Configure and View SharePoint Log Files and Diagnostic Logging (PowerPivot for SharePoint)

PowerPivot server operations, events, and messages are recorded in SharePoint log files. Use the information in this topic to configure logging levels and view log file information. You can control which PowerPivot server events are logged to the file. You can also control the severity of messages that are logged. For more information, see Configure Usage Data Collection (PowerPivot for SharePoint).

In this topic:

• Log File Location

• Modify diagnostic logging levels for individual event categories

• How to View SharePoint Log Files

Log File Location

By default, SharePoint log files are saved to the following location:

C:\Program files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\LOGS

The LOGS folder contains log files (.log), data files (.txt), and usage files (.usage). The file naming convention for a SharePoint trace log is the server name followed by a date and time stamp. SharePoint trace logs are created at regular intervals and whenever there is an IISRESET. It is common to have many trace logs within a 24 hour period.

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Modify diagnostic logging levels for individual event categories

By default, ULS logging of PowerPivot events is set at Medium. This setting is new for SQL Server 2012. If you upgraded a server from the prior release, the logging level might still be set at Verbose, the default level in SQL Server 2008 R2. If you are accustomed to reviewing the ULS logs for PowerPivot server usage information, you will notice that as a result of this change, there is less information about PowerPivot server operations.

Except for exceptions, which are of type High, all PowerPivot messages fall into the Verbose category. If you want log entries for routine server operations such as connections, requests, or query reporting, you must change the logging level to Verbose.

To modify diagnostic logging levels for individual event categories:

1. In SharePoint Central Administration, click Monitoring.

2. Click Configure diagnostic logging.

3. Scroll to PowerPivot Service.

4. Expand the category and select individual categories.

   Application Page Request specifies events triggered by the service application when locating a Analysis Services service for loading a PowerPivot data source and communicating with other servers in the farm.

   Request Processing specifies events triggered by query requests against a PowerPivot database that is loaded on a server in the farm.

   Usage specifies an event related to PowerPivot usage data collection.

5. In Least critical event to report to the event log, select None to disable event logging for the category, or Error to limit logging for just errors.

6. Select Verbose to log all events to the event log.

7. In Least critical event to report to the trace log, select None to disable tracing for the category, or Error to limit tracing for just errors.

8. Select Verbose to log all events to the trace log.

9. Click OK.

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How to View SharePoint Log Files

Log files are text files. You can open them in any text editor. You can also use third-party log viewer applications.

Use a Text Editor

If you are using a text editor to troubleshoot a PowerPivot server error, the following tips can help you locate relevant information in the file:

• For errors related to publishing, viewing, or refreshing a PowerPivot workbook, search the log file for the name of the workbook.

• For errors that provide a correlation ID, copy the ID and use it as a search term in the log file.

• Search for error status "High" or "Exception". Search for “PowerPivot Service”.

• If you know when the error occurred, use the date and time information to narrow the scope of entries you must scroll through.

Use a Log Viewer Application

Although you can use a text editor to view the trace logs individually, a log viewer application that enables you to view several log files together can be far more useful. Fortunately, there are several third-party log viewer applications available for download on the Codeplex site that can help you view multiple trace logs in a single workspace.

The following instructions include links to popular SharePoint ULS Log Viewers that you can download from Codeplex.

1. Go to SharePoint LogViewer or SharePoint ULS Log Viewer on the Codeplex site.

2. Click the Downloads tab.

3. Click the executable file. It will either be SharePointLogViewer.exe or ULS Viewer 2.0 Binary.

4. Read and accept the licensing terms.

5. Click Save to download the software to your local system.

   If you are downloading SharePoint ULS Log Viewer, save ULSViewer.zip to the Downloads folder.

6. In the Downloads folder, right-click ULSViewer.zip and select Extract All.

7. Specify a destination folder, and then click Extract.

8. In the folder that contains the extracted program files, double-click ULSViewer and run the application.

9. Click the folder icon at the top left corner of the application window.

10. Browse to \Program files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\Logs.

11. Select one or more trace logs. By default, trace log file names consist of the computer name plus date and time information. The file type is Text Document.

12. Click Open and wait for the files to load.

13. Use the built-in filters to select records based on severity, process, category, or a user-defined text file. You can also click column headings to change the sort order.

Entries for PowerPivot Services

The following table describes entries for PowerPivot server operations most likely to be found in a SharePoint log file.

See Also

Tasks

Configure Usage Data Collection (PowerPivot for SharePoint)

Concepts

PowerPivot Usage Data Collection

View and Read SQL Server Setup Log Files

Other Resources

DEL[PowerPivot Server Administration