Merging PDFs Produces Blank Pages

So you're creating a number of individual PDFs, doing something with them, and then you want to merge them all into one, nice, long PDF at the end.

Something like this:

/* Merge! */
Local boolean &booMergeSuccess = &objMergeTool.mergePDFs(&arrFiles, &sNSMergedFileDestination | &sDirSep | "merged.pdf", &sError);

You can see this in Communication Generation for example.

But when you open the PDF only the first page has data, the rest are blank. What's going on?

I finally reduced this down to being something "wrong" with the individual PDFs that were being created, before they were merged. It wasn't the templates. It was something specific to the PDF files themselves.

Comparing them to an environment where (luckily) the merge did work showed that the PDFs that did merge had no security, while the ones that didn't merge did have security. File > Properties > Security.

xdo.cfg was the same in both environments. So where was this coming from?

I noticed that, in 8.53 at least, there are some new parameters for BI Publisher Report Definitions, namely PDF Security. The default for pdf-security was True.

I changed this to False and the merge worked. Finally.

This is overriding the global value at the report level. The global value is set at:
Reporting Tools > BI Publisher > Setup > Global Properties

tl;dr solution:

update PSXPGLBPROP
set propvalue = 'False'
where proplname = 'pdf-security';

Order SQL Using A Given, Distinct List

Say you have a requirement of updating the preferred phone number using a given, ad hoc, ordered list, where #1 in the list was the preferred number, if it exists, followed by #2 in the list and so on. Basically order by X, Y, Z.

This SQL will fit the bill: It's much easier to read the SELECT version first, as we can use the WITH clause:

with x_order as
      (         select 1 as ord, 'HOME' as phone_type from dual
      union all select 2 as ord, 'MOB'  as phone_type from dual
      union all select 3 as ord, 'WORK' as phone_type from dual
      union all select 4 as ord, 'SWK'  as phone_type from dual
      union all select 5 as ord, 'OTR'  as phone_type from dual
      union all select 6 as ord, 'FAX'  as phone_type from dual)

select * from ps_personal_phone ph
where emplid = '12345678'
and ph.phone_type =
      (select a.phone_type
      from
        ps_personal_phone a
      , x_order b
      where a.emplid = ph.emplid
      and b.phone_type = a.phone_type
      and b.ord =
            (select min(b2.ord)
            from
              ps_personal_phone a2
            , x_order b2
            where a2.emplid = a.emplid
            and b2.phone_type = a2.phone_type))
;

And the UPDATE version:

update ps_personal_phone ph
set ph.pref_phone_flag = 'Y'
where emplid = '12345678'
and ph.phone_type =
      (select a.phone_type
      from
        ps_personal_phone a
      ,
            (         select 1 as ord, 'HOME' as phone_type from dual
            union all select 2 as ord, 'MOB' as phone_type from dual
            union all select 3 as ord, 'WORK' as phone_type from dual
            union all select 4 as ord, 'SWK' as phone_type from dual
            union all select 5 as ord, 'OTR' as phone_type from dual
            union all select 6 as ord, 'FAX' as phone_type from dual) b
      where a.emplid = ph.emplid
      and b.phone_type = a.phone_type
      and b.ord =
            (select min(b2.ord)
            from
              ps_personal_phone a2
            ,
                   (         select 1 as ord, 'HOME' as phone_type from dual
                   union all select 2 as ord, 'MOB' as phone_type from dual
                   union all select 3 as ord, 'WORK' as phone_type from dual
                   union all select 4 as ord, 'SWK' as phone_type from dual
                   union all select 5 as ord, 'OTR' as phone_type from dual
                   union all select 6 as ord, 'FAX' as phone_type from dual) b2
            where a2.emplid = a.emplid
            and b2.phone_type = a2.phone_type))
;

Table Lock

Some useful tables when something somewhere has a table locked:

SELECT * FROM V$LOCK;

SELECT * FROM dba_blockers;

SELECT * FROM dba_locks;

SELECT * FROM dba_waiters;

SELECT * FROM V$SQLTEXT WHERE ADDRESS IN (SELECT SQL_ADDRESS FROM V$SESSION WHERE SID IN (SELECT HOLDING_SESSION FROM dba_blockers));

SELECT * FROM V$SESSION WHERE SID IN (SELECT HOLDING_SESSION FROM dba_blockers);

SELECT * FROM V$SQLTEXT WHERE SQL_ID = '21hy5qgd56a6g';

SELECT * FROM V$SESSION WHERE SID = 152;

Move a File Using PeopleCode

There's no generic function to move files in the PeopleCode universe, only to open them. Here's an elegant solution using the Java io package.

Local JavaObject &fromFile = CreateJavaObject("java.io.File", &strFromPath);
Local JavaObject &toFile = CreateJavaObject("java.io.File", &strToPath);
&fromFile.renameTo(&toFile);

And this is where our ED workflow redesign team went insane.

Tracing Application Engines

Tracing particular Process Definitions
This SQL script can make things a little clearer.

select '-TRACE ' || (
1    + -- Initiate the Application Engine Step trace
2    + -- Initiate the Application Engine SQL trace
4    + -- Trace dedicated Temp Table Allocation to AET file
128  + -- Initiate the Statement Timings trace to file, which is similar to the COBOL timings trace to file
256  + -- Initiate the PeopleCode Detail to the file for the Timings trace
1024 + -- Initiate the Statement Timings trace, but, instead of writing to the trace file, this trace stores the results in the following tables: PS_BAT_TIMINGS_LOG and PS_BAT_TIMINGS_DTL
2048 + -- Adding this value requests a database optimizer trace file
4096 + -- Request a database optimizer to be inserted in the Explain Plan Table of the current database
8192   -- This value sets a trace for Integration Broker transform programs
) as TRACE from dual;

select '-TOOLSTRACESQL ' || (
1    + -- Trace SQL statements
2    + -- Trace SQL statement variables
4    + -- Trace SQL connect, disconnect, commit and rollback
8    + -- Show fetched rows (indicates that it occurred, not data)
16   + -- Show all other API calls except ssb
32   + -- Set Select Buffers (identifies the attributes of columns to be selected).
64   + -- Show database API specific calls
128  + -- Show COBOL statement timings
256  + -- Show Sybase bind information
512  + -- Show Sybase fetch information
4096 + -- Show manager information
8192   -- Show Mapcore information
) as TOOLSTRACESQL from dual;

select '-TOOLSTRACEPC ' || (
1    + -- Trace instructions
2    + -- List the program
4    + -- Show assignments to variables
8    + -- Show fetched values
16   + -- Show stack
64   + -- Trace start of programs
128  + -- Trace external function calls
256  + -- Trace internal function calls
512  + -- Show parameter values
1024 + -- Show function return values
2048   -- Trace each statement in program
) as TOOLSTRACEPC from dual;

Tracing on the Server:
./psft/pt/8.52/appserv/*/psappsrv.cfg is where you can set tracing for Batch server instances.

[Trace]
;=========================================================================
; Trace settings
;=========================================================================
; SQL Tracing Bitfield
;
; Bit       Type of tracing
; ---       ---------------
; 1         - SQL statements
; 2         - SQL statement variables
; 4         - SQL connect, disconnect, commit and rollback
; 8         - Row Fetch (indicates that it occurred, not data)
; 16        - All other API calls except ssb
; 32        - Set Select Buffers (identifies the attributes of columns
;             to be selected).
; 64        - Database API specific calls
; 128       - COBOL statement timings
; 256       - Sybase Bind information
; 512       - Sybase Fetch information
; 1024      - SQL Informational Trace
; Dynamic change allowed for TraceSql and TraceSqlMask
TraceSQL=0

;-------------------------------------------------------------------------
; PeopleCode Tracing Bitfield
;
; Bit       Type of tracing
; ---       ---------------
; 1         - Trace Evaluator instructions  (not recommended)
; 2         - List Evaluator program        (not recommended)
; 4         - Show assignments to variables
; 8         - Show fetched values
; 16        - Show stack
; 64        - Trace start of programs
; 128       - Trace external function calls
; 256       - Trace internal function calls
; 512       - Show parameter values
; 1024      - Show function return value
; 2048      - Trace each statement in program  (recommended)
; Dynamic change allowed for TracePC
TracePC=0

;-------------------------------------------------------------------------
; AE Tracing Bitfield
;
; Bit       Type of tracing
; ---       ---------------
; 1         - Trace STEP execution sequence to AET file
; 2         - Trace Application SQL statements to AET file
; 4         - Trace Dedicated Temp Table Allocation to AET file
; 8         - not yet allocated
; 16        - not yet allocated
; 32        - not yet allocated
; 64        - not yet allocated
; 128       - Timings Report to AET file
; 256       - Method/BuiltIn detail instead of summary in AET Timings Report
; 512       - not yet allocated
; 1024      - Timings Report to tables
; 2048      - DB optimizer trace to file
; 4096      - DB optimizer trace to tables
TraceAE=0

;------------------------------------------------------------------------
; Performance Monitor Tracing Bitfield
;
; Bit       Type of tracing
; ---       ---------------
; 1         - Trace All performance monitor agent activity
TracePPM=0

Portal Navigation Path - Oracle PL/SQL Function

Thanks to Jake Gowens a.k.a. Zapp Brannigan

FUNCTION navString (prtlName IN CHAR, prtlObjName IN CHAR) RETURN VARCHAR2 IS

  prtlLabel         VARCHAR2(30);
  prtlParent        VARCHAR2(30);
  result            VARCHAR2(255);

BEGIN

  prtlLabel := '';

  SELECT MAX(PORTAL_LABEL), MAX(PORTAL_PRNTOBJNAME)
    INTO prtlLabel, prtlParent
    FROM PSPRSMDEFN
   WHERE PORTAL_NAME = prtlName
     AND PORTAL_OBJNAME = prtlObjName
     AND PORTAL_REFTYPE = 'C';

  if prtlLabel IS NOT NULL then
    if prtlParent = 'PORTAL_ROOT_OBJECT' then
      result := prtlLabel;
    else
      result := navStringF(prtlName, prtlParent) || ' > ' || prtlLabel;
    end if;
  end if;

  return result;

END navString;

Example:
Select navString(a.portal_name, a.portal_objname)
From psprsmdefn a
Where portal_uri_seg2 = 'JOB_DATA';

Returns:
Workforce Administration > Job Information > Job Data