10 Making a View Object Available to BI Publisher as a Data Source

This chapter describes the steps required to use a view object as a data source in BI Publisher.

It includes the following sections:

• Section 10.1, "Prerequisites"

• Section 10.2, "Configuring the Application Module"

• Section 10.3, "Updating web.xml"

• Section 10.4, "Updating weblogic.xml"

• Section 10.5, "Deploying the Application Module"

• Section 10.6, "Updating the providers.xml File"

Note:

This chapter assumes familiarity with Oracle Application Development Framework (ADF) and Oracle JDeveloper. For more information about these see:

• Oracle Fusion Middleware Fusion Developer's Guide for Oracle Application Development Framework

• Oracle JDeveloper 11g Online Help

10.1 Prerequisites

Oracle BI Publisher provides a mechanism to extract data from a remote server using Web service calls to a view object. Applications developers can define data sources as view objects in their application and then create a data model in BI Publisher to retrieve the data to use in their reports.

Following are the prerequisites for using the information in this chapter:

• BI Publisher is deployed to the WebLogic Server where the application will be running. The library "oracle.xdo.webapp" is required. The Oracle BI Platform Installer deploys this library.

• In JDeveloper, you have created the entity-based view object.

• In JDeveloper, the name of the database connection data source must be "ApplicationDB".

10.2 Configuring the Application Module

Using Oracle JDeveloper, configure the application module that contains the view object by following the steps in the remaining sections of this chapter.

10.3 Updating web.xml

1. In JDeveloper, navigate to the web.xml file under your Project > Web Content > WEB-INF folder.

   Figure 10-1 Updating the web.xml File in JDeveloper

   
   

2. In the Source view, update the web.xml file with the following:

   <filter-mapping>
           <filter-name>adfBindings</filter-name>
           <servlet-name>oracle.xdo.vo.webservice.VODataSourceService</servlet-name>
           <dispatcher>FORWARD</dispatcher>
           <dispatcher>REQUEST</dispatcher>
     </filter-mapping>
     
     <servlet>
           <servlet-name>oracle.xdo.vo.webservice.VODataSourceService</servlet-name>
           <servlet-class>oracle.j2ee.ws.server.provider.ProviderServlet</servlet-class>
           <init-param>
               <param-name>Oracle.JAX-WS.ServiceEndpointBean</param-name>
               <param-value>oracle.xdo.vo.webservice.VODataSourceService</param-value>
           </init-param>
           <load-on-startup>1</load-on-startup>
     </servlet>
   
     <servlet-mapping>
           <servlet-name>oracle.xdo.vo.webservice.VODataSourceService</servlet-name>
           <url-pattern>/services/voService</url-pattern>
     </servlet-mapping>
   

10.4 Updating weblogic.xml

1. In JDeveloper, navigate to the weblogic.xml file under your Project > Web Content > WEB-INF folder.

2. Update the weblogic.xml file located in the WEB-INF directory with the following library reference:

   <library-ref>
     <library-name>oracle.xdo.webapp</library-name>
   </library-ref>
   

   Figure 10-2 Updating the weblogic.xml File in JDeveloper

   
   

10.5 Deploying the Application Module

Deploy the application module to the WebLogic Server where BI Publisher is installed. Note the application context path.

10.6 Updating the providers.xml File

1. In your BI Publisher installation, navigate to the providers.xml file. The providers.xml file is located in ${xdo.server.config.dir}/repository/Admin/Configuration.

2. Update the providers.xml file by providing a name for this data source and supplying the application context path in the nonSSOUri attribute as shown:

   <provider name="MyWSVOTest" uri =""  nonSSOUri="http://example.com:7101/Application-VOTestWS-ViewController-context-root"/>
   

3. Save the providers.xml file.

4. Restart the BI Publisher application.

   The view object data source will now be available from the data model editor.

   For instructions on how to create a data model for this data source, see the topic "Defining a View Object as a Data Set Type" in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Report Designer's Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher.