As you create a BI application in JDeveloper, you first create the BIDesigner
object (within a project). BIDesigner
is a container that holds the BI Beans objects for a project.
The BI Beans configuration file is automatically created in JDeveloper when you create a BIDesigner
object. This file stores configuration information that is used as input to the BISession
object for interactions with the application module at runtime.
While the configuration file is created by the BIDesigner
object, the settings in the file do not affect the BIDesigner
. The settings are used by the BISession
object. By default, the information that is stored in the configuration file is synchronized with the same information for the BIDesigner
object. If you keep them synchronized, then the BIDesigner
object automatically updates the file when you modify properties on the BIDesigner
object.
Important: If you are working in a development environment other than JDeveloper, then you must create the configuration file manually.
Within the configuration file, XML nodes divide the file into sections. Within each section, configuration settings are specified by name-value pairs. The configuration file contains the following types of settings:
BISession -- Specifies information about the BIUser
object, pluggable drivers, deployment options, and debug options (see "Using Debug Settings" below).
Persistence and OLAP Connections -- The settings for connecting to the BI Beans Catalog and to an OLAP service, such as the name of the Database Access Descriptor (DAD) file and the type of JDBC driver to use for each connection. Connection objects can be created by this BISession
object, based on the information that is specified by the configuration file.
MetadataManager -- The configuration information for the MetadataManager
and the PersistenceManager
. MetadataManager
objects and an InitialPersistenceManager
can be created by this BISession
object, based on the information that is specified in the configuration file.
The configuration file is an XML file whose default name is
project-namebiconfigint.xml
, where project-name is the project name and int is an integer. If you work with the file in conjunction with the BIDesigner
object, then avoid renaming the file. If you copy the file for use not in conjunction with the BIDesigner
object or for use outside of JDeveloper, then you can give the file any name that you want.
You can specify the configuration file name:
As a parameter to the constructor for the BISession
object.
Using the setConfigFileName
method of the BISession
object.
You should store the configuration file in a directory that is specified in the CLASSPATH variable on any client machine that will run your Java application or in a servlet engine. Store the file in an area that is accessible by the application class loader. If you use JDeveloper's Deployment Profile, then the configuration file and the DAD files are automatically stored in the correct locations.
You can edit the configuration file using dialog boxes in JDeveloper or using any XML editor. If you keep the BIDesigner
object and the configuration file synchronized, then any changes that you make to BIDesigner
properties are automatically reflected in the configuration file. You should keep these items synchronized during application development.
While working in JDeveloper, you can edit the file in the following ways:
Right-click the name of a configuration file or the name of a BIDesigner
object. Choose Settings from the popup menu
to display the BI Beans Settings dialog box. You use the Run Settings tab
of this dialog box to specify various information about the file, such as
the sources to use for OLAP data and object definitions and whether the
information that is stored in the configuration file is synchronized with
the design settings for the BIDesigner
object.
Right-click the name of a configuration file and choose XML
Editor from the popup menu to edit the file in JDeveloper's XML editor.
Avoid editing in this fashion if the information that is stored in the configuration
file is synchronized with the design settings for the BIDesigner
object. In this case, if the BIDesigner
object is modified,
then those modifications are stored in the configuration file, overwriting
any edits that you made with the XML editor.
As you work in JDeveloper and use the Copy Objects to Remote Catalog wizard,
you can affect the contents of the configuration file. The Select Folders and
Objects panel of that wizard contains an option called Update
the runtime configuration file to use the current remote Catalog. If
you select this option, then the Catalog that is specified both on the Runtime
Settings tab of the BI Beans Settings dialog box and in the configuration file
is updated. In addition, the BIDesigner
object and the configuration
file are no longer synchronized.
You need to use multiple configuration files in the following situations:
If you create multiple BIDesigner
objects in one project. If a single project contains multiple BIDesigner
objects, then each of these objects is associated with a configuration file. You can also manually create multiple configuration files for a single BIDesigner
object.
If you will deploy an application in multiple ways. If you deploy a single application in multiple ways, then you need one configuration file for each deployment option. You might also use multiple files for specifying different connection information.
One section of the configuration file allows you to control the debugging environment. The Mode
attribute of the Debug
element accepts the following values:
ERROR
-- Displays only critical error messages to the console.
TRACE
-- Displays detailed tracing messages.
LOG
-- Displays log messages.
ALL
-- Displays all messages.
NONE
-- Displays no messages.
You can combine the values by using a comma separator. For example, the <Debug
Mode="LOG,TRACE" />
setting displays both log and trace
messages.
BI Beans allows you to specify configuration settings in one of two places:
In the BISession
object only
In the configuration file, in conjunction with the BISession
object
The use of each option offers advantages and disadvantages.
BISession
object onlyYou can use the BISession
object and the application module that it creates to store configuration settings. The advantages of this approach are that you do not need to work with a configuration file or specifically make the settings available to the Web server.
The disadvantages of this approach are that you must:
Write code to create the BISession
object manually, including Connection
and MetadataManager
objects.
Recompile the application whenever you need to modify the settings.
BISession
object The advantages of storing configuration settings in the configuration file are that you do not have to:
Write all the code that is required to establish the BISession
object manually.
Recompile the application when you modify configuration settings. You can simply restart the application.
The disadvantage of using the configuration file is that you must maintain the information that it contains. If you are using JDeveloper, then the file is maintained automatically as you modify settings. If you are not using JDeveloper, then you must maintain the file manually.
Deployment Options for BI Beans
Updating BI Beans Application Settings