BusinessObjects Board

Changing universe in use for a report

I have to change the universe a report is using for another. It is essentially the same universe but some objects were renamed.

If I just do the change it removes the objects that are not there anymore. Is there a way to prevent BO from removing them, so I can have a chance to look at them and find the substitute? (Right now I donā€™t have the original universe).

Thank you


rimugu (BOB member since 2006-07-11)

This isnā€™t a report-building question, itā€™s a Designer question. So moved from ā€œBuilding Reportsā€ --> Desktop Intelligence (XI r2) to ā€œSemantic Layerā€ forum.

One thing that you might do is to right-click and ā€œhideā€ the objects, rather than delete them. Then you can still see them in Designer until youā€™re ready to delete them. But reporters wonā€™t see them.

Alternatively, if you want the object to have the same meaning ā€“ but just point to a different table/column, just edit the object and change it, rather than deleting it. Or if you want it to point to the same table/column, just rename the object rather than deleting it.


Anita Craig :us: (BOB member since 2002-06-17)

I donā€™t have the original universe. There are no objects that I can hide or edit.

I have a new universe that was already edited. I need to change the report to use the new universe (same universe but with objects renamed). And is Desktop Inteligence (not me) that deletes obsolete objects. Can I stop BO from deleting obsolete objects? That way I can go and sustitute one object by one object until it works. Instead of guessing which objects where supposed to be there and adding them.


rimugu (BOB member since 2006-07-11)

Does no one have the original universe? If not, then I can think of no easy way to accomplish what you are after. Iā€™m not sure how you would even test it, since you canā€™t run the original report. Iā€™d stop looking for shortcuts, and just rebuild the report. Is there at least a paper copy of the report to model after?


Dwayne Hoffpauir :us: (BOB member since 2002-09-19)

There is someone I wonā€™t be able to get a hold off until it is too late.

Which shortcuts? There is no paper copy, would not be of any use as I donā€™t know the conditions behind it, it would be like I have right now. I can see the format just fine, but I want to know the complete data provider.

Letā€™s just say I want to look to an old report whose universe is no longer there. How do I see the full data provider? How do I prevent BO from eliminated old objects upon inspecting the data provider?


rimugu (BOB member since 2006-07-11)

Magic?

I donā€™t think anyone on the board is going to be able to tell you anything else.


Anita Craig :us: (BOB member since 2002-06-17)

Why? Am I too ugly? Nobody knows the answer? Nobody wants to share the knowledge (jaja)

I guess maybe is something technical. Is there a design thing in BO that make the elimination of obsolete objects the only way to go?

Maybe BO does store that information in the report, but what you mean is that not only there is no ā€œdo you want to delete obsolete objects yes/noā€, but there is no way to override the standard behavior (delete objects) because of design issues inside BO?

So far the suggestion of JdVries regarding opening as text has helped to get the SQL, which is really useful, but it would be even more useful to also get the object names. By looking at the report as text it looks like there are some names that may be just what I am looking for, but cannot be completely sure since I didnĀ’t knew the original names.

I will try some experiments to see if I can identify the object names, but if somebody already knows the answerer, donĀ’t be cruel and share it. It will take me some days to figure this out and maybe at the end is not possible.


rimugu (BOB member since 2006-07-11)

Try starting at this FAQ from Designer, which then links you to a topic from digpen.


Anita Craig :us: (BOB member since 2002-06-17)

On a related note it appears the original poster knows how to point a report at a new universe. Can anyone tell me how to do this in Webi?

(I had to restore my universe using some unorthodox techniques - which basically made it a new universe with all the same dataā€¦ Iā€™m just looking to point the report at the new universe)

Thanks!!

stephen


smccullough (BOB member since 2006-08-17)

Bottom line to this oneā€¦

You have to have the original universe in order for BO to change the data provider from 1 to another. Also, the objects need to exist.

There is no way (outside of a HEX editor) to do this for WebI.


Steve Krandel :us: (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

You can do it within Webi when using Business Objects XI R2 :smiley:


Andreas :de: (BOB member since 2002-06-20)

:cry:
still using 6.5.2 so I have to make a new webi-doc on the ā€˜newā€™ univers


IngeH :netherlands: (BOB member since 2004-06-22)

Hi Steve
Could\would you please describe how to HEX it?
My webi doc should point to a new univers, same object names etc.
please please please . . . . . :wink:

thanks in advance


IngeH :netherlands: (BOB member since 2004-06-22)

Do a search for HEX. Iā€™ve never done it. Iā€™ve only read about it here on BOB.

I doubt it will work for XI.


Steve Krandel :us: (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

Inge,

What I donā€™t understand, why do you have to change your universe?
Is it a matter of

  • version-control: development > test > production ?
  • database-change, same datamodel with different connection ?
  • database-change, migration i.e. from MSSQL to Oracle ?

I am very curious about this.

Johan


JdVries :netherlands: (BOB member since 2006-02-06)

explanation behind it:
weā€™ve got performance indicators number 1 to 5
the data is gather in datamarts that have excalty the same informations\fields(example: country, customer) but different result
for 1 it can be 100, for 2 it can be 2%
also target and benchmarks differ

but the univers on them is exactly the same, class&object-names etc
and the document created on them have all the same layout

as the names of fields are the same it would be nice if i could copy a report that was already made and let it connect to another univers and get my new p.i.

that why :wink:


IngeH :netherlands: (BOB member since 2004-06-22)

Inge,

Thanks for your explanation.

These 5 datamarts are in 5 different databases, with 5 different user/passwords ?
Isnā€™t it possible to gather these 5 datamarts in 1 database and 1 universe.
If they are 5 databases, maybe this is possible with databaselinksā€¦?

Maybe you can go back to the datamart-designer or DBA with your wishes to put it all together. :slight_smile:

Once the datamarts are all available in 1 database, you can create objects based on derived tables or views.
Since all the datamarts have the same informations\fields that cannot be very difficult. :rotf:

Hope this helps,
Johan


JdVries :netherlands: (BOB member since 2006-02-06)

hi johan
:slight_smile: i didnā€™t tell you everything i see, all datamarts are in the same db.
In the univers i use derived table to get the same object en class names
Univers 1 uses datamart 1 and selects from the target-tabel all data for pi1
Univers 2 uses datamart 2 and selects from the target-tabel all data for pi2
and so on
Excactly as you suggested
Great minds thing alike :wink:

It would be nice if i could change the univers for my webi doc created on pi1 to change to the univers for pi5 as all naming of classes\objects are the same.
(using version 6.5 here)
But iā€™ve looked at HEX-ing it but I havenā€™t goten very far (yet)

bye
Inge


IngeH :netherlands: (BOB member since 2004-06-22)

Hi all,

I am working in BOXI R2 Deski. I am facing a similar issue, I have developed the reports using a Universe that was developed on the DEV database.

Now I have made the changes in the Universe to point to PROD database but I want my reports that were previously pointing to DEV universe to the PROD Universe seamlessly. Whats the proper way of doing this exercise?

Meanwhile I have to keep the DEV universe (reports would not require this universe) for adhoc analysis.

Can anybody help? Thanks in advance.


ADM171 :pakistan: (BOB member since 2005-05-23)