Possible solution for TLS 1.2 issues between Windows 10 and Oracle EPM Weblogic

We have recently seen some users of both Dodeca and Hyperion products where Windows 10 machines have issues connecting to the Weblogic servers shipped with Oracle EPM due to the absence of the TLS 1.2 protocol.  The underlying issue is that Windows 10 is an evolution of technology whereas Oracle EPM Weblogic, and more specifically the Java version tested and shipped with it, are stuck in the stone age.  Java 1.6 started its journey to "end of life" in late 2013 and, though it continues to be covered under Extended Support, the EPM team has not delivered an update for their server.  Ironically, there is even a Java 1.6 version, Update 121, that now supports TLS 1.2; EPM is on Update 35.

So, what do you do?  I would be very hesitant to upgrade the Java version delivered with the EPM System.  After all, Oracle spent a lot of time working to certify on that version of Java.  One of our Senior Support Engineers, Jay Zuercher, did find something that appears to work - it hasn't yet been widely tested but may be worth a try.  Here are the steps he followed:

1. Login to the Weblogic console.
2. Navigate to Environment->Servers->AnalyticProviderServices0 (or to the server in which you are attempting to connect).
3. Click on the SSL tab and expand the Advanced section at the bottom.
4. Enable the “Use JSSE SSL” checkbox.
5. Save changes.
6. Navigate to the Server Start tab.
7. Add the following string to the “Arguments” box:
1. -Dweblogic.security.SSL.protocolVersion=TLS1
8. Save changes.
9. Activate all changes.
10. Restart the applicable service. 

These steps are furnished with no guarantees, but hopefully you will find them helpful.

ACE Alumni

Today, I asked Oracle to move me from Oracle ACE Director status to Oracle ACE Alumni status.  There are a number of reasons why I decided to change status.  When I started answering questions on internet forums years ago, I did it to share what I had learned in order to help others.  The same goes for this blog which I originally started so that I could give better and more complete answers to questions on the forums.

After the Hyperion acquisition by Oracle, I was contacted by Oracle who asked if I would be interested in becoming an "Oracle ACE".  It was an honor.  But over time, things have changed.  As more people found out about the ACE program, more people wanted to become an ACE.  If you have ever monitored the OTN Essbase and Smart View forums, they have become cluttered with copy and paste posts from people obviously trying to increase their points.  As the ACE program grew, it also become harder for the OTN team to manage and now require a formal activity reporting - a time report if you will - to track contributions to the community.  As I am already extremely pressed for time, I decided that tracking my contributions to the community - in exchange for a free pass to Open World, just didn't make sense.

All of that being said, just because I have moved to Oracle ACE Alumni status doesn't mean that I will stop contributing to the community.  My company will continue to provide free downloads and support for the Next Generation (Essbase) Outline Extractor and the Outline Viewer along with free downloads of Drillbridge Community Edition.  And maybe, just maybe, I will finally have time to write some new blog posts (maybe even some posts on some new Dodeca features inspired by our work with Oracle Analytics Cloud / Essbase Cloud!)

Breaking News! Dodeca Spreadsheet Management System Certified on Oracle Analytics Cloud!

Now that the Oracle Analytics Cloud, or "OAC", has been released, we had to get serious about our work with one of the Oracle Analytics Cloud components, the Essbase Cloud Service, or "EssCS" for short.  You would think that we should have been working hard on EssCS for quite some time, but we had been assured by Oracle product management that the Essbase Java API would be available in EssCS.  Of course, Dodeca was built using the Essbase Java API and thus we expected that support for EssCS would be very easy.

We got access to a production version of the EssCS last week and started our work.  As promised by product management, the Essbase Java API is available in EssCS and, believe it or not, we did not need to change a single line of source code in order to support the Essbase Cloud.  We did, however, have to update our build processes to use Java 8 instead of the decrepit Java 6 used in Essbase 11.x.

As far as configuration inside Dodeca itself, the only change we made was that we configured the APSUrl in the Essbase Connection object to point to the Essbase Cloud APS instance.  Note that the URL format has changed in the cloud.  The Java API was accessible in Essbase 9.3.1 through Essbase 11.1.2.4 using the format:

http://<server>:<port>/aps/JAPI

In the cloud, this has changed to:

http://<server>:<port>/essbase/japi

The Essbase Connection configuration looks pretty much the same as the configuration for an on premise connection configuration:

Of course, the Dodeca views look identical when run against an on premise or a cloud server:

In summary, it was trivial to test Dodeca using EssCS.  Every single Essbase functionality that we use in the product, from data grid operations to metadata operations and even report scripts, worked exactly the same as it does against an on premise Essbase cube.  Based on our testing, we are certifying the Dodeca Spreadsheet Management System to work on the Oracle Analytics Cloud.

We have a number of innovations we plan to introduce in the near future aimed to improve the Essbase Cloud experience, so stay tuned.  If you are planning to come to Kscope17 in San Antonio, plan to attend the Dodeca Symposium and you may just be the first to see of these cool new things!

Kudos to the Dodeca Support Team!

Here at Applied OLAP, we have a great support team that we have tasked with doing their best to make sure our customers are happy with their Dodeca software.  On most days, they are answering emails and firing up impromptu support webcasts to help our customers with any questions they have.

Today, we got some great feedback from a customer after a popup support webcast.  Here is an email I received today from Edgardo Rodriguez at Wall Street law firm Sullivan and Cromwell (email used with permission):

Hi Tim – just wanted to drop you a quick line on the tech support I received this morning.  Kevin & Rodney were helping me with a headcount report.  Have to tell you – they were great. They helped me leverage some of their code and walked me through the finer points of using it under our scripts – all under an hour!  They also turned me on to using the SQL retrieve as a possible solution (which I will be using shortly).

I appreciate you support more than you know. 

Just thought you should know..

Regards

Ed

So, here is a special call-out to our support team.  Way to go!

Essbase Cloud Service Webcast Available Online

Essbase Cloud Service is coming soon and, if you haven't had a chance to learn about it, here is how you can learn about it at your leisure. Oracle had a public webcast about two weeks ago and have made both the webcast and the slides available; you must have an Oracle login to see it. Here is the link to the EssCS webcast:

EssCS Webcast

And here is a link to the slides:

EssCS Webcast Slides

Essbase Cloud Service has some exciting new functionality that you should check out, even if you plan to keep your Essbase installations on-premise.  Over time, I would expect that most, if not all, of the innovations you see will be released in the on-premise version of Essbase.  If I were a betting man, I would guess the timing to be likely near the end of 2017 with the lrelease of "EPM 2017", which is the code name for the next major on-premise release,

Enjoy!