OBIEE Obe
OBIEE Obe
OBIEE Obe
Purpose
Time to Complete
Overview
Prerequisites
Building the Physical Layer of a Repository
Building the Business Model and Mapping Layer of a Repository
Building the Presentation Layer of a Repository
Testing and Validating a Repository
Managing Logical Table Sources
Creating Calculation Measures
Creating Logical Dimensions with Level-Based Hierarchies
Creating Level-Based Measures
Creating Logical Dimensions with Parent-Child Hierarchies
Creating Logical Dimensions with Ragged and Skipped-Level Hierarchies
Using Aggregates
Using Initialization Blocks and Variables
Creating Time Series Measures
Summary
Resources
Viewing Screenshots
Note: Alternatively, you can click an individual icon (or image) associated with each step to
view (or hide) the screenshot associated with that step.
Purpose
This tutorial covers using the Oracle Business Intelligence (BI) Administration Tool to build,
modify, enhance, and manage an Oracle BI repository.
Time to Complete
Approximately 6 hours.
Overview
This tutorial shows you how to build an Oracle BI metadata repository using the Oracle BI
Administration Tool. You learn how to import metadata from data sources, simplify and
reorganize the imported metadata into a business model, and then structure the business
model for presentation to users who request business intelligence information via Oracle BI
user interfaces.
Prerequisites
Before starting this tutorial, you should:
1. Have access to or have Installed Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition 11g.
Please note: This tutorial is built using Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition 11.1.1.5.
Due to product enhancements in 11.1.1.5, if you use an earlier version of the product to complete
this tutorial, you will notice some differences in functionality:
New Diagramming Capability: The Physical and Business Model Diagrams have enhanced
capabilities in the 11.1.1.5 release, including an improved look-and-feel, the ability to display
columns in table objects in the diagram, and new diagram options like auto-layout, marquee
zoom, and zoom to fit. Additionally, joins in the Physical and Business Model Diagrams are now
represented by a line with an arrow at the "one" end of the join, rather than the line with crows
feet at the "many" end of the join that was used in previous releases. When creating joins in the
Physical and Business Model Diagrams, you now select the "many" end of the join first, and
then select the "one" end of the join. In previous releases, joins in the diagrams were created by
selecting the "one" end of the join first.
When setting up query logging, you must select Action > Set Online User Filter in Identity
Manager to view users in the repository.
2. To complete this tutorial you must have access to the BISAMPLE schema that is included with
the Sample Application for Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Enterprise Edition Plus. There are
three options for accessing the BISAMPLE schema:
1. If you already have installed version 825 or V107 of the Sample Application, verify that you
have access to the BISAMPLE schema and begin the tutorial.
2. If you are interested in downloading and installing the complete Sample Application, you can
access it here on the Oracle Technical Network (OTN). Please note, however, that only the
BISAMPLE schema is required to complete this tutorial. If you want to install only the
BISAMPLE schema, proceed to option 3.
3. Click here to access the ForOBE.7z file, which has the 825 version of the BISAMPLE schema
and installation instructions. Save ForOBE.7z, unzip, and begin with README FIRST.txt.
The Physical layer defines the data sources to which Oracle BI Server submits queries and
the relationships between physical databases and other data sources that are used to process
multiple data source queries. The recommended way to populate the Physical layer is by
importing metadata from databases and other data sources. The data sources can be of the
same or different varieties. You can import schemas or portions of schemas from existing
data sources. Additionally, you can create objects in the Physical layer manually.
When you import metadata, many of the properties of the data sources are configured
automatically based on the information gathered during the import process. After import, you
can also define other attributes of the physical data sources, such as join relationships, that
might not exist in the data source metadata. There can be one or more data sources in the
Physical layer, including databases, flat files, XML documents, and so forth. In this example,
you import and configure tables from the BISAMPLE schema included with the Oracle BI
11g Sample Application.
To build the Physical layer of a repository, you perform the following steps:
Import Metadata
Verify Connection
Create Aliases
1. Select Start > Programs > Oracle Business Intelligence > BI Administration to open the
Administration Tool.
2. Select File > New Repository.
3. Enter a name for the repository. In this tutorial the repository name is BISAMPLE.
4. Leave the default location as is. It points to the default repository directory.
6. Enter and retype a password for the repository. In this tutorial BISAMPLE1 is the repository
password.
7 . Click Next.
Import Metadata
1 . Change the Connection Type to OCI 10g/11g. The screen displays connection fields based on
the connection type you selected.
2 . Enter a data source name. In this example the data source name is orcl. This name is the same as
the tnsnames.ora entry for this Oracle database instance.
3 . Enter a user name and password for the data source. In this example the username and password
are both BISAMPLE. Recall that BISAMPLE is the name of the user/schema you created in the
prerequisite section.
4 . Click Next.
SAMP_ADDRESSES_D
SAMP_CUSTOMERS_D
SAMP_PRODUCTS_D
SAMP_REVENUE_F
SAMP_TIME_DAY_D
8 . Click the Import Selected button to add the tables to the Repository View.
9 . The Connection Pool dialog box appears. Accept the defaults and click OK.
10 . The Importing message appears.
11 . When import is complete, expand BISAMPLE in the Repository View and verify that the five
tables are visible.
12 . Click Finish to open the repository.
13 . Expand orcl > BISAMPLE and confirm that the five tables are imported into the Physical layer
of the repository.
Verify Connection
3 . Expand tables and observe that row count information is also visible for individual columns.
4 . Right-click a table and select View Data to view the data for the table.
5 . Close the View Data dialog box when you are done. It is a good idea to update row counts or
view data after an import to verify connectivity. Viewing data or updating row count, if
successful, tells you that your connection is configured correctly.
Create Aliases
1 . It is recommended that you use table aliases frequently in the Physical layer to eliminate
extraneous joins and to include best practice naming conventions for physical table names.
Right-click SAMP_TIME_DAY_D and select New Object > Alias to open the Physical Table
dialog box.
6 . Repeat the steps and create the following aliases for the remaining physical tables.
SAMP_ADDRESSES_D = D4 Address
SAMP_CUSTOMERS_D = D3 Customer
SAMP_PRODUCTS_D = D2 Product
SAMP_REVENUE_F = F1 Revenue
Create Keys and Joins
2 . Right-click one of the highlighted alias tables and select Physical Diagram > Selected
Object(s) Only to open the Physical Diagram. Alternatively, you can click the Physical Diagram
button on the toolbar.
3 . Rearrange the alias table objects so they are all visible.
4 . You may want to adjust the objects in the Physical Diagram. If so, use the toolbar buttons to
zoom in, zoom out, fit the diagram, collapse or expand objects, select objects, and so forth:
6 . Click the F1 Revenue table and then the D1 Time table. The Physical Foreign Key dialog box
opens. It matters which table you click first. The join creates a one-to-many (1:N) relationship
that joins the key column in the first table to a foreign key column in the second table.
7 . Select the D1 Time. CALENDAR_DATE column, and then select F1
Revenue.BILL_DAY_DT to join the tables. Ensure that the Expression edit box (at the bottom)
contains the following expression:
9 . Repeat the steps to create joins for the remaining tables. Use the following expressions as a
guide. Please notice that D4 Address joins to D3 Customer.
12 . Click the X in the upper right corner to close the Physical Diagram.
13 . Select File > Save or click the Save button on the toolbar to save the repository.
14 . Click No when prompted to check global consistency. Checking Global Consistency checks for
errors in the entire repository. Some of the more common checks are done in the Business Model
and Mapping layer and Presentation layer. Since these layers are not defined yet, bypass this
check until the other layers in the repository are built. You learn more about consistency check
later in this tutorial.
15 . Leave the Administration Tool and the repository open for the next topic.
Congratulations! You have successfully created a new repository, imported a table schema from
an external data source into the Physical layer, created aliases, and defined keys and joins.
In the next topic you learn how to build the Business Model and Mapping layer of a repository.
The main purpose of the business model is to capture how users think about their business
using their own vocabulary. The business model simplifies the physical schema and maps the
users business vocabulary to physical sources. Most of the vocabulary translates into logical
columns in the business model. Collections of logical columns form logical tables. Each
logical column (and hence each logical table) can have one or more physical objects as
sources.
There are two main categories of logical tables: fact and dimension. Logical fact tables
contain the measures by which an organization gauges its business operations and
performance. Logical dimension tables contain the data used to qualify the facts.
To build the Business Model and Mapping layer of a repository, you perform the following
steps:
1. Right-click the white space in the Business Model and Mapping layer and select New Business
Model to open the Business Model dialog box.
2. Enter Sample Sales in the Name field. Leave Disabled checked.
3. Click OK. The Sample Sales business model is added to the Business Model and Mapping layer.
D1 Time
D2 Product
D3 Customer
F1 Revenue
1. Right-click the Sample Sales business model and select Business Model Diagram > Whole
Diagram to open the Business Model Diagram.
2 . If necessary, rearrange the objects so that the join relationships are visible.
Because you dragged all tables simultaneously from the Physical layer onto the business model,
the logical keys and joins are created automatically in the business model. This is because the
keys and join relationships were already created in the Physical layer. However, you typically do
not drag all physical tables simultaneously, except in very simple models. Later in this tutorial,
you learn how to manually build logical keys and joins in the Business Model and Mapping
layer. The process is very similar to building joins in the Physical layer.
3. Double-click any one of the joins in the diagram to open the Logical Join dialog box. In this
example the join between D1 Time and F1 Revenue is selected.
Notice that there is no join expression. Joins in the BMM layer are logical joins. Logical joins
express the cardinality relationships between logical tables and are a requirement for a valid
business model. Specifying the logical table joins is required so that Oracle BI Server has
necessary metadata to translate logical requests against the business model into SQL queries
against the physical data sources. Logical joins help Oracle BI Server understand the
relationships between the various pieces of the business model. When a query is sent to Oracle
BI Server, the server determines how to construct physical queries by examining how the logical
model is structured. Examining logical joins is an integral part of this process. The
Administration Tool considers a table to be a logical fact table if it is at the many end of all
logical joins that connect it to other logical tables.
1 . Expand the Sources folder for the D1 Time logical table. Notice there is a logical table source,
D1 Time. This logical table source maps to the D1 Time alias table in the Physical layer.
2 . Double-click the D1 Time logical table source (not the logical table) to open the Logical Table
Source dialog box.
3 . On the General tab, rename the D1 Time logical table source to LTS1 Time. Notice that the
logical table to physical table mapping is defined in the "Map to these tables" section.
4 . On the Column Mapping tab, notice that logical column to physical column mappings are
defined. If mappings are not visible, select Show mapped columns.
5 . You learn more about the Content and Parent-Child Settings tabs later in this tutorial when you
build logical dimension hierarchies. Click OK to close the Logical Table Source dialog box. If
desired, explore logical table sources for the remaining logical tables.
Rename Logical Objects Manually
4 . Rename BEG_OF_MONTH_WID to Beg of Mth Wid. This is the manual method for
renaming objects. You can also right-click an object and select Rename to manually rename an
object.
1 . Select Tools > Utilities > Rename Wizard > Execute to open the Rename Wizard.
2 . In the Select Objects screen, click Business Model and Mapping in the middle pane.
3 . Expand the Sample Sales business model.
7 . Repeat the steps for the three remaining logical tables so that all logical columns from the
Sample Sales business model are added to the right pane. Only the columns from F1 Revenue
are shown in the screenshot.
8 . Click Next to move to the Select Types screen.
Notice that Logical Column is selected. If you had selected other object types, such as logical
tables, the type would have appeared here.
14 . Click Finish.
15 . In the Business Model and Mapping layer, expand the logical tables and confirm that all logical
columns have been renamed as expected. The screenshot shows only the columns in D1 Time.
16 . In the Physical layer, expand the alias tables and confirm that all physical columns have not been
renamed. The point here is you can change object names in the BMM layer without impacting
object names in the Physical layer. When logical objects are renamed, the relationships between
logical objects and physical objects are maintained by the logical column to physical column
mappings.
Delete Unnecessary Logical Objects
5 . Confirm that F1 Revenue contains only the Revenue and Units columns.
Create Simple Measures
1 . Double-click the Revenue logical column to open the Logical Column dialog box.
5 . Repeat the steps to define the SUM aggregation rule for the Units logical column.
Measures are typically data that is additive, such as total dollars or total quantities. The F1
Revenue logical fact table contains the measures in your business model. You aggregated two
logical columns by summing the column data.
Congratulations! You have successfully built a business model in the Business Model and
Mapping layer of a repository and created business measures.
1 . Right-click the white space in the Presentation layer and select New Subject Area to open the
Subject Area dialog box.
2 . On the General tab, enter Sample Sales as the name of the subject area.
3 . Click OK to close the Subject Area dialog box. The Sample Sales subject area is added to the
Presentation layer.
Create Presentation Tables
1. Right-click the Sample Sales subject area and select New Presentation Table to open the
Presentation Table dialog box.
2. On the General tab, enter Time as the name of the presentation table.
3 . Click OK to close the Presentation Table dialog box. The Time presentation table is added to the
Sample Sales subject area.
4 . Repeat the process and add three more presentation tables: Products, Customers, and Base
Facts.
Please note that you are using the manual method for creating Presentation layer objects. For
simple models it is also possible to drag objects from the BMM layer to the Presentation layer to
create the Presentation layer objects. When you create presentation objects by dragging from the
BMM layer, the business model becomes a subject area, the logical tables become presentation
tables, and the logical columns become presentation columns. Note that all objects within a
subject area must derive from a single business model.
Calendar Date
Per Name Half
Per Name Month
Per Name Qtr
Per Name Week
Per Name Year.
3 . Drag the selected logical columns to the Time presentation table in the Presentation layer.
4 . Repeat the process and add the following logical columns to the remaining presentation tables:
2. Double-click the Lob presentation column to open the Presentation Column dialog box. On the
General tab notice that "Use Logical Column Name" is selected. When you drag a logical
column to a presentation table, the resulting presentation column inherits the logical column
name by default. In this example the Lob presentation column inherits the name of the logical
column "Sample Sales"."D2 Product"."Lob".
3 . Deselect Use Logical Column Name. The Name field is now editable.
4 . Enter Line of Business in the Name field.
5 . Click OK to close the Presentation Column dialog box. Notice that the presentation column
name is now changed to Line of Business in the Presentation layer.
6 . In the BMM layer, expand D2 Product. Notice that the Lob logical column name is not
changed. The point here is you can change object names in the Presentation layer without
impacting object names in the BMM or Physical layers.
7 . In the BMM layer, rename the Prod Dsc logical column to Product. Notice that the name
change is inherited by the corresponding presentation column.
8 . Make the following name changes to logical objects in the BMM layer so that the names of the
corresponding presentation columns are also changed:
1. In the Presentation layer, double-click the Time presentation table to open the Presentation Table
dialog box.
4 . Click OK to close the Presentation Table dialog box and confirm that the presentation column
order is changed in the Presentation layer.
5 . Repeat the steps to reorder the columns in the Products presentation table:
Brand
Line of Business
Type
Product
Check Consistency
Disable Caching
Check Consistency
3 . Click Yes. You should receive the message: Consistency check didn't find any errors,
warnings or best practice violations.
If you do not receive this message, you must fix any consistency check errors or warnings before
proceeding.
4 . Click OK. Notice that the Sample Sales business model icon in the BMM layer is now green,
indicating it is available for queries.
6 . Select File > Close to close the repository. Leave the Administration Tool open.
Disable Caching
1. Open a browser and enter the following URL to navigate to Enterprise Manager Fusion
Middleware Control:
http://<machine name>:7001/em
2. Log in as an administrative user. Typically you use the administrative user name and password
provided during the Oracle BI installation. In this example the user name is weblogic.
3 . In the left navigation pane, expand Business Intelligence and click coreapplication.
8 . Click Close when you receive the confirmation message "Lock and Edit Configuration -
Completed Successfully."
9 . Deselect Cache enabled. Caching is typically not used during development. Disabling cache
improves query performance.
10 . Click Apply.
13 . Do not click Restart to apply recent changes yet. You do that after uploading the repository in
the next set of steps.
4 . Click Close when you receive the confirmation message "Lock and Edit Configuration -
Completed Successfully."
5 . In the "Upload BI Server Repository" section, click Browse to open the Choose file dialog box.
6 . By default, the Choose file dialog box should open to the repository directory. If not, navigate
to the repository directory with the BISAMPLE repository.
9 . Click Apply.
10 . In the BI Server Repository section, confirm that the Default RPD is now BISAMPLE with an
extension. In this example the file name is BISAMPLE_BI0025.
11 . Click Activate Changes.
12 . Click Close when you receive the confirmation message Activate Changes - Completed
Successfully.
15 . Click Yes when you receive the message Are you sure you want to restart all BI
components?
16 . Allow the Restart All processing to complete. This may take a few moments.
17 . Click Close when you receive the confirmation message Restart All - Completed Successfully.
18 . Confirm that System Components are 100% and that five components are up. Leave Fusion
Middleware Control open.
Set Up Query Logging
2 . Select File > Open > Online to open the repository in online mode. You use online mode to
view and modify a repository while it is loaded into the Oracle BI Server. The Oracle BI Server
must be running to open a repository in online mode.
3 . Enter BISAMPLE1 as the repository password and enter your administrative user name and
password.
4 . Click Open to open the repository in online mode.
9 . In the right pane, double-click your administrative user to open the User dialog box. In this
example the administrative user is weblogic.
10 . In the User dialog box, on the User tab, set Logging level to 2.
11 . Click OK to open the Check Out Objects dialog box.
12 . In the Check Out Objects dialog box, click Check Out. When you are working in a repository
open in online mode, you are prompted to check out objects when you attempt to perform
various operations.
14 . Select File > Check In Changes. Alternatively, you can click the Check In Changes icon on
the toolbar.
15 . Save the repository. There is no need to check consistency.
16 . Select File > Copy As to save a copy of the online repository with the security changes.
17 . In the Save Copy As dialog box, save the file as BISAMPLE.rpd, replacing the existing
BISAMPLE repository.
18 . Click Yes when asked if you want to replace the existing BISAMPLE repository. This will
create a new BISAMPLE repository with query logging set for the weblogic user.
"In order for your online changes to take effect, you will have to manually restart each non-
master Oracle BI Server instance in the cluster."
1. Open a browser or a new browser tab and enter the following URL to navigate to Oracle
Business Intelligence:
http://<machine name>:7001/analytics
In this tutorial the URL is http://localhost:7001/analytics
2. Sign in as an administrative user. Typically you use the administrative user name and password
provided during the Oracle BI installation. In this example the user name is weblogic. If you
need help identifying a user name and password, contact your company's Oracle BI
Administrator.
3 . In the left navigation pane, under Create... Analysis and Interactive Reporting, select Analysis.
4 . Select the Sample Sales subject area.
5 . In the left navigation pane, expand the folders in the Sample Sales subject area and confirm that
the user interface matches the presentation layer of the repository.
6 . Double-click the following column names in the Subject Areas pane to add them to the analysis:
8 . The analysis results are displayed in a compound layout, which includes a Title view and a Table
view.
9 . Use the buttons at the bottom of the compound layout to view additional rows.
Check the Query Log
1 . Return to Fusion Middleware Control, which should still be open. If not, enter
http://localhost:7001/em in a browser and sign in as your administrative user.
4 . Scroll to the bottom of the window to the View / Search Log Files section.
5 . Click Server Log to navigate to the Log Messages screen.
6 . In the Log Messages screen, leave the data range set to Most Recent, 1 Days. Deselect all
message types except for Trace.
7 . In the Message field, enter sending query to database.
8 . Click Search.
9 . There should be only one message at this point, but if there are more than one, select the last
message in the list. This is the most recent query sent to the database.
10 . In the bottom pane, click the Collapse Pane button (arrow on the right side) to view the log
message. Your results should look similar to the screenshot.
11 . Click the Restore Pane button. Throughout this tutorial, you return to this view to check the
query log.
1 . Return to the Administration Tool, which should still be open. If not, select Start > Programs >
Oracle Business Intelligence > BI Administration.
2 . Open the BISAMPLE repository in offline mode with repository password is BISAMPLE1.
Recall that earlier in this tutorial you created a copy of the online repository and saved it as
BISAMPLE.rpd.
6 . Double-click the administrative user to open the User dialog box. On the User tab, confirm that
logging level is set to 2.
7 . Click Cancel to close the User dialog box.
8 . Select Action > Close to close Identity Manager. The offline BISAMPLE repository now has a
user with a logging level set to 2. This will allow you to check the query log as you complete the
remaining exercises in this tutorial. You will not have to repeat the steps of copying an online
repository.
1 . In the BMM layer, expand Sample Sales > D3 Customer > Sources. Notice that the D3
Customer logical table has one logical table source named D3 Customer.
2 . Rename the D3 Customer logical table source (not the logical table) to LTS1 Customer.
3 . Double-click LTS1 Customer to open the Logical Table Source dialog box.
4 . Click the Column Mapping tab and notice that all logical columns map to physical columns in
the same physical table: D3 Customer. It may be necessary to scroll to the right to see the
Physical Table column. Make sure "Show mapped columns" is selected.
5 . Click OK to close the Logical Table Source dialog box.
8 . In the BMM layer, double-click the new D4 Address logical table source to open the Logical
Table Source dialog box.
9 . On the General tab, enter LTS2 Customer Address in the Name field.
10 . Click the Column Mapping tab and notice that all logical columns map to physical columns in
the same physical table: D4 Address. If necessary, select Show mapped columns and deselect
Show unmapped columns.
11 . Click OK to close the Logical Table Source dialog box.
12 . Confirm that the D3 Customer logical table now has two logical table sources: LTS1 Customer
and LTS2 Customer Address. A single logical table now maps to two physical sources.
13 . Right-click the new ADDRESS_KEY column and select Delete. This is a duplicate column and
is not needed.
14 . Click Yes to confirm the delete.
15 . Use the Rename Wizard or a manual renaming technique to rename the new address logical
columns (with uppercase letters) in D3 Customer. Your results should look similar to the
screenshot. Hint: To use the Rename Wizard, select all of the new logical columns, then right-
click any one of the highlighted columns and select Rename Wizard to launch the wizard. If you
need help using the Rename Wizard, refer to these steps from earlier in this tutorial.
16 . Rename the remaining logical table sources according to the following table. Recall that logical
table sources are located in the Sources folder for a logical table. For example: D2 Product >
Sources.
1 . In the Presentation layer, right-click the Sample Sales subject area and select New Presentation
Table to open the Presentation Table dialog box.
2 . On the General tab, enter Customer Regions in the Name field.
3 . Click OK to close the Presentation Table dialog box. Confirm that the Customer Regions
presentation table is added to the Sample Sales subject area in the Presentation layer.
Address 1
Address 2
Area
City
Country Name
Estab Name
Postal Code
Region
State Province
State Province Abbrv
Your column names may be slightly different depending on how you renamed them.
6 . Reorder the Customer Regions presentation columns in the following order, from top to bottom:
Region
Area
Country Name
State Province
State Province Abbrv
City
Postal Code
Address 1
Address 2
Estab Name
7 . Double-click the Sample Sales subject area in the Presentation layer to open the Subject Area
dialog box.
10 . Click OK to close the Subject Area dialog box. Confirm that the presentation tables appear in
the expected order.
You now have two presentation tables, Customers and Customer Regions, mapped to the same
logical table, D3 Customer. The D3 Customer logical table is mapped to two physical sources:
D3 Customer and D4 Address.
11 . Save the repository and check global consistency when prompted. You should receive a message
that there are no errors, warnings, or best practice violations to report.
If you do receive any consistency check errors or warnings, fix them before proceeding.
1. Return to Fusion Middleware Control, which should still be open. If not, open a browser and
enter the following URL to navigate to Fusion Middleware Control:
http://<machine name>/:7001/em
2. If your session has timed out, you will need to log in again. Log in as an administrative user.
Typically you use the administrative user name and password provided during the Oracle BI
installation. In this example the user name is weblogic.
3 . In the left navigation pane, expand Business Intelligence and click coreapplication.
8 . Click Browse and navigate to the directory with the BISAMPLE repository.
11 . Click Apply.
12 . Confirm that the default RPD is now BISAMPLE with an extension. In this example the file
name is BISAMPLE_BI0025.
13 . Click Activate Changes.
14 . Click Close when you receive the confirmation message Activate Changes - Completed
Successfully.
17 . Click Yes when you receive the message Are you sure you want to restart all BI
components?
18 . Allow the processing to complete.
19 . Click Close when you receive the message Restart All - Completed Successfully.
1. Return to Oracle BI, which should still be open. If not, open a browser or browser tab and enter
the following URL to navigate to Oracle Business Intelligence:
http://<machine name>/:7001/analytics
2. If your previous session has timed out, sign in as an administrative user. Typically you use the
administrative user name and password provided during the Oracle BI installation. In this
example the user name is weblogic.
3 . In the left navigation pane, under Create... Analysis and Interactive Reporting, select Analysis.
6 . Create the following analysis by double-clicking column names in the Subject Areas pane:
Customer Regions.Region
Customers.Customer Name
Products.Type
Base Facts.Revenue
7 . Click Results to view the analysis results. Use the buttons at the bottom of the results screen to
see more rows.
Check the Query Log
8 . Click Search.
9 . Select the last message in the list. This is the most recent query sent to the database.
10 . In the bottom pane, click the Collapse Pane button (arrow on the right side) to view the log
message. Your results should look similar to the screenshot. The screenshot shows only a partial
view of the log.
Notice that both D3 Customer and D4 Address are accessed. The presentation columns
included in the analysis were selected from two different presentation tables: Customers and
Customer Regions. Both of these presentation tables map to the same logical table, D3
Customer. The D3 Customer logical table maps to two physical sources: D3 Customer and D4
Address.
1 . Return to the Administration Tool, which should still be open. If not, select Start > Programs >
Oracle Business Intelligence > BI Administration.
3 . Select BISAMPLE.rpd and click Open. Do not select any BISAMPLE repository with an
extension, for example, BISAMPLE_BI0025.rpd. Recall that these are the repositories that have
been loaded into Oracle BI Server memory.
4 . Enter BISAMPLE1 as the repository password and click OK to open the repository.
3 . On the General tab, enter Actual Unit Price in the Name field.
4 . Click the Column Source tab.
5 . Select Derived from existing columns using an expression.
6 . Click the Edit Expression button to open Expression Builder.
7 . In the left pane select Logical Tables > F1 Revenue > Revenue.
8 . Click the Insert selected item button to move the Revenue column to the right pane.
9 . Click the division operator to add it to the expression.
10 . In the left pane select Logical Tables > F1 Revenue and then double-click Units to add it to the
expression.
11 . Click OK to close Expression Builder. Notice that the formula is added to the Logical Column
dialog box.
12 . Click OK to close the Logical Column dialog box. The Actual Unit Price calculated measure is
added to the business model.
13 . Drag Actual Unit Price from the BMM layer to the Base Facts presentation table in the
Presentation layer.
14 . Save the repository and check consistency. Fix any errors or warnings before proceeding.
1 . In the BMM layer, right-click F1 Revenue and select New Object > Logical Column to open
the Logical Column dialog box.
12 . Drag Revenue Rank from the BMM layer to the Base Facts presentation table in the
Presentation layer.
13 . Save the repository and check consistency. Fix any errors or warnings before proceeding.
1. Return to Fusion Middleware Control, which should still be open. If not, open a browser and
enter the following URL to navigate to Fusion Middleware Control Enterprise Manager:
http://<machine name>/:7001/em
2. If necessary, log in as an administrative user. Typically you use the administrative user name
and password provided during the Oracle BI installation. In this example the user name is
weblogic.
3 . In the left navigation pane, expand Business Intelligence and click on coreapplication.
8 . Click Browse and navigate to the directory with the BISAMPLE repository.
11 . Click Apply.
12 . Confirm that the default RPD is now BISAMPLE with an extension. In this example the file
name is BISAMPLE_BI0025.
13 . Click Activate Changes.
14 . Click Close when you receive the confirmation message Activate Changes - Completed
Successfully.
17 . Click Yes when you receive the message Are you sure you want to restart all BI
components?
18 . Allow the processing to complete.
19 . Click Close when you receive the message Restart All - Completed Successfully.
1. Return to Oracle BI, which should still be open. If not, open a browser or browser tab and enter
the following URL to navigate to Oracle Business Intelligence:
http://<machine name>/:7001/analytics
2. If necessary, log in as an administrative user. Typically you use the administrative user name and
password provided during the Oracle BI installation. In this example the user name is weblogic.
3 . In the left navigation pane, under Create... Analysis and Interactive Reporting, select Analysis.
Hint: If your session has not timed out, you can create a new analysis by selecting New >
Analysis.
4 . Select the Sample Sales subject area.
5 . In the left navigation pane, expand the Base Facts folder and confirm that the Actual Unit Price
and Revenue Rank columns are visible.
6 . Create the following analysis by double-clicking column names in the Subject Areas pane:
Products.Product
Base Facts.Revenue
Base Facts.Revenue Rank
Base Facts.Units
Base Facts.Actual Unit Price
1 . In this set of steps you use another method to check the query log. Click the Administration
link in the upper right.
1 . Click OK when you are asked "are you sure you want to navigate away from this page?"
Note that the division of Revenue by Units is calculated in the outer query block (D1.c2 / nullif (
D1.c1, 0) as c3 in this example). Because you defined the Actual Unit Price calculation using
logical columns, the SUM aggregation rule is applied to the Revenue and Units columns first and
then the division is calculated.
1 . Return to the Administration Tool, which should still be open. If not, select Start > Programs >
Oracle Business Intelligence > BI Administration.
3 . Select BISAMPLE.rpd and click Open. Do not select any BISAMPLE repository with an
extension, for example, BISAMPLE_BI0001.rpd. Recall that these are the repositories that have
been loaded into Oracle BI Server memory.
4 . Enter BISAMPLE1 as the repository password and click OK to open the repository.
1 . In the BMM layer, right-click the Sample Sales business model and select New Object >
Logical Dimension > Dimension with Level-Based Hierarchy to open the Logical Dimension
dialog box.
3 . Click OK. The logical dimension is added to the Sample Sales business model.
Create Logical Levels
5 . Right-click Product Total and select New Object > Child Level to open the Logical Level
dialog box.
6 . Name the logical level Product Brand.
7 . Click OK to close the Logical Level dialog box. The Product Brand level is added to the
logical dimension.
2 . Drag the Brand column from D2 Product to the Product Brand level in H2 Product.
3 . Continue dragging logical columns from the D2 Product logical table to their corresponding
levels in the H2 Product logical dimension:
1 . Double-click the Product Brand logical level to open the Logical Level dialog box. On the
General tab, notice that the Product LOB child level is displayed.
2 . Click the Keys tab.
3 . Enter Brand for Key Name.
4 . In the Columns field, use the drop down list to select D2 Product.Brand.
5 . Check Use for Display. When this is selected, users can drill down to this column from a higher
level.
6 . Set Brand as the Primary key.
7 . Click OK to close the Logical Level dialog box. The icon changes for Brand to show that it is
the key for the Product Brand level.
8 . Use a different technique to create a logical level key: Right-click Lob for the Product LOB
level and select New Logical Level Key to open the Logical Level Key dialog box.
9 . In the Logical Level Key dialog box, accept the defaults and click OK.
10 . The icon changes for Lob to show that it is the key for the Product LOB level.
11 . Use either method to set the remaining keys for the H2 Product logical dimension:
Please note that the Detail level (lowest level of the hierarchy) must have the column that is the
logical key of the dimension table associated with it and it must be the key for that level: Prod
Key in this example.
12 . Set Prod Key as the primary key for the Product Detail level. Hint: Double-click the level and
select the Keys tab.
1 . Use a different technique to create a logical dimension for Time. Right-click the D1 Time
logical table and select Create Logical Dimension > Dimension with Level-Based Hierarchy.
2 . A new logical dimension, D1 TimeDim in this example, is automatically added to the business
model.
4 . Expand H1 Time . Notice that two level were created automatically: D1 Time Total and D1
Time Detail. D1 Time Detail is populated with all of the columns from the D1 Time logical
table.
5 . Rename D1 Time Total to Time Total, and rename D1 Time Detail to Time Detail.
6 . Right-click Time Detail and select New Object > Parent Level to open the Logical Level
dialog box.
7 . On the General tab, name the logical level Week, and check Supports rollup to higher level of
aggregation.
8 . Click OK to close the Logical Level dialog box. The Week level is added to the H1 Time logical
dimension.
1 . Use a different technique to associate logical columns with logical levels. Drag the logical
columns from the Time Detail logical level (not from the D1 Time logical table) to their
corresponding levels in the H1 Time logical dimension. This is a convenient technique when
logical columns are buried deep in the business model.
3 . Set the logical keys for the H1 Time logical dimension according to the following table:
Logical Level Level Key Use for Display
Year Per Name Year Yes
Half Per Name Half Yes
Quarter Per Name Qtr Yes
Month Per Name Month Yes
Week Per Name Week Yes
Time Detail Calendar Date Yes
1 . Use either technique to create a logical dimension with a level-based hierarchy named H3
Customer for the D3 Customer logical table with the following levels, columns, and keys. Hint:
Create the levels first, then double-click a logical column to open the Logical Column dialog box
and use the Levels tab to associate the logical column with a logical level.
Use for
Level Column Key
Display
Customer Total <none> <none> <none>
Customer Region Region Region Yes
Customer Area Area Area Yes
Customer Country Country Name Country Name Yes
Customer State State Province State Province Yes
Customer City City City Yes
Customer Postal
Postal Code Postal Code Yes
Code
Customer Customer Yes
Customer Detail Name Name
No
Customer Customer
Number Number
Set Customer Number as the primary key for the Customer Detail level.
2 . Double-click the LTS1 Time logical table source to open the Logical Table Source dialog box.
3 . Click the Content tab.
4 . Confirm that Aggregation content, group by is set to Logical Level and the logical level is set
to Time Detail for the H1 Time logical dimension.
5 . Click OK to close the Logical Table Source dialog box.
6 . Repeat to verify or set content settings for the remaining logical table sources using the table and
screenshots as a guide:
Logical
Logical Table Source Logical Level
Dimension
LTS1 Product H2 Product Product Detail
Customer
LTS1 Customer H3 Customer
Detail
LTS2 Customer Customer
H3 Customer
Address Detail
Time Detail
H1 Time
Product Detail
LTS1 Revenue H2 Product
Customer
H3 Customer
Detail
7 . Save the repository and check global consistency. Fix any errors or warnings before proceeding.
Notice that you did not have to make any changes to the Presentation layer.
1 . Return to Fusion Middleware Control and load the BISAMPLE repository. If you need help,
click here to review steps from earlier in this tutorial.
2 . Return to Oracle BI, which should still be open, and sign in if necessary.
Products.Brand
Base Facts.Revenue
4 . Click Results.
5 . Click on the BizTech brand and verify that you can drill down through the hierarchy to see
revenue data at each level.
9 . Click Results and verify that you can drill down through the Time hierarchy.
10 . Repeat the steps and create the following analysis to test the Customers hierarchy:
Customer Regions.Region
Base Facts.Revenue
11 . Click Results and verify that you can drill down through the Customers hierarchy.
12 . Sign out of Oracle BI. Click OK when prompted about navigating away from this page. Leave
the Oracle BI browser page open.
To create level-based measures and a share measure, you perform the following steps:
1 . Return to the Administration Tool, which should still be open. If not, select Start > Programs >
Oracle Business Intelligence > BI Administration.
3 . Select BISAMPLE.rpd and click Open. Do not select any BISAMPLE repository with an
extension, for example, BISAMPLE_BI0001.rpd. Recall that these are the repositories that have
been loaded into Oracle BI Server memory.
4 . Enter BISAMPLE1 as the repository password and click OK to open the repository.
Create Level-Based Measures
1 . In the Business Model and Mapping layer, right-click the F1 Revenue table and select New
Object > Logical Column to open the Logical Column dialog box.
2 . On the General tab, enter Product Total Revenue in the Name field.
3 . Click the Column Source tab.
4 . Select Derived from existing columns using an expression.
5 . Open the Expression Builder.
6 . In the Expression Builder, add Logical Tables > F1 Revenue > Revenue to the expression.
Recall that the Revenue column already has a default aggregation rule of Sum.
7 . Click OK to close Expression Builder.
1 . In the Business Model and Mapping layer, right-click the F1 Revenue table and select New
Object > Logical Column to open the Logical Column dialog box.
3 . On the Column Source tab, select "Derived from existing columns using an expression."
4 . Open the Expression Builder.
5 . In the Expression Builder, Select Functions > Mathematic Functions > Round.
6 . Click Insert selected item. The function appears in the edit box.
7 . Click Source Number in the formula.
8 . Enter 100* followed by a space.
9 . Insert Logical Tables > F1 Revenue > Revenue.
10 . Using the toolbar, click the Division button. Another set of angle brackets appears, <<expr>>.
11 . Click <<expr>>.
12 . Insert Logical Tables > F1 Revenue > Product Total Revenue. Recall that this is the total
measure for the hierarchy.
13 . Click between the last set of angle brackets, <<Digits>>, and enter 1. This represents the
number of digits of precision with which to round the integer.
14 . Check your work:
This share measure will allow you to run an analysis that shows how revenue of a specific
product compares to total revenue for all products.
15 . Click OK to close the Expression Builder. The formula is visible in the Logical Column dialog
box.
16 . Click OK to close the Logical Column dialog box. The Product Share logical column is added to
the business model.
17 . Add the Product Share measure to the Base Facts presentation table.
18 . Save the repository. Check consistency. You should receive the following message.
If there are consistency errors or warnings, correct them before you proceed.
19 . Close the repository.
1 . Return to Fusion Middleware Control and load the BISAMPLE repository. If you need help,
click here to review steps from earlier in this tutorial.
2 . Return to Oracle BI, which should still be open, and sign in.
3 . Create the following analysis to test the level-based and share measures.
Products.Product
Base Facts.Revenue
Base Facts.Product Type Revenue
Base Facts.Product Share
6 . Change Treat Numbers As to Percentage and set Decimal Places to 2. Deselect Use 1000's
separator.
7 . Click OK to close the Column Properties dialog box.
9 . Click Results. Notice that Product Type Revenue returns dollars grouped by Type even though
the query is at a different level than Type; Product in this example. Product Share shows the
percent of total revenue for each product sorted in descending order.
10 . Sign out of Oracle BI.
11 . Click OK when you receive the message: Are you sure you want to navigate away from this
page?
To create a logical dimension with a parent-child hierarchy, perform the following steps:
1 . Return to the Administration Tool, which should still be open. If not, select Start > Programs >
Oracle Business Intelligence > BI Administration.
3 . Select BISAMPLE.rpd and click Open. Do not select any BISAMPLE repository with an
extension, for example, BISAMPLE_BI0001.rpd. Recall that these are the repositories that have
been loaded into Oracle BI Server memory.
4 . Enter BISAMPLE1 as the repository password and click OK to open the repository.
2 . Right-click Connection Pool and select Import Metadata to open the Import Wizard.
3 . In the Select Metadata Types screen, accept the defaults and click Next.
4 . In the Select Metadata Objects screen, in the data source view, expand BISAMPLE and select
the following tables for import:
SAMP_EMPL_D_VH
SAMP_EMPL_PARENT_CHILD_MAP
SAMP_EMPL_POSTN_D
5 . Click the Import Selected button to move the tables to the Repository View.
6 . Click Finish to close the Import Wizard.
7 . Confirm that the three tables are visible in the Physical layer of the repository.
Table Alias
SAMP_EMPL_D_VH D50 Sales Rep
D51 Sales Rep
SAMP_EMPL_PARENT_CHILD_MAP
Parent Child
D52 Sales Rep
SAMP_EMPL_POSTN_D
Position
10 . Use the Physical Diagram to create the following physical joins for the alias tables:
1 . In the BMM layer, right-click the Sample Sales business model and select New Object >
Logical Table to open the Logical Table dialog box.
2 . On the General tab, name the logical table D5 Sales Rep.
3 . Click OK to add the logical table to the business model.
Notice that the D5 Sales Rep icon has a # sign. This is because you have not yet defined the
logical join relationship. When you define the logical join later in this tutorial the icon will
change accordingly.
4 . Drag all six columns from D50 Sales Rep in the Physical layer to D5 Sales Rep in the BMM
layer. This action creates logical columns and adds a D50 Sales Rep logical table source to D5
Sales Rep.
5 . Rename the D50 Sales Rep logical table source to LTS1 Sales Rep.
6 . In the Physical layer, expand D52 Sales Rep Position.
7 . Drag POSTN_DESC and POSTN_LEVEL from D52 Sales Rep Position to LTS1 Sales Rep.
Note that you are dragging the columns to the logical table source, not the logical table.
Dragging to the logical table would create a second logical table source.
8 . Drag DISTANCE from D51 Sales Rep Parent Child to LTS1 Sales Rep. Again, you drag the
column to the logical table source, not the logical table.
9 . Rename the logical columns:
2 . Right-click either highlighted table and select Business Model Diagram > Selected Tables
Only to open the Business Model Diagram.
3 . Create a logical join between D5 Sales Rep and F1 Revenue with F1 Revenue at the many end
of the join.
4 . Close the Business Model Diagram. Notice that the icon has changed for the D5 Sales Rep table.
1 . Right-click the D5 Sales Rep logical table and select Create Logical Dimension > Dimension
with Parent-Child Hierarchy.
2 . In the Logical Dimension dialog box, on the General tab, name the logical dimension H5 Sales
Rep.
3 . Click Browse next to Member Key. The Browse window shows the physical table and its
corresponding key.
4 . Click View to open the Logical Key dialog box. Confirm that the Sales Rep Number column is
selected
5 . Click Cancel to close the Logical Key dialog box.
7 . Click Browse next to Parent Column. The Browse window shows the columns other than the
member key.
8 . Deselect Show Qualified Names and select Manager Number as the parent column for the
parent-child hierarchy.
9 . Click OK to close the Browse window, but do not close the Logical Dimension dialog box.
1 . Click Parent-Child Settings to display the Parent-Child Relationship Table Settings dialog box.
Note that at this point the Parent-Child Relationship Table is not defined.
For each parent-child hierarchy defined on a relational table, you must explicitly define the inter-
member relationships in a separate parent-child relationship table. In the process of creating the
parent-child relationship table, you may choose one of the following options: 1. Select a
previously-created parent-child relationship table. 2. Use a wizard that will generate scripts to
create and populate the parent-child relationship table. In the next set of steps you select a
previously created and populated parent-child relationship table.
For your information only: To start the wizard you would click the Create Parent-Child
Relationship Table button. The wizard creates the appropriate repository metadata objects and
generates SQL scripts for creating and populating the parent-child relationship table. At the end
of the wizard, Oracle BI Server stores the scripts into directories chosen during the wizard
session. The scripts can then be run against the database to create and populate the parent-child
relationship table. Running the wizard is not necessary in this tutorial because the parent-child
relationship table is already created and populated.
2 . Click the Select Parent-Child Relationship Table button to open the Select Physical Table
dialog box.
3 . In the Select Physical Table dialog box, select the D51 Sales Rep Parent Child alias you
created.
4 . The D51 Sales Rep Parent Child alias is now displayed in the Parent-Child Relationship Table
column.
5 . In the Parent-Child Table Relationship Column Details section, set the appropriate columns:
8 . Right-click H5 Sales Rep and select Expand All. Note that a parent-child logical dimension has
only two levels.
9 . Delete all columns from the Detail level except for Sales Rep Name and Sales Rep Number.
10 . Double-click the Detail level to open the Logical Level dialog box.
11 . On the Keys tab, create a new key named Display Key that maps to the Sales Rep Name
column.
12 . Deselect Use for Display for the Sales Rep Number column and select Use for Display for the
Sales Rep Name column.
13 . Make sure that Member Key is still set to D50 Sales Rep_Key.
14 . Click OK to close the Logical Level dialog box.
15 . Expand F1 Revenue > Sources and double-click LTS1 Revenue to open the Logical Table
Source dialog box.
16 . On the Content tab, set the logical level to Detail for the H5 Sales Rep logical dimension.
17 . Click OK to close the Logical Table Source dialog box.
Create Presentation Layer Objects
1 . Drag the D5 Sales Rep logical table from the BMM layer to the Sample Sales subject area in the
Presentation layer.
2 . Rename the D5 Sales Rep presentation table to Sales Reps.
3 . Move the Sales Reps presentation table above the Base Facts table.
4 . Expand the Sales Reps presentation table and notice that the H5 Sales Rep parent-child logical
dimension is automatically included as a presentation hierarchy.
5 . Double-click the H5 Sales Rep presentation hierarchy to open the Presentation Hierarchy dialog
box.
6 . On the Display Columns tab, confirm that Sales Rep Name is set as the display column.
8 . Save the repository and check consistency. Fix any errors or warnings before proceeding.
1 . Return to Fusion Middleware Control and load the BISAMPLE repository. If you need help,
click here to review steps from earlier in this tutorial.
2 . Return to Oracle BI, which should still be open, and sign in.
4 . Click Results.
5 . Expand the pivot table to view data at different levels of the hierarchy. Notice that the Revenue
measure rolls up through each level.
3 . Right-click Connection Pool and select Import Metadata to open the Import Wizard.
4 . In the Select Metadata Types screen, accept the defaults and click Next.
5 . In the Select Metadata Objects screen, in the data source view, expand BISAMPLE.
6 . In the data source view, select the SAMP_PRODUCTS_DR table for import:
7 . Click the Import Selected button to move the table to the Repository View.
8 . Expand BISAMPLE in the Repository View and confirm that the SAMP_PRODUCT_DR
table is visible.
9 . Click Finish to close the Import Wizard.
10 . Confirm that the SAMP_PRODUCT_DR table is visible in the Physical layer of the repository.
11 . Create the following alias for the table: D20 Product
12 . Use the Physical Diagram to create the following physical join for the alias table:
Notice there are skipped levels in the hierarchy. For example, brand A - Brand2 has a NULL
value for LOB for the product D - Product 8.
1 . Drag D20 Product from the Physical layer to the Sample Sales business model in the BMM
layer to create a D20 Product logical table. The logical join to F1 Revenue is created
automatically based on the join in the Physical layer.
1 . Right-click the D20 Product logical table and select Create Logical Dimension > Dimension
with Level-Based Hierarchy to automatically create a logical dimension named D20
ProductDim.
2 . Rename D20 ProductDim to H20 Product.
3 . Double-click the H20 Product logical dimension to open the Logical Dimension dialog box.
Use for
Level Column Key
Display
Product
<none> <none> <none>
Total
Product
Brand Brand Yes
Brand
Product LOB LOB LOB Yes
Product
Product Type Product Type Yes
Type
Product Product Product Yes
Product Product Product
Yes
Detail Number Number
1 . Drag the D20 Product logical table to the Sample Sales subject area in the Presentation layer.
2 . In the Presentation layer, rename D20 Product to Products (Ragged) and move Products
(Ragged) to appear after Products.
3 . Expand Products (Ragged) and notice that the H20 Product logical dimension is automatically
added to the Presentation layer.
4 . Save the repository and check consistency. Fix and errors or warnings before proceeding.
5 . Close the repository. Leave the Administration Tool open.
1 . Return to Fusion Middleware Control and load the BISAMPLE repository. If you need help,
click here to review steps from earlier in this tutorial.
2 . Return to Oracle BI, which should still be open, and sign in.
3 . Create the following analysis to test the ragged / skipped level hierarchy:
Products (Ragged).Brand
Products (Ragged).LOB
Products (Ragged).Product Type
Products (Ragged).Product
Base Facts.Revenue
4 . Click Results.
The results display correctly even though there are skipped levels (levels with NULL values) and
ragged levels (leaves with varying depth).
Using Aggregates
In this set of steps you set up and use aggregate tables to improve query performance.
Aggregate tables store pre-computed results, which are measures that have been aggregated
(typically summed) over a set of dimensional attributes. Using aggregate tables is a popular
technique for speeding up query response times in decision support systems. This eliminates
the need for run-time calculations and delivers faster results to users. The calculations are
done ahead of time and the results are stored in the tables. Aggregate tables typically have
many fewer rows than the non-aggregate tables and, therefore, processing is faster.
Import Metadata
Import Metadata
1 . Return to the Administration Tool and open the BISAMPLE repository in offline mode.
2 . Right-click Connection Pool and select Import Metadata to open the Import Wizard.
3 . In the Select Metadata Types screen, select Views and click Next.
4 . In the Select Metadata Objects screen, in the data source view, expand BISAMPLE.
SAMP_REVENUE_FA2
SAMP_TIME_QTR_D
6 . Click the Import Selected button to move the objects to the Repository View.
7 . Expand BISAMPLE in the Repository View and confirm that the objects are visible.
8 . Click Finish to close the Import Wizard.
9 . Confirm that the objects are visible in the Physical layer of the repository.
10 . Create the following aliases:
Table Alias
SAMP_REVENUE_FA2 F2 Revenue Aggregate
SAMP_TIME_QTR_D D1 Time Quarter Grain
11 . Right-click F2 Revenue Aggregate and select View Data. F2 Revenue Aggregate stores
aggregated fact information for revenue and units at the quarter and product grain.
12 . Right-click D1 Time Quarter Grain and select View Data. D1 Time Quarter Grain stores time
data at the quarter grain. It stores one record for each quarter beginning with Q4 2006 and
ending with Q4 2011.
13 . Use the Physical Diagram to create the following physical joins:
4 . Rename the D1 Time Quarter Grain logical table source to LTS2 Time Quarter Grain.
5 . Double-click LTS2 Time Quarter Grain to open the Logical Table Source dialog box.
6 . On the Column Mapping tab make sure show mapped columns is selected and note the column
mappings. The logical columns now map to columns in two physical tables: D1 Time and D1
Time Quarter Grain.
7 . Click OK to close the Logical Table Source dialog box.
10 . Drag the following physical columns from F2 Revenue Aggregate to their corresponding
logical columns in F1 Revenue: Note: Do not add them as new columns.
11 . Rename the F2 Revenue Aggregate logical table source to LTS2 Revenue Aggregate.
12 . Double-click LTS2 Revenue Aggregate to open the Logical Table Source dialog box.
13 . On the Column Mappings tab make sure show mapped columns is selected and note the column
mappings. The Revenue and Units logical columns now map to columns in two physical tables:
F1 Revenue and F2 Revenue Aggregate.
14 . Leave the Logical Table Source - LTS2 Revenue Aggregate dialog box open.
For example, if a user queries for total sales by product by quarter, the server will access the F2
Revenue Aggregate fact table and the corresponding aggregate dimension table, D1 Time
Quarter Grain. If a user queries for a level lower than the level specified here, for example
Month instead of Quarter, then the server will access the detail tables (F1 Revenue and D1
Time). If a user queries for higher level (year instead of quarter) the aggregate tables will be
used, because whenever a query is run against a logical level or above, the aggregate tables are
used.
4 . Double-click the LTS2 Time Quarter Grain logical table source to open the Logical Table
Source dialog box.
7 . Save the repository and check global consistency. Fix any errors or warnings before proceeding.
8 . Close the repository. Leave the Administration Tool open. Note that you did not need to change
the Presentation layer. You made changes in the business model that impact how queries are
processed and which sources are accessed. However, the user interface remains the same, so
there is no need to change the Presentation layer. Oracle BI Server will automatically use the
appropriate sources based on the user query.
2 . Return to Oracle BI, which should still be open, and sign in.
4 . Click Results.
6 . Use FMW Control or the Administration link to check the query log. If you need help, click
here to review steps from earlier in this tutorial.
7 . Inspect the log. Notice that the query uses the expected tables: D1 Time Quarter Grain and F2
Revenue Aggregate.
8 . Return to Oracle BI.
11 . Click Results.
12 . Check the query log. Hint: If you check the log using FMW Control, click the Refresh button to
refresh the log.
13 . Inspect the log. Notice that the query uses the same tables: D1 Time Quarter Grain and F2
Revenue Aggregate. This is because Per Name Year is at a higher level than Per Name Quarter
in the logical dimension hierarchy, so the aggregate tables are still used.
17 . Click Results.
18 . Inspect the log. Notice that this time the query uses the detail tables: D1 Time and F1 Revenue.
This is because the requested data (revenue by month) is at a lower level than what is contained
in the aggregate tables. The aggregate tables do not contain the data and, therefore, the detail
tables are used in the query. This aggregate navigation is controlled by the aggregate content
levels you set in the logical table sources.
In this set of steps you create a new initialization block, Current Periods, and three new
dynamic repository variablesCurrentYear, CurrentMonth, and CurrentDay. You then use
the variables as column filters in an Oracle BI analysis. You use the Variable Manager in the
Administration Tool to define variables and initialization blocks.
To set up and use initialization blocks and variables, perform the following steps:
Create Variables
5 . Click the Edit Data Source button to open the Repository Variable Initialization Block Data
Source dialog box.
6 . Click the Browse button to open the Select Connection Pool dialog box.
8 . Enter the following SQL to determine the value of the current day, month, and year by finding
the maximum value of the period key (BILL_DAY_DT) in the fact table:
SELECT CALENDAR_DATE, PER_NAME_MONTH, PER_NAME_YEAR FROM
BISAMPLE.SAMP_TIME_DAY_D WHERE CALENDAR_DATE = (SELECT
MAX(BILL_DAY_DT) FROM BISAMPLE.SAMP_REVENUE_F)
9 . Click Test and confirm the expected results are returned. In this example, the results are
determined by the data in the sample database used for this tutorial, which holds data through
December 2010.
11 . Click OK to close the Repository Variable Initialization Block Data Source dialog box. Check
your work:
Create Variables
1 . Click Edit Data Target to open the Repository Variable Initialization Block Variable Target
dialog box.
2 . Use the New button to create three new variables: CurrentDay, CurrentMonth, CurrentYear.
The order is important. The value returned from the first column in the initialization block SQL,
CALENDAR_DATE, is assigned to the CurrentDay variable. The value of the second column,
PER_NAME_MONTH, is assigned to CurrentMonth (the second variable), and the value of the
third column, PER_NAME_YEAR, is assigned to CurrentYear (the third variable). If necessary,
use the Up and Down buttons to arrange the variables.
3 . Click OK to close the Repository Variable Initialization Block Variable Target dialog box.
4 . Leave the default refresh interval set to every hour. This means that the variables will be
reinitialized every hour.
5 . Click the Test button and check the results:
In this example, the results are determined by the data in the sample database used for this
tutorial, which holds data through December 2010.
10 . Save the repository and check consistency. Fix any errors or warnings before proceeding.
1 . Return to Fusion Middleware Control and load the BISAMPLE repository. If you need help,
click here to review steps from earlier in this tutorial.
4 . Click Filter for the Per Name Year column. The New Filter dialog box opens.
7 . Click OK to close the New Filter dialog box. The filter is added to the Filters pane.
8 . Repeat the steps to add the CurrentMonth and CurrentDay repository variables as filters for
Per Name Month and Calendar Date columns, respectively.
9 . Click Results and confirm that data only for the current year, month, and day is returned (based
on the sample data set).
10 . Sign out of Oracle BI.
Time series functions include AGO, TODATE, and PERIODROLLING. These functions let
you use Expression Builder to call a logical function to perform time series calculations
instead of creating aliases for physical tables and modeling logically. The time series
functions calculate AGO, TODATE, and PERIODROLLING functions based on the calendar
tables in your data warehouse, not on standard SQL date manipulation functions.
1 . Return to the Administration Tool and open the BISAMPLE repository in offline mode.
2 . In the BMM layer, double-click the H1 Time logical dimension to open the Logical Dimension
dialog box.
3 . In the Structure section, select Time.
1 . Expand the H1 Time logical dimension and double-click the Time Detail level to open the
Logical Level dialog box.
It is best practice to designate a chronological key for every level of a time logical dimension.
3 . On the Column Source tab, select "Derived from existing columns using an expression."
4 . Open the Expression Builder.
11 . Click <<Number of Periods>> and enter 1. The Ago function will calculate the Revenue value
one month before the current month.
12 . Click OK to close the Expression Builder. Check your work in the Logical Column dialog box:
13 . Click OK to close the Logical Column dialog box. The Month Ago Revenue time series
measure is added to the F1 Revenue logical table.
14 . Drag the Month Ago Revenue logical column to the Base Facts presentation folder.
2 . On the General tab, name the new logical column Year To Date Revenue.
3 . On the Column Source tab, select "Derived from existing columns using an expression."
4 . Open the Expression Builder.
5 . Select Functions > Time Series Functions and double-click ToDate to insert the expression.
6 . Click <<Measure>> in the expression.
7 . Select Logical Tables > F1 Revenue and then double-click Revenue to add it to the expression.
8 . Click <<Level>> in the expression.
9 . Select Time Dimensions > H1 Time and then double-click Year to add it to the expression.
10 . Click OK to close the Expression Builder.
13 . Drag the Year To Date Revenue logical column to the Base Facts presentation folder.
Create a Measure Using the PERIODROLLING Function
1 . Right-click the F1 Revenue logical table and select New Object > Logical Column.
2 . On the General tab, name the new logical column Revenue 3-Period Rolling Sum.
3 . On the Column Source tab, select "Derived from existing columns using an expression."
4 . Open the Expression Builder.
5 . Select Functions > Time Series Functions and double-click PeriodRolling to insert the
expression.
6 . Click <<Measure>> in the expression.
7 . Select Logical Tables > F1 Revenue and then double-click Revenue to add it to the expression.
15 . Drag the Revenue 3-Period Rolling Sum logical column to the Base Facts presentation folder.
16 . Save the repository and check consistency. Fix any errors or warnings before you proceed.
1 . Return to Fusion Middleware Control and load the BISAMPLE repository. If you need help,
click here to review steps from earlier in this tutorial.
5 . For the Per Name Year column, select Column Properties > Column Format > Hide. This
will prevent Per Name Year from displaying in the analysis results.
Month Ago Revenue displays revenue from the previous month. Year To Date Revenue
calculates a running sum of revenue for the year on a monthly basis.
8 . Create the following new analysis and filter to test the PERIODROLLING function at the month
grain:
9 . For the Per Name Year column, select Column Properties > Column Format > Hide. This
will prevent Per Name Year from displaying in the analysis results.
10 . Sort Per Name Month in ascending order.
11 . Click Results.
Revenue 3-Period Rolling Sum is calculated based on the month grain.
12 . Create the following new analysis and filter to test the PERIODROLLING function at the year
grain:
14 . Click Results.
Revenue 3-Period Rolling Sum is calculated based on the year grain. A measure with the
PERIODROLLING function calculates results based on the query grain.
Summary
In this tutorial you learned how to build an Oracle BI metadata repository using the Oracle BI
Administration Tool. You learned how to import metadata from a data source, simplify and
reorganize the imported metadata into a business model, and then structure the business
model for presentation to users who request business intelligence information via Oracle BI
user interfaces.
Resources
Oracle Learning Library - Home
Oracle Business Intelligence Documentation
Oracle University
Credits