Accessing files from SharePoint using WebDav protocol or network shared files fails with error "Attempted to read past the end of the stream"

Date Posted: 2020-04-03
Product: TIBCO Spotfire®

Problem:

Solution:

When trying to open files from Sharepoint using the WebDav protocol or network shared files(xlsx, csv) into the TIBCO Spotfire Analyst or Web Player fails with following errors

DEBUG;2018-01-26T11:32:57,950-05:00;2018-01-26 16:32:57,950;f43eb4b0-cff4-4fa2-853d-56c925392c82;2406404d0dKVuZ;WorkThread 311; WAT 250;Spotfire.Dxp.Data.Import.OutOfProcessDataSourceConnection;"IO exception for data source fileName - Sheet1 (Spotfire.Dxp.Data.Import.Excel2FileDataSource)"
System.IO.EndOfStreamException: Attempted to read past the end of the stream.

DEBUG;2018-01-26T11:32:57,982-05:00;2018-01-26 16:32:57,982;f43eb4b0-cff4-4fa2-853d-56c925392c82;2406404d0dKVuZ;WorkThread 311; WAT 250;Spotfire.Dxp.Data.Import.OutOfProcessDataSourceConnection;"Exception from background process for data source filename - Sheet1 (Spotfire.Dxp.Data.Import.Excel2FileDataSource)"
Spotfire.Dxp.Data.Exceptions.ImportException: Access to the path '\\server@SSL\DavWWWRoot\Spotfire Documents\filename.xlsx' is denied. ---> System.UnauthorizedAccessException: Access to the path '\\server@SSL\DavWWWRoot\Spotfire Documents\filename.xlsx' is denied.

Accessing files from SharePoint using the WebDav protocol is different from the standard windows sharing CIFS protocol. Accessing files over WebDav has not been officially tested by TIBCO and is not supported.

However TIBCO Spotfire does support reading SharePoint lists using the Spotfire Odata connector, the Knowledge Base article 000022196 explains the setup:

KB: 000022196 Setting up the Spotfire OData connector to be used with Microsoft SharePoint

This is the recommended and supported method of accessing data via SharePoint.

Beyond that, there are a few steps you can check to potentially help:

Check if the WebClient service is running and the startup type set to "Automatic"
Add the SharePoint site to Trusted Sites [Internet Options > Security > Sites]
Check "Automatic logon using the current username and password" option [Internet Options > Security > Custom level > Authentication]
When trying to access the Sharepoint file from the Node Manager machine through File Explorer, the access should be seamless and the user should not be prompted for authentication.
Try to disable the DataImport_LoadOutOfProcess following the steps mentioned in the Knowledge Base Article:
- For TIBCO Spotfire WebPLayer: KB: 000029204 How to open analysis files on the Web Player when they contain linked data located on a network share.
- For TIBCO Spotfire Analyst: KB: 000020043 How to turn off out-of-process operations in a Spotfire client.
Enable Authentication Forwarding on Node Manager by modifying the registry entries following the article:
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/943280/prompt-for-credentials-when-you-access-webdav-based-fqdn-sites-in-wind

Note: Make a backup of the registry before you make any changes to it. Serious issues may occur if the registry is modified incorrectly. See the following instructions for how to backup and restore the registry: