Major BI vendor version releases — such as OBIEE 11g to 12c or Business Objects 4.1 to 4.2 — force complex upgrade projects in which report and dashboard testing becomes critical. This post explains how BI Validator handles that testing with zero coding: building an Upgrade Test Plan to compare pre- and post-upgrade reports, flagging data discrepancies with a “Warning” status, confirming reports migrate without performance loss, and running Stress Test Plans that simulate concurrent user loads to catch degradation before it reaches production users.
Key Takeaways
- Major BI vendor version upgrades — such as OBIEE 11g to 12c or Business Objects 4.1 to 4.2 — require dedicated testing to confirm reports and dashboards still return correct data after the upgrade.
- An Upgrade Test Plan in BI Validator compares reports between pre- and post-upgrade environments and flags any data discrepancies with a “Warning” status for investigation.
- Comparing underlying report data, rather than PDFs or visuals, is essential during major UI changes, since a different interface can mask whether the actual data is still correct.
- Stress Test Plans simulate concurrent user loads (for example 10, 100, or 500 users) to catch performance degradation before it affects production users.
Validating Report Availability and Performance
Every few years the BI vendors have a major release that forces the companies using these products to uptake a complex BI upgrade project. For example OBIEE 11g to 12c upgrade or Business Objects 4.1 to 4.2 upgrade. Testing is an important aspect of these upgrade projects. The blog explains how customers can leverage BI Validator to test the upgrades.
1. Upgrade Test Plan: use an Upgrade Test Plan to compare reports across the pre- and post-upgrade environments and confirm they return the expected results. If BI Validator identifies any differences in the underlying data sets, it marks the affected test plan with a “Warning” status so the discrepancy can be investigated before go-live.
Note: Since the UI may look very different (OBIEE 11g & 12c), compare the data in the reports as opposed to the pdf option.
2. As part of the above test plan: BI Validator can also ensure that the reports are found in the post-upgrade environment and that there is no degradation in performance.
3. Stress Test Plan can simulate concurrent loads (e.g 10, 100,500 concurrent users) on the reports and dashboards and ensure that there is no degradation when more users access the BI system.
All the above can be achieved with zero programming and just a couple of clicks. Try BI Validator now in few minutes to know how it can help you during the upgrades!
As part of the upgrade, if you are upgrading your ETL, then you may want to look at ETL Validator as well.
| BI Validator Capability | What It Validates During a BI Upgrade |
|---|---|
| Upgrade Test Plan | Compares reports across pre- and post-upgrade environments and flags data differences with a “Warning” status. |
| Report Availability & Performance Check | Confirms reports are available in the post-upgrade environment and verifies that performance has not degraded. |
| Stress Test Plan | Simulates concurrent user loads (e.g., 10, 100, or 500 users) to ensure the BI system maintains performance as usage increases. |
Frequently Asked Questions: BI Upgrade Testing and DataOps Suite
1) What is an Upgrade Test Plan in BI Validator?
An Upgrade Test Plan compares reports and datasets between the pre-upgrade and post-upgrade BI environments. If BI Validator detects any differences in the underlying data, it marks the affected test plan with a “Warning” status so teams can investigate before go-live.
2) Why should you compare data instead of PDFs during a BI upgrade?
Major version upgrades, such as OBIEE 11g to 12c, often change the report UI significantly, which makes PDF or visual comparisons unreliable. Comparing the underlying data instead ensures accuracy isn’t masked by cosmetic layout differences.
3) How does BI Validator test performance during a BI upgrade?
Beyond confirming reports exist in the post-upgrade environment, BI Validator checks for performance degradation and runs Stress Test Plans that simulate concurrent user loads — for example 10, 100, or 500 users — to verify reports and dashboards hold up under real usage.
4) Does a BI upgrade project also require ETL testing?
Yes. If the upgrade includes changes to the ETL layer alongside the BI platform, ETL Validator should be used in parallel with BI Validator to ensure the full data pipeline — not just the reporting layer — is validated.
Rajesh Kumar A
Digital Marketing Manager, Datagaps
Digital Marketing Manager at Datagaps. Drives data-driven growth through content, performance campaigns, and marketing technology.
Subrahmanya Narayana Chirravuri
Senior Director, Technology, Datagaps
Senior Director of Technology at Datagaps. Leads engineering for the ETL, BI, and data-quality validation platforms.
