Database Functions

Users and administrators can create requests by directly calling database functions from either Oracle BI Answers, or by using a logical column (in the logical table source) within the metadata repository. Key uses for these functions include the ability to pass through expressions to get advanced calculations, as well as the ability to access custom written functions or procedures on the underlying database.

Support for database functions does not currently extend across all multidimensional sources. Also, you cannot use these functions with XML data sources.

EVALUATE

This function passes the specified database function with optional referenced columns as parameters to the back-end data source for evaluation. This function is intended for scalar calculations, and is useful when you want to use a specialized database function that is not supported by the Oracle BI Server, but that is understood by the underlying data source.

The embedded database function may require one or more columns. These columns are referenced by %1 ... %N within the function. The actual columns must be listed after the function.

Syntax

EVALUATE('db_function(%1...%N)' [AS data_type] [, column1, columnN]) 

Where:

db_function is any valid database function understood by the underlying data source.

data_type is an optional parameter that specifies the data type of the return result. Use this parameter whenever the return data type cannot be reliably predicted from the input arguments. However, do not use this parameter for type casting; if the function needs to return a particular data type, add an explicit cast. You can typically omit this parameter when the database-specific function has a return type not supported by the Oracle BI Server, but is used to generate an intermediate result that does not need to be returned to the Oracle BI Server.

column1 through columnN is an optional, comma-delimited list of columns.

Example:

EVALUATE('NLS_INITCAP(%1)' AS VARCHAR(4000),"Requisition Identification"."Title (BL)")

This will capitalize the first letter in every word in the Requisition Title.

EVALUATE_ANALYTIC

This function passes the specified database analytic function with optional referenced columns as parameters to the back-end data source for evaluation.

The embedded database function may require one or more columns. These columns are referenced by %1 ... %N within the function. The actual columns must be listed after the function.

Syntax

EVALUATE_ANALYTIC('db_function(%1...%N)' [AS data_type] [, column1, columnN]) 

Where:

db_function is any valid database analytic function understood by the underlying data source.

data_type is an optional parameter that specifies the data type of the return result. Use this parameter whenever the return data type cannot be reliably predicted from the input arguments. However, do not use this parameter for type casting; if the function needs to return a particular data type, add an explicit cast. You can typically omit this parameter when the database-specific analytic function has a return type not supported by the Oracle BI Server, but is used to generate an intermediate result that does not need to be returned to the Oracle BI Server.

column1 through columnN is an optional, comma-delimited list of columns.

Example:

EVALUATE_ANALYTIC ('LEAD(%1,1) OVER (ORDER BY %1)' AS TIMESTAMP,"Submission Dates"."Hired Date")

This will return the next hire according to the Hired Date.

EVALUATE_AGGR

This function passes the specified database function with optional referenced columns as parameters to the back-end data source for evaluation. This function is intended for aggregate functions with a GROUP BY clause.

The embedded database function may require one or more columns. These columns are referenced by %1 ... %N within the function. The actual columns must be listed after the function.

Syntax

EVALUATE_AGGR('db_agg_function(%1...%N)' [AS data_type] [, column1, columnN)

Where:

db_agg_function is any valid aggregate database function understood by the underlying data source.

data_type is an optional parameter that specifies the data type of the return result. Use this parameter whenever the return data type cannot be reliably predicted from the input arguments. However, do not use this parameter for type casting; if the function needs to return a particular data type, add an explicit cast. You can typically omit this parameter when the database-specific function has a return type not supported by the Oracle BI Server, but is used to generate an intermediate result that does not need to be returned to the Oracle BI Server.

column1 through columnN is an optional, comma-delimited list of columns.

Example:

EVALUATE_AGGR('COUNT(DISTINCT CASE WHEN %1 = %2 THEN %3 END)' AS NUMERIC,"Submission CSW Status - Current"."Current Step Name","Interview","Submission General Info"."Submission Identifier")

This will return the number of submissions currently in the Step of Interview.