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Oracle® Warehouse Builder Installation and Configuration Guide
10g Release 1 (10.1)

Part Number B12150-02
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D Upgrading Metadata with the MDL File Upgrade Utility

You do not have to use the Metadata Loader File Upgrade Utility to upgrade your metadata from a previous version of Warehouse Builder to Oracle Warehouse Builder 10g Release 1 (10.1). When you import an MDL file into 10g Release 1 (10.1), Warehouse Builder automatically detects the version from which the file was exported and upgrades it to the current version. However, you still have the choice to upgrade your metadata separately by manually running the MDL File Upgrade Utility. This section explains how to use it.

The MDL File Upgrade Utility enables you to upgrade any MDL file created from any production version of Warehouse Builder to the latest version of Warehouse Builder. Use either the MDL File Upgrade Wizard or the MDL Command-Line Utility.

This section includes the following topics:

About the MDL File Upgrade Utility

To upgrade your metadata from an older production version of Warehouse Builder to Oracle Warehouse Builder, use the Warehouse Builder Metadata Loader File Upgrade utility. This tool enables you to upgrade any MDL file created from Warehouse Builder 2.0.4.78 repository or higher to the latest version of Warehouse Builder.

You can use the MDL File Upgrade Utility to upgrade metadata from any of the following production versions of Warehouse Builder to Oracle Warehouse Builder:

Using the MDL File Upgrade Utility

You can upgrade metadata using either of the following:

  • MDL File Upgrade Wizard: Use the MDL File Upgrade Wizard if you exported each project as a single MDL file. The MDL File Upgrade Utility Wizard converts your files directly to the current version of Warehouse Builder.

  • MDL Command-Line Utility: Use the command-line if you exported a project as multiple MDL files. Also, use the command-line utility if you want to upgrade to an intermediate version. For more information, refer to the Oracle Warehouse Builder User's Guide.

Upgrading Repository Objects from Previous Versions

When you upgrade from previous versions of Warehouse Builder to the current version of Warehouse Builder, the upgrade utility makes the following changes to objects in the repository:

  • My Project: The sample project that is prepackaged in Warehouse Builder is renamed from My Project to MY_PROJECT to comply with physical name requirements.

  • External Processes: External processes are upgraded to external process activities in a process flow. If you defined an external process in a mapping in a previous release, MDL Upgrade Utility redefines the object as an external process in a process flow.

  • Business Areas: Business areas are upgraded to Collections. If you defined a business area in a previous release, the MDL File Upgrade Utility prefixes the module name to the business area name and redefines it as a collection. For example, a business area named ORDERS in a module named REGION1 is upgraded to a collection named REGION1_ORDERS.

  • External process mappings: External process mappings will be migrated to process flows.

The following warnings may appear as a result of standalone transformations from previous releases no longer being an independent function category, but a part of the Warehouse module:

  • Transformation name renamed from "old name" to "new name".

  • Transformation business name renamed from "old name" to "new name".

Be aware of the following if you are upgrading from Oracle Warehouse Builder 2.1.1:

  • SQL*Loader mappings with variables and parameters are converted to group attributes of the Data Generator stage component.

  • Control characters in descriptions are replaced with spaces.

  • Configuration names in free format in Warehouse Builder 2.1 (for example, indexes) are changed to conform to the database naming standards.

  • All Warehouse Builder 2.1.1 file and data warehouse objects are upper-cased. All Oracle modules remain unchanged, except for modules whose names are upper-cased.

  • Index columns must reference an actual entity, otherwise the upgrade generates a list of columns that do not satisfy this requirement. If you do not fix this error before upgrading, the upgraded file will fail on import into Warehouse Builder.

  • All local variables are converted to global variables.

  • DDL mappings are not upgraded because they are not supported in Warehouse Builder.

    Granular exported mappings have upgrade limitations. For example, if a mapping is used as a source by Fact 1 and Fact 2, then the order of the upgrade is as follows:

    1. Fact 1

    2. Fact 2

    3. Mapping

Using the MDL File Upgrade Wizard

Use the MDL File Upgrade Wizard if you exported each project as a single MDL file. The MDL File Upgrade Utility Wizard converts your files directly to the current version of Warehouse Builder.

To access the MDL File Upgrade wizard:

  1. Start the MDL File Upgrade Utility:

    For Windows: Select Start, then Oracle Database Developer Suite OWB_HOME, then Warehouse Builder and then OWB MDL File Upgrade Utility.

    For UNIX: Start a shell and navigate to: OWB_ORACLE_HOME/owb/bin/unix. For example, type: cd /private/home/OWB92/owb/bin/unix Then run mdlconvertui.sh.

  2. At the MDL File Upgrade Wizard Welcome page, click Next.

  3. At the Source page, click Browse to select the MDL file you want to convert to the latest version of Warehouse Builder.

    Note:

    To upgrade multiple MDL files simultaneously, use the MDL command-line utility. You will receive an error message if you select multiple files for upgrade in the MDL Upgrade Wizard.
  4. Click Next.

    The Target page displays.

  5. Click Browse to select the directory where the output files will be stored on your system.

  6. Click Next.

    The Target page prompts you for your log file location. You can select the default path or click Browse to choose a new location.

  7. Click Next.

    The Summary page displays.

  8. Review the upgrade information including the source and destination of the files you have selected for upgrade.

  9. Click Finish to upgrade the selected files.

The Conversion Progress panel displays the status of the upgrade. At the end of the process, you receive an upgrade successful message.

Checking for Warnings and Error Messages

After an upgrading the metadata, check the log file for warnings and errors.

  • If you receive warnings during the upgrade, the upgrade utility completes and logs the warnings. If you receive errors, the upgrade utility terminates and logs the errors.

  • If warnings and errors are shown after an upgrade, search for the words Warning and Error in the log file to determine the problem.

  • If an unexpected error occurs and the upgrade terminates, the log file displays message details. Check your log file or contact Oracle Support.

Running the MDL File Upgrade Utility from the Command-Line

Before using the command-line, be aware of the following:

  • For an upgrade of multiple MDL files, all files must belong to a single Warehouse Builder Project.

  • The order in which you upgrade these files is important. For example, entities must be upgraded before mappings.

Use the following command-line to upgrade MDL Files from an previous version of the Warehouse Builder Repository:

  • For Windows: ORACLE_HOME\owb\bin\win32\mdlconvert sourcefile parameterfile

  • For UNIX: ORACLE_HOME/owb/bin/unix/mdlconvert.sh sourcefile parameterfile

The source file contains the list of sources, targets and log file names. The parameter file contains the different attributes for conversion.

Example of a source file format:

SOURCE
Mdl21Sample1.mdl
Mdl21Sample2.mdl
TARGET
Mdl21Sample1_9i.mdl
Mdl21Sample2_9i.mdl
LOGFILE
Mdl21Sample1.log
Mdl21Sample2.log

Example of a parameter file format:

verbose= true/false                                                  (default: false)
tempdir = some directory            (default: .\temp)
sourceversion = 3.0/3.1/9.1/9.1.1 (default: 9.1.1)
targetversion = 3.0/3.1/9.1/9.1.1 (default: 9.1.1)