CMS Query Builder

Impressive way to retrive hidden info about CMS. Even using SDK restful Bi Admin platform nothing exceeds CMS query capabilities…..

A couple of my favourites links to work with (syntaxis is so complex as powerful 🙂

• https://wiki.scn.sap.com/wiki/x/cgJyFg
• https://blogs.sap.com/2013/06/17/businessobjects-query-builder-basics/

Troubleshooting for Promotion Management

Superb set of links that provide useful guides to solve any kind of issue related with Promotion Management (LCM)

http://wiki.scn.sap.com/wiki/display/BOBJ/Promotion+Management+Problems

Using End to End trace to isolate scanning of override issues

Using End to End trace for Promotion Management

Identify problematic overrides with Razor SQL and fix or reset database

SAP BI 4.x System Copy

Backup and restore of filestore and CMS database of a BusinessObjects Enterprise BI 4.1 system (System Copy)

Resolution

Taking a backup on the Production machine

1. From the Central Configuration Manager (CCM), stop the SIA
2. Take a backup of the CMS database.
3. Take a copy of the entire FileStore Input and Output folders (by default, under BOXI server installation folder)
4. Restart the SIA

Note: On BI4.X you must know the cluster key at the time the backup was taken to be able to connect a CMS to the restored database.

Restoring the backup to the Test machine

5. From the CCM, stop the SIA
6. Rename the existing FileStore folder (e.g.: FileStore_Old)
7. Copy the FileStore backup taken in step 3 into the BOXI server Test installation
8. Restore the CMS database.
9. Delete references to the original server as follows

WARNING: In this particular instance, the following command deletes the reference of the Business Objects Servers (parentid 16) in the database, as the production nodes/SIA (parentid 59) to avoid a system mixture. This should only be applied in a disaster recovery environment where the SIA and servers of production should not appear.

In the disaster recovery database, a delete command will remove the necessary references to the production

BOE XI 3.x	delete from cms_infoobjects6 where parentid=16 or parentid=59;
BI 4.0/BI 4.1	delete from cms_infoobjects7 where parentid=16 or parentid=59;

10. From the CCM, select “Add Server Intelligent Agent” or “Add Node”

1. When details are requested, use the name and port number of the existing Test SIA (SIA port number is 6410 by default).
   • For XI 3.x, make sure to select “Create default servers on the new node” and “Recreate Server Intelligence Agent on the local host, if it already exists in the CMS system database”
   • For BI 4.x, make sure to select “Recreate node”
2. Assign a port to the CMS (by default 6400) and select the restored CMS database of point 7. Enabling Auditing is optional at this stage and can be configured later
3. On BI 4.0 it will now ask for the cluster key – this is required to decode information from the restored database content
4. DO NOT START THE SIA YET

11. When the SIA is created, go to SIA > Properties > Configuration and modify the ClusterName of the restored environment to be different from the production environment.
12. Start the SIA

Version Management Doc Toolkit

– Tutorial: How to change the location of the Lifecycle Manager Subversion Repository (link)

– CMS Version and VMS Version different on Version Management(Subversion)  BI 4.x (link)

How to backup/restore the SubVersion Version Management System

How to backup/restore the SubVersion Version Management System

Cold backup/restore

Backup:

1. Shutdown the SubVersion Server service.
2. Since SubVersion is a file based repository, simply backup the folder structure that makes up the repository.
   For XI 3: the default location of the SubVersion Repository on Windows is “C:\LCM_repository\svn_repository”
   For BI 4: the default location of the SubVersion Repository on Windows is “<install_dir>\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\LCM_repository\svn_repository“
3. It is important to also backup the <Workspace Directory> folder structure at the same time
   For XI 3: the default location of the <Workspace Directory> is “C:\Check_out”
   For BI 4: the default location of the <Workspace Directory> is “<install_dir>\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\CheckOut”
4. Start the SubVersion Server service.

Restore:

1. Shutdown the SubVersion Server service.
2. Since SubVersion is a file based repository, simply restore the folder structure that makes up the repository.
   For XI 3: the default location of the SubVersion Repository on Windows is “C:\LCM_repository\svn_repository”
   For BI 4: the default location of the SubVersion Repository on Windows is “<install_dir>\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\LCM_repository\svn_repository“
3. It is important to also restore the <Workspace Directory> folder structure at the same time
   For XI 3: the default location of the <Workspace Directory> is “C:\Check_out”
   For BI 4: the default location of the <Workspace Directory> is “<install_dir>\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\CheckOut”
4. Start the SubVersion Server service.

‘Hot backup/restore’

Backing up the files via a recursive copy is not necessarily safe or valid whilst SubVersion is running. Invalid backups are possible when the repository is being updated at the time the files are ‘backed-up’ or when files are backed-up in the wrong order.

Backup:

1. Launch the command prompt and change directories to “\subversion\bin”
   For XI 3: cd “C:\Program Files\Subversion\bin”
   For BI 4: cd “C:\Program Files (x86)\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\subversion”
2. Run the hotcopy command “svnadmin hotcopy repository_location new_repository_location ”
   For XI 3: snvadmin hotcopy C:\LCM_repository\svn_repository C:\svn_copy
   For BI 4:svnadmin hotcopy “C:\Program Files (x86)\SAPBusinessObjects\SAPBusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\LCM_repository\svn_repository” C:\svn_copy
3. It is important to also backup the <Workspace Directory> folder structure at the same time
   For XI 3: the default location of the <Workspace Directory> is “C:\Check_out”
   For BI 4: the default location of the <Workspace Directory> is “<install_dir>\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\CheckOut”

Restore:

1. Shutdown the SubVersion Server service.
2. Restore the folder structure for the SubVersion Repository from your backup location.
3. It is important to also restore the <Workspace Directory> folder structure at the same time
   For XI 3: the default location of the <Workspace Directory> is “C:\Check_out”
   For BI 4: the default location of the <Workspace Directory> is “<install_dir>\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\CheckOut”
4. Start the SubVersion Server service.

About the <Workspace Directory>

The <WorkSpace Directory> (i.e. Check_out folder) is used for:

1. the preparation of content before it is uploaded to the Version Management Server repository.
2. the preparation of content before it is imported into the SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise repository.
3. the identification of which ‘version’ (revision number) was last imported into the SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise repository and users will see this as the ‘CMS Version’, within the Version Management User Interface.

and it is organized so there is a folder for each ‘system’ and a folder for each object, identified by its CUID

For XI 3: The <Workspace Directory> is defined within LifeCycle Management Console – Administration Options – VMS Settings – SubVersion – SubVersion Settings and by default is ‘C:/Check_out/‘ for Windows.
For BI 4: The <Workspace Directory> is defined within Central Management Console – Applications – Version Management – VMS Settings – SubVersion – SubVersion Settings and by default is ‘<install_dir>\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\CheckOut‘ for Windows

Best Practices Update + Patching

http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/6083da26-2542-3110-60b2-e767b3606f5f?QuickLink=index&overridelayout=true&58965606034720

Configure/Install SAP BO BI Mobile

– Setuting Up (I): http://bobi.blog.com/2014/02/15/setting-up-sap-businessobjects-mobile/

Tips to install SAP Design Stuido BI Add-on a distributed landscape

http://scn.sap.com/community/businessobjects-design-studio/blog/2013/12/11/how-to-install-design-studio-add-on-in-a-distributed-landscape

How to explore SAP BusinessObjects BI CMS Repository

http://blog.snapspace.pt/sboprepositoryexplorer/

How to completely remove / uninstall SAP BO BI 4.0 from the system?

1. Go to Start > All Programs > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs and uninstall all the SAP BO patches in the reverse order.
2. Select the base install of SAP BusinessObjects BI (SAP BusinessObjects BI platform 4.0), click on remove.
3. Once it is finished, reboot the server once.
4. Remove SAP BusinessObjects folder from <Install Directory>Program Files.
5. Click on Start > Run > type regedit, which will open Windows registry window.
6. Right click on My computer and take the backup entire registry by clicking on export.
7. Clean the following location in the registry
   • -HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Business Objects
   • -HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SAP Business Objects
   • -HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>Software>SAP Business Objects
   • -HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\SAP Business Objects
8. Go to C:\documents and Settings\Administrator\Local Settings\Temp. The Local Settings folder may be hidden.
9. Click on enable the option for “Show hidden files and folder” and uncheck the option for “Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)”
10. Backup the Temp folder and delete all the files inside Temp. Don’t delete the Temp folder.
11. Go to C:\WINDOWS.
12. Search for “Installer” directory.
13. Enable “Author” details.
14. Delete all the files with “SAP Business Objects” as Author.

Recommendation:

*** TAKE BACKUP BEFORE DELETING ANY FOLDER OR REGISTRY ENTRIES***

Source: SAP Note 1691555