BOBJ Training

In collaboration with 1The information contained in this document is proprietary. Copyright © 2012 Capgemini. All rights reserved.Presentation Title | Date

Overview of Business Objects (BOBJ) Administration


1. Business Objects Enterprise – Architect• Enterprise Infrastructure• Web Services• Management Services• Storage Services• Processing Services

2. Logging into BusinessObjects Enterprise3. Starting Server Intelligence Agent4. Installation5. Patching6. System Copy7. General Administration


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Architecture

Business Objects Enterprise is a multi-tier system. Although the components are responsible for different tasks, they can be logically grouped based on the type of work they perform.

Enterprise InfrastructureWeb ServicesManagement ServicesStorage ServicesProcessing Services


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Business Objects Enterprise Infrastructure

• The Enterprise Infrastructure provides the basic messaging mechanism needed for BusinessObjects Enterprise components to communicate with one another.

• The Enterprise Infrastructure is a series of services that are designed to communicate via CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture), which runs over TCP/IP. Some CORBA applications use a Name server.

• The Name server service is a facility of the underlying CORBA architecture that binds the BusinessObjects Enterprise servers together.

• The Name server provides a directory of the servers registered in the BusinessObjects Enterprise environment and helps establish connections between clients and these servers.

• The Name server service is a part of the Central Management Server. <li>The Enterprise Infrastructure establishes connections between clients and servers. (A server object is a server that participates in serving requests to client objects.

• A client object is a client that makes requests to servers on the Enterprise Infrastructure.) The Enterprise Infrastructure is the centerpiece of BusinessObjects Enterprise technology which facilitates communication between servers. A client object can transparently make requests to server objects by using the Enterprise


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BusinessObjects Enterprise - Web Services

• The web services are server-side components that process requests from client applications and communicate these requests to the appropriate server. They include support for report viewing, and logic to understand and direct web requests to the appropriate BusinessObjects Enterprise server.

• BusinessObjects Enterprise web services include • Web Server • Web Application Server • Web Application Container Server

• Business Objects web services provide a Java API accessed by rich clients in the user interaction tier, such as Live Office and Crystal Reports.

• Web Services consists of software components that can be called remotely using the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP). SOAP is a protocol for exchanging information that is not dependent on a specific platform, object model, or programming language.

• BusinessObjects Enterprise Web Services includes functionality in the following areas:

• Session: Authentication and user privilege management. • BI platform: Exposes advanced platform features such as scheduling, search, user and group administration, server administration, platform

events, and calendars. • Report Engine: Displays Web Intelligence and Crystal Reports in HTML, PDF, Excel, and XML format. • Query: Builds ad hoc queries based on the Business Objects universe semantic layer

• Web Server : The web server receives http requests sent from the web client. The web server holds and manages static content such as .html and .js files that may be part of a BusinessObjects Enterprise web application.

• Web Application Server : The Web Application Server uses the BusinessObjects Enterprise SDK to interface with the rest of the BusinessObjects Enterprise services. The Web Application Server acts as a gateway between the browser and the rest of the components in BusinessObjects Enterprise.

• Web Application Container Server :The Web Application Container Server (WACS) allows the Central Management Console (CMC) to run on installations that do not include a Java web application server (e.g. .NET).


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BusinessObjects Enterprise - Management Services

The management services manage the BusinessObjects Enterprise system. These services manage servers startup, maintain security information, send requests to the appropriate services, manage auditing information, and maintain a record of each and every instance and its location. The management services are provided by:

1. Central Management Server (CMS) 2. Server Intelligence Agent 3. Event Server 4. Destination Job Server

Central Management Server (CMS) • The CMS is responsible for authenticating users and groups, and

keeping track of the availability of the other Enterprise services. • It also maintains the BusinessObjects Enterprise system database,

which includes information about users, groups, security levels, BusinessObjects Enterprise content, and services.

• The CMS also maintains a separate audit database of information about user actions and manages the BusinessObjects system database.

Note: All servers communicate with the CMS when they start up.

Server Intelligence Agent : The SIA is a locally run service managed by the operating system. The task of Server Intelligence Agent (SIA) is to start, stop, and monitor locally run BusinessObjects servers.

Destination Job Server : The Destination Job Server makes it possible for a user to send an existing instance or object to a specified destination (Inbox, Email, FTP, disk location) independent of any schedules related to those instances or objects. It can also send a shortcut to a user's inbox. For example, the server updates the shortcut in the CMS database to point to the object location. If the destination is to send a copy to a user inbox, then the server copies the object to the Input File Repository

Server.Event Server : The Event Server manages file-based events. It monitors the directory you specified when setting up a file-based event. When the appropriate file appears in the monitored directory, the Event Server triggers your file-based event


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BusinessObjects Enterprise – Storing Services

The storage services are responsible for storing objects and object instances. The storage services are provided by:

1. Input File Repository Server 2. Output File Repository Server 3. Crystal Reports Cache Server 4. Desktop Intelligence Cache Server

Input File Repository Server (IFRS):The Input File Repository Server manages all of the report and program objects that have been published to the system. It can store the following files: .rpt, .exe, .bat, .js, .xls, .doc, .ppt, .rtf, .txt, .pdf, .wid., .rep, .unv, and Voyager workspaces. Note: RPT files can be stored to Input with Data.Output File Repository Server (OFRS) : The Output File Repository Server manages all of the report instances generated by the Crystal Reports Job Server and the program instances generated by the Program Job Server. It also manages instances generated by the Web Intelligence Processing Server and the LOV Job Server. It can store the following files: .rpt, .csv, .xls, .doc, .rtf, .txt, .pdf, .wid, .rep. Note: RPT and WID files are stored as reports/documents with saved data.

Crystal Reports Cache Server : The Cache Server maintains a folder of cached report EPF files and determines if a request can be fulfilled with a cached report page. If the request cannot be fulfilled with a cached report page, it passes the request to the Crystal Reports Processing Server. The benefit of caching is that BusinessObjects Enterprise doesn't have to generate .epf files each time a page is viewed. Therefore, report pages that have been cached can be shared among users.

Desktop Intelligence Cache Server :The Desktop Intelligence Cache Server handles viewing requests for Desktop Intelligence documents and manages the viewable pages created by the Desktop Intelligence Processing Server.


BusinessObjects Enterprise – Processing Services

The processing services access the data and generate reports. This is the only tier that interacts directly with the databases that contain report data. Which services become involved in processing an object is determined by whether the object is being scheduled or viewed on demand. Viewer choice also plays a role in determining which servers are involved in object processing. The processing services are provided by:

Adaptive Job Server :The Adaptive Job Server is a generic server process

that hosts BusinessObjects Enterprise services such as Replication Service, Web Intelligence Scheduling and Publication Service, and Destination Configuration Service.

Adaptive Processing Server : The Adaptive Processing Server is a generic server

process that hosts BusinessObjects Enterprise services such as Client Auditing Proxy Service, Publishing Post Processing Service, and Search Service.

Report Application Server (RAS) : Report Application Server resolves Dynamic Recipient

Lists at design time and Runtime in Publishing, as well as with LiveOffice. The RAS also provides the ad hoc reporting capabilities that allow users to create and modify reports over the Web.

Crystal Reports Job Server : The Crystal Reports Job Server processes report objects, as

requested by the CMS, and generates report instances. Note: Both the Program Job Server and the Crystal Reports Job Server retrieve the file to be run from the Input File Repository Server, run the report or program, and then save the processed file to the Output File Repository Server as an instance.

Crystal Reports Processing Server : The Crystal Reports Processing Server is responsible for responding

to viewing requests by processing reports and generating Encapsulated Page Format (.epf) files. In addition, this server is responsible for managing dynamic cascading prompts (DCP) for real-time viewing and setting a schedule for Cyrstal reports that use DCP. Web Intelligence Processing Server :

The Web Intelligence Processing Server is responsible for generating documents. The Web Intelligence Processing Server obtains document creation requests from the Web Application Server and then communicates with the Input File Repository Server in order to obtain a copy of the Web Intelligence Document (WID) file and the universe definition.

……. Few more


Connection Server : The Connection Server is a service that can be

administered and configured through the CMC (Central Management Console). The Connection Server is responsible for the database connectivity to access data. It is invoked when users want to edit and view Desktop Intelligence documents through Info View in 3-tier mode.

Desktop Intelligence Job Server : The Desktop Intelligence Job Server processes scheduling

requests received from the CMS for Desktop Intelligence documents and generates the instance of the Desktop Intelligence document.

Desktop Intelligence Processing Server : The Desktop Intelligence Processing Server processes

viewing requests for Desktop Intelligence documents and generates the Desktop Intelligence document.</component>

Program Job Server : The Program Job Server processes scheduled actions on

objects at the request of the CMS and generates text output. The Program Job Server processes the program objects by invoking the BAT and EXE file that are added to the BusinessObjects Enterprise system.</component>

List of Values (LOV) Job Server :The List of Values Job Server receives scheduling

requests from the Business View manager and processes scheduled List of Values objects to populate them with values retrieved from a database

BusinessObjects Enterprise – Processing Services

Multi-Dimensional Analysis Server (MDAS) :The Multi-Dimensional Analysis Server (MDAS) is a dedicated

server intended to interact with OLAP data sources and to support Voyager. The MDAS needs an appropriate OLAP database client

configured for the appropriate OLAP data source. The list of providers is dynamically generated, based on which database drivers are installed on the MDAS that you happen to connect to.

If more than one MDAS exists, the server contacted is selected randomly, so the same drivers should be installed on all servers. Connections to OLAP data sources are defined and managed from the CMC. Entries can include: Oracle SAP Essbase Microsoft Analysis Services 8.0 (MSAS 2000) Microsoft Analysis Services 9.0 (MSAS 2005)

Publication Job Server : The Publication Job Server is a generic server process that

hosts BusinessObjects Enterprise services.


Logging into BusinessObjects Enterprise


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Starting Server Intelligence Agent


Server Intelligence Agent

The SIA is a locally run service managed by the operating system.The task of the Server .Intelligence Agent (SIA) is to1. Start, stop, and monitor locally run BusinessObjects servers. 2. When one of the managed servers goes down unexpectedly, the SIA restarts the

server immediately.3. When you issue a command in the CMC to stop a server, the SIA stops the server.4. When you create a SIA, you create a new node. A node is a collection of

BusinessObjects5. Enterprise servers which run on the same host and are managed by a single SIA. 6. You can add servers to the node and you can have more than one node on the same

machine.7. The SIA continuously monitors server status information, which is stored in the CMS

databases.8. When you change a server's settings or add a new server in the CMC, the CMS

notifies the SIA and the SIA performs the jobs accordingly.


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Installation/ Patching and System Copy


Installation/ Patching and System Copy

In this section we will take you through a document where we have installed, Patched and performed a system copy for Business objects


General Administration


User and group management• Creating and managing users and groups, including their rights to folders, objects, andapplicationsFor example, a BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator needs to give the appropriaterights to Data Managers and Report Designers who interact with BusinessObjects Enterprise.Data Managers build universes and export them to BusinessObjects Enterprise. ReportDesigners design reports from these universes using Crystal Reports, Web Intelligence,Desktop Intelligence or Voyager and can then save the reports to BusinessObjects Enterprise.Content management• Adding, scheduling, and managing Crystal Reports files, Web Intelligence files, Voyagerfiles, and Desktop Intelligence files• Managing third-party documents, and hyperlinks• Managing universes, universe connections, and universe restriction sets• Managing dashboards and analytics• Securing contentServer management• Installing, configuring, and managing servers

General Administration

Note: Will login to an installed server and show User and Group Management and Server Management.

Content Management is not under the scope of this training.


Thanks

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