1. User's Guide
  2. Smart View and Narrative Reporting
  3. Connecting to Narrative Reporting in Smart View

Connecting to Narrative Reporting in Smart View

You can connect to Narrative Reporting anytime you start Microsoft Excel, Word, or PowerPoint.

Note:

Before you connect to Narrative Reporting, make sure you have completed the procedures in Downloading and Running the Smart View Installer and Creating Connections to Narrative Reporting,

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Learn about setting up Oracle Smart View for Office and connecting to Narrative Reporting.

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To connect to Narrative Reporting:

  1. Perform an action:

    • If you're working with Narrative Reporting report packages, launch Word or PowerPoint, depending on the content of the report package.

      Note:

      Report packages can consist of either Word documents or PowerPoint slides, but not both.

    • If you're working with Narrative Reporting models and reports, launch Excel.

  2. Select the Smart View ribbon, and then click Panel.
  3. In the Smart View Panel, select Private Connections.

    Alternatively, from the Smart View Panel, click the arrow next to the Switch to button, The Switch to button, and then select Private Connections from the drop-down list.

  4. In the text box shown in Figure 23-2, click the arrow to display the drop-down menu and select your connection.

    Figure 23-2 Quick Connection Arrow for Drop-down List


    Shows the Smart View Panel, private connection area and text box where you can click the arrow and select a data source to which to connect from the drop-down list

    If you created your data source connection using the procedure in Creating Connections to Narrative Reporting, then it should be listed under Quick Connect URLs in the drop-down list.

  5. In the Login window, enter your User Name and Password, and then click Sign In.

    The Narrative Reporting Home panel is displayed. Narrative Reporting Home allows you to quickly access your pending tasks and other work in which you are involved. From the Narrative Reporting Home, you can access:

    • Incomplete Tasks—Incomplete tasks assigned to you.

    • Active Report Packages—These are the active report packages for which you have outstanding tasks and responsibilities.

    • Recent Items—Items you have recently accessed.

    • Library—The library of items in Narrative Reporting, including report packages and reporting applications.

    • New Report Package—Shortcut to the New Report Package dialog, where you define a report package structure.

    Figure 23-3 shows an example of Narrative Reporting Home.

    Figure 23-3 Narrative Reporting Home


    Shows Narrative Reporting Home, providing access to the items that require user attention and access to recently accessed items, as well as the Narrative Reporting Library node in the Smart View Panel and a shortcut to the New Report Package dialog

    Note:

    The next step explains how to access a report package or reporting application from the Narrative Reporting Library node by clicking Library in Narrative Reporting Home. You can also access report packages and tasks using Incomplete Tasks, Active Report Packages, and Recent Items. Those access methods are described in Using Narrative Reporting Home.

  6. Click Library and then perform an action:

    • To work with report packages in Word or PowerPoint:

      1. Expand the Narrative Reporting node, then the Library node, then expand the Report Packages folder, and then select a report package.


        The Smart View Panel in Word upon initially connecting to Narrative Reporting, shows the default folders: Recent, Favorites, My Library, Report Packages, and Application. Report Package is expanded and contains the Sample Report Package - MS Word report package.

        You can also locate the report package by navigating to:

        • The Recent folder, if you have recently accessed the report package in the Narrative Reporting web interface

        • The Favorites folder, if you have designated the report package as a favorite in the Narrative Reporting web interface.

        • A user-defined folder, if the report package was saved in a folder created in the Narrative Reporting web interface.

      2. In the Action Panel, select Open Report Package.

        Alternatively, you can right-click the report package name and select Open Report Package, or double-click the report package name to open it.

      3. To work with report packages, continue with these topics in this chapter:

    • To work with Narrative Reporting models in Excel:

      1. Expand the Reporting Applications folder, and then expand an application, then select a model.


        The Smart View Panel in Excel upon initially connecting to Narrative Reporting, shows the default nodes, Narrative Reporting and Reporting Applications; under Reporting Applications is the Sample Applications node, and then the Sample Model

      2. In the Action Panel, click Connect.

        Alternatively, you can right-click the model name and select Connect, or double-click the model name to connect.

      3. Refer to Ad Hoc Analysis chapter in this guide for information on working with the Narrative Reporting reporting application or applications from other Oracle providers.

    Note:

    In Excel, you can also navigate in the Smart View Panel to Narrative Reporting, then Library, and select a report package. Smart View will launch the report package in Word or PowerPoint as applicable.

  7. Optional: For a brief look at using Narrative Reporting with Smart View, see Example: Working with Narrative Reporting Data in Smart View.