UDML Command - Convert RPD to XML and XML to RPD

Lets start with an example to export an RPD to XUDML.
Make a copy of the original RPD in below path BI_Home/bifoundation/server/bin

Eg: c:/obi/Oracle_BI1/bifoundation/server/bin

Generate the XUDML by executing the command biserverxmlgen
In command Prompt, Go to BI_Home/bifoundation/server/bin directory

Command Converts RPD to XML:

Method 1:

biserverxmlgen -R <Path of RPD File> -P <rpd Admin Password> -O <Path to Output UDML file> -8

Eg: biserverxmlgen -R main.rpd -P Admin123 -O Main.xml -8

The parameters for the biserverxmlgen command are as follows:

-P repository_password
-R     repository_pathname
-O     output_script
-8     UTF-8

When this step is successful the XUDML is generated. Open the XUDML file named “main.xml” and check the content of the file.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>

Method 2:

Generate the XUDML by executing the command nqudmlgen

nqudmlgen –P <rpd Admin Password> -R <Path to RPD File>  -O <Path to Output UDML file>

Eg: nqudmlgen –P Admin123 -R main.rpd  -O main.xml

Command Converts XML to RPD:

nqudmlexec -P <rpd Admin Password> -I <Path to Output UDML file> -O <Path to RPD File>

Eg: nqudmlexec -P Admin123 -I main.xml -O main.rpd

Try this...

OBIEE 11g RPD Merging Commands

In command prompt move to the following location,

BI_HOME\bifoundation\server\bin

Eg: 
D:\OBIEE_HOME\Oracle_BI1\bifoundation\server\bin

Then use the below command 

nQUDMLGen.exe -p XXX -R Trimmed_RPD_PATH -o Trimmed_RPD_Txt_FILE_PATH

Eg: 
nQUDMLGen.exe -p Admin123 -R D:\merge\Trimmed.rpd -o D:\merge\Trimmed.rpd.txt

nqudmlexec.exe -P Admin123 -I Trimmed_RPD_Txt_FILE_PATH -BMAIN_RPD_PATH -o Merged_RPD_PATH

Eg: 

nqudmlexec.exe -P Admin123 -I D:\merge\Trimmed.txt -BD:\merge\Main.rpd -o D:\merge\Merge.rpd

Merge.rpd is the final merged RPD. This will help for a quick merge...

Export / Import the Reports from one envirornment to another

I am sure, in Answers/Dashboards, most of OBIEE  developers may  face a common issue of copying all their objects from one folder to another folder, one environment to another environment (in the developing stage) etc.
If you got the access to the system in which the Catalog is stored then, these actions are very easy. But how to do it in Dashboard catalog.

OBIEE 11g came up with a solution for this problem. Archive and Unarchive. In Archive you can archive (export) a folder with diff objects to the local file system. The archived file can be Unarchived (imported) into another folder. So simple… isn’t it?

Archiving

I am implementing Archive and Unarchive process using two instances one is ‘‘eld15’’ and second one is ‘‘obiee2’’ instances. Here ‘‘eld15’’ instances ‘Shared Folder’ having ‘Test_eld15’ reports folder. Using Archive/Unarchive process ‘Test_eld15’ folder will move to ‘‘obiee2’’ instances under ‘Shared Folder’.



Archive and Unarchive options are available under ‘Tasks’ option.



In Archive you can archive (export) a folder with diff objects to the local file system. Select the ‘Test_eld15’ folder and now, click on the Archive link, which will open a dialog box with some options for the archiving. Check the two boxes.

Keep Permissions: Folder level permissions also keep at the time of archiving the folder
Keep Timestamp: Kept the database timestamp


After clicking OK button, a dialog box will appear asking where the catalog to be saved. Select the desired location and save the file.

This archive file saved into a Downloads.


Unarchiving

 Select the ‘Shared folder’ into which the archived (exported) filed needs to be Unarchived (imported).

We are going to unarchive the ‘Test_eld15’ file will be created in the shared folder. Then click on the Unarchive link in ‘obiee2’ instances.



The Unarchive dialog box will appear which allows us to select the file which needs to be Unarchived into the currently selected folder ( in our example, its ‘Test_eld15’). Click OK.



In this Unarchive window having three option. Each one having multiple options.

Archive file:  Browse the appropriate archive file name (‘Test_eld15’).

Replace
The Preferences dialog contains the following options in the Replace area:

• Force — Pastes all files, overwriting even those that have the read-only attribute set.
• All — Pastes all possible files, overwriting only those that do not have the read-only attribute set. (Default)
• Old — Pastes all possible files, but does not overwrite any existing files unless they are older than the source.
• None — Pastes all possible files, but does not overwrite any existing files.

 ACL
The Preferences dialog contains the following options in the Paste ACL area:

• Inherit — inherits the object’s permissions (ACL) from its new parent folder. (Default)
• Preserve — Preserves the object’s permissions (ACL) as it was in the original, mapping accounts as necessary.
• Create —   Preserves the object’s permissions (ACL) as it was in the original, creating and mapping accounts as necessary, depending on the mode and type of owner, as described in the following list:

Once it is successful click on “Ok” and a ‘Test_eld15’ file will be created in the shared folder shown.




Hope it helps.

Oracle Demo Environment Instant Access

Oracle Business Intelligence

Open the URL below in your browser and log in with the credentials provided to access a fully functional OBIEE environment (aka Sample App V 309 which is based on release 11.1.1.7.1 and includes the new Mobile App Designer).

http://slc02okm.oracle.com:7780/analytics

User: Prodney

Password: Admin123

BI Mobile Application Designer (BIMAD)

Oracle provides instant access to demo applications created with BIMAD, so you can enjoy them directly on your mobile device.

Simply use a QR Reader to scan the QR code below on your mobile device to navigate to the login page or use the URL below.

http://aosdemeamt05.oracle.com:7777/mobile/appstore/#store-page

User: bimad_user

Password: welcome1

Alternative URL: http://slc02okx.oracle.com:7780/mobile/appstore

(Thanks to Christian for this update)

There is also a document available with detailed instructions.

BI Mobile HD

For iPad users, Oracle provides the BI Mobile HD app which can be connected to a demo environment as described in this document.

BI Mobile HD app on the iPad

Endeca

As announced on the BI & EPM blog, the latest release of Endeca - 3.1 - can be evaluated in a live demo environment as well, using the following URL and credentials.

http://slc02oku.oracle.com:7101/eid/web

User: publicuser@oracle.com

Password: Admin123

Endeca Information Discovery 3.1 Demo

Oracle itself has an official demo page. Check it out.

BI Apps 11.1.1.8.1 is Now Available

Oracle Business Intelligence (BI) Applications 11.1.1.8.1 is now available on the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud (eDelivery), and on the Oracle BI Applications OTN page. This is the second major release on the 11g code line leveraging the power of ODI, and certified with the latest version of Oracle BI Foundation 11.1.1.7

This new release of Oracle Business Intelligence Applications 11g adds:

1. Prebuilt Connector for Oracle Procurement and Spend Analytics with Oracle JD Edwards

2. Expanded functional content coverage across existing Oracle BI Applications

3. New utilities and enhancements to increase productivity and further drive down Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

 New Prebuilt Connector for BI Applications

 · Oracle Procurement and Spend Analytics introduces a new adapter that provides out-of-box integration between Oracle Procurement and Spend Analytics and Oracle’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, enabling purchasing and sourcing organizations quickly identify savings opportunities and improve operational performance through decision-ready, best practice analytics.

New Content Enhancements: Significant expansion of content improves existing Oracle BI Applications including:

· Oracle Human Resources Analytics expands analysis on HR programs and workforce performance with the introduction of Talent Management Analysis, to help HR and business managers assess talent strengths and build potential leaders by delivering greater insight into job profiles. Improvements to Absence Management, new support for Workforce Frozen Snapshots and Workforce Flex Fields are also available.

· Oracle Financial Analytics improves company Financial Performance with the new Subledger Accounting Module, providing complete account balance analysis, including supporting reference balances and drill down to accounting transactions. Aging Snapshot restoration for Receivables and Payables, drilldown from Payables to Purchase Orders, and Fixed Assets support for GL Posting Status are features also included in the release.

· Oracle Project Analytics expands insight into project-based data with new Earned Value Management Analysis, providing visibility for Project Stakeholders into Planned Value, Earned Value, and Actual Cost. Analysis of variances and indices, derived from Cost and Schedule Variance, CPI, TCPI, SPI and TSPI, is also available.

· Oracle Supply Chain & Order Management Analytics introduces Costing and Inventory Turn support for Oracle JDE EnterpriseOne. In addition, the ability to save and restore the Inventory Snapshot when executing a full load is now supported.

· Oracle Student Information Analytics introduces new Financial Aid Analysis, containing term-based detail information associated with a student award such as amount, status, disbursement, and aid type.

· Oracle Manufacturing Analytics and Enterprise Asset Management Analytics have been re-introduced into the BI Applications data model. Although new with ODI, both modules provide now the same broad functionality available with BI Applications 7.9.6.4

· Unstructured Data for Information Discovery – The BI Applications Data Model has been extended to include unstructured CRM and ERP text fields. Sample Information Discovery templates – including ODI interfaces and runtime security definitions –provide the ability to quickly create sample Information Discovery Applications from combined structured and unstructured data.

New Utilities and Enhancements to increase productivity and drive down TCO

· New Data Lineage Tool allows customers and implementers to track lineage from source to target – improving information transparency across their enterprise

· Configuration Management expands System Setup and Load Plan definition capabilities, including the registration of multiple instances for the same Product Line Version, UI enhancements to support DW connection configuration and Load Plan definition, and Load Plan definition migration.

• Fact Partitioning IKMs and Parallel Index Builds are key performance Innovations introduced with this release. The former enables a feature that tags partitions so that only the indexes that need to be re-built during incremental loads are executed. The latter uses ODI parallel process so that Indexes can be built using multiple session (faster than and in addition to DB parallel).

OBIEE 11g Title view Image position

The controlling file for the GUI rendering with regards to the title view is in the msgdb. 

It's the /messages/standardviewtemplates.xml

Changes to be made are here:

Standard:

<WebMessage name="kuiTitleViewDisplay" translate="no">  
  <HTML>  
    <table class="TitleTable" cellspacing="0" style="@{tableStyle}"  
    width="100%">  
      <sawm:if test="logo || title || help">  
        <tr>  
          <sawm:if name="logo">  
            <td class="TitleLogo" style="@{logoStyle}" rowspan="4">  
            &lt;img border="0" src="  
            <sawm:param name="logo" />" alt="  
            <sawm:messageRef name="kmsgTitleViewLogo" />" title="  
            <sawm:messageRef name="kmsgTitleViewLogo" />"/&gt;</td>  
          </sawm:if>  
          <sawm:if name="title">  
            <td class="TitleCell" style="@{titleStyle}"  
            title="@{desc}">  
              <sawm:param name="title" />  
            </td>  
          </sawm:if>  
          <sawm:if name="help">  
            <td class="TitleHelp" align="right" rowspan="4">  
              <a href="@{help}" target="_blank">  
                <img border="0" alt="" src="fmap:Views/Help.gif" />  
              </a>  
            </td>  
          </sawm:if>  
        </tr>  
      </sawm:if>  

After changes:

<WebMessage name="kuiTitleViewDisplay" translate="no">  
  <HTML>  
    <table class="TitleTable" cellspacing="0" style="@{tableStyle}"  
    width="100%">  
      <sawm:if test="logo || title || help">  
        <tr>  
          <sawm:if name="title">  
            <td class="TitleCell" style="@{titleStyle}"  
            title="@{desc}">  
              <sawm:param name="title" />  
            </td>  
          </sawm:if>  
          <sawm:if name="help">  
            <td class="TitleHelp" align="right" rowspan="4">  
              <a href="@{help}" target="_blank">  
                <img border="0" alt="" src="fmap:Views/Help.gif" />  
              </a>  
            </td>  
          </sawm:if>  
          <sawm:if name="logo">  
            <td class="TitleLogo" style="@{logoStyle}" rowspan="4">  
            &lt;img border="0" src="   
            <sawm:param name="logo" />" alt="   
            <sawm:messageRef name="kmsgTitleViewLogo" />" title="   
            <sawm:messageRef name="kmsgTitleViewLogo" />"/&gt;</td>  
          </sawm:if>  
        </tr>  
      </sawm:if> 

 Basically you switch around the order of Logo -> Title -> Help to Title -> Help -> Logo. This way you know what happens in the doce above and make it Title -> Logo ->

20 Golden Rules For Repository Design

PHYSICAL LAYER

1.When modelling a star schema data model, create aliases for all your physical tables (prefixed with either “Dim_”, “Fact_” or “Fact_Agg_”

2.When possible, configure your connection pools to use a “native driver” to connect to your physical databases. For example, use OCI for connecting to an Oracle database rather than ODBC.

3.Make sure the “Max Connections” parameter on your connection pools are appropriately set (not too low....not too high!). If in doubt, you can use the following formula which assumes that no more than 4% of your users will ever be logged on and running a report at any one moment:

Max Connections = Total Users * 0.04 *Max Reports on a Dashboard

So if you have 1000 users and you have no more than 4 reports on any one dashboard, then your

“Max Connections” should be set to 160.

NOTE: It is easy to exaggerate the number of users who will be using the dashboards simultaneously

BMM LAYER

4.All Logical Tables should be prefixed with either “Dim –“, “Fact –“ or “Fact Compound –“.

5.No “physical” column names should ever be seen on the Business Model layer. All naming conventions should be “business oriented”. For example use “$ Revenue” rather than “DOLLARS”.

6.Physical Primary Keys or Surrogate Keys should not be present on the Business Model layer (unless, for example, you have a Primary Key such as Order Id which will be displayed on reports).

7.Dimension Logical Tables must always have a Logical Key assigned. The Logical Key should be something “business oriented” such as “Employee Login” rather than “EMPLOYEE_PK”.

8.Dimension Logical Tables must only contain dimension attributes, they should never contain any measure columns (which have an Aggregate rule).

9.Fact Logical Tables should never have a Logical Key assigned

10.Every Logical Column within a Fact Logical Table must be a measure column, and therefore have an Aggregation Rule assigned.

11.The Business Model should only consist of logical star-schemas, there should not be any snow-flaking.

12.Every Dimension Logical Table should have a corresponding Dimension Hierarchy (with “Total” as a Grand Total level, and “Detail” at the lowest level.

13. Each level of a Dimension Hierarchy should have its “Number of Elements” appropriately set (there is a utility that can do this automatically for you).

14. Every Logical Table Source within every dimension and fact Logical Table should have its “Content Levels” appropriately set.The only time the “Content Level” is not set for a particular dimension is when there is no logical relationship existing.

15.Do not merge all your measures into a single Fact Logical Table. For example, you should split “Forecast Sales” and “Actual Sales ” measures into two Logical Tables e.g. “Fact–Sales” and “Fact–Forecast”.

16.For your Dimension Hierarchies, only enable the “Ragged” and “Skip Level” options if your hierarchies genuinely contain Ragged and/or Skip Levels..

PRESENTATION LAYER

17.When you have multiple Subject Areas, list the common dimensions in the same order across all the Subject Areas.

18.Presentation Table names within each Subject Area must not begin with “Dim–“ or “Fact –“ or “Fact Compound –“. So remove these prefixes if they are present after creating the Subject Area by dragging Logical Tables directly from the Business Model.

19.The “Time” presentation table should be listed as the first Presentation Table in each subject area. The Presentation Table containing your facts should be listed right at the bottom, and the Presentation Table should be called “Measures”.

20.There should be absolutely no possibility of a user selecting objects from a Subject Area that have no logical relationship. So, if there are any objects within the same Subject Area that cannot co-exist in the same report, then your Subject Area design is incorrect! (Remember, users can configure an Analysis to source from multiple Subject Areas, so you don’t have to cram all your objects in one Subject Area).