SAP BPC 7.5 MS - Office 2007 -Win7: Custom menu - error on open webfile links

[Former Member]

Hi,

I would like to know if there are any known issues (and hopefully the fixes) with using links on a custom menu to open webfiles.

Practically, I migrated from SAP BPC 7.0 MS to 7.5 (and xls 2003 to 2007/WinXP to Win7) and did a clean-up changing file names and adjusted the paths/links accordingly.Saving the menu and increasing the template, I received an reference error that the report could not be found, showing the old name(which was no longer in menu) and path.

Fair enough, torturing my limited SAPBPC/ICT wits, I assumed the local cached version of the menu will always take priority over the company one as long as one remains logged on on.

After re-logging I still received this error and went a step further (after browsing for answers) and cleared the local client information and deleted all content of the local app folder and even the private publications on the server.

Nevertheless after doing so I still receive an error albeit a different one [Method '~' of object '~' failed].

Funny enough this error is not applicable to all links on my menu eventhough I changed all names, for two nearly 99% identical report files one works and the other doesn't. The only workaround I found thus far is changing the filename a 2nd time. Somehow this workaround does not seem to me like an elegant solution and there might still be a situation for which this does not do the trick and I have not detected so far. Note that opening the reports not using a menu link did not pose any problem.

Making a menu from scratch (using my re-using my intended path and file)does not help either, somehow to me it seems there is an (xls?) association between the new name I gave to the file and the old path.

Anyone has an idea how this can be fixed?

Brgds,

Wim

[former_member186498 · Accepted solution]

Hi Wim,

wich sp have you installed?

Have you tried to clean your local cache, better your PC_MS folder?

The format in which you saved the template? (xlt, or the new xltx, xltm)?

Kind regards

     Roberto

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Roberto,

The PC_MS was indeed the missing link.

Deleting this folder and performing a test on the menu (to force it to update the EV_RESULT tab) did the trick.

All my other cache clearing was not relevant I suppose,

Thanks a lot for your swift and excellent reply

Brgds,

Wim

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Roberto,

Unfortunately I was rejoiced too quickly, modifying another menu I stumbled on the same error, which made it omnipresent again. And I learnt from another admin he already had a similar issue in the 7.0 version for a different application...some users having the error, others not.

So with regard to cache:

The [PC_MS] folder I cleared, now remains empty, could you tell me what is its purpose? My cache seems to end up in the folder [Outlooksoft] as was the case form my 7.0 on a Win XP environment.

In the file BPCLOG.0.LOG of my cache I found a technical description of the error, which looks rather VBA-ish to me.

#2.0 #2012 04 05 11:28:18:308#+2:00#ERROR#WebFolder##EPM-BPC-MS##d8de683c-1f49-43c9- b74b-7fa8740021c9###CommonFileAccess::GetFile#POST\\u344821########Plain##[LOG ID:324]System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.  at OSoft.Consumers.Common.FileAccess50.CommonFileAccess.GetFile(String strAppSet, String strApplication, String strTask, String strSubTask, String strTeam, String strSubfolder, String strFileName, String strLocks, String strSavePath, String strParam, String strMembersheetVer, String& strRtnFileName)#

Practically, when I now change the file name of an erroring report and update the link on the menu, it works for that report. However then changing it back to the previous name, the error re-occurs, which makes no sense to me. It seems that  certain path strings trigger the error. Using the OPENFILE stating the full path iso OPENWEBFILE resulted to the same error.

You have any idea what i could do next?

Krgds,

Wim

[former_member186498 · Accepted solution]

Hi Wim,

wich sp have you installed?

The format in which you saved the template? (xlt, or the new xltx, xltm)?

Kind regards

     Roberto

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Roberto,

Office 2007 SP2 / Windows 7 SP1

Both custom menu and EVDRE reports are saved as xltm.

Brgds,

Wim

[former_member186498 · Accepted solution]

Hi Wim,

wich sp of BPC?

fortunately I have half user with office 2007 and half with 2003 so I mantained the old .xlt template version and they works fine.

I think the issue is in dirty tmp files, so try deleting again PC_MS but delete also in local machine C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Temp\<Domain name>\<bpcusername> and from file server the private publication for that user (<appset>/<application>/private publication/<user name>).

Kind regards

     Roberto

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Roberto,

BPC 7.5 MO7

I think your diagnosis is correct, removing the local machine temp folder, solved the problem again. So it is indeed a cache/local temp problem. For my own user, i think swapping between 7.0 XP and 7.5 win7 environment triggers synchronisation issues.(and also explains why i never had it before). For the other application who has a larger user community and had a few users that experienced this issue already in 7.0 I think need to figure out how caching works.

Any idea whether there exists any documentation on this.

Anyhow thanks again for your speedy reply

Brgds,

Wim

[former_member186498 · Accepted solution]

Hi Wim,

sorry what mean MO7?

I only found a note about 7.0 http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1528423 and another that says that custom menu must be saved as .xltm as you made. Even from the note seems depending on dirty temp files, I think that when a tmp file is corrupted it prevents to update with a new file.

So I will try with a user to clean all the three places for tmp files and see if it stops.

"For my own user, i think swapping between 7.0 XP and 7.5 win7 environment triggers synchronisation issues"

So you're using 2 version of BPC? Only you or even the users? Are you using a VM or a boot for the 2 different OS?

Kind regards

     Roberto

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Roberto,

MO7 is what I received from our techies as the specific SP for 7.5 Version

We currently work with 7.0, but as the whole user community will be upgraded to Windows 7 requiring an upgrade to SAP BPC 7.5 (no longer compatible), I am testing the 7.5 on a separate server in parallel. Doing an upgrade without this testing would be like outsourcing my suicide.

So my issues arose probably because of working in parallel environments.

As for the application that already had such errors, they were working via Citrix as method did not provoke the issue, but the end game is to have everyone working with fat client installation. Since I have a solution (tried it for their admin), I will check this for users too and see whether if were one off's that slipped in or the issue re-occurs frequently.

The link you sent me requires a user and password, but how can i register for this site?

Brgds,

Wim

[former_member186498 · Accepted solution]

Hi Wim,

for the registration sorry I don't know, my sys. eng. open made all the registration and give me my user and psw, try on the SAP portal maybe you can simply make a new registration.

If the issue should remain and you can found other solution try saving custom menu in old format .xlt and/or all the report. With xlt format I've not this issue.

Kind regards

     Roberto