Oracle Tip: Make OBIEE Answers open on Criteria tab

If you are working with a "not so quick" environment (it takes more than a few seconds to show results), it could be annoying waiting for the results to appear until you can switch to the 'Criteria' tab.
To change the default option, go to My Account and select Analysis Editor -> Start on Criteria.

Oracle Tip: Exception in thread "DwgCmdScheduler"

A customer had an issue with a StandAlone ODI Agent. Apparently the agent was up and running, but it was not possible to schedule any job.
ODI version was 11.1.1.6 installed on Unix Server.
I manually stopped the agent and restarted it using the following commands:


./agentstop.sh -NAME=<AGENT_NAME> -PORT=<PORT_NUMBER>

./agent.sh -NAME=<AGENT_NAME> -PORT=<PORT_NUMBER>

2014-03-11 10:36:33.325 NOTIFICATION ODI-1128 Agent <AGENT_NAME> is starting. Application Server: STANDALONE. Agent Version: 11.1.1.6.0 - 19/12/2011. Port: 20910. JMX Port: 21910.

2014-03-11 10:36:36.132 NOTIFICATION ODI-1136 Starting Schedulers on Agent <AGENT_NAME>.

2014-03-11 10:36:36.538 NOTIFICATION ODI-1111 Agent <AGENT_NAME> started. Agent version: 11.1.1.6.0 - 19/12/2011. Port: 20910. JMX Port: 21910.

Exception in thread "DwgCmdScheduler-WORK_REP_PRO" java.lang.NullPointerException

at com.sunopsis.timer.filterbased.SnpsBetweenHoursFilter.equals
(SnpsBetweenHoursFilter.java:112)

at java.util.AbstractList.equals(AbstractList.java:524)

at com.sunopsis.timer.filterbased.FilterBasedTaskScheduleDefinition.equals
(FilterBasedTaskScheduleDefinition.java:50)

at com.sunopsis.timer.SnpsTaskManager.updateDefinitionList(SnpsTaskManager.java:94)

at com.sunopsis.timer.SnpsAbstractScheduler.run(SnpsAbstractScheduler.java:161)

at oracle.odi.runtime.agent.scheduler.OdiAgentScheduler.run(OdiAgentScheduler.java:138)

at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:679)

2014-03-11 10:36:36.805 NOTIFICATION ODI-1137 Scheduler started for work repository WORK_REP on Agent <AGENT_NAME>

The error shows an issue with starting scheduler components of the agent. I googled the error and I did not find anything useful. So I tried creating a new agent with the same parameters (server and port number) and I could start it and schedule jobs. Then, what was wrong with the original agent?
Thanks to Oracle Support, I found out that there is a bug that raises this issue whenever just one column out of S_BEGIN_HOUR and S_END_HOUR in table SNP_PLAN_AGENT of the Work Repository has values in it.

“Problem Description

-------------------

There are two columns in the SNP_PLAN_AGENT, S_BEGIN_HOUR and S_END_HOUR.

Generally, S_BEGIN_HOUR and S_END_HOUR columns either both shows the correct 

time value or both NULL.

However, our ODI customer has faced major problems due to only one of the 

columns showed NULL and the other column showed the time value.”

I connected to the Work Repository and executed the following query:

select *

from SNP_PLAN_AGENT

where LAGENT_NAME = <AGENT_NAME>

and I have detected a line having S_BEGIN_HOUR = '01/01/70' and S_END_HOUR = null. 

I have updated the line setting S_BEGIN_HOUR to null in order to have both columns set to null. 

update SNP_PLAN_AGENT 

set S_BEGIN_HOUR = NULL  

where LAGENT_NAME = <AGENT_NAME> AND S_BEGIN_HOUR IS NOT NULL;  

COMMIT;  

I then tried to start the agent and it worked. No warnings and scheduling back up and running!