5Administering Siebel Reports
Administering Siebel Reports
This chapter describes some of the administrative tasks for Siebel Reports. It includes the following topics:
Doing Typical Administrative Tasks
This topic describes how to do typical administrative tasks. It includes the following information:
Disabling the Reports Button
Siebel CRM displays the Reports button in the Siebel client in the Application toolbar, by default. You can disable or enable it. If you disable it, then you can still use a Siebel workflow process or business service to run reports. For more information, see About the Report Business Service.
To disable the Reports button
Log in to the Siebel application with administrator privileges.
Navigate to the Administration - Application screen, and then the System Preferences view.
Query the System Preference field for ReportEngineType, and then set the System Preferences value using values from the following table.
System Preference Value Description NONE
Configures Siebel CRM to not display the Reports button.
BIP
Configures Siebel CRM to display the Reports button.
Restart the Siebel Server, and then verify the state of the Reports button.
Making Sure Siebel CRM Displays The Report Status
Siebel CRM uses the submit time on the Siebel Server to determine the timestamp that it uses for a report. If a user runs a report, and if the XMLP Report server component is not enabled, then Siebel CRM displays an empty status for the report in the My Reports view. If you subsequently enable the XLMP Report server component, then Siebel CRM immediately displays a status of In Progress. However, it might not display the status long enough for you to view it. This situation occurs for most reports because Siebel CRM displays the In Progress status only for a few seconds, and then replaces it with a status of Success or Error.
To make sure Siebel CRM displays the report status
Enable the XMLP Report server component.
Making Sure Fonts Are Available for Reports
Siebel CRM uses the fonts that are available on the computer where it runs the report. If the fonts that a report requires are not available on this computer, then the report output might be different than what you expect. This topic describes how to copy fonts on the Siebel Server so that they are available in the report output. For more information about using fonts in Siebel CRM, see Siebel Global Deployment Guide.
To make sure fonts are available for reports
Log on to the Siebel Server where you enabled the XMLP Report server component.
Copy the fonts, depending on the following operating system that your deployment uses:
Windows. Copy the fonts that the following folder contains to the fonts subfolder that resides in the Java installation folder for your environment. This subfolder is typically JAVA_HOME\lib\fonts:
C:\WINDOWS\Fonts
UNIX. Copy the fonts that reside in the /Fonts folder to the fonts subfolder in the Java installation folder for your environment. For example:
Solaris. /usr/openwin/lib/X11/fonts/TrueType
AIX. /usr/lpp/X11/lib/X11/fonts/TrueType
HP. /usr/lib/X11/fonts/ms.st/typefaces
Linux. /usr/lib/X11/fonts/TrueType
Managing Report Notifications
Siebel CRM enables report notification in the Siebel Open UI client, by default. You can disable or enable it. If you enable report notification, then Siebel CRM does the following:
If the user clicks Submit, then Siebel CRM immediately returns to the Siebel application. The user is not required to wait for the report to finish running. The user can navigate to another view or do some other work while the report runs in the background.
Displays a notification in the report icon when the report finishes running.
Allows the user to view report notifications and to open a completed report without navigating to the My Reports view.
Hides the notification when the user opens the report.
Displays a report notification only to the user who runs the report, and only for the current user session. It does not display the notification to any other user. It does not display the notification if the user logs out and then logs back in to the client.
To disable reports notification
Log in to the Siebel application with administrator privileges.
Navigate to the Administration - Application screen, and then the System Preferences view.
Query the System Preference field for Report Notification Mode.
Set the System Preference Value to Off.
Restart the Siebel Server.
Viewing Report Usage Statistics
You can use the predefined Report Usage Statistics report to get detailed information about reports, the users who run reports, failures, long-running reports, and so on. For information about downloading a predefined report, see 876284.1 (Article ID) on My Oracle Support.
Configuring Siebel CRM to Automatically Delete Reports
This topic describes how to configure Siebel CRM to automatically delete reports from the Siebel File System and the Oracle BI Publisher Server which frees up memory.
Deleting Reports from the Siebel File System
It is recommended that you configure Siebel CRM to regularly delete reports from the Siebel File System.
To delete reports from the Siebel File System
Log in to the Siebel application with administrator privileges.
Navigate to the Administration - Application screen, and then the System Preferences view.
In the System Preferences list, query the System Preference Name field for BIP Delete After Days.
Modify the value in the System Preference Value field to a positive, nonzero value.
Siebel CRM sets the value to -1 (minus 1), by default. This preference determines how frequently Siebel CRM runs the Auto Purge workflow process. This workflow removes reports from the database and the Siebel File System after the number of days that you specify. For example, to keep only the reports that Siebel CRM created during the most recent seven days, you set the value to 7. Siebel CRM then deletes all reports that are more than seven days old.
It is recommended that you set this value to the lowest value possible while still meeting your report requirements, particularly in a large deployment where users create many reports. Setting this parameter to a low value prevents the Siebel File System from increasing to an unmanageable size.
For more information about modifying the Auto Purge workflow process, or using a workflow process to schedule a job to run periodically, see Siebel Business Process Framework: Workflow Guide.
Navigate to the Administration - Server Management screen, and then the Jobs view.
Add a new job named Workflow Process Manager.
In the Job Parameters list, add a parameter to the job you added in Step 6. Use values from the following table:
Name Value Workflow Process Name
XMLP Purge Records
Click Submit.
Restart the Siebel Server.
Deleting Scheduled Reports from the Oracle BI Publisher Server
Siebel CRM stores scheduled reports that users create in the Oracle BI Publisher scheduling database. It is recommended that you configure Siebel CRM to regularly delete these reports. You cannot remove scheduled reports from the Siebel application or by using the Oracle BI Publisher administration application.
To remove scheduled reports from the Oracle BI Publisher Server
Use the Job Manager Instances List or the Job Manager Purge Instances Window to remove Oracle Business Intelligence Scheduler job instances from the scheduling database.
For more information, see the topic about Purging Oracle BI Scheduler Job Instances in the Oracle Business Intelligence Scheduler Guide on Oracle Technology Network (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/indexes/documentation/index.html).
Optimizing the Performance of Siebel Reports
This topic describes how to optimize the performance of Siebel Reports. It includes the following information:
It is recommended that you do this work when you install Siebel Reports. However, you can do this work at any time. You must use a connected client to do this work, unless noted otherwise.
For more information about improving performance with:
Integration objects that you customize, see Reducing the Amount of Data That Integration Objects Transfer
Running reports, see 1392449.1 (Article ID), Siebel BI Publisher Report Generation, on My Oracle Support
Integrating reports, see 1466709.1 (Article ID), Siebel CRM BI Publisher Integration Performance, on My Oracle Support
Setting the Waiting Period
The waiting period sets the time that Siebel CRM waits before it sends a report to run in the background. It is recommended that you set this time. For example, if a report requires 90 seconds to finish running, and if you set the wait time to 60, then Siebel CRM does the following:
Runs the report in the foreground for 60 seconds. The user cannot use the client during these 60 seconds.
Displays a message after 60 seconds that is similar to the following:
XMLP Report Generation time exceeds the Threshold time. Please see the generated Report Output File in the BIP my Reports view.
The user can start using the client immediately after dismissing this message.
Adds the finished report to the My Reports view after 90 seconds.
To set the waiting period
Log in to the Siebel application with administrator privileges.
Navigate to the Administration - Application screen, and then the System Preferences view.
In the System Preferences list, choose BIP Report Wait Time, and then modify the System Preference Value.
The minimum value is 0, which configures Siebel CRM to send all reports to the background immediately. For information about this view, see Running Reports in Siebel CRM Clients.
Restart the Siebel Server.
Setting the Polling Interval
It is recommended that you change the Database Polling Interval that the Server Request Processor uses.
To set the polling interval
Log in to the Siebel application with administrator privileges.
Navigate to the Administration - Server Configuration screen, Servers, and then the Components view.
In the Components list, choose Server Request Processor.
Scroll down, click the child Parameters list, and then click Hidden.
In the Parameter list, choose Database Polling Interval, and then change the value from 10 to 1.
This parameter determines how long Siebel CRM waits before the Server Request Processor polls the database to determine if the server queue includes a new report request. Siebel CRM also updates the Value on Restart and Default Values.
Restart the Siebel Server.
You can also use the srvrmgr command-line interface to restart the Server Request Processor.
For more information about setting the server component parameters, and restarting the Siebel Server and server components, see Siebel System Administration Guide.
Setting Concurrency Parameters
It is recommended that you set the concurrency parameters.
To set concurrency parameters
Log in to the Siebel application with administrator privileges.
Log in on the computer where the XMLP Report server component is enabled. If you prefer, you can use the Server Manager instead of the administrative screens to set these parameters. For more information, see Using the Server Manager to Set Concurrency Parameters.
Navigate to the Administration - Server Configuration screen, Servers, and then the Components view.
In the Components list, choose XMLP Report.
Click the Parameters tab, and then set the parameters using values from the following table.
Parameter Description Maximum Tasks parameter
Modify the Value on Restart to 100.
Maximum MT Servers
Modify the Value on Restart to 2.
Using the Server Manager to Set Concurrency Parameters
Use the following procedure to set the concurrency parameters using the Server Manager (srvrmgr).
To use the Server Manager to set concurrency parameters
Run the following Server Manager (srvrmgr) commands to increase the MaxTasks parameter to 100 and the MaxMTServers parameter to 2:
change param maxtasks=100 for comp xmlpreportserver server SiebelServer change param maxmtservers=2 for comp xmlpreportserver server SiebelServer
where:
SiebelServer identifies the name of the Siebel Server.
Optimizing Reports That Include Thousands of Records
This topic describes how you can optimize performance for reports that include a lot of records, such as 10,000 records.
If a report includes a lot of records, then it is recommended that the user schedule this report to run on the Oracle BI Publisher Server. It is recommended that the user run this report immediately. For more information, see Scheduling Reports.
Modifying the HTTP Sleep Time
The integration from Siebel CRM to Oracle BI Publisher uses an outbound Web service call that calls the PublicReportServiceService Web service on the Oracle BI Publisher Server. The outbound Web service uses the EAI HTTP Transport business service to send the HTTP request for this call. Siebel CRM sets the HTTPSleepTime argument of this business service to two minutes (120000 milliseconds), by default. If a report requires over two minutes to finish, and if you do not schedule this report, then the report times out and Siebel CRM adds an entry that is similar to the following error message. It adds this message in the XMLPReportServer .log file:
SBL-EAI-04311: Operation 'runReport' is expecting a response but no response was received.
This error typically occurs only with a large or complex report, and it does not occur if you schedule the report. To avoid this error, you can increase the default sleep time for the EAI HTTP Transport business service so that the EAI component keeps the HTTP requests that are open through the Outbound Web Service long enough so that Siebel CRM can finish running the report.
To modify the sleep time for all reports
Log in to Siebel client with administrative privileges.
Navigate to the Administration - Server Configuration screen.
Query the Component field of the Components list for XMLP Report Server.
In the Components list, click the child Parameters tab.
In the Component Parameters list, query the Parameter field for the following value:
ReportHTTPSleepTime
In the Value field, set the value to the number of milliseconds.
For example, set the Value to 240000 to specify a four minute timeout.
Note: The default, and maximum, value for the ReportHTTPSleepTime parameter is 180 seconds.Restart the server.
Using the Business Service Simulator to Test the Sleep Time for a Single Report
You can use the Business Service Simulator to test the timeout for a single report without affecting other reports. You can use it to do a variety of tasks, such as to run a workflow process that creates a report. You can test the sleep time for a single report only through the XMLP Driver Service business service. For more information about using a business service, see Integration Platform Technologies: Siebel Enterprise Application Integration, and Configuring Siebel Business Applications.
To use the Business Service Simulator to test the sleep time for a single report
Log in to Siebel client with administrative privileges.
Navigate to the Administration - Business Service screen, and then the Simulator view.
In the Simulator list, click New, and then set the fields using values from the following table.
Field Value Service Name
XMLP Driver Service
Method Name
GenerateBIPReport
Iterations
1
In the Input Arguments List, click New, and then add the HTTPSleepTime input argument.
The HTTPSleepTime input argument affects only the report that you specify in the ReportName input argument in Step 5. For example, if you set HTTPSleepTime to 120000, and if you set ReportName to Opportunity List, then Siebel CRM times out after two minutes only for a single instance of an opportunity report.
Add all other input arguments that the business service simulator requires.
The XMLP Driver Service includes a number of other required input arguments that you must add. For information about these input arguments and how to add them, see 1425724.1 (Article ID), Siebel BI Publisher Reports Business Service Methods, on My Oracle Support.
Setting Server Parameters
This topic describes how to set server parameters.
This task is a step in Optimizing Reports That Include Thousands of Records and is applicable with a connected client.
To set server profile parameters
Set the DSMaxFetchArraySize server parameter to -1 (negative one).
Enabling Scalable Mode
This topic describes how to set the scalable mode for all reports. Setting the scalable mode prepares the BI Publisher-FO Processor to handle a large amount of data, longer processing times, time-outs, and so on. Scalable mode is slower than nonscalable mode but it makes sure data loss does not occur even with a large, complex report.
It is recommended that you enable scalable mode only if many users must access the same, large report at the same time. Scalable mode consumes more resources and might degrade performance. If your deployment commonly uses large reports, then it is recommended that you set the scalable mode for all reports.
For information about the BI Publisher-FO Processor, see Overview of How Siebel CRM Runs Reports in Clients.
To enable scalable mode
Log on to the Oracle BI Publisher Server.
Navigate to the following folder:
\BI\user_projects\domains\bifoundation_domain\config\bipublisher\repository\Adm in\Configuration
The path for the Java installation folder varies depending on where you install JRE.
Use a text editor to open the xdo.cfg file.
Locate the properties tag.
Make sure the Scalable Mode parameter is set to true:
<property name="xslt-scalable">true</property>
Save the xdo.cfg file.
Configuring a Temporary Folder
You can configure a temporary folder that Siebel CRM can use if you run a large number of reports.
To configure a temporary folder
Do Step 1 through Step 4 inEnabling Scalable Mode
Configure a temporary folder on the Oracle BI Publisher Server. Use the following code:
<property name="system-temp-dir">path</property>
where:
path is the path to the temporary folder
For example:
<property name="system-temp-dir">d:\tmp</property>
This temporary folder provides the Oracle BI Publisher Server with the disk space it requires to create complex reports. You must make sure the location of the temporary folder possesses adequate space for the temporary files. You can delete files from this folder after the reports finish running.
Save the xdo.cfg file.
Increasing Memory for the Java Virtual Machine
The Java virtual machine heap is the area of memory that the Java Virtual Memory uses for dynamic memory. If users must run a report that includes a large data set, then the WebLogic process might consume too much Java Virtual Memory. To avoid a reports failure, you can increase the allocation that the Java Virtual Memory uses for the WebLogic process.
To increase memory for the Java Virtual Machine
Modify the Java Virtual Memory for the Administration Server by specifying the following value in the setDomainEnv.sh script:
----USER_MEM_ARGS="-Xms2048m -Xmx2048m"export USER_MEM_ARGS----
Modify the Java Virtual Memory for the Siebel Management Server, by specifying the following value in the setDomainEnv.sh script:
----MEM_ARGS="-Xms4096m -Xmx4096m"export MEM_ARGS
For more information, see see 1272019.1 (Article ID) on My Oracle Support.
Administering Multilingual Reports
This topic describes how to administer reports that use more than one language. It includes the following information:
How Siebel CRM Runs Multilingual Reports
Siebel CRM uses a single object manager to run reports that include multiple languages. It does the following work:
Allows you to configure reports for a specific locale.
Makes sure a report runs for a record that includes a locale preference. For example, to make sure Siebel CRM creates a Quote report according to the language preference that the quote record specifies.
Allows the user to set a default locale preference for the reports that this user runs.
Allows the user to override the default locale values when running reports.
Uses the default locale settings of the object manager that Siebel CRM uses for the user session.
Typically, you manage how Siebel CRM does report translations. A third-party typically does the actual translation.
For more information about:
Languages that Siebel CRM supports, see Siebel System Requirements and Supported Platforms on Oracle Technology Network.
Note: For Siebel CRM product releases 8.1.1.9 and later and for 8.2.2.2 and later, the system requirements and supported platform certifications are available from the Certification tab on My Oracle Support. For information about the Certification application, see article 1492194.1 (Article ID) on My Oracle Support.Installing Siebel Language Packs, see Siebel Installation Guide for the operating system you are using.
Deploying multiple languages, see Siebel Global Deployment Guide.
How Siebel CRM Translates User Interface Elements
To translate a report to another language, such as from English to German, Siebel CRM exports user interface elements according to the multiple languages that your deployment requires. It exports the strings it uses in a report to an XLIFF file. The XLIFF format separates localizable text from formatting, which allows the translator to work only on the text that it must translate. Siebel CRM does the following work for each report locale when it creates a multilingual report:
Determines template text. Uses the translations that the XLIFF file specifies.
Translates MLOVs. Uses the report locale and LOV data that it gets from EAI for each language.
Formats date, time, and currency. Uses the following template functions:
format-date
format-currency
These Oracle BI Publisher functions use the locale code that you specify for the report template.
For more information about how Siebel CRM uses XLIFF files, see Directory Structure That Siebel Reports Uses.
Priority That Determines the Report Language
The following table describes the priority that Siebel CRM uses to determine the report language it uses when it runs a report.
Table How Siebel CRM Determines the Language It Uses When It Runs a Report
Priority | Locale Preference | Description |
---|---|---|
1 |
User chooses |
If the user chooses a language in the Run Report pane, then Siebel CRM uses this language when it runs the report. For more information, see Running Reports |
2 |
Report template |
If priority 1 does not specify a locale, then Siebel CRM uses the default locale that the report template specifies. For more information, see Creating Multilingual Reports. |
3 |
Business service |
If priority 1, and 2 do not specify a locale, then Siebel CRM uses the locale that the Report Business Service specifies. If Siebel CRM sends no parameters to the Report Business Service, then it uses the default locale that the application object manager specifies. For more information, see About the Report Business Service. |
4 |
User preference |
If priority 1, 2, and 3 do not specify a locale, then Siebel CRM uses the user preference that the user sets in the client. For information about setting user preferences, see Setting User Preferences for Siebel Reports. |
5 |
No language or locale specified |
If priority 1, 2, 3, and 4 do not specify a locale, then Siebel CRM uses the locale that the application object manager uses. It uses the application object manager that is running for the current user session. |
Creating Multilingual Reports
You create a multilingual report in the same way that you create a report that is not multilingual. The only difference is that you must externalize the user interface elements so that they support multiple languages in the locales that you require. For more information about externalizing the user interface elements, see How Siebel CRM Translates User Interface Elements. For more information about designing reports, see Customizing Siebel CRM Reports
If you add a locale to a report template, then Siebel CRM creates a separate report for each locale that you add. It creates these reports in addition to the report it creates according to the priority described in Priority That Determines the Report Language.
To create a multilingual report
Navigate to the Administration - Data screen, and then the List of Values view.
Query for XMLP_RPT_OUTPUT_TYPE and set the Display Value setting to ALL.
Select the following check boxes:
Active
Translate
Multilingual
(Optional) Repeat Step 2 and Step 3 for each output type you require.
Design a report in the default language.
ENU (English U.S.) is an example of a default language.
Use Oracle BI Publisher Desktop to redesign the report template so that it can accommodate the spatial layout of the primary language that your deployment uses.
For more information, see About Oracle BI Publisher Desktop.
(Optional) Use BI Publisher Desktop to add a default locale to the report template:
Use Oracle BI Publisher Desktop to open the report template.
In the Oracle BI Publisher menu, choose Tools, Translate Template, and then Localize Template.
Do the work described in Registering Report Templates, with the following differences:
Use the following format when you name the XLIFF or RTF file that you upload:
TemplateName_language code_TERRITORY CODE.extension
where:
TemplateName is the name of the report template.
language code is a lower-case, two-letter ISO language code.
TERRITORY CODE is an upper-case, two-letter ISO country code.
extension is xlf or rtf.
For example, if the template name is EmployeeTemplate, and if you must upload a Japanese-Japan translation, then use the following file name:
EmployeeTemplate_ja_JP.xlf
Use the following format when you name the ZIP file that you upload:
report template file name.zip
Files names are not case-sensitive.
In the child Translations list, click New to add a new language.
In the Language field, add a new language, and then click OK.
(Optional) Enter a Report Name.
Siebel CRM displays the name you enter for the translated report in the Run Report pane.
Caution: Each translated report must include a unique, translated display name. If duplicate names for a translated report exists, then the Siebel Server cannot determine the report to run when Siebel CRM sends these names from the browser to the Siebel Server, and the report might fail.
When you click Upload, Siebel CRM does the following work according to the type of file you upload:
RTF file. Stores the RTF file in the SIEBEL_ROOT
\XMLP\TEMPLATES
folder, and then uploads the RTF and XLIFF files a language subfolder on the Oracle BI Publisher Server.ZIP file. Stores the ZIP file in the SIEBEL_ROOT
\XMLP\xliff
folder, and then decompresses this file to the following folder:SIEBEL_ROOT
\XMLP\xliff\
language_codeFor more information about this directory structure, see Directory Structure That Siebel Reports Uses.
Siebel CRM validates these files during the upload. If it finds an error, then it displays an error message and deletes the uploaded files. For information about this validation, see the section about validation in How Siebel CRM Uploads Report Templates.
When you validate the directory structure of the Oracle BI Publisher Server, note that Siebel CRM uses the following format to register each XLIFF file:
TemplateName_language code_TERRITORY CODE.xlf
For more information about using this format, see Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Report Designer's Guide on Oracle Technology Network (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/indexes/documentation/index.html).
Administering Signatures in Reports
This topic describes how to administer reports that contain signatures. It includes the following information:
Before You Begin. You must ensure that the SiebelCustomXMLP_SIA.jar Siebel Java archive (JAR) file is included in the class path for XMLPJvmSubsys along with InkToolsLib.jar and iSignBmp.jar. For example:
C:\classes\SiebelXMLP.jar;C:\classes\siebel.jar;C:\classes\XSLFunctions.jar;C:\cla sses\SiebelCustomXMLP.jar;C:\classes\SiebelCustomXMLP_SIA.jar;C:\classes\InkToolsL ib.jar;C:\classes\iSignBmp.jar
For more information, see Copying JAR Files to Oracle BI Publisher Server.
Creating and Modifying an Integration Object for Signatures in Reports
This topic describes how to create and modify an integration object so that you can capture signatures in your reports.
To create and modify an integration object for signatures in reports
Create a new integration object.
For more information, see Creating New Integration Objects to Add Fields to Reports.
In the Object Explorer, expand the Integration Object tree, expand the Integration Component tree, and then click Integration Component Field.
Scroll through the Integration Component Field list until you locate the Signature field.
Confirm the following Signature field properties:
XML Tag. ssSignature
ID. ssld
Customizing a Report Template for Signatures
This topic describes how to modify an existing report template to capture signatures in reports.
To customize a report template for signatures
Open Oracle BI Publisher Desktop.
For more information, see About Oracle BI Publisher Desktop.
Select and open the OOTB LS_SIGNAD.rtf template in the following folder:
SIEBEL_SERVER_ROOT\XMLP\TEMPLATES
In the OOTB LS_SIGNAD.rtf template, double-click the fields and rename them as necesary.
For example, if you want to use this report to obtain signatures for an invoice, then you can replace <?for-each:ssPharmaCallSignature?> with <?for-each:ssFsInvoiceSignature?>.
In the OOTB LS_SIGNAD.rtf template, remove the following fields:
ssContactLast
ssContactFir
concat(concat(ss
Save the report template in RTF format.