Try Pentaho Data Integration and Analytics

Learn how to install an evaluation version of Pentaho Data Integration and Analytics, then get started with basic concepts, walk-throughs, and workflows.

Pentaho Data Integration and Analytics is a comprehensive platform used to access, integrate, manipulate, visualize, and analyze your data. Whether data is stored in a flat file, relational database, Hadoop cluster, NoSQL database, analytic database, social media streams, operational stores, or in the cloud, Pentaho products can help you discover, analyze, and visualize data to find the answers you need, even if you have no coding experience. Advanced users with programming experience can use our extensive API to customize reports, queries, transformations to extend functionality.

In this topic

• Install the 30-day trial

• Components and tools

• Supported technologies

• Evaluate and learn

• Trial installation legacy links

Install the 30-day trial of Pentaho Data Integration and Analytics

The Pentaho Installation Wizard is a streamlined way to install, learn about, and evaluate the Pentaho Suite. With this 30-day trial, you can fully install and test Pentaho's Business Analytics (BA) and Data Integration (DI) components.

To get you started quickly after installation, the Pentaho Data Integration (PDI) tutorial explains how to build a transformation with PDI using sample data in a typical business scenario.

If you have any issues with the 30-day trial, contact the Pentaho Trial Experts for assistance.

Moving to development or production is not supported for installations that are completed with the Pentaho Installation Wizard.

With the Pentaho Installation Wizard you can choose one of two ways to install Pentaho components:

• Default

  Select the Keep it simple. Give me everything. option in the installation wizard.

• Custom

  Select the Let me decide for myself. option in the installation wizard.

Process overview

Installation instructions are the same for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

If you already downloaded the installer and have a trial license file, skip steps 1 and 2.

1. Download the trial software

2. Acquire a trial license file

3. Start the Pentaho Installation Wizard

4. Install using either the default installation or custom installation method.

5. Verify the installation

6. Tutorials and next steps

Considerations

Explore Considerations
You supply	A computer that meets Pentaho's operating system and hardware requirements.
We supply	Installation package Oracle JRE Repository platform (PostgreSQL) Repository platform JDBC driver (PostgreSQL) Web application server (Tomcat)
Technologies used	Tomcat web application server PostgreSQL database to host the Pentaho Repository
Expertise	Basic computer knowledge
Approximate installation time	30 minutes

Download the trial software

Skip this section if you already downloaded the trial software and have the activation instructions.

To download the software, complete these steps.

1. Make sure that you are logged on to the computer on which you want to install the software.

   You should be logged on with an account that allows you to install software.

   • On Windows, this is typically an account that has administrator privileges.

   • On Linux, this is also an account that has administrator privileges, such as the pentaho account that you created during the previous step.

2. Navigate to the Pentaho trial download website.

   If you need the production installation of Pentaho, go to the Pentaho EE download site.

3. Click Start a Free 30 Day Trial.

   The Submission Agreement form appears.

4. Fill in the requested information on the form and click Submit.

   The Download Pentaho EE Data Integration & Analytics dialog box appears.

5. Click Download in the Pentaho EE OnPrem section.

   For information on using Pentaho in a cloud environment, see Hyperscalers in the Install Pentaho Data Integration and Analytics document.

6. When prompted, choose a directory where you want to save the installer and wait for the installer to finish downloading.

7. If you are using Linux, make sure that you have the appropriate permission to execute the file. Open a terminal window, navigate to the directory where you downloaded the file, then run:

   chmod a+x ./pentaho-business-analytics-10.2.0-x64.bin

Acquire a trial license file

The default trial installation deploys a 30-day trial license file.

You need a separate trial license file only if you plan to extend the trial.

Contact Pentaho Trial Experts or your Pentaho point of contact for details.

Start the Pentaho Installation Wizard

To start the installation wizard, complete these steps.

Launch the installation wizard from a locally mounted hard drive only. Network-mounted drives (for example, NFS) are not supported.

Do one of the following.

• Windows

  Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the installer. Double-click pentaho-business-analytics-10.2.0-x64.exe.

• Mac

  Unpack pentaho-business-analytics-10.2.0-x64.app.tar.gz, then double-click pentaho-business-analytics-10.2.0-x64.app.

• Linux (with graphics)

  Open a terminal window and navigate to the installer, then run:

  ./pentaho-business-analytics-10.2.0-x64.bin

• Linux (no graphics)

  Open a terminal window and navigate to the installer, then run one of the following:

  • GTK Toolkit:

    ./pentaho-business-analytics-10.2.0-x64.bin --mode text

  • OpenMotif:

    ./pentaho-business-analytics-10.2.0-x64.bin --mode xwindow

Install using the wizard

Choose either a default installation or a custom installation.

Default installation

If you choose the Keep it simple. Give me everything. installation method, complete these steps.

You cannot install into a directory that already exists.

On Linux, do not install to /opt/. Permission requirements can cause problems.

1. After you start the installation wizard, the splash screen appears, then the Pentaho Business Analytics installation is ready! window. Click Next.

   

   Install is ready. Click Next
2. Read the license agreement. Click Accept, then click Next to continue.

3. Select Keep it simple. Give me everything in the Setup Type window, then click Next.

4. In the Installation folder window, accept the default directory or enter a different path in Location, then click Next.

   

   Choose Pentaho installation directory
5. If you chose to install the Pentaho Server, enter and confirm a password for the postgres user, then click Next.

   Do not use these characters in the Password field:

   ' " & < > \

6. If the Sample Database window appears, enter a port number in Port, then click Next.

   The port prompt appears only if the Pentaho Server default ports are not available.

7. In the Ready to Install window, click Next.

   Installation takes about 30 minutes.

8. When installation is complete, select Pentaho Data Integration to launch PDI.

   

   Select Pentaho Data Integration
9. Before you click Finish, confirm that trial_license.bin exists in the .pentaho directory under your home folder.

   • Windows: C:\users\<username>\.pentaho

   • Linux: /home/<username>/.pentaho

   • Mac: /Users/<username>/.pentaho

10. Click Finish to end the installation process.

After PDI starts, the Welcome! window appears.

Welcome to Pentaho Data Integration

If you see the Add License window, contact Pentaho Trial Experts.

To get you started quickly after installation, see the Pentaho Data Integration (PDI) tutorial.

Custom installation

If you choose the Let me decide for myself. installation method, complete these steps.

You cannot install into a directory that already exists.

On Linux, do not install to /opt/. Permission requirements can cause problems.

1. After you start the installation wizard, the splash screen appears, then the Pentaho Business Analytics installation is ready! window. Click Next.

2. Read the license agreement. Click Accept, then click Next to continue.

3. Select Let me decide for myself in the Setup Type window, then click Next.

4. In the Pentaho Applications window, select the components you want in Install Set, then click Next.

5. If you selected the Pentaho Server, the Sample Content window appears.

   Sample content includes users, reports, dashboards, and analysis views.

   • Select Sure, give me sample content to include sample content.

   • Select No thanks, I'll create my own to exclude sample content.

6. Click Next.

7. In the Installation folder window, accept the default directory or enter a different path in Location, then click Next.

8. If you selected the Pentaho Server, enter and confirm a password for the postgres user, then click Next.

   Do not use these characters in the Password field:

   ' " & < > \

9. If the Sample Database window appears, enter a port number in Port, then click Next.

10. In the Ready to Install window, click Next.

    Installation takes about 30 minutes.

11. When installation is complete, select Pentaho User Console and Pentaho Data Integration to launch them.

12. Click Finish to end the process.

Verify the installation

To verify that Pentaho installed properly, review the directory structure and the installation summary file.

1. Open a file explorer window or a command line tool.

2. Navigate to the directory where you installed the software. Compare your directory structure to the following example.

   pentaho/
   pentaho/design-tools/
   pentaho/design-tools/aggregation-designer/
   pentaho/design-tools/data-integration/
   pentaho/design-tools/metadata-editor/
   pentaho/design-tools/report-designer/
   pentaho/design-tools/schema-workbench/
   pentaho/documentation/
   pentaho/java/
   pentaho/jdbc-distribution/
   pentaho/license-installer/
   pentaho/licenses/pentaho/monetdb/
   pentaho/postgresql/
   pentaho/scripts/
   pentaho/server/
   

3. Open installation-summary.txt. Confirm that the installed tools and plugins are listed.

4. Review these common files and locations.

   File	Description
   ctlscript.sh	Starts, stops, restarts, and shows the status of Pentaho services. Available on Linux and Mac only.
   installation-summary.txt	Contains the information from the summary screen at the end of the installation process.
   uninstall	A script that removes Pentaho Business Analytics.

   Tool/Plugin	Location
   Pentaho Server	pentaho/server/pentaho-server/
   Report Designer	pentaho/design-tools/report-designer/
   Schema Workbench	pentaho/design-tools/schema-workbench/
   Data Integration (Spoon)	pentaho/design-tools/data-integration/
   Metadata Editor	pentaho/design-tools/metadata-editor/
   Aggregation Designer	pentaho/design-tools/aggregation-designer/
   Dashboard Designer	pentaho/server/pentaho-server/pentaho-solutions/system/dashboards/
   Analyzer	pentaho/server/pentaho-server/pentaho-solutions/system/analyzer/
   Interactive Reports	pentaho/server/pentaho-server/pentaho-solutions/system/pentaho-interactive-reporting/
   License Installer	pentaho/license-installer/

   Log	Location
   Pentaho Server Logs for BA configuration	pentaho/server/pentaho-server/logs/
   Tomcat Logs for Pentaho Server for BA configuration	pentaho/server/pentaho-server/tomcat/logs/

   For Mac OS, copy the JDBC .jar file into the location listed for Report Designer.

   JDBC Driver	Location
   Pentaho Server for BA configuration	pentaho/server/pentaho-server/tomcat/lib/
   Report Designer	pentaho/design-tools/report-designer/lib/jdbc/
   Schema Workbench	pentaho/design-tools/schema-workbench/drivers/
   Aggregation Designer	pentaho/design-tools/aggregation-designer/drivers/
   Metadata Editor	pentaho/design-tools/metadata-editor/libext/JDBC/
   PDI client (Spoon)	pentaho/design-tools/data-integration/lib/

   Port number	Description
   5432	PostgreSQL Server
   8080	Pentaho Server Tomcat web server startup port
   8012	Pentaho Server shutdown port
   9001	HSQL Server port
   9092	Embedded H2 database

   Your port numbers might differ. If the installer had to change ports, check installation-summary.txt.

Start and stop services

Start and stop the PDI client on Windows

If you installed PDI on Windows using the installation wizard, start and stop the PDI client (Spoon) from Windows:

Start > All Programs > Pentaho Enterprise Edition > Design Tools > Data Integration

Start and stop the Pentaho Server for configuration on Windows

When you run the installation wizard on Windows, Pentaho Server deploys in an included Apache Tomcat application server.

Manage both the Pentaho and Tomcat servers:

Start > All Programs > Pentaho Enterprise Edition > Server Management

Choose one of the following:

• Start Pentaho Server

• Stop Pentaho Server

The installer also registers the Pentaho Server and the Pentaho Repository as Windows services.

Use the Windows Services applet to start and stop services:

1. Click Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.

2. In the Services window, right-click the appropriate service:

   • Pentaho Server

   • Data Integration

   • Pentaho Repository

Start and stop the Pentaho Server for configuration on Linux

When you run the installation wizard on Linux, Pentaho Server deploys in an included Apache Tomcat application server.

Control the server using /pentaho/ctlscript.sh.

Common arguments:

• start

• stop

• restart

• status

• help

Common services:

• pentahoserver

• postgresql

Examples:

• ./ctlscript.sh start pentahoserver

• ./ctlscript.sh status pentahoserver

• ./ctlscript.sh status postgresql

• ./ctlscript.sh help

Adjust memory limits

Adjust Java VM memory limits for an installation on Windows

Windows users who installed Pentaho may experience out-of-memory errors. Increase the memory allotment to address them.

These steps apply when you installed Pentaho using the installation wizard.

1. Stop the Pentaho Server.

2. In server\pentaho-server\tomcat\bin, double-click pentahoserverw.exe.

   You might need to right-click and select Run as Administrator.

3. Select the Java tab.

   

   Windows Properties dialog box
4. Increase Initial memory pool from 2048 MB to 6144 MB and Maximum memory pool from 6144 MB to 8192 MB, based on your system memory.

5. Start the Pentaho Server.

If the JVM refuses to start, there might not be enough contiguous memory available. Try one or more of the following:

• Add more RAM.

• Stop memory-intensive services.

• Lower the maximum memory limit.

Adjust Java VM memory limits for a graphical installation on Linux

These steps apply when:

• You installed using the installation wizard.

• Your computer can display graphics.

• You are running Linux.

1. Stop the appropriate server.

2. Change directory to pentaho-server/tomcat/scripts.

3. Edit ctl.sh.

4. Locate the start tomcat line that contains JAVA OPTS, for example:

   export JAVA_OPTS="-Dpentaho.installed.licenses.file=/opt/pentaho/.installedLicenses.xml -Xms128m -Xmx768m -XX:MaxPermSize=256m -Dsun.rmi.dyc.client.gcInterval=3600000 -Dsun.rmi.dgc.server.gcInterval=3600000"

5. Set the memory to a minimum of 4096 M and a maximum of 6144 M, based on your system memory.

6. Start the server.

If the JVM refuses to start with increased limits, add more RAM, stop memory-intensive services, or lower the maximum memory limit.

Increase Pentaho Server memory limit for installations on Windows

If you installed the Pentaho Server on Windows using the installation wizard, increase memory limits by editing Tomcat’s Java memory settings.

If you are running Linux, see Increase Pentaho Server memory limit for installations on Linux.

1. Stop the Pentaho Server.

2. Type services.msc in Windows search.

3. Find Pentaho Server and open it to find the service name.

   The service name should be pentahoserver.

4. In C:\pentaho\server\pentaho-server\tomcat\bin\, rename tomcat8w.exe to match the service name (pentahoserverw.exe).

5. Double-click the renamed executable to open the Properties window.

   You might need to run as administrator.

6. Select the Java tab.

7. Set memory to a minimum of 4096 M and a maximum of 6144 M, based on your system memory.

8. Start the Pentaho Server.

Increase Pentaho Server memory limit for installations on Linux

If you installed PDI on Linux using the installation wizard, increase memory limits by editing a variable in a Pentaho script.

If you are running Windows, see Increase Pentaho Server memory limit for installations on Windows.

1. Stop the appropriate server.

2. Change directory to pentaho-server/tomcat/scripts.

3. Edit ctl.sh.

4. Locate the line under start tomcat, for example:

   export JAVA_OPTS="-Dpentaho.installed.licenses.file=/opt/pentaho/.installedLicenses.xml -Xms128m -Xmx768m -XX:MaxPermSize=256m -Dsun.rmi.dyc.client.gcInterval=3600000 -Dsun.rmi.dgc.server.gcInterval=3600000"

5. Set memory to a minimum of 4096 M and a maximum of 6144 M, based on your system memory.

6. Start the server.

Increase the PDI client memory limit

As a best practice, increase PDI’s memory limit so the Pentaho Server and the PDI client (Spoon) can process large datasets and complex transformations.

You must increase memory for both the Pentaho Server and the PDI client.

Instead of modifying the PDI client startup script, you can set the environment variable PENTAHO_DI_JAVA_OPTIONS to -Xmx2g -XX:MaxPermSize=256m on your client.

Tutorials and next steps

Getting started tutorial

To get started quickly after installation, see the Pentaho Data Integration (PDI) tutorial.

Tutorials

Review these tutorials to start using PDI, Pentaho reporting tools, and dashboards.

If you are new to PDI, start with Getting Started with PDI.

Within that tutorial, see:

• PDI transformation tutorial

• PDI job tutorial

• Getting started with PDI and Hadoop

The Getting Started with Analyzer, Interactive Reports, and Dashboard Designer tutorial covers BA features and common tasks.

Within that tutorial, see:

• About Pentaho business analytics tools

• Get started with Pentaho Reporting tools

• Quick tour of the Pentaho User Console

• Get started with Interactive Reports

• Get started with Analyzer Reports

• Get started with Dashboard Designer

• Next steps

The Getting started with Report Designer tutorial contains step-by-step instructions for Report Designer.

Within that tutorial, see:

• About Pentaho Report Designer

• Create a report with Report Designer

Remove sample data from the Pentaho Server

By default, you have access to a sample data source and a solution directory filled with example content.

When you are ready to move from testing to development or production, you can remove the sample content.

Perform these steps to remove the sample data and content:

1. Stop the Pentaho Server.

2. Delete samples.zip from /pentaho-server/pentaho-solutions/system/default-content.

   If you performed a manual WAR build and deployment, the path is /pentaho-server/pentaho-solutions/system.

3. Edit /pentaho/WEB-INF/web.xml inside the deployed pentaho.war.

   If you used an archive installation method, the path is /pentaho-server/tomcat/webapps/pentaho/WEB-INF/web.xml.

4. Remove the hsqldb-databases section from web.xml:

   <!-- [BEGIN HSQLDB DATABASES] -->
       <context-param>
           <param-name>hsqldb-databases</param-name>
           <param-value>sampledata@../../data/hsqldb/sampledata</param-value>
       </context-param>
   <!-- [END HSQLDB DATABASES] -->

5. Remove the hsqldb-starter section from web.xml:

   <!-- [BEGIN HSQLDB STARTER] --> 
   <listener> 
   <listener-class>org.pentaho.platform.web.http.context.HsqldbStartupListener</listener-class> 
   </listener> 
   <!-- [END HSQLDB STARTER] -->

6. Remove SystemStatusFilter:

   This filter shows error status messages that are useful only for development and testing.

   <filter>
       <filter-name>SystemStatusFilter</filter-name>
       <filter-class>com.pentaho.ui.servlet.SystemStatusFilter</filter-class>
       <init-param>
           <param-name>initFailurePage</param-name>
           <param-value>InitFailure</param-value>
           <description>This page is displayed if the PentahoSystem fails to properly initialize.</description>
       </init-param>
   </filter>

7. Remove the filter mapping for SystemStatusFilter:

   <filter-mapping>
       <filter-name>SystemStatusFilter</filter-name>
       <url-pattern>/*</url-pattern>
   </filter-mapping>

8. Save and close web.xml.

9. Delete /pentaho-server/data/.

10. Restart Pentaho Server. Sign in to the Pentaho User Console as an administrator. In Browse Files:

    1. Expand Public, select the Steel Wheels sample folder, then click Move to Trash.

    2. Select the Pentaho Operations Mart sample folder, then click Move to Trash.

Uninstall the Pentaho Suite after evaluation

To uninstall the Pentaho Suite after evaluation:

1. Navigate to the pentaho directory and run the uninstall script.

2. In the Uninstall Wizard, choose whether to delete data files.

3. Restart your computer when prompted.

Before you install a production version of Pentaho, uninstall the evaluation version first.

Data Integration and Analytics components and tools

Pentaho Data Integration and Analytics applications include both web-based components and design tools. The components and tools you use depend on your workflow and what your environment supports.

Data Integration and Analytics web-based components

Use the Pentaho web-based components to share business intelligence solutions by analyzing data, creating reports, and building integrated dashboards.

These components include:

• Pentaho User Console (PUC)

  A design environment for accessing Analyzer, Interactive Reports, and Dashboard Designer. Pentaho User Console also offers system administration features for configuring your Pentaho Server.

• Analyzer

  Helps you visualize data to make informed business decisions. You can create geographic, scatter chart, heat grid, and multi-chart visualizations. You can also filter data, add query parameters, configure drill-down links, apply conditional formatting, and generate hyperlinks.

• Interactive Reports

  Create both simple and on-demand operational reports without relying on IT or report developers. You can quickly add elements to your report and format them any way you like.

• Dashboard Designer

  Choose layout templates, themes, and content to create visually attractive dashboards that help decision makers gain critical knowledge at a glance. You can combine a wide variety of content including Interactive Reports, Analyzer visualizations, and collaborative content.

• CTools

  A community-driven framework for creating dashboards by using web technologies such as JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. You can easily create dynamic dashboards for users to explore and understand large amounts of data using a variety of charts, tables, and other components.

Data Integration and Analytics design tools

Use Pentaho design tools to develop and refine how your data values are reported, modeled, transformed, and stored.

These tools include:

• Pentaho Data Integration (PDI)

  Provides access to an Extraction, Transformation, and Loading (ETL) engine that captures the right data, cleanses the data, and stores data using a uniform format that is accessible and relevant to end users and IoT technologies.

• Report Designer

  Generate detailed, pixel-perfect reports using virtually any data source. It enables business intelligence professionals to create highly detailed, print-quality reports based on adequately prepared data.

• Aggregation Designer

  Provides a simple interface that allows you to create aggregate tables from levels within the dimensions you specify. Use this tool to improve the performance of your Pentaho Analysis (Mondrian) OLAP cubes.

• Metadata Editor

  Simplifies report building. Use the Metadata Editor to build Pentaho metadata domains and models. A Pentaho Metadata Model maps the physical structure of your database into a logical business model.

• Schema Workbench

  Edit and create multidimensional (Mondrian) models. You can create Mondrian models graphically or define them by hand-coding XML files.

Data Integration and Analytics supported technologies

Reference material for supported components and JDBC drivers.

• Components Reference

  Reference matrix for supported components.

• JDBC Drivers Reference

  Reference matrix for supported JDBC drivers.

Evaluate Pentaho Data Integration and Analytics

Before setting up and using Pentaho Data Integration and Analytics in your production environment, you should evaluate it by performing the following steps:

1. Install the 30-day trial of Pentaho Data Integration and Analytics.

2. Learn about Analyzer, Interactive Reports, and Dashboard Designer.

3. Learn about Report Designer.

4. Learn about Pentaho Data Integration and the PDI client.

5. Learn about PDI and Hadoop.

6. Understand common workflows.

Trial installation legacy links

Use these only if you need the older sidebar shortcuts.

See Trial installation (legacy pages).