ORACLE BI 11g

Questions and Answers from

OBIEE 10g to 11g Upgrade
Considerations Webinar

by: Marty Mersinger

By Marty Mersinger
 BICG Oracle BI 11g FAQ’s

Is the Upgrade Assistant included with OBIEE 11G, or do you have to license something additional
(e.g. Fusion Middleware, Enterprise Mgr, etc.)?
The Upgrade Assistance is included with 11g; no separate licensing.

What is the document link to check after upgrade?

http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E14571_01/bi.1111/e16452/apndx_ui_chngs.htm

Would customization of branding need to be redone as well?

Yes. Skins and Styles cannot be migrated using the Upgrade Assistance.

Can you only deploy 11g on Weblogic? Or can you use other app servers?
The current release of 11g only supports WebLogic. Future releases are supposed to support other app servers, but
we have no specifics as if yet.

What happens to the hierarchies when we upgrade?

The metadata in the rpd will be migrated intact which would include any hierarchies.

How does the security model convert?

Users and Groups that you may have in your 10g rpd file will be migrated into the Fusion Middleware component which
has its own LDAP.

We have essbase and have built in the ragged hierarchies. How does the upgrade take care of it?
The metadata in the rpd will be migrated intact which would include any hierarchies.

So, if I heard correctly, the BI apps are not supported in 11g. When do you expect this to be corrected? We
are in the process of considering an upgrade to 11g and we are actively using the Financial BI app today.
Version 7.9.6.3 will be certified under 11g and is expected to be released during the 1st half of 2011.

What happens to any customization done in 10g?

If you are referring to metadata in the rpd, then this is migrated as part of the rpd. If the customizations are at the file
level like XML message files or Skins&Styles, then you will need to make those changes within 11g manually.

Are the look and feel of Charts affected post upgrade?

Some aspects of charting will change because a new charting engine is being deployed under 11g.

Where can we get these presentations from?

A recording of the webinar will be posted within 1-2 days on BICG’s YouTube channel. We’ll check on the availability of
the slides.

So Weblogic is the replacement for OC4J/ Apps Server?

That is correct for the current release of 11g. Future releases are expected to support other app servers.

How about the cache in the enterprise environment?

The cache files do not get migrated. You will need to re-cache your reports and dashboards.

How about the additional skins & style customizations for look & feel?
Skins & Styles will need to be re-applied manually in 11g.

I can’t get this link to work:

http://dwonload.oracle.com/docs/cd/E14571_01/bi.1111/e16452/apndx_ui_chngs.htm
typo. http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E14571_01/bi.1111/e16452/apndx_ui_chngs.htm
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 BICG Oracle BI 11g FAQ’s

Does the dashboard editor change at all in 11g?

Yes. The front-end of Answers and dashboard editing does change in 11g.

How does the 11g server pick the upgraded rpd and catalog w/o any change in the config files?
The rpd and catalog are files and thus can be migrated without configuration files. Files such as instanceconfig.xml
that may include custom entries will need to have those entries re-applied manually in the 11g instance.

What happens to customizations in ETL mappings?

ETL is not affected. The ETL is external to the upgrade.

Is there a separate document for 11g install on Linux?

There is a single installation document which includes separate sections for Linux vs. Windows.

What is the11g Scale Out you mentioned in clustering mode to upgrade?

Scale Out is the term Oracle uses to expand the 11g Fusion environment. This is handled through Fusion
Middleware’s Enterprise Manager.

Is there a limit on the rpd file size? Our rpd is more than 20mb now and growing fast.
Will this cause an issue?
There are no size limits to the rpd that anyone has noticed. Consistency issues are where people generally
have problems.

Anything specific in terms of structure we need to mind on Linux?

No.

I see that you are using the same admin username / password. How hard is it to change that password
across all environments? Also, any points to consider?
The Administrator user that existed in 10g no longer exists in 11g. Any user ID can be assigned to have
administrative privileges. This is handled through Fusion Middleware Enterprise Manager as well as passwords.

Is strategy mapping / scorecarding delivered, or a separately licensed product?

I would check with your Oracle Sales Rep for any licensing questions.

How is this related to or impacted if an environment is deployed with Hyperion EPM (OBIEE+)?
The 10g rpd should have connection information to the EPM data source. You will want to confirm that
connectivity and integration after your upgrade process is completed.

What are the most common issues with upgrading the repository and web catalog components, when
using OBIEE 10g or OBIEE 10g Apps?
A: Most issues people have had are around consistency checks failing in the rpd and report functionality not
working as before in the catalog.

How long does a typical 10g to 11g upgrade take? What are milestones?
The time can vary based on how many components are being migrated and the type of customizations to your 10g
environment you may have, if any.