Analysis Center

Version 2.7.5

Release Notes

Date Published: June 2010

 
 

 

This version of the NetIQ Analysis Center product (Analysis Center) provides new platform support, improves usability, and resolves several previous issues. Many of these improvements were made in direct response to suggestions from our customers. We thank you for your time and valuable input. We hope you continue to help us ensure our products meet all your needs. You can post feedback in the Analysis Center forum on Qmunity, our community Web site that also includes product notifications, blogs, and product user groups.

This document outlines why you should install this version and identifies known issues. For more information about installing Analysis Center, see the User Guide for NetIQ Analysis Center.

Why Install This Version?

The following sections outline the key features and functions provided by this version of Analysis Center, as well as issues resolved in this release.

New Platform Support

This version provides additional support for the following platforms:

  • SQL Server 2005 and 2008, Standard and Enterprise Editions, on all components
  • Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 on all components
  • Windows 7 on the Analysis Center Console

Return to Top

Before You Install Analysis Center

Before you begin, ensure that you do the following tasks.

For Windows Server 2008 Environments, Install IIS 7.0

When you install Analysis Center on Windows Server 2008 or 2008 R2, install Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0 on the Windows Server computer with the following Role Services selected:

  • Application Development: ASP.NET
  • Security: Windows Authentication
  • IIS 6 Management Compatibility

For more information about system requirements and installation considerations, see the User Guide for NetIQ Analysis Center.

Allow Time for Analysis Center to Upgrade All Data Marts

After you upgrade Analysis Center, Analysis Center upgrades each Data Mart the next time its related ETL job runs. When all Data Mart versions match the Data Warehouse version, the OLAP processing job completes successfully. Until then, while individual Data Marts are being upgraded, the OLAP processing job fails.

When planning your installation, choose a time when you can upgrade all Data Marts to ensure that the issue of unmatched versions does not affect the OLAP processing job.

Additionally, during this time, do not create any new Data Sources until Analysis Center upgrades all the existing Data Marts.

Return to Top

Installation Known Issues

NetIQ Corporation strives to ensure our products provide quality solutions for your enterprise software needs. The following issues are currently being researched. If you need further assistance with any issue, please contact Technical Support.

Installation Fails When You Provide a Fully Qualified Domain Name

Analysis Center components require user credentials in the format domain\user. During installation of the Analysis Center Web Service, if you provide a fully qualified domain name for the Web Service account in the format domain.com\user, the installation program displays an error message.

When you upgrade Analysis Center, if the SQL Analysis Services, MSSQLServerOLAPService, is running using the format user@domain.com, the upgrade program displays an error message.

To resolve these errors, provide the domain name in the format domain\user for these accounts.

Dbsizeverification.exe Cannot Be Started from a Network Server

The DBSizeVerification tool helps estimate disk requirements for AppManager repositories that you want to use with Analysis Center. This tool is installed with the Data Warehouse, in the Utilities\ACPreCheckUtility folder where you installed Analysis Center, and it needs to reside on the host where you are running it. To run it on a host other than the Data Warehouse host, copy the ACPreCheckUtility folder to that host.

Installing the Web Service on Windows Server 2003 Requires the 8.3 Naming Convention on the TEMP Folder

If you are installing the Web Service component on Windows Server 2003 and you enabled the NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation registry setting, the setup program displays the following error: Cannot open C:\DOCUME~1\svc_dra\Local Settings\Temp\{83600-xxx-xxx-etc}\WebSites.txt. To correct this, disable the NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation registry setting and use the 8.3 naming convention to create the TEMP folder for the installing user's profile. To apply this change, reboot the target computer before you run the setup program again.

For more information about disabling this setting, see the section "Disabling Automatic 8.3 Name Generation" in the following Microsoft TechNet article: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc875836.aspx (ENG276794)

When Installing Analysis Center on Windows Server 2008, You Do Not Have Permissions to Manage the Analysis Center Console

If you install Analysis Center on Windows Server 2008, and you use a valid domain administrator user account, you do not have permissions to manage the Analysis Center Console.

To resolve this issue:

  1. In the location where the Analysis Center Console is installed, right click NQConsole.exe and select Run as Administrator.
  2. Go to File > Manage Security.
  3. Select the domain user from Accounts and click Modify.
  4. Select Administrator and click Modify.
  5. Close the Analysis Center Console.
  6. Restart the Console without using the Run as Administrator option. You might need to use the Run as Administrator option to deploy reports to SQL Server Reporting Services.

Return to Top

Upgrading Known Issues

The following upgrading issues are currently being researched.

After Upgrading to SQL Server 2008, SSRS Displays Reports Created from the System Uptime Pie Chart Template Incorrectly

If you move your system to SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) 2008, and you deploy a report that you had previously created using the System Uptime Pie Chart template, SSRS displays a solid black chart in the report. To display the report correctly, create the report again using the System Uptime Pie Chart template and redeploy it. (DOC287790)

If You Upgrade from SQL Server 2000 to SQL Server 2008, You Cannot View Deployed Analysis Center Reports Because SSRS Modifies the Data Source Type

Upgrading from SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) 2000 to SSRS 2008 changes the Analysis Center Data Source Type value from "NetIQ Analysis Center" to "NetIQAC". This renders the SSRS Data Source connection configuration to Analysis Center invalid, and causes deployed reports to no longer function correctly. To resolve this issue, modify the Report Server web.config file and the Report Manager web.config file. For more information about modifying these files see NETIQKB72315. (ENG289102)

After Upgrading to SQL Server 2008, the Data Extension Component Does Not Work

Before upgrading to SQL Server 2008, you should uninstall the previous version of the Analysis Center Data Extension component so that it will work correctly after you upgrade to Analysis Center 2.7.5. For more information, see the User Guide for NetIQ Analysis Center.

If you already upgraded to SQL Server 2008, and then upgraded to Analysis Center 2.7.5, the Analysis Center setup program displays an error at the end of installation and will not install the Data Extension component. Acknowledge the error message by clicking OK, and click Finish to complete the installation of the other components. Then use the following instructions to uninstall and reinstall the Data Extension component.

Uninstalling and reinstalling the Data Extension component does not affect deployed reports.

To uninstall and reinstall the Data Extension component on SQL 2008:

  1. From the Control Panel, click Add or Remove Programs or Programs and Features, according to your operating system.
  2. Click Analysis Center and click Change/Remove.
  3. In the Welcome box, click Modify and then click Next.
  4. In the Feature Selection box, clear the Data Extension check box and click Next.
  5. In the Requirement check box, click Next, and in the Installation Summary box, click Install to uninstall the Data Extension component.
  6. Click Finish when prompted.
  7. To reinstall the Data Extension component, repeat steps 1 through 3 and select Data Extension.
  8. In the Data Extension Step 1 box, enter the local reporting server.
  9. Follow the prompts and click Install to begin reinstalling the Data Extension component. Click Finish when prompted.

(ENG284588)

After Migrating to an Analysis Center 2.7.5 System, Some Dashboard Report Links Do Not Work

After migrating to a system running Analysis Center 2.7.5, Analysis Center does not retain some links to dashboard reports. To correct this, remove the links that do not work and add the reports to the dashboard again.

To fix broken links in a dashboard:

  1. Open the dashboard in the Analysis Center Console.
  2. In the Properties pane, go to DashItems and click the Edit button (...).
  3. In the Configure Dashboard Members dialog box, select the report that is no longer linked in the dashboard. The Members list displays the report ID, and the Report value in the Attributes list is blank.
  4. Click Remove to delete the report from the Members list.
  5. Click Add to add a new item called [No Report Assigned] to the Members list.
  6. In the Attributes list, go to Report and click the Edit button (...).
  7. In the Pick Report dialog box, select the correct report and click OK.
  8. In the Configure Dashboard Members dialog box, reconfigure any attributes and contexts for the newly added report and click OK.
  9. Click Execute Report to execute the dashboard and display all its reports correctly.
  10. On the toolbar, click Save.

(DOC287711)

After Upgrading Analysis Center, the Create Data Mart Job Fails on Step 1 for More Than One Data Source

If you have more than one Data Source and then upgrade to Analysis Center 2.7.5, the Create Data Mart job fails on Step 1 for one of the Data Sources, and records the error "Deadlocked on lock resources" in the log file. To correct this, run the failed Create Data Mart job manually, for each Data Source, one at a time. (DOC286620)

Return to Top

Reporting Known Issues

The following reporting issues are currently being researched.

When You Use the Report Migration Utility, the ReportMigration.log Logs Some Report Wizard Reports

After upgrading Analysis Center, some reports created by the Report Wizard in Analysis Center 2.6 are displayed in the log of reports that the Report Migration Utility migrated. In addition, some reports created by the Report Wizard in Analysis Center 2.6 and imported to Analysis Center 2.7 are also in the log of reports that the Report Migration Utility migrated.

Incorrect Data Displayed for Some Reports

In a generated report, if Analysis Center displays a red cross instead of a chart or table, or is unable to display a chart that it had displayed previously, restart the Analysis Center Console.

The w3wp.exe Application Consumes 100% CPU and High Memory When Reports Have Old Data

The w3wp.exe application consumes 100% CPU and high memory in the following situations:

  • Reports have data older than one year
  • You run this report after setting the interval time as Minute or Hour and select several metrics
  • The report takes a longer time to run than expected or finishes with an error message

Confirm that you selected valid parameters for the report, and check whether the report has to process several data points.

Duplicated Values Displayed in the Y-Axis of Reports

Analysis Center displays duplicate values in the y-axis of Analysis Center reports. To view the y-axis values correctly, use the following instructions to modify the numeric format of the report.

To manually increase the number of decimals that display in the y-axis:

  1. Log on to Analysis Center Console.
  2. From the Navigation pane, select a report in the Report folder.
  3. On the Report Properties tab, select Display > NumericFormat.
  4. Modify the value in the NumericFormat field to F4 or greater.
  5. Execute the report.

Exporting Reports Is Disabled in a Distributed Environment

If you install Analysis Center in a distributed environment, Analysis Center installs the files required to export reports on the Data Warehouse computer, not the Console computer.

To enable report export, copy the following files from the bin folder on the Data Warehouse computer (typically in C:\Program Files\NetIQ\Analysis Center\bin) to the console folder on the Console computer (typically in path C:\Program Files\NetIQ\Analysis Center\console):

  • XMLCheckIn.exe
  • XMLCheckIn.exe.config
  • XMLCheckInLib.dll
  • Win32Security.dll

If you install the Console and Data Warehouse components on the same computer, these files are located in the correct folder. (ENG197290)

Date/Time-Based Reports Do Not Support the SortExpression Property

The SortExpression property, which indicates the column name and sort direction of a column, is not effective for Date/Time-based reports, such as Server Event Over Time.

Percentages in System Uptime Reports Can Be Misleading

Setting y-axis labels to percentage values in the System Uptime reports can be misleading because these reports display the value 1 for up and 0 for down. In addition, changing the NumericFormat to P5 (percentages with five decimal places) causes the table to display incorrect values.

Restoring Broken Links in Drill-Down Reports

If you discover that any Drill-Down reports contain broken links, use the following instructions to restore the links manually.

To restore a link to a sub-report manually:

  1. In the Reports tree, select the Drill-Down report that contains the broken link.
  2. Click the Properties tab.
  3. In the Display section of the Properties tab, click the Edit button (...) next to Column Rules.
  4. In the Column Rules dialog box, select a column in the Members pane and click Remove.
  5. Click Add and scroll to the Attributes section.
  6. In the Attributes section, in the Source box, select a column name.
  7. In the Links section, click the Edit button (...) next to Cell, and in the Pick Report dialog box select the sub-report with the broken link in the Drill-Down report.
  8. In the Pick Report dialog box, click OK.
  9. Repeat steps 4 through 8 for each broken link in the Drill-Down report.
  10. In the Column Rules dialog box, click OK.
  11. Click Report > Save Report.

Return to Top

Component Configuration Known Issues

The following component distribution and configuration issues are currently being researched.

Cannot Deploy or View Reports without Administrator Privileges

If you log on to the Analysis Center Console without administrator privileges, you cannot deploy reports to SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) or view reports in SSRS. To resolve this, follow these instructions to create a new role in SSRS that has permission to view and deploy the reports.

To add a user or group to an item role:

  1. Start Report Manager or click Home to go to the Report Manager start page.
  2. Click the Properties tab.
  3. Click the Security tab.
  4. Click New Role Assignment.
  5. In the Group or User Name text box, enter a Windows domain user or group account in this format: domain\account. If you are using forms authentication or custom security, specify the user or group account in the format that is correct for your deployment.
  6. Select the role definitions that describe how the user or group should access the report, and click OK. The Security page displays the newly created account in the Group or User list, along with its role. To create assignments for additional users or groups, repeat steps 4 through 6.
  7. From the Analysis Center Console, redeploy the report and confirm that it deploys successfully in SSRS.

For more information about granting users access to Report Manager, see the following Microsoft article: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms156034.aspx

Password Pass-Through Authentication Is Untested

For backward compatibility, Microsoft still supports an undocumented user authentication methodology called Password Pass-Through. Although it might be possible to configure Analysis Center to work in environments with this connection methodology, NetIQ Corporation cannot verify that Analysis Center will work correctly in these environments.

Collation Settings for Data Mart SQL Servers and the Corresponding AppManager Repository SQL Servers Must Match

To prevent the corruption of data while it is being copied from an AppManager repository to a Data Mart, the collation settings of the Data Mart SQL Server must match the collation settings of the corresponding AppManager repository SQL Server.

Uninstalling Analysis Center Before Restarting the Computer Can Cause AppManager, AppManager Control Center, and AppAnalyzer To Stop Working

If you installed Analysis Center and AppManager on the same computer in the following order: Analysis Center first, followed by AppManager, AppManager Control Center, or AppAnalyzer components, you need to restart the computer before removing any Analysis Center components.

If you do not restart the computer first, removing Analysis Center components deletes the registry keys for AppManager, AppManager Control Center, and AppAnalyzer, which causes those applications to be inoperable.

Creating a Data Mart on a SQL Server Failover Cluster and Then Selecting a Data Source Can Cause an Error

If you create a Data Mart on a SQL Server Failover Cluster and then select the Data Sources Node or the related individual Data Source in the Analysis Center Console, Analysis Center might display the following error: MSDTC on server 'VSQL' is unavailable. This error occurs when the Virtual SQL Server comes online before the Distributed Transaction Coordinator service has started.

To resolve this issue, use the Cluster Administrator Console to take the Virtual SQL Server group offline, and then bring it back online.

If the Data Extension and SSRS Are on a Computer Whose IIS Server Implements SSL, the SSRS Icon in Analysis Center Might Display an Error

You might get an error on the SQL Server Reporting Service (SSRS) icon when you select the Enterprise node in Analysis Center if the Data Extension and SSRS are installed on a computer whose IIS server implements the Secure Sockets Layer.

Verify that the correct Reporting Services URL is configured in the Options dialog box in Analysis Center.

To verify the URL:

  1. Open the Analysis Center Console.
  2. Select Tools > Options and click Reporting Services.
  3. In the Default Report Server Location field, make sure that the URL for the Report Server begins with https instead of http.

Security Settings Are Not Refreshed When Changes Are Made from Another Instance of the Console

If you have multiple instances of the Analysis Center Console open, and make changes to the security settings for a node from one Console, those changes are not reflected in the other open instances of the Console. Changes take effect the next time an instance of the Console is started.

For example:

  1. User A is logged in to Console 1. User B is logged in to Console 2. Both have permission to view the Reports node.
  2. User A changes the security settings for the Reports node to deny visibility to User B.
  3. The new Reports node permissions for User B do not take effect in Console 2. User B can still view the Reports node.
  4. The next time User B logs in to the Console, the new Reports node permissions take effect. User B cannot view the Reports node.

On Windows Server 2003 or 2008 Computers Hosting an Analysis Center SQL Server or Analysis Services Server, Configure MSDTC for Network Access

On any Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 computer hosting an Analysis Center-related SQL Server or Analysis Services server, you must configure MSDTC for network access, or the Console freezes when you select a Data Source that references the SQL or Analysis Services server on that computer. Use the following sets of instructions to configure MSDTC for network access on Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 computers.

To configure MSDTC for network access on Windows Server 2003:

  1. Click Start > Programs > 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 check box.
  5. Click OK to close the Security Configuration dialog box, and click OK to close the My Computer Properties dialog box.
  6. Reboot the computer to apply the changes.

To configure MSDTC for network access on Windows Server 2008:

  1. Click Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Component Services.
  2. Expand Component Services > Computers > My Computer > Distributed Transaction Coordinator. Right-click Local DTC and click Properties.
  3. Click the Security tab and select the Network DTC Access check box.
  4. Click OK to close the Local DTC Properties dialog box. Changes take effect immediately.

Return to Top

Internationalization Known Issues

The following internationalization issues are currently being researched.

If You Run the Analysis Center Setup Program With an Account Containing a Double-byte Character, Change the Environment Variable that Points to the Temp Folder for That Account

If you are running the Analysis Center setup program to install, modify, upgrade, or uninstall Analysis Center, and the account under which you are running the setup program contains a double-byte character (such as Japanese, Chinese, or Korean), you need to change the environment variable for that account to point to a Temp folder that does not contain any double-byte characters in either the folder name or in the path to the folder.

Typically, the environment variable for an account defines the Temp folder location as %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp. %USERPROFILE% contains the account user name. You can change the variable value to something like C:\ACInstallTemp for the purposes of running the setup program, and then change it back to its original value when the setup program is finished.

Japanese Characters Are Corrupted if Locale Settings for the AppManager Repository and Data Mart Computers Are Not Japanese

If you are using data from an AppManager repository installed on a computer using the Japanese locale (Windows Regional Options), the corresponding Data Mart computer must also use the Japanese locale. In addition, the system language settings for the Analysis Center Console computer must be set to include Japanese.

Return to Top

Data Migration Utility Known Issues

The Data Migration Utility has the following known issues at the time of release.

  • The Server Does Not Exist Error Message Is Displayed By the Data Migration Utility. If you do not have write permissions for the AC_Configuration and AC_Warehouse databases, or if you do not enter a valid name for the Analysis Center Data Warehouse computer, the Data Migration Utility displays an error message that the server does not exist. To resolve this issue, ensure that you have write permissions for the AC_Configuration and AC_Warehouse databases, or enter a valid name for the Analysis Center Data Warehouse computer. (ENG254551,ENG252496)
  • You Have to Run the Report Migration Utility For Some Reports Saved in Analysis Center Version 2.6. If you save some reports in Analysis Center version 2.6 and migrate the reports to Analysis Center version 2.7, the Analysis Center Console version 2.7 displays errors, and you cannot see the reports. To resolve this issue, run the Report Migration Utility in Analysis Center version 2.7.
  • The OLAP Processing Job Schedule Is Not Retained in Analysis Center Version 2.7. The schedule of the OLAP processing job in Analysis Center version 2.6 is not retained in Analysis Center version 2.7 after migration, and is set to a default value of every 30 minutes. To resolve this issue, manually reconfigure the OLAP processing job schedule after migration. (ENG253792)
  • On Windows Server 2008 Computers, Restricted Users from Analysis Center Version 2.6 Cannot Log on to Analysis Center Version 2.7. If you have set up restricted users in Analysis Center version 2.6, those users will not able to log on to Analysis Center version 2.7 after migration. To resolve this issue, add those accounts to SQL Server, and grant db_owner rights to those accounts for all Analysis Center databases. (ENG254286)
  • Analysis Center Version 2.6 Console Settings Are Not Retained in Analysis Center version 2.7. The settings specified for the Analysis Center Console version 2.6 are not retained in the Analysis Center Console version 2.7 after migration. To resolve this issue, reconfigure the settings of the Analysis Center Console version 2.7 after migration. (ENG253053)
  • The Specific @Job_name Does Not Exist Error Message Is Displayed in Analysis Center Version 2.7. After migration, Analysis Center Console version 2.7 displays an error message when you try to enable the Data Sources. To resolve this issue, press Continue and enable the Data Source.
  • The AC Web Service Is Not Available Error Message Is Displayed in Analysis Center Console Version 2.7. After migration, in Windows Server 2008 x64 computers, the Analysis Center Console version 2.7 displays an error message when you select the Data Source. To resolve this issue, press Continue and enable the Data Source. (ENG255209)
  • Local Users from Analysis Center Version 2.6 Cannot Log on to Analysis Center Version 2.7. If you have set up local users in Analysis Center version 2.6, those users will not able to log on to Analysis Center version 2.7 after migration. To resolve this issue, add those accounts to the Analysis Center version 2.7 computers. (ENG254282)
  • The OLAP Processing Job is Disabled After Completing Migration and Enabling All the Data Sources. After migration, when you enable all the Data Sources in the Analysis Center Console version 2.7, the OLAP processing job is disabled. To resolve this issue, manually enable the OLAP processing job in the Data Warehouse SQL Server. (ENG254492)
  • The Connection String Must be Created Manually After Moving SQL Reporting Services. If you move SQL Server Reporting Services 2000 to SQL Server Reporting Services 2005 after deploying reports from Analysis Center version 2.6, the Connection String in SQL Server Reporting Services 2005 under the Data Source is removed and not created after migrating to Analysis Center 2.7, or reinstalling the Data Extension in Analysis Center version 2.7. To resolve this issue and view reports in SQL Server Reporting Services 2005, manually create the Connection String in the format: URL=http://[Server Name]/ACWebService, where [Server Name] is the name of the computer on which you have installed the Analysis Center Web Service.
  • Login Failed For User 'NT AUTHORITY\ANONYMOUS LOGON' Error Message is Displayed During Migration. If you install the Data Warehouse and the Data Mart on different computers, and remotely run the Data Migration Utility, SQL Server displays a login error message. To resolve this issue and avoid connectivity problems, use the SQL Server account instead of the Windows account, or run the Data Migration Utility on the Data Warehouse computer. (ENG255225)
  • The OLAP Processing Job Fails on Step 1. After migration, the OLAP processing job fails on Step 1 when you enable the OLAP processing job before enabling the Data Sources. To resolve this issue, enable all the Data Sources from the Analysis Center Console version 2.7. (ENG255478)

Return to Top

Contact Information

Please contact us with your questions and comments. We look forward to hearing from you.

For detailed contact information, see the Support Contact Information Web site.

For interactive conversations with your peers and NetIQ experts, become an active member of Qmunity, our community Web site that offers product forums, product notifications, blogs, and product user groups.

Return to Top

Legal Notice

Return to Top