Hello, 

I have someone that has been having issues with their outlook account. Originally the issue persisted in the Classic Outlook. They would search for an old e-mail sent from a specific user, and they would be prompted by an error message saying “it looks like there’s a problem with your network connection – let’s check on your computer instead”. Which feels to me that it struggled to search the 365 exchange server first which prompted the error message – however, the email was able to be found as it is stored locally. 

I re-installed outlook. I rebuilt the search index. I added a DWORD key in the registry ‘DisableServerAssistedSearch’ within ‘HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice16.0OutlookSearchDisableServerAssistedSearch’ and set value to 1. 

This prevented the error message from cropping up whenever the email was searched for. 

However, now when the same search is attempted on the new version of the outlook – it doesn’t do anything other then display an error message simply saying “Your request can’t be completed right now”. 

Is there a fix for this? It’s quite annoying for anyone wishing to use the new version of the outlook. 

​Hello,  I have someone that has been having issues with their outlook account. Originally the issue persisted in the Classic Outlook. They would search for an old e-mail sent from a specific user, and they would be prompted by an error message saying “it looks like there’s a problem with your network connection – let’s check on your computer instead”. Which feels to me that it struggled to search the 365 exchange server first which prompted the error message – however, the email was able to be found as it is stored locally.  I re-installed outlook. I rebuilt the search index. I added a DWORD key in the registry ‘DisableServerAssistedSearch’ within ‘HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice16.0OutlookSearchDisableServerAssistedSearch’ and set value to 1.  This prevented the error message from cropping up whenever the email was searched for.  However, now when the same search is attempted on the new version of the outlook – it doesn’t do anything other then display an error message simply saying “Your request can’t be completed right now”.  Is there a fix for this? It’s quite annoying for anyone wishing to use the new version of the outlook.   Read More

​

Hello intune forum,

I recently setup apple business manager in our enviroment to work with Intune. I’ve created the enrollment profile, setup the VPP token, etc. But now, a few of our users, myself included is getting a pop-up on our phones stating : “this apple account cannot make purchases”. I made sure only the VPP apps are being pushed to the company phones and not the apps from the store. Anyone else have this issue? 

​Hello intune forum,I recently setup apple business manager in our enviroment to work with Intune. I’ve created the enrollment profile, setup the VPP token, etc. But now, a few of our users, myself included is getting a pop-up on our phones stating : “this apple account cannot make purchases”. I made sure only the VPP apps are being pushed to the company phones and not the apps from the store. Anyone else have this issue?   Read More

​

I have Plan 3 MS Project install on my machine and when I create new files in MS Project the mime type is always Application/vnd.ms-office why is the MS project mime type is not Application/vnd.ms-project

I have check the reg edit under ComputerHKEY_CLASSES_ROOTMIMEDatabaseContent Type

i can see Application/vnd.ms-project and the extension is mpp

​I have Plan 3 MS Project install on my machine and when I create new files in MS Project the mime type is always Application/vnd.ms-office why is the MS project mime type is not Application/vnd.ms-projectI have check the reg edit under ComputerHKEY_CLASSES_ROOTMIMEDatabaseContent Typei can see Application/vnd.ms-project and the extension is mpp  Read More

​

This project showcases the use of a Declarative Agent for Microsoft 365 Copilot, designed to create personalized experiences through specific instructions, actions, and knowledge. Specializing in ServiceNow, this declarative agent leverages the following capabilities and actions:

SharePoint Integration: Enables users to retrieve information from files, which can be useful for providing context to ServiceNow tickets and for creating new tickets.

Graph Connectors: Utilizes the Knowledge Base and Services Catalog connectors from ServiceNow to enhance functionality.

Plugins: Incorporates a ServiceNow Scripted REST API that allows users to list their incidents and create new ones.

Note: This sample code is intended for illustrative purposes only and should not be deployed in a production environment without thorough review. It demonstrates how to build a simple Declarative Copilot using Visual Studio Code and the Teams Toolkit. Please note, I do not have the rights or permission from ServiceNow and Adventure Time (Ice King logo).

Prompt Samples

1. ServiceNow Knowledge Graph Connector:

List the articles regarding Outlook 2010. Place the results in a table with the article title in one column and a brief summary in the other

ServiceNow Service Catalog Graph Connector

How do I request a new laptop?

SharePoint Capability

List the items from the snow spreadsheet and format as a table. Also, please add an integer column as the first column, listing the item numbers.

Plugin: List my incidents

List my incidents

Plugin: Create a new incidents

The following prompt uses the list of incidents returned from the previously executed snow spreadsheet file. I’m asking Copilot to create a new incident based on the sixth item in that list.

Create a new incident for the item 6

Build a basic declarative agent with API plugin

Declarative agents are customized versions of Microsoft 365 Copilot that help you to create personalized experiences by declaring specific instructions, actions, and knowledge.

With the declarative agent, you can build a custom version of Copilot that can be used for specific scenarios, such as for specialized knowledge, implementing specific processes, or simply to save time by reusing a set of AI prompts. For example, a grocery shopping Copilot declarative agent can be used to create a grocery list based on a meal plan that you send to Copilot.

You can extend declarative agents using plugins to retrieve data and execute tasks on external systems. A declarative agent can utilize multiple plugins at the same time.

Get started

Prerequisites

To run this app template in your local dev machine, you will need:

Node.js, supported versions: 16, 18
A Microsoft 365 account for development.
Teams Toolkit Visual Studio Code Extension version 5.0.0 and higher or Teams Toolkit CLI
Microsoft 365 Copilot license
ServiceNow Developer Instance

First, select the Teams Toolkit icon on the left in the VS Code toolbar.
In the Account section, sign in with your Microsoft 365 account if you haven’t already.
Create Teams app by clicking Provision in “Lifecycle” section.
Select Preview in Copilot (Edge) or Preview in Copilot (Chrome) from the launch configuration dropdown.
Select your declarative agent from the Copilot app.
Send a prompt.

What’s included in the project

Folder
Contents

.vscode
VSCode files for debugging

appPackage
Templates for the Teams application manifest, the plugin manifest and the API specification

env
Environment files

The following files can be customized and demonstrate an example implementation to get you started.

File
Contents

appPackage/declarativeCopilot.json
Define the behaviour and configurations of the declarative agent.

appPackage/manifest.json
Teams application manifest that defines metadata for your declarative agent.

appPackage/instructions.txt
Define how the agent should communicate. An agent might be concise, detailed, interactive, or suggestive. Also include any restrictions that should be applied.

appPackage/ai-plugin.json
It contains everything Copilot needs to know about the API that isn’t in the Swagger file. It breaks the API down into “functions” that share a common URL path and result set.

appPackage/apiSpecificationFile/openapi.json
It is the Swagger file for the API.

The following are Teams Toolkit specific project files. You can visit a complete guide on Github to understand how Teams Toolkit works.

File
Contents

teamsapp.yml
This is the main Teams Toolkit project file. The project file defines two primary things: Properties and configuration Stage definitions.

Addition information and references

Declarative agents for Microsoft 365
Extend Microsoft 365 Copilot
Message extensions for Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft Graph Connectors for Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft 365 Copilot extensibility samples

ServiceNow Plugin

This project consumes two ServiceNow Scripted REST APIs to integrate with ServiceNow’s platform, enabling seamless data exchange and automation of specific workflows.

ServiceNow Scripted REST APIs

Scripted REST APIs in ServiceNow allow developers to create custom web service APIs that can interact with ServiceNow data and services. These APIs can be configured to support various HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) and can be used to perform operations like querying data, creating records, updating records, and deleting records.

Creating Scripted REST APIs

This section includes the code for the Scripted REST API designed to list the incidents associated with a user.

Navigate to System Web Services: Go to System Web Services > Scripted Web Services > Scripted REST APIs.
Create a New API: Click on New and provide a name and namespace for your API.
Define Resources: Create resources by specifying the HTTP method, relative path, and any path parameters.
Write Scripts: In the scripting window, write the necessary scripts to handle the request and response objects.
Test the API: Use the REST API Explorer to test your API and ensure it works as expected.

List my Incidents REST API

The API is built on ServiceNow’s platform, utilizing its robust scripting capabilities to fetch and return incident data.

This API supports the GET method and responds with a JSON object containing the relevant incident details.

(function process(/*RESTAPIRequest*/ request, /*RESTAPIResponse*/ response) {

var username = request.pathParams.username;
//var username = request.queryParams.username;

// Get the ServiceNow instance name
var instanceName = gs.getProperty(‘instance_name’, ‘default_instance’);

// Replace ‘+’ with ‘ ‘ (space)
username = username.replace(/+/g, ‘ ‘);

// Query the Incident table for incidents associated with the email
var gr = new GlideRecord(‘incident’);
gr.addQuery(‘caller_id.name’, username);
gr.query();

// Prepare the result
var result = [];
while (gr.next()) {
result.push({
number: gr.getValue(‘number’),
short_description: gr.getValue(‘short_description’),
state: gr.getValue(‘state’)
});
}

// Check if incidents were found
if (result.length === 0) {
response.setStatus(404);
response.setBody({error: ‘No incidents found for the user name’});
} else {
// Set the result as the response body
response.setStatus(200);
response.setBody(result);
}

})(request, response);

Create a new incident

This section includes the code for the Scripted REST API designed to create new incidents on ServiceNow.

This API leverages ServiceNow’s capabilities to accept incident details through a POST request and create a corresponding incident record in the ServiceNow system. The request body should contain the necessary incident data, and upon successful creation, the API responds with the details of the newly created incident.

(function process(/*RESTAPIRequest*/ request, /*RESTAPIResponse*/ response) {

// Parse the request body to get incident details
var requestBody = request.body.data;

// Check required fields in the request body
if (!requestBody || !requestBody.short_description || !requestBody.username) {
response.setStatus(400); // Bad Request
response.setBody({error: “Missing required fields: short_description or username”});
return;
}

// Lookup caller_id based on the username
var userGr = new GlideRecord(‘sys_user’);
userGr.addQuery(‘name’, requestBody.username);
userGr.query();

if (!userGr.next()) {
response.setStatus(404); // Not Found
response.setBody({error: “User not found with username: “ + requestBody.username});
return;
}

var callerId = userGr.sys_id;

// Create a new incident record in ServiceNow
var gr = new GlideRecord(‘incident’);
gr.initialize();
gr.short_description = requestBody.short_description;
gr.description = requestBody.description;
gr.caller_id = callerId; // Assign the found caller’s sys_id
gr.category = requestBody.category || ‘inquiry’; // Optional: Default category
gr.impact = requestBody.impact || 3; // Optional: Default to low impact
gr.urgency = requestBody.urgency || 3; // Optional: Default to low urgency

var incidentNumber;
try {
// Insert the incident record
var sysId = gr.insert();
incidentNumber = gr.number;

// Set success response
response.setStatus(201); // Created
response.setBody({
result: ‘Incident created successfully’,
sys_id: sysId,
number: incidentNumber
});
} catch (e) {
// Handle error during record insertion
gs.error(“Error creating incident: “ + e.message);
response.setStatus(500); // Internal Server Error
response.setBody({error: “Error creating incident: “ + e.message});
}

})(request, response);

There are two versions.

The official one, shared at Microsoft repo, uses a REST API developed by Cristiano to connect to ServiceNow:

copilot-pro-dev-samples/samples/da-SnowWizard at main · pnp/copilot-pro-dev-samples · GitHub

My version, uses the Scripted REST API from ServiceNow and uses two ServiceNow Graph Connectors:

GitHub – luishdemetrio/SnowKing

THIS CODE IS PROVIDED AS IS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, MERCHANTABILITY, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.

​Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More 

Hi Everyone! 

I haven’t been able to figure out how to hide the presence indicator on records in a modern SharePoint list when users have them open. I need to be able to just… show the list in a super simple format without the presence indicator. See attached image for a sample of what I’m talking about – the gray box around that one record with the user’s initials needs to go. I haven’t been able to find a JSON property for it.

Any ideas? 

Thanks for your consideration!

​Hi Everyone! I haven’t been able to figure out how to hide the presence indicator on records in a modern SharePoint list when users have them open. I need to be able to just… show the list in a super simple format without the presence indicator. See attached image for a sample of what I’m talking about – the gray box around that one record with the user’s initials needs to go. I haven’t been able to find a JSON property for it.  Any ideas? Thanks for your consideration!  Read More

​

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

​

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

​

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

​

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 

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

​