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Oracle® Business Intelligence New Features Guide
Release 10.1.3.4.2
Part Number E10416-07
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12 General New Features in Release 10.1.3.4

Oracle BI EE Release 10.1.3.4 introduces several new features. This chapter describes those features in the following sections:

12.1 Overview of New Features

Oracle BI EE Release 10.1.3.4 introduces the following new features:

12.2 Migration of Oracle BI Discoverer Metadata

Release 10.1.3.4 includes a utility to accelerate the migration of Oracle BI Discoverer metadata (in the form of an EEX file) to Oracle BI Enterprise Edition Plus metadata (in the form of an RPD file). The utility is a command line executable file that can be found in the \OracleBI\Server\bin directory. An accompanying instruction document can be found in the \OracleBI\Server\Document directory. This release migrates only Discoverer metadata and only for relational data sources.

12.3 New Line Chart for Time Series Data

Release 10.1.3.4 introduces a new type of line chart to plot time series data when the time intervals between data points are irregular. The time-aware line chart automatically scales the X-axis based on the time that has elapsed between data points.

Much of the information in the section "Showing Results in Charts Using Oracle BI Chart View" in Oracle Business Intelligence Answers, Delivers, and Interactive Dashboards User Guide applies to this new chart type, with the following exceptions and additions.

12.4 New Sample Oracle BI Application and Data Set

A new sample Oracle BI application and data set called "Sample Sales" has been designed to better and more fully illustrate the capabilities of Oracle BI EE Release 10.1.3.4. This new set offers an extended coverage of sample materials (reports and RPD constructs), providing help by example in using Oracle BI EE features with specific functional cases. The content is designed to demonstrate as much as possible of Oracle BI EE capabilities and is primarily meant to help customers who want examples and templates to extract ideas from. The new sample set offers examples on two layers:

This new set is meant to replace the former Paint sample content. Customers who want to retain their pre-10.1.3.4 sample Oracle BI application and any customizations that it contains should back up the BI Presentation Services Catalog, RPD file, and data files before upgrading to Oracle BI EE Release 10.1.3.4.

Note:

Oracle Business Intelligence for Microsoft Office relies on Oracle Business Intelligence Web Services to fetch data for views that a user inserts in Office documents. Because this functionality returns data based on the request definition and not the view definition, it is possible when inserting views copied from a Dashboard page that the data might not match. This is a known limitation that has no workaround.

12.4.1 OBI EE Web Dashboard Samples

The new Sample Sales application includes numerous reports organized in 20 dashboard pages around the following:

  • Rankings and Toppers

  • Trends and History

  • Tiering and Distribution

  • Detailed Reports

  • Lists and Segmentation (Marketing)

These dashboards and reports showcase specific Answers features (Answers formula building, Presentation Variables, Filtering, Layouts, Navigations, and so on) to deliver pertinent and visual insight with reduced impact on the Oracle BI EE Repository and underlying physical data model.

Figure 12-1 shows a sample dashboard.

Figure 12-1 Sample Dashboard

Description of Figure 12-1 follows
Description of "Figure 12-1 Sample Dashboard"

12.4.2 Oracle BI EE RPD Constructs Samples

The new Sample Sales application also includes various examples of metadata constructs, to help you design mappings for typical functional requirements when building metadata and to demonstrate best practices with this release, as described in the following list:

  • Numerous logical aggregations

  • Time series and Rolling X Months

  • Variations, Time Span Variations, and Compounded Variations

  • Run Rates and Percent of Periods

  • Grain Fragmentation

  • Multi Physical Sourcing

  • Dimensional Snowflaking

  • Canonical Time Construct (Multi LTS Facts tables)

  • Data Security, Projects, and Segmentation Metadata

Figure 12-2 shows a sample graph.

Figure 12-2 Sample Graph

Description of Figure 12-2 follows
Description of "Figure 12-2 Sample Graph"

12.5 Integration with Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Workspace, Fusion Edition

This section contains the following topics:

12.5.1 Overview of the Integration

In Release 10.1.3.4, the following Oracle BI EE applications have been integrated into EPM Workspace, Fusion Edition: Oracle BI Answers, Interactive Dashboards, and Delivers. In this chapter, these applications are referred to collectively as "Oracle BI Presentation Services." See the sections of this chapter for information on configuring and using this integration.

Oracle BI Publisher has also been integrated with EPM Workspace, Fusion Edition.

12.5.2 Documentation for the Integration

The following sections provide assistance in locating documentation for the integration of various Oracle BI EE applications with Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Workspace Fusion Edition:

12.5.2.1 Installation Documentation for the Integration

For information on installing the various components, see the following guides:

  • Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition Infrastructure Installation and Configuration Guide, for installing Oracle BI EE applications, including BI Publisher.

  • Oracle Hyperion Enterprise Performance Management System Installation and Configuration Guide, for installing EPM Workspace.

12.5.2.2 Integration of Oracle BI Answers, Interactive Dashboards, and Delivers, with EPM Workspace

All the subsections in Section 12.5 of this guide provide information on installing, configuring, and using Oracle BI EE components with EPM Workspace. Table 12-1 describes the EPM Workspace documentation pieces.

Table 12-1 EPM Workspace Documentation Pieces

Piece Description

Reporting and Analysis New Features Guide

Provides high-level information on the integration of EPM Workspace with Oracle BI EE components.

EPM Workspace Administrators' Guide

Provides high-level information on the Oracle BI Presentation Services Administration screen, where you perform various administration tasks for the Oracle BI EE components.

EPM Workspace User's Guide

Provides information on using the Oracle BI EE components from within EPM Workspace.

12.5.2.3 Integration of Oracle BI Publisher with EPM Workspace

For the integration of Oracle BI Publisher with EPM Workspace, see the following tables:

  • Table 12-2 for the Oracle BI Publisher documentation pieces.

  • Table 12-1 for the EPM Workspace documentation pieces.

Table 12-2 Oracle BI Publisher Documentation Pieces

Piece Description

Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Administration and Developer's Guide

Provides information on configuring Oracle BI Publisher for the integration with EPM Workspace.

Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Report Designer's Guide

Provides information on using Oracle BI Publisher reports from within EPM Workspace and Oracle Smart Space.

12.5.3 Installing and Configuring Oracle BI Presentation Services with EPM Workspace

To install and configure Oracle BI Presentation Services for use within EPM Workspace, perform the following steps:

  1. "Registering the Oracle BI Presentation Services Components with the Hyperion Registry"

  2. "Specifying the External Login for Single Sign-On with EPM Workspace"

  3. "Configuring Javahost to Enable the Hyperion Common Security System Authenticator"

  4. "Specifying the Hyperion_Home Environment Variable"

  5. "Configuring the Repository to Use a Custom Authenticator"

  6. "Configuring the Web Server for EPM Workspace"

  7. "Verifying the Web Server Configuration"

  8. "Provisioning Hyperion Shared Services Users in Oracle BI Presentation Services"

Before configuring, install in any order Oracle BI EE, Hyperion Shared Services, and EPM Workspace, Fusion Edition. You can install the components into any appropriate installation directory. See Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition Infrastructure Installation and Configuration Guide and EPM System Installation and Configuration Guide.

12.5.3.1 Registering the Oracle BI Presentation Services Components with the Hyperion Registry

Before you can use Oracle BI Presentation Services within EPM Workspace, you must register the components. The process of registering notifies EPM Workspace that the Oracle BI Presentation Services components are installed. The following steps describe the registration process:

  1. Log in to Oracle Business Intelligence.

  2. Display the Oracle BI Presentation Services Administration page by clicking Settings, then Administration.

  3. Click the Manage EPM Workspace Connection link.

  4. In the Oracle BI Presentation Services Host field, verify the value that it contains. The field is populated with the name of the host computer for the current instance of Oracle Business Intelligence. You can specify the host name of another Oracle Business Intelligence instance to integrate with EPM Workspace.

  5. In the Port field, enter the non-Secure Sockets Layer port number for this instance of Oracle Business Intelligence. You can change the default port number that is provided.

  6. In the SSL Port field, enter the Secure Sockets Layer port number for Oracle Business Intelligence. You can change the default port number that is provided. Click the Enable SSL box beside the SSL port number to indicate that the Secure Sockets Layer port is used, rather than the non-Secure Sockets Layer port.

  7. In the Context Path field, enter the virtual path that follows the host name in the URL for Oracle Business Intelligence.

    For example, if the URL is the following:

    http://myserver.com/analytics

    then the Context Path is analytics.

  8. In the Application Server Type box, select the type of application server that Oracle Business Intelligence is using. If the appropriate server is not in the list, then select Other Application Server and enter its name in the text field that is provided.

  9. In the Description field, enter any description that you want for this connection. This description is for your information only and is not displayed elsewhere in Oracle Business Intelligence or in EPM Workspace.

  10. In the Registry Properties File box, select one of the following values to indicate which Registry Properties file to use:

    1. Installed Hyperion Home: If the computer on which this instance of Oracle Business Intelligence is installed also contains an EPM Workspace installation, then the HYPERION_HOME environment variable has been defined. The Registry Properties file for that Hyperion instance is used. This is the default setting.

    2. Generate File: When you select to generate the file, the following fields are displayed:

      JDBC URL: Enter the URL to connect to the Hyperion EPM System Registry database. If you are copying the JDBC URL from an existing Registry Properties file, then ensure that you remove the "\" character in the string. The "\" character is used to escape certain special characters.

      JDBC Driver: Enter the driver to connect to the Hyperion EPM System Registry database.

      Username: Enter the user name to connect to the Hyperion EPM System Registry database.

      Password: Enter the password to connect to the Hyperion EPM System Registry database.

      For more information on these parameters, see Oracle Hyperion Enterprise Performance Management System Installation and Configuration Guide.

    3. Copy File: When you select to copy an existing Registry Properties file, the Source File Path field is displayed. In that field, enter the absolute path of the file to copy.

      The Registry Properties file is named reg.properites. If you copy or generate it, then it is located in the following directory:

      OracleBIData/web/hyperion/common/config/9.5.0.0

  11. At any time in the process before you click Register, you can click Finished to cancel the registration process and return to the previous page.

    When you have completed all the fields to your satisfaction, click Register to begin the registration process, which might take several minutes. You see status messages and error messages displayed above the Register button as appropriate.

  12. After completing the registration process, log out of both Oracle Business Intelligence and EPM Workspace and back in to ensure that all changes have taken effect.

12.5.3.2 Specifying the External Login for Single Sign-On with EPM Workspace

An external token (or ticket) can be passed to Oracle BI Presentation Services by another system, which facilitates the use of Single Sign-on with EPM Workspace and Oracle BI. To configure for a token to be passed from EPM Workspace to Oracle BI Presentation Services for Single Sign-on, you must add or modify the <ExternalLogon> element of the instanceconfig.xml file as follows:

<Auth>
 <ExternalLogon enabled="true" logonPageAllowed="true">
   <ParamList>
      <Param name="UID" source="url" nameInSource="sso_token"/>
      <Param name="PWD" source="constant" value="obips.hss.ssotoken"/>
   </ParamList>
 </ExternalLogon>
</Auth>

12.5.3.3 Configuring Javahost to Enable the Hyperion Common Security System Authenticator

You must configure Javahost for authentication, as described in the following steps:

  1. On the computer on which Oracle BI Presentation Services is installed, open the config.xml file for editing from the following directory:

    OracleBI\web\javahost\config

  2. In the config.xml file, uncomment the <OBISAuthenticatorProxy> element.

  3. Modify the values for the following elements:

    • cssURL: Specify the URL of the Common Security System (CSS) configuration file.

    • useCSSURL: Specify "yes" to use the cssURL parameter to load the CSS configuration file. Otherwise, the reg.properties file for the Hyperion Registry is used to read the CSS file from the registry.

    • logFolder: Specify the directory that holds CSS log files.

    • ccsDebug: Optionally specify "yes" to enable debugging information for Common Security System authentication.

    • processAdministrator: Optionally specify "yes" to allow the Administrator user in Hyperion Shared Services to be authenticated in Oracle BI. The recommended value is "no".

    • ssoTokenPassword: Optionally specify a password to indicate that the user name that is passed to the custom authenticator is a token for Single Sign-on, as described in the previous procedure. If specified, this value must match the value that is specified as the "value" for the "PWD" parameter for the <ExternalLogon> element in the instanceconfig.xml file.

  4. Save your changes and close the editor.

12.5.3.4 Specifying the Hyperion_Home Environment Variable

If you set the useCSSURL attribute to "no" when configuring Javahost, then specify the HYPERION_HOME environment variable for Javahost. This environment variable is used by the Java Virtual Machine of Javahost.

Specify the environment variable as described in these steps:

  1. On the computer on which Javahost is installed, create the hss\common\config\9.5.0.0 directory in the Javahost configuration directory.

  2. Copy the reg.properties file to the new directory.

  3. Create the hss\common\config\9.5.0.0\resources\registry directory in the Javahost configuration directory.

  4. Copy the RegistryLogger.properties file from the EPM Workspace installation to the new directory.

  5. Modify the HYPERION_HOME environment variable to have a value of "<Javahost_Configuration_Directory>\hss"

    • On a Windows system, set this variable by adding XML code such as the following to the instanceconfig.xml file:

      <JavaHost>
   <JVMOptions>–DHYPERION_HOME=C:/OracleBI/web/javahost/config/hss</JVMOptions>
</JavaHost>

    • On a UNIX system, set the variable using the OracleBI/web/javahost/bin/run.sh script, as shown in the following example:

      JAVAOPTIONS="-Xms128M -Xmx256M -Djava.awt.headless=true - Djava.util.logging.config.file=${SawJavaHostDir}/config/logconfig.txt - DHYPERION_HOME=${SawJavaHostDir}/config/hss"

12.5.3.5 Configuring the Repository to Use a Custom Authenticator

You must configure the appropriate Oracle BI EE repository file for use with a custom authenticator, as described in the following steps:

  1. In the Oracle BI Administrator Tool, open the appropriate RPD file and complete the following steps to add a custom authenticator to it:

    1. From the Manage menu, select Security.

    2. In the Security Manager, right-click and select New Custom Authenticator from the popup menu.

    3. In the Custom Authenticator dialog, use the Browse button to specify the following value for the Authenticator plug-in file:

      sawobisauthenticatorproxy3r.dll

      This file exists in the OracleBI\web\bin directory.

    4. Also in the dialog, set Name to a descriptive value for this authenticator and accept the default values for Cache persistence time and Number of cache entries. You can adjust the values later as appropriate for your installation.

  2. Complete the following steps to configure the authentication initialization blocks for this authenticator:

    1. From the Manage menu, select Variables.

    2. In the Variable Manager, right-click and select New Initialization Block from the popup menu.

    3. In the Session Variable Initialization Block dialog, name the block "Hyperion".

    4. In the Session Variable Initialization Block dialog, click Edit Data Source and select the custom authenticator that you created in Step 1.

    5. In the Session Variable Initialization Block Data Source dialog, click Edit Data Target.

    6. In the Session Variable Initialization Block Variable Target dialog, create three new session variables with the following names, all in uppercase letters: USER, GROUP, and DISPLAYNAME.

    7. Click OK until all dialogs are closed.

    8. Save your changes to the repository file.

  3. If Oracle BI Server and Javahost run on the same computer, then you have finished configuring the repository. If they run on different computers, then perform the following steps:

    1. On the computer on which Oracle BI Server is running, open the following file for editing, or create it:

      OracleBIData\web\config\instanceconfig.xml

    2. Add the following elements to the file:

      <WebConfig>
  <ServerInstance>
    <JavaHostProxy address="host-name"/>
  </ServerInstance>
<WebConfig>

    3. Save your changes and close the file.

12.5.3.6 Configuring the Web Server for EPM Workspace

The final step in the process is to configure the Web Server that EPM Workspace is using. You must modify the configuration of the Web Server so that requests for Oracle BI Presentation Services components are routed through the Web Server.

You can configure the Web Server either graphically or manually, as described in the following sections.

12.5.3.6.1 Configuring Graphically

You can use EPM System Configurator to configure Oracle Business Intelligence components to work with the Web Server for EPM Workspace only if EPM Workspace and Oracle BI Presentation Services are deployed on a Web application server of the same type (for example, when both EPM Workspace and Oracle BI Presentation Services are deployed on Oracle Application Server).

To perform this modification graphically:

  1. Launch the EPM System Configurator using one of the following methods:

    • From the Start menu in Microsoft Windows, select Programs, Oracle EPMSystem, Foundation Services, and EPM System Configurator.

    • In Windows Explorer, double-click the configtool.bat file in the following directory:

      HYPERION_HOME/common/config/version-number

    • At a Windows command prompt, change to the HYPERION_HOME/common/config/version-number directory and enter the following command:

      startconfigtool.bat -console

  2. In the Select Products to Configure dialog, select Foundation, Workspace, and Web Server Configuration, and click Next.

  3. On the Workspace Web Server plug-in pane, an entry for Oracle BI Presentation Services is displayed, which shows its host, port, and context root. Check the box for Oracle BI Presentation Services, and check the boxes for all other products that must be configured with the Web Server, whether previously configured or not, because the configuration files are newly created and are not appended to. After checking the appropriate boxes, click Next.

  4. Click Next through the remaining dialogs, and click Finish.

For information on using the EPM System Configurator, see the Oracle Hyperion Enterprise Performance Management System Installation and Configuration Guide.

The EPM System Configurator might suggest using different port numbers and port types for the Oracle BI Presentation Services Web Application Server. For example, if you are using the Apache HTTP Server as the Web Server and Tomcat as the Web Application Server, then the EPM System Configurator adds configuration directives to the Web Server configuration files. These directives cause Apache to use the Apache JServe Protocol (AJP) to connect the Web Server to the Web Application Server. The AJP port should be set to the port number of the Web Server for BI Presentation Services, plus two. For example, if the BI Presentation Services Web Application is using port 9704, AJP should be enabled on port 9706. This allows the EPM System Configurator to generate automatically the correct configuration entries for the Web Server. This step is not necessary for WebLogic and WebSphere Application Servers, because they do not use AJP. For more information on enabling AJP, see Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition Deployment Guide or the documentation for the Web Application Server.

12.5.3.6.2 Configuring Manually

If BI Presentation Services is deployed on a different type of Web application server than the type of Web application server running EPM Workspace, back up the web server's configuration files before running the EPM System Configurator to configure Oracle Business Intelligence components to work with EPM Workspace. After running the EPM System Configurator, manually restore the web server's configuration files, then add the /analytics context to the web server's configuration files. For the web server bundled with the EPM System, the configuration directives in the next paragraph add the /analytics context. For information on configuring other web servers, see Oracle Hyperion Enterprise Performance Management System Manual Deployment Guide.

Using a text editor, open the Web server's configuration file (httpd.conf), and add the following directives, replacing <BIEE_HOST> and <BIEE_PORT> with real values for the host name and BIEE web server port:

#Change modules/mod_proxy.so as needed; such as libexec/mod_proxy on UNIX
<IfModule !mod_proxy.c>
  LoadModule proxy_module modules/mod_proxy.so
</IfModule>
<IfModule !mod_proxy_connect.c>
  LoadModule proxy_connect_module modules/mod_proxy_connect.so
</IfModule>
<IfModule !mod_proxy_http.c>
  LoadModule proxy_http_module modules/mod_proxy_http.so
</IfModule>
ProxyPass /analytics http://<BIEE_HOST>:< BIEE_PORT>/analytics
ProxyPassReverse /analytics http://< BIEE_HOST>:< BIEE_PORT>/analytics

12.5.3.7 Verifying the Web Server Configuration

Restart the Web Server and the Web Application Server that is running BI Presentation Services. Enter a URL in the following form into a new browser window:

http://<webserver_host_name>:<webserver_port_number>/analytics

to display the login page for BI Presentation Services. If you do not see the login page, then the Web Server configuration is likely incorrect. Return to the previous step and make the appropriate corrections.

12.5.3.8 Provisioning Hyperion Shared Services Users in Oracle BI Presentation Services

Administrators can create groups in Oracle BI Presentation Services and assign users to these groups. Such groups can be granted access to various components, such as Interactive Dashboards.

To provision Hyperion Shared Services users in these groups, create corresponding groups in Hyperion Shared Services. For example, if Oracle BI Presentation Services has a group called "Sales", create the same group "Sales" in Hyperion Shared Services and add the users to this group. The Hyperion Shared Services users now belong to the "Sales" group in Oracle BI Presentation Services.

Similarly for provisioning users as Administrators in Oracle BI Presentation Services, create the Presentation Services Administrators group in Hyperion Shared Services and add Hyperion Shared Services users to this group.

12.5.4 Using Oracle BI Presentation Services Components in EPM Workspace, Fusion Edition

After you configure Oracle BI Presentation Services to run within EPM Workspace, you can begin using the components there, as described in the following sections:

12.5.4.1 Specifying Oracle BI Preferences Within EPM Workspace

As you work with the Oracle BI Presentation Services components in EPM Workspace, you likely want to specify preferences to customize your experience.

To specify preferences, complete the following steps:

  1. From the File menu, select Preferences.

  2. From the left-hand list, select Oracle BI.

  3. On the My Account page, update the information as appropriate.

    The Locale and User Interface Languages lists are read-only, because you cannot modify them. The locale and language are inherited from EPM Workspace. See Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Workspace, Fusion Edition Administrator's Guide for information on setting the locale and language.

  4. When you are finished, click OK.

12.5.4.2 Performing Oracle BI Presentation Services Administration Tasks Within EPM Workspace

To allow users to work effectively in EPM Workspace, you might need to perform Oracle BI Presentation Services Administration tasks.

To perform these tasks, complete the following steps:

  1. From the Navigate menu, select Administer, then BI Presentation Services.

  2. On the Oracle BI Presentation Services Administration page, perform the appropriate activities, such as managing the Presentation Catalog and interactive dashboards.

12.5.4.3 Launching Oracle BI Presentation Services Components in EPM Workspace

To launch Oracle BI Presentation Services Components, use the Navigate menu in the upper-left corner of the EPM Workspace window.

Select Navigate, then Applications, then the appropriate component: Oracle BI Answers, Oracle BI Interactive Dashboards, or Oracle BI Delivers.

12.5.4.4 Using BI Answers

BI Answers runs in a new tab in the EPM Workspace and adds various menu items for creating and opening content, as described in the following list:

  1. To launch from the Navigate menu, select Applications, then Oracle BI Answers.

  2. From the File menu, select New, then the appropriate BI Answers item such as Request, Filter, or Dashboard Prompt.

    Tip:

    To create a new database request, select New from the File menu, then select Request. Select Create Direct Request in the resulting dialog.

  3. From the File menu, select Open, then Oracle BI Catalog to display a dialog from which you can open a BI Answers item.

  4. From the File menu, select Save to begin the process of saving a BI Answers item.

    You can also use the Save icon on the toolbar.

  5. From the Tools menu, select Manage Catalog to edit and organize the content in the Presentation Catalog.

  6. From the Tools menu, select Install, then Oracle BI for Microsoft Office to begin the process of installing that component.

12.5.4.5 Using BI Interactive Dashboards

Oracle BI Interactive Dashboards runs in a new tab in EPM Workspace and adds various menu items for navigating in and editing dashboards, as described in the following list:

  1. To launch from the Navigate menu, select Applications, then Oracle BI Interactive Dashboards.

  2. From the Dashboards menu, select the items for navigating among dashboards.

  3. From the Edit menu, select Edit Dashboard to display the Dashboard Editor, or use the other options on the Edit menu to perform appropriate Interactive Dashboards functions. These options are the same as those found on the Page Options menu that is available when Interactive Dashboards runs as part of Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition.

  4. To see an alert (if one is available), select Alerts from the View menu or click the Alerts icon on the toolbar.

12.5.4.6 Using BI Delivers

BI Delivers runs in a new tab in EPM Workspace and adds various menu items for creating and opening iBots, as described in the following list:

  1. To launch from the Navigate menu, select Applications, then Oracle BI Delivers.

  2. From the File menu, select New, then iBot.

  3. From the File menu, select Save to begin the process of saving the iBot.

  4. From the File menu, select iBots Acting on My Behalf to see any iBots that are available.

  5. To see an alert (if one is available), select Alerts from the View menu or click the Alerts icon on the toolbar.

12.6 Integration with Oracle Smart Space, Fusion Edition

This section contains the following topics:

12.6.1 Overview of the Integration

Release 10.1.3.4 introduces the following two types of integration of Oracle BI EE with Oracle Smart Space:

12.6.2 Documentation for the Integration

The following sections provide assistance in locating documentation for the integration of various Oracle BI EE applications with Oracle Smart Space:

12.6.2.1 Installation Documentation for the Integration

For information on installing the various components, see the following books:

  • Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition Infrastructure Installation and Configuration Guide, for installing Oracle BI EE applications, including BI Publisher.

  • Oracle Hyperion Enterprise Performance Management System Installation and Configuration Guide, for installing Oracle Smart Space.

    See Oracle Smart Space Configuration Guide for additional information on installing and configuring Oracle Smart Space with Oracle BI EE components, including BI Publisher

12.6.2.2 Integration of Oracle BI Answers, Interactive Dashboards, and Delivers with Oracle Smart Space

The following tables describes where you can find information for the integration of Oracle BI Answers, Oracle BI Interactive Dashboards, and Oracle BI Delivers with Oracle Smart Space.

Table 12-3 describes the Oracle BI EE documentation pieces.

Table 12-3 Oracle BI EE Documentation Pieces

Piece Description

Section 12.6, "Integration with Oracle Smart Space, Fusion Edition" in this guide

Provides information on using Oracle BI EE components within Oracle Smart Space and on downloading Oracle Smart Space and Smart View from Oracle BI Answers.

Tech Note 559596.1

Using Oracle Delivers iBots, you can send notifications to Smart Space users. To set up iBots in Oracle BI Delivers for use with Smart Space, see Tech Note 559596.1 on My Oracle Support.

Oracle BI Delivers uses intelligence bots called iBots which are software-based agents that detect specific results. iBot messages can be sent as notifications to Smart Space Collaborator users

Table 12-4 describes the Oracle Smart Space documentation pieces.

Table 12-4 Oracle Smart Space Documentation Pieces

Piece Description

Oracle Smart Space New Features Guide

Provides high-level information on the integration of Oracle Smart Space with Oracle BI EE components, including BI Publisher.

Oracle Smart Space Configuration Guide

Provides information on installing and configuring Oracle Smart Space with Oracle BI EE components, including BI Publisher.

Oracle Smart Space Administrator's Guide

Provides information on configuring services to access Oracle BI EE content, including BI Publisher reports, from Oracle Smart Space.

Oracle Smart Space User's Guide

Provides information on accessing Oracle BI EE content, including BI Publisher reports, from Oracle Smart Space.

12.6.2.3 Integration of Oracle BI Publisher with Oracle Smart Space

For the integration of Oracle BI Publisher with Oracle Smart Space, see the following tables:

  • Table 12-2 for the Oracle BI Publisher documentation pieces.

  • Table 12-4 for the Oracle Smart Space documentation pieces.

12.6.3 Performing Oracle BI Tasks in Smart Space

Once Smart Space is connected to Oracle BI, you can use Windows Explorer to browse the Oracle BI Presentation Catalog and see the folders (Shared Folders and My Folders) and documents (Dashboard and Answers request) that are available to you. The following sections provide information on the tasks that you can perform for Oracle BI from within Smart Space:

12.6.3.1 Tasks from Right-Click Menus

From Windows Explorer, right-click a document to see the available Oracle BI functions.

The following list details the right-click menus available for Oracle BI documents in Smart Space.

  • Answers Requests:

    • Open: Opens the Answers request in the Smart Space Content Viewer for viewing and interacting. The Oracle BI masthead is not available.

    • Open in Browser: Opens the Answers request in Oracle BI in a browser and loads the request for viewing and interacting. The Oracle BI masthead is not available.

    • Edit: Opens Oracle BI in a browser and loads the Answers request for editing. The Oracle BI masthead is available for navigating to other Oracle BI pages.

    • Cut: Places the Answers request on the Windows Clipboard for moving into another folder within the Presentation Catalog on the same Oracle BI Server.

    • Copy: Places a copy of the Answers request on the Windows Clipboard for copying into another folder within the Presentation Catalog on the same Oracle BI Server.

    • Paste: Pastes the Answers request into a folder, after the request has been cut or copied to the Windows Clipboard.

    • Delete: Removes the Answers request from the Presentation Catalog.

    • Rename: Renames the Answers request within the Presentation Catalog. When Answers requests are renamed, Smart Space automatically preserves references to the previous name of this item.

    Access to cut, copy, paste, delete and rename is based on the privileges that are defined for you in the Oracle BI Presentation Catalog.

  • Interactive Dashboards:

    • Open: Opens the dashboard in the Smart Space Content Viewer for viewing and interacting. The Oracle BI masthead is not available.

    • Edit: Opens the Dashboard Editor screen of Oracle BI in a browser with the dashboard loaded for editing.

    • Open in Browser: Opens the Interactive Dashboards screen in Oracle BI in a browser and loads the dashboard for viewing and interacting. The Oracle BI masthead is available for navigating to other Oracle BI pages.

    My Dashboard is displayed directly underneath the "My Folders" folder.

12.6.3.2 Folder Management

Smart Space's integration with Windows Explorer also enables creation, renaming and deletion of folders (both Shared Folders and My Folders). Access to these functions is based on the privileges that are defined for you in the Oracle BI Presentation Catalog.

12.6.3.3 Oracle BI Delivers iBots

Using Oracle Delivers iBots, you can send notifications to Smart Space users. To set up iBots in Oracle BI Delivers for use with Smart Space, see Tech Note 559596.1 on My Oracle Support.

Oracle BI Delivers uses intelligence bots called iBots which are software-based agents that detect specific results. iBot messages can be sent as notifications to Smart Space Collaborator users

12.6.3.4 Authentication

Smart Space supports the following authentication methods for Oracle BI: Oracle BI native authentication and OracleAS Single Sign-On.

12.6.4 Downloading Oracle Smart Space and Smart View from Oracle BI Presentation Services

In Release 10.1.3.4, you can download one of the following Microsoft Office Add-ins from within Oracle BI Presentation Services: Oracle BI for Microsoft Office, Smart View for Microsoft Office, or Oracle Smart Space. This section contains the following topics:

For more information, refer to the following:

12.6.4.1 Setting Up to Download Oracle Smart Space and Smart View from Oracle BI Presentation Services

Before you can see the menu options for downloading an add-in, you must perform configure tasks for each one.

12.6.4.1.1 Smart View

Complete the following steps in the specified order to set up to download Smart View. While the order of installation is not important, Provider Services must be started before users can connect to Oracle BI EE using Smart View.

  1. Install and start Provider Services. Smart View uses Provider Services for accessing Oracle BI EE content.

    For information on installing Provider Services, see Oracle Hyperion EPM System Installation Start Here Guide.

  2. Install Oracle BI.

    For information, see Oracle Business Intelligence Infrastructure Installation and Configuration Guide.

  3. Set up a connection to Oracle BI EE using the Smart View Data Source Manager in the Smart View client.

    For information, see the chapter on connecting to data sources in Oracle Smart View, Fusion Edition User's Guide.

    Note:

    There is no separate administration tool for configuring data sources for use with Smart View. Administrators can install Smart View using the standalone installer, if they want to set up connections before enabling the Smart View download for users. The assumption is that the Oracle BI installation has been completed and the services are running along with the Provider Services.

  4. Update the Oracle BI EE instanceconfig.xml file with Smart View Client download information, as shown in the following example:

    <WebConfig>
   <ServerInstance>
      <SmartViewInstallerURL>http://<URL to download SmartView client>/</SmartViewInstallerURL>
   </ServerInstance>
</WebConfig>

    For information on the instanceconfig.xml file, see Oracle Business Intelligence Presentation Services Administration Guide.

  5. Restart Oracle BI to see the new menu option for Smart View.

12.6.4.1.2 Oracle Smart Space

Complete the following steps to set up to download Oracle Smart Space.

  1. Install Oracle BI.

    For information, see Oracle Business Intelligence Infrastructure Installation and Configuration Guide.

  2. Install Oracle Smart Space.

    For information, see Hyperion EMP System Installation and Configuration Guide.

  3. Ask the Oracle Smart Space administrator to configure Smart Space with Oracle BI registration information.

    For information, see Oracle Smart Space, Fusion Edition Administrator's Guide.

  4. Update the instanceconfig.xml file with information to generate the link for Oracle Smart Space start.html page for installing the Smart Space client, as shown in the following example:

    <WebConfig>
   <ServerInstance>
      <SmartSpaceInstallerURL>http://<URL to download SmartSpace client/</SmartSpaceInstallerURL>
   </ServerInstance>
</WebConfig>

  5. Restart Oracle BI to see the new menu option.

12.6.4.2 Initiating the Download

To initiate the download of an add-in, perform these steps:

  1. Log in to Oracle Business Intelligence.

  2. Click the More Products link, then click one of the following:

12.7 Certification of Oracle WebLogic Server 10.x

You can use Oracle BI EE and Oracle BI Publisher with the Oracle WebLogic Server. The following sections describes the steps that are required to configure for that application server.

12.7.1 Configuring Oracle BI EE for WebLogic Server

The following steps provide information on configuring to use WebLogic Server with Oracle BI EE. See the WebLogic Server documentation for additional information.

  1. Create a new WebLogic Server domain using a JDK such as Sun JDK 1.5.x or higher, in place of JRockit.

  2. Create an exploded archive directory from the analytics.ear or analytics.war file using the new domain, by following these steps:

    1. Copy the analytics.ear or analytics.war file in the \OracleBI\web directory to a destination directory, as shown in the following example.

      -mkdir c:mydestination\BIEE\
-cp c:\OracleBI\web\analytics.war to c:mydestination\BIEE\

    2. Manually unpack the analytics.ear or analytics.war file using a jar command, as shown in the following example.

      jar -xvf manual\generic\analytics.war

      By running the jar command, you create a directory called "analytics." This is the directory where the application is deployed.

      Note the following about exploded archive directories: Do not deploy the analytics.war or analytics.ear file on the WebLogic Server by uploading it from the WebLogic console, because the console deploys the application (or Web module) in an archived file format.

  3. If the BI Presentation Services Server runs on a different computer from the WebLogic Server, then edit the web.xml file for the WebLogic Server to account for this difference.

  4. In a Web browser, start the WebLogic Administration Console, as shown in the following example.

    http://hostname:7001/console

  5. If you have not previously done so, in the Change Center of the Administration Console, click Lock & Edit.

  6. In the left pane of the Administration Console, click Deployments.

  7. Install the deployment as an application by completing the following steps:

    1. In the right pane, click Install.

    2. Select c:mydestination\BIEE and click Next.

    3. Select Install this deployment as an application and click Next.

    4. Select I will make the deployment accessible from the following location from Source accessibility.

    5. Click Finish.

  8. To activate these changes, in the Change Center of the Administration Console, click Activate Changes.

  9. Start the service by clicking Deployments, then analytics.

12.7.2 Configuring Oracle BI Publisher for WebLogic Server

The following steps provide information on configuring to use WebLogic Server with Oracle BI Publisher. See the WebLogic Server documentation for additional information.

  1. Create a new WebLogic Server domain using a JDK such as Sun JDK 1.5.x or higher, in place of JRockit.

  2. Create an exploded archive directory from the xmlpserver.ear or xmlpserver.war file using the new domain, by following these steps:

    1. Copy the xmlpserver.ear or xmlpserver.war file in the \xmlpserver\web directory to a destination directory, as shown in the following example.

      -mkdir c:mydestination\xmlpserver\
-cp c:\xmlpserver\web\xmlpserver.war to c:mydestination\xmlpserver\

    2. Manually unpack the xmlpserver.ear or xmlpserver.war file using a jar command, as shown in the following example.

      jar -xvf manual\generic\xmlpserver.war

      By running the jar command, you create a directory called "xmlpserver." This is the directory where the application is deployed.

      Note the following about exploded archive directories: Do not deploy the xmlpserver.war or xmlpserver.ear file on the WebLogic Server by uploading it from the WebLogic console, because the console deploys the application (or Web module) in an archived file format. This is problematic to a BI Publisher configuration, because you must update WEB-INF/xmlp-server-config.xml manually after the deployment. To work around this issue, use an "exploded archive" directory.

  3. If you need changes to the BI Publisher configuration files, such as updating the catalog path in the xmlp-server-config.xml file, then make the changes before deployment.

  4. In a Web browser, start the WebLogic Administration Console, as shown in the following example.

    http://hostname:7001/console

  5. If you have not previously done so, in the Change Center of the Administration Console, click Lock & Edit.

  6. In the left pane of the Administration Console, click Deployments.

  7. Install the deployment as an application by completing the following steps:

    1. In the right pane, click Install.

    2. Select c:mydestination\xmlpserver and click Next.

    3. Select Install this deployment as an application and click Next.

    4. Select I will make the deployment accessible from the following location from Source accessibility.

    5. Click Finish.

  8. To activate these changes, in the Change Center of the Administration Console, click Activate Changes.

  9. Configure the BI Publisher repository and install fonts as described in Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Installation Guide.

  10. Start the service by clicking Deployments, then xmlpserver.

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