D 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 on troubleshooting Discoverer performance and scalability, see Section 12.3.13, "Troubleshooting Discoverer performance and scalability".

D.1 Problems and Solutions

This section describes common problems and solutions. It contains the following topics:

D.1.1 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 a number of errors being reported.

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

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

For example, if SSL is enabled in addition to SSO then you may receive an error such as:

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

This category of error is caused by an Internet Explorer bug, in which certain configurations involving a ReverseProxy such as OracleAS 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.

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, "List of 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.

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

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:

D.1.2 Discoverer and Oracle Applications certification

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

Oracle periodically certifies the Oracle E-Business Suite 11 i (e.g. Applications 11 i ) with a specific patch-set or release versions of OracleBI Discoverer (e.g. 4.1.46). 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). Hence, a customer using an Oracle Applications 11 i 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 11 i environments.

Oracle Applications 11 i is certified against Discoverer 4 i , Discoverer Version 9.0.4, and 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 will continue to certify Discoverer patch-sets applicable to these releases.

Independent of this Oracle Applications certification process, OracleBI Discoverer supports creation of custom workbooks and EULs against an Oracle Applications instance as a fully supported stand alone feature. This means that irrespective of whether or not 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 stand alone use of Discoverer (i.e. usage of Discoverer outside of an Oracle Applications module that utilizes Discoverer, such as Financials Intelligence). For example, a customer is supported to use Discoverer 10g (9.0.4) or Discoverer 10.1.2 against Oracle Applications 11 i 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 Business Intelligence Discoverer Administration Guide .

Can an uncertified version of Discoverer be used with Release 11 i ? In general, system administrators are advised to install only Oracle Applications-certified Discoverer versions and patches in their Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11 i environments using the standard Oracle Applications 11 i workbooks and End User Layer content (for more information, see Oracle Metalink, which is the authoritative source for all certifications between Oracle products).

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 11 i involves a coordinated testing effort across all Release 11 i products that use Discoverer. Certifications are generally performed for production releases for Discoverer. Oracle does not generally certify small, individual emergency patches such as Discoverer 4.1.42.05 or 4.1.42.08 against Oracle E-Business Release 11 i . Oracle's Discoverer support policy is to respond to bugs filed against both certified production patch releases as well as emergency patches.

Customers are advised to follow controlled configuration management strategies when working with uncertified emergency patches. In particular, do the following:

D.1.3 Discoverer reports a network error

OracleBI Discoverer reports a network exception during login.

One possible cause is that OracleBI Discoverer cannot start.

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 make sure that the Discoverer preferences command line utility dis51pr is running.

Hint : 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 D.2.2, "What is the checkdiscoverer utility?").

D.1.4 Discoverer reports the error ORA-12154

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

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

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

D.1.5 Pop-up stopper issues

OracleBI Discoverer does not start.

OracleBI Discoverer does not work on an Internet browser with a pop-up stopper activated.

De-activate all pop-up stoppers on the client browser machine.

D.1.6 Netscape Navigator 4.x issues

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

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

Use a later version of Netscape Navigator.

D.1.7 Discoverer Plus reports RMI error

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

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

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

Ensure that Discoverer end users use a HTTPS URL in a HTTPS environment. For more information, see Section 14.6.3, "About Discoverer Plus security and communication protocols".

Note : To deploy Discoverer Plus over HTTPS, you must select the Secure Tunneling security protocol in Oracle Application Server Control (Section 14.6.3.6, "How to set up Discoverer Plus to use the Secure Tunneling communication protocol").

D.1.8 Discoverer memory issues

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

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

Increase the JVM maximum heap memory size, as follows:

  1. On the client browser machine, display the JVM control panel (e.g. on a Windows machine, display the Control Panel, and double-click on the Java Plug-in icon).
  2. Display the Advanced tab.
    Description of the illustration cache2.gif

D.1.9 Discoverer Plus Relational help issues

OracleBI 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.

When an OracleBI 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.

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

  1. On the client browser machine, display the properties of the Sun Java Plug-in (e.g. on a Windows machine, display the Control Panel, and double-click on the Sun Java Plug-in icon).
  2. Display the Proxies tab.
    Description of the illustration cache3.gif

D.1.10 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 below).

Figure D-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.

Discoverer Viewer is configured to use the wrong SMTP Server.

To configure the SMTP server for Discoverer Viewer:

  1. Display Application Server Control (for more information, see Section 5.1.2, "How to start Application Server Control and display the System Components page").
  2. Display the Application Server Control Discoverer Home page (for more information, see Section 5.1.3, "How to display the Application Server Control Discoverer Home page").
  3. Select the Components link to display the Components area.
    Description of the illustration oem21.gif

D.1.11 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

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

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):

D.1.12 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 OracleBI installation with an existing OracleAS installation:

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

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

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

  1. Log in to OracleAS 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.

D.1.13 Opening an exported Web Query file in Microsoft Excel containing non-ASCII dynamic parameter values

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

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.

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).

D.1.14 List of values (LOV) is too long for a Discoverer portlet URL

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

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.

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

D.1.15 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.

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

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

D.1.16 Redirect conflicts with Single Sign-On (SSO) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)

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

Redirect conflicts occur.

Do the following:

  1. Register the SSL site with the SSO server using the ossoreg.sh tool. For information on registering a SSL site with the SSO server, follow the instructions in Chapter 4 of the Oracle Application Server Single Sign-On Administrator's Guide . 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.

D.1.17 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.

Posco Rev 2: Bug 3936850When you use a Discoverer portlet or when you access Discoverer Viewer from a portlet using the Analyze button, an error message is displayed (e.g. "The application encountered an invalid state. OracleBI Discoverer Viewer was unable to find the necessary data for displaying the results of this event. Please correct any errors and try again.

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

D.1.18 Out of memory problems for the OC4J_BI_Forms JVM process

Discoverer end users might encounter errors if the OC4J_BI_Forms JVM process runs out of memory.

Typical problems related to JVM memory include:

To minimize memory error problems, encourage OracleAS Portal users to publish smaller worksheets as Discoverer portlets (e.g. those with less than 1,000 rows in a table or less than 1,000 cells in a crosstab).

To increase the amount of memory available to the OC4J_BI_Forms JVM process, do the following:

  1. Start Oracle Application Server Control (for more information, see Section 5.1.2, "How to start Application Server Control and display the System Components page").
  2. Stop the OC4J_BI_Forms instance.
  3. Drill to the Server Properties page.
  4. In the Command Line Options area of the Server Properties page, set -Xmx in the Java Options. For example, change -Xmx512M to -Xmx1024M.
  5. Press Apply to apply the changes.
  6. Start the OC4J_BI_Forms instance.

D.1.19 Graphs do not display in Discoverer Viewer

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

Graphs do not display in Discoverer Viewer.

Create a caching rule in OracleAS Web Cache for the /discoverer/GraphBeanServlet/ URL (for more information, see Section 8.5.1, "How to create Discoverer caching rules").

D.1.20 Discoverer Portlet Provider issue

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

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

In OracleAS Portal, edit the Discoverer Portlet Provider registration settings and clear the Web provider in same cookie domain as the portal check box (for information on how to edit Discoverer Portlet Provider, see Section 11.4, "How to edit the Discoverer Portlet Provider"). For more information about how to register Discoverer Portlet Provider, see Section 11.3, "How to register Discoverer Portlet Provider with OracleAS Portal".

D.1.21 Availability of Discoverer connections

Discoverer connections are only available when an Oracle Business Intelligence installation is associated with an OracleAS Infrastructure.

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.

Make sure that the Oracle Business Intelligence installation is associated with an OracleAS Infrastructure, by doing one of the following:

D.1.22 Passwords not accepted as a URL parameter

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

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

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 13.3.2, "How to specify login information using a Discoverer connection". For more information about the reuseConnection URL parameter, see Section 13.7, "List of URL parameters common to Discoverer Plus and Viewer".

D.1.23 Customizing Discoverer Viewer

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

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

Use Oracle Application Server Control to customize the Discoverer Viewer look and feel (for more information, see Section 9.2, "Customizing Discoverer Viewer").

D.1.24 Firewall is causing Discoverer connections to be dropped

In Enterprise Deployment environments, load balancers and firewalls both have timeout settings for idle connections. If a component maintains a pool of connections that go through a firewall, the connection might be dropped.

Discoverer connections are being dropped in Enterprise Deployment environments.

Make sure the Oc4JConnTimeout value in the OC4J settings is less than the firewall timeout value. For more information about the Oc4JConnTimeout setting, see Oracle HTTP Server Administrator's Guide .

D.2 About Discoverer diagnostics and logging

This section describes the server diagnostic and logging facilities that are available in Discoverer, and contains the following topics:

D.2.1 What Discoverer diagnostics and logging facilities are available?

You use Discoverer's diagnostics facilities to trace and diagnose problems with Discoverer. For example, if Discoverer's performance is slow, you might want to check that Discoverer's middle tier components are correctly configured.

The following Discoverer diagnostic facilities are available: