This content describes how to use the Web Console to configure,
operate, monitor, tune, and troubleshoot the Reporting Server. It
is intended for server administrators, database administrators, and
application developers.
The following Key Features are introduced in Release
7708/8203.
New Adapters
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Adapter for Apache Spark. Provides for analysis of both structured and complex data, and is a fast and general engine for large-scale data processing.
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Adapter for Microsoft SQL Server Azure Data Warehouse. Allows applications to access big data stored in the Microsoft cloud, by converting data or application requests into native
T-SQL statements and returns optimized answer sets to the requesting program.
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Adapter for Hyperledger Fabric. Allows you to seamlessly communicate with IBM Hyperledger Fabric, which provides support for permissioned blockchain applications.
Blockchain technology is a distributed record of transactions validated and stored at multiple peer locations in a network.
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Adapter for Amazon Athena. This query service allows you to access data stored in Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) by using standard SQL.
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Adapter for Rserve. Enables you to run an R script from a WebFOCUS report or chart request.
Enhancements to Existing Adapters:
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Adapter for SAP. Now supports SAP S/4 HANA®, an intelligent ERP solution. If you rely on the current Adapter for SAP, you can now take advantage
of all the benefits of SAP S/4HANA, such as better performance and unparalleled simplicity, while reusing business logic and
data in new application initiatives.
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Adapter for Oracle®. Now supports the use of Temporal queries from Oracle System-Versioned Tables, which allows you to access flashback data stored
in the database as of a specified time.
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Extended Bulk Load is now available on the adapter for Salesforce.com. This enhancement makes it the very first non-SQL adapter with this capability. Extended bulk load uses the Salesforce Bulk
API for faster throughput.
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Adapters for SQL Server now support read/write access to the Microsoft Azure SQL Database. This enhancement allows you to deploy a modern cloud-based SQL Server solution that enables you to better use your data for
your organization.
Server
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Modernized Reporting Server Web Console. The Reporting Server Web Console and the Data Management Console have both been modernized to provide an easier way for you
to view and sort your data. The Application page now lets you view content in various formats, such as icons or lists, while
the redesigned Connect to Data page now shows an integrated view of your configured and available adapters. The Connect to
Data page has also been enhanced to give you a more streamlined way to create or update synonyms.
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Debug Dialogue Manager Procedures on the Server. You can use the new Dialogue Manager Debugger tool on the Web Console to execute a procedure that contains Dialogue Manager
commands, while watching and changing the values of the Dialogue Manager variables in the procedure. You can set and remove
breakpoints in the procedure, step into each line of code, step over execution of external procedures, continue to a breakpoint,
execute an ad hoc procedure, and open HOLD files created in the procedure. You can save the session information of one debug
session.
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Support for World Administrative Boundaries. By default, the server hosts maps for 58 world administrative boundaries down to the postal code level.
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Geographic Configuration Tool. Enables you to add basemaps, context layers, and new geographic roles. Geographic roles can be based on Esri map services
or shapefiles you upload to the server.
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Turn a Configured Server Into a Docker Container. A Docker container is a standalone executable package containing everything needed to run a piece of software while isolating
it from the environment. The server now includes a UNIX/Linux shell script that you can use as a template for turning a configured
server into a Docker container. Turning a configuration into a Docker container requires a working Docker environment where
the server administrator is allowed to create and manage Docker containers.
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Use the New Git Integration with the WebFOCUS Reporting Server. Git, a Distributed Version Control System (DVCS), is now supported by the DataMigrator Server. Git can be used in the Reporting
Server Web Console and in the Data Management Console. Git allows multiple developers to work on the same public repository,
while locally having a full copy of the public repository. The new Adapter for Git allows you to create a local repository
in your Application Directory. Now, using the Adapter for Git, you can work on your local repository in your Application Directory
and share files between the local and remote repository.
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Configure Single Sign-on With Kerberos Authentication Enhancements. Kerberos, an authentication protocol that provides a strong authentication for computer networks, is supported by DataMigrator
and the WebFOCUS Reporting Server, as well as various data sources, such as Apache Hive™ and Cloudera Impala®. This enhancement
allows you to log in to your PC with your credentials, and then connect to our server without having to enter them again.
This release has simplified how a Kerberos connection takes place. Now, instead of having to create a profile that contains
your Kerberos credentials, you can connect to our server through a browser and then connect outbound to Hive (or other JDBC
based adapters), using the same ticket.
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Cluster Manager Provides High Availability for the DataMigrator Scheduler. DataMigrator has been updated to include the Cluster Manager (CLM), a scalable workload manager that enables distribution
of the requests across servers. The addition of CLM to DataMigrator, which automatically switches to other application servers
in the event that the main server is unavailable, provides a sense of security to businesses by ensuring that essential functions
can continue regardless of a service disruption.
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Use the Reporting Server on z/OS 64-Bit Version. The Reporting Server on z/OS is now a 64-bit version. This implementation allows a larger number of simultaneous agents and
connections in a single server instance, provides performance improvements, and enables the server to access additional memory
so it can take advantage of modern core language features that require a larger memory footprint. Starting in this release,
there are no longer 32-bit versions of the Reporting Server on z/OS.
Data Management:
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Manage Your Data Using the Enhanced Wizard Workflows. Streamline how you upload, create, and modify your data with the enhanced Upload and Connect to Data wizards. The Upload
wizard lets you preview and change your data before uploading to a target data source or appending to an existing target data
source. A full ribbon-based interface provides various data modification options and preparation techniques. Connect to your
choice of data sources using the Connect to Data wizard. You can now quickly and easily create base synonyms and select these
base synonyms as facts and dimensions to create a cluster of synonyms in a single dialog.
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Built-in Statistical Functions: Visualize and Analyze Your Data. Newly built-in analytic, or statistical, functions are available within WebFOCUS, allowing you to quickly, and visually,
analyze your data. From the Compute dialog box in InfoAssist or the Web Console, you can now quickly access data analysis
options, such as K-means clustering, Multiple linear regression, R script execution, and more. Two statistical functions,
Standard Deviation and Correlation, are available as verb objects during the aggregation stage of a request as well as in
a Compute.
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Enhance Data Profiling With Forecast and Distribution Chart Options. Data Profiling provides data characteristics for the columns in a synonym. Two new options have been added to further enhance
data profiling. The new Forecast feature allows data profiling on numeric fields, and displays both the actual data values
and the forecasted values in a bar chart. The new Distribution Chart feature displays the most frequent values, along with
a report that shows the basic data profiling statistics for the field.