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Talis DecisionsAdministration

Katharine SpellmanBusiness AnalystTalis Educationkatharine.spellman@talis.com

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Introduction

• Times• Lunch• Toilets• Access• Mobile Phones• Fire• Documentation

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AgendaWelcome and introductionArchitectureTaking securitiesCentral Configuration Manager

11:30 BreakCentral Management Console

12:30 LunchRights

14:30 BreakClient tools (Designer, Report Conversion Tool, Publishing Wizard)MIS ServerHousekeeping TasksEvaluation

16:00 Finish

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Aims

• To introduce the Decisions Architecture• Introduce the system management tools• Introduce rights• How to back up the system data• Maintaining the system

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What are your hopes for the course?

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What is Talis Decisions?

• A decision support and performance management tool– Analyse performance and trends – Analyse data in different ways– Present reports in various formats– Distribute and schedule documents– Create ad-hoc reports

• Powered by Business Objects XI (R2 SP1)

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The Product Suite

What is Talis

Decisions?

InfoView

Web Intelligence (Webi)Desktop Intelligence (Deski)

Designer (Universes)

Central Management Console (CMC)Central Configuration

Manager (CCM)

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Business Objects XI: The Product Suite

• Administrator– Central Configuration Manager (CCM)– Central Management Console (CMC)– Designer– Other client tools

• Import Wizard• Publishing wizard• Report conversion tool

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How Decisions worksInfoView / Web Intelligence

Thin ClientWeb Browser

Mis serverTalis Decisions Server

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PC considerations• Hardware

– Dual processor and as much RAM as possible (1 GB minimum)

• Browsers– Internet Explorer 6.0 and 7.0 (later versions seem to be okay)– Firefox 1.04 (later versions seem to be okay)– Pop-ups must be allowed from the Talis Decisions Server to be

able to save reports.– A Java Runtime Environment must be installed. 1.5 or lower.

• Operating system– Windows 2000 SP4 Professional– Windows XP SP2 Professional– Windows 2000 SP4– Windows Server 2003 SP1

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Decisions Server - hardware

• Windows Server based (2000/2003) (not XP)• Recommend Windows 2003• Dual Processor (minimum)• As much RAM as possible (2GB minimum)

• Virtual Servers• Citrix

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Decisions Server - software

• Functions spread over servers (services)• Includes servers for Crystal Reports and other stuff• Uses Tomcat as the Web Application Server (and

web server)• Java

• Repository database (MySQL) on Decisions server• File based

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Still needed…

• MIS machine with Sybase on• prod_talis• talis_aggregates

• wel_update

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Licences

• Two types of Licences:– Platform (covers InfoView + Scheduling)

– Reporting (Web Intelligence/Desktop Intelligence)

• To have Reporting you must have a Platform licence

• Two types of platform licence:– Professional– Premium

Premium/ProfessionalBOE

Premium/ProfessionalBOE

Platform or Business Objects Environment

(BOE)

Platform or Business Objects Environment

(BOE)

Web Intelligence

Web Intelligence

Desktop IntelligenceDesktop

Intelligence

Platform or Business Objects Environment

(BOE)

Platform or Business Objects Environment

(BOE)

Web Intelligence

Web Intelligence

Desktop IntelligenceDesktop

Intelligence

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Query process

Your client Workstation

You run the Query in a Browser

A report is displayed

DecisionsServer

The query is

SQL

t is generated

Alto Database

The SQL is executed to extract the

data

converted to

The repor

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Decisions Architecture

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System database• This was the bo_repository• No longer resides on MIS

machine• Uses a MySQL database

structure• Only points at files/data

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Backing up the System database and files

• Data relating to the system is held in two places

– A system database– A physical file structure

• Backup of both must be at the same time

• There are two approaches to backing up the system

– Import Wizard (Business Intelligence Archive Resource)

– Talis scripts

• Frequency of backups

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BusinessObjects XI

• Made up of ‘Servers’ – Services• Each Server carries out a function• Scalable

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Central Configuration Manager (CCM)

• Client tool• Only on Decisions server• Used to setup the Servers initially• Stop, start, enable and disable (inc Tomcat)

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Central Management Console (CMC)

• Web based system management tool• Replaces Supervisor• Rights Management• Management of Objects (files and reports)• Server Management

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Rights• Who can do what

• Introduce main concepts• Look at the tools for managing rights• Work through the best way to set them up at the

start• Use rights to hide things from a group

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Rights - concepts

• Rights are assigned to groups or users and also folders and objects

• Rights can be :– Granted– Denied– Not specified

– Inherited

• Action based– View object

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Rights – access levels (concepts)

• Predefined sets of rights– No Access (really no rights specified)– View– Schedule– View on Demand– Full Control

– Advanced

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Rights - inheritance (concepts)

• Users may have different rights based on the groups they are in.

• If in doubt DENIED

Group 1 right

Explicitly Granted

Explicitly Denied

Not Specified

Explicitly Granted

Granted Denied Granted

Explicitly Denied

Denied Denied Denied

Group 2 right

Not Specified

Granted Denied Not Specified

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Rights - inheritance (concepts )

• Inheritance can be on groups or folders.

• Not Specified is only available where not inherited.

• Open approach

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Rights – tools for managing

• Looking at Rights tab. • Changing access levels.• Setting Advanced rights• Check user rights button

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Rights setup - configuration Order

• Before touching the CMC– Define the groups and the users first – also what you want them to do or not do

• Settings• Folders

– Top Level– Sub-groups

• Groups– Top Level– Sub-groups

• Applications • Categories• Inboxes• Universe Connections• Universes• Objects• Users• Calendars/Events• Servers/Server Groups

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Designer – loading a universe

• Now have a license to use it• Contains functionality relating to connections and

row restrictions• Talis do not support local changes or your own

universes

• You’ll use it for loading universes

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Designer – loading a universe

Decisions serverDecisions server

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Hosted Databases

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Other client tools

• Import Wizard– For importing data from earlier versions of

BusinessObjects or between different installations of BusinessObjects Enterprise XI R2.It can be used to back-up the system.

– For taking a copy of single document to be able to send it to others

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Other client tools

• Report Conversion Tool– For converting Desktop Intelligence reports (.rep files) into

Web Intelligence reports (.wid files). Desktop Intelligence reports must be loaded into InfoView.

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Report conversion tool- converting from Deski to Webi

Decisions serverDecisions server

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Other client toolsPublishing Wizard – loading objects into System database

– Allows users to load files into the system database without using InfoView.

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MIS Server

• Copy of the live database (prod_talis)• Loan Aggregation

– talis_aggregates– wel_update script– Scripting updates

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Housekeeping

1. Back-up of system data regularly.2. Regular reboot of the Talis Decisions Server. 3. Operating system updates should be applied.4. Ensure that the talis_aggregates database is up-to-date and

that the WEEKLY_LOAN view is present 5. Manage the Corporate areas 6. Encourage users to manage the objects in their personal

areas. 7. Ensure usernames and passwords for distribution settings

are updated and maintained.8. Encourage the scheduling and distribution of objects9. Ensure the latest versions of the universes are loaded.10. Use the TDN and the forums to ask questions and share

information with other system managers and Talis.

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Troubleshooting

• Problems accessing the Decisions Server• Problems logging in• I cannot send output

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Questions?

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Thank you for attendingTalis Decisions:Administration

Trainer: Katharine Spellman

Please complete an evaluation formwww.talis.com/eval

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