We've many requests for requirements recently. So, here's the PDF file with version 6 requirements.
Enjoy!
-Joey
An evaluation version of ProClarity Analytics Server 6.3, a companion to the evaluation version of ProClarity Desktop Professional 6.3, is now available! This release will provide customers with a 90-day trial period for both products.
Support for the English only evaluation-version software is available through the ProClarity TechNet forum: http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowForum.aspx?ForumID=1870&SiteID=17.
ProClarity Analytics Server Evaluation 6.3 - English is available from the Microsoft Download Center.
· Build: ProClarity Analytics Server 6.3.137.601_ENU
A few additional details to note are:
· ProClarity Analytics Server 6.3 – Evaluation contains the RTM version of the product; it does not include any of the ProClarity 6.3 hotfixes or cumulative updates.
o Users cannot upgrade this evaluation version with any PAS hotfixes or cumulative updates.
o Support for this product will only be available if no PAS updates have been applied.
· This product contains only the server components of ProClarity Analytics Server 6.3—that is, the PAS Administration Tool and the thin client, ProClarity Web Standard. It does not include ProClarity Dashboard Server 6.3 or the following ProClarity 6.3 add-ins: ProClarity Web Professional, ProClarity KPI Designer, or ProClarity Selector.
- To publish briefing books to PAS, customers are expected to use the evaluation version of ProClarity Desktop Professional 6.3.
Thanks to Dan Wilmot for this whitepaper.
Many users need the ability to run a query against an SSAS cube that includes a date range. Typically this date range consists of a “start date” and an “end date” selection. The default behavior of dimensions in the cube makes this type of selection difficult. This paper discusses how to design your cube to include a new “Start Date” and “End Date” dimension, then how to add those dimensions to the cube, and finally how to build a named set that represents your date range.
PAS security is role based and relatively flexible. It gives us plenty of rope with which to hang ourselves. :-) During a recent case, I re-learned some lessons and wanted to share those with you.
Before I get into the lessons, I want to explain that my approach to PAS security is that you either Allow or Deny at the role/server level and then make your granular settings at the Library and Book levels. It's like flipping a switch at the top level and saying, "Ok, everyone is denied to everything - now I'll go open up libraries and books to individual roles." Or, "Ok, everyone is allowed to everything - now I'll go close the libraries and books I don't want individual roles to access." Locking down everything is most common and is what we chose when we learned the lessons below.
1. Changes to security don't always show up immediately in the browser.
Testing security needs a Shift-F5 refresh in the browser.
2. We do deny all from the server/role level down to the book.
However, to give a role access to the book, they logically must be able to get into the library. Once there is an allow green checkmark on the role for the library, all users in that role can see all books unless you take the time to explicitly deny users at the book level.
3. Try to make libraries for each role instead of books. This will minimize administration. However, you can still use security at the book level - it will just take a little bit of administration to make sure that all roles are properly set at both the library and book level.
The ProClarity Analytic Server features a cache for javascript files, queries, and images. In some cases it may be beneficial to "warm" this cache by exercising the objects responsible for creating the cache entries prior to users hitting the system so that those users don't have to wait for their requests to warm the cache.
Below is a link to a sample (unsupported of course) of how a PAS cache warmer might work, run as an SSIS task. It is highly suggested that you read the PAS Administrators Guide regarding caching before implementing such a solution, and of course your mileage may vary with regard to any boost in response times for users.
I've changed my totaling whitepaper to include a non-totaling, aggregation-only scenario as well. Please download the new edition and enjoy!
Thanks,
-Joey
You can get 6.3 through the MSDN, MVLS, the fulfillment desk 1-800-248-0655, or via an evaluation copy at the public http://download.microsoft.com site. If you need 6.2 bits or hot fixes, please call 1-800-Microsoft.
-Joey
I've written a paper on Totaling in ProClarity. It's certainly not comprehensive but I do hope it answers some common questions regarding totaling. Please contact us with any feedback or questions.
Thanks,
-Joey
Make sure you swing by the ProClarity TechNet forum with any ProClarity related questions.
http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowForum.aspx?ForumID=1870&SiteID=17
Also, there is a new cumulative hot fix release for the ProClarity product line - 2215 for both 6.2 and 6.3.
http://www.microsoft.com/beta/downloads/Search.aspx?SearchText=proclarity
-Joey
Here is the latest link to Brian Murphy-Booth's excellent DelegConfig tool. This tool is fantastic for troubleshooting Kerberos Delegation issues and I use it in conjunction with DHCheck.
http://blogs.iis.net/brian-murphy-booth/archive/2007/03/09/delegconfig-delegation-configuration-reporting-tool.aspx
-Joey
Depending on your ProClarity Analytics environment, you may have cause to know which users are accessing what content on PAS. If you do have such a need, the ProClarity event log may provide you with the information you need.
By default PAS only logs exceptions to the ProClarity event log on the web server where it is hosted. This is primarily for performance reasons, as tracking all usage could provide a fair amount of overhead, depending on the frequency and type of use the system is getting. However, if you would also like to see usage information in the event log, open the ProClarity Administration Tool, right-click the server, choose "Properties", and choose the "Logging and Security" tab. Change the logging from exceptions only to exceptions and usage, and OK out. You should now see your ProClarity event log begin to report information on ProClarity content usage.
As I mentioned above, this should only be done if you are prepared to deal with the possible performance impact on your system, as this will create a lot more overhead for PAS than if it were just logging exceptions.
I'll also include a somewhat dated sample that shows how to extract the event log information and build a cube with it. This was all done with SQL Server 2000 and VB6, but the concept remains the same and may help if you're thinking about doing this for your current needs.
Issues resolved by increasing IIS 6 Metabase Property “AspMaxRequestEntityAllowed”
The behavior that takes place due to the value for this IIS metabase property being too low are varied and do not point to IIS as being the culprit. If you have seen any of these issues, even intermittently, you may want to test your ProClarity Analytics Server after increasing the value for the “AspMaxRequestEntityAllowed” property in the IIS metabase to see if the increase resolves your issue. These issues will only occur within the ProClarity Web Standard client:
1. ProClarity Web Standard users My View does not show up after being saved.
2. When there are many members in a slicer dropdown, Internet Explorer displays a message stating that the page cannot be refreshed.
3. Request object error ‘ASP 0104’:80004005.
4. ProClarity Web Standard users are not able to use slicers or cross drill.
5. Changing a ProClarity Web Standard view has no effect, the view is unchanged.
6. The ProClarity Web Standard client may become unresponsive.
7. A message stating “Your request could not be completed” may be received in the ProClarity Web Standard when attempting to render a published view.
NOTE: Click on the title of this post to view the link and download this document.
There are some considerations that need to be taken into account when installing ProClarity Analytics Server on 64-bit Windows Server 2003. The most important factor to consider in your deployment is that PAS is a 32-bit web application. In order to run PAS on 64-bit Windows, it will be necessary to run IIS in 32-bit mode. IIS will not run both 32-bit and 64-bit applications simultaneously, so if you were planning on running 64-bit Reporting Services on this machine, you may want to find a 32-bit server to install PAS on. The 6.3 ProClarity Analytics Server install will switch IIS to run in 32-bit mode, and should warn you before it does so. What follows is a list of steps that we recommend for installing PAS in a 64-bit environment, should you choose to do so:
1. Log in with the local administrator account. It is imperative that the logged in credentials be that of the local administrator, not a domain account that is a member of the local administrators group, but the local admin account for the server.
2. Install PAS. You should be able to run through the PAS install without experiencing any issues.
3. Stop the IIS service. Access the Services snap in via Administrative Tools, stop the “IIS Admin Service”.
4. Navigate to PInitx64.bat and run it. This batch file is located at \Inetpub\wwwroot\PAS\x64Extra\ by default.
5. Reboot the server.
6. Log back in with the local administrator account. Again, a domain account belonging to the local administrators group will not work. Logging in with the local admin account is the only way that the ProClarity com objects will be created.
After following these steps, verify that the ProClarity Admin Tool can be accessed using the local administrator account credentials, at which time you can add domain accounts to the ProClarity Administrator role.
Also, verify that the PAS website can be accessed by opening a browser and navigating to http://<machinename>/PAS. If the page renders correctly, you know that the install was successful.
This document addresses the situation where the 6.3 Desktop Professional install will loop on the Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1 v2 and Microsoft XML 6.0, which are prerequisites for the install, when attempting to install on Windows Vista.
NOTE: Click on the title of this post to view the link and download this document.
This document addresses the situation when you are:
- Trying to export to Excel from the ProClarity Analytics Server
- Trying to download and install the Web Professional client
- Trying to download and install the KPI Designer, Selector, or other component
- Upload or download files that have been published to the ProClarity Analytics Server.
You subseqently receive "The page cannot be found" "HTTP Error 404 - File or directory not found."
NOTE: Click on the title of this post to view the link and download this document.
