'No User Profile Application available to service the request' for YOU!

A feature that deploys webparts to our SharePoint solution had some code in the FeatureActivated routine to add some properties to user profiles.  These properties maintained information about how individual webparts are to be displayed to the user (collapsed or expanded state, default sort order, etc.).  However, I was unable to deploy the solution to my local test machine because I received the following error message:  'No User Profile Application available to service the request.'

While I could not configure user profile synchronization on my workstation, I thought I had configured the User Profile Service Application, and everywhere I looked, it appeared that the service was up and running properly.

It turns out that this "catch all" message simply indicates that a connection could not be established to the User Profile Service.  This could mean that it is not running, OR possibly you have not granted the proper permissions to the service application.

The solution?  Add my local administrator account to the list of administrators and explicitly grant permission to that account on the Manage Service Applications page in Central Administration.

In Central Administration, click on "Manage Service Applications" under "Application Management."  Then select the User Profile Service Application.  Click "Administrators" and add your administrator account here.  Then, return to the Manage Service Applications page, select the User Profile Service Application again, click "Permissions" and add your account here, granting full control.

For more detail, see the following blog post: http://blogs.technet.com/b/speschka/archive/2010/02/22/no-user-profile-application-available-mystery-in-sharepoint-2010.aspx