http://aghy.hu/blog/missing-blank-site-template-in-sharepoint-2013 Thanks Aghy!

When setting up site collections, I mostly use the Blank Site Template. But in SharePoint 2013, there's a big "surprise": no Blank Site Template. Neither for Site Collections nor for subsites:

But hey, I need it back! I want it back! Don't you?

There are two tricks I found.

First, there's still possible to create blank sites by using PowerShell:

1. Run the command Get-SPWebTemplate to get the full list of the available templates. You can see, the Blank Site template is still there, and it's ID is STS#1:

   

2. From this point, creating a new site collection is as easy as this:

   $template = Get-SPWebTemplate "STS#1"

   New-SPSite -Url "<URL for the new site collection>" -OwnerAlias "<domain\user>" -Template $template

Second, believe or not, you can enable this site template for the UI too. Just go to the folder C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\15\TEMPLATE\1033\XML, and open the WEBTEMP.XML file. There, you'll find a line like this:

<Configuration ID="1" Title="Blank Site" Hidden="TRUE" ImageUrl="/_layouts/15/images/stbs.png?rev=23" Description="A blank site for you to customize based on your requirements." DisplayCategory="Collaboration" AllowGlobalFeatureAssociations="False" > </Configuration>

Here you go: just change the highlighted tag from Hidden="TRUE" to Hidden="FALSE", save the file, and that's it: next time you want to create a new site, you'll get the Blank Site Template:

NOTE: The term, "DSN-less connection" is not accurate when using Pervasive.SQL relational access, since a DSN must be defined on the server using the Pervasive ODBC Engine Interface.

In the Example below TDATA System DSN Must exist on the server.

If InStr(1, tblDef.Connect, "ODBC") > 0 Then
 'SQL Pervasive Database
 strSQLConnectionString = GetSQLConnectionString()
 'tblDef.Connect = strSQLConnectionString
 tblDef.Connect = "ODBC;driver={Pervasive ODBC Client Interface};ServerName=10.1.0.16;ServerDSN=TDATA;" & ";TABLE=" & tblDef.Name
 tblDef.RefreshLink
End If

More information is here

http://support.pervasive.com/t5/tkb/articleprintpage/tkb-id/Database_KnowledgeBase/article-id/804

Solution Notes

NOTE: The term, "DSN-less connection" is not accurate when using Pervasive.SQL relational access, since a DSN must be defined on the server using the Pervasive ODBC Engine Interface.

The following connection strings can be used to access Pervasive ODBC Engine DSNs programmatically:

1) Setup a DSN on the client machine using the Pervasive ODBC Client Interface. Connection String can be "DSN=myDSN;", assuming the client side DSN is named as myDSN.

2) Without setting up a DSN on the client machine:
Connection String can be "driver={Pervasive ODBC Client Interface};ServerName=myServer;ServerDSN=myDSN;" or
Connection String can be "driver={Pervasive ODBC Client Interface};ServerName=myServer;DBQ=dbName;"

NOTE: Here, myServer is the server name or IP address; myDSN is the server side DSN using the Pervasive ODBC Engine Interface; dbName is the database which is used to define the server side DSN

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/318882

https://popbi.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/ssrs-toggle-visibility-show-initially-as-expanded/

‎Reporting Services provides some nice options to allow user’s to feel like they are interacting with the data, by expanding lower levels of detail when they click on the plus (+) sign in the report’s tablix. You can also set the initial Toggle state of report items as expanded i.e. (-) sign.  There is a catch though in that when you Show your initial state as expanded, the items may expand correctly but the toggle sign appears reversed (i.e. +  instead of -).

Nice solution to the problem demonstrated Here.

From this site! http://geekswithblogs.net/WesWeeks/archive/2009/01/21/128874.aspx

Running Windows Vista 64 bit, Sql Server 2008 on a remote server. Using ASP.Net and the Report Viewer control on an asp.net page for a local report. Was also using IIS to host the web site instead of using the web server built into Visual Studio 2008.

Searched and tried everything I could find on the net trying to fix this freaking error. On a whim (and because I didn't know what else to do and was trying everything I could think of) changed the IIS 7.0 app pool to the classic app pool. Angels came singing down from the sky and my report worked.

What a PITA! Hope this post helps someone else.

The Actual Error for me was

Msg 7347, Level 16, State 1, Line 2

OLE DB provider 'SQLNCLI10' for linked server 'Common_Pts' returned data that does not match expected data length for column '[Common_Pts].[Pts].[dbo].[veRegulatoryInstrument].prefix'. The (maximum) expected data length is 4, while the returned data length is 5. 

After creating a linked server in ms sql express. and running the view I got the following error. to solve the problem run sp_refreshview command from the server that is hosting the view.

sp_refreshview [ @viewname = ] 'viewname' 

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms187821.aspx

This is how to fix your missing Right-Click Context Menu option. When you rebuild your profile this sometimes happens.

If you change a file name extension, the file may become unusable.

Are you sure you want to change it?

Note that after renaming the file, the .MAPIMail extension hides automatically. The Mail Recipient entry should now be restored to the Send To menu.

From this guys site: http://www.mysharepointadventures.com/2012/11/removing-references-to-old-unused-databases-in-sharepoint-2010/

Over time, as you create / remove service applications, there is a tendency for SharePoint to retain a list of databases that are no longer in use but still referenced in the SharePoint Config database. If you try to remove the database on the SQL server without first removing it from SharePoint, you will get an event logged periodically on your SharePoint Web Front End about being unable to find / access the missing database.

Solution

To remove the orphan databases / databases that are no longer in use.

Run SharePoint Management Shell

Run the command

Get-SPDatabase | fl name,id

Locate the database you wish to remove and copy its ID.
Run the command

$db = Get-SPDatabase (id)
$db.Delete()

Now type Get-SPDatabase again, you should see that the database(s) have been removed.

From this guys great Blog! http://blogs.technet.com/b/meamcs/archive/2012/10/23/renaming-sharepoint-2010-search-service-database-name.aspx

In this post I’m planning to walkthrough the practice of changing the SharePoint 2010 Search Service Database names as you might need it in the following scenarios:

• Replacing the Search Service Application Databases Names that Includes GUID’s to a friendlier name.
• The Database Admin in the Organization is planning to change the naming convention of all the Databases names in the Data Center.
• If you are planning to move from one Farm to another that has a different Naming Convention.

You have many options to do this practice as shown in the below figure, but in this post I will walkthrough the preferred steps only to make it simple and clear:

Renaming Property & Crawl DBs using Central Administration:

Verify that the user account that is performing the procedure is a member of the Farm Administrators SharePoint group.

1. In Central Administration, click Application Management.
2. On the Application Management page, click Manage service applications.
3. Click the name of the Search Service Application.
4. On the Search Administration page, click Modify.
5. On the Manage Search Topology page, the following three databases are listed: Administration, Crawl, and Property. You can point to renamed or moved Crawl or Property databases by using this procedure.
6. Click the database that you want to change, and then click Edit Properties.
7. In the Database Server text box, type the new server location if there is one; in the Database Name text box, type the new name for the database; and then click OK.
8. On the Manage Search Topology page, click Apply Topology Changes.

Notes:

• You cannot point to a renamed or moved Search Administration database by using Central Administration.
• It might take several minutes for the changes to take effect.

Renaming Search Service Application Database using PowerShell:

Verify that you meet the following minimum requirements: See Add-SPShellAdmin.

1. On the Start menu, click All Programs.
2. Click Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Products.
3. Click SharePoint 2010 Management Shell.
4. At the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following commands:
   1.  
      • Point the Search Administration database to its new name or location.

$searchapp | Set-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication -DatabaseName "<NewDbName>" -DatabaseServer "<NewServerName>" 

Where:

1.  
   1.  
      •  
        • <NewDbName> is the name of the renamed database
      •  
        • <NewServerName> is the new database location
2. Monitor whether the search instances have finished re-provisioning.

Do {write-host -NoNewline .;Sleep 10; $searchInstance = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceInstance -Local} while ($searchInstance.Status -ne "Online")

Additional References:

1. Rename FAST Search for SharePoint 2010 Databases
2. Rename or  Move Service Application
3. Change database (FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint)

Sub reports are great for showing data from a related table. This works just like a sub form, by setting the master/child linking fields.

What else can you use a sub report to print?

Other data that is not related to a specfic reord in the parent report. The trick is to not set the master/child linking fields. This allows you to print information in the report header or footer that is not "link" to a record.

Sub reports are great for sunmmizing the data in a report.

By basing an sub report's recprd source on the same record source as the parent report, you can show all the totals for each grouping (hiding the detail). You can also create a  totaling query based on the parent report's record source (query)

What if you want to place the report's total in the report header?

Use a sub report that cauclates and displays just the total.   

How do you print several different statistics that are caclulated with different queries?

Use sub reports. It is possible to have a parent report that has no record source, only sub reports.

How to print a header on each page when a sub report spans multiple pages?

Becuse page headers do not print from a sub report you have to use group header. This is done by creating a grouping that will group all record into a single group. You then can set teh group header to repeat.

1. Open the subreport in design view.
2. Open the Sorting and Grouping box.
3. In the Field column of the dialog, enter an expression that won't change, e.g.: =0 and set Group Header to Yes.
4. Right-click the new group header (grey bar on the report), and choose Properties. Set Repeat Section to Yes.

This gives you a group header that appears at the top of the subreport. It will repeat on each new page like the way you would excect the page header for the subreport.

Working with Report Header and Footer sections.

Print order for4 sections:

• Pager Header - Prints at the top of each page.  This section can NOT be set to grow or shrink. The Page Header prints before the Report Header/Footer. It is possible to turn off the Page Header so it does not print with the Report Header/Footer
• Report Header - prints once at the beginning. This section can be set to grow or shrink.
• Group Headers - prints at the begining of each group This section can be set to grow or shrink. It can also be set to Repeat on each new page.
• Group Footers - prints at the end of each group. This section can be set to grow or shrink.
• Report Footer - prints once at the end. This section can be set to grow or shrink.
• Page Footer - prints at the bottom of each page. This section can NOT be set to grow or shrink. The Page Feader prints after the Report Header/Footer. It is possible to turn off the Page Footer so it does not print with the Report Header/Footer

When a report is used as a Sub Report, the header and footer sections work a little different.

Print order for sections:

• Pager Header - does NOT print. The parent report is responsible for the page header
• Report Header - prints once at the beginning. This section can be set to grow or shrink.
• Group Headers - prints at the begining of each group This section can grow or shrink. It can also be set to Repeat on each new page.
• Group Footers - prints at the end of each group. This section can be set to grow or shrink.
• Report Footer - pirnts once at the end. This section can be set to grow or shrink.
• Page Footer - does NOT print. The Parent report is responsible for the page footer.

How to create something lke a  a Page Header in a Sub Report

You can create a dummy header .grouping by setting the group on to  1 (enter the digit 1). You can then set the section to repeat. Now you have a  group header that will print on every page.

Header and Footer Tips

Repeating Group Headers:

In the Group Header's prperties, set the Repeat property to Yes to get the header to print on every page if the group spans multiple pages.

Print Report Header without a Page Header/Footer:

In the Report's properties, set the Page Header property to Not With Rpt Hdr or Not With Rpt Hdr/Ftr depending on your needs.

Print Report Footer without a Page Footer/Footer:

In the Report's properties, set the Page Footer property to Not With Rpt Ftr or Not With Rpt Hdr/Ftr depending on your needs.