Getting Support For Sharepoint Online Issues Without Uls Log Access
Identifying the Core Issue
When issues arise in SharePoint Online without access to the Unified Logging Service (ULS) logs, identifying the root cause can be challenging. However, through systematic testing and observation, the core problem can usually be uncovered.
Common SharePoint Online issues that may occur without log access include page loading errors, incorrect permissions, workflow failures, synchronization problems, CORS errors, and more. Strategies for narrowing down issues include:
- Reproducing the error through repetitive testing to identify specific triggers
- Capturing browser console errors and exceptions during testing
- Checking site usage trends for activity spikes around the timeline of issues
- Comparing file, list, library, and permissions consistency across site collections
- Leveraging PowerShell for detailed site collection analysis and term store diagnosis
- Correlating issues with customization, branding, or migration timeline if applicable
By systematically ruling out variables through testing, the underlying SharePoint issue can be effectively isolated for further troubleshooting.
Alternate Logging and Tracing Methods
Though ULS logs may not be available in SharePoint Online, alternative logging and tracing techniques can provide valuable troubleshooting information:
Enabling Client-Side Logging with PowerShell
The SharePoint Online Management Shell can activate enhanced client-side logging by running:
Install-Module -Name Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell Import-Module Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell Set-SPOTraceLog -StartupOnly
This logs verboser tracing information within the user context. The logs output to %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Wef\. Further filtering on correlation IDs can isolate specific activity.
Activating Browser Developer Tools
All major browsers come equipped with web developer tools for examining network requests, timing, responses, JavaScript errors, and more. Tracing key user journeys associated with the issues in the browser tools can uncover application exceptions occurring only in the user context.
Leveraging Usage Analytics and Audit Reports
The usage analytics and reporting features in SharePoint Online can also indicate anomalies. Analyzing site activity around issue occurrences and comparing traffic across affected sites and pages can highlight correlations.
Audit log reports can reveal permission or policy changes potentially causing access errors if privileges were reduced or revoked incorrectly.
Getting Help Without ULS Logs
Though ULS logs greatly aid troubleshooting, SharePoint Online support can still assist without log access by:
Providing Detailed Reproduction Steps
Capture extensive details during testing on user context, specific actions taken, page URLs, data inputs, and screenshots of errors or symptoms. Such granular reproduction steps make issues easy to replicate for troubleshooting.
Engaging Your Technical Account Manager
Your Microsoft Technical Account Manager (TAM) has extensive product expertise and may initiate support cases on your behalf when needed. Supply them with testing documentation amassed previously.
Using Community Support Forums
The Microsoft Tech Community forums contain solutions for many common SharePoint problems. Start a new thread including all observations from testing for community assistance.
Recommended Best Practices
Proactively adopting best practices can minimize future issues in SharePoint Online environments by:
Monitoring Site Health
Use the built-in site health checks and solutions in the SharePoint Admin Center to scan for misconfigurations or known issues with the potential to cause errors.
Establishing Internal Usage Reporting
Build a baseline for typical site usage and performance. Monitoring for abnormal traffic and load changes allows preemptively flagging potential future issues.
Assigning Permissions Thoughtfully
Applying principle of least-privilege permissions models minimizes the scope of access-related issues. Consistently audit permissions and policy settings.
Example Scripts and Tools
Included below are examples and references for alternate logging and troubleshooting tools:
Client-Side Logging PowerShell Script
#Save as Start-CSLogging.ps1 Import-Module Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell Set-SPOTraceLog -StartupOnly
Browser Console Network Tracing Snippet
document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => {
const url = 'trace this SharePoint page URL';
fetch(url).then(response => {
console.log(response);
});
});
