Comments on: How to Backup a BO Universe and Maintain its CUID

By: Julian

Julian — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:40:07 +0000

Hi Arasu, I think you have two possible file write locations to worry about. Log location and temp file location. Yes, any of the BO tools (such as Designer) will probably write a log. I have never had to worry about this because I either had admin rights to the server or I ran the tools from my PC. Sorry, I don’t have more info than this right now.

By: Arasu

Arasu — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:45:23 +0000

Hi Julian, thanks just i got chance to speak with my engineering team person. He told that intialy IW used system32 folder later their investigation they had amended the package to redirect to business objects logging folders. When i processing IW i could see IW related log getting registred. But still i am not sure whether its correct or not, because if we use any application.. Corresponding log files could created under where the package insatalled location. It mean IW also creating log under insatalled location.. For this do we need R/W access locally?

By: Julian

Julian — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:47:35 +0000

Hi Arasu, this is very interesting. I had an experience with the BI 4.0 Upgrade Management Tool recently where it quit telling me that it was out of space. I looked at the target environment’s FRS locations and there was plenty of space. So the only thing I could think of is that the Upgrade Management Tool, like its daddy Import Wizard must use some temporary files on the local machine.

Ok, so my point is that I was wrong earlier. I was focused on the end state of the tool and not the processing state. I can only imagine that Import Wizard would write to one of two locations: (1) a sub-folder of the installation folder of the Business Objects software or (2) the temporarily folder for your user account. Unfortunately, I don’t know which it would be. Could you take a closer look and see that you can?

By: Arasu

Arasu — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:36:13 +0000

Hi Julian,
Thanks, i am using enterprise admin account which is member of standard admin group. When i use this account for import wizard i could go till finish. Once i select finish my import wizard window had disaperred / vanished. I tested by getting local system admin rights it has been succeded without any issue.. It has migrated the reports and universe development to UAT.
Before getting local system admin rights its not succedded, i tried 10-15 times. Due this reason our system admin asking exactly which location it need r/w access.

By: Julian

Julian — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:06:06 +0000

Hi Arasu, I believe that your BO admin is mistaken. Import Wizard has two applicable security limits. First the BO account that you use with it can be limited as to what it can do, so this is why most people use “Administrator” or a user account that is a member of “Administrator”. Import Wizard does not write directly to your hard disk. It uses the BO CMS which in turn uses the Input and Output FRS servers/services (the path configured for these FRS is where files will be written). Both of these services use which ever service account is configured for them (in XI R2) or for the Server Intelligence Agent (XI 3.1 or BI 4.0). Its the service account that needs sufficient rights to the FRS path locations, but these rights are a prerequisite to the BO system.

By: Arasu

Arasu — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 15:15:23 +0000

Hi Julian,
our BO admin had advised us we need local admin rights while using import wizard its required R/W access for c drive. But our system admin said that they can’t provide local admin rights. They are asking exactly which location you need R/W access according to that we will provide. When i asked our BO admin even he is not aware exact path. Can you pls tell me which location our IW getting registred while accessing it?

Regards,
Arasu

By: Julian

Julian — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:23:46 +0000

Hey Aravind, good to hear from you again. I do see the possible contradiction that you speak of. Perhaps I should have left the word “overwrite” out of point #8.

What I meant to say is that if you receive any warnings other than the expected warning detailed in step #7 then you should stop and check all of your steps.

By: Aravind

Aravind — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 08:08:38 +0000

Hi Julian,

Good article.
We have been trying to understand how to take the backup of a universe and this arctile cleared us our queries.
Can you please provide me some clarity around point 7 and 8. I would have understood it wrong.

Point 7 states to click ‘Yes’ for the confirmation prompt “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?” but immediatly point 8 states “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.”

I understood the point 7 and 8 contradicting each other.

When a confirmation message is received to replace(as per point 7) does this meant that the CUID is different from what is existing in the repository, if so, that meant we did not have the back up with us.

I may sound silly, but can you help me understand.

Thanks.

By: Julian

Julian — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:26:06 +0000

Hi Bala,
If you use Import Wizard to create a BIAR file backup then you don’t need the above process at all. BIAR file backups are fairly reliable, but they can be disruptive to the workflow of universe development. Please read the new section I added above. Thanks for reminding me to add it.

By: Bala

Bala — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:20:51 +0000

Hi Julian:
Can the above backup and restore process be done using the Import Wizzard and creating a .BIAR file? That should maintain the CUIDs intact correct?

Bala