I’ve recived a confirned news about the lukewarm response to the free MicroStrategy Reporting Suite and MicroStrategy, Inc is getting desperate for License revenue. This is forced them to re-launch the free Reporting Suite. They have hired a battary of paid news sites, which is obvious with all BI product vendors. But the lukewarm response has forced them to relaunce the free suite once again after the initial launch. BTW, the price of v9 is strangely not much.
All posts by Tiwari Ashish
How to cheat MicroStrategy activation
I’ve not tried this, but this just flashed in mind when a friend asked this question while chatting. Basically, he wanted to learn MicroStrategy and I give away my v9 download and trial key. I do not know if I’m doing a license violation by that. I do not have MicroStrategy installed on my local machine and last attempt was a let down.
This is something that I suggest if you want to cheat (you can’t bypass) the 30 day trail. 30 days are not really sufficient to even understand MicroStrategy. MicroStrategy, Inc should think of getting a 3 or 6 month Learning License Serial Key for this mass of MicroStrategy learners and should give next versions Learner License Key to current client under this license.
Coming back to the issue: Use VMWare Server/Microsoft Virtual PC to safely cheat. VMWare is a Virtual OS product (it is much more then that too). You need to have a machine with better hardware configuration. Both are free downloads. MS stuff is free where as VMWare needs site registration.
- Create the basic Microsoft 2000 OS image of 25 GB.
- Install all latest SP/Patch to it. MS ODBC patches are very essentials for 2000 OS.
- Install latest version of Acrobat reader, Flash player, Java Runtimes, IIS and Tomcat Server
- Install Eclipse if you do MicroStrategy Java SDK or .net or MicroStrategy ASP.net SDK.
- Install Adobe Flex 3 Builder if you do Visualization SDK (Flash dashboard)
- Move MicroStrategy installation files into the OS image.
- Now make two more copies of this image (for safe backup if you mess with any of backup in future).
- Using 30 days Trail Serial Key, install MicroStrategy.
- Activate your installation.
- Use it for 30 days.
- Move back the metadata to host OS. You may not require this step if you already have it in host OS or any machine over LAN. VMWare/Virtual OS image can also access machine over LAN.
- Make another copy of image created in step 7
- Repeat after step 8.
Disclaimer: This steps are for demonstration purpose only and you hold all legal responsibilities of using this method to cheat License agreement. It may be outright illegal if you do so and may land you in legal trouble. Kindly check your license agreement before proceeding.
Update 2009-08-22 15:38:53: The Trial serial key(s) can not be used indefinately for installations, so one need to turn back time of the VMWare image too 😉
How to hide Metric column in MicroStrategy
For hiding Metric column only in Web: (assuming that English language was the Locale.)
- On the Web Server machine, go to the default location of Web ASPxWEB-INFclassesresources and open up the file called MessagesBundle_en_US.properties.
- Go to the line ‘mstrWeb.1158’. For English language, ‘Metrics’ is the value.
- Delete the word ‘Metrics’ and leave one single space.
- Save the close the file.
- Restart Web server.
Note: If an environment is being accessed by users that may not be using the project default language, the administrator will need to go in and modify each MessageBundle properties file for that respective language and clear the mstrWeb.1158 Metrics reference.
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For hiding Metric column in Desktop for Reports and RS documents.
1st method
- Goto Grid menu and check that Automatic Column width is disabled.
- Place the mouse between the Metrics column and the first metric on the report. Then, drag the column to the left until it is no longer present on the report:.
2nd method
- Open Options under Grid menu.
- Open tab Columns and Rows.
- Select radio button Fixed.
- Select Metric from dropdown menu and set 0 as pixen as width.
MicroStrategy event in India
Finally, MicroStrategy Inc is going to host BI classes in India.
20th May: co-sponsored by Systech
22nd May: co-sponsored by InfoStep
Location are not specified, but looks like they would be hosted at Chennai and Mumabi respectively.
MicroStrategy license is Absolutely free now
Not within a month after the release of Free Reporting Suite (that’s what MicroStrategy, Inc calls the free BI product), MicroStrategy, Inc. is giving away the must have features finally absolutely free. I user named rich Arriaga pointed out the same to me. First, I disbelieved, but I see that there are lot of change on the site itself. But one image showing that you need to pay for must have features still exist (check the image above). I thought I must have had done a mistaken in missing to read NOT INCLUDED during initial launch of Reporting Suite, but the site/license policy is indeed changed.
Also, now MicroStrategy explictly states that that technical support cost 18%, which I had posted earlier. Something that was missing from MicroStrategy, Inc site.
This will certainly help the MicroStrategy professionals community a lot and MicroStrategy clients in long run in easily hiring MicroStrategy professional readily and at good rate.