Catalog Manager New Features for Merging Presentation Catalogs

Did any one try this new feature available in 10.1.3.4 version of OBIEE for mergeing your web catalog using Catalog Manager.

I have seen people doing it in multiple ways and using some manual methods like UDML, using Copy and Paste and all other workarounds to move your web catalog from one environment to the other i.e. promoting from dev to test, test to qa and qa to prod.

These environment promotions were done manually or semi automatic up until this point. OBIEE Catalog Manager had 2 new features thats worth noting with respect to these migrations. Available since 10.1.3.4, if you open up your Catalog Manager  under Tools menu, you will find these two new options.

1.  Merge Development with Production

2. Upgrade EBA Catalog.

While the second option, I think, is more catered towards Oracle Apps (EBA –> EBusiness Analytics) catalog promotion, the first one can be used for all generic presentation catalogs that you develop inhouse.

How is this useful? Since most of us have already used MUD and process of checking in and checking out and also use three way merge process, this process falls into the same bucket.

You pick a catalog folder where you have done all your recent changes, choose the folder where you have the archived presentation catalog and then choose your final production presentation catalog. See below what I am talking about.

Open Catalog Manager –> File –> Open Catalog –> In the new dialog box, say Open Offline and choose your presentation catalog where you have made all changes.

Now, once you click “OK” in this dialog box, go to tab Tools –> choose “Merge Development with Production”

The following dialog box pops up asking you for 2 more folders where you have the catalog before changes and also where you do you want to promote the changes.

Lets assume \\BI Team\OBIweb\samplesales has my last merged catalog changes, C:\OracleBIData\web\catalog\samplesales has my latest catalog changes and  \BI Team\OBIwebprod\samplesales has the latest catalog from production.

Now, Click “OK”.

If there are any “Unresolved” conflicts between Development and Prod, the window pops up asking for confirmation of changes and which one do you like to choose.

Pick “Which Catlog Version to keep” .. there are two check boxes next to “Production Modified” or “Development Modified”. If you are sure that you have done all right changes, go for “Development Modified” and click “OK”. Remember that you have to choose for each of the unresolved conflicts. There is no “Apply to All” button. So do it one after the other. I think its better to review these one after the other to see where there are conflicts and how to best resolve them.

This is more of a 3 way merge process that we have done for repository changes… seems like old school? Thats good because now you can use the similar process for repository migration and presentation catalog.

After the process of merge is successful, there is a new pop up which says “Created New Catalog”.

This completes your web catalog migration.

 Next time, we will demonstrate the “Upgrade EBA Catalog” which is almost similar to this but more specific to Oracle Apps.

Comments.. problems .. please share it here….

Until next time, kudos to all OBIEE evangelists