E Troubleshooting Discoverer

This appendix describes common problems that you might encounter when using Discoverer and explains how to solve them. It contains the following topics:

Note:

For information about troubleshooting Discoverer performance and scalability, see Section 10.3.13, "Troubleshooting Discoverer performance and scalability."

E.1 Additional Configuration Required to Display Graphics in SSL-Enabled Discoverer Viewer

Problem

When SSL is enabled for an Oracle BI Discoverer instance, icons and other graphics are not displayed properly in the Discoverer Viewer.

Solution

This problem occurs when the WebLogic Plug-In Enabled property is not configured for the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Server and the Managed Server (WLS_DISCO). For more information about configuring the WebLogic Plug-In Enabled property through the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console, see the section "Servers: Configuration: General" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console Online Help.

E.2 Discoverer Viewer reports errors when exporting using Microsoft Internet Explorer v6.0

When Discoverer Viewer users export data using Microsoft Internet Explorer v6.0, a bug in Microsoft Internet Explorer can lead to several errors being reported.

Note: Discoverer supports data exported Microsoft Excel 97 or later.

Problem 1

Microsoft Internet Explorer v6.0 is not configured correctly and displays an error message, for example:

  • Internet Explorer was not able to open this Internet Site. The requested site is either unavailable or is not found. Try again later.

    The error messages vary depending upon the application or mime type configured to open the extensions.

For example, if SSL is enabled in addition to Oracle Single Sign-On then you may receive an error such as:

  • Could not open 'https://:/discoverer/viewer/. For details see c:\path to temp directory \wecerr.txt

Clicking OK then gives the following error in Excel 'Microsoft Excel cannot access the file 'https://:/discoverer/viewer'. There are several possible reasons:

  • The file name or path does not exist.

  • The file being opened is being used by another program. Close the document in the other program, and try again.

  • The name of the workbook that you are trying to save is the same as another document that is read-only. Try saving the document under another name.

This category of error is caused by an Internet Explorer bug, in which certain configurations involving a ReverseProxy such as Oracle Web Cache cause a problem during a redirected request (302). The Internet Explorer Host header contains the host header of the server you were redirected from rather than the host you were redirected to.

Solution

To resolve this problem, do the following:

  1. On the middle-tier, open the mod_osso.conf file in a text editor (for more information about the location of the mod_osso.conf file, see Section A.1, "Discoverer file locations").

  2. Replace any existing Discoverer Viewer URL protection with the following text:

    Header unset Pragma

    OssoSendCacheHeaders off

    require valid-user

    AuthType Basic

  3. Save the mod_osso.conf file.

  4. Restart the Oracle HTTP Server.

Problem 2

Microsoft Internet Explorer v6.0 displays an error message when Discoverer exports to Microsoft Excel format.

Solution

Specify the Discoverer middle tier as a trusted site in Microsoft Internet Explorer, by doing the following:

  1. Select Tools | Internet Options from the Microsoft Internet Explorer menu bar to display the Internet Options dialog.

  2. Display the Security tab.

  3. Select the Trusted Sites icon and click the Sites button to display the Trusted sites dialog.

  4. Enter the URL of the Discoverer middle tier in the format:

    http://<host.domain>:<port>

    where:

    • <host.domain> is the server name and domain on which the Oracle HTTP Server is installed

    • <port> is the port number (typically 7777 or 7778) on which Discoverer is installed

E.3 Discoverer and Oracle Applications certification

This section explains Discoverer's supported patch installation strategy and Oracle Applications certification strategy.

Problem

Oracle periodically certifies the Oracle E-Business Suite 11i (for example, Applications 11i) with a specific patch-set or release version of Oracle BI Discoverer. This certification means that the version of Discoverer has been tested by Oracle Applications product teams against the workbooks and EULs that ship with their Oracle Applications modules (for example, Financials Intelligence). So a customer using an Oracle Applications 11i module that ships Discoverer content is now free to upgrade to the announced certified version and can typically install it in the ORACLE_HOMEs of existing application-tier server nodes of Oracle Applications 11i environments.

Oracle Applications 11i is certified against Discoverer Version 10.1.2.0.0, so that Discoverer content can be seamlessly integrated with the rest of the Oracle Applications suite. Oracle Applications continues to certify Discoverer patch-sets applicable to these releases.

Independent of this Oracle Applications certification process, Oracle BI Discoverer supports creation of custom workbooks and EULs against an Oracle Applications instance as a fully supported standalone feature. So, regardless of whether a given Discoverer patch-set or release has been Oracle Applications-certified, a customer is free to use any production release of Discoverer against their Oracle Applications instance to create custom workbooks and EULs through standalone use of Discoverer (that is, usage of Discoverer outside of an Oracle Applications module that utilizes Discoverer, such as Financials Intelligence). For example, customers can use Discoverer 10.1.2 against Oracle Applications 11i to develop their own custom workbooks and EUL in support of an enterprise-wide Business Intelligence solution even though this release has not been Oracle Applications-certified. Note that in this case, Discoverer must be installed outside of the middle-tier Oracle Homes provided with the Oracle Applications install. For more information, see Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer.

Can an uncertified version of Discoverer be used with Release 11i? In general, system administrators are advised to install only Oracle Applications-certified Discoverer versions and patches in their Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i environments by using the standard Oracle Applications 11i workbooks and End User Layer content.

For more information, see the following My Oracle Support notes:

  • Note 313418.1: Using Discoverer 10.1.2 with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i

  • Note 373634.1: Using Discoverer 10.1.2 with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12

There may be circumstances that make the installation of uncertified Discoverer patches necessary. Consult Oracle Support for guidance, based upon your specific circumstances.

Certification of Discoverer versions and patches with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i involves a coordinated testing effort across all Release 11i products that use Discoverer. Certifications are generally performed for production releases for Discoverer. Oracle does not generally certify small, individual emergency patches against Oracle E-Business Release 11i. Oracle's Discoverer support policy is to respond to bugs filed against both certified production patch releases and emergency patches.

Solution

Follow controlled configuration management strategies when working with uncertified emergency patches. In particular, do the following:

  • Always back up a known working environment before applying patches.

  • Always back up a known working environment at the certified patch level.

  • Always test patches thoroughly before applying them to production environments.

  • Only apply uncertified, emergency patches if is unfeasible to wait until the next production patch release is certified.

E.4 Discoverer reports a network error

Oracle BI Discoverer reports a network exception during login.

Problem

One possible cause is that Oracle BI Discoverer cannot start.

Solution

Check that the Preferences component is up and running. To confirm that the Preferences component is up and running, use the Windows Task Manager and ensure that the Discoverer preferences command line utility dis51pr is running.

You can also run the following opmnctl command to find out the status of the preference server:

$ORACLE_INSTANCE/bin/opmnctl status

Tip: You can use the checkdiscoverer utility to verify a Discoverer configuration and report on failures or anomalies. For more information about the checkdiscoverer utility, see Section 11.2, "What is the checkdiscoverer utility?"

E.5 Discoverer reports the error ORA-12154

Oracle BI Discoverer reports error ORA-12154: Could not resolve service name.

Problem

Oracle BI Discoverer cannot connect to the database alias specified by the connection details.

Solution

Ensure that:

  • the database alias is in the tnsnames.ora file on the middle tier

  • the database alias exists in the tnsnames.ora file on every machine that runs sessions

Tip: If you have SQL*Plus (or any other Oracle product) running on that machine, try connecting to the database with that product.

E.6 Pop-up blocker issues

Oracle BI Discoverer does not start.

Problem

Oracle BI Discoverer does not work on an Internet browser with a pop-up blocker activated.

Solution

Turn off all the pop-up blockers on the client browser machine.

E.7 Netscape Navigator 4.x issues

Oracle BI Discoverer does not start when using Netscape Navigator 4.x as a client browser.

Problem

The following are known issues when using Discoverer with Netscape 4.x:

  • it is not possible to filter the workbook list using non-ASCII characters when using Discoverer Viewer with Netscape 4.x

  • it is not possible to use non-ASCII parameters when using Discoverer Viewer with Netscape 4.x

  • it is not possible to create private connections using non-ASCII characters when using Discoverer with Netscape 4.x

  • browser window re-sizing is disabled when using Discoverer Plus with Netscape 4.x

Solution

Use a later version of Netscape Navigator.

E.8 Discoverer Plus reports RMI error

A Discoverer Plus end user attempts to start Discoverer Plus over HTTP instead of HTTPS in an HTTPS environment.

Problem

Discoverer displays the following error message when an end user attempts to start Discoverer Plus using an HTTP URL:

Unable to connect to Oracle Discoverer Application Server. Attempt 1. RMI protocol over HTTPS transport: no response from web server at <url>.

Solution

Ensure that Discoverer end users use an HTTPS URL in an HTTPS environment. For more information, see Section 13.6.3, "About Discoverer Plus security and communication protocols".

Note: To deploy Discoverer Plus over HTTPS, you must select the Secure Tunneling security protocol in Oracle Fusion Middleware Control (Section 13.6.3.5, "How to set up Discoverer Plus to use the Secure Tunneling communication protocol").

E.9 Discoverer memory issues

Oracle BI Discoverer Plus becomes unstable when a workbook contains a large number of worksheets (for example, more than 20) that contain graphs, typically maximized in a separate browser window.

Problem

Oracle BI Discoverer Plus displays an out-of-memory error when running on a client browser machine.

Solution

Increase the JVM maximum heap memory size, as follows:

  1. On the client browser machine, display the JVM control panel (for example, on a Windows machine, display the Control Panel, and double-click the Java Plug-in icon).

  2. Display the Advanced tab.

    Description of cache2.gif follows
    Description of the illustration cache2.gif

  3. In the Java Runtime Parameters field, enter the following text:

    -Xmx<amount of memory>M

    For example, to increase the maximum memory level to 256MB, enter -Xmx256M.

  4. Click Apply.

  5. Restart Discoverer Plus on the client browser machine.

E.10 Discoverer Plus Relational help issues

Oracle BI Discoverer Plus Relational context sensitive help might not work on Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator with Sun Java Plug-in if the proxy settings for the Sun Java Plug-in are not set correctly.

Problem

When an Oracle BI Discoverer Plus Relational end user clicks Help when using a dialog, Discoverer does not display the correct help page for that dialog. In addition, links in the help table of contents and index do not work.

Solution

Change the proxy settings for the Sun Java Plug-in, as follows:

  1. On the client browser machine, display the dialog in which you specify proxy settings.

    For example, in Microsoft Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, choose Internet Options, Connections, LAN Settings, then Advanced to display the Proxy Settings dialog.

    Surrounding text describes cache3.gif.

  2. Ensure that the Exceptions field contains the following string:

    *.oraclecorp.com

  3. Click OK to save the changes.

  4. Start a new client browser session and start Oracle BI Discoverer Plus.

E.11 Configuring a SMTP Server for Discoverer Viewer

Discoverer Viewer includes an option to send a Discoverer worksheet in an e-mail message by selecting the Send as email link in the Actions list (see Figure E-1 ).

Figure E-1 The Send as email option in Discoverer Viewer

Description of Figure E-1 follows
Description of "Figure E-1 The Send as email option in Discoverer Viewer"

If you want to change the SMTP server used, you must configure the Discoverer middle tier to use a different SMTP server.

Problem

Discoverer Viewer is configured to use the wrong SMTP Server.

Solution

To configure the SMTP server for Discoverer Viewer:

  1. Display Fusion Middleware Control (for more information, see Section 4.1.2, "How to start Fusion Middleware Control and display the Farm Home page").

  2. Display the Fusion Middleware Control Discoverer Home page (for more information, see Section 4.1.3, "How to display the Fusion Middleware Control Discoverer Home page and Discoverer component Home pages").

    Surrounding text describes em_main.gif.

  3. In the Components area, select the Discoverer Viewer link in the Name column to display the Discoverer Viewer Home page.

  4. Click Configure to display the Discoverer Viewer Configuration page.

    Surrounding text describes em3.gif.

  5. In the Email region specify the SMTP server details.

  6. Click Apply to save the details.

    When Discoverer end users use the Send as email option to mail a worksheet, Discoverer Viewer uses the SMTP server that you specified.

E.12 Problem With Microsoft Internet Explorer, HTTP 1.1 Protocol and Compressed Data

Sometimes when using Microsoft Internet Explorer, the first 2048 bytes of data sent by a Web server using HTTP compression are lost. To find out more information about this problem, go to the following link:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q313712

Problem

The first 2048 bytes of data sent by a Web server using HTTP compression are lost.

Solution

Specify HTTP 1.0 on the client to disable HTTP compression, as follows:

  1. Select Tools | Internet Options from the Microsoft Internet Explorer menu bar to display the Internet Options dialog.

  2. Display the Advanced tab.

  3. Clear both of the following check boxes (in the HTTP 1.1 settings category):

    • the Use HTTP 1.1 check box

    • the Use HTTP 1.1 through proxy connections check box

E.13 Error: Could Not Open Web Cache Connection (WWC-40019)

The following error message appears if you try to publish Discoverer portlets after you have associated an Oracle BI installation with an existing Oracle installation:

Error: Could Not Open Web Cache Connection (WWC-40019)

Problem

Discoverer cannot open an Oracle Web Cache connection when an end user tries to publish a Discoverer portlet.

Solution

Disable Oracle Web Cache for Oracle Portal content, as follows:

  1. Log in to Oracle Portal as the Portal administrator (for example, with the user name Portal).

  2. Display the Administer tab.

  3. Display the Portal sub-tab.

  4. Select the Global Settings link in the Services area.

  5. Display the Cache tab.

  6. Clear the Enable Web Cache for Caching Portal Content check box.

  7. Ensure that the Host Name field is set correctly.

    Note: If more than one Oracle Business Intelligence middle tier has been installed, the Host Name is updated with the most recent Oracle Business Intelligence installation. You might need to change the Host Name to that of a previous Oracle Business Intelligence installation.

  8. Save the changes you have made by clicking Apply or OK.

E.14 Opening an exported Web Query file in Microsoft Excel containing non-ASCII dynamic parameter values

You must set the encoding correctly in Microsoft Excel to correctly export Discoverer worksheets in Web Query (IQY) format containing non-ASCII dynamic parameter values.

Problem

Microsoft Excel users cannot correctly open a Discoverer worksheet exported in Web Query (IQY) format from Discoverer Plus Relational containing non-ASCII dynamic parameter values.

Solution

In Microsoft Excel, set the Excel encoding to UTF-8, as follows:

  1. In Microsoft Excel, choose Options from the Tools menu to display the Options dialog.

  2. Display the General tab.

  3. Click Web Options to display the Web Options dialog.

  4. Display the Encoding tab.

  5. In the 'Save this document as' drop-down list, choose Unicode (UTF-8).

E.15 List of values (LOV) is too long for a Discoverer portlet URL

A list of values (LOV) might be greater than the URL limit.

Problem

When launching a list of values (LOV) from the worksheet/portlet provider parameter pages, if the total length of the current list of values in the text field is close to or greater than the URL length limit, the selected values may not work correctly when the LOV is launched.

Solution

Close the LOV window, empty the text field, and re-launch the LOV window to clear the selected values pane.

E.16 Specifying a parameter by index value in Microsoft Excel does not work for Web Query file

If you export a worksheet with a parameter value that uses the "let users choose value or index" option, Excel end users must enter a parameter value, not an index value.

Problem

No data is returned in a Microsoft Web Query (IQY) file after an end user specifies a parameter value using an index value.

Solution

The Microsoft Excel end user must specify a value for a parameter using an actual value (for example, East) instead of an index value (for example, 1).

E.17 Redirect conflicts with Oracle Single Sign-On and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)

Redirect conflicts sometimes occur when both Oracle Single Sign-On and Secure Socket Layer (SSL) are turned on, especially if a SSL site is not registered with the Oracle Single Sign-On server, but a non-SSL site is registered.

Problem

Redirect conflicts occur.

Solution

Do the following:

  1. Register the SSL site with the Oracle Single Sign-On server using the ossoreg.sh tool.

    For information on registering a SSL site with the Oracle Single Sign-On server, follow the instructions in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle Single Sign-On. See the section that is entitled "Configuring mod_osso with Virtual Hosts."

  2. Modify the configuration file to point to the generated osso-https.conf file.

E.18 Worksheet customization issues

When you use a Discoverer portlet or when you access Discoverer Viewer from a portlet using the Analyze button, you might encounter an error if a customization made in Discoverer Viewer is in conflict with some aspect of the source worksheet.

Problem

When you use a Discoverer portlet or when you access Discoverer Viewer from a portlet using the Analyze button, an error message is displayed: "The application encountered an invalid state. Oracle BI Discoverer Viewer was unable to find the necessary data for displaying the results of this event. Correct any errors and try again."

Solution

Either recreate the portlet based on the updated worksheet or revert the worksheet to its original state.

E.19 Graphs do not display in Discoverer Viewer

If Oracle Web Cache is enabled, graphs do not display in Discoverer Viewer unless Oracle Web Cache has been configured.

Problem

Graphs do not display in Discoverer Viewer.

Solution

Create a caching rule in Oracle Web Cache for the /discoverer/GraphBeanServlet/ URL (for more information, see Section 7.5.1, "How to create Discoverer caching rules").

E.20 Discoverer Portlet Provider issue

If Discoverer Portlet Provider is not correctly registered in Oracle Portal, you might encounter errors when creating or editing Discoverer portlets.

Problem

You might encounter one or more of the following problems when using the Discoverer Portlet Provider wizard:

  • When you click Next on the Database Connections page, the wizard does not advance to the next page.

  • When you select the Edit Defaults link next to a portlet, then click Next, Oracle Portal displays the following error message:

    An error occurred while handling the request in the controller.

  • Pages in the Edit Defaults wizard load twice.

Solution

In Oracle Portal, edit the Discoverer Portlet Provider registration settings and clear the Web provider in same cookie domain as the portal check box. For more information about how to edit or register Discoverer Portlet Provider, see Oracle Fusion Middleware Guide to Publishing Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer Portlets.

E.21 Availability of Discoverer connections

Discoverer connections are available only when the Discoverer installation is associated with the Oracle Internet Directory and the Discoverer schemas.

Problem

The Discoverer connections page does not display connections and does not provide options to enable you to create private connections. End users can only connect directly using the Connect Directly fields.

Solution

Ensure that the Discoverer installation is associated with the Oracle Internet Directory and the Discoverer schemas. For more information, see Section 1.3, "About Oracle BI Discoverer installations."

E.22 Passwords not accepted as a URL parameter

For security reasons, in Oracle Business Intelligence release 10.1.2.1 (and later) you cannot specify a database password using a URL parameter.

Problem

Discoverer ignores a password specified on a URL with the pw= URL parameter, and the Discoverer end user is prompted for a database password.

Solution

If you use a private Discoverer connection, end users are always prompted at least once for a database password. You can also use the reuseConnection= URL parameter to reuse login details in the same browser session so that end users do not have to enter a database password repeatedly for the same private Discoverer connection.

For information about how to specify login information using a connection ID, see Section 12.3.2, "How to specify login information using a Discoverer connection". For more information about the reuseConnection URL parameter, see Section 12.7, "List of URL parameters common to Discoverer Plus and Viewer".

E.23 Customizing Discoverer Viewer

In Oracle Business Intelligence release 10.1.2.1 (and later) you can no longer customize Discoverer Viewer look and feel by directly editing XSL files on the middle tier.

Problem

You cannot find XSL files for Discoverer Viewer on the middle tier.

Solution

Use Oracle Fusion Middleware Control to customize the Discoverer Viewer look and feel (for more information, see Section 8.2, "Customizing Discoverer Viewer").

E.24 Discoverer Desktop and Plus worksheet font size issue

Worksheet font sizes can appear smaller in Discoverer Plus than they are in Discoverer Desktop.

Problem

When a worksheet is created using Discoverer Desktop, the font size is correct when the worksheet is viewed in Discoverer Desktop, but when the same worksheet is viewed in Discoverer Plus the font size appears to be smaller.

Solution

Add the following entry under the [Application] section in the pref.txt file, and apply the changes (for more information, see Section A.1, "Discoverer file locations"):

AdjustPlusFontSize = "true"

E.25 Resource limit exception in Discoverer Portlet Provider

Discoverer Portlet Provider might throw an exception while processing requests.

Problem

Users might see the following error message when Discoverer Portlet Provider processes requests:

The following error occurred during the call to Web provider: BaseException is weblogic.common.resourcepool.ResourceLimitException: No resources currently available in pool <data_source> to allocate to applications, please increase the size of the pool and retry.

In the error message, <data_source> is the name of the Weblogic JDBC data source created with the JNDI name jdbc/disco_portlet.

Solution

This exception occurs when the connection pool capacity (default: 1500) is not adequate.

  1. Log in to the WebLogic Administration Console by using the following URL:

    http://<host>:7001/console

  2. From the left navigation pane, select Services.

  3. From the submenu, select JDBC and then Data Sources.

  4. Select the data source with the JNDI name jdbc/disco_portlet, by clicking the link in the Name column.

  5. Select the Connection Pool tab under the Configuration tab group.

  6. Increase the Maximum Capacity to a value that is appropriate to your Discoverer Portlet Provider usage.

  7. Click Save.

This change takes effect immediately. It does not require Discoverer applications to be restarted.

For more information, see the WebLogic Administration Console Online Help.

E.26 "Portlet data limits exceeded" error in Discoverer Portlet Provider

Discoverer Portlet Provider might throw an exception while processing requests.

Problem

Users might see the following error message when Discoverer Portlet Provider processes requests:

Portlet data limits exceeded. Data shown may be incomplete.

Solution

This error occurs when the Discoverer worksheet query returns more rows than allowed by the Discoverer PortletProvider cache. The (default) maximum number of rows cached by Discoverer PortletProvider is 1000.

You can increase the Discoverer PortletProvider cache, by changing the maxDataRows parameter in the configuration.xml file, as shown in the following example:

<!-- Portlet Provider configuration. --> 
<portlet logKey="disco.portlet.fatal" logLevel="error" pickerCompatibleVersions="10.1.2" maxDataRows="1500">
<enablePortlet status="true"/>
<sessionPool maxSessions="20" useCachedSession="true" maxSessionAgeHour="35" @ maxSessionInactivityPeriodMinute="17" maxRefreshWaitMinute="1" maxRefreshRetries="1" maxGenericParameters="10" maxNewSessionPerMinute="6" maxWaitNewSessionMinute="30" minRequestThreadPoolSize="20" peekSleepIntervalSec="2"/>
</portlet>

Note:

Publishing a query (that returns a large number of rows) to a portlet affects performance.