Learning STSADM’s Databaserepair Operation to Fix SharePoint Database Corruption

Posted on March 6, 2013 by admin

A SharePoint farm comprises two types of databases: the central configuration database and a content database for each web application. All the data corresponding to a web application resides in the content database. If corruption hits the configuration database, the best fix is to restore it to the most recent backup. But for SharePoint content databases, the effort does not end here. This is because users keep using the database even after corruption and if you have not performed regular backups, you are very likely to head for some big trouble. Continue reading →

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Resolve Issues with the Full-Text Searching Feature in Windows SharePoint Services

Posted on February 27, 2013 by admin

SharePoint users can enable SQL Server full-text search for Windows SharePoint Services site at the time of deploying Windows SharePoint Services and SQL Server. Sometimes, various problems surface when you use the full text search feature for your SharePoint sites, such as appearance of error messages or blank search results. This typically happens when the search is unable to create full-text searching catalogs or populate these catalogs with appropriate data from your SharePoint sites. To fix such problems, you must follow the below mentioned troubleshooting procedure in order as shown: Continue reading →

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Understanding Content Databases and Using ‘Stsadm’ to Restore Central Administration Database in Windows SharePoint Services

Posted on January 22, 2013 by admin

Content databases in MS Windows SharePoint Services deal with storage and organization of all site content. If you are using a single virtual server for Windows SharePoint Services, and working with a small number of sites, you can think of having one content database for all the sites hosted on the server. In case you have a large server farm with more than one virtual server, you may need multiple content databases for each server. SharePoint administrators manage content databases at the virtual server level. MS SQL Server manages information in SharePoint content databases at the backend. You can specify basic settings for the content databases using SharePoint Central Administration. These include which database server will be used by the content database, how many sites can store data in a content database, and the like. Continue reading →

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Why is my SharePoint slow like hell?

Posted on January 15, 2013 by admin

The most frequently asked question by SharePoint User is “Why the hell is my SharePoint so slow?” Performance problem is not a small issue so it is important to deal with it properly. The reason for slow SharePoint could be anything like hardware problem, slow queries, configuration issue, long compile time and the list goes on. So here I am discussing the most common reasons of SharePoint slow performance and how to deal with them.

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Performance issue caused by BLOB storage
SharePoint saves all the files in SQL Server in the form of unstructured data known as Bobs (Binary Large Objects). Too many BLOBs cause performance issue as they take lot of storage space. Blobs also consume extra processing power. So the solution of this problem is to store Blobs at some other location. The storage tier you choose should be fast and of high performance like NAS or file share. Continue reading →

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How to Get Rid of Orphaned Items in Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 content databases

Posted on October 31, 2012 by admin

The term ‘Orphan’ in SharePoint Server is used to describe corrupt entries in either the content database or the config database. You may have entries either in the config database that do not correspond to the site table in the content database or in the content database that have no entry in the config database. A simple workaround for this is to drop the config database and re-add the content database. This is good for removing corrupt entries in the config database. However, this method won’t work if you have orphans in the content database. Continue reading →

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An Overview of Stsadm.exe Tool with the ‘databaserepair’ Option in Windows SharePoint Services

Posted on August 24, 2012 by admin

When a SharePoint database gets corrupt, it is likely to contain a plethora of orphaned items. For instance, a document exists in the database without a parent document library or a list isn’t associated with any Windows SharePoint Services website. In order for repairing and for maintaining the integrity of content databases, Microsoft introduced a new command-line operation ‘databaserepair’ that can be used with the Stsadm.exe command-line tool. When both are used together, they can detect and remove corrupt data (i.e. orphaned items) from your content database. Continue reading →

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Fixing Index Corruption in SharePoint Server Databases to Recover Web Application Data

Posted on August 8, 2012 by admin

MS SharePoint is an efficient, cost-effective solution tailored to meet your complex business requirements and cut additional costs while improving productivity at work. This comprehensive product is designed to combine portal, document management, and collaboration systems into a single application. You can quickly access the desired information and finish assignments well before their deadlines. MS SharePoint keeps all this information in various content databases specific to different web applications. These databases are MS SQL Server files that may get corrupt due to myriad reasons, such as header damage, malware attack, damage to the indexes and database structure, etc. As a consequence, you fail to access the key business data stored in these databases. To overcome this problem and regain access to your information, you should go for MS SharePoint Server recovery.  Continue reading →

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Troubleshooting Problems When Exporting SharePoint List Data to Excel Spreadsheet and Fixing Database Corruption

Posted on May 30, 2012 by admin

As SharePoint databases hold content that is critical for your organization, their effective management should be the key business priority. There are multitude of mechanisms that are employed to keep the SharePoint data safe and well-protected, i.e. high-availabilty solutions (clustering and mirroring) and SQL Server database backups. However, they are highly vulnerable to corruption owing to various factors, such as SQL Server crashes, hard disk failures, and malware attacks. As a consequence, all your valuable SharePoint site content becomes inaccessible. To easily deal with such situations, you should perform SharePoint recovery through advanced third-party software.

Continue reading →

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Salvaging Crucial SharePoint Data After Facing Corruption in a Site Collection

Posted on May 14, 2012 by admin

Now, I copied the corrupt database and moved it to a new SharePoint farm having a new SQL Server DB. I ensured that it had the same versions of OS and MOSS. To do this, I performed these actions:

  • Searched for the corrupt database in the Site Collection List under ‘Central Admin->Application Management’.
  • Created a backup of the content database using SQL Server 2005 Management studio.
  • In order to restore the content database to the new server, I created a new database in Management Studio. Now copied the recently formed backup to the server and restored all data using this backup to the new database.
  • Next, I created a Web App on the new server through:

Continue reading →

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How I managed to get rid of a corrupt Site Column from the SharePoint Server database

Posted on March 20, 2012 by admin

I was very excited to learn about the new enhancements in SharePoint Server 2010. The most anticipated feature was Business Connectivity Services that provided scope for integrating external data sources into SharePoint along with the support for updating, deleting and inserting data into those sources. Another major development was made to the SharePoint designer that can now effectively package and reuse changes made through the designer. Improvements were also made in the area of Business Intelligence and Workflow management. To enjoy these benefits, I decided to install SharePoint Server 2010 on a single server farm and created the first site collection.

I then created a site column and declared its Content Type. While trying to access the site columns using SharePoint 2010′s UI, I came across the following error on my screen:

“Field type xxx is not installed properly. Go to the list settings page to delete this field”

Continue reading →

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