Reddit mentions: The best sharepoint guides

Okay. A lot to go over here. I work with both linux/windows to various degress, so Im glad to address it:

>My issue is if you're doing any sort of system administration work, typing out PowerShell's commands is going to get hella annoying. Would you rather type two characters, or thirteen every time you wanted to use a command?

Tab complete is a thing for powershell. Just typing "ge" and hitting tab will cycle through all of the "get-xxxx" commands in alphabetical order. If you can get to "get-h," its much faster to hit the command you want. Powershell gives up a few more keystrokes for much, much more accessibility. It also has heaps of default alias's and the ability to set new ones like bash, so its really just a matter of learning them or setting them to speed this up for experienced users.

>I am not entirely sure what you mean by this. Firstly, as far as I can tell the built-in help to each cmdlet is lackluster. ("get-childitem -?" for instance, compared to "ls --help") On Windows with -? it lists only the syntax and aliases, with no further explanation of what each parameter is

I see where this is confusing form a unix perspective, but you've barely scratched the surface of the powershell help syntax. Thats okay, it generally something people learn about only during dedicated study. "help command" is the correct syntax for the help files in powershell, but the help command itself has modifiers. Try -examples for a long list of the command used in context, or --full for every detail about the commands use. You can also use --showwindow to pop out the -full in a different and easier to search window.

Not only that, but each help command shows you a couple of contexts about what parameters the command can take, and in what contexts. For example, here is the syntax of get-childitem:


Get-ChildItem [[-Filter] <String>] [-Attributes <System.Management.Automation.FlagsExpression1[System.IO.FileAttributes]&amp;gt;] [-Depth &amp;lt;UInt32&amp;gt;] [-Directory ] [-Exclude &amp;lt;String[]&amp;gt;] [-File ] [-Force ] [-Hidden ] [-Include &amp;lt;String[]&amp;gt;] -LiteralPath &amp;lt;String[]&amp;gt; [-Name ] [-ReadOnly ] [-Recurse ] [-System ] [-UseTransaction ] [&amp;lt;CommonParameters&amp;gt;]<br /> <br /> Get-ChildItem [[-Path] &amp;lt;String[]&amp;gt;] [[-Filter] &amp;lt;String&amp;gt;] [-Attributes &amp;lt;System.Management.Automation.FlagsExpression1[System.IO.FileAttributes]>] [-Depth <UInt32>] [-Directory ] [-Exclude <String[]>] [-File ] [-Force ] [-Hidden ] [-Include <String[]>] [-Name ] [-ReadOnly ] [-Recurse ] [-System ] [-UseTransaction ] [<CommonParameters>]


I realize the above doesn't mean much to a layman, but the format is consistent in each powershell command, which count into 500 or so defaults, with a few thousands mixed in with the more specialized modules for things like SQL. The above tell you required parameters, ones you can optionally add, and what kind of input each parameter needs. It shows which parameters need to be strung in a specific order, and what are okay to add anywherfe. Its full of information that you get immediately when you run "help command."

>For further explanation it looks like the proper method is to use "get-help get-childitem" in which case, the help files are not installed by default (at this point I couldn't be bothered, but I noticed there was a -online option which pops open a web browser which is convenient).

Yes, you do need to run update-help on a new install, or periodically, but thats a good thing. It means the help is actively updated, not written in 1986 and left alone as "good enough." Automate that help update and you will never have to think about it. Or, you can do what you did and immediately get the most updated help from inside the console, not googling around and hoping you run into the right info.

One other great thing about powershell help? There are accepted formatting standards in the community. When you start writing your own powershell modules (which are basically unix tools) you can add all the above syntax and expected info into the command in an easy way. This means that even third party tools have this kind of info.


>But for commands you use frequently, you will know which parameters to pass and you're done rather quickly such as "alias dir="ls"" versus "New-Alias -Name "ls" Get-ChildItem"

I see how the above would annoy you, but i bet it was easy to find out how to make a new alias in powershell. You could even just do "new-alias "alias" new-alias" and from now on you can use "alias" if you want. Its also incredibly easy to explort/import these alias's into powershell with, you guess it, "export-alias" and "import-alias". Basically, you setup alias's once in powershell, just like in linux, and its equally easy to move them around as needed.


>Unix commands e.g. "man", "vi", "less" generally share common commands. E.g. for moving between lines or pages, quitting, or searching for text.

Key word above is generally. Its completely arbitrary. Powershell? Always uses the same conventions.

>Unix tools are designed in bite-sized pieces so they can be chained together

Piping and bite- sized tools are 100% a thing in powershell as well. You can pipe sort commands from select commands, move the text around, invert it, compare it to other text files, what have you. It different philosophy than unix, as unix manipulation is text based, and powershell is object based, but the end result is the same. Still, each cmdlet does only what it does. You string them together to get results, same as bash.

Another powerful thing about powershell? Almost all of Microsoft GUI products like exchange/AD/whatever actually just run powershell commands in the background. It means that each of there products, whatever they are, can all be automated with this same syntax. Once you learn how powershell works, you gain full control of every suite in their ecosystem. There isnt a comparsion for that on the linux/bash side of the aisle.

I dont defend most of what Microsoft does, but powershell is a powerhouse. If you want to learn more, the veritable powershell bible is "Learn powershell in a month of lunches" by Don jones. If you follow along just to this book, you'll put most windows administrators to shame with what you can do.

So there isn’t really a cookie cutter deployment, save some best practices... and provisioning (below the web app level), information architecture, operational service offerings and governance will depend on your org/biz usage needs.

Small company or large? Who owns the farm? Will separate resource assist customers then farm admins? Who owns the site? Who supports what? Will site collection admin be handed out? What SLA like reach back or support services will be entertained/supported? User training, dev standards, marketing, support service portal/communications conduit planned out?

Somewhat cliche but you really need a strong partnership with or champion in informational management and business executives. If not you'll always be a tool looking for an audience and being used incorrectly (hammer jar opener/file share/bad relational database woes go here).

Note, I'm not Geoff and get no profit from you buying, but his book is amazing: https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-SharePoint-Planning-Adoption-Governance/dp/0735671648/
TL;DR how to support and structure SP services in an org. Even if you are a 2 man shop, skim it take away at least 5% of the content/concepts and you'll be golden'ish.

Would search through other posts here for more long winded answers from myself and others... but, many vs few site collections comes back to my aforementioned ownership questions (shared assets/dev effects go here) and capabilities of users (i.e. site collections are significant boundaries to power user dev/info sharing, IMO).

Good luck!

Oh, and careful on terms, not nitpicking but assuming you meant separate site collection*. Ie subsites/webs belong in site collections, site collections organize sites in the farm. In the ui sites are webs. Via PowerShell Sites are Site Collections, Sites/Subsites are webs... not at all confusing :). Welcome to SharePoint!

I sat through a Global Knowledge week long class. Work was requiring two guys on my team to get our MCSA with MS365 so we can become Microsoft Gold Partners.

While the class was great, and a week long it only covered the fundamental levels of Office 365. More for a My company wants to go to Office 365, what is it all about? scenario.

I watched Youtube Videos which were great, and found some VCE files for 70-346 that were outdated, but honestly were on my test almost verbatim.

Also, Get 70-346 Exam Ref and 70-347 Exam Ref

Covers what is on the test in detail.

We also picked up a CBT Nuggets subscription, but both tests were archived from 2015 and were a bit dated.

Also, get yourself a lab. You can provision a 30 day trial tenant domain for free, which helps with understanding and a hands on.

Be prepaired for lots of powershell. Powershell to confirm a new domain. Powershell for setting Sharepoint permissions on specific team sites. Its pretty crazy, but the books do a great job of breaking it down. YOu can get through a book in a day or two because there are lots of screen shots and a chapter per test topic.

Feel free to PM me with any questions. More than happy to help. I love this shit.

The best way to learn anything depends on your learning style. Some people learn better by reading, some by watching videos, and some by doing. It's important to know how you learn effectively.

That said, my recommendation is to find a routine task you do regularly and figure out how to do it automatically with PowerShell. Do you archive old report files to a specific directory structure? Learn about Copy-Item. Do you manage Exchange, SCCM, O365, anything like that? They all have automation support with PowerShell. There are even community modules that support a lot of third-party products - for example, the JiraPS project allows you to manage JIRA items with PowerShell, including creating new issues, commenting on existing ones, and closing them out.

If you prefer reading, the book Learn PowerShell in a Month of Lunches is often recommended - but it's very important that you actually follow along with the exercises in the book. Type them and run them on a live computer whenever possible.

If you prefer videos, I suggest the Microsoft Virtual Academy series on PowerShell. These are a bit long, but they do a great job of teaching you both concepts and practical knowledge.

Hope that helps!

Okay, /u/kd9333, don't take this the wrong way, but have you considered brushing up on some POSH basics, maybe something like PowerShell in a Month of Lunches. You have been asking a lot of questions about this script (and general PowerShell questions) in the past few weeks, and honestly, some of your responses are literally you asking people to do 100% of the work for you, even after they point you in the right direction.

Many people are willing to help you learn PowerShell, but many of the questions are you asking are pretty basic, and they would likely be answered if you took the time to really learn the basics of the language. That, plus a few questions that look like homework make me question if this is just us doing schoolwork for you or if this is an actual question you need assistance with.

To your question, you don't need to type your date field as [datetime] when you send it to Out-File. It's already in that format. You will likely want to convert it to a string before hand using either a method or a format operator so that it is in the format you want.

I see that others have answered the question well. And I suspect that you will head down this path, but just in case you aren’t considering it - I highly recommend learning PowerShell. even just basic commands. It will open up so many opportunities for you to help make your life easier as an admin in general, not just SCCM. If you plan to do other things besides SCCM later in, having a good understanding of PowerShell will be a very marketable skill for you to have.

I highly recommend PowerShell in a Month of Lunches as a great book to get you started.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/1617294160/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YyqRDb82T8T6V

For my situation, my helpdesk use scripts I've created on a daily basis to make new users, terminate users, and check on what locks people out. Small things like this make a 10-30 minute task take seconds which frees up a lot of time. If you're really wanting to learn powershell and have very little knowledge of it, I recommend picking up "PowerShell in a Month of Lunches". It will give you a good idea on how to export and import data. If I remember correctly it also gets into loops which helps immensely.

PowerShell takes time to learn, but if you want to learn it, I recommend googling how to do whatever task you're trying to do in powershell. Maybe don't do it at the time the task needs to be completed if you're understaffed and overwhelmed. But definitely go back and learn how to do it in PowerShell. After some time doing this, you'll be surprised at what you can accomplish when it comes to tasks involving all of your users or at least a good handful of them.

Would I create new lines below that one for the other OUs?

No, absolutely not. :)

The line I wrote is all you need.I'll try to explain it line by line.

​

$data = Import-Csv -Delimiter "," -Path C:\temp\data.csv

This line will import csv data from path C:\temp\data.csv into variable $data and it will use , as delimiter.Run it on your data and then run just $data to check what is inside your new variable.

$OU = ($data | select OU -Unique).OU

This line will select only OU column from your csv data in variable $data and it will select only unique values, so if you have users that are in same OU it will not duplicate it.After you run it check what's inside your variable by call it $OU.

​

Now we come to foreach loop.

foreach ($item in $OU) { New-ADOrganizationalUnit -Name $item -Path "dc=contoso, dc=com" }

It does exactly what it say, for each item, value inside variable OU it will run following code

New-ADOrganizationalUnit -Name $item -Path "dc=contoso, dc=com"

So let pretend you have this inside your variable OU.$OU

Finance
Accounting
Sales
IT
Quality

​

If we were to ran this code:

foreach ($item in $OU) { Write-Host "test" }

This would be the result in my terminal
test
test
test
test
test

Since we have 5 items inside $OU and command Write-Host "test" will be ran 5 times.

Now if I were to ran this code:

​

foreach ($item in $OU) { Write-Host "$item" }

This would be the result in my terminal

Finance
Accounting
Sales
IT
Quality

​

It will take each item from OU and output it to terminal.

​

I hope that makes it clear for you why all you need is this one line.

New-ADOrganizationalUnit -Name $item -Path "dc=contoso, dc=com"

​

If you really want to learn powershell and not just finish you project I strongly suggest this book:

Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160

​

It's great book, really accessible and written in such approachable way that I guarantee if you finish it, you will understand and know powershell basics. :)

If you are more video guy this is old but great video series that will explain powershell basics.Big plus it's Jeffrey Snover talking about powershell. Can't beat that with a baseball bat :)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyJiOytEPs4etH7Ujq7PU7jlOlHL-9RmV

I appreciate you asking! I love sharing knowledge and resources.

I learned by using PowerShell in a Month of Lunches, and also a wonderful subreddit called /r/PowerShell.

On top of that, I looked at other people's work whether it was on GitHub, Reddit, or YouTube, and I learned how the language worked. Remember, everything in PowerShell is an object. If you remember that, it'll help you a lot!

I also used Microsoft's Virtual Academy for PowerShell, located here: https://mva.microsoft.com/en-us/training-courses/getting-started-with-microsoft-powershell-8276

If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask.

I really like the books /u/joerod suggested.

Links:

PowerShell in a Month of lunches

Learn PowerShell Toolmaking in a Month of Lunches


For the MVA PowerShell courses:

MVA PowerShell - A plethora of good resources


Good luck! PowerShell is incredibly helpful and fun in both work and every day life!

Edit: Other recommendations from my old self

Powershell. Think Python, but with more obnoxious syntax. Powershell in a Month of Lunches is well-regarded, and if you know Python already, you can probably skip the first several chapters.

If you already know a CM tool (e.g. Puppet/Ansible/Chef/Salt), check into the Windows/DSC support in said tool.

AD = Dynamic DNS + LDAP + Kerberos. ADSI Edit will be your friend.

Start learning the basics of GPO - it's sort of the desktop/back-office server equivalent of a CM tool. Most often hooked into an AD group/OU.

Learn to live with love Event Viewer. Simple text-based logs are a rarity in Windows world (with the possible exception of IIS).

Don't sweat it too much. Learning the basics of Windows should be pretty quick for a Linux admin.

First, read our Wiki. It is very thorough and answers a lot of these common questions such as

day to day? The Practice of System and Network Administration
And the topical reference books listed below.

Books to help in shaping a sysadmin? The above &:
The Phoenix Project
Time Management for System Administrators


Topical Books I see mentioned often and have been very helpful to me:
Powershell in a month of lunches
Learn Python the hard way
Unix and Linux System Administration Handbook
Windows Server 2016: Inside Out

Group Policy
AbsoluteBSD
FreeBSD mastery:ZFS
CCNA
RHCSA/RHCE
Pro Puppet
SSH Mastery

On my docket:
FreeBSD Mastery: Advanced ZFS

Michael W. Lucas and Thomas Limoncelli are very good sysadmin writers, you can't go wrong with a topic they have chosen to write about.

Most of the *nix stuff assumes a baseline knowledge of how to use a unix-based system. I learned as I went but did pick up an old copy of Unix Visual Quickstart Guide not too long ago at a used books sale, which seems like a good starting place for someone overwhelmed with sitting at a terminal and being productive.
I notice I don't have any Virtualization books, perhaps someone else can fill in good books. Most of my knowledge regarding virtualization and network storage has been a mix of official docs, video training, and poking at it. Seems innate but it isn't.

If you're fairly new, I think you should start something like Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches. You'll find this recommendation everywhere and for good reason. I personally was an peer reviewer of the 3rd edition and read it page-for-page slowly and provided a lot of feedback. It's a good book to get started with.

After that then move into the advanced tool making books like Learn PowerShell Toolmaking in a Month of Lunches.

Of course this just help get you started. You'll need to get a lot of practice with realistic projects to become familiar with how to build tools. I would highly recommend becoming very familiar with Git. There are a TON of tutorials out there (both web pages and YouTube videos).

Honestly to become a good toolmaker you'll need a lot of practice, but in terms of material these are a good source to get you started. Be patient and try to find small projects that you can grab onto. I would also recommend Windows PowerShell in Action for a more under-the-hood kind of view of how things work.

You will pick up the knowledge fairly quickly, but the wisdom part comes slowly.

Read some books:

• Phoenix Project https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Project-DevOps-Helping-Business-ebook/dp/B00AZRBLHO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1495835961&sr=1-1&keywords=the+phoenix+project
  
• Practice of System and Network Administration https://www.amazon.com/Practice-System-Network-Administration-Enterprise/dp/0321919165/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
  
• Toyota Kata https://www.amazon.com/Toyota-Kata-Managing-Improvement-Adaptiveness/dp/0071635238/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1495835986&sr=1-1&keywords=Toyota+kata
  
• GTD https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0142000280
  
• Five Dysfunctions of a Team https://www.amazon.com/Five-Dysfunctions-Team-Leadership-Fable/dp/0787960756/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1495836025&sr=1-1&keywords=five+dysfunctions+of+a+team
  
• How to win friends and influence people https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034
  
• Powershell in a month of lunches https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1495836112&sr=1-1&keywords=powershell+in+a+month+of+lunches
  
  Start humble, stay humble, be quick to listen and slow to speak, and don't make changes on Friday!

It's cliche, but Month of Lunches is great if you're looking for a book. Honestly my advice is to solve problems with powershell. Learn to lean heavily on "Get-Command" and "Get-Help". When someone comes to you with something you would normally use the gui for, just figure out how to powershell it (advice - avoid device drivers)


A key piece of Systems Administration is driving yourself. In many situations you are the bottleneck to other people accomplishing their project or to fixing an issue - this means you need to understand that everyone is going to tell you their thing is high priority because they can't do anything til you're done. As you grow, you'll figure out how to get out of that position (automating pieces is a major part of that) but right now, focus on communicating clearly and honestly. Learn to set expectations - that's more important then any technical skill you can focus on.

I can't speak to the Project side of it, but I've found this book extremely helpful in my SP2010 Implementation: Microsoft SharePoint Unleashed

Also, I don't know what version of SP you plan on running or for what purposes, but I would strongly recommend a 3 server setup. One web frontend, one indexing server and one primary SP instance. Even if you can't or don't want to implement this way, I would still set your single server as part of a farm to allow for future growth.

Powershell is a favorite at my place of work and allows us to automate some pretty fun stuff.. if you get started scripting or have any questions feel free to P.M. me anytime.. as for resources for powershell:

https://leanpub.com/powershell-scripting-toolmaking - PDF

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160 - Book

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CRTahGYnws&list=PL6D474E721138865A - Video

Hope this helps.. :)

> Is there any prior knowledge needed and if so what?

No prior knowledge needed. Of course, if you have experience with other scripting languages and some core concepts (if statements, variables, etc), it certainly helps.

> Just wondering if there is a best practice for newbies of powershell?

Try to think of something you want to do. It could be as simple as creating folders that have a unique name (like based off the date created), but the more you practice even mundane tasks in Powershell, the more you are going to learn about how it works and how to make it do what you want.

> If anyone could recommend some resources to help me get started that would be greatly appreciated.

There is no shame in going onto Google and searching for Powershell scripts that others have made. If you do take this approach, I would recommend trying to break down and analyze what the script is doing with each command and line. Also, this book really helped me get my foot in the door (well worth the ~$36):

• https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ref=asc_df_1617294160/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312091457223&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2151054104313612023&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9052229&hvtargid=pla-406163967273&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=62820903995&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312091457223&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2151054104313612023&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9052229&hvtargid=pla-406163967273
  
  The book makes no assumption on where your skill level is at and starts explaining concepts from the entry level. (what is Powershell, how the commands are structured, how to make a variable, etc.)

I agree with /u/brother_bean except I don't know if you can keep that pace up, it will probably take you longer due to the lack of experience.

Using Powershell is definitely the best way to learn it and I wouldn't be too stressed about it, following along with the videos from CBTNuggets or Pluralsight will give you what you need. If you feel like you need more there is a book a lot of people recommend.

My career advice is to not focus so much on passing the exam, the skills you learn along the way will end up being way more valuable. If you're seeking a job as a junior SysAdmin somewhere the certificate will get your foot in the door but speaking intelligently on the subject matter is what gets you the job. Make sure you're actually learning the material instead of memorizing to pass the test.

No programming necessary, it's all out of box functionality.

Here's a tutorial that covers the unique ID and form saving I was talking about. It's written for InfoPath 2010, but things aren't so different in 2013:
http://wonderlaura.com/2012/01/01/infopath-save-draft-form-functionality-a-better-way/

When you build your form, you'll then want to add another button called "Copy" or something with the following rules:

• Action rule to set the unique id field so it's no longer the same. If you're using now just copy the same rule to this button, and it'll change because Now() has changed. Or just have it add a one or something to the previous file name.
  
• If desired, add more action rules for each field you want to not carry ovier to set them to be "" (blank).
  
  Laura Rodgers has some great beginning InfoPath tutorials on her page and she co-wrote a book I found invaluable when I was starting out with SP & InfoPath and had no clue: Using Microsoft InfoPath 2010 with Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Step by Step . At the time, that was the only book I could really find that had focus on InfoPath specifically, and it's actually really well done.
  
  Also, check out the SharePoint at RackSpace channel, lots of good beginner tutorials there too.

Here is your best bet:

https://www.amazon.com/Windows-Server-Inside-Current-Service/dp/1509302484/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?keywords=server+2016&qid=1565742949&s=gateway&sr=8-8

Also if you want to become good server admin learn Powershell early and learn it well. Build many core servers and learn to set them up only using command line and power shell.

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=powershell+in+a+month+of+lunches&qid=1565743055&s=gateway&sprefix=powershell+in+&sr=8-1

Congrats on the new gig

Agreed. OP, you nee to take some time and learn powershell - you can certainly do all the tasks that you listed in your post, but again, you need to learn the basics. I suggest starting with this book. Best of luck.

Some literary resources you should find helpful. When in doubt, track down the best in your field and find out what they are writing/doing (Good Luck!)

Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches https://www.amazon.com/dp/1617294160/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_c--CzbBZM4SFB

https://www.manning.com/books/learn-windows-powershell-in-a-month-of-lunches-third-edition

Virtual Labs
Building Virtual Machine Labs: A Hands-On Guide https://www.amazon.com/dp/1546932631/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_4b.Czb24JYXTM

Microsoft Books:
(I am positive you can scrape some useful AD information from this collection)
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/mssmallbiz/2017/07/11/largest-free-microsoft-ebook-giveaway-im-giving-away-millions-of-free-microsoft-ebooks-again-including-windows-10-office-365-office-2016-power-bi-azure-windows-8-1-office-2013-sharepo/

Todd Klindt and Shane Young's book is excellent, as is Bill English's compendium.

For the actual exam I just used the study guide http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-SharePoint-Configuration-Study-Guide/dp/0470627018/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1342444469&sr=8-2&keywords=mcts+sharepoint.

Honestly the best study guide is experience.

PowerShell in a Month of Lunches is kind of the defacto starter book.

From there, I would recommend diving into The PowerShell Scripting and Toolmaking Book.

Naturally, this sub is also an excellent resource. You could also join the PowerShell Slack, where tons of good discussions/examples can be found.

The best PS book I've come across is Learn PowerShell in a Month of Lunches: https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535785632&sr=8-1&keywords=powershell+month+of+lunches

​

Also, keep an eye out for the authors in blog posts as you're Googling. Don Jones and Jeff Hicks are both really active on Powershell.org as well as Pluralsight.com.

First, you should have gotten a printout with bar graphs indicating which areas you were weak/strong in. Compare that to the exam objectives here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/exam-70-697.aspx to decide which areas to focus.

​

If you haven't already, sign up for a free Azure trial and play around with InTune. Hands-on experience with it will go a long way on the test. Know how InTune can be used to manage Mobile devices, compliance vs configuration items, App Deployment methods, etc.

​

If you have a PC that can handle it, the Microsoft 365 Powered Lab Kit will set up a number of VMs on your machine for practice. It includes guided labs that will prep you for the exam (and your MCSE: Mobility). It can be found here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-microsoft-365-powered-device-lab-kit

​

Learn the basics of PowerShell if you haven't already. You don't need to know how to script, but a basic understanding of cmdlet syntax and some basic cmdlets will get you by. PowerShell in a Month of Lunches (https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ref=dp_ob_title_bk) is highly recommended by others here, and I recommend the (free!) MVA videos on PowerShell with Jason Helmick and Jeffery Snover (the first one is here: https://mva.microsoft.com/en-US/training-courses/getting-started-with-microsoft-powershell-8276)

​

For books, I used Panek's guide (https://www.amazon.com/MCSA-Microsoft-Windows-Study-Guide/dp/111925230X/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1538429066&sr=8-5&keywords=70-697+configuring+windows+devices). It is out of date now for InTune, but the rest of it should still be relevant.

​

Last, remember that you don't need to go deep into any of the tech covered - the test is hard because it is broad.

​

If you have specific areas you want materials for, let me know, and I'll post what I can find.

​

A million times this ; http://www.amazon.com/Automating-SharePoint-2010-Windows-PowerShell/dp/0470939206

This is a fantastic place to begin your Sharepoint Powershell adventures :)

I was like you no programming experience at all. I learned from these videos, I suggest you download them as MS is decommissioning this site soon.

1. Getting Started with Microsoft PowerShell
   
2. Using PowerShell for Active Directory
   
   and everyone will recommend reading Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches although I'm not a big reader and have not gone through most of this book. The two video modules will give you a good start. This reddit has also helped ALOT.

Check around your local city to see if there's a SharePoint User's Group.

Then, when you have a specific problem like, "My team want's to store documents, but I have no idea what metadata is" or "My team says they can't find documents on search" or "I need to add this to a page and have no idea how" post over here and we can point you in the right direction.

As everyone has said: Lynda.com is great.

Otherwise, I don't recommend any particular books - but if you really want one then buy the Step-By-Step book. I actually work right next to the largest book store in the pacific northwest, so I'm very familiar with the titles out there. Unfortunately, none of the books do an excellent job clearly illustrating how to build business solutions on SharePoint, and the books that are project-specific aren't great as a reference resource. Then, there's the issue of if you're actually going to crack open a book or if you'll just google for answers - all of the book authors are also bloggers, so what is published in books is typically on the net, too.

Learn Windows PowerShell in a month of lunches is a great start!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1617294160


That walks you through some of the basics.


Once you feel comfortable using Get-Help and Get-Member, you should be able to slowly work through any problem that you want to solve, by reading documentation on each cmdlet via get-help and analyzing objects with get-member.

Learn Powershell in a Month of Lunches

Also, SS64 has a great Index/reference of PS commands.

Another good thing to do is to start searching the web for "how do I $taskName in Powershell."

Not really fair to link to a PDF copy of the book. It's a fantastic book and worth purchasing and supporting the author.

It can be purchased on Amazon

https://labgopher.com/ - Get an old server from there if you can bring something like this home and run it occasionally.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/ - Setup a domain, and all that stuff, to simulate roughly the layout of your work, all in VM's.

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ - Use this and do the examples multiple times.

Within the 30-day mark you should know a good amount to get you started.

Download VSCode, use Powershell IDE, also get the preview version of powershell to stay ahead, find out how to do GUI's for powershell for end users, automate things where you have to enumerate and analyze large information, like folders and all their permissions to audit permissions overall. Make scripts that remove unnecessary win10 components via GPO to workstations. Etc...

Start with this:

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ref=sr_1_3?crid=26462OWKXC9YH&keywords=learn+windows+powershell+in+a+month+of+lunches&qid=1568013284&s=gateway&sprefix=learn+windows+%2Caps%2C231&sr=8-3

Then this:

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-PowerShell-Scripting-Month-Lunches/dp/1617295094/ref=sr_1_4?crid=26462OWKXC9YH&keywords=learn+windows+powershell+in+a+month+of+lunches&qid=1568013284&s=gateway&sprefix=learn+windows+%2Caps%2C231&sr=8-4

And finally this:

https://leanpub.com/powershell-scripting-toolmaking

​

I'd also recommend spinning up a virtual environment with at least 1 server and 2 workstations. Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 Enterprise both have evaluation editions you can download and install for free.

"how can I learn to script powershell without having the basics for syntaxes"

honestly, i think if you try going this route, you're going to wind up very frustrated. you really ought to start with the basics. you can't just jump straight to the "knowing" part -- have to go through the process of learning before you get there. crawl before you can walk, and all that.

i bought myself a copy of "Learn Powershell in a Month of Lunches" (amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/) and i like it. many people here on /r/sysadmin recommend it, as well. i would start there to build a good foundation. one of the earliest things the book teaches you is how to use powershell's built-in help and how to read error messages and such, which will become extremely helpful when you do get to the point where you start writing scripts.

buy that book, and/or ask your supervisor to buy you a license to a training site like CBT Nuggets or PluralSight. some people prefer videos and narration over books, but find what works for you, and remember to start with the basics and move up from there.

Pluralsight has some good videos for the MCSA Server 2012. If you sign up for Visual Studio Dev Essensials, you can get a free 3 months with Pluralsight.

https://www.visualstudio.com/free-developer-offers/

I should add, if you're going for the MCSA cert, I've heard it's Powershell heavy. You can get started with Powershell with Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches

I would recommend Core Solutions of Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013 . It's a good read even if you're not going for the certification.

I think the Powershell in a Month of Lunches series is considered pretty good.

Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches is a pretty popular one and has helped me
https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Then once you have the basics down, the followup book has been incredibly helpful in getting me putting together cmdlets that act more like native ones



Learn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches
Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1617295094/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_LJYwCbE21BF87

The book "Learn PowerShell in a month of lunches" is a great first read!

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ref=asc_df_1617294160/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312091457223&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4435694643250366932&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9002018&hvtargid=pla-406163967273&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=62820903995&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312091457223&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4435694643250366932&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9002018&hvtargid=pla-406163967273

There are two main resources that you will need in order to learn PowerShell; the first is PowerShell in a Month of Lunches (there's a newer version coming soon) and the second is access to people who know PowerShell and can help you, like /r/powershell for example.

Have you tried just jumping into power shell? power shell in a month of lunches is a great place to start.

Check out Powershell in a Month of Lunches

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160

Great starter for getting into powershell

If the training materials are for SharePoint admins or server admins, I recommend these books:

• PowerShell for SharePoint 2013 How-To
  
• Exploring Microsoft SharePoint 2013: New Features & Functions
  
  For end users, I like the SharePoint Shepherd's Guides.
  
  If you buy two sets of each of those books and let people pass them around, then you should have at least $200 remaining for beer.

A fantastic book I used when I started was Learn Powershell in a Month of Lunches.
https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/

Learn Powershell in a Month of Lunches is pretty handy.

Below are the books we have. If you would like one let me know.

Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Administrator's Companion

SharePoint 2010 Web Parts in Action

SharePoint Server 2010 Administration 24 Hour Trainer

Microsoft® SharePoint® Designer 2010 Step by Step

Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Plain & Simple

Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Administrator's Pocket Consultant

SharePoint 2010 All-in-One For Dummies

SharePoint 2010 Development For Dummies 1st Edition

Essential SharePoint 2010: Overview, Governance, and Planning

Beginning SharePoint 2010: Building Business Solutions with SharePoint

> I am new to PowerShell and I am unsure on where to start.

Please choose your option:

1. With a tutorial.
   
   
2. With 'PowerShell in a Month of Lunches'.
   
   
3. By Googling 'powershell multiple choice'.
   
   Are you sure?
   
   
   
   https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerShell/comments/4ad8or/create_user_menus_from_objectsarrays/
   
   https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerShell/comments/8afs51/create_dynamic_menu_from_array/
   
   https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerShell/comments/2wk94i/creating_a_better_menu_structure/
   
   https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerShell/comments/6cs2z5/adding_a_menu_to_a_variable/
   
   https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerShell/comments/4or5s7/writemenups1_cli_menu_incl_keyboard_navigation/

>Like, how does Enter-PSSession even make sense?

If you want this stuff to make sense you have to learn how the syntax is laid out and the logic behind it. Once you get comfortable if you know some things you can start figuring out other things very easily but you have to put time in a book or classroom on Powershell.

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ref=dp_ob_image_bk

Learn Linux

http://linuxcommand.org/tlcl.php

Learn Power shell / BASH

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527669274&sr=8-1&keywords=powershell+in+a+month+of+lunches

Learn Programming in Python

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Python-easy-steps-Mike-McGrath/dp/1840785969/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527669308&sr=8-1&keywords=python+in+easy+steps


I have personally used the Python and the Linux book I highly recommend them.

I have this one by Gary Lapointe:

http://www.amazon.com/Automating-SharePoint-2010-Windows-PowerShell/dp/0470939206/

and it's pretty good. It's very large but the beginning is a primer on PowerShell and should get you enough up to speed.

I've heard good things about "Powershell in a month of lunches"

http://amzn.com/1617294160

And the ever popular Learn Windows Powershell in a Month of Lunches

I highly recommend the book Learn Windows Powershell in a Month of Lunches.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/

Learning Powershell is a requirement for the job. There are third party tools for this task, but you need to learn PS anyway. It's not difficult and won't take long to learn the basics.

If you are looking to learn PowerShell without burning out even harder then I would suggest a book called learn powershell in a month of lunches.

Each chapter takes ~45-60 minutes and it an easy enough read and not too technically dense that you need to focus hard to understand. The concepts start at the absolute basics and add another layer on each chapter.

I am half way through the book now and I know enough now to start building some basic/fundamental scripts.

> https://www.amazon.com/Exam-70-347-Enabling-Office-Services/dp/1509300678/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=15M3DQTWY2QSX7Z16MVN

Make sure you read those reviews.

I got my copy off amazon - https://www.amazon.com.au/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3E05CQGIIHRNB

• Sec + or CISSP
  
• Understand the 5 step troubleshooting steps.
  https://www.educational-business-articles.com/5-step-problem-solving/
  
  
• Learn Powershell in a month of Lunches by Don Jones
  
  
• Get a raspberry pi with Ubuntu/Debian and learn the linux commands. Install a SQL server or apache server.

You want this

Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches

Powershell:

Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches 3rd Edition
https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6D474E721138865A


Python:

Learn Python 3 the Hard Way
https://learnpythonthehardway.org/python3
http://www.informit.com/promotions/book-registration-learn-python-3-the-hard-way-141409 (Videos)

Automate the Boring Stuff with Python
https://automatetheboringstuff.com

The Python Tutorial
http://docs.python.org/py3k/tutorial/index.html

A Gentle Introduction to Programming Using Python
https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-189-a-gentle-introduction-to-programming-using-python-january-iap-2011

More at http://Learn.SharjeelSayed.com

Just note that is the 2nd edition linked. I believe there is a third edition out.

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Learn+Windows+PowerShell+in+a+Month+of+Lunches%2C+Third+Edition&qid=1566893184&s=gateway&sr=8-1

I started with Powershell in a month of Lunches

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

I googled 70-346 exam and found this.

https://www.amazon.com/70-346-Managing-Office-Identities-Requirements/dp/150930066X

And the 70-347 ref book.

https://www.amazon.com/Exam-70-347-Enabling-Office-Services/dp/1509300678/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=15M3DQTWY2QSX7Z16MVN

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499701751&sr=8-1&keywords=powershell+in+a+month+of+lunches

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6D474E721138865A

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY27VNfjvp0XyJIItcAIyF4LWNrnMgLUk

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/

I think they just released an updated version of the book for v5...
Yup here it is

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Active-Directory-Management-Lunches/dp/1617291196/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541159458&sr=8-1&keywords=active+directory+in+a+month+of+lunches

​

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541159482&sr=8-1&keywords=powershell+in+a+month+of+lunches

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160

​

All you need to start

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6D474E721138865A

https://mva.microsoft.com/en-US/training-courses/getting-started-with-microsoft-powershell-8276?l=r54IrOWy_2304984382

Gary Lapointe, its likely if you googled PowerShell and SharePoint his name came up.

http://www.amazon.com/Automating-SharePoint-2010-Windows-PowerShell/dp/0470939206

http://blog.falchionconsulting.com/

This is what I'm getting

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502738099&sr=8-1&keywords=powershell+lunch

You need this book in your life: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1617294160/ref=dp_ob_neva_mobile

Learn Powershell In a Month of Lunches

Read this and you'll be on your way.

It completely depends on what you plan on supporting with it. If you're gonna learn Python, pick up bash and learn how Linux works. You won't see much use for Python in a Windows environment (unless you're a developer or doing BI or something, but this is sysadmin so I'm making the assumption).

If you're heavily invested in Windows environments, learn Powershell. It'll be your bread and butter.

For resources:

• bash - The Linux Command Line
  
• Python - Automate the Boring Stuff
  
• Powershell - Learn Powershell in a Month of Lunches
  
  Also, keep an eye on Humble Bundle. They're mostly gaming stuff, but they've had multiple solid programming/scripting/developer book and video bundles in the past.

I came across that one and I was concerned that it's from 2013. I know not much changes in AD, apart from Azure AD, but I'm worried some notable features would be missing.

I also saw the Mastering series (from O'Reilly, right?), and I figured they'd probably be good, but again, I want to ask before I buy, hah.

I've watched that same series and, while I knew much of the content, there was a lot I didn't. It was very much worth the watch, for anyone else perusing this post.

I grabbed this, too, after I watched that.https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1617295094/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

EDIT: I received the book yesterday and had my first lunch-date with it today.

I've been trying to flex my PowerShell as much as possible at work and in my virtual machines. I'm even running one VM as a core/non-desktop instance just to I can be forced to use the commands on it.

No Problem, but if you are not already set in your ways, stop using cmd line or bat files. For most people it is a crutch, but for you it will almost be an intentional handicap. Use Powershell. Check out this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Windows-PowerShell-Month-Lunches/dp/1617294160/ref=sr_1_1?crid=DGWIKS0UFOFM&keywords=powershell+in+a+month+of+lunches&qid=1563465625&s=gateway&sprefix=powershell%2Caps%2C190&sr=8-1