System.FormatException: Guid should contain 32 digits with 4 dashes - SiteCore

Question

What is causing the below error:

ERROR A rendering error occurred: Xsl file could not be processed: abc.xslt (details: System.FormatException: Guid should contain 32 digits with 4 dashes (xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx).

(For reference: using Sitecore 6.4)

Can anyone help me out?

Edit: Looks like the permission issue. Works fine when i logged in but breaks for anonymous. Updated with stack trace:

[FormatException: Guid should contain 32 digits with 4 dashes (xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx).]
   System.Guid..ctor(String g) +2486
   Sitecore.Data.ID..ctor(String id) +65
   Sitecore.Data.ID.Parse(String value) +42
   Sitecore.SecurityModel.SecurityAssignments.LoadData() +240
   Sitecore.SecurityModel.SecurityField.get_Assignments() +194
   Sitecore.SecurityModel.SecurityField.GetRights(Domain domain, ID entityID) +139
   Sitecore.Shell.Web.UI.WebControls.SecurityTreeview.GetTreeNode(Item item, Control parent) +817
   Sitecore.Web.UI.HtmlControls.DataTreeview.Populate(DataContext dataContext, Control control, Item root, Item folder, String selectedIDs) +452
   Sitecore.Web.UI.HtmlControls.DataTreeview.Populate(DataContext dataContext, Control control, Item root, Item folder, String selectedIDs) +335
   Sitecore.Web.UI.HtmlControls.DataTreeview.Populate(Control control, DataContext dataContext) +440
   Sitecore.Web.UI.HtmlControls.DataTreeview.Populate(Control control, Int32 depth) +82
   Sitecore.Web.UI.HtmlControls.DataTreeview.OnLoad(EventArgs e) +758
   Sitecore.Shell.Web.UI.WebControls.SecurityTreeview.OnLoad(EventArgs e) +31
   System.Web.UI.Control.LoadRecursive() +50
   System.Web.UI.Control.LoadRecursive() +141
   System.Web.UI.Control.LoadRecursive() +141
   System.Web.UI.Control.LoadRecursive() +141
   System.Web.UI.Control.LoadRecursive() +141
   System.Web.UI.Control.LoadRecursive() +141
   System.Web.UI.Control.LoadRecursive() +141
   System.Web.UI.Control.LoadRecursive() +141
   System.Web.UI.Control.LoadRecursive() +141
   System.Web.UI.Control.LoadRecursive() +141
   System.Web.UI.Control.LoadRecursive() +141
   System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint) +627

Answer 1

Maybe some of this will spark some ideas for you of what to check/try, even though it's a different version:

1. Sitecore 7.5 (upgraded from 7.2)
2. In 7.2, we had added a pipeline processor to allow queries in the datasource location field (pipeline: Sitecore.Pipelines.GetRenderingDatasource.GetDatasourceLocation).
3. After the upgrade to 7.5, we realized that Sitecore had added this ability as one of the 7.5 features, so we had code conflicts, one of which was the error you showed in this post.
4. The code of our processor was only expecting a guid as a datasource value, not a string path. Once we updated our code, the error went away.

Answer 2

This occurs maybe because you have set for this column DataType: System.Guid Lets check:

1. Open data sources (in tools menu: Data/Show Data Sources)
2. Check your error column, this will be different from other...
3. Open server explorer (in tools menu: View/Server explorer, or double click on yourdatabasename in your solution explorer)
4. Find your database Table and in mouse right click context menu find: "edit table schema"
5. Find there your column change Data Type property which data you want... click OK... if error occurs click refresh in top left side of the window and then OK...
6. Double click on YourDataSet in Solution Explorer and in appeared window find your problematic column in list.
7. Click on column name and in properties Find DataType, (There I think will be written System.Guid) change it to your data type... Recompile your project and use.

Second and really working method is, detect which column has System.Guid DataType and delete it, replace with other...

Answer 3

I have recently had occurences of corrupted anonymous profiles - fixed by going into User Manager and "resetting" the profile using the toolbar. Might help.

Based on the stack I'd guess that one of the Role Groups assigned to your user is missing from the database.