There are number of questions business users ask
around OBIEE/OBIA implementations. Some of them are specific to functional
stuff e.g. #invoice on hold represents #
hold invoices or # invoices items? In
addition some of the ambitious questions are around product features and basic
product offerings e.g. what is difference between filter and selection
steps? How many different types of
views OBIEE supports etc.
This blog series is an attempt to give a simple
layman definition of number of concepts or OBIEE 11g terminology /offering. Prompts
can be used to limit data for specific users; dashboard prompts can be used in
several dashboards, and modified, with changes applying to all dashboards using
the prompt, reducing cost of ownership. In this blog I am covering presentation
capabilities (views) of OBIEE 11g.The definitions are extracted from Oracle
Standard Product documentation.
What are Views?
Views use the presentation capabilities of Oracle BI
Enterprise Edition to help users look at results of analyses in meaningful,
intuitive ways. User can add a variety of views to the results, such as graphs
and pivot tables that allow drilling down to more detailed information, explanatory
text, a list of filters that were used to limit the results, and more.
Default Views
When users display the results of a new analysis, the
following views are displayed by default in the "CompoundLayout" in
the "Analysis editor: Results tab".
A title view, which displays the name of the saved
analysis.
A table or pivot table view, which displays the results of
the analysis, depending on the types of columns that the analysis contains:
If
the analysis contains only attribute columns, only measure columns, or a
combination of both, then a table is the default view.
If the analysis contains at least one hierarchical column,
then a pivot table is the default view.
Customize Views
User can customize or delete the existing views for an
analysis, add other views, and combine and position views anywhere in the pane.
Preparing multiple views of results can help you identify trends and
relationships in data. If you are customizing results for display on a
dashboard, then you can preview how the combination and position of views looks
when viewed on a dashboard. You can then save the analysis with the collection
of views.
Views Types
The following is a list of all views supported by OBIEE
11g along with the description of views. Privileges control whether one can
create all views or specific views only.
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View Name
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Description
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Title
|
Displays a title, a subtitle, a logo, a link to a custom
online help page, and timestamps to the results.
|
|
Table
|
Displays results in a visual representation of data
organized by rows and columns. A table provides a summary view of data and
enables users to see different views of data by dragging and dropping rows
and columns.
|
|
Pivot Table
|
Displays results in a pivot table, which provides a
summary view of data in cross-tab format and enables users to see different
views of data by dragging and dropping rows and columns. Pivot tables
structure data similarly to standard tables that contain column groups, but
can display multiple levels of both row and column headings. Unlike regular
tables, each data cell in a pivot table contains a unique value. By
organizing data in this way, a pivot table is more efficient than a row-based
table. Pivot tables are ideal for displaying a large quantity of data, for
browsing data hierarchically, and for trend analysis.
|
|
Graph
|
Displays numeric information visually, which makes it
easier to understand large quantities of data. Graphs often reveal patterns
and trends that text-based displays cannot. However, when precise values are
needed, graphs should be supplemented with other data displays, such as
tables. A graph is displayed on a background, called the graph canvas.
|
|
Funnel
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Displays results as a three-dimensional graph that
represents target and actual values using volume, level, and color. Typically,
funnel graphs are used to graphically represent data that changes over different
periods or stages.
For example, funnel graphs are often used to represent
the volume of sales over a quarter. Funnel graphs are well suited for showing
actual compared to targets for data where the target is known to decrease (or
increase) significantly per stage, such as a sales pipeline.
In
funnel graphs, the thresholds indicate a percentage of the target value, and colors
provide visual information for each stage. User can click one of the colored
areas to drill down to more detailed information.
|
|
Gauge
|
Shows a single data value. Due to its compact size, a
gauge is often more effective than a graph for displaying a single data value.
Gauges identify problems in data. A gauge usually plots
one data point with an indication of whether that point falls in an
acceptable or unacceptable range. Thus, gauges are useful for showing
performance against goals.
Depending on the data in the analysis, a gauge view
might consist of multiple gauges in a gauge set. For example, if you create a
gauge view to show the sales data for the last twelve months, the gauge view
consists of twelve gauges, one for each month. If you create one to show the total
sales in the US, then the gauge view consists of one gauge.
A gauge or gauge set is displayed on a background,
called the gauge canvas.
|
|
Trellis
|
Displays multidimensional data shown as a set of cells
in a grid, where each cell represents a subset of data using a particular
graph type. Data can be represented with graphs, micro charts, and numbers.
The trellis view has two subtypes: Simple Trellis and
Advanced Trellis.
Simple trellis views are ideal for displaying multiple graphs
that enable comparison of like to like. Advanced trellis views are ideal for
displaying spark graphs that show a trend.
A simple trellis displays a single inner graph type, for
example a grid of multiple Bar graphs. The inner graphs always use a common
axis; that is to say, the graphs have a synchronized scale.
An advanced trellis displays a different inner graph
type for each measure. For example, a mixture of Spark Line graphs and Spark
Bar graphs, alongside numbers. In this example, the Spark Line graph might
show Revenue over time and the Spark Bar graph might show Units Sold. A
measure column displaying numbers might be placed adjacent to the Spark Line
graphs, showing the Revenue measure as a total value for a year. In an
advanced trellis, each measure column operates independently for drilling,
axis scaling, and so on.
|
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Filters
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Displays the filters in effect for an analysis. Filters,
like selection steps, allow user to constrain an analysis to obtain results
that answer a particular question. Filters are applied before the query is
aggregated.
|
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Selection Steps
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Displays the selection steps in effect for an analysis.
Selection steps, like filters, allow you to obtain results that answer
particular questions. Selection steps are applied after the query is
aggregated.
|
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Column Selector
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Adds a column selector in the results. A column selector
is a set of drop-down lists that contain pre-selected columns. Users can
dynamically select columns and change the data that is displayed in the views
of the analysis.
|
|
View Selector
|
Adds a view selector in the results. A view selector is
a drop-down list from which users can select a specific view of the results
from among the saved views.
|
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Legend
|
Adds a legend to the results, which enables you to
document the meaning of special formatting used in results, such as the
meaning of custom colors applied to gauges.
|
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Narrative
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Displays the results as one or more paragraphs of text.
You can type in a sentence with placeholders for each column in the results,
and specify how rows should be separated.
|
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Ticker
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Displays the results as a ticker or marquee, similar in
style to the stock tickers that run across many financial and news sites on
the Internet. User can control what information is presented and how it
scrolls across the page.
|
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Static Text
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Adds static text in the results. User can use HTML to
add banners, tickers, ActiveX objects, Java applets, links, instructions,
descriptions, graphics, and so on, in the results.
|
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Logical SQL
|
Displays the SQL statement that is generated for an
analysis. This view is useful for trainers and administrators, and is usually
not included in results for typical users.
User cannot modify this view,
except to format its container or to delete it.
|
This blog series is an attempt to expand my blog
reach to BI End User or Business Users along with BI Developers/Architects.
