PerformancePoint Server SP2 - Feedback

Nick Barclay, Tim Kent and Sacha Tomey have all posted some detailed blogs on what you can expect from PerformancePoint Server SP2 so I will not labour the point. However here are some real live bits and bobs as I installed SP2(Beta) over a month ago under the following configuration:

• PPS Server, Windows 2008 Server and SQL Server 2008. X64, 4x6 core processors, 64 Gb Memory.
• SQL Server, Windows 2003 Server and SQL Server 2008. X64, 2x4 core processors, 64 Gb Memory.

We put a new server in for PPS but used an existing one for SQL. This will be upgraded within the next 3 months.

The install did not give any surprises. You must firstly install PPS RTM and then apply SP2 as was expected. Something that did bite us was the fact that you could use the PBM on the server but NOT from your desktop. My guys in networks are convinced that it is something to do with the way credentials are double hopped from the desktop to the PPS Server to the SQL Server. (They mumbled a whole bunch of stuff about Kerberos and AD and it would take days to figure out the problem.) To fix this we just changed the PPSPlanningWebService “ASP.NET impersonation” from Enabled to Disabled. Here is the error message you will find in your event viewer:

Date 14/11/2008 15:38

Log SQL Server (Current - 14/11/2008 15:38)

Source Logon

Message

Login failed for user 'NT AUTHORITY\ANONYMOUS LOGON'. Reason: Token-based server access validation failed with an infrastructure error. Check for previous errors. [CLIENT: [Ip address here]]

Date 14/11/2008 15:38

Log SQL Server (Current - 14/11/2008 15:38)

Source Logon

Message

Error: 18456, Severity: 14, State: 11.

Considerations when Installing on Windows 2008.

You need to make sure that Web Server (IIS) is installed. If not open Server Manager, click on “Add Roles” and Install Web Server(IIS).

Once installed open up Server Manager and click on Roles.

Click on “Add Role Services”.

Install the following services:

Application Development, all except “Server Side Includes”.

Under Management Tools, “IIS Management Console” and “IIS 6.0 Management Capability”.

Under Security “Basic Authentication” and “Windows Authentication”.

Now install the PPS RTM 64 bits. DO NOT run the Configuration Manager.

Install the PPS SP2 64 bits.

Now you can run the Configuration Manager for the PPS Planning. You must have SQL Server Cumulative Update 7 installed. We needed to install these files to ensure that we met the requirements:

• SQLServer2005-KB949095-x64-ENU.exe
• sqlncli_x64.exe
• SQLServer2005_ADOMD_x64.exe
• SQLServer2005_XMO_x64.exe

To register ASP.NET 2.0 Web Service Extensions in IIS:

• Open cmd : Start -> Run -> cmd
• Navigate to the correct folder and run:
• C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\V2.0.50727\aspnet_regiis –ir

You can then start the Configuration Manager again and from here on it is stock standard as per normal.

We needed to update to SP2 so that we could get the benefits on the Management Reporter in terms of performance. The improvements in performance are massive HOWEVER they are just not good enough. It still takes way too long to produce our reports. So back to the drawing board for Microsoft. They are now performing a full evaluation of the product and are working out how to improve it.

- Paul Steynberg