Oracle9i reports developer

Oracle9i Reports Developer
Release Notes
Release 2 (9.0.2)
April 2002
Part No. A96189-01
This document summarizes the differences between Oracle9i Reports
Developer and its documented functionality. For recent updates to these
release notes and other Oracle9i Reports Developer documentation, please
refer to the Oracle Technology Network
(http://otn.oracle.com/products/reports/).
1 General Issues and Workarounds
This section describes general issues and their workarounds for Oracle9i
Reports Developer.
1.1 Migration
For information about migration, please refer to Oracle9i Application Server
Migrating from Oracle9iAS Release 1 (1.0.2.2.x) to Release 2 (9.0.2), part
number A96157-01.
1.2 Deprecated Features from Earlier Versions
Some features available in Oracle Reports 6i have been deprecated or
removed from Oracle9i Reports Developer.
Following is a list of the deprecated features. Existing reports using these
features will continue to run without modification, but these features are no
longer documented and their further use is strongly discouraged:
s user exits
s RWCGI Web executable
See Also: Oracle9i Application Server Release Notes
Oracle is a registered trademark, and Oracle9i and PL/SQL are trademarks or registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation.
Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Copyright ã 2002 Oracle Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.

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s command line options: CURRENCY, THOUSANDS, DECIMAL,
PROFILE, ERRFILE, LOGFILE, BACKGROUND, KEYIN, KEYOUT
s SRW.SET_ATTR built-in
s OLE2 object support
Following is a list of features that have been from Oracle9i Reports
Developer:
s RWRUNC character mode runtime
s client/server GUI report previewer in rwrun
s RWRBE60 background engine
s RWOWS60 OAS cartridge
s OBE60 query builder
s OBS60 schema builder
More detailed information about these deprecated and obsolete features
can be found in the Oracle Reports Statement of Direction white paper
available from the Oracle Technology Network
1.3 Inserting Multiple Report Blocks In Web Source
If you are using the Report Block Wizard to insert multiple report blocks
that share one or more data columns between them, the generated JSP tags
will end up with duplicate IDs. These duplicate tags will cause a JSP
compilation failure and the report will not execute. You can work around
this issue by manually editing the Web source to make the tag IDs unique.
1.4 PDF Font Sub Setting
In Oracle9i Reports Developer, you can subset the TrueType fonts for
multi-byte, Unicode, and single byte PDF output. Oracle9i Reports
Developer internally converts the TrueType fonts to Adobe's Type 3 format
and embeds them within the document.
To view the Type 3 fonts in the Acrobat Reader smoothly, Acrobat 5.0
provides the following workaround:
1. Open Adobe Acrobat 5.0.
2. Choose Edit->Preferences.
3. Choose Display->Smoothing.
4. Check all of the check boxes (smooth Text, smooth Artline, smooth
Images).

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5. If you are using a laptop, also check the CoolType check box.
1.5 XML and Text Data Sources
s For the XML and text pluggable data source Edit dialog boxes in
Reports Builder, all referenced parameters in a URL should be wrapped
as follows:
&<parameter>
For example, the following URL references a parameter called stock_
symbol:
http://host.domain.com/vdir/get_stock_quote.jsp?symbol=&<stock_symbol>
If stock_symbol was not inside of the angle brackets, the ampersand
would be read as an argument separator and stock_symbol as a report
parameter.
s The XML data must follow the same order of elements as found in the
DTD or XML schema file. For example, suppose your DTD or XML
schema defines two elements, PRODUCT_ID coming first and
WAREHOUSE_ID coming second. In this scenario, PRODUCT_ID must
come before WAREHOUSE_ID in your XML data file, too.
1.6 Supported Data Types in Pluggable Data Sources
The Pluggable Data Source API supports the number, date, and string data
types. An individual pluggable data source should appropriately map its
types to these three types.
For example, XML schema data types would be mapped to the nearest ones
of the three supported types. These types would then be passed to the XML
pluggable data source. In the case of the JDBC pluggable data source, if the
query tries to retrieve a BLOB column from the database, the pluggable
data source driver would give an error, Column type not supported.
1.7 Links Between Queries Using Pluggable Data Sources
When you create an invalid link between two queries of pluggable data
sources, you will receive the following error message:
Fail to fetch Plugin Data Source Java.lang.NumberExpection:G
When you receive this error, you should check the validity of your links
(for example, are the data types of the columns compatible).

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1.8 Oracle9iAS Portal Portlet/Page Parameters
Within Oracle9iAS Portal, you can choose whether to make a report’s
parameters visible to users through the Customization page of a report
portlet. Click Customize at the bottom of the Manage Component page for
the report and click Visible to user for each parameter you want to expose.
You can also set the default value of the parameter from this page.
If the parameter you are exposing has a corresponding Oracle9iAS Portal
page parameter, the default value from the Manage Component page will
be used as the default value in the Customize page for the portlet. If the
user leaves the parameter value empty in the Customize page, the portlet
inherits the page parameter’s value. If the user enters a value for the report
portlet’s parameter, that value will override the page parameter value.
For more information about Oracle9iAS Portal, refer to the Oracle
Technology Network (http://portalcenter.oracle.com).
1.8.1 Customize Page
The SSOCONN and CGI/servlet key parameters are missing from the JSP
report Customize page in Oracle9iAS Portal. The work around for this issue
is to create additional user parameters for the missing parameters.
1.9 HTTPS from within Oracle9iAS Portal
Oracle9i Reports Developer does not support https when running reports
from within Oracle9iAS Portal. You should not use https for the Reports
Server URL Gateway when defining Reports Server Access object
Oracle9iAS Portal.
1.10 Reports Portlet and Netscape Communicator 4.7
In Oracle9iAS Portal with Netscape Communicator 4.7, if you add a reports
portlet to a page, you will get an error message when you try to take
another action such as adding another portlet. This problem does not occur
in Netscape Communicator 6.0 or Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5.
1.11 Destination Parameter and Microsoft Internet Explorer
In some cases, Microsoft Internet Explorer ignores the mimetype of a URL’s
return stream and instead sets the type by looking at the URL. This can be a
problem when you are using the distribution feature of Oracle9i Reports
Developer because your URL might end with the destination parameter, for
example:
...distribute=yes destination=c:oraclereportsdistributionmydist.xml

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In this scenario, your URL ends with the extension xml and Internet
Explorer treats the return stream as XML, when in fact it is HTML. As a
result, you will receive a browser error. To work around this issue, you
should never use recognized file extensions at the end of a URL. In the
example above, you could switch the positions of the distribute and
destination parameters in your URL.
1.12 Templates
If you are using one of the default report templates, you cannot combine
two report blocks that use different default templates in a single report. All
of your report-blocks in any one report must use the same default template.
1.13 Oracle9iAS Portal Security, Portal Destination, and Job
Status Repository
If you use these features, the JDBC database connections made by
Oracle9iAS Reports Services may override the initial NLS_LANG setting.
This change may in turn affect the behavior of the running report, such as
bidirectional output in PDF. On UNIX platforms, you can workaround this
issue by setting the NLS_LANG explicitly in report.sh.
1.14 Command Line Arguments
1.14.1 SUPPRESSLAYOUT Keyword
Table 1 indicates which commands can use the SUPPRESSLAYOUT
keyword.
Description The SUPPRESSLAYOUT command line option prevents any
paper objects in the report layout from being formatted. The option allows
users to control whether the paper layout in a report is executed at runtime.
The most common use of this option is to increase the performance of JSP
reports. Since a JSP report may have a paper layout and reference objects in
it via an <rw:include> tag, Reports formats the paper layout before running
the JSP section of the report. To improve the performance of single source
JSP reports that store both paper and Web layouts but do not reference
paper layout objects, set SUPPRESSLAYOUT=YES on the command line.
Table 1 Commands that can use SUPPRESSLAYOUT
rwclient rwrun rwbuilder rwconverter rwservlet rwcgi rwserver
yes yes yes no yes yes no

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Note: If there is an <rw:include> tag, then no output will be created for the
tag.
Syntax SUPPRESSLAYOUT=[YES|NO]
Values YES means that the paper layout objects are not formatted when
the report is executed. NO means that the paper layout objects will be
formatted.
Default NO
1.14.2 UPGRADE_PLSQL
Table 2 indicates which commands can use the UPGRADE_PLSQL keyword.
Description The UPGRADE_PLSQL command line option upgrades any
PL/SQL code in the specified report to the latest version required by
Reports9i Developer.
Syntax UPGRADE_PLSQL=[YES|NO]
Values YES means that the PL/SQL code will be upgraded automatically if
necessary. NO means that the PL/SQL code will not be updated.
Default YES
1.14.3 RECURSIVE_LOAD
Table 3 indicates which commands can use the RECURSIVE_LOAD
keyword.
Description The RECURSIVE_LOAD keyword is used to determine
whether Oracle9i Reports Developer should validate all of the external
references of the program units in a report at runtime. If this keyword is set
to YES, an invalid external reference will cause the program unit to be
automatically recompiled. Setting RECURSIVE_LOAD to NO is useful
Table 2 Commands that can use UPGRADE_PLSQL
no no no yes no no no
Table 3 Commands that can use RECURSIVE_LOAD
yes yes no yes yes yes no

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when running your report against a different database than the one against
which its PL/SQL was originally compiled.
Syntax RECURSIVE_LOAD=[YES|NO]
Values YES means that the external references will be validated. NO means
that the external references will not be validated.
Default YES
1.14.4 SQLTRACE
Table 3 indicates which commands can use the SQLTRACE keyword.
Description The SQLTRACE keyword enables you to perform SQL tracing
on your report without having to modify the report definition.
Syntax SQLTRACE=[YES|NO]
Values YES means that SQL tracing will be performed on the report. NO
means that SQL tracing will not be performed on the report.
Default NO
1.15 Built-ins
1.15.1 SRW.GET_VALUE
SRW.GET_VALUE is equivalent to the Oracle9i Forms Developer NAME_
IN built-in. It permits developers to get the value of a field at runtime
indirectly. This method of obtaining a field’s value is useful if you are
writing business logic in a PL/SQL library but need to obtain report values
directly.
Instead of using :field_name, the user can use SRW.GET_VALUE(field_
name) to obtain the value of a field. For example:
function func_one return varchar2
is
the_fieldname varchar2(20):='ENAME';
begin
return(srw.get_value(the_fieldname));
Table 4 Commands that can use RECURSIVE_LOAD
yes yes yes no yes yes no

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end func_one;
1.15.2 SRW.GET_REPORT_NAME
SRW.GET_REPORT_NAME can be used to obtain the file name of the
report being executed. For example:
function AfterPForm return boolean is
my_var varchar2(80);
begin
srw.get_report_name(my_var);
srw.message(0,'Report Filename = '||my_var);
return (TRUE);
end;
1.16 Default Character Set for JSPs
By default, a new JSP created in Reports Builder contains the following:
<%@ page contentType="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1" %>
If you are creating your JSP outside of Reports Builder, you should ensure
that it contains similar encoding information.
1.16.1 REPORTS_NLS_XML_CHARSETS
Currently, some Oracle NLS_CHARSET values have no equivalent IANA
character set. The XML saved by Oracle9i Reports Developer for reports
with these character sets cannot be opened by some XML viewers, such as
Internet Explorer, unless you set REPORTS_NLS_XML_CHARSETS to the
following:
WINDOWS-950=BIG5;CSEUCKR=EUC-KR;
1.17 Java Importer
In order to run reports that rely on Java classes, you must:
s Add the necessary jar files to the REPORTS_CLASSPATH (for the
Reports Builder).
s Add the necessary jar files to the classPath attribute of the engine
element in the Reports Server configuration file (ORACLE_
HOMEreportsconf<server_name>.conf).

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1.18 Buttons
If you open an existing report that contains buttons in Oracle9i Reports
Developer, the buttons will be converted into text items. You cannot add
new buttons in Oracle9i Reports Developer.
1.19 Parameter Forms
If you open an existing report that contains user parameters and you save it
as a JSP, the parameter form is lost. If you create a new JSP with user
parameters, the parameter form will appear when you run it in the Reports
Builder, but you have to create your own parameter form for runtime.
1.20 RTF Output in Microsoft Word 95 for Japanese
When you open the RTF output from Oracle9i Reports Developer in
Microsoft Word 95 for Japanese, you may encounter anomalies in the
output, such as dashes not appearing correctly. These issues are specific to
Microsoft Word 95 and do not occur in Microsoft Word 97 for Japanese.
2 Configuration Issues and Workarounds
This section describes configuration issues and their workarounds for
Oracle9i Reports Developer.
2.1 Reports Server Installed with Reports Builder
The Reports Builder requires an instance of the Reports Server. Hence,
when you install the Reports Builder, the Installer prompts you for some
information that it requires to configure the Reports Server, for example the
name of your mail server.
2.2 REPORTS_CLASSPATH
Oracle9i Reports Developer uses the environment variable REPORTS_
CLASSPATH when looking for Java classes; it does not use the system
CLASSPATH variable. As a result, any JavaBeans that you want to use
within Oracle9i Reports Developer must be locatable from the REPORTS_
CLASSPATH.
REPORTS_CLASSPATH is limited to 511 bytes in length. For Windows
systems, REPORTS_CLASSPATH is set in the registry. For Unix systems, it
is set from the command prompt or in a shell script.

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2.3 X-terminals and Graphical Terminals
If you are planning to run reports on an X-terminal or graphical terminal,
the DISPLAY variable must be set appropriately. For more information on
configuring for X-terminals and graphical terminals, refer to the
platform-specific documentation for Oracle9iAS.
2.4 REPORTS60_DEFAULT_PIXEL_SIZE
REPORTS60_DEFAULT_PIXEL_SIZE is an environment variable that
overrides the operating system’s default pixel size when rendering a report.
Normally, Oracle9i Reports Developer takes its pixel size from the
operating system. If you are working with older reports that rely upon a
pixel size that is different from that of the operating system (for example, a
pixel size of 80), you can use this variable to maintain the same behavior in
your older reports.
For Windows, REPORTS60_DEFAULT_PIXEL_SIZE is set in the registry.
For Unix, it is set from the command prompt or in a shell script.
2.5 Oracle Reports 6i Access to Oracle9i Reports Developer
The Oracle Reports 6i executables, such as RWCLI, can send job requests to
the Oracle9iAS Reports Services through a proxy server, as long as the
Reports Server is not secured.
3 UI Issues and Workarounds
3.1 Source Control (Windows only)
To enable the use of Oracle Source Control Management with Oracle9i
Reports Developer, you must set a number of registry variables. Oracle
Source Control Management provides a Start menu item that will update
the registry variables for you:
Oracle 9i Developer Suite–ORACLE_HOME -> Oracle 9i Software
Configuration Manager -> Use as Source Control For Forms/Reports
This menu item runs a file named drsc61.reg. By running this file, you are
updating the registry variables required by Oracle9i Reports Developer.
3.1.1 Check In/Check Out Restriction
If you are using the source control integration feature in Reports Builder,
you should not select the check out after check in option. Doing so will

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result in the report being placed in Read-only mode. To avoid this problem,
you should always perform check ins and checkouts as separate operations.
3.2 Some Languages Not Appearing Correctly in Web Source
View
In the Web Source view of the Report Editor, the following languages may
appear garbled: Japanese, Thai, Arabic, and Hebrew. To work around this
issue, you can set the font names for Reports Builder in uifont.ali as
follows:
[rwbuilder]
.....ja16sjis="MS Gothic"
.....ar8mswin1256="Courier New"
4 Documentation Errata
This section describes known errors or omissions in the documentation.
s If you are looking for information about REP_UTIL_PPL, refer to the
Getting Started on the Oracle Technology Network
s The PAGESIZE parameter cannot be set from the Runtime Parameter
Form. It can only be set from the command line (e.g., rwclient).
s The PAGESIZE parameter’s value will be applied to all sections in the
report (header, body, and trailer).
s In order to run the barcode example report that is referenced in the
Oracle9i Reports Developer Getting Started on the Oracle Technology
Network (http://otn.oracle.com/products/reports/) and the Oracle9i
Reports Developer Building Reports manual, you must:
s Add oraclebarcode.jar to the REPORTS_CLASSPATH (for the
Reports Builder).
s Add oraclebarcode.jar to the classPath attribute of the engine
element in the Reports Server configuration file (ORACLE_
HOMEreportsconf<server_name>.conf).
s The Reports Builder online help incorrectly states the requirements for
Acrobat 4.0 for PDF output. The help states that you need Acrobat 4.0
packs in all cases when you really only need it for font aliasing:
s If you are building a multi-byte report for multi-byte languages,
such as Chinese and Japanese, and you need to alias the font in
PDF output, you need the CID fonts named within the Acrobat 4.0

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packs. Otherwise, you do not need the CID fonts in the Acrobat 4.0
packs.
s In Chapter 6 of Oracle9iAS Reports Services Publishing Reports to the Web,
the method described for generating public and private keys has
changed. To generate a new Reports Server key on Unix, enter the
following command:
$ORACLE_HOME/bin/rwgenkey.sh <public_key_file> <private_key_file>
To generate a new Reports Server key on Windows, enter the following
command:
$ORACLE_HOME/bin/rwgenkey.bat <public_key_file> <private_key_file>
s In Chapter 3 of Oracle9iAS Reports Services Publishing Reports to the Web,
the syntax for the security and destination elements incorrectly
describes the securityUserid and portalUserid properties. They should
be as follows:
<property name="securityUserid" value="portal_db_username/portal_
password@portal_db_connection" confidential="yes" encrypted="no"/>
<property name="portalUserid" value="portal_db_username/portal_
password@portal_db_connection" confidential="yes" encrypted="no"/>
5 Oracle Enterprise Manager
You can monitor and manage your Reports Servers through Oracle
Enterprise Manager. The sections that follow describe the Reports Server
pages available in Oracle Enterprise Manager.
You will find more information on the Reports Server in Oracle9iAS Reports
Services Publishing Reports to the Web, included on the Oracle9iAS
documentation CD.
5.1 Reports Server Main Page
This page summarizes the status of the selected Reports Server.
Table 5 Reports Server Main Page
Setting Description
General Section
Current Status Indicates whether the server is up or down.
Start Time Indicates the date and time the selected Reports Server
was last started.

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Stop Server/Start
Server/Restart Server
These buttons enable you to stop, start, or restart the
selected Reports Server from inside Oracle Enterprise
Manager. Click Stop Server to stop the selected Reports
Server; click Start Server to start the selected Reports
Server. Click Restart to stop then start the selected
Reports Server. The Start and Stop buttons display
when the server is down; the Restart and Stop buttons
display when the server is up.
Configuration Section
Cluster Name If the selected Reports Server is a member of a server
cluster, the cluster name is listed here.
Trace Option If you have entered an Oracle Trace option in your
Reports Server configuration file, <server_name>.conf,
this field lists the option(s) you have entered.
Trace Mode Indicates the trace mode specified in the Reports Server
configuration file for the trace log file, either replace (the
default) or append. Trace replace replaces the existing
text in the trace log file with new information. Trace
append appends new information to the end of the
existing trace log file.
Maximum Queue Size Lists the value you have entered for the maximum
queue size under the queue element in your Reports
Server configuration file (<server_name>.conf). The
queue element specifies the maximum number of jobs
that can be held in the Reports queue, including the
scheduled, current, and finished job queues. If the
maximum is reached, the oldest job(s) are automatically
purged to make room for the newest (first in/first out, or
FIFO).
Status Section
Active Engines Indicates the number of engines currently running on
the selected Reports Server.
CPU Usage (%) Lists the percentage of the host machine's CPU currently
employed by the selected Reports Server.
Memory Usage (MB) Lists the number of megabytes (MB) of the host
machine's RAM currently employed by the selected
Reports Server.
Average Response Time
(ms)
Lists the average number of milliseconds it takes for the
selected Reports Server to process a request from the
client.
Response and Load Section
Setting Description

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Current Jobs Provides the total number of currently running jobs in
the Job Queue. When this number is higher than 0, it
links to the Current Jobs Queue, where you can view
details and cancel currently running jobs.
Failed Jobs Provides the total number of jobs currently in the
selected Reports Server's Job Queue that were stopped
before completion. This includes cancelled jobs as well
as those terminated with error. When this number is
higher than 0, it links to the Failed Jobs Queue, where
you can get detail on why a job failed, view the job's
trace file, and resubmit the job.
Finished Jobs Provides the total number of jobs that have finished
running successfully. When this number is higher than 0,
it links to the Finished Jobs Queue, where you can get
more detail on the finished job, view the job's trace file,
view the job result from cache, and resubmit the job.
Scheduled Jobs Provides the total number of jobs currently in the
Scheduled Jobs Queue. When this number is greater
than 0, it links to the Scheduled Jobs Queue, where you
can view details and canceled the scheduled job.
Other Servers Running in the Cluster Section
Previous/Next Buttons Click the Previous or Next button to page through the
list of other cluster members, or select a range of clusters
from the drop-down list.
Server Name Lists the names of each of the other Reports Servers that
are members of the same cluster that the selected
Reports Server belongs to. Click the server's name to
hyperlink to the OEM home page for that server.
Finished Jobs Provides the total number of finished jobs currently in
the listed Reports Server's Job Queue.
Scheduled Jobs Provides the total number of scheduled jobs currently in
Failed Jobs Provides the total number of jobs for the listed Reports
Server that were stopped before completion. This
includes cancelled jobs as well as those terminated with
error.
Average Response Time Lists the average number of milliseconds it takes for the
listed Reports Server to process a request from the client.
Performance Section
Setting Description

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5.2 Reports Server Performance Page
This page provides performance details about the selected Reports Server.
Response Metrics Provides details about average response time;
scheduled, finished, current, and failed jobs in the Job
Queue; and number of jobs transferred from one server
to another in a clustered environment.
Engine Information Lists the types and numbers of currently running
engines on the selected Reports Server.
System Usage Metrics Provides percentages of CPU and memory usage on the
selected Reports Server.
Administration Section
Configuration Leads to the selected Reports Server's current
configuration file. Here you can alter the file, check file
syntax, and save your changes. Changes take effect after
the next server restart.
Server Trace Leads to the results of any trace you ran on jobs running
on the selected Reports Server. Specify whether you will
use the Trace option in the Reports Server's
configuration file, available in OEM through the
Configuration link.
Server Log Leads to a log of general sever events, such as when the
selected server was started and stopped.
Table 6 Reports Server Performance Page
Setting Description
System Usage Metrics Section
CPU Usage (%) Lists the percentage of the host machine's CPU currently
employed by the selected Reports Server.
Memory Usage (MB) Lists the number of megabytes (MB) of the host
machine's RAM currently employed by the selected
Reports Server.
Response Metrics Section
Average Response Time
(ms)
Lists the average number of milliseconds it takes for the
selected Reports Server to process a request from the
client.
Setting Description

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5.3 Reports Server Queue Page
This page provides a detailed look at all jobs currently running on the
selected Reports Server and supplies the means of cancelling a currently
running job. Click the Previous or Next button to page through the Current
Job Queue, or select a range of records to view from the drop-down list.
To cancel a currently running job:
1. Click the Select radio button next to the job you want to cancel.
2. Click the Cancel Job button.
If you wish, you can resubmit a cancelled job from the Failed Job Queue.
Number of Jobs
Transferred
In a clustered server environment, provides the total
number of jobs transferred between the selected Reports
Server and other cluster members. For example, if the
selected Reports Server receives a request for a job that
was run earlier on another cluster member, the request is
transferred to the cluster member that provided the
earlier result and the result is delivered to the client from
the cluster member's cache. Such a transaction would be
counted as one transfer within the cluster.
Number of Failed Jobs Provides the total number of jobs currently in the Job
Queue that were stopped before completion. This
includes cancelled jobs as well as those terminated with
error.
the selected Reports Server's Job Queue. When there are
jobs currently running, the number in the Value column
links to the Current Jobs queue.
Finished Jobs Provides the total number of finished jobs currently in
finished jobs in the queue, the number in the Value
column links to the Finished Jobs queue.
Scheduled Jobs Provides the total number of scheduled jobs currently in
scheduled jobs in the queue, the number in the Value
column links to the Scheduled Jobs queue.
Engine Information Sections
Engine ID Lists the type of engines available for processing jobs on
the selected Reports Server.
Number of Running
Engines
Provides the total number of this type of engine that is
currently running on the selected Reports Server.
Table 6 Reports Server Performance Page
Setting Description

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Note: The Cancel Job button does not appear on this page when no jobs are
currently running.
5.4 Reports Server Scheduled Job Queue Page
This page functions very much like Reports Server Queue page. Refer to the
Section 5.3, "Reports Server Queue Page" for more information.
5.5 Reports Server Finished Job Queue Page
This page provides a detailed look at all successfully completed jobs in the
Job Queue on the selected Reports Server.
Additionally, it provides a means of viewing a completed job's trace file,
displaying job output from cache, or resubmitting a job request.
Click the Previous or Next button to page through the Finished Job Queue,
or select a range of records to view from the drop-down list.
Table 7 Reports Server Queue Page
Setting Description
Select Use this radio button to select a particular job. On this
page, this function is most useful when you wish to
cancel a job. Click the Select radio button next to a job
you wish to cancel, then click the Cancel button near the
top of the page.
Id Displays a unique job identifier assigned to this job by
the Reports Server. This number is strictly under the
server's control and cannot be reset by a user.
Job Name If you specified a job name in the command line you
used to run this job, that name is listed here. Otherwise,
it is the name of the job provided for the "report=" or
"module=" parameter of the job request.
Owner Displays the user ID under which this job is running.
Output Type Displays the destination type (destype) specified for this
job at runtime.
Output Format Displays the output format (desformat) specified for this
job at runtime.
Queued At Displays the date and time this job request was placed in
the Job Queue.
Started At Displays the date and time this job started running.
Interval The frequency at which the job will be run, for example,
daily, monthly, and so on. This setting only appears on
the Reports Server Scheduled Job Queue page.

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To view a job's trace file, the Trace option must have been specified in the
Reports Server configuration file or the runtime command line.
To view a job's trace file:
1. In the Select column, click the radio button next to the finished job
whose trace file you want to view.
2. Click the View Trace button near the top of the page.
To view a result from cache:
1. In the Select column, click the radio button next to the finished job you
want to view.
2. Click the View Result button near the top of the page.
The result opens in a second browser window.
To resubmit a job:
1. In the Select column, click the radio button next to the job you want to
resubmit.
2. Click the Rerun Report button near the top of the page.
Table 8 Reports Server Finished Job Queue Page
Setting Description
page, this function is most useful for selecting a report
and:
s Viewing a Web version of its output (click the Select
radio button next to a job you want to view, then
click the View Result button near the top of the
page)
s Viewing the selected job's trace results (click the
Select radio button next to a job with trace results
you want to view, and click the View Trace button
near the top of the page)
s Rerunning the job (click the Select radio button next
to a job you want to rerun, and click the Rerun
Report button near the top of the page)
Id Displays a unique job identifier assigned to this report
by the Reports Server. This number is strictly under the
When the job includes the generation of a trace file, the
value under Id is linked to the trace file for this job. Click
Id to view this job's associated trace file.

19
5.6 Reports Server Configuration Page
This page provides a window into the selected Reports Server's
configuration file (<server_name>.conf). You can edit the configuration file
here as well as check its syntax and save your changes. You must restart the
server for your changes to take effect.
To edit the selected Reports Server configuration file, make your changes in
the display window.
To check your syntax, click the Check Syntax button below the display
window. Note that clicking this button does not validate the values you
enter for configuration elements. For example, if an element requires that
you specify a directory path, syntax checking does not validate the accuracy
of your path. It just validates the XML syntax.
To save your changes, click the Save Changes button below the display
window.
Note: You can use your browser's "Find in Page" functionality to search the
content of the server configuration file. This is particularly useful if you
must locate a syntax error in the file.
used to run this report, that name is listed here.
Otherwise, it is the name of the job provided for the
"report=" or "module=" parameter of the job request. Job
Name is linked to the output of this job. Click Job Name
to see a Web version of this job's output (fetched from
the Reports Server cache).
Owner Displays the user ID under which this job was run.
job at runtime.
Output Format Displays the destination format (desformat) specified for
this job at runtime.
the Job Queue.
Finished At Displays the date and time this job completed.
Status Displays the finished status of the job. In the Finished
Job Queue, Status is always Finished Successfully.
Table 8 Reports Server Finished Job Queue Page
Setting Description

20
5.7 Reports Server Failed Job Queue Page
This page provides a detailed look at all failed jobs in the Job Queue on the
selected Reports Server. Additionally, it provides a means of viewing a
failed job's trace file or resubmitting a job request.
Note: Failed jobs are jobs that were cancelled by the user or that
automatically terminated with error.
Click the Previous or Next button to page through the Failed Job Queue, or
select a range of records to view from the drop-down list. To view a job's
trace file, the Trace option must have been specified in the Reports Server
configuration file or the runtime command line.
To view a job's trace file:
1. In the Select column, click the radio button next to the failed job whose
trace file you want to view.
2. Click the View Trace button near the top of the page.
To resubmit a job:
1. In the Select column, click the radio button next to the job you want to
resubmit.
2. Click the Rerun Report button near the top of the page.
Table 9 Reports Server Failed Job Queue
Setting Description
page, this function is most useful for selecting a job and:
s Viewing the selected job's trace results (click the
Select radio button next to a job with trace results
you want to view, and click the View Trace button
near the top of the page)
s Rerunning the job (click the Select radio button next
to a job you want to rerun, and click the Rerun
Report button near the top of the page)
Id Displays a unique job identifier assigned to this job by
the Reports Server. This number is strictly under the
When the job includes the generation of a trace file, the
value under Id is linked to the trace file for this job. Click
Id to view this report's associated trace file.
used to run this report, that name is listed here.
Otherwise, it is the name of the job provided for the
"report=" or "module=" parameter of the report request.
Owner Displays the user ID under which this job was run.

21
5.8 Job Trace Page
This page provides a view of the trace results of a particular job, rather than
all the jobs run on a particular server. This information can be useful in the
event you must call for technical support.
5.9 Reports Server Trace Page
This page provides a view of the trace results for the selected Reports
Server. Depending on whether jobs results are appended to the existing
job at runtime.
Output Format Displays the destination format (desformat) specified for
this report at runtime.
the Job Queue.
Finished At Displays the date and time this job was cancelled or
terminated with error.
Status Displays the status of the job. Status will either indicate
that the job was cancelled by the user or provide some
information on why the job was terminated with error.
Table 10 Job Trace Page
Setting Description
Job Id n Identifies the job by the number the Reports Server
assigned to it at runtime.
Previous/Next/Drop-
down list
Use these buttons and the list of values to navigate
through the list of trace events.
Originating Time The date and time the event occurred.
Module Name The section in the underlying code where the event
occurred.
Error Number The error code assigned to this event. To look up the
meaning associated with this number, see the Reports
Builder online help.
Type The type of event that occurred.
Message If the developer who wrote the code included a message
with this event type, it will appear here.
Table 9 Reports Server Failed Job Queue
Setting Description

22
trace file or replace its content, this file shows the trace results for all jobs
run on this server (append) or the last job run on the server (replace).
If this page is empty, it means you did not specify any trace options in the
server configuration file (<server_name>.conf) or in the runtime command
line.
Trace information is useful in the event you must call for technical support.
5.10 Reports Server Log Page
This page provides a view of the Reports Server log file. If the server
configuration file contains a <log option="x"/> element, then a log file is
created and maintained for the selected Reports Server.
If this page is empty, it means you did not specify any log options in the
server configuration file (<server_name>.conf).
Logging is maintained for backward compatibility. Current practice is to
capture processing information in a trace file.
6 Express Pluggable Data Source
This section describes how to configure and use the Express Pluggable Data
Source with Oracle9i Reports Developer.
6.1 Before You Begin
To use the Express Pluggable Data Source within Oracle9i Reports
Developer, you must connect to a supported Express Server version, which
are versions 6.2.x and 6.3.x. When you install Reports9i, SNAPI 9.0.1 is
automatically installed to enable connections to these Express Server
versions.
Before creating reports using Express data, verify that you have completed
all the necessary configuration steps. See the configuration topics in the
Help system by searching for "configuring the Express data source."
In the Help topic called "About Configuring the Express Data Source," it
mentions that the Express Connection Editor is installed with Reports. This
is no longer the case, and you must take the appropriate steps to ensure that
you can connect to Express Server, either by using the Express Connection
Editor to create connection files or by creating them manually. See the
section "Preparing for Express Connections" later in this document.

23
6.2 Preparing for Express Connections
6.2.1 Creating connection files
To create reports of Express data, you must be able to connect to an
appropriate Express Server instance. To connect to an instance of Express
Server, you use a connection file, which is a simple text file with the XCF
extension. Each connection file defines a single connection to Express
Server. A file called xconnect.ini specifies where connection files are
located.
You can create connection files manually or you can use a utility called the
Express Connection Editor to assist you in creating these files. The
following list outlines the ways to create and use connection files, which are
explained in detail below.
s Use an already installed version of the Express Connection Editor.
s Download a file from the Oracle Technology Network with which you
can install just the Express Connection Editor.
s Install just the Express Connection Editor from the Express Client CD.
s Create the files manually using a text editor.
6.2.2 Related information
This document includes samples of three types of connection files in a later
section.
For complete information on connecting to Express Server and on the
Express Connection Editor, consult the following sources:
s The Oracle Express Database Administration Guide (part number A82800_
02).
s The Help system for the Express Connection Editor.
6.2.3 Using an already installed version of the Express Connection
Editor
If you already have the Express Connection Editor installed, then you can
simply use that version to create an XCF with which you can connect to
Express Server. You might not have to create any XCF files, if the
appropriate ones have already been created. Use the following procedure to
use the already installed Express Connection Editor with Oracle9i Reports.
To use an existing Express Connection Editor installation:
1. Navigate to the /olap subdirectory in the Oracle home directory for

24
2. Within the /olap subdirectory, create a subdirectory called ecf901.
3. To the newly created ecf901 subdirectory, copy the xconnect.ini file
from the installation directory of the Express Connection Editor.
4. Open the xconnect.ini from the ecf901 subdirectory in a text
editor. Ensure that the ConnectionPath setting points to whatever
directory or directories hold the connection files that you plan to use for
connecting to Express Server from Oracle9i Reports Developer. Use
these files or use the Express Connection Editor to create other
connection files.
Tip: Use semicolons to separate multiple directory specifications for
ConnectionPath, if you want to store connection files in multiple locations.
6.2.4 Downloading a file from OTN with which you can install just the
Express Connection Editor
If you do not already have the Express Connection Editor installed, then
you can download the necessary files. Use the following procedure to
download the file and install the Express Connection Editor.
To download a file and install the Express Connection Editor:
1. In a Web browser, access the Oracle Technology Network
(http://otn.oracle.com).
2. Navigate to the Oracle9i Reports Developer area.
3. Download the file with which you can install the Express Connection
Editor.
4. Unzip the downloaded file and use the setup.exe file to run the
installation program to install just the Express Connection Editor.
Important: Ensure that you install the Express Connection Editor in the
same Oracle home directory into which Oracle9i Reports Developer is
installed.
Once the Express Connection Editor is installed, you can use it to create
connection files.
6.2.5 Install just the Express Connection Editor from the Express Client
CD
If you do not already have the Express Connection Editor installed, then
you can use the Express Connection Editor that is supplied with the
Express Client products. You can obtain a CD for the Express Client
products or download a file that contains them. Use the following
procedure to install just the Express Connection Editor.

25
To install just the Express Connection Editor:
1. Run the installation program by using the Express Client CD or by
accessing the Express Server area of the Oracle Technology Network
(http://otn.oracle.com/software/products/exp_
server/htdocs/winsoft.html) and following the directions there.
2. In the appropriate location in the installation program, specify the same
Oracle home directory into which Oracle9i Reports is installed.
3. Select a custom installation.
4. Select the Oracle Express Connection Editor in the Available Product
Components page.
5. Complete the other pages of the installation as appropriate.
Once the Express Connection Editor is installed, you can use it to create
connection files.
6.2.6 Create the files manually using a text editor
If you do not already have the Express Connection Editor installed and you
do not want to install it, then you can create XCF files manually using a text
editor. You must also create the xconnect.ini file, which specifies the
location of the XCF files.
To create an XCF file manually:
1. Navigate to the /olap subdirectory in the Oracle home directory for
2. Within the /olap subdirectory, create a subdirectory called ecf901.
3. In this document, locate the sample file that is closest to the XCF file
that you need to create.
4. Open a text editor such as Microsoft Notepad.
5. Either cut and paste the text from this document or type the text of the
XCF file into the text editor.
6. Edit the settings of the file as appropriate, using the information that is
provided in the section "XCF file settings," later in this document.
7. Save your changes, giving the file any name that you want and
including the XCF extension. Ensure that you save the file into the
/olap/ecf901 subdirectory in the Oracle home directory for Oracle9i
Reports Developer.
8. Begin the process of creating the xconnect.ini file by creating an
empty document in a text editor such as Microsoft Notepad.

26
9. Edit the file to contain the following contents, substituting the name of
the Oracle home directory for Oracle9i Reports Developer for ORACLE_
HOME:
[General]
ConnectionPath=d:ORACLE_HOMEolapecf901;
Tip: Use semicolons to separate multiple directory specifications for
ConnectionPath, if you want to store connection files in multiple locations.
10. Save your changes, naming the file xconnect.ini. Ensure that you
save the file into the /olap/ecf901 subdirectory in the Oracle home
directory for Oracle9i Reports Developer.
6.2.7 XCF file settings
The following table briefly describes the main settings in any XCF file. The
next table describes the settings that apply only to connections through
Oracle Express Relational Access Manager. All these settings are described
in more detail in the Help system for the Express Connection Editor and in
the Oracle Express Database Administration Guide.
Table 11 XCF File Settings
Setting Description
ConnectionType Enter the type of connection:
s 1 for connections for Oracle Express Relational
Access Manager.
s 0 for all other connections.
ServerDescription Enter the description for this connection. The description
is visible to users when they choose which connection to
make to Express Server. Therefore, you should make the
description no more than approximately 40 characters.
ServerVersion Enter 1 for Express Server 6.x. No other values are
applicable to connections from Oracle9i Reports
Developer.
ServerType Enter 1 for Express Server 6.x. No other values are
applicable to connections from Oracle9i Reports
Developer.
ServerLogin See the list that follows this table for a description of this
setting.
ServerString Enter the name of the server machine on which Express
Server 6.x is running.
Note: The Express Connection Editor includes more than
just the server machine name in the connection file,
which is unnecessary for connections from Oracle9i
Reports Developer.

27
The following list describes the values for the ServerLogin setting. For this
setting, you enter the authentication type for this connection:
s 0 for None, no authentication is required.
s -1 for Host (Server Login), which specifies host authentication with a
machine login. Use host authentication when the client machine is not
on the Microsoft network. Use this setting when the server machine is
not in the domain (and/or if there is no domain account) and the user
has a server machine account. Only the user ID and password are
required for logging into the server machine.
s -2 for Host (Domain Login), which specifies host authentication with a
domain login. Use host authentication when the client machine is not
on the Microsoft network. Use this setting when the server machine is
within the domain and the user has a domain account. The domain
name, user ID, and password are required for logging into the server
machine.
s The following settings apply to domain authentication with a domain
login. Domain authentication is the preferred way of authenticating
clients for Windows NT Server and for Express Server 6.x. If you want
to use domain authentication, then the client and the server must be on
the Microsoft network. Also, the user has to have a domain account
within the same domain that the server machine is on. The domain
name, user ID, and password are required for logging into the server
machine.
s 1 for domain authentication with connection, which specifies that a
user's identification is checked when connecting to Express Server.
A user must have logged into the domain with a valid user name
and password.
s 2 for domain authentication with call, which specifies that a user's
identification is checked on every call to Express Server.
s 3 for domain authentication with packet, which specifies that a
user's identification is checked on every packet sent to Express
Server.
s 4 for domain authentication with integrity, which specifies that a
calculated cryptographic checksum is attached to every packet so
that any tampering with the packet can be detected. A user's
identification and the checksum is checked on every packet sent to
Express Server. If the checksum received does not match the
checksum sent, then the packet is discarded.
s 5 for domain authentication with privacy, which specifies that the
packet is encrypted. This option also uses the security measures
that are available with the integrity option.

28
The following table briefly describes the Oracle Express Relational Access
Manager settings in a connection file, which appear after the main settings
that are described in the previous table.
6.2.8 Sample connection files
This section provides samples of three types of connection files. You can use
these samples as the basis for creating connection files manually.
Table 12 Oracle Express Relational Access Manager Settings
Setting Description
ConnectionType Enter 0. No other values are applicable to connections
from Oracle9i Reports.
MasterDB Enter the name of the Relational Access Manager
database to attach initially. You must specify only the
database file name. You can get the database name in
either of the following ways:
s In the Express Relational Access Administrator, it is
the Express Database Name that is displayed in the
Database tab.
s In the .RDC file, it is specified as the DBName in the
[DBInfo] section.
This database must reside in a folder that is included in
the path list in ServerDBPath. You can check the
ServerDBPath in the I/O Management sheet of the
Express Instance Manager.
PromptforExpressID Enter 1 to prompt for an Express user ID before making
the connection or 0 to not prompt. This setting applies
only when PersonalConfig is set to 1.
ServerScript Enter the complete file name (including the full path) of
the remote database configuration file on the server. This
file specifies information such as the location of code and
data databases. Using UNC (Universal Naming
Convention) syntax allows multiple users to use the
same connection to access the data without having to
map the same drive letter to that location. UNC syntax is
ServerNameShareName followed by any
subfolders and/or files.
PersonalConfig Enter 1 to create and attach a personal database with
read/write access so that you can use many Oracle Sales
Analyzer features such as custom measures. Enter 0 to
not create this database. To enable this setting, you must
have a account on the Express Server system. If this
setting is 0, then you log in as a guest. This setting
applies only with direct connections to Express Server
6.x. This setting does not applies when ServerLogin is
set to 0.

29
Sample for connecting without using authentication
The following text shows a sample XCF file for connecting to Express
Server without using authentication.
[Express]
ConnectionType=0
ServerDescription=expservername ExpSrv6.3.0.2 without authentication
ServerVersion=1
ServerType=1
ServerLogin=0
ServerString=expservername
Sample for connecting with using authentication
The following text shows a sample XCF file for connecting to Express
Server using authentication.
[Express]
ConnectionType=0
ServerDescription= expservername ExpSrv6.3.0.2 with authentication
ServerVersion=1
ServerType=1
ServerLogin=-1
ServerString=expservername
Sample for connecting with Oracle Express Relational Access Manager
The following text shows a sample XCF file for connecting through Oracle
Express Relational Access Manager (RAM).
[Express]
ConnectionType=1
ServerDescription=expservername ExpSrv6.3.0 with RAM
ServerVersion=1
ServerType=1
ServerLogin=-1
ServerString= expservername
[Relational Access Manager]
ConnectionType=0
MasterDB=d:RAMdram.db
PromptForExpressID=0
ServerScript=d:RAMram.rdc
PersonalConfig=0
6.3 Known Issues
s The Express Pluggable Data Source does not support using
password-protected Express databases files.
s The maximum number of dimensions for an Express query is 10.

30
s You might see the following message: "XR-2005: Express Server cannot
execute a command that is specified by the query. The command is
invalid." This message can be generated for very large queries (row
counts in the millions) if the SNAPI buffer is not sufficiently large. To
increase the buffer size from the default of 2MB, create or edit the
xrpdsprefs.ora file in the <oraclehome>/reports/jlib directory and add
the following line:
options.snapi.FetchAlloc=<size>
where <size> is a value greater that 2M (or 2000K, or 2,000,000), as
shown in the following example:
options.snapi.FetchAlloc=10M
See the "Specifying a buffer size for Express data" topic in the online
help system for complete information on this option.
s When Oracle8 and Express Server are installed on the same Solaris
machine and the Express connection specifies an Authentication Type
of "None", you may see the following error when running a report that
contains Express data:
ORA-20004: Failed to attach to an Express database.
This error indicates that there is an access problem with the Express
database. When the Authentication type is set to "None" and Oracle8
and Express Server are on the same machine, the SNAPI connection
uses the user of the process that is establishing the connection. In this
configuration, it is the user that started the Oracle8 database. Refer to
the Oracle Express Server Installation and Configuration Guide for Solaris
for information on accessing Express databases.
s If you suspect language incompatibilities between Oracle9i Reports
Developer and the data from Express Server, then whenever possible,
ensure that the following settings all specify the same
language/character set:
s The operating system's regional or locale setting for the machine on
which you are running Oracle9i Reports Developer.
s The actual data in the Express database.
If your environment does not permit these settings to match, then you
should add the options.data.XPCharSet line to the
xrpdsprefs.ora file and specify the language/character set for the
data in the Express database. The format of this setting matches that of
the NLS_LANG setting and a sample setting is shown here:
options.data.XPCharSet=JAPANESE_JAPAN.JA16SJIS

31
See the Help system for more information on the xrpdsprefs.ora
file.

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