OBIEE 11g Admin Tool - Unable to Import Metadata But Able to See Data From Already Imported Tables?

Question

This is a bit of an odd question but this really has my curiosity.

I have an RPD that was inherited.

I was trying to import a table in the physical layer and hit an error saying "The connection has failed"

Fair enough, I looked around and it sounds like its due to the fact that on my LOCAL machine that I am running the Admin tool on, I probably do not have the TNSNAMEs file set up with the DNS entry.

But when I try to view the data of some tables that was already imported, I can see data being generated.

I did some digging, and from what I understand when I am importing metadata it is dependant on the TNSNAMES file of my LOCAL machine that the Admin tool is running on.

Then when viewing data of a table, it is using the TNSNAMES file on the SERVER.

Is my understanding correct?

If it is, I have a second question.

Now, I looked at BOTH my TNSNAMES file on my LOCAL and my SERVER. On NEITHER of the two TNSNAMES file do I see anywhere the DNS being used in the Import metadata. So I would expect to not be able to import any metadata, AND I should not be able to view any data.

So my ultimate question is:

If my local machine AND my server machine TNSNAMES file BOTH do not contain the data source - how on earth am I able to "view data" of a table?

Are there any other locations for the TNSNAMES file??

Im pretty confused as I thought there was only two locations for TNSNAMES file - One local for importing data, then the second one is on the server to view data. But NEITHER of these locations/files have the DNS, but I am still able to see data?

Thomas Dodds · Answer

+1 @Gianni Ceresa

Good point ... I have always had a static DB connection for importing metadata into RPD ... once imported I copy into the connection that has variables ....

Gianni Ceresa · Answer

I'm not sure the wizard support variables, so in the wizard replace the reference to variables "VALUEOF(...)" by the value itself.

Once imported you can switch back to variables if you want, or just copy/paste the imported objects in the existing database if that's what you are looking for.

chillychin · Answer

Hi Gianni

That is a very good point, so that would be a third location.

1) TNS file on local desktop machine

2) TNS file on server in OBIEE folders

3) Connection string in RPD

I was hoping that would be the answer but it doesnt seem to be.

This is what I am seeing

I right click on 'eReports' with the connection plug and select "Import Metadata" and I hit this error

This is probably because I dont have the connection on my local machine.

Then when I right click and view the properties I see the following

All the other tabs do not have values filled in

So it doesnt look like its hard coded into the RPD so far.

I then check the variables - eReports_DSN/eReports_USER I see the following

And the variable looks like its using a connection string from the TNS file in the OBIEE folders in the server

But when I check the TNS file in the OBIEE server "DMPROD" does not exist (theres only 3 connection strings in the file, so I dont think I missed it).

I tried to restart the server as well to see if maybe something was cached, but its still the same thing.

This isnt technically an "issue", but I would like to understand why this is happening. Not sure if I am missing another location where a connection string can be put in??