How to upgrade your Business Objects XI3 install to BI4

SAP have created a useful wiki which provides details on how to upgrade your BusinessObjects XI3 environment to BI4.

The wiki helps you to:

• Identify what to upgrade
• Taking backups prior to the upgrade
• Use of the Upgrade Management Tool
• Conversion of the Business Objects universes from .unv format to unx. format

A couple of things to be aware of:

• BI4 uses a different audit schema
• A 64bit Operating System is required for BI4

Certainly worth a read prior to undertaking the upgrade.

The link to the wiki is open for all and can be found here:

http://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/BOBJ/How+to+Upgrade+to+BI4.0

Configuring ODBC for XI 3.1 on a 64bit Operating System

So you’ve got a nice shiny new box running 64bit Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008.

It’s going to run XI 3.1, so you go in to SQL Server and create your Business Objects repository.

You then go into the ODBC data source administrator and set up your ODBC connection. You test the connection, it works fine. Great.

You then kick off the XI 3.1 installation, and you get to the screen to select your database. No problem. I’m using SQL Server, I’ve created the database and I’ve created the ODBC connection.

So where is my ODBC connection?

You may have spotted a new check box on the SQL Server Logon screen ‘Consume DSN created under WOW64′.

“Never seen that before”, you say. “I’ll uncheck it”. And voila, your ODBC connection appears.

STOP RIGHT THERE!

That connection have been created using the 64bit version of the ODBC data source administrator.

You need to go back and recreate your ODBC connection using the 32bit ODBC data source administrator. Eh? What’s that all about?

To save yourself from a sore head, take a look at the posting provided by Dallas Marks. All will be revealed.

Many thanks Dallas.

Installing XI 3.1 and LCM 3.1 with SP2

A quick post to help those that have been having issues installing XI 3.1 and LCM 3.1 with SP2 on the Windows platform.

It is important that the products be installed in the correct order, otherwise you will have issues with your install.

The correct order should be:

BOE XI 3.1 -> LCM XI 3.1 -> BOE XI 3.1 SP2 -> LCM XI 3.1 SP2

Any fix packs that you want to apply after that must also be done in a similar order. So if you install FP 2.2 for BOE XI 3.1, ensure you install FP 2.2 for LCM XI 3.1, etc.

Hope this helps some of you.

XI 3.1 – New Features

While I haven’t yet been able to get my hands on XI 3.1, I did recently have an opportunity to view a presentation on the new features of XI 3.1. I took down the following notes. Hopefully, they will be of use to readers of this blog:

• Improved integration with Microsoft environment
• Broader data access:
  • Databases: HP Neoview 2.3, SQL Server 2008, Netezza, Oracle 11g, Teradata 12
  • O/S: HP-UX Itanium (using a new 64 bit BI platform architecture, suitable for high end BOE deployments. (Deski not or Business View Manager didn’t make it to 64 bit. All other apps are 64bit), Red Hat 5, Windows Server 2008, Vista sp1

• Greater integration with SAP environment
• New integration solution for Oracle E-Business Suite
• Easier self discovery in Voyager
• Live Ofice enhancements
• Microsoft Sharepoint integration
• Choice of 32 or 64 bit BI platform architecture
• Life cycle content management(replace import wizard)
• Support for IP Next Generation
• Global reach – 18 languages including 4 new ones

The main point appears to be the improved integration with the Microsoft platform, leveraging the MS stack by including native .NET support for Infoview, Webi and Deski. This will be good new for Microsoft ‘shops’.

I hope to put a bit more flesh on this once I get hold of XI 3.1 on a development machine.