Backup and Restore

Back up BusinessObjects content to disk on a schedule, promote it to another environment, and restore objects from any archive.

License and permission

The Backup/Promote tab appears when your license includes the BusinessObjects client features and your MetaMiner role grants Tab: Backup/Promote. This permission applies to all environment types, so it must be granted on every loaded environment. The tab is hidden when only Power BI environments are loaded. Restoring into an environment also needs Import on the target. If your license does not include Backup and Promote, the tab shows a "not licensed" overlay. See Permissions Reference and Editions and Licensing.

How it works

flowchart LR
  CMS[(Source CMS)] -->|backup job run| ARC[Archive BIAR on MMS disk]
  CMS -->|promote| TGT[(Target CMS)]
  ARC -->|restore| TGT
  ARC -->|restore| CMS

Term	Meaning
Backup job	A saved definition: source environment, contents (wizard selection or SQL), optional promotion target, schedule, notifications and retention.
Archive	One run of a backup job, stored as a BIAR file on the MetaMiner Server (MMS).
BIAR	The BusinessObjects business intelligence archive format, also used by the CMC and Promotion Management.
Promote	Copy the job's contents straight into a target environment instead of (or in addition to) saving to disk.
Restore	Import selected objects from an archive into the same or another environment.

To create and schedule jobs, see Backup and Promote Wizard.

Tab layout

Image of the Backup/Promote tab with the backup jobs table on top, the archives of the selected job below, and MMS Free Disk in the toolbar

../images/client/backup-promote-tab.png

Area	What it shows
Toolbar	Reload, New Backup..., Clone, export, Find (search in backups), Import from BIAR, and MMS Free Disk (free space on the MetaMiner Server).
Backup jobs table	One row per job: name, type, source environment, schedule, last run, successful runs, next run, status.
Archives table	The archives of the selected job: Source Environment, Archive Name, Created On, Modified On, File Size, Total Items, Export Issues, Import Issues.

Select an archive to see per-object export errors in the lower pane.

Where archives are stored

By default archives are written under the MetaMiner Server install folder:

C:\Program Files\Infolytik\MetaMiner\server\alerts\archives

Change the location in the MetaMiner Administrator (MMA): Preferences > Settings > Backup > Backup Archive Path. A backup job can also override the path for its own archives (Override default backup path). See Backup settings.

Service account access for network paths

The path can be local or UNC. For a UNC path, the Windows account that runs the MetaMiner Server service must have read and write access to the share. The default Local System account usually cannot reach network shares.

Plan disk space

Archives are compressed BIAR files, but a job that keeps many runs needs several times the size of the content it backs up. Set a retention policy on each job and watch MMS Free Disk.

TODO: provide a measured sizing rule (compression ratio and recommended free space per retained run)

The previous page stated 3x content size for 10 runs and 5-15 MB per 100 MB report; neither figure is verified.

Restore objects from an archive

Before you begin

• The target environment is loaded in the MMC, and your role grants Import on it.
• The target runs the same or a newer BusinessObjects major version than the source. MetaMiner refuses a restore into a lower major version and warns about a lower minor version.
• With a Basic Edition license you can restore only into the same environment.

Steps

1. In the jobs table, select the backup job. Right-click it and choose Restore Backup... (or right-click an archive and choose Restore from this Backup...). The Restore from Backup wizard opens.
2. Select the archive (backup run) to restore from and click Next.
3. Select the target environment. MetaMiner loads the archive contents ("Loading BIAR data..."; large archives take a while).
4. In the archive tree, select the objects to restore. Each object shows whether it already Exists in the target. Optional:
   • Include Security restores the objects' security settings.
   • Change Parent Folder... restores the selected objects into another folder; Reset Parent undoes it.
   • Auto refresh Status re-checks the target status of each object.
   • Restore using SQL... selects objects by query (see below).
5. Click Finish. MetaMiner shows "Importing backup data..." and then the Import Result dialog.

Image of the Restore from Backup wizard object selection page with Include Security and Change Parent Folder

../images/client/restore-wizard-select.png

You can restore from one archive at a time.

Select objects with SQL

Restore using SQL... runs a query against the MetaMiner Database (MMDB) and selects the matching objects in the loaded archive. The query must return a String column named exactly cmsid and a column whose name ends with cuid or objectid. Options: Include instances of matched reports, Include children of matched folders. Use Validate to check the columns, then Run and match, then Select matched in archive.

Example: select every document whose name starts with Sales

SELECT d.cmsid, d.cuid
FROM documents d
WHERE d.name LIKE 'Sales%';

TODO: verify example column names against the MMDB schema

Verify

The Import Result dialog lists each object as loaded, renamed (with the original name), warning or failed. Refresh the CMS Explorer to see the restored objects.

Other archive actions

Action	Where	What it does
View Backup Contents	Archive right-click	Opens the archive contents in a CMS Explorer-style tree without restoring.
Switch Source Environment	Archive right-click	Associates the archives with another source environment, for example after the source CMS was rebuilt under a new environment.
Delete	Archive right-click	Deletes the selected archive files from the MetaMiner Server.
Find	Toolbar	Searches object names across all backup jobs and their archives, or within one job.
Import from BIAR	Toolbar	Opens an external BIAR file (for example one exported from the CMC) in the restore wizard.

TODO: confirm Switch Source Environment semantics with product owner

Troubleshooting

Can not export to an environment with a lower major version

Restore into an environment on the same or a newer BusinessObjects major version.

Archives fail to write to a network share

Run the MetaMiner Server service under a domain account with read/write access to the share, then restart the service. See Service Accounts.

Your MetaMiner license allows you to restore only to the same environment

Basic Edition limit. Choose the source environment as the target, or upgrade the license.

Related

• Backup and Promote Wizard
• Export to CMS and LCM
• Disaster Recovery
• Export and Promotion