Can content be deployed from 10.2.1 to 10.2.2? from oracle 11.2.0.3 to 11.2.0.4?

[Penny]

Hi again everyone.

I am curious to know if it is possible to deploy content from 10.2.1 to 10.2.2?  Probably a dumb question, but I had to ask.

Thanks in advance for any insight you can offer.

[cognostechie]

That depends on what you mean by deploying content? Deployment usually means migrating some reports/packages from Development environment to Production. Is that what you mean or you meant to do an upgrade? The answer to both is YES but the former should not be done.

[Penny]

Okay I appreciate that comment, thank-you.

Further to my question:

I have a DEV environment 10.2.2 FP3, and a PROD environment 10.2.2 FP3. 

Very recently the DBA upgraded the content store on the DEV environment (after taking a backup), and applied a patch to bring the DEV content store data base from Oracle 11.2.0.3 to Oracle 11.2.0.4.5.  There may be an issue with restoring to the backed up version of the content store.  If we cannot restore then I have a DEV environment with content store at 11.2.0.4.5 and a PROD environment with content store at 11.2.03.  Can I deploy between these environments?  I did a small test and deployed a very simple report without issues, but am thinking that I should do a complete export on PROD, then do a full deployment and test, with the option of restoring PROD to the export if there are any issues.

If there are issues, I am a little stuck until the PROD content store is updated to Oracle 11.2.0.4.5.

The reason that I asked the first question (about deploying from Cognos 10.2.1 FP3 to Cognos 10.2.2 FP3 is that I have a full content store backup from just the Cognos upgrade from 10.2.1 FP 3 to 10.2.2 FP3.

I hope that this is clear.  Again any advice appreciated.

Thank-you

[cognostechie]

You might want to read your posts before you post it because you tend to mix up the words. You said that the DEV content store has been upgraded and then you said that the PROD content store is 11.2.04.5 and then you said that 'until the PROD content store is updated to 11.2.0.4.5' ! It seems that your DEV content store has been upgraded, not the PROD. Is that correct? If so, I cannot guarantee but I would presume that you would not have any issues if you use the Cognos deployment method of creating an archive using the Export option. That option creates a zip file which can be uploaded in any upgraded DB version. In fact, that's how an upgrade is done anyways. However, it is advisable to have the same DB version in DEV and PROD to ensure consistency and smooth transfer.

For restoring the full content store from backup of version 10.2.1, if it was the PROD content store you are talking about then rest assured that is not a good idea. The backup of a PROD content store becomes obsolete as soon as it is taken. If you restore from that then you would miss the content that was created after the backup was taken. That backup only acts as a satisfaction that if no other option is available then you still have something to go back to.

[Penny]

Yes you were correct (DEV content store was updated, PROD was not).   I have corrected my post.  My apologies.

Thank-you very much for the advice.

[bdbits]

It seems to me you have two mostly separate issues going on - one is a database platform update, the other is differing Cognos versions.

As far as I know, the content store database schema is independent of the database version (other than database platform specifics, e.g. datatypes). So as long as it is a supported version, the particular database version is not terribly important. Thus, the update from Oracle 11.x to 11.y is unlikely to be an issue, as far as Cognos is concerned.

The Cognos content store schema can and does change between Cognos versions. As I recall there is a version stamp on the database, and Cognos reads this when services start. If it finds it is earlier than the Cognos version itself, and it 'knows' how to convert it, then it does so and all is well. This would be the case for 10.2.1 to 10.2.2, since that is basically what would happen during a normal update process (as cognostechie said). Note that this does not work in reverse, i.e. you cannot take a 10.2.2 content store and expect it to work with 10.2.1. Likewise with Cognos objects themselves (reports, etc.), you can usually move from a lower to a higher version (within reason) but not higher to lower.

Copying content stores between the same version will not be a technical problem, though as cognostechie rightly pointed out you may lose content based on timing of backups and restores.

I think I mostly posted this for my own clarification. I am easily confused, just ask my wife. If it helps anyone else, so much the better.  8)

[nsaxena]

I am curious to know if it is possible to deploy content from 10.2.1 to 10.2.2?  Probably a dumb question, but I had to ask.

Hi Penny ,

Yes you can easily move all cognos content store database and move to new version. Just export current version content store database and deploy that same on new cognos 10.2.2 . Then you have to just link this database in cognos configuration portal.

[Penny]

Hi everyone

So we now have both environments upgraded to 10.2.2 of Cognos BI, but still have the slight difference in Oracle versions.
Everything is deploying correctly or at least it appears so with the testing I have done.  Our production Oracle will be upgraded so that both versions are the same.

Thank-you.