You’re a Sitecore developer and want to know how to implement the website(s) using Sitecore Experience Accelerator 1.8 Update 1 (aka SXA 1.8.1) on Sitecore Experience Platform 9.1 Update 1 (aka Sitecore XP 9.1.1) and following Helix principles.

If that is the case, you should set up Sitecore demo – Habitat Home – on your machine so that you’re able to play around with the Sitecore solution example and then learn something.

Setup Preresiquites

• it’s configured for HTTPS/SSL only
• Windows 10
• Visual Studio 2017 (version 15.7 or later)
  • Note: Visual Studio 2017 Version 15.7 and later supports migrating a project from the packages.config management format to the PackageReference format, click here to learn more about it
• Sitecore Powershell Extensions 5.0
• Note: must log into https://dev.sitecore.net/ before downloading
  • Sitecore Experience Accelerator 1.8.1 for Sitecore XP 9.1.1
  • Data Exchange Framework 2.1.0
  • Sitecore Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.1.0
  • SQL Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.1.0
  • xConnect Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.1.0
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.1.0
  • Sitecore Connect for Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales 2.1.0
  • Salesforce CRM Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.1.0
  • Sitecore Connect for Salesforce CRM 2.1.0
• Url Rewrite 2.1

Step-by-step Guide

1. install the ones below if not yet 😀
   • a fresh Sitecore XP 9.1.1 instance , let’s say habitathome.local and  habitathome.xconnect.local (xConnect site)
   • Url Rewrite 2.1
2. install all required Sitecore modules below via Installation Wizard
   • Sitecore Powershell Extensions 5.0
   • Note: must log into https://dev.sitecore.net/ before downloading
     • Sitecore Experience Accelerator 1.8.1 for Sitecore XP 9.1.1
     • Data Exchange Framework 2.1.0
     • Sitecore Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.1.0
     • SQL Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.1.0
     • xConnect Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.1.0
     • Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.1.0
     • Sitecore Connect for Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales 2.1.0
     • Salesforce CRM Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.1.0
     • Sitecore Connect for Salesforce CRM 2.1.0
   • Note 1: if you don’t follow the order above strictly, you will see something like this
     • 
   • Note 2: you’re able to overcome it by reinstalling the failed one with Overwrite option
3. publish your Sitecore Instance

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4. download or clone the git repo from Habitat Home Platform 9.1.1
5. ensure that you create an HTTPS binding with appropriate self-signed certificate
   • Note 1: you can try creating the self-signed certificate and assign it to your site if not yet by executing the following PowerShell script
   • launch PowerShell as an administrator

   • Add-WebFeatureSSL -HostName “habitathome.local” -RootDnsName “DO_NOT_TRUST_SitecoreDemo”

   • Note 2: if you see something like New-SelfSignedCertificate : CertEnroll::CX509Enrollment::_CreateRequest: The time period is invalid. 0x80630705, you will have to use the new root certificate (Ex: DO_NOT_TRUST_NewSitecoreDemo)

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   • Note 3: if you see something like The term ‘Add-WebFeatureSSL’ is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program you will have to execute Install-Module SitecoreFundamentals
   • otherwise, you’re gonna see the following issue later when performing “Sync-Unicorn” task
   • 
6. Note: I don’t want to use the default settings so I need to adjust the appropriate values in cake-config.json
   • 
7. deploy Sitecore.HabitatHome.Platform
   • launch PowerShell as an administrator
   • change directory to \Sitecore.HabitatHome.Platform
   • execute .\build
   • 
   • Note: you may get the following error while build task “Sync-Unicorn” is publishing items in queue to web , just execute .\build -Target “Post-Deploy” to resolve it
     
   • 
8. hopefully everything runs well and then you would see something like this
   • 
9. open a browser and then navigate to https://habitathome.local, you would see something like this
   • 
   • Note: you may see the default page of Sitecore website. That’s because you don’t use the host name habitathome.local so you need to correct it in Sitecore
     • log into https://habitathome.local/sitecore (Note: you may get Known Issue #1 below)
     • open Desktop -> PowerShell Toolbox -> SXA Site Manager dialog
     • 
     • select HabitatHome row and then click Open button on the top-right of SXA Site Manager dialog
     • update Host Name field to habitathome.local and Database field to master then click OK button to save
     • 
     • refresh https://habitathome.local

Note: some known issues

1. Sorry, there was an error : unauthorized_client
   • 
   • my suggestion: ensure that there is https://habitathome.local in AllowCorsOrigins setting of your Sitecore Identity Server site
   • open \habitathome.identityserver.local\Config\production\Sitecore.IdentityServer.Host.xml and then correct it
   • 
   • (optional) add a new AllowCorsOriginsGroup to that file like this
   • 
   • DON’T FORGET to do IIS reset
2. Search function does NOT work as expected: No results
   • 
   • my suggestion: ensure to perform “Create SOLR SXA cores” step (page 2 – 5) in SXA 1.8.1 Installation Guide (Note: must log into https://dev.sitecore.net/ before downloading) and then you would see something like this
   • 

Got issues?

Please send your issues (with screenshots if possible) to viet.hoang.sitecore@gmail.com so that I have a chance to understand your problem and be able to suggest the solution.

Happy Sitecore Demo Installation!