Export not working in Oracle OBIEE 11.1.1.5.5 dashboards

I was getting a javascript error when trying to export reports from a Dashboard in OBI. It looks like a piece of code is missing.

Depending on what browser you are using, the error may be about Downloadguard.js or viewcontrol.js. Or simply, 'control is undefined'.

A work-around to this (assuming you don't want to upgrade to a higher version), is the following:

1. Edit dashboard page.
2. Add the Text Object.
3. Input the following.
<script type='text/javascript' src='res/b_mozilla/downloadguard.js'></script>
4. Check the box Contains HTML Markup
5. Save it, and now the export should work!

Datastage - Loading MySQL Text into Oracle Varchar

I had to create a simple job to load data from a MySQL database into an Oracle database.
Everything was working fine until I had to move MySQL data that was in a Text format, into an equivalent Oracle field.


I grab the data in my first stage, and move it into a field of type Char, with the necessary byte size. The data then gets loaded into CLOB fields in Oracle, and in Datastage I label them as type 'Char' with the necessary byte size.
So far, this seems to be working well.

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You could also try using a User-created SQL statement, that casts the MySQL text data into characters.

Example: cast(description as char(2000)) as description

Then in DataStage, I have the data coming in as Varchar, and loading into Varchar2(2000) fields in Oracle. Keep in mind that I know these fields aren't very big, even though they are Text fields.
Perhaps not the most elegant, but it got the job done.

It also worked to have the data coming in as Char, and loading as Char. Make sure the field size is large enough.

Reading Datastage Logs

When using IBM InfoSphere DataStage and QualityStage, it's important to know how to use the logs. They can answer a lot of questions, and help isolate problems.

This is a simple introduction to reading the logs in Director.

1. Change the Refresh
You'll learn pretty quick that the default refresh is way too short. The page will refresh every 5 seconds, making it practically impossible to read anything.
First thing you should do, is lengthen the refresh time, or change it to manuel refresh only.
Go to Tools -> Options... -> General Tab ->  change the refresh time to 60 seconds or disable it.

2. Filter/Search for Warnings/Abort
Open your log file in Director. Go to View -> Filter Entries...
This will open up a box where you can filter for particular errors (ex. Warnings). You can also use Ctrl-F to search for a specific word or phrase within your log. You can also have it show more or less of the logs.

3. Check Related Log(s)

When you are checking a log for a sequence, that has several jobs, you can right-click a "Run Job" line, to see the log for that specific job. Click on Related Log.

4. Check the Details
When jobs abort, check the details. This is obvious, but some people gloss over these. Often there is more information about what caused the job to abort. Bad queries may display an error of bad syntax. A record with bad data may cause the job to abort, and often the record's data will be displayed in the error, so you can find the record and fix it, or delete it.

This is very basic information, but this is the best place to start when troubleshooting. For any just beginning in Datastage, hopefully this was helpful and Good Luck!

Oracle, ODBC 32, Windows 7, and Golden32

Last week I needed a connection to an Oracle database. I planned on using Golden to access the database once the connection was in place. It took awhile to figure out all the steps and how they come together, but eventually I got it work.  If anyone would find it helpful, these are the steps I took:

First, I need to create an ODBC connection to my Oracle database.  But when I click 'add', this is what I see....

SQL, SQL, and only SQL. That does me no good.

#1 -  I need to download and install an Oracle Client. But Golden needs a 32bit ODBC connection, so don't download 64bit.

#2 - Find the download for "Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.1.0) for Microsoft Windows (32-bit)" on the Oracle website. Or whatever the new release is.

#3 - Download it, and follow the instructions to install it.  This usually means running a setup.exe, and adding the Oracle folder to your Windows path.

• In Command prompt: PATH C:\Oracle; %PATH%
• Once installed, add tnsnames.ora in your Oracle admin folder (C:\app\<user>\product\11.2.0\client_1\network\admin)

#4 - Add an Oracle Connection to ODBC-32bit. The path to ODBC-32 in Windows7 is here:  C:\Windows\SysWOW64\odbcad32.exe

#5 - Open Golden, and have it look in your tnsnames.ora, to find your database(s) and connect.