Connecting your first model (legacy) - Using a File API token to upload your metadata

Creating a File Connection and your First Set of Documentation

With QUBEdocs Cloud, you can use a file based connection to connect your on premise TM1 or PA model. With this method a metadata package is created on your server that can be uploaded to QUBEdocs Cloud to generate the QUBEdocs documentation. The package can be uploaded manually or based on a schedule with the QUBEdocs API (or File API Token).

QUBEdocs Cloud allows the automatic upload of documentation via HTPS from TM1 servers that have internet access. The process for using this File API Token for documentation uploads is outlined below (to see how to upload documentation via the manual method, please see this article). 

Step 1: Login into QUBEdocs 

Login to QUBEdocs using the credentials that you registered the account with. Note that when you register for the first time you will automatically receive a 14 day free trial which will enable you to generate documentation for one Planning Analytics or TM1 model.  

Step 2: Set up a connection to your model

Simply click on the "Connect a New Model" tile in the main page and fill out the model details. 

For a file based connection select "File" for the connection type to connect to both on-premise or cloud based PA / TM1 instances. Once selected you will need to give the connection a name, description and specify which environment the connection is for (production or non-production etc). 

Step 3: Configure the File API Token

Once the connection has been created, click the three dots on the top right and select "Edit Settings":

The connection settings will show. 

Navigate to the API tab:

Click on "+ Create Token":

This token will be required in further steps.

Step 4: Setup PA/TM1 to work with QUBEdocs

Select "Setup TM1 server" from the connections settings menu  or the profile menu  and follow the instructions. This will direct you to download and deploy the TM1 files into your environment.  Follow the steps in the wizard to download and configure your TM1 server.

Following the wizard instructions will result in you successfully installing the QUBEdocs Package Creator into your TM1 environment. 

Step 5: Run the QUBEdocs Create Package Process

The process QUBEdocs Create Package will be installed as part of the QUBEdocs Package Creator. Navigate to the process in your TM1 instance. Right click and Run the process. 

You will need to enter a location for the package to export to. Paste the File API Token created in step 3  here:

Press OK. Navigate back to QUBEdocs Cloud, and your documentation should begin generating (there may be a slight delay if the server is very busy):

Step 6: (Optional) Schedule Regular Snapshots via Architect 

 To set this up create a TM1 chore in Architect / Server Explorer and schedule the QUBEdocs Package Creator process within.

Include the token that you created in step 3 as the parameter value by pasting into the Default Value field. 

Select a time period and a date from which you want the chore to begin. Ensure you have clicked Activate Chore, and click Finish.

Finally, test that the documentation is updating automatically by running the chore manually.

Troubleshooting: 

In the Prolog of the QUBEdocs Create Package process, change the following line EXECUTECOMMAND(sExecuteStr,0); to EXECUTECOMMAND(sExecuteStr,1); and re run the process.

Next open Powershell and navigate to your data directory.

Copy the command from QUBEdocsExecuteStr.txt excluding the "" and run it in Powershell. This should give you some idea as to what the issues are.

The most common ones are:

1. Your group policy is blocking execution of PowerShell scripts.
2. The directories you've selected are incorrect.
3. The token is incorrect or you've forgotten to put quotes around it.
4. Parameter values were not correctly specified in the chore for QUBEdocs Create Package.
5. Try running the following command on the PowerShell script Unblock-File Upload.ps1
6. Post security updates for Windows and PowerShell, TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3 get disabled. To re-enable, run the following two commands in PowerShell:

   Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\.NetFramework\v4.0.30319' -Name 'SchUseStrongCrypto' -Value '1' -Type DWord

   Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NetFramework\v4.0.30319' -Name 'SchUseStrongCrypto' -Value '1' -Type DWord

   Restart PowerShell and try running the script again.