Deploy PowerPivot Solutions to SharePoint

Use the following instructions to manually deploy two solution packages that add PowerPivot features to a SharePoint Server 2010 environment. Deploying the solutions is a required step for configuring PowerPivot for SharePoint on a SharePoint 2010 server. To view the complete list of required steps, see PowerPivot Configuration in Central Administration.

Alternatively, you can use the PowerPivot Configuration Tool to deploy the solutions. Using the configuration tool is easier and more efficient for a single server installation, but you might want to use Central Administration and PowerShell if you prefer using a familiar tool or if you are configuring multiple features at the same time. For more information about using the configuration tool, see PowerPivot Configuration Tool.

Before deploying the solutions, you must first install PowerPivot for SharePoint using the SQL Server 2012 installation media. SQL Server Setup installs the solution packages that you are about to deploy.

This topic contains the following sections:

Prerequisite: Verify the Web Application uses Classic Mode Authentication

Step 1: Deploy the Farm Solution

Step 2: Deploy the PowerPivot Web Application Solution to Central Administration

Step 3: Deploy the PowerPivot Web Application Solution to Other Web Applications

Redeploy or retract the Solution

About the PowerPivot Solutions

Prerequisite: Verify the Web Application uses Classic Mode Authentication

PowerPivot for SharePoint is only supported for web applications that use Windows-classic mode authentication. To check whether the application uses Classic mode, run the following PowerShell cmdlet from the SharePoint 2010 Management Shell, replacing http://<top-level site name> with the name of your SharePoint site:

Get-spwebapplication http://<top-level site name> | format-list UseClaimsAuthentication

The return value should be false. If it is true, you cannot access PowerPivot data with this web application.

Step 1: Deploy the Farm Solution

This section shows you how to deploy solutions using PowerShell, but you can also use the PowerPivot Configuration Tool to complete this task. For more information, see Configure or Repair PowerPivot for SharePoint (PowerPivot Configuration Tool).

This task only needs to be performed once, after you install PowerPivot for SharePoint.

1. On a server that has an installation of PowerPivot for SharePoint, open a SharePoint 2010 Management Shell using the Run as Administrator option.

2. Run the following cmdlet to add the farm solution.

   Add-SPSolution –LiteralPath “C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\110\Tools\PowerPivotTools\ConfigurationTool\Resources\PowerPivotFarm.wsp”
   

   The cmdlet returns the name of the solution, its solution ID, and Deployed=False. In the next step, you will deploy the solution.

3. Run the next cmdlet to deploy the farm solution:

   Install-SPSolution –Identity PowerPivotFarm.wsp –GACDeployment -Force
   

Step 2: Deploy the PowerPivot Web Application Solution to Central Administration

After you deploy the farm solution, you must deploy the Web application solution to Central Administration. This step adds the PowerPivot Management Dashboard to Central Administration.

1. Open a SharePoint 2010 Management Shell using the Run as Administrator option.

2. Run the following cmdlet to create a reference to Central Administration:

   $centralAdmin = $(Get-SPWebApplication -IncludeCentralAdministration | Where { $_.IsAdministrationWebApplication -eq $TRUE})
   

3. Run the following cmdlet to add the farm solution.

   Add-SPSolution –LiteralPath “C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\110\Tools\PowerPivotTools\ConfigurationTool\Resources\PowerPivotWebApp.wsp”
   

   The cmdlet returns the name of the solution, its solution ID, and Deployed=False. In the next step, you will deploy the solution.

4. Run the next cmdlet to install the web application solution to Central Administration.

   Install-SPSolution -Identity PowerPivotWebApp.wsp -GACDeployment -Force -WebApplication $centralAdmin
   

Now that the web application solution is deployed to Central Administration, you can use Central Administration to complete all remaining configuration steps.

Step 3: Deploy the PowerPivot Web Application Solution to Other Web Applications

In the previous task, you deployed Powerpivotwebapp.wsp to Central Administration. In this section, you deploy the powerpivotwebapp.wsp on each existing web application that supports PowerPivot data access. If you add more web applications later, be sure to repeat this step for those additional web applications.

1. In Central Administration, in System Settings, click Manage farm solutions.

2. Click powerpivotwebapp.wsp.

3. Click Deploy Solution.

4. In Deploy To?, select the SharePoint web application for which you want to add PowerPivot feature support.

5. Click OK.

6. Repeat for other SharePoint web applications that will also support PowerPivot data access.

Redeploy or retract the Solution

Although SharePoint Central Administration provides solution retraction, you do not need to retract the powerpivotwebapp.wsp file unless you are systematically troubleshooting an installation or patch deployment problem.

1. In SharePoint 2010 Central Administration, in System Settings, click Manage farm solutions.

2. Click Powerpivotwebapp.wsp.

3. Click Retract Solution.

If you encounter server deployment issues that you trace back to the farm solution, you can redeploy it by running the Repair option in the PowerPivot Configuration Tool. Repair operations via the tool is preferred because it requires fewer steps on your part. For more information, see Configure or Repair PowerPivot for SharePoint (PowerPivot Configuration Tool).

If you still want to re-deploy all solutions, be sure to do so in this order:

1. Retract the PowerPivot Web application solution from all SharePoint web applications that use it.

2. Retract the PowerPivot farm solution.

3. Redeploy the PowerPivot farm solution.

4. Redeploy the PowerPivot Web application solution to all SharePoint web applications.

About the PowerPivot Solutions

PowerPivot for SharePoint uses two solution packages to deploy its application pages and program files to the farm and to individual web applications.

• The farm solution is global. It is deployed once and then becomes automatically available to any new PowerPivot for SharePoint servers that you add to the farm later.

• The web application solution is application-specific and must be deployed to each web application in the farm, including the Central Administration web application.

Each solution is deployed differently. The farm solution is deployed once, after the first PowerPivot for SharePoint instance is installed. To deploy the farm solution, you use the PowerPivot Configuration Tool or PowerShell cmdlets.

The web application solution is initially deployed to Central Administration, followed by subsequent solution deployments to any additional web applications that will support requests for PowerPivot data. To deploy the web application solution to Central Administration, you must use the PowerPivot Configuration Tool or PowerShell cmdlet. For all other web applications, you can deploy the web application solution manually using Central Administration or PowerShell.

See Also

Concepts

Upgrade PowerPivot for SharePoint

PowerPivot Configuration in Central Administration

PowerPivot Configuration using PowerShell