FluenceXL Web Edition Installation Guide

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Overview

To install FluenceXL Web:

  • Run the setup program while logged onto the server as a user with administrator permissions
  • Once installed, copy the provided license key (xl3web.license) into the website folder, which is by default: C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\FluenceXLWeb
  • When installed, the application is accessed by navigating to http://<yourservername>/FluenceXLWeb
  • FluenceXLWeb is the default website name during installation, but can be changed as required during the installation process
  • Please note version 6 will not upgrade existing version 5 installations: it will install as a separate product

Installation Pre-requisites

Server Requirements:

  • Windows 2000 Server or above
  • Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.1 or above
  • Microsoft .NET Framework version 4.0

Client Requirements:

  • Internet Explorer 7.0 or above
  • Google Chrome 5.0 or above
  • Mozilla Firefox 3.6 or above

The installation will automatically download and install any required Microsoft redistributables. If desired or if Internet access is restricted, these can be downloaded and installed manually before running the FluenceXL setup process. A list is available here.

Setting up the FluenceXL Web Edition application manually

This step is usually not required, as the setup program will create the web application for you. It may be necessary if:

  • During the setup process, the Add FluenceXL Web Edition to IIS checkbox was unselected
  • Your web server is set up in a non-standard configuration, especially where the Default Web Site has been modified
  • You wish to create the web application yourself for whatever reason

Note that in the non-standard configuration, you may receive the following error message from the setup program: Failed while processing WebVirtualDirs. (-2147024894)

In any of these cases, the setup program will have copied the application files to the web server, but you will have to create the site yourself. To do this:

  1. Open Internet Information Services Manager (inetmgr.exe)
  2. Under the Application Pools node, ensure that the FluenceXL application pool has been set up. It must be configured to use v4.0 of the .NET Framework and use the Classic pipeline mode.
  3. Under the Sites node, open the website in which FluenceXL Web Edition should be made available (usually the Default Web Site).
  4. Usually the FluenceXLWeb Virtual Directory will already exist within the website. If this is the case, then right-click on it and select Convert to Application. If not, right-click on the website instead and select Add Application...
  5. In the Add Application dialog, ensure that the FluenceXL application pool is selected and, if necessary, choose the correct path.

This will set up the application's web site. Further security setup and other configuration will likely be necessary. Information can be found below.

Analysis Services Security Setup and Options

Cube-based security options

FluenceXL Web Edition and Analysis Services on same server

Either basic authentication or integrated security may be enforced by IIS.

Windows Authentication

IIS Settings

Depending on your IIS version, take the following steps:

IIS 5/6

Right click the FluenceXLWeb directory and select "Properties" Select the "Directory Security" tab Ensure that "Integrated Windows authentication" is checked and all others are not.

FluenceXLWebConfigIIS5AuthenticationWindows.png
IIS 7/7.5

Select the FluenceXLWeb directory and open the "Authentication" section.

FluenceXLWebConfigIIS6Authentication.png

Ensure "ASP.NET Impersonation" and "Windows Authentication" are enabled, and others are disabled.

FluenceXLWebConfigIIS6AuthenticationWindows.png

If you do not have these options you must add them from Control Panel -> Programs -> Turn Windows features on or off

Web.config

You will need to change the web.config file to include entries for all bindings. These entries are dependent on the authentication mode (Basic, Windows or Anonymous) and whether or not you are using HTTPS.

Please note that when using HTTPS the security mode should be equal to Transport.

Authentication Using HTTPS web.config: on all bindings
Windows Yes <security mode="Transport"> <transport clientCredentialType="Windows"/> </security>
Windows No <security mode="TransportCredentialOnly"> <transport clientCredentialType="Windows"/> </security>
Multiple IIS sites

If you are using multiple sites in IIS you need to add the following to web.config in section <serviceHostingEnvironment>

multipleSiteBindingsEnabled="true"

Basic Authentication

IIS Settings

Depending on your IIS version, take the following steps:

IIS 5/6

Right click the FluenceXLWeb directory and select "Properties" Select the "Directory Security" tab Ensure that "Basic authentication" is checked and all others are not.

FluenceXLWebConfigIIS5AuthenticationBasic.png
IIS 7/7.5

Select the FluenceXLWeb directory and open the "Authentication" section.

FluenceXLWebConfigIIS6Authentication.png

Ensure "ASP.NET Impersonation" and "Basic Authentication" are enabled, and others are disabled.

FluenceXLWebConfigIIS6AuthenticationBasic.png
Web.config

You will need to change the web.config file to include entries for all bindings. These entries are dependent on the authentication mode (Basic, Windows or Anonymous) and whether or not you are using HTTPS.

Please note that when using HTTPS the security mode should be equal to Transport.

Authentication Using HTTPS? web.config – on all bindings
Basic Yes <security mode="Transport"> <transport clientCredentialType="Basic"/> </security>
Basic No <security mode="TransportCredentialOnly"> <transport clientCredentialType="Basic"/> </security>
Multiple IIS sites

If you are using multiple sites in IIS you need to add the following to web.config in section <serviceHostingEnvironment>

multipleSiteBindingsEnabled="true"

Anonymous Authentication

IIS Settings

Depending on your IIS version, take the following steps:

IIS 5/6

Right click the FluenceXLWeb directory and select "Properties" Select the "Directory Security" tab Ensure that "Enable anonymous access" is checked and all others are not.

FluenceXLWebConfigIIS5AuthenticationAnon.png
IIS 7/7.5

Select the FluenceXLWeb directory and open the "Authentication" section.

FluenceXLWebConfigIIS6Authentication.png

Ensure "ASP.NET Impersonation" and "Anonymous Authentication" are enabled, and others are disabled.

FluenceXLWebConfigIIS6AuthenticationAnon.png

If you do not have these options you must add them from Control Panel -> Programs -> Turn Windows features on or off

Web.config

You will need to change the web.config file to include entries for all bindings. These entries are dependent on the authentication mode (Basic, Windows or Anonymous) and whether or not you are using HTTPS.

Please note that when using HTTPS the security mode should be equal to Transport.

Authentication Using HTTPS web.config: on all bindings
Anonymous Yes <security mode="Transport"> <transport clientCredentialType="None"/> </security>
Anonymous No <security mode="TransportCredentialOnly"> <transport clientCredentialType="None"/> </security>
Multiple IIS sites

If you are using multiple sites in IIS you need to add the following to web.config in section <serviceHostingEnvironment>

multipleSiteBindingsEnabled="true"

FluenceXL Web Edition and Analysis Services on separate servers

Either basic authentication or integrated security may be enforced by IIS.

Basic authentication

Make same changes as for FluenceXL Web Edition and Analysis Services are on same server.

Integrated Security

Make same changes as for FluenceXL Web Edition and Analysis Services are on same server.

In addition to enable integrated security in this situation, the network must be set up to support the Kerberos authentication protocol to enable the security credentials to be passed on from the web server (where they were received from the originating client) to the OLAP server. This is due to a limitation in the NTLM (LanManager) protocol which does not support the delegation of security credentials further than one-hop.

Anonymous authentication

Make same changes as for FluenceXL Web Edition and Analysis Services are on same server.

FluenceXL Web Security

During the installation FluenceXLWeb sets up Read/Write permissions on the following folders.

  • FluenceXLWeb\Repository (handles repository and publish / preview)
  • FluenceXLWeb\Temp (handles save to excel and save to repository)

Functional User Permissions

Access to the application, and the type of access is controlled by two files located in:

C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\FluenceXLWeb\Xml\Security

To enable or disable user or group access to the Web Edition, enable or disable read access for the relevant user or group to:

system.xml

'Ad hoc' access gives users the ability to build their own report from scratch. This access is controlled via the adhoc.xml file. To restrict users to be able to view only pre-published reports, revoke access to:

adhoc.xml

Repository Management and Security – User Folders

The repository, visible in the left hand pane of the web application, is simply a folder on the Web Server within which additional subfolders can be added. All published reports are held within the repository folder, or subfolders within it. The folder location will by default be:

C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\FluenceXLWeb\Repository

Additional folders can be added as required, at the level immediately beneath the Repository folder itself, for example one folder per user group. These are added on the server itself, thus lending itself to maintenance of the structure by the IT function, or a designated user(s).

Windows permissions determine which folders are visible within the web application to any given user, e.g. can be configured such that the 'Sales' function cannot see the 'Finance' function folder and vice versa. This is all handled transparently by the application, and set at the Windows folder level permissions level. The same logic is true of read/write vs. a read-only split between user groups.

Note that every user has a 'My Reports' folder, which is the equivalent of 'My Documents' in Windows, and is only accessible by the individual user. These are held in the location below:

C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\FluenceXLWeb\Repository\__userfolders__

Published Connections

When a user publishes a connection to FluenceXL Web, which may contain custom calculations, etc, they are published to:

C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\FluenceXLWebv6\Repository\__xlcubed__\__connections__\Published Connections

or to subfolders which have been created within this.

Published Favourites When a user published a report favourite to the web, they are published to:

C:\inetpub\wwwroot\FluenceXLWebv6\Repository\__xlcubed__\__grids__\Published Favourites

Accessing FluenceXL Web reports from SharePoint and other portals

FluenceXL Web reports can be accessed either through the Web Edition homepage, or accessed directly by URL within other portals.

To get the URL for a specific report, in the homepage of FluenceXL Web:

  • Click on the View parameters icon:
    GetUrl1.png
  • Then press the Get Url button:
    GetUrl2.png

The provided URL can be used to embed the report within other portals and frames as required. In the case of SharePoint, the URL is used within a sitelink web part.

Additional configuration options accessible as suffixes on the URL are:

HorizontalScrollbar true/false
VerticalScrollbar true/false
SheetTabs true/false
Toolbar true/false
DefaultTargetFrame text

For example, for the report above, to include the toolbar in the rendered version, the URL would become:

http://localhost/FluenceXLWeb/WebForm/ShowReport.aspx?rep=FluenceXL/Management Book.xml&dpi=96&Toolbar=True

System Configuration Settings

Behavioural Configuration

The web.config file held within the FluenceXLWeb folder determines various behavioural aspects of the product. The following settings are held within the <appSettings> section.

LogErrors write errors to Error.log file
LogPerformance for debug only
ShowErrorMessages show detailed error messages or just a reference to the log file
DefaultChartSeries default number of series to chart on an ad-hoc report
MaxChartSeries maximum number of series to chart on an ad-hoc report
DisplaySystemMemProps show system member properties available for selection
DrillthroughDefaultMaxRows default maximum rows on a drillthrough
DrillthroughAbsoluteMaxRows maximum permitted rows on a drillthrough
RepositioryRootUNC No longer supported - listed for compatibility reasons. To create a shared repository, use MKLink [1] to replace the folder with a Symbolic Link to a network share.
ClearLevelsMovedToFilters Where an entire level is selected on an axis (potentially a large number of members), and is dragged onto the slicer, the selection is changed to the default member (Typically 'All'). This is to prevent users accidentally creating a very slow running query by individually aggregating all the members dragged to the slicer
DefaultCulture Backup culture where it cannot be retrieved from the browser
QueryActiveDirectory Used to display the user name on homepage
WritebackTimeout Writeback timeout in milliseconds
PdfConverterUserName see PDF Printing - Configuration
PdfConverterPassword see PDF Printing - Configuration
DocumentDomain Used when embedding FluenceXL within an iframe on a different server

PDF Printing Configuration

For PDF printing you need to:

1. Edit web.config and change PDFRenderer value to SpreadsheetGear:

<add key="PdfRenderer" value="SpreadsheetGear"/>

2. In a 64-bit environment you will also need to change an application pool setting in IIS.

PDF1.png

Select View Application Pools and select the FluenceXL application pool.

PDF2.png

Select Advanced Settings and set Enable 32-bit Applications to False

PDF3.png

Server specification

Recommended specification is dependent on the cube size and design, the number of users, and the pattern of usage. Having Analysis Services on the same machine will also have an impact.

As an absolute minimum we recommend:

  • Memory: 2GB
  • Processor: Dual Core 2.2 GHz

Application Usage

  • Please refer to the help menu within the product for an overview of all functionality.

See Also

External Links