BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator s Guide

Transcription

1 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Administrator s Guide BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2

2 1 Patents Trademarks Copyright Third-party contributors 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. 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 2006 Business Objects. All rights reserved. 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: 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Deployment and Configuration Guide

3 Contents Chapter 1 Getting Started 17 About this guide About BusinessObjects Enterprise Chapter 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture 19 Overview Architecture basics Client tier InfoView Central Management Console (CMC) Central Configuration Manager (CCM) Publishing Wizard Import Wizard Application tier Application server and BusinessObjects Enterprise SDK Web Component Adapter (WCA) Web development platforms Java platform Windows.NET platform Web application environments Intelligence tier Central Management Server (CMS) Event Server File Repository Servers Cache Server Processing tier Job servers Report Job Server BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator s Guide 3

4 Contents Program Job Server Web Intelligence Job Server Destination Job Server List of Values Job Server Desktop Intelligence Job Server Web Intelligence Report Server Report Application Server (RAS) Page Server Data tier Report viewers Information flow What happens when you schedule an object? What happens when you view a report? Report viewing with the Cache Server and Page Server Report viewing with the Report Application Server Viewing Web Intelligence documents Security management components Web Component Adapter CMS Security plug-ins Chapter 3 Central Management Console Basics 45 Overview Using the CMC Logging on to the CMC Navigating within the CMC Setting CMC preferences Making initial security settings Setting the Administrator password Disabling a user account Modifying default security levels Managing BusinessObjects Enterprise applications CMC BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator s Guide

5 Contents Crystal Reports Explorer Designer Desktop Intelligence Discussions Accessing the Discussions page Searching for discussion threads Sorting search results Deleting discussion threads Setting user rights InfoView Web Intelligence Chapter 4 Setting Rights 59 Overview Rights and the BusinessObjects Enterprise object security model How rights work in BusinessObjects Enterprise Navigating the Rights tab Locating the Rights tab Columns in the Rights tab Reading the Rights tab BusinessObjects Enterprise top-level folders Access levels Access levels overview Considerations for setting access levels Assigning access levels to groups and users Assigning No Access and Full Control access levels Advanced object rights Advanced object rights overview Navigating the Advanced Rights page Locating the Advanced Rights page Columns in the Advanced Rights page Base rights and available rights Inheritance BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator s Guide 5

6 Contents The rationale for inheritance Group and folder inheritance concepts Group inheritance Folder inheritance Breaking inheritance Enabling and disabling inheritance with access levels Inheritance with advanced rights Priorities affecting advanced inheritance settings Using rights to delegate administration Delegated administration overview Choosing between Modify the rights users have to objects options Modify the rights users have to objects Securely modify rights users have to objects Owner rights Summary of recommendations for rights administration Choosing between View and View-on-demand rights View-on-demand rights View rights Chapter 5 Managing User Accounts and Groups 83 Overview Account management overview User management Group management Available authentication types Managing Enterprise and general accounts Creating an Enterprise user account Creating a group Adding subgroups Specifying group membership Adding users to groups Modifying a user account Deleting a user account BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator s Guide

7 Contents Changing password settings Enabling Trusted Authentication Modifying a group Viewing group members Deleting a group Disabling the Guest account Granting access to users and groups Controlling access to user inboxes Managing aliases 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 Chapter 6 Managing Licenses 103 Overview Managing license information Adding a license key Viewing current account activity Chapter 7 Managing Applications 107 Overview Setting rights on applications Managing CMC settings Managing Crystal Reports Explorer settings Managing Designer settings Desktop Intelligence settings Managing Discussions settings Accessing the Discussions page Searching for discussion threads Sorting search results BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator s Guide 7

8 Contents Deleting discussion threads Setting user rights Managing InfoView settings Managing Web Intelligence settings Chapter 8 Managing Servers 117 Overview Server management overview Server status Starting, stopping, and restarting servers Stopping a Central Management Server Enabling and disabling servers Server settings Server metrics Viewing current server metrics The Metrics tab Viewing system metrics Server groups Creating a server group Working with server subgroups Modifying the group membership of a server User access to servers and server groups Object rights for the Report Application Server Chapter 9 Managing Data Sources and Connections 131 Overview Data source connections Managing universes Viewing and deleting universes Controlling access to universes Managing universe connections Controlling access to universe connections Managing OLAP cubes BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator s Guide

9 Contents Creating an OLAP cube connection Editing an OLAP cube connection Deleting an OLAP cube connection OLAP Data source connection settings Connection settings for Microsoft OLAP data sources Connection settings for Essbase/DB2 OLAP data sources Connection settings for Oracle OLAP data sources Chapter 10 Managing Objects 143 Overview General object management Setting object rights 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 Available destinations by object type Changing properties of an object Assigning an object to categories Report object management What are report objects and instances? Setting report refresh options Setting report processing options 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 9

10 Contents Applying processing extensions to reports Registering processing extensions with the system Selecting a processing extension for a report Sharing processing extensions between multiple servers Working with hyperlinked reports Publishing and hyperlinking reports Publishing reports with existing hyperlinks Viewing hyperlinks in a report Viewing hyperlinked reports Viewing the universes for a Web Intelligence document Rights set on Desktop and Web Intelligence documents Desktop Intelligence document rights Web Intelligence document rights Program object management What are program objects and instances? Program types Setting program processing options Specifying command-line arguments Setting a working directory for a program object Configuring executable programs Configuring Java programs Authentication and program objects Object package management What are object packages, components, and instances? Creating an object package Adding objects to an object package Configuring object packages and their objects Authentication and object packages Chapter 11 Scheduling Objects 193 Overview Scheduling overview About the scheduling options and parameters BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator s Guide

11 Contents Recurrence patterns Run options and parameters Scheduling objects Scheduling objects using object packages Scheduling an object with events Setting the scheduling options Setting notification for an object s success or failure Determining an object s success or failure About notification Specifying alert notification Selecting a destination Default destination support Unmanaged Disk destination support FTP support (SMTP) support Inbox support Choosing a format Selecting cache options for Web Intelligence documents Scheduling an object for a user or group Managing instances Managing and viewing the history of instances Viewing an instance Pausing or resuming an instance Deleting an instance Setting instance limits for an object Using Calendars Calendars overview Creating calendars Adding dates to a calendar Calendar format options Specific dates Recurring dates Deleting calendars BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator s Guide 11

12 Contents Specifying calendar rights Managing events Managing events overview File-based events Schedule-based events Custom events Specifying event rights Chapter 12 Organizing Objects 235 Overview Organizing objects overview About folders About categories Working with folders Creating and deleting folders Creating a new folder Creating a new subfolder at any level Deleting folders Copying and moving folders Adding a new object to a folder Specifying folder rights Folder rights Setting access levels Setting limits for folders, users, and groups Managing user folders Working with categories Creating and deleting categories Creating a new category Creating a new subcategory at any level Deleting categories Moving categories Adding an object to a new category Removing or deleting objects from a category BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator s Guide

13 Contents Specifying category rights Category rights Managing personal categories Chapter 13 Publishing Objects to BusinessObjects Enterprise 253 Overview Publishing overview Publishing options Publishing Wizard procedures Logging on to BusinessObjects Enterprise via the Publishing Wizard 256 Creating and selecting a folder on the CMS Moving objects between folders Duplicating the folder structure Adding objects to a category Changing scheduling options Refreshing repository fields Publishing with saved data Selecting a program type Specifying program credentials Changing default values Changing object properties Entering database logon information Setting parameters Setting the schedule output format Adding extra files for programs Specifying command line arguments Finalizing the objects to be added Publishing with the CMC Saving objects directly to the CMS Chapter 14 Managing Profiles 269 Overview What are profiles? BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator s Guide 13

14 Contents Creating profiles Personalizing data with profile targets Personalizing data for users and groups Resolving conflicts between profiles Specifying profile rights Appendix A Working with Performance Management Applications 277 About performance management applications Performance management repository Setting performance management security Setting security for metrics and dimensions Setting security for dashboards and analytics Setting security for performance management functionality Troubleshooting performance management applications Predictive Analysis Appendix B Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents 283 Customizing the appearance of Web Intelligence documents What you can do with the defaultconfig.xml file Locating and modifying defaultconfig.xml Desktop Intelligence Enterprise Java InfoView Desktop Intelligence Enterprise.NET InfoView List of key values Example: Modifying the default font in table cells Appendix C Synchronizing data source credentials 291 Using data source credentials About DBUSER and DBPASS Enabling data source credential synchronization Setting data source credentials for user objects Using data source credentials with universes Troubleshooting data source credentials Report object doesn t use the specified credentials Using BOUSER BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator s Guide

15 Contents Appendix D Trusted Authentication 295 Enabling Trusted Authentication Configuring the server for Trusted Authentication Configuring trusted authentication for the client Appendix E Business Objects Information Resources 301 Documentation and information services Documentation What s in the documentation set? Where is the documentation? Documentation from the products Documentation on the web Documentation on the product CD Send us your feedback Customer support, consulting and training How can we support you? Online Customer Support Looking for the best deployment solution for your company? Looking for training options? Useful addresses at a glance Appendix F Glossary 307 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator s Guide 15

16 Contents 16 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator s Guide

17 Getting Started chapter

18 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

19 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture chapter

20 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

21 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Architecture basics 2 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

22 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Client tier 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. 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. InfoView 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. 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

23 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Client tier 2 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) Publishing Wizard 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. 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

24 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Application tier Import Wizard 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. 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: Application server and BusinessObjects Enterprise SDK Web Component Adapter (WCA) 24 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator s Guide

25 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Application tier 2 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

26 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

27 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Intelligence tier 2 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

28 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: 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. 28 BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator s Guide

29 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Intelligence tier 2 Event Server 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. 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

30 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Processing tier Cache Server 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. 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. 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

31 BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture Processing tier 2 Job servers The processing tier includes: Job servers Web Intelligence Report Server Report Application Server (RAS) Page Server 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

32 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