013: How-tos for Common Actions.

Once you feel comfortable using the Term Store Manager, the next step is to add term sets to the Term Store so that there are tags to manage:

Add the Tag Cloud Web Part to your page:

To begin, navigate to your Edit Page. From there, select Social Collaboration from Categories and then select Tag Cloud Web Part to insert the Web Part:

After you have inserted the Tag Cloud Web Part, you'll see the screen as shown below. Notice that there are no tags, as none have yet been added. We'll be showing you how to do this in the next step.

Create and view tags from the Term Store in the Tag Cloud Web Part:

Go to List and select List tab from the Ribbon. Click on the Tag and Notes button to input tags and notes that will be displayed on the Tag Cloud Web Part.

After you have clicked the Tag and Notes, button you'll see the following:

From here, you will be able to both add tags to the Tags tab as well as notes to the Notes tab. When you go to input tags to the Tags tab, if the keyword(s) you are inputting already exists in the Term Store, SharePoint will automatically populate the word(s) as a suggestion, as shown below:

You can also select Create new to add a new Term Set to the Term Store. Just input the keyword(s) that you would like to act as a tag and click Save to save the new tag to the Term Store:

After you have followed the above steps, click back to your page and you will see the new tags you added on the Tag Cloud Web Part.

Want to know more about out-of-the-box web parts available for SharePoint 2013? Check out the complete series via the links below:

Lack of Recent Content on Our SharePoint 2013 Blog? That's About to Change, in a Big Way

2013-05-02T18:30:00Z

It may appear as if our faithful SharePoint 2013 bloggers have largely taken a hiatus for the last month, but let me assure you that appearances are not only deceiving in this case, but that there is very much a method to the seeming laziness.

As you may have read over on the Team Blog, we're on the very cusp of releasing the first of several waves of Bamboo products for SharePoint 2013. Consequently, while working their "day jobs" (as designers, software engineers, QA engineers, etc.), our dedicated SharePoint 2013 bloggers have been enmeshed in readying those products for release, working at an absolutely feverish pace to get them into the hands of our early-adopting customers.

But they've also been doing something else alongside those efforts: stockpiling SharePoint 2013 product release announcement posts, as well as a host of posts including how-tos, use cases, and best practices for those same products. Meanwhile, the Bamboo editorial team has been busily readying that flood of posts for publication.

And guess what? The dam is going to break very soon, and you can expect to see that flood of content to begin appearing here as the related products see release. Soon enough, we'll also return to providing the same level of valuable content for the out-of-the-box SharePoint 2013 platform, just as our bloggers have done since the inception of this blog in the summer of 2012.

Brace yourself. It might get loud...