narrowcast server - MicroStrategy

Narrowcast Server 

Upgrade Guide 

Version: 9.3 

Document Number: 09810930

Twenty-third Edition, version 9.3 

To ensure that you are using the documentation that corresponds to the software you are licensed to use, compare this version number with the software 

version shown in “About MicroStrategy...” in the Help menu of your software. 

Document number: 09810930 

Copyright © 2012 by MicroStrategy Incorporated. All rights reserved. 

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6,263,051, 6,269,393, 6,279,033, 6,567,796, 6,587,547, 6,606,596, 6,658,093, 6,658,432, 6,662,195, 6,671,715, 6,691,100, 6,694,316, 6,697,808, 

6,704,723, 6,741,980, 6,765,997, 6,768,788, 6,772,137, 6,788,768, 6,798,867, 6,801,910, 6,820,073, 6,829,334, 6,836,537, 6,850,603, 6,859,798, 

6,873,693, 6,885,734, 6,940,953, 6,964,012, 6,977,992, 6,996,568, 6,996,569, 7,003,512, 7,010,518, 7,016,480, 7,020,251, 7,039,165, 7,082,422, 

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7,725,811, 7,801,967, 7,836,178, 7,861,161, 7,861,253, 7,881,443, 7,925,616, 7,945,584, 7,970,782, 8,005,870, 8,051,168, 8,051,369, 8,094,788, and 

8,130,918. Other patent applications are pending. 

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CONTENTS 

Book Overview and 

Additional Resources 

1. New Features in 

Narrowcast Server 

2. Upgrading the Test 

Environment 

Description of this Guide ......................................................... xiii 

About this book ............................................................................xiv 

Who should use this guide.....................................................xiv 

Resources.....................................................................................xv 

Documentation........................................................................xv 

Education............................................................................. xxiii 

Consulting............................................................................ xxiv 

International support ............................................................ xxiv 

Technical Support................................................................ xxiv 

Feedback ................................................................................... xxix 

Introduction.................................................................................. 1 

New features in Narrowcast Server 9.3 ......................................... 1 

New features in Narrowcast Server 9.2.1m ................................... 2 

New features in Narrowcast Server 9.2.1 ...................................... 2 

New features in Narrowcast Server 9.2 ......................................... 2 

Introduction.................................................................................. 3 

Best practices ................................................................................ 4 

Prerequisites.................................................................................. 4 

Copying Narrowcast Server repositories using the Repository 

Copy Tool ...................................................................................... 5 

Registering the copied version of your Narrowcast Server 

system ........................................................................................... 8 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. v

Contents Narrowcast Server Upgrade Guide 

Upgrading the copied Narrowcast Server system ......................... 9 

Registering the upgraded Narrowcast Server system ................. 11 

Configuring the upgraded system to assign new machines ........ 11 

Configuring the Subscription Portal ............................................. 11 

Finalizing the upgrade process.................................................... 12 

3. Testing the Upgrade Introduction................................................................................ 13 

Modifying the configuration of the target system ......................... 14 

Email delivery ........................................................................ 14 

File delivery............................................................................ 14 

Print delivery .......................................................................... 15 

SMS delivery.......................................................................... 15 

Portal delivery ........................................................................ 16 

Data warehouse..................................................................... 16 

Testing functional areas............................................................... 17 

Information objects ................................................................ 17 

User Information Source........................................................ 18 

Dynamic subscriptions........................................................... 18 

SMTP information transmitters .............................................. 19 

XSL stylesheets ..................................................................... 19 

MicroStrategy Logging Server ............................................... 20 

Testing service execution behavior ............................................. 20 

Testing Subscription Portal behavior ........................................... 21 

4. Upgrading the 

Production 

Environment 

Introduction................................................................................ 23 

Shutting down the existing version of the production system ...... 24 

Installing the later version of Narrowcast Server on production 

machines ..................................................................................... 24 

Preparing to upgrade ................................................................... 25 

Upgrading the older version on the production system ............... 25 

Upgrading from MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server 8.x .......... 26 

Modifying the upgraded production system to use production 

machines ..................................................................................... 27 

Merging changes from the testing system ................................... 27 

Restarting the production system ................................................ 27 

Index........................................................................................................................................... 29 

vi © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.

BOOK OVERVIEW AND 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 

Description of this Guide 

The MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server Upgrade Guide describes the 

procedure for upgrading to later versions of MicroStrategy Narrowcast 

Server. It offers important recommendations that guide you during the 

upgrade process. It also covers the new features and enhancements available 

within the new MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server version that you wish to 

install. 

It is highly recommended that you review and follow the upgrade procedure 

outlined in Chapter 2, Upgrading the Test Environment. 

This guide does not include instructions on installing MicroStrategy 

Narrowcast Server. Refer to the Narrowcast Server Installation and 

Configuration Guide for information on installing and configuring 

Narrowcast Server. 

Specifically, this guide provides the following information: 

• Chapter 1, New Features in Narrowcast Server 

• Chapter 2, Upgrading the Test Environment 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. xiii

Book Overview and Additional Resources Narrowcast Server Upgrade Guide 

• Chapter 3, Testing the Upgrade 

• Chapter 4, Upgrading the Production Environment 

Detailed steps for all functionality and interfaces in the MicroStrategy system 

are available in the online help. 

About this book 

The following sections list prerequisites for using this book and describe the 

user roles the information in this book was designed for. 

Who should use this guide 

This guide is for MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server users who want to 

upgrade to a later version of MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server. The following 

assumptions are made: 

• You understand common Narrowcast Server concepts and terminology 

such as services, schedules, logins, publications, documents, information 

objects, question objects, information sources, information transmitters, 

devices, users, addresses, groups, and so on. 

• You have a working knowledge of MicroStrategy Intelligence Server and 

Desktop products. 

For an introduction to Narrowcast Server and the terminology above, refer to 

the Narrowcast Server Getting Started Guide. For an introduction to 

MicroStrategy Intelligence Server and Desktop products, refer to the 

Introduction to MicroStrategy: Evaluation Guide. 

xiv About this book © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Narrowcast Server Upgrade Guide Book Overview and Additional Resources 

Resources 

Documentation 

MicroStrategy provides both manuals and online help; these two information 

sources provide different types of information, as described below: 

• Manuals: In general, MicroStrategy manuals provide: 

Introductory information and concepts 

Examples and images 

Checklists and high-level procedures to get started 

The steps to access the manuals are described in Accessing manuals and 

other documentation sources, page xxi. 

Most of these manuals are also available printed in a bound, soft cover 

format. To purchase printed manuals, contact your MicroStrategy 

Account Executive with a purchase order number. 

• Help: In general, MicroStrategy help provides: 

Detailed steps to perform procedures 

Descriptions of each option on every software screen 

For the most up-to-date translations of MicroStrategy documentation, refer 

to the MicroStrategy Knowledge Base. Due to translation time, manuals in 

languages other than English may contain information that is one or more 

releases behind. You can see the version number on the title page of each 

manual. 

MicroStrategy overview and evaluation 

• Introduction to MicroStrategy: Evaluation Guide 

Instructions for installing, configuring, and using the MicroStrategy 

Evaluation Edition of the software. This guide also includes a detailed, 

step-by-step evaluation process of MicroStrategy features, where you 

perform reporting with the MicroStrategy Tutorial project and its sample 

business data. 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Resources xv


• MicroStrategy Evaluation Edition Quick Start Guide 

Overview of the installation and evaluation process, and additional 

resources. 

• Evaluate MicroStrategy for Linux Guide: In a Windows or Linux 

Environment with the MicroStrategy Evaluation Edition Virtual 

Appliance 

Evaluate MicroStrategy for Linux, in a Microsoft Windows or Linux 

environment, with the MicroStrategy Evaluation Edition Virtual 

Appliance. This guide provides all details to download, activate, and 

evaluate MicroStrategy software running in a Linux environment. 

• MicroStrategy Reporting Suite: Quick Start Guide 

Evaluate MicroStrategy as a departmental solution. Provides detailed 

information to download, install, configure, and use the MicroStrategy 

Reporting Suite. 

• MicroStrategy Mobile Suite: Quick Start Guide 

Evaluate MicroStrategy Mobile as a departmental solution. Provides 

detailed information to download, install, configure, and use the 

MicroStrategy Mobile Suite. 

Manuals for query, reporting, and analysis 

• MicroStrategy Installation and Configuration Guide 

Information to install and configure MicroStrategy products on 

Windows, UNIX, Linux, and HP platforms, as well as basic maintenance 

guidelines. 

• MicroStrategy Upgrade Guide 

Instructions to upgrade existing MicroStrategy products. 

• MicroStrategy Project Design Guide 

Information to create and modify MicroStrategy projects, and 

understand facts, attributes, hierarchies, transformations, advanced 

schemas, and project optimization. 

• MicroStrategy Basic Reporting Guide 

Instructions to get started with MicroStrategy Desktop and 

MicroStrategy Web, and how to analyze data in a report. Includes the 

basics for creating reports, metrics, filters, and prompts. 

xvi Resources © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.


• MicroStrategy Advanced Reporting Guide: Enhancing Your Business 

Intelligence Application 

Instructions for advanced topics in the MicroStrategy system, building on 

information in the Basic Reporting Guide. Topics include reports, 

Freeform SQL reports, Query Builder reports, filters, metrics, Data 

Mining Services, custom groups, consolidations, and prompts. 

• MicroStrategy Report Services Document Analysis Guide: Analyzing 

Data with Report Services Documents 

Instructions for a business analyst to execute and analyze a document in 

MicroStrategy Desktop and MicroStrategy Web, building on basic 

concepts about projects and reports presented in the MicroStrategy 

Basic Reporting Guide. 

• MicroStrategy Report Services Document Creation Guide: Creating 

Boardroom Quality Documents 

Instructions to design and create Report Services documents, building on 

information in the MicroStrategy Report Services Document Analysis 

Guide. It is organized to help guide you through creating a new 

document, from creating the document itself, to adding objects to the new 

document, and formatting the document and its objects. 

• MicroStrategy Dashboards and Widgets Creation Guide: Creating 

Interactive Dashboards for your Data 

Instructions for designing and creating MicroStrategy Report Services 

dashboards, a type of document that is optimized for viewing online and 

for user interactivity. It builds on the basic concepts about documents 

presented in the MicroStrategy Report Services Document Creation 

Guide. 

• MicroStrategy OLAP Services Guide 

Information on MicroStrategy OLAP Services, which is an extension of 

MicroStrategy Intelligence Server. OLAP Services features include 

Intelligent Cubes, derived metrics, derived elements, dynamic 

aggregation, view filters, and dynamic sourcing. 

• MicroStrategy Office User Guide 

Instructions for using MicroStrategy Office to work with MicroStrategy 

reports and documents in Microsoft® Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and 

Outlook, to analyze, format, and distribute business data. 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Resources xvii


• MicroStrategy Mobile Analysis Guide: Analyzing Data with 

MicroStrategy Mobile 

Information and instructions for using MicroStrategy Mobile to view and 

analyze data, and perform other business tasks with MicroStrategy 

reports and documents on a mobile device. 

• MicroStrategy Mobile Design and Administration Guide: A Platform for 

Mobile Intelligence 

Information and instructions to install and configure MicroStrategy 

Mobile, as well as instructions for a designer working in MicroStrategy 

Desktop or MicroStrategy Web to create effective reports and documents 

for use with MicroStrategy Mobile. 

• MicroStrategy System Administration Guide: Tuning, Monitoring, and 

Troubleshooting your MicroStrategy Business Intelligence System 

Concepts and high-level steps to implement, deploy, maintain, tune, and 

troubleshoot a MicroStrategy business intelligence system. 

• MicroStrategy Supplemental Reference for System Administration: 

VLDB Properties, Internationalization, User Privileges, and other 

Supplemental Information for Administrators 

Information and instructions for MicroStrategy administrative tasks such 

as configuring VLDB properties and defining data and metadata 

internationalization, and reference material for other administrative 

tasks. 

• MicroStrategy Functions Reference 

Function syntax and formula components; instructions to use functions 

in metrics, filters, attribute forms; examples of functions in business 

scenarios. 

• MicroStrategy MDX Cube Reporting Guide 

Information to integrate MicroStrategy with MDX cube sources. You can 

integrate data from MDX cube sources into your MicroStrategy projects 

and applications. 

Manuals for Analytics Modules 

• Analytics Modules Installation and Porting Guide 

• Customer Analysis Module Reference 

• Sales Force Analysis Module Reference 

xviii Resources © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.


• Financial Reporting Analysis Module Reference 

• Sales and Distribution Analysis Module Reference 

• Human Resources Analysis Module Reference 

Manuals for Narrowcast Services products 

• MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server Getting Started Guide 

Instructions to work with the tutorial to learn Narrowcast Server 

interfaces and features. 

• MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server Installation and Configuration Guide 

Information to install and configure Narrowcast Server. 

• MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server Application Designer Guide 

Fundamentals of designing Narrowcast Server applications. 

• MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server System Administrator Guide 

Concepts and high-level steps to implement, maintain, tune, and 

troubleshoot Narrowcast Server. 

• MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server Upgrade Guide 

Instructions to upgrade an existing Narrowcast Server. 

Software Development Kits 

• MicroStrategy Developer Library (MSDL) 

Information to understand the MicroStrategy SDK, including details 

about architecture, object models, customization scenarios, code 

samples, and so on. 

• MicroStrategy Web SDK 

The Web SDK is available in the MicroStrategy Developer Library, 

which is sold as part of the MicroStrategy SDK. 

• Narrowcast Server SDK Guide 

Instructions to customize Narrowcast Server functionality, integrate 

Narrowcast Server with other systems, and embed Narrowcast Server 

functionality within other applications. Documents the Narrowcast 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Resources xix


Server Delivery Engine and Subscription Portal APIs, and the Narrowcast 

Server SPI. 

Documentation for MicroStrategy Portlets 

• Enterprise Portal Integration Help 

Information to help you implement and deploy MicroStrategy BI within 

your enterprise portal, including instructions for installing and 

configuring out-of-the-box MicroStrategy Portlets for several major 

enterprise portal servers. 

This resource can be accessed using the MicroStrategy Product Manuals 

page, as described in Accessing manuals and other documentation 

sources, page xxi. 

Documentation for MicroStrategy GIS Connectors 

• GIS Integration Help 

Help 

Information to help you integrate MicroStrategy with Geospatial 

Information Systems (GIS), including specific examples for integrating 

with various third-party mapping services. 

This resource can be accessed using the MicroStrategy Product Manuals 

page, as described in Accessing manuals and other documentation 

sources, page xxi. 

Each MicroStrategy product includes an integrated help system to 

complement the various interfaces of the product as well as the tasks that can 

be accomplished using the product. 

Some of the MicroStrategy help systems require a web browser to be viewed. 

For supported web browsers, see the MicroStrategy Readme. 

MicroStrategy provides several ways to access help: 

• Help button: Use the Help button or ? (question mark) icon on most 

software windows to see help for that window. 

xx Resources © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.


• Help menu: From the Help menu or link at the top of any screen, select 

MicroStrategy Help to see the table of contents, the Search field, and the 

index for the help system. 

• F1 key: Press F1 to see context-sensitive help that describes each option in 

the software window you are currently viewing. 

For 

MicroStrategy Web, MicroStrategy Web Administrator, and 

MicroStrategy Mobile Server, pressing the F1 key opens the 

context-sensitive help for the web browser you are using to access 

these MicroStrategy interfaces. Use the Help menu or ? (question 

mark) icon to access help for these MicroStrategy interfaces. 

Accessing manuals and other documentation sources 

The manuals are available from your MicroStrategy disk or the machine 

where MicroStrategy was installed. 

Adobe 

Acrobat Reader is required to view these manuals. If you do not 

have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, you can download it 

from http://get.adobe.com/reader/. 

The best place for all users to begin is with the MicroStrategy Basic 

Reporting Guide. 

To access the installed manuals and other documentation sources, see the 

following procedures: 

• To access installed manuals and other documentation sources on 

Windows, page xxi 

• To access installed manuals and other documentation sources on UNIX 

and Linux, page xxii 

To access installed manuals and other documentation sources on Windows 

1 From the Windows Start menu, choose Programs (or All Programs), 

MicroStrategy, then Product Manuals. A page opens in your browser 

showing a list of available manuals in PDF format and other 

documentation sources. 

2 Click the link for the desired manual or other documentation source. 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Resources xxi


3 If you click the link for the Narrowcast Services SDK Guide, a File 

Download dialog box opens. This documentation resource must be 

downloaded. Select Open this file from its current location, and click 

OK. 

If 

bookmarks are not visible on the left side of an Acrobat (PDF) 

manual, from the View menu click Bookmarks and Page. This step 

varies slightly depending on your version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. 

To access installed manuals and other documentation sources on UNIX and 

Linux 

1 Within your UNIX or Linux machine, navigate to the directory where you 

installed MicroStrategy. The default location is /opt/MicroStrategy, 

or $HOME/MicroStrategy/install if you do not have write access to 

/opt/MicroStrategy. 

2 From the MicroStrategy installation directory, open the 

Documentation folder. 

3 Open the Product_Manuals.htm file in a web browser. A page opens in 

your browser showing a list of available manuals in PDF format and other 

documentation sources. 

4 Click the link for the desired manual or other documentation source. 

5 If you click the link for the Narrowcast Services SDK Guide, a File 

Download dialog box opens. This documentation resource must be 

downloaded. Select Open this file from its current location, and click 

OK. 

If 

bookmarks are not visible on the left side of an Acrobat (PDF) 

manual, from the View menu click Bookmarks and Page. This step 

varies slightly depending on your version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. 

xxii Resources © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.


Education 

Documentation standards 

MicroStrategy online help and PDF manuals (available both online and in 

printed format) use standards to help you identify certain types of content. 

The following table lists these standards. 

These 

Type Indicates 

standards may differ depending on the language of this manual; 

some languages have rules that supersede the table below. 

bold • Button names, check boxes, options, lists, and menus that are the focus of actions or 

part of a list of such GUI elements and their definitions 

Example: Click Select Warehouse. 

italic • New terms defined within the text and in the glossary 

• Names of other product manuals and documentation resources 

• When part of a command syntax, indicates variable information to be replaced by the 

user 

Example: The aggregation level is the level of calculation for the metric. 

Courier 

font 

Example: Type copy c:\filename d:\foldername\filename 

• Calculations 

• Code samples 

• Registry keys 

• Path and file names 

• URLs 

• Messages displayed in the screen 

• Text to be entered by the user 

Example: Sum(revenue)/number of months. 

Example: Type cmdmgr -f scriptfile.scp and press Enter. 

+ A keyboard command that calls for the use of more than one key (for example, 

SHIFT+F1). 

 

 

A note icon indicates helpful information for specific situations. 

A warning icon alerts you to important information such as potential security risks; these 

should be read before continuing. 

MicroStrategy Education Services provides a comprehensive curriculum and 

highly skilled education consultants. Many customers and partners from 

over 800 different organizations have benefited from MicroStrategy 

instruction. 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Resources xxiii


Consulting 

For the most up-to-date and detailed description of education offerings and 

course curricula, visit www.microstrategy.com/Education. 

MicroStrategy Consulting Services provides proven methods for delivering 

leading-edge technology solutions. Offerings include complex security 

architecture designs, performance and tuning, project and testing strategies 

and recommendations, strategic planning, and more. For a detailed 

description of consulting offerings, visit http://www.microstrategy.com/ 

Services. 

International support 

MicroStrategy supports several locales. Support for a locale typically includes 

native database and operating system support, support for date formats, 

numeric formats, currency symbols, and availability of translated interfaces 

and certain documentation. 

MicroStrategy is certified in homogeneous configurations (where all the 

components lie in the same locale) in the following languages—English (US), 

French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish, 

Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, and Swedish. A 

translated user interface is available in each of the above languages. For 

information on specific languages supported by individual MicroStrategy 

system components, see the MicroStrategy readme. 

MicroStrategy also provides limited support for heterogeneous 

configurations (where some of the components may lie in different locales). 

Please contact MicroStrategy Technical Support for more details. 

Technical Support 

If you have questions about a specific MicroStrategy product, you should: 

1 Consult the product guides, Help, and readme files. Locations to access 

each are described above. 

xxiv Resources © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.


2 Consult the MicroStrategy Knowledge Base online at https:// 

resource.microstrategy.com/support. 

A 

technical administrator in your organization may be able to help 

you resolve your issues immediately. 

3 If the resources listed in the steps above do not provide a solution, 

contact MicroStrategy Technical Support directly. To ensure the most 

productive relationship with MicroStrategy Technical Support, review the 

Policies and Procedures document in your language, posted at http:// 

www.microstrategy.com/Support/Policies. Refer to the terms of your 

purchase agreement to determine the type of support available to you. 

MicroStrategy Technical Support can be contacted by your company’s 

Support Liaison. A Support Liaison is a person whom your company has 

designated as a point-of-contact with MicroStrategy’s support personnel. All 

customer inquiries and case communications must come through these 

named individuals. Your company may designate two employees to serve as 

their Support Liaisons, and can request to change their Support Liaisons two 

times per year with prior written notice to MicroStrategy Technical Support. 

It is recommended that you designate Support Liaisons who have 

MicroStrategy Administrator privileges. This can eliminate security conflicts 

and improve case resolution time. When troubleshooting and researching 

issues, MicroStrategy Technical Support personnel may make 

recommendations that require administrative privileges within 

MicroStrategy, or that assume that the designated Support Liaison has a 

security level that permits them to fully manipulate the MicroStrategy 

projects and has access to potentially sensitive project data such as security 

filter definitions. 

Ensure issues are resolved quickly 

Before logging a case with MicroStrategy Technical Support, the Support 

Liaison may follow the steps below to ensure that issues are resolved quickly: 

1 Verify that the issue is with MicroStrategy software and not a third party 

software. 

2 Verify that the system is using a currently supported version of 

MicroStrategy software by checking the Product Support Expiration 

Schedule at http://www.microstrategy.com/Support/Expiration.asp. 

3 Attempt to reproduce the issue and determine whether it occurs 

consistently. 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Resources xxv


4 Minimize the complexity of the system or project object definition to 

isolate the cause. 

5 Determine whether the issue occurs on a local machine or on multiple 

machines in the customer environment. 

6 Discuss the issue with other users by posting a question about the issue 

on the MicroStrategy Customer Forum at https:// 

resource.microstrategy.com/forum/. 

The following table shows where, when, and how to contact MicroStrategy 

Technical Support. If your Support Liaison is unable to reach MicroStrategy 

Technical Support by phone during the hours of operation, they can leave a 

voicemail message, send email or fax, or log a case using the Online Support 

Interface. The individual Technical Support Centers are closed on certain 

public holidays. 

North America Email: support@microstrategy.com 

Web: https://resource.microstrategy.com/support 

Fax: (703) 842–8709 

Phone: (703) 848–8700 

Hours: 9:00 A.M.–7:00 P.M. Eastern Time, Monday–Friday except holidays 

EMEA: 

Europe 

The Middle East 

Africa 

Email: eurosupp@microstrategy.com 


Fax: +44 (0) 208 711 2525 

The European Technical Support Centre is closed on national public holidays in each country. 

Phone: 

• Belgium: + 32 2792 0436 

• France: +33 17 099 4737 

• Germany: +49 22 16501 0609 

• Ireland: +353 1436 0916 

• Italy: +39 023626 9668 

• Poland: +48 22 459 52 52 

• Scandinavia & Finland: +46 8505 20421 

• Spain: +34 91788 9852 

• The Netherlands: +31 20 794 8425 

• UK: +44 (0) 208 080 2182 

• International distributors: +44 (0) 208 080 2183 

Hours: 

• United Kingdom: 9:00 A.M.–6:00 P.M. GMT, Monday-Friday except holidays 

• EMEA (except UK): 9:00 A.M.–6:00 P.M. CET, Monday-Friday except holidays 

xxvi Resources © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.


Asia Pacific Email: apsupport@microstrategy.com 


Phone: 

• Australia: +61 2 9333 6499 

• Korea: +82 2 560 6565 Fax: +82 2 560 6555 

• Japan: +81 3 3511 6720 Fax: +81 3 3511 6740 

• Singapore: +65 6303 8969 Fax: +65 6303 8999 

• Asia Pacific (except Australia, Japan, Korea, and Singapore): +86 571 8526 8067 Fax: +86 

571 8848 0977 

Hours: 

• Japan and Korea: 9:00 A.M.–6:00 P.M. JST (Tokyo), Monday-Friday except holidays 

• Asia Pacific (except Japan and Korea): 7 A.M.-6 P.M. (Singapore) Monday-Friday except 

holidays 

Latin America Email: latamsupport@microstrategy.com 


Phone: 

• LATAM (except Brazil and Argentina): +54 11 5222 9360 Fax: +54 11 5222 9355 

• Argentina: 0 800 444 MSTR Fax: +54 11 5222 9355 

• Brazil: +55 11 3054 1010 Fax: +55 11 3044 4088 

Hours: 

• Latin America (except Brazil): 9:00 A.M.–7:00 P.M. (Buenos Aires), Monday-Friday except 

holidays 

• Brazil: 9 A.M. - 6 P.M. (São Paulo), Monday–Friday except holidays 

Support Liaisons should contact the Technical Support Center from which 

they obtained their MicroStrategy software licenses or the Technical Support 

Center to which they have been designated. 

Required information when calling 

When contacting MicroStrategy Technical Support, please provide the 

following information: 

• Personal information: 

Name (first and last) 

Company and customer site (if different from company) 

Contact information (phone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses) 

• Case details: 

Configuration information, including MicroStrategy software 

product(s) and versions 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Resources xxvii


Full description of the case including symptoms, error messages(s), 

and steps taken to troubleshoot the case thus far 

• Business/system impact 

If this is the Support Liaison’s first call, they should also be prepared to 

provide the following: 

• Street address 

• Phone number 

• Fax number 

• Email address 

To help the Technical Support representative resolve the problem promptly 

and effectively, be prepared to provide the following additional information: 

• Case number: Please keep a record of the number assigned to each case 

logged with MicroStrategy Technical Support, and be ready to provide it 

when inquiring about an existing case 

• Software version and product registration numbers of the MicroStrategy 

software products you are using 

• Case description: 

What causes the condition to occur? 

Does the condition occur sporadically or each time a certain action is 

performed? 

Does the condition occur on all machines or just on one? 

When did the condition first occur? 

What events took place immediately prior to the first occurrence of 

the condition (for example, a major database load, a database move, 

or a software upgrade)? 

If there was an error message, what was its exact wording? 

What steps have you taken to isolate and resolve the issue? What were 

the results? 

• System configuration (the information needed depends on the nature of 

the problem; not all items listed below may be necessary): 

Computer hardware specifications (processor speed, RAM, disk space, 

and so on) 

xxviii Resources © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.


Feedback 

Network protocol used 

ODBC driver manufacturer and version 

Database gateway software version 

(For MicroStrategy Web-related problems) browser manufacturer 

and version 

(For MicroStrategy Web-related problems) Web server manufacturer 

and version 

If the issue requires additional investigation or testing, the Support Liaison 

and the MicroStrategy Technical Support representative should agree on 

certain action items to be performed. The Support Liaison should perform 

any agreed-upon actions before contacting MicroStrategy Technical Support 

again regarding the issue. If the Technical Support representative is 

responsible for an action item, the Support Liaison may call MicroStrategy 

Technical Support at any time to inquire about the status of the issue. 

Please send any comments or suggestions about user documentation for 

MicroStrategy products to: 

documentationfeedback@microstrategy.com 

Send suggestions for product enhancements to: 

support@microstrategy.com 

When you provide feedback to us, please include the name and version of the 

products you are currently using. Your feedback is important to us as we 

prepare for future releases. 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Feedback xxix


xxx Feedback © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.

1.NEW FEATURES IN 

NARROWCAST SERVER 

Introduction 

1 

This chapter provides information about the new features introduced in 

Narrowcast Server for the past several releases. (For details on older updates, 

see previous Upgrade Guides on the MicroStrategy Knowledge Base.) 

When you perform a Narrowcast Server upgrade, the metadata repository 

version number is changed. The system administrator should carry out an 

upgrade for the existing systems using the Upgrade Narrowcast Server 

System option from the Tools menu. 

For steps to upgrade Narrowcast Server, see Chapter 2, Upgrading the Test 

Environment. The new features for the version you are upgrading to are 

described below. 

New features in Narrowcast Server 9.3 

Narrowcast Server 9.2.1m is interoperable with the MicroStrategy 9.3 

software. For a list of new features in MicroStrategy 9.3, see the 

MicroStrategy Readme for that release. 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. New features in Narrowcast Server 9.3 1

1 

New Features in Narrowcast Server Narrowcast Server Upgrade Guide 

New features in Narrowcast Server 9.2.1m 

Narrowcast Server 9.2.1 is interoperable with the MicroStrategy 9.2.1m 

software. For a list of new features in MicroStrategy 9.2.1m, see the 

MicroStrategy Readme for that release. 

New features in Narrowcast Server 9.2.1 

The following new feature is included in Narrowcast Server 9.2.1: 

• Support for Excel 2007 or later, or MAC Office 2008 or later: If you have 

Excel 2007 or later, or MAC Office 2008 or later installed on your 

computer, you can view Report Services document data in Excel format. 

New features in Narrowcast Server 9.2 

The following new features are included in Narrowcast Server 9.2: 

• Reports using outline mode can be delivered to Microsoft Excel with all 

outlines collapsed by default. 

• Metadata IDs Updater Tool to locate and fix inconsistencies in 

Narrowcast objects caused by the metadata upgrades, and update 

subscriptions to the newest version of Narrowcast Server. For 

information about the tool features and usage, refer to the 

Troubleshooting chapter of the System Administrator Guide. 

2 New features in Narrowcast Server 9.2.1m © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.

2.UPGRADING THE TEST 

ENVIRONMENT 

Introduction 

2 

This chapter lists in detail the steps to copy the Narrowcast Server 

repositories and then to upgrade those copies of the Narrowcast Server 

system to a later version. You can then use subsequent chapters to test the 

upgrade, and then upgrade your production system. 

The high level steps to upgrade the Narrowcast Server system are listed 

below: 

1 Copying Narrowcast Server repositories using the Repository Copy 

Tool, page 5 

2 Registering the copied version of your Narrowcast Server system, 

page 8 

3 Upgrading the copied Narrowcast Server system, page 9 

4 Registering the upgraded Narrowcast Server system, page 11 

5 Configuring the upgraded system to assign new machines, page 11 

6 Configuring the Subscription Portal, page 11 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. 3

2 

Upgrading the Test Environment Narrowcast Server Upgrade Guide 

Best practices 

Review the following recommendations to help ensure the successful 

upgrade of Narrowcast Server to the latest version. 

• Migrate MicroStrategy Web deliveries to MicroStrategy Distribution 

Services when upgrading to Narrowcast Server 9.x. For detailed steps to 

migrate Web deliveries, see the MicroStrategy Desktop Help. 

• When creating Data Source Names (DSNs), use the MicroStrategy 

Connectivity Wizard. 

• Perform the upgrade on the copied repositories, and not on the 

production repositories. The upgrade steps in this section follow this 

recommended practice. 

• While copying the repositories, the source and the target system prefix 

should be different. 

Prerequisites 

Before you begin upgrading the Narrowcast Server system, perform the 

following important steps: 

• Create a backup of the Narrowcast Server repositories. 

• Ensure that sufficient space is available to copy all Narrowcast Server 

tables to the Object Repository (OR), Subscription Book Repository 

(SBR), and Portal Repository. See the administration documentation of 

your database for information on how to increase the database size, if 

necessary. 

• Data Source Names (DSNs) should be created to the repositories of the 

existing system (the system that is being copied), and to the location 

where the existing repositories will be copied. 

4 Best practices © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Narrowcast Server Upgrade Guide Upgrading the Test Environment 2 

Copying Narrowcast Server repositories using 

the Repository Copy Tool 

Narrowcast Server contains a Repository Copy Tool to copy the Narrowcast 

Server Object Repository (OR) and Subscription Book Repository (SBR). 

This tool also ensures that no changes are made to the existing Narrowcast 

Server system while the repositories are being copied. Using the Repository 

Copy Tool also ensures that references to Distribution Managers (DM) and 

Execution Engines (EE) are removed from the copied repositories. 

Note the following when you use the Repository Copy Tool: 

• Microsoft Access databases can be copied to any other database server, 

but non-Access databases can only be copied to other non-Access 

database servers. 

• The source and target system names should be different. 

• The source and target prefixes should be different if the repositories are 

copied to the same database. If you are using a different database to copy 

the repositories, the source and target prefixes can be the same. 

The 

process of copying the repositories can take time to complete, 

depending on the size and number of objects in the OR and SBR. It is 

recommended that you start the repository copying process when 

activity on the source system is minimal. This minimizes the 

possibility of differences between the existing Narrowcast Server 

system and the copied repositories, in terms of the subscriptions that 

may be created after the repositories are copied. 

The following procedure assumes that you are using the Repository Copy 

Tool on the earlier version of Narrowcast, which is the version you are 

upgrading from. 

To copy the Narrowcast Server OR and SBR 

1 On the earlier version of Narrowcast, from the Start menu, select 

Programs, MicroStrategy, Narrowcast Server, and then Narrowcast 

Administrator. MicroStrategy Narrowcast Administrator opens. 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Copying Narrowcast Server repositories using the Repository Copy Tool 5

2 


2 From the Tools menu, select Copy Repository. The Repository Copy 

dialog box opens. 

 

3 Select Copy Object Repository to copy the OR from the source folder. 

The following options are enabled: 

• Copy Subscription Book Repository used by the source: Select this 

check box to copy the SBR used by the source. It is recommended that 

the SBR and OR should be copied at the same time. 

• Link the target Subscription Book Repository to the target Object 

Repository: Select this check box to link the target SBR to the target 

OR. It is recommended to preserve the link between the target 

repository and the Object Repository, so that the copied SBR and OR 

are connected and existing services are triggered after the upgrade. 

• Copy Subscription Book Repository: Select this option only if you 

want the tool to copy the SBR without maintaining a link to the source 

OR. 

6 Copying Narrowcast Server repositories using the Repository Copy Tool © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.


4 Click Next. The Repository Copy - Object Repository page opens. The 

source and target information of the OR is displayed. 

5 Verify the information presented. The Prefix is the repository prefix. 

Leave it blank if no prefix exists. Then click Next. The Repository Copy - 

Subscription Book Repository page opens. 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Copying Narrowcast Server repositories using the Repository Copy Tool 7

2 


6 By default, users and user addresses are copied. The copy options that 

you can select are: 

• User preferences: Select this check box to copy the user preferences. 

• Authentication and security: Select this check box to copy 

authentication details and security objects. 

• Subscriptions: Select this check box to copy the subscriptions. 

The Subscriptions check box is enabled only when the User 

preferences and Authentication and security options are selected. 

7 Click Next. The Repository Copy - Summary page opens. Verify the 

information and click Finish. The repository information is copied. 

The copied repositories are completely independent of your existing 

Narrowcast Server system. Once the repositories are copied, you need to 

register the copied system and upgrade the copied system. Steps to do this 

are below. 

Registering the copied version of your 

Narrowcast Server system 

You must register the copied version of your Narrowcast Server system on 

the earlier version of Narrowcast Server, before upgrading the system. You 

must register the system so that you can see it in the Narrowcast 

Administrator’s console. 

To register the copied version, navigate to the System menu and select 

Register Existing System. The System Configuration Wizard opens. For 

more information about using the System Configuration Wizard, see the 

Narrowcast Server Installation and Configuration Guide. 

Once the copied version of your Narrowcast Server system is registered, you 

must change the Intelligence Server references so that your system does not 

connect to the production Intelligence Server. For each Information Source 

Module, specify the name of the Intelligence Server machine, using the steps 

below. 

8 Registering the copied version of your Narrowcast Server system © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.


To update Intelligence Server references 

1 In Narrowcast Server Administrator, expand Administration, then 

expand Information Source Modules. 

2 Expand MicroStrategy. The Information Source Modules are displayed. 

3 Right-click the required Information Source Module and select Edit. The 

Information Source dialog box opens. 

4 Click Define. The Information Source Wizard – Intelligence Server 

opens. 

5 In the Intelligence Server Machine Name field, type the name of the 

Intelligence Server machine with the newer version of Intelligence Server. 

• Alternatively, you can browse to select the required machine. The 

Browse for Computer dialog box opens. Select the machine and click 

OK. 

6 Click Next. On the Summary page, verify the information and click 

Finish to remove the existing Intelligence Server from the Information 

Source. 

Note 

the following: 

• Once the system is registered, verify your credentials for login and 

authentication. 

• If you are using Intelligence Server clustering, edit the 

corresponding information in the Intelligence Server Properties 

dialog box of Narrowcast’s Information Source Wizard. 

Upgrading the copied Narrowcast Server 

system 

The upgrade is performed on the copied version of Narrowcast Server. After 

registering the Information System, perform the following steps to upgrade. 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Upgrading the copied Narrowcast Server system 9

2 


To upgrade the copied Narrowcast system 

1 Create Data Source Names (DSN) to the copied OR and SBR on the 

machine where the later version of Narrowcast Server is installed. 

The 

DSN for the later version of the OR can be different, but the 

DSN for the SBR needs to be retained. You can provide the DSN of 

the OR, and the DSN information for the SBR is automatically 

chosen from the OR. 

2 In the later version of the Narrowcast Server application, select Upgrade 

Narrowcast Server System from the Tools menu. The Narrowcast 

Server Upgrade dialog box opens. 

Because the system is registered, the prefix, database type, data source 

name, user name, password, and database information are automatically 

generated. 

By 

default, the Commit changes incrementally check box is 

selected. Selecting the Commit changes incrementally option 

reduces the memory consumption of the machine that is being 

used for the upgrade. The copied Narrowcast Server system is 

incrementally upgraded. For example, if you are upgrading from 

8.1.2 to 9.0.2, the upgrade proceeds from 8.1.2 to 9.0 to 9.0.1 to 

9.0.2. You are prompted after each version upgrade is finished. 

3 Click Upgrade. The MicroStrategy Upgrade dialog box opens. 

4 Click OK to continue with the upgrade. 

Canceling retains Web deliveries objects in the Narrowcast Server 

repositories and disables the Web deliveries services, but allows 

the upgrade process to continue. Retained objects can later be 

migrated to Distribution Services from upgraded Narrowcast 

Server repositories. However, this migration is possible only if the 

upgraded Narrowcast Server repositories were either your 

production repositories or a database copy of the repositories. If 

you are upgrading the repository copies created using the 

Repository Copy Tool, it is strongly recommended that you click 

OK and continue with the upgrade. Retained objects inside such 

repositories cannot be migrated later. 

10 Upgrading the copied Narrowcast Server system © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.


Registering the upgraded Narrowcast Server 

system 

The upgraded system should be registered. To register the system, navigate 

to the System menu and select Register Existing System. The System 

Configuration Wizard opens. For more information about the System 

Configuration Wizard, see the Narrowcast Server Installation and 

Configuration Guide. 

Configuring the upgraded system to assign 

new machines 

When the repositories are copied, references to Distribution Manager and 

Execution Engine are removed. To assign new machines for DM and EE, you 

need to configure the upgraded system as follows. 

To configure the upgraded system to assign new machines to DM and EE 

1 From the System menu, select Configure New System. The System 

Configuration Wizard opens. 

2 On the Clustering page, specify the appropriate information for the new 

machines. 

3 Click OK. 

Configuring the Subscription Portal 

From the earlier version of the Narrowcast Server system, copy the 

Subscription Portal and DBDriver property files located by default at 

Program Files\Common Files\MicroStrategy\Config to the 

location where the newer version of Narrowcast Server is installed. 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Registering the upgraded Narrowcast Server system 11

2 


You can also configure the Subscription Portal using the System 

Configuration page in the Portal Administrator of the newer version of the 

Narrowcast Server system. 

Selecting 

the Create a Subscription Portal Site check box creates a 

new portal repository at the same location. However, since the Portal 

Repository from the existing version of Narrowcast Server is available, 

creating a new portal site is not required. 

Finalizing the upgrade process 

Once the repositories are copied and the copied system is upgraded, you 

must review and confirm the following points to ensure that the upgrade is 

complete: 

• Review pre-/post-SQL statements 

Because the Narrowcast Server system has inherited all the subscription 

sets from the existing Narrowcast Server system, all the pre-/post-SQL 

instructions are available in the subscription sets. Review the pre-/ 

post-SQL statements and the database locations where the statements 

are executed. Reviewing these statements ensures that the service 

executions of the upgraded Narrowcast Server system do not interfere 

with the pre-/post-SQL executions of the existing system. 

• Check reconfiguration for custom modules 

Check whether reconfigurations are necessary in any of the custom 

modules, such as Information Sources and Transmitters, that you may 

have integrated into Narrowcast Server. 

After the upgrade, you must test whether the upgrade was successful. For 

information on testing the upgraded system, see Chapter 3, Testing the 

Upgrade. 

12 Finalizing the upgrade process © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.

3.TESTING THE UPGRADE 

Introduction 

3 

This chapter shows you how to test the upgraded Narrowcast Server system 

in your test environment. It assumes that you have already upgraded the 

Narrowcast Server system as described in Chapter 2, Upgrading the Test 

Environment. 

The high level steps to test the upgraded Narrowcast Server system are: 

1 Modifying the configuration of the target system, page 14 

2 Testing functional areas, page 17 

3 Testing service execution behavior, page 20 

4 Testing Subscription Portal behavior, page 21 

The detailed steps for the procedures listed above are in this chapter. 


3 

Testing the Upgrade Narrowcast Server Upgrade Guide 

Modifying the configuration of the target 

system 

Email delivery 

File delivery 

Before testing the upgraded Narrowcast Server system, you need to modify 

the configuration to prevent message delivery and data changes. The steps to 

modify the configuration of the Narrowcast Server system include modifying 

email, file, print, SMS, portal delivery, and data warehouse. 

Start the Narrowcast Server system and modify the following functionality, 

using the steps that follow. 

Modify the message output for the Email (SMTP) Information Transmitters 

to transmit messages to a test folder using the following steps. 

To modify email delivery configuration 

1 In Narrowcast Server Administrator, expand Administration, expand 

Information Transmitters, right-click Email (SMTP), and select Edit. 

The Information Transmitter - Email (SMTP) dialog box opens. 

2 Select the Show Advanced Properties check box to display the 

additional tabs. 

3 On the Message Output tab, select the Save to File option to save the 

generated email message files. The files are saved at the location specified 

in the Save to folder field. 

4 Click OK. 

Modify the Device Editor General properties for a file to specify a test file 

location using the following steps. 

14 Modifying the configuration of the target system © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Narrowcast Server Upgrade Guide Testing the Upgrade 3 

To modify file delivery configuration 


Devices, and select File System. 

2 Right-click the file device and select Edit. The Device Editor: Saved File 

for File dialog box opens. 

3 Modify the file delivery path in the File location field. You can click 

Browse to navigate to and select a test location for file delivery. 

4 Click OK. 

Print delivery 

SMS delivery 

Modify the Device Editor General properties for print delivery to specify a 

test printer location using the following steps. 

To modify print delivery configuration 


Devices, and select Printer. 

2 Right-click the print device and select Edit. The Device Editor: Default 

Printer for Print dialog box opens. 

3 Modify the printer path by selecting a test printer from the Printer 

Location drop-down list. For information on adding a test printer, see 

the Narrowcast Server System Administrator Guide. 

4 Click OK. 

Modify the SMSC IP address so that it no longer points to a valid destination, 

using the following steps. For example, you can use a test IP address to point 

to the test machine. 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Modifying the configuration of the target system 15

3 


To modify SMS delivery configuration 


Information Transmitters, right-click SMS (SMPP), and select Edit. The 

Information Transmitter - SMS (SMPP) dialog box opens. 

2 Type the IP address of the test machine in the SMSC IP Address field. 

3 Click OK. 

Portal delivery 

Data warehouse 

The portal information transmitter transmits the messages to the 

Subscription Book Repository database. Therefore it is not necessary to 

disable the portal information transmitter. 

If the subscription sets in the application use pre- or post-SQL statements to 

modify the contents of a database, you should remove the SQL statements 

using the following steps. The SQL statements are removed from the 

subscription sets in the target system to avoid accidental data changes. 

To modify data warehouse configuration 

1 In Narrowcast Server Administrator, expand Applications, expand My 

First Application, and select Subscription Sets. 

2 Right-click an available subscription set and select Edit. The Subscription 

Set Editor - New Subscription Set dialog box opens. 

3 From the Edit menu, select Subscription Set Properties. The 

Subscription Set Properties dialog box opens. 

4 From the Pre-execution SQL and Post-execution SQL Specification tabs, 

select the available SQL statements and click Remove. The SQL 

statements are removed. 

16 Modifying the configuration of the target system © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.


5 Click OK. 

Testing functional areas 

Test the following functional areas on the upgraded Narrowcast Server 

system: 

• Information objects, page 17 

• User Information Source, page 18 

• Dynamic subscriptions, page 18 

• SMTP information transmitters, page 19 

• XSL stylesheets, page 19 

• MicroStrategy Logging Server, page 20 

Information that needs to be tested for each area is listed below. 

Information objects 

Test whether the subscription information and content information objects 

are upgraded to use prompts in the report for segmentation. 

Subscription and content information objects 

The subscription information object is the original subscription and content 

information object, with the role set to subscription only. 

The content information object is created as a copy of the subscription and 

content information object. The role is set to content, and personalization 

mode is set to personalized page execution. This information object is named 

“Content IO for Sub IO - %%Sub IO Name%%” and is saved in the same 

folder as the subscription information object. 

If the subscription and content information objects have been used in 

Narrowcast documents, all documents are modified to use this newly created 

content information object. 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Testing functional areas 17

3 


Content information objects using personalized page 

execution 

Content information objects executed in personalized page execution mode 

that use segmentation are upgraded to content information objects executed 

in personalized page execution mode where segmentation is performed using 

prompts in the report. 

User Information Source 

The User Information Source is hidden, along with the corresponding 

information objects and question objects. 

Test whether you can: 

• Add information objects to documents. Right-click the document and 

select Edit. The Document Editor is displayed. Click Insert and select 

New Information Object. 

• Edit the available user information properties. Select Edit Available 

User Properties from the Tools menu in Narrowcast Administrator. For 

an introduction to user information properties, see the Narrowcast 

Server System Administrator Guide. 

• Set user information for a new account. To do this, create a new account 

in the Subscription Portal. You are prompted for information in the user 

information section of Narrowcast Administrator. You can provide user 

information through the Subscription Portal or the User Editor dialog 

box in Narrowcast Administrator. 

Dynamic subscriptions 

For the Narrowcast Server system you are upgrading, you can specify 

whether information sources should support dynamic subscriptions. 

When 

dynamic subscriptions are not supported by an information 

source, the subscription administrator cannot define subscription 

and/or segment information objects for that information source. 

When the Narrowcast Server application is upgraded, the information source 

is upgraded to support dynamic subscriptions. The information source 

definition is modified to include the attribute form used in one of the 

subscription objects for the subscription ID. The attribute form is included in 

18 Testing functional areas © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.


the list of available attribute forms in the dynamic subscription setup area of 

the Information Source Wizard. The system administrator should also 

execute the Information Source Wizard to ensure that the dynamic 

subscription properties are correctly set up. 

Subscription, content, and segment information objects of information 

sources supporting dynamic subscriptions are upgraded. In the upgraded 

application, test whether the information objects function as described 

below: 

• Subscription information objects are upgraded to retrieve subscription 

information from a selected report, rather than retrieving subscription 

information directly from the project based on the information source 

definition. 

• Subscription and content information objects use prompts in the report 

for segmentation rather than segmenting the automatically returned 

information. 

• Segment information objects are still used by dynamic subscription sets 

to segment the subscription set. 

SMTP information transmitters 

XSL stylesheets 

SMTP information transmitters are upgraded to preserve the existing 

information transmitter name and support all devices supported by the older 

version of Narrowcast Server. 

The Delivery Engine in Narrowcast Server uses an upgraded XML parser and 

XSL processor. These components enforce more strict adherence to XSL 

stylesheet content and element usage rules and standards. 

For example, the copyright symbol © is not a legal symbol in XSL stylesheets 

unless a character set containing the symbol is explicitly referenced as the 

stylesheet character set. Therefore, an XSL stylesheet that includes this 

character but does not specify the use of a specific character set causes XSL 

transformation to fail. Similarly, XSL stylesheets that violate other parser 

rules also cause XSL transformation to fail. 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Testing functional areas 19

3 


Standard XSL stylesheets 

XSL stylesheets that were installed and configured with Narrowcast Server 

are automatically modified by the upgrade tool. If you modified one of the 

standard XSL stylesheets, you need to update the customized stylesheet file 

to adhere to the XSL standards. You must reload the imported XSL 

stylesheet file object that uses it. 

Custom XSL stylesheets 

Custom XSL stylesheets can fail during XSL transformation in the document 

element processing phase of service execution. The upgrade tool does not 

correct XSL stylesheet errors. You need to test and correct each custom XSL 

stylesheet in the upgraded system, as required. 

MicroStrategy Logging Server 

When the Narrowcast Server application is upgraded, the message format 

and the message contents used for messages sent through the MicroStrategy 

Logging Server change. Though the changes do not have an impact on 

product functionality, you need to modify the custom-built message parsers 

and handlers to work correctly with the new message format. 

Testing service execution behavior 

Use the Narrowcast Administrator application to test the services execution 

behavior of the upgraded application on the target system. If you have used a 

different machine to upgrade the application, you need to register that 

machine by selecting Register Existing System from the System menu. 

If your organization has a test procedure available, use the test procedure to 

test service execution. You can also test the service execution behavior by 

performing the following steps. 

To test service execution after upgrading 

1 Start the Narrowcast Server application. 

20 Testing service execution behavior © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.


2 From the Tools menu, select View System Messages to view error 

information. The error messages are displayed in the System Message 

Viewer: Tutorial System dialog box. 

3 Expand Administration and select Scheduled Services. Check the 

service queue to ensure that the scheduled services are available. 

4 Manually run each service with each subscription set it can use, one at a 

time. To do this, right-click the service and select Run Immediately. 

Check the System Message Viewer for errors during service execution. 

5 Create a test subscription set that includes a test subscription for each 

supported locale and device in the target system. Then add this 

subscription set to every active service. For information on creating a 

subscription set, see the Narrowcast Server Application Designer Guide. 

If 

you already have a test subscription set available, you do not 

need to create another one. You can use the existing test 

subscription set to test the subscriptions. 

6 Manually run each service with the test subscription set. To do this, 

right-click the service and select Run Immediately. Check the messages 

generated to ensure that the correct content is being delivered. 

7 Note and deactivate all the active schedules to disable service execution. 

To do this, right-click the schedule and select Activate or Deactivate. 

8 Re-enable message delivery via email and SMS. To do this, select the 

Send to Recipient via SMTP option from the Information Transmitter – 

Email (SMTP) dialog box. For more information, see the Narrowcast 

Server System Administrator Guide. 

Testing Subscription Portal behavior 

If your organization has a test procedure available, use that procedure to test 

the Subscription Portal behavior. You can also check the following in the 

Subscription Portal website to test the Subscription Portal behavior in the 

upgraded application: 

• Authentication behavior of the application when you log on to the 

upgraded target system. 

• Availability and behavior of the locales (languages) on the upgraded 

Subscription Portal. To do this, on the User Preferences page, ensure that 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Testing Subscription Portal behavior 21

3 


choosing a different language changes the Subscription Portal interface 

text to display the appropriate content. 

• Availability of devices and whether addresses can be created, modified, 

and removed using the devices. 

• Whether subscriptions to each service can be viewed, created, modified, 

and deleted. Check the test services with dynamic subscription set 

capabilities. 

• Whether subscription preferences can be modified. 

• Whether reports delivered to the Subscription Portal can be viewed. 

22 Testing Subscription Portal behavior © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.

4 

4.UPGRADING THE PRODUCTION 

ENVIRONMENT 

Introduction 

This chapter explains the procedure to upgrade your production system. It is 

assumed that you have upgraded the Narrowcast Server system in a test 

environment and tested the upgraded Narrowcast Server System. For more 

information, see Upgrading the Test Environment, page 3 and Testing the 

Upgrade, page 13. 

Upgrading the production system is the final step in the process of upgrading 

your existing Narrowcast Server system. Performing this step changes your 

existing Narrowcast Server from its current version to the new version. 

Before 

upgrading to 9.0, Web deliveries must be migrated to 

Distribution Services, as the upgrade process will remove all the Web 

deliveries information. Information to perform this important 

preparation step is below. 

The high-level upgrade tasks include the following: 

1 Shutting down the existing version of the production system, page 24. 

2 Installing the later version of Narrowcast Server on production 

machines, page 24. 


4 

Upgrading the Production Environment Narrowcast Server Upgrade Guide 

3 Preparing to upgrade, page 25. 

4 Upgrading the older version on the production system, page 25. 

5 Modifying the upgraded production system to use production machines, 

page 27. 

6 Merging changes from the testing system, page 27. 

7 Restarting the production system, page 27. 

Shutting down the existing version of the 

production system 

To begin upgrading your production system, you must first shut down your 

existing system using the earlier version of Narrowcast Administrator. This 

step is necessary to ensure that new subscriptions are not created in your 

system and services are not executed until after the upgrade is completed. 

Installing the later version of Narrowcast Server 

on production machines 

1 Before you begin the installation process, append .backup to all files that 

have the extension properties in the application folder (Program 

Files\MicroStrategy\Narrowcast Server) and its subfolders, 

and the common files folder (Common Files\MicroStrategy) and its 

subfolders. These files might be overwritten during the installation 

process, making it difficult to restore your earlier version configuration in 

the event that you need to do so. 

2 Refer to the MicroStrategy Readme files to ensure that installation can 

be performed on existing hardware. However, if additional hardware is 

available for Delivery Engine components, these machines can be used to 

reduce production system down time during the installation process. 

3 Install the later version of Narrowcast Server on production machines. 

Refer to the Narrowcast Server Installation and Configuration Guide 

for steps for product installation and configuration. 

24 Shutting down the existing version of the production system © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Narrowcast Server Upgrade Guide Upgrading the Production Environment 4 

Preparing to upgrade 

• If you are upgrading your production system to machines other than the 

ones currently used for production, ensure that data source names are 

available pointing to the Object Repository, Subscription Book 

Repository, and Portal Repository of the system to be upgraded. 

• Ensure that sufficient space is available in the Object Repository, 

Subscription Book Repository, and Portal Repository databases to copy 

all Narrowcast Server tables in these locations. Also, the upgrade process 

requires additional working space in these locations for transaction 

management. For these reasons, it is advisable to have at least three times 

as much space freely available in each of these database locations as is 

occupied by the current tables. Refer to your database administration 

guide for information on how to increase database size, if necessary. 

• The upgrade process provided with Narrowcast Server assumes that the 

system you want to upgrade is the system registered on the machine 

where the Upgrade utility is being used. If this is not the case, you need to 

specify the data source name, database, database type, user ID, password, 

and table prefix for the database hosting the Object Repository of the 

system you want to upgrade. For this reason, it is recommended that you 

write down this information before starting the upgrade process. This 

information can be retrieved in the System Configuration Wizard. 

Upgrading the older version on the production 

system 

To upgrade the older version of Narrowcast Server on the production system 

1 Launch the Narrowcast Server system upgrade utility from Narrowcast 

Administrator by selecting Upgrade Narrowcast Server System from 

the Tools menu. 

The upgrade tool reads the registry for a currently registered system to 

upgrade. If a system is found, the prefix, database type, data source name, 

login ID, and password are populated automatically by the tool. 

If no system is currently registered, or if you wish to upgrade a system 

other than the system currently registered, you must type the prefix, 

database type, data source name, login ID, password, and database 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Preparing to upgrade 25

4 


(optional). This information corresponds to the Object Repository of the 

system. The upgrade tool automatically upgrades the Subscription Book 

Repository associated with the supplied Object Repository. 

2 By default, the Commit changes incrementally check box is selected. 

This option reduces the memory consumption of the machine that is 

being used for the upgrade. 

3 Click Upgrade to begin the upgrade process. The upgraded information 

repositories are created and populated in the same database as your 

existing version information repositories. 

Upgrading from MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server 8.x 

The version of JVM that ships with MicroStrategy 9.0 does not support 

strong encryption. To enable strong encryption, the JVM on the Narrowcast 

Server machine must be updated. The steps below show you how to install a 

later version of JVM. 

To install a later version of JVM 

1 Download the Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) Unlimited Strength 

Jurisdiction Policy Files 1.4.2 from http://java.sun.com/j2se/ 

1.4.2/download.html from the Other Downloads area of the page. 

README.txt 

is one of the files that is downloaded with the step 

above. 

2 Follow the instructions in the README.txt file to install the jar files in 

Program Files\Common Files\MicroStrategy\JRE\142_06\ 

lib\security. 

3 Upgrade the Narrowcast Server repository. To do this, open the 

Configuration Wizard in Narrowcast Administrator. Select the Configure 

multiple machines option and then click through the clustering dialog 

boxes. 

On larger and slower systems, the upgrade process can take four hours or 

more. Once the upgrade has started, information appears in the Upgrade 

Summary section to outline the different steps being carried out. If an error 

is encountered during the process, the changes up to that point are rolled 

back to their original state. 

26 Upgrading the older version on the production system © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.

Narrowcast Server Upgrade Guide Upgrading the Production Environment 4 

If the upgrade process is successful, you are presented with an option to 

commit the changes made or to roll back the changes made. These changes 

do not impact your existing version 8.x system. 

If 

your system is clustered, you must review the setup for the 

Intelligence Server cluster in the Information Source Wizard after the 

upgrade is complete. 

Modifying the upgraded production system to 

use production machines 

Using the Narrowcast Server Export/Import tools, change the Distribution 

Manager, Execution Engine, and MicroStrategy Logging Server. 

Merging changes from the testing system 

Use Narrowcast Administrator’s object management capabilities to migrate 

any required changes from the upgraded testing system to the production 

system. 

Restarting the production system 

The last step in the process of upgrading your production system is to restart 

the system. First, reboot each server to ensure that all configuration changes 

take effect. Then, using Narrowcast Administrator, start your system from 

the System menu. 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. Modifying the upgraded production system to use production machines 27

4 


28 Restarting the production system © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc.

INDEX 

B 

best practices 4 

C 

configuring 

Distribution Manager 11 

Execution Engine 11 

Subscription Portal 11 

upgraded system 11 

content information object 18 

copying a Narrowcast Server repository 5 

D 

data warehouse, modifying 16 

Distribution Manager configuration 11 

dynamic subscription, testing 18 

E 

email delivery, modifying 14 

Execution Engine configuration 11 

© 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. 29 

F 

file delivery, modifying 14 

functional areas, testing 17 

I 

information object 

content 18 

subscription and content 17 

testing 17 

installing Narrowcast Server 24 

international support xxiv 

L 

Logging Server, testing 20 

M 

merging changes from the testing 

system 27 

modifying 

data warehouse 16 

email delivery 14 

file delivery 14 

portal delivery 16

Index Narrowcast Server Upgrade Guide 

N 

print delivery 15 

SMS delivery 15 

upgraded production system 27 

Narrowcast Server 

configuring 11 

installing 24 

registering 11 

P 

portal delivery, modifying 16 

prerequisites for upgrading Narrowcast 

Sever 4 

print delivery, modifying 15 

R 

registering 

copied version of Narrowcast Server 8 

Repository Copy Tool 5 

restarting the production system 27 

S 

service execution, testing 20 

simple mail transfer protocol for an information 

transmitter 19 

SMS delivery, modifying 15 

SMTP information transmitter, testing 19 

stylesheet, XSL 19 

subscription and content information 

objects 17 

Subscription Portal 

configuring 11 

testing 21 

support 

international xxiv 

support. See technical support. 

30 © 2012 MicroStrategy, Inc. 

T 

technical support xxiv 

testing 

dynamic subscription 18 

functional areas 17 

information object 17 

Logging Server 20 

service execution 20 

SMTP information transmitter 19 

Subscription Portal 21 

upgraded system 13 

user information source 18 

XSL stylesheet 19 

U 

upgrade utility 25 

upgraded production system, 

modifying 27 

upgraded system, configuring 11 

upgrading 

best practices 4 

copied Narrowcast Server system 9 

earlier version on production 

system 25 

high level steps 3 

preparation 25 

prerequisites 4 

user information source, testing 18 

X 

XSL stylesheet, testing 19

narrowcast server - MicroStrategy

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