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Siebel Analytics Server Administration Guide > Using Variables in the Analytics Server Repository > Using the Analytics Variable Manager >
About Session Variables
Session variables are like dynamic repository variables in that they obtain their values from initialization blocks. Unlike dynamic repository variables, however, the initialization of session variables is not scheduled. When a user begins a session, the Siebel Analytics Server creates new instances of session variables and initializes them. Unlike a repository variable, there are as many instances of a session variable as there are active sessions on the Siebel Analytics Server. Each instance of a session variable could be initialized to a different value. Session variables are primarily used when authenticating users against external sources such as database tables or LDAP servers. If a user is authenticated successfully, session variables can be used to set filters and permissions for that session. For a discussion of the use of session variables in setting up security, see Security in Siebel Analytics. This section includes the following topics:
For information about creating a new session variable, see Creating New Variables. Using System Session Variables
System variables are session variables that the Siebel Analytics Server and Siebel Analytics Web use for specific purposes. System variables have reserved names, which cannot be used for other kinds of variables (such as static or dynamic repository variables, or for nonsystem session variables). Table 32 describes the available system session variables. When using these variables in the Web, preface their names with NQ_SESSION. For example, to filter a column on the value of the variable LOGLEVEL set the filter to the Variable NQ_SESSION.LOGLEVEL.
Table 32. System Session Variables
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USER |
Holds the value the user enters as his or her logon name. |
GROUP |
Contains the groups that the user belongs to. These are used by both the Siebel Analytics Server and Siebel Analytics Web. When a user belongs to multiple groups, separate the group names with semicolons. Do not delimit text (for example, do not surround the text with single or double quotes). Use a Varchar column in a database table to contain the group memberships. For example, if a user belonged to groups called Sales US, Sales UK, QA and Dev, and Doc, the text entered into a Varchar data type column in a database table would be: Sales US;Sales UK;QA and Dev;Doc
Note: The Siebel Analytics Web administrator needs to make sure that the names of Web groups are different from any user IDs who will log on to Siebel Analytics Web. If a user and a Web group share the same name, the user will receive an Invalid Account message when attempting to log on to Siebel Analytics Web. |
DISPLAYNAME |
Used for Siebel Analytics Web. It contains the name that will be displayed to the user in the greeting in the Web interface. It is also saved as the author field for catalog objects. For internal Siebel Analytics Server repository users (nondatabase users), this variable is populated with the user's full name. |
PORTALPATH |
Used for Siebel Analytics Web. It identifies the default dashboard the user sees when logging in (the user can override this preference after logged on). |
LOGLEVEL |
The value of LOGLEVEL (a number between 0 and 5) determines the logging level that the Siebel Analytics Server will use for the user's queries. |
WEBGROUPS |
Specifies additional groups specific to Siebel Analytics Web, if any. The use of Web groups provides a mechanism for more granular Web content control. |
REQUESTKEY |
Used for Siebel Analytics Web. Any users with the same nonblank requestkey will share the same Web cache entries. This tells Siebel Analytics Web that these users have identical content filters and security in the Siebel Analytics Server. Sharing Web cache entries is a way to minimize unnecessary communication with the server. |
SKIN |
Determines certain elements of the look and feel of the Siebel Analytics Web interface. The user can alter some elements of the user interface by picking a style when logged on to the Web. The SKIN variable points to a Siebel Analytics Web folder that contains the nonalterable elements (for example, graphics such as GIF files). Such directories begin with sk_. For example, if a folder were called sk_companyx, the SKIN variable would be set to companyx. |
EMAIL |
Contains the user's default email address for use with Siebel Answers. If the delivery feature of Siebel Answers is enabled, an email device using this address will be created for the user upon first log in. Users can override this address by changing their account settings in Siebel Analytics Web. |
Using Nonsystem Session Variables
The procedure for defining nonsystem session variables is the same as for system session variables. When using these variables in the Web, preface their names with NQ_SESSION. For example, to filter a column on the value of the variable SalesRegion set the filter to the Variable NQ_SESSION.SalesRegion. A common use for nonsystem session variables is setting user filters. For example, you could define a nonsystem variable called SalesRegion that would be initialized to the name of the user's sales region. You could then set a security filter for all members of a group that would allow them to see only data pertinent to their region.
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