How to Backup a BO Universe and Maintain its CUID
Backing Up and Restoring Universes While Maintaining CUIDs
Import Wizard BIAR File – The ultimate backup
The sections that follow this one will tell you how to create a backup of a universe on your machine from which you are running Designer. The steps in those sections are “tricks” that allow you to maintain the Business Objects XI ‘s universe’s CUID. With practice they can be executed quickly and on the fly to permit the Universe Designer/Developer to create a back-up more quickly than if they were to use Business Object XI’s Import Wizard’s BIAR file backup method.
With regards to maintenance of the Universe’s CUID and general backup/snapshot capabilities Import Wizard’s BIAR file backup has proven to be quite reliable. This is not to say that I have never seen issues, but these have been limited to large BIAR files and large numbers of objects. Creating a BIAR file backup of a single universe or just a few should 99% of the time be reliable. The drawback is that creating such a backup on the fly can be a rather significant workflow disruptor, you must chose just the right settings in Import Wizard, and because you must switch to Designer, you can only backup what has been loaded to the CMS. All of these attributes might steer you to look for another on the fly backup technique, if so, keep reading…
Make Back-up of a universe
- Using Business Objects Designer import the universe. Then making no changes, close the universe. This will create a fresh, unaltered copy of the universe on your local computer.
- Locate the universe file (*.unv) and the folder (has the same name as the universe file) in the following folder path on the computer on which you are running Designer:
C:Documents and SettingsApplication DataBusiness ObjectsBusiness Objects 11.5Universes@DevelopmentWorking Area - Select both the universe file and the folder (hold CTRL and use mouse). Then right-click either the selected file and chose “WinZip -> Add to Zip File…” Note: Any compression tool will do.
- Enter a name that is meaningful to you; it may indicate the version of the universe, the date/time, or editor. Click “OK” and notice the new Zip file you created. This is your backup.
Restore a back-up of a universe
As has been stated many times on this website, you must be very careful with Universes and their CUIDs. Many logical work flows for handling universes can result in changing CUIDs and lost report bindings. Nevertheless, if properly back-up a universe can be restored to a prior state by following this work flow.
- Open Designer, but do not open any universe
- Locate the desired corresponding Universe folder and zip file. They should be located in:
C:Documents and SettingsApplication DataBusiness ObjectsBusiness Objects 11.5Universes@DevelopmentWorking Area - Back-up the existing universe file and folder to a new Zip file
- Delete the existing universe file and folder
- Unzip the backed-up universe file and folder to this same location. Note: They must be in the same local folder as the universe file and folder they are replacing.
- Open the universe file that you just unzipped and export it to the folder in which you are working:
- You will receive a prompt similar to the following. Click “Yes”.
- WARNING: if you receive any messages asking you to Move, Copy, or Overwrite a universe then you may not be restoring to the exact location that the universe previously resided. Prompts asking to overwrite the universe will be received if the universe you are attempting to restore does not have the same CUID as the backup universe. In this case, double-check your directories and analyze everything in Query Builder.
- At the end of the export close the universe and import the universe you just exported.
- Verify that this is the correct universe.
- You have successfully restored the universe
Prompt reads, “A newer version of this universe exists in the repository. If you continue with the export you may overwrite existing changes. Do you want to continue?
Using BO Query Builder to Detect Report-Universe Binding Status
The loss of binding between reports and universes is a common problem experienced by BO XI users. Often the issue can go unnoticed for quite a while, but like a dormant disease it can spontaneously begin to demonstrate severe symptoms that can result in the loss of your report. Sound serious enough? It is! The following article is intended to help you detect report-universe unbinding proactively, before they cause you serious trouble.
The best tool for detecting of Report-Universe Binding Status is Query Builder. As far as I know there is no third part tool or BO utility for this other than Query Builder, but honestly, Business Objects’ Query Builder works quite well and it is available to you for free. Here and the queries that you will need:
Business Objects Query Builder Query: Universe Binding Status
This query brings back a limited set of properties for the desired universe. I lifted it from our Query Builder Guide. Like most problems there are multiple ways to attack and starting by looking to the universe is one way.
SELECT
si_id,
si_name,
si_webi,
si_cuid
FROM
CI_AppObjects
WHERE
( si_name = '
si_kind = 'Universe'
You need to put in the universe name (upper or lower case is not important) or the Object ID of the universe (most people are more familiar with name, but object ID (si_id) provides more precise results. From this query we will see only the reports to which this universe is bound. It won’t list the reports to which it should be bound. The report name nor the report’s query name are given here, but the reports si_id or object ID is given here. And so you my need to do some additional queries to identify the reports listed here. Which leads us to the other way to start looking at this issue.
Business Objects Query Builder Query: Report Binding Status
For many people this is the query they will lead with in QueryBuilder. Usu
SELECT
si_id,
si_name,
si_universe,
si_cuid
FROM
CI_InfoObjects
WHERE
( si_name = '
si_kind = 'WebI' AND
si_instance = 0
Using the query will require you to provide at least one of the following: report name (si_name), report object ID (si_id), or parent folder object ID (si_parentid). This query’s result will list all of the universes to which the report(s) is/are bound. How can a report be bound to more than one universe? Multiple queries in the report (also called the classic name of “data providers”). This fact makes this query the most important query in my opinion. If it fails to list an expected universe then you have identified and unbound report. My sympathies and congratulations!
What does an Unbound Report Look Like in Query Builder?
Words are often not as valuable as pictures. Now pictures of words, well their value is questionable, but not in this matter. The following image show what the report Query Builder query looks like when a report is showing that it is bound to its universe (just a single universe in this example):
Query Builder output of a report properly bound to its universe
In the rather unfortunate case that a report is not bound to its universe you will see output that looks like this:
Query Builder output for a report not bound to ANY universe
Note:This query will return only WebI or Web Intelligence reports. You will need to modify it if you are interested in other reports in your CMS InfoStore.
A Note About the Query Builder “si_universe” Property
Many properties in Query Builder are compound in nature, meaning they have multiple values for a single object. For example and report can have multiple universe and in fact its si_universe property has multiple sub-properties (si_total and the universes’ object IDs). We call properties like si_universe property bags. The unfortunate fact here is that in Query Builder you cannot filter on a property bag. Therefore, you cannot create a query that only returns all of the unbound reports. 
What about the CUIDs?
If you have read my other articles such as “Business Objects XI – Changing BO Report / Universe Relationships” then you know that the relationship between reports and universes is really at the CUID level and not the Object ID level. Well, the truth is that Object IDs are specific to an environment, but CUIDs are portable between environments (with the write methods). Anyway, Query Builder and the CMS InfoStore will show the binding at the Object ID level, but this binding will look different in another environment to which you have correctly and successfully migrated the report and universe because the Object IDs will be different (but the CUIDs will be the same). Anyway, for now, just know that the CUID is very important with regards to report-universe binding; however, when detecting the status of that binding they are not important.
Important Note about Business Objects’ Import Wizard
I said earlier that there was no other tool for identifying unbound reports, but I fibbed a bit. It is possible to use Business Object’s Import Wizard to detect unbound reports. If you select a report and the option to automatically select its universes then if Import Wizard fails to select all of the expected universes you know that the report is in an unbound state. This is a tedious way to detect report-universe unbinding, BUT if you find yourself using Import Wizard and you are experiencing an issue with Import Wizard selecting reports’ universes then you have a good indicator that something is probably wrong with the report-universe binding.
Knowing is Half the Battle
The next logical question is, “Now that I have identified an unbound report, how can I correct it?”. That my friends is a topic for another article. My family and hobbies are calling to me now; please remind me if I forget to write that article soon.
Want to Know More About Query Builder?
I recommend that you take a look at our “Business Objects Query Builder Guide“, it is most likely “The Most Complete Business Objects XI Query Builder Guide Ever Written” and it will help you to discover and master the secrets of Business Object’s Query Builder, such as the one discussed in this article.
Business Objects XI – Changing BO Report / Universe Relationships
Common Ground – Terminology
Firstly, let me lay down some terminology in order to make this concept easier to discuss. “Classic BO” refers to any version of Business Objects between 5.X and 6.X. “BOXI” or “BO XI” refers to the Business Objects XI Release 1, 2, or 3 (R1/R2/R3), the injection of BO to the Crystal platform.
BO Classic Universe-Report Binding
In Classic BO if you wanted to replace a universe that was deleted from the repository or swap out one version of a universe for another version all that you had to do was place a universe in the repository which had the same name as the universe upon which the report was initially developed. The binding between report and universe was on name. For this reason universe name, for the most part, was the unique identifier for the universe. It made sense and it was a relationship everyone could understand regardless of technical background. When a report was selected from the repository its universe was also found based on the name of the universe listed in the report’s properties.
BO XI Universe-Report Binding
In BOXI, reports are bound to their universes not by the universe name, but by the unique identifier of the universe, the Cluster Unique Identifier (CUID). While this may seem a small change at first glance, one begins to see the full scope when one thinks beyond the simple workflow of universe creation and report creation. For example, what happens when you want to move the universe and report to another BOXI environment? What about if someone deletes the universe and reloads it from a back-up copy on their PC? What if you copy the universe to a different universe folder? Do you know how to answer these questions? Will your answers always result in preservation of the universe’s CUID?
Appearances are Deceiving
At first glance BusinessObjects has brought Full-client, WebI Intelligence, and Universes almost as they were in BO 6.5 (with a few improvements) into the the new Crystal platform with BOXI. The fundamental problem here is the phrase “as they were”. To the end user, it will appear that, despite the InfoView improvements and addition of multiple data providers to WebI, everything else is “as it was”. While familiarity is good, here it also creates the problem. Most end users do not realize that the binding mechanism between report and universe has changed, because for the most part everything else has not, and many training courses do not alert users either to this binding change. Therefore most users will follow development work flows based on the misconception that reports are bound to their universes based on universe name.
How to Maintain Business Objects XI Universe-Report Binding
Getting Started – Creating BOXI Universes and Reports
First of all you do not need to do anything special to create the proper CUID-level binding between the universe and the report. Creating a new report and selecting the universe will create the proper binding. In fact, if you copy a report, that is properly bound to a universe, you will end up with a duplicate report that is properly bound to it’s universe. Like I said before, if this is all that you are doing then you need not think differently about Universe and Report Binding. The problem is that most of us do more with reports and universes then just create them once, save them, and leave them alone.
Making Changes – Proper Universe Editing
Editing a report and a universe requires no special instructions as long as you obey some guidelines. Universes require the most delicate and precise handling. A universe that is imported from the repository, edited, and exported back to the repository will maintain it’s CUID and relationship to its reports. If you create a copy of the universe, using either CMC or Designer, the copy will receive its own CUID and it will not be associated with the original’s reports. Moving a universe between universe folders will maintain the CUID; HOWEVER if a universe of the same name exists in the destination DO NOT overwrite the universe. This will definitely cause the moved universe to receive a new CUID (this is true at least in Business Objects XI Release 2). NEVER USE THE OVERWRITE FUNCTIONALITY OF DESIGNER, terrible, unreliable results are nearly guaranteed. By the way, moving a universe cannot be done in CMC, BO Designer is required.
NOTE: A CUID is a unique identifier. It is impossible for two objects in the world (or same BO XI platform for that matter) to possess the same CUID, unless IMPORT WIZARD (or some other such tool) is used to “clone” the object from one environment to another.
Making Changes – Proper Report Editing
With regards to retention of the universe-report binding, editing a report does not require much delicacy at all, beyond that one would normally employ. However, if your goal is to retain the Business Objects report’s CUID (for reasons of cross-environment synchrony, for example) then there are some rules of engagement. A new CUID will only be created for a report if the report is duplicated, for example: the report is copied, the report is saved using “Save As”, the Import Wizard is used (various options could result in a duplicate with a different CUID).
NOTE: Once you understand the basics you will begin to ask yourself more profound questions such as… How can I tell if a report is not bound to its universe? Many unbound reports continue to work fine, why is that and if this is true why should I worry? How can a revert back to an old version of a universe without losing my universe’s CUID? Why do unbound reports spontaneously go berserk? These are all excellent questions that I will answer if you confirm to me (through your comments) that you are interested in the answers.
Closing Thoughts
In order to maintain CUID parity/synchrony within your Business Objects XI environment and across multiple BOXI environments you will need to learn more than can be covered in the scope of a single article. If this article has piqued your interest or assisted you in understanding the basics, and you would like to learn more then please leave your comments. I could present a couple more focused articles on this topic. Nevertheless, I would also like to know if there is interest in a more comprehensive guide that we could make available for sale at a reasonable price. If so, I would invest more time in this (many hours).
Query Builder: Improving Query Performance
Business Objects Query Builder is a free application provided with Business Objects Enterprise XI (BOXI). It is uses the BOE SDK to provide a simple web user interface for submitting queries against the CMS InfoStore and returning their results.
Query Performance Concerns: Indexed Properties
As you begin to experience the wonders of Query Builder you will find that certain queries run quickly and other run very slowly, or not at all. It is important to remember that you are still querying a database and certain portions of that database have been indexed for improved performance in Business Objects. Among the lucky indexed properties you should find the following. For improved performance use these in your query’s selection criteria (WHERE clause):
SI_CUID
SI_GUID
SI_HIDDEN_OBJECT
SI_ID
SI_INSTANCE_OBJECT
SI_KIND
SI_NAME
SI_NAMEDUSER
SI_NEXTRUNTIME
SI_OWNERID
SI_PARENTID
SI_PLUGIN_OBJECT
SI_RECURRING
SI_RUID
SI_RUNNABLE_OBJECT
SI_SCHEDULE_STATUS
SI_UPDATE_TS
SI_INSTANCE
Optimizing Query Builder Queries
Query performance is improved by using indexed properties in your selection criteria (WHERE clause); however, the order of these can additionally optimize your query’s performance. All selection criteria with indexed properties should be placed first in the WHERE clause. The BusinessObjects Enterprise CMS InfoStore, and therefore Query Builder, processes queries from top to bottom and left to right. Therefore the selection criteria should also be ordered from the most restrictive to the least restrictive. For example, SI_NAME = ‘My Report’ should be place before SI_KIND = ‘WebI’ in the query. It may not be the prettiest query but it will be the fastest.
For example:
SELECT
si_id,
si_name,
si_universe,
si_cuid
FROM
CI_InfoObjects
WHERE
si_name = '
si_kind = 'WebI' AND
si_instance = 0
