topic Re: NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries' in Qlik NPrinting

NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

andries_bos — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 06:33:58 GMT

I have installed the latest NPrinting V21 (May 2021 , 21.14.3.0 ) combined with qlikview server V 12.60.2 and Qlikview client V12.6. (all latest versions) The original Nprinting environment is populated with a working V16 NPrinting import.

All connections, tasks and reports has been checked and seems to work correctly except for creating pdf reports (report from qvw document). I did as a test also create a new test-report with only one logo on it, so nothing difficult to be calculated.

NPrinting fails in all cases with this pdf report with an error "ERROR: Exceeded maximum number of retries" . I did expand the retry options to 30 and I checked the server configuration 'enable export images and excel'.

I upgraded my server and NPrinting to the latest versions, but this did not resolve my problem.

The windows event on both server and nprinting are both empty for any related issues: AntiVirusn has been disabled on both server and NPrinting. Print spooler services are running on both machines.

server has 12 core, 128 gb ram; nprinting 8 core, 32 gb ram.

Any more suggestions ?

Re: NPrinting pdf still reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

Frank_S — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 22:18:02 GMT

What type of report?

QlikView desktop report (NP entity report) or one of the NPrinting PxP, HTML or MS office reports?

Re: NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

andries_bos — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 06:50:36 GMT

The source is a plain old simple Qlikview internal report (report saved within the qvw) and connected within the nprinting v21 as a Qlikentity with the task output format set to a pdf file.

It worked for many years without any problems in the old NPriting v16. Stripping the report back to only a logo will not solve the problem. also changing the report to an Excel item does work.

I think a problem with external RPC communication or a sort of port blocking could block the communication ? The Firewall logs and AV did not give me any hints (fails also when firewall is turned off).

Just changed the output of another test (excel) task to pdf output and that worked ! I created another qvw + internal report, create a report as a QlikEntity and it failed.

Therefore the problem seems to only occurs with reports of type QlikEntity.

Re: NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

Frank_S — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 14:50:42 GMT

You might want to consider building the report using one of the NP designer template editors rather than using the old style QV desktop reports.

You should also check the QVW for unsupported items. Those are usually exposed after an upgrade or migration.

Please check the following to double check your migration steps and preparations which include checking for unsupported items.

NPrinting 16 to NPrinting 19+ Migration Playbook - Qlik Community - 1780278

Re: NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

Lech_Miszkiewicz — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 23:48:21 GMT

Hi @Frank_S

I have similar error with one of my client when using built-in QlikView report (entity report running QlikView Report).

It works for 99% of the time. I could not find any error in windows event logs and the only on e in NPrinting was "ERROR: Exceeded maximum number of retries".

QVW meets all requirements as per documentation.

Indeed it is a report which I will be unable to built in any other format as it is producing table which has 62 measures and all of them have to be conditionally hidden or shown depending on the scenario/filters used. Using Entity report in NPrinting to call that "RP01" report from QlikView was a lifesaver and as I said it works 99% of the time and it has been working for last 4 years, but in those rare occasions it throws the same error as the one in this topic ("ERROR: Exceeded maximum number of retries").

I only saw this in release notes:

Task fails with the error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries' Jira issue ID: OP-4839 Some Qlik NPrinting tasks fail with the error message: “Exceeded maximum number of retries”. This is due to a performance issue in QlikView that appears when it exports large unfiltered files to Excel.

In fact my final table is not big. It can have up to 70 columns (when you count dimensions) and couple hundred rows, but its calculation does not causes QlikView to struggle or perform poorly.

It may require a wait time of few seconds to get table calculated but its nothing unusual. I saw a lot worse performing apps and tables when used with NPrinting.

I have all source objects minimized in my qvw and report gets filters applied before it starts producing report so the dataset does not seem to be an issue neither and qvw open time is very fast.

so,

On occasion of this topic I am keen on exploring why we recommend migrating reports from QlikView native reports to other native NPrinting templates? Is there any official documentation we can rely on (something in help document or release history). I agree that for most scenarios we would do native NPrinting templates (pixel perfect, excel etc...), but still:

are there any known issues with QlikView desktop entity report type (RP)
are there any know limitations?
are there any know bottlenecks it may cause?
are there any know issues with particular versions of NPrinting and/or QlikView?
are there any config settings we may try to change/explore?

I am asking the above questions as client would be willing to upgrade to newer versions of NPrinitng and QlikView but we cannot afford designing new report from scratch (or may not be able to at all chieve)in case when upgrade will break the existing ones.

I may also add to it that those reports can be produced without any issues directly from QlikView access point.

If you heard about any known limitations which are currently not documented and potential reasons and solutions how to deal with them it would be great if you could share.

Thanks, Cheers!

Lech

cc @Ruggero_Piccoli

Re: NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

Lech_Miszkiewicz — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 23:56:57 GMT

Ohh...

I did not change those settings yet: https://community.qlik.com/t5/Knowledge/NPrinting-ERROR-System-Exception-Exceeded-maximum-number-of/ta-p/1801690

do you think this should be my first step? I guess I have no other option anyway so it is worth trying.

cheers and thanks

Lech

Re: NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

Ruggero_Piccoli — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 13:48:31 GMT

Hi,

We are not aware of similar issues. Please try with a different object to be sure it is not an issue related with the specific object or type of object.

If you will still have the issue I suggest you to open a ticket with a link to this conversation.

Best Regards,

Ruggero

Re: NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

andries_bos — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 08:42:17 GMT

Thanks for all the responces, but my issue(s) is still not solved and keep growing.

Transferring the report (e.g. redesigning) to the Nprinting design would not be my first option as the same report is also used by a web user opening the same qlikview document via a web browser and opening the embedded report

In my way to try to fix this issue, I also upgraded my qlikview server tot the latest version 12.6 sp1 . That broke the option to open embedded reports from the web server !!. This means embedded reports can not be opened any more using any web browser . This issue is not related to the type of complexity of a report as all reports fail instantly after selection with an error 'timeout has been exceeded' . A test report also only contains a single label

As qlikview prohibit downgrading my upgraded server environment , I'm now stuck in the middle of multiple problems for more than a month.....

Reinstallation of my Qlikview server is not an option I'm considering at this stage : multiple uses rely on a daily base on my reports

Re: NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

Lech_Miszkiewicz — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 09:40:24 GMT

Hi @andries_bos

In that case dont wait on solution from community - just open support case and let Qlik support deal with it.

I also saw this support article which may be related to issues you are experiencing after upgrade: https://community.qlik.com/t5/Knowledge/QlikView-May-2021-12-60-running-Publisher-reports-on-a-Windows/ta-p/1810056

Re: NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

andries_bos — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 08:55:16 GMT

I opened at Qlik support, but still there is no solution to use embedded reports from Nprinting. (report type QlikEntity)

Any suggestions are still welcome : The only solution is to redesign my report to be exported as pdf within a new excel template ?.

The (new) Issue opening my report from ajax web client was indeed broken by the latest upgrade of my qlik server update 12.6 sp1 and was solved by qlik support by setting the printer directly within the Qlik settings : (https://community.qlik.com/t5/Knowledge/Print-Report-to-PDF-via-Ajax-Client-with-error-Timeout-has-been/ta-p/1839585)

Re: NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

Lech_Miszkiewicz — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 09:19:27 GMT

Hi @andries_bos

I would keep Qlik accountable and made sure they find a solution or release a patch. Entity QlikView (aka Publisher reports) reports are in many cases used by clients so there is no reason they cannot work with the recent versions of QlikView and NPrinting. I have not seen anything in release notes or on help page that those reports are not supported anymore.

Any suggestions by Qlik to redesign your reports dont have grounds in this case. It is only sweeping under the carpet. I agree that with NPrinting those are "better practices" and will work better long term, nevertheless entity reports should also work without issues and if there are issues with it they need to be addressed and resolved by R&D or support. That is my opinion on it.

I have such strong opinion as I have many clients who use Entity reports . Luckily those are still working fine, however I have not upgraded them recently so lets see how it goes.

cheers

Good luck with it

Re: NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

andries_bos — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 13:04:38 GMT

Thanks Lech.

I haven 't upgraded in a while just to avoid problems like this e.g. as what happened after mandatory asking me to upgrade my Qlikview server to test of another problem can be fixed.

My philosophy is regaring updating : "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" as uninstalling an update is never made possible and I'm not sure if my NPrinting backup zip can be imported to use this within a previous version.. Uninstalling all and reinstalling is quite a lot of hassle just to test a previous version : the other versions of the qlik products must also match.

I'll wait a bit more and share any solutions 😉

Re: NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

Lech_Miszkiewicz — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 20:13:39 GMT

Ok ,good luck!

and let us know if you hear anything back from Qlik or if you find yourself a solution

thanks Lech.

Re: NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

andries_bos — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 07:53:09 GMT

I finally achieved a breakthrough and finally a solution! . Somewhere during installation the specific installation of the pdf printer nPrinting uses did go wrong.

Qlik "NPrinting Engine" should install a working printer with the exact name "Qlik NPrinting PDF Printer" . This is a PDF XChange printer 5.0 . PDF-XChange 2012 is the PDF virtual printer installed by Qlik NPrinting Engine.

At C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\x64\3 the file PXC50f.DLL. (version 5.0) should have been installed. This is in my case an old dll of year 2013 specificaly installed by this PDF XChange 5.0 printer setup.

There is no solution to install this printers afterwards as the Engine requires/uses a specific PXC50f.DLL installed . Another version of PDF XChange will provide another version of this dll and that will fail .

This printer has also to be set as the default printer. There is a possibility that this printers has not been correctly installed if the windows "Print spooler" services was disabled at the time of installation . (Print spooler was a vulnerability issue of microsoft in 07-2021 and had to be disabled waiting for a patch)

However, I uninstalled the whole suite after creating making a zip backup of my enviroment and renamed\deleted the previous installed folders of nprinting in \program files and \programData. Also install all PDF XChange printers versions manually as uninstalling Nprinting engine will not uninstall these printers.

There after I installed it again in the order server, engine and designer. Installing the engine at first triggers the installation of this printer before proceeding to install the Engine software. Add your license key and restore the environment from your backup zip.

At last, do not forget to re-activate (or create) the 'Engine manager' from within the web interface https://localhost:4993/#/admin/engines : | Admin | Engine manager . The status should have been set to Online or create a Engine manager if missing. There is no error message during executing a task if this manager is still offline ;(

Now creating a report should work without any delay.

The powershell command 'Get-PrinterDriver -Name *' should show you what printers had been installed. In my case, after my re-installation I did see both "PDF-XChange 3.0" and "PDF-XChange 5.0" installed ! ?

However, if it ain't broke, don't fix it , so i will leave this at this time.

-----

P.s. creating a backup to a zip file could be done by a cmd line : (I have this scheduled by task scheduler on a daily base 😞

start /b "" "C:\Program Files\NPrintingServer\Tools\Manager\Qlik.NPrinting.Manager.exe" backup -f "D:\Qlik\Backup\NPrinting_Backup.zip" -p "C:\Program Files\NPrintingServer\pgsql\bin" --pg-password myPassword

(replace 'myPassword' with your password)

Restoring the environment use command :

start /b "" "C:\Program Files\NPrintingServer\Tools\Manager\Qlik.NPrinting.Manager.exe" Restore -f "D:\Qlik\Backup\NPrinting_Backup.zip" -p "C:\Program Files\NPrintingServer\pgsql\bin" --pg-password myPassword

Re: NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

Lech_Miszkiewicz — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 08:12:43 GMT

Well - first of all this it is a great news that you made it work. It is comforting that actually everything should work without issues. It is also good to know what factors could contribute to your issues (wrong dlls, print spoolers switched off etc..)

It puts me in position that I am little bit more comfortable if I have to upgrade some of my clients using QlikView with NPrinting and Entity reports. Until now I was trying to postpone this as much as possible

Steps you have taken to troubleshoot this will definitely help others and come handy sooner or later

Cheers and thanks for sharing!

Re: NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

Frank_S — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 21:24:29 GMT

@andries_bos

Can you tell us if you installed NPrinting May 2021 on the same computer as the NPrinting 16.x server?

Re: NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

Frank_S — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 18:26:30 GMT

If you installed NP 16 and May 2021 NPrinting on the same computer please note that this is not a supported installation and may encounter the types of issues you mentioned.

For detailed information about the NPrinting 16 to 19 or higher version please visit the following NPrinting Migration Playbook.
NPrinting 16 to NPrinting 19+ Migration Playbook - Qlik Community - 1780278

Kind regards...

Re: NPrinting type QlikEntity - pdf output reports error 'Exceeded maximum number of retries'

andries_bos — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 07:22:54 GMT

Hi Frank_S , thanks for your reply.

I never installed the old NPrinting on the same server as I installed Nprinting v21. That was in my case not the reason for failure. I had an upgrade from v16 to v21 and started the installation on a brand new server.

However, even if a user did this, in my opinion Nprinting should deal with this or at least detect this and issue a warning.

Failure of the installation script of a third party printer that Nprinting presumes is correctly installed and that only is, during installation, initiated by starting an (external) installation script, cost me (and support) more than 2 month to solve.

Also the possible reversing an upgrade of a version by creating a back up of settings would be great ; I encountered other even bigger problems as the newer version of Qlikview server created new issues.