B Integrating Dashboards and Siebel Applications

Perform these additional configuration steps to run Oracle Business Intelligence Applications (Oracle BI Applications) dashboards with a Siebel application.

After you've configured Oracle Business Intelligence Applications on Oracle Analytics Server and are able to access the dashboards, you must update the Siebel application to view the Analytics dashboards within the Siebel application.

Review and perform these steps to integrate Oracle Business Intelligence Applications and Siebel application:

• Overview of Embedding Oracle Analytics in Siebel Application

• Configure Oracle HTTP Server

• Update the Siebel Application to Find Oracle Analytics Server Through HTTP Server

• About Configuring Oracle BI Action Links

• Accessing Optional Analytics Applications

• Customizing Oracle BI Application Home Page and Dashboards

• Viewing Information About Preconfigured Dashboards

Overview of Embedding Oracle Analytics in Siebel Application

You can embed your analytics content into applications and web pages.

If, for example, you plan to run Siebel Web Extension (SWE) and Oracle Analytics Server on different web servers, you must use some kind of networking or load balancing mechanism to create a single logical domain (or virtual IP address) for the two machines. One way to achieve this is to install a supported HTTP Server such as Oracle HTTP Server. You then configure the HTTP server against both the Siebel Web Extension (SWE) and the entry point to Oracle Analytics. In this way, you configure a reverse proxy that makes it appear to client browsers that both Siebel application and Oracle Analytics are being served from the same machine.

After modifying the HTTP server's proxy settings, you must update the Siebel application administration settings to map the HTTP server to the NQHOST and NQHOSTHOME variables. Finally, you must confirm that each URL contains a properly formatted reference to the /analytics directory.

Note:

The URL to both Siebel application and Oracle Analytics must use the same protocol. In other words, both must use HTTP, or both must use HTTPS.

When displaying Oracle Analytics content in any other portals using iFrames, you might see the following message "Oracle Analytics content cannot be displayed in an iFrame".

To display Oracle Analytics content on a web page using iFrame, set different values to the InIFrameRenderingMode element in the instanceconfig.xml file.

Configure Oracle HTTP Server

When Oracle Analytics Server and Siebel application are running on different web servers, install a supported HTTP server such as Oracle HTTP Server to configure a reverse proxy so that the client browser thinks the Oracle Analytics Server and the Siebel application are on the same machine.

This procedure assumes that you are using Oracle HTTP Server to embed Oracle Analytics in the Siebel application. If you are working in a production environment, Oracle recommends that you add security policies to the HTTP server so that users cannot directly access the underlying business intelligence objects. Note that the HTTP server must run on the same port as the Siebel application server.

1. Open Oracle HTTP Server's mod_wl_ohs.conf file.
2. Insert the following proxy request information into the configuration file.

   For example:

   ProxyRequest Off
   <Proxy*>
   Order deny,allow
   Allow from all
   
   </Proxy*>
   Location /Oracle Siebel application subdirectory
   ProxyPass http://location of Oracle Siebel application server/
   Oracle Siebel application subdirectory
   ProxyPassReverse http://location of Oracle Siebel application server/
   Oracle Siebel application subdirectory
   /Location
   
   Location /Oracle Analytics subdirectory
   ProxyPass http://location of Oracle Analytics Server/
   Oracle Analytics subdirectory
   ProxyPassReverse http://location of Oracle Analytics Server/
   Oracle BI EE subdirectory
   /Location
   

3. Save and close the configuration file.
4. Test the configuration by using a fully-qualified name to log into Oracle Siebel application through Oracle HTTP Server.

Update the Siebel Application to Find Oracle Analytics Server Through HTTP Server

Use this procedure to change the Siebel application's settings to map the HTTP server to the NQHOST and NQHOSTHOME variables.

1. Open your Siebel application.
2. Select Navigate, and then Site Map.
3. Click Administration - Integration.
4. Click Host Administration view.
5. Query for NQHOST in the Virtual Name column:

   In the Name column, update the name to the host name of the HTTP server that is serving Oracle Analytics Server.

   This is the location name that you specified in the Oracle HTTP Server's mod_wl_ohs.conf file. For information about this location, see Configure Oracle HTTP Server.

   Note that if the HTTP server is running on a port other than 80, you must include the port number. For example, servername.oracle.com:7003.

6. Log out of the application and log back in.

About Configuring Action Links

You can create action links so users can navigate to related BI content or perform business tasks.

To configure and use BI action links, see Configure for Actions with the Action Framework in Administering Oracle Analytics Server.

Access Optional Analytics Applications

Depending on the options you purchased with your Siebel application, you must perform additional steps in order to access the corresponding Oracle Analytics Server options.

Additional options for Oracle Analytics Server are:

• Oracle Sales Analytics

• Oracle Service Analytics

• Oracle Marketing Analytics

• Oracle Price Analytics

• Oracle Partner Analytics

By default, the dashboards and reports contained in these optional areas are hidden. For example, if you purchased Sales Analytics with your Sales application, you must perform the steps in Assign Access Permissions to access the Sales Analytics catalog objects.

Customize Oracle BI Applications Home Page and Dashboards

You can customize the home page of Oracle BI Applications and dashboards.

1. Configuring a New Home Page to Use a Symbolic URL.
2. Determining the Oracle BI Report Path Argument.
3. Adding Views for Custom Oracle BI Interactive Dashboards.

Configure a New Home Page to Use a Symbolic URL

Oracle BI Applications are integrated with Siebel applications using the symbolic URL infrastructure. This task describes how to use symbolic URLs to link a new report to a Siebel application home page and how to add new Analytics dashboards to the Siebel application. The symbolic URL specifies how the HTTP request to the external application should be constructed and defines any arguments and values to be sent as part of the request.

This information assumes that you've successfully built a symbolic URL to link some external content.

For each Analytical report on a Siebel application home page, there is a symbolic URL record defined that links the home page to the Analytics report. If you haven't already done so, you must create a new home page and set it up to use a symbolic URL.

This figure shows example Inline and iFrame symbolic URL arguments:

To configure a new Home Page to use a symbolic URL:

1. Make sure the symbolic URL has been set up.
2. Launch the Siebel application and navigate to the Administration - Integration, then Symbolic URL Administration view.
3. Query for the symbolic URL that has been set up for Analytics.

   Update the name to the host name of the HTTP server that is serving the Oracle Analytics service.

   The name of this symbolic URL should be exactly the same as the calculated value of the field that was added to the Business Component. For example, you might have a symbolic URL named HomePageAnalytics.

4. In the URL field, enter the Web URL. For example:

   http://NQHOST/analytics
   

   For the Host Name, choose the HTTP server that is serving the Oracle Analytics service. This table shows the other parameters for reports.

   Parameter	Value
   NQHOST	Host name of the HTTP sever that is serving the Oracle Analytics service.
   Fixup Name	Inside Applet
   SSO Disposition	Inline
   Oracle Analytics Presentation Services application name	Select from the drop-down list

5. Create the appropriate symbolic URL Arguments.

   These arguments depend upon the particular Analytics report that you're trying to display. The Argument Values should be the same for any Analytics report you work with, except for the Path Argument Value. To determine the path to the Analytics report, see Determining the Oracle BI Report Path Argument.

Determine the Oracle Analytics Report Path Argument

The Path argument provides the symbolic URL with the path to a report in Oracle Analytics Server. (For example, /shared/Sales/Analytic Library/Pipeline/Top Current Quarter Opportunities.)

1. Log in to Oracle Analytics Server as an Administrator.
2. In Oracle Analytics Server, navigate to Catalog, and then navigate to your report.
3. Add the report path to the symbolic URL argument.

   This table shows the symbolic URL path arguments for reports.

   Name	Type	Path Argument Value	Append	Sequence #
   Cmd	Constant	GO	Y	1
   Path	Constant	/shared/Sales/Analytic Library/Pipeline/Top Current Quarter Opportunities	Y	2
   Syndicate	Constant	Siebel	Y	3
   nQUser	Command	UseSiebelLoginId	Y	4
   nQPassword	Command	UseSiebelLoginPassword	Y	5
   PostRequest	Command	PostRequest	Y	6

Add Views for Custom Dashboards

You can add views for custom dashboards.

1. Use Siebel Tools and set up a new view.
2. In the Siebel application, define a symbolic URL for that view.
3. Define a symbolic URL.
   1. Navigate to Site Map, then Administration - Integration, then Symbolic URL Administration.
   2. In the Symbolic URL Administration view, add a new record.
4. Define the symbolic URL arguments.
   1. Navigate to Symbolic URL Administration.
   2. In the Symbolic URL Administration list, select the symbolic URL you want to configure.

View Preconfigured Dashboards

If your organization has prebuilt applications installed, you can use Catalog Manager to locate and view the preconfigured dashboards.

You might have to expose the dashboards and requests.

Exposing Dashboards and Requests

Depending on the Oracle Analytics options your organization purchased, you might need to expose these options before the associated dashboards and requests can be viewed in Oracle Analytics Server and in Catalog Manager.

This applies to sites that have these prebuilt applications:

• Sales Analytics

• Service Analytics

• Contact Center Analytics

• Marketing Analytics

• Partner Analytics

Locating Dashboards, Page Names, and Reports

In Catalog Manager, the Catalog distributed with prebuilt applications has this structure: Catalog followed by shared folder, prebuilt application name, _portal folder, dashboard name, and page name.

The path to locate reports is Catalog followed by shared folder, prebuilt application name, folder name, and report name.