Oracle Report Manager leverages features of Oracle XML Publisher and Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator.
When you submit a Standard or Variable Report request, Oracle Report Manager uses the Oracle XML Publisher formatting engine to apply a layout template to the request data to generate the report in the desired output format. Oracle Report Manager then publishes the report to the Reports Repository and to any selected menu items.
When you design a template using the Financial Report Template Editor, Oracle Report Manager uses Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator to generate and download the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to your desktop and then uploads the template to the Oracle XML Publisher Template Manager.
When you view a Financial Statement Generator report in Microsoft Excel, Oracle Report Manager uses Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator to generate and download the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to your desktop.
Setup for Oracle Report Manager therefore includes steps for Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator and Oracle XML Publisher.
Implementation steps are listed in the following table. Detailed instructions are given in the sections that follow:
| Step | Required/Optional | Product |
|---|---|---|
| Set profile option values | Optional | Oracle Report Manager and Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator |
| Attach functions to user menus | Required | Oracle Report Manager |
| Add the Report Manager - Transfer FSG Custom Templates program to a request group | Optional | Oracle Report Manager |
| Perform setup for Financial Report Template Editor and Financial Statement Generator reports | Conditionally required. Each user of the Financial Report Template Editor and each user who views Financial Statement Generator reports in Microsoft Excel must configure their Microsoft Excel settings and their client PC Web browser settings. | Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator |
| Set request concurrent programs to generate XML | Conditionally required. Standard and Variable report concurrent programs published by Oracle Report Manager must be set to generate XML in the concurrent program definition. | Oracle XML Publisher |
| Register concurrent programs as Data Definitions in the Template Manager | Conditionally required. Standard and Variable reports published by Oracle Report Manager must be registered as a Data Definition in the Oracle XML Publisher Template Manager. | Oracle XML Publisher |
| Create report templates | Conditionally required. All Standard and Variable reports published by Oracle Report Manager require an Oracle XML Publisher RTF template. | Oracle XML Publisher |
| Register report templates in the Template Manager | Conditionally required. Templates created for use with Standard and Variable Reports must be registered in the Oracle XML Publisher Template Manager. | Oracle XML Publisher |
Use the System Administrator Responsibility to set the following profile options. For more information about setting profile options, see Overview of Setting User Profiles, Oracle E-Business Suite Setup Guide.
| Profile Option Name | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| FRM: User to Value Owner Access | No | The profile option is only set at the user level. When set to "Yes" it enables a user to add participating value sets and assign owner access. For more information, see User to Value Security. Additionally, setting this profile option to "Yes" for a user gives that user owner privileges for all folders and reports in the repository, overriding any repository security restrictions defined for individual folders or reports. See Defining Repository Security. |
| FRM: Set Auto Archive | Null | This profile option sets a default value for the Set Auto Archive option on the Publishing Parameters page. Enter a positive integer to specify the number of months from the date of publishing that the report will be marked for archive in the Reports Repository. For example: To automatically mark reports for archive after one month, enter "1". Users can override the default value at submission time on the Publishing Parameters page. Note that reports are not actually archived until the Maintain Repository concurrent request is run. For more information, see Archiving Reports. |
| ADI: Allow Sysadmin to View All Output | No | Set this to "Yes" to allow users with the System Administrator responsibility to view the output for all users. This option overrides user to value security for System Administrators. |
| FRM: Excel View Row and Column Headings | No | Set this profile option to "Yes" to display row and column headings in the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet when users output a report to Microsoft Excel. Row and column headings let users easily select an entire row or column at once to perform actions such as editing, formatting, or copying the row or column. This profile option is set to "No" by default. When this profile option is set to "No", row and column headings are not displayed unless users manually enable the headings within their Microsoft Excel settings. Note: If you update this profile option, the change takes effect the next time a user outputs a report to Microsoft Excel. You do not need to republish reports for the change to take effect. |
| FRM: OOXML Enabled | No | Set this profile option to "Yes" to enable Oracle Report Manager to create spreadsheets according to the Office Open XML (OOXML) standard. When using the OOXML format, Oracle Report Manager performs the processing to generate Microsoft Excel files for templates and Financial Statement Generator reports on the Oracle E-Business Suite server rather than on the desktop. With this option, no macros are used during document creation and limited macros are used during upload. Consequently, the Trust access to the VBA project object model security option is not required to work with OOXML documents. Additionally, because the processing is performed on the server, the file generation uses minimal desktop resources. |
Additionally, check that the following Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator profile options are set to appropriate values for the Oracle Report Manager features you want to use. These profile options control both Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator and the Oracle Report Manager features that use Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator. For more information, see: Setting Profile Options, Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator Implementation and Administration Guide.
| Profile Option Name | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BNE Enable Digital Signature | No |
Set this profile option to Yes to enable Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator and Oracle Report Manager to affix a digital signature to the spreadsheets you create, identifying them as coming from a trusted source. You can then select a macro security level in Microsoft Excel that requires digital signatures when working with these spreadsheets. |
| BNE Server Log Level | ERROR |
This profile option determines the level of detail that is recorded in the Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator log file. Additionally, if you set this profile option to TRACE, then Oracle Report Manager does not delete the ReportManager.xls file after the report spreadsheet has been created. If you set any log level other than TRACE, then Oracle Report Manager displays the ReportManager.xls file while the report is being created, but deletes this file when the report rendering is complete. The recommended value for a production environment is ERROR. |
Use the System Administrator responsibility to assign the Oracle Report Manager menu items to the navigation menus of the appropriate responsibilities. For more information on adding functions to menus, see Navigation Menus, Oracle E-Business Suite Security Guide.
Following are the Oracle Report Manager user function names:
Financial Report Submission
Financial Report Template Editor
Repository Management
Security Workbench
Standard Report Submission
Upload File
Variable Report Submission
Report Set Definition
Publish Report Set
Define Report Set Publishing Options
Publish Request Set
Define Request Set Publishing Options
Ad Hoc FSG Submission
In addition, users access Oracle Report Manager every time they view a report published by it. In this case, the reports being distributed by menu items created by report producers can be placed in any responsibility.
Note that the View Reports page is secured by the FRM_REP_MANAGE_WORKBENCH (Repository Management) function. You must add this function to a responsibility assigned to a user to enable that user to access the page and view reports.
Additionally, the following features are secured by the BNE_ADI_CREATE_DOCUMENT function:
Viewing report output in Microsoft Excel format
Drilling down to Oracle General Ledger from links in Financial Statement Generator reports, in any output format
Using the Financial Report Template Editor
Consequently, you must add the BNE_ADI_CREATE_DOCUMENT function to a responsibility assigned to a user to enable that user to view Microsoft Excel output and to use the drilldown links. You must also add this function along with the Financial Report Template Editor menu item, to enable a user to work with Financial Statement Generator templates.
The Report Manager - Transfer FSG Custom Templates concurrent program lets you transfer custom Financial Statement Generator report templates between Oracle E-Business Suite instances. Before a user can run this program, you must add the program to the request group for a responsibility assigned to that user. See Request Security Groups, Oracle E-Business Suite Setup Guide.
Note: For releases earlier than Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2.9, you must first apply a patch to make the Report Manager - Transfer FSG Custom Templates concurrent program available in your instance. See My Oracle Support Document 2338674.1, Oracle Report Manager Release Notes for Patch 26879913:R12.FRM.C.
Perform these steps on the target Oracle E-Business Suite instance to which you want to transfer templates.
From the System Administrator responsibility, choose Security > Responsibility > Define. In the Responsibilities window, query the responsibility from which you want users to run the transfer program and make a note of the name of the request group for that responsibility. For example, if you want users to run the program from the System Administrator responsibility, note that the request group for that responsibility is named System Administrator Reports.
From the System Administrator responsibility, choose Security > Responsibility > Request. In the Request Groups window, query the request group you noted in the previous step. Add the Report Manager - Transfer FSG Custom Templates program to this group and save your work.
Oracle Report Manager uses the Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator integration with Microsoft Excel to generate spreadsheets for the Financial Report Template Editor and for the Microsoft Excel output for Financial Statement Generator reports. The following setup is required to use these features.
A client PC with a supported version of Windows installed.
For more information, see My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 1077728.1, Using Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Office with Oracle E-Business Suite Releases 12 and 11i.
A Web browser supported by Oracle E-Business Suite installed on the client PC.
See My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 389422.1, Recommended Browsers for Oracle E-Business Suite, for the list of supported browsers and My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 1077728.1, Using Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Office with Oracle E-Business Suite Releases 12 and 11i for specific browser requirements for Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator.
Microsoft Office Excel 2010, 2013, 2016, 2021, or Microsoft 365 Excel installed on the client PC. For these Microsoft Excel versions, both the 32-bit release and the 64-bit release are supported.
For more information, see My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 1077728.1, Using Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Office with Oracle E-Business Suite Releases 12 and 11i.
Beginning in Release 12.2.5, you can choose to create templates and Financial Statement Generator reports according to the Office Open XML (OOXML) standard, an XML format developed by Microsoft to represent spreadsheets and other types of documents. When using the OOXML format, Oracle Report Manager generates the spreadsheet entirely on the Oracle E-Business Suite server, and the completed spreadsheet is then downloaded to the desktop. With this option, no macros are used during document creation and limited macros are used during upload. Consequently, the Trust access to the VBA project object model security option is not required to work with OOXML documents. Additionally, because the processing is performed on the server, the file generation uses minimal desktop resources. To use the OOXML format for your Oracle Report Manager spreadsheets, set the FRM: OOXML Enabled profile option to "Yes".
If you have existing financial report templates that were created before you enabled the OOXML format, then you must migrate these templates to the new format. To do so, submit a concurrent request for the Report Manager - Template Migration (FRM_TEMPLATE_MIGRATION) program. See: Running Reports and Programs, Oracle E-Business Suite User's Guide.
For testing purposes, when you run the Report Manager - Template Migration program, you can optionally select the code for an individual template in the Template Code parameter to convert only that template to the OOXML format. When you enable OOXML in your production system, however, you should migrate all existing templates to the OOXML format by running the program with the Template Code parameter left blank.
In Microsoft Excel, you must select the macro security settings that you want to enable the macros used by Oracle Report Manager.
If you do not enable OOXML, then Oracle Report Manager creates an initial file named ReportManager.xls on the server. After you download this file, it creates the actual spreadsheet on the desktop using VBA macros. Macros are also used for features within the Oracle ribbon tab, including upload.
If you enable OOXML, then Oracle Report Manager does not use VBA macros to create the spreadsheet, but macros are used for features within the Oracle ribbon tab, including upload.
You can choose to set a medium macro security level, in which case you are prompted to enable the macros each time you open an Oracle Report Manager spreadsheet. Alternatively, you can set the BNE Enable Digital Signature profile option in Oracle E-Business Suite to have Oracle Report Manager affix a digital signature to the spreadsheets you create. In this case, you can select a high macro security level in Microsoft Excel. After you initially identify the Oracle Report Manager macros as coming from a trusted source, Microsoft Excel automatically allows the macros to run.
If you do not use digital signatures in Oracle Report Manager, then you must set your Microsoft Excel macro security to let you enable macros on a case by case basis. The steps to do so may vary depending on your version of Microsoft Excel. For example:
For Microsoft Excel 2010, 2013, and 2016:
Choose the File tab, and then choose Options. In the Options dialog box, choose Trust Center and then Trust Center Settings. In the Trust Center, choose Macro Settings.
Select the Disable all macros with notification option.
If you did not enable OOXML, then select the Trust access to the VBA project object model option.
Note: If you enabled OOXML, then this option is not required.
With these settings, Microsoft Excel prompts you to enable the macros whenever you create or open an Oracle Report Manager spreadsheet.
If you want to use digital signatures in Oracle Report Manager, set the BNE Enable Digital Signature profile option to Yes. When this option is set, Oracle Report Manager affixes a digital signature to the spreadsheets you create. You can then select a macro security level in Microsoft Excel that requires digital signatures. The steps to do so may vary depending on your version of Microsoft Excel. For example:
For Microsoft Excel 2010, 2013, and 2016:
Choose the File tab, and then choose Options. In the Options dialog box, choose Trust Center and then Trust Center Settings. In the Trust Center, choose Macro Settings.
Select the Disable all macros except digitally signed macros option.
If you did not enable OOXML, then select the Trust access to the VBA project object model option.
Note: If you enabled OOXML, then this option is not required.
With these settings, the first time you create a signed Oracle Report Manager spreadsheet, you must identify the Oracle Report Manager macros as coming from a trusted source. Subsequently, whenever you create a signed spreadsheet, Microsoft Excel automatically allows the macros to run.
Note: If you create a digitally signed spreadsheet, it is recommended to work without saving in order to preserve the signature. If you save an Oracle Report Manager spreadsheet, then the Oracle signature is discarded, because the content of the spreadsheet is no longer controlled by Oracle. To continue working on the spreadsheet, you can use one of these options:
Change your macro security settings to a medium security level temporarily while performing tasks that use Oracle Report Manager macros, such as performing a template upload to Oracle E-Business Suite.
Create a new digitally signed Oracle Report Manager spreadsheet, and copy and paste the modified data from the saved, unsigned spreadsheet to the new signed spreadsheet. You can then continue working in the new spreadsheet at the same security level.
Attach your own digital signature from a trusted source to the spreadsheet and save the spreadsheet again.
If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer as your Web browser, select the following downloads setting so that you can download the spreadsheets created by Oracle Report Manager to your desktop.
From the Tools menu, select Internet Options and then select the Security tab.
Select the zone in which you are working, such as Trusted Sites, and select the Custom level button.
In the Downloads settings, select Enable for the File download option.
Additionally, select the following scripting setting so that Oracle Report Manager can complete the spreadsheet creation process.
From the Tools menu, select Internet Options and then select the Security tab.
Select the zone in which you are working, such as Trusted Sites, and select the Custom level button.
In the Scripting settings, select Enable for the Allow status bar updates via script option.
This step is required only for the Financial Report Template Editor. To enable the Financial Report Template Editor to upload the images in your template to your Web server, you must create a directory for the images to be uploaded to, as follows:
Create the FrmFsgImages directory in the physical directory designated by the OA_MEDIA virtual directory on your Web server. For information on the OA_MEDIA directory in your installation, see your Web server administrator.
Set the permissions on the FrmFsgImages directory to allow reading and writing for the process running your Web server.
Every standard or variable report that you wish to publish through Oracle Report Manager must first be set up in Oracle XML Publisher. Beginning with Oracle E-Business Suite 11.5.10, some reports are delivered with the Oracle XML Publisher components and therefore will not require any additional setup.
For those reports not delivered with Oracle XML Publisher components, following is an overview of the setup steps. For complete information, see the Oracle XML Publisher Administration and Developer's Guide, available from My Oracle Support Document 1640073.1, Notes for Using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher 10g in Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2.
Set the report concurrent program to generate XML.
This can be achieved in one of two ways:
If you plan to publish the Standard report only using Oracle Report Manager, use the Concurrent Programs window to change the Output Type of the report definition to XML.
If you plan to generate another output from the Standard report (such as Text), you may want to use the "Copy to" feature of the Concurrent Programs window to create a duplicate of the existing program. Set the Output Type of the copy of the concurrent program to XML.
Note: For more information, see Concurrent Programs Window, Oracle E-Business Suite Setup Guide.
Create a layout template for the report using Microsoft Word.
Register the concurrent program as a Data Definition in the Oracle XML Publisher Template Manager.
Register and upload your layout template to the Oracle XML Publisher Template Manager.