Archive for the ‘Business Objects’ category

Get instances by submission date

February 12th, 2012

One of LaunchWorks‘ lead engineers , Don Collins was asked by a BusinessObjects customer to get a list of the latest failed instances filtered by submission date of the scheduled job. The Instance Manager in the CMC only allows filtering on the completion date.

Here is the final cms query that should make things easier. It grabs all recently failed queries and returns the id, name and scheduleinfo (error) of the instance.

There was an odd filter issue when certain dates were used. Not exactly sure what that was about, but the query returned the most recent first.

SELECT TOP 9999 SI_ID, SI_NAME, SI_UPDATE_TS, SI_SCHEDULE_STATUS, SI_STATUSINFO FROM CI_INFOOBJECTS WHERE SI_UPDATE_TS > ‘2012-02-09’ AND SI_INSTANCE = 1 AND SI_SCHEDULE_STATUS = 3 ORDER BY SI_UPDATE_TS DESC

Lessons Learned from the 2011 BusinessObjects User Conference

October 16th, 2011

Just a few of the things that I learned at the User Conference

  • ASUG is actively creating great content in all areas of BI
  • The free access to ASUG fro BOBJ/GBN members is extended through 2012
  • The content delivered by experienced speakers is getting richer as 4.0 gets rolled out.
  • Make appointments with everyone you know is going to be there (I hit 5 out of 6 by scheduling times in advance)
  • There is an increasing desire in the user community to be heard, participate, and influence (See ASUG Strategic SIG for how)
  • Most companies still do not have a clear strategy for mobile BI
  • There are some very different ways to create enterprise BI systems that can scale globally
  • Tweeting consistently is hard work
  • I need an ASUG shirt
  • Lastly…
    The interest in the SDK is alive and well. For Non ASUG users that dont have access to our presentations our link is below.

    http://t.co/HCYvErOy

    Kevin McManus
    www.launchworks.com

  • BusinessObjects SDK Best Practices

    May 23rd, 2011

    A series of the Best Practices that should be addressed when designing a BusinessObjects SDK Application.

    1) Where do I run the SDK in my application stack?

    There are 3 main architectures for SDK enhancement:

    a) InfoView Modification (i.e. hacking) – This involves changing and/or adding to the code that runs the InfoView application. While this seems like the shortest path it provides several challenges:

    i. The InfoView has several hooks for customization but not for things like changing menus, adding buttons, custom messages, etc.

    ii. Modifications will be eliminated as each BusinessObjects service pack, patch or upgrade is applied. This requires significant re-work, re-testing, and re-deployment procedures to be developed that could be used better elsewhere

    iii. This nullifies your support contract with SAP for the use of the InfoView at least.

    b) SDK Integration into a custom application – This involves adding the SDK libraries into the .NET or Java application that requires the enhanced functionality. The pro to this method is this provides a fully integrated application with connectivity Enterprise BI platform where you have full User Interface control and vendor support. The con to this choice include:

    i. The main application has been burdened with many additional libraries that must be integrated and deployed as part of its build process.

    ii. The main application has to be rebuilt and redeployed as each BusinessObjects service pack, patch or upgrade is applied even if there were no changes in functionality.

    c) Web Application Sharing (separate SDK application called from main application) – This architecture includes the same benefits of the first two options addresses the negatives of the prior two options while also allows a Service Oriented or Web Oriented Architecture where the functionality is available for reuse across multiple applications. The other benefits to this architecture include:

    i. The web server running the SDK application can be optimized for its use as a BI platform.

    ii. New BI functionality can be added as new BusinessObjects features and SDK’s become available with needing a build process and the related regression testing of the main application.

    2) Where do I run the SDK in my network stack?

    There are actually two answers in this area : For functions like authenticating the user, gathering a report and presenting a viewer there are both the Service Level SDK’s, as well as, a Web Services SDK. While the latter does not have all the same deep functionality as the service level SDK’s, it works extremely where in network architectures where direct access to the BusinessObjects server is not available. The Enterprise and related Crystal / Webi SDK’s use libraries that require direct IP access to the services running on the BusinessObjects Server(thin port 6400). The Web Services SDK can access the services through the web service application that can made available over the normal http access layer (think port 80)

    In terms of where should the application reside part of this best practice depends on your decision on the application stack above. If you are running an integrated SDK installation, then you need to install the SDK code on the same web application server as the main application. If you are going to create an shared application or just use the InfoView then it can run on the BusinessObjects server itself in the default web application server (think tomcat) or on a separate web application server (or cluster) specifically setup for web applications that can be called without logging into a single particular application.

    Another input to answering this question is the understanding of where the users that will use the application are located on the network and what access security is required to access the application.

    a) A publicly available URL (think reports.mycompany.com) will normally have at least one server in the DMZ(search demilitarized zone) where traffic can be monitored and direct access to the data is not required nor allowed.

    b) An internal application, or one requiring VPN access (search virtual private network) can have the web servers, Business Objects application servers, and database servers all on the internal network.

    3) Which SDK to Use for modifying Crystal Reports?

    There are two levels of “customization” when it comes to working Crystal Reports within the SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise system.

    a) When you need to add filters to your reports – This can be done using the Enterprise and Reporting SDK’s using the same features that allow you to add filters through the CMC in the report properties. This uses the normal Crystal Processing Server (i.e. previously known as the page server)

    b) When you need to modify your reports on the fly – This type of modification is deeper and touches the actual report object, although usually in the memory of the BusinessObjects Server. Examples of this type of modification uses the Report Application Server or RAS SDK to perform modifications such as add / remove fields, change database connections and handle the output of the report as a record set/stream/XML (in other words anything other than a viewer or export).

    Handling things like exporting the report content as a pipe (|) delimited file can now be done using the reporting SDK’s where earlier you would have to handle this through the slightly less scalable RAS SDK.

    4) Which SDK to use for modifying Web Intelligence reports?

    Until recently the only viable SDK was the ReBean SDK for working with Web Intelligence report modification. However….Recent updates to the Webi Extension Points has added a significant ability to customize the interfaces in both the web versions of Webi as well as the Rich client.

    a) When you need to add functionality to the Interactive viewer as the primary interface: – This can primarily be done using the Webi Extension Points along with some ReBEAN methods for managing output and storage

    b) When you need to add functionality using an alternative interface (i.e. simplified viewer) : the REBean SDK will give you all the power you need in 3.X. note that in 4.0 the ReBean SDK is more limited as there is a new Webi architecture underneath that will require subsequent versions before the full support through SDK’s is provided by SAP.

    5) Which SDK to use for managing the Security and Reports

    There are three main options for maintaining the security of the report objects

    a) Self Maintained – Where the main application stores the Users and reports along with the rights associated with those reports. This of ends in developing a reporting menu that has to be maintained so that it matches or is linked with the content in the BusinessObjects server.

    i. Pro: Integrated control of reports along with other application features

    ii. Con: Application security and reporting security are usually different and hard to match together. This usually ends up bloating the application security module needed to support reporting

    b) No-Security – The main application calls the reporting interface and users have access to all reports. Not a good long terms plan as business needs change often and things like providing use for users outside the company are not well supported

    c) Integrated : by using the strength of the BusinessObjects security as an authorization handler in coordination with the application authentication the best practice can be achieved.

    Is this valuable?

    Webi Extension Points

    May 12th, 2011

    Our team recently had the opportunity to start building with Webi Extension Points and I was impressed.  The ability to manage the Web Intelligence Interface has improved greatly since the initial release.

    The requirements were to create a report specific user interface that allowed the following in both the Webi Rich Client and the Webi Viewer:

    1) Only rollout extension to users that need it

    2) Export Panel only show if the report name matches the set of reports specified by the business

    3) Actions limited if other criteria of report does not match (i.e. Record Count = 0)

    If Prerequisite are met

    Create an Export panel in Webi

    – Populate with combo box of export formats

    – Create Save Button

    Gather File Name  from a variable Object value in the report

    If user has selected XLS or PDF and clicked on save

    – Stream IReport to XLS, PDF with file name defined in Name Object

    – Provide User confirmation on download.

    If user has selected ZIP

    – Show password text field on panel

    – Capture user password

    – Stream IReport to XLS, PDF with file name defined in Name Object

    – Create Zip file with password

    Provide User confirmation on download.

    In the initial execution we created the base functionality in Java and deployed a JAR along with the properties file.  In a production environment this is how it would be rolled out.  For moving quickly on the Prototype we shifted to Javascript which made previews a bit faster and made implementing swing almost fun.

    I was amazed at how quickly that we could get the interface pulled together and working.    This opens up all types of possibilities for our Launch tools and client’s needs.  I am hoping that the Extension Points are brought back in the 4.X platform.

    SAP Crystal Reports Roadmap History

    February 24th, 2011

    When Crystal Decisions was purchased by BusinessObjects the Crystal Report designer tool was a Windows executable and had just integrated a full semantic layer that would allow multiple reports to access multiple connections and include multi-level business logic definitions in the form of a Business View.  BusinessObjects already had a mature Universe semantic layer as part of its platform and was already moving to a Java based report editor accessible over the web as well as on the desktop.

    While the BusinessObjects reporting tools becaome integrated into the existing Crystal Enterprise based server engines, the semantic layers remained independent.  Each tool’s implementation of semantic layer management was quite different and each had its strengths.  In the XI version Crystal could access both the Business View as well as limited support to connect to the same Universe but the integration stopped there.

    In the upcoming SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise release there is a new semantic  layer that begins to bring the best of the Universe and the Business View into a single Information Management tool.  SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise will be able to take advantage of the new semantic layer in a consistent interface as it’s Web Intelligence and Dashboard Design (previously Xcelsius ) cousins.

    For connecting to other data connection types the SAP Crystal  Reports 2011 product will be released to replace its 2008 predecessor.  Later on these two versions will be combined into a single release.   Te get access to either you buy a single license…meaning by one and you get the other.

    Both  Crystal Reports for Enterprise and Crystal Reports 2011 are now also available as a Java application  that allows installation on Windows and Linux based desktop machines.

    Typical Report Launch Requirement Q and A

    February 23rd, 2011

    Question: Is it possible to limit the report list view of a user in Report Launch? For example, if I decide to integrate Report Launch with an application for project A, we’d like to give the user access to projects reports only (and make the other reports the user has access to invisible).

    Yes: You can set the Report Launch list to show a root folder so that the list only shows reports below that folder even if they have access to other folders.

    We also have a category security model that allows your application administrators to control security on their folder of reports without giving access to the CMC

    Webinar: Leaping forward to offer your own SaaS

    November 18th, 2010

    We are very exited to present to the community what we have been doing since we first were certified as an SAP solution.  Beyond what can be presented on Ecohub or even our own mcmanussoft.com web site, our customers have challenged us to leap forward in what BI concepts that Dashboard Launch can tackle for them.

    This webinar will challenge you to consider your own BOE system as a Software as a Service offering and what that means to how to offer advanced BI to your entire information supply chain.

    Feel free to contact me with any questions or ideas.  Registration links are below

    Kevin McManus
    McManus Software + Consulting.
    www.mcmanussoft.com
    answers@mcmanussoft.com

    Internal (for SAP partners / employees with S User id):
    https://service.sap.com/~sapidb/011000358700001210882010E

    External (for customers / employees without S user id): https://sap.emea.pgiconnect.com/e72566891/event/registration.html

    Are people more important than technology?

    November 13th, 2010

    During a recent project review of an upcoming Enterprise BI / DW platform, one of the project tasks’s was to do an end to end tool selection. However, beyond technology the other aspects of a successful BI program necessary including people, process and data (ownership) were not properly being assessed.  The needs to properly assess and manage these areas would outlast any particular phase/sprint of development and would have an even greater impact than the technology.  With a brand new large BI program there will need to be new processes and new teams created in IT to make the current software in order to be effective in this program (note: projects end, programs evolve and change with the business, so BI/DW programs should be built and staffed that way from day 1)

    What was missing in the evaluation is the desired impact in the IT culture.  All of the solutions involved in the evaluation would demand a high level of experience, technical knowledge and creativity during the design and development in order to make it a success.  While the technical evaluations were sound, I wanted to see that there had been consideration of other non-technical aspects of a Data warehouse necessary to make the program and systems a success.

    Questions arose that needed to be answered

    – Is the expectation that business users will be connecting with Vendor support directly?

    – who is responsible for “quality” resource acquisition

    – Who is responsible for help desk models to support Business Rules, Data Miniing , etc

    – Who is responsible for ensuring that the quality of the data is kept intact over time from a technical architecture as the business change over time?

    – Who is responsible for ensuring that the knowledge of business rules are kept as assets?  An enterprise data warehouse/ BI system is a huge investment and that investment should be protected as an asset of the company.

    No matter what tool is chosen there are huge drains to a project, in time and quality, when users need to make business rule and solution design decisions on the fly.  This includes the creation of new business metrics, new reporting processes and mini-tool selections as new requests come up. (i.e. the users uses the excel export so they can recalculate a metric because the data warehouse team takes 3 weeks to get a change in place).

    One of the best practices to balance the projects technical needs with the people and processes is to establish a Business Intelligence competency group at the outset of the project that sits outside of any software or services vendor and has staffed BI/DW architects to can “rapidly” respond to the changing needs of the business with the “correct” solution and the ability to pull in the correct IT resources to meet that need at the speed the business needs before they feel the need to go out on their own.

    Podcast: SAP BI Consulting – Strategies, Tools, and Skills Trends

    September 6th, 2010

    ERP Lounge Jon Reed invited me to participate in “A Three Person Discussion of SAP BI Consulting Trends withSpecial Guests Vijay Vijayasankar and Kevin McManus” (ERP Lounge #12)

    http://www.jonerp.com/content/blogcategory/68/89/

    Troubleshooting a BO Edge on Red Hat Linux Oracle driver Issue

    August 29th, 2010
    So BOE 3.1 SP2 Edge CMS would not start after a database driver upgrade to solve an LDAP imcompatibility on a Red hat installation
    1) checked the tnsnames.ora
    Status: OK
    2) Checked my Connectivity through sqlplus
    Status: OK
    3) Checked the CMS Setup
    [bobj@server bobje]$ ./cmsdbsetup.sh
    err: ERROR Failed to get cluster name. (STU00165)
    err: Error description: Database access error. Reason Loading shared object failed. First tried to load library clntsh and failed because of error: [clntsh: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory]. Second tried to load library libclntsh.so and failed because of error: [libclntsh.so: wrong ELF class: ELFCLASS64].
    4) Checked the LD_LIBRARY_PATH in the profile of the bobj account
    drwxr-x— 58 oracle oinstall 4096 Aug 27 13:51 OraHome10gr2_32bit
    $ cd
    $ vi .bash_profile
    Status: OK
    export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/lib:/usr/lib:/usr/local/lib:$ORACLE_HOME/lib:
    5) Tried changing to 32 bit libary path
    export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/lib:/usr/lib:/usr/local/lib:$ORACLE_HOME/lib32:
    Status: libclntsh.so file was not there
    6) Reset the rights for Read and Execute
    chmod -R 755 lib32
    Status: OK
    7) Checked the file that BOE is looking for and it shows as a 64 bit file
    libclntsh.so.10.1: ELF 64-bit LSB shared object, AMD x86-64, version 1 (SYSV), not stripped
    This should be showing as the following as BOE requires 32 bit database drivers
    libclntsh.so: ELF 32-bit LSB shared object, Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV), not stripped
    Status: Issue
    8) The current issue prohibits the BusinessObjects system from running on the server. Database driver to be setup correctly

    So BusinessObjects 3.1 SP2 Edge CMS would not start after an Oracle database driver upgrade to solve an LDAP imcompatibility on a Red hat installation

    1) checked the tnsnames.ora

    Status: OK

    2) Checked my Connectivity through sqlplus

    Status: OK

    3) Checked the CMS Setup

    [bobj@server bobje]$ ./cmsdbsetup.sh

    err: ERROR Failed to get cluster name. (STU00165)

    err: Error description: Database access error. Reason Loading shared object failed. First tried to load library clntsh and failed because of error: [clntsh: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory]. Second tried to load library libclntsh.so and failed because of error: [libclntsh.so: wrong ELF class: ELFCLASS64].

    4) Checked the LD_LIBRARY_PATH in the profile of the bobj account

    drwxr-x— 58 oracle oinstall 4096 Aug 27 13:51 OraHome10gr2_32bit

    $ cd

    $ vi .bash_profile

    Status: OK

    export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/lib:/usr/lib:/usr/local/lib:$ORACLE_HOME/lib:

    5) Tried changing to 32 bit libary path

    export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/lib:/usr/lib:/usr/local/lib:$ORACLE_HOME/lib32:

    Status: libclntsh.so file was not there

    6) Reset the rights for Read and Execute

    chmod -R 755 lib32

    Status: OK

    7) Checked the file that BOE is looking for and it shows as a 64 bit file

    libclntsh.so.10.1: ELF 64-bit LSB shared object, AMD x86-64, version 1 (SYSV), not stripped

    This should be showing as the following as BOE requires 32 bit database drivers

    libclntsh.so: ELF 32-bit LSB shared object, Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV), not stripped

    Status: Issue

    8) The current issue prohibits the BusinessObjects system from running on the server. Database driver to be setup correctly