A.0 Troubleshooting

This section provides solutions to the issues you might encounter when using Analysis Center:

Error When Selecting a Data Source

Explanation: If you create a Data Mart on a SQL Server Failover Cluster and then select a Data Source in the Admin Console, the following error might display: MSDTC on server 'VSQL' is unavailable. This error occurs when the Virtual SQL Server comes online before the Distributed Transaction Coordinator service has started.
Action: Use the Failover Cluster Manager to take the Virtual SQL Server group offline, and then bring it back online.

Report Data Mismatch in SQL Server Reporting Services and Reporting Console

Explanation: If you modify the default Data Source Connection, the data displayed for an already deployed report in SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) mismatches with the data displayed for the same report in the Reporting Console.(DOC337247)
Action: To match the SSRS report data with the Reporting Console data, you must save the report again. To enable you to save the report, make any minor change in the report and then save it.

Reporting Center Does Not Support Windows Accounts That Contain Japanese Characters

Explanation: If you use a Microsoft Windows or a Microsoft SQL Server account that contains Japanese characters to install Reporting Center on a computer, the installation fails. This is because the setup program cannot verify accounts containing Japanese characters. (ENG298142)
Action: To install Reporting Center, you must use an account that contains only English characters.

Reporting Center Does Not Retrieve Japanese Characters in a Reporting Services URL

Explanation: When you install the Reporting Services Data Extension component of Reporting Center using a URL that contains Japanese characters, the SSRS URL does not work. This is because the Default Report Server Location option in the Reporting Services Options window does not display the Japanese characters correctly.(ENG318142)
Action: Do one of the following to specify a valid URL:

  • To use the URL as the default SSRS location:

    1. Go to the Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services Configuration Manager and copy the correct Web Service URL.

    2. Open the Reporting Console.

    3. On the Main tab, click Options > Reporting Services Settings.

    4. In the Default Report Server Location, paste the Web Service URL in the following format:

      http://ServerName/WebServiceURL

  • To use the URL for a specific report:

    1. Go to the Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services Configuration Manager and copy the correct Web Service URL.

    2. Launch the Reporting Console.

    3. Click the report you want to deploy.

    4. On the Report tab, click Deployment > Deploy Report.

    5. Click SQL Server Reporting Services.

    6. Click Add New Location.

    7. In the SQL Server Reporting Services Location [URL] option, paste the URL in the following format:

      http://ServerName/WebServiceURL

SQL Server Reporting Services Does Not Display the X-axis in Reports Where the Label Interval Type is Set to Auto

Explanation: In reports deployed to SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), the X-axis labels might not get displayed if the Label Interval Type for the X-axis is set to Auto in the Reporting Console. (DOC318485,DOC318507)
Action: In Reporting Console, open the report and ensure that the Label Interval Type for the X-axis is not set to Auto. Then, redeploy the report.

Report Manager Does Not Work After You Enable FIPS-Compliant Algorithms in Local Security Policy

Explanation: According to Microsoft Corporation, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services and SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services have the following limitation:

Report Manager fails after you enable FIPS-compliant algorithms in the Local Security Policy. Report Manager does not support the following Local Security Policy: "System cryptography: Use FIPS compliant algorithms for encryption, hashing, and signing.”

Action: There is currently no workaround for this issue. For more information, see Microsoft Web site. For additional configuration options, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article.

SQL Server Reporting Services 2008 Does Not Correctly Display Reports Created from the System Uptime Pie Chart Template

Explanation: If you upgrade your setup to SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) 2008 and deploy a report that was created by using the System Uptime Pie Chart template, SSRS incorrectly displays a solid black chart in the report.
Action: Use the System Uptime Pie Chart template to recreate the report and then deploy it again.

Create Data Mart Job Fails on Step 1 Post Upgrade

Explanation: If you have more than one Data Source and upgrade to Analysis Center 3.0, the Create Data Mart job fails on Step 1 for one of the Data Sources with the error: Deadlocked on lock resources.
Action: This issue is automatically resolved on the next scheduled job run or you can manually run the Create Data Mart job for each Data Source one at a time.

Report Display Incorrect Data

Explanation: In a generated report, Analysis Center might display a red cross instead of a chart or table, or might not display a chart that it had previously displayed.
Action: Restart the Reporting Console.

The w3wp.exe Process Consumes 100% CPU and High Memory

Explanation: The w3wp.exe process consumes 100% CPU and high memory in the following scenarios:

  • Report has data older than one year.

  • Report is run with several metrics selected and the time interval is set as Minute or Hour.

  • Report takes a longer time to run than expected or completes with an error message.

Action: Ensure that you selected valid parameters for the report and the report is processing only the required data points.

Unable to Export Reports in a Distributed Environment

Explanation: Analysis Center installs the files required to export reports on the Data Warehouse computer. If you have Analysis Center in a distributed environment, then the files required to export reports are on the Data Warehouse computer and not on the Console computer.
Action: To enable exporting reports in a distributed environment, copy the following files from the bin folder on the Data Warehouse computer (typically C:\Program Files\NetIQ\Analysis Center\bin) to the console folder on the Console computer (typically C:\Program Files\NetIQ\Analysis Center\console):

  • XMLCheckIn.exe

  • XMLCheckIn.exe.config

  • XMLCheckInLib.dll

  • Win32Security.dll

Misleading Values in System Uptime Reports

Explanation: System Uptime reports display the value 1 for up and 0 for down. If you set the y-axis labels format to percentage values instead of the NumericFormat, the results can be misleading. In addition, changing the NumericFormat to P5 (percentages with five decimal places) causes the table to display incorrect values.
Action: The format of y-axis labels in System Uptime Reports must be NumericFormat.

Admin Console Does Not Respond When You Add a Data Source

Explanation: On a Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 computer that hosts an Analysis Center related SQL Server or Analysis Services server, Admin Console fails to respond when you add a Data Source that references the SQL or Analysis Services server on that computer. This happens if MSDTC for network access is not configured for that computer.
Action: To configure MSDTC for network access on Windows Server 2003:

  1. Launch the programs on the Start menu and click Administrative Tools > Component Services.

  2. Expand Component Services > Computers. Right-click My Computer and click Properties.

  3. Click the MSDTC tab and click Security Configuration.

  4. Select the Network DTC Access option and click OK twice.

  5. Reboot the computer to apply the changes.

To configure MSDTC for network access on Windows Server 2008:

  1. Launch the programs on the Start menu and click Administrative Tools > Component Services.

  2. Expand Component Services > Computers > My Computer > Distributed Transaction Coordinator.

  3. Right-click Local DTC and click Properties.

  4. Click the Security tab and select the Network DTC Access option.

  5. Click OK and the changes are immediately effective.

Japanese Characters are Corrupted

Explanation: If you are using data from an AppManager repository installed on a computer using the Japanese locale, the Japanese characters might get corrupted if the corresponding Data Mart computer and the Reporting Console computer does not use the Japanese locale.
Action: Ensure that the corresponding Data Mart computer uses the Japanese locale and the system language settings for the Reporting Console computer is also set to include Japanese.

Database Open Error

Explanation: You might encounter the following error if the Remote Registry service is not running on all Analysis Center computers: 
###--> ERROR: » - Error: -2147467259
Description: Cannot open database requested in login 'AC_Configuration'. Login fails.
Action: Ensure that the Remote Registry service is running on all Analysis Center computers.

Error Connecting to the Remote Server

Explanation: You might encounter the following error message when connections between Analysis Center components are lost:

The underlying connection was closed: Unable to connect to the remote server

This might happen if a physical network connection is lost because the computer is unplugged from the network, the IIS server hosting the Web Service is not running, or the router is not up.

Action: Ensure that the Analysis Center components are connected.

Reporting Services error

Explanation: The following error message is displayed in Report Manager when the connections, SQL Reporting Services to Data Extension to Web Service to Data Warehouse, required to process a report cannot be established:

"An error has occurred during report processing... Cannot create a connection to data source... The request failed with HTTP status 401: Access Denied."

This error occurs in the following scenarios:

  • You have selected Windows NT Integrated Security as the Report Server Credentials when deploying a report.

  • Reporting Center components are distributed among a number of computers.

    Under these circumstances, you encounter the Windows “double-hop” issue in which Windows security credentials are not recognized for more than one connection. Credentials are recognized from Server A to Server B, but not from Server B to Server C.

Action: To overcome this problem, select the Credentials configured with a shared data source option in Data Source Authentication page when deploying a report and create a shared Data Source with the Credentials stored securely in the report server option selected.

To set the Credentials stored securely in the report server property for a Data Source, use Report Manager to edit the Data Source properties:

  1. Select the Data Source in Report Manager.

  2. In the Connect Using section, select the Credentials stored securely in the report server option.

  3. Enter the User name (<domain\user>) and Password.

    Do not select either of the following options: Use as Windows credentials or Impersonate the authenticated user. The Analysis Center Web Service handles authentication of the user to the Data Warehouse.

  4. Click Apply.

To set the Credentials stored securely in the report server property for a deployed report:

  1. Open the Properties page for the report in Report Manager.

  2. Click the Data Sources link on the Properties page.

  3. Select A custom Data Source.

  4. In the Connect Using section, select Credentials stored securely in the report server.

  5. Enter the user name (<domain\user>) and password.

    Do not select either of the two options Use as Windows credentials or Impersonate the authenticated user. The Analysis Center Web Service handles authentication of the user to the Data Warehouse.

  6. Click Apply.

OLAP Processing Job Fails Because of Inaccessible Data Mart

Explanation: If you add a Data Source for which the Data Mart does not exist or is inaccessible, you might encounter problems when you attempt to delete the Data Source. In this scenario, the first run of the OLAP processing job fails after you delete the Data Source.

This failure causes no real problem in Analysis Center. The second run of the OLAP processing job succeeds. The Data Mart might not be accessible because incorrect authentication credentials were provided when creating the Data Source.

Action: To avoid the OLAP job failure, when deleting a Data Source that has an inaccessible Data Mart, you must not delete the Data Mart database. When prompted to remove the Data Mart database, select No.

Unable to Deploy or View Reports in SSRS

Explanation: If you log in to Reporting Console without administrator privileges, you cannot deploy reports to SSRS or view reports in SSRS.
Action: To resolve this issue, you must create a new role in SSRS that has permission to view and deploy the reports. For information about adding user or group to a system role, see the Microsoft article: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms156034.aspx.

Unable to Run a Migrated Report That Has Default Metric Context Selection

Explanation: If you save a report without selecting any context in Analysis Center Console, the console applies default context to the report. If you migrate such a report that has default Metric context selection to Reporting Console, the default Metric context selection is not saved during migration. When you run this migrated report in Reporting Console, the console displays an error.
Action: To resolve this issue, do one of the following:

  • Before you migrate the report, select the required Metric context.

  • After you migrate the report with the default selection, select the required Metric context before you run the report.

Deployed Report Displays Empty Chart in SSRS

Explanation: If you deploy a report as a Bar chart with many values on X-axis, then the report displays an empty chart in SSRS.
Action: Do one of the following:

  • To continue plotting the report as a Bar, reduce the number of data points on the X-axis.

  • To continue plotting the report with many data points on X-axis, change the chart type to Area.

Unable to Cache the Information of a Report With a Long Name

Explanation: When you run a report, the report is cached by default in the ApplicationDataFolder\Local\NetIQ\Reporting Center\ReportCache folder. If the complete path of the cached file exceeds 260 characters, the report caching fails. This might be either because of a longer report file name or the ApplicationDataFolder path in the report cache file path might be too long.
Action: To enable caching of such reports, do one of the following:

  • (Conditional) If the report name is too long, rename the report with a shorter name.

  • (Conditional) If the report cache file path is too long, then do the following:

    1. Run regedit.exe to open the Registry Editor.

    2. Locate HKLM\SOFTWARE\NetIQ\ReportingCenter\Console

    3. Create a new String with the following values:

      • Name: Specify ReportCachePath.

      • Data: Specify a new report cache path such that the complete path of the cached file does not exceed 260 characters. For example: D:\NetIQReportCache.

    4. To retain the caching information, copy the content of the old report cache folder to the new report cache folder.

Migrated Report That Fetch Data From AC_Configuration Database Fails to Run In Reporting Console

Explanation: If you migrate a report, such as License Usage and Licenses, that retrieves data from the AC_Configuration database, the report fails to run in the Reporting Console with the following error:

Could not find stored procedure

Action: Do the following to create a new Data Source Connection for the AC_Configuration database and set the Data Source connection of the migrated report to this new connection:

  1. Create a new Data Source connection for AC_Configuration database:

    1. In the Navigation pane of the Reporting Console, right-click Data Source Connections and click Add New Data Source Connection.

    2. Click the General tab.

    3. Specify the Data Source connection name and description.

    4. Ensure that the Default Connection option is not selected.

    5. Select the Data Source Type as Analysis Center.

    6. In the SQL tab of the Connection Details panel, specify the following:

      1. In the Server Name option, specify the SQL Server Instance name where AC_Configuration is installed.

      2. In the Database Name option, specify AC_Configuration.

      3. Select the authentication type.

      4. (Conditional) If you choose SQL Server Authentication, then specify the credentials to log into the SQL Server.

    7. In the OLAP tab of the Connection Details panel, specify the following:

      1. In the Server Name option, specify the SQL Server Instance name where AC_OLAP is installed.

      2. In the Database Name option, specify AC_OLAP.

    8. Click OK.

  2. Set the Data Source connection of the migrated report to the newly created connection:

    1. Select the migrated report.

    2. In the Data Source Connection Name option of the Report Contexts tab, select the new connection name you created.

  3. Save and run the report.

Unable to Log Into the Reporting Console

Explanation: If you installed the Reporting Center Web Service using a SQL account and subsequently changed the password on that account, the following error message is displayed when you log into the console:

Login Error: Login failed for user <SQL User Account> using the SQL account.

Action: Do the following:

  1. Uninstall the Reporting Center Web Service and reinstall it using the new SQL password. This does not affect your reports.

  2. In the Reporting Console, re-enter the SQL password in the Data Source Connection Properties window.

Explanation: For IIS 7.0 or later, in the NRCWebService Virtual Directory, Windows Authentication is enabled and ASP.NET Impersonation Authentication is disabled by default. If the Virtual Directory is no longer configured this way, you cannot log in to the Reporting Center Web Service.
Action: To configure authentication settings in IIS 7.0 or later:

  1. Start IIS Manager on the computer where you installed the Web Service, and expand the Web Sites folder.

  2. Expand the name of Web Site where you installed the Web Service, and click NRCWebService.

  3. In the IIS section of the center pane, double-click Authentication.

  4. (Conditional) If ASP.NET Impersonation is enabled, select it and click Actions > Disable.

  5. (Conditional) If Windows Authentication is disabled, select it and click Actions > Enable.

  6. Close IIS Manager.

Configuring and Generating Error Messages

Explanation: If IIS Manager is displaying generic error messages, you can configure Internet Explorer to display more technical error messages.
Action: To configure error messages in Internet Explorer:

  1. Click Tools > Internet Options.

  2. Click the Advanced tab and deselect the Show Friendly HTTP Error Messages option in the Browsing list.

  3. In IIS Manager, generate the Default Web Site error or Web Service error again to obtain more detailed information and contact NetIQ Technical Support.

Reporting Center Web Service Unavailable

Explanation: If you log in to the Reporting Console and the Reporting Center Web Service is unavailable, the following message is displayed:

Web Service ‘WebServiceURL’ is currently unavailable.

Possible Cause: Reporting Center Application Pool (NRCAppPool) might not be running.
Action: Ensure that the Reporting Center Application Pool (NRCAppPool) is installed and running. If NRCAppPool is not running, do the following to manually restart NRCAppPool in IIS Manager and then log in to the Reporting Console again:

  1. Start IIS Manager on the server hosting the Reporting Center Web Service, and expand Application Pools.

  2. Right-click NRCAppPool and select Start.

  3. Close IIS Manager.

Possible Cause: NRCAppPool Identity user account, the Windows account used to install the Reporting Center Web Service user, has expired.
Action: Ensure that the NRCAppPool Identity user account is not expired. If the user account has expired, do the following to reactivate the account and reset the password.

  1. Start IIS Manager on the server hosting the Reporting Center Web Service, and expand Application Pools.

  2. (Conditional) If you are running IIS 6.0:

    1. Right-click NRCAppPool and select Properties. Click the Identity tab.

    2. Click Configurable, enter the Identity user credentials, and click OK.

    3. Right-click NRCAppPool and select Start.

  3. (Conditional) If you are running IIS 7.0 or later:

    1. Select NRCAppPool.

    2. From the Action pane to the right of the Application Pools list, click Advanced Settings.

    3. In the Process Model section, select Identity and click Custom account.

    4. Click Set, and enter the Identity user credentials in the Set Credentials window.

    5. Click OK to close the Set Credentials window, the Application Pool Identity window, and the Advanced Settings window.

    6. Right-click NRCAppPool and select Start.

No Data Found In a Report

Explanation: On executing a report, if the Reporting Console displays one of the following errors, the report might not contain data for the contexts specified in the report:

  • No Data

  • Syntax Error (On a German locale computer)

Action: Check if Reporting Center can retrieve data for a broader range of contexts, such as a greater time or date range. To verify if the data is beyond the current context configuration:

  1. In the Context Pane of the Reporting Console, change the relevant contexts to include a broader date range or more information. For example, selecting more items in a navigation tree.

  2. Click Run Report.

    If the report contains data, the Reporting Console displays the information according to the contexts you reconfigured. This indicates that Reporting Center had originally executed the report correctly, but had no data to retrieve for the specified contexts.

Report Timeout Issues

Explanation: You might encounter report timeout issue because of connection errors. If you run reports that return large data sets, the time required for the report execution might exceed the connection timeout setting configured for the data source. Consequently, the report execution times out.
Action: To avoid this timeout issue, increase the value of the Timeout attribute for each Connection element before you execute the report. This Timeout attribute is listed in the XML column of the NQRConfig database DataSource table. By default, the TimeOut value is 3600 seconds. A value of 0 indicates no timeout limit and the report query executes indefinitely.

Sample of the XML column content:

<ExtDataSource Name="datasource name" DataSourceType="datasource_type" Description="datasource_desc" DefaultConnection="no_of_default_connections">
 <Connection Name="name" Server="ServerName1" Database="database_name" TimeOut="3600" />
</ExtDataSource>

To change the value of the TimeOut attribute that is listed in the XML column of the NQRConfig database DataSource table, do the following:

  1. Open the NRC.ExtDataSource.xml file that is available in the \NetIQ\ReportingCenter\Config\ folder.

    NOTE:The NRC.ExtDataSource.xml file opens as Read-only mode. You must change to Write mode to edit it.

  2. Modify the TimeOut attribute value of the <Connection> element based on your report execution time.

  3. Check in the NRC.ExtDataSource.xml file by using the following command at the command prompt:

    XMLCheckin.exe <SQLServer named instance> "Path for the xml file"

    For example: XMLCheckin.exe <NQRConfig Database Server>"E:\NRC\NRC.ExtDatasource.xml"

    NOTE:The XMLCheckin.exe file is available in the \NetIQ\ReportingCenter\Utilities folder.

You can also increase the value for the executionTimeout attribute of the <httpRuntime> element, which governs the length of time a request is allowed to run before ASP.NET automatically shuts it down. Add the following <httpRuntime> element within the <system.web> section of the Web.config file, which is availble in the \NetIQ\Reporting Center\WebService folder. Set the executionTimout value to match the TimeOut values you set for the <Connection> element.

<httpRuntime executionTimeout="3600"
maxRequestLength="4096"
useFullyQualifiedRedirectUrl="false"
minFreeThreads="8"
minLocalRequestFreeThreads="4"
appRequestQueueLimit="100" />
Explanation: When loading a report or importing a large number of reports, you might encounter a timeout issue.
Action: To avoid this timeout issue, increase the value for the TimeOut attribute in the Connection element of the Web.config file on the Web Service website. By default, the TimeOut value is 3600 seconds. 
<Connections>
    <Connection Name="Config" Server="ServerName1" Database="NQRConfig" TimeOut="3600" ConnectionType="SQL" />
  </Connections>

You can also increase the value for the executionTimeout attribute of the <httpRuntime> element, which governs the length of time a request is allowed to run before ASP.NET automatically shuts it down. Add the following <httpRuntime> element within the <system.web> section of the Web.config file which is availble in the \NetIQ\Reporting Center\WebService folder. Set the executionTimout value to match the TimeOut values you set for the <Connection> element.

<httpRuntime executionTimeout="3600"
maxRequestLength="4096"
useFullyQualifiedRedirectUrl="false"
minFreeThreads="8"
minLocalRequestFreeThreads="4"
appRequestQueueLimit="100" />

Migrating Reports Having More Number of Objects Selected Fails During Upgrade

Explanation: When you upgrade Data Warehouse on a computer, if you choose to migrate a report that has a large number of objects selected, the migration of all the selected reports fails.
Action: To continue migrating reports during upgrade, do not select the report that has a large number of object selections. You can migrate this report post upgrade. To migrate this report, export the report using Analysis Center Console and import it to Reporting Console.

Unable to Log Into the Reporting Console On a German Locale Computer

Explanation: Logging into Reporting Console on a German locale computer fails with error such as: "404 - File not found", "401 - Unauthorized" or "500 - Server Error"
Action: On the computer where Web Service is installed, edit the InstallDir\Reporting Center\WebService\Web.config file to remove the following line:

<httpErrors errorMode="Detailed" />

Dashboard Report Execution Fails For Reports That Does Not Have the Report Type

Explanation: If you run a Dashboard, all the Dashboard reports that do not have the report type specified in the <NQREPORT> tag of the report XML file fails to execute.
Action: Do the following:

  1. Select the Dashboard.

  2. Click Report > Export Report Definition to export the Dashboard definition.

  3. In the exported Dashboard XML file, if the value for Type attribute in the <NQREPORT> tag is empty, then set the value to AnalysisCenter.ACOLAP.

  4. Import the modified XML and run the Dashboard.

Unable to Export Reports Through Analysis Center Console

Explanation: If exporting one or more reports through the Analysis Center Console fails then the subsequent export of reports through the console might also fail. This is because the temporary information stored during a failed export is not yet cleared from the export tables.
Action: On the SQL server that has Data Warehouse installed, run the following command to manually clear all the temporary information: 
USE [AC_Configuration]
Delete RepExportReport
Delete RepExportReportContext
Delete RepExportReportContextNode
Delete RepExportReportElement
Delete RepExportSet