SYMPTOM
An MSIFileTable log is generated for off-line troubleshooting. The log file is copied into a Strategy Intelligence Server Universal 9.x and 10.x 64-bit environment. After configuring the registry options to read the MSIFileTable log, by using regedit for 64-bit Windows or directly editing MSIReg.reg in UNIX/Linux, a report is executed and data are retrieved from the log. However, text columns are truncated by half.
Investigation of the log file shows that the text data are intact:
Report Id: 180CDBFD4BE22D557B953E818857E7CF
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CAUSE
This issue can occur if the MSIFileTable log was generated in a 32-bit Windows environment and transferred to a 64-bit environment.
In a 32-bit system, one character of text occupies two bytes of memory. This is reflected in the MSIFileTable log, where each Category description is represented by three entries: number of bytes (e.g. 10), number of characters (5), and the text ("Books"). In each row above, the number of bytes is twice the number of characters. When the Query Engine retrieves data from the MSIFileTable log, it uses the number of bytes to determine memory allocation for the string.
In a 64-bit system, one character occupies four bytes. To use an MSIFileTable log in a 64-bit environment, the number of bytes should be four times the number of characters. Using an MSIFileTable log from a 32-bit Windows system in a 64-bit environment means that not enough memory will be allocated for the strings; therefore, they are truncated.
ACTION
Ensure that MSIFileTable logs are generated in the same type of environment where troubleshooting should take place. It is not advisable to produce the MSIFileTable in a 32-bit environment when the issue is to be researched in a 64-bit environment.
FURTHER READING
For details on configuring MSIFileTable logging, consult the following Strategy Knowledgebase document.
KB12093: How to enable and use the MsiFileTable Log file for troubleshooting purposes in Strategy Developer or Intelligence Server 9.4.x-10.x
