Unravel OBI 12c RPD features

Installed the latest version of OBIEE 12c yet?  If yes, then you would have totally been yapping about the cool data visualizations available from Visual Analyzer.

Also by default with Oracle BI 12c, sample repository is provided having best practices for modelling many different types of objects. A basic version of rpd is already installed as the default repository.

But if you want to start building your own rpd and start seeing some reports, there are some facts you should be aware of.

RPD deployment option is no longer available in 12c EM (as in when compared with 11g).

Below are some repository commands required for rpd deployment, but before that let's look at a pre-fix to be performed before using those commands.

'data-model-cmd.cmd'

This command is used to run any of new command line tools (including for upload/download) of rpd.

However there is a certain "ClassNotFoundException" message that appears in command box when run on windows (no issues for Linux installation).

A simple fix as per the Oracle docs for this would be to copy the "bi-commandline-tools.jar" from the full server installation (in this case it's Linux machine location: "Oracle_Home/bi/lib")

 Navigate to OBIEE Client installation and paste it in "Oracle_Home/bi/lib"

Go to the following link to read more about the pre-fix: Error when running data-model-cmd.cmd Launcher Script

'RPD download command'

Using this command OBIEE 12c repository is downloaded to the desired location. RPD modelling/backup can be performed.

'downloadrpd' command takes the following parameters:

downloadrpd -O RPDname [-W RPDpwd] -SI service_instance -U cred_username [-P cred_password] [-S hostname] [-N port_number] [-SSL] [-H]

Note:

‘-O’ specifies the location/rpd name where repository is to be downloaded (miscorrection in Oracle docs)

‘SI’ specifies the service instance. Finds its name at /user_projects/domains/bi/bidata/service_instances/

Service Instance name can also be found by navigating to Administration tab in analytics page at the Presentation Catalog path

Go to the following link to read more: Download Repository Command

 Test and refine rpd (nqcmd) command:

After completion of work on repository, to run sample queries (sanity testing, not for heavy load testing) use the "nqcmd". This is an Oracle BI server utility available both on UNIX and Windows systems.

Navigate to: ORACLE_HOME/user_projects/domains/bi/bitools/bin

 Sample parameters used:

 nqcmd -dmy_dsn -umy_username [-pmy_password] -ssql_input_file -omy_result_file

 Go to the following link to read more: Using nqcmd to Test and Refine the Repository

  

RPD validaterpd Command:

It’s used to check the validity of all metadata objects in a repository. This utility performs the same validation checks as the consistency check manager in Admin tool performs.

The location of the validaterpd utility is:

ORACLE_HOME/user_projects/domains/bi/bitools/bin

 validaterpd utility takes the following parameters:

validaterpd {-R repository_name | -I input_file_pathname |

-D MDS_XML_document_directory} [-P repository_password] {-O output_txt_file_name |

-C output_csv_file_name | -X output_xml_file_name} [-8] [-F fixed_rpd_name] [-S] [-B]

Go to the following link to read more: Validaterpd Utility

 RPD Upload Command:

To upload the rpd to BI server, use the "uploadrpd" command (does not work if repository composed of MDS XML documents).

 ‘uploadrpd’ command takes the following parameters:

 uploadrpd -I <RPDname> [-W <RPDpwd>] -SI <service_instance> -U <cred_username> [-P <cred_password>] [-S <hostname>] [-N <port_number>] [-SSL] [-H]

 Note:

‘I’ specifies location/name of repository you want to upload.

Linux Terminal

Windows Command prompt

Go to the following link to read more: Upload Repository Command

- Aniket

(These opinions are my own and not the views of my company)