Transcript Repository/Web Catalog Migration Tips and Caching

Repository/Web Catalog Migration Tips
and Caching
Melinda Rojo
Dan Malone
December 4, 2008
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Session Overview
Under the covers the OBIEE dashboards are comprised
of a multitude of objects in both the Metadata
Repository and the Web Catalog. Version control and
migrating these objects between environments are
non trivial tasks. This session will share what we have
learned.
We will also discuss how we used OBIEE caching to
improve performance and the methods we used to
automate clearing the OBI server cache when the
data warehouse refresh is complete.
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Session Topics
■ Architecture Overview
■ Migration Overview
– Metadata Repository
– Web Catalog
■ Cache Management
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Architecture Overview
■ 2 Servers per Environment
– 2 Metadata Repositories
– Shared Web Catalog
» No replication
■ 4 Environments
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Pre-Development
Development
Test
Production
■ Windows Terminal Services
– Administration Tools
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Migration Overview
■ Pre-Migration Tasks
■ Metadata Repository Migration
■ Web Catalog Migration
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Pre-Migration Tasks
■ Change Ownership of Web Catalog
Objects to Administrator
■ Set Permissions on Objects
■ Setup Security in Target Environment
– Create New Groups
» Repository Groups
» Web Catalog Groups
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Metadata Repository Migration
■ Development
– Migrate Metadata Repository (.rpd file)
between servers in same environment
■ Development -> Test
Test -> Production
– Promote Metadata Repository between
environments
– Migrate Metadata Repository (.rpd file)
between servers in same environment
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Migration in the Same Environment
■ Copy physical Metadata Repository file
(.rpd) from one server to the other
■ Tips & Tricks
– Stop BI services to ensure no changes are
occurring
– Requires outage since BI services are
stopped during copy
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Migration Between Environments
■ Option #1: Copy/Paste changes manually
– Only selected changes will migrate to target environment
– Physical layer changes will overwrite
– Business Model and Presentation layer changes require
delete then paste
– Initialization blocks and variables are duplicated
– To avoid down time in production, copy-paste to both servers
■ Option #2: Copy Metadata Repository file (.rpd)
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All changes will migrate to target environment
Not all changes are ready to migrate
Passwords for privileged users can be different
Passwords for connection pools can be different
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Web Catalog Migration
■ Do not copy physical files
– All or nothing
■ Why?
– See Security Presentation
■ Exceptions
– Saved data formats
» <catalog root>/system/metadata
» Cannot use Catalog Manager because objects
are owned by system account
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Migrating with Catalog Manger
■ Catalog Manager is a Windows only tool
– On-line changes only with Linux environment
■ Tool allows connection to multiple catalogs Tool allows
copy – paste method
– Copy is an additive process ONLY
– Remember to delete objects in target environment
■ Copies permissions between environments
– Set Paste ACL preference
– Groups need to be created first
» In both presentation and metadata
■ Allows selection of multiple objects
■ Allows for Smart Rename (fix refs)
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Screen Shot of Web Catalog
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Migration Tips
■ Only migrate Shared folder and subfolders
■ Delete-copy-paste is best but requires
outage
■ Is there a new Subject Area?
– Must log into Answers and view the subject
area
» Subject Area privileges are not available until
someone accesses it
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Questions?
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What Caches?
■ Browser
■ Presentation Services
■ BI Server
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Cache Management Requirements
■ We want to use cache to improve
performance
■ Warehouse refreshes daily
■ Different business areas refresh at
different intervals
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What options did we not use?
■ Physical Layer Tables
– Set to expire at a given interval
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Clearing the Cache Manually
■ Presentation Services
– Refresh icon on Dashboard
– Clear My Selections
– Manage Sessions
» Session Management
» Close all Cursors
– Clear BI Server cache
■ BI Server
– Repository -> Manage ->Cache
» Purge
– Changes to the Business Model
– Restart BI Server
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Clearing the Cache Automatically
■ Physical Layer
– Set to never expire
■ Tables in the warehouse
– PolyData Stats table with last load date
– Business Model to Stats table name mapping
– View joining these tables
■ Initialization block sets dynamic repository variables
– 10 minute refresh
– Multiple variables in single init block
■ Business Model logical column associated with the
value of the repository variable
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Automated Cache Clearing
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The Magic Behind Automated
Cache Clearing
■ Data Warehouse job completes and
updates PolyData Stats table
■ The initialization block changes the
repository variable value
■ The Logical Column value is changed
■ Changing the value is considered a
change to the business model
■ Therefore the cache clears!
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Questions?
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Contact
■ OBIEE Technical Conference:
http://polydata.calpoly.edu/dashboards/obiee_conf/index.html
■ Email: [email protected]
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