Blog Moved to www.rajasekar.net

Hi Friends,

Thanks for your support,I have moved my blog to a custom domain

www.rajasekar.net

Export and Import Utility in Jasper Server

Jaspersoft is one of the Opensource Reporting tool available in the market apart from Pentaho,BIRT etc,Now we will see how we can use the Export-import utility to migrate your data from 3.0 to 3.1.Actually we have setup jasperServer 3.0 in Win2003 Environment with Mysql Database.

Make sure to keep a backup of jasper server table before following above steps.

Exporting  jasperserver dat:-

cd <JS_3.0_installation_dir>/scripts

Linux :  ./js-export.sh –everything –output-dir js-backup.zip

cd <JS_3.0_installation_dir>/scripts

Windows:Go to the Command Prompt and type the following

js-export –everything  –output-dir  js-backup.zip

For Ex:

./js-export –everything c:/scripts js-backup.zip

For importing JS data :-

Linux : ./js-import.sh –input-dir  js-backup.zip

Windows:js-import –input-zip <Filename>

For Ex:-

Here we have kept the backup.zip inside <JS_3.0_installation_dir>/scripts folder

js-import –input -zip js-backup

Recently i have faced a wierd situation,

I have got this error when i tried to start the application inside tomcat 1.6

“FAIL – Application at context path /jasperserver”

I have Installed jasper server 3.1 and have not included the bundled tomcat installation.Already i have installed tomcat 1.6.The issue here is i am not able to run the jasper application.

If you are using Tomcat bundled with jasper server,then it is easy to start the jasper server.

From Windows Start Menu:

• Cick Start> All Programs> JasperServer> JasperServer Management> Start JasperServer.
• Click Start> All Programs> JasperServer> JasperServer management> Stop JasperServer.

But in case if you are not using the bundled Tomcat,you need to run the below script to start jasper server.

From Command Line:

Windows:-

Go to  cd <js-install>/bin

/allclt.bat start [stop]

Linux:-

Go to cd <js-install> (Linux)

/jasperctl.sh start [stop]

So now it is working….

Business Objects Auditing in XIR3

BusinessObjects Enterprise Auditor provides you with a way to monitor and record key facts about your BusinessObjects Enterprise deployment.

The information provided by the auditor answers the following queries

• Who is using your Business Objects Enterprise system?
• Which objects they are accessing?
• Which groups within the company use our BusinessObjects Enterprise system the most?
• How many concurrent user licenses are we using at any given time?

Auditor also allows you to better administer individual user accounts and reports by giving you more insight into what actions users are taking and which reports they are accessing.

Configuring Auditor in Windows

Once you configured the CMS Repository then the next step is to configure the Auditing database.

The audit database can be configured in the same CMS Repository. The Repository will have the following tables gets created in the Database.

• CMS_Aliases6
• CMS_IDNumbers6
• CMS_InfoObjects6
• CMS_Locks6
• CMS_Relations6
• CMS_VersionInfo

Auditing Tables

• Audit_Event
• Audit_Detail
• Server_Process
• Detail_Type table
• Event_Type
• Application_Type

Configure Auditing in UNIX Platform

1. Run the script CCM.SH to stop the CMS
2. Run CMSDBSETUP.SH
3. Choose the “SELECTAUDITOPTION” and then supply the requested information about the database server (Ex: Oracle, SQLServer or MYSQL) where you want to configure the Audit DB.
4. Run SERVERCONFIG.SH
5. Choose the “MODIFY A SERVER” Option
6. Select the CMS and Enable Auditing. Enter the port number of the CMS when prompted (You can use the default port 6400)
7. Use CCM.SH to start the CMS, when the CMS Starts then it will create the auditing database in the given DB Server.
8. In a CMS cluster, the cluster will nominate one CMS to act as system auditor. If the machine that is running this CMS fails, another CMS from the cluster will take over and begin acting as auditor.

Auditing Database Schema

BusinessObjects Enterprise Auditor provides you with a way to monitor and record key facts about your BusinessObjects Enterprise deployment.

Auditing Tables

The Audit database contains Six tables:-

• Audit_Event
• Audit_Detail
• Server_Process
• Detail_Type table
• Event_Type
• Application_Type

Audit_Event:-

The Audit_Event table stores one record per action that is audited and

Contains general information about each audit event

Audit_Detail:-

The Audit_Detail table records more details about each audit action recorded in the Audit_Event table. For example, when a user logon fails, the reasons for that failure are recorded as audit details. There may be more than one record in this table for each audit action

recorded in the Audit_Event table.

Server_Process:-

The Server_Process table contains information about the servers running within your BusinessObjects Enterprise system which can generate audit events.

Event_Type:-

The Event_Type table contains a static list of the kinds of events that can be audited in your BusinessObjects Enterprise system. This table provides information roughly equivalent to that provided by AuditIDs and AuditStrings in Crystal Enterprise

Application_Type:-

The Application_Type table contains a static list of the applications that can produce audit events. In BusinessObjects Enterprise XI, the applications that can be audited are servers.

Detail_Type table:-

The Detail_Type table contains a static list of the standard details that can be recorded about audited events. For example, a user logon can fail for a number of different reasons. These reasons are listed as entries in the

Once the tables are created, we need to enable the auditing features through Central Management Console.

Logon to CMC->Go to Server->Click CMS

Select the Audit events for the CMS Server.

Build the sample universe based on the auditing database

Sample reports created to track the users.

Publications and Profiles in XIR3.0

Profiles and Publications are used for report bursting. publication is a collection of documents intended for distribution to a mass audience. Before the documents are distributed, the publisher defines the publication using a collection of metadata. This metadata includes the publication source, its recipients, and the personalization applied.

We will see how we can create a publications and profiles:-

First create a sample report with E-Fashion Universe

Once the report is created export the report to the repository.

Now create a profile in CMC

• Profiles are created and managed in CMC
• Inside the Profiles we need to define profile target and profile value
  • Profile target links a profile to a universe objects which has the restriction applied to it within a report.
  • Profile Value specifies the how to filter a a object for a specific user or group
• Ex: Profile Target
  • Efashion Universe ->Store(Classname)->State (Object)

Create a profile name “State Profile”

Select  the Profile Target as follows

Select the user in the Profile Value

Here the user Steve belongs to the state “California”.

Once the profile is created,Now log on to Infoview and Select ->New Publication

In the source document of the publication select the report name ,Here the Report Name is Profile which has been created earlier(See the Image 1)

Select the User in the Enterprise Recipient ,I have created the users as Mark,Steve..

Once the recipient is select then select the personalization in the publication  .

Here we need to select the Profile name which we have created in CMC.

In the formats section select either acrobat or excel or what ever the format you like.Here i have selected Excel and Acrobat.

Select the the destination as Inbox

In the Advanced section select Merge .

Once it is done then schedule the publication

Logon to the CMC and go to the user inbox, Here you can see the user Steve has got multiple reports (Excel and Acrobat).

Below is the FinalReport.

Here the user Steve got the report which has the record pertaining to the state California.so by using profiles we can

enable the data level security for the reports.

What Skills Does an Oracle BI Developer Need in 2009?

I recently read this article from Rittman Mead Blog .He has written clearly about the booming skillset  needed for a person to become a full fledged Oracle BI developer.

Check out more @

http://www.rittmanmead.com/2009/03/15/what-skills-does-an-oracle-bi-developer-need-in-2009

Open Document Function

It been a while i have written a  new post in my blog , as promised in my last post here come some information about opendocument function

Open Document Function

OpenDocument Function provides URL access to multiple document types by passing a URL string to a BusinessObjects Enterprise server.

You can use openDocument in BusinessObjects Enterprise to create cross-system links to and from the following document types:

• .wid: Web Intelligence documents
• .rep: Desktop Intelligence documents
• .rpt: Crystal reports
• .car: OLAP Intelligence reports

Structuring an openDocument URL

The next sections explain how to use the openDocument function, and how to construct the URL.

An openDocument URL is generally structured as follows:

“http://<servername>:<port>/OpenDocument/opendoc/<platformSpecific>?<parameter1>&<parameter2>&…&<parameterN>”

The exact syntax of the <platform Specific> parameter depends on your Implementation:

• For Java implementations, use openDocument.jsp in place of the <platform Specific> parameter.
• For .NET implementations, use opendocument.aspx in place of the <platform Specific> parameter.

Implementing OpenDoc function for a Webi report.

First change the Webi preference to “Interactive mode”

1. Construct a default report using Efashion Universe as Follows

Report shows state wise revenue

Right Click the Column State and

Click Hyperlink->New

Check the option Link to Document

Click Browse and select the target report here it is “Sales Revenue-Target Report”

You can check some of the options available if you need

“Don’t select the option use complete url it will cause a problem when you change your web server so keep it unchecked”

Once you select the target report it also shows the default prompt available in that report.

Here the default prompt in the target report is “Enter the Values for State”, once it done then you click apply and say ‘OK’

Final Report

Code generated is as follows:-

=”<a href=\”../../opendoc/openDocument.jsp?iDocID=ARAVm7DFcZ9Ak4ceI5HiF9E&sIDType=CUID&sType=wid&sRefresh=N&lsMEnter%20value(s)%20for%20State%3A=”+URLEncode(“”+[State])+”&sWindow=New\” title=\”\” target=\”_self\” nav=\”doc\”>”+[State]+”</a>”

The Code is Explained below

1. DocID= ARAVm7DFcZ9Ak4ceI5HiF9E
2. sIDType=CUID
3. sType=wid(Webi Document)
4. sRefresh=N(No Refresh on Open,if you want you can set it to ‘Y’)
5. lsM=Specify the Multiple Values for prompt
6. lsMEnter%20value(s)%20for%20State%3A=”+URLEncode(“”+[State])(The Prompt Given is taken and it point to the column ‘State’)
7. sWindow=New\” title=\”\” target=\”_self\” nav=\”doc\” (Once I click the hyperlink ‘State’,my target report open in new window)

For more info on Open Document Function check out this url Opendocument

Determine version number in BusinessObjects

Some tips and tricks on Business Objects…The first is about determining the version numbers in Business Objects.

Case 1.

I have installed Business Objects and have upgraded to SP2[Service Pack2] ,but how can i see my updated version

Here is the way to see your version number

1. Central Configuration Manager

Desktop Intelligence Report Server (Start > All programs > Business Objects XI Release 2 > Business Objects Enterprise > Central Configuration Manager).

2.EXE Version Tab

1. Browse to the drive where you installed Desktop Intelligence. For example:

\Program Files\Business Objects\Business Objects Enterprise 11.5\win32_86

2. Right-click the busobj.exe file, click Properties then click the Version tab.

The following list shows what the version numbers should be depending on which patch combination you have

BO XIR2 RTM = 11.5.0.313

BO XIR2 + SP1 = 11.5.3.417

BO XIR2 + SP1 + MHF1 = 11.5.7.608

BO XIR2 + SP1 + MHF1 + CHF16 = 11.5.7.811

BO XIR2 + SP1 + MHF1 + CHF20 = 11.5.7.1048

BO XIR2 + SP1 + MHF1+ SP2 = 11.5.8.826

BO XIR2 SP2 + FP2.1 = 11.5.8.826

BO XIR2 SP2 + FP2.2 = 11.5.8.939

BO XIR2 SP2 + FP2.3 = 11.5.8.963

BO XIR2 SP2 + FP2.4 = 11.5.8.998

BO XIR2 SP2 + FP2.5 = 11.5.8.1030

BO XIR2 SP2 + FP2.6 = 11.5.8.1061

BO XIR2 SP2 + FP2.7 = 11.5.8.1111

BO XIR2 SP3 = 11.5.9.1076

BO XIR2 SP3 + FP3.1 = 11.5.9.1101

BO XIR2 SP3 + FP3.2 = 11.5.9.1138

Here SP=Service Pack, MHF=Monthly Hot Fix, CHF=Critical Hot Fix

Next is OpenDocument >>>

Asia remains lucrative BI market

Recently read this article on “Asia remains lucrative BI market”.It was clearly indicated by Gartner that BI is continued to be growing sector in 2008 and these predictions will really create a healthy market for BI in coming years..

“As growth of the global business intelligence (BI) software market starts to slow, the Asia-Pacific region is still set to grow healthily, says Gartner.

Fueled by “greenfield” opportunities and fast economic and structural developments, the region’s growth is expected to be higher than that of Europe and North America, said the analyst firm in a statement.

Worldwide growth rates, by contrast, are slowing at a CAGR of 8.6 percent to US$7 billion in 2011.

Gartner predicts BI software revenue for the Asia-Pacific region to reach US$399 million this year, and grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.5 percent to hit US$577.6 million in 2011.

In the latest Gartner Executive Programs survey, some 1,500 Chief information officers ranked BI top on their list of technology priorities for the third year running.

According to Gartner, CIOs feel a proper BI strategy is the foundation to upgrade areas of the business such as customer service and legacy applications.

Bhavish Sood, Gartner senior research analyst said: “The days of strong double-digit growth in the global BI market are over, as the industry enters a state of flux following vendor consolidation, increasing maturity and price erosion.

“However, BI remains critical for businesses as it turns information into an asset for insight and decision making, especially in high-growth markets in Asia,” added Sood.

Furthermore, consolidation in the BI market through major acquisitions such as IBM and Cognos, Oracle and Hyperion and SAP and Business Objects is expected to drive increased usage from the large vendors.

Sood said new vendors will try to differentiate by introducing newer technology and products to fill gaps in the larger vendors’ product lines. Examples of which may be predictive modeling, enterprise search, and interactive visualization techniques.

Gartner advises customers of recently-acquired players to wait for proper product roadmaps from the vendors, to avoid investing in overlapping products”. [Source :ZDNet Asia]

Apart from the Major player like Business Objects ,Cognos, Microsoft,oracle,sas and microstrategy which competes in the global BI Market and also in Asian Market, one should not forget about the growing BI software vendor from India i.e MAIA Intelligence which has its own flagship product called 1key.

Recently they came up with an idea of license replacement program enables customers of Business Objects and Cognos to trade in their existing BI licenses for MAIA’s 1KEY BI licenses.so it proves BI will be driven by new vendors also…..Check out more @ http://www.maia-intelligence.com/Business-Objects-Cognos.html

Predictive Analytics-A future Insight of Data Analysis

Predictive analytics encompasses a variety of techniques from statistics and data mining that analyze current and historical data to make predictions about future events.Such predictions rarely take the form of absolute statements, and are more likely to be expressed as values that correspond to the odds of a particular event or behavior taking place in the future.

In business, predictive models exploit patterns found in historical and transactional data to identify risks and opportunities. Models capture relationships among many factors to allow assessment of risk or potential associated with a particular set of conditions, guiding decision making for candidate transactions.

It is been used with the applications involving CRM,Cross-Selling,Direct marketing ,Collection analytics not only that even helps to detect Fraud detection in credit card Apps.

The statistical techniques used in Predictive Analytics are as follows

• Regression Techniques
• Linear Regression Model
• Discrete choice models
• Logistic regression
• Time series models

Apart from these Statistical Techniques there are some Machine learning techniques are used such as Neural Networks and k-nearest neighbours

The tool used to help with the execution of predictive analytics are SAS, S-Plus, SPSS and Stata and For machine learning/data mining type of applications, KnowledgeSEEKER, KnowledgeSTUDIO, Enterprise Miner, GeneXproTools, Clementine, KXEN Analytic Framework, InforSense are some of the popularly used options.

WEKA is a freely available open-source collection of machine learning methods for pattern classification, regression, clustering, and some types of meta-learning, which can be used for predictive analytics.

Recently Business Objects has announced a partnership with SPSS , a worldwide provider of predictive analytics software, announced the companies have entered into an original equipment manufacturer agreement in which Business Objects will offer its customers the ability to use SPSS predictive analytics data mining technology as part of the market-leading Business Objects^TM XI platform.

Users of Business Objects XI with predictive analytics data mining technology will be able to leverage business predictions to make more informed decisions that can help generate revenue, control expenses, and mitigate risk.

Today SAS, the leader in business intelligence, has significantly enhanced its award-wining SAS Enterprise Miner, SAS Text Miner, and SAS Forecast Server software, bringing predictive analytics to their highest level yet.

The newest release of SAS Enterprise Miner improves productivity through added interactive advanced visualization and new analytics. Fifteen new analytical tools improve the resulting predictive models, which can mean significant savings for customers with proactive marketing departments such as in retail or banking.With innovative new modeling algorithms, including gradient boosting, partial least squares and support vector machines, SAS Enterprise Miner users can build more stable and more accurate models and thus make better decisions faster and with more confidence.

Source:Wikipedia and SAS,Business Objects

Business Intelligence @ 2K8

Business Intelligence is gaining more attraction and got more predictions…

This is what the Industry Experts speaks about Business Intelligence @ 2K8 .

First it was Ken Rudin, CEO of LucidEra

1.SaaS BI will gain increased market acceptance
2.Innovation will be led by newer vendors.
3.There will be a shift away from tools towards prebuilt analytic applications.
4.Applications that integrate data and improve processes across transactional systems will
drive the next wave of SaaS
5.A new breed of channel partners will emerge.

Next is by Seth Grimes [analytics strategist] Predicted

1.Ever increasing attention to data quality.
2.BI integration of streaming and text-extracted data.
3.Location intelligence.
4.Collaborative analytics.
5.Advances in natural-language query and question-answering capabilities, which will all the
same remain far from mature.
6.The start of attention to data provenance, reliability, and uncertainty; for instance, see
Jennifer Widom’s Trio work.

Above this the prediction from Diann Daniel of CIO Magazine

1.IT-business teamwork will be crucial.
2.Operational business intelligence will lead the way.
3.Open source and SaaS tools will become more attractive.
4.Structured and unstructured data will be needed for BI.
5.BI competency centers will increase in importance
6.The Wild Card: Effects of BI Vendor Consolidation

From of all these prediction we can see that
1.SAAS BI will get more insight in the near future
2.Open source will have more market share (I totally agree with this..)

When i came to know about unstructed data ,once I used Talend (An opensource ETL) where we can use the unstructed data [information from RSS,Wikis,comments] to built a useful information.Using Talend it is easy to extract the RSS and load into any text file or db…

So lets us wait and see what’s the new innovation will rule BI @ 2K8 and how BI2.0 AND BI3.0 Will have his focus..