Multiple Web Reports Servers with a Single Database

Usage and Config Platform
1

I am looking to set up an additional Web Reports server in our production environment. I won’t be able to use SQL Express so, I would like to use our existing DB server since there would be no additional SQL licensing costs. Is there a way to create a BESReporting DB in the same instance with a different name (e.g. BESReporting2) and then just configure ODBC on the new Web Reports server to point to it?

2

I believe you could setup a named instance in SQL and then you wouldn’t have naming collisions with the databases

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3

I’d like to avoid creating a new instance. Is there a solution where I could just create a DB within the same instance?

4

I’ve done this with Windows. I have WebReports running on ServerA and ServerB. ServerA is using BESReporting database on SQLServer1 and ServerB is using BESReporting2 database on SQLServer1.

If i recall, all it took was changing the ODBC BESReporting on ServerB to use the BESReporting2 database (which I think you’ll want to have created first).

Also, just make sure to backup your original BESReporting database. Also, one gotcha is after you do any WebReports software upgrades, they usually change the database back to the original BESReporting so you’ll have to remember to update your ODBC after any software upgrades.

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5

So that is what I was looking for. How does that work then with upgrades? I don’t know if there are necessarily schema upgrades from one version to the next, but I imagine there are at least some updates to the tables to reflect the version of web reports that it supports.

6

When I do my updates, ServerA is running BES Root server and WebReports. Both databases are on SQLServer1 (BFEnteprise and BESReporting). ServerB is just running WebReports and running BESReporting2 DB on SQLServer1.

I’ve upgraded the software on ServerA and ServerB at different times (but to the same version like 9.2.5.130) and they haven’t impacted each other because they are different BESReporting databases.

7

When you do your update to ServerB, do updates get written successfully to the BESReporting2 DB? How does that work if the upgrade changes the ODBC back to the original BESReporting DB?

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