BusinessObjects Enterprise™ XI Release 2 Administrator’s Guide BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 1 Patents Business Objects owns the following U.S. patents, which may cover products that are offered and sold by Business Objects: 5,555,403, 6,247,008 B1, 6,578,027 B2, 6,490,593 and 6,289,352. Trademarks Business Objects, the Business Objects logo, Crystal Reports, and Crystal Enterprise are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects SA or its affiliated companies in the United States and other countries. All other names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright Copyright © 2006 Business Objects. All rights reserved. Third-party contributors Business Objects products in this release may contain redistributions of software licensed from third-party contributors. Some of these individual components may also be available under alternative licenses. A partial listing of third-party contributors that have requested or permitted acknowledgments, as well as required notices, can be found at: http://www.businessobjects.com/thirdparty 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide Contents Chapter 1 Getting Started 17 About this guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 About BusinessObjects Enterprise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Chapter 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture 19 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Architecture basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Client tier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 InfoView . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Central Management Console (CMC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Central Configuration Manager (CCM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Publishing Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Import Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Application tier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Application server and BusinessObjects Enterprise SDK . . . . . . . 25 Web Component Adapter (WCA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Web development platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Java platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Windows .NET platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Web application environments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Intelligence tier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Central Management Server (CMS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Event Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 File Repository Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Cache Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Processing tier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Job servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Report Job Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 3 Contents Program Job Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Web Intelligence Job Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Destination Job Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 List of Values Job Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Desktop Intelligence Job Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Web Intelligence Report Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Report Application Server (RAS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Page Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Data tier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Report viewers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Information flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 What happens when you schedule an object? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 What happens when you view a report? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Report viewing with the Cache Server and Page Server . . . . . . . . 38 Report viewing with the Report Application Server . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Viewing Web Intelligence documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Security management components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Web Component Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 CMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Security plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Chapter 3 Central Management Console Basics 45 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Using the CMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Logging on to the CMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Navigating within the CMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Setting CMC preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Making initial security settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Setting the Administrator password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Disabling a user account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Modifying default security levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Managing BusinessObjects Enterprise applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 CMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 4 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Contents Crystal Reports Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Desktop Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Discussions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Accessing the Discussions page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Searching for discussion threads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Sorting search results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Deleting discussion threads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Setting user rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 InfoView . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Web Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Chapter 4 Setting Rights 59 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Rights and the BusinessObjects Enterprise object security model . . . . . . 60 How rights work in BusinessObjects Enterprise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Navigating the Rights tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Locating the Rights tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Columns in the Rights tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Reading the Rights tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 BusinessObjects Enterprise top-level folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Access levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Access levels overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Considerations for setting access levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Assigning access levels to groups and users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Assigning No Access and Full Control access levels . . . . . . . . . . 66 Advanced object rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Advanced object rights overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Navigating the Advanced Rights page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Locating the Advanced Rights page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Columns in the Advanced Rights page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Base rights and available rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Inheritance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 5 Contents The rationale for inheritance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Group and folder inheritance concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Group inheritance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Folder inheritance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Breaking inheritance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Enabling and disabling inheritance with access levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Inheritance with advanced rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Priorities affecting advanced inheritance settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Using rights to delegate administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Delegated administration overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Choosing between Modify the rights users have to objects options . . . 79 Modify the rights users have to objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Securely modify rights users have to objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Owner rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Summary of recommendations for rights administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Choosing between View and View-on-demand rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 View-on-demand rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 View rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Chapter 5 Managing User Accounts and Groups 83 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Account management overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 User management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Group management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Available authentication types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Managing Enterprise and general accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Creating an Enterprise user account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Creating a group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Adding subgroups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Specifying group membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Adding users to groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Modifying a user account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Deleting a user account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 6 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Contents Changing password settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Enabling Trusted Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Modifying a group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Viewing group members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Deleting a group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Disabling the Guest account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Granting access to users and groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Controlling access to user inboxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Managing aliases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Creating a user and a third-party alias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Creating an alias for an existing user . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Assigning an alias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Reassigning an alias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Deleting an alias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Disabling an aliases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Chapter 6 Managing Licenses 103 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Managing license information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Adding a license key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Viewing current account activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Chapter 7 Managing Applications 107 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Setting rights on applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Managing CMC settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Managing Crystal Reports Explorer settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Managing Designer settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Desktop Intelligence settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Managing Discussions settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Accessing the Discussions page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Searching for discussion threads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Sorting search results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 7 Contents Deleting discussion threads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Setting user rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Managing InfoView settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Managing Web Intelligence settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Chapter 8 Managing Servers 117 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Server management overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Server status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Starting, stopping, and restarting servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Stopping a Central Management Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Enabling and disabling servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Server settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Server metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Viewing current server metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 The Metrics tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Viewing system metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Server groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Creating a server group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Working with server subgroups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Modifying the group membership of a server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 User access to servers and server groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Object rights for the Report Application Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Chapter 9 Managing Data Sources and Connections 131 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Data source connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Managing universes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Viewing and deleting universes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Controlling access to universes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Managing universe connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Controlling access to universe connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Managing OLAP cubes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 8 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Contents Creating an OLAP cube connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Editing an OLAP cube connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Deleting an OLAP cube connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 OLAP Data source connection settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Connection settings for Microsoft OLAP data sources . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Connection settings for Essbase/DB2 OLAP data sources . . . . . . . . 140 Connection settings for Oracle OLAP data sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Chapter 10 Managing Objects 143 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 General object management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Setting object rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Object rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Setting access levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Copying, moving, or creating a shortcut for an object . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 Deleting an object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Searching for an object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Sending an object or instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Available destinations by object type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Changing properties of an object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Assigning an object to categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Report object management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 What are report objects and instances? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Setting report refresh options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Setting report processing options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Setting report viewing options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Specifying default servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Changing database information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 Updating parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Updating prompts for Web Intelligence document objects . . . . . 163 Using filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Setting printer and page layout options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Processing extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 9 Contents Applying processing extensions to reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 Registering processing extensions with the system . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Selecting a processing extension for a report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Sharing processing extensions between multiple servers . . . . . . 171 Working with hyperlinked reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Publishing and hyperlinking reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Publishing reports with existing hyperlinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Viewing hyperlinks in a report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Viewing hyperlinked reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Viewing the universes for a Web Intelligence document . . . . . . . 174 Rights set on Desktop and Web Intelligence documents . . . . . . . . . . 175 Desktop Intelligence document rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Web Intelligence document rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Program object management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 What are program objects and instances? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Program types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Setting program processing options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Specifying command-line arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Setting a working directory for a program object . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Configuring executable programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Configuring Java programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 Authentication and program objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Object package management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 What are object packages, components, and instances? . . . . . . . . . . 188 Creating an object package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Adding objects to an object package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 Configuring object packages and their objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Authentication and object packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 Chapter 11 Scheduling Objects 193 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194 Scheduling overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194 About the scheduling options and parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 10 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Contents Recurrence patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 Run options and parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 Scheduling objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Scheduling objects using object packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Scheduling an object with events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Setting the scheduling options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 Setting notification for an object’s success or failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 Determining an object’s success or failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 About notification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Specifying alert notification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Selecting a destination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Default destination support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 Unmanaged Disk destination support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 FTP support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210 Email (SMTP) support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 Inbox support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Choosing a format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Selecting cache options for Web Intelligence documents . . . . . . . . . 216 Scheduling an object for a user or group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Managing instances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Managing and viewing the history of instances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 Viewing an instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219 Pausing or resuming an instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219 Deleting an instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 Setting instance limits for an object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 Using Calendars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 Calendars overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 Creating calendars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Adding dates to a calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Calendar format options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 Specific dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224 Recurring dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225 Deleting calendars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 11 Contents Specifying calendar rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 Managing events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 Managing events overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 File-based events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Schedule-based events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 Custom events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Specifying event rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Chapter 12 Organizing Objects 235 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 Organizing objects overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 About folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 About categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 Working with folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 Creating and deleting folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 Creating a new folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238 Creating a new subfolder at any level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238 Deleting folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 Copying and moving folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 Adding a new object to a folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 Specifying folder rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Folder rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 Setting access levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Setting limits for folders, users, and groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Managing user folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246 Working with categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Creating and deleting categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Creating a new category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Creating a new subcategory at any level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Deleting categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Moving categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Adding an object to a new category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Removing or deleting objects from a category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 12 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Contents Specifying category rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 Category rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 Managing personal categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Chapter 13 Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise 253 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 Publishing overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 Publishing options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Publishing Wizard procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Logging on to BusinessObjects Enterprise via the Publishing Wizard 256 Creating and selecting a folder on the CMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 Moving objects between folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 Duplicating the folder structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 Adding objects to a category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 Changing scheduling options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 Refreshing repository fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 Publishing with saved data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 Selecting a program type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 Specifying program credentials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 Changing default values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 Changing object properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 Entering database logon information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 Setting parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 Setting the schedule output format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 Adding extra files for programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 Specifying command line arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 Finalizing the objects to be added . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 Publishing with the CMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 Saving objects directly to the CMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 Chapter 14 Managing Profiles 269 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 What are profiles? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 13 Contents Creating profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 Personalizing data with profile targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 Personalizing data for users and groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 Resolving conflicts between profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273 Specifying profile rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274 Appendix A Working with Performance Management Applications 277 About performance management applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278 Performance management repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278 Setting performance management security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278 Setting security for metrics and dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279 Setting security for dashboards and analytics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279 Setting security for performance management functionality . . . . . . . . 280 Troubleshooting performance management applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281 Predictive Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281 Appendix B Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents 283 Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents . . . . . . . . . 284 What you can do with the defaultconfig.xml file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 Locating and modifying defaultconfig.xml . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 Desktop Intelligence Enterprise Java InfoView . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287 Desktop Intelligence Enterprise .NET InfoView . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287 List of key values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288 Example: Modifying the default font in table cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289 Appendix C Synchronizing data source credentials 291 Using data source credentials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292 About DBUSER and DBPASS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292 Enabling data source credential synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292 Setting data source credentials for user objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Using data source credentials with universes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Troubleshooting data source credentials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294 Report object doesn’t use the specified credentials . . . . . . . . . . . 294 Using BOUSER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294 14 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Contents Appendix D Trusted Authentication 295 Enabling Trusted Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Configuring the server for Trusted Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Configuring trusted authentication for the client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 Appendix E Business Objects Information Resources 301 Documentation and information services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 What’s in the documentation set? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Where is the documentation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Documentation from the products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Documentation on the web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Documentation on the product CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Send us your feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 Customer support, consulting and training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 How can we support you? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 Online Customer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 Looking for the best deployment solution for your company? . . . . . . 304 Looking for training options? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304 Useful addresses at a glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304 Appendix F Glossary 307 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 15 Contents 16 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide chapter Getting Started 1 Getting Started About this guide About this guide This guide provides you with information on how the use the CMC to manage your BusinessObjects Enterprise system. Procedures are provided for common tasks. Conceptual information and technical details are provided for all advanced topics. For information on how to optimize the security and performance of your BusinessObjects Enterprise system see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. For information about installing BusinessObjects Enterprise, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Installation Guide. About BusinessObjects Enterprise BusinessObjects Enterprise is a flexible, scalable, and reliable solution for delivering powerful, interactive reports to end users via any web application— intranet, extranet, Internet or corporate portal. Whether it is used for distributing weekly sales reports, providing customers with personalized service offerings, or integrating critical information into corporate portals, BusinessObjects Enterprise delivers tangible benefits that extend across and beyond the organization. As an integrated suite for reporting, analysis, and information delivery, BusinessObjects Enterprise provides a solution for increasing end-user productivity and reducing administrative efforts. 18 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide chapter BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Overview Overview This section introduces BusinessObjects Enterprise administrators to the architecture of BusinessObjects Enterprise. This section coversthe following topics: • • • • • • • Architecture basics Client tier Intelligence tier Processing tier Data tier Report viewers Information flow For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Architecture basics BusinessObjects 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. If you are new to BusinessObjects Enterprise, use this section to gain familiarity with the BusinessObjects Enterprise framework, its components, and the general tasks that each component performs. In BusinessObjects Enterprise, there are five tiers: • • • • • The client tier The application tier The intelligence tier The processing tier The data tier To provide flexibility, reliability, and scalability, the components that make up each of these tiers can be installed on one machine, or spread across many. The following diagram illustrates how each of the components fits within the multi-tier system. Other Business Objects products plug in to the BusinessObjects Enterprise framework in various ways. This section describes the framework itself. Consult each product’s installation or administration guides for details about how it integrates with the BusinessObjects Enterprise framework. 20 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Architecture basics The “servers” run as services on Windows machines. On UNIX, the servers run as daemons. These services can be “vertically scaled” to take full advantage of the hardware that they are running on, and they can be “horizontally scaled” to take advantage of multiple computers over a network environment. This means that the services can all run on the same machine, or they can run on separate machines. The same service can also run in multiple instances on a single machine. For example, you can run the CMS and the Event Server on one machine, while you run the Report Application Server on a separate machine. This configuration is called “horizontal scaling.” If the Report Application Server is BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 21 2 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Client tier running on a multi-processor computer, then you may choose to run multiple Report Application Servers on it. This configuration is called “vertical scaling.” The important thing to understand is that, even though these are called servers, they are actually services and daemons that do not need to run on separate computers. Tip: When you are familiar with the architecture and want to customize your system configuration, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. Note: BusinessObjects Enterprise supports reports created in versions 6 through XI of Crystal Reports. Once published to BusinessObjects Enterprise, reports are saved, processed, and displayed in version XI format. Client tier The client tier is the only part of the BusinessObjects Enterprise system that administrators and end users interact with directly. This tier is made up of the applications that enable people to administer, publish, and view reports and other objects. The client tier includes: • • • • • InfoView Central Management Console (CMC) Central Configuration Manager (CCM) Publishing Wizard Import Wizard For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. InfoView BusinessObjects Enterprise comes with InfoView, a web-based interface that end users access to view, schedule, and keep track of published reports. Each BusinessObjects Enterprise request that a user makes is directed to the BusinessObjects Enterprise application tier. In .NET InfoView, the web server forwards the user request directly to an application server where the request 22 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Client tier is processed by the Web Component Adapter (WCA); typically, InfoView only uses the WCA when OLAP is installed. In this case, the web server will forward the .csp request to the WCA for processing. InfoView also serves as a demonstration of the ways in which you can use the BusinessObjects Enterprise Software Development Kit (SDK) to create a custom web application for end users. In the case of .NET, InfoView also demonstrates how you can use the BusinessObjects Enterprise .NET Server Components. For more information, see the developer documentation available on your product CD. Central Management Console (CMC) The Central Management Console (CMC) allows you to perform user management tasks such as setting up authentication and adding users and groups. It also allows you to publish, organize, and set security levels for all of your BusinessObjects Enterprise content. Additionally, the CMC enables you to manage servers and create server groups. Because the CMC is a webbased application, you can perform all of these administrative tasks remotely. .The CMC also serves as a demonstration of the ways in which you can use the administrative objects and libraries in the BusinessObjects Enterprise SDK to create custom web applications for administering BusinessObjects Enterprise. For more information, see the developer documentation available on your product CD. Central Configuration Manager (CCM) The Central Configuration Manager (CCM) is a server-management tool that allows you to configure each of your BusinessObjects Enterprise server components. This tool allows you to start, stop, enable, and disable servers, and it allows you to view and to configure advanced server settings. On Windows, these settings include default port numbers, CMS database and clustering details, SOCKS server connections, and more. In addition, on Windows the CCM allows you to add or remove servers from your BusinessObjects Enterprise system. On UNIX, some of these functions are performed using other tools. Publishing Wizard The Publishing Wizard is a locally installed Windows application that enables both administrators and end users to add reports to BusinessObjects Enterprise. By assigning object rights to BusinessObjects Enterprise folders, BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 23 2 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Application tier you control who can publish reports and where they can publish them to. The Publishing Wizard publishes reports from a Windows machine to BusinessObjects Enterprise servers running on Windows or on UNIX. For more information, see Chapter 13: Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise. Import Wizard The Import Wizard is a locally installed Windows application that guides administrators through the process of importing users, groups, reports, and folders from an existing BusinessObjects Enterprise, Crystal Enterprise, or Crystal Info implementation to BusinessObjects Enterprise. The Import Wizard runs on Windows, but you can use it to import information into a new BusinessObjects Enterprise system running on Windows or on UNIX. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Installation Guide. Application tier The application tier hosts the server-side components that process requests from the client tier as well as the components that communicate these requests to the appropriate server in the intelligence tier. The application tier includes support for report viewing and logic to understand and direct web requests to the appropriate BusinessObjects Enterprise server in the intelligence tier. For both the Java and .NET platforms, the application tier includes the following components: • • 24 Application server and BusinessObjects Enterprise SDK Web Component Adapter (WCA) BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Application tier Note: In Crystal Enterprise 10 on Windows, the communication between the web server and the application server was handled through the Web Connector; the functionality of the Web Component Adapter (WCA) was provided through the Web Component Server (WCS). In BusinessObjects Enterprise XI, the web server communicates directly with the application server and the WCA handles the WCS functionality, both on Windows and Unix platforms. Application server and BusinessObjects Enterprise SDK BusinessObjects Enterprise systems that use the BusinessObjects Enterprise Java SDK or the BusinessObjects Enterprise .NET SDK run on a third party application server. See the Platforms.txt file included with your product distribution for a complete list of tested application servers and version requirements. The application server acts as the gateway between the web server and the rest of the components in BusinessObjects Enterprise. The application server is responsible for processing requests from your browser. It also supports InfoView and other Business Objects applications, and uses the SDK to convert report pages (.epf files) to HTML format when users view pages with a DHTML viewer. Web Component Adapter (WCA) The web server communicates directly with the application server that hosts the BusinessObjects Enterprise SDK. The Web Component Adapter (WCA) runs within the application server and provides all services that are not directly supported by the BusinessObjects Enterprise SDK. The web server passes requests directly to the application server, which then forwards the requests on to the WCA. The WCA has two primary roles: • • It processes ASP.NET (.aspx) and Java Server Pages (.jsp) files It also supports Business Objects applications such as the CMC (CMC) and Crystal report viewers (that are implemented through viewrpt.aspx requests). Note: In Crystal Enterprise 10 on Windows, the communication between the web server and the application server was handled through the Web Connector; the functionality of the Web Component Adapter (WCA) was provided through the Web Component Server (WCS). In BusinessObjects Enterprise XI, the web server communicates directly with the application server and the WCA handles the WCS functionality, both on Windows and Unix platforms. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 25 2 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Application tier Web development platforms BusinessObjects Enterprise supports the following web development platforms: • • Java platform Windows .NET platform Java platform All UNIX installations of BusinessObjects Enterprise include a Web Component Adapter (WCA). In this configuration, a Java application server is required to host the WCA and the BusinessObjects Enterprise Java SDK. The use of a web server is optional as you may choose to have static content hosted by the application server. Windows .NET platform BusinessObjects Enterprise installations that use the .NET Framework include Primary Interop Assemblies (PIAs) that allow you to use the BusinessObjects Enterprise .NET SDK with ASP.NET, and a set of .NET Server Components that you can optionally use to simplify the development of custom applications. This configuration requires the use of a Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) web server. Note: In Crystal Enterprise 10 on Windows, the communication between the web server and the application server was handled through the Web Connector; the functionality of the Web Component Adapter (WCA) was provided through the Web Component Server (WCS). In BusinessObjects Enterprise XI, the web server communicates directly with the application server and the WCA handles the WCS functionality, both on Windows and Unix platforms. You do not need a Web Component Adapter for custom ASP.NET applications. Web application environments BusinessObjects Enterprise supports Java Server Pages (.jsp) and ASP.NET (.aspx) pages. BusinessObjects Enterprise includes web applications developed in .aspx, such as InfoView and the sample applications available via the BusinessObjects Enterprise Launchpad. Java Server Pages (.jsp) and ASP.NET (.aspx) pages allow you to develop cross-platform J2EE and ASP.NET applications that use the BusinessObjects Enterprise SDKs in conjunction with third party APIs. 26 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Intelligence tier Note: For backward compatibility, BusinessObjects Enterprise continues to support Crystal Server Pages (.csp) and Active Server Pages (.asp). BusinessObjects Enterprise also includes Primary Interop Assemblies (PIAs) that enable you to use the BusinessObjects Enterprise SDK and Report Application Server SDK with ASP.NET. It also includes a set of .NET Server Components which simplify development of custom BusinessObjects Enterprise applications in ASP.NET. For more information, see the developer documentation available on your product CD. Intelligence tier The intelligence tier manages the BusinessObjects Enterprise system. It maintains all of the security information, sends requests to the appropriate servers, manages audit information, and stores report instances. The intelligence tier includes the following components: • • • • Central Management Server (CMS) Event Server File Repository Servers Cache Server Central Management Server (CMS) The CMS is responsible for maintaining a database of information about your BusinessObjects Enterprise system, which other components can access as required. The data stored by the CMS includes information about users and groups, security levels, BusinessObjects Enterprise content, and servers. The CMS also maintains the BusinessObjects Enterprise Repository, and a separate audit database of information about user actions. This data allows the CMS to perform its four main tasks: • Maintaining security BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 27 2 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Intelligence tier By maintaining a database of users and their associated object rights, the CMS enforces who has access to BusinessObjects Enterprise and the types of tasks they are able to perform. These tasks include enforcing and maintaining the licensing policy of your BusinessObjects Enterprise system. • Managing objects The CMS keeps track of the location of objects and maintains the containment hierarchy, which includes folders, categories, and inboxes. By communicating with the Job Servers and Program Job Servers, the CMS is able to ensure that scheduled jobs run at the appropriate times. • Managing servers By staying in frequent contact with each of the servers in the system, the CMS is able to maintain a list of server status. Report viewers access this list, for instance, to identify which Cache Server is free to use for a report viewing request. • Managing auditing By collecting information about user actions from each BusinessObjects Enterprise server, and then writing these records to a central audit database, the CMS acts as the system auditor. This audit information allows system administrators to better manage their BusinessObjects Enterprise deployment. Typically, you provide the CMS with database connectivity and credentials when you install BusinessObjects Enterprise, so the CMS can create its own system database and BusinessObjects Enterprise Repository database using your organization’s preferred database server. For details about setting up CMS databases, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Installation Guide. See the Platforms.txt file included with your product distribution for a complete list of tested database software and version requirements. Note: 28 • It is strongly recommended that you back up the CMS system database, and the audit database frequently. The backup procedure depends upon your database software. If you are unsure of the procedure, consult with your database administrator. • The CMS database should not be accessed directly. System information should only be retrieved using the calls that are provided in the BusinessObjects Enterprise Software Development Kit (SDK). For more information, see the developer documentation available on your product CD. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Intelligence tier • You can access the audit database directly to create custom audit reports. See the BusinessObjects Enterprise Auditor’s Guide for more information. On Windows, the Setup program can install and configure its own Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) database if necessary. MSDE is a client/server data engine that provides local data storage and is compatible with Microsoft SQL Server. If you already have the MSDE or SQL Server installed, the installation program uses it to create the CMS system database. You can migrate your default CMS system database to a supported database server later. For details about configuring the CMS, its system database, and CMS clusters, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. For more information about Auditing, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Auditor’s Guide. Event Server The Event Server manages file-based events. When you set up a file-based event within BusinessObjects Enterprise, the Event Server monitors the directory that you specified. When the appropriate file appears in the monitored directory, the Event Server triggers your file-based event: that is, the Event Server notifies the CMS that the file-based event has occurred. The CMS then starts any jobs that are dependent upon your file-based event. After notifying the CMS of the event, the Event Server resets itself and again monitors the directory for the appropriate file. When the file is newly created in the monitored directory, the Event Server again triggers your file-based event. Note: Schedule-based events, and custom events are managed by the CMS. File Repository Servers There is an Input and an Output File Repository Server in every BusinessObjects Enterprise implementation. The Input File Repository Server manages all of the report objects and program objects that have been published to the system by administrators or end users (using the Publishing Wizard, the CMC, the Import Wizard, or a Business Objects designer component such as Crystal Reports or the Web Intelligence Java or HTML Report Panels). Tip: If you use the BusinessObjects Enterprise SDK, you can also publish reports from within your own code. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 29 2 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Processing tier The Output File Repository Server manages all of the report instances generated by the Report Job Server or the Web Intelligence Report Server, and the program instances generated by the Program Job Server. The File Repository Servers are responsible for listing files on the server, querying for the size of a file, querying for the size of the entire file repository, adding files to the repository, and removing files from the repository. Note: • The Input and Output File Repository Servers cannot share the same directories. This is because one of the File Repository Servers could then delete files and directories belonging to the other. • In larger deployments, there may be multiple Input and Output File Repository Servers, for redundancy. In this case, all Input File Repository Servers must share the same directory. Likewise, all Output File Repository Servers must share a directory. • Objects with files associated with them, such as text files, Microsoft Word files, or PDFs, are stored on the Input File Repository Server. Cache Server The Cache Server is responsible for handling all report viewing requests. The Cache Server checks whether or not it can fulfill the request with a cached report page. If the Cache Server finds a cached page that displays exactly the required data, with data that has been refreshed from the database within the interval that you have specified as the default, the Cache Server returns that cached report page. If the Cache Server cannot fulfil the request with a cached report page, it passes the request along to the Page Server. The Page Server runs the report and returns the results to the Cache Server. The Cache Server then caches the report page for future use, and returns the data to the viewer. By storing report pages in a cache, BusinessObjects Enterprise avoids accessing the database each and every time a report is requested. If you are running multiple Page Servers for a single Cache Server, the Cache Server automatically balances the processing load across Page Servers. Processing tier The processing tier accesses the data and generates the reports. It is the only tier that interacts directly with the databases that contain the report data. 30 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Processing tier The processing tier includes: • • • • Job servers Web Intelligence Report Server Report Application Server (RAS) Page Server Job servers A Job Server processes scheduled actions on objects at the request of the CMS. When you add a Job Server to the BusinessObjects Enterprise system, you can configure the Job Server to: • • • Process report objects Process program objects Send objects or instances to specified destinations If you configure a Job Server to process report objects, it becomes a Report Job Server. If you configure a Job Server to process program objects, it becomes a Program Job Server, and so on. The processing tier includes: • • • • • • Report Job Server Program Job Server Web Intelligence Job Server Destination Job Server List of Values Job Server Desktop Intelligence Job Server BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 31 2 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Processing tier Report Job Server If you configure a Job Server to process report objects, it becomes a Report Job Server. The Report Job Server processes scheduled reports, as requested by the CMS, and generates report instances (instances are versions of a report object that contain saved data). To generate a report instance, the Report Job Server obtains the report object from the Input FRS and communicates with the database to retrieve the current data. Once it has generated the report instance, it stores the instance on the Output FRS. Program Job Server If you configure a Job Server to process program objects, it becomes a Program Job Server. Program objects allow you to write, publish, and schedule custom applications, including scripts, Java programs or .NET programs that run against, and perform maintenance work on, BusinessObjects Enterprise. The Program Job Server processes scheduled program objects, as requested by the CMS. To run a program, the Program Job Server first retrieves the files from storage on the Input File Repository Server, and then runs the program. By definition, program objects are custom applications. Therefore the outcome of running a program will be dependent upon the particular program object that is run. Unlike report instances, which can be viewed in their completed format, program instances exist as records in the object history. BusinessObjects Enterprise stores the program’s standard out and standard error in a text output file. This file appears when you click a program instance in the object History. Web Intelligence Job Server The Web Intelligence Job Server processes scheduling requests it receives from the CMS for Web Intelligence documents. It forwards these requests to the Web Intelligence Report Server, which will generate the instance of the Web Intelligence document. The Web Intelligence Job Server does not actually generate object instances. Destination Job Server If you configure a Job Server to send objects or instances, it becomes a Destination Job Server. A Destination Job Server processes requests that it receives from the CMS and sends the requested objects or instances to the specified destination: 32 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Processing tier • If the request is for an object, it retrieves the object from the Input File Repository Server. • If the request is for a report or program instance, it retrieves the instance from the Output File Repository Server. The Destination Job Server can send objects and instances to destinations inside the BusinessObjects Enterprise system, for example, a user’s inbox, or outside the system, for example, by sending a file to an email address. The Destination Job Server does not run the actual report or program objects. It only handles objects and instances that already exist in the Input or Output File Repository Servers. List of Values Job Server The List of Values Job Server processes scheduled list-of-value objects. These are objects that contain the values of specific fields in a Business View. Lists of values are use to implement dynamic prompts and cascading lists of values within Crystal Reports. List-of-value objects do not appear in CMC or InfoView. For more information, see the Business Views Administrator’s Guide. The List of Values Job Server behaves similarly to the Report Job Server in that it retrieves the scheduled objects from the Input File Repository Server (FRS) and saves the instance it generates to the Output FRS. There is never more than one instance of a list-of-values object. On demand list of value objects are processed by the Report Application Server. Desktop Intelligence Job Server The Desktop Intelligence Job Server processes scheduling requests it receives from the CMS for Desktop Intelligence documents and generates the instance of the Desktop Intelligence document. Web Intelligence Report Server The Web Intelligence Report Server is used to create, edit, view, and analyze Web Intelligence documents. It also processes scheduled Web Intelligence documents and generates new instances of the document, which it stores on the Output File Repository Server (FRS). Depending on the user’s access rights and the refresh options of the document, the Web Intelligence Report Server will use cached information, or it will refresh the data in the document and then cache the new information. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 33 2 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Processing tier Report Application Server (RAS) The Report Application Server (RAS) processes reports that users view with the Advanced DHTML viewer. The RAS also provides the ad hoc reporting capabilities that allow users to create and modify reports over the Web. The RAS is very similar to the Page Server: it too is primarily responsible for responding to page requests by processing reports and generating EPF pages. However, the RAS uses an internal caching mechanism that involves no interaction with the Cache Server. As with the Page Server, the RAS supports COM, ASP.NET, and Java viewer SDKs. The Report Application Server also includes an SDK for reportcreation and modification, providing you with tools for building custom report interaction interfaces. Page Server The Page Server is primarily responsible for responding to page requests by processing reports and generating Encapsulated Page Format (EPF) pages. The EPF pages contain formatting information that defines the layout of the report. The Page Server retrieves data for the report from an instance or directly from the database (depending on the user’s request and the rights he or she has to the report object). When retrieving data from the database, the Page Server automatically disconnects from the database after it fulfills its initial request and reconnects if necessary to retrieve additional data. (This behavior conserves database licenses.) The Cache Server and Page Server work closely together. Specifically, the Page Server responds to page requests made by the Cache Server. The Page Server and Cache Server also interact to ensure cached EPF pages are reused as frequently as possible, and new pages are generated as soon as they are required. BusinessObjects Enterprise takes advantage of this behavior by ensuring that the majority of report-viewing requests are made to the Cache Server and Page Server. (However, if a user’s default viewer is the Advanced DHTML viewer, the report is processed by the Report Application Server.) The Page Server also supports COM, ASP.NET, and Java viewer Software Development Kits (SDKs). 34 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Data tier Data tier The data tier is made up of the databases that contain the data used in the reports. BusinessObjects Enterprise supports a wide range of corporate databases. See the Platforms.txt file included with your product distribution for a complete list of tested database software and version requirements. Report viewers BusinessObjects Enterprise includes report viewers that support different platforms and different browsers in the client tier, and which have different report viewing functionality. (For more information on the specific functionality or platform support provided by each report viewer, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise User’s Guide or the Crystal Reports Developer’s Guide.) All of the viewers fall into two categories: • client-side viewers Client-side viewers are downloaded and installed in the users’ web browser. • zero client viewers The code to support zero client viewers resides in the application tier. client-side viewers zero client viewers Active X viewer DHTML viewer Java viewer Advanced DHTML viewer All report viewers help process requests for reports, and present report pages that appear in the user’s browser. Client-side viewers Client-side viewers are downloaded and installed in the user’s browser. When a user requests a report, the application server processes the request, and retrieves the report pages (in .epf format) from the BusinessObjects BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 35 2 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Information flow Enterprise framework. The application server then passes the report pages to the client-side viewer, which processes the report pages and displays them directly in the browser. Zero client viewers Zero client viewers reside on the application server. When a user requests a report, the application server processes the request, and then retrieves the report pages (in .epf format) from the BusinessObjects Enterprise framework. The SDK creates a viewer object on the application server which processes the report pages and creates DHTML pages that represent both the viewer controls and the report itself. The viewer object then sends these pages through the web server to the user’s web browser. Installing viewers If they haven’t already done so, users are prompted to download and install the appropriate viewer software before the report is displayed in the browser. The Active X viewer is downloaded the first time a user requests a report, and then remains installed on the user’s machine. The user will be prompted to reinstall the ActiveX viewer only when a new version becomes available on the server. Information flow This section describes the interaction of the server components in order to demonstrate how report-processing is performed. This section covers two different scenarios: • • What happens when you schedule an object? What happens when you view a report? What happens when you schedule an object? When you schedule an object, you instruct BusinessObjects Enterprise to process an object at a particular point in time, or on a recurring schedule. For example, if you have a report that is based on your web server logs, you can schedule the report to run every night on a recurring basis. When a user schedules an object using InfoView, the following happens: 36 1. InfoView sends the request to the web server. 2. The web server passes the web request directly to the application server, where it is evaluated by the BusinessObjects Enterprise SDK. 3. The SDK passes the request to the CMS. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Information flow 4. The CMS checks to see if the user has sufficient rights to schedule the object. 5. If the user has sufficient rights, the CMS schedules the object to be run at the specified time(s). 6. When the time occurs, the CMS passes the job to the appropriate job server. Depending on the type of object, the CMS will send the job to one of the following job servers: • If the object is Web Intelligence document, it sends the job to the Web Intelligence Job Server, which sends the request to the Web Intelligence Report Server. • • If the object is a report, it sends the job to the Report Job Server. If the object is program, it sends the job to the Program Job Server. 7. The job server retrieves the object from the Input File Repository Server and runs the object against the database, thereby creating an instance of the object. 8. The job server then saves the instance to the Output File Repository Server, and tells the CMS that it has completed the job successfully. If the job was for a Web Intelligence document, the Web Intelligence Report Server notifies the Web Intelligence Job Server. The Web Intelligence Job Server then notifies the CMS that the job was completed successfully. Note: • The Cache Server and the Page Server do not participate in scheduling reports or in creating instances of scheduled reports. This can be an important consideration when deciding how to configure BusinessObjects Enterprise, especially in large installations. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. • When you schedule program objects or object packages, the interaction between servers follows the same pattern as it does for reports. What happens when you view a report? This section describes the viewing mechanisms that are implemented in InfoView. It contains information on: • • • Report viewing with the Cache Server and Page Server Report viewing with the Report Application Server Viewing Web Intelligence documents BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 37 2 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Information flow When you view a report through BusinessObjects Enterprise, the processing flow varies depending upon your default report viewer, the type of report, and the rights you have to the report. In addition, the processing flow for custom applications may differ. In all cases, however, the request that begins at the web server must be forwarded to the application server. The actual request is constructed as a URL that includes the report’s unique ID. This ID is passed as a parameter to a server-side script that, when evaluated by the application server, verifies the user’s session and retrieves the logon token from the browser. The script then checks the user’s InfoView preferences and redirects the request to the viewing mechanism that corresponds to the user’s default viewer. Different report viewers require different viewing mechanisms: • The zero-client DHTML viewer is implemented through report_view_dhtml.aspx. When evaluated by the application server, this script communicates with the framework (through the published SDK interfaces) in order to create a viewer object and retrieve a report source from the Cache Server and Page Server. • The zero-client Advanced DHTML viewer is implemented through report_view_advanced.aspx. When evaluated by the application server, this script communicates with the framework (through the published SDK interfaces) in order to create a viewer object and retrieve a report source from the Report Application Server. • The client-side report viewers (the ActiveX and Java viewers) are implemented through viewrpt.aspx, hosted by the WCA. The Crystal Web Request is executed internally through viewer code on the application server. The viewer code communicates with the framework in order to retrieve a report page (in .epf format) from the Cache Server and Page Server. If they haven’t already done so, users are prompted to download and install the appropriate viewer software. Report viewing with the Cache Server and Page Server This section describes the process for viewing a Crystal report when using the zero-client DHTML, ActiveX, or Java viewer. This process uses the Cache Server and the Page Server. 1. 38 Upon receiving a report-viewing request, the Cache Server checks to see if it has the requested pages cached. Cached pages are stored as Encapsulated Page Format (.epf) files. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Information flow 2. 3. If a cached page for the report (.epf file) is available: a. The Cache Server checks with the CMS to see if the user has rights to view the cached page. b. If the user is granted the right to view the report, the Cache Server sends the cached page (.epf file) to the application server. If a cached page for the report (.epf file) is unavailable: a. The Cache Server requests new cached pages (.epf files) from the Page Server. b. The Page Server checks with the CMS to see if the user has rights to view the report. c. If the user is granted the right to view the report, the Page Server retrieves the report from the Input File Repository Server. d. If the report is an instance, and the user only has View rights, the Page Server will generate pages of the report instance using the data stored in the report instance. That is, the Page Server will not retrieve the latest data from the database. If the report is an object, the user must have View On Demand rights to view the report successfully (because the Page Server needs to retrieve data from the database). 4. e. If the user has sufficient rights, the Page Server generates the cached page (.epf files) and forwards them to the Cache Server. f. The Cache Server then caches the pages (.epf files). g. The Cache Server sends the pages (.epf files) to the application server. The application server sends the report to the user’s Web browser in one of two ways, depending on how the initial request was made: • If the initial request was made through a DHTML viewer (report_view_dhtml.aspx), the viewer SDK (residing on the application server) is used to generate HTML that represents both the DHTML viewer and the report itself. The HTML pages are then returned through the web server to the user’s web browser. • If the initial request was made through an Active X or Java viewer (viewrpt.aspx), the application server forwards the cached pages (.epf files) through the web server to the report viewer software in the user’s web browser. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 39 2 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Information flow Report viewing with the Report Application Server This section describes the process for viewing a Crystal report when using the Advanced DHTML viewer. This process flow uses the Report Application Server (RAS). 1. Upon receiving a report-viewing request, the RAS checks to see if it has the requested report data in cache. (The RAS has its own caching mechanism, which is separate from the Cache Server.) 2. If a cached version of the report (.epf file) is available: 3. a. The RAS checks with the CMS to see if the user has rights to view the report. b. If the user is granted the right to view the report, the RAS returns cached pages (.epf files) to the application server. If a cached page of the report (.epf file) is unavailable: a. The RAS checks with the CMS to see if the user has rights to view the report. b. If the user is granted the right to view the report, the RAS retrieves the report object from the Input File Repository Server. c. The RAS then processes the report object, obtains the data from the database, generates the cached pages (.epf files), caches the pages and sends the pages to the application server. d. If the user is granted View rights to the report object, then the RAS will only ever generate pages of the latest report instance. That is, the RAS will not retrieve the latest data from the database. If the user is granted View On Demand rights to the report object, then the RAS will refresh the report against the database. Note: The interactive search and filter features provided by the Advanced DHTML viewer are available only if the user has View On Demand rights (or greater) to the report object. 4. When the application server receives the cached pages (.epf files) from the RAS, the viewer SDK generates HTML that represents both the Advanced DHTML viewer and the report itself. 5. The application server sends the HTML pages through the web server to the user’s web browser. Viewing Web Intelligence documents This section describes the process for viewing a Web Intelligence document. 1. 40 InfoView sends the request to the web application server. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Information flow 2. The web application server sends the request to the application server, which creates a new session with the Web Intelligence Report Server. 3. The Web Intelligence Report Server checks if the user has rights to use the Web Intelligence application. 4. The web application server then sends the request to the Web Intelligence Report Server. 5. The Web Intelligence Report Server contacts the CMS to check whether the user has the right to view the document, and to check when the document was last updated. 6. If the user has the right to view the document, the Web Intelligence Report Server checks whether it has up-to-date cached content for the document. 7. If cached content is available, the Web Intelligence Report Server sends the cached document information to the SDK. If cached content is not available, the following happens: a. The Web Intelligence Report Server obtains the document information from the CMS and checks what rights the user has on the document. b. The Web Intelligence Report Server obtains the Web Intelligence document from either the Input or Output File Repository Server and loads the document file. Note: Which FRS is used depends on whether the request was for a Web Intelligence document that was saved to BusinessObjects Enterprise or for an instance of the document. Documents are stored on the Input FRS. Instances are generated when an object is run according to a schedule, and they are stored on the Output FRS. c. If the document is set to “refresh on open” and the user has the View On Demand rights, the Web Intelligence Report Server refreshes the data in the document with data from the database. Note: If the document is set to “refresh on open” but the user does not have View On Demand rights, an error message is displayed. 8. d. The Web Intelligence Report Server stores the document file and the new document information in cache. e. The Web Intelligence Report Server sends the document information to the SDK. The viewer script calls the SDK to get the requested page of the document. The request is passed to the Web Intelligence Report Server. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 41 2 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Security management components 9. If the Web Intelligence Report Server has cached content for the page, it returns the cached XML to the SDK. If the Web Intelligence Report Server does not have the cached content for the page, it renders the page to XML using the current data for the document. It then returns the XML to the SDK. 10. The SDK applies an XSLT style sheet to the XML to transform it to HTML. 11. The viewer script returns the HTML to the browser. Security management components System security within BusinessObjects Enterprise is distributed across most components, but it is managed primarily by the WCA, the CMS, the security plug-ins, and third-party authentication tools, such as SiteMinder and Kerberos. These components work together to authenticate and to authorize users who access BusinessObjects Enterprise, its folders, and its other objects. This section discusses key components as they relate to system security, including: • • • Web Component Adapter CMS Security plug-ins Note: Because these components are responsible for additional tasks, several of the components discussed here are described in additional detail elsewhere in this section. Web Component Adapter The WCA is the gateway between the web server and the remaining BusinessObjects Enterprise components. As such, the WCA receives all HTTP requests that are sent to BusinessObjects Enterprise from users’ web browsers. The WCA ensures that each user has a valid logon token for the system. If the logon token is missing, or if it has expired, the WCA initiates the primary authentication process. The WCA is also responsible for maintaining the user’s session state in the WCA session variable. This session variable contains information that BusinessObjects Enterprise uses when fulfilling user’s requests. 42 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Security management components CMS In relation to system security, the Central Management Server (CMS) performs a number of important tasks. The majority of these tasks rely upon the database that the CMS uses to keep track of BusinessObjects Enterprise system data. This data includes security information, such as user accounts, group memberships, and object rights that define user and group privileges. When you first set up your system, the CMS allows you to create user accounts and groups within BusinessObjects Enterprise. And, with its thirdparty security plug-ins, the CMS allows you to reuse existing user accounts and groups that are stored in a third-party system (a Windows NT user database, an LDAP directory server, or a Windows AD server). The CMS supports third-party authentication, so users can log on to BusinessObjects Enterprise with their current Windows NT, LDAP, or Windows AD credentials. When users log on, the CMS coordinates the authentication process with its security plug-ins; the CMS then grants the user a logon token and an active session on the system. The CMS also responds to authorization requests made by the rest of the system. When a user requests a list of reports in a particular folder, the CMS authorizes the request only when it has verified that the user’s account or group membership provides sufficient privileges.. For more information about the CMS and the CMS database, see “Central Management Server (CMS)” on page 27. Security plug-ins Security plug-ins expand and customize the ways in which BusinessObjects Enterprise authenticates users. BusinessObjects Enterprise currently ships with the system default BusinessObjects Enterprise security plug-in and with the Windows NT, LDAP, and Windows AD security plug-ins. Each security plug-in offers several key benefits. Security plug-ins facilitate account creation and management by allowing you to map user accounts and groups from third-party systems into BusinessObjects Enterprise. You can map third-party user accounts or groups to existing BusinessObjects Enterprise user accounts or groups, or you can create new Enterprise user accounts or groups that corresponds to each mapped entry in the external system. The security plug-ins dynamically maintain third-party user and group listings. So, once you map a Windows NT, LDAP, or Windows AD group into BusinessObjects Enterprise, all users who belong to that group can log on to BusinessObjects Enterprise. When you make subsequent changes to the third-party group membership, you need not update or refresh the listing in BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 43 2 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Security management components BusinessObjects Enterprise. For instance, if you map a Windows NT group to BusinessObjects Enterprise, and then you add a new NT user to the NT group, the security plug-in dynamically creates an alias for that new user when he or she first logs on to BusinessObjects Enterprise with valid NT credentials. Moreover, security plug-ins enable you to assign rights to users and groups in a consistent manner, because the mapped users and groups are treated as if they were Enterprise accounts. For example, you might map some user accounts or groups from Windows NT, and some from an LDAP directory server. Then, when you need to assign rights or create new, custom groups within BusinessObjects Enterprise, you make all of your settings in the CMC. Each security plug-in acts as an authentication provider that verifies user credentials against the appropriate user database. When users log on to BusinessObjects Enterprise, they choose from the available authentication types that you have enabled and set up in the Authorization management area of the CMC: Enterprise (the system default), Windows NT, LDAP, or Windows AD. Note: The Windows NT and Windows AD security plug-ins cannot authenticate users if the BusinessObjects Enterprise server components are running on UNIX, or if your system uses the BusinessObjects Enterprise Java SDK. BusinessObjects Enterprise supports the following security plug-ins: • • • • BusinessObjects security plug-in Windows NT security plug-in LDAP security plug-in Windows AD security plug-in For more information, refer to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. 44 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide chapter Central Management Console Basics 3 Central Management Console Basics Overview Overview This section provides a general description of system administration as it relates to BusinessObjects Enterprise. It then introduces the administration tools that allow you to manage and configure BusinessObjects Enterprise, and it shows how to make some common changes to the system’s default security settings. This section covers the following topics: • • • Using the CMC Making initial security settings Managing BusinessObjects Enterprise applications For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Using the CMC The Central Management Console (CMC) is a web-based tool which offers a single interface through which you can perform almost every day-to-day administrative task, including user management, content management, and server management. Figure 3-1: CMC home page 46 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Central Management Console Basics Using the CMC Any user with valid credentials to BusinessObjects Enterprise can log on to the CMC and set his or her preferences. However, users who are not members of the Administrators group cannot perform any of the available management tasks unless they have been granted rights to do so. For complete details about rights, see Chapter 4: Setting Rights. Logging on to the CMC There are two ways to access the CMC: type the name of the machine you are accessing directly into your browser, or select BusinessObjects Enterprise Administration Launchpad from the program group on the Windows Start menu. When you have finished using the CMC, end the session by logging off. The Logoff button is located in the upper-right corner of the console. 1. To log on to the CMC from your browser Type the appropriate URL: • To use the BusinessObjects Enterprise .NET Administration Launchpad, go to the following page: http://webserver/businessobjects/Enterprise115/ WebTools/adminlaunch/default.aspx • To use the BusinessObjects Enterprise Java Administration Launchpad, go to the following page: http://webserver:8080/businessobjects/enterprise115/ adminlaunch/launchpad.html Replace webserver with the name of the web server machine. If you changed this default virtual directory on the web server, you will need to type your URL accordingly. If necessary, change the default port number to the number you provided when you installed BusinessObjects Enterprise. Tip: On Windows, you can click Start > Programs > BusinessObjects XI Release 2> BusinessObjects Enterprise > BusinessObjects Enterprise .NET Administration Launchpad or Start > Programs > BusinessObjects XI Release 2> BusinessObjects Enterprise >BusinessObjects Enterprise Java Administration Launchpad. 2. Click Central Management Console. 3. Type your User Name and Password. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 47 3 3 Central Management Console Basics Using the CMC If you’re using LDAP or Windows NT authentication, you may log on using an account that has been mapped to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrators group. Note: If this is the first time an administrator from your organization is accessing the CMC, type Administrator as the User Name. This default Enterprise account does not have a password until you create one. For details, see “Setting the Administrator password” on page 50. 4. Select Enterprise in the Authentication Type list. Windows AD, Windows NT and LDAP authentication also appear in the list; however, third-party user accounts and groups must be mapped to BusinessObjects Enterprise before you can use these types of authentication. 5. Click Log On. The CMC Home page appears. Navigating within the CMC Because the CMC is a web-based application, you can navigate through it in a number of ways: • Click the links or icons on the Home page to go to specific management areas. • Select the same management areas from the drop-down list in the title area of the window. Click Go if your browser doesn’t take you directly to the new page. Once you leave the Home page, your location within the CMC is indicated by a path that appears above the title of each page. For example, Home > Users > New User indicates that you’re on the New User page. You can click the hyperlinked portions of the path to jump quickly to different parts of the application. In this example, you could click Home or Users to go to the corresponding page. Setting CMC preferences The Preferences area of the CMC allows you to customize your administrative view of BusinessObjects Enterprise. 48 1. To set the console preference Log on to the CMC and click the Preferences button in the upper-right corner of the CMC. 2. Set the preference as required. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Central Management Console Basics Using the CMC For a summary of preference options and an explanation of their functions, see Table 3-1: CMC Preference options. 3. Click OK. Table 3-1: CMC Preference options CMC Preference option Explanation Crystal Reports Viewer This list sets the default report viewer that is loaded when you view a Crystal report in the CMC. For information on setting the available and default viewers for all users and configuring the processing tier, see The BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. Web Intelligence Viewer This list sets the default viewer that is loaded when you view a Web Intelligence document in the CMC. Desktop Intelligence Viewer This list sets the default viewer that is loaded when you view a Desktop Intelligence document in the CMC. Maximum number of objects per page This option limits the number of objects listed on any page or tab in the CMC. Note: This setting does not limit the number of objects displayed, simply the number displayed per page. For details about limiting the number of objects displayed on a page or in a search, see “Managing CMC settings” on page 109. Maximum number of characters for each page index When a list of objects spans multiple pages, the full list is sorted alphanumerically and indexed before being subdivided. At the top of every page, hyperlinks are displayed as an index to each of the remaining pages. This setting determines the number of characters that are included in each hyperlink. Note: To specify an unlimited maximum number of characters, select the Unlimited check box. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 49 3 3 Central Management Console Basics Making initial security settings CMC Preference option Explanation Measuring units for report page layout This option lets you customize a report’s page layout on the report object’s Print Setup tab. Specify inches or millimeters as the measuring units used by default. Time zone If you are managing BusinessObjects Enterprise remotely, use this list to specify your time zone. BusinessObjects Enterprise synchronizes scheduling patterns and events appropriately. For instance, if you select Eastern Time (US & Canada), and you schedule a report to run at 5:00 a.m. every day on a server that is located in San Francisco, then the server will run the report at 2:00 a.m. Pacific Time. My password Click the Change Password link to change the password for the account under which you are currently logged on. Making initial security settings Before you publish content or provide users with access to BusinessObjects Enterprise, the default system settings should be changed. This section provides procedures for setting the Administrator password, disabling a user account, and modifying the default security level. For additional security information, refer to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. Setting the Administrator password As part of the installation, BusinessObjects Enterprise creates an Administrator account and a Guest account that do not have passwords. Use the following procedure to create a secure password for the Administrator account. Note: Do not create a password for the Guest account if you plan to use the anonymous single sign-on or the Sign Up features available in BusinessObjects Enterprise. 1. To change the Administrator password In the User Name field in the CMC log on page, type “Administrator”. Note: This default account does not have a password until you create one. 50 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Central Management Console Basics Making initial security settings 2. Click OK. 3. Go to the Users management area of the CMC. 4. Click the link for the Administrator account. 5. In the Enterprise Password Settings area, type and confirm the new password. 6. If it is selected, clear the “User must change password at next logon” check box. 7. Click Update. Disabling a user account You can disable any user account through the CMC. For example, you may want to disable the Guest account to ensure that no one can log on to BusinessObjects Enterprise with this account. Note: If you disable the Guest account, you also disable the anonymous single sign-on functionality of BusinessObjects Enterprise. 1. To disable a user account Go to the Users management area of the CMC. 2. In the Account Name column, click the user account you want to disable. 3. On the Properties tab, select the Account is disabled check box. 4. Click Update. 5. If you are prompted for confirmation, click OK. For more information about user accounts, see “Managing Enterprise and general accounts” on page 87. Modifying default security levels Initially, the Everyone group is granted Schedule access to the top-level folder, and the Administrators group is granted Full Control. You can change these default security levels to suit your needs. For a full description of object rights and inheritance patterns, see Chapter 4: Setting Rights. This procedure shows where you can modify the default object rights that users are granted to the Top BusinessObjects Enterprise folder. 1. To modify global security settings Go to the Settings management area of the CMC. 2. Click the Rights tab. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 51 3 3 Central Management Console Basics Managing BusinessObjects Enterprise applications 3. As required, change the value selected in the Access Level list for each user or group that is displayed. 4. Click Update. 5. Click Add/Remove to grant different levels of security to additional users or groups. Managing BusinessObjects Enterprise applications You can use the Business Objects Applications area of the CMC to make changes to the appearance and functionality of web applications such as the CMC and InfoView, without doing any programming. You can also control user and administrator access by changing the rights associated with each application. There are seven Business Objects applications you can manage from the CMC: • • • • • • • CMC Crystal Reports Explorer Designer Desktop Intelligence Discussions InfoView Web Intelligence The next several sections deal with these topics. For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. CMC From the Business Objects Applications area of the CMC, you can change the following CMC settings: • Query size threshold By default, when you go to the Objects, Folders, Groups, or Users management areas of the CMC, a list of objects in that management area is displayed. Because BusinessObjects Enterprise loads each of the objects in the list, if you have numerous objects this can heavily tax your system resources. You can adjust this list using the Query size threshold setting. 52 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Central Management Console Basics Managing BusinessObjects Enterprise applications You can modify the number of objects displayed by setting the Query size threshold in the Business Objects Applications management area of the CMC. By default, the Query size threshold value is 500. This means that BusinessObjects Enterprise prompts users to use the search function of the CMC if the return size exceeds 500 objects. • CMC Access URL Specifying the CMC Access URL allows other applications, such as Crystal Reports, to get this URL from the CMS in order to call pages in the CMC. Crystal Reports, for example, needs to call these pages in order to support the previewing of reports and to enable administration tasks to be performed from Crystal Reports. 1. To manage settings for the CMC Go to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications management area of the CMC. 2. Click the BusinessObjects Enterprise CMC link. The Properties page appears. 3. In the Prompt for search if the return size exceeds field, type the maximum number of objects you want to be returned in searches and on the initial pages of the Objects, Folders, Groups, and Users management areas. 4. In the CMC Access URL field, type the URL for the CMC. 5. Click Update. Note: To modify the number of objects displayed on a page (rather than the total number of objects displayed), see “Setting CMC preferences” on page 48. Crystal Reports Explorer Crystal Reports Explorer allows users to create and modify reports, design layouts, and perform data analysis using a zero client interface. This functionality reduces IT reporting backlog by enabling users to create, save, and redistribute personalized report views in BusinessObjects Enterprise. From the Business Objects Applications area of the CMC, you can change the following Crystal Reports Explorer settings: • • Setting user access to Business Views and report data sources. • Providing users with standardized report templates by setting the Default Template folder. Controlling the Crystal Reports Explorer features that are available to each user. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 53 3 3 Central Management Console Basics Managing BusinessObjects Enterprise applications • Configuring and managing data sources. For more information about administering Crystal Reports Explorer, click Help in the bottom right corner of Crystal Reports Explorer. Designer You can grant access to the Designer application by setting the rights through the CMC. 1. To manage settings for Designer Go to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications management area of the CMC. 2. Click Designer. 3. Click the Rights tab, then assign the appropriate rights to each group or user. 4. Click Apply. Desktop Intelligence You can grant access to the Desktop Intelligence application by setting the rights through the CMC. 1. To manage settings for Desktop Intelligence Go to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications management area of the CMC. 2. Click Desktop Intelligence. 3. Click the Rights tab, then assign the appropriate rights to each group or user. 4. Click Apply. Discussions BusinessObjects Enterprise administrators are responsible for maintaining the discussion threads and for granting the appropriate access rights to BusinessObjects Enterprise users. This section provides procedures for managing Discussions, including: • • • 54 Accessing the Discussions page Searching for discussion threads Sorting search results BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Central Management Console Basics Managing BusinessObjects Enterprise applications • • Deleting discussion threads Setting user rights For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Accessing the Discussions page 1. To access the Discussions page Go to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications management area of the CMC. 2. Click Discussions. The Discussions page appears. Searching for discussion threads By default, the Discussions page displays the titles of all discussion threads. Only the root level threads are displayed. Branches from the root level thread are not displayed. Use the Previous and Next buttons to page through the list of discussion threads. You can search for a specific thread or group of threads. Note: To cancel a search and reset the search values back to the default settings, click Cancel. 1. To search for a discussion thread Go to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications management area of the CMC. 2. Click Discussions. 3. In the Field name list, select which of the following criteria you want to search by: The Discussions page appears. 4. • • • Thread title. Search by the title of a thread. • Author. Search by the author of a specific thread. Creation date. Search by the date the thread was created. Last modified date. Search based on the date a thread was last modified. From the second list, refine your search. If you search by Thread title or Author, the second field provides you with the following options. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 55 3 3 Central Management Console Basics Managing BusinessObjects Enterprise applications • is: The DMC searches for any discussion threads where the thread title, or the author name, exactly match the text that you type into the third field. Searches are not case sensitive. • is not: The DMC searches for any discussion threads where the thread title, or the author name, do not exactly match the text that you type into the third field. • contains: The DMC searches for any discussion threads that contain the search text string within any part of the thread title or the author’s name. • does not contain: The DMC searches for any discussion threads that do not contain the text string within any part of the thread title. If you search by Creation date or Last modified date, there are the following options. 5. • before: The DMC searches for any discussion threads that were created or modified before the search date. • after: The DMC searches for any discussion threads that were created or modified after the search date. • between: The DMC searches for any discussion threads that were created or modified between the two search dates. Use the third field to further refine your search. If you selected a text-based search in the first two fields, type in the text string. If you selected a date-based search, enter the date or dates in the appropriate fields. 6. Click Search to display all the records that match your search criteria. Sorting search results You can select how you want your search results to display. For example you can display them in ascending alphabetical order, and choose how many results to display per page. 1. 56 To sort your results In the Sort by list, select which of the following criteria you want to display: • • • Thread title. Sort by the title of a thread. • Author. Sort by the author of a specific thread. Creation date. Sort by the date the thread was created. Last modified date. Sort based on the date a thread was last modified. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Central Management Console Basics Managing BusinessObjects Enterprise applications 2. In the second list, select whether you want the records to be displayed in ascending or descending order. 3. In the third category, enter how many results you want to be displayed on each page. 4. Click Search. Deleting discussion threads You can delete any discussion thread. 1. To delete a discussion thread On the Discussions page, select which threads you want to delete in the results list. For details, see “Accessing the Discussions page” on page 55. Tip: You can use the Select All and Clear All buttons to select or clear all the threads displayed on the page. 2. Click Delete. The selected threads are deleted. Setting user rights Users of the Discussions feature must have the right to view a report in order to create a discussion thread, or add a note to a report. For more information on setting user rights to reports and report objects, see “Setting object rights” on page 144. InfoView In the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications area of the CMC, the Properties tab for the InfoView allows you to change several display options. You can also control user and administrator access by changing the rights associated with each user and group on the Rights tab. 1. To change display settings for InfoView Go to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications management area of the CMC. 2. Click InfoView. 3. On the Properties tab, select the options that you want. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 57 3 3 Central Management Console Basics Managing BusinessObjects Enterprise applications • Header and style: You can change the colors of the header and the logo displayed in the header. If you have a cascading style sheet for your intranet, you can specify it here to format InfoView with the same styles. • Display: Choose the functionality that your users can see. You can choose whether or not to display the Preferences button, the Type list, and the Filters tab. You can also choose a default navigation method for your users (folders or categories), and you can specify the maximum number of pages of objects to show at a time. • Object Listing: Choose whether to display the original object or the latest instance of the object. • Viewers: You can also configure settings that control which viewers are available to users. When users view a report using the Advanced DHTML viewer, the report is processed by the Report Application Server. If you are using the Java version of InfoView and want users to be able to use the Active X or Java viewers, you must enter the context path of the Web Component Adapter. Consult the BusinessObjects Enterprise Installation Guide for more information. 4. Click Update. Web Intelligence For the Web Intelligence application, you can control which interactive features your users have access to for Web Intelligence documents by setting Web Intelligence rights in the CMC. Note that in order for users to be able to use the Interactive view format and use the Query HTML panel, you must grant access to the “Allows interactive HTML viewing (as per license)” option. The user can select this view format and report panel option in the Web Intelligence Document Preferences tab in InfoView. 58 1. To set rights for Web Intelligence features Go to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications management area of the CMC. 2. Click Web Intelligence. 3. Click the Rights tab, and click Web Intelligence to expand the list of available rights. 4. Select the options that you want, and then click Apply. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide chapter Setting Rights 4 Setting Rights Overview Overview This section introduces BusinessObjects Enterprise administrators to concepts and procedures related to regulating user and administrator access to objects, users, and servers. This section explains: • • • • • • Rights and the BusinessObjects Enterprise object security model Access levels Advanced object rights Inheritance Using rights to delegate administration Summary of recommendations for rights administration For faster navigation, click the title of the topic you are interested in. Rights and the BusinessObjects Enterprise object security model This section provides an overview of rights and the levels of security that comprise the BusinessObjects Enterprise model. It explains: • • • How rights work in BusinessObjects Enterprise Navigating the Rights tab BusinessObjects Enterprise top-level folders For faster navigation, click the title of the topic you are interested in. How rights work in BusinessObjects Enterprise Rights are the base units for controlling user access to the objects, users, applications, servers, and other features in BusinessObjects Enterprise. They play an important role in securing the system by specifying the individual actions that users can perform on objects. Besides allowing you to control access to your BusinessObjects Enterprise content, rights enable you to delegate user and group management to different departments, and to provide your IT people with administrative access to servers and server groups. It is important to note that rights are set on objects and folders rather than on the principals who access them. For example, a manager’s ability to access a particular folder is set on the Rights tab for that folder; it is not set on the manager’s Rights tab. The manager’s Rights tab—like the Rights tabs for all 60 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Setting Rights Rights and the BusinessObjects Enterprise object security model principals—is used for granting other principals (such as delegated administrators) access to the manager as an object in the system. In this way, principals are themselves like objects for others with greater rights to manage. Each right on an object can be Explicitly Granted, Explicitly Denied, Inherited, or Unspecified. The BusinessObjects Enterprise security model is designed such that, if a right is left “not specified,” the right is denied by default. Additionally, if contradictory settings result in a right being both granted and denied to a user or group, the right is denied by default. This “denial based” design helps ensure that users and groups do not automatically acquire rights that are not explicitly granted. Navigating the Rights tab Administrators use Rights tabs in the CMC to view and change the object rights that principals have to any folder, report, or other BusinessObjects Enterprise object. This section explains: • • • Locating the Rights tab Columns in the Rights tab Reading the Rights tab For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Locating the Rights tab To locate the Rights tab, go to the Folders management area in the CMC to browse your folder hierarchy for an object, or go to the Objects management area in the CMC to view a list of all the objects on the system. Click the link that corresponds to the folder or other object whose rights you want to see, then click the object’s Rights tab. A page similar to the one shown in Figure 41: The Folder Samples Rights tab appears. Figure 4-1: The Folder Samples Rights tab BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 61 4 4 Setting Rights Rights and the BusinessObjects Enterprise object security model Columns in the Rights tab The columns in the Rights tab provide information on the principals who have access to the object, as well as information about the type of access they have. Table 4-1: Columns in the Rights tab summarizes this information. Table 4-1: Columns in the Rights tab Column Description Name Lists all principals who have been given rights to an object. Click Add/Remove to add or remove a user or group to this object. Object Shows whether the principal is a user or a group. Access Level Shows how each principal’s rights are determined. You can change the rights for a principal by selecting a predefined access level (or by selecting Advanced) from the list in the Access Level column and clicking Update. Displays the net effect of the rights selected in the Access Level column and the rights that each principal has inherited. Net Access Reading the Rights tab Using the information provided by the Rights tab columns in Figure 4-1: The Folder Samples Rights tab, you can see that Everyone and Administrators are the only principals with rights to access this particular object. From the Object column, you can tell that these principals are both groups. The Access Level for each group is “Inherited Rights.” Note that inherited rights come from the level of the parent folder; in the case of the Administrators group, this results in a Net Access level of “Full Control.” For the Everyone group, the Net Access level is “Schedule.” In other words, the Net Access column shows that the rights the Everyone group inherits from the parent folder are equivalent to the Schedule access level. If you want to view the individual object rights that make up a principal’s Net Access, click the corresponding Access Level list and select Advanced. The Advanced Rights page displays the full array of object rights that have been specified explicitly for and/or inherited by the principal. Click Cancel to exit without making changes. BusinessObjects Enterprise top-level folders You can grant or deny rights for users to access objects on three levels: topfolder, folder, and object. Granting and denying access for users on the toplevel folder and allowing rights set here to be inherited by child folders and 62 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Setting Rights Rights and the BusinessObjects Enterprise object security model objects can greatly simplify rights administration. Table 4-2: BusinessObjects Enterprise top-level folders summarizes how to set security on the various top-level folders in the system. Table 4-2: BusinessObjects Enterprise top-level folders Top-level folder Description Content Set security from the Rights tab on the Settings page. By default, the Administrators group is granted the Full Control access level, and the Everyone group is granted the Schedule access level. If there are any access levels that are common for the entire system, you should set these at the global level. For example, if an Auditors group needs to be able to view all folders and objects, you can grant this level of access at the global level. For information on how to apply or modify global security settings, see “Modifying default security levels” on page 51. Note: The Content folder contains reports and non-report content types such as text and PDF files. Groups Set security using the Rights button on the Groups page. Note: Rights set here also may affect users since users inherit rights from their parent groups (which inherit from this folder) – unless inheritance is broken Users Set security using the Rights button on the Users page. Profiles Set security using the Rights button on the Profiles page. Server Groups Set security using the Rights button on the Server Groups page. Note: Unless inheritance is broken, rights set here also affect any servers in server groups. Servers Set security using the Rights button on the Servers page. Categories Set security using the Rights button on the Categories page. Inboxes Set security using the Rights button on the Inboxes page. Note: Each user has a top-level inbox under this folder on which you can also set rights. When a user account is created, each user is given “Full Control” access to his own inbox Universe Connections Set security using the Rights button on the Universe Connections page. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 63 4 4 Setting Rights Access levels Top-level folder Description Universes Set security on the Rights tab of the Universes page. Note: By default, the “Universe Designer Users” default group gets “Full Control” access on this folder. Calendars Set security using the Rights button on the Calendars page. Events Set security using the Rights button on the Events page. Access levels This section explains how you can simplify rights administration by taking advantage of access levels and inheritance. It includes information on the following topics: • • Access levels overview Considerations for setting access levels For faster navigation, click the title of the topic you are interested in. Access levels overview Access levels are groups of rights that users frequently need. They allow administrators to set common security levels quickly and uniformly rather than requiring that individual rights be set one by one. Access levels are based on a model of increasing rights: beginning with No Access and ending with Full Control, each access level builds upon the rights granted by the previous level. For a summary of access levels, see Table 4-3: Pre-defined access levels. Table 4-3: Pre-defined access levels Access level Description Rights involved No Access A principal cannot access the object. The CMS enforces this right for InfoView, the Publishing Wizard, and the CMC by ensuring that the object is not visible to the principal. • 64 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Not specified. That is, rights are neither explicitly granted nor explicitly denied. For more information, see “Assigning No Access and Full Control access levels” on page 66. Setting Rights Access levels Access level Description Rights involved View If set on the folder level, a principal can view the folder, objects within the folder, and each object’s generated instances. If set at the object level, a principal can view the object, its history, and its generated instances. • • Schedule A principal can generate instances View Access Level rights, plus: by scheduling an object to run • Schedule the document to run against a specified data source once or on a recurring basis. The • Define server groups to process jobs • Copy objects to another folder principal can view, delete, and pause the scheduling of instances • Schedule to destinations that they own. They can also • Print the report’s data schedule to different formats and destinations, set parameters and • Export the report’s data database logon information, • Edit objects that the user owns choose servers to process jobs, • Delete instances that the user owns add contents to the folder, and copy the object or folder. • Pause and resume document instances that the user owns View On Demand A principal can refresh data “on demand” against a data source. Full Control A principal has full administrative All available advanced rights, including: control of the object. It is the only • Add objects to the folder access level which allows • Edit objects principals who are not members of • Modify rights users have to objects the Administrators group to add, • Delete objects edit, and delete other principals’ content through the CMC. • Delete instances View objects View document instances Schedule Access Level rights, plus: Refresh the report’s data • Considerations for setting access levels This section discusses some of the behaviors that result when access levels are applied on groups and individual users. It explains: • • Assigning access levels to groups and users Assigning No Access and Full Control access levels For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 65 4 4 Setting Rights Advanced object rights Assigning access levels to groups and users Although access levels grant predefined sets of object rights, they do not explicitly deny any object rights. Instead, each access level grants some rights and leaves the other rights “not specified.” The system then denies the “not specified” rights by default. This is important, because it allows users to inherit the greatest rights when they belong to multiple groups: • When you assign an access level to a group, each user in the group will have at least that level of access to the object. If the user is a member of multiple groups, then he or she inherits the combination of each group’s rights. Thus, when a user is a member of multiple groups, he or she inherits the greatest possible rights. • When you assign an access level directly to a principal, you ensure that the principal has only that level of access to the object. In other words, you prevent the principal from inheriting rights that he or she may have otherwise acquired by virtue of group membership. Assigning No Access and Full Control access levels Setting the No Access access level for a principal on a particular object does not guarantee that the principal or its descendents will not be able to access it. If the principal belongs to another group with greater effective rights to that object, then the principal will inherit that level of access. Consequently, the only way to ensure that a principal will not have access to an object is to explicitly deny the principal’s rights to it. Likewise, setting the Full Control access level on an object does not guarantee that the principal for whom it is set will have access to the object. If a principal is given the Full Control access level on an object but is explicitly denied a right by virtue of membership in another group, the principal will have the right denied. This example is true for all access levels in which a right is set as granted—the user may inherit the right as denied from another group and thus be denied the right. Advanced object rights For more granular control in assigning rights in BusinessObjects Enterprise, you can set Advanced rights in the CMC. This section explains: • • Advanced object rights overview Navigating the Advanced Rights page For faster navigation, click the title of the topic you are interested in. 66 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Setting Rights Advanced object rights Advanced object rights overview To provide you with full control over object security, the CMC allows you to set Advanced object rights. These Advanced settings provide increased flexibility as you define security levels for objects that you have published to BusinessObjects Enterprise. Use advanced rights, for instance, if you need to customize a principal’s rights to a particular object or set of objects, or if you want to customize the default inheritance patterns. Most importantly, use advanced rights to explicitly deny a user or group any right that should not be permitted to change when, in the future, you make changes to group memberships or folder security levels. Note: Because of the relative priorities assigned by BusinessObjects Enterprise to granted and denied rights, you must disable inheritance entirely when you need to explicitly grant a right that has been denied elsewhere to the user or group. For complete details, see “Priorities affecting advanced inheritance settings” on page 76. Navigating the Advanced Rights page The available rights for each object are displayed in the Advanced Rights page. This section provides information on: • • Locating the Advanced Rights page Columns in the Advanced Rights page For faster navigation, click the title of the topic you are interested in. Locating the Advanced Rights page The Advanced Rights page for an object is located through its rights tab. In the Access Levels drop-down menu, select “Advanced...” and a page similar to the one shown in Figure 4-2: Advanced rights appears. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 67 4 4 Setting Rights Advanced object rights Figure 4-2: Advanced rights Columns in the Advanced Rights page The columns in the Advanced Rights page provide information on the principals who have access to the object, and the type of access they have. Table 4-4: Advanced Rights columns summarizes this information. Table 4-4: Advanced Rights columns Column Description Inherited Shows how inherited rights affect a principal’s effective rights to an object. If an inherited right is labelled “Not Specified”, the system treats it as having been denied; however, if the right is later granted for a parent group or object, the principal will automatically inherit the right at this level. Explicitly granted Shows which actions a principal can currently perform on an object. Explicitly denied Shows which actions a principal is not allowed to perform on an object. Regardless of future changes to the principal’s group membership, an explicitly denied right always prevents the principal from performing the associated action. Not specified Shows if inheritance is turned on or off. The Right To Names the rights available to an object. Base rights and available rights The BusinessObjects Enterprise system defines a set of base rights that apply to all objects in the system. For example, the “View objects” right is a base right: it applies equally well to folders, reports, and other 68 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Setting Rights Inheritance BusinessObjects Enterprise objects. In addition to these base rights, each type of object provides an additional set of rights that apply only to that object type. For example, the “Refresh the report’s data” right applies only to report objects. On the Advanced Rights pages, all of the available rights are displayed for every object on the system. These rights are grouped based on what type of object they apply to, including General, Report, Text, and Web Intelligence Document. In the example provided by Figure 4-2: Advanced rights, you can see that the General group is expanded to expose the available rights that fall under that category. Available rights are displayed for every object on the system for purposes of inheritance, so that you can set object security at the folder level (rather than repeating the same settings for every object in the folder). Although certain object-specific rights do not strictly apply to the folder object itself, these rights may apply to objects that inherit rights from the folder. In other words, the “Refresh the report’s data” right is displayed for the folder object so that you can grant a user the right to refresh the data in all reports for which the user inherits rights from this folder. Inheritance This section discusses using inheritance to simplify rights administration. It includes information on: • • • • • The rationale for inheritance Group and folder inheritance concepts Breaking inheritance Enabling and disabling inheritance with access levels Inheritance with advanced rights The rationale for inheritance Rights are set on an object for a principal in order to control access to the object; however, it is impractical to set the explicit value of every possible right for every principal on every object. Consider a system with 100 rights, 1000 users, and 10,000 objects: to set rights explicitly on each object would require the CMS store billions of rights in its memory, and, importantly, require that an administrator manually set each one. Inheritance patterns resolve this impracticality. With inheritance, the rights that users have to objects in the system come from a combination of their memberships in different groups and subgroups and from objects which have BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 69 4 4 Setting Rights Inheritance inherited rights from parent folders and subfolders. These users can inherit rights as the result of group membership; subgroups can inherit rights from parent groups; and both users and groups can inherit rights from parent folders. By default, users or groups who have rights to a folder will inherit the same rights for any object that are subsequently published to that folder. Consequently, the best strategy is to set the appropriate rights for users and groups at the folder level first; then publish objects to that folder. Group and folder inheritance concepts BusinessObjects Enterprise recognizes two types of inheritance: group inheritance and folder inheritance. Group inheritance Group inheritance allows principals to inherit rights as the result of group membership. Group inheritance proves especially useful when you organize all of your users into groups that coincide with your organization’s current security conventions. In Figure 4-3: Group inheritance example 1, you can see how group inheritance works. Red Group is a subgroup of Blue Group, so it inherits Blue Group’s rights. In this case, it inherits right 1 as “granted”, and the rest of the rights as “not specified.” Every member of Red Group inherits these rights. In addition, any other rights that are set on the subgroup are inherited by its members. In this example, Green User is a member of Red Group, and thus inherits right 1 as “granted”, rights 2, 3, 4, and 6 as “not specified”, and Right 5 as “denied”. Figure 4-3: Group inheritance example 1 When group inheritance is enabled for a user who belongs to more than one group, the rights of all parent groups are considered when the system checks credentials. The user is denied any right that is explicitly denied in any parent group, and the user is denied any right that remains completely “not 70 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Setting Rights Inheritance specified”; thus, the user is granted only those rights that are granted in one or more groups (explicitly or through access levels) and never explicitly denied. In Figure 4-4: Group inheritance example 2, Green User is a member of two unrelated groups. From Blue Group, he inherits rights 1 and 5 as “granted” and the rest as “not specified”; however, because Green User also belongs to Red Group, and Red Group has been explicitly denied right 5, Green User’s inheritance to right 5 from Blue Group is overridden. Figure 4-4: Group inheritance example 2 Folder inheritance Folder inheritance allows principals to inherit any rights that they have been granted on an object’s parent folder. Folder inheritance proves especially useful when you organize BusinessObjects Enterprise content into a folder hierarchy that reflects your organization’s current security conventions. For example, suppose that you create a folder called Sales Reports, and you provide your Sales group with View On Demand access to this folder. By default, every user that has rights to the Sales Reports folder will inherit the same rights to the reports that you subsequently publish to this folder. Consequently, the Sales group will have View On Demand access to all of the reports, and you need set the object rights only once, at the folder level. In Figure 4-5: Folder inheritance example, rights have been set for Red Group on a folder. Rights 1 and 5 have been granted, while the rest have been left unspecified. With folder inheritance enabled, members of Red Group have rights on the object level identical to the rights of the group on the folder level. Rights 1 and 5 are inherited as granted, while the rest have been left unspecified. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 71 4 4 Setting Rights Inheritance Figure 4-5: Folder inheritance example Breaking inheritance In some cases, you may not want rights to be inherited. For example, you might have granted a right on an object for a user but find that the user cannot access the object in the expected way. That’s because the same right might have been explicitly denied on a parent folder or group, resulting in the right being effectively denied for the user. This is true even if the right you set was explicitly granted. Two rules result in this inability to grant objects more permissible rights than their parents in cases where those rights have been explicitly denied: • • Inherited rights are considered equal to explicit rights. When rights conflict, the denied status always takes priority. Therefore, once a right has been explicitly denied, it can only be explicitly granted to a dependent object if the relevant group and folder inheritance is broken. When group inheritance is broken on an object, the user or subgroup for whom it is broken will not inherit rights from any group. When folder inheritance is broken on an object, the user or group for whom it is broken will not inherit rights from the parent object. If you need to disable or modify inheritance patterns for a particular folder or object within your folder hierarchy, you can do so with access levels or with advanced rights. Inheritance is broken on an object by setting the appropriate “no inherit” right on it. 72 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Setting Rights Inheritance Note: When inheritance is broken, it is broken for all rights; it is not possible to turn off inheritance for some rights but not for others. In Figure 4-6: Breaking inheritance, group and folder inheritance are initially in effect. Red User inherits rights 1 and 5 as granted, rights 2, 3, and 4 as unspecified, and right 6 as explicitly denied. These rights, set on the folder level for the group, mean that Red User, and every other member of the group, has these rights the folder’s objects, A and B. When inheritance is broken on the folder level, Red User’s suite of rights to the objects in that folder is cleared until an administrator assigns new rights to him. Figure 4-6: Breaking inheritance BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 73 4 4 Setting Rights Inheritance Enabling and disabling inheritance with access levels With access levels, you can enable or disable group inheritance, folder inheritance, or both. You can alternatively enable one or both types of inheritance with Advanced rights settings. For details, see “Inheritance with advanced rights” on page 75. 1. To enable inheritance with an access level Go to the Objects or Folders management area of the CMC. 2. Locate the object whose rights you want to modify. 3. Click the link to the object, and then click its Rights tab. 4. In the Name column, locate the user or group whose rights you want to specify. If the user or group is not listed, click Add/Remove. Add the appropriate user or group and click OK. You are returned to the object’s Rights tab. 5. In the Access Level column, select Inherited Rights for the user or group. 6. Click Update. The Net Access column now displays the effective rights that the user or group has inherited for this object. Note: If the entry displayed in the Net Access column is Advanced, ensure that both types of inheritance are enabled in the parent folder’s advanced rights settings. For details, see “Advanced object rights” on page 66. To disable inheritance with an access level Note: This procedure disables group and folder inheritance for a user account. When applied to a group, this procedure does not prevent group members from inheriting rights by virtue of membership in other groups. 1. Go to the Objects or Folders management area of the CMC. 2. Locate the object whose rights you want to modify. 3. Click the link to the object, and then click its Rights tab. 4. In the Name column, locate the user whose rights you want to specify. If the user is not listed, click Add/Remove. Add the appropriate user and click OK. You are returned to the object’s Rights tab. 74 5. In the Access Level column, select the access level (No Access, View, Schedule, View On Demand, or Full Control) that is appropriate for the user. 6. Click Update. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Setting Rights Inheritance The Net Access column now displays the effective rights that the user has to the object. Because you have disabled all inheritance, the Net Access entry equals the Access Level entry. Inheritance with advanced rights When you apply an Advanced set of object rights to a user or group for a particular object, you can enable or disable group and folder inheritance together or individually. To do so, use the two check boxes that appear near the top of the Advanced Rights page. These allow you to specify which types of inheritance affect the principal’s rights to the object. In the example provided by Figure 4-7: Inheritance with Advanced Rights, the checked boxes indicate that principal Guest will inherit rights from its parent groups, and the object “Charting” will not inherit rights from its parent folders. Because of the relative priorities assigned by BusinessObjects Enterprise to granted and denied rights, you must disable inheritance when you need to explicitly grant a right that has been denied elsewhere to the user or group. For complete details, see “Priorities affecting advanced inheritance settings” on page 76. Tip: When modifying inheritance patterns with Advanced rights settings, keep in mind that you can always assign a user a specific set of rights, either by explicitly applying a predefined access level, or by explicitly applying an Advanced setting in which both types of inheritance are disabled. In the example, provided by Figure 4-2: Advanced rights, the Everyone Group has several inherited rights for the object “Charting“, and each of these rights is either “Not Specified” or “Granted.” Since BusinessObjects Enterprise treats rights that have not been specified as denied by default, the result is that Everyone has effective rights comprised by those which are listed as “Granted”: the right to “View documents” and to “Schedule the document to run.” Currently, the Guest user’s rights are largely inherited as “not specified”. If Guest User belongs to another group in which these rights are specified, then Guest user will inherit those rights instead. Because folder inheritance is disabled, the Guest user will retain these rights on the object “Charting,” even if the Guest user’s access levels on the object’s parent folder are modified. Tip: For scalability and manageability, it is recommended that you leave as many rights as possible inherited, because the system automatically updates those rights as you modify and update your security settings throughout the folder and group hierarchies. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 75 4 4 Setting Rights Inheritance To take full advantage of inheritance patterns and Advanced rights settings, it is useful to understand not only the types of inheritance that are available, but also the ways in which a user’s effective rights are calculated by the CMS. For more information on the two types of inheritance, see “Group and folder inheritance concepts” on page 70. Figure 4-7: Inheritance with Advanced Rights Priorities affecting advanced inheritance settings When you modify inheritance patterns with advanced rights, there are several important considerations to keep in mind. Denied rights take precedence over granted rights. This can cause seemingly contradictory results when inheritance is enabled. Suppose that the “View objects” right is explicitly denied to a Sales group for a particular folder of reports. For the same folder, the “View objects” right has been explicitly granted to a Manager user, and the “Respect current security by inheriting rights from parent groups” check box is selected. The Manager user is a member of the Sales group. In this scenario, 76 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Setting Rights Using rights to delegate administration the Manager user is both granted and denied the “See object” right to the folder. Because denied rights take precedence, the Manager user is effectively denied the ability to see the folder, so long as the user account inherits rights from its parent group (Sales). To remedy this situation, you could clear the “Respect current security by inheriting rights from parent groups” check box on the Advanced Rights page for the Manager user, or you could remove the Manager user from the Sales group. Using rights to delegate administration This section contains information on the following topics: • • • Delegated administration overview Choosing between Modify the rights users have to objects options Owner rights For faster navigation, click the title of the topic you are interested in. Delegated administration overview Besides allowing you to control access to objects and settings, rights allow you to divide administrative tasks between functional groups within your organization. For example, you may want people from different departments to manage their own BusinessObjects Enterprise users and groups. Or you may have one administrator who handles high-level management of BusinessObjects Enterprise, but you want all server management to be handled by people in your IT department. Assuming that your group structure aligns with your delegated-administration security structure, you should grant your delegated administrator rights to entire user groups, but grant the delegated administrator less than full rights on the users he controls. For example, you might not want the delegated administrator to edit user attributes or reassign them to different groups. Table 4-5: Rights for delegated administrators summarizes the rights required for delegated administrators to perform common actions. Table 4-5: Rights for delegated administrators Action for delegated administrator Rights required by the delegated administrator Create new users “Add” right on the top-level Users folder Create new groups “Add” right on the top-level Group folder BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 77 4 4 Setting Rights Using rights to delegate administration Action for delegated administrator Rights required by the delegated administrator Delete any controlled groups, as well as individual users in those groups “Delete” right on relevant groups Delete only users that the delegated administrator creates “Owner Delete” right on the top-level Users folder Delete only users and groups that the delegated administrator creates “Owner Delete” right on the top-level Group folder Manipulate only users that the “Owner Edit and “Owner Securely Modify Right” on the top-level User folder delegated administrator creates (including adding those users to those groups) Manipulate only groups that the “Owner Edit” and “Owner Securely Modify delegated administrator Right” on the top-level Group folder creates (including adding users to those groups) Modify passwords for users in their controlled groups “Edit Password” right on relevant groups Modify passwords only for principals the delegated administrator creates “Owner Edit Password” right on top-level user folder, or on relevant groups Note: Setting the “Owner Edit Password” right on a group takes effect on a user only when you add the user to the relevant group. Modify user names, description, other attributes, and reassign users to different groups “Edit” right on relevant groups Modify user names, descriptions, other attributes, and reassign users to different groups, but only for users that the delegated administrator creates “Owner Edit” right on top-level User folder, or on relevant groups Note: Setting the “Owner Edit” right on relevant groups takes effect on a user only when you add the user to the relevant group. The following procedures, found elsewhere in this guide, detail how to grant rights for managing users, groups, servers, and server groups: • • 78 “Granting access to users and groups” on page 96 “Controlling access to user inboxes” on page 97 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Setting Rights Using rights to delegate administration • • • “User access to servers and server groups” on page 128 “Controlling access to universes” on page 134 “Controlling access to universe connections” on page 135 For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Choosing between Modify the rights users have to objects options When you set up delegated administration, give your delegated administrator rights on the principals he will control. You may want to give him all rights (Full control); however, it is good practice to use the Advanced Rights page to withhold the Modify Rights right and give your delegated administrator the Security Modify Rights right instead. The differences between these two rights are summarized below. Modify the rights users have to objects This right allows a user to modify any right for any user on that object. For example, if user A has the rights 'View objects' and 'Modify the rights users have to objects' on an object, user A then change the rights for that object so he or any other user has full control of this object. Securely modify rights users have to objects This right allows a user to grant or deny the rights only for the rights he is already granted. For example, if user A has the rights 'View objects' and ‘Securely modify the rights users have to objects', user A can not give himself any more rights and can grant or deny to other users only these two rights (View and Securely Modify). Additionally, user A can change only the rights for users on objects for which he has the Securely Modify right. These are the conditions under which a user A can modify the rights for user B on object O: • User A has 'Securely modify the rights the user have to objects' on object O. • • Each right that user A is changing for user B, is granted to A. User A has 'Securely modify rights users have to objects' on user B. In addition, the delegated administrator will be restricted from modifying rights on those groups for other principals that he doesn’t have restrictions on. This is useful, for example, if you want to have two delegated administrators for a group, but you don’t want one to be able to deny access to the group for the BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 79 4 4 Setting Rights Summary of recommendations for rights administration other one. The Securely Modify Rights right ensures this, since delegated administrators generally won’t have the Securely Modify Rights right on each other. Owner rights Owner rights are rights that apply only to the owner of the object on which rights are being checked. In BusinessObjects Enterprise, an owner is a principal who has published an object; if that principal is ever deleted from the system, ownership reverts to the Administrator. Owner rights are useful in delegated administration. For example, you may want to create an folder or hierarchy of folders in which various users can create and view documents, but can only modify or delete their own documents. In addition, owner rights are useful for allowing users to manipulate instances of reports they create, but not others’ instances. In the case of the scheduling access level, this permits users to edit, delete, pause and reschedule only their own instances. Owner rights work similarly to their corresponding regular rights, but it is important to note that owner rights take precedence over regular rights in cases where both apply. For example, a principal denied the right to view an object as a result of group membership will be able to view the object if he has the owner view right for it. That is, the denial-based system of rights does not apply if the granted right is an owner right and the denied right is not. Summary of recommendations for rights administration Use access levels wherever possible. These pre-defined sets of rights simplify administration by grouping together rights associated with common user needs. Set rights and access levels on top-level folders. Enabling inheritance will allow these rights to be passed down through the system with minimal administrative intervention. Take advantage of the ways in which object rights are inherited. By doing so, you can reduce the amount of time it takes to secure the content that you have published to BusinessObjects Enterprise. Set appropriate rights for users and groups at the folder level first, then publish objects to that folder. By default, users or groups who have rights to a folder will inherit the same rights for any object that you subsequently publish to that folder. 80 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Setting Rights Summary of recommendations for rights administration Choosing between View and View-on-demand rights When reporting over the Web, the choice to use live or saved data is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Whichever choice you make, however, BusinessObjects Enterprise displays the first page as quickly as possible, so you can see your report while the rest of the data is being processed. View-on-demand rights On-demand reporting gives users real-time access to live data, straight from the database server. Use live data to keep users up-to-date on constantly changing data, so they can access information that’s accurate to the second. For instance, if the managers of a large distribution center need to keep track of inventory shipped on a continual basis, then live reporting is the way to give them the information they need. Before providing live data for all your reports, however, consider whether or not you want all of your users hitting the database server on a continual basis. If the data isn’t rapidly or constantly changing, then all those requests to the database do little more than increase network traffic and consume server resources. In such cases, you may prefer to schedule reports on a recurrent basis so that users can always view recent data (report instances) without hitting the database server. For more information about optimizing the performance of reports that are viewed on demand, see the “Designing Optimized Web Reports” section in the Crystal Reports User’s Guide (version 8.5 and later). Users require View On Demand access to refresh reports against the database. View rights To reduce the amount of network traffic and the number of hits on your database servers, you can schedule reports to be run at specified times. When the report has been run, users can view that report instance as needed, without triggering additional hits on the database. Report instances are useful for dealing with data that isn’t continually updated. When users navigate through report instances, and drill down for details on columns or charts, they don’t access the database server directly; instead, they access the saved data. Consequently, reports with saved data not only minimize data transfer over the network, but also lighten the database server’s workload. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 81 4 4 Setting Rights Summary of recommendations for rights administration For example, if your sales database is updated once a day, you can run the report on a similar schedule. Sales representatives then always have access to current sales data, but they are not hitting the database every time they open a report. Users require only View access to display report instances. 82 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide chapter Managing User Accounts and Groups 5 Managing User Accounts and Groups Overview Overview This section describes the tasks related to account management for users and groups. It includes instructions that describe how to add, modify, and remove accounts within BusinessObjects Enterprise. This section covers the following topics: • • • • Account management overview Available authentication types Managing Enterprise and general accounts Managing aliases For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Account management overview Account management can be thought of as all of the tasks related to creating, mapping, changing, and organizing user and group information. The Users and Groups management areas of the Central Management Console (CMC) provide you with a central place to perform these tasks. After the user accounts and groups have been created, you can add report objects and specify rights to them. When the users log on, they can view the reports using InfoView or their custom web application. User management In the Users area, you can specify everything required for a user to access BusinessObjects Enterprise. You can also view the two default user accounts summarized by Table 5-1: Default user accounts. 84 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing User Accounts and Groups Account management overview Table 5-1: Default user accounts . Account name Description Administrator This user belongs to the Administrators and Everyone groups. An administrator can perform all tasks in all BusinessObjects Enterprise applications (for example, the CMC, CCM, Publishing Wizard, and InfoView). Guest This user belongs to the Everyone group. This account is enabled by default, and is not assigned a password by the system. If you assign it a password, the single sign-on to InfoView will be broken. See the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide for information on supporting Guestaccount users in multiple time zones. Group management In the Groups area, you can create groups that give a number of people access to the report or folder. This enables you to make changes in one place instead of modifying each user account individually. You can also view the several default group accounts summarized by Table 5-2: Default group accounts. Table 5-2: Default group accounts . Account name Description Administrators Members of this group can perform all tasks in all of the BusinessObjects Enterprise applications (CMC, CCM, Publishing Wizard, and InfoView). By default, the Administrator group contains only the Administrator user. Everyone Each user is a member of the Everyone group. By default, the Everyone group allows members to access all the reports that are found in the Report Samples folder. NT users When you install BusinessObjects Enterprise on Windows, BusinessObjects Enterprise creates a BusinessObjects NT Users group. This group is also added to Windows on the local machine and the user who installed BusinessObjects Enterprise is automatically added to this group. When NT authentication is enabled, BusinessObjects NT Users can use their NT accounts to log on to BusinessObjects Enterprise. By default, members of this group are able to view folders and reports. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 85 5 5 Managing User Accounts and Groups Available authentication types Account name Description Universe Users who belong to this group are granted access to the Designer users Universe Designer folder and the Connections folder. They can control who has access rights to the Designer application. You must add users to this group as needed. By default, no user belongs to this group. Available authentication types Before setting up user accounts and groups within BusinessObjects Enterprise, decide which type of authentication you want to use. Table 5-3: Authentication types summarizes the authentication options which may be available to you, depending on the security tools your organization uses. Table 5-3: Authentication types Authentication Description type 86 Enterprise Use the system default Enterprise Authentication if you prefer to create distinct accounts and groups for use with BusinessObjects Enterprise, or if you have not already set up a hierarchy of users and groups in a Windows NT user database, an LDAP directory server, or a Windows AD server. Windows NT If you are working in a Windows NT environment, you can use existing NT user accounts and groups in BusinessObjects Enterprise. When you map NT accounts to BusinessObjects Enterprise, users are able to log on to BusinessObjects Enterprise applications with their NT user name and password. This can reduce the need to recreate individual user and group accounts within BusinessObjects Enterprise. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing User Accounts and Groups Managing Enterprise and general accounts Authentication Description type LDAP If you set up an LDAP directory server, you can use existing LDAP user accounts and groups in BusinessObjects Enterprise. When you map LDAP accounts to BusinessObjects Enterprise, users are able to access BusinessObjects Enterprise applications with their LDAP user name and password. This eliminates the need to recreate individual user and group accounts within BusinessObjects Enterprise. Windows AD If you are working in a Windows 2000 environment, you can use existing AD user accounts and groups in BusinessObjects Enterprise. When you map AD accounts to BusinessObjects Enterprise, users are able to log on to BusinessObjects Enterprise applications with their AD user name and password. This eliminates the need to recreate individual user and group accounts within BusinessObjects Enterprise. Note: You can use Enterprise Authentication in conjunction with either NT, LDAP, or AD authentication, or with all of the three authentication plug-ins. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. Managing Enterprise and general accounts Since Enterprise authentication is the default authentication method for BusinessObjects Enterprise, it is automatically enabled when you first install the system. When you add and manage users and groups, BusinessObjects Enterprise maintains the user and group information within its database. This section focuses on the following Enterprise account management tasks: • • • • • • • • • Creating an Enterprise user account Creating a group Adding users to groups Modifying a user account Deleting a user account Changing password settings Modifying a group Viewing group members Deleting a group BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 87 5 5 Managing User Accounts and Groups Managing Enterprise and general accounts • • Disabling the Guest account Granting access to users and groups For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Note: In many cases, these procedures also apply to NT, LDAP, and AD account management. For specific information on NT, LDAP, and AD authentication, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. Creating an Enterprise user account When you create a new user, you specify the user’s properties and select the group or groups for the user. For information on setting rights for the user, see Chapter 4: Setting Rights. 1. To create a user account Go to the Users management area of the CMC. 2. Click New User. 3. Select the Enterprise authentication type. 4. Type the account name, full name, email, and description information. Tip: Use the description area to include extra information about the user or account. 5. Specify the password information and settings. 6. Select the connection type; the options are Concurrent User and Named User. 7. • Choose Concurrent user if this user belongs to a license agreement that states the number of users allowed to be connected at one time. • Choose Named user if this user belongs to a license agreement that associates a specific user with a license. Named user licenses are useful for people who require access to BusinessObjects Enterprise regardless of the number of other people who are currently connected. Click OK. The user is added to the system and is automatically added to the Everyone group. An inbox is automatically created for the user, as is an Enterprise alias. You can now add the user to a group or specify rights for the user. 88 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing User Accounts and Groups Managing Enterprise and general accounts Creating a group Groups are collections of users who share the same account privileges; therefore, you may create groups that are based on department, role, or location. Groups enable you to change the rights for users in one place (a group) instead of modifying the rights for each user account individually. Also, you can assign object rights to a group or groups. For information on object rights, see “Rights and the BusinessObjects Enterprise object security model” on page 60. For information on granting users and groups administrative rights to other groups, see “Granting access to users and groups” on page 96. After creating a new group, you can add users, add subgroups, or specify group membership so that the new group is actually a subgroup. Because subgroups provide you with additional levels of organization, they are useful when you set object rights to control users’ access to your BusinessObjects Enterprise content. 1. To create a new group Go to the Groups management area of the CMC. 2. Click New Group. 3. On the Properties tab, enter the group name and description. 4. Click OK. Adding subgroups You can add an existing group as a subgroup to another group. A subgroup inherits the rights of the parent group. Note: Adding a subgroup is similar to specifying group membership. See “Specifying group membership” on page 90. 1. To add subgroups In the Groups management area of the CMC, click the link for the group. 2. Click the Subgroups tab. 3. Click Add/Remove Subgroups. 4. Select the groups that should be members of this new group; then click the > arrow. 5. Click OK. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 89 5 5 Managing User Accounts and Groups Managing Enterprise and general accounts Specifying group membership You can make a group a member of another group. The group that becomes a member is referred to as a subgroup. The group that you add the subgroup to is the parent group. A subgroup inherits the rights of the parent group. 1. To make a group a member of another group In the Groups management area of the CMC, click the link for the group. 2. Click the Member of tab. 3. Click the Member of button. 4. Select the parent groups that this new group will be a member of; then click the > arrow. Any rights associated with the parent group will be inherited by the new group you have created. 5. Click OK. Adding users to groups There are two ways to add users to groups: • In the Users management area of the CMC, you can add a user to one or more groups. • In the Groups management area of the CMC, you can add one or more users to a group. The following procedures describe how to add users to groups using both of these methods. 1. To add a user to one or more groups Go to the Users management area of the CMC. 2. Under Account Name, click the link to the user whose properties you want to change. 3. Click the Member of tab to specify the group or groups the user should belong to. Note: All BusinessObjects Enterprise users of the system are part of the Everyone group. 4. Click the Member of button to view the available groups. 5. In the Available groups area, select the group(s) that the new user should be a member of. Use SHIFT+click or CTRL+click to select multiple groups. 90 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing User Accounts and Groups Managing Enterprise and general accounts 6. Click the > arrow to add the group(s); click the < arrow to remove the group(s). 7. Click OK. The “Member of” tab appears and lists the groups in which the user is a member. 1. To add one or more users to a group In the Groups management area of the CMC, click the link for the group. 2. Click the Users tab. 3. Click Add Users. 4. Select the users to add to the group; then click the > arrow. Tip: To select multiple users, use the SHIFT+click or CTRL+click combination. Tip: To search for a specific user, use the Look For field. Tip: If there are many users on your system, click the Previous and Next buttons to navigate through the list of users. 5. Click OK. The Users tab appears. It lists all of the users who belong to this group. Modifying a user account Use this procedure to modify a user’s properties or group membership. Note: The user will be affected if he or she is logged on when you are making the change. 1. To modify a user account Go to the Users management area of the CMC. 2. Under Account Name, click the link to the user whose properties you want to change. 3. Make the required changes, as necessary, in the available fields. In addition to all of the options that were available when you initially created the account, you now can disable the account by selecting the “Account is disabled” check box. You can also assign aliases. For more information, see “Creating an alias for an existing user” on page 99. 4. Click Update. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 91 5 5 Managing User Accounts and Groups Managing Enterprise and general accounts Deleting a user account Use this procedure to delete a user’s account. The user might receive an error if they are logged on when their account is deleted. When you delete a user account, the Favorites folder, personal categories, and inbox for that user are deleted as well. If you think the user might require access to the account again in the future, select the “Account is disabled” check box in the Properties page of the selected user, instead of deleting the account. See “Modifying a user account” on page 91. Note: Deleting a user account won’t necessarily prevent the user from being able to log on to BusinessObjects Enterprise again. If the user account also exists in a third-party system, and if the account belongs to a third-party group that is mapped to BusinessObjects Enterprise, the user may still be able to log on. For details, see “Deleting an alias” on page 101 and “Disabling an aliases” on page 101. 1. To delete a user account Go to the Users management area of the CMC. 2. Select the check box associated with the user you want to delete. 3. Click Delete. The delete confirmation dialog box appears. 4. Click OK. The user account is deleted. Changing password settings Within the CMC, you can change the password settings for a specific user or for all users in the system. The various restrictions listed below apply only to Enterprise accounts—that is, the restrictions do not apply to accounts that you have mapped to an external user database (Windows NT, LDAP, or Windows AD). Generally, however, your external system will enable you to place similar restrictions on the external accounts. 1. To change user password settings Go to the Users management area of the CMC. 2. Click the user whose password settings you want to change. 3. Select or clear the check box associated with the password setting you wish to change. The Properties tab appears. 92 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing User Accounts and Groups Managing Enterprise and general accounts The available options are: • • • Password never expires User must change password at next logon User cannot change password 4. Click Update. 1. To change password settings Go to the Authentication management area of the CMC. 2. Click the Enterprise tab. 3. Select the check box for each password setting that you want to use, and provide a value if necessary. Table 5-4: Password settings identifies the minimum and maximum values for each of the settings you can configure. 4. Click Update. Table 5-4: Password settings Password setting Minimum Recommended Maximum Enforce mixed-case passwords N/A N/A Must contain at least N characters 0 characters 64 characters Must change password every N days 1 day 100 days Cannot reuse the N most recent passwords 1 password 100 passwords Must wait N minutes to change password 0 minutes 100 minutes Disable account after N failed attempts to log on 1 failed 100 failed Reset failed logon count after N minutes 1 minute 100 minutes Re-enable account after N minutes 0 minutes 100 minutes Enabling Trusted Authentication Users prefer to log on to the system once, without needing to provide passwords several times during a session. Trusted Authentication provides a single sign-on solution for integrating your BusinessObjects Enterprise authentication solution with third-party authentication solutions. Applications that have established trust with the CMS can use Trusted Authentication to allow users to log on without providing their passwords. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 93 5 5 Managing User Accounts and Groups Managing Enterprise and general accounts To enable Trusted Authentication, you must configure both the server and the client. 1. To configure the server to use Trusted Authentication Go to the Authentication management area of the CMC. 2. Click the Enterprise tab. 3. Enable Trusted Authentication. 4. Create a shared secret for your users. Note: The shared secret is used by the client and the CMS to create a trusted authentication password. This password is used to establish trust. 5. Enter a time-out value for your trusted authentication requests. Note: The time-out value determines how long the CMS waits for the IEnterpriseSession.logon() call from the client application. 1. To configure the client to use Trusted Authentication Create a valid configuration file on the client machine. The following conditions apply for the configuration file: • • • 2. The name of the file must be TrustedPrincipal.conf. The file must be located at businessobjects_root/win32_x86/ plugins/auth/secEnterprise. The file must contain SharedSecret=secretPassword, where secretPassword is the trusted authentication password. Use the session manager to create a trusted principal and log on to the CMS: ISessionMgr sessionMgr = CrystalEnterprise.getSessionMgr(); ITrustedPrincipal trustedPrincipal = sessionMgr.createTrustedPrincipal("userName", "cmsName"); IEnterpriseSession enterpriseSession = sessionMgr.logon(trustedPrincipal); Modifying a group You can modify a group by making changes to any of the settings. Note: The users who belong to the group will be affected by the modification if they are logged on when you are making changes. 1. 94 To modify a group In the Groups management area of the CMC, click the link for the group. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing User Accounts and Groups Managing Enterprise and general accounts 2. Under the Group Name column, click the link to the group whose configuration you want to change. 3. Make the necessary changes in one of the six tabs: • • • • • • 4. Properties Users Subgroups Member of Profiles Rights Depending on which tab you have selected, click OK or Update after you have made your changes. Viewing group members You can use this procedure to view the users who belong to a specific group. 1. To view group members In the Groups management area of the CMC, click the link for the group. 2. Click Users. 3. Click Refresh. Note: It may take a few minutes for your list to refresh if you have a large number of users in the group or if your group is mapped to an NT user database, LDAP user directory, or AD user directory. Deleting a group You can delete a group when that group is no longer required. You cannot delete the default groups Administrator and Everyone. Note: The users who belong to the deleted group will be affected by the change if they are logged on when the group is deleted. To delete a third-party authentication groups, such as the BusinessObjects NT Users group, use the Authentication management area in CMC. For instructions, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. 1. To delete a group Go to the Groups management area of the CMC. 2. Select the check box associated with the group you want to delete. 3. Click Delete. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 95 5 5 Managing User Accounts and Groups Managing Enterprise and general accounts The delete confirmation dialog box appears. 4. Click OK. Disabling the Guest account By disabling the Guest account, you ensure that no one can log on to BusinessObjects Enterprise with this account. By disabling the Guest account, you also disable the anonymous single sign-on functionality of BusinessObjects Enterprise, so users will be unable to access InfoView without providing a valid user name and password. 1. To disable the Guest account Go to the Users management area of the CMC. 2. In the Account Name column, click Guest. 3. On the Properties tab, select the Account is disabled check box. 4. Click Update. 5. If you are prompted for confirmation, click OK. Granting access to users and groups You can grant users and groups administrative access to other users and groups. Administrative rights include: viewing, editing, and deleting objects; viewing and deleting object instances; and pausing object instances. For example, for troubleshooting and system maintenance, you may want to grant your IT department access to edit and delete objects. 1. To set rights on users and groups Go to the Users or Groups management area of the CMC. 2. Select the user or group you want to grant access to. 3. Click the Rights tab. 4. Click Add/Remove to add users or groups that you want to give access to the selected user or group. The Add/Remove page appears. 5. In the Select Operation list, select Add/Remove Groups, Add Users, or Remove Users. 6. Select the user or group you want to grant access to the specified user or group. Tip: If you have many users on your system, select the Add Users operation; then use the “Look for” field to search for a particular account. 96 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing User Accounts and Groups Managing aliases 7. Click OK. 8. On the Rights tab, change the Access Level for each user or group, as required. 9. To choose specific rights, choose Advanced. 10. Click Update. Controlling access to user inboxes When you add a user, the system automatically creates an inbox for that user. The inbox has the same name as the user. By default, only the user and the administrator have the right to access a user’s inbox. Use the following procedure to change the access rights to a user’s inbox as needed. For more information on inboxes, see “Selecting a destination” on page 207, and “Sending an object or instance” on page 150. 1. To grant a user access to another user’s inbox Go to the Inbox management area of the CMC. 2. Select the inbox you want to grant access to. 3. Click the Rights tab. 4. Click Add/Remove to add users or groups that you want to give access to the selected user or group. The Add/Remove page appears. 5. In the Select Operation list, select Add/Remove Groups, Add Users, or Remove Users. 6. Select the user or group you want to grant access to the specified inbox. 7. Click OK. 8. On the Rights tab, change the Access Level for each user or group, as required. 9. To choose specific rights, choose Advanced. 10. Click Update. Managing aliases If a user has multiple accounts in BusinessObjects Enterprise, you can link the accounts using the assign alias feature. This is useful when a user has a third-party account that is mapped to Enterprise and an Enterprise account. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 97 5 5 Managing User Accounts and Groups Managing aliases By assigning an alias to the user, the user can log on using either a third-party user name and password or an Enterprise user name and password. Thus, an alias enables a user to log on via more than one authentication type. You can also reassign an alias in BusinessObjects Enterprise. For example, after you map your third-party accounts to BusinessObjects Enterprise, you can use the Reassign Alias feature to reassign an alias to a different a user. In CMC, the alias information is displayed at the bottom of the properties page for a user. A user can have any combination of BusinessObjects Enterprise, LDAP, AD, or NT aliases. Managing aliases includes: • • • • • • Creating a user and a third-party alias Creating an alias for an existing user Assigning an alias Reassigning an alias Deleting an alias Disabling an aliases Creating a user and a third-party alias When you create a user and select an authentication type other than Enterprise, the system creates the new user in BusinessObjects Enterprise and creates a third-party alias for the user. Note: For the system to create the third-party alias, the following criteria must be met: • • The authentication tool needs to have been enabled in CMC. • The user account must exist in the third-party authentication tool, and it must belong to a group that is already mapped to BusinessObjects Enterprise. The format of the account name must agree with the format required for the authentication type. 1. To create a user and add a third-party alias Go to the Users management area of the CMC. 2. Click New User. The New User Properties page appears. 3. Select the authentication type for the user, for example, Windows NT. The New User Properties page appears. 4. 98 Type in the third-party account name for the user, for example, bsmith. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing User Accounts and Groups Managing aliases 5. Select the connection type for the user. 6. Click OK. The user is added to BusinessObjects Enterprise and is assigned an alias for the authentication type you selected, for example, secWindowsNT:ENTERPRISE:bsmith. If required, you can add, assign, and reassign aliases to user. Creating an alias for an existing user You can create aliases for existing BusinessObjects Enterprise users. The alias can be an Enterprise alias, or an alias for a third-party authentication tool. Note: For the system to create the third-party alias, the following criteria must be met: • • The authentication tool needs to have been enabled in CMC. • The user account must exist in the third-party authentication tool, and it must belong to a group that is mapped to BusinessObjects Enterprise. The format of the account name must agree with the format required for the authentication type. 1. To create a new alias for a user Go to the Users management area of the CMC. 2. Click the link for the user that you want to add an alias to. 3. Click New Alias. The New Alias page appears. 4. Select the authentication type for the user, for example, Windows NT. 5. Type in the account name for the user. 6. Click OK. An alias is created for the user. When you view the user in CMC, at least two aliases are shown, the one that was already assigned to the user and the one you just created. Assigning an alias When you assign an alias to a user, you move a third-party alias from another user to the user you are currently viewing. You cannot assign or reassign Enterprise aliases. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 99 5 5 Managing User Accounts and Groups Managing aliases Note: If a user has only one alias and you assign that last alias to another user, the system will delete the user account, and the Favorites folder, personal categories, and inbox for that account. 1. To assign an alias from another user Go to the Users management area of the CMC. 2. Click the link for the user you want to assign an alias to. 3. Click Assign Alias. The Assign Alias page appears. 4. Select the alias you want in the list of available aliases. 5. Click the > arrow. Tip: To select multiple aliases, use the SHIFT+click or CTRL+click combination. Tip: To search for a specific alias, use the Look For field. 6. Click OK. Reassigning an alias When you reassign an alias, you move a third-party alias from the user that you are currently viewing to another user. You cannot assign or reassign Enterprise aliases. Note: If a user has only one alias and you reassign that alias to another user, the system will delete the user account, and the Favorites folder, personal categories, and inbox for that account. 1. To reassign an alias to another user Go to the Users management area of the CMC. 2. Click the link for the user whose alias you want to reassign, for example, bsmith. 3. Click the Reassign Alias button for the alias. The Reassign Alias page appears. 4. In the list, click the name of the user that you want to assign the alias to, for example, jbrown. 5. Click OK. The alias for bsmith has now been assigned to the user jbrown, and the Properties page for user jbrown is displayed. The user jbrown can now log on using the third-party user account and authentication method. The user bsmith can no longer use this alias. 100 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing User Accounts and Groups Managing aliases Deleting an alias When you delete an alias, the alias is removed from the system. If a user has only one alias and you delete that alias, the system automatically deletes the user account and the Favorites folder, personal categories, and inbox for that account. 1. To delete an alias Go to the Users management area of the CMC. 2. Click the link for the user whose alias you want to delete. 3. Click the Delete Alias button for the alias. The alias is deleted from the system. Note: Deleting a user’s alias does not necessarily prevent the user from being able to log on to BusinessObjects Enterprise again. If the user account still exists in the third-party system, and if the account belongs to a group that is mapped to BusinessObjects Enterprise, then BusinessObjects Enterprise will still allow the user to log on. Whether the system creates a new user or assigns the alias to an existing user, depends on which Update Options you have selected for the authentication tool in the Authentication management area of CMC. Disabling an aliases You can prevent a user from logging on to BusinessObjects Enterprise using a particular authentication method by disabling the user’s alias associated with that method. To prevent a user from accessing BusinessObjects Enterprise altogether, disable all aliases for that user. Note: Deleting a user from BusinessObjects Enterprise does not necessarily prevent the user from being able to log on to BusinessObjects Enterprise again. If the user account still exists in the third-party system, and if the account belongs to a group that is mapped to BusinessObjects Enterprise, then BusinessObjects Enterprise will still allow the user to log on. To ensure a user can no longer use one of his or her aliases to log on to BusinessObjects Enterprise, it is best to disable the alias. See also “Deleting an alias” on page 101. 1. To disable an alias Go to the Users management area of the CMC. 2. Click the name of the user whose alias you want to disable. 3. In the Alias area on the Properties page, clear the Enabled check box for the alias you want disable. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 101 5 5 Managing User Accounts and Groups Managing aliases Repeat this step for each alias you want to disable. 4. Click Update. The user can no longer log on using the type of authentication that you just disabled. 102 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide chapter Managing Licenses 6 Managing Licenses Overview Overview This section shows you how to use the CMC to manage license information for your BusinessObjects Enterprise deployment. It includes information on: • • Adding a license key Viewing current account activity For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Managing license information The License Keys tab identifies the number of concurrent, named, and processor licenses associated with each key. 1. To view license information Go to the License Keys management area of the CMC. 2. Select a license key. The details associated with the key appear in the Licensing Information area. To purchase additional license keys: • • Contact your Business Objects sales representative. Contact your regional office. For details, go to: http://www.businessobjects.com/company/contact_us/ Adding a license key Note: If you are upgrading from a trial version of the product, be sure to delete the Evaluation key prior to adding any new license keys or product activation keycodes. 1. To add a license key Go to the License Keys management area of the CMC. 2. Type the key in the Add Key field. Note: Key codes are case-sensitive. 3. Click Add. The key is added to the list. 104 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Licenses Managing license information Viewing current account activity 1. To view current account activity Go to the Settings management area of the CMC. 2. Click the Metrics tab. This tab displays current license usage, along with additional job metrics. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 105 6 6 Managing Licenses Managing license information 106 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide chapter Managing Applications 7 Managing Applications Overview Overview This section shows you how to use the Business Objects Applications area of the CMC to make changes to the appearance and functionality of web applications such as the CMC and InfoView, without doing any programming. This section also shows you how to control user and administrator access to applications by changing the rights associated with each one. It contains contextual information and procedures on: • • • • • • • • Setting rights on applications Managing CMC settings Managing Crystal Reports Explorer settings Managing Designer settings Desktop Intelligence settings Managing Discussions settings Managing InfoView settings Managing Web Intelligence settings For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Setting rights on applications You can use rights to control users’ access to certain features in BusinessObjects Enterprise applications. 1. To grant access to a Business Objects application’s features Go to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications management area of the CMC. 2. Click the link for the application whose access rights you want to change. 3. Click the Rights tab. 4. Click Add/Remove to add users or groups you want to give access to the features. 5. On the Add/Remove page, in the Select Operation list, select Add/ Remove Groups, Add Users, or Remove Users. 6. Select the user or group you want to grant access to the features. Tip: If you have many users on your system, select the Add Users operation; then use the “Look for” field to search for a particular account. 108 7. Click OK. 8. On the Rights tab, click Advanced. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Applications Managing CMC settings 9. For each feature, choose Inherited, Explicitly Granted, or Explicitly Denied for the user or group. Note: For the Web Intelligence application, make sure you grant access to the Allows interactive HTML viewing option in order for users to be able use the Interactive view format and use the Query HTML panel. The user can select this view format and report panel option in the Web Intelligence Document Preferences tab in InfoView. Managing CMC settings From the Business Objects Applications area of the CMC, you can grant or deny users access to the CMC. You can also change the following CMC settings: • Query size threshold By default, when you go to the Objects, Folders, Groups, or Users management areas of the CMC, a list of objects in that management area is displayed. Because BusinessObjects Enterprise loads each of the objects in the list, if you have numerous objects this can heavily tax your system resources. You can adjust this list using the Query size threshold setting. You can modify the number of objects displayed by setting the Query size threshold in the Business Objects Applications management area of the CMC. By default, the Query size threshold value is 500. This means that BusinessObjects Enterprise prompts users to use the search function of the CMC if the return size exceeds 500 objects. • CMC Access URL Specifying the CMC Access URL allows other applications, such as Crystal Reports, to get this URL from the CMS in order to call pages in the CMC. Crystal Reports, for example, needs to call these pages in order to support the previewing of reports and to enable administration tasks to be performed from Crystal Reports. 1. To manage settings for the CMC Go to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications management area of the CMC. 2. Click the BusinessObjects Enterprise CMC link. The Properties page appears. 3. In the Prompt for search if the return size exceeds field, type the maximum number of objects you want to be returned in searches and on the initial pages of the Objects, Folders, Groups, and Users management areas. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 109 7 7 Managing Applications Managing Crystal Reports Explorer settings 4. In the CMC Access URL field, type the URL for the CMC. 5. Click Update. Note: To modify the number of objects displayed on a page (rather than the total number of objects displayed), see “Setting CMC preferences” on page 48. Managing Crystal Reports Explorer settings Crystal Reports Explorer allows users to create and modify reports, design layouts, and perform data analysis using a zero client interface. This functionality reduces IT reporting backlog by enabling users to create, save, and redistribute personalized report views in BusinessObjects Enterprise. From the Business Objects Applications area of the CMC, you can change the following Crystal Reports Explorer settings: • • Setting user access to Business Views and report data sources. • Providing users with standardized report templates by setting the Default Template folder. • Configuring and managing data sources. Controlling the Crystal Reports Explorer features that are available to each user. For more information about administering Crystal Reports Explorer, click Help in the bottom right corner of Crystal Reports Explorer. Managing Designer settings You can grant access to the Designer application by setting the rights through the CMC. 110 1. To manage settings for Designer Go to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications management area of the CMC. 2. Click Designer. 3. Click the Rights tab, then assign the appropriate rights to each group or user. 4. Click Apply. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Applications Desktop Intelligence settings Desktop Intelligence settings You can grant access to the Desktop Intelligence application by setting the rights through the CMC. 1. To manage settings for Desktop Intelligence Go to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications management area of the CMC. 2. Click Desktop Intelligence. 3. Click the Rights tab, then assign the appropriate rights to each group or user. 4. Click Apply. Managing Discussions settings BusinessObjects Enterprise administrators are responsible for maintaining the discussion threads and for granting the appropriate access rights to BusinessObjects Enterprise users. This section provides procedures for managing Discussions, including: • • • • • Accessing the Discussions page Searching for discussion threads Sorting search results Deleting discussion threads Setting user rights For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Accessing the Discussions page 1. To access the Discussions page Go to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications management area of the CMC. 2. Click Discussions. The Discussions page appears. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 111 7 7 Managing Applications Managing Discussions settings Searching for discussion threads By default, the Discussions page displays the titles of all discussion threads. Only the root level threads are displayed. Branches from the root level thread are not displayed. Use the Previous and Next buttons to page through the list of discussion threads. You can search for a specific thread or group of threads. Note: To cancel a search and reset the search values back to the default settings, click Cancel. 1. To search for a discussion thread Go to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications management area of the CMC. 2. Click Discussions. The Discussions page appears. 3. In the Field name list, select which of the following criteria you want to search by: • • • • 4. Thread title Creation date Last modified date Author From the second list, refine your search. If you search by Thread title or Author, the second field provides you with the following options. • is: Allows you to search for any discussion threads where the thread title, or the author name, exactly match the text that you type into the third field. Searches are not case sensitive. • is not: Allows you to search for any discussion threads where the thread title, or the author name, do not exactly match the text that you type into the third field. • contains: Allows you to search for any discussion threads that contain the search text string within any part of the thread title or the author’s name. • does not contain: Allows you to search for any discussion threads that do not contain the text string within any part of the thread title. If you search by Creation date or Last modified date, there are the following options. • 112 before: Allows you to search for any discussion threads that were created or modified before the search date. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Applications Managing Discussions settings 5. • after: Allows you to search for any discussion threads that were created or modified after the search date. • between: Allows you to search for any discussion threads that were created or modified between the two search dates. Use the third field to further refine your search. If you selected a text-based search in the first two fields, type in the text string. If you selected a date-based search, enter the date or dates in the appropriate fields. 6. Click Search to display all the records that match your search criteria. Sorting search results You can select how you want your search results to display. For example you can display them in ascending alphabetical order, and choose how many results to display per page. 1. To sort your results In the Sort by list, select which of the following criteria you want to display: • • • Thread title. Sort by the title of a thread. • Author. Sort by the author of a specific thread. Creation date. Sort by the date the thread was created. Last modified date. Sort based on the date a thread was last modified. 2. In the second list, select whether you want the records to be displayed in ascending or descending order. 3. In the third category, enter how many results you want to be displayed on each page. 4. Click Search. Deleting discussion threads You can delete any discussion thread. 1. To delete a discussion thread On the Discussions page, select which threads you want to delete in the results list. For details, see “Accessing the Discussions page” on page 111. Tip: You can use the Select All and Clear All buttons to select or clear all the threads displayed on the page. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 113 7 7 Managing Applications Managing InfoView settings 2. Click Delete. The selected threads are deleted. Setting user rights Users of the Discussions feature must have the right to view a report in order to create a discussion thread, or add a note to a report. For more information on setting user rights to reports and report objects, see Chapter 4: Setting Rights. Managing InfoView settings In the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications area of the CMC, the Properties tab for the InfoView allows you to change several display options. You can also control user and administrator access by changing the rights associated with each user and group on the Rights tab. For InfoView, you can grant users or groups the ability to: • • • • • change their preferences organize folders search filter object listings by object type view the Favorites folder For example, if you have already created your users’ folders using a standard naming convention, you may want to deny your users the ability to organize their own folders. Note: By default, all users have access to these features. 1. To change display settings for InfoView Go to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications management area of the CMC. 2. Click InfoView. 3. On the Properties tab, select the options that you want. • 114 Header and style: You can change the colors of the header and the logo displayed in the header. If you have a cascading style sheet for your intranet, you can specify it here to format InfoView with the same styles. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Applications Managing Web Intelligence settings • Display: Choose the functionality that your users can see. You can choose whether or not to display the Preferences button, the Type list, and the Filters tab. You can also choose a default navigation method for your users (folders or categories), and you can specify the maximum number of pages of objects to show at a time. • Object Listing: Choose whether to display the original object or the latest instance of the object. • Viewers: You can also configure settings that control which viewers are available to users. When users view a report using the Advanced DHTML viewer, the report is processed by the Report Application Server. If you are using the Java version of InfoView and want users to be able to use the Active X or Java viewers, you must enter the context path of the Web Component Adapter. Consult the BusinessObjects Enterprise Installation Guide for more information. 4. Click Update. Managing Web Intelligence settings For the Web Intelligence application, you can control which interactive features your users have access to for Web Intelligence documents by setting Web Intelligence rights in the CMC. Note that in order for users to be able to use the Interactive view format and use the Query HTML panel, you must grant access to the “Allows interactive HTML viewing (as per license)” option. The user can select this view format and report panel option in the Web Intelligence Document Preferences tab in InfoView. 1. To set rights for Web Intelligence features Go to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications management area of the CMC. 2. Click Web Intelligence. 3. Click the Rights tab, and click Web Intelligence to expand the list of available rights. 4. Select the options that you want, and then click Apply. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 115 7 7 Managing Applications Managing Web Intelligence settings 116 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide chapter Managing Servers 8 Managing Servers Overview Overview This section provides information on a range of server tasks that allow you to customize the behavior of BusinessObjects Enterprise. It also includes information on the server settings that you can alter to accommodate the needs of your organization. This section covers the following topics: • • • • • • Server management overview Server status Server settings Server metrics Server groups User access to servers and server groups Server management overview In BusinessObjects Enterprise, server management tasks can be carried out either the Central Management Console or the Central Configuration Manager. You can accomplish some configuration tasks with both tools, while other tasks must be performed with a specific tool. • Central Management Console (CMC) The CMC is used to change the status of a server, change server settings, access server metrics, or create server groups. Because the CMC is a web-based interface, you can configure your BusinessObjects Enterprise servers remotely over the Internet or through your corporate intranet. • Central Configuration Manager (CCM) The CCM is a program that allows you to view and to modify server settings while Business Objects servers are offline. For instance, you use the CCM to stop servers, to modify performance settings, and to change the default server port numbers. You can use the CCM to configure BusinessObjects Enterprise remotely over your corporate network. For more information about the CCM, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. The default values for BusinessObjects Enterprise server settings have been chosen to maximize the reliability, predictability, and consistency of operation of a typical BusinessObjects Enterprise installation. The default settings guarantee the highest degree of data accuracy and timeliness. For example, by default, data sharing between reports is disabled. When running reports on demand, disabling data sharing means that every user can always assume that they will receive the latest data. If you prefer to place more emphasis on 118 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Servers Server status the efficiency, economy, and scalability of BusinessObjects Enterprise, you can tune server settings to set your own balance between system reliability and performance. For more information on scaling and tuning, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. Related topics: • For an overview of the multi-tier architecture and the BusinessObjects Enterprise server components, see Chapter 2: BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture. • For information about creating groups of servers, see “Server groups” on page 125. • With the BusinessObjects Enterprise Software Development Kit (SDK), you can now access and modify server metrics and settings from your own web applications. For more information, see the developer documentation available on your product CD. Server status The status of a server is its current state of operation: a server can be started, stopped, enabled, or disabled. To respond to BusinessObjects Enterprise requests, a server must be started and enabled. Table 8-1: Server status Icon Server status Indicates the server is running. Indicates the server is disabled. When a server is disabled, it will complete jobs queued at the time the server was disabled, but will not respond to new jobs. Indicates the server is stopped. When a server is stopped, it will not complete jobs queued at the time the server was stopped, nor will it respond to new jobs. This section shows how to modify the status of servers with the CMC and the CCM. It includes: • • Starting, stopping, and restarting servers Enabling and disabling servers For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 119 8 8 Managing Servers Server status Starting, stopping, and restarting servers Starting, stopping, and restarting servers are common actions that you perform when you configure servers or take them offline for other reasons. Table 8-2: Starting and stopping servers Action Description Stopping You must stop BusinessObjects Enterprise servers before you can modify certain properties and settings. If you have stopped a server to configure it, you need to start it to effect your changes and to have the server resume processing requests. Restarting a server is a shortcut to stopping a server completely and then starting it again. You can change certain settings without stopping the server; however, the changes typically do not take effect until your restart the server. Starting Restarting For example, if you want to change the name of a CMS, then you must first stop the server. Once you have made your changes, you start the server again to effect your changes. Tip: When you stop (or restart) a server, you terminate the server’s process, thereby stopping the server completely. If you want to prevent a server from receiving requests without actually stopping the server process, you can also enable and disable servers. We recommend that you disable Job Servers and Program Job Servers before stopping them so that they can finish processing any jobs they have in progress before stopping. For details, see “Enabling and disabling servers” on page 121. To start, stop, or restart servers with CMC Note: You cannot use CMC to stop the CMS. You must use the CCM instead. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. 1. Go to the Servers management area of the CMC. A list of servers appears. The icon associated with each server identifies its status. For more information, see . 2. Select the check box for the server whose status you want to change. 3. Depending upon the action you need to perform, click Start, Stop, or Restart. You may be prompted for network credentials that allow you to start and stop services running on the remote machine. 120 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Servers Server status 4. Click Refresh to update the page. To start, stop, or restart a UNIX server with the CCM Use the ccm.sh script. For reference, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. Stopping a Central Management Server If your BusinessObjects Enterprise installation has a single CMS, shutting it down will make BusinessObjects Enterprise unavailable to your users and will interrupt the processing of reports and programs. Before stopping your CMS, you may wish to disable your processing servers so that they can finish any jobs in progress before BusinessObjects Enterprise shuts down. See “Enabling and disabling servers” on page 121 for more information. If you have a CMS cluster consisting of more than one active CMS, you can shut down a single CMS without losing data or affecting system functionality. The other CMS in the cluster will assume the workload of the stopped server. Using a CMS cluster enables you to perform maintenance on each of your Central Management Servers in turn without taking BusinessObjects Enterprise out of service. For more information on CMS clusters, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. Enabling and disabling servers When you disable a BusinessObjects Enterprise server, you prevent it from receiving and responding to new BusinessObjects Enterprise requests, but you do not actually stop the server process. This is especially useful when you want to allow a server to finish processing all of its current requests before you stop it completely. For example, you may want to stop a Job Server before rebooting the machine it is running on. However, you want to allow the server to fulfill any outstanding report requests that are in its queue. First, you disable the Job Server so it cannot accept any additional requests. Then you monitor the server to see that it has finished processing current requests. Once it has finished processing current requests, you can safely stop the server. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 121 8 8 Managing Servers Server settings Table 8-3: Enabling and disabling servers Action Description Enabling a server Allows a server to receive and respond to requests. Prevents server from receiving and responding to new requests. You should disable a server before stopping it to ensure it has finished processing current requests. Disabling a server Note: The CMS must be running in order for you to enable and/or disable other servers. 1. To enable and disable servers with CMC Go to the Servers management area of the CMC. The icon associated with each server identifies its status. See for more information. 2. Select the check box for the server whose status you want to change. 3. Depending upon the action you need to perform, click Enable or Disable. Server settings The default values for BusinessObjects Enterprise server settings have been chosen to maximize the reliability, predictability, and consistency of operation of a typical BusinessObjects Enterprise installation. If you prefer to place more emphasis on the efficiency, economy, and scalability of BusinessObjects Enterprise, you can tune server settings to set your own balance between system reliability and performance. For more information on scaling and tuning, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. Server metrics The CMC allows you to view server metrics over the Web. These metrics include general information about each machine, along with details that are specific to the type of server. This section shows how to monitor the status of servers with the CMC. It includes: • • Viewing current server metrics Viewing system metrics For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. 122 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Servers Server metrics Tip: For an example of how to use server metrics in your own web applications, see the “View Server Summary” sample on the BusinessObjects Enterprise Administration Launchpad. Viewing current server metrics The Servers management area of the CMC displays server metrics that provide statistics and information about each BusinessObjects Enterprise server. The general information displayed for each server includes information about the machine that the server is running on—its name, operating system, total hard disk space, free hard disk space, total RAM, number of CPUs, and local time. The general information also includes the time the server started and the version number of the server. 1. To view server metrics Go to the Servers management area of the CMC. 2. Click the link to the server whose metrics you want to view. 3. Click the Metrics tab. The Metrics tab The Metrics tabs for the following servers include additional, server-specific information: Input and Output File Repository Servers The Metrics tab of each File Repository Server lists the root directory of the files that the server maintains, indicates the maximum idle time, and displays the number of active files and active client connections. It also lists the total available hard disk space, as well as the number of bytes sent and received. Each File Repository Server also has an Active Files tab, which lists the filename, the number of readers, and the number of writers for each active file. Cache Server The Metrics tab of the Cache Server displays the maximum number of processing threads, the maximum cache size, the minutes before an idle job is closed, the minutes between refreshes from the database, whether or not the database is accessed whenever a viewer’s file (object) is refreshed, the location of the cache files, the total threads running, the number of requests served, the number of bytes transferred, the cache hit rate, the number of current connections, and the number of requests that are queued. The Metrics tab also provides a table that lists the Page Servers that the Cache server has connections to, along with the number of connections made to each Page Server. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 123 8 8 Managing Servers Server metrics Event Server The Metrics tab of the Event Server contains statistics on the files that the server is monitoring. This tab includes a table showing the file name and the last time the event occurred. Page Server The Metrics tab of the Page Server contains information on how the server is running. It lists the maximum number of simultaneous report jobs, the location of temporary files, the number of minutes before an idle connection is closed, the minutes before a report job is closed, the maximum number of database records shown when previewing or refreshing a report, the oldest processed data given to a client, whether a viewer refresh always hits the database, and the setting for the Report Job Database Connection. It also shows the number of current connections, the number of requests queued, the current number of processing threads running, the total number of requests served, and the total bytes transferred. Report Application Server The Metrics tab of the Report Application Server (RAS) shows the number of reports that are open, and the number of reports that have been opened. It also shows the number of open connections, along with the number of open connections that have been created. Job servers and Web Intelligence servers The Metrics tabs of these servers list the current number of jobs that are being processed, the total number of requests received, the total number of failed job creations, the processing mode, and the location of its temporary files. CMS The Metrics tab of the CMS lists only the general information about the machine it is running on. The Properties tab, however, shows a list of users who have active sessions on the system. Click any user’s link to view the associated account details. Connection Server The Metrics tab of the Connection Server shows the current settings, including HTTP and CORBA protocol settings, trace settings, connection pooling, and the timeout duration for inactive jobs. You can change these settings on the Properties tab. The Metrics tab also lists general information about the machine it is running on. Desktop Intelligence Cache and Job servers These servers, which process information only for Desktop Intelligence documents, provide the same metrics as standard cache and job servers. 124 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Servers Server groups Viewing system metrics The Settings management area of the CMC displays system metrics that provide general information about your BusinessObjects Enterprise installation. The Properties tab includes information about the product version and build. It also lists the data source, database name, and database user name of the CMS database. The Metrics tab lists current account activity, along with statistics about current and processed jobs. The Cluster tab lists the name of the CMS you are connected to, the name of the CMS cluster, and the names of other cluster members. 1. To view system metrics Go to the Settings management area of the CMC. 2. View the contents of the Properties, Metrics, and Cluster tabs. Related topics: • For more information about licenses and account activity, see “Managing license information” on page 104. For information about CMS clusters, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. Server groups Server groups provide a way of organizing your BusinessObjects Enterprise servers to make them easier to manage. That is, when you manage a group of servers, you need only view a subset of all the servers on your system. More importantly, server groups are a powerful way of customizing BusinessObjects Enterprise to optimize your system for users in different locations, or for objects of different types. If you group your servers by region, you can easily set up default processing settings, recurrent schedules, and schedule destinations that are appropriate to users who work in a particular regional office. You can associate an object with a single server group, so the object is always processed by the same servers. And you can associate scheduled objects with a particular server group to ensure that scheduled objects are sent to the correct printers, file servers, and so on. Thus, server groups prove especially useful when maintaining systems that span multiple locations and multiple time zones. If you group your servers by type, you can configure objects to be processed by servers that have been optimized for those objects. For example, processing servers need to communicate frequently with the database containing data for published reports. Placing processing servers close to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 125 8 8 Managing Servers Server groups database server that they need to access improves system performance and minimizes network traffic. Therefore, if you had a number of reports that ran against a DB2 database, you might want to create a group of Page Servers that process reports only against the DB2 database server. If you then configured the appropriate reports to always use this Page Server group for viewing, you would optimize system performance for viewing these reports. After creating server groups, configure objects to use specific server groups for scheduling, or for viewing and modifying reports. For details, see “Specifying default servers” on page 159. You can change the status, obtain metrics, and configure your servers in the organize Server Groups area—just as you would in the organize Servers area. The only difference is that you see only the servers that you added to the server group. The rest of this section provides information on how to: • • • Creating a server group Working with server subgroups Modifying the group membership of a server Creating a server group To create a server group, you need to specify the name and description of the group, and then add servers to the group. 1. To create a server group Go to the Server Groups management area of the CMC. 2. Click New Server Group. The New Server Group Properties tab appears. 3. In the Server Group Name field, type a name for the new group of servers. 4. Use the Description field to include additional information about the group. 5. Click OK. 6. On the Servers tab, click Add/Remove Servers. 7. Select the servers that you want to add to this group; then click the > arrow. Tip: Use CTRL+click to select multiple servers. 8. Click OK. You are returned to the Servers tab, which now lists all the servers that you added to the group. You can now change the status, view server metrics, and change the properties of the servers in the group. For more information, see “Server management overview” on page 118. 126 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Servers Server groups Working with server subgroups Subgroups of servers provide you with a way of further organizing your servers. A subgroup is just a server group that is a member of another server group. For example, if you group servers by region and by country, then each regional group becomes a subgroup of a country group. To organize servers in this way, first create a group for each region, and add the appropriate servers to each regional group. Then, create a group for each country, and add each regional group to the corresponding country group. There are two ways to set up subgroups: you can modify the subgroups of a server group, or you can make one server group a member of another. The results are the same, so use whichever method proves most convenient. 1. To add subgroups to a server group Go to the Server Groups management area of the CMC. 2. Click the group that you want to add subgroups to. This group is the parent group. 3. On the Subgroups tab, click Add/Remove Groups. 4. In the Available server groups list, select the server groups that you want to add as subgroups; then click the > arrow. 5. Click OK. You are returned to the Subgroups tab, which now lists all the server groups that you added to the parent group. 1. To make one server group a member of another Go to the Server Groups management area of the CMC. 2. Click the group that you want to add to another group. 3. On the Member of tab, click the Member of button. 4. In the Available server groups list, select the server groups that should include your group as a member; then click the > arrow. 5. Click OK. You are returned to the “Member of” tab, which now lists all the server groups that the initial group is now a member of. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 127 8 8 Managing Servers User access to servers and server groups Modifying the group membership of a server You can modify a server’s group membership to quickly add the server to (or remove it from) any group or subgroup that you have already created on the system. For example, suppose that you created server groups for a number of regions. You might want to use a single Central Management Server (CMS) for multiple regions. Instead of having to add the CMS individually to each regional server group, you can click the server’s “Member of” link to add it to all three regions at once. 1. To modify a server’s group membership Go to the Servers management area of the CMC. 2. Locate the server whose membership information you want to change. 3. In the Server Group column, click the server’s Member of link. The “Member of” page lists any server groups that the server currently belongs to. 4. Click the Member of button. The “Modify Member Of” page appears. 5. Move server groups from one list to another to specify which groups the server is a member of. 6. Click OK. User access to servers and server groups You can use rights to grant people access to servers and server groups, allowing them to perform tasks such as starting and stopping servers. Depending on your system configuration and security concerns, you may want to limit server management to the BusinessObjects Enterprise administrator. However, you may need to provide access to other people using those servers. Many organizations have a group of IT professionals dedicated to server management. If your server team needs to perform regular server maintenance tasks that require them to shut down and start up servers, you need to grant them rights to the servers. You may also want to delegate BusinessObjects Enterprise server administration tasks to other people. Or you may want different groups within your organization to have control over their own server management. 1. 128 To grant access to a server or server group Go to the Servers or Server Groups management area of the CMC. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Servers User access to servers and server groups 2. Select the server or server group you want to grant access to. 3. Click the Rights tab. 4. Click Add/Remove to add users or groups that you want to give access to the selected server or server group. The Add/Remove page appears. 5. In the Select Operation list, select Add/Remove Groups, Add Users, or Remove Users. 6. Select the user or group you want to grant access to the specified server or server group. Tip: If you have many users on your system, select the Add Users operation; then use the “Look for” field to search for a particular account. 7. Click OK. 8. On the Rights tab, change the Access Level for each user or group, as required. 9. To choose specific rights, choose Advanced. 10. Click Update. Object rights for the Report Application Server To allow users to create or modify reports over the Web through the Report Application Server (RAS), you must have RAS Report Modification licenses available on your system. You must also grant users a minimum set of object rights. When you grant users these rights to a report object, they can select the report as a data source for a new report or modify the report directly: • • • • View objects (or “View document instances”, as appropriate) Edit objects Refresh the report’s data Export the report’s data User must also have permission to add objects to at least one folder before they can save new reports back to BusinessObjects Enterprise. To ensure that users retain the ability to perform additional reporting tasks (such as copying, scheduling, printing, and so on), it’s recommended that you first assign the appropriate access level and update your changes. Then, change the access level to Advanced, and add any of the required rights that are not already granted. For instance, if users already have View On Demand rights to a report object, you allow them to modify the report by changing the access level to Advanced and explicitly granting the additional Edit objects right. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 129 8 8 Managing Servers User access to servers and server groups When users view reports through the Advanced DHTML viewer and the RAS, the View access level is sufficient to display the report, but View On Demand is required to actually use the advanced search features. The extra Edit objects right is not required. 130 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide chapter Managing Data Sources and Connections 9 Managing Data Sources and Connections Overview Overview This section provides information on managing data sources and connections, including information on the following topics: • • • • • Data source connections Managing universes Managing universe connections Managing OLAP cubes OLAP Data source connection settings For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Data source connections Before your data analysts can begin working with business data, you must create connections to your universes and OLAP data sources for them to add to their workspaces. A connection is a BusinessObjects Enterprise repository object that contains all the information that is required for a Query and Analysis product such as Desktop Intelligence or Information Analyzer to connect to a universe or an OLAP cube. This connection object is then linked to a workspace. Benefits of this connection scheme include the following: • Reduced complexity In typical organizations, most users outside of the IT department are not familiar with the names, IP addresses, and other details of the back-end database servers. When users need these details, they usually contact IT. With Information Analyzer, connections are defined once by an administrator and then saved to the BusinessObjects Enterprise repository. Users who need to create Information Analyzer workspaces can then choose from the list of saved connections instead of having to remember and provide any specific server details themselves. • Improved security Only administrators and users who have privileges to add objects to the BusinessObjects Enterprise repository need to know server details. Also, connection details such as server name, database, username, and password are stored in the repository, not in workspace files. • 132 Improved manageability BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Data Sources and Connections Managing universes Storing connection information in a shared connection object that is referenced in workspace files allows organizations to easily move workspaces between development and production environments. Instead of changing all the workspaces, you modify only the shared connection object to reference the production server instead of the development server. The updated connection information is automatically propagated to the workspaces that reference the shared connection object. Managing universes A universe is an abstraction of a data source that contains data in nontechnical terms. Users of Web Intelligence, Desktop Intelligence, and Crystal Reports can connect to a universe and through it run queries against a database. They can perform data analysis and create reports using the objects in a universe, without seeing, or having to know anything about, the underlying data structures in the database. Universes are created by using the Universe Designer. For complete information, see the Designer’s Guide. Viewing and deleting universes Using the CMC, you can view and delete universes. You can also control who has access rights to a universe. For more information, see “Controlling access to universes” on page 134. 1. To view a universe Go to the Universes management area of the CMC. The Universes page appears. 2. Click the link for the universe you want to view. The properties page for the universe appears. 1. To delete a universe Go to the Universes management area of the CMC. The Universes page appears. 2. Select the universe you want to delete. 3. Click Delete. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 133 9 9 Managing Data Sources and Connections Managing universe connections Controlling access to universes You can use rights to grant people access to universes, allowing them to create and view documents that use universes and connections. 1. To control who has access to a universe Go to the Universes management area of the CMC. 2. Click the link for the universe. 3. Click the Rights tab. 4. In the Name column, locate the user or group whose rights you want to specify. If the user or group is not listed, click Add/Remove. Add the appropriate user or group and click OK. You are returned to the object’s Rights tab. 5. The next step depends upon the entry that already appears in the Access Level list for this user or group: • If the Access Level is not already set to Advanced, click the list and select Advanced. • If the Access Level is already set to Advanced, click the Advanced link in the Net Access column. Managing universe connections Using the CMC, you can view and delete universe connections. You can also control who has access rights to a connection. For more information, see “Controlling access to universe connections” on page 135. 1. To view connections Go to the Universe Connections management area of the CMC. The Connections page appears. 2. Click the link for the connection you want to view. The properties page for the connection appears. 1. To delete a universe connection Go to the Universe Connections management area of the CMC. The Universe Connections page appears. 134 2. Select the connection you want to delete. 3. Click Delete. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Data Sources and Connections Managing universe connections Controlling access to universe connections You can use rights to grant people access to universe connections, allowing them to create and view documents that use universes and universe connections. You can either set the rights to all universes by using the Rights button on the Universe Connections page, or you can set the rights to individual universe connections. 1. To view or set the access levels for all universe connections Go to the Universe Connections management area of the CMC. 2. Click the Rights button. 3. In the Name column, locate the user or group whose rights you want to specify. If the user or group is not listed, click Add/Remove. Add the appropriate user or group and click OK. You are returned to the object’s Rights tab. 4. The next step depends upon the entry that already appears in the Access Level list for this user or group: • If the Access Level is not already set to Advanced, click the list and select Advanced. • If the Access Level is already set to Advanced, click the Advanced link in the Net Access column. 1. To view or set who has access to a specific universe connection Go to the Connections management area of the CMC. 2. Click the link for the connection. 3. Click the Rights tab. 4. In the Name column, locate the user or group whose rights you want to specify. If the user or group is not listed, click Add/Remove. Add the appropriate user or group and click OK. You are returned to the object’s Rights tab. 5. The next step depends upon the entry that already appears in the Access Level list for this user or group: • If the Access Level is not already set to Advanced, click the list and select Advanced. • If the Access Level is already set to Advanced, click the Advanced link in the Net Access column. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 135 9 9 Managing Data Sources and Connections Managing OLAP cubes Managing OLAP cubes This section contains information on: • • • • Creating an OLAP cube connection Editing an OLAP cube connection Deleting an OLAP cube connection OLAP Data source connection settings For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Creating an OLAP cube connection If you have "Add objects to the folder" permission in BusinessObjects Enterprise, you can create a new cube connection. Note: For detailed explanations of the parameters required to set up connections to all supported OLAP providers, see “OLAP Data source connection settings” on page 138. 1. 2. In the Organize area in the CMC, select Information Analyzer Connections. 3. Click Add. 4. Type a Name and a Description for your connection. 5. Select an OLAP provider from the list: 6. 136 To create a new OLAP cube connection object in the CMC From the Start menu, click Programs > BusinessObjects XI Release 2 > BusinessObjects Enterprise > BusinessObjects Enterprise Java Administration Launchpad and log on to the Central Management Console (CMC). • • • • Hyperion Essbase (7.0/7.1) / IBM DB2 OLAP (8.2) Enhanced • • • Local .CUB file Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Analysis Services 9.0 Microsoft OLE DB Provider for OLAP Services 8.0 SAP Business Information Warehouse (available only if the BusinessObjects Integration Kit for SAP has been installed) HTTP cube Oracle OLAP Enter the provider-specific logon information, such as server name and user credentials, and click Connect. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Data Sources and Connections Managing OLAP cubes For details on provider-specific logon information, see “OLAP Data source connection settings” on page 138. 7. Enter your credentials and click OK. For Microsoft OLAP data sources, it is recommended that you leave the User and Password fields blank. For more information, see “OLAP Data source connection settings” on page 138. You can now choose from the cubes that you have been granted access to by the database administrator for this OLAP server. 8. Select the OLAP cube that you want to connect to. 9. Click Save to create the connection. The connection is now available for users to add to an Information Analyzer workspace. Editing an OLAP cube connection If you have an existing connection to an OLAP cube, but the connection details have changed, you can change the connection settings. Note that you need to have sufficient folder rights to edit a connection. 1. 2. To change your OLAP cube connection settings From the Start menu, click Programs > BusinessObjects XI Release 2 > BusinessObjects Enterprise > BusinessObjects Enterprise Java Administration Launchpad and log on to the Central Management Console (CMC). In the Organize area in the CMC, select Information Analyzer Connections. A list of existing connections is displayed. Note: If no connections are listed, you need to create a new OLAP cube connection to allow your data analysts to begin working with Information Analyzer workspaces. For more information, see “Creating an OLAP cube connection” on page 136. 3. Select the check box beside the connection that you want to edit, and click Edit. Note: If you do not have "Add objects to the folder" permission in the BusinessObjects Enterprise system, you cannot edit a connection, and the Edit button is unavailable. You can now change the contents of any of the fields to reconfigure your OLAP cube connection. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 137 9 9 Managing Data Sources and Connections OLAP Data source connection settings For details on provider-specific logon information, see “OLAP Data source connection settings” on page 138. 4. Click OK to save the new connection settings. Deleting an OLAP cube connection 1. 2. To delete an OLAP cube connection From the Start menu, click Programs > BusinessObjects XI Release 2 > BusinessObjects Enterprise > BusinessObjects Enterprise Java Administration Launchpad and log on to the Central Management Console (CMC). In the Organize area in the CMC, select Information Analyzer Connections. A list of existing connections is displayed. 3. Select the check box beside the connection that you want to delete. 4. Click Delete. OLAP Data source connection settings This section describes the connection settings for all supported OLAP data sources: • • • Connection settings for Microsoft OLAP data sources. Connection settings for Essbase/DB2 OLAP data sources. Connection settings for Oracle OLAP data sources. For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. For details on SAP BW data sources, see the documentation for the BusinessObjects Integration Kit for SAP. Connection settings for Microsoft OLAP data sources These connection settings are configurable with Microsoft OLAP data sources such as Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services 2005 138 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Data Sources and Connections OLAP Data source connection settings Table 9-1: Connection settings for Microsoft OLAP data sources : Setting Description OLAP server The cube is held on an Analysis Services server. You must enter a Server Name but it is recommended that you leave the User Name and Password fields blank. When you leave those fields blank, Information Analyzer passes the Windows credentials of the current, logged-on user to the Analysis Services server for authentication. This is the account that the application process has been started with. In certain situations, the current user's Windows credentials may not be sufficient to access the Analysis Services cubes on the server. For more information, see “Microsoft Analysis Services security” in the BusinessObjects Information Analyzer Administrator’s Guide. Local cube file The cube is stored as a CUB file on the local computer. (.CUB) Browse to the location of the CUB file. HTTP cube Sometimes referred to as an iCube, this type of cube is held on an Analysis Services server that is accessible through HTTP. Enter the URL, User Name, and Password in the boxes. Authentication Set the type of authentication to use when users create new type workspaces or log on to existing workspaces. These options are available: • use saved credentials • use Enterprise session credentials (SSO) Uses the credentials that you entered when you logged on to your BusinessObjects Enterprise InfoView session. • prompt for credentials Always prompt users for logon credentials. To establish a valid connection to an HTTP cube server you must specify the full URL, including the http or https prefix. Even if the URL is invalid, the new server appears in the list of available servers within the OLAP Connection Browser. For HTTP cubes, the server checks the authentication of the user who requests the connection. If the password or user name is wrong, then the server defines how an anonymous user is logged on. This is also the case when a password or user name is blank. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 139 9 9 Managing Data Sources and Connections OLAP Data source connection settings For more information, see Microsoft’s documentation for Analysis Services, which is available either as part of your Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services installation, or on the MSDN Website at http://msdn.microsoft.com/ library/. Connection settings for Essbase/DB2 OLAP data sources The following connection settings are configurable with Hyperion Essbase or IBM DB2 OLAP data sources. Note: You must have a Hyperion Essbase client installed in order to connect to an Essbase or DB2 OLAP server. Either the Runtime Client or the Excel Client will suffice. Table 9-2: Connection settings for Essbase/DB2 OLAP data sources . Setting Description Authentication Set the type of authentication to use when users create new type workspaces or log on to existing workspaces. These options are available: • use saved credentials • use Enterprise session credentials (SSO) Uses the credentials that you entered when you logged on to your BusinessObjects Enterprise InfoView session. • prompt for credentials Always prompt users for logon credentials. 140 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Data Sources and Connections OLAP Data source connection settings Connection settings for Oracle OLAP data sources Table 9-3: Connection settings for Oracle OLAP data sources Setting Description Authentication Set the type of authentication to use when users create new type workspaces or log on to existing workspaces. These options are available: • use saved credentials • use Enterprise session credentials (SSO) Uses the credentials that you entered when you logged on to your BusinessObjects Enterprise InfoView session. • prompt for credentials Always prompt users for logon credentials. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 141 9 9 Managing Data Sources and Connections OLAP Data source connection settings 142 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide chapter Managing Objects 10 Managing Objects Overview Overview This section describes the management of objects using the CMC. It includes general information that applies to all objects, and it includes specific information about managing reports, Web Intelligence documents, programs, and object packages. This section covers the following topics: • • • • General object management Report object management Program object management Object package management For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. General object management Many objects can exist in BusinessObjects Enterprise, including reports, Web Intelligence documents, programs, Microsoft Excel files, Microsoft Word files, Microsoft PowerPoint files, Adobe Acrobat PDFs, rich text format files, text files, and hyperlinks, as well as object packages, which consist of report and/ or program objects. After publishing objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise, you manage them through the Central Management Console (CMC) by going to the Objects management area. The rest of this section describes general object management concepts that include the following topics: • • • • • • • • Setting object rights Setting access levels Copying, moving, or creating a shortcut for an object Deleting an object Searching for an object Sending an object or instance Changing properties of an object Assigning an object to categories For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Setting object rights This section provides procedures which describe how: 144 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects General object management • • • To add groups or users to an object’s rights settings To change a group or user’s report rights To view or set advanced rights For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. This section also provides a table which lists and describes the rights which can be set on the object level. For more information about rights, see Chapter 4: Setting Rights. 1. To add groups or users to an object’s rights settings In the Objects management area of the CMC, select an object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Rights tab. The Rights page appears. 3. On the Rights panel, click Add/Remove. 4. Select an option in the Select Operation list. 5. Select the group(s) or user(s) you would like to add or remove. 6. Click the > arrow to add the group(s) or user(s); click the < arrow to remove the group(s) or user(s). 7. Click OK. 1. To change a group or user’s report rights In the Objects management area of the CMC, select an object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Rights tab. The Rights page appears. 3. Change the access level for a group or user by selecting a right from the appropriate list in the Access Level column; then click Update. If you select Advanced from the list, you grant or deny granular rights from the Advanced Rights page. 1. To view or set advanced rights Go to the Objects or Folders management area of the CMC. 2. Locate the object whose rights you want to modify. 3. Click the link to the object, and then click its Rights tab. 4. In the Name column, locate the user or group whose rights you want to specify. If the user or group is not listed, click Add/Remove. Add the appropriate user or group and click OK. You are returned to the object’s Rights tab. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 145 10 10 Managing Objects General object management 5. The next step depends upon the entry that already appears in the Access Level list for this user or group: • If the Access Level is not already set to Advanced, click the list and select Advanced. • If the Access Level is already set to Advanced, click the Advanced link in the Net Access column. Object rights Table 10-1: Rights set at the object level l The right to... Description General Add objects to the folder Allows users to add objects View objects Allows users to view any object Edit objects Allows users to edit any object Modify the rights users have to objects Allows a users to modify any right, for any user on the object Schedule the document to Allows users to schedule objects run 146 Delete objects Allows users to delete any object Define server groups to process jobs Allows users to define/create server groups Delete instances Allows users to delete any instances Copy objects to another folder Allows users to copy objects if they can be copied (i.e. reports, text, application) Schedule to destinations Allows users to schedule objects to available destinations View document instances Allows users to view any instances Pause and Resume document instances Allows users to pause and resume (scheduling) any instances Securely modify rights users have to objects Allows users to grant or deny for other users on the object only those rights that they themselves have been granted Reschedule instances Allows users to reschedule any instances Schedule on behalf of other users Allows users to be able to schedule on behalf of other users - used for report bursting BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects General object management The right to... Description View objects that the user owns Allows users to view only those objects they own Edit objects that the user owns Allows users to edit only those objects they own Modify the rights users have to objects that the user owns Allows users to modify the rights other users have on the objects they own Delete objects that the user owns Allows users to delete only those objects they own Delete instances that the user owns Allows users to delete only those instances they own View document instances that the user owns Allows users to view only those document (i.e. report) instances they own Pause and Resume document instances that the user owns Allows users to pause and resume (scheduling) only those report instances that they own Securely modify rights users have to objects that the user owns Allows users to grant or deny for other users on the object only the rights that they themselves have been granted for objects they own Reschedule instances that Allows users to reschedule only those report the user owns instances that they own Desktop Intelligence Refresh the report’s data Allows users to refresh report data Refresh List of Values Allows users to refresh the list of values associated with a Desktop Intelligence report Use Lists of Values Allows users to use an associated list of values View SQL Allows users to see the SQL used to generate the Desktop Intelligence report content Export the report’s data Allows users to export the Desktop Intelligence report with data Download files associated Allows users to download the object template with the object document (.rep file, for example) Desktop Intelligence add in Download files associated Allows users to download the object template with the object document (.rep file, for example) Desktop Intelligence template BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 147 10 10 Managing Objects General object management The right to... Description Download files associated Allows users to download the object template with the object document (.rep file, for example) Report Print the report’s data Allows users to print report content Refresh the report’s data Allows users to refresh report content Export the report’s data Allows users to export report content Download files associated Allows users to download the object source with the report document (.rep file, for example) Text Allow discussion threads Allows discussion threads to be added to text object Web Intelligence document Refresh the report’s data Allows users to refresh the Web Intelligence report content Edit Query Allows users to edit query used to generate the Web Intelligence report content Refresh List of Values Allows users to refresh list of values associated with a Web Intelligence report Use Lists of Values Allows users to use list of values associated with a Web Intelligence report View SQL Allows users to see the SQL used to generate the Web Intelligence report content Export the report’s data Allows users to export the Web Intelligence report with data Download files associated Allows users to download the object template with the object document (.wid file, for example) Setting access levels 1. 2. 3. 4. 148 To set an access level for a user or group Go to the Objects management area of the CMC. Locate the object whose rights you want to modify. Click the link to the object, and then click its Rights tab. In the Name column, locate the user or group whose rights you want to specify. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects General object management If the user or group is not listed, click Add/Remove. Add the appropriate user or group and click OK. You are returned to the object’s Rights tab. 5. 6. In the Access Level column, select the access level (No Access, View, Schedule, View On Demand, or Full Control) that is appropriate for the user or group. Click Update. Copying, moving, or creating a shortcut for an object Copying, moving, and creating shortcuts for objects can simplify object management. Shortcuts, for example, are useful for granting a user access to an object without giving that user access to the entire folder in which the object is located. After you create the shortcut, users who have access to the folder where the shortcut is located can access this object and its instances. 1. To copy, move, or create a shortcut for an object Go to the Objects management area of the CMC. 2. Select the check boxes associated with the object(s) you want to copy, move, or create a shortcut for. 3. Click Copy/Move/Shortcut. The Copy/Move/Create Shortcut page appears. 4. Select one of the following options: • Copy to “Copy to” creates another copy of the object in a different location. The new copy of the object inherits all object rights from its new parent folder. • Move to “Move to” changes the location of the object from one folder to another. The object retains its original set of object rights. • Create shortcut in “Create shortcut in” enables you to create an alternate access route for an object. The shortcut inherits object rights from its parent folder; however, the shortcut object rights do not override the rights of the original object. For example, if a user does not have rights to schedule a report, they are not able to schedule that report even through a shortcut that allows them full rights. 5. Select the appropriate destination folder; then click OK. • To expand a folder, select it and click Show Subfolders. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 149 10 10 Managing Objects General object management • To search for a specific folder or object package, use the Look For field. Deleting an object This procedure explains how to delete either a single object or multiple objects. You can also delete a folder (by selecting a folder and clicking Delete in the Folders management area), which deletes all of the objects and instances that are stored in that folder. As well, you have the option of deleting object instances, rather than the object itself. For more information, see “Managing and viewing the history of instances” on page 218. Note: When you delete an object, all of its existing instances and scheduled instances will be deleted. 1. To delete an object Go to the Objects management area of the CMC. 2. Select the check boxes associated with the object(s). 3. Click Delete. 4. Click OK. Searching for an object The search feature enables you to search for specific text within object titles or descriptions. 1. To search for an object or objects Go to the Objects management area of the CMC. 2. Specify the search criteria. In the “Search for” fields, specify the object field to search (title or description) and the matching method to use (is, is not, contains, does not contain). In the Text field, type the text to search for. 3. Click Search. Sending an object or instance You can use the “Send to” feature to send existing objects or instances of an object to different destinations. The “Send to” function handles existing objects or instances only. It does not cause the system to run the object and create new instances, nor does it refresh the data for a report instance. 150 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects General object management You can send either a copy of an object or instance, or a shortcut to the object or instance. You can also select the destination, for example, FTP or Inbox. Not all types of objects can be sent to all destinations. For details about which types of objects can be sent to which destinations, see Table 10-2: Available destinations by object type. 1. To send an object or an instance to a destination Go to the Objects management area of the CMC. 2. Select the check boxes for the objects that you want to send. To send an instance of the object, click the link for the object. Click the History tab, and then select the check boxes for the instances you want to send. Select only instances with a status of Success or Failed. Instances with a status of Recurring or Pending are scheduled and do not contain any data yet. 3. Click Send to. The Send to page appears. 4. Deselect Clean up temporary objects created after objects have been sent if you want to keep temporary instances that are created when you send an object or instance. By default, this option is selected and the system deletes any temporary objects or instances after they have been sent. 5. Select the destination option you want: • Each selected object’s scheduling destination Sends the objects or instances to the destination specified on the Destination pages for the objects. • A new destination for all selected objects Allows you to specify a destination. If you select this option, you must specify additional parameters for the destination information. See “Available destinations by object type” on page 152 and “Selecting a destination” on page 207. If you want the destination to become the default destination for the object, select the Set this destination as the selected object’s scheduling destination option. The system will update the destination information for the object when you click Send. Note: Send Web Intelligence documents to the “Inbox” destination only, or to an Email destination configured within BusinessObjects Enterprise. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 151 10 10 Managing Objects General object management 6. Click Send. The system sends the selected objects or instances to the specified destinations. Available destinations by object type Most destinations can be used for most types of objects, but there are some exceptions. In some cases recipients must have access to the BusinessObjects Enterprise system to be able to open the object. Table 10-2: Available destinations by object type summarizes which objects cannot use certain destinations. Table 10-2: Available destinations by object type Object type 152 Unm. DIsk Email (SMTP) Inbox FTP File Link File Link Report Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Object Package - - - - Yes Yes Program Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Web Intelligence document - - - Yes Yes Yes Desktop Intelligence document Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes OLAP Intelligence documents Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Excel file Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Word file Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes PDF file Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Text file Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes RTF file Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes PowerPoint file Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Hyperlink - - - Yes Yes Yes BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects General object management Changing properties of an object In the Properties page of an object, you can modify an object’s title and description. As well, you can view its file name, its location, and the date it was created. For objects that can be scheduled (reports, programs, and object packages), you can see the last times the object was modified and/or run. In addition, there are several buttons and options that appear on the properties page of an object according to what type of object you are modifying: View button For Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat, Text, and Rich Text objects, a View button appears on the Properties page. Provided that you have the appropriate software installed on your browser machine, you can click the View button to open and view the object. Preview button Similarly, for report objects, Desktop Intelligence documents, and Web Intelligence documents, a Preview button appears. The Preview button enables you to view a report on demand with all of your current report settings. BusinessObjects Enterprise connects to the report’s data source(s) if no cached pages are available. To use the Preview function, the user will need to have rights at the Schedule level or higher. (To preview a report with saved data, the user will need to have rights at the View level or higher.) By default, administrators have rights at the Full Control level (the highest rights setting) for all report objects. For details about object rights, see “Report object management” on page 155. Show report thumbnail option For Crystal reports, the “Show report thumbnail” check box is selected by default. If you do not want a thumbnail preview of this report to be available in InfoView or another web application, clear the Show report thumbnail check box. Note: A thumbnail is a graphical representation of the first page of a report. If the original report does not contain a thumbnail, then a thumbnail will not be stored on BusinessObjects Enterprise. The Show report thumbnail checkbox does not apply to Web Intelligence document objects. Scheduled package fails upon individual component failure option For object packages, the “Scheduled package fails upon individual component failure” check box is selected by default. (A component is an object in an object package.) This means that if one of objects in a package BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 153 10 10 Managing Objects General object management fails, the object package instance in the History will appear as Failed. If you do not want the object package instance to fail if one of the objects fails, clear the “Scheduled package fails upon individual component failure” check box. 1. To change the properties of an object In the Objects management area of the CMC, select an object by clicking its link. 2. On the Properties page, change any of the properties as required. 3. Click Update. Note: Once you have clicked Update, you cannot click Reset to undo changes. Assigning an object to categories Like folders, categories are objects used to organize documents. You can associate objects with multiple categories, or subcategories within categories. A category can be a corporate or a personal category. For more information, see Chapter 12: Organizing Objects. Use the following procedure to assign an object to a category by using the objects page. You can also assign objects to a category by using the categories page. See “Adding an object to a new category” on page 249. 1. To assign an object to a category In the Object management area of the CMC, select an object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Categories tab. 3. To assign an object to a personal category, click the Personal link. Otherwise, skip this step. 4. Click Assign Categories. The Assign Corporate Categories page appears. 5. In the Available Categories list, select the category that you want the object to belong to and use the arrow buttons to move it to the Assigned Categories list. The Available Categories list includes all corporate or personal categories and their subcategories. Repeat this step for each category that you want the object to be assigned to. 6. 154 Click OK. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Report object management Note: To remove an object from a category, see “Removing or deleting objects from a category” on page 250. Report object management Managing report objects includes applying processing extensions, specifying alert notification, changing database information, updating parameters, using filters, and working with hyperlinked reports. This section explains report objects and instances, and how to manage them through the Central Management Console (CMC). It includes information on the following topics: • • • • • • • What are report objects and instances? Setting report refresh options Setting report processing options Applying processing extensions to reports Working with hyperlinked reports Viewing the universes for a Web Intelligence document Rights set on Desktop and Web Intelligence documents For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Note: Most information in this section also applies to Web Intelligence document objects. Any exceptions have been identified. What are report objects and instances? A report object is an object that is created using a Business Objects designer component (such as Crystal Reports or OLAP Intelligence). A Web Intelligence document object is created using the Report panel and HTML Query panel in InfoView. Both types of objects contain report information (such as database fields). Both types of objects can also contain saved data. A report object or Web Intelligence document object can be made available to everyone or to individuals in selected user groups. Scheduled instances When you schedule an object, the system creates a scheduled instance for the object. A scheduled instance contains object and schedule information. It does not contain any data yet. Scheduled instances appear on the History page of the respective object and have a status of Recurring or Pending. You can schedule objects from the CMC or by using a BusinessObjects Enterprise application, such as InfoView, or a custom web application. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 155 10 10 Managing Objects Report object management Typically, report objects are designed such that you can create several instances with varying characteristics. For example, if you run a report object with parameters, you can schedule one instance that contains report data that is specific to one department and schedule another instance that contains information that is specific to another department, even though both instances originate from the same report object. For more information about scheduling, see Chapter 11: Scheduling Objects. Object instances At the specified time, the system runs the object and creates an object instance. The instance contains actual data from the database. It appears on the History page of the object and has a status of Success or Failed. Making changes to an object Any changes you make to an object (by making the changes and then clicking Update) affect the default settings for the object only. Those changes do not affect any existing scheduled instances or object instances. The next time you schedule the object, whether you use CMC or an application such as InfoView, the new default settings are displayed. You can then change these settings as needed for the scheduled instance you want to create. Note: BusinessObjects Enterprise supports reports created in versions 6 through XI of Crystal Reports. Once published to BusinessObjects Enterprise, reports are saved, processed, and displayed in version XI format. Setting report refresh options Note: This feature does not apply to Web Intelligence document objects. You can set report refresh options that determine which settings of a report object are updated when you refresh it in BusinessObjects Enterprise. When you refresh a report object, BusinessObjects Enterprise compares the report object stored in BusinessObjects Enterprise with the original .rpt file stored in the Input File Repository Server. BusinessObjects Enterprise deletes or adds report elements in the report object to make it match the .rpt file, overwriting any changes you’ve made in BusinessObjects Enterprise. Where report elements are the same in the source report and the report object, the report refresh settings allow you to control which settings in the report object are updated with values from the source .rpt file. For example, if a prompt appears only in the source .rpt file, then refreshing the report adds the prompt to the report object. This holds true no matter which report refresh options you select. 156 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Report object management If a prompt appears in both the source .rpt and the report object and you have selected the “Prompt Values” option, then BusinessObjects Enterprise updates the default value of the prompt in the report object. Any changes that you have made to the default value of the parameter in BusinessObjects Enterprise are overwritten. To preserve your changes to the values of report elements when you refresh a report, clear the appropriate report refresh option. • If you select Prompt Values, BusinessObjects Enterprise ensures that changes to either the default value of a prompt or to the current value of a prompt are updated in the report object when the report is refreshed. • If you select Prompt Options, BusinessObjects Enterprise ensures that changes to the metadata describing a prompt is updated in the report object. For example, “Can be null” is a prompt option. • If you select “Use Object Repository when refreshing report”, repository objects in the report object will be refreshed against the repository. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. 1. To set a report object’s refresh options In the Objects management area of the CMC, select a report object by clicking its link. 2. On the Properties page, click the Refresh Options link. 3. Choose the report elements that you want to refresh from the source report file. 4. Click Refresh Report. Setting report processing options For each object you can set several processing options. These options appear on the Process page for the object. Setting the report processing options includes the following tasks: • • • • • • • • Setting report viewing options Specifying default servers Changing database information Updating parameters Updating prompts for Web Intelligence document objects Using filters Setting printer and page layout options Processing extensions BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 157 10 10 Managing Objects Report object management • Applying processing extensions to reports For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Setting report viewing options Note: This feature does not apply to Web Intelligence document objects. The report viewing options available in BusinessObjects Enterprise allow you to balance users’ need for up-to-date information with the need to optimize data retrieval times and overall system performance. BusinessObjects Enterprise allows you to enable data sharing, which permits different users accessing the same report object to use the same data when viewing or refreshing a report. Enabling data sharing reduces the number of database calls, thereby reducing the time needed to generate a report instance for subsequent users of the same report, while greatly improving overall system performance under load. You can control data sharing settings on either a per-report or a per-server basis: • If you specify which servers a report uses for viewing, you can use perserver settings to standardize data sharing settings for groups of reports, and centrally administer these settings. (See “Specifying default servers” on page 159.) • Per-report settings permit you to specify that particular reports will not share data. They also allow you to tailor the data sharing interval for each report to meet the needs of that report’s users. In addition, per-report settings enable you to decide on a report-by-report basis whether it is appropriate to allow users to access the database whenever they refresh reports. Data sharing may not be ideal for all organizations, or for all reports. To get full value from data sharing, you must permit data to be reused for some period of time. This means that some users may see “old” data when they view a report on demand, or refresh a report instance that they are viewing. The default report viewing options for BusinessObjects Enterprise emphasize data freshness and integrity. By default, when you add a report to BusinessObjects Enterprise it is configured to use per-server settings for report sharing. The default server settings ensure that users always receive up-to-date information when they refresh a report, and guarantee that the oldest data given to any user is 0 minutes old. If you choose to enable perreport settings, the default settings allow data sharing, allow a viewer refresh to retrieve fresh data from the database, and ensure that the oldest data given to a client is 5 minutes old. 158 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Report object management Tip: Disabling the sharing of report data between clients is not the same as setting the “Oldest on-demand data given to a client” to 0 minutes. Under high load, your system may receive more than one request for the same report instance at the same time. In this case, if the data sharing interval is set to 0 but the “Share report data between clients” option is enabled, BusinessObjects Enterprise shares data between the client requests. If it is important that data not be shared between different clients (for example, because the report uses a User Function Library (UFL) that is personalized for each user), disable data sharing for that report. For details on setting report viewing options on a per-server basis, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. For more information on configuring BusinessObjects Enterprise to optimize report viewing in your system, see the planning chapter in the BusinessObjects Enterprise Installation Guide. Note: This feature does not apply to Web Intelligence document objects. 1. To set report viewing options for a report In the Objects management area of the CMC, select a report by clicking its link. 2. Click the Process tab. 3. In the “Data Refresh for Viewing” area, click “Use report specific viewing settings.” Then select the options that you want to set for this report. 4. Click Update. Specifying default servers You can specify the default servers that BusinessObjects Enterprise will use to run an object, and to schedule and process instances. For report objects and Web Intelligence documents, you can specify the default servers that BusinessObjects Enterprise will use when a user views or modifies a report or Web Intelligence document. For Desktop Intelligence documents, you can specify the default servers that BusinessObjects Enterprise will use when processing and caching documents. When specifying your servers, you have three options: • Use the first available server BusinessObjects Enterprise will use the server that currently has the most available resources. • Give preference to servers belonging to the selected group (and, if the servers from that group are not available, use any available server). BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 159 10 10 Managing Objects Report object management Select a server group from the list. This option will attempt to process the object on the servers that are found within your server group. If the specified servers are not available, then the object will be processed on the next available server. • Only use servers belonging to the selected group This option ensures that BusinessObjects Enterprise will use only the specified servers that are found within the selected server group. If all of the servers in the server group are unavailable, then the object will not be processed. Depending on the type of object, BusinessObjects Enterprise uses the following servers: • • Crystal reports run on the Report Job Server. • Web Intelligence documents run on the Web Intelligence Report Server. Desktop Intelligence documents run on the Desktop Intelligence Report, Job and Cache Servers. By selecting a particular server or server group, you can balance the load on your system by processing specific objects on specific job servers. You must first create server groups by using the Server Groups management area in the CMC, before you can select servers that belong to a selected group. Note: 160 • If you choose the “Use the first available server” option, the Central Management Server (CMS) will check the job servers to see which one has the lowest load. The CMS does this by checking the percentage of the maximum load on each job server. If all of the job servers have the same load percentage, then the CMS will randomly pick a job server. • You can also set the maximum number of jobs that a server will accept. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. • If you are scheduling a program object that requires access to files stored locally on a Program Job Server, but you have multiple Program Job Servers, you must specify which server to use to run the program. 1. To specify default servers for processing an object In the Objects management area of the CMC, select an object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Process tab. 3. In the “Default Servers To Use For Scheduling” area, choose one of the server options. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Report object management 4. If the object is a report object or a Web Intelligence document, choose one of the server options in the “Default Servers To Use For Viewing and Modification” area. If the object is a Desktop Intelligence document, choose one of the server options in the “Default Servers to Use For Processing” area and in the “Default Servers to Use For Caching” area. 5. Click Update. Changing database information Note: This feature does not apply to Desktop Intelligence and Web Intelligence document objects. You can select your database type and set the default database logon information on the Database page for a report object. The Database page displays the data source or data sources for your report object and its instances. You can choose to prompt the user for a logon name and password when he or she views a report instance. 1. To change database settings In the Objects management area of the CMC, select a report object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Process tab, and then click the database link. The Database page appears. 3. In the Data Source(s) list, select the data source. 4. Select Use original database logon information from the report or Use custom database logon information specified here. If you select the first option, you can specify a user name and password to be used with the original report database. If you select the second option, you can specify a server name (or a DSN in the case of an ODBC data source), a database name, a user name, and a password for a number of predefined database drivers, or for a custom database driver that you’ve specified. If you’ve changed the default table prefix in your database, specify a custom table prefix here. For a complete list of supported databases and drivers, refer to the platform.txt file included with your installation. 5. Select the database logon option you want. • Prompt the user for database logon The system will prompt users for a password when they refresh a report. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 161 10 10 Managing Objects Report object management • Note: This option has no effect on a scheduled instance. Also, BusinessObjects Enterprise only prompts users when they first refresh a report; that is, if they refresh the report a second time, they will not be prompted. Use SSO context for database logon The system will use the user’s security context, that is, the user’s logon and password, to log on to the database. • Note: For this option to work, you must have your system configured for end-to-end single sign-on, or for single sign-on to the database. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. Use same database logon as when report is run The system will use the same database logon information as was used when the report was run on the job server. 6. Click Update. Updating parameters Note: This feature does not apply to Desktop Intelligence and Web Intelligence document objects. Parameter fields (with preset values) enable users to view and to specify the data that they want to see. If a report contains parameters, you can set the default parameter value for each field or fields (which is used whenever a report instance is generated). Through a BusinessObjects Enterprise application such as InfoView, your users are either able to use the report with the preset default value(s) or choose another value or values. If you do not specify a default value, users will have to choose a value when they schedule the report. Note: The Parameters link is available only if the report object contains parameters. 1. To view parameter settings In the Objects management area of the CMC, select a report object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Process tab, and then click the Parameters link. The Parameters page appears. 3. 162 Under the Value column, select the value associated with the parameter you want to change. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Report object management A page opens that allows you to change the parameter value. Depending on the parameter value type, you either type a value in the field or choose a value from a list. If there is a list, you can also click Edit to type a new value. 4. Select the Clear the current parameter value(s) check box if you want to clear the current value that is set for the specified parameter. 5. Select the Prompt the user for new value(s) when viewing check box if you want your users to be prompted when they view a report instance through a BusinessObjects Enterprise application such as InfoView. 6. Click Update. Updating prompts for Web Intelligence document objects Note: This feature does not apply to Crystal reports objects. See “Updating parameters” on page 162 instead. Prompt fields (with preset values) enable users to view and to specify the data that they want to see. If a report contains parameters, you can set the default prompt value for each field or fields (which is used whenever a report instance is generated). Through a BusinessObjects Enterprise application such as InfoView, your users can either use the report with the preset default value(s) or choose another value(s). If you do not specify a default value, users will have to choose a value when they schedule the report. Note: The Prompts link is available only if the Web Intelligence document object contains prompts. 1. To update the prompts for a Web Intelligence document object In the Objects management area of the CMC, select a report object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Process tab, and then click the Prompts link. The Prompts page appears, showing a dialog box with prompts. 3. Select the prompt and enter a value for the prompt. Repeat this step for every prompt whose value you want to change. 4. Click Update. Using filters Note: This feature does not apply to Desktop Intelligence and Web Intelligence document objects. Alternatively, you can use profiles to personalize views of the data. For more information, see Chapter 14: Managing Profiles. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 163 10 10 Managing Objects Report object management In the Filters page, you set the default selection formulas for the report. Selection formulas are similar to parameter fields in that they are used to filter results so that only the required information is displayed. Unlike parameters, end users will not be prompted for selection formula values when they view or refresh the report. When users schedule reports through a web-based client such as InfoView, they can choose to modify the selection formulas for the reports. By default, if any formulas are set in the CMC, they will be used by the web-based client. For more information on selection formulas, see the Crystal Reports User’s Guide. In addition to changing selection formulas, if you have developed your own processing extensions, you can select the processing extensions that you want to apply to your report. For more information, see “Applying processing extensions to reports” on page 168. When you use filters in conjunction with processing extensions, a subset of the processed data is returned. Selection formulas and processing extensions act as filters for the report. 1. To use filters In the Objects management area of the CMC, select a report object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Process tab, and then click the Filters link. The Filters page appears. 3. Update or add new selection formulas. • Record Selection Formula Use the Record Selection Formula to create or edit a record selection formula or formulas that limit the records used when you or a user schedules a report. • Group Selection Formula Use the Group Selection Formulas to create or edit a group selection formula or formulas that limit the groups used when you or a user schedules a report. 4. In the processing extensions area, select a processing extension you want from the Available Processing Extensions list, and move it to the Use these Processing Extensions list. Repeat this step until you have selected the processing extensions you want. 5. 164 Click Update. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Report object management Setting printer and page layout options Note: This feature does not apply to Desktop Intelligence and Web Intelligence document objects. You can choose to print a report instance when scheduling it; report instances are always printed in Crystal Reports format. When printing a report, you can set the number of copies and the page range. The Print Setup page contains two areas: the first area specifies whether or not a report instance is printed, and if printed, the printer to use, the number of copies, and the page range; the second area specifies custom layout settings for changing the page size and orientation (regardless of whether the report instance is printed or not). Specifying a printer Note: This feature does not apply to Web Intelligence document objects. You can choose to print a report (each time it runs) using the Job Server’s default printer or a different printer. By selecting the Printer destination, BusinessObjects Enterprise prints your report after it is processed. Note: The Job Server must run under an account that has sufficient privileges to access the printer you specify. See the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide for information on changing the server user account. 1. To assign a printer In the Objects management area of the CMC, select a report object by clicking its link. 2. On the Process tab, click the Print Setup link. The Print Setup page appears. 3. Select Print in Crystal Reports format using the selected printer when scheduling if you want report instances to be sent directly to a printer. The report instances are automatically sent to the printer in Crystal Reports format. This does not interfere with the format selected when scheduling the report. 4. Leave Default printer selected if you want to print to the Job Server’s default printer, otherwise, select Specify a printer. 5. Enter a printer’s path and name, select the number of copies, and choose the print page range. If your job server is using Windows, in the “Specify a printer” field, type: \\printserver\printername BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 165 10 10 Managing Objects Report object management Where printserver is the name of your printer server, and printername is the name of your printer. If your job server is running on UNIX, in the “Specify a printer” field, type the print command that you normally use. For instance, type: lp -d printername Note: Ensure that the printer you are using (on UNIX) is “shown” and not “hidden.” 6. Click Update. Specifying page layout Note: This feature does not apply to Desktop Intelligence and Web Intelligence document objects. When viewing or scheduling a report instance to any format, you can first specify page layout criteria such as page orientation, page size, and so on. The settings you choose in this section of the Print Setup page affect how you’ll see a report instance when displaying it. Note: Page layout settings are not specifically related only to scheduling a report to a printer, but also to the overall look of the report. The overall look is affected by the properties of the device for which the report is displayed in (that is, the font metrics and other layout settings of the display and/or the printer). 1. To set a report’s page layout In the Objects management area of the CMC, select a report object by clicking its link. 2. On the Process tab, click the Print Setup link. The Print Setup page appears. 3. Change your settings according to the type of layout you want. The options are as follows: • Report file default Choose this option if you want the page layout to conform to the settings that were chosen for the report in Crystal Reports. 166 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Report object management • Specified printer settings Choose this option if you want the page layout to conform to the settings of a specified printer. You can choose the Job Server’s default printer or another printer. For information about specifying another printer, see “Specifying a printer” on page 165. When you choose this option, you can print scheduled report instances only to the printer you specify in the “Specified printer settings” area. In other words, you cannot set your report to display with one printer’s setting and then print to a different printer. • Custom settings Choose this option if you want to customize all page layout settings. You can choose page orientation, page size, measurement units (inches or millimeters), page width, and page height. 4. Click Update. Processing extensions BusinessObjects Enterprise offers you the ability to further secure your reporting environment through the use of customized processing extensions. A processing extension is a dynamically loaded library of code that applies business logic to particular BusinessObjects Enterprise view or schedule requests before they are processed by the system. Note: On Windows systems, dynamically loaded libraries are referred to as dynamic-link libraries (.dll file extension). On UNIX systems, dynamically loaded libraries are often referred to as shared libraries (.so file extension). You must include the file extension when you name your processing extensions. Through its support for processing extensions, the BusinessObjects Enterprise administration SDK essentially exposes a “handle” that allows developers to intercept the request. Developers can then append selection formulas to the request before the report is processed. A typical example is a report-processing extension that enforces row-level security. This type of security restricts data access by row within one or more database tables. The developer writes a dynamically loaded library that intercepts view or schedule requests for a report (before the requests are processed by the Job Server, Page Server, or Report Application Server). The developer’s code first determines the user who owns the processing job; then it looks up the user’s data-access privileges in a third-party system. The code then generates and appends a record selection formula to the report in BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 167 10 10 Managing Objects Report object management order to limit the data returned from the database. In this case, the processing extension serves as a way to incorporate customized row-level security into the BusinessObjects Enterprise environment. Tip: In BusinessObjects Enterprise XI, you can also set and enforce rowlevel security through the use of Business Views. For more information, see the Business Views Administrator's Guide. The CMC provides methods for registering your processing extensions with BusinessObjects Enterprise and for applying processing extensions to particular object. For details, see “Applying processing extensions to reports” on page 168. By enabling processing extensions, you configure the appropriate BusinessObjects Enterprise server components to dynamically load your processing extensions at runtime. Included in the SDK is a fully documented API that developers can use to write processing extensions. For more information, see the developer documentation available on your product CD. In the current release, processing extensions can be applied only to Crystal report (.rpt) objects. Applying processing extensions to reports Note: This feature does not apply to Desktop Intelligence and Web Intelligence document objects. BusinessObjects Enterprise supports the use of customized processing extensions. A processing extension is a dynamically loaded library of code that applies your business logic to particular BusinessObjects Enterprise view or schedule requests before they are processed by the system. This section shows how to register your processing extension with BusinessObjects Enterprise, and how to apply an available processing extension to a particular report object. For general information about processing extensions and how you can use them to customize report processing and security, see “Processing extensions” on page 167. For information on writing your own processing extensions with the Processing Extension API, see the developer documentation available on your product CD. Note: On Windows systems, dynamically loaded libraries are referred to as dynamic-link libraries (.dll file extension). On UNIX systems, dynamically loaded libraries are often referred to as shared libraries (.so file extension). You must include the file extension when you name your processing extensions. Also, file names cannot include the \ or / characters. 168 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Report object management Registering processing extensions with the system Note: This feature does not apply to Desktop Intelligence and Web Intelligence document objects. Before you can apply your processing extensions to particular objects, you must make your library of code available to each machine that will process the relevant schedule or view requests. The BusinessObjects Enterprise installation creates a default directory for your processing extensions on each Job Server, Page Server, and Report Application Server (RAS). It is recommended that you copy your processing extensions to the default directory on each server. On Windows, the default directory is C:\Program Files\Business Objects\BusinessObjects Enterprise 11.5\win32_x86\ProcessExt. On UNIX, it is the bobje/processext directory. Tip: It is possible to share a processing extension file. For details, see “Sharing processing extensions between multiple servers” on page 171. Depending upon the functionality that you have written into the extension, copy the library onto the following machines: • If your processing extension intercepts schedule requests only, copy your library onto each machine that is running as a Job Server. • If your processing extension intercepts view requests only, copy your library onto each machine that is running as a Page Server or RAS. • If your processing extension intercepts schedule and view requests, copy your library onto each machine that is running as a Job Server, Page Server, or RAS. Note: If the processing extension is required only for schedule/view requests made to a particular Server Group, you need only copy the library onto each processing server in the group. 1. To register a processing extension with the system Go to the Objects management area of the CMC. 2. Click Object Settings. The Object Settings page appears. 3. In the Name field, type a display name for your processing extension. 4. In the Location field, type the file name of your processing extension along with any additional path information: • If you copied your processing extension into the default directory on each of the appropriate machines, just type the file name (but not the file extension). BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 169 10 10 Managing Objects Report object management • If you copied your processing extension to a subfolder below the default directory, type the location as: subfolder/filename Note: Although the actual file name must include the .dll or .so extension (as appropriate to the server’s operating system), you must not include the file extension in the Location field. 5. Use the Description field to add information about your processing extension. 6. Click Add. You can now select this processing extension to apply its logic to particular objects. For details, see “Selecting a processing extension for a report” on page 170. Tip: To delete a processing extension, select its check box and click Delete. (Make sure that no recurring jobs are based on this processing extension because any future jobs based on this processing extension will fail.) Selecting a processing extension for a report Note: This feature does not apply to Desktop Intelligence and Web Intelligence document objects. 1. To select a processing extension for a report Go to the Objects management area of the CMC. 2. Click the link to the report object that you want to apply your processing extension to. 3. Click the Process tab, and then click the Filters link. 4. Select your processing extension in the Available Processing Extensions list. Note: Your processing extensions appear in this list only after you have registered them with the system. For details, see “Registering processing extensions with the system” on page 169. Tip: You may apply more than one processing extension to a report object. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each processing extension; then use the up and down arrows to specify the order in which the processing extensions should be used. 5. Click Update. Your processing extension is now enabled for this report object. 170 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Report object management Sharing processing extensions between multiple servers Note: This feature does not apply to Desktop Intelligence and Web Intelligence document objects. If you want to put all processing extensions in a single location, you can override the default processing extensions directory for each Job Server, Page Server, and RAS. First, copy your processing extensions to a shared directory on a network drive that is accessible to all of the servers. Map (or mount) the network drive from each server’s machine. Note: Mapped drives on Windows are valid only until you reboot the machine. For details, see the Troubleshooting Chapter of the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. If you are running servers on both Windows and on UNIX, you must copy a .dll and an .so version of every processing extension into the shared directory. In addition, the shared network drive must be visible to Windows and to UNIX machines (through Samba or some other file-sharing system). Finally, change each server’s command line to modify the default processing extensions directory. Do this by adding “-report_ProcessExtPath <absolute path>” to the command line. Replace <absolute path> with the path to the new folder, using whichever path convention is appropriate for the operating system that the server is running on (for example, M:\code\extensions, /home/shared/code/extensions, and so on). The procedure for making this modification depends upon your operating system: • On Windows, use the CCM to stop the server. Then open the server’s Properties to modify the command line. Start the server again when you have finished. • On UNIX, run ccm.sh to stop the Job Server/Page Server. Then edit ccm.config to modify the server’s command line. Start the server again when you have finished. Working with hyperlinked reports Note: This feature does not apply to Desktop Intelligence and Web Intelligence document objects. Crystal Reports lets you use hyperlinks to navigate from one report object to another. You can move to a Report Part within the report itself, to other report objects or their parts, or to specific instances of reports or Report Parts. This navigation is available only in the new script-based DHTML viewers (zero- BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 171 10 10 Managing Objects Report object management client, server-side viewers) included in BusinessObjects Enterprise XI. By linking directly from one object to another, the required data context is passed automatically so that you navigate to the object and data that is relevant. Initially, when you add hyperlinks between reports in Crystal Reports, you create a link from one file directly to another. However, when you publish linked report files simultaneously to the same object package, the links are modified to point to managed report objects. (Each link is changed, so that it references the appropriate destination report by Enterprise ID, rather than by file path.) Also, the modified links become relative inside the object package. When you schedule the object package, BusinessObjects Enterprise processes its reports, and again modifies hyperlinks within each report instance: hyperlinks between report objects in an object package are converted to hyperlinks between report instances in a specific instance of the object package. For more information on object packages, see “Scheduling objects using object packages” on page 198. To view hyperlinked reports, you must publish both the home and destination reports to the same BusinessObjects Enterprise system. (A home report is one that contains a hyperlink to another report: the destination report.) Note: For information about how to create hyperlinks between report objects, see the Crystal Reports Online Help. Publishing and hyperlinking reports Note: This feature does not apply to Desktop Intelligence and Web Intelligence document objects. To avoid breaking hyperlinks between reports, it is best to publish the reports first and then to create the hyperlinks. 1. To publish and then hyperlink reports Create the reports, without hyperlinks, in Crystal Reports. 2. Publish them to BusinessObjects Enterprise. 3. Use Crystal Reports to log on to your BusinessObjects Enterprise system. 4. Create the hyperlinks between the home and destination reports. See the Crystal Reports Online Help. Crystal Reports automatically determines what type of link—relative or absolute—to establish between the reports. In BusinessObjects Enterprise, relative links are those between reports in the same object package, and absolute links are links to specific report objects or instances. 172 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Report object management Publishing reports with existing hyperlinks Note: This feature does not apply to Desktop Intelligence and Web Intelligence document objects. The recommended method for creating hyperlinked reports is first to publish the individual reports, then create hyperlinks between them. See “Publishing and hyperlinking reports” on page 172.) However, because this is not always possible, use the following procedure to publish reports after they have been hyperlinked. When you publish reports this way, the hyperlinks are converted to relative links. To publish reports with existing hyperlinks Using the Publishing Wizard, publish the reports (that are linked to each other) to the same object package. Note: If you publish hyperlinked reports independently of each other, rather than publishing them simultaneously to the same object package, all hyperlinks between the reports will break. You must re-establish the links using Crystal Reports and save the report back to BusinessObjects Enterprise. (For more information, see the Crystal Reports Online Help.) Viewing hyperlinks in a report Note: This feature does not apply to Desktop Intelligence and Web Intelligence document objects. You can view a list of the links in a report by clicking the Links link on the report’s Properties page. The links are listed as either relative or absolute. In BusinessObjects Enterprise, relative links are those between reports in the same object package, and absolute links are links to specific report objects or instances. 1. To view a list of links in a report object In the Objects management area of the CMC, select the report object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Properties tab, and then click the Links link. The Links page appears. Viewing hyperlinked reports Note: This feature does not apply to Desktop Intelligence and Web Intelligence document objects. BusinessObjects Enterprise supports navigation between hyperlinked reports only with script-based viewers, specifically the DHTML and Advanced DHTML viewers in InfoView. To change your preferred viewer in the CMC, BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 173 10 10 Managing Objects Report object management click the Preferences button in the upper-right corner of the CMC, and select the appropriate viewer from the Viewer list. For information on how to change your preferred viewer, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise User’s Guide. Parameter information is not carried over between the home and destination reports. That is, when you view a destination report by clicking a hyperlink in a home report, you are prompted to enter any parameters that the destination report requires. Security considerations To view hyperlinked reports through BusinessObjects Enterprise, you must have the appropriate rights both in BusinessObjects Enterprise and at the database level. In BusinessObjects Enterprise, to view a destination report through a hyperlink in a home report, you must have View rights to the destination report. When the hyperlink points to a report object, you must have View On Demand rights to be able to refresh the data against the data source. For information about setting the levels of access to objects, see “Access levels” on page 64. Database logon information is carried over between hyperlinked reports. If the credentials you specified to view the home report are not valid for the destination report, you are prompted for a valid set of database logon credentials for the destination report. Viewing the universes for a Web Intelligence document You build queries for Web Intelligence documents using objects in a universe. A universe is a representation of the information available in the database. In the CMC, you can view which universes are used by a Web Intelligence document. 1. To view the universes for a Web Intelligence document In the Objects management area of the CMC, select a Web Intelligence document object by clicking its link. 2. On the Properties page, click the Universes link. The Universes page appears, listing the universes that are used by the document. 174 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Report object management Rights set on Desktop and Web Intelligence documents Desktop Intelligence document rights Table 10-3: Rights s set at the Desktop Intelligence document level. The right to: Description General Log on to Desktop Intelligence Allows users to view Desktop Intelligence and view this object in the documents when they log in to the CMC CMC Edit this object Allows users to edit the properties of the Desktop Intelligence document Modify the rights users have to Allows users to modify any right, for any this object user on the Desktop Intelligence object Securely modify rights users have to objects Allows users to grant or deny for other users only those rights that they themselves have been granted on the Desktop Intelligence document Desktop Intelligence Create Desktop Intelligence Documents Allows users to create new Desktop Intelligence documents (.rep) Create Templates Allows users to create Desktop Intelligence templates Use Templates Allows users to use existing Desktop Intelligence templates for creating new documents Save Desktop Intelligence Documents Allows users to save Desktop Intelligence document Save documents for all users Allows users to save Desktop Intelligence documents that are available to all users Desktop Intelligence Document Interaction Allows users to interact with Desktop Intelligence document Desktop Intelligence Report Interaction Allows users to interact with Desktop Intelligence report Refresh Desktop Intelligence Document Allows users to refresh Desktop Intelligence document Print Documents Allows users to print document BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 175 10 10 Managing Objects Report object management The right to: Description Copy to Clipboard Allows users to copy selected information to clipboard Euro Converter Allows users to access the Euro Converter Edit Euro Converter Rate Allows users to edit the exchange rate in the Euro Converter Drill Through Allows users to drill through on Desktop Intelligence documents Edit Scope of Analysis Allows users to edit the scope of analysis Work in Drill Mode Allows users to interact and work while in drill mode Work in Slice-and-Dice Mode Allows users to interact and work while in slice and dice mode Edit VBA Code Allows users to edit VBA code associated with a Desktop Intelligence document Run VBA Code Allows users to run VBA code Install Add-Ins Allows users to install Desktop Intelligence add-ins Manage All Corporate Categories Allows users to manage all corporate categories Manage My Corporate Categories Allows users to manage their own corporate categories Refresh Document List and Categories Allows users to refresh document list and categories Send Documents to Repository Allows users to send Desktop Intelligence documents to repository - Input FRS 176 Send Documents to Mail Allows users to send Desktop Intelligence documents to inbox Retrieve Documents Allows users to retrieve Desktop Intelligence documents from the managed system Create and Edit Connections Allows users to create new and edit existing connection objects Data Provider Manipulation Allows users to edit data provider information Edit Free-Hand SQL Allows users to edit free-hand SQL if freehand SQL has been granted BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Report object management The right to: Description Use Free-Hand SQL Allows users access to free-hand SQL Edit Personal Data Files Allows users to edit any personal data files if use of personal data files has been granted Use Personal Data Files Allows users to use personal data files Edit Stored Procedures Allows users to edit any stored procedures if use of stored procedures has been granted Use Stored Procedures Allows users to use stored procedures Always Regenerate SQL Directs Desktop Intelligence document always to regenerate the associated SQL Edit Query SQL Allows users to edit the SQL used in the query Use other SQL requests than Select Allows users to use commands other than SELECT in the query SQL View SQL Allows users to view the associated SQL Edit Queries Allows users to edit Desktop Intelligence document queries if granted use of queries Use Queries Allows users to use queries with Desktop Intelligence documents Edit List of Values Allows users to edit the list of values associated if granted access to use list of values Use List of Values Allows users to use list of values when processing Desktop Intelligence documents Refresh List of Values Allows users to refresh the list of values if granted access to use list of values Use User Objects Allows users to use user-defined objects Web Intelligence document rights Table 10-4: Rights set at the Web Intelligence document level The right to: Description General Log on to Web Intelligence and Allows users to view Web Intelligence view this object in the CMC documents when they log in to the CMC BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 177 10 10 Managing Objects Report object management The right to: Description Edit this object Allows users to edit the properties of the Web Intelligence document Modify the rights users have to Allows users to modify any right, for any this object user on the Web Intelligence object Securely modify rights users have to objects Allows users to grant or deny for other users only those rights that they themselves have been granted on the Web Intelligence document Web Intelligence 178 Enable interactive HTML viewing (if license permits) Allows interactive viewing if there is a license present that permits this functionality Enable Query - HTML Allows use of Web Intelligence HTML Report Panel Enable Java Report Panel Allows use of Web Intelligence Java Report Panel Extend scope of analysis Extends the reports scope of analysis Enable drill mode Allows drill through in the report Create document Allows a users to create a new Web Intelligence document Java Report Panel: Enable formula toolbar Allows use of and show the formula toolbar in Java Report Panel Interactive: Formatting Enable toolbar and menus Enables the toolbar and associated menu items for formatting when in interactive mode Interactive: Formula - Enable toolbar and variable creation Enables the toolbar and associated menu items for formula when in interactive mode Interactive: General - Enable right click menu Enables the contextual (right-click) menu when in interactive mode Interactive: Left pane - Enable document structure and filters Enables the display of document structure and filters in the left pane when in interactive mode Interactive: Left pane - Enable available objects, tables and charts Enables list of available objects, tables and filters in the left pane when in interactive mode Java Report Panel: Edit SQL Allows users to edit the report SQL in the Java Report Panel BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Program object management The right to: Description Merge dimensions for synchronization Enables the merging of dimensions to allow for synchronization of dimensions Enable HTML Report Panel Enables the HTML Report Panel Interactive: General - Edit 'My Preferences' Allows users to access and edit their preferences - My Preferences, when in interactive mode Interactive: Left pane - Enable document summary Displays the document summary in the left pane when in interactive mode Interactive: Left pane - Enable data summary Enables the document data summary in the left pane when in interactive mode Interactive: Reporting - Create Allows users to create and/or edit the report and edit report filter filter when in interactive mode Interactive: Reporting - Create Allows users to create and/or edit report sort and edit sort when in interactive mode Interactive: Reporting - Create Allows users to create and/or edit break and edit break points when in interactive mode Interactive: Reporting - Create Allows users to create and/or edit and edit predefined calculation predefined calculations when in interactive mode Interactive: Reporting - Apply and remove existing alerters Allows users to create and/or edit existing report alerters when in interactive mode Interactive: Reporting - Insert report, table, chart and cell Allows users to insert reports, tables charts and/or cells into a report when in interactive mode Interactive: General - Ability to Allows users to hide and/or show toolbars hide / show toolbars when in interactive mode Program object management This section explains program objects and instances, and how to manage them through the Central Management Console (CMC). Additionally, this section covers type-specific program object configuration, and security considerations for program objects. It includes the following sections: • • What are program objects and instances? Setting program processing options For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 179 10 10 Managing Objects Program object management What are program objects and instances? A program object is an object in BusinessObjects Enterprise that represents an application. Publishing a program object to BusinessObjects Enterprise allows you to use BusinessObjects Enterprise to schedule and run the program object and to manage user rights in relation to the program object. For information about publishing program objects, see “Publishing overview” on page 254. When you publish a program object or its associated files to BusinessObjects Enterprise, they are stored in the Input File Repository Server (FRS). Each time a BusinessObjects Enterprise program runs, the program and files are passed to the Program Job Server, and BusinessObjects Enterprise creates a program instance. Unlike report instances, which you can view in their completed format, program instances exist as records in the object history. BusinessObjects Enterprise stores the program’s standard out and standard error in a text output file. This file appears when you click a program instance in the object History. In order for a program object to be successfully scheduled and run, you must provide logon information for the account that the program object will run as. Program types Three types of applications can be published to BusinessObjects Enterprise as program objects: • Executable • Executable programs are binary files, batch files, or shell scripts. They generally have file extensions such as: .com, .exe, .bat, .sh. You can publish any executable program that can be run from the command line on the machine that runs the Program Job Server. Java • You can publish any Java program to BusinessObjects Enterprise as a Java program object. For Java program objects to have access to Java SDK objects, your class must implement the IProgramBase interface from the BusinessObjects Enterprise Java SDK (com.businessobjects.sdk.plugin.desktop.program.IProgramBase). For details, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Java SDK Guide. Script Script program objects are JScript and VBScript scripts. They are run on Windows using an embedded COM object and can—once published— reference the BusinessObjects Enterprise SDK objects. For details, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise COM SDK Guide. Note: Script program objects are not supported on UNIX. 180 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Program object management Note: As the administrator, you can choose to enable or disable any of the types of program objects. For details, see “Authentication and program objects” on page 186. Once you have published a program object to BusinessObjects Enterprise, you can configure it in the Objects management area of the CMC. For each type of program object (Executable, Java, or Script) you can choose to specify command-line arguments and a working directory. For executable and Java programs, there are additional ways, both required and optional, to configure the program objects and provide them with access to other files. Tip: Program objects allow you to write, publish, and schedule scripts or Java programs that run against BusinessObjects Enterprise, and perform maintenance tasks, such as deleting instances from the history. Furthermore, you can design these scripts and Java programs to access BusinessObjects Enterprise session information. This ensures that the scheduled program objects retain the security rights or restrictions of the user who scheduled the job. (Your scripts or java programs require access to the BusinessObjects Enterprise SDK. For details, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise COM SDK Guide or the BusinessObjects Enterprise Java SDK Guide.) Setting program processing options For each object you can set several processing options. These options appear on the Process page for the object. Setting the program processing options includes the following tasks: • • • • • Specifying command-line arguments Setting a working directory for a program object Configuring executable programs Configuring Java programs Authentication and program objects For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Specifying command-line arguments For each program object you can specify command-line arguments on the Parameters page for the object. You can specify any argument that is supported by the command-line interface for your program. Arguments are passed directly to the command-line interface, without parsing. 1. To specify command-line arguments In the Objects management area of the CMC, select the program object by clicking its link. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 181 10 10 Managing Objects Program object management 2. Click the Process tab, then click the Parameters link. The Parameters page appears. 3. In the Arguments field, type the command-line arguments for your program, using the same format you would use at the command line itself. For example, if your program has a loops option, to set the loops value to 100, you might type -loops 100 4. Click Update. Setting a working directory for a program object By default, when a program object runs, BusinessObjects Enterprise creates a temporary subdirectory in the Program Job Server’s working directory, and uses this subdirectory as the working directory for the program. The subdirectory is automatically deleted when the program finishes running. You can specify an alternative working directory for the program object by modifying the Working Directory field on the Parameters page of the object. Or, you can modify the default setting for the working directory for the Program Job Server. Note: The account under which the program runs must have appropriate rights to the folder that you set as the working directory. The level of file permissions required depend on what the program does; however, the program’s account generally needs read, write, and execute permissions to the working directory. For information about setting credentials for an account under which a program object will run, see “Authentication and program objects” on page 186. 1. To set a working directory for a program object In the Objects management area of the CMC, select the program object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Process tab, then click the Parameters link. The Parameters page appears. 3. In the Working Directory field, type the full path to the directory that you want to set as the program object’s working directory. For example, on Windows, if you created a working directory named working_directory, type C:\working_directory On UNIX, type /working_directory 4. 182 Click Update. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Program object management 1. To modify the default working directory for the Program Job Server Go to the Servers management area of the CMC. 2. Click the link for Program Job Server. The Properties page appears. 3. In the Temp Directory field, type the full path to the directory you want to set as the working directory for the Program Job Server. 4. Click Update. Configuring executable programs When you publish an executable program object to the CMC, you can: • Configure the object to have access to external or auxiliary files. See “Providing Java programs with access to other files” on page 185. • Customize environment variables for the shell in which BusinessObjects Enterprise runs the program. See “Specifying environment variables” on page 184. Providing executable programs with access to other files Some binary files, batch files, and shell scripts require access to external or auxiliary files to run. Aside from setting a working directory for the program object, there are two ways to provide access to these files: • If a required file is on the same machine as the Program Job Server, you can specify the full path to the file. • Alternatively, if the file is not located on the Program Job Server, you can upload the file to the File Repository Server, which will pass the files to the Program Job Server as necessary. 1. To specify paths to required files In the Objects management area of the CMC, select the executable program object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Process tab, then click the Parameters link. The Parameters page appears. 3. In the External Dependencies field, type the full path to the required file and click Add. 4. Repeat step 3 for each file required. 5. Click Update. Tip: To edit or remove external dependencies that you have specified, select the file path (in the list of external dependencies on the Parameters page) and click the appropriate button, either Edit or Remove. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 183 10 10 Managing Objects Program object management 1. To upload required files In the Objects management area of the CMC, select the executable program object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Process tab, then click the Auxiliary Files link. 3. Click Browse to navigate to the required file, then click Add File. 4. Repeat step 3 for each required file. 5. Click Update. The Auxiliary Files page appears. Tip: To remove auxiliary files that you have specified, select the file(s) (in the list of external dependencies on the Parameters page) and click Remove File(s). Specifying environment variables In the CMC, you can configure your program by adding or modifying environment variables. Modifications to an existing environment variable override this variable, rather than append to it. Any changes you make to environment variables exist only in the temporary shell in which BusinessObjects Enterprise runs the program. Thus, when the program exits, the environment variables are destroyed. 1. To add an environment variable In the Objects management area of the CMC, click the link for the program object. 2. Click the Process tab, then click the Parameters link. The Parameters page appears. 3. In the Environment Variables field, type the environment variables you want to set. Use the form name=value, where name is the environment variable name and value is the value for the environment variable. For example, you can set the path variable to append a user’s bin directory to the existing path: • • On Windows, you might type: path=%path%;c:\usr\bin On UNIX, you might type:PATH=$PATH:/usr/bin Note: BusinessObjects Enterprise sets your environment variables using the syntax that is appropriate for your operating system. However, on UNIX you must follow convention, and use the appropriate case. For example, all name values on UNIX must be typed in upper-case. 4. Click Update. Tip: To edit or remove environment variables that you have specified, select the variable (in the list of environment variables on the Parameters page), and click the appropriate button, either Edit or Remove. 184 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Program object management Configuring Java programs To successfully schedule and run Java programs in BusinessObjects Enterprise, you must specify the required parameters for the program object. See “Setting required parameters for Java programs” on page 185. Additionally, you can provide the Java program with access to other files located on the Program Job Servers, and you can specify Java Virtual Machine options. See “Providing Java programs with access to other files” on page 185. Setting required parameters for Java programs To successfully schedule and run a Java program, you must provide BusinessObjects Enterprise with the base name of the .class file that implements the IProgramBase interface from the BusinessObjects Enterprise Java SDK. Note: The Java Runtime Environment must be installed on each machine that is running a Program Job Server. 1. To specify required parameters for Java programs In the Objects management area of the CMC, click the link for the Java program object. 2. Click the Parameters tab. 3. In the Class to run field, type the base name of the .class file that implements the IProgramBase from the BusinessObjects Enterprise Java SDK (com.businessobjects.sdk.plugin.desktop.program.IProgramBase). The Parameters page appears. For example, if the file name is Arius.class, type Arius 4. Click Update. Providing Java programs with access to other files You can provide Java programs with access to files, such as Java libraries, located on the Program Job Server. 1. To provide Java programs with access to other files In the Objects management area of the CMC, click the link for the Java program object. 2. Click the Process tab, then click the Parameters link. The Parameters page appears. 3. In the Classpath field, type the full paths to the locations of any Java library files that are required by the Java program, and stored on the Program Job Server. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 185 10 10 Managing Objects Program object management You must separate multiple paths with the classpath separator that is appropriate to your operating system: a semi-colon for Windows, a colon for UNIX. 4. Click Update. Authentication and program objects Be aware of the potential security risks associated with the publication of program objects. As the administrator, you must protect the system against abuse. The level of file permissions for the account under which a program object runs will determine what modifications, if any, the program can make to files. You can control the types of program objects users can run, and you can configure the credentials required to run program objects. Enabling or disabling a type of program object As a first level of security, you can configure the types of program objects available for use. 1. To enable or disable a type of program object In the Objects management area of the CMC, click Object Settings. 2. Click the Program Objects tab. 3. Select the type or types of program objects you want users to run. 4. Click Update. Authentication on all platforms In the Objects management area of the CMC, you must specify credentials for the account under which the program runs. This feature allows you, the administrator, to set up a specific user account for the program, and assign it appropriate rights, to have the program object run as that account. For details, see “Setting object rights” on page 144. Alternatively, users who publish program objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise can assign their own credentials to a program object, to give the program access to the system. Thus, the program will run under that user account, and the rights of the program will be limited to those of the user. If you choose not to specify a user account for a program object, it runs under the default system account, which generally has rights locally but not across the network. Note: By default, when you schedule a program object, the job fails if credentials are not specified. To provide default credentials, click Object Settings in the Objects management area, then click the Program Objects tab. Click “Schedule with the following operating system credentials” and provide a default user name and password. 186 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Object package management 1. To specify a user account for a program object In the Objects management area of the CMC, click the link for the program object. 2. Click the Process tab, then click the Logon link. 3. In the User Name and Password fields, type the credentials for the user account under which the program should run. 4. Click Update. The Logon page appears. Authentication for Java programs BusinessObjects Enterprise allows you to set security for all program objects. For Java programs, BusinessObjects Enterprise forces the use of a Java Policy File, which has a default setting that is consistent with the Java default for unsecure code. Use the Java Policy Tool (available with the Java Development Kit) to modify the Java Policy File, to suit your specific needs. The Java Policy Tool has two code base entries. The first entry points to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Java SDK and allows program objects full rights to all BusinessObjects Enterprise JAR files. The second code base entry applies to all local files. It uses the same security settings for unsecure code as the Java default for unsecure code. Note: • The settings for the Java Policy are universal for all Program Job Servers running on the same machine. • By default, the Java Policy File is installed to the Java SDK directory in the BusinessObjects Enterprise install root directory. For example, a typical location on Windows is: C:\Program Files\Business Objects\BusinessObjects Enterprise 11.5\conf\crystal-program.policy On UNIX, a typical location is .../solaris_install/bobje/ enterprise11/JavaSDK/crystal-program.policy Object package management This section explains object packages and instances, and how to manage them through the Central Management Console (CMC). Additionally, this section explains how to create an object package and how to add objects to an object package. It includes information on the following topics: • • What are object packages, components, and instances? Creating an object package BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 187 10 10 Managing Objects Object package management • • • Adding objects to an object package Configuring object packages and their objects Authentication and object packages For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. What are object packages, components, and instances? Object packages function as distinct objects in BusinessObjects Enterprise. Think of them as folders you can schedule, along with all of their contents. Object packages can be composed of any combination of report and program objects that are published to the BusinessObjects Enterprise system. (NonBusinessObjects Enterprise objects, such as Excel, Word, Acrobat, Text, Rich Text, PowerPoint, and Hyperlink objects, cannot be added to object packages.) Placing multiple objects in a single object package allows you to schedule them simultaneously. For reports, object packages allow users to view synchronized data across reports. Component objects are not autonomous. They have more limited configuration options than other objects, and they do not appear in the list of all objects on the first page of the Objects management area of the CMC. Rather, you can only view them by opening their object package. BusinessObjects Enterprise creates an object package instance each time it runs an object package. The object package instance contains individual instances of each of its component objects. Component instances are tied to object package instances, rather than to component objects. For example, if you run an object package, and thereby create an instance, then remove a report object from the object package, the existing object package instance does not change; it still contains the report instance from the report object that you removed. Future instances of the object package, however, will reflect the change. For hyperlinked report instances in object package instances, the hyperlinks point to the other report instances in the same object package instance. For details about hyperlinked reports, see “Working with hyperlinked reports” on page 171. Creating an object package 1. Go to the Objects management area of the CMC. 2. Click New Object, then click the Object Package tab. The Object Package tab appears. 188 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Object package management 3. In the Title field, type the name of the object package you want to create. 4. In the Description field, type a description of the object package. This field is optional. 5. Ensure the correct folder name appears in the Destination field. Note: You cannot place object packages in the top level folder or inside other object packages. Tip: To expand a folder, select it and click Show Subfolders. 6. Click Submit. Note: When the object package has been added to the system, the CMC displays the Properties page. You can now modify the properties, contents, scheduling information, destination, user rights, object settings, and notification for the object package. Adding objects to an object package In the CMC, after you have created an object package, you can add report and/or program component objects to it. You can add previously unpublished objects directly to the object package, or you can copy existing objects into the object package. You can only move copies of existing objects into the object package, or between object packages; you cannot move the existing objects themselves. For details on copying objects, see “Copying, moving, or creating a shortcut for an object” on page 149. When you copy an object into an object package, the component object retains the same settings as the original object. However, once you create the copy of the original object inside the object package, the component and the original are separate entities. Changes in one object are not reflected in the other. Note: You publish objects to new or existing object package using the Publishing Wizard. For details, see “Publishing Wizard procedures” on page 255. 1. To publish a new object directly to an object package In the Objects management area of the CMC, view an object package by clicking its link. 2. Click the Objects tab, then click the New Object button. 3. A list of object tabs appears. Note that you can add only report objects or program objects to an object. 4. Click the appropriate tab, Report or Program. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 189 10 10 Managing Objects Object package management 5. Specify the file name or, or click browse to navigate to the object you want to publish. 6. Set the appropriate properties. 7. • For reports, set whether to generate a thumbnail for the report, and whether to use the Object Repository when refreshing the report. • For programs, set the program type: Executable, Java, or Script. Click OK. Configuring object packages and their objects Object packages are intended to save you time scheduling objects that have similar scheduling requirements. As a result, you configure some parameters at the object package level, and some at the object level, that is, for the individual objects in the object package. For example, you have to specify the destination for an object package, but you cannot specify destinations for the individual objects in the package. When the system runs the object package, it will save the output instances to the destination you specified for the object package. Note: Because the objects in an object package are copies of objects that exist outside the package, the changes you make will not affect the objects outside the object package. Table 10-5: Configuration parameters for object packages indicates which configuration parameters you can modify for an object package or for individual objects in a package. The parameters are identified by tab or link. For information on how to set or modify these parameters, see: • • • • “General object management” on page 144 “Report object management” on page 155 “Program object management” on page 179 “Object package management” on page 187 Table 10-5: Configuration parameters for object packages Configuration tabs and links Configure for an object package Configure for individual objects in a package Properties tab yes yes Refresh Options -- yes Links -- yes yes -- History tab 190 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Managing Objects Object package management Configuration tabs and links Process tab Configure for an object package Configure for individual objects in a package Scheduling server View & Modify server Database -- yes Parameters -- yes Filters -- yes Print Setup -- yes yes -- -- yes Schedule tab Notification Alert Notification -- yes Format -- yes Destination yes -- Schedule For yes -- Categories tab n/a n/a Corporate yes yes Personal yes yes yes -- Rights tab Authentication and object packages Object packages simplifies both Enterprise and database authentication. You enter your Enterprise authentication only once to schedule the object package, including all of its component objects. Consequently, you must have scheduling rights for each of the objects inside the object package. If you attempt to schedule a package that contains one or more component objects to which you do not have schedule rights, the component instance(s) fail(s). For database authentication, you specify database logon information for each report component object in the object package. (If you copied the report into the object package, it initially inherits the database logon information of the original report.) BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 191 10 10 Managing Objects Object package management 192 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide chapter Scheduling Objects 11 Scheduling Objects Overview Overview This section provides information on scheduling objects. It provides detailed instructions for scheduling objects individually and in batches, and scheduling with events. It also describes distributing objects, specifying schedule notifications, and managing instances. This section covers the following topics: • • • • • Scheduling overview Setting the scheduling options Managing instances Using Calendars Managing events For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Scheduling overview Scheduling is a process which allows you to run an object automatically at specified times. When you schedule an object, you choose the recurrence pattern that you want and specify additional parameters to control exactly when and how often the object will be run. At the time you schedule an object, the system creates a “scheduled instance.” Although a scheduled instance appears on the History page of a respective object (with a status of Recurring or Pending), it contains solely object and schedule information—it does not contain any data. When the system runs the object, it creates an output instance for the object (for example, a report or program instance). A report instance contains actual data from the database. A program instance is a text file that contains the standard output and standard error produced when the program object was run. Output instances also appear on the History page of an object and have a status of Success or Failed. For end users to schedule and run objects, they must use a web-based client such as InfoView or a custom web application. InfoView is designed primarily to schedule objects and view reports, whereas CMC enables you to manage and administer objects in addition to scheduling objects and viewing reports. 194 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Scheduling overview About the scheduling options and parameters When you schedule an object, you choose the recurrence pattern that you want. For example, you select Daily or Weekly, and then the run option (for example, “Every week on”). You then specify additional parameters to control exactly when and how often the object will be run. The recurrence patterns appear on the left of the Schedule page. The Run options list and related parameters appear to the right of the recurrence patterns. Which run options and parameters are available depends on the recurrence pattern you selected. In many cases the same parameters appear, such as start and end dates. The names of the recurrence patterns, options, and fields are generally self explanatory, but for a complete description, see: • • “Recurrence patterns” on page 196 “Run options and parameters” on page 196 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 195 11 11 Scheduling Objects Scheduling overview Recurrence patterns When scheduling an object, you can choose from the recurrence patterns summarized by Table 11-1: Recurrence patterns. Table 11-1: Recurrence patterns Recurrence pattern Description On demand The object will be run only when a user requests it to be run. Once The object will be run only once. It can be run now or in the future, or when a specified event has occurred. Hourly The object will be run every hour. You specify at what time it will start, as well as a start and end date. Daily The object will be run every day. It can be run once or several times a day. You can specify at what time it will run, as well as a start and end date. Weekly The object will be run every week. It can be run once a week or several times a week. You can specify on which days and at what time it will run, as well as and a start and end date. Monthly The object will be run every month or every several months. You can specify on which days of the month and at what time it will run, as well as a start and end date. Calendar The object will be run on the dates specified in a calendar that has previously been created. For more information see “Using Calendars” on page 221. Run options and parameters This section describes the Run parameters for scheduling an object. Not all parameters apply in all cases, but when they apply, their function is the same. Table 11-2: Run options . Run option Description Run This list always appears, but the options vary depending on which recurrence pattern you select. For example, if you select Daily, you can select to run the object “Once each day” or “Every X day(s).” If you select Monthly, you can select to run the object “On the Nth day of the month” or “On the first Monday of the month.” To see all the Run options for a recurrence pattern, refer to the software. 196 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Scheduling overview Run option Description X and N variables Applies to certain Daily and Monthly recurrence patterns only. When you select a Run option that contains these variables, the system displays their default values. You can then changes these values as needed. Start Date For example, if you select the Daily recurrence pattern and the “Every X hour(s), N minute(s)” Run option, you could specify to run the report every 4 (X) hours and 30 (N) minutes. If you don’t change the X or N value, the system will run the report every hour. Applies to most, but not all recurrence patterns and Run options. The default is the current date and time. The system will run the object according to the schedule that you specified, as soon as it can, after the Start Date has passed. For example, if you specify a start date that is three months into the future, the system won’t run the object until the start date has passed, even if all the other criteria are met. After that, the system will run the report at the specified time. End Date Applies to most, but not all, recurrence patterns and Run options. The default is the current time and a date in the distant future, to ensure an object will be run indefinitely. Specify a different End Date if required. Once the End Date has passed, the system no longer runs the object. Available Events Applies to all Run options that include “with events.” Select an event and click the Add button to move it to the “Events to wait for” box. You can select one or several events. The system will run the object only when those events have been successfully completed. See also “Scheduling an object with events” on page 200. Available Schedule Events Applies to all Run options that include “with events.” Select an event and click the Add button to move it to the “Events to trigger on completion” box. You can select one or several events. A successful run of the object will trigger the events that you specified. This list of events contains schedule events only. You cannot trigger file or custom events. See also “Scheduling an object with events” on page 200, and “Managing events overview” on page 229. Number of retries allowed Always applies. The number of times the system attempts to process an object if the first attempt is not successful. By default, the number is zero. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 197 11 11 Scheduling Objects Scheduling overview Run option Description Retry interval in seconds Always applies. The period, in seconds, that the system will wait before it attempts to process the object again if the first attempt is unsuccessful. Scheduling objects 1. To schedule an object In the Objects management area of the CMC, select an object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Schedule tab. The Schedule page appears, showing the default settings for the object. 3. Select the recurrence pattern you want. For example, select Weekly. For a list and descriptions of the recurrence patterns, see “Recurrence patterns” on page 196. 4. Specify the Run option and parameters that you want. For example, select “Every week on” and then specify Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. For a list and descriptions of the Run options and parameters, see “Run options and parameters” on page 196. 5. Set any of the other schedule options and parameters as required. For details, see “Setting the scheduling options” on page 202. 6. Click Schedule. The system will create a scheduled instance and run it according to the schedule information you specified. You can view the scheduled instance on the History page for the object. For more information, see “Managing and viewing the history of instances” on page 218. Note: To save the schedule settings as the new default setting for the object, click Update. The new settings on the Schedule tab for the object are saved. Scheduling objects using object packages You can schedule objects in batches using the object packages feature. Object packages function as distinct objects in BusinessObjects Enterprise. They can contain any combination of objects that can be scheduled, such as 198 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Scheduling overview report and program objects, and Web Intelligence documents. Using object packages simplifies authentication. In terms of reports and Web Intelligence document, it allows users to view synchronized data across instances. This procedure describes how to use the CMC to schedule objects by using object packages. First you publish an object package. Then, you copy existing objects into the object package. Finally, you schedule the object package as you would any object. Alternatively, you can publish objects directly to an object package, and then you can schedule that object packages as you would any object. For details on publishing directly to an object package, and on configuring object packages, see “Object package management” on page 187. Note: You must configure the processing information of each of the components of an object package individually. For example, if you want a report object in an object package to print when scheduled, you must configure it through the Print Setup link available on the report object’s Process tab. For more information, see “Configuring object packages and their objects” on page 190. Note: For information about publishing hyperlinked report objects, see “Working with hyperlinked reports” on page 171. 1. To schedule objects using object packages Go to the Objects management area of the CMC. 2. If the object package already exist, skip this step. Otherwise: a. Click New Object, and then click the Object Package tab. b. Type the package name and a description. c. Select a destination for the object package. d. If you want, assign the object package to a category. e. Click Submit. f. Go to the Objects management area of the CMC again. See also “Publishing with the CMC” on page 265. 3. Select the check boxes associated with each object you want to place in the object package. 4. Click Copy/Move/Shortcut. The Copy/Move/Create Shortcut page appears. 5. Select Copy to. Note: Existing objects cannot be moved into an object packages; they must be copied to the object package. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 199 11 11 Scheduling Objects Scheduling overview 6. Select the object package you created as the Destination for the objects, and then click OK. Tip: Object packages are indicated by [square brackets]. Tip: To expand a folder, select it and click Show Subfolders. Tip: To search for a specific folder or object package, use the Look For field. 7. Schedule the object package. See “To schedule an object” on page 198. Scheduling an object with events When you schedule an object with events, the object will be run only when the additional condition (that is, the event) occurs. You can tell an object to wait for any, or all of the three event types: file-based, custom-based, and schedule-based. If you want a scheduled object to trigger an event, you must choose a schedule-based event. Note: A file-based event is triggered upon the existence of a specified file. A custom-based event is triggered manually. A schedule-based event is triggered by another object being run. Scheduling objects based on an event When you schedule an object that waits for a specified event, the object will run only when the event is triggered, and only when the rest of the schedule conditions are met. If the event is triggered before the start date of the object, the object will not run. If you have specified an end date for this object, and if the event is not triggered before the end date occurs, the object will not run because not all of the conditions will have been met. Also, if you choose a weekly, monthly, or calendar schedule, the object will have a specified time frame in which it can be processed. The event must be triggered within this specified time for the object to run. For example, if you schedule a weekly report object that runs every Monday, the event must be triggered within the 24-hour period on Monday; if the event is triggered outside of the 24-hour period, then the report will not run. Scheduling objects to trigger an event You can also schedule an object which triggers a schedule-based event upon completion of the object being run. When the object is run, BusinessObjects Enterprise will trigger the specified event. For a schedule-based event, if the event is based on the instance being run successfully, for example, the event won’t be triggered if the instance fails. For a sample scenario on when you would use a schedule-based event, see “Schedule-based events” on page 231. 200 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Scheduling overview Note: To schedule an object with events, first ensure that you have created the event. See “Managing events” on page 228. 1. To schedule an object to run based on events In the Objects management area of the CMC, select an object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Schedule tab. 3. Select the recurrence pattern you want. For example, select Weekly. For a list and descriptions of the recurrence patterns, see “Recurrence patterns” on page 196. 4. In the Run list, select a run option that contains the words, “with events.” 5. Select and complete the schedule parameters for your object (scheduling option, Start Date, End Date, and so on). For a list and descriptions of the Run options and parameters, see “Run options and parameters” on page 196. 6. In the Available Events area, select from the list of events, and click Add. For example, the report object above is set to wait for a Custom-based event to occur before the report is processed. 7. To update the default scheduling information, click Update. If you don’t click Update, any changes you made to the scheduling information are not saved. 8. Click the Schedule button to schedule the object. 1. To schedule an object to trigger an event In the Objects management area of the CMC, select an object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Schedule tab. 3. From the list on the left of the page, select a recurrence pattern: Once, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or by Calendar. For a list and descriptions of the recurrence patterns, see “Recurrence patterns” on page 196. 4. In the Run list, select a run option that contains the words, “with events.” 5. Select and complete the schedule parameters for your object (scheduling option, Start Date, End Date, and so on). 6. In the Available Schedule Events area, select from the list of events and click Add. For example, the report object above is set to trigger a Schedule-based event only if the report is successfully processed. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 201 11 11 Scheduling Objects Setting the scheduling options Note: You can only select schedule-based events in this list. 7. To update the default scheduling information, click Update. If you don’t click Update, any changes you made to the scheduling information are not saved. 8. Click the Schedule button to schedule the object. Setting the scheduling options BusinessObjects Enterprise allows you to control the process and schedule settings for an object. Setting the scheduling options includes the following tasks: • • • • • • • Scheduling objects Setting notification for an object’s success or failure Specifying alert notification Selecting a destination Choosing a format Scheduling an object for a user or group Selecting cache options for Web Intelligence documents For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Setting notification for an object’s success or failure You can set scheduling options that automatically send notification when an object instance succeeds or fails. You can send notification using audit or email notification. You can also combine multiple notification methods, and provide different notification settings for successful and failed instances. For example, you may have a large number of reports that run every day. You need to check each instance to make sure it ran properly, and then send out emails to the users who need to know that the new report is available. With thousands of reports, it would take too much time to manually check the reports and contact the users who need the information. Using notification settings in BusinessObjects Enterprise, you can set each object to notify you automatically when the report fails to run properly, and you can automatically inform users when new report instances run successfully. 202 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Setting the scheduling options Determining an object’s success or failure When you schedule an object, the scheduled instance either succeeds or fails. The conditions required for an instance’s success or failure depend on the type of object you schedule: • Report objects, Desktop Intelligence document objects, and Web Intelligence document objects A report instance or document object instance runs successfully if it doesn’t encounter any errors while processing the object or accessing the database. An instance may fail if the user does not provide the correct parameters or logon information. • Program objects For program objects, the program must run in order to succeed. If the program does not run, the instance is considered a failure. If the program runs, but does not perform the tasks it is supposed to, it is still considered a successful instance because the program object ran. BusinessObjects Enterprise does not monitor problems with the program object’s code. • Object packages An object package may fail if one of its components fails. To change this setting, click the object package’s Properties tab and clear the “Scheduled package fails upon individual component failure” option. You can also set scheduling options for individual objects within an object package. Note: You cannot set audit or email notification for object packages, but you can set any type of notification for the individual objects in the object package. You can also schedule object packages with events on the Schedule tab. For more information about events, see “Schedule-based events” on page 231. About notification You can set notification at the object level. You can select unique notification options for each object, sending different types of notification for different conditions. For object packages, you can set only event notification, which will trigger an event based on success or failure of the object package. To monitor object successes and failures from a more general perspective, use the auditing functionality within BusinessObjects Enterprise. If notification fails, then the object instance fails. For example, if an email notification sends a message to an invalid email address, then the notification fails and the object instance is recorded as a failure in the object’s history. You can choose to notify using: BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 203 11 11 Scheduling Objects Setting the scheduling options • Audit notification To use audit notification, you must configure the auditing database and enable auditing for the servers. If you use auditing to monitor your BusinessObjects Enterprise system, you can use audit notification. For more information about configuring the auditing database and enabling auditing, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Auditor’s Guide. When you select audit notification, information about the scheduled object is written to the auditing database. You can choose to have a notification sent to the auditing database when the job runs successfully, when it fails to run, or both. Note: For the job servers you can also set audit notification on the Auditing tab. • Email notification You can send an email as a notification of an object instance’s success or failure. You can choose the sender and recipients of the email message. You can send an email when the instance fails and when it succeeds. For example, you could send your administrator an email if the report fails, but when the report succeeds you can automatically send a notification to everyone who needs the report to let them know it is now available. Note: To enable email notification, you must have the Email SMTP destination enabled and configured on the job servers. For more information, see BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. Note: Notification of a scheduled object’s success or failure is not the same as alert notification. Alert notification must be built into the design of the report. For example, alert notification can send an email to you whenever a specific value in the report exceeds $1,000,000. In this case, the notification has nothing to do with the contents of the report — it’s just about whether or not the report object instance has failed or succeeded. 1. To set notification for an instance’s success or failure Select an object in the Objects management area of the CMC. 2. Click the Schedule tab, then click the Notification link. 3. Click the notification type (or types) you want to use. Note: If the notification type is already being used, it will be labelled “Enabled”. If not, it will be labelled “Not in use”. 4. 204 Choose specific settings for the notification and click Update. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Setting the scheduling options Table 11-3: Notification types . Notification Instruction type Audit • • Email To send a record to the auditing database when the job succeeds, select “A job has been run successfully.” To send a record when the job fails, select “A job has failed to run.” • Choose whether you want to send a notification when the job fails or when it succeeds. • To specify the contents and recipients of the email notification, select “Set the vales to be used here” and provide the From and To email addresses, the email subject line, and the message. Note: Separate multiple addresses or distribution lists by using semicolons. Note: By default, the notification is sent to the server’s default email destination. For details on how to change the default email settings, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. Specifying alert notification Note: This feature does not apply to Desktop Intelligence and Web Intelligence document objects. Alerts are custom messages, created in Crystal Reports, that appear when certain conditions are met by data in a report. Alerts may indicate actions to be taken by the user or information about report data. If the alert condition (as defined in Crystal Reports) is true, the alert is triggered and its message is displayed. In BusinessObjects Enterprise, you can choose to send alert notification when scheduling a report. If you enable alert notification, messages are sent through an SMTP server. You can configure email delivery options, specify the “To,” “Cc,” and “From” fields for the email, add subject and message information, set a URL for the viewer you want the email recipient to use, and set the maximum number of alert records to send. Note: The Alert Notification link is available only if the report object contains alerts. Note: Alerts are triggered in the report object even if you disable alert notification. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 205 11 11 Scheduling Objects Setting the scheduling options Note: To enable alert notification, you must have the Email SMTP destination enabled and configured on the job servers. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. 1. To set alert notification In the Objects management area of the CMC, select a report object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Schedule tab, and then click the Alert Notification link. The Alert Notification page appears. 3. Select the Enable alert notification check box if you want to send an alert notification. 4. Select either Use the Job Server’s defaults or Set the values to be used at schedule time here. If you select the first option, BusinessObjects Enterprise will deliver the alert notification using the Job Server’s default settings. You can change these settings in the Servers management area. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. If you select the second option, you can specify the email settings in the software. 5. Type the URL for the viewer in which you want the email recipient to view the report. Alternatively, you can select the default viewer by clicking Use default. The viewer URL appears in the hyperlink that is sent in the alert notification email. You can set the default URL by clicking Object Settings on the main page of the objects management area of the CMC. For more information, see the developer documentation available on your product CD. Note: You must use World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) URL encoding when typing the viewer URL. For example, replace spaces in the path with %20. For more information, see http://www.w3.org/ 6. Type the maximum number of alert records to be included in the alert notification. The hyperlink in the alert notification displays a report page that contains the records that triggered the alert. Use this field to limit the number of records displayed. Tip: The Alert Name and Status fields are set in Crystal Reports. 7. 206 Click Update. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Setting the scheduling options Selecting a destination Using BusinessObjects Enterprise, you can configure an object or instance for output to a destination other than the default Output File Repository Server (FRS). When the system runs an object, it always stores the output instance on the Output FRS. Being able to choose an additional destination gives you the flexibility to deliver instances across your enterprise system or to destinations outside your enterprise system. For example, you can set an object to have its output automatically delivered by email to other users. Note: You can also configure object instances to be printed after they have been run. See “Setting printer and page layout options” on page 165. When you specify a destination other than “Default”, BusinessObjects Enterprise generates a unique name for the output file or files. To generate a file name, you can use a combination of ID, name or title of the object, owner information, or the date and time information. The following destinations are available: • • • • • Default destination support Unmanaged Disk destination support FTP support Email (SMTP) support Inbox support Note: You can change the destination setting for an object or instance either in the CMC or in InfoView. When you specify the destination settings through the CMC, these settings are also reflected in the default scheduling settings for InfoView. For most objects you can specify any of the available destinations. However, for object packages and Web Intelligence documents you cannot do this, because the recipients must have access to the BusinessObjects Enterprise system to be able to open these types of objects. For example, you cannot specify Unmanaged Disk as a destination for a Web Intelligence document. The following table summarizes which destinations you can configure for which types of objects. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 207 11 11 Scheduling Objects Setting the scheduling options Table 11-4: Object types and destinations Object type Unm. DIsk Email (SMTP) Inbox FTP File Link File Link Report - - - - - - Object Package No No No No - - Program - - - - - - Web Intelligence document No No No - - - Desktop Intelligence document - - - - - - Default destination support By default, object instances are saved to the Output File Repository Server (FRS). If you want to save instances to the FRS only and not to any other destinations, select that option. 1. To set your destination to default In the Objects management area of the CMC, select an object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Schedule tab, then click the Destination link. The Destination page appears. 3. Select Default from the Destination list. 4. Click Update. Unmanaged Disk destination support When scheduling objects, you can configure the objects for output to an unmanaged disk. In that case, the system will save an output instance to both the Output File Repository Server and the specified destination. If the object is a Web Intelligence document or an object package, you cannot specify Unmanaged Disk as a destination. However, for an object package you can configure the individual objects in the object package for output to Unmanaged Disk. Note: To use a destination, you must have the destination enabled and configured on the job servers. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. 208 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Setting the scheduling options Note: The location must be a local or mapped directory on the processing server. For servers using Windows, the location can also be a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path. Note: The processing server must have sufficient rights to the specified location. 1. To set your destination to unmanaged disk In the Objects management area of the CMC, select an object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Schedule tab, then click the Destination link. The Destination page appears. 3. Select Unmanaged Disk from the Destination list. 4. If you want, select the Clean up instance after scheduling option. When that option is selected, the system automatically deletes the report or program instance from the Output File Repository Server to keep the number of instances on the server to a minimum. 5. Select either Use the Job Server’s defaults or Set the values to be used at schedule time here. Note: You can change the default Job Server settings in the Servers management area of the CMC. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. • Table 11-5: File name properties for scheduled objects summarizes the file name properties and user information you can set to be used at schedule time Note: You can specify a user name and password only for servers using Windows. 6. Click Update. Table 11-5: File name properties for scheduled objects . File name property Description Destination directory Type a local location, mapped location, or a UNC path. Default File Name (randomly generated) Select this option if you want BusinessObjects Enterprise to generate a random file name. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 209 11 11 Scheduling Objects Setting the scheduling options File name property Description Specified File Name Select this option if you want to specify a file name—you can also add a variable to the file name. To add a variable, choose a placeholder for a variable property from the list and click Add. When the instance is run, the variable will be replaced with the specified information from the instance. For example, if you add the variable “Owner,” when you schedule an object, its file name will include the object owner’s name. User Name Specify a user who has permission to write files to the destination directory. Password Type the password for the user. FTP support When scheduling objects, you can configure the objects for output to a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server. To connect to the FTP server, you must specify a user who has the necessary rights to upload files to the server. If you specify an FTP destination, the system will save an output instance to both the Output File Repository Server and the specified destination. If the object is a Web Intelligence document or an object package, you cannot specify FTP as a destination. However, for an object package you can configure the individual objects in the object package for output to FTP. Note: To use a destination, you must have the destination enabled and configured on the job servers. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. 1. To set an FTP server as the destination In the Objects management area of the CMC, select an object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Schedule tab, then click the Destination link. The Destination tab appears. 3. Select FTP from the Destination list. 4. If you want, select the Clean up instance after scheduling option. When that option is selected, the system automatically deletes the report or program instance from the Output File Repository Server to keep the number of instances on the server to a minimum. 5. 210 Select either Use the Job Server’s defaults or Set the values to be used at schedule time here. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Setting the scheduling options If you select the first option, BusinessObjects Enterprise will schedule an object using the Job Server’s default settings. You can change these settings in the Servers management area. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. If you select the second option, you can set the FTP and file name properties: • Host Enter the FTP host information. • Port Enter the FTP port number (the default is 21). • FTP User Name Specify a user who has the necessary rights to upload an object to the FTP server. • FTP Password Enter the user’s password. • Account Enter the FTP account information, if required. Account is part of the standard FTP protocol, but it is rarely implemented. Provide the appropriate account only if your FTP server requires it. • Destination Directory Enter the FTP directory that you want the object to be saved to. • Default File Name (randomly generated) Select this option if you want BusinessObjects Enterprise to generate a random file name. • Specified File Name Select this option if you want to enter a file name—you can also add a variable to the file name. To add a variable, choose a placeholder for a variable property from the list and click Add. 6. Click Update. Email (SMTP) support With Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) mail support, you can choose to send the instances of an object, for example, a report instance, to one or more email destinations. After it has run the object, the system will send a copy of the output instance as an attachment to the email addresses you specified. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 211 11 11 Scheduling Objects Setting the scheduling options When you select the Email (SMTP) destination, the system will save the instance to the Output File Repository Server as well as email it to the specified destinations. BusinessObjects Enterprise supports Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) encoding. Note: To use a destination, you must have the destination enabled and configured on the job servers. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. Note: If the object is a Web Intelligence document, you cannot specify Email (SMTP) as a destination. 1. To send an object by email In the Objects management area of the CMC, select an object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Schedule tab, then click the Destination link. The Destination page appears. 3. Select Email (SMTP) from the Destination list. 4. If you want, select the Clean up instance after scheduling option. When that option is selected, the system automatically deletes the report or program instance from the Output File Repository Server to keep the number of instances on the server to a minimum. 5. Select either Use the Job Server’s defaults or Set the values to be used at schedule time here. If you select the first option, BusinessObjects Enterprise will schedule an object using the Job Server’s default settings. You can change these settings in the Servers management area. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. If you select the second option, you can specify the email settings and the file name properties 6. Click Update. Table 11-6: Email settings for scheduled objects : 212 Field Instruction From Type a return address To Type an address to which you want the object to be sent. If you want to send the object to multiple addresses, use semicolons to separate them. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Setting the scheduling options Field Instruction Cc Type an address to which you want to send a copy of the object. If you want to send the object to multiple addresses, use semicolons to separate them. Subject Complete the Subject field. Add placeholder for a variable property Select Title, ID, Owner, or DateTime, and click Add, to create a placeholder in the subject for the property that you selected. Message Type a short message, if required. Attach object instance to email message Clear this check box if you do not want a copy of the instance attached to the email. Default File Name (randomly generated) Select this option if you want BusinessObjects Enterprise to generate a random file name. Specified File Name Select this option if you want to enter a file name—you can also add a variable to the file name. To add a variable, choose a placeholder for a variable property from the list and click Add. Inbox support When scheduling objects, you can configure objects for output to the inboxes of users. In this case, the system will save the instance to both the Output File Repository Server and the inboxes you specified. Instead of sending the actual file to the inboxes, you can choose to send a shortcut. Note: To use a destination, you must have the destination enabled and configured on the job servers. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. 1. To send an object to inboxes In the Objects management area of the CMC, select an object by clicking its link. 2. Click the Schedule tab, then click the Destination link. The Destination tab appears. 3. Select Inbox from the Destination list. 4. If you want, select the Clean up instance after scheduling option. When that option is selected, the system automatically deletes the report or program instance from the Output File Repository Server to keep the number of instances on the server to a minimum. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 213 11 11 Scheduling Objects Setting the scheduling options 5. Select the processing option that you want: • Use the Job Server’s defaults • BusinessObjects Enterprise will schedule the object with the job server’s default settings. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. Set the values to be used at schedule time here BusinessObjects Enterprise will schedule the object with the parameters you specify. 6. If you selected “Set the values to be used at schedule time here,” set the parameters for that option, otherwise skip this step: Send Document as • Shortcut: The system will send a shortcut to the instance, rather than send a copy of the instance itself. • Copy: The system will send a copy of the instance. Send List Click Add/Remove, and specify the groups to receive the instance. Tip: Select Add Users to add users to the list. Tip: Select Remove Users to remove users from the list. 7. Click OK. 8. Click Update. Choosing a format You can select the format that the document or report instance will be saved in when it is generated. This format will be saved to the destination you have selected. For more information on destinations, see “Selecting a destination” on page 207. You can select from the formats summarized in Table 11-7: Instance formats. 214 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Setting the scheduling options Table 11-7: Instance formats : Product Format Notes Web Intelligence • • • Web Intelligence • For Excel, Paginated Text, Tab-separated Values, and Character-separated Values, you specify certain formatting properties for the report. For example, if you select Characterseparated Values, you can enter characters for the separator and delimiter; you can also select the two check boxes: “Same number formats as in report” and “Same date formats as in report.” • • • Desktop Intelligence • If you choose to print the report when it is scheduled (by checking the “Print in Crystal Reports format using the selected printer when scheduling” check box on the Print Setup page), the report instance is automatically sent to the printer in Crystal Reports format. This does not conflict with the format you select when scheduling the report. • • • Crystal Reports • The difference between Excel and Excel (Data only) is that Excel attempts to preserve the look and feel of your original report, while Excel (Data only) saves only the data, with each cell representing a field. The Tab-separated Values format places a tab character between values; the Characterseparated Values format places a specified character between values. Each of these two formats produce data lists. In contrast, the Tab-separated Text format attempts to preserve the formatting of the report. Desktop Intelligence Crystal Reports • • • • • • • • Microsoft Excel Adobe PDF Microsoft Excel Adobe PDF Microsoft Excel Microsoft Excel (Data Only) Microsoft Word (RTF) Rich Text Editable Rich Text Plain Text Paginated Text Tab-separated Text • Tab-separated Values Character-separated Values 1. To select a format for the report In the Objects management area of the CMC, select a report object by clicking its link. 2. On the Schedule tab, click the Format link. The Format page appears. 3. Select a format from the Format list. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 215 11 11 Scheduling Objects Setting the scheduling options 4. Complete any fields that appear below the list and select (where appropriate) the check boxes that appear. 5. Click Update. Selecting cache options for Web Intelligence documents When the system runs a scheduled Web Intelligence document it stores the the instance it generates on the Output File Repository Server. In addition, you can choose to have the system cache the report on the Web Intelligence Report Server by selecting a cache format for the document. If you don’t select a cache format, then the system won’t cache the document when it runs the document. Note: To select a cache option, the format you specified on the Schedule tab for the object must be Web Intelligence. If you select a different format, the Cache Options link is disabled for the object. 1. To select a cache format for Web Intelligence documents In the Objects management area of the CMC, select Web Intelligence object by clicking its link. 2. On the Schedule tab, click the Caching Options link. 3. Select the format you want. 4. Select the locale(s) with which to pre-load the cache. The Caching Options page appears. When you schedule the document, BusinessObjects Enterprise generates cached versions of the document in the locale(s) that you specify. 5. Click Update. Scheduling an object for a user or group The Schedule For feature allows you to generate reports that contain data for specific users only. It is intended to be used for either of the following types of objects: • • Crystal reports that are based on Business Views Web Intelligence documents that use Universes Using the Schedule For feature you can schedule an object and specify for which users you want the system to run the object. The system will run the object and generate multiple instances of the report or document. Each instance will contain data that is relevant to the individual user only. 216 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Managing instances For example, you can schedule a sales report and on the Schedule For page you can specify the users names for all your sales representatives. At the specified time, the system runs the report object and generates the individual report instances. Each instance would contain sales information for the individual sales representative only. 1. To change the Schedule For settings for an object In the Objects management area of the CMC, select a report object by clicking its link. 2. On the Schedule tab, click the Schedule For link. The Schedule For page appears. 3. Select who you want to schedule the object for. • • Schedule only for myself Schedule for specified users and user groups 4. If you selected Schedule for specified users and user groups, click Add/Remove. 5. Select one or more users or groups and add them to the “Groups to be added to the scheduling list” by using the arrow buttons. Tip: Select Add Users to add users to the list. Tip: Select Remove Users to remove users from the list. 6. Click Update. Managing instances To view or manage instances, go to the History page for the object. That page lists the scheduled instances and the output instances for an object: • Scheduled instances will have a status of Recurring or Pending. The system has not yet run these instances, and the instances do not contain any data yet. • Output instances, that is, actual report or program instances, will have a status of Success or Failed, which indicate whether they were run successfully: • • A report instance contains actual report data. A program instance stores the program’s standard out and standard error in a text output file. From the History page, you can also choose to delete, run, pause, and refresh instances. See “Managing and viewing the history of instances” on page 218. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 217 11 11 Scheduling Objects Managing instances To manage storage space, it is good practice to limit the number of possible instances for an object, or to provide a time limit for the instances. See “Setting instance limits for an object” on page 220. Managing and viewing the history of instances The History page displays all of the instances for a selected object. The Instance Time column displays the title of the instances and the date of the last update for each instance. The Status column displays the status of each instance. The Run By column indicates which user scheduled the instance. For report objects, the Format column displays which format the report is, or will be stored in and the Parameters column indicates what parameters were or will be used for each instance. For program objects, the Arguments column lists the command-line options that were or will be passed to the command line interface for each instance. BusinessObjects Enterprise creates instances from objects. That is, a report instance is created when a report object is scheduled and run by the Job Server. Essentially, a report instance is a report object that contains report data that is retrieved from one or more databases. Each instance contains data that is current at the time the report is processed. You can view specific report instances on the History page of the report object. BusinessObjects Enterprise creates a program instance each time that a program object is scheduled and run by the Program Job Server. Unlike report instances, which can be viewed in their completed format, program instances exist as records in the object history. BusinessObjects Enterprise stores the program’s standard output and standard error in a text output file. This file appears when you click a program instance in the object History. Managing instances includes the following tasks: • • • Viewing an instance Pausing or resuming an instance Deleting an instance For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. 1. To manage instances In the Objects management area of the CMC, select an object by clicking its link. 2. Click the History tab. 3. Select an instance or instances by selecting the appropriate check boxes. The History tab appears. To select all instances, click the check box in the column heading. 218 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Managing instances Note: To refresh the list, click Refresh. In this case you don’t need to select an instance first. 4. Click either Run Now, Pause, Resume, Send to, or Delete. If you click Run Now, the system schedules the object to be run immediately. The scheduled job will have a status of Pending. For information about the Send to button, see “Sending an object or instance” on page 150. Viewing an instance 1. To view an instance Select a object in the Objects management area of the CMC. 2. Click the History tab. The History page appears. 3. In the Instance Time column, click the instance you want to view. You can also use the Instance Manager tool to view a list of instances by status or by user. Access the Instance Manager by clicking its link in the Administrative Tools area of the BusinessObjects Enterprise Administration Launchpad. Pausing or resuming an instance You can pause and then resume an instance as needed. Pause and resume can be applied to scheduled instances only (that is, instances that have a status of Recurring or Pending). For example, if a job server is down for maintenance reasons, you may want to pause a scheduled instance. This prevents the system from running the object, and the object from failing because the job server is not running. When the job server is running again, you can resume the scheduled object. 1. To pause an instance Go to the History page for an object. 2. Select the check box for the scheduled instance you want to pause. 3. Click Pause. 1. To resume a paused instance Go to the History page for an object. 2. Select the check box for the scheduled instance you want to resume. 3. Click Resume. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 219 11 11 Scheduling Objects Managing instances Deleting an instance You can delete instances from an object as needed. You can delete both scheduled instances, which have a status of recurring or pending, and report or program instances, which have a status of success of failed. 1. To delete an instance Go to the History page for an object. 2. Select the check box for the instance or instances you want to delete. 3. Click Delete. Setting instance limits for an object In the Limits page, you can set the limits for the selected object and its instances. You set limits to automate regular clean-ups of old BusinessObjects Enterprise content. At the object level, you can limit the number of instances that remain on the system for the object or for each user or group; you can also limit the number of days that an instance remains on the system for a user or group. In addition to setting the limits for the objects from the Objects management area, you can also set limits at the folder level. When you set limits at the folder level, these limits will be in effect for all objects that reside within the folder (including any objects found within the subfolders). For information on setting folder limits, see “Setting limits for folders, users, and groups” on page 245. Note: When you set the limits at the object level, the object limits will override the limits set for the folder; that is, the object will not inherit the limits of the folder. 1. To set limits for instances In the Objects management area of the CMC, select an object by clicking its link. 2. On the History tab, click the Limits link. The Limits page appears. 3. Make your settings according to the types of limits you want to set for your instances. The options are as follows: • Delete excess instances when there are more than N instances of an object To limit the number of instances per object, select this check box. Then, type the maximum number of instances that you want to remain on the system. (The default value is 100.) 220 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Using Calendars • Delete excess instances for the following users/groups To limit the number of instances for users or groups, click Add/ Remove in this area. Select from the available users and groups and click OK. Then, type the maximum number of instances in the Instance Limit column. (The default value is 100.) • Delete instances after N days for the following users/groups To limit the number of days that instances are saved for users or groups, click Add/Remove in this area. Select from the available users and groups and click OK. Then, type the maximum age of instances in the Maximum Days column. (The default value is 100.) 4. Click Update. Using Calendars This section describes how to create calendars and how you can use them when scheduling objects. This section covers the following topics: • • • • • Calendars overview Creating calendars Adding dates to a calendar Deleting calendars Specifying calendar rights For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Calendars overview Calendars make it easy for you to schedule complex recurring jobs efficiently. A calendar is a customized list of run dates for scheduled jobs. When users schedule objects, they can use a calendar to run the job on a predefined set of dates. By providing calendars for your users, you can create more complex processing schedules than you can with the standard scheduling options. Calendars are particularly useful when you want to run a recurring job on an irregular schedule, or if you want to provide users with sets of regular scheduling dates to choose from. Calendars also allow you to create more complex processing schedules, combining unique scheduling dates with recurring ones. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 221 11 11 Scheduling Objects Using Calendars For example, if you want a report object to run every business day except for your country’s statutory holidays, you can create a calendar with the holidays marked as “non-run” days, on which the report object cannot be run. BusinessObjects Enterprise will run the job every day you have specified as a “run” day in your calendar. You can set up as many calendars as you want in BusinessObjects Enterprise. Calendars you create appear in the Calendar selection list available when you choose to schedule an object using a calendar. When you apply the calendar to a job, BusinessObjects Enterprise runs the job on the run dates as scheduled. You can apply calendars to any object that can be scheduled, including report objects, program objects, and object packages. Creating calendars In the CMC, go to the Calendars management area to create new calendars and to modify existing calendars. To create a calendar, you need to provide a name and description. When the calendar is created, you can add run dates to it using the Dates tab. Tip: It is good practice to create a calendar for users to use as a template for creating new calendars. They can copy this template calendar and modify it as necessary. For example, you can create a default Weekdays calendar that includes all days as run dates except weekends and company holidays. 1. To create a calendar Go to the Calendars management area of the CMC. 2. Click New Calendar. 3. On the Properties tab, type a name and description for the new calendar. 4. Click OK. The new calendar is added to the system, and its Properties tab is refreshed. You can now use the Dates tab to add run dates to this calendar. For details, see “Adding dates to a calendar” on page 222. Adding dates to a calendar You can add dates to a calendar using a number of different formats. You can choose specific dates using a yearly, quarterly, or monthly view of the calendar, or you can choose recurring dates using general formats based on the day of the month or week. See “Recurring dates” on page 225. 222 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Using Calendars 1. To add dates to a calendar Go to the Calendars management area of the CMC. 2. Click the link for the calendar you want to change. 3. Click the Dates tab. 4. In the “Select a calendar displaying format” list, choose from one of the five calendar format options. For descriptions of the calendar format options see: • • • 5. Calendar format options Specific dates Recurring dates Click the days of the month that you want to include as run days for the calendar. To remove a run day, click the day again. Tip: For the Monthly and Generic Monthly, by Day of Week formats, you can select multiple dates at once by clicking the row or column headings. 6. To add the new dates to the calendar, click Update. If you added dates using a generic format, the Yearly format will automatically appear, displaying the new dates. Note: When you change an existing calendar, BusinessObjects Enterprise checks all currently scheduled instances in your system. Objects that use the edited calendar are automatically updated to run on the revised date schedule. Calendar format options Table 11-8: Calendar format options Calendar format option Description Yearly Yearly displays the calendar’s run dates for the year. To change the year displayed, you can click the Previous Year and Next Year buttons. To add a date from the Yearly format, click a month to open it in Monthly format, where you can add run dates to specific days. Quarterly Quarterly displays the calendar’s run dates for the current calendar quarter. You can change the displayed quarter using the Previous Quarter and Next Quarter buttons. To add a date from the Quarterly format, click a month to open it in Monthly format, where you can add run dates to specific days. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 223 11 11 Scheduling Objects Using Calendars Calendar format option Description Monthly Monthly displays the calendar’s run dates for the current month. You can change the displayed month using the Previous Month and Next Month buttons. Generic Monthly, by Day of Week Generic Monthly, by Day of Week allows you to add general recurring dates based on the day of the week. The dates are applied to the months specified between the Start and End Dates. Week 1 starts on the Sunday of the week of the Start Date you specify. Note that this format does not display the currently selected dates from the calendar; it only allows you to add new dates and update the schedule. Generic Monthly, by Day of Month Generic Monthly, by Day of Month allows you to add general recurring dates based on the day of the month. The dates are applied to the months specified between the Start and End Dates. This format allows you to add new dates and update the schedule; it does not display currently selected dates from the calendar. Specific dates To add a specific date to a calendar, use the Yearly, Quarterly, and Monthly formats to add dates to the calendars. The Yearly format displays the run schedule for the entire year. The Quarterly format displays the run dates for the current quarter. You can also view the Monthly format for the calendar, which displays the run dates for the current month. In all three formats, you can change the displayed time range by clicking the previous and next buttons. You can add specific dates in the Monthly calendar format. To add dates for the Yearly and Quarterly calendar formats, click a month to open it in the Monthly format, where you can select specific days as run dates. 224 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Using Calendars Figure 11-1 :Irregular calendar example For example, if your company ships products according to an irregular schedule that cannot be defined using the daily or weekly settings, you can create a list of these dates in a “Shipping dates” calendar. The Shipping department can now check the inventory after each shipment by scheduling a report that uses the calendar to run at the end of each shipping day. Recurring dates To create a recurring pattern of monthly run dates, use the generic Monthly formats. You can add the generic dates based on the day of the week or the day of the month. To view existing run dates, you must use the Yearly, Quarterly, or Monthly format; the generic formats are used to add dates to the calendar. Although you can set a recurring schedule using the standard scheduling options, calendars allow you to specify several different recurring run patterns at once. You can also run instances on dates that do not follow the pattern by adding individual days to a calendar. For example, to schedule a report object to run on the first four days of every month, and on the second and fourth Friday of every month, first create a new calendar object and name it. Then, use the Generic Monthly, by Day of Month format to add the first four days of the month to this calendar. When you update the calendar, the Yearly format appears with the new run dates. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 225 11 11 Scheduling Objects Using Calendars Figure 11-2 :Recurring dates calendar example 1 To add every second and fourth Friday to the calendar, use the Generic Monthly, by Day of Week format. 226 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Using Calendars Figure 11-3 :Recurring dates calendar example 2 Deleting calendars When you delete a calendar, any objects that are scheduled according to the deleted calendar will be run one more time by the system. After that, the system won’t be able to schedule the objects again, because the calendar no longer exists. To ensure the objects continue to be run, change the scheduling information for the objects either by selecting a different calendar or a different recurrence pattern. For more information, see “Scheduling objects” on page 198. 1. To delete a calendar Go to the Calendars management area of the CMC. 2. Select the check box associated with the calendar you want to delete. Tip: Select multiple check boxes to delete several calendars. 3. Click Delete, and click OK to confirm. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 227 11 11 Scheduling Objects Managing events Specifying calendar rights You can grant or deny users and groups access to calendars. Depending how you organize your calendars, you may have specific sets of dates that you want to be available only for certain employees or departments. For example, your finance team may use a series of financial tracking dates that aren’t useful for other departments. Users will be able to see only the calendars they have the rights to see, so you can use rights to hide calendars that aren’t applicable to a particular group. Follow this procedure to change the rights for a calendar. By default, calendars are based on current security settings, inheriting rights from the users’ parent folders. 1. To grant access to a calendar Go to the Calendars management area of the CMC. 2. Select the calendar you want to grant access to. 3. Click the Rights tab. 4. Click Add/Remove to add users or groups that you want to give access to the selected calendar. The Add/Remove page appears. 5. In the Select Operation list, select Add/Remove Groups, Add Users, or Remove Users. 6. Select the user or group you want to grant access to the specified calendar. If you have many users on your system, select the Add Users operation; then use the “Look for” field to search for a particular account. 7. Click OK. 8. On the Rights tab, change the Access Level for each user or group, as required. 9. To choose specific rights, choose Advanced. 10. Click Update. Managing events This section provides information on creating and managing events. It describes file-based events, custom events, and schedule-based events. This section covers the following topics: • 228 Managing events BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Managing events • • • • File-based events Schedule-based events Custom events Specifying event rights For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Managing events overview Event-based scheduling provides you with additional control over scheduling objects: you can set up events so that objects are processed only after a specified event occurs. Working with events consists of two steps: creating an event and scheduling an object with events. That is, once you create an event, you can select it as a dependency when you schedule an object. The scheduled job is then processed only when the event occurs. This section shows how to create events in the Events management area of the CMC (CMC). You can create three kinds of events: • File events When you define a file-based event, you specify a filename that the Event Server should monitor for a particular file. When the file appears, the Event Server triggers the event. For instance, you might want to make some reports dependent upon the regular file output of other programs or scripts. For details, see “File-based events” on page 230. • Schedule events When you define a schedule-based event, you select an object whose existing recurrence schedule will serve as the trigger for your event. In this way, schedule-based events allow you to set up contingencies or conditions between scheduled objects. For instance, you might want certain large reports to run sequentially, or you might want a particular sales summary report to run only when a detailed sales report runs successfully. For details, see “Schedule-based events” on page 231. • Custom events When you create a custom event, you create a shortcut for triggering an event manually. Basically, your custom event occurs only when you or another administrator clicks the corresponding “Trigger this event” button in the CMC. For details, see “Custom events” on page 232. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 229 11 11 Scheduling Objects Managing events When working with events, keep in mind that an object’s recurrence schedule still determines how frequently the object runs. For instance, a daily report that is dependent upon a file-based event will run, at most, once a day (so long as the file that you specify appears every day). In addition, the event must occur within the time frame established when you actually schedule the event-based report. Note: For information on scheduling an event-based object in the Objects management area of the CMC, see “Scheduling an object with events” on page 200. File-based events File-based events wait for a particular file (the trigger) to appear before the event occurs. Before scheduling an object that waits for a file-based event to occur, you must first create the file-based event in the Events management area of the Central Management System (CMC). Then, you can schedule the object and select this event. For more information on scheduling an object with events, see “Scheduling an object with events” on page 200. File-based events are monitored by the Event Server. When the file that you specify appears, the Event Server triggers the event. The CMS then releases any schedule requests that are dependent on the event. For instance, suppose that you want your daily reports to run after your database analysis program has finished and written its automatic log file. To do this, you specify the log file in your file-based event, and then schedule your daily reports with this event as a dependency. When the log file appears, the event is triggered and the reports are processed. Note: If the file already exists prior to the creation of the event, the event is not triggered. In this case, the event is triggered only when the file is removed and then recreated. If you want an event to be triggered multiple times, you must remove and recreate the file each time. 1. To create a file-based event Go to the Events management area of the CMC. 2. Click New Event. The New Event page appears. 230 3. In the Type list, select File. 4. Type a name for the event in the Event Name field. 5. Complete the Description field. 6. In the Server list, select the Event Server that will monitor the specified file. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Managing events 7. Type a filename in the Filename field. Note: Type the absolute path to the file that the Event Server should look for (for example, C:\folder\filename, or /home/folder/filename). The drive and directory that you specify must be visible to the Event Server. Ideally, the directory should be on a local drive. 8. Click OK. Schedule-based events Schedule-based events are dependent upon scheduled objects. That is, a schedule-based event is triggered when a particular object has been processed. When you create this type of event, it can be based on the success or failure of a scheduled object, or it can be based simply on the completion of the job. Most importantly, you must associate your schedule-based event with at least two scheduled objects. The first object serves as the trigger for the event: when the object is processed, the event occurs. The second object is dependent upon the event: when the event occurs, this second object runs. For more information on scheduling objects with events, see “Scheduling an object with events” on page 200. For instance, suppose that you want report objects R1 and R2 to run after program object P1 runs. To do this, you create a schedule-based event in the Events management area. You specify the “Success” option for the event, which means that the event is triggered only when program P1 runs successfully. Then, you schedule reports R1 and R2 with events, and select your new schedule-based event as the dependency. Schedule program P1 with events, and set program P1 to trigger the schedule-based event upon successful completion. Now, when program P1 runs successfully, the schedule-based event is triggered, and reports R1 and R2 are subsequently processed. 1. To create a schedule-based event Go to the Events management area of the CMC. 2. Click New Event. The New Event page appears. 3. In the Type list, select Schedule. 4. Type a name for the event in the Event Name field. 5. Complete the Description field. 6. In the “Event based on” area, select from three options summarized by Table 11-9: Event status. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 231 11 11 Scheduling Objects Managing events 7. Click OK. Table 11-9: Event status . Event status Description Success The event is triggered only upon successful completion of a specified object. Failure The event is triggered only upon non-successful completion of a specified object. Success or Failure The event is triggered only upon non-successful completion of a specified object. Custom events A custom event occurs only when you explicitly click its “Trigger this event” button. As with all other events, an object based on a custom event runs only when the event is triggered within the time frame established by the object’s schedule parameters. Custom events are useful because they allow you to set up a shortcut that, when clicked, triggers any dependent schedule requests. Tip: When developing your own web applications, you can trigger Custom events from within your own code, as required. For more information, see the developer documentation available on your product CD. For instance, you may have a scenario where you want to schedule a number of reports, but you want to run them after you have updated information in your database. To do this, create a new custom event, and schedule the reports with that event. When you update the data in the database and you need to run the reports, return to the event in the CMC and trigger it manually. BusinessObjects Enterprise then runs the reports. For more information on event-based scheduling, see “Scheduling an object with events” on page 200. Note: You can trigger a custom event multiple times. For example, you might schedule two sets of event-based program objects to run daily—one set runs in the morning, and one set runs in the afternoon. When you first trigger the related custom event in the morning, one set of programs is run; when you trigger the event again in the afternoon, the remaining set of programs is run. If you neglect to trigger the event in the morning and trigger it only in the afternoon, both sets of programs run at that time. 232 1. To create a custom event Go to the Events management area of the CMC. 2. Click New Event. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Scheduling Objects Managing events 3. In the Type list, select Custom. 4. Type a name for the event in the Event Name field. 5. Complete the Description field. 6. Click OK. Note: Before you trigger this custom event, schedule an object that is dependent upon this event. 1. To trigger a custom event Go to the Events management area of the CMC. 2. In the Event Name column, select a custom event by clicking its link. 3. Click Trigger this event. A message appears: “This event has been triggered.” Specifying event rights You can grant or deny users and groups access to events. Depending how you organize your events, you may have specific events that you want to be available only for certain employees or departments. For example, you may want certain events to be triggered only by management or IT. Users will only be able to see events they have the rights to see, so you can use rights to hide events that aren’t applicable to a particular group. For example, by granting only the ITadmin group access to IT-related events, those events won’t appear for a user from the HRadmin group; this makes the event list easier for the HRadmin group to navigate. Follow this procedure to change the rights for an event. By default, events are based on current security settings, inheriting rights from the users’ parent folders. 1. To grant access to an event Go to the Events management area of the CMC. 2. Select the event you want to grant access to. 3. Click Rights. 4. Click Add/Remove to add users or groups that you want to give access to the event. The Add/Remove page appears. 5. In the Select Operation list, select Add/Remove Groups, Add Users, or Remove Users. 6. Select the user or group you want to grant access to the specified event. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 233 11 11 Scheduling Objects Managing events 7. If you have many users on your system, select the Add Users operation; then use the “Look For” field to search for a particular account. 8. Click OK. 9. Change the Access Level for each user or group, as required. Tip: To choose specific rights, select Advanced in the Access Level column, and click Advanced in the Net Access column. For complete details on the predefined access levels and advanced rights, see Chapter 4: Setting Rights. 10. Click Update. 234 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide chapter Organizing Objects 12 Organizing Objects Overview Overview This section describes basic administration tasks for organizing your files. It shows how to add folders and categories, and how to change settings, such as object rights and limits for new folders and categories, and make some common changes to the system’s default security settings. This section covers the following topics: • • • Organizing objects overview Working with folders Working with categories For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Organizing objects overview Creating an intuitive and logical organizational structure is the key to ensuring that your users can find the information they need quickly and easily. BusinessObjects Enterprise provides two methods for organizing content: folders and categories. By using folders and categories, and setting appropriate rights for them, you can organize data according to multiple criteria and improve both security and navigation. About folders Folders are objects used to organize documents. You can use folders to separate content into logical groups. Because you can set security at the folder level, you can use folders as a tool for controlling access to information. It’s good practice to set up folders that represent a structure that already exists in your organization, such as departments, regions, or even your database table structure. Then use categories to set up an alternate system of organization. Then use cat Each object in BusinessObjects Enterprise must reside in a folder. By default, new objects that you add to a folder inherit the object rights that are specified for the folder. About categories Categories provide an alternative way of organizing objects, and therefore an alternative way for users to navigate to them. For example, you could organize your content into departmental folders, and then use categories to 236 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Organizing Objects Working with folders create an alternate filing system that divides content according to different roles in your organization, such as managers or VPs. This organizational model allows you set security on groups of documents based on department or job role. There are two types of categories: corporate and personal. Corporate categories are created and administrated by administers with the appropriate rights, and are only visible to groups and users who have the rights to view them; personal categories are created by individual users, and are only visible to themselves. While all objects must reside in folders, category assignment is optional; therefore, it is important to note that: • While you can assign rights to a category as an object (that is, grant groups and users rights to it), the objects within the category cannot inherit rights set on the category itself. • • An object in a category retains its affiliation with the folder it resides in. An object can reside in multiple categories. Working with folders Folders are objects used to organize documents. You can use folders to separate content into logical groups. Because you can set security at the folder level, you can use folders as a tool for controlling access to information. This section covers the following topics: • • • • • • Creating and deleting folders Copying and moving folders Adding a new object to a folder Specifying folder rights Setting limits for folders, users, and groups Managing user folders For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Creating and deleting folders There are several ways to create new folders in BusinessObjects Enterprise. In the Central Management Console (CMC), go to the Folders management area to create new folders and to add subfolders to the existing hierarchy of folder objects. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 237 12 12 Organizing Objects Working with folders Tip: When you publish local directories and subdirectories of reports with the Publishing Wizard, you can duplicate your local directory structure on the BusinessObjects Enterprise system. This method provides you with an efficient way of creating multiple folders and subfolders at the same time. For details, see “Publishing overview” on page 254. This section includes procedures which show how: • • • To create a new folder To create a new subfolder To delete folders For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Creating a new folder This procedure shows how to create a new folder at the top of your folder hierarchy. Folders created in this way are, in effect, subfolders of the top-level (or root) BusinessObjects Enterprise folder. 1. To create a new folder Go to the Folders management area of the CMC. 2. Click New Folder. 3. On the Properties tab, type the name, description, and keywords of the new folder. 4. Click OK. The new folder is added to the system, and its Properties tab is refreshed. You can now use the Objects, Subfolders, Limits, and Rights tabs to add objects and to change settings for this folder. Creating a new subfolder at any level 1. To create a new subfolder Go to the Folders management area of the CMC. The initial level of folders is displayed. 2. In the Title column, click the link to the folder where you want to add a subfolder. 3. Click the Subfolders tab. Tip: You can browse through existing subfolders to add a new folder elsewhere in the folder hierarchy. When you have found the right parent folder, go to its Subfolders tab. 238 4. Click New Folder. 5. On the Properties tab, type the name and description of the new folder. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Organizing Objects Working with folders 6. Click OK. The new folder is added to the system, and its Properties tab is refreshed. You can now use the Objects, Subfolders, Limits, and Rights tabs to add objects and to change settings for this folder. Deleting folders When you delete a folder, all subfolders, reports, and other objects contained within it are removed entirely from the system. 1. To delete folders Go to the Folders management area of the CMC. 2. Select the check box associated with the folder you want to delete. If the folder you want to delete is not at the top level, locate its parent folder. Then make your selection on the parent folder’s Subfolders tab. Tip: Select multiple check boxes to delete several folders from their parent folder. 3. Click Delete, and click OK to confirm. Copying and moving folders When you copy or move a folder, the objects contained within it are also copied or moved. BusinessObjects Enterprise treats the folder’s object rights differently, depending upon whether you copy or move the folder: • When you copy a folder, the newly created folder does not retain the object rights of the original. Instead, the copy inherits the object rights that are set on its new parent folder. For instance, if you copy a private Sales folder into a Public folder, the contents of the new Sales folder will be accessible to all users who have rights to the Public folder. • When you move a folder, all of the folder’s object rights are retained. For instance, if you move a private Sales folder into a publicly accessible folder, the Sales folder will remain inaccessible to most users. 1. 2. To copy or move a folder Go to the Folders management area of the CMC. Select the check box associated with the folder that you want to copy or move. If the folder you want to copy or move is not at the top level, locate its parent folder. Then make your selection on the parent folder’s Subfolders tab. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 239 12 12 Organizing Objects Working with folders Tip: Select multiple check boxes to copy or move several folders from their parent folder to a different folder. 3. Click Copy/Move. 4. Select the action to perform: • • 5. Copy to: Makes a copy of the folder. Move to: Moves the folder. Select the Destination folder from the list. Tip: If there are many folders on your system, use the “Look for” field to search, or click Previous, Next, and Show Subfolders to browse the folder hierarchy. 6. Click OK. The folder you selected is copied or moved, as requested, to the new destination. Adding a new object to a folder You can add objects individually to any folder in a number of ways. Follow this procedure to add a new object to a folder that you have just created. 1. To add a new object to a folder Once you’ve created the new folder, click its Objects tab. 2. Click New Object. The New Object page appears. Figure 12-1: New Object page 240 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Organizing Objects Working with folders 3. On the left side of the New Object page, click the type of object you want to add. 4. On the right side of the New Objects page, browse to select an existing object. 5. If you are adding an object package or a publication, you need to provide a title and description for the new object instead of selecting an existing one. 6. Ensure that the correct folder name appears in the Destination field. Tip: If there are many folders on your system, use the “Look for” field to search, or click Previous, Next, and Show Subfolders to browse the folder hierarchy. 7. If necessary, provide information for other properties. Some objects, such as program objects and report objects, require you to provide additional information for the required fields. For example, if you are adding a report, you can choose to display a thumbnail preview of the report in BusinessObjects Enterprise. Tip: To display thumbnails for a report, open the report in Crystal Reports and click Summary Info on the File menu. Select the “Save preview picture” check box and click OK. Preview the first page of the report and save your changes. If the report references objects in your BusinessObjects Enterprise Repository, select the Use Object Repository when refreshing report check box to update these objects now. For details about setting up the BusinessObjects Enterprise Repository, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. 8. Click Submit. The object is published to BusinessObjects Enterprise. Specifying folder rights Follow this procedure to change the object rights for a new folder that you have just created. By default, new objects that you add to a folder inherit the object rights that are specified for the folder. For complete information on object rights, see “Setting object rights” on page 144. 1. To specify rights for a new folder Once you’ve created the new folder, click its Rights tab. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 241 12 12 Organizing Objects Working with folders 2. Click Add/Remove to select the users or groups for whom you want to grant or deny rights to the folder. The Add/Remove page appears. 3. In the Select Operation list, select Add/Remove Groups, Add Users, or Remove Users. The page is refreshed and displays options that depend upon whether you are working with users or with groups. The example above shows the options that are available when you are working with groups. 4. Select the user or group whose rights you want to specify and click the arrows to specify whether the user or group has explicit rights to the folder. Tip: If you have many users on your system, select the Add Users operation; then use the “Look for” field to search for a particular account. 5. Click OK. You are returned to the Rights tab. 6. Change the Access Level for each user or group, as required. Note: For complete details on the predefined access levels and advanced rights, see “Setting object rights” on page 144. 7. Click Update. Folder rights Table 12-1: Rights set on the folder level The right to... Description General Add objects to the folder Allows users to add folders View objects Allows users to view folders Edit objects Allows users to edit folder properties Modify the rights users have to Allows users to modify any right, for any objects user on the folder(s) 242 Schedule the document to run Allows users to schedule documents in the folder Delete objects Allows users to delete folders Define server groups to process jobs Allows users to define server groups Delete instances Allows users to delete historical instances BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Organizing Objects Working with folders The right to... Description Copy objects to another folder Allows users to copy objects from another folder into a chosen folder they have access to Schedule to destinations Allows users to schedule to external destinations (for example, disk, printer…) View document instances Allows users to retrieve and view historical instances Pause and Resume document Allows users to pause and/or resume a instances scheduled object. Securely modify rights users have to objects Allows users to grant or deny for other users only the rights that they themselves have been granted on the folder object Reschedule instances Allows users to reschedule instances that have already run Schedule on behalf of other users Allows users to schedule on behalf of other users - used for report bursting View objects that the user owns Allows users to view folders they own Edit objects that the user owns Allows users to edit folders they own Modify the rights users have to Allows users to modify the rights other objects that the user owns users have on the objects they own Delete objects that the user owns Allows users to delete objects they own Delete instances that the user owns Allows users to delete any historical instances they own View document instances that the user owns Allows users to view historical instances they own Pause and Resume document Allows users to pause and/or resume a instances that the user owns scheduled object they own Securely modify rights users have to objects that the user owns. Allows users to grant or deny rights on the folder object. Applies only to the rights that they themselves have been granted on the folder object. Reschedule instances that the Allows users to reschedule instances that user owns have already run that they own Desktop Intelligence BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 243 12 12 Organizing Objects Working with folders The right to... Description Refresh the report’s data Allows users to refresh Desktop Intelligence report content Refresh List of Values Allows users to refresh the list of values associated with a Desktop Intelligence document Use Lists of Values Allows users to use list of values associated with a Desktop Intelligence document View SQL Allows users to see the SQL used to generate the Desktop Intelligence document content Export the report’s data Allows users to export the Desktop Intelligence document with data Download files associated with Allows users to download the template the object document (.rep, for example) Desktop Intelligence add in Download files associated with Allows users to download the object the object template document Desktop Intelligence template Download files associated with Allows users to download the object the object template document Report Print the report’s data Allows users to print report content Refresh the report’s data Allows users to refresh report content Export the report’s data Allows users to export report content Download files associated with Allows users to download the object source the report document (.rpt, for example) Text Allow discussion threads Allows discussion threads to be added to text object(s) Web Intelligence document 244 Refresh the report’s data Allows users to refresh the Web Intelligence report content Edit Query Allows users to edit the query used to generate the Web Intelligence report content BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Organizing Objects Working with folders The right to... Description Refresh List of Values Allows users to refresh the list of values associated with a Web Intelligence report Use Lists of Values Allows users to use the list of values associated with a Web Intelligence report View SQL Allows users to see the SQL used to generate the Web Intelligence report content Export the report’s data Allows users to export the Web Intelligence report with data Download files associated with Allows users to download the object the object template document (.wid file, for example) Setting access levels 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. To set an access level for a user or group Go to the Folders management area of the CMC. Locate the object whose rights you want to modify. Click the link to the object, and then click its Rights tab. In the Name column, locate the user or group whose rights you want to specify. If the user or group is not listed, click Add/Remove. Add the appropriate user or group and click OK. You are returned to the object’s Rights tab. In the Access Level column, select the access level (No Access, View, Schedule, View On Demand, or Full Control) that is appropriate for the user or group. Click Update. Setting limits for folders, users, and groups Limits allow you to delete report instances on a regular basis. You set limits to automate regular clean-ups of old BusinessObjects Enterprise content. Limits that you set on a folder affect all objects that are contained within the folder. At the folder level, you can limit the number of instances that remain on the system for each object or for each user or group; you can also limit the number of days that an instance remains on the system for a user or group. Follow this procedure to enforce default limits on a folder that you have just created. For more information on limits, see “Setting instance limits for an object” on page 220. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 245 12 12 Organizing Objects Working with folders 1. 2. To limit instances at the folder level Once you’ve created the new folder, click its Limits tab. Modify the available settings according to the types of instance limits that you want to implement, and click Update after each change. The available settings are: • Delete excess instances when there are more than N instances of an object To limit the number of instances per object, select this check box. Then type the maximum number of instances that you want to remain on the system. (The default value is 100.) • Delete excess instances for the following users/groups To limit the number of instances per user or group, click Add/Remove in this area. Select from the available users and groups and click OK. Then type the maximum number of instances in the Instance Limit column. (The default value is 100.) • Delete instances after N days for the following users/groups To limit the age of instances per user or group, click Add/Remove in this area. Select from the available users and groups and click OK. Then type the maximum age of instances in the Maximum Days column. (The default value is 100.) Managing user folders BusinessObjects Enterprise creates a folder for each user on the system. These folders are organized within the CMC as User Folders. By default, there are User Folders for the Administrator and Guest accounts. When you log on to the CMC and view the list of User Folders, you will see only those folders to which you have View access (or greater). Within InfoView, these folders are referred to as the Favorites folders. When a user logs on to BusinessObjects Enterprise, he or she is redirected immediately to his or her Favorites folder. (Users can change this default behavior by modifying their Preferences.) 246 1. To view the User Folders Go to the Folders management area of the CMC. 2. Click the User Folders link. 3. If it is not already displayed, click the Subfolders tab. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Organizing Objects Working with categories A list of subfolders appears. Each subfolder corresponds to a user account on the system. Unless you have View access (or greater) to a subfolder, it will not appear in the list. Working with categories Categories provide an alternate way to organize objects. You can associate documents with multiple categories, and you can create subcategories within categories. BusinessObjects Enterprise provides two types of categories: • Administrative (or corporate) categories are created by the administrator, or other users who have been granted access to these categories. If you have the appropriate rights, you can create administrative categories. • Personal categories can be created by each user to organize their own personal documents. This section covers the following topics: • • • • • • Creating and deleting categories Moving categories Adding an object to a new category Removing or deleting objects from a category Specifying category rights Managing personal categories For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Creating and deleting categories There are several ways to create new categories in BusinessObjects Enterprise. This section includes procedures which show you how: • • • To create a new category To create a new subcategory at any level To delete categories For faster navigation, click on the title of the procedure you are interested in. Creating a new category 1. To create a new category Go to the Categories management area of the CMC. 2. Click New Category. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 247 12 12 Organizing Objects Working with categories 3. On the Properties tab, type the name and description of the new category. 4. Click Update. The new category is added to the system, and its Properties tab is refreshed. You can now use the Objects, Subcategories, and Rights tabs to add objects and to change settings for this category. Creating a new subcategory at any level 1. To create a new subcategory at any level Go to the Categories management area of the CMC. The initial level of categories is displayed. 2. In the Title column, click the link for the category where you want to add a subcategory. 3. Click the Subcategories tab. Tip: You can browse through existing subcategories to add a new category elsewhere in the hierarchy. When you have found the right parent category, go to its Subcategories tab. 4. Click New Category. 5. On the Properties tab, type the name and description of the new folder. 6. Click Update. The new category is added to the system, and its Properties tab is refreshed. You can now use the Objects, Subcategories, and Rights tabs to add objects and to change settings for this category. Deleting categories When you delete a category, all subcategories within it are remove entirely from the system. Unlike folder deletion, the reports and other objects contained within the category are not deleted from the system. 1. To delete categories Go to the Categories management area of the CMC. 2. Select the check box associated with the category you want to delete. If the category you want to delete is not at the top level, locate its parent category. Then make your selection on the parent category’s Subcategories tab. Tip: Select multiple check boxes to delete several categories from their parent category. 248 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Organizing Objects Working with categories 3. Click Delete, and click OK to confirm. Moving categories When you move a category, any object assigned to the category maintains its association with it. All of the category’s object rights are retained. For example, you may have a South American Sales category that is accessible only by sales people in that region. You also have a World Sales category that contains worldwide sales reports needed by all sales people. For more intuitive organization, you want to move the region categories into the World Sales category. When you move the South American Sales category into the World Sales category, it retains its rights settings and associated objects, even though it has become a subcategory of the World Sales category. 1. To move a category Go to the Categories management area of the CMC. 2. Select the check box associated with the category that you want move. If the category you want to move is not at the top level, locate its parent category. Then make your selection on the parent category’s Subcategories tab. Tip: Select multiple check boxes to copy or move several categories from their parent category to a different category. 3. Click Move. 4. Select the Destination category from the list. The Move page appears. Tip: If there are many categories on your system, use the “Look for” field to search, or click Previous, Next, and Show Subcategories to browse the category hierarchy. 5. Click OK. The category you selected is moved to the new destination. Adding an object to a new category You can add objects individually to any category in a number of ways. Follow this procedure to add a report to a new category that you have just created. For complete information on publishing reports and other objects, see Chapter 13: Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise. 1. To add a report to a new category Once you’ve created the category, click its Objects tab. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 249 12 12 Organizing Objects Working with categories 2. Click New Object. The New Object page appears. Removing or deleting objects from a category You can either remove or delete objects from a category. When you remove an object, you remove it from the category only. When you delete an object, you remove it from the category and also delete it from the system. 1. To remove or delete objects from a category Go to the Categories or Personal Categories management area of the CMC. 2. Click the link for the category from which you want to remove or delete an object. 3. Click the Objects tab. 4. Select the check box for the object or objects you want to remove or delete. 5. Click either of the following buttons, depending on what you want to do: • Click Remove to remove the object from the category only. In this case, the object continues to exist in the system. • Click Delete to remove the object from the category and at the same time delete it from the system. Specifying category rights Follow this procedure to change the object rights for a new category that you have just created. By default, new objects that you add to a category inherit the object rights that are specified for the category. For complete information on object rights, see “Setting object rights” on page 144. 1. 2. To specify rights for a new category Once you’ve created the category, click its Rights tab. Click Add/Remove to select the groups or users that you want to have explicit rights (as opposed to inherited rights) to access the category. The Add/Remove page appears. 3. In the Select Operation list, select Add/Remove Groups, Add Users, or Remove Users. The page is refreshed and displays options that depend upon whether you are working with users or with groups. 250 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Organizing Objects Working with categories 4. Select the user or group whose rights you want to specify and click the arrows to specify whether the user or group has explicit rights to the category. Tip: If you have many users on your system, select the Add Users operation; then use the “Look for” field to search for a particular account. 5. Click OK. You are returned to the Rights tab. 6. For each added user or group, select the access level you want from the Access Level list. Note: For complete details on the predefined access levels and advanced rights, see Chapter 4: Setting Rights. 7. Click Update. Category rights Table 12-2: Rights that can be set on a category level The right to... Description Add objects to the folder Allows users to add categories View objects Allows users to view any category Edit objects Allows users to edit any category Modify the rights users have to Allows users to modify any right, for any objects user on the category object Delete objects Allows users to delete any category Copy objects to another folder Allows users to copy objects to other folders Securely modify rights users have to objects Allows users to grant or deny for other users only those rights they themselves have been granted on the category View objects that the user owns Allows users to view only the categories they own Edit objects that the user owns Allows users to edit only the categories they own Modify the rights users have to Allows users to modify any right for any objects that the user owns user, only on the category objects they own BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 251 12 12 Organizing Objects Working with categories The right to... Description Delete objects that the user owns Allows users to delete only the categories they own Securely modify rights users have to objects that the user owns Allows users to grant or deny for other users on the category object only those rights that they themselves have been granted for categories they own Managing personal categories If you are granted the appropriate rights, you can view, edit, and delete users’ personal categories. For more information, see Chapter 5: Managing User Accounts and Groups. 1. To view the Personal Categories Go to the Personal Categories management area of the CMC. 2. Click the user account whose personal categories you want to view. A list of the user’s personal categories appears. 252 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide chapter Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise 13 Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise Overview Overview This section focuses on the publishing process. It introduces the Publishing Wizard and tells you how you can use it to add reports and other objects to InfoView. It also describes alternative ways to add objects to the BusinessObjects Enterprise environment. This section covers the following topics: • • • • Publishing overview Publishing Wizard procedures Publishing with the CMC Saving objects directly to the CMS For faster navigation, click on the title of the topic you are interested in. Publishing overview Publishing is the process of adding objects to the BusinessObjects Enterprise environment and making them available to authorized users. There are several types of objects that you can publish to BusinessObjects Enterprise: • • • • • • • • • reports (from Crystal Reports and OLAP Intelligence) documents (from Desktop Intelligence) programs Microsoft Excel/Word/PowerPoint files Adobe Acrobat PDFs text files rich text format files hyperlinks object packages (which consist of report and/or program objects) You can publish objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise in three ways: with the Publishing Wizard, through the CMC, and by saving objects directly to the CMS. Note: You can also create and add new objects directly to BusinessObjects Enterprise from within InfoView. 254 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise Publishing Wizard procedures Publishing options During the publishing process, you specify how often an object is run. You can choose to set a recurring schedule, or you can choose to let users set the schedule themselves. For example, for Crystal reports, you can specify whether the data in the report is automatically refreshed according to a set schedule or if the data is refreshed only when users manually refresh the report. Each publishing option has several features: • Specifying the data that users see This option is recommended for objects that are accessed by a large number of people and/or do not require separate database logon credentials. When you publish an object, users can access the same instance of the object and reduce the number of times that the system is prompted for information. • Allowing users to update the data in the report This option is recommended for objects that require separate database logon credentials. It is also recommended when you publish smaller objects that have frequent data changes and/or make use of parameters and record selection formulas. When you publish an object, users are able to determine the frequency in which the object is updated. However, users who access the object at the same time increase the load on the system by increasing the number of times that it is prompted for information. Note: • BusinessObjects Enterprise supports reports that are created in versions 6 through XI of Crystal Reports. However, once a report is published to BusinessObjects Enterprise, it is saved, processed, and displayed in version XI format. You can publish OLAP Intelligence reports to BusinessObjects Enterprise; however, you cannot set them to run on a recurring schedule. Publishing Wizard procedures The Publishing Wizard is a locally installed, Windows application that is made up of a series of dialog boxes. When you use the wizard, only the dialog boxes that are applicable to the objects/folders that you are publishing appear. For example, the settings for parameters and schedule format do not appear when you publish OLAP Intelligence reports. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 255 13 13 Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise Publishing Wizard procedures Use the Publishing Wizard if you have access to the application and you want to publish multiple objects or an entire directory of objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise. Once an object is published, it appears in the folder that you specified in InfoView (or your customized web desktop) and in the Objects management area of the CMC (CMC). This section provides procedures which explain how: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • To log on to BusinessObjects Enterprise via the Publishing Wizard To choose objects for publication To create and select a folder in the CMS To move objects between folders To duplicate the folder structure To add objects to a category To change scheduling options To refresh repository fields To publish with saved data To select a program type To specify program credentials To change Publishing Wizard default values To change object properties To enter database logon information To set parameters To set the schedule output format To add extra files for programs To specify command line arguments To finalize the objects to be added To publish an object with the CMC For faster navigation, click the title of the procedure you are interested in. Logging on to BusinessObjects Enterprise via the Publishing Wizard Before you can publish an object, you need to log on to BusinessObjects Enterprise via the Publishing Wizard. 1. 256 To log on to BusinessObjects Enterprise via the Publishing Wizard On Windows, click Start > Programs > BusinessObjects XI Release 2 > BusinessObjects Enterprise > Publishing Wizard. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise Publishing Wizard procedures The Welcome to the Publishing Wizard dialog box appears. 2. Click Next. The Log On to BusinessObjects Enterprise dialog box appears. 3. In the System field, type the name of the CMS where you want to publish objects. 4. In the User Name and Password fields, type your BusinessObjects Enterprise logon credentials. 5. From the Authentication list, select the appropriate authentication type. 6. Click Next. The Select Files dialog box appears. 1. To choose objects for publication In the Select Files dialog box, click Add Files or Add Folders. 2. Select the file/folder that you want to publish. Tip: • Ensure that the appropriate file type is listed in the Files of Type field; by default this value is set to Report (*.rpt). • If you are publishing a folder, you can also publish its subfolders by selecting the Include Subfolders option. 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each of the files/folders that you want to publish. 4. Click Next. 5. If the Specify Object Type dialog box appears, choose a file type for each unrecognized object, and then click Next. The Specify Location dialog box appears. Creating and selecting a folder on the CMS To publish the selected objects, you must create or select a folder on the host CMS. Only the folders to which you have access appear in the Specify Location dialog box. 1. To create and select a folder in the CMS In the Specify Location dialog box, select the folder where you want to publish the objects. Tip: • To add a new folder to the CMS, select a folder and then click New Folder. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 257 13 13 Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise Publishing Wizard procedures • To add a new object package to the CMS, select a folder, and then click New Object Package. • To delete a folder or an object package, select the object, and click Delete. Note: From the wizard, you can delete only new folders and object packages. (New folders are green; existing folders are yellow.) If you are publishing multiple objects, and you want to place them in separate directories, see “Duplicating the folder structure” on page 258. 2. Click Next. The Confirm Location dialog box appears. Moving objects between folders 1. To move objects between folders In the Confirm Location dialog box, move objects to folders by selecting each object, and then clicking Move Up or Move Down. You can also add folders and object packages by selecting a parent folder and clicking the New Folder or New Object Package button. To delete a folder or object packages, select it and click the Delete button. You can drag-and-drop objects to place them where you want, and you can right-click objects to rename them. By default, the title of the objects are displayed. You can display the local file names of the objects by clicking the Show file names button. 2. Click Next. The Specify Categories dialog box appears. Duplicating the folder structure If you are adding multiple objects from a directory and its subdirectories, you are asked if you want to duplicate the existing folder hierarchy on the CMS. 1. To duplicate the folder structure In the Specify Folder Hierarchy dialog box, choose a folder hierarchy option: • 258 To place all of the objects in a single folder, select Put the files in the same location. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise Publishing Wizard procedures • 2. To recreate all of the folders and subfolders on the CMS as they appear on your hard drive, select Duplicate the folder hierarchy. Choose the topmost folder that you want to include in the folder hierarchy. Click Next. The Confirm Location dialog box appears. Adding objects to a category If you want to add the selected objects to a category, you can create or select a category on the host CMS. You can add objects to more than one category. 1. To add objects to a category In the Specify Categories dialog box, click the category to which you want to assign the objects. Click + to the left of the category to view the subcategories. To add a new category to the CMS, select a category and then click New Category. The new category appears and can be renamed. 2. If you are publishing more than one objects, choose the object you want to add to the category from the File list. Note: Each object must be added to the category individually. 3. Click Insert File. 4. To delete a category or to remove an object from a category, select the item and click Delete. Note: From the wizard, you can delete only new categories. (New categories are green; existing categories are blue.) 5. Click Next. The Specify Schedule dialog box appears. Changing scheduling options The Specify Schedule dialog box allows you to schedule the objects you are publishing to run at specific intervals. Note: This dialog box appears only for objects that can be scheduled. 1. To change scheduling options In the Specify Schedule dialog box, select the object that you want to schedule. 2. Select one of three intervals: BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 259 13 13 Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise Publishing Wizard procedures • Run once only Selecting the “Run once only” option provides two more sets of options: • when finished this wizard This option runs the object once when you finish publishing it. The object is not run again until you reschedule it. • at the specified date and time This option runs the object once at a date and time you specify. The object is not run again until you reschedule it. • Let users update the object This option does not schedule the object. Instead, it leaves the task of scheduling up to the user. • Run on a recurring schedule Once you have selected this option, click the Set Recurrence button to set the scheduling options. The “Pick a recurrence schedule” dialog box appears. The options in this dialog box allow you to choose when and how often the object runs. Select the appropriate options and click OK. 3. Click Next after you have set the schedule for each object you are publishing. Refreshing repository fields The BusinessObjects Enterprise Repository is a central location in which shared elements such as text objects, bitmaps, custom functions, universes, and custom SQL commands are stored. You can choose to refresh the repository fields of an object if the object references the repository. To complete this task, the Publishing Wizard needs to connect to your BusinessObjects Enterprise Repository database from the local machine. For more details, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide. Note: The Specify Repository Refresh dialog box appears only when you publish report objects. 1. To refresh repository fields In the Specify Repository Refresh dialog box, select a report, and then select the Use Object Repository when refreshing report check box if you want to refresh it against the repository. Tip: Click the Enable All button if you want to refresh all of the objects that reference the repository; click the Disable All button if you want to refresh none of the objects. 260 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise Publishing Wizard procedures 2. Click Next. Publishing with saved data If you publish a report that include saved data, you are prompted by the Specify Keep Saved Data dialog box. Note: The Specify Keep Saved Data dialog box appears only when you publish report objects. 1. To publish with saved data In the Specify Keep Saved Data dialog box, select a report, and then select the Keep saved data when publishing report check box if you want to keep the report’s saved data. Tip: Click the Enable All button if you want to keep the saved data for all of the reports; click the Disable All button if you do not want to keep saved data for any of the reports. 2. Click Next. Selecting a program type The Program Type dialog box appears only when you publish program objects. For details about program objects and program object types, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide. 1. To select a program type In the Program Type dialog box, select a program. 2. Choose one of the following program types: • Binary/Batch Binary/batch programs are executables, such as binary files, batch files, or shell scripts. They generally have file extensions such as .com, .exe, .bat, or .sh. You can publish any executable program that can be run from the command line on the machine where the Program Job Server is running. • Java You can publish any Java program to BusinessObjects Enterprise as a Java program object. They typically have a .jar file extension. • Script Script program objects are JScript and VBScript scripts. 3. After you specify the type of program that you are adding, click Next. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 261 13 13 Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise Publishing Wizard procedures The Program Credentials dialog box appears. Specifying program credentials 1. 2. To specify program credentials In the Program Credentials dialog box, select a program. In the User Name and Password fields, specify the user credentials for the account that you want to use for the program to run. The rights of the program are limited to those of the account with which it runs. 3. After you specify the user credentials for each program to use, click Next. The Change Default Values dialog box appears. Changing default values You can publish objects without changing any of the default properties. However, if you use the default values, your object may not schedule properly if the database logon information is incorrect or if the parameter values are invalid. 1. To change Publishing Wizard default values Select Publish without modifying properties. 2. Click Next through the wizard’s remaining dialog boxes. Alternatively, you can go through the remaining screens in the Publishing Wizard and make changes. 1. Select Review or modify properties. 2. Click Next. The Review Object Properties dialog box appears. Changing object properties 262 1. To change object properties In the Review Object Properties dialog box, select the object that you want to modify. 2. Enter a new title or description. 3. If you are publishing a report object, select the Generate thumbnail image check box if you want users to see a thumbnail of the object before they open it. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise Publishing Wizard procedures Tip: The “Generate thumbnail image” check box is available only if the object is a .rpt file and was saved appropriately. (To be able to display thumbnails for a report, open the report in Crystal Reports and, on the File menu, click Summary Info. Select the Save preview picture option, and click OK. Preview the first page of the report and save your changes.) 4. Click Next. The Specify Database Credentials dialog box appears if it is needed. Entering database logon information 1. 2. To enter database logon information In the Specify Database Credentials dialog box, double-click the object, or click + to the left of the object to expose the database. Select the database and change the logon information in the appropriate fields. If the database does not require a user name or password, leave the fields blank. Note: Enter user name and password information carefully. If it is entered incorrectly, the object cannot retrieve data from the database. 3. After you finish typing the logon information for each object, click Next. The Set Report Parameters dialog box appears if it is needed. Setting parameters Some objects contain parameters for data selection. Before these objects can be scheduled, you must set the parameters to determine the objects’ default prompts. 1. To set parameters In the Set Report Parameters dialog box, select the object that includes the prompts that you want to change. The object’s prompts and default values appear in a list on the right-hand side of the screen. 2. Click Edit Prompt to change the value of a prompt. Depending on the type of parameter that you have chosen, different dialog boxes appear. 3. If you want to set the prompts to contain a null value (where possible), then click Set Prompts to NULL. 4. Click Next after you have finished editing the prompts for each object. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 263 13 13 Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise Publishing Wizard procedures The Specify Format dialog box appears. Setting the schedule output format You can choose an output format for each scheduled report that you publish. For some of the formats, you can customize the schedule format options. 1. 2. To set the schedule output format In the Specify Format dialog box, select the object that you want to set up to produce a different schedule output format. Select a format from the list (Crystal Report, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, and so on). Where applicable, customize the schedule format options. For example, if you select Paginated Text, enter the number of lines per page. 3. Click Next. Adding extra files for programs Some programs require access to other files in order to run. 1. To add extra files for programs Select a program. 2. Click Add to select the necessary file. 3. After you add all the necessary extra files for each program, click Next. The Command line for Program dialog box appears. Specifying command line arguments For each program, you can specify any command-line arguments that are supported by your program’s command-line interface. They are passed directly to the command-line interface without parsing. 1. 2. To specify command line arguments Select a program. In the Command line area, type the command-line arguments for your program. Note: Use the same format you normally use at the command line. 3. 264 After you specify all necessary command-line arguments for each program, click Next. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise Publishing with the CMC Finalizing the objects to be added After you provide the required information for the objects, the Publishing Wizard displays a list of all the objects that you chose to publish. 1. To finalize the objects to be added Ensure that all of the objects that you want to publish are on the list, and click Next. The objects are published to the CMS, scheduled, and/or run as specified. Afterwards, you return to the final screen of the Publishing Wizard. 2. To view the details of an object, select it from the list. 3. Click Finish to close the wizard. Publishing with the CMC If you have administrative rights to BusinessObjects Enterprise, you can publish objects over the Web from within the CMC (CMC). Use the CMC to publish single objects or to perform administrative tasks remotely. 1. To publish an object with the CMC Go to the Objects management area of the CMC. 2. Click New Object. The New Object page appears. 3. From the left side of the page, select the type of object that you want to publish. 4. Specify the properties of the object. Note: The properties fields that appear vary according to the type of object that you chose to publish. The properties fields are summarized in Table 13-1: Object properties in the CMC. 5. If you want to assign the object to a category, select the category from the list. 6. Ensure that the correct folder name appears in the Destination field. Tip: To expand a folder, select the folder, and click Show Subfolders. 7. Click OK. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 265 13 13 Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise Saving objects directly to the CMS When the object is published to BusinessObjects Enterprise, the CMC displays the Properties screen. If necessary, you can modify properties such as title, description, database logon information, scheduling information, user rights, and so on for the object. Table 13-1: Object properties in the CMC Property Notes File name Type the full path to the object, or click Browse to perform a search. Title Type the name of the object. Description Type a description for the object. Generate thumbnail for the report If you are publishing a Crystal report, select this option if you want users to see a thumbnail preview of the report in BusinessObjects Enterprise. Note: To be able to display thumbnails for a report, open the report in Crystal Reports and, on the File menu, click Summary Info. Select the Save preview picture option, and click OK. Preview the first page of the report and save your changes. Use Object Repository when refreshing report Select this option if you want to refresh the repository fields of a Crystal report against the repository every time the report runs. Program type Select from Executable, Java, or Script. Note: Select Java for Java programs, Script for JScript and VBScript programs, and Executable for all other program objects. URL Type the URL of the page to which you want a hyperlink object to link. Saving objects directly to the CMS If you have installed one of the Business Objects designer components, such as Crystal Reports, Designer, or OLAP Intelligence, you can use the Save As command to publish objects directly to BusinessObjects Enterprise from within the designer. For example, after you design a report in OLAP Intelligence, on the File menu, click Save As. In the Save As dialog box, click Enterprise Folders; then, when prompted, log on to the CMS (CMS). Specify the folder where you want to save the report, and click Save. 266 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise Saving objects directly to the CMS Desktop Intelligence documents can be published directly to the CMS using the File>Export to Repository command in the Desktop Intelligence Designer. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 267 13 13 Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise Saving objects directly to the CMS 268 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide chapter Managing Profiles 14 Managing Profiles Overview Overview This section describes how to use profiles to personalize Desktop Intelligence documents for your users. It includes general information about profiles, and provides instructions for creating profiles and assigning users and groups to them. The section also provides information about how BusinessObjects Enterprise reconciles conflicts between profiles. Note: This section does not include instructions for assigning profiles to Desktop Intelligence documents. • • • • • • “What are profiles?” on page 270 “Creating profiles” on page 271 “Personalizing data with profile targets” on page 271 “Personalizing data for users and groups” on page 272 “Resolving conflicts between profiles” on page 273 “Specifying profile rights” on page 274 What are profiles? Profiles are used in conjunction with publications to personalize the content that users see when Desktop Intelligence documents are published using single-pass report bursting. Profiles link users and groups to profile values, which are values used to personalize data within a Desktop Intelligence document. Profiles also include profile targets, which describe how a profile is applied to a report. By assigning different profile values, the data within a report can be tailored to specific users or groups. Using profiles, you can schedule a publication (based on a Desktop Intelligence document) once, and deliver many different personalized versions of the report to your users (known as single-pass report bursting in earlier versions of BusinessObjects). For example, you could use a profile to associate regional class information with users and groups, or you could combine the regional information with a profile that provides details about the user’s status within the company. To use a profile with Publishing, you need to decide what level of personalization you need and then create the profile in the CMC and assign it to users and groups. When you schedule and distribute personalized documents through publications, the profile will control what information your users see. 270 BusinessObjects Publishing Guide Managing Profiles Creating profiles Profiles do not control users’ access to data. Profiles are used to refine a document’s content, or filter it. When you use profiles to display a subset of the data to a user, it is not the same as restricting the user from seeing that data. If users have the appropriate rights, they can still see the complete data for the document by viewing the instance in the InfoView. Profiles filter the view of the data; they do not change or secure the data being queried from the data source. For information about controlling user access, see Chapter 4: Setting Rights. Creating profiles You create profiles in the Central Management Console. 1. To create a profile Go to the Profiles management area of the CMC. 2. Click New Profile. The New Profile page appears. 3. Type a name for the profile in the Profile Name field. 4. Complete the Description field. 5. Click OK. You can now use the profile to perform the following tasks: • Use profile targets to personalize the data on the universe and class level. For more information, see “Personalizing data with profile targets” on page 271. • Use profile values to personalize the data on the user and group level. For more information, see “Personalizing data for users and groups” on page 272. • Set rights on profiles. For more information, see “Specifying profile rights” on page 274. Personalizing data with profile targets Profile targets describe how a profile will be applied to a publication by linking the profile to an object within a universe that can be filtered to provide personalization. You can also link a profile to a variable within a report when creating a publication. BusinessObjects Publishing Guide 271 14 14 Managing Profiles Personalizing data for users and groups In the Central Management Console, you can choose profile targets for a profile from the Profiles management area. You can then choose the appropriate universe and specify the class and object that you want to use to provide a personal view of the document. Profile targets are especially useful when you want to personalize the data for all users. Profile targets specify a subset of the data on the object level. If you want to personalize content for each individual, you need to specify values for each user or group on the Profile Values tab. For more information, see “Personalizing data for users and groups” on page 272. Note: You can also assign profile targets in the Publishing. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Publishing Guide. 1. To specify a profile target for the profile Go to the Profiles management area of the CMC, and click the profile you want. 2. Click the Profile Targets tab. 3. Click New. 4. Choose the universe that you want the profile to be associated with. Tip: If there are many folders on your system, you can use the dropdown list and the Show Subfolders button to browse the folder hierarchy. 5. To display only data from a specific object value, provide its class name in the Class Name text box. Note: The field is case-sensitive. 6. In the Object Name text box, type the value that you want. Note: The value is case-sensitive. 7. Click OK. Personalizing data for users and groups By assigning a profile to a user or group, you associate a data restriction detailed as a profile value to a user or group. The profile’s targets determine which object will be filtered in order to generate the required personalization. For example, you could assign a profile to Tony, the manager of the Mexico City office, that uses profile values to personalize his documents to display only data for Mexico. If you set this value as a profile value, all users would see a personalized view that displayed only data for Mexico. Using profile values, you can specify a unique value for each user and group. 272 BusinessObjects Publishing Guide Managing Profiles Resolving conflicts between profiles Note: If you assign profile values to both users and groups, note that inheritance works the same way for profiles as it does for security settings. For more information, see the “Setting object rights” on page 144. 1. To specify a profile value for a user or group Go to the Profiles management area of the CMC. 2. Click the profile that you want to assign to a user or group. 3. Click the Profile Values tab. 4. Click New Value. The New Profile Value page appears. 5. Select the users or groups that you want. 6. In the Profile Value text box, provide the value that you want to assign to the selected users. Note: The value must be specified as a valid Business Objects formula that can be applied to an object within a report. For example, =”Mexico” or InList(“North”,”South”). 7. Click OK. The user or group and the associated values appear in the Profile Value list. Resolving conflicts between profiles You may encounter conflicts between profiles when users and groups have been assigned multiple profiles either directly or through inheritance. If a document is delivered to a user that has two profiles that conflict, the difference must be resolved. For example, Tony is a manager in the Mexico office. He is assigned a profile called North America that personalizes his documents to show only data from Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The Managers group is assigned a different Management profile that personalizes the data to display data from all countries where you have sales offices. If a document uses both of these profiles, which data will Tony see? According to one profile, he’ll see data for all countries with sales offices. According to the other profile, he should see only data for North American countries. BusinessObjects Enterprise can resolves these conflict two ways: • Tree Walk - BusinessObjects Enterprise determines the different possible views of a publication that could be delivered and produces a unique view for each case. Determining these possible views is called BusinessObjects Publishing Guide 273 14 14 Managing Profiles Specifying profile rights walking the tree, a metaphor for following the many possible branches of the data. In the example, Tony would receive one publication personalized to show countries with sales offices, and another publication that displays North American data. • Walk and Merge - With this setting, BusinessObjects Enterprise again determines the different possible branches of the data, but this time the non-conflicting profiles are merged into other branches of the tree. This type of profile resolution is designed for role-based security. You can set the Profile Resolution settings when you define your publications. After you assign a profile to a document, you can set Advanced Options that choose between a Tree Walk and a Walk and Merge. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Publishing guide. Specifying profile rights You can grant or deny users and groups access to profiles. Depending how you organize your profiles, you may have specific profiles that you want to be available only for certain employees or departments. Users with access to the Central Management Console will only be able to see profiles they have the rights to see, so you can use rights to hide profiles that aren’t applicable to a particular group. For example, by granting only the ITadmin group access to IT-related profiles, those profiles won’t appear for a user from the HRadmin group; this makes the profile list easier for the HRadmin group to navigate. Follow this procedure to change the rights for a profile. By default, rights to profiles are based on current security settings, inheriting rights from the users’ parent folders. 1. To grant access to a profile Go to the Profiles management area of the CMC. 2. Select the profile you want to grant access to. 3. Click the Rights tab. 4. Click Add/Remove to add the groups or users that you want to have access to this profile. The Add/Remove page appears. 5. In the Select Operation list, select Add/Remove Groups, Add Users, or Remove Users. The page is refreshed and displays options that depend upon whether you are working with users or with groups. 274 BusinessObjects Publishing Guide Managing Profiles Specifying profile rights 6. Select the user/group whose rights you want to specify and click the arrows to specify whether the user/group does or does not have access to the profile. 7. Click OK. 8. On the Rights tab, change the Access Level for each user or group, as required. 9. To choose specific rights, choose Advanced. Note: For complete details on the predefined access levels and advanced rights, see Chapter 4: Setting Rights. 10. Click Update. BusinessObjects Publishing Guide 275 14 14 Managing Profiles Specifying profile rights 276 BusinessObjects Publishing Guide appendix Working with Performance Management Applications A Working with Performance Management Applications About performance management applications About performance management applications Depending on your license key, you may have access to performance management applications. Performance management applications include Dashboard Manager, Performance Manager, Set Analysis, Predictive Analysis and Statistical Process Control. This section provides architecture, configuration, and troubleshooting information specific to performance management applications. To purchase additional license keys, contact your Business Objects sales representative or your regional office. For details, go to: http://www.businessobjects.com/company/contact_us/ Performance management repository The performance management repository stores the metrics, goals, sets and calendar definitions used by performance management users to create dashboards and analytics. Each time users refresh a metric, the values for the metric refresh are written to the performance management repository. The performance management repository is organized by three domains: • The Dashboard Manager domain stores the metrics, rules, and calendars used by Dashboard Manager. • The Performance Manager domain stores the goals and target values used by Performance Manager. • The Set Analysis domain stores the sets for the segmentation engine used by Set Analysis. For more information about the performance management repository tables, see the Performance Management Setup and Administration online help. To access the online help from performance management, go the performance management Setup page and click Help on the Services bar. Note: In previous Performance Management versions, the performance management repository was called the Application Foundation repository or the AF Repo. In Application Foundation 6.x versions and earlier, the equivalent to the CMS was the BusinessObjects repository. Setting performance management security You define security for performance management applications, dashboards, and analytics in the Central Management Console (CMC). 278 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator’s Reference Guide Working with Performance Management Applications Setting performance management security Setting security for metrics and dimensions Performance management metrics and dimensions are stored in the performance management repository. You can specify security restrictions as follows: • • metrics dimensions Setting security for dashboards and analytics Corporate tiered dashboards and performance management analytics are stored in the CMS database as objects, and can be secured by administrators using the CMC. As an administrator, you can manage the security for the following performance management objects: dashboards, menus and submenus on dashboards, and individual analytics. Note: • For information on creating and saving dashboards and analytics, see the Dashboard Manager online help. • To set security rights for an analytic, you need to publish the analytic as a corporate document, and then secure that corporate document. For information on setting security for corporate documents, seeChapter 4: Setting Rights. BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator’s Reference Guide 279 A A Working with Performance Management Applications Setting performance management security 1. To set security rights for corporate tiered dashboards Log into the CMC as Administrator. 2. Go to the Objects management area of the CMC. The names of dashboards are listed in the Object Title column. Dashboards are preceded by the Performance Management icon. 3. Click the name of the dashboard you want to secure. Note: To set rights for a dashboard’s menu or submenu, navigate to the appropriate menu and click it. 4. Click the Rights tab. The rights for users and groups regarding the selected dashboard are displayed in the Access Level column. 5. To modify the rights for a specific user or group, click the drop-down arrow next to the security level currently displayed in the row for that user or group, and then select the appropriate security level. Note: The ability to assign the right to Schedule the selected dashboard is only available if that user or group also has the right to schedule jobs. 6. To save the new security setting, click Refresh. The new security rights are saved to the CMS. Note: The new security rights are applied the next time the selected users log into InfoView. Setting security for performance management functionality You can grant or deny users the ability to use performance management applications overall or specific performance management features. 1. To modify rights for users and user groups Log into the CMC as Administrator. 2. Go to the BusinessObjects Enterprise Applications management area of the CMC. 3. Click Performance Management. 4. Click the Rights tab. The list of performance management users and groups appears. 5. To modify the rights for a user or group, click Advanced next to the user or group you want to modify. The available security rights are organized in the following categories: • • 280 General – access to performance management and the ability to modify and secure info objects Analysis – the features available for Individual Profiler BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator’s Reference Guide Working with Performance Management Applications Troubleshooting performance management applications • • • • App Foundation – access to menus to create metrics, lists, rules, sets, analytics and dashboards Configuration – ability to create and modify metrics and analytics, and to define data sets and analytics for Predictive Analysis and Statistical Process Control Rules – the types of rules and alerts Services Bar – controls the options on the Services bar 6. Specify the security rights you want. 7. If you want a user or group to inherit rights from its parent, select the <user or user group name> will inherit rights from the parent groups check box. 8. Click Apply. The new security rights are saved to the CMS. Note: The new security rights are applied the next time the selected users log into InfoView. Troubleshooting performance management applications Predictive Analysis If you are using Predictive Analysis, you may receive an error when you create a model-based metric. The error appears in the log file if the default value for the packed_result size in the ci_param table is not compliant with your database configuration. 1. To resolve this issue Ensure that the ci_param table includes the following values: (param_id, param_type, item_name, item_value) where item_name is ‘packed_result size’, and item_value is an integer that corresponds to the maximum size of the ci_context_output.packed_result. For example, you could insert the values (0, 1, ‘packed_result size’, 20000) into ci_param (param_id, param_type, item_name, item_value). Note: If one of these values does not appear in the ci_param table, create it. 2. Restart the performance management servers. 3. Refresh the models. BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator’s Reference Guide 281 A A Working with Performance Management Applications Troubleshooting performance management applications 282 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator’s Reference Guide appendix Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents B Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents You can customize the default appearance of all new Web Intelligence documents created using the Web Intelligence Java Report Panel or the HTML - Query Panel. To do so, you must edit a file called defaultconfig.xml. By editing defaultconfig.xml, you can change the default appearance of many interface elements: • • • • fonts and font sizes for tables, cells, chart axes, and so on background colors (“wallpaper”) lines and borders for cells and tables color palettes The new settings take effect only for reports created after the defaultconfig.xml file is modified and saved. Earlier reports are not affected by the new settings. In the defaultconfig.xml file, settings are grouped by “key value.” (See “List of key values” on page 288.) To modify a setting, open the defaultconfig.xml file in a text editor and modify the parameter you want. Back up the original file before you start. For an example of how to modify the defaultconfig.xml file, see “Example: Modifying the default font in table cells” on page 289. Note: 284 • You cannot use defaultconfig.xml to customize the appearance of the HTML Report panel. • The defaultconfig.xml is also used by the REBean Editing SDK. For more information, see the developer documentation. BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator’s Reference Guide Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents What you can do with the defaultconfig.xml file With the defaultconfig.xml file, you can change certain aspects of the look and feel of Web Intelligence reports. You can make the reports adhere to your corporate visual guidelines. Here’s what a Web Intelligence report looks like before changes are made to the defaultconfig.xml file: BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator’s Reference Guide 285 B B Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents By modifying a few settings—stable header and body cell fonts, alternative row settings, chart axes values, label fonts, and section cell borders—default Web Intelligence tables and charts can look like this: Locating and modifying defaultconfig.xml To customize the default appearance of a new Web Intelligence document, you must edit the defaultconfig.xml associated with the report panel used to create that document. Each report panel has its own defaultconfig.xml file. 286 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator’s Reference Guide Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents Desktop Intelligence Enterprise Java InfoView If you deploy the Desktop Intelligence Enterprise Java InfoView, you can customize the default appearance of documents created using the Java Report Panel or the HTML-Query Report Panel. On Windows, you must edit the defaultconfig.xml files inside the desktop.war file. For additional information on modifying XML and .war files, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Installation Guide. 1. To update defaultconfig.xml in the .war file Stop the web application server if it is running. 2. Find the desktop.war file. On Windows, it’s found at C:\Progam Files\Business Objects\BusinessObjects Enterprise 11.5\java\applications\desktop.war. On UNIX, it’s found at / bobje/enterprise11/java/applications/desktop.war. 3. Extract defaultconfig.xml from the desktop.war file. For the Java Report Panel, extract webiApplet\AppletConfig\defaultconfig.xml For the HTML-Query Report Panel, extract WEBINF\classes\defaultconfig.xml Tip: On Windows, you can use a tool such as WinZip to extract and replace files in a .war file. 4. Make a backup of the defaultconfig.xml file. 5. Open defaultconfig.xml, and make your changes. See “List of key values” on page 288 for information on the values you can change, and “Example: Modifying the default font in table cells” on page 289 for an example. 6. Save and close defaultconfig.xml. 7. Reinsert defaultconfig.xml into desktop.war. Ensure that you insert the file into the correct directory within the .war file. 8. Restart your web application server and redeploy desktop.war. See the BusinessObjects Enterprise Installation Guide for details. Desktop Intelligence Enterprise .NET InfoView If you deploy the Desktop Intelligence Enterprise .NET InfoView, you can customize the appearance of new documents created using the Java Report Panel. To customize the appearance of reports created with the Java Report Panel, edit the copy of defaultconfig.xml found at: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Business Objects\3.0\java\webiApplet\AppletConfig BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator’s Reference Guide 287 B B Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents List of key values In the defaultconfig.xml file, settings are grouped by “key value.” The following table lists the key values and the corresponding interface elements. 288 Key value Interface element Block*defaultBg Background colors for blocks Block*selectionBg Background colors for selected blocks Cell*selectionColor Selected cell color cell_skin0,report_skin0, section_skin0,bloc_skin0 Combo default skin freeCell*default Free cells (not section cells) freeCell*section Section cells graph*Data Removing black line around bar charts graph*Graph General settings for graphs graph*Palette*0 Adding a new color palette graph*Palette*1 Adding a new color palette graph*Wall Default background colors for charts graph*YGrid Color for horizontal grid (Y axis) graph*ZGrid Removing X-axis and Z-axis grid graph*XLabels X-axis labels in a graph graph*YLabels Y-axis labels in a graph graph*ZLabels Z-axis labels in a graph graph*XValues X-axis values in a graph graph*YValues Y-axis values in a graph graph*ZValues Z-axis values in a graph page*default Default page layout. For example: A4, Letter; portrait or landscape. Section*arrowColor Color of section arrow Section*background General settings for sections Section*selectionColor Color of selected section arrow table*AltBody Alternate body cells in a table table*body Body cells in a table table*BodyForm Body cells in a form BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator’s Reference Guide Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents Key value Interface element table*ExtraHeader Object name cells in a crosstable table*Footer Footer cells in a table table*Form General settings for forms table*Header Header cells in a table table*HeaderForm Header cells in a form table*Table General settings for tables UI*default Custom fonts Example: Modifying the default font in table cells You can modify the default font to another font available on your system, including non-standard fonts that you install on the server. The default font is Arial. This setting is found in the table*Body key value in the defaultconfig.xml file. Languages and fonts must be supported on the client machine for correct display. In addition, all fonts must be defined in the fontalias.xml file. Note: To change the default appearance of Web Intelligence documents created in a report panel, you must modify and deploy the correct copy of the defaultconfig.xml file. See “Locating and modifying defaultconfig.xml” on page 286 for more information. 1. To modify the default font Make a backup of the defaultconfig.xml file. 2. Open the defaultconfig.xml file. 3. Find the table*Body key value. 4. To change the default font for specified languages, enter the font name after FACE=. For example, to change only Japanese to a font named “SpecialFont,” you would enter: <FONT xml:lang="ja" FACE="SpecialFont" ... 5. To change the overall default font for all non-specified languages, enter the new font name after FONT FACE=. Note: You must modify the default font values separately for each language you want to change. 6. Modify any other attributes you want, such as font size. BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator’s Reference Guide 289 B B Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents 7. 290 Save and close the defaultconfig.xml file. BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator’s Reference Guide appendix Synchronizing data source credentials C Synchronizing data source credentials Using data source credentials Using data source credentials If you do not use single-sign-on (SSO), you can still allow data source logon credentials to be propagated throughout your BusinessObjects Enterprise system by using data source credential synchronization. Data source credentials keep track of a user’s account name and password for accessing the data source, so the user is not continually prompted for this information whenever accessing the database. Instead, the data source credentials are stored within the repository database and are associated with the user object. Data source credentials are synchronized at logon time. Synchronization ensures that the account name and password stored with the user object are updated automatically if they have changed since the last logon. Note that if a user changes their account name or password while logged onto BusinessObjects Enterprise, the credentials will not synchronize until the next time the user logs onto the system. Note: It is important to note that data source credentials are not as secure as SSO, because the account name and password values are stored with the user objects in the repository database. This information will only be as secure as your user objects and will be visible to delegated administrators who have the Modify right for the user. About DBUSER and DBPASS The DBUSER and DBPASS variables represent the values for the current user’s account name and password, as specified in the user object in the CMC. These variables can be used in connection information for reports and documents based on universes to represent the current user’s account name and password. These variables are particularly useful when you want to display different information in a report for each user who views it. The DBUSER variable corresponds to the user’s Account Name specified in the user’s Properties page in the CMC. The DBPASS variable corresponds to the Password field. Enabling data source credential synchronization Before you set data source credentials for your users, you need to enable the synchronization settings in the Authentication management area of the CMC. These settings ensure that changes to the account name and password are propagated through the system at logon time. 1. 292 To enable data source credential synchronization Go to the Authentication management area of the CMC. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Synchronizing data source credentials Using data source credentials 2. Click the tab for the authentication type you are using (Windows NT, for example). 3. Under “Propagate Logon to Data Source Credentials”, select the Enable and update user’s Data Source Credentials at logon time check box. You can now enable credential synchronization for users. Setting data source credentials for user objects After you enable logon credential synchronization for your authentication type, you can set database logon credentials for users in the CMC. Note: To set database credentials for a user, you must have the Modify rights for the user. For information on setting rights, see Chapter 4: Setting Rights. 1. To set logon credential synchronization on a user Go to the User management area of the CMC. 2. Click the link for the user you want. 3. On the Properties page, select the Enable Data Source Credentials for Business Objects Universes check box. 4. Provide the Account Name and Password, and then type the password again to confirm it. 5. Click OK. Using data source credentials with universes To use data source credentials with a universe, you need to add the DBUSER and DBPASS variables to your universe’s connection information. 1. To use data source credentials in a universe In the Designer, choose Connections from the Tools menu. 2. Edit the connection you want. 3. For the User name, enter @Variable(‘DBUSER’). 4. For the Password, enter @Variable(‘DBPASS’). The universe now takes the values for these variable from the Account Name and Password fields you define for each user in the CMC. Note: When you design a Crystal report based on this universe, you cannot run it from Crystal Reports because the logon information is specified on the user object in the CMC. You must run it from BusinessObjects Enterprise. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 293 C C Synchronizing data source credentials Using data source credentials Troubleshooting data source credentials Report object doesn’t use the specified credentials If you encounter problems with a report object that uses a universe as a data source, and you have added the appropriate variables to the universe connection, check the Database section of the Process tab for the report object. The default setting “Use original database logon information from the report” should be selected. Using BOUSER The BOUSER variable was used in previous versions of BusinessObjects Enterprise to allow administrators to assign an account name to a user. If you are using the BOUSER variable in existing objects, it is not automatically migrated to the DBUSER variable. The BOUSER variable is still supported, but it is important to note that it does not automatically synchronize at logon time. 294 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 33 appendix Trusted Authentication D Trusted Authentication Enabling Trusted Authentication Enabling Trusted Authentication Users prefer to log on to the system once, without needing to provide passwords several times during a session. Trusted Authentication provides a Java single sign-on solution for integrating your BusinessObjects Enterprise authentication solution with third-party authentication solutions. Applications that have established trust with the Central Management Server can use Trusted Authentication to allow users to log on without providing their passwords. To enable Trusted Authentication, you must configure both the server, through the CMC, and the client, in the web.xml file. • • “Configuring the server for Trusted Authentication” on page 296 “Configuring trusted authentication for the client” on page 296 Note: Before you are able to use Trusted Authentication, you must have either created Enterprise users or mapped the third-party users you will be using to sign on to BusinessObjects Enterprise. To enable Trusted Authentication, you must configure both the server, through the CMC, and the client, in the web.xml file. Configuring the server for Trusted Authentication 1. To configure the server to use Trusted Authentication Log on to the Central Management Console with administrative rights. 2. Go to the Authentication management area of the CMC. 3. Click the Enterprise tab. 4. Enable Trusted Authentication. 5. Create a shared secret for your users. Note: The shared secret is used by the client and the CMS to create a trusted authentication password. This password is used to establish trust. 6. Enter a timeout value for your trusted authentication requests. Note: The timeout value determines how long the CMS waits for the IEnterpriseSession.logon() call from the client application. Configuring trusted authentication for the client 1. 296 To configure trusted authentication for the client Open the web.xml file for InfoView from its deployed location on your web application server. BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator’s Guide Trusted Authentication Enabling Trusted Authentication <DeployedLocation>businessobjects\enterprise115\desktopl aunch\WEB-INF Note: If you are using the version of Tomcat installed with BusinessObjects Enterprise, replace <DeployedLocation> with C:\Program Files\Business Objects\Tomcat\webapps\.If you are using any other supported web application server, consult the documentation for your web application server to determine the appropriate path to substitute. 2. Find this string in the file: 3. Enter the CMS name and port number in the cms.default <paramvalue> field. <param-name>cms.default</param-name> Use the format servername:portnumber 4. Find this string in the file: <param-name>sso.enabled</param-name> 5. Change the <param-value> for sso.enabled from false to true. <param-value>true</param-value> 6. Find this string in the file: 7. Change the <param-value> for siteminder.enabled from true to false. <param-name>siteminder.enabled</param-name> <param-value>false</param-value> 8. Find this string in the file: <param-name>trusted.auth.user.retrieval</param-name> 9. Specify the method you want to use to retrieve the user name. Enter the <param-value> from the table that corresponds with the user retrieval method you want to use. User retrieval method <param-value> HttpServletRequest.getRemoteUser() REMOTE_USER HTTP header HTTP_HEADER URL query string QUERY_STRING cookie COOKIE web session WEB_SESSION user principal USER_PRINCIPAL BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator’s Guide 297 D D Trusted Authentication Enabling Trusted Authentication Note: Before you use these user retrieval name methods, you must have already implemented the appropriate method according to the J2EE standard so that your customized InfoView can retrieve the user names from your setup. See http://java.sun.com/j2ee/1.4/docs/api/javax/servlet/ http/HttpServletRequest.html for further information. 10. If you selected HTTP header, URL query string, cookie or web session, find this string: <param-name>trusted.auth.user.param</param-name> Note: This step is not required if your retrieval method is USER_PRINCIPAL or REMOTE_USER. 11. Enter the variable name to use to retrieve the user name in the <paramvalue> for trusted.auth.user.param. • If you are using the HTTP header as your method of retrieving the user name, enter the name for the HTTP header variable. • If you are using a URL query string name as your method of retrieving the user name, enter the name for the URL query string. • If you are using a cookie as your method of retrieving the user name, enter the name for the cookie. • If you are using a web session variable as your method of retrieving the user name, enter the name for the web session variable. Note: This step is not required if your retrieval method is USER_PRINCIPAL or REMOTE_USER. 12. Decide how you want to retrieve the shared secret. • To retrieve the shared secret from a file. a. Create a file called TrustedPrincipal.conf. b. Store the file in the win32_x86 directory of Business Objects. This is the default location of this directory. C:\Program Files\Business Objects\BusinessObjects Enterprise 11.5\win32_x86 c. Enter the following text in the file, where secretPassword is the trusted authentication password. SharedSecret=secretPassword d. Save and close this file. • To retrieve the shared secret from a session variable. a. Find this string in the web.xml file: <param-name>trusted.auth.shared.secret</paramname> 298 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator’s Guide Trusted Authentication Enabling Trusted Authentication b. Enter the session variable name from which to retrieve the shared secret in the </param-value> for trusted.auth.shared.secret. 13. Save and close the file. 14. Restart your web application server. BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator’s Guide 299 D D Trusted Authentication Enabling Trusted Authentication 300 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator’s Guide appendix Business Objects Information Resources E Business Objects Information Resources Documentation and information services Documentation and information services Business Objects offers a full documentation set covering its products and their deployment. Additional support and services are also available to help maximize the return on your business intelligence investment. The following sections detail where to get Business Objects documentation and how to use the resources at Business Objects to meet your needs for technical support, education, and consulting. Documentation You can find answers to your questions on how to install, configure, deploy, and use Business Objects products from the documentation. What’s in the documentation set? View or download the Business Objects Documentation Roadmap, available with the product documentation at http://www.businessobjects.com/support/. The Documentation Roadmap references all Business Objects guides and lets you see at a glance what information is available, from where, and in what format. Where is the documentation? You can access electronic documentation at any time from the product interface, the web, or from your product CD. Documentation from the products Online help and guides in Adobe PDF format are available from the product Help menus. Where only online help is provided, the online help file contains the entire contents of the PDF version of the guide. Documentation on the web The full electronic documentation set is available to customers on the web from support web site at: http://www.businessobjects.com/support/. Documentation on the product CD Look in the docs directory of your product CD for versions of guides in Adobe PDF format. 302 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Business Objects Information Resources Customer support, consulting and training Send us your feedback Do you have a suggestion on how we can improve our documentation? Is there something you particularly like or have found useful? Drop us a line, and we will do our best to ensure that your suggestion is included in the next release of our documentation: documentation@businessobjects.com. Note: If your issue concerns a Business Objects product and not the documentation, please contact our Customer Support experts. For information about Customer Support visit: http://www.businessobjects.com/ support/. Customer support, consulting and training A global network of Business Objects technology experts provides customer support, education, and consulting to ensure maximum business intelligence benefit to your business. How can we support you? Business Objects offers customer support plans to best suit the size and requirements of your deployment. We operate customer support centers in the following countries: • • • • • USA Australia Canada United Kingdom Japan Online Customer Support The Business Objects Customer Support web site contains information about Customer Support programs and services. It also has links to a wide range of technical information including knowledgebase articles, downloads, and support forums. http://www.businessobjects.com/support/ BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 303 E E Business Objects Information Resources Useful addresses at a glance Looking for the best deployment solution for your company? Business Objects consultants can accompany you from the initial analysis stage to the delivery of your deployment project. Expertise is available in relational and multidimensional databases, in connectivities, database design tools, customized embedding technology, and more. For more information, contact your local sales office, or contact us at: http://www.businessobjects.com/services/consulting/ Looking for training options? From traditional classroom learning to targeted e-learning seminars, we can offer a training package to suit your learning needs and preferred learning style. Find more information on the Business Objects Education web site: http://www.businessobjects.com/services/training Useful addresses at a glance 304 Address Content Business Objects product information http://www.businessobjects.com Information about the full range of Business Objects products. Product documentation http://www.businessobjects.com/ support Business Objects product documentation, including the Business Objects Documentation Roadmap. Business Objects Documentation mailbox documentation@businessobjects.com Send us feedback or questions about documentation. Online Customer Support http://www.businessobjects.com/ support/ Information on Customer Support programs, as well as links to technical articles, downloads, and online forums. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide Business Objects Information Resources Useful addresses at a glance Address Content Business Objects Consulting Services http://www.businessobjects.com/ services/consulting/ Information on how Business Objects can help maximize your business intelligence investment. Business Objects Education Services http://www.businessobjects.com/ services/training Information on Business Objects training options and modules. BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide 305 E E Business Objects Information Resources Useful addresses at a glance 306 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator’s Guide BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Administrator’s Guide appendix Glossary E Glossary access level A predefined group of rights which allow you to set common security levels quickly. Using the predefined access levels whenever possible can greatly reduce the complexity of your object security model. Note: In developer documentation, access levels are referred to as “roles”. advanced right A tool which allows administrators more granular control when setting rights in the CMC. alias A placeholder that allows administrators to link a user’s multiple BusinessObjects Enterprise accounts. This is useful when a user has a thirdparty account that is mapped to Enterprise and an Enterprise account. By assigning an alias to the user, the user can log on using either a third-party user name and password or an Enterprise user name and password. Thus, an alias enables a user to log on via more than one authentication type. Application foundation See Performance management. Auditing A BusinessObjects Enterprise component that enables administrators to monitor, analyze, and optimize their BI system. A set of pre-defined reports are available. In addition, a BusinessObjects Universe is provided for administrators to create their own custom reports and analysis. Automated Process Scheduler See Central Management Console authentication The process of verifying the identity of a user who attempts to access the system. Authentication types include Enterprise, Windows AD, Windows NT and LDAP authentication. Note that third-party user accounts and groups must be mapped to BusinessObjects Enterprise before you can use the latter three types of authentication. authorization The process of verifying that the user has been granted sufficient rights to perform the requested action upon the specified object. 302 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Administrator’s Guide Glossary available right BusinessObjects Enterprise administrators setting rights in the CMC will be presented with rights options depending on the object they are setting rights on. For example, you can grant users the right to schedule a report, but you cannot grant users the right to schedule another user (because users cannot be scheduled). base right A right that applies to all objects in the system. For example, the “View objects” right is a base right: it applies equally well to folders, to reports, and to other BusinessObjects Enterprise objects. BusinessObjects See Desktop Intelligence. BusinessObjects Enterprise A business intelligence (BI) platform that powers the management and secure deployment of specialized end-user tools for reporting, query and analysis, and performance management on a scalable, and open services-oriented architecture. Cache server A server responsible for handling all report viewing requests. The Cache Server checks whether or not it can fulfill the request with a cached report page. If the Cache Server finds a cached page that displays exactly the required data, with data that has been refreshed from the database within the interval that you have specified as the default, the Cache Server returns that cached report page. calendar A customized list of run dates for scheduled jobs. When users schedule objects, they can use a calendar to run the job on a predefined set of dates. Calendars are particularly useful when users want to run a recurring job on an irregular schedule, or if administrators want to provide users with sets of regular scheduling dates to choose from. category An alternative to folders as a way of organizing objects. There are two types of categories: corporate and personal. Corporate categories are created and administrated by administrators with the appropriate rights, and are visible BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Administrator’s Guide 303 E E Glossary only to groups and users who have the rights to view them; personal categories are created by individual users, and are only visible to the users who created them. connection See universe connection. Content Search in InfoView An optimized search tool that enables users to search within the content of objects managed by BusinessObjects Enterprise. It also refines the search results by grouping them into categories of similar object types, and ranking them in order of their relevance to the search term. With this enhanced search capability, users can also search within Discussions Notes and Encyclopedia information. Central Configuration Manager (CCM) A server administration tool provided in two forms. In a Windows environment, the CCM allows you to manage local and remote servers through its Graphical User Interface (GUI) or from a command line. In a UNIX environment, the CCM shell script (ccm.sh) allows you to manage servers from a command line. For more information on the CCM, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide. Central Management Console (CMC) A web-based administrative tool for managing a BusinessObjects Enterprise system. It provides a single interface for user, content, and server management. Central Management Server (CMS) A server responsible for maintaining a database of information about your BusinessObjects Enterprise system which other components of the system can access as required. The data stored by the CMS includes information about users and groups, security levels, BusinessObjects Enterprise content, and servers. The CMS maintains security and manages objects and servers. Crystal Management Server See Central Management Server. Crystal Reports A reporting tool that helps developers and IT professionals create feature-rich reports and integrate them into web and Windows applications. For more information, see the Crystal Reports User’s Guide. 304 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Administrator’s Guide Glossary Crystal Reports Explorer An application which allows users to create and modify reports, design layouts, and perform data analysis using a zero client interface. This functionality reduces IT reporting backlog by enabling users to create, save, and redistribute personalized report views in BusinessObjects Enterprise. Designer A tool used to build universes. Desktop Intelligence A web-enabled integrated query, reporting, and analysis solution that allows users to access data in their corporate databases directly from their desktops. Desktop Intelligence makes it easy to access this data, because users work with it in the business terms that are familiar to them; they don’t require knowledge of technical database terms like those used in SQL. This product was previously known as BusinessObjects in release 5.x/ 6.x. destination A place where scheduled objects are sent. Destinations include user inboxes, email, and FTP. Destination Job Server A server which can send objects and instances to destinations inside the BusinessObjects Enterprise system (i.e. to a user’s inbox) or outside the system (i.e. to an email address). The Destination Job Server does not run the actual report or program objects. It handles only objects and instances that already exist in the Input or Output File Repository Servers. discussions A feature which enables users to create notes for reports, hyperlinks, programs, and other objects in InfoView. BusinessObjects Enterprise users who have the appropriate rights can view the notes or add their own comments to a discussion thread, which is a series of related notes in a hierarchical format. Users can create a discussion thread or add notes to a discussion thread for any object to which they have access. effective rights A calculation performed by the CMS that takes into account the effect of the rights set on an object. The result is displayed on the Rights page in the CMC. BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Administrator’s Guide 305 E E Glossary Encyclopedia A user panel inside BusinessObjects Enterprise for creating business intelligence (BI) reference guides. Accessible from your BI portal, Encyclopedia helps users locate and interpret your corporate information for more confident and accurate decision making. event A preset trigger for scheduling and processing objects. Event-based scheduling provides you with additional control over scheduling objects: you can set up events so that reports are proccessed only after a specified event occurs. Working with events consists of two steps: creating an event and scheduling an object with events. That is, once you create an event, you can select it as a dependency when you schedule an object . The scheduled job is then processed only when the event occurs. You can schedule an object with a file event, a custom event, and/or a schedule event. Event Server A server which manages file-based events. When you set up a file-based event within BusinessObjects Enterprise, the Event Server monitors the directory that you specified. When the appropriate file appears in the monitored directory, the Event Server triggers your file-based event: that is, the Event Server notifies the CMS that the file-based event has occurred. The CMS then starts any jobs that are dependent upon your file-based event. Everyone A group created by default in BusinessObjects Enterprise. All users are members of the Everyone group. File Repository Server (FRS) BusinessObjects Enterprise implementations typically include one Input and one Output File Repository Server. (In larger deployments, there may be multiple Input and Output File Repository Servers, for redundancy.) The Input File Repository Server manages all of the report objects that have been published to the system by administrators or end users (using the Publishing Wizard, the CMC, the Import Wizard, or a component such as Crystal Reports). The Output File Repository Server manages all of the report instances generated by the LDAP authentication(s). The File Repository Servers are responsible for listing files on the server, querying for the size of a file, querying for the size of the entire file repository, adding files to the repository, and removing files from the repository. 306 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Administrator’s Guide Glossary group A collection of users who share the same account privileges. Groups enable you to make changes to user rights in one place (the group) instead of modifying each user account individually. Groups are created by default (as in the case of the Administrators and Everyone groups), and custom-created by administrators according to organizational needs. inbox A destination for a scheduled report. When scheduling a report, you can specify that you want the system to store the report instances in the inbox of one or more users. You can also send existing report objects or instances to a user’s inbox by using the “Send to” feature. Information Analyzer A web-based OLAP analysis tool that users access through InfoView. Information Analyzer workspaces display OLAP data in crosstabs and charts. A user creates a workspace, populates it with crosstab and chart objects, connects those objects to OLAP data sources, and then defines queries to explore the data. For more information see the BusinessObjects Information Analyzer User’s Guide. InfoView A web-based interface that end users access to view, schedule, and keep track of published reports. InfoView consolidates the presentation of a company's BI information and allows it to be accessed in a way that is secure, focused, and personalized to users inside and outside an organization. inheritance The method by which rights set on groups or folders are passed to subgroups, subfolders, individual users, and files in BusinessObjects Enterprise. instance A copy or “version” of an object that contains data that has been retrieved from one or more databases. Each instance contains data that is current at the time the report, query, or program is processed. In BusinessObjects Enterprise, you publish objects to the system, and then schedule those objects to generate instances on a recurring basis. Java viewer A client-side viewer which is downloaded and installed in the user’s browser. BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Administrator’s Guide 307 E E Glossary Job Server Any server which processes scheduled actions on objects at the request of the CMS. Job servers can be configured to process either report objects or program objects when you add the servers to BusinessObjects Enterprise List of Values Job Server A server which processes scheduled list-of-value objects. List of Values object An object that contains the values of specific fields in a Business View. Lists of values are used to implement dynamic prompts and cascading lists of values within Crystal Reports. List-of-value objects do not appear in CMC or InfoView. For more information, see the Business Views Administrator’s Guide. object A generic term for items represented in the Repository. BusinessObjects Enterprise supports many types of objects including reports, Web Intelligence documents, programs, Microsoft Excel files, Microsoft Word files, Microsoft PowerPoint files, Adobe Acrobat PDFs, rich text format files, text files, hyperlinks, and object packages. object package A type of object which functions as a folder for other objects, and allows you to schedule the contents simultaneously. Object packages can be composed of any combination of report and program objects that are published to the BusinessObjects Enterprise system. (Third-party objects, such as Excel, Word, Acrobat, Text, Rich Text, PowerPoint, and Hyperlink objects, cannot be added to object packages.) OLAP Intelligence A tool for creating reports based on multidimensional data. For more information, see the OLAP Intelligence User’s Guide. Also see Information Analyzer. Page Server A server which responds to on-demand page requests from the Cache Server to generate Encapsulated Page Format (EPF) pages. The Page Server then returns the EPF pages to the Cache Server. The EPF pages contain formatting information that defines the layout of the report. The data for the report is saved with the report or retrieved on demand from the database. 308 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Administrator’s Guide Glossary Performance management A suite of products which help users track and analyze key business metrics via management dashboards, scorecards, and alerting. These products allow goals to be set around metrics and assigned to owners; they also support group decision-making and analysis via integrated collaboration and workflow capabilities. Performance management includes the following products: • • • • • Dashboard Manager Performance Manager Set Analysis Predictive Analysis Process Analysis Performance management was previously known as Application Foundation. Process Analysis was previously known as SPC. profile A tool for personalizing the content that users see when Desktop Intelligence documents are published. With profiles, users can schedule a publication (based on a Desktop Intelligence document) once, and deliver many different personalized versions of the document to your users (known as single-pass report bursting in earlier versions of BusinessObjects). program object An executable, script, or Java program that users can schedule to run regularly or based on an event. Program object features allow administrators to automate a wide range of administrative tasks, making BusinessObjects Enterprise a self-managing environment. Additionally, administrators can use program objects to trigger external processes, thus integrating BusinessObjects Enterprise into a broader workflow. Program Job Server A server which processes scheduled program objects, as requested by the CMS. To run a program, the Program Job Server first retrieves the files from storage on the Input File Repository Server, and then runs the program. By definition, program objects are custom applications. Therefore the outcome of running a program depends on the particular program object run. BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Administrator’s Guide 309 E E Glossary Publishing A feature that allows users to schedule and distribute Desktop Intelligence documents, or specific sections of documents, through InfoView. Documents are then distributed to users either via the web or email. Publishing includes the ability for users or administrators to subscribe to and receive publications on a pre-defined timetable. publishing The process of adding objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise and making them available to authorized users. Publishing Wizard An application which allows you to publish objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise quickly. It also allows you to specify a number of options on each object that you publish. Although this application runs only on Windows, you can use it to publish reports to BusinessObjects Enterprise servers that are running on Windows or on UNIX. Report Application Server (RAS) A server which provides users with report design capability over the Web. It process reports that BusinessObjects Enterprise users view with the Advanced DHTML viewer, and it provides ad hoc reporting capabilities that allow users to create and modify reports over the Web. Report Job Server A server which processes scheduled reports, as requested by the CMS, and generates report instances. To generate a report instance, the Report Job Server obtains the report object from the Input FRS and communicates with the database to retrieve the current data. Once it has generated the report instance, it stores the instance on the Output FRS. right The base unit for controlling user access to files, users, applications, servers, and other features in BusinessObjects Enterprise. When granted, each right provides a user or group with permission to perform a particular action. role See access level. scheduling The process through which a user determines when an object will run on the system. 310 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Administrator’s Guide Glossary universe An abstraction of a data source that presents data to users in non-technical terms. Web Intelligence, Desktop Intelligence, and Crystal Reports users can connect to a universe and run queries against a database. They can perform data analysis and create reports using the objects in a universe, without seeing, or having to know anything about, the underlying data structures in the database. Universes are created using the Designer. For complete information, see the Designer’s Guide. universe connection A named set of parameters that defines how a BusinessObjects application accesses data in a database. A connection links Web Intelligence to your middleware. You must have a connection to access data. You must select or create a connection when you create a universe. For complete information, see the Designer’s Guide. Web Component Adapter (WCA) A server which communicates directly with the application server that hosts the BusinessObjects Enterprise SDK. The Web Component Adapter (WCA) runs within the application server and provides all services that are not directly supported by the BusinessObjects Enterprise SDK. The web server passes requests to the application server, which then forwards the requests to the WCA. Web Intelligence A web-based query and analysis tool that enables users to track, understand, and manage corporate data using a simple browser as their interface, while maintaining tight security over data access. Web Intelligence provides business users an easy-to-use interface for building and analyzing reports on corporate data over secured intranets and extranets. For more information, see the Web Intelligence User’s Guide. Web Intelligence Job Server A server which processes scheduling requests it receives from the CMS for Web Intelligence documents. It forwards these requests to the Web Intelligence Report Server, which will generate the instance of the Web Intelligence document. BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Administrator’s Guide 311 E E Glossary Web Intelligence Report Server A server used to create, edit, view, and analyze Web Intelligence documents. It processes scheduled Web Intelligence documents and generates new instances of the document, which it stores on the Output File Repository Server (FRS). Depending on the user’s access rights and the refresh options of the document, the Web Intelligence Report Server will use cached information, or it will refresh the data in the document and then cache the new information. 312 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Administrator’s Guide Index A access granting 96 to applications 108 to universe connections 135 to universes 134 access levels administration 77 advanced 66 assigning to groups and users 66 calendars 228 categories 250 description 64 enabling and disabling inheritance 74 events 233 folders 241 InfoView 108 profiles 274 RAS 129 server groups 128 servers 128 setting 245 specifying on categories 250 specifying on folders 241 when copying/moving folders 239 when moving categories 249 access rights to Query HTML panel 58, 115 accounts, managing 84, 87 active sessions, viewing 124 administration categories 250 delegating 77 events 233 folders 241 profiles 274 rights 77 servers and server groups 128 tools 46 Administrator account, setting password 50 advanced rights denied by default 76 precedence 76 priorities affecting inheritance 76 setting 66 viewing 66 alerts, setting notification 205 aliases assigning to a user 99 creating for existing user 99 for new user 98 deleting 101 disabling 101 managing 97 reassigning for a user 100 analytics, setting security 279 application servers 25 application tier 24 applications 22 CCM 23 CMC 23 Import Wizard 24 InfoView 22 managing 52 Publishing Wizard 23 areas, management 48 assigning an alias 99 auditing, notification 203 authentication object packages 191 program objects 186 security plug-ins 43 Trusted Authentication 93, 296 types 86 available rights 68 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Installation Guide 319 Index B base rights 68 BOUSER 292, 294 Business Objects consulting services 304, 305 support services 303 training services 304 Business Objects applications CMC 52 Crystal Reports Explorer 53 Designer 54 Desktop Intelligence 54 Discussions 54 managing 52 BusinessObjects applications CCM 23 CMC 23 CMS 27 Import Wizard 24 InfoView 22 Publishing Wizard 23 BusinessObjects Enterprise applications 52 object security model 60 rights description 60 reading Rights tab 62 Rights tab columns 62 security settings 50 BusinessObjects Enterprise SDK Java SDK 25 .NET SDK 25 BusinessObjects Enterprise servers 27, 30 Cache Server 30 description 20 Event Server 29 File Repository Servers 29 Job Server 32 Page Server 34 Program Job Server 32 Report Application Server 34 C cache format, Web Intelligence documents 216 320 Cache Server 30 for viewing reports 159 metrics 123 viewing with 38 calendars adding dates to 222 adding specific dates 224 creating 222 deleting 227 format options 223 recurring dates 225 specifying rights 228 categories access to 250 adding a report 249 assigning objects to 154 creating 247 deleting 248 description 236 moving 249 removing/deleting objects 250 rights 250, 251 specifying rights 250 working with 247 CCM 23 enabling and disabling servers 121 starting, stopping, and restarting servers 120 Central Configuration Manager. See CCM Central Control Manager. See CMC Central Management Console. See CMC Central Management Server. See CMS characters, setting CMC preferences 48 ci_param table 281 client side viewers 35 client tier 22 clusters, viewing details 125 CMC 23 access to 108 enabling and disabling servers 121 logging on 47 manage settings 52 management areas 48 navigating 48 setting preferences 48 starting, stopping, and restarting servers 120 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Installation Guide Index CMS 27, 43 and security 43, 43 and security plug-ins 43 base rights and available rights 68 database 27 enabling and disabling other servers 121 metrics 124, 125 stopping 121 command line arguments, specifying 181, 264 components, security management 42 configuring executable programs 183 object packages 190 configuring trusted authentication 297 Connection Server, metrics 124 connection settings Essbase or DB2 OLAP data sources 140 Microsoft OLAP data sources 138 OLAP Data sources 138 Oracle OLAP data sources 141 connections. See universe connections consultants, Business Objects 304 copying/moving folders 239 creating categories 247 folders 237 server groups 126 server subgroups 127 subcategory 248 subfolders 238 credentials synchronizing 292 Crystal Reports Cache Server. See Cache Server Crystal Reports Explorer, settings 53 Crystal Reports Page Server. See Page Server Crystal reports, job server for scheduling 160 custom events 229, 232 customer support 303 customizing, object rights 66 D dashboards, setting security 279 data live 81 saved 81 Data source connections 132 data tier 35 databases, changing settings 161 DBPASS 292 DBUSER 292 default settings, modifying security 51 defaultconfig.xml about 284 customizing elements 288 finding correct version to change 286 modifying for Java Report Panel 287 modifying for .NET InfoView 287 delegated administration. See administration deleting aliases 101 categories 248 folders 237 subfolders 239 universe connections 134 universes 133 denied rights 76 Designer, settings 54 Desktop Intelligence 33 documents, rights settings 175 metrics 124 settings 54 Destination Job Server, metrics 124 destinations available, by object type 152 default settings 208 email 211 format 214 FTP 210 inbox 213 sending to 150 unmanaged disk 208 directories, publishing 255 disabling aliases 101 Guest account 51 inheritance 74 servers 121 discussion threads cancelling search 55, 112 deleting 57 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Installation Guide 321 Index searching 55, 112 sorting search results 56, 113 Discussions access rights to objects 57, 114 accessing 55, 111 DLL. See dynamic-link libraries documentation feedback on 303 on product CD 302 on the web 302 roadmap 302 dynamic-link libraries, processing extensions 167 E education. See training email destination 211 notification 203 enabling inheritance 74 servers 121 environment variables, specifying for program objects 184 ePortfolio. See InfoView errors, troubleshooting 281 Event Server 29, 124 events access to 233 custom 232 file-based 230 managing 229 notification 203 schedule-based 231 scheduling 200 executable programs, configuring 183 extensions, processing 167 F Favorites folders 246 feedback, on documentation 303 file events 229, 230 File Repository Servers 29 File Repository Servers, metrics 123 filters, using 163 322 folders access levels, setting 245 access to 241 adding a report 240 copying/moving 239 creating 237 default user folders 246, 252 deleting 237 Favorites folder 246 inheritance 70 object rights. See object rights. rights 241, 242 setting instance limits 245 specifying rights 241 FTP destination 210 G granted rights 76 group inheritance 70 grouping servers 125 groups creating 89 deleting 95 membership, specifying 90 modifying 94 object rights advanced rights 66 breaking inheritance 72 inheritance 70 of servers 125 setting instance limits on folders 245 setting rights 96 viewing members 95 Guest accounts disabling 51, 96 H hyperlinks between reports 171 viewing 173 I iCubes 139 Import Wizard 24 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Installation Guide Index inbox destinations 213 inboxes, controlling access 97 index, setting CMC preferences 48 information flow, between servers 36 information resources 302 InfoView 22 accessing 47 categories 252 controlling access to 108 folders 246 Java version 57, 114 managing 57, 114 inheritance base rights and available rights 68 enabling and disabling 74 priorities affecting 76 Input File Repository Server 29 Input File Repository Server, metrics 123 instances deleting 220 managing 217, 218 notification 203 object 156 object packages 188 pausing 219 program objects 180 report objects 155 resuming 219 scheduled 155 sending 150 setting limits at the folder level 245 viewing 219 intelligence tier 27 J Java InfoView, customizing appearance of Web Intelligence documents 287 Java platform 26 Java programs authentication 187 configuring 185 providing access to other files 185 setting parameters 185 Java SDK 26 Job Servers 32, 32 Job servers metrics 124 K Kerberos single sign-on 42 L license keys adding 104 viewing account activity 105 licensing, accessing information 104 limits, setting at the folder level 245 List of Values Job Server description 33 metrics 124 live data 81 log on, to the CMC 47 logon credentials synchronizing 292 M management areas, defined 48 managing, Business Objects applications 52 mapped users, managing aliases 97 menu styles, setting CMC preferences 48 menus, security for dashboards 279 metrics viewing 122 viewing account activity 105 metrics, model-based 281 my password, setting CMC preferences 48 N navigation between reports 171 .NET InfoView, customizing appearance of Web Intelligence documents 287 notification notifications alerts 205 audit 203 email 203 event 203 for a scheduled object 202 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Installation Guide 323 Index object’s failure, success 202 O object instances 156 object packages adding objects to 189 authentication 191 configuring 190 creating 188, 257 instances 188 managing 187 moving 258 publishing objects to 265 scheduling 198 object rights adding users 144 advanced rights 66, 144 advanced setting 66 base and available 68 breaking inheritance 72 changing user rights 144 inheritance 70, 74 See also advanced rights setting 144 specifying for a category 250 specifying for a folder 241, 242 when copying/moving folders 239 when moving categories 249 objects adding to an object package 189 Advanced Rights page 66 categories, assigning to 154 copying 149 creating a shortcut 149 deleting 150 enabling and disabling inheritance 74 failure notification 202 filters, specifying 163 format 214 making changes to 156 managing 144 moving 149 properties, changing 153 324 publishing multiple 255 options 255 with CMC 265 rights. See object rights saving to CMS 266 scheduling, recurrence pattern 196 searching for 150 See also object rights See also scheduling sending 150 setting access levels 148 success notification 202 objects per page, setting maximum 48 OLAP cube creating a connection 136 deleting a connection 138 editing a connection 137 Online Customer Support 303 options, publishing 255 Output File Repository Server 29 Output File Repository Server, metrics 123 P packed_result size 281 page index, setting CMC preferences 48 page layout, specifying 166 Page Server 34 for viewing and modifying 159 metrics 124 viewing with 38 pages, setting CMC preferences 48 parameters for Java programs 185 passwords changing 92 setting for Administrator account 50 for current CMC user 48 Performance Management Applications general 278 troubleshooting 281 personal categories 252 platforms Java 26 Windows .NET 26 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Installation Guide Index plug-ins, security 43 Predictive Analysis, troubleshooting 281 preferences, setting in the CMC 48 printers, specifying 165 printing setting printer options 165 setting the default printer 165 specifying page layout 166 specifying printer 165 processing extensions registering 169 selecting 170 sharing 171 processing tier 30 profiles access to 274 and security 270 conflicts 273 creating 271 program credentials specifying 262 Program Job Server, metrics 124 program objects accessing other files 264 authentication 186 batch 261 binary 261 command line arguments 264 configuring 183 enabling, disabling 186 environment variables, specifying 184 Java configuring 185 providing access to other files 185 setting parameters 185 managing 179 processing options, setting 181 providing file access to executable programs 183 script 261 working directory, specifying 182 programs. See program objects publishing folders 236 object packages 265 options 255 with CMC 265 with Publishing Wizard 255, 255 Publishing Wizard adding folders 257 objects 257 creating category on CMS 259 folder on CMS 257 database logon 263 duplicating folder structure 258 modifying default values 262 object properties 262 moving reports between folders 258 repository refresh 260 scheduling objects 259 selecting category on CMS 259 folder on CMS 257 setting parameters 263 Q Query HTML panel, access rights 58, 115 R RAS. See Report Application Server reassigning an alias 100 recurrence patterns, object scheduling 196 refreshing, reports 156 Report Application Server 34, 40 for viewing and modifying 159 required object rights 129 report instances history 218 managing 155, 218 setting limits 220 viewing 219 report objects database settings, specifying 161 destination 207 hyperlinks, viewing 173, 173 managing 155 page layout, specifying 166 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Installation Guide 325 Index parameters, specifying 162 publishing and hyperlinking 172 publishing with existing hyperlinks 173 rights for creating/modifying 129 scheduling with events 200 setting instance limits 220 specifying Job Servers for 159 specifying servers. See servers report thumbnails, adding with reports 240, 249 Report Viewers 35 report_view_advanced.aspx 38 report_view_dhtml.aspx 38 reports adding to a category individually 249 adding to a folder individually 240 hyperlinking 171 process options 157 refresh options 156 scheduling 36 See also report objects viewing 37 viewing options 158 repository performance management 278 resources 302 restarting servers 120 rights administration 77 available 68 base 68 calendars 228 categories 250 CMC 108 events 233 folders 241 InfoView 108 profiles 274 Report Application Server 129 server groups 128 servers 128 specifying for a category 250 specifying for a folder 241 view vs. view-on-demand 81 rights administration, access levels 64 root folders, modifying security 51 326 row-level security, processing extensions 167 run options, object scheduling 196 S saved data 81 schedule events 229, 231 scheduled instance 155 scheduling an object 202 events 200 information flow 36 notification 202 object packages 198 objects for group 216 for user 216 in batches 198 recurrence patterns 196 run options 196 Schedule page 195 setting for an object 202 specifying server for 159 script programs 180 searching discussion threads 55, 112 for objects 150 security components 42 dashboard menus 279 for analytics 279 for dashboards 279 initial settings 50 modifying default levels 51 plug-ins 43 processing extensions 167 security plug-ins 43 sending instances 150 object shortcuts 150 to destinations 150 server groups access to 128 creating 126 subgroups 127 servers 20, 27, 30 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Installation Guide Index access to 128 application tier 24 configuration 118 default 159 default settings 118 disabling, enabling 121 for viewing and modifying reports 159 grouping 125 information flow 36, 36 intelligence tier 27 management 118 managing 117 metrics, viewing 123 modifying group membership 128 processing tier 30 restarting, starting, stopping 120 settings 118 status changing 119 symbols 119 sessions, viewing active 124 settings access levels 245 advanced object rights 66 CMC 52 Crystal Reports Explorer 53 database 161 Designer 54 Desktop Intelligence 54 InfoView 57, 114 initial security levels 50 instance limits on folders 245 program processing options 181 report refresh 156 viewing account activity 105 shared libraries, as processing extensions 167 single sign-on alternatives 292 anonymous account 51 disabling Guest account 51 single-pass report bursting 270 starting, servers 120 stopping CMS 121 servers 120 styles, setting CMC preferences 48 subcategory, creating 248 subfolders creating 238 deleting 239 subgroups of servers 125 subgroups, adding 89 support customer 303 locations 303 technical 303 web site 303 synchronization logon credentials 292 system metrics, viewing 125 T technical support 303 third-party security plug-ins 43 thumbnails, adding with reports 240, 249 tiers 20 application 24 client 22 data 35 intelligence 27 processing 30 time zones, setting CMC preferences 48 tools, administration 46 top-level creating new categories 247 creating new folders 238 modifying folder security 51 training, on Business Objects products 304 tree walk 273 troubleshooting errors 281 Performance Management Applications 281 Predictive Analysis 281 trusted authenitcation configuring in web.xml 297 Trusted Authentication 93, 296 U universe connections BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Installation Guide 327 Index system metrics 125 with the Cache Server 38 with the Page Server 38 viewrpt.aspx 38 deleting 134 managing 134 universes access to 134 managing 133 viewing, deleting 133 UNIX application server 25 installation 26 WCA 26 unmanaged Disk destination 208 user accounts creating 88 deleting 92 managing 84, 87 modifying 91 user aliases assigning to 99 creating for existing user 99 for new user 98 deleting 101 disabling 101 reassigning 100 user folders 246 user rights 57, 114 users setting rights 96 viewing active sessions 124 W V viewers and InfoView 37 client-side 35 setting CMC preferences 48 zero client 35 viewing active users 124 BusinessObjects Enterprise architecture 37 CMS cluster details 125 current account activity 105 current metrics 122 information flow 37 licensing information 104 server metrics 123 328 walk and merge 273 WCA 25 and logon tokens 42 and security 42 description 25 web customer support 303 getting documentation via 302 useful addresses 304 Web application environments 26 Web Component Adapter. See WCA web desktop. See InfoView Web Intelligence application rights 58, 115 Query HTML access rights 58, 115 Web Intelligence documents changing default appearance 284 customizing for Java InfoView 287 customizing for .NET InfoView 287 finding correct defaultconfig.xml 286 list of customizable elements 288 rights settings 177 selecting cache options 216 server for scheduling 160 updating prompts 163 viewing universes 174 Web Intelligence Job Server, metrics 124 Web Intelligence Report Server, metrics 124 web servers 27 web sites support 303 training 304 Windows .NET platform 26 Z zero client viewers 35 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Installation Guide