IBM Rational ClearQuest Report Launcher

 

 

 

IBM Rational ClearQuest Report Launcher............................................................................ 1

1        Introduction................................................................................................................... 2

1.1       Who should consider this solution?.......................................................................... 2

2        License......................................................................................................................... 3

3        Deploying the ClearQuest Report Launcher................................................................... 3

3.1       Installing the ClearQuest Report Launcher............................................................... 3

3.2       Configuring the ClearQuest Report Launcher........................................................... 4

4        Deploying the BIRT server runtime................................................................................ 4

4.1       Choosing a BIRT runtime version............................................................................ 4

4.2       Downloading the BIRT runtime archive.................................................................... 5

4.3       Installing BIRT web archive..................................................................................... 5

4.4       Configuring BIRT in WebSphere Application Server................................................ 5

4.5       Configuring the ClearQuest Reporting Driver........................................................... 6

4.5.1          Locating BIRT Report Viewer plugins directory.............................................. 7

4.5.2          Copying driver runtime files from local installation directory............................. 7

4.5.3          Updating driver runtime files........................................................................... 8

4.5.4          Copying driver plugins from the Installation Manager repository...................... 9

5        Deploying the Crystal Reports server runtime................................................................. 9

6        Update Web server plugin-in......................................................................................... 9

7        Using the ClearQuest Report Launcher........................................................................ 10

7.1       Providing credentials............................................................................................. 10

7.2       Navigating directly to a subdirectory...................................................................... 10

7.3       Open launcher interface from ClearQuest clients.................................................... 11

8        BIRT report design considerations............................................................................... 11

8.1       Passing credentials................................................................................................ 11

8.1.1          Create BIRT parameters for UserId and Password....................................... 11

8.1.2          Update the ClearQuest Query Data Source to use parameters...................... 12

8.1.3          Verify report launcher parameter names........................................................ 12

8.1.4          Clear user and password settings.................................................................. 12

8.1.5          Examples..................................................................................................... 13

9        BIRT Report Viewer customizations............................................................................ 13

10     Sharing reports on the server....................................................................................... 13

10.1          Shared drive..................................................................................................... 14

10.2          File Transfer Protocol (FTP)............................................................................. 14

10.3          Source Configuration Management System........................................................ 14

11     Network security......................................................................................................... 14

12     Data security............................................................................................................... 14

13     Known problems and limitations.................................................................................. 15

13.1          BIRT Version mismatch using Firefox 3.0.......................................................... 15

13.2          Issues with BIRT drill through reports................................................................ 15

13.3          There is no report design object available.......................................................... 15

13.4          Cannot find or process the com.ibm.rational.clearquest.oda.jdbc.dataSource..... 16

13.5          CRVAP0049E Cannot instantiate protocol provider: cqjniproxy (Not found in java.library.path)     16

13.6          Exception running BIRT reports that contain charts............................................ 16

13.7          BIRT Report Viewer does not display properly in load balanced environment.... 16

13.8          BIRT versions higher than 3.7.x are not supported............................................. 17

13.9          BIRT charts do not render when using newer Firefox browser version............... 17

 

 

 

 

 

1      Introduction

 

The IBM Rational ClearQuest Report Launcher is a web application that allows users to launch data-pull reports that are saved on a server file system.  The simple launcher navigation interface is much like a download site that allows the user to click folder links to locate desired reports.  Clicking a report web link causes the report to be launched on the server and rendered in the browser.

 

The report launcher includes adapters to support server invocation of BIRT reports and Crystal reports.  The tool does not include a specific report engine, so the server runtime for the target reporting system must be separately installed on the same web server as the report launcher.   

 

For a Crystal Reports runtime target, the Report Server for Crystal Reports must be installed and configured using the instructions in the ClearQuest Information Center.  See https://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/cqhelp/v7r1m0/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.rational.clearquest.webadmin.doc/topics/c_rpt_rs4crystal_ovw.htm

 

For a BIRT server environment, follow the BIRT configuration instructions to install the BIRT server runtime.

 

 

1.1    Who should consider this solution?

·                    Organizations that prefer a lightweight solution for launching data-pull server reports

·                    Organizations that wish to run reports on platforms not supported by the Report Server for ClearQuest.  See http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=0&uid=swg21294762 for ClearQuest platform information.

·                    Organizations that require flexibility in choosing BIRT runtime version

·                    Organizations that prefer to manage reports on the file system rather than utilizing the Jazz-based Derby repository required by the Report Server for ClearQuest

·                    Organizations that want to host Crystal Reports data-pull reports on UNIX platforms.  The Report Server for Crystal Reports is supported on UNIX , but current releases of ClearQuest do not provide an interface to launch Crystal data-pull reports on UNIX.

·                    Organizations that require BIRT export formats besides Word and PDF (ie. Powerpoint, PostScript, Excel)

·                    Organizations that desire the BIRT Report Viewer toolbar options
(table of contents, export data)

 

2      License

Before deploying the IBM Rational ClearQuest Report Launcher, please view the license agreement in the directory /ReportLauncher/license.  Click here to open the English version of the license.

3      Deploying the ClearQuest Report Launcher

This section provides instructions for installing and configuring the report launcher on the WebSphere Application Server.

3.1    Installing the ClearQuest Report Launcher

The instructions in the sections that follow assume a WebSphere Application Server is already installed.  Installation of ClearQuest server components automatically installs the WebSphere Application Server. 

 

Unzip the cqrlauncher.zip archive to a temporary directory.  This will create a base directory named ReportLauncher.  After unzipping the archive, use the WebSphere Integrated Solutions Console to deploy the required web applications. 

 

The report launcher download includes an enterprise archive file named cqreportlauncher.ear which must be deployed to the application server.  Follow the steps below to use the WebSphere Integrated Solutions Console for installing the report launcher.  The steps are customized for installation to the cmprofile that is installed with ClearQuest; however, an alternative WebSphere profile can be used if desired.

 

1.      From a browser, access the web page:  http://server_host:12060/ibm/console/login.do

2.      Select Applications -> Enterprise Applications

3.      Click Install button

4.      From Preparing for the application installation page, click the Browse button and navigate to the directory where the report launcher is extracted.

5.      Select the file cqreportlauncher.ear

6.      Click the Next button

7.      From Select installation options page, click Next

8.      From Map modules to servers, select ClearQuest Report Launcher

9.      Click Next

10.  From Summary page click Finish

11.  After successful deployment, click the Save link to save changes to the master configuration.

 

3.2    Configuring the ClearQuest Report Launcher

Configuration of the Report Launcher is customized using a configuration file named

reportlauncher.properties.  From a command prompt, use the command below to navigate to the configuration directory.

 

Windows:

cd "%RATIONAL_COMMON%\CM\profiles\cmProfile\installedApps\dfltCell\RationalClearQuestReportLauncher.ear\CQReportLauncher.war\WEB-INF\classes”

 

UNIX or Linux:

cd /opt/rational/common/CM/profiles/installedApps/dfltCell/RationalClearQuestReportLauncher.ear/CQReportLauncher.war/WEB-INF/classes

 

After navigating to the target directory, use the instructions below to update the report launcher configuration.

 

1.      Using an editor, open the file reportlauncher.properties

2.      Change the entry reports.launcher.baseDirectory to point to one or more base directories where reports are stored.  The report launcher can navigate to the subdirectories of the base directory.  Multiple base directory definitions are separated using a semicolon.

3.      For most cases, the other configuration properties should not require modification.  Read the comments in the reportlauncher.properties file to determine if additional property modifications are needed.

4.      Save the updated reportlauncher.properties.

5.      If the report launcher web application is started, it must be stopped and restarted to capture configuration changes.

 

4      Deploying the BIRT server runtime

The report launcher builds the appropriate URL to invoke a BIRT report; however, the BIRT runtime for report execution must be separately installed.  This section provides the steps necessary for acquiring the BIRT runtime and installing on a WebSphere Application Server.

 

4.1    Choosing a BIRT runtime version

Report launcher verification was performed using BIRT versions 2.3.1, 2.3.2.2, 2.5.1, 2.6.1,2.6.2, and 3.7.2.  Before deciding on a BIRT version, please view Known Problems and Limitations. 

4.2    Downloading the BIRT runtime archive

Download the Runtime archive which is suitable for usage with Java/J2EE applications.

http://www.eclipse.org/birt/phoenix/

 

Extract the contents of the archive to a temporary directory.

 

4.3    Installing BIRT web archive

This section describes the steps for deploying the BIRT web archive file (.war) to the WebSphere Application Server.

 

1.      From a browser, access the web page:  http://server_host:12060/ibm/console/login.do

2.      Select Applications -> Enterprise Applications

3.      Click Install button

4.      From Preparing for the application installation page, click the Browse button and navigate to the directory where the BIRT web archive file (birt.war) is saved.

5.      Select the file birt.war

6.      For Context root, type birt

7.      Click the Next button

8.      From Select installation options page, click Next

9.      From Map modules to servers, select Eclipse BIRT Report Viewer

10.  Click Next

11.  From Map virtual hosts for Web modules page, select Eclipse BIRT Report Viewer, and click Next

12.  From Summary page, review settings and click Finish

13.  After successful deployment, click the Save link to save changes to the master configuration.

4.4    Configuring BIRT in WebSphere Application Server

After installing BIRT on the application server, several configuration settings must be changed.  Follow the instructions below to complete the configuration.

 

1.      From a web browser, navigate to the WebSphere Integrated Solutions Console URL http:// server_host:12060/ibm/console/login.do

2.      Select Applications -> Enterprise Applications

3.      Select the link labeled “birt_war”.  This opens a Configuration tab to allow customization of BIRT settings.

4.      From the Detail Properties section, select Class loading and update detection

5.      For Polling interval for updated files, supply an integer value  (ie.  60)

6.      For Class loader order, select Classes loaded with application class loader first

7.      For WAR class loader policy, select Single class loader for application

8.      Click OK to save the updated settings

9.      Click Save link to save the settings back to the master configuration

 

 

 

When using BIRT version 2.3.2 or higher, you must update the BIRT web.xml using the instructions below.  See Known Problems and Limitations for information about this change.

 

1.      Copy the BIRT web.xml file from the path below to a temporary directory <profileName>/installedApps/dfltCell/birt_war.ear/birt.war/WEB-INF/web.xml

2.  Navigate to the temporary directory and edit the web.xml file

3.  Change the setting of the parameter WORKING_FOLDER_ACCESS_ONLY from true to false as shown below

<context-param>

            <param-name>WORKING_FOLDER_ACCESS_ONLY</param-name>

            <param-value>false</param-value>

</context-param>

 

4.  Save the file

5.  Save the updated file to the WebSphere master configuration by running the commands below:

a.       Open a command prompt, and start the wsadmin utility by running the command:
Windows:
"%RATIONAL_COMMON%\CM\profiles\cmprofile\bin\wsadmin

UNIX or Linux:
/opt/rational/common/cm/profiles/cmprofile/wsadmin.sh

b.      From the wsadmin prompt, enter the commands below:
wsadmin> $AdminApp update birt_war.ear file {-operation update –contents web.xml -contenturi birt.war/WEB-INF/web.xml}
wsadmin> $AdminConfig save
wsadmin> exit

 

For additional information on BIRT deployment, see http://wiki.eclipse.org/BIRT/FAQ/Deployment.

 

 

4.5    Configuring the ClearQuest Reporting Driver

To run BIRT reports that require the ClearQuest Reporting Driver, you must copy the Eclipse plugins for the ClearQuest Reporting Driver to the appropriate directory of the BIRT web application.  The plugins for the ClearQuest Reporting Driver are:

com.ibm.rational.clearquest.core.lib

com.ibm.rational.clearquest.jdbc

com.ibm.rational.clearquest.jdbc.nl1

com.ibm.rational.clearquest.oda.jdbc

com.ibm.rational.clearquest.oda.jdbc.nl1

com.ibm.rational.stp

 

4.5.1    Locating BIRT Report Viewer plugins directory

The ClearQuest Reporting Driver runtime files must be copied to the appropriate file path of the BIRT server runtime.  

 

Windows:

 

 

BIRT 2.x

\Program Files\IBM\RationalSDLC\common\CM\profiles\cmprofile\installedApps\<cell>\<birt_war.ear>\birt.war\WEB-INF\platform\plugins

 

BIRT 3.7.x

\Program Files\IBM\RationalSDLC\common\CM\profiles\cmprofile\installedApps\<cell>\<birt_war.ear>\birt.war\WEB-INF\lib

 

UNIX or Linux:

BIRT 2.x

opt/rational/common/CM/profiles/cmprofile/installedApps/dfltCell/<birt_war.ear>/birt.war/WEB-INF/platforms/plugins

 

BIRT 3.7.x

opt/rational/common/CM/profiles/cmprofile/installedApps/dfltCell/<birt_war.ear>/birt.war/WEB-INF/lib

 

NOTE:   Configuration instructions for BIRT 3.7.x are different than the instructions for prior releases.  The copyDriverPlugins tools described in the next section support driver deployment to BIRT 2.x or BIRT 3.x runtimes.  The following technote provides an overview of the ClearQuest Reporting Driver configuration steps for BIRT 3.7.x when used with IBM Rational ClearQuest 8.x 

http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21566463

Similar steps are used for ClearQuest 7.1.x versions, and the copyDriverPlugins scripts perform appropriate copy operations depending on the target BIRT runtime directory.  

 

4.5.2    Copying driver runtime files from local installation directory

If the Rational ClearQuest Client component is installed on the Report Launcher server machine, the required ClearQuest Reporting Driver plugins can be copied from the shared Installation Manager shared directory:


Windows:

\Program Files\IBM\IMShared\plugins\

 

UNIX or Linux:

/opt/ibm/IMShared/plugins

 

To simplify the task of copying the required runtime files, the ClearQuest Report Launcher archive includes command files to copy the appropriate plugin files and directories to the BIRT report viewer.  The command files are found in the subdirectory \ReportLauncher\birt.  The command files can be invoked from the command line using the syntax below:

 

Windows:

copyDriverPlugins <BIRT viewer plugins directory>

 

UNIX or Linux:

./copyDriverPlugins.sh <BIRT viewer plugins directory>

 

Alternatively, copy the appropriate command file to the BIRT viewer runtime library directory.  When copied to this directory, the command can be run by double-clicking from the Windows explorer or by running from the command line using ‘.’ as the command argument.

./copyDriverPlugins.sh .

 

 

If the copyDriverPlugins command file encounters problems copying the driver plugins, it is possible that a small change to the command file will correct the problem.  The command files define a PLUGIN_PATH variable which specifies the source file path that plugins are copied from.  The PLUGIN_PATH setting can be changed if your installation uses a non-default directory for shared plugins. 

 

4.5.3    Updating driver runtime files

After upgrading to a new ClearQuest version, you may wish to upgrade the ClearQuest reporting driver that is used by the BIRT runtime.  This is done by removing the previously configured version of the ClearQuest Reporting Driver and copying the new version of the driver.  Perform the following steps to update the ClearQuest Reporting Driver version that is used by the BIRT runtime.

 

1.        Stop the WebSphere server profile where the BIRT application is deployed.

2.        Copy the appropiate copyDriverPlugins script to the BIRT runtime directory where the ClearQuest Reporting Driver is installed.  See Locating BIRT Report Viewer plugins directory for help locating the BIRT runtime directory.

3.        From a command prompt, navigate to the BIRT runtime directory from step 2.

4.        Run the copyDriverPlugins script passing the argument 'clean'.

Windows:

copyDriverPlugins clean

 

UNIX or Linux:

./copyDriverPlugins.sh clean

 

4.        Verify that the files from the ClearQuest Reporting Driver were removed.

5.        Copy the updated driver files to the BIRT server runtime using the instructions from section Copying driver runtime files from local installation directory.

6.        Restart the WebSphere server

4.5.4    Copying driver plugins from the Installation Manager repository

If the Rational ClearQuest Client is not installed on the report launcher server, the required driver plugins can be downloaded from the /plugins directory of your Installation Manager repository, and copied to the BIRT viewer plugins directory..

 

 

After the driver plugins are copied, restart the BIRT application to activate the changes.  This can be done using the WebSphere Integrated Solutions Console (http://server_host:12060/ibm/console/login.do)

.

 

 

5      Deploying the Crystal Reports server runtime

The Crystal Reports adapter of the report launcher uses the ClearQuest Report Server for Crystal Reports as the launch target for data-pull reports created with Crystal Reports.  Instructions for configuring the Report Server for Crystal Reports can be found at https://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/cqhelp/v7r1m0/topic/com.ibm.rational.clearquest.webadmin.doc/topics/t_rpt_rs4crystal_config.htm.

 

6      Update Web server plugin-in

In order to access ClearQuest Report Launcher and BIRT URLs using your IBM HTTP Server default ports, you must first update the web server plugin file to include the new URL paths.  Use an editor to open the file plugin-cfg.xml found at the location below.

 

Windows:
%RATIONAL_COMMON%\common\eWAS\profiles

UNIX or Linux:
/opt/rational/common/eWAS/profiles/

 

  1. Under the URIGroup named cmprofile_Cluster_URIs, add the following new Uri entries:
    <Uri Name="/cqreportlauncher/*" />
    <Uri Name="/birt/*" />

 

  1. Save the changes

 

The changes will activate automatically, but there may be a short delay.  After the changes are active, you should be able to invoke the report launcher on the default HTTP ports using URL like those below.

http://server_host/cqreportlauncher/ReportLauncherMain.jsp

https://server_host/cqreportlauncher/ReportLauncherMain.jsp

 

7      Using the ClearQuest Report Launcher

The report launcher is invoked from a web browser, using a URL of the form below:

http://server_host:12080/cqreportlauncher/ReportLauncherMain.jsp

 

The user interface for the report launcher is intentionally very lightweight and simple.  The left navigation pane displays a collection of folders and reports available on the server file system.   Clicking a folder link drills down into the selected folder, and clicking a report causes the report to be launched on the server and rendered in the right browser pane. 

 

 

7.1    Providing credentials

The Set credentials link of the report launcher allows the user to specify credentials that are stored and passed when launching reports.  When user credentials are saved, the name of the user is displayed in the upper left portion of the page.  Use the Clear credentials link to remove the saved credentials.

 

Crystal Reports and BIRT both provide a mechanism for passing user credentials to be used during report execution.  If no credentials are provided during report launch, Crystal Reports automatically prompts for the user credentials of the target data source.  BIRT reports can also be designed to prompt for user credential information, but special steps must be completed when creating the report design.   See BIRT report design considerations for information.

 

You can navigate directly to the report launcher credentials page using a URL like the one below.

http://server_host:12080/cqreportlauncher/ReportLauncherCredentials.jsp

 

7.2    Navigating directly to a subdirectory

For report launcher installations that include deeply nested subdirectories, you may wish to navigate directly to a specific path rather than drill down to the target subdirectory.  This can be accomplished by specifying a dir parameter in the report launcher URL string.  The value of the dir parameter is the relative path for the desired file location.  For example:

 

http://server_host:12080/cqreportlauncher/ReportLauncherMain.jsp?dir=/Reports/Department1/Defect_Reports

 

 

7.3    Open launcher interface from ClearQuest clients

The ClearQuest Client and the ClearQuest web client can be configured to open the report launcher web page by clicking the Manage Reports link that displays in those clients.  Follow the steps below to enable this capability.

 

ClearQuest Client

Click the following links Window → Preferences → ClearQuest → Reporting

Specify the desired report launcher URL for the Report Server for ClearQuest setting.

Click OK to save the change and exit the dialog.

 

ClearQuest Web client

Logon using and Administrator account.

Use the Site Administration → Configuration → Report Options

Specify the desired report launcher URL for the Report Server for ClearQuest setting.

Click OK to save the change and exit the dialog.

 

 

8      BIRT report design considerations

Special steps are needed if you want to build BIRT reports that allow user credentials to be passed or entered at runtime.  This section describes how to define ClearQuest data sources in BIRT that allow for user and password information to be passed as invocation parameters by the report launcher at runtime.

 

NOTE:  Password information is not automatically encrypted when passing parameters to BIRT reports on the report server.  It is strongly recommended that BIRT and the Report Launcher be deployed using a secure connection (https).  Instructions for configuring secure sockets for ClearQuest web components can be found in the ClearQuest Information Center.  See https://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/cqhelp/v7r1m0/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.rational.clearquest.webadmin.doc/topics/cm_server/t_config_cmserver_for_secure_sockets.htm

 

8.1    Passing credentials

This section discusses the steps for supporting user and password parameters in BIRT reports.  To avoid the need to repeat these steps for every new BIRT report, consider using a BIRT report templates as discussed in technote Configuring reusable BIRT design templates for use with ClearQuest Report Launcher.  To enable passing of credentials to a BIRT report, perform the following steps:

 

8.1.1    Create BIRT parameters for UserId and Password

1.      Open the target report

2.      Select the Data Explorer tab

3.      Select Report Parameters

4.      Right-click, and select New Parameter

5.      Enter the name for the parameter (ie. “UserId”)

6.      Customize the parameter as desired.  Most settings effect how the parameter is displayed by the BIRT parameter prompter.

7.      When finished, click OK

8.      Repeat the steps above to define the “Password” parameter.

 

 

8.1.2    Update the ClearQuest Query Data Source to use parameters

1.      Select the target ClearQuest data source

2.      Right-click and select Edit

3.      From the Edit Data Source dialog, select Property Binding

4.      For User Name, click the button to the right of the text box

5.      From Expression Builder Category list, select Report Parameters

6.      From the Sub-Category list, select ---All---

7.      Double-click the UserId item to create the parameter expression

8.      Click OK to save the parameter retrieval code

9.      For Password, click the button to the right of the text box

10.  From Expression Builder Category list, select Report Parameters

11.  From the Sub-Category list, select ---All---

12.  Double-click the Password item to create the parameter expression

13.  Click OK to save the parameter retrieval code

 

 

8.1.3    Verify report launcher parameter names

The names for the UserId and Password parameters can be changed in the BIRT report, but the values must match the settings in the report launcher configuration file.  If your reports use different parameter names for the UserId and Password parameters, update the report launcher configuration file to specify the correct names for the properties below.  See Configuring the ClearQuest Report Launcher.

 

reports.launcher.birt.userParameterName=UserId

reports.launcher.birt.passwordParameterName=Password

 

If the user and password parameter values are not saved in the report or passed by the report launcher, BIRT will prompt for the values prior to running the report.

 

8.1.4    Clear user and password settings

When creating a data source for a BIRT report, the BIRT report designer saves the user name and an encrypted representation of the password in the report design (rptdesign) file.  If you want to require each user to specify their ClearQuest credentials at runtime, you must clear the user name and password settings in the report design before copying the report design file to the report launcher directory structure.  To remove the credentials, do the following:

  1. Open the target report in the BIRT report designer
  2. Expand the BIRT Data Sources, and select the target ClearQuest data source
  3. From the Properties viewer, clear the contents of the User Name and Password settings
  4. Save the report design

 

8.1.5    Examples

The BIRT report samples included with the IBM Rational ClearQuest Eclipse client demonstrate parameterized user and password capability.  The samples are in the directory below:

 

Windows:

\Program Files\IBM\IMShared\plugins\com.ibm.rational.clearquest.report.samples_7.x.x\BIRT

 

UNIX or Linux:

/opt/ibm/IMShared/plugins/com.ibm.rational.clearquest.report.samples_7.x.x/BIRT

 

The UserId and Password parameters are defined in a reusable BIRT report library called CQSamples.rptlibrary.

 

 

 

9      BIRT Report Viewer customizations

The generated launch URL for the BIRT Report Viewer can be customized by changing the reports.launcher.birt.serverPath setting in the reportlauncher.properties file.

 

For example, to suppress the display of the report viewer toolbar, update the setting as shown below:

reports.launcher.birt.serverPath=/birt/frameset?__report=%reportPath&__title=%title& __toolbar=false

 

For a description of other viewer settings, see http://www.eclipse.org/birt/phoenix/deploy/viewerUsage2.2.php

 

10  Sharing reports on the server

The ClearQuest Report Launcher does not provide a mechanism for uploading reports to the report server.  However, report files can be shared using basic facilities that already exist in most organizations.  This section offers a few simple ideas for surfacing report files that can be launched using the report launcher. 

 

10.1Shared drive

One simple way to make reports visible in the report launcher is to store report files on a shared drive that is accessible by the report launcher server and by client computers that are used to create and share reports.  Access to the shared drive can be restricted using the built-in capabilities of the operating system.

10.2File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

The File Transfer Protocol is another commonly available mechanism that can be used to transport report files from a client machine to the report launcher server.  FTP server security is managed by the FTP software.

10.3Source Configuration Management System

Report files that are accessible from the report launcher server machine can be made visible to the report launcher.  Using a source configuration management (SCM) system like Rational ClearCase or CVS allows report designers to leverage the capabilities of the SCM system and store report design files under version control.  Server administrators can use the SCM system to create directory views that are loaded from SCM streams.  When updates are made to report files under source control, changed files can be refreshed on a report server by updating/synchronizing the SCM view on the server.  This approach provides a simple mechanism for enabling multiple report servers to provide access to the same report files.

 

11  Network security

Report parameters and user credentials are not automatically encrypted when using the report launcher.  It is strongly recommended that the report launcher be deployed using a secure connection (https).  Instructions for configuring secure sockets for ClearQuest web components can be found in the ClearQuest Information Center.  See https://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/cqhelp/v7r1m0/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.rational.clearquest.webadmin.doc/topics/cm_server/t_config_cmserver_for_secure_sockets.htm

 

12  Data security

The report launcher does not restrict visibility to report files that are hosted in a configured report launcher directory.  A user with access to the report launcher server can browse the list of reports that exist in the report launcher directories for that server.   However, in order to run a report that uses the ClearQuest Reporting Driver, the user must be authorized to run the ClearQuest queries used by the report.  For example, if the user named ‘user’ attempts to run a report that requires access to a query in the Personal Queries folder of the user ‘admin’, an error like the one below occurs during report execution:

 

Cannot get the result set metadata. SQL statement does not return a ResultSet object. SQL error #1: CRVAP0237E Resource 'cq.query:Personal Queries/All Defects@7.0.0/SAMPL': not found.

 

ClearQuest access control capability can be used to restrict access to report data so that reports which consume restricted queries can only be run by those who have access to those queries.  Information about administering ClearQuest folder permissions can be found in the ClearQuest Information Center.  See https://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/cqhelp/v7r1m0/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.rational.clearquest.admin.doc/topics/c_wsec_overview.htm

 

13  Known problems and limitations

 

13.1BIRT Version mismatch using Firefox 3.0

BIRT Report Viewer versions prior to version 2.3 may display a “Version mismatch” error for reports launched with a Firefox 3.x browser.  Information about this problem can be found at http://www.birt-exchange.org/forum/deploying-integrating-birt-report-engine-applications/11073-version-mismatch-firefox-3-a.html

 

 

13.2  Issues with BIRT drill through reports

There are some general issues with drill-through for BIRT 2.3.2.x and 2.5.x.  See:

https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=282961

 

13.3There is no report design object available

Error:  “There is no report design object available” occurs when attempting to launch a report or drill through to a subreport using BIRT 2.3.2 or higher.  For a discussion of this issue, see:

http://www.eclipse.org/forums/index.php?t=msg&goto=367339&S=164ca6c5cc1ce4c34abcf0e29c563893

 

Workaround/solution:

This typically occurs when the BIRT setting WORKING_FOLDER_ACCESS_ONLY is set to true. The value must be set to false when using the Report Launcher to launch reports.  Verify that steps from Configuring BIRT in WebSphere Application Server section were completed.

 

13.4Cannot find or process the com.ibm.rational.clearquest.oda.jdbc.dataSource

org.eclipse.birt.report.engine.api.EngineException: An exception occurred during processing. Please see the following message for details: Cannot find or process the com.ibm.rational.clearquest.oda.jdbc.dataSource driver's data source extension configuration. com.ibm.rational.clearquest.oda.jdbc.dataSource

 

The ClearQuest Reporting Driver is not properly deployed to the BIRT server runtime application.  See Configuring the ClearQuest Reporting Driver for driver deployment information.

 

 

13.5CRVAP0049E Cannot instantiate protocol provider: cqjniproxy (Not found in java.library.path)

This error occurs when two different web applications attempt to access ClearQuest using the JNI adapter of the Change Management API.  For example, if both BIRT and the ClearQuest Report Server for Crystal Reports are deployed to the same web server, only one of the server applications can run reports that use a Change Management API JNI data source.  This problem does not occur for reports that use a Change Management Server data source.  See the IBM Rational ClearQuest Information Center for information about defining Change Management Server data sources.

 

On the Unix system or Linux, the error can indicate that the required ClearQuest libraries are not included in the library path.   Follow the configuration instructions in technote 1327214 to resolve this issue.

13.6Exception running BIRT reports that contain charts

Reports that contain only tabular data run successfully, but an exception is displayed when running reports that contain charts.  The reported exception may vary depending on the BIRT runtime being used.  For BIRT 2.6.1, the exception is:

java.lang.ClassCastException: java.lang.NoSuchMethodError incompatible with java.lang.Exception

 

This problem may occur if WebSphere configuration is not completed correctly.  Verify that steps from section Configuring BIRT in WebSphere Application Server are completed.

 

 

13.7BIRT Report Viewer does not display properly in load balanced environment

In a load balanced environment, the BIRT Report Viewer may display incorrectly.  Icons from the toolbar are not resolved and reports fail to render properly.  For this case it may be necessary to update the base_url setting in the BIRT viewer.properties file. 

 

1.      Edit the BIRT file <profileName>/installedApps/dfltCell/birtEAR.ear/birt.war/WEB-INF/viewer.properties

2.      Change the setting of the property base_url to the URL used to invoke the Report Launcher.  For example:
base_url=https://myserver.ibm.com

3.      Save the file

4.      Restart the server to activate the change

 

 

13.8BIRT versions higher than 3.7.x are not supported

Beginning in BIRT 4.2.0, the required version of the Java Runtime Environment is 1.6.  Since IBM Rational ClearQuest 7.1.x uses JRE version 1.5, it is not possible to use BIRT 4.2.x with the ClearQuest server.

 

13.9BIRT charts do not render when using newer Firefox browser versions

Users of recently released versions of Firefox may find that their BIRT charts no longer render.  The issue affects all BIRT 2.x and 3.x deployments.  See http://www.birt-exchange.org/org/forum/index.php/topic/28726-charts-in-firefox-18-0-1/page__p__113753&#entry113753

 

The problem only occurs for charts with Output Format setting of “SVG”.  To work around the problem, change the Output Format to a different setting such as PNG.  The setting can be changed from the BIRT Report Designer by double-clicking on the offending chart and selecting a suitable format from the Output Format drop-down list..