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Regenerating Universes and Report Templates

After an initial generation, you can regenerate universes and report templates in the following two ways:

  • Using the Angles for Oracle Generator for SAP BusinessObjects tool
  • Using the ng.exe command line utility

About Regeneration

The process undertaken by the Angles Generator for SAP Business Objects (Angles Generator ) to regenerate universes is similar to the process to generate them. The only difference is that during regeneration, the previously generated universe files are modified in place to incorporate changes that have been made to the Noetix Views (NoetixViews), Noetix Analytics, or RapidDecision metadata since the last generation. In addition, report templates are overwritten during regeneration.

The following diagram shows the workflow for the Angles Generator r during regeneration.

The diagram shows the modified process that removes the use of strategy files. The Intelligent Regeneration Engine compares the NoetixViews, Noetix Analytics, or RapidDecision metadata to the current universes and a historical snapshot of the universes in order to determine which classes and objects require some sort of action. The existing universe files are modified accordingly and re-exported to Central Management Server.

In addition to regenerating the universes, the generator updates the groups in Central Management Server, based on the new state of the NoetixViews, Noetix Analytics, or RapidDecision metadata.

Finally, the generator will overwrite previously generated report templates with new versions, based on the new state of the NoetixAnswers metadata. The generator will also update all of the NoetixViews role groups in Central Management Server to ensure that the report templates are secured properly.

The Angles Generator does not delete the previously generated report templates during regeneration. Report templates should be manually deleted through Central Management Console, if desired.

Intelligent Regeneration

The Angles for Oracle Generator provides an “Intelligent Regeneration” feature that compares the NoetixViews or Noetix Analytics metadata to the current universes and a historical snapshot of the universes, so that it can intelligently change only the items that require it, without affecting the rest of the universe definitions.

The diagram below describes how the Intelligent Regeneration Engine treats each type of modification that can be made to a universe.

The diagram shows the three metadata sets that are compared by the Intelligent Regeneration Engine:

  • NoetixViews, Noetix Analytics, RapidDecision Metadata represents the current state of the NoetixViews or Noetix Analytics metadata, found in the Oracle schema that owns the Noetix views or the Active Metadata Repository schema that describes Analytics objects.
  • Universe Files represents the current BusinessObjects universe files, which were created by a previous generation.
  • Universe History represents a snapshot of the state of the universe files, taken at the end of the previous generation. These snapshots are saved as XML files, along with the generated universe files. These files are exported to the Central Management Server along with the universe files. This ensures that the universe and history files stay synchronized.

 

The different areas in the Venn diagram represent different types of changes that may occur and the response that the generator will take. These changes are:

  • Synchronization: This area represents items that have been unchanged, at least in their names. This is the most likely case during regeneration.
  • When the generator encounters objects and classes that existed before, it will check their properties against the metadata layer and will update any properties that were changed. Items that were not changed in any way will not be affected.

  • Metadata Additions: This area represents new columns or views that were added to the NoetixViews, Noetix Analytics, or RapidDecision metadata layer. These additions are typically made by new versions of NoetixViews, Noetix Analytics, or RapidDecision or through customizations to the content in those products. This type of modification is one of the most typical cases that will be encountered during regeneration.
  • Metadata Deletions: This area represents columns or views that have been suppressed in the NoetixViews metadata layer, either through the use of hook scripts or a metadata override file. Items deleted from the Noetix Analytics/RapidDecision Active Metadata Repository also fall into this category. NoetixViews, Noetix Analytics, or RapidDecision items can be suppressed or deleted to keep the generated universes uncluttered or to decrease their size so they can be used in Web Intelligence. This type of modification is one of the most typical cases that will be encountered during regeneration.
  • Reports that reference the removed classes or objects will cease to work.

  • Manual Additions: This area represents classes or objects that were added to the universes using Universe Designer that are unrelated to the Oracle-based NoetixViews, Noetix Analytics, or RapidDecision metadata. For example, a new class could be added that does not correspond to any Noetix view or Noetix Analytics/RapidDecision field definition folder. In this example, the class would not be described in the NoetixViews metadata structure or Noetix Analytics/RapidDecision Active Metadata Repository.
  • If the generator encounters these types of additions, it will preserve them during regeneration.

  • Manual Deletions: This area represents classes or objects that were manually deleted from the generated universes using Universe Designer. The corresponding views, table aliases, field definition folders, or columns have not been suppressed in the NoetixViews, Noetix Analytics, or RapidDecision metadata, however.
  • If the generator encounters classes, objects, tables, joins, or contexts that were deleted, it will return an error without recreating them because it cannot assign the same ID to the recreated items, which could cause existing reports to produce incorrect results without raising an error.

    Classes and objects should be deleted by suppressing the corresponding views, table aliases, field definition folders and columns in the NoetixViews, Noetix Analytics, or RapidDecision metadata instead of by manually deleting them from the universes.

  • Collisions: This area represents classes or objects that were manually added to the generated universes using Universe Designer then added to the NoetixViews, Noetix Analytics, or RapidDecision metadata layer after the fact. This scenario is considered a name collision because the generator did not originally generate the item and therefore cannot claim ownership of it.
  • If the generator encounters a name collision, it will return an error without modifying the affected universe. To remedy the problem, delete the item using Universe Designer then attempt the generation again.

    Deleting a class or object that is currently being used by one or more reports will cause those reports to break, even though the generator will recreate a similar object. Reports are tied to the specific IDs assigned to classes and objects and the generator will not be able to assign the original ID when it recreates the item.

    Classes and objects should be added to universes by modifying the NoetixViews, Noetix Analytics, or RapidDecision metadata layers. These modifications can be made using hook scripts (for NoetixViews) or Metadata Manager (for Noetix Analytics/RapidDecision), or a metadata override file.

  • Manually Synchronized Deletions: This area represents classes or objects that were deleted from existing universes using Universe Designer then suppressed in the NoetixViews metadata layer or deleted from the Noetix Analytics Active Metadata Repository.
  • If the generator encounters items that were suppressed in the metadata and also manually deleted from the affected universes, it will accept the change and update the universe history file to reflect it.

    While this scenario is supported, it is best to remove classes and objects by suppressing them in the metadata layer. This can be done through NoetixViews hook scripts, Metadata Manager, or a metadata override file.

Regenerating Lists of Values and Answers

The yellow “Universe History” subsets of the Venn diagram logic described above are not implemented for Lists of Values (LoVs) or Noetix Answers. The generator does not keep a history of LoVs or Answers. Instead, the generator simply creates LoVs and Answers on its first generation, and overwrites existing LoVs and Answers on subsequent generations. It ignores collisions and treats them instead as synchronizations, overwriting any existing items. It does not currently delete LoVs or Answers.

Full intelligent regeneration logic for LoVs is not currently included in the Angles for Oracle Generator because doing so would expose severe performance defects in current versions of the SAP BusinessObjects SDK. Future versions of the Angles for Oracle Generator may implement this logic for LoVs if these defects are fixed and there is sufficient demand for this feature. For this reason, it is recommended that you create any custom LoVs you might need on Noetix objects by using generator hook scripts, rather than by creating them manually using Designer. Contact insightsoftwareSupport for details on how to add LoVs using hook scripts.

There are no plans to ever apply intelligent regeneration logic to generation of Noetix Answers.

Regenerating Using Angles Generator

The procedure for regenerating NoetixViews, Noetix Analytics, or RapidDecision metadata using the generator is similar to the initial generation. With the exception of passwords, the fields on all Angles for Oracle Generator screens will display the information that was provided the last time you used it. Type the passwords and edit the fields as needed to regenerate. For more information, see Generating Universes and Report Templates.

If you manage multiple instances of NoetixViews, Noetix Analytics, or RapidDecision content with different universe subfolders and user group prefixes, you can load the values specified for a specific instance into the Angles for Oracle Generator, assuming that they were saved to generation arguments files during a previous generation. To do this:

  1. Open Angles for Oracle Generator. Navigate to the Script tab.
  2. Select Open Existing at the bottom left. A warning message will appear, explaining that your existing entries in the interface will be overwritten. Choose OK to proceed.
  3. If you do not want to lose the existing values specified in the interface, save them as a new generation arguments file before continuing.

  4. The Load Arguments File dialog will be displayed. Select the generation arguments file associated with the NoetixViews instance that you wish to regenerate and then Select Open.
  5. The values from the generation arguments file will be loaded into the Angles for Oracle Generator interface, with the exception of the Oracle and BusinessObjects connection passwords.
  6. Validate that the values are correct and then enter the correct Oracle connection and repository credentials in the appropriate boxes.
  7. For NoetixViews 6.5 and above, the Select Universes dialog provides a Select existing universes with changes detected checkbox to simplify the regeneration process. When checked, this box will discover which Noetix views were modified during a NoetixViews incremental regeneration and then automatically select the associated universes, enabling administrators to quickly synchronize existing BusinessObjects universes with the latest view definitions from NoetixViews.
  8. Discovery of the universes with changes detected in NoetixViews is based on the previously generated universes from the folder referenced at the bottom of the dialog. A different universe folder can be selected by Selecting the […] button, or by changing the Universe Subfolder on the Target Parameters tab.

    The “Select existing universes with changes detected” checkbox is disabled for initial generations. This option is only available during regeneration of NoetixViews 6.5 or higher content.

  9. You may now proceed with regeneration.
  10. Use extra caution with the Universe Subfolder and User Group Prefix boxes if you must use the same BusinessObjects Enterprise server for test and production NoetixViews, Noetix Analytics, or RapidDecision instances. Do not overwrite your production universes and groups with test universes and groups.

Regenerating Using Command Line Utility

Regenerations can also be launched from a command prompt using the ng.exe utility. This utility allows the user to specify the input parameters for the generation in a generation arguments file instead of through a graphical user interface.

The most common use of the command line utility is to schedule unattended regenerations using the Scheduled Tasks functionality within Windows.

Before regenerating universes and report templates using the command line utility, a generation arguments file must be created and saved using the Angles for Oracle Generator tool. Check the Include passwords when saving box when saving the generation arguments file.

About Generation Arguments File

The GenerationArguments.xml file is created by the Angles for Oracle Generator tool when the Save button is Selected from the Script page. It contains all of the input and output parameters needed for regeneration. This file is used for regeneration with the command line utility. The file is in XML format, with four primary areas:

  • Warehouse Environment: Contains information about the Noetix Analytics or RapidDecision data warehouse environment to generate against. This information is specified on the Source Parameters tab in Angles for Oracle Generator.
  • Warehouse System: Contains information about the Noetix Analytics or RapidDecision system to generate against. This information is specified on the Source Parameters tab in Angles for Oracle Generator.
  • NoetixViews Arguments: Contains the TNS name, user name, password, NoetixViews wait time, and metadata override file parameters provided on the Source Parameters tab.
  • BusinessObjects Arguments: Contains tags describing the execution plan, BusinessObjects Enterprise connection, and universes to generate. These tags describe the following values:
    • Execution Plan: Contains the flags indicating the generation steps (Import existing universes and history, Generate universes, Export generated universes and history, Generate NoetixAnswers) selected on the Execution Plan tab. If specific universes were selected to generate or export, they will also be listed.
    • Connection: Contains the BusinessObjects Enterprise system, user name, password, and authentication type to use when connecting to CMS. These values are specified on the Target Parameters tab.
    • Universe Size Reduction Options: Contains settings that allow administrators to shrink the size of the generated universes, if desired.
    • Universe Parameters: Contains the universe connection, local universe save path, universe subfolder on CMS, and user group prefix to use during the generation.
    • Security Parameters: Contains security options that dictate how the security groups are generated.

    The XML arguments are also displayed for inspection on the screen of the Script tab. However, copying and pasting the screen contents into a text editor such as Notepad may give different results than Selecting the Save button. insightsoftware recommends creating generation arguments files by Selecting the Save button.

    Once a GenerationArguments.xml file is available, the regeneration can be launched using the command line utility.

To regenerate using the command line utility:

  1. Open a Command Prompt window.
  2. In the Command Prompt window, navigate to the folder containing the ng.exe file, typically C:\Program Files\Noetix\Angles for Oracle Generator for SAP BusinessObjects.
  3. At the command prompt, type ng.exe followed by the path to the file that contains the generation arguments, e.g., ng.exe C:\BusinessObjectsGenerations\GenerationArguments.xml.
  4. By default, the generation log will be displayed in the Command Prompt window. To capture the log, redirect the standard output and standard error streams to files in the following syntax: ng.exe GenerationArguments.xml 1>output.txt 2>error.txt.

  5. Press ENTER to start the regeneration process.

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