Month: October 2024
How do I disable attachments in Outlook draft messages for my organization via Powershell?
My company wants to create a policy that prevents people from starting an Outlook message, adding an attachment to that message, going to another computer or device, opening Outlook on that device, and downloading the file from their draft message. we have O365 and Exchange Online. All the information I’ve found on setting Outlook options or draft options or any of that has been for individual users rather than organizations. I’ve been told that it can be done via powershell and office group policies, but TBH, I don’t have much Powershell familiarity. Any suggestions?
My company wants to create a policy that prevents people from starting an Outlook message, adding an attachment to that message, going to another computer or device, opening Outlook on that device, and downloading the file from their draft message. we have O365 and Exchange Online. All the information I’ve found on setting Outlook options or draft options or any of that has been for individual users rather than organizations. I’ve been told that it can be done via powershell and office group policies, but TBH, I don’t have much Powershell familiarity. Any suggestions? Read More
Programmatically remediate SharePoint and OneDrive Oversharing links
Hi SPO Brain Trust,
Has anyone been able to work around a solution to programmatically remove oversharing links (from content level) from SharePoint sites and OneDrives as opposed to using 3rd party tooling?
Very keen to hear your thoughts on this as we’re looking at manually remediating these from our environment.
Thank you!
Hi SPO Brain Trust, Has anyone been able to work around a solution to programmatically remove oversharing links (from content level) from SharePoint sites and OneDrives as opposed to using 3rd party tooling? Very keen to hear your thoughts on this as we’re looking at manually remediating these from our environment. Thank you! Read More
Pricing and SKU for SharePoint Server Subscription Edition
We are looking to purchase SharePoint Server Subscription Edition and It’s CAL.
What would be the Pricing for this and what would be the SKUs that I need to confirm before purchasing this ? or where can I be able to check for the same
We are looking to purchase SharePoint Server Subscription Edition and It’s CAL. What would be the Pricing for this and what would be the SKUs that I need to confirm before purchasing this ? or where can I be able to check for the same Read More
Solver constraint R.H. side = 0 in sensitivity report
Hi,
I defined cells with my R.H. side constraints (fig 1).
I used them in may Solver (fig 2)
In the sensitivity report, Constraint RH side are equal to 0 (fig 3)
Could you explain why ?
Best regards
Hi,I defined cells with my R.H. side constraints (fig 1).I used them in may Solver (fig 2)In the sensitivity report, Constraint RH side are equal to 0 (fig 3)Could you explain why ?Best regards Read More
SQL Server failing to execute extremely complex queries
A query is failing with this error message on a customer environment:
The query processor ran out of internal resources and could not produce a query plan.
This is a rare event and only expected for extremely complex queries or queries that reference a very large number of tables or partitions.
Please simplify the query.
If you believe you have received this message in error, contact Customer Support Services for more information.
Sorry I cannot post the actual SQL query, which must be massive, but basically it is a union of a lot of tables.
Maybe around 600 tables, maybe several thousands, I don’t know exactly how many.
For technical reasons, we cannot really simplify this query.
In the documentation:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/sql-server/maximum-capacity-specifications-for-sql-server?view=sql-server-ver16
It is specified that the maximum number of tables in a select is limited only by available resources.
Is it possible to increase the size of available internal resources somehow?
A query is failing with this error message on a customer environment:The query processor ran out of internal resources and could not produce a query plan.
This is a rare event and only expected for extremely complex queries or queries that reference a very large number of tables or partitions.
Please simplify the query.
If you believe you have received this message in error, contact Customer Support Services for more information.Sorry I cannot post the actual SQL query, which must be massive, but basically it is a union of a lot of tables.Maybe around 600 tables, maybe several thousands, I don’t know exactly how many.For technical reasons, we cannot really simplify this query.In the documentation:https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/sql-server/maximum-capacity-specifications-for-sql-server?view=sql-server-ver16It is specified that the maximum number of tables in a select is limited only by available resources.Is it possible to increase the size of available internal resources somehow? Read More
What’s New in Excel (October 2024)
Welcome to the October 2024 update. This month, we’re excited that Clean Data with Copilot in Excel is now available in Excel for the web. Also, GROUPBY and PIVOTBY functions are now generally available in Excel for Windows, Mac and web. Furthermore, Focus Cell is now available to Insider users on Excel for Windows.
Excel for web:
– Clean Data with Copilot in Excel
Excel for Windows, Mac, and web:
– GROUPBY and PIVOTBY functions
Excel for Windows:
– Focus Cell (Insiders)
– Color Picker
– New Template in Excel
– Draw and Hold gesture (Insiders) #FIA
Excel for Mac and iOS:
– Seamlessly switch between your Apple devices with Handoff support (Insiders)
Excel for web
Clean Data with Copilot in Excel
With Copilot in Excel, you can clean data with just one click. Clean Data detects and offers solutions for text inconsistencies, number format issues, and extra spaces. Simply select the Clean Data option in the Data tab of the ribbon or interact with the pop-up banner to get started. Read more here >
Excel for Windows, Mac, and web
GROUPBY and PIVOTBY functions
These functions are now generally available to users in the Current Channel. GROUPBY and PIVOTBY allow you to perform data aggregations using a single formula. All you need is just 3 arguments: i) What to group by, ii) the values to aggregate, and iii) the function you’d like to use for the aggregation. Read more here >
GROUPBY:
PIVOTBY:
Excel for Windows
Focus Cell (Insiders)
Make the active cell more visible in your worksheet with Focus Cell. Focus Cell applies vibrant highlights to the corresponding row and column of the active cell and increases the active cell’s border thickness. This makes the active cell more visible and facilitates easy identification of data across the same row and column. Read more here >
Color Picker
Excel’s color picker now includes a feature that shows you if the selected color contrasts adequately with the background. By hovering over a color, you will see a tool tip indicating whether the color has “Low Contrast” or “Good Contrast” against the backdrop. Additionally, you can turn on the “High-contrast only” toggle to filter and display only colors with sufficient contrast.
New Templates in Excel
We’re excited to introduce three new Python in Excel templates. To access them, go to File > New. Then type in “Python” in the template search bar. Python in Excel template are currently only available in the English language.
1. Python in Excel tutorial: Learn about Python in Excel and how you can use it to analyze data directly within your Excel spreadsheets.
2. QR code generator: Easily generate customized QR codes in Excel to share with others for quick access to links.
3. Dummy data generator: Generate realistic dummy data for testing or demos.
#FIA
Draw and Hold gesture (Insiders)
To create neater lines and shapes, you can now use the Draw and Hold gesture. Simply draw a line, arrow, or shape (like a circle, ellipse, triangle, square, rectangle, rhombus, pentagon, or hexagon) in a single stroke, hold your pen in place for a few milliseconds, and watch as the shape is converted into a neater version. While still holding, you can drag to rotate or resize the shape. Read more here >
Excel for Mac and iOS
Seamlessly switch between your Apple devices with Handoff support (Insiders)
Handoff is an Apple feature that allows you to continue working on content while switching from one Apple device to another. For example, if you’re working on an Excel spreadsheet on your iPhone and want to switch to your Mac, Handoff makes it possible with just a couple clicks. Read more here >
Check if a specific feature is in your version of Excel
Click here to open in a new browser tab
Many of these features are the result of your feedback. THANK YOU! Your continued Feedback in Action (#FIA) helps improve Excel for everyone. Please let us know how you like a particular feature and what we can improve upon—“Give a compliment” or “Make a suggestion”.. You can also submit new ideas or vote for other ideas via Microsoft Feedback.
Subscribe to our Excel Blog and the Insiders Blog to get the latest updates. Stay connected with us and other Excel fans around the world – join our Excel Community and follow us on X, formerly Twitter.
Special thanks to our Excel MVPs David Benaim, Bill Jelen, Alan Murray, and John Michaloudis for their contribution to this month’s What’s New in Excel article. David publishes weekly YouTube videos and regular LinkedIn posts about the latest innovations in Excel and more. Bill is the founder and host of MrExcel.com and the author of several books about Excel. Alan is an Excel trainer, author and speaker, best known for his blog Computergaga.com and YouTube channel with the same name. John is the Founder & Chief Inspirational Officer at MyExcelOnline.com where he passionately teaches thousands of professionals how to use Excel to stand out from the crowd.
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Poor video quality is costing your business more than you think—here’s how to fix it
In this guest blog post, Polina Davydova, Content & Communication Manager at Hive Streaming, explains how subpar video communication holds back enterprises, and how focusing on IT infrastructure, video experience, and overall messaging impact with help from Hive Streaming on Microsoft Azure drives employee attend and facilitates cross-organizational alignment.
The growth of the global video conferencing market is poised to be explosive over the next decade. By 2032, the market is expected to reach $95 billion, a massive leap from $10.6 billion in 2022.
Despite the tremendous investments organizations are making in their video communication infrastructure, a key issue many face is the gap between having the right video technology and achieving a stable, high-quality video experience that drives employee attendance and facilitates cross-organizational alignment. The consequences can be far-reaching: disengaged employees, ineffective leadership messages, and missed business opportunities that may prove devasting to the bottom line.
In this blog post, we will explore how subpar video communication quality holds back enterprises – and, more importantly, how to change that by focusing on three critical areas: IT infrastructure, video experience, and the overall messaging impact.
Network instability poses financial and strategic risks
The foundation of any successful video strategy is infrastructure. If your company’s network is not equipped to handle the bandwidth demands of high-quality video streaming, it will inevitably result in buffering, interruptions, and even system crashes during critical moments. Despite significant technical breakthroughs, the vast majority of businesses still experience some form of network degradation during live video events (according to one report, the number of network and application outages rose significantly in 2023).
Outages often occur because of the complex dependencies between network infrastructures, which can lead to severe disruptions during live video events, and, as a result, to financial and reputational losses. Accounting for both, the cost of a failed internal communications can be astronomical.
And this isn’t just about technical hiccups – viewer experience directly impacts how the audience perceives the message. In an internal communications context, when employees are subjected to stream interruptions or poor-quality video, their focus shifts away from the content and onto the technical problems. This leads to lower engagement, missed key messages, and a perception that the company lacks the resources to handle modern communication tools effectively.
Testing and network optimization key to failure prevention
But there is good news: Using the right video communications technology can help bolster existing network infrastructure and eliminate the need for costly and inefficient upgrades to bandwidth allowance. An Enterprise Content Delivery Network (or eCDN) can help optimize video delivery using the bandwidth resources you already have by leveraging technologies such as peer-to-peer distribution. This reduces the amount of external bandwidth needed because the content is shared between users within the organization without repeatedly pulling data from the internet.
Investing in scalable solutions like Hive eCDN and Premium Video Optimization ensures large-scale video events don’t overwhelm your network. For added security, there is also the option to run the actual video event on user machines ahead of time and identify any issues that would otherwise arise during the live stream in advance, with ample time left to understand their root cause and remediate.
Internal video communications quality is central to business success
Once the infrastructure is stable, video experience is the second-biggest factor in how a message is received. Poor video quality – grainy visuals, lagging audio, and long buffering times – quickly undermines the effectiveness of any communication. There is plenty of research that illustrates how bitrate and buffering events play key roles in viewer engagement, some suggesting that even a 1 percent increase in buffering ratio can significantly reduce user engagement with live video content – making it dramatically less likely the message being communicated will inspire the desired action.
The significance of video quality extends beyond engagement alone. A subpar experience reflects poorly on the value a company assigns to employee experience, a critical parameter often cited as one that directly affects every single facet of business operations: from productivity and innovation to customer retention – and, by extension, revenue and profitability.
How to secure stable and reliable video experience
Control the Event by Hive Streaming empowers IT managers to effectively manage viewer experience in real time and take immediate action to prevent stream disruptions.
Control the Event works behind the scenes to detect issues based on multiple KPIs, including the number of viewers, location, and buffering severity. When an issue is identified, event managers are instantly alerted and presented with a set of recommendations they can execute on the spot – in some cases, with just a single click of a button. The result is a smooth, immersive video experience that keeps viewers focused on the content.
Maximizing communication impact with Hive VX for Teams Town Hall
Many businesses fail to track the effectiveness of their video communication, missing opportunities to refine their strategy. Even the most stable, high-quality video won’t be effective unless it achieves its intended goals – whether that’s increasing engagement, improving employee alignment, or inspiring action to drive business transformation. Without insight into viewer engagement, attendance, and message retention, it’s difficult to gauge success or identify areas for improvement.
Building on decades of industry expertise, Hive Streaming has developed the video experience (VX) technology and advisory necessary to succeed with internal video communications using Microsoft Teams Town Hall and most other major video communication platforms.
Hive Advisory Services were carefully designed to help our customers prevent the adverse effects of subpar video experience and offer personalized support at every stage of their video communication journey:
Learning how to plan, run and optimize video events – and how to measure success
Testing IT infrastructure to identify and remediate weak links
Detecting and resolving video experience issues in real time
Refining communication strategy with in-depth trend analysis
To create successful video communications, companies must address all three areas: infrastructure, video experience, and overall impact. These elements are interconnected; a stable infrastructure enables high-quality video, which in turn drives greater attendance and ensures communications resonate with viewers to facilitate cross-organizational alignment.
Hive’s next-generation VX products and Advisory Services are designed to address the entire video communication lifecycle, from planning and technical enablement to evaluation and improvement strategies.
If you would like to learn more about the impact these can create for your organization, reach out to us for a consultation today.
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
What’s New in Microsoft EDU webinar – November 2024
Here is our November 2024 webinar agenda:
What’s new in Copilot for EDU
What’s new for AI in Microsoft Teams for EDU
What’s New in Learning Accelerators
What’s new in Microsoft 365 EDU
AMA – Ask Microsoft EDU Anything (Q&A)
How to sign up
OPTION 1: November 13th, Wednesday @ 8:00am Pacific Time Register here
OPTION 2: November 13th, Wednesday @ 4:00pm Pacific Time Register here
This is what the webinar portal will look like when you register:
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
I hope OneNote has an anti-mistouch function.
Reading notes on the Surface and swiping the touchscreen with your hand will often cause the content to change due to accidental touches. For example, a mistouch will cause an image to be selected, and a finger slide will cause the image to be changed. Therefore, I hope that there is an anti-mistake button when reading notes, and it is not allowed to modify the content.
Reading notes on the Surface and swiping the touchscreen with your hand will often cause the content to change due to accidental touches. For example, a mistouch will cause an image to be selected, and a finger slide will cause the image to be changed. Therefore, I hope that there is an anti-mistake button when reading notes, and it is not allowed to modify the content. Read More
एयरटेल पेमेंट बैंक में पैसा कट जाने पर शिकायत कैसे करें?
एयरटेल पेमेंट बैंक से पैसे कट जाए तो क्या करें? ग्राहक सहायता टीम (8861↑111↑624} तक पहुंच सकते हैं और जितनी जल्दी हो सके अपनी शिकायत दर्ज कर सकते हैं।
एयरटेल पेमेंट बैंक से पैसे कट जाए तो क्या करें? ग्राहक सहायता टीम (8861↑111↑624} तक पहुंच सकते हैं और जितनी जल्दी हो सके अपनी शिकायत दर्ज कर सकते हैं। Read More
Word 2024 LTSC: Cannot enter text after Richt Text Control
Hello,
the issue occurs in Word 2024 LTSC (build 17932.20130)
Add “Developer/Controls/Richt Text Control”Open “Developer/Controls/Properties”Check “Content control cannot be deleted”Set cursor after the inserted control
=> No text can be entered, Message “You can’t make this change because the selection is locked” is shown at the bottom
Does not occur in other Word versions.
Hello, the issue occurs in Word 2024 LTSC (build 17932.20130)Add “Developer/Controls/Richt Text Control”Open “Developer/Controls/Properties”Check “Content control cannot be deleted”Set cursor after the inserted control=> No text can be entered, Message “You can’t make this change because the selection is locked” is shown at the bottom Does not occur in other Word versions. Read More
modify project server subscription key
If we enable Project Server with a trial license
Enable-ProjectServerLicense -Key <trialLicense>
¿Is it possible to upgrade this key to a non-trial license before?
Thanks in advance
If we enable Project Server with a trial licenseEnable-ProjectServerLicense -Key <trialLicense>¿Is it possible to upgrade this key to a non-trial license before? Thanks in advance Read More
How to Restore the Service Plan for a Microsoft 365 Product License
Many articles describe how to disable a service plan for a product license assigned to a Microsoft 365 account, but few cover how to enable service plans should the need arise afterward. This article covers the basics of disabling and enabling service plans for Microsoft 365 licenses using PowerShell, including the very important step of finding existing disabled plans. Everything’s easy once you know how.
https://office365itpros.com/2024/10/29/enable-service-plan/
Many articles describe how to disable a service plan for a product license assigned to a Microsoft 365 account, but few cover how to enable service plans should the need arise afterward. This article covers the basics of disabling and enabling service plans for Microsoft 365 licenses using PowerShell, including the very important step of finding existing disabled plans. Everything’s easy once you know how.
https://office365itpros.com/2024/10/29/enable-service-plan/ Read More
Update SharePoint Online Custom Theme
We have created our own theme for the organization and have 1000s of site using it. However, there is a small mismatch in the hexcode of primary, I am unable to find a way to update it.
Looking our for guidance here.
We have created our own theme for the organization and have 1000s of site using it. However, there is a small mismatch in the hexcode of primary, I am unable to find a way to update it. Looking our for guidance here. Read More
Unable to open any URL link in Teams Desktop
Hello all,
I could not open any URL links in the chat on Teams Desktop. I have done:
1) Cleared Microsoft Team cache
2) Logged out/in many times in Teams
3) Uninstalled/installed teams Several Times.
It works when I am in Teams website, can someone help me? Thanks!
Hello all, I could not open any URL links in the chat on Teams Desktop. I have done:1) Cleared Microsoft Team cache2) Logged out/in many times in Teams3) Uninstalled/installed teams Several Times. It works when I am in Teams website, can someone help me? Thanks! Read More
List Gallery View forced height when using advacned mode
Hi, I have noticed today that wherever I have created a custom gallery-based list view and used the list web part to display it on a site page, SharePoint is forcing a height (340px). Changing the Height setting in the JSON formatting code has no effect on reducing the height.
I have been testing this, and if I click into ‘Advanced mode’ to format the view and make no changes to the code, and save, then the view displayed on the site page automatically adopts this (unwanted ) forced height.
Has anyone else experienced this or know of a new way to override this forced height?
I have confirmed this on multiple tenants.
Hi, I have noticed today that wherever I have created a custom gallery-based list view and used the list web part to display it on a site page, SharePoint is forcing a height (340px). Changing the Height setting in the JSON formatting code has no effect on reducing the height. I have been testing this, and if I click into ‘Advanced mode’ to format the view and make no changes to the code, and save, then the view displayed on the site page automatically adopts this (unwanted ) forced height. Has anyone else experienced this or know of a new way to override this forced height? I have confirmed this on multiple tenants. Read More
using A1 notation in array
Hey,
I am trying to achieve something that would seem reasonably simple but just doesn’t work.
I have 2 ranges e.g. A1:A3 and C6:C8 and I want to use these in an array.
So when I use ={A1:A3,C6:C8} i except to see an output of:
<content of cell A1><content of cell C6><content of cell A2><content of cell C7><content of cell A3><content of cell C8>
what i see instead is the incredible helpful error message of “the formula in this cell contains an error”
I tried both both the column and row seperator ( , ; ) but both lead to the same error message.
Any
Hey, I am trying to achieve something that would seem reasonably simple but just doesn’t work. I have 2 ranges e.g. A1:A3 and C6:C8 and I want to use these in an array. So when I use ={A1:A3,C6:C8} i except to see an output of:<content of cell A1><content of cell C6><content of cell A2><content of cell C7><content of cell A3><content of cell C8> what i see instead is the incredible helpful error message of “the formula in this cell contains an error” I tried both both the column and row seperator ( , ; ) but both lead to the same error message. Any Read More
Issue in Uninstallation of AMA for Arc Enabled Windows server
Dear Community,
As a troubleshooting, I want to uninstall the AMA agent from Azure arc enabled server, I tried “Uninstall” from Azure arc machine – Extension – Uninstall but it went into “Deleting” state for 2 days. Then i tried uninstallation using the Powershell but again it went to “deleting” state.
I tried removing and adding the Machine to and from DCR and Azure Arc again and then tried again still it shows deleting state only.
So, i tried uninstallation direct from server using command
azcmagent extension remove –name AzureMonitorWindowsAgent
the got the below error,
From my test machine i copied the “HandlerManifest.json” file and put in the same folder where error is showing above, Json file has this content as shown below
Now after this i tried “azcmagent extension remove –name AzureMonitorWindowsAgent” command again and got the error,
Please help in uninstalling this AMA agent.
Thanks,
Mahesh
Dear Community, As a troubleshooting, I want to uninstall the AMA agent from Azure arc enabled server, I tried “Uninstall” from Azure arc machine – Extension – Uninstall but it went into “Deleting” state for 2 days. Then i tried uninstallation using the Powershell but again it went to “deleting” state. I tried removing and adding the Machine to and from DCR and Azure Arc again and then tried again still it shows deleting state only. So, i tried uninstallation direct from server using command azcmagent extension remove –name AzureMonitorWindowsAgent the got the below error, From my test machine i copied the “HandlerManifest.json” file and put in the same folder where error is showing above, Json file has this content as shown belowNow after this i tried “azcmagent extension remove –name AzureMonitorWindowsAgent” command again and got the error, Please help in uninstalling this AMA agent.Thanks,Mahesh Read More
Printer Backup FSLogix
We are trying to get our printers to backup and restore with FSlogix. A user installs a printer from our Pritnerlogic site. However after logoff and a new machine is spun up, that printer is no longer installed. Looks like FSlogix is not backing that up. We have tried a custom XML, but no luck so far. Has anyone had luck getting FSlogix to backup printers?
<!–!IncludeRegistryTrees–>
<Include>HKCUPrinters</Include>
<Include>HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionDevices</Include>
<Include>HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionPrinterPorts</Include>
<!–!IncludeIndividualRegistryValues–>
<Include>HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWindowsDevice</Include>
<Include>HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWindowsUserSelectedDefault</Include>
</FrxProfileFolderRedirection>
We are trying to get our printers to backup and restore with FSlogix. A user installs a printer from our Pritnerlogic site. However after logoff and a new machine is spun up, that printer is no longer installed. Looks like FSlogix is not backing that up. We have tried a custom XML, but no luck so far. Has anyone had luck getting FSlogix to backup printers? <!–!IncludeRegistryTrees–><Include>HKCUPrinters</Include><Include>HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionDevices</Include><Include>HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionPrinterPorts</Include><!–!IncludeIndividualRegistryValues–><Include>HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWindowsDevice</Include><Include>HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWindowsUserSelectedDefault</Include></FrxProfileFolderRedirection> Read More
Add View – alignment of row cells, different heights in each column
In SharePoint lists that use the new lists view format the cell heights don’t align. I click ‘Add view’ button and this is the result. Notice the height of the text is different in every column. Microsoft please fix this out of the box functionality. I don’t want to spend time writing custom JSON to format views every time I make a new view. Note they used to align perfectly before the new list view format got forced on us by Microsoft. This has affected all of the lists in my Site, hundreds of views!
In SharePoint lists that use the new lists view format the cell heights don’t align. I click ‘Add view’ button and this is the result. Notice the height of the text is different in every column. Microsoft please fix this out of the box functionality. I don’t want to spend time writing custom JSON to format views every time I make a new view. Note they used to align perfectly before the new list view format got forced on us by Microsoft. This has affected all of the lists in my Site, hundreds of views! Read More