Sunday, December 6, 2015

key ask for Sitecore Migration/Up-gradation.


  • Current Version of Sitecore?
    • Helpful to identify the scope of migration.
  • List of all components and their uses and dependencies?
    • Helpful to identify the dependencies and scope of migration
  • What is the approach for digital assets/Media library management?
    • To understand the type of content like audio, images, multimedia and how they are managing.
  • What is the current search approach
    •  Is the solution multilingual? If so, does the content on the multilingual versions differ?
    • To understand the scope and complexity of the migration.
  • What is the current architecture and process flow of the CD and CM server?
    •   To understand the current infrastructure and deployment process.
    • Help to decide the migration approach.
    • Scope for performance and process improvement.
  •   List of Sitecore customizations types and their details?
    • Pipeline customization
    • Changes in the caching approaches and settings?
    • Changes in the web.config?
    • Url aliases or rewriting implemented?
  • What is the design of current Information architecture, content models and data models?
    •  For migration and performance prospective we should know what all our content are interdependent/linked or reusable.
    • To define the serialization approaches for the migration
    • To understand the inputs, Outputs, and Designs
    • To understand what types of content elements appear consistently on multiple pages or sites.
  • Required Server configuration (Software and Hardware) latest version and load balancer details
    • It’s required to check the compatibility with the Sitecore new version.
    • Help to decide the migration approach.
    • We can review and suggest the Scope for the performance improvement.
  • Are all existing sites compatible on MVC framework?
    •   There is a lot of architectural difference in MVC and web form like web form work with Page controller pattern and MVC work on the front Controller approach.
    • In case of migration from web form to MVC all the existing rendering and design components needs to be reviewed or rewritten.
  • List of modules which implemented/added like WFFM, Email campaign connector or CRM connector etc. And their latest version details?
    • It’s required to check the compatibility with the new version
    • To understand the scope like In case of WFFM, it will require more manual process
    • Challenges like cannot add form from the new Experience Editor interface
    • Important aspect of Solution Upgrade.
  •  Any custom modules is integrated like Advanced Database Crawler, blogging, SES, etc.)
  • List of website instances and their features.
    • To understand the technical challenges and scope of migration.
    •  Help to design and upgrade the components
  • Is there any mobile device detector module associated
    • Help to decide the migration approach.
  • What all are the custom roles defined?
    • Help to decide the scope of migration
  • A list of the system template changed/manipulated?
    •  Help to decide the scope of migration.
  • Are all website code are using Sitecore standard field rendering or not?
    •  To understand the scope of migration.
  • What all are databases used, required their version details.
    • Help to decide the scope and possibility as Oracle database is not yet supported in the latest version
  • How much dependencies of Analytics data?
    • It helps us to define the scope of migration.
  • Any out of the box customization like HTTP handlers?
    • It helps us to define the scope of migration.
  • What is the Content authoring approach and what all are the workflow implemented?
    • To understand the scope of migration.
    • To understand the scope of migration.
  • Is there any global and template specific placeholder settings implemented?
    • To understand the scope and complexity of the migration.
  • What all are the types of authorization role to access the content?
    • Very important to understand their security model that they have given/implemented for the users.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Browser - Cookies limits.

Typically, the following are allowed:
  • 300 cookies in total
  • 4096 bytes per cookie
  • 20 cookies per domain
  • 81920 bytes per domain*
* Given 20 cookies of max size 4096 = 81920 bytes.

IE (and Opera) introduces a new limit, max bytes per domain

Reference :- http://browsercookielimits.squawky.net/
 

Monday, November 23, 2015

Sitecore options for serialization and deserialization

Serialization – Convert data/objects into stream of bytes.
Deserialization – Convert stream of bytes into data/objects

There are three options for serialization and deserialization in the Sitecore.

1)      The Sitecore serialization page provide the interface to transfer the database to the bytes/text files
Location is: - /Sitecore/admin/serialization.aspx
Helps to take backup of database, version control and to track the changes (in case of trouble shooting).

File created on the file system:- 


2)      Serializing Items through content editor option :-
Steps:-
To serialize an item:
1. In the Content Editor, select an item that you want to store in a text file on the disk.
2. On the Developer tab, in the Serialize group, click Serialize Item.

To show the developer options enable this from the ribbon bar:-



Click on serialize item:-


To serialize an item with all its sub items:
1. In the Content Editor, select a parent item that you want to store with all its sub items in text format on the disk.
2. On the Developer tab, in the Serialize group, click Serialize Tree.

3)      Sitecore event handlers :-
Need to enable the event handler by default it’s disabled

Add below configuration in the web.config file

             <configuration>
  <sitecore>
    <events>
      <event name="item:saved">
        <handler type="Sitecore.Data.Serialization.ItemHandler, Sitecore.Kernel" method="OnItemSaved"/>
      </event>
      <event name="item:deleted">
        <handler type="Sitecore.Data.Serialization.ItemHandler, Sitecore.Kernel" method="OnItemDeleted"/>
      </event>
      <event name="item:moved">
        <handler type="Sitecore.Data.Serialization.ItemHandler, Sitecore.Kernel" method="OnItemMoved"/>
      </event>
      <event name="item:versionRemoved">
        <handler type="Sitecore.Data.Serialization.ItemHandler, Sitecore.Kernel" method="OnItemVersionRemoved"/>
      </event>
    </events>
  </sitecore
</configuration> 





Other tools available on the Hedghog for the serialization and comparisons







Saturday, October 31, 2015

Sitecore Overview - Presentation.


 Sitecore Overview.

A leading enterprise-level content management systems.
Multichannel marketing system.
Mature Commerce Module.
Sitecore a Leader in Gartner 2015 WCM Magic Quadrant

Why Sitecore?

  • Turn ordinary websites into extraordinary web experiences.
  • Manage content, products, and assets — all in one place
  • Shape your customer's experience across every channel through Web experience. Consistency across multiple sites and Multi site capabilities.
  • Multi-language content support with translation
  • Single place for all social media connectors and DMS capabilities.
  • Enterprise-class security for content and users
  • Easy integration with other systems and data like E-commerce, Dynamic CRM ,Sharepoint
  • On-premises, cloud, or hybrid deployment options

Why Sitecore? Business

  • The best CMS for Customer Experience Management.
  • World-class brands trust their business to Sitecore
  • DMS Modules to attract the right visitors.
  • Create relevant, cross-channel connected customer experiences.
  • Optimize conversions that matter to the business.
  • Latest best practices in order to meet ROI objectives
  • Variety of existing business solutions under single umbrella (i.e. analytics, personalization, email, etc.)

Why Sitecore? Marketers

  • Single window for performing all the tasks like manage content, analytics, personalization, automation, email and testing.
  • Target Marketing.
  • Focusing on strategic investments and evaluating their success based on ROI
  • Best practices for ROI objectives
  • Mature Commerce Modules.
  • Customer Experience Maturity Model which help to attract visitors,convert prospects which gain new customer and repetitive business

Why Sitecore? Technical

  • Easy for the development.
  • Build in solutions like Search,Multisite,Multilingual,Workflow,Security,Scheduling task,integration capabilities etc.
  • Advanced Caching and Logging
  • Convenience API utility
  • Simplicity, Reusability,Scalability,Extensibility,Flexibility and SOLID.
  • Sitecore Community.

























Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Sitecore integration with Exact Target (SalesForce)

Step by Step integration of Sitecore with ExactTarget (SalesForce).

1.    Login Process
First, we need to login to extranet portal and it will send an authentication code, basically for every device its sending one time authentication code.





1)    It will ask for the authentication through the email for one time code.


2)    Home Screen.



2.    Automation of welcome email series with exact target.

1)    Scenario #1: - Send three emails over a period of several days to welcome new accounts to your company
Standard practice:-

 As per the study:-

1) Step one Welcome (Day One ) - Welcome subscriber to program, Set Expectations about the types and frequencies of email communications. Educate on HOW subscribers were opted-in

2) Confirm ( Day Three ) - Email to onboard subscriber into the brand experience, Gain customer information related to their profile and even offer and incentive for full completion.

3) Reward (Day Five) - Engage cosumers futher into the brand experience via community,relevant offers and product/service insights

 
2)    Process to send the welcome email through exact target

 If we talk about the process then it will goes like below

1) Step One :-    Create the emails
2) Step Two :-    Build Reports in Salesforce
3) Step Three :-  Define the User-Initiated Emails in ExactTarget
4) Step Four :-    Automate via AUtomative Studio


3)    Click on email section






4)    Go to content- email section


This is the place where we need to create the email through the Sitecore application

3.    Configuration section Step by Step.


1)    Create new project in visual studio – 2010/2012
2)    Add reference to service:-


For more details about the appropriate service, Please go through below link:-


3)    Required Namespace to include in the project
Using ExactTarget. ExactTargetAPI;
Using System. ServiceModel;

4.    Creating the connection apps and Integration.


1)    Setup to create the app

2)    Sign in


3)    Choose API integration



4)    Make a link to account



5)    A message to show which account you will be connecting through the API’S.




6)    Required to set appropriate rights to access the API’s



7)    Started

 

5          Creating new email through the SDK.


1)    Finally resolved the authentication related issue through the SDK, as mentioned in Point#4 how to create the App.
2)    After that we need to configured the key values, as below


3)    Creating the new email setup in exact target





4)    Email Name is as below




5)    Other details:-
SDK Name :- "CSharpSDKEmail"
Customer Key:- "CSharpSDKEmail"

6)    Here is the result



7)    Thanks a lot for the kind passions, finally We have created new email in the exact target







6          Technical issues and resolutions.


1)    Once we execute the programme, we received below errors.

Solutions 1:- Need to update the binding:-
From
<binding name="SoapBinding">
                    <security mode="Transport" />
                </binding>
    To
   <security mode="TransportWithMessageCredential">
                    <transport clientCredentialType="None" proxyCredentialType="None" realm="" >
                      <extendedProtectionPolicy policyEnforcement="Never"></extendedProtectionPolicy>
                    </transport>
                    <message clientCredentialType="UserName" algorithmSuite="Default" />
                  </security>
                                                                                                                                                            After executing the programmed it gives below errors
                                                                                
  Solutions 2:- Add the custom binding as mentioned below in web.config
Under binding section
<bindings>

      <customBinding>
        <binding name="SoapBinding" closeTimeout="00:30:00" openTimeout="00:30:00" receiveTimeout="00:30:00" sendTimeout="00:30:00">
          <security authenticationMode="UserNameOverTransport">
            <secureConversationBootstrap />
          </security>
          <textMessageEncoding messageVersion="Soap11WSAddressingAugust2004" />
          <httpsTransport maxReceivedMessageSize="655360000" />
        </binding>
      </customBinding>
Set the end point under client section
  <client>
     

      <endpoint address="https://webservice.exacttarget.com/Service.asmx" binding="customBinding"
                bindingConfiguration="SoapBinding" contract="ExactTargetAPI.Soap" name="Soap" />

Error
4)    Execution and diagnosis
Make sure the credential you are trying to connect has the right of API User:-

5)    Download new SDK link from