Business Objects In Short

Confusing Error Messages

2009-08-06T14:33:00.001+02:00

There are many types of error messages in BusinessObjects Enterprise and other Business Objects products that are misleading. Misleading in a way that when you read the error message you start searching at the wrong place for an solution.

One example of such an error message in Crystal Reports is: "The report could not be opened from BusinessObjects Enterprise.", "Possibly the report is on a different BusinessObjects Enterprise system than the one you are currently logged onto. If the problem persists, please contact your administrator.".

It also depends which version of Crystal Reports you are using. The error message above is for version 11, 11.5 and 12. If you are using version 10 you get another error message. That message is much better at describing the cause of the error.

The cause for this error message was that the user lacked a security permission for Crystal Reports report objects. Not that obvious when you study the error message, or what do you think?!?

.NET SDK Development Error

2009-07-15T14:49:00.002+02:00

I have a strange issue while developing a .NET application with the BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.1 SDK/API.

I am trying to delete users from the repository which is a fairly straightforward task. The problem is that I receive an error message with the following text:

ERROR: User.RemoveUsers():System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x80041E09):Failed to commit objects to server :Delete operation failed.
at CrystalDecisions.Enterprise.ISInfoStore.Commit(ISInfoObjects InfoObjects)
at CrystalDecisions.Enterprise.InfoStore.Commit(InfoObjects infoObjects)
...

Here are an excerpt of the C# source code lines causing the error:

...
IObjects.Delete(IObject);
IStore.Commit(IObjects);
//IObject.DeleteNow();
...

First you make an delete of the InfoObject (which is a User object in this case) by using the Delete() method of the InfoObjects collection. The next source code line commits the deletion back to the repository (database) using the Commit() method of the InfoStore object. The error occurs when trying to commit.

I have also tried to use the commented source code line, the DeleteNow() method of the InfoObject object, but with the exact same problem.

For the fun of it I translated the source code to VBScript using COM SDK in WSH instead with the exact same source code lines. This worked without any problem. VBScript source code excerpt shown below:

...
oInfoObjects.Delete(oUser)
oInfoStore.Commit(oInfoObjects)
...

To make it even more interesting I translated the code to Java. The code for deleting users in Java is the very same. And it also worked without any issues. Java source code excerpt shown below:

...
infoObjects.delete(infoObject);
infoStore.commit(infoObjects);
...

I have also tried to compile and run the .NET version of my application in a BOE XI R2 environment but with no luck, the same error message occured.

So my question is: There must be something I am missing here - can someone explain what I am doing wrong?

BOE XI R2 Version Numbers - Update

2009-06-02T10:59:00.001+02:00

Version number for FP3.4 has been added to the list.

http://boinshort.blogspot.com/2007/05/boxir2-version-numbers.html

Authentication And Scheduling Problems

2009-01-22T19:33:00.007+01:00

We have had strange issues in BusinessObjects Enterprise XI R2 and 3.0 where;

Log in with AD Authentication stops working. A timeout occurs after a while. Users without AD aliases can log on without any problems.
When scheduling reports the report job gets stuck in status Pending.

These two issues started at the same time but we interpreted them as separate issues. That was a wrong assumption.

After a lot of investigation and testing we isolated the problem to the BOE DB repository. The problem was due to changes in the availability of one of the AD groups that was registered under AD Authentication in CMC/Authentication. The same problem would occur if a NT group would be removed or made unavailable.

The solution for this problem was to remove the group that caused the system to hang. After that, it all worked again.

We have had these issues a number of times now in different systems and it's mind-boggling how the functionality in the system can be designed in this way. This function is a core part of the system and should not have this behavior!

Why does the scheduling stop working if there are verification problems against a domain? Well, when the CMS starts a scheduled job it checks to see if the user has the rights to run the report. At that point the system does a verification against the group and if that group are unavailable the session is hung until timed out.

Does anyone else had similar issues?

BOXIr2 Version Numbers - Update

2009-01-19T21:52:00.000+01:00

Version number for FP3.5 has been added to the list.

http://boinshort.blogspot.com/2007/05/boxir2-version-numbers.html

BOXIr2 Version Numbers - Update

2009-01-07T17:23:00.000+01:00

Version number for SP5 has been added to the list.

http://boinshort.blogspot.com/2007/05/boxir2-version-numbers.html

Update Objects

2009-01-07T17:05:00.003+01:00

When migrating from one BusinessObjects Enterprise XI version to another you need to perform an update of the CMS repository. This step is started via the Update Objects button in Central Configuration Manager (CCM).

What does this step exactly do? Well, difficult to say, but what I know through documentation
and SAP Support is this:

Adds properties to the objects in the CMS that the new BOE version requires.
Updates the internal representation of the CMS if that has changed in the new BOE version.
All the pointers to reports will be created. If any pointers are corrupted they will be
restored.
All server objects will be recreated and the communication is restored between servers.- The activity Universe will be loaded in the repository.
Updates the sample reports and Universes.

Have I missed something?

Platform Language In BusinessObjects Enterprise

2008-12-03T10:47:00.005+01:00

This post is a clarification about the language settings in the platform when installing BusinessObjects Enterprise (BOE). When installing the Enterprise platform you get an dialog box at the very beginning that asks about the language that is to be used during installation (Please Choose Setup Language). This is the language that the Central Management Server (CMS) will use.

The default language selected in the dialog box is based on the Regional Options of the operating system. You can change this to any language you want. But be aware! The selection you make here is pretty permanent. The only way to change this is to create a new CMS database and migrate the old database over to the new database. But as you don't have any option to choose which language to be used when you create a new CMS database you can do the language selection through the Regional Options. When you create a new CMS database it uses
the language in the Regional Options as the CMS language. Here are a short summary of the steps needed to change language in an already installed environment.

Change the Regional Options of the server OS to the language you want in the BOE platform.- Create a new CMS database.
Migrate the old CMS database to the new one.
Change the regional settings of the server back to the original language.
Re point BOE to the new CMS database.

Why is this important? For a couple of reasons. I have used the above method to change language to English when the BOE platform has been installed in a country specific language. When you have a country specific language set in the CMS much of the error messages and log entries are in that language. When you want to use the error message it could be difficult to translate it to English. It is much more difficult to find a solution when you don't have the exact error message to go by. If you must create a case with SAP Support it is impossible for them to read some of the error messages. And in that case you must translate all error messages to English manually.

Upgrading BOE XI 3.0 To BOE XI 3.1

2008-11-25T11:33:00.004+01:00

There exists two ways of upgrading a BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.0 environment to version 3.1.

Upgrade patch. Business Objects has an upgrade patch available. This patch will upgrade your BOE XI 3.0 environment to BOE BI 3.1. One important thing to remember is that with this option you will not get the .NET platform installed. If you are interested in the .NET platform you should go with option 2.
Full installation. This option consists of two steps; first you uninstall the BOE XI 3.0 environment and then perform a new BOE XI 3.1 installation. This option is your only choice if you want the .NET platform.

If you try to do a simple installation (option 2) and you got BOE XI 3.0 installed the installation program will halt with an error message and exit.

As always, perform backups of the CMS and Audit databases as well as the File Repository Servers.

For more information, read the following documents from Business Objects:

BusinessObjects XI 3.1 Update Installation and Deployment Guide
BusinessObjects Enterprise 3.1 Upgrade Guide

Migration to BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.0 - part 5?

2008-11-11T15:40:00.001+01:00

The question mark in the heading above states that I am not completely sure at this time that the issue described below is due to the migration phase.

We have noticed a strange behaviour in one of our Universes in the BOE XI 3.0 environment. The Universe has been migrated from BOE XI R2. The Universe has a last modified date that is newer than the date in BOE XI R2 environment. Ok, that is not very strange. The strange thing is that the revision number is identical! And we know for sure that the Universe has been changed. One inner join (BOE XI R2) has suddenly become an outer join (BOE XI 3.0). One more observation is that the last modified by user also has changed. As no one (as far as we know) has changed the Universe these questions arises:

Why has the join changed if no one has altered the Universe?
If no one has changed the Universe and the join has been altered due to an migration bug, why has the date and user changed?
If someone has changed the Universe, why is the revision number identical between the systems?

The new date in the Universe is not the migration date.

Strange stuff is an understatement. Do anyone have an reasonable explanation for this?

Data Source Configuration In Crystal Reports

2008-11-07T17:08:00.004+01:00

Here is a tip on how to troubleshoot an error in a Crystal Reports report when using files like Excel and Access.

The error that you get when trying to view the report in InfoView is Error: The database logon information for this report is either incomplete or incorrect.

This is due to the configuration made in Crystal Reports when creating the report against an Excel file. When you create the report you often point your data source against a file through a mapped drive. This setup doesn't work when publishing the report to the repository on the BusinessObjects Enterprise server. You must specifiy the data source name as an UNC path (like //server/) or as an name of an DSN that exist on the server.

If you have entered a path for a mapped drive and you try to reconfigure that setting in Central Management Console (CMC) it will not work. I don't know why this doesn't work for this data source setting.

Example, if you make a report with a local DSN with name DSN_A against a database server named DB_A and publish it to the repository server there are two scenarios;

Scenario 1: The DSN exist on the BOE server with the same name and everything works!
Scenario 2: A DSN with name DSN_A doesn't exist on the BOE server but another DSN against DB_A exist with the name DSN_B. In this case you can open up Database Configuration on the report and remap data source DSN_A to the local DSN (DSN_B) on the BOE server. And now everything works!

But for the case with a data source file path it doesn't work.

Perhaps elementary for some but not for me. Why doesn't this work? It could work if you wanted to...

BOE XI 3.1 Version Numbers

2008-11-04T17:04:00.002+01:00

I never remember the version numbers for the different patch levels. This post will help me in the future!

To determine the exact version of your installation: Open Central Configuration Manager (CCM) and choose About BusinessObjects Enterprise. In the following dialog box you will see the Product Version.

12.1.0.882 --> RTM

This list is only valid for BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.1.

SP = Service Pack.
FP = Fix Pack.
RTM = Release To Market (first release, without any patches).

Does anyone have the numbers for the patches missing in my list?

Assert Failure

2008-11-03T10:37:00.002+01:00

We have had alot of logging about assert failures in the log files for our different BusinessObjects Enterprise systems. I contacted Business Objects support to try to get an explanation of these messages and if we should act on any of them.

The answer is that the log files with assert failures are only interesting when there are some specific issues with the system. When a certain problem arises the support goes through the assert failure log files to try to get an explanation. And as you can see in the examples below the source code file name and line number is logged to ease up the trace.

I also asked if there was some way to turn that logging off and the answer was No.

Assertion generally stops the execution of code but Business Objects said that their assertion doesn't. If you don't know what assertion is you can take a minute or two and read this article from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assertion_(computing).

Here are some examples of assert failures that we experienced in one of our BOXI 3.0 environments.

[Mon Oct 13 08:30:39 2008] 304 7312 assert failure: (.\frsresmgr.cpp:1242). (false : FileResourceMgr::unlockFile: Cannot find entry for file E:\Business Objects\BusinessObjects Enterprise 12.0\FileStore\Input\a_049\017\036\2363697\~fc_23f0568ca38e233.xls).

[Mon Oct 20 06:36:24 2008] 12112 3684 assert failure: (d:\titan_rtm\src\framework\servers\cpp\cms\include\infoobj.h:787). (GetPropString( id, ret, bSearchWireObj ) : no message).

[Mon Oct 27 10:00:42 2008] 9288 9724 assert failure: (.\sessionmgr.cpp:271). (beforeAuthen != serverAuthen && afterAuthen == serverAuthen : no message).

[Thu Oct 02 14:41:43 2008] 7228 1864 assert failure: (.\secssoplugin_impl.cpp:62). (0 : UnInitializePlugin() -- Unexpected Exception!).

[Thu Oct 02 14:41:43 2008] 7228 1864 assert failure: (.\secssoplugin_impl.cpp:62). (0 : UnInitializePlugin() -- Unexpected Exception!).

[Tue Sep 23 19:52:26 2008] 2444 2440 assert failure: (.\auditsubsystem_impl.cpp:1233). (cuidToIdMap.Lookup( auditCUID, auditId ) : Auditor::CreateRecordsForServer - the AuditingService seems to be missing from this deployment.).

[Wed Oct 01 10:46:49 2008] 7028 3824 assert failure: (.\auditsubsystem_impl.cpp:1233). (cuidToIdMap.Lookup( auditCUID, auditId ) : Auditor::CreateRecordsForServer - the AuditingService seems to be missing from this deployment.).

[Wed Oct 01 10:47:51 2008] 7028 6824 assert failure: (.\ScheduleObject.cpp:199). (0 : no message).

[Wed Oct 01 10:47:51 2008] 7028 6824 assert failure: (.\ScheduleObject.cpp:253). (0 : objectId[2278305] is missing SI_NEXTRUNTIME property; isRunnable[true], hasScheduleStatus[false]=[9], hasProgress[false]=[0], hasOutcome[false]=[0].).

[Wed Oct 01 20:00:12 2008] 8072 6944 assert failure: (.\wireob.cpp:749). (state == foundFlag : no message).

[Wed Oct 01 20:00:12 2008] 8072 6944 assert failure: (.\wireob.cpp:775). (false : Error: Wrong number of parameters in URL ).

[Wed Oct 01 20:00:12 2008] 8072 6944 assert failure: (.\infosessionmgr.cpp:913). (false : Couldn't get token).

[Fri Oct 24 08:27:55 2008] 8668 8504 assert failure: (.\DocumentConnectionRepository_common.cpp:78). (0 :
ReportSourceRepositoryCommon::getServerDisabled(): m_varSvrFactory is NULL).

BOXI 3.0 Version Numbers

2008-10-21T13:47:00.002+02:00

I never remember the version numbers for the different patch levels. This post will help me in the future!

To determine the exact version of your installation: Open Central Configuration Manager (CCM) and choose About BusinessObjects Enterprise. In the following dialog box you will see the Product Version.

12.0.0.683 --> RTM

This list is only valid for BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.0.

SP = Service Pack.
FP = Fix Pack.
RTM = Release To Market (first release, without any patches).

Does anyone have the numbers for the patches missing in my list?

Migration to BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.0 - part 4

2008-10-20T14:07:00.007+02:00

One of the more serious issues after the migration from XI R2 was that all (about 640) schedules where missing! Not a single one had been migrated. This was clearly a problem with the migration tool.
The explanation from Business Objects was that the permissions where incorrect applied in the old environment and because of that all schedules where lost. I don't buy that at all. All other reports with instances were there and working but only the reports with scheduling where erratic. The schedules where created by a huge amount of different users and rights. The fact that exactly all schedules are missing points to the fact that it must be due to a bug in the migration tool.

The error is occurring when viewing history on a scheduled report or if you try to schedule it again. The error messages are different depending on the report type.

Crystal Reports error message

HTTP Status 500

HTTP Status 500 -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
type Exception report
message
description The server encountered an internal error () that prevented it from fulfilling this request.
exception
org.apache.jasper.JasperException org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.handleJspException(JspServletWrapper.java:512) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:395) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:314) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:264) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:802) com.sun.faces.context.ExternalContextImpl.dispatch(ExternalContextImpl.java:346) com.sun.faces.application.ViewHandlerImpl.renderView(ViewHandlerImpl.java:152) com.sun.faces.lifecycle.RenderResponsePhase.execute(RenderResponsePhase.java:107) com.sun.faces.lifecycle.LifecycleImpl.phase(LifecycleImpl.java:245) com.sun.faces.lifecycle.LifecycleImpl.render(LifecycleImpl.java:137) javax.faces.webapp.FacesServlet.service(FacesServlet.java:214)
root cause
java.lang.NullPointerException com.businessobjects.clientaction.crystalreport.history.SendToAbleCustomColumn.render(SendToAbleCustomColumn.java:75) com.businessobjects.components.explorer.model.impl.ColumnWrapper.render(ColumnWrapper.java:113) com.businessobjects.jsf.explorer.renderkit.ResizableContentListViewRenderer.displayNode2(ResizableContentListViewRenderer.java:447) com.businessobjects.jsf.explorer.renderkit.ResizableContentListViewRenderer.displayNode(ResizableContentListViewRenderer.java:380) com.businessobjects.jsf.explorer.renderkit.ResizableContentListViewRenderer.renderHtml(ResizableContentListViewRenderer.java:994) com.businessobjects.jsf.explorer.renderkit.ResizableContentListViewRenderer.encodeBegin(ResizableContentListViewRenderer.java:112) javax.faces.component.UIComponentBase.encodeBegin(UIComponentBase.java:703) javax.faces.render.Renderer.encodeChildren(Renderer.java:136) javax.faces.component.UIComponentBase.encodeChildren(UIComponentBase.java:721) javax.faces.render.Renderer.encodeChildren(Renderer.java:138) javax.faces.component.UIComponentBase.encodeChildren(UIComponentBase.java:721) javax.faces.webapp.UIComponentTag.encodeChildren(UIComponentTag.java:629) javax.faces.webapp.UIComponentTag.doEndTag(UIComponentTag.java:566) org.apache.jsp.jsp.CrystalReport_005fHistory.history_jsp._jspx_meth_ure_explorer_0(history_jsp.java:1694) org.apache.jsp.jsp.CrystalReport_005fHistory.history_jsp._jspService(history_jsp.java:492) org.apache.jasper.runtime.HttpJspBase.service(HttpJspBase.java:97) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:802) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:334) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:314) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:264) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:802) com.sun.faces.context.ExternalContextImpl.dispatch(ExternalContextImpl.java:346) com.sun.faces.application.ViewHandlerImpl.renderView(ViewHandlerImpl.java:152) com.sun.faces.lifecycle.RenderResponsePhase.execute(RenderResponsePhase.java:107) com.sun.faces.lifecycle.LifecycleImpl.phase(LifecycleImpl.java:245) com.sun.faces.lifecycle.LifecycleImpl.render(LifecycleImpl.java:137) javax.faces.webapp.FacesServlet.service(FacesServlet.java:214)
note The full stack trace of the root cause is available in the Apache Tomcat/5.5.20 logs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Apache Tomcat/5.5.20

Web Intelligence error message

The page cannot be found

The workaround for this type of issue is to save the report with new name and reschedule it. We didn't get a fix from Business Objects for this problem.

Migration to BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.0 - part 3

2008-10-10T14:02:00.008+02:00

One issue that we encountered immediately was that you need to set permissions on the top folder in the folder hierarchy. In BOXI R2 the top folder (Public Folders) acted as a default node just to build the folder hierarchy, you didn't need to set any rights on that folder. In BOXI 3.0 you do. The top folder All Folders need to be configured.

What I did was to first create a new Access Level named View Top Folder. That Access Level have only View Folder objects right set.

I then edited the security for the All Folders root folder and added the newly created Access Level to the group Everyone.

The word 'Rotmapp' is Swedish and stands for Root Folder (All Folders). The language settings get messed up here and there and that is very confusing and annoying.

The folders below All Folders have inheritance activated but they don't inherit that right. That is strange. The Administrators group gets it's inheritance right so why doesn't the Everyone group? Does anyone have an answer to this?

More about this change in the security model can be read in the following post I found on BOB:
http://www.forumtopics.com/busobj/viewtopic.php?t=112156&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&sid=ed14a5c0dff35d169a6052ea7bf070f4

Migration to BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.0 - part 2

2008-10-07T21:39:00.003+02:00

As I mentioned in my previous post the migration process went fine and all the system tests we performed afterwards did not show any strange behaviour or irregularities.

But... As the users started using the system a number of strange things have emerged. Some of the issues are very serious!

I will post back shortly some of our findings and how we solved them and some that we probably won't solve. As it looks right now we will probably start up the BOXI R2 environment again until all issues have been solved in the new environment.

The case has been reported to SAP/Business Objects and their technicians are currently trying to find a solution.

My opinion is that there are a problem with the migration tool... Time will tell if I am right...

Migration to BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.0

2008-10-04T16:20:00.003+02:00

We have now migrated our first customer to BOXI 3.0! And surprisingly it all went smoothly. The whole migration process took about 9 hours which included manual system configuring of settings transferred from the old system.

This is the work flow we used:

Stop all services for BOXI R2.
Stop the SIA in BOXI 3.0.
Remove the BOXI 3.0 File Repository Server (FRS) filestore folders under \BusinessObjects Enterprise 12.0\FileStore.
Copy the Central Management Server (CMS) repository via Central Configuration Manager (CCM) from BOXI R2 to BOXI 3.0.
Copy the Input and Output file repository folders from BOXI R2 to BOXI 3.0.
Perform Update Objects throgh the CCM. This step was by far the most time demanding one, it took over four hours.

When the migration process was completed and the system was up and running I did system tests by two tools provided by Business Objects; Deployment Diagnostic Tool and Repository Diagnostic Tool.

Deployment Diagnostic Tool

The Deployment Diagnostic Tool (DDT) is a java-based application that is designed to verify basic operating functionality of a BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.0 installation.

The tool is located with the other tools for BOXI 3.0. The XML log file is stored in \common\4.0\java\lib\log\TestResults.xml. The tool creates a directory containing a test report in the CMS with the name Diagnostic Test Folder. That folder must be removed manually.

The following tests are performed by DDT:

Log On/Off - tests logging on and off BOE.
InfoView Test - test logging on and logging off through InfoView.
Web Intelligence Tier - tests creating, viewing, and scheduling a simple Web Intelligence document.
Crystal Reports Tier - tests creating and scheduling a simple Crystal Reports document.
Start/Stop Servers - connects to a CMS and queries for all available servers associated with it, then proceeds to stop and start each one.

Repository Diagnostic Tool

The Repository Diagnostic Tool (RDT) is new for BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.0. This command line tool scans, diagnoses, and repairs inconsistencies that may occur between the CMS system database and the FRS filestore.

What does that exactly mean? RDT find inconsistencies;

when a object exist but no file or
when a file exist but no object.

How the inconsistency have occured in the first place is another story.

RDT doesn't repair the inconsistencies by default, it only gives a report. The report log is stored in a xml file named Repo_Scan_yyyy_mm_dd_hh_mm.xml under \BusinessObjects Enterprise 12.0\reposcan\. The tool is found in \BusinessObjects Enterprise 12.0\win32_x86\reposcan.exe. For a list of parameters see your Business Objects manual.

Note: It is highly recommended that you do a backup of your system before doing a automatic repair via the tool.

.NET API For BOXI 3.0

2008-09-02T09:21:00.001+02:00

I have asked SAP support for a definitive date when the .NET API will be released for BOXI 3.0. The answer I got is that they don't have an exact date, only that the release is scheduled for 08Q3.

This is very frustrating as some of our customers have custom developed applications using the .NET API for BOXI R2. What to do, wait or convert applications to Java?

Change Server Settings Live

2008-08-27T08:30:00.005+02:00

Highly critical systems that must have the highest availability possible share one problem: when can I do adjustment in the server settings? A change in a setting for a server often requires a restart of that particular service. This type of manoeuvre is often scheduled at night or weekends, once a quarter perhaps.

But if you want to change many of the settings in the different servers you can accomplish this without restarting the service. I don't know it this is a technique that is supported from Business Objects. But I can't really see why you couldn't do it this way!

Here is how you do it:

One server scenario

Create another server with the correct settings.
Enable and start the new server.
Disable the old server.
Wait until no one is connected to the old server.
Shut the old server down.
Remove the old server.

Multiple servers scenario

Disable one server.
Wait until no one is connected to the disabled server.
Shut the disabled server down.
Change the setting for the stopped server.
Start the stopped server and enable it.
Repeat from step 1 with the next server.

Why is this working? When you disable a server it still operates with the requests it currently working with but it will not accept any new ones. When the server has served all requests and is idle it can be shut down.

One thing that could be interesting to clarify is how you determine if the server is busy or idle before shutting it down. This depends on which server to shut down. In this example I show how to determine this for Web Intelligence Report Server. For other servers it differs slightly but the base procedure is the same.

For Web Intelligence Report Server:

Goto Home > Servers > #SERVERNAME#.Web_IntelligenceReportServer > Tab Metrics. At the bottom of that page there is a value to observe, Current Requests. When this number is zero it is OK to shut the server down.

BOXIr2 Version Numbers - Update

2008-07-10T08:41:00.003+02:00

I have updated the BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 version number list again.

Check it out here:
http://boinshort.blogspot.com/2007/05/boxir2-version-numbers.html

Product End Of Life Dates

2008-06-24T09:12:00.001+02:00

Here you can find the end of life dates for your Business Objects products:

http://support.businessobjects.com/programs_and_lifecycle/lifecycle/product_eol_dates.asp

Web Intelligence And Tomcat Error

2008-06-09T16:10:00.004+02:00

Platform:
BusinessObjects XI

If you receive the error "Could not get an output file for the document." with error code RWI 00134 there is a problem with Tomcat.

The error source are unknown to me but if there are anyone knowing this it would be interesting to learn. As this problem is isolated to Tomcat the problem is only visible in the Java platform. The code RWI stands for ReportEngine Web Intelligence which means that the problem is only affecting Web Intelligence reports.

The solution is to restart Tomcat.

There exist an error description from Business Objects but it doesn't give much information other that it could be a memory related problem:

Cause
While serializing a document state, an error occurred. This might be due to insufficient memory or an I/O error.
Action
Ensure that there is sufficient memory available. Also, check for any we bi.properties customization.

Desktop Intelligence Permission Problem

2008-04-25T11:43:00.009+02:00

Platform:
Desktop Intelligence
BusinessObjects XI, XI Release 2

A common problem is when you delete a report from the repository and then realises that it was a mistake removing it. Even though you have a local copy of the report you can't open it. This is because BOE is validating the rights against the repository and when the report does not exist there it can't be opened.

If you try to open that report in Desktop Intelligence you will get an error stating: You are not authorized to use this document. (FRM00008).

There are a number of possible workarounds for this problem, one being that you create a dummy report in the repository with the same name as the report you just deleted. Then you find out the path and file name through Central Management Console. Browse to the report folder in Input File Repositry Server and delete the file (remember the file name). Add the original report to the same place and change it's name to the same as the deleted file. Now you are able to import it into Desktop Intelligence.

This solution doesn't work in all situations and it's not a supported method. Manually deleting files from FRS is NOT a good idea in most cases. With this particual problem there exist a different solution that will solve this.

Open Desktop Intelligence - check the Use in Offline Mode checkbox when logging in.
Open the report.
Save your report - check the Save for all users checkbox.
Close Desktop Intelligence.
Open Desktop Intelligence - login to your repository, not in offline mode.
It should now be possible to open the report and publish it to the repository.

And, yes, a backup is also one way out of this...

Tracing in BusinessObjects

2008-04-23T11:40:00.005+02:00

Platform:
Windows
BusinessObjects XI, XI Release 2
Crystal Enterprise 8.5, 9, 10

Tracing to log files on the server is an effective method to get more information for a possible problem. All server trace files are located in the logging folder, for BusinessObjects XIR2 the path is \Business Objects\BusinessObjects Enterprise 11.5\Logging\. For Crystal Enterprise the path is a bit different.

Default there are some tracing going on in the log folder but you can enable extended logging for every BusinessObjects server installed.

To enable tracing for a server, follow these steps:

Open Central Configuration Manager (CCM).
Choose the server you want to trace and stop that service.
Open properties for the service.
Add -trace as a parameter switch to the command line.
Start the service.
A new trace file with the same name as the server EXE is now located in the logging folder.

Business Objects KBase article for Unix trace instructions:
http://technicalsupport.businessobjects.com/KanisaSupportSite/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=c2016966&sliceId=&dialogID=20798617&stateId=1%200%2020800000

But wait! There is more!

There is another way to get even more trace information from the Desktop Intelligence and Web Intelligence servers. This is only valid for BusinessObjects XI and XIR2 platforms. The extra logging creates a number of XML files with extensive information about the context of the report that is being run. These files are placed in a folder specified in a INI file.

This is what you have to do:

Create three environment variables (the path can be different):
BO_TRACE_CONFIGDIR = C:\Temp
BO_TRACE_CONFIGFILE = C:\Temp\BO_Trace.ini
BO_TRACE_LOGDIR = C:\Temp
Create the INI file specified above with the following content:
active = true;
importance = xs;
size = 1000000;
keep = true;
Restart the servers.

After you run a report there will be a number of trace files in a subfolder in the folder specified in BO_TRACE_LOGDIR. I double checked on Business Objects site about this last tracing setup, and it should work for both Web Intelligence and Desktop Intelligence. I never got it to work for Desktop Intelligence though, neither for Job or Report Server.

IMPORTANT: Remember to remove all tracing when debugging is done. All trace activities to log files requires extra resources from the server.

BusinessObjects XI 3.0 Version Numbers

2008-04-03T12:20:00.005+02:00

This post will list version numbers for all patches that are available for BusinessObjects XI 3.0.

To determine the exact version of your installation: Open Central Configuration Manager (CCM) and choose About BusinessObjects Enterprise. In the following dialog box you will see the Product Version.

12.0.0.683 --> BOXI3.0 RTM

RTM = Release To Market (first release, without any patches).

BOXIr2 Version Numbers - Update

2008-04-03T12:15:00.002+02:00

I have done another update on my list of version numbers for different patch levels available for BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2. Check it out here:

http://boinshort.blogspot.com/2007/05/boxir2-version-numbers.html

Report Destinations

2008-03-29T21:19:00.011+01:00

In BusinessObjects Enterprise there are a number of alternatives to choose from if you want to place the report/report instance somewhere else than in your available folders in InfoView.

There are two ways to handle report objects from InfoView:

Use the Send button in the toolbar. This option allows you to send a report/report instance.

To use this function you select one report object and then you select one of the four options in the drop down of the Send button:
To BusinessObjects Inbox This option sends the report object to a user Inbox inside BusinessObjects.
To Email This option sends the report object to a email adress outside BusinessObjects.
To FTP Location This option transfer the report object via FTP to a destionation server.
To File Location This option saves the report object to disk.

Schedule a report object. This option allows you to send a report instance.

When you schedule a report you can choose a destination for your report instance. There are five different destinations to choose from:
Enterprise location
Inbox
File location
FTP server
Email recipients
Destination Enterprise location saves the finished report instance to Output File Repository Server (FRS) in BusinessObjects Enterprise. Destination Inbox, File location, FTP server and Email recipients have one Default option and one Specific option. The Default option of each destination copies the report instance to the default location specified in the respective Job Server and in the Enterprise location. The Specific option of each destination copies the report instance to a location specified by the user and in the Enterprise location.

To get all of this to work there are four destination plugins that has to be configured for each Job Server.

In the picture above two destinations are enabled and two are disabled.
If a user gets a error message that reads something like "Error Message: destination DLL disabled. CrystalEnterprise.DiskUnmanaged:" or something like "The destination plugin required for this action is disabled. If you require this functionality, please contact your system administrator." it probably means that the destination is not enabled for that Job Server.
To enable the destination you have to find out which report type (i.e. Job Server) and which destination the user tried to use. Logon to CMC and navigate Home -> Servers -> SERVER_NAME.JOB_SERVER -> Destinations tab. Mark the checkbox for the destination you want to enable and press button Enable. Select the same destination and configure it. Done.

Here are the different Job Servers available and which report type that uses them:
Web Intelligence: SERVER_NAME.Web_IntelligenceJobServer
Desktop Intelligence: SERVER_NAME.Desktop_IntelligenceJobServer
Crystal Reports: SERVER_NAME.reportjobserver
Send button in InfoView: SERVER_NAME.destinationjobserver
If you change settings in destinationjobserver you must restart that service for changes to take effect.

Which Job Server to configure and when to do it is not that complicated but it is alot of confusion about this from various sources. This KBase Article (ID 8010998) from Business Objects for example is wrong and confusing:
http://technicalsupport.businessobjects.com/KanisaSupportSite/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=8010998&sliceId=&dialogID=19218054&stateId=1%200%2019214535

Patches Explained - Update

2008-03-24T21:03:00.003+01:00

I have updated a previous post where I describe the different patches that are available on the BOXIr2 platform:

http://boinshort.blogspot.com/2007/07/patches-explained.html

BOXI 3.0 SDK For .NET Framework

2008-03-13T16:14:00.003+01:00

I don't know if I've totally missed something here, but it seems like there are some SDK's missing for .NET development. Which SDK should I use if I want to develop against a Web Intelligence document and don't want to use Web Services?

If I look in the Developer Library (http://diamond.businessobjects.com/developer/library) as a .NET developer I feel a bit discriminated.

Maintenance Roadmap

2008-03-10T10:59:00.001+01:00

I've found interesting information at Business Objects site regarding updates for the BOXIr2 platform. They have released a document with all planned maintenance releases during 2008.

Here are the original document containing the roadmap:

http://resources.businessobjects.com/support/communitycs/TechnicalPapers/XIR2_Maintenance_Roadmap_Legal_V4_2007-2008.pdf

As it states in the document, Business Objects can change this roadmap at any time.

BOXIr2 Version Numbers - Update

2008-03-07T21:12:00.003+01:00

Version number for SP3 has been added to the list.

http://boinshort.blogspot.com/2007/05/boxir2-version-numbers.html

FP, HF, SP News Discontinued

2008-03-07T21:06:00.002+01:00

I will no longer publish news about patches.

Object Naming Problem

2008-01-21T22:33:00.000+01:00

One of our customers have had problem naming objects, in this case user objects, that have similar user names. Only the letter v and w differs.
The problem is that if you create a user with the name abcv you can't create a user named abcw. After alot of investigation from Business Objects technicians the problem was isolated to the regional and language settings in the server OS. We had Swedish settings when we installed BusinessObjects Enterprise which caused this problem. The settings needed to be English during installation for some reason. Even if we changed settings later it didn't work. The server regional and language settings are stored in the repository database in some way.

The solution for this problem was:

Change the server OS regional and language options to English.
Create a new repository database.
Stop the CMS.
Copy all the data from the old repository to the new one.
Change the CMS datasource to the new database.
Start the CMS.
Problem gone!

Querying Repository - Finding Scheduled Reports

2008-01-18T13:56:00.000+01:00

I think we can all agree that the administration tools provided by Business Objects lack alot of functionality. Every week a question arises that can't be answered by anything other than a query with Query Builder.

A query that I often use is to find which reports are scheduled reports. This is what I use:

SELECT *
FROM CI_INFOOBJECTS
WHERE SI_RUNNABLE_OBJECT = 1

The SI_RUNNABLE_OBJECT = 1 means all reports that are scheduled (true).

Another useful query is to find reports which are scheduled to run between a certain period of time.

SELECT *
FROM CI_INFOOBJECTS
WHERE SI_NEXTRUNTIME BETWEEN '2008.01.01.08.00' AND '2008.01.10.13.00'

The format of the date/time is 'yyyy.mm.dd.hh.mm.ss'. I have omitted the seconds part. Anything from right to left can be removed. The hour format must be 24 hour. Note that the returned date/time is in 12 hour format.

To filter the results in any of the queries above you can use SI_KIND with any of the following object types (I have removed not applicable object types):

CrystalReport
Excel
FullClient
Pdf
Rtf
Txt
Webi
Word

Remember that if you use the SI_KIND on the query above you filter on the resulting instance object type, not the report type that the schedule is based on. E.g.: If you create a report i Crystal Report and you schedule it to run every day with Adobe Acrobat format you must use Pdf as filter.

New Fix Pack Released

2008-01-16T08:51:00.001+01:00

Fix Pack 3.2 is now official.

New Fix Pack Released

2008-01-10T11:55:00.001+01:00

Fix pack 2.7 is now official.

New Fix Pack Released

2007-12-09T22:32:00.000+01:00

Fix Pack 3.1 is now official.

The digit 3 in the Fix Pack version number means that it's meant for a BOE environment that has Service Pack 3 installed.

Universe File Extensions

2007-11-22T16:11:00.000+01:00

There are two different file extensions for a Universe file, .unv and .unw. What is the difference?

If we are working on a Universe named 'Order', the file name when working in Design is 'order.unv'. The unv extension is the Design extension used "locally".
As soon as you export the Universe to the Repository the file extension changes to .unw. The file is then saved in a directory named after the object id (e.g. '855263') which is placed under the Input File Repository Server (FRS) directory.
If you open CMC and look at the properties for that Universe the path could be something like
'frs://Input/a_123/012/013/855263/order.unw'.

New Service Pack released

2007-11-19T09:17:00.000+01:00

Service Pack 3 is now official.

BOE JVM 1.6 Support

2007-11-02T16:06:00.000+01:00

As I wrote in a previous article (http://boinshort.blogspot.com/2007/06/java-16-and-web-intelligence.html) there are some compability issues with Java 1.6 and WebI.

I created a case today with Business Objects asking if there is or will be a patch for this. Clearly we are not alone in the world with this problem. The BO support called me up shortly after explaining that no patch exist but the issue is resolved in Service Pack 3 that is scheduled for release this month.

The ADAPT number for this fix in SP3 is ADAPT0082917.

New Critical Hot Fix Released

2007-10-31T15:42:00.000+01:00

Critical Hot Fix 20 is now official.

New Fix Pack Released

2007-10-31T15:41:00.000+01:00

Fix Pack 2.6 is now official.

E-mail report hyperlink

2007-10-21T23:15:00.000+02:00

When you create a scheduled report and you want to e-mail the hyperlink of the report in BOE you can configure this in the schedule settings. You include the Viewer Hyperlink by selecting that option in the drop down below the Message box. This selection adds %SI_VIEWER_URL% to the message field which later translates to a valid URL to that report using the openDocument method.

The resulting URL in the e-mail could look something like this (ASP platform):

http://xyz/businessobjects/enterprise115/infoview/scripts/openDocument.aspx?sIDType=CUID&iDocID=BUXpQ_n_fITEsTtHIPe_oXY

The %SI_VIEWER_URL% adds the URL that was specified in CMC->Objects->Object Settings...->Processing Settings->Default viewer URL and translates it to the hyperlink above.

But what if you manually wanted to specify the URL without changing it in the Object Settings? It's easy and it's possible. Just type the URL manually specifying the JSP or ASP path and the openDocument part. Based on settings above (CR document) you would type

'http://xyz/businessobjects/enterprise115/infoview/scripts/openDocument.aspx?sIDType=CUID&iDocID=%SI_CUID%'

in the Message field. The %SI_CUID% adds the unique object id of that document.

If you want to explore the openDocument parameters in detail, look at this document. It describes both the ASP and JSP version of the openDocument syntax.

SMTP Error

2007-10-19T11:57:00.000+02:00

Scheduled reports with e-mail sending functionality fail with the error message specified below:

write error. CrystalEnterprise.Smtp: SMTP_E_EXCEEDED_STORAGE(552)

The error is not due to BOE. The error message (SMTP_E_EXCEEDED_STORAGE) is a standard SMTP error, in this case it's because the attachment hit the mail size limit. This limit is configured in the SMTP Service on the SMTP server.

Here is how to find the size limit of the SMTP server:

Check which e-mail server you are using (CMC: Home > Servers > #SERVERNAME#.reportjobserver > Email (SMTP) Destination).
Open a cmd.exe and type 'telnet <#SERVERNAME#> 25'.
If you have entered the right server name you are now connected.
Type 'EHLO'.
Look at the SIZE value in the response from the server. In the example below the size has been set to ~8 MB.

SAP to Acquire Business Objects

2007-10-08T11:19:00.000+02:00

SAP to Acquire Business Objects in Friendly Takeover.

It's now official: http://www.businessobjects.com/news/press_release.asp?id=20071007_005046

Fix Pack 2.5 issues

2007-10-05T14:02:00.000+02:00

I have found three small issues when installing FP2.5 that could be of interest. Environment is BOXIr2 SP2 on Windows Server.

When installing the FP the folder businessobjects (/tomcat/work/Catalina/localhost) is removed but not created again. This has to be a glitch in the automatic deployment of war-files. If you deploy it manually this is not any problem.
In the checklist for the manual deployment when uninstalling FP2.5, the file jsfplatformwar.xml (/tomcat/conf/Catalina/localhost) is missing. This is not due to FP2.5, the file is not there if I check my BOXIr2 SP2 environment either. Is there an error in the Fix Pack Installation and Deployment guide document or? Is there anyone who knows what this file is for?
Four error messages when starting up the environment after installing the FP. The error was regarding Performance Management in some way. I don't know what effects this caused, if any.

One positive note about FP's is that they are now visible in the Add or Remove Programs dialog for easier overview and uninstallment.

Fix Pack Split

2007-10-02T11:41:00.000+02:00

To make things a bit easier (?!) the Fix Packs, starting with FP2.5, have been split into two parts;

One full version that includes all patches for all platforms/products.

One client version that has all server parts removed. Actually, this version can't be installed at all on a computer that has server components.

New Fix Pack released

2007-09-29T22:20:00.000+02:00

Fix Pack 2.5 is now official.

New Fix Pack released

2007-08-29T11:00:00.000+02:00

Fix Pack 2.4 is now official.

New Critical Hot Fix released

2007-08-03T16:40:00.001+02:00

Critical Hot Fix 19 is now official.

Error starting CMS Service

2007-07-31T13:51:00.000+02:00

If the CMS service won't start and there are one or both of the following error messages in the Event Viewer, it's most likely that you have a firewall somewhere that is blocking your traffic.

1) BusinessObjects_CMS: The root server reported an error Initialization Failure.
2) BusinessObjects_CMS: Failed to connect to name server XXXXXXX. Reason: Transport error: unable to retrieve the CMS factory.

The solution is to adjust the firewall settings.

More on patches

2007-07-27T11:41:00.000+02:00

There are discussions about the frequency of Fix Packs and Critical Hot Fixes. In a short period of time there have been 3 FPs released. Is the product filled with bugs?

Let’s take it from the top.
MHFs are supposed to be released once a month or so. That has not been the case recently. There is only one MHF (MHF1) available, and that patch was released in September 2006. That is almost a year ago.
CHFs and FPs are supposed to be released every week. They are replacements for Weekly Hot Fixes that existed earlier. These patches have not been released every week but almost every month.
Is CHFs/FPs replacing MHFs? The answer is no. There is no information from Business Objects stating that this system has changed. Read my previous posts about patches for more information.

If you look at the patches and compare them with SPs you will see that it's not that many CHFs/FPs that has not been included in any SP.

I did a little study of my own (with reservation of my accuracy!).
We begin with CHFs. CHF13 to CHF16 are included in SP2. That leaves us with CHF17 and CHF18. Two CHFs are not that much.
If we look at FPs I did a comparison of the ADAPT numbers in CHFs and ADAPT numbers in FPs and it shows that FP2.1 and FP2.2 is pretty much a CHF17 and CHF18 but for the SP2 environment. If we look at numbers there were 16 ADAPTs in CHF17 and CHF18 that were not included in any of the FPs. And in reverse there were 159 ADAPTs in FP2.1, FP2.2 and FP2.3 that I didn't find in CHF17 or CHF18. Most of the 159 differences where found in FP2.3 which could mean that it solves issues isolated in the SP2 environment (e.g. new features in Productivity Pack). There may also be a CHF19 soon that corresponds fairly against FP2.3.

The patching system that Business Objects is using is not that different from other software vendors. The other companies may have different terms for their patch packages but the system is almost the same. It's very common that you only see the SPs and not any fixes/patches/updates on those companies web sites. But if you have an issue and call their support you will discover that hot fixes exist very much indeed.

I will leave the answer to the question I asked earlier in the post open... Perhaps someone else has a comment on this?

Patches Explained

2007-07-26T13:47:00.003+02:00

UPDATED: 24 march 2008

I have tried to compile a complete, but short, description of all different patch levels and dependencies that exist between them.

This post is only referring to BOXIr2 on the Windows platform and of the updates that where available as of march 2008. Patches for the Unix platform differs slightly. See Fig. 1 below for a complete flowchart of available paths.

Fig. 1

This is a maintenance update which has gone through a full test before release.

SPs could, and probably should, be installed in every environment. Read the Release Notes carefully.

SP2 includes MHF1 and CHF13, CHF14, CHF15 and CHF16. Note: SPs, beginning from SP2, will be cumulative with one exception: none of the cumulative SPs will include SP1. SP1 must always be installed first!

Installation of SPs on top of a CHF will overwrite some fixes solved in the CHF.

This is a maintenance update which has gone through a full test before release.

MHFs could, and probably should, be installed in every environment. Read the Release Notes carefully.

MHF1 requires SP1 to be installed first.

This update has had a limited amount of testing before release.

CHF/FP should ONLY be installed into a production environment if you have an issue that is only solved by applying the fix.

All CHF requires MHF1 to be installed first. CHF can only be installed on top of SP1; it’s not intended for higher SP environments.
All FP have a number prefix that says which SP it belongs to, e.g. FP 2.1 can only be installed on top of SP2 and FP 3.2 can only be installed on top of SP3. FP can only be installed on top of SP2 or higher; it’s not intended for SP1 environments.

You can install one or many of the CHF/FP independently of each other.

Fix Pack versus Critical Hot Fix

2007-07-25T11:44:00.000+02:00

Patches comes boundled in two packages; Fix Pack and Critical Hot Fix.
What is the difference between a FP and a CHF?

FP is a new term for patches based on BOXIr2 SP2 installation and beyond. If you run a installation prior to SP2, you must go with the CHF.

For now and in the near future, FP is the name of the game.

New Fix Pack released

2007-07-24T15:05:00.000+02:00

Fix Pack 2.3 is now official.

Insight Americas 07

2007-07-24T09:24:00.000+02:00

It's time for the annual Business Objects user conference in USA.
The conference, Insight Americas 07, will be held between October 15-18 in Orlando Florida.

Read more:
http://www.businessobjectsevents.com/americas2007/controller.cfm?intcmp=07q3_corhp_am_insight

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2

2007-07-19T14:51:00.000+02:00

As stated in the Business Objects Supported Platforms document (http://support.businessobjects.com/CommunityCS/technicalpapers/boe_xi_r2_supported_platforms_windows_sp2.pdf), SP2 for Windows Server 2003 is not supported.

I did a test, based on pure curiousity, with a Windows Server 2003 SP2 with all updates per 07/18/07 and then installed the BOXIr2 SP2 version. I found minor issues on different places in the installation after that, e.g. Administration Launchpad for both Java and .NET version. So the bottom line is that you should avoid upgrading Windows Server 2003 SP1 to SP2.

New Fix Pack released

2007-06-29T20:08:00.000+02:00

Fix Pack 2.2 is now official.

Java 1.6 and Web Intelligence

2007-06-19T22:00:00.000+02:00

Since the release of Java 1.6 there is a known problem with prompts in Web Intelligence. The problem is that the parameter window never opens. It just opens for a tenth of a second and then closes.

If you have this issue you must uninstall the 1.6 version. This is a bug, but if you read the platforms.txt the 1.6 version is not supported. But it should be! Why is this so important you may ask? One of our customers have applications that require Java 1.6.

We will open a case with BO if this issue is not solved after the summer.

New Critical Hot Fix released

2007-06-08T10:15:00.000+02:00

Critical Hot Fix 18 is now official.

New Fix Pack released

2007-05-25T15:09:00.000+02:00

Fix Pack 2.1 is now official.

Auditing included in BOE Professional

2007-05-23T20:42:00.000+02:00

Business Objects has changed it's licensing rules regarding the component Auditing in BOXIr2. Auditing was previously only available as an add-on for the Professional version. Now (as of march 2007) it is included without any need of an add-on license!

Business Objects to acquire Inxight

2007-05-23T20:39:00.000+02:00

"Inxight is a leading provider of software solutions for unstructured information discovery, including text analytics, federated search, and data visualization."

Read more:

http://www.businessobjects.com/news/press_release.asp?id=20070522_005564

OlapI Out - Voyager In

2007-05-05T21:25:00.000+02:00

Business Objects has finally updated their web site with information for Query and Analysis and the new tool Voyager (http://www.businessobjects.com/products/queryanalysis/default.asp).

This is kind of old news as we have been waiting for this some time now. Business Objects released End of Life Notice the 29th of march (http://www.businessobjects.com/pdf/products/queryanalysis/olap_intelligence_eol.pdf) for OlapI (Crystal Analysis).
I guess that we will get similar information about DeskI in a near future... Or?

Voyager will be included in the Productivity Pack that was released together with Service Pack 2.

Voyager will be a zero footprint software running in InfoView, just like WebI, although it will only be available in a JSP installation.

Voyager will be of the same content type group as WebI. This means that a company can run both WebI documents and Voyager documents in a BOE Professional installation. Such a scenario was not available with OlapI as it was in a different content type.

BOXIr2 Version Numbers

2007-05-05T21:01:00.012+02:00

UPDATED: 2 june 2009

I never remember the version numbers for the different patch levels. This post will help me in the future!

To determine the exact version of your installation: Open Central Configuration Manager (CCM) and choose About BusinessObjects Enterprise. In the following dialog box you will see the Product Version.

11.5.0.313 --> RTM
11.5.3.417 --> SP1
11.5.7.608 --> MHF1
11.5.7.682 --> CHF13
11.5.7.723 --> CHF14
11.5.7.770 --> CHF15
11.5.7.811 --> CHF16
11.5.7.852 --> CHF17
11.5.7.1048 --> CHF20
11.5.8.826 --> SP2
11.5.8.826 --> FP2.1
11.5.8.939 --> FP2.2
11.5.8.963 --> FP2.3
11.5.8.998 --> FP2.4
11.5.8.1030 --> FP2.5
11.5.8.1061 --> FP2.6
11.5.8.1111 --> FP2.7
11.5.9.1076 --> SP3
11.5.9.1101 --> FP3.1
11.5.9.1138 --> FP3.2
11.5.9.1202 --> FP3.4
11.5.9.1227 --> FP3.5
11.5.10.1263 --> SP4
11.5.11.1470 --> SP5

This list is only valid for BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 (BOE XI R2).
MHF = Monthly Hot Fix.
CHF = Critical Hot Fix.
SP = Service Pack.
FP = Fix Pack.
RTM = Release To Market (first release, without any patches).

Does anyone have the numbers for the patches missing in my list?

Business Objects to acquire Cartesis

2007-04-24T22:05:00.001+02:00

Business Objects announces it's intent to acquire Cartesis.

"Cartesis is the world's leading specialist in finance and performance management software."

Read more: http://www.businessobjects.com/news/press_release.asp?id=20070422_005093

Service Pack 2 issue part III

2007-04-23T20:53:00.000+02:00

But I had one issue...

When the installation was done and I tried to logon InfoView (ASP) I got the following error message:

Server Error in '/businessobjects/Enterprise115/InfoView' Application.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Configuration Error
Description: An error occurred during the processing of a configuration file required to service this request. Please review the specific error details below and modify your configuration file appropriately.

Parser Error Message: Sections must only appear once per config file. See the help topic <location> for exceptions.

Source Error:
Line 211: 
Line 212: <httpRuntime maxRequestLength="80000" executionTimeout="2000" />
Line 213: <httpRuntime executionTimeout="1200" />
Line 214: </system.web>
Line 215: <appSettings>

Source File: E:\Business Objects\BusinessObjects Enterprise 11.5\Web Content\Enterprise115\InfoView\web.config Line: 213

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version Information: Microsoft .NET Framework Version:1.1.4322.2300; ASP.NET Version:1.1.4322.2300

This problem was isolated to InfoView, I could logon CMC without any problem.

As the error message says, there are two executionTimeout rows. One must go away...
The fix for this is:

Open web.config.
Remove the second executionTimeout occurance row.
Save the file.
Restart IIS.

Service Pack 2 issue part II

2007-04-23T20:28:00.000+02:00

I have now successfully installed Service Pack 2 in one of our customers environments.
The scenario I described in my previous post did not happen in this case. But this system had only SP1 and MHF1, not any CHF. My earlier problem with SP2 must depend on a previous CHF install/uninstall?!

Service Pack 2 issue?

2007-04-22T21:16:00.000+02:00

System: BOXIr2 with SP1 and MHF1

I have previously installed CHF16 to get a fix for bug ADAPT00583193 (in CHF15). After the installation the problem went away as expected.
When I saw that SP2 was out I uninstalled CHF16 and installed SP2. Guess what? The bug is back! SP2 is supposed to include CHF13-16 and MHF1.

As I see it:

there are a problem with SP2 and the above mentioned bug
or there is an issue with those installations that had CHF16 installed before applying SP2.