Oracle Business Intelligence can be installed to satisfy a variety of distinct objectives ranging from a simple, single-user deployment to a highly secure, highly available deployment suitable for thousands of concurrent users. The installer functionality is targeted to make deployment for the most common deployment scenarios straightforward and easy to achieve.
Your particular deployment of Oracle Business Intelligence depends on several related product deployment considerations. These deployment options are described in the following topics:
This chapter describes common scenarios for installing Oracle Business Intelligence. For the purposes of this guide, installing is narrowly defined as the process of copying new Oracle Business Intelligence software on a system where no prior installation of Oracle Business Intelligence exists. The processes for patching and upgrading differ from the installation process.
The following table provides a quick reference of the definitions and examples for each process type, and where to find more information about them.
| Process Type | Definition(s) | Example | For More Information |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Installation |
Copying new software on a system where no prior installation of the software exists |
Installing a new instance of Oracle Business Intelligence 11.1.1.6.0 |
Read this book |
|
Patching |
Copying a small collection of files over an existing instance (also referred to as an "in-place installation"). A patch is normally associated with a particular version of an Oracle product and involves updating from one minor version of the product to a newer minor version of the same product. A patch set is a single patch that contains a collection of patches designed to be applied together. |
Copying the Oracle Business Intelligence 11.1.1.6 patch set over an Oracle Business Intelligence 11.1.1.5 or 11.1.1.3 instance. |
See Oracle Fusion Middleware Patching Guide, especially the section entitled "Summary of the Oracle Fusion Middleware Patching Process." |
|
Upgrade |
Moving from a previous major version to a new major version |
Upgrading from Oracle Business Intelligence 10g to Oracle Business Intelligence 11g |
See Oracle Fusion Middleware Upgrade Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition |
There are four main Oracle Business Intelligence installation scenarios, which apply to all Oracle Business Intelligence products, including Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher and Oracle Real-Time Decisions:
Section 2.2.1, "Installation Scenario #1: Demonstration, Evaluation, or Proof of Concept"
Section 2.2.2, "Installation Scenario #2: Single-User Development"
Note:
After you install Oracle Business Intelligence 11g on a computer, do not install earlier versions of Oracle Business Intelligence on that computer, such as Oracle Business Intelligence 10g. This action is neither recommended nor supported, even if the goal is to upgrade from Oracle Business Intelligence 10g to Oracle Business Intelligence 11g.
The Demonstration, Evaluation, or Proof of Concept scenario is for users and organizations that want to install Oracle Business Intelligence quickly for demonstration and evaluation purposes. In this installation scenario, you perform a Simple Install of Oracle Business Intelligence on a single computer.
Before initiating this scenario, verify that your system meets the installation requirements for Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle Business Intelligence, and the Repository Creation Utility (RCU). Then, run the RCU to create the Metadata Services (MDS) and Business Intelligence Platform (BIPLATFORM) schemas.
The Single-User Development scenario is for individual developers that want to install Oracle Business Intelligence for the purposes of customizing existing functionality, building new functionality, or integrating custom applications in isolation. In this scenario, you perform a Simple Install of Oracle Business Intelligence on a single computer.
Before initiating this scenario, verify that your system meets the installation requirements for Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle Business Intelligence, and the Repository Creation Utility (RCU). Then, run the RCU to create the Metadata Services (MDS) and Business Intelligence Platform (BIPLATFORM) schemas.
The Enterprise Deployment for Hosted Development and Production scenario is for organizations with multiple users, and possibly developers, that want to install Oracle Business Intelligence in a secure, clustered environment. The tasks you perform depend on whether you want to support a single, scaled-out instance on multiple computers or multiple, standalone instances on a single computer.
To install a single, scaled-out instance on multiple computers, you perform an Enterprise Install with the New BI System option on one computer. You then perform another Enterprise Install, but this time with the Scale Out BI System option. You repeat this latter task on each computer where you want to scale out your Oracle Business Intelligence system.
Before initiating this scenario, verify that your system meets the installation requirements for Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle Business Intelligence, and the Repository Creation Utility (RCU), and then run the RCU to create the Metadata Services (MDS) and Business Intelligence Platform (BIPLATFORM) schemas.
To install multiple, standalone instances on a single computer, use one of the following methods:
Perform either a Simple Install or an Enterprise Install (with the New BI System option) multiple times on the computer. Ensure that you install each Oracle Business Intelligence instance into a separate Middleware home on that computer.
Install Oracle WebLogic Server first and then perform a Software Only Install of Oracle Business Intelligence. Afterward, use the Configuration Assistant multiple times (or once for each instance) to configure each instance in the same, or shared, Middleware home.
This method provides two main benefits over performing a Simple Install or an Enterprise Install multiple times. First, it uses less disk space because each Oracle Business Intelligence instance, and specifically each domain, shares binary files contained in the Middleware home. Second, it enables you to apply patches to all domains in the shared Middleware home at the same time.
This method is the only way to install Oracle Business Intelligence on Oracle WebLogic Server 10.3.6. Simple Install and Enterprise Install installs Oracle WebLogic Server 10.3.5 by default. This version of Oracle Business Intelligence supports both Oracle WebLogic Server 10.3.5 and Oracle WebLogic Server 10.3.6.
Note:
Although Oracle Business Intelligence instances in the same Middleware home share binary files (as described in the latter method), they do not share any run-time components, such as Administration Servers, Managed Servers, and so on. Every Oracle Business Intelligence instance has and uses its own run-time components, whether the instance exists in a separate or shared Middleware home.
Before initiating any of these scenarios, do the following:
Verify that your system meets the installation requirements for Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle Business Intelligence, and the Repository Creation Utility (RCU), and then run the RCU to create the Metadata Services (MDS) and Business Intelligence Platform (BIPLATFORM) schemas.
Decide on a port management strategy. You can either allow the Oracle Business Intelligence 11g Installer to automatically assign the ports for each instance or you can assign them yourself through a custom port configuration file with a .ini extension. If you choose the former method, ensure that all processes are running for any installed instances before you install subsequent instances. This enables Oracle Business Intelligence 11g Installer to automatically identify and assign ports that are not yet in use. To assign the ports yourself through a custom port configuration file, see Section 4.2.8, "Setting Custom Port Values for Oracle Business Intelligence."
The Enterprise Deployment for Highest Levels of Availability and Security scenario is for organizations with multiple users that want to install Oracle Business Intelligence with the highest levels of security and performance across a distributed network.
To install Oracle Business Intelligence for this scenario, use one of the following methods depending on your needs:
Perform an Enterprise Install with the New BI System option on one computer. Then, perform another Enterprise Install, but this time with the Scale Out BI System option. You repeat this latter task on each computer where you want to scale out your Oracle Business Intelligence system
Install Oracle WebLogic Server and then perform a Software Only Install of Oracle Business Intelligence on two or more computers, as needed. Afterward, configure your system, such as by using the Configuration Assistant.
Before initiating any of these scenarios, verify that your system meets the installation requirements for Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle Business Intelligence, and the Repository Creation Utility (RCU), and then run the RCU to create the Metadata Services (MDS) and Business Intelligence Platform (BIPLATFORM) schemas.
The Enterprise Deployment for Highest Levels of Availability and Security scenario is the most complex scenario, and requires a thorough understanding of the deployment options that Oracle Fusion Middleware and Oracle Business Intelligence support. Before pursuing this scenario, you are strongly encouraged to refer to the following guides: