6 Publish Data on Dashboards

In this chapter, you publish data on dashboards for user access. You use Oracle BI Interactive Dashboards to:

• Build a custom Dashboard to contain the BI Answers requests and views you created in the last chapter.

• Work with dashboard prompts to filter your dashboard and populate variables.

This chapter contains the following topics:

• Section 6.1, "Prerequisites"

• Section 6.2, "Creating an Interactive Dashboard"

• Section 6.3, "Using Dashboard Prompts and Presentation Variables"

6.1 Prerequisites

If you have not completed the previous chapters, you must first populate the BISE1_TUTORIALWH schema before proceeding with this chapter. Section 2.2.2.3, "BISE1_TUTORIALWH Schema" explains how to do this.

If you have not completed the previous chapters, you must also replace the BI metadata repository file, as follows:

1. Shut down the BI Server service.

2. Copy tutorial\bi_ad\bise1_soln.rpd to the bi\oraclebi\server\repository directory.

3. Rename bi\oraclebi\server\repository\bise1_soln.rpd to bise1.rpd.

4. Start the BI Server service.

If you specified a password other than welcome1 during installation, perform the following steps as well:

1. Go to Start > Programs > Oracle Business Intelligence > Administration.

2. Select File > Open > Online.

3. Enter Administrator in the Password field. Click OK.

4. In the Physical Layer pane, expand BISE1_SALESWH. Double-click Connection Pool.

5. In the Password field, enter the password you specified during installation. Click OK.

6. Enter the password again in the Confirm Password dialog box. Click OK.

7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 for the BISE1DB node in the Physical Layer.

8. Select File > Save. Click No when asked whether your wish to check global consistency. Exit the Oracle BI Administration tool.

If you have not completed the previous chapters, you must also replace the BI Web catalog, as follows:

1. Shut down the BI Presentation Server service.

2. Copy tutorial\bi_ad\bise1_webcat_soln.zip to the bidata\web\catalog directory.

3. Remove the bidata\web\catalog\bise1 directory and its contents.

4. Unzip bidata\web\catalog\bise1_webcat_soln.zip.

5. Start the BI Presentation Server service.

6.2 Creating an Interactive Dashboard

In this section, you build a new shared Interactive Dashboard and add content you have saved in previous steps.

To create an Interactive Dashboard:

1. Click the Settings link and select Administration.

   Figure 6-1 Choosing Settings > Administration

   
   

2. In the Oracle BI Presentation Services Administration window, click the Manage Interactive Dashboards link.

   The Oracle BI Presentation Services Administration window offers access to many administrative features, including session monitoring and management of user and group privileges across the Oracle BI Presentation Catalog.

3. In the Manage Dashboards window, click Create Dashboard. In the Create Dashboard window, set the Group Folder to Sales Managers, name the dashboard Sales Analysis1, and click Finished.

4. The dashboard inherits the security of the group folder. Click Finished again to close the Manage Dashboards window. Finally, click Close Window to close the Oracle BI Presentation Services Administration screen.

5. Click the Dashboards link, then click the Sales Analysis1 Interactive Dashboard link to navigate to the new dashboard.

   Figure 6-2 Navigating to the New Dashboard

   
   

   Your new dashboard is empty, and should appear like the one shown in Figure 6-3.

   Figure 6-3 Sales Analysis1 Interactive Dashboard

   
   

6. Click Page Options in the upper right corner and select Edit Dashboard to open the Dashboard Editor. In the Dashboard Editor, you can drag saved content from your Presentation Catalog directly onto the dashboard. Sections are automatically created in the layout to contain the requests and other objects you add to the dashboard. In the left-hand selection panel, expand the GEC_DW_TUTORIAL > Learn folder where you have saved your work.

   Figure 6-4 Expanding the GEC_DW_TUTORIAL > Learn Folder

   
   

7. Drag the Category Gross Profits request onto the layout workspace. The layout area is highlighted in blue to indicate that you have a valid insertion point for the object.

   Your dashboard layout should look like the one shown in Figure 6-5.

   Figure 6-5 Dashboard with Category Gross Profits Request

   
   

   Notice that a section was automatically added to contain the request. You could also have dragged a Section object from the Dashboard Objects palette to create the section before dragging content into the section. Sections and columns are containers you can use to control the layout of your dashboard.

8. Click the insert column plus (+) icon to add another column to the page.

   Figure 6-6 Plus Icon: Insert Column

   
   

9. Drag the Product Category View Selector request into Section 2 of the second column. Drag the Narrative View for Region Gross Profit below the Product Category View Selector.

10. Drag Section from the Dashboard Objects list and add a section below Section 2.

11. Drag Advanced Report onto Section 3. The Dashboard layout should look like the one shown in Figure 6-7.

    Figure 6-7 Updated Dashboard Layout

    
    

12. Click Save at the top to save your layout for Page 1. The Dashboard should look like the one shown in Figure 6-8.

    Figure 6-8 Updated Dashboard

    
    

    Note that the Column Selector only applies to the request that contains it. If you select a column in the control, it will only apply to the table and chart, not the narrative request in the same dashboard.

13. Click Page Options and then Edit Dashboard. In the Dashboard Editor page, click the add page plus (+) icon on the top to add a new page to the Dashboard.

    Figure 6-9 Plus Icon: Add Page

    
    

14. Name the page Region Analysis and click OK.

15. In the new page, drag the Region Pivot Table with Column Selector request. Click Save. Your Dashboard page should like the one shown in Figure 6-10.

    Figure 6-10 Region Analysis Dashboard Page

    
    

16. Rename Page 1 of the Dashboard to Product Category Analysis. To do this, click Page Options and Edit Dashboard. In the Dashboard Editor, click the Dashboard Properties icon at the top, next to the name of the dashboard (Sales Analysis 1). In the Dashboard Properties page, click Rename under Operations for page 1.

    Figure 6-11 Dashboard Properties Page: Choosing Rename

    
    

17. Rename the page to Product Category Analysis. Click the Update button. Click Finished in the Dashboard Properties page. Click Save in the Dashboard Editor. Your Dashboards pages should have two tabs, like the ones shown in Figure 6-12.

    Figure 6-12 Sales Analysis1 Dashboard with Product Category Analysis and Region Analysis Pages

    
    

6.3 Using Dashboard Prompts and Presentation Variables

In this section, you build a dashboard prompt to filter your dashboard for a specific country region. Then, you use a Presentation variable to dynamically update a request title in your dashboard that includes the filtered name of the country region. Dashboard prompts are used both to allow users to filter the results of embedded requests in a dashboard as well as to populate and update Presentation Variables, which are variables that can be defined in Oracle BI Answers.

This section contains the following topics:

• Section 6.3.1, "Create a Dashboard Prompt"

• Section 6.3.2, "Use a Presentation Variable to Populate a Title"

6.3.1 Create a Dashboard Prompt

To create a Dashboard prompt:

1. Click the Answers link. In the selection pane, click the New Dashboard Prompt icon and select GEC_DW_TUTORIAL in the drop-down Subject Area menu.

   Figure 6-13 Choosing GEC_DW_TUTORIAL

   
   

2. In the selection pane, click Geography. Region to add it to the prompt. The default selection for the prompt is Dashboard. This means the filter will be applied to all pages in any dashboard with which it is associated. Select Page from the Scope drop-down list, because you will apply the prompt to the Region Analysis page only.

   The prompt should look like the one shown in Figure 6-14.

   Figure 6-14 Dashboard Prompt

   
   

   This prompt will filter the Region column in any requests that contain this filter in a dashboard with which the prompt is associated. Note that you can control several aspects of the prompt. You can select the type of control users will employ to enter their selections in the prompt, and you can determine what values will be presented in a drop-down list or multi-select control, limiting the available values either through SQL or by constraining the values based on the results of another dashboard prompt.

3. Click the Save icon at the top and save the prompt under GEC_DW_TUTORIAL > Learn as Region Prompt.

   You have created the prompt, but for it to take effect on any embedded requests in a dashboard, the requests must contain filters on the column being prompted. This task is described in the following steps.

4. Click the Answers link. Open the Region Pivot Table with Column Selector request from GEC_DW_TUTORIAL > Learn. Click Modify.

5. Remove the previously saved filter from the request.

6. Click the filter icon for Geography.Region, and in the Create/Edit Filter dialog box, select is prompted as the operator for the filter and click OK. Your filter should look like the one shown in Figure 6-15.

   Figure 6-15 Region Is Prompted Filter

   
   

7. Save the request.

8. Click the Dashboards link and go to the Region Analysis page of the Sales Analysis1 dashboard, then click Page Options > Edit Dashboard to open the Dashboard Editor.

9. From the left-hand selection panel, expand the GEC_DW_TUTORIAL > Learn folder and drag Region Prompt above the Region Pivot Table with Column Selector request in Section 1 of the dashboard. The area will be highlighted in blue when you have found a valid insertion point.

   Your dashboard layout should look like the one shown in Figure 6-16.

   Figure 6-16 Dashboard with Region Prompt

   
   

10. Click the Save button. Your dashboard should look like the one shown in Figure 6-17.

    Figure 6-17 Updated Dashboard

    
    

11. Explore the report by selecting other regions.

6.3.2 Use a Presentation Variable to Populate a Title

To use a presentation variable to populate a title:

1. Click the Answers link. Open the Region Pivot Table with Column Selector request, then click Modify.

2. Click the Results tab. Select Compound Layout View, and edit the Title view using the Edit View icon. If the Title is not there, add a Title view to the Compound Layout view using the Add View link, and drag the new Title view to the top of the layout.

   Your Compound Layout should look like the one shown in Figure 6-18.

   Figure 6-18 Compound Layout

   
   

3. In the Title field, enter Sales Analysis for @{region}. This is a reference to the Presentation variable you are going to create. Clear the Display Saved Name option. Click OK.

   Figure 6-19 Entering a Value in the Title Field

   
   
   
   

   Note: The syntax for calling a Presentation variable, whether in a column or a Title view, is @{VariableName}.

   
   

4. Save the request.

5. Create the variable by designating that it be populated by the Region Prompt. Click the Open icon and open the Region Prompt from the GEC_DW_TUTORIAL > Learn folder.

6. In the Set Variable field of the prompt, select Presentation Variable.

   Figure 6-20 Setting the Variable to Be a Presentation Variable

   
   

   Note that you could also reference a Request Variable. Request Variables are defined as Session Variables in the Oracle BI metadata and are instantiated when the user's session begins. Their values for any request can be updated by dashboard prompts.

7. In the Set Variable text field, enter region.

   Figure 6-21 Entering "region" in the Text Field

   
   

   By entering the name of the variable here, you are creating the variable as well as setting it to be populated by the user selection in the Prompt for Country Region.

8. Save the dashboard prompt.

9. Click the Dashboards link to navigate to the Region Analysis page of the Sales Analysis1 dashboard. Select Asia in the Region prompt and click Go.

10. Verify that the Prompt for Region dashboard prompt is filtering the dashboard and updating the region Presentation variable.

    Figure 6-22 Prompt for Region Dashboard Prompt