KB20813: How to deploy widgets in MicroStrategy Web Universal 8.1.x and 9.0.x with a WebSphere application server.

Normally, widget deployment in Strategy Web universal 8.1.1 is done using the Widget Deployment section of the Strategy Web Administrator page, as stated in the technical note: KB16982 (KB5600-811-2780) : 'New feature in Strategy Web and Web Universal 8.1.1: Widget Deployer Page'. However, this procedure is not compatible with a WebSphere application server, because .war file extension is the only file format that WebSphere understands, not the .swf that is normally used.
 
The solution is to deploy the widgets in a different environment, pack the contents to a .war file, and deploy that file on WebSphere. The following steps provide instructions on how to accomplish this:

1. Use a different application server that can deploy widgets using the Widget Deployment page.
   In this example, an Apache Tomcat server running on a Windows OS was used. Use an original Strategy.war file to deploy on the Tomcat application server.
2. Follow technical note KB16982 (KB5600-811-2780) to deploy the desired widget(s).
3. Pack the Strategy.war file with the new widgets deployed using a batch file like the one presented below.
   
   

   
   rem makeWar.bat
   cd c:\progra~1\tomcat\webapps\Strategy
   c:\progra~1\java\jdk1.4.2_12\bin\jar vcf ..\Test1.war .
   pause

   
   
   Note: Adjust the file paths accordingly. The first path is the place where the new Web Deployment with widgets resides. The second location has to point to the place where the java installation is, (i.e. jar.exe file).
   
   Note: This batch file code is only an example, and a system administrator should be knowleagable about how to create a batch file for a specific environment. 
   
4. Copy the new Test1.war file to a location on the WebSphere server. Log in to the WebSphere Administrative Console and deploy it.

After this, the widgets should be available in Strategy Web 8.1.1 with the Websphere application server. In addition to this, users can now add widgets to Strategy Desktop 8.1.1 following the instructions in the technical note KB15930 (KB5700-81x-2498) : 'How to add a new widget in Strategy Desktop 8.1.x'. 
If this procedure cannot be undertaken in Strategy Web 8.1.1, consider updating to Strategy Web 8.1.2 and newer, where all the widgets contained in the Widget Library for 8.1.1 are pre-installed.
Note: The same procedure will work for custom widgets in newer Strategy Web versions, like 8.1.2 and 9.0.x. 
Customization Warning:
This customization is provided as a convenience to Strategy users and is only directly applicable to the version stated. While this code may apply to other releases directly, Strategy Technical Support makes no guarantees that the code provided will apply to any future or previous builds. In the event of a code change in future builds, Strategy Technical Support makes no guarantee that an updated version of this particular customization will be provided. If further assistance is needed please contact Strategy Consulting team.