Black Magic

Ultramundane · Post by **Ultramundane** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 8:48 am

Hello,

We have an issue that comes up from time to time and IBM has not been able to help after opening 4 different cases on each of the occasions that this problem occurs. Now, from time to time, we will all of sudden start getting the below error:

Event Id: 12701
..... Time : Mon Sep 29 02:27:08 2008
..... Type : FATAL
..... User : dsadm
..... Message :
..... APT_CombinedOperatorController,0: The runLocally() of the operator failed.

This occurs when using the ODBC stage and once it starts for a project, it will cause problems for all jobs using the ODBC stage for any datasource. That is, all jobs using the ODBC stage will get the error and fail. This will occur for a little bit and then it will just stop. What is also strange, is that once it starts, we cannot get it to stop by any action of our own. That is, we have tried slibclean and also bounce of datastage. The problem will persist until it decides to stop (as if it has a mind of its own). During timeframe, we of course have critical jobs which must run. Thus, we have to identify those jobs and immediately edit them to replace the ODBC stage with a DRS stage that uses ODBC. This works. Can anyone provide a resolution to this issue?

Thanks.

ray.wurlod · Post by **ray.wurlod** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 3:38 pm

No idea. Disable operator combination, either globally or in particular stage(s), to find out which stage is actually throwing the error.

kduke · Post by **kduke** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 4:05 pm

Maybe you are running out of connections on the database.

Ultramundane · Post by **Ultramundane** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 6:07 pm

kduke wrote:Maybe you are running out of connections on the database. ...

No, has nothing to do with the database side. It is all ODBC stages to any ODBC source or target. DB2, SQL Server, etc... All fail. I will try what Ray has suggested the next time it happens.

pneumalin · Post by **pneumalin** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 11:41 am

Ensure you have latest DataDirect ODBC Driver 5.2.

Ultramundane · Post by **Ultramundane** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 9:37 pm

pneumalin wrote:Ensure you have latest DataDirect ODBC Driver 5.2.

I have been using the 5.2 ODBC drivers for almost a year now.

Ultramundane · Post by **Ultramundane** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 9:39 pm

pneumalin wrote:Ensure you have latest DataDirect ODBC Driver 5.2.

I have been using the 5.2 ODBC drivers for almost a year now.

pneumalin · Post by **pneumalin** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 8:31 am

We had the similar problem last year while using 5.0 with ODBC stage, and IBM suggested to use the 5.2 instead to resolve this problem. I double-checked our jobs implemented in production last year and found out all our jobs were actually using DRS stage. My co-workers who designed these jobs told me IBM at that time also suggested to use DRS stage instead of ODBC stage, and they took the advises since DRS stage indeed got more features than ODBC stage. So this issue might turn out an ODBC stage problem, and please post your findings on disable-operator-combination when you have a chance.

keshav0307 · Post by **keshav0307** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 8:30 pm

Do you see anything like QEWSD=...... , just next to the ODBC name in the .odbc.ini file

[DSO9ITMP]
QEWSD=39646
Driver=/u01/app/Ascential/DataStage/branded_odbc/lib/VMor820.so

Ultramundane · Post by **Ultramundane** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 2:56 pm

keshav0307 wrote:Do you see anything like QEWSD=...... , just next to the ODBC name in the .odbc.ini file

[DSO9ITMP]
QEWSD=39646
Driver=/u01/app/Ascential/DataStage/branded_odbc/lib/VMor820.so

Yes, but not for Oracle. We use the ODBC stage and the DRS stage for connectivity to SQL server and DB2.

keshav0307 · Post by **keshav0307** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 7:09 pm

the error is because of this .
it is because of the license issue.
i was having this issue, and the IBM support advice me about this.

ray.wurlod · Post by **ray.wurlod** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 8:13 pm

Brave call.

Just because the same symptom occurs does not necessarily mean that the cause is the same. Just ask your doctor.

Ultramundane · Post by **Ultramundane** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 8:17 pm

keshav0307 wrote:the error is because of this .
it is because of the license issue.
i was having this issue, and the IBM support advice me about this.

What is the license issue? This error is only sporadic and nothing about it so far conjures up any thoughts about a license issue? I hope you are right. I will mention it to IBM. However, this issue occurs only briefly, sometimes for a few hours and sometimes for a few days. The DRS stage still works during this timeframe will the ODBC stage does not. Thus, I am more inclined to think that some library or function is getting loaded that is causing it to get stuck in some code path that is causing all jobs to fail once it gets loaded. That is why I tried the slibclean and the restart of datastage. But, that to me, that still does not rule that out as a possibility. Anyways, I think that is what is going on. But, I do hope that I am wrong.

keshav0307 · Post by **keshav0307** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 10:14 pm

Does DRS stage use ODBC?? or the native client connection??

chulett · Post by **chulett** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 10:32 pm

Your choice. That's the 'dynamic' aspect of it,.