IBM Support

"Invalid character in a Base-64 string" when launching FAP client

Troubleshooting


Problem

User launches FAP Client. User types in password, and logs onto the FAP database. An error appears.

Symptom

Microsoft .NET Framework

Unhandled exception has occurred in your application. If you click Cotinue, the application will ignore this error and attept to continie

Invalid character in a Base-64 string

[Details] [Continue] [Quit]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    System.FormatException: Invalid character in a Base-64 string.
    at System.Convert.FromBase64String(String s)
    at FAPClient.FAP.Dao.SourceDao.Decode(String encodedText)
    at FAPClient.FAP.Dao.SourceDao.GetItemFromRow(DataRow& row)
    at FAPClient.FAP.Dao.SourceDao.ListItems(Context& ctx)
    at FAPClient.frmDefine.SetupSources()
    at FAPClient.frmDefine.Connect()
    at FAPClient.frmDefine.frmMain_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e)
    at System.EventHandler.Invoke(Object sender, EventArgs e)
    at System.Windows.Forms.Form.OnLoad(EventArgs e)
    at System.Windows.Forms.Form.OnCreateControl()
    at System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl(Boolean fIgnoreVisible)
    at System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl()
    at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmShowWindow(Message& m)
    at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
    at System.Windows.Forms.ScrollableControl.WndProc(Message& m)
    at System.Windows.Forms.ContainerControl.WndProc(Message& m)
    at System.Windows.Forms.Form.WmShowWindow(Message& m)
    at System.Windows.Forms.Form.WndProc(Message& m)
    at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m)
    at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
    at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If the user clicks 'Continue' then the FAP screen's contents looks strange:


Source 1 Source 2 123 123123 123123123 123123 123123

Cause

Corrupt FAP database.

Example:
In one real-life customer example, the system was working OK one morning, when running the FAP client directly on the application server. Later that day, a user launched the FAP client on their own PC (where the FAP client was also installed). Afterwards, the error was seen when launching FAP client on the application server.

Resolving The Problem

Restore the FAP database from a known 'good' backup.

Example:
In one real-life customer example, the database was restored from the previous evening's backup.

[{"Product":{"code":"SS9S6B","label":"IBM Cognos Controller"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU059","label":"IBM Software w\/o TPS"},"Component":"Controller","Platform":[{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Version":"10.2.1","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB10","label":"Data and AI"}}]

Historical Number

1031255

Document Information

Modified date:
15 June 2018

UID

swg21370845

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