FAQ Oracle Reports
Technical FAQ

Migration

  • Generic

 

Migration

Generic

I am running Oracle6i Reports. What version of Oracle Reports should I migrate to?
If you are running any of the previous versions of Oracle Reports (that is, 9i, 6i, or earlier), it is strongly recommended that you migrate to Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2). It is not necessary to migrate to an intermediate version, for example, 9i or 10g (9.0.4). See Metalink Doc ID: 159289.1 for the desupport dates of Oracle6i Reports and Metalink Doc ID: 283328.1 for the desupport dates of Oracle9i Reports.
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I am running Oracle9i Application Server Release 1. Do I need to migrate to a newer version?
Oracle9i Application Server Release 1 uses Oracle 6i Reports. See Metalink Doc ID: 159289.1 for the desupport dates of Oracle 6i Reports. It is strongly recommended that you migrate to Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2).
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How do I buy Oracle Reports 10g?
For information on the availability, licensing, and new features of Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2), refer to the Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2) FAQ .
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What migration steps are necessary to upgrade my existing reports to Oracle Reports 10g?
You should be able to run your existing RDF files with Oracle Reports 10g with no modifications, except for the deprecated and obsolete functionality documented in A Guide to Functional Changes Between Oracle Reports 6i and 10g available on the Oracle Technology Network (OTN). You may need to open the reports in the Oracle Reports Builder 10g, recompile any PL/SQL, and save the report.
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Has the upgrade process changed in Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2)?
In a typical upgrade scenario, you will have an existing Oracle Application Server installation that you want to upgrade (for example, 9.0.2). During the upgrade process, you will install the new release of Oracle Application Server (for example, 10.1.2), run the upgrade tools to copy the configuration files from the previous installation, and perform some other tasks.

Prior to Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2), during the upgrade process, those Oracle Reports configuration files that were listed as upgrade items were copied from the previous installation to the new installation, and, if the file names clashed, the files in the new installation were over-written. For example, the textpds.conf file in the 10g (9.0.4) installation was over-written with the textpds.conf file copied from the previous installation.

In the new upgrade process for Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2), if the file names clash, the file names in the new installation are changed to *.preupgrade before copying upgrade files from the previous installation. The files in the new installation are not over-written. For example, the textpds.conf file of the 10.1.2 installation will be renamed to textpds.conf.preupgrade before copying the textpds.conf file from the previous installation. This provides you an opportunity to open the *.preupgrade files, and copy any 10.1.2-specific configuration parameters from these files.

After the above upgrade process is complete, you need to perform the following steps manually:

Step 1: Change the following files in your 10.1.2 installation to preserve your custom configuration (these files are not copied from your previous installation):

  • ORACLE_HOME/bin/reports.sh (Unix only)
  • ORACLE_HOME/bin/reports.bat (Windows only)
  • ORACLE_HOME/bin/rwlpr.sh (Unix only)
  • ORACLE_HOME/reports/conf/jdbcpds.conf
  • ORACLE_HOME/reports/conf/rwserver.template
  • ORACLE_HOME/opmn/conf/opmn.xml and ORACLE_HOME/sysman/emd/targets.xml - By default, these files will not contain standalone Reports Server entries. You can use addNewServerTarget.bat to add the standalone Reports Server entries without editing these files directly.

Step 2: Modify the in-process server name in targets.xml to the name you were using in your previous installation. This is necessary because the default in-process server name has changed from rep_hostname to rep_hostname_oraclehome in Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2).

Step 3 (Windows only): Define or change all Reports-related registry entries to preserve your custom configuration, for example, REPORTS_PATH. These registry entries are not copied from your previous installation.

Refer to Oracle Application Server Reports Services Publishing Reports to the Web for more information on the above files and registry entries.

Refer to Oracle Application Server Upgrade and Compatibility Guide for more information on the upgrade process.
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Have any features been deprecated and desupported in Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2)?

Yes, selected features have been depreceted and desupported in Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2). Refer to the Generic FAQ for a list of these features. Refer to the white paper A Guide to Functional Changes Between Oracle Reports 6i and 10g available on the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) for information on how to migrate reports that use these features .

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Since Oracle Reports clustering is deprecated in 10g Release 2 (10.1.2), how do I migrate OracleAS Forms Services Applications that Include a Reports Server Cluster Name?

In Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2), Reports Server clustering is deprecated. An OracleAS Forms Services application from prior releases that includes a Reports Server cluster name will fail to bind to the Reports Server cluster it references. To resolve this issue, Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2) introduces a new Reports Servlet property REPORTS_SERVERMAP, which enables you to map a cluster name to a Reports Server name. This avoids the necessity to change the cluster name in all OracleAS Forms Services applications. Refer to the chapter titled Configuring Oracle Reports Services in Oracle Application Server Reports Services Publishing Reports to the Web for more information.

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How do I migrate my charts from Oracle Graphics to the new graph format in Oracle Reports 10g?
Since release 9i, Oracle Reports uses Business Intelligence Beans (BI Beans) to create and display graphs in reports. There is no direct migration path from Oracle Graphics to the BI Beans graphing functionality. As such, the user will need to rewrite all of their graphs using the new Graph Wizard within the Oracle Reports Builder 10g. Oracle Reports 10g supports over 50 graph types, including 3D graphs. However, keep in mind that it does not support some special types, such as Gantt charts.
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Can I still run my existing Oracle6i Reports Developer reports containing Oracle Graphics charts in Oracle Reports 10g?
Oracle6i Graphics, Graphics Builder, and its OGD image format, are obsolete in Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2). Instead, use the Graph Wizard, which produces graphs that are automatically translated into JSP tags to enable you to add graphs to Web reports.

Reports built with previous versions of Oracle Reports containing Oracle6i Graphics charts will continue to run when the report is opened in Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2) if the Oracle6i Graphics runtime is installed on the same machine in a separate ORACLE_HOME. However, this is not a supported configuration, and Oracle will not fix bugs that result from this configuration.
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Can I modify or add Oracle6i Graphics charts to my reports with Oracle Reports 10g?
You cannot add any new Oracle Graphics charts to an Oracle Reports 10g report. We strongly recommend that you migrate your charts to the new BI Beans standard available in Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2) .
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I see a difference in the number of pages when I run my 10g (9.0.4) report in 10g Release 2 (10.1.2). Why?
You may see a difference in the number of pages in the output if you have created reports using Oracle Reports 10g (9.0.4) and if the following conditions are present:

  • The Page Break Before property and the Page Break After property for any frame objects are set.
  • The report is saved to XML, JSP, or HTML.

This is because the value of the Page Break properties were not saved correctly in 10g (9.0.4). To fix this, open the report in Reports Builder 10g Release 2 (10.1.2), set the Page Break Before and Page Break After properties to the correct values, and save the report.
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My reports created with previous versions do not produce valid HTML 4.0 output in 10g Release 2 (10.1.2). Why?
For reports created with releases prior to Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2) that are generated to HTML or HTMLCSS output with PAGESTREAM=YES, the HTML file that contains code for the navigation script may not be HTML 4.0 valid. This happens because the default HTML script available in the Page Navigation Control Value property was not HTML 4.0 valid in previous releases. To resolve this issue, do the following:

  1. Create a blank report in Reports Builder 10g Release 2 (10.1.2).
  2. Display the report Property Inspector.
  3. Copy the navigation script from the Page Navigation Control Value property.
  4. Open your own report in Reports Builder and paste the copied script to replace the existing script .

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Stock graphs show data in bars in when I run my reports with previous releases of Oracle Reports. Why don't I see the bars when I run the same reports with Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2)?
The behavior of the Stock graph type Hi-Lo-Close has changed in Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2). Until Oracle Reports 10g (9.0.4), this graph showed data in bars. In Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2), this graph shows data in lines. If the Stock Hi-Lo-Close graphs that have been created in Oracle Reports 10g (9.0.4) are run with Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2), then they will display lines instead of bars.

Additionally, in Oracle Reports graphs, bars support special effects like color gradients, while lines do not. If you have used color gradients in your Stock Hi-Lo-Close graph in Oracle Reports 10g (9.0.4) and you run it in Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2), bars change to lines, and the lines lose color information. As a result, the data lines become transparent. To fix this issue, you must specify color for the data lines either using the Graph Wizard or in the graph.xml file.

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Can I run Oracle Reports Builder 9.0.2 and 10.1.2 on the same machine?
Yes, it is possible to run Oracle Reports Builder 9.0.2 and 10.1.2 on the same machine. However, Oracle Reports 9.0.2 uses JDK 1.3.1 while later releases use JDK version 1.4.2. Due to this reason, if the system PATH is set to JDK version 1.4.2, attempting to start Reports Builder 9.0.2 may display the splash screen and stop responding. You can resolve this issue by updating the system PATH to point to the appropriate JDK version. That is, the system PATH must point to JDK version 1.3.1 when you start Reports Builder 9.0.2.

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Can I connect to Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2) Server using Oracle Reports 10g (9.0.4) clients, and vice-versa?
Yes, you can do this. However, since the Reports communication mechanism has changed in 10g Release 2 (10.1.2), you need to apply a patch to the Oracle Reports 10g (9.0.4) installation to ensure backward compatibility. For more information refer to the Oracle Application Server Release Notes 10g Release 2 (10.1.2) available on the Oracle Technology Network (OTN).
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What level of PDF support is offered in Oracle Reports 10g?

Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2) produces PDF 1.4 compatible output. It provides the following PDF features:

  1. Data compression
  2. Font aliasing
  3. Font subsetting
  4. Font embedding
  5. Accessibility tags
  6. Support for multibyte output
  7. Document taxonomy

To create multibyte output, you must have the appropriate Adobe multibyte fonts installed. For detailed information about the PDF support in Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2) , refer to Oracle Application Server Reports Services Publishing Reports to the Web .

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How can I reuse my Oracle6i Reports Server configuration?

You can reuse your Oracle6i Reports Server configuration in Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2) by copying the following files:

a.) <6i_ORACLE_HOME>/reports60/server/<report_server_name>.ora

to  

     <10g_ORACLE_HOME>/reports/conf/<report_server_name>.ora

b.) <6i_ORACLE_HOME>/reports60/server/<report_server_name>.dat

to

     <10g_ORACLE_HOME>/reports/server/<report_server_name>.dat

You can find more information about configuring Oracle Reports Services 10g Release 2 (10.1.2) in Oracle Application Server Reports Services Publishing Reports to the Web .

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Can I open my existing RDF report and save it as a JSP?
Yes, you can open your existing RDF report and save it as JSP. However, this will only create an empty Web source for you. To create a JSP-based Web source, you will need to write JSP code either manually or using the Reports Wizard.
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Oracle6i Reports Builder had a Postscript menu choice under File > Generate to File menu. It has been replaced with a Text menu choice in Oracle Reports Builder 10g. How do I generate Postscript?
In Oracle Reports Builder 10g, File > Generate to File > Text replaces the old Postscript option. When you choose this menu item, the Reports Builder looks at the value of the MODE parameter of the report. If the MODE parameter is set to Bitmap or Default, output will be based on the printer specified in the DESFORMAT parameter. If DESFORMAT is set to dflt, the default printer driver will be used to format the output. If the MODE parameter is set to Character, ASCII output will be generated based on the .prt file specified in the DESFORMAT parameter. �
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When I open an Oracle6i Reports Developer report in the Oracle Reports Builder 10g and run my Web layout, I get an empty Web page in my browser.
Yes, that is because Oracle Reports 10g does not generate a Web layout for you automatically. To create a Web layout, go to the Web layout of the report in Oracle Reports Builder 10g, and use the Report Wizard with the Create Web Layout Only option. The wizard will create a Web layout without affecting the paper layout previously created in Oracle6i Reports Developer. Note that you should not change the report style while using the Report Wizard. Changing the report style may affect the report data model. If you need to create different styles in Web and paper layouts, it is recommended that you either insert JSP code manually or use the Insert Report Block option from the menu.
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How do I migrate my Oracle6i Reports Developer reports in Oracle Portal to Oracle Reports 10g?
This would be handled by Oracle Portal upgrade. Refer to the Oracle Application Server Upgrade and Compatibility Guide available on the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) for more information.
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My existing report accesses data from a non-Oracle database using ODBC, will it still work?
ODBC has been replaced by JDBC in Oracle Reports 10g. Using the JDBC pluggable data source (PDS), you can access any database for which a JDBC driver is available. You can use the JDBC-ODBC bridge if the specific database does not support connecting to JDBC natively. For more information on pluggable data sources, see the Oracle Reports online Help .
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How do I migrate Oracle6i Reports Developer reports that use Express to Oracle Reports 10g?

Note that the Oracle Express data source is deprecated in Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2). You should plan to migrate your Express data to the OLAP option provided with Oracle Database. Use OLAP data source in Oracle Reports 10g Release 2 (10.1.2) to create your reports based on OLAP data. Refer to Oracle Reports Building Reports for more information on creating reports based on the OLAP data source.

If you need to run the report you created with Oracle6i Reports Builder using Express data source, you need to perform the following steps to make it work with Oracle Reports 10g:

  • Open your report in Oracle Reports Builder 10g Release 2 (10.1.2).
  • Open the data model.
  • In the Data Model view, double-click the query that selects data from the Oracle Express PDS to display the Express Query dialog box.
  • Click OK.
  • Save the report.

You need to perform these steps to migrate your report from the old architecture to the new pluggable data source (PDS) based architecture for connecting to Oracle Express.
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Does the Reports 6i distribution (.DST) file format still work in Oracle Reports 10g?
In Oracle Reports 10g the distribution file format is XML, though for backward compatibility the .DST file format is still supported. So the .DST files from Oracle6i Reports still work in Oracle Reports 10g without rewriting them in XML. However, the new XML based advanced distribution functionality allows a more powerful distribution solution and more control over distribution content. Find more on this topic in Oracle Application Server Reports Services Publishing Reports to the Web and the Oracle Reports online Help .
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How do I call Oracle Reports 10g from Oracle Forms 10g Applications ?
The Oracle6i Forms built-in RUN_REPORT has been replaced by the RUN_REPORT_OBJECT built-in in Oracle Forms 10g. For detailed information see the white paper Oracle Application Server 10g - Integrating Oracle Reports in Oracle Forms Services Applications .
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Is there an alternate configuration for security without using WebDB?
WebDB has been replaced by Oracle Portal. Oracle Reports 10g security implementation is tightly integrated with Oracle Portal 10g. This integration gives you several advantages such as managing application as well as data security for the complete Oracle Application Server installation using Oracle Identity Management and Oracle Single Sign-On. For detailed information see the Oracle Application Server Reports Services Publishing Reports to the Web . However, it is possible for you to plug in your own security mechanism into Oracle Reports 10g using Oracle Reports' Java API. For documentation of the Java API and a sample implementation of a pluggable security architecture refer to Oracle Reports SDK.
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Details

How do I get more information on features deprecated and desupported in Oracle Reports 10g Release (10.1.2)?
Refer to the white paper A Guide to Functional Changes Between Oracle Reports 6i and 10g available on the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) . This white paper covers:

  • Deprecated functionality
  • Obsolete functionality
  • Changed functionality and naming changes

For each deprecated and obsolete functionality, this white paper recommends what new functionality should be used instead. As stated above, this white paper covers the functionality. If you would like to know Oracle Corporation’s strategy towards Oracle Reports, refer to Oracle Forms - Oracle Reports - Oracle Designer Statement of Direction available on the Oracle Technology Network (OTN).
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