BEIS Oracle Estate – Finance MI Training

Report Writing using OBIEE Answers

Reference Guide

UK SBS Training Services Team

 Report Writing using OBIEE Answers - Finance

Contents
1 Introduction to OBIEE.................................................................................................. 1
2 OBIEE Home Page ....................................................................................................... 2
2.1 OBIEE Global Header ............................................................................................. 3
3 Creating a Folder ......................................................................................................... 4
3.1 Step by Step Example ............................................................................................ 4
4 Create an Ad-Hoc Analysis ......................................................................................... 6
4.1 Step by Step Example ............................................................................................ 6
5 Formatting Column Properties ................................................................................. 13
5.1 Step by Step Example .......................................................................................... 13
6 Conditional Formatting.............................................................................................. 20
6.1 Step by Step Example .......................................................................................... 20
7 Applying Filters .......................................................................................................... 26
7.1 Step by Step Example .......................................................................................... 26
8 Applying Bins ............................................................................................................. 31
8.1 Step by Step Example .......................................................................................... 31
9 Formula Editing.......................................................................................................... 35
9.1 Step by Step Example .......................................................................................... 35
10 Table Properties ......................................................................................................... 40
10.1 Step by Step Example .......................................................................................... 40
11 Creating a Chart View ................................................................................................ 45
11.1 Step by Step Example .......................................................................................... 45
12 Creating Pivot Tables ................................................................................................ 51
12.1 Step by Step Example .......................................................................................... 51
13 Editing the Compound Layout .................................................................................. 57
13.1 Step by Step Example .......................................................................................... 57
14 Dashboards ................................................................................................................ 61
14.1 Dashboard Prompts .............................................................................................. 62
14.2 Setting Dashboard Prompt Column Filters ............................................................ 63
14.3 Creating a Dashboard Prompt .............................................................................. 66
14.4 Creating My Dashboard ........................................................................................ 71
14.5 Link to an Existing Dashboard Report from My Dashboard ................................... 77
14.6 Adding Report Links to your Dashboard................................................................ 81

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15 Appendix A – Icon Definitions .................................................................................. 83

15.1 Catalog ................................................................................................................. 83
15.2 Folders Region ..................................................................................................... 83
15.3 Save As ................................................................................................................ 83
15.4 Criteria Tab ........................................................................................................... 84
15.4.1 Subject Areas Pane ....................................................................................... 84
15.4.2 Criteria Icons.................................................................................................. 84
15.4.3 Selected Columns Pane ................................................................................ 84
15.4.4 Filters Pane ................................................................................................... 85
15.5 Results Tab........................................................................................................... 85
15.5.1 Subject Areas Pane ....................................................................................... 85
15.5.2 Catalog Pane ................................................................................................. 85
15.5.3 Views Pane .................................................................................................... 85
15.6 Table..................................................................................................................... 86
15.7 Compound Layout Title ......................................................................................... 86

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Legend

These recognised abbreviations tell you what action to take in the practical exercises. They
will not appear as options on your Oracle 12 system, but are our instructions to you:
(N) – Navigate
(T) – Tab
(ST) – Sub Tab
Responsibility – YOUR ORGANISATION OBIEE Analysis GL

Action Note:
This is to draw your attention to an action you MUST take in order to effectively
use the system.

Learning Note:
This is to draw your attention to useful additional information that you may find
interesting.

Caution Note:
This is to give you forewarning about an action that is NOT advisable or may
have consequences that could impact on your effective use of the system.

Version Control

Version Created Author Comments

4.0 Feb-2018 K.Smith Updated to reflect new training environment

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1 Introduction to OBIEE

Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE) (sometimes simply referred to as Oracle
Business Intelligence) provides a full range of business intelligence capabilities that allow you to:
 Collect up-to-date data from your organisation
 Present the data in easy-to-understand formats (such as tables and graphs)
 Deliver data in a timely fashion to the employees in your organisation
The data, accessed by OBIEE, is held in a Data Warehouse which is updated every night by the
Extract Transform Load (ETL) processes.

In Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE), you can work with:
Analyses — (This area of OBIEE is also known as Answers).
 Analyses are queries against your organisation's data that provide answers to business
questions.
 Analyses allow you to explore and interact with information by visually presenting data in
easy-to-understand formats (such as tables and graphs).
 You can save, organize, and share the results of analyses.
Dashboards — (This area of OBIEE is also known as Interactive Dashboards.)
 Dashboards provide personalised views of corporate management information.
 A dashboard consists of one or more pages that contain content, such as analyses and links
to websites.
 Dashboards allow you to provide end users with access to key management information
reports.

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2 OBIEE Home Page

The Home page provides the starting point for performing tasks in OBIEE. The Home page is divided
into sections that allow you to quickly begin a specific task, locate an object, or access technical
documentation. It also includes sections (for example, Recent and Favorites) that allow you to quickly
access objects that you have recently viewed, created, or updated, and objects that are accessed the
most often by the users assigned to the groups to which you belong.

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2.1 OBIEE Global Header

The global header provides quick access to commonly used functions and is always available from
the screen.

The global header includes the following functions:

Function Purpose

Enables you to search the catalog

Displays the ‘Catalog page’ in search mode, where you can search for objects in the
catalog
Displays the following options:
 Help Contents — Displays a cascading menu that provides options that link
to the tables of contents for OBIEE, BI Publisher, and Marketing.
 Documentation — Displays the documentation library for OBIEE.
 About Oracle BI EE — Displays a dialog identifying the OBIEE version and
copyright information.
Signs you out of OBIEE
Displays the Home page
Displays the Catalog page, where you can locate objects in the catalog and perform
tasks specific to those objects
Displays your favorite objects and any categories that you created to organize your
favorite objects
Contains links to all dashboards that are stored within the Dashboards sub-folder of
the user's folder or any shared folder. Note that dashboards not saved to the
Dashboards sub-folders are not displayed from the global header Dashboards list)

Displays a list of the objects that you can create. To create an object, select it from
the list. The appropriate dialog or editor is displayed for you to create the object
Displays the following options:
 Open — Displays the ‘Open dialog’ where you can select the object with
which you want to work.
 Recent objects — Displays a list of the objects that you have recently
viewed, created, or updated. You can use this list to select an object with
which you want to work.
 Most Popular objects — Displays a list of the objects that are accessed the
most often by the users that are assigned to the groups to which you belong.
You can use this list to select an object with which you want to work

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3 Creating a Folder
A folder in OBIEE is similar to a directory in Windows where folders are the ‘containers’ and the files
held in the folders are the ‘objects’. OBIEE end users store and select from one or more folders to
retrieve information from the database.
Folders can be created before objects are created or at the time an object is to be saved.

Learning Note:

Term Definition

Object OBIEE generic term for analysis, reports, charts and dashboards

3.1 Step by Step Example

1. (N) - YOUR ORGANISATION OBIEE Analysis GL

2. Select the function

3. Select the link from the Global Header

4. Expand

Learning Note:
My Folders
All of your folders will be displayed. These will be personal to your login and therefore
not visible to other users.
Folders can be added or deleted as required.

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5. Expand the New drop-down list and select the icon

6. In the ‘New Folder’ pop up window, enter the following data:

Field Value

Name Your Name Training

7. Select the button. Your new folder will now be displayed within the parent folder

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4 Create an Ad-Hoc Analysis

Analysis and tables are created from Subject Areas held in the data warehouse.
A subject area contains folders, measure columns, attribute columns, hierarchical columns, and
hierarchy levels that represent information about the areas of your organisation's business or about
groups of users with your organisation. Subject areas usually have names that correspond to the types
of information that they contain, such as Financials – GL Balance Sheet.
When you create an analysis, you first select the subject area with which you want to work. This is
known as the primary subject area and is displayed in the Subject Areas pane.

4.1 Step by Step Example

In this exercise you will create a basic General Ledger Trial Balance Report as a simple introduction
to OBIEE Analysis, sometimes referred to as Answers.

1. Responsibility - YOUR ORGANISATION OBIEE Analysis GL

2. Select the function

3. Expand the drop-down list from the Global Header:

4. Select from the displayed list:

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5. Select the required subject area –

Learning Note:
Analysis are created and maintained from the Criteria tab

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6. To add a report column to a report, expand the relevant folder and either double click a data
element or drag it to the Selected Columns area of the screen

7. Select the following columns for the General Ledger Trial Balance Report:
Subject Area Folder Data Element

GL Segment1 (Entity) Segment Code

GL Segment2 (Business Unit) Segment Code

GL Segment3 (Cost Centre) Segment Code

Facts - GL Balance Opening Amount

Facts - GL Balance Debit Amount

Facts - GL Balance Credit Amount

Facts - GL Balance Closing Amount

8. The following should be displayed in the Selected Areas area of the screen:

Learning Note:
Column headings can be changed to reflect the content of the data.

9. Change the column heading for GL Segment1

10. Select the icon for GL Segment1

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11. Select Column Properties from the drop-down list

12. Select the tab

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13. Select the tick box to over write the column name

14. Change the Column Heading to Entity

15. Ensure that the Value Supression radio button is set to Repeat

16. Click on the button

17. Repeat steps 10 to 15 for the GL Segment 2 and 3 columns

Column Data Element

GL Segment2 Business Unit

GL Segment3 Cost Centre

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18. To view the content of the report select the tab (note that it may take a few moments
to retrieve the report data):

19. To save the report, click the icon in the top right corner of the results page:

20. Click in and then select the folder the report is to be saved in:

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21. Name this report as Ex1 and click the button to save the report:

22. Select to return to the Home Page

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5 Formatting Column Properties

After you create and run an analysis, default formatting rules are applied to the results. You can create
additional formatting to apply to specific results. Additional formats help you to highlight blocks of
related information and call attention to specific data elements. You can also use additional formatting
to customise the general appearance of analyses and dashboards.
When you build an analysis, you can edit properties for columns to control their appearance and
layout. You can also specify formatting to apply only if the contents of the column meet certain
conditions. By default, the specifications for a column apply only to the current analysis.

5.1 Step by Step Example

1. Select a previous report from the Catalog, by selecting the tab from the Global
Header:

2. Select the required report and click on the link:

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3. The report is automatically displayed in the tab:

4. To edit the report, select the tab

5. To begin formatting the column required, select the icon to the right of the column name,
in this case:

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6. Select from the displayed list of options:

7. The Column Properties window is displayed:

Learning Note:
The column properties are initially set to the system default values.

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8. This window has 5 tabs as follows:

o Style - This tab mainly deals with column formatting such as colour, font, cell
alignment, etc.
o Column Format - This tab allows you to edit the column headings and the
suppression rule.
o Data Format - This tab allows you to amend data format properties like the number
format, how negative values are displayed and the number of decimal places.

o Conditional Format - Conditional formatting allows you create rule specific

formatting options. This is very useful for directing attention to data when certain
criteria are met. We will cover this in more detail in a later exercise.
o Interaction – Use this box to specify what happens when you click either the column
heading or a value in the column or hierarchy level. The values that are available
depend on the type of column and on column heading versus value.

9. Select the tab

10. Tick the box to override the system default values and amend the
Data Formatting for the Opening Amount column as shown below:

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11. Select the tab and change the Style formatting for the same column as shown below:

12. Using the Copy icon at the top of the page, you can copy this Style information into other
columns:

13. Click the button

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14. Click the Column Properties button on the column:

15. Click the Paste icon to apply the previously defined style information:

16. Click the button

17. Now, feel free to use the style and column formatting options to personalise your report.

18. Click the tab

19. Your report should now be displayed similar to the below depending on your formatting
options:

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20. Save the report, click the icon in the top right corner of the results page:

21. Save the report as Ex2 in your folder

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6 Conditional Formatting
Use this tab of the Column Properties to add a condition to a column. You specify a condition to affect
the formatting of values based on certain criteria. The formatting that you specify for a column on this
tab is visible in any view that can display data and its formatting, with the exception of graphs, funnel
graphs, and gauges.

6.1 Step by Step Example

Conditional Formatting allows you to direct attention to a specific piece of data when certain criteria
are met.

1. Open a previous report by selecting the tab from the Global Header:

2. Click on the link for the required report:

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3. The report will open in the tab:

4. To edit the report, select the tab:

5. Now we will add some conditional formatting to the column; click the Column
Properties icon and navigate to the tab:

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6. Select the button to create the first condition:

7. Select Closing Amount and enter the following details:

Field Value

Operator Is less than or equal to

Value 0

8. Click the button. You will now have the option to edit the Style for your condition

9. Set the Font colour as red and the style as Bold

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10. Add an image for your condition:

11. To select an image, click in

12. Select the image icon followed by an image radio button:

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13. Select the button

14. Select the button

15. Add 2 more conditions to the Closing Amount column as shown below:
Condition Operator Value 1 Value 2 Font Colour Image

2 Is between 0.01 9999.99 Bold Yellow

3 Is greater than or equal to 10000 Bold Green

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16. To view the results of the report, click on the button then the tab:

17. Save the report, click the icon in the top right corner of the page and save as
Ex3.

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7 Applying Filters
You use filters to limit the results that are displayed when an analysis is run. Together with the columns
that you select for an analysis, filters determine what the results contain. Based on the filters and
selection steps, only those results that match the criteria are shown.

7.1 Step by Step Example

Filters can be applied to a report to limit results to match certain criteria, combining filters will further
constrain your report results.

1. From the Catalog click the link for the required report

2. Click the tab

3. To apply a filter against a column; click the properties icon for the required column for
example GL Segment Code 3 (Cost Centre) and then select from the drop-down
list:

4. Enter the required filter details, for example:

Field Value

Operator Is Between
Value 102040 - 102049

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5. Click the button

6. The filter is now showing in the Filters section of the Criteria page:

7. Display the results by selecting the tab to confirm that the filters have been applied
correctly:

8. To add a filter against data that is not displayed in the report; return to the tab

9. In the Filters section of the screen, click on the New Filter icon on the top right hand
side:

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10. Select the More Columns option:

11. Expand the folder

12. Select the Fiscal Quarter option, then click the button

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13. The New Filter screen is displayed:

14. Add a new filter so that only results for the third quarter of 2016 are shown by clicking on the
Search icon

15. The Select Values screen is displayed, enter 2016 in the search field and click the
button:

16. Select 2016 Q 3 and move it to the Selected area of the screen using the arrow key then
click on the button

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17. The proposed filter is displayed:

18. Click the button

19. The filter is now showing in the Filters section of the Criteria page:

20. Click on the tab to view the details of the report

21. Save the report, click the icon in the top right corner of the results page and save as Ex4

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8 Applying Bins
Bins enable you to combine values for the column into sets (summaries). For example, summarize
the column values for selected Cost Centre’s.

8.1 Step by Step Example

Bins are useful for grouping together relative sets of data.

1. Select the tab

2. Select the option for the required report and click on the tab

3. Apply Filters to the Entity (1000) and BU (10000)

4. The option to create Bins are held in the Edit Formula window accessed from the column
properties icon

5. Click the button for the Segment Code 3 (cost centre) column:

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6. In the Edit Column Formula window, click the tab.

7. Click the Add Bin button in the bottom left hand corner

8. Click the Value search icon

9. Complete the Bin by adding both 102000 and 102041 Cost Centres as shown below:

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10. Click the button

11. The Edit Filter Screen is displayed:

12. Click the button

13. Name the Bin “AMS - Reporting”

14. Click the button

15. The Bin details are displayed:

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16. Select ‘Create a bin for all other values’ and name it ‘All other cost centres’.

17. Click the button.

18. Display the report details by selecting the tab:

19. Note that the Cost Centre column now has active drilldowns (hyperlinked) for both AMS
Reporting and All other cost centres.

20. You will be able to select either hyperlink to drill down and view the details contained within
each.

21. Save the report, click the icon in the top right corner of the page and save as
Ex5

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9 Formula Editing
A column formula specifies what the column values represent. You can edit the formula to add
functions and conditional expressions. This editing enables you to present analysis results in a variety
of ways.
The Edit Formula option also allows the column heading to be renamed.

9.1 Step by Step Example

The Edit Formula button allows you to manually write a formula for a given column, such as ranking
or percentiles.

1. Select the tab

2. Select the option for the required report and click on the tab

3. Expand the folder in the Subject Areas region of the screen

4. Add the Closing Entered Amount fact to the report.

5. Select the column properties icon next to Closing Entered Amount, followed by Column
Properties.

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6. Select the Data Format tab, tick Override Default Data Format, and change to Treat
Numbers as Currency & Currency Symbol to £ English – United Kingdom, as shown
below:

7. Click the button.

8. Then, from the column properties icon next to Closing Entered Amount, select

Learning Note:
The edit formula tool can be used to manually write formula statements. OBIEE also
provides a series of pre-defined commands that can be used to make report writing
easier. For more advanced help on writing report formulae, click the link in the top
right corner of the edit formula window.

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9. First rename the Column Header to “Verify Closing Balance” by ticking the Custom
Headings box and overtyping the text:

10. Then delete the existing Column Formula "Facts - GL Balance"."Closing Entered Amount"

Action Note:
When creating a new formula ALWAYS place the cursor at the end of the formula before
selecting the next component.
Failure to do so will result in the formula being deleted and replaced by the next selected
formula element.

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11. Enter the following new formula in the Column Formula region of the screen:
Opening Amount + (Debit Amount – Credit Amount)

a. Click the button and select the column - "Opening Amount"

b. Place the cursor at the end of the formula

c. Select the plus button

d. Place the cursor at the end of the formula

e. Select the Open Bracket button

f. Place the cursor at the end of the formula

g. Click the button and select the column - "Debit Amount"

h. Place the cursor at the end of the formula

i. Select the minus button

j. Place the cursor at the end of the formula

k. Click the button and select the column - "Credit Amount"

l. Select the Close Bracket button

m. Place the cursor at the end of the formula

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12. Click the button

13. Select the tab to display the report:

14. Save the report, click the icon in the top right corner of the results page and save as Ex6

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10 Table Properties
Table Properties allow you to add column totals, change the number of lines displayed per page,
alternate the background colours of the report lines and hide duplicate cell values.

10.1 Step by Step Example

When editing the Table view, you can amend properties such as sorting defaults, column totals, page
display options and table formatting controls.

1. Select the tab from the Global Header

2. Open required report and click the link

3. The Results screen is displayed:

4. To edit the Table properties, ensure table is selected in the Views region of the screen

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5. Select the edit icon

6. The table Layout properties screen is displayed below the report

7. To create a total row for each Business Unit in the second column. Click the icon for the
GL Segment 2 column (Business Unit) and select After from the drop-down list

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8. A total row is displayed after each Business Unit Value in the results table:

Caution Note:
At the time of writing, there is a known issue with OBIEE Answers when adding both
Section totals and Grand totals will cause an error. This is due to the size of the data
values. An incident has been raised with Oracle to resolve.
For this example each totalling process will be shown separately.

9. To add a Grand Total select the icon for and select After from

the drop-down list. Click the double headed arrow to see the total at the bottom of the
data.

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10. To change the number of lines displayed per page, alternate the background colours of the
report lines and hide duplicate cell values, select the Table View Properties icon

11. Using the Table Properties window, set the following:

i. Data Viewing - Content paging to position the report scrolling icons ( )

and the number of lines per page
ii. Paging Controls - Top to position the report page scrolling icons at the top of the
report
iii. Rows per page – 50 to display ten lines per report page
iv. Row Styling – Select the tick box to display the report lines in alternating colours. The
default is green but this can be changed by selecting the Enable alternate styling
icon

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12. Click the button

13. The report will be displayed with the amended preferences:

14. Select the button and save the report as Ex7

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11 Creating a Chart View

Using the Charts View you can display your reports as various chart and graph types, and then
customise elements such as the title, legend, axis properties, data labels, and many others.
Charts are created in a different Views (Graph, Pivot Table etc.)

11.1 Step by Step Example

1. Click on the tab

2. Select the required report and click on the link

3. Click the New View drop-down list, and select Graph > Bar > Horizontal

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4. The chart will be displayed below the report

5. Click on the Edit icon in the Graph view

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6. You can Edit the displayed properties of the graph using the toolbar (for example, you can
drag & drop any of the Measures into the excluded field at the bottom):

7. To amend the chart format, click on the drop-down list from the tool bar and
select from the displayed choices

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8. The chart view has now been changed as below

9. Click on the Edit graph properties button to access further editing options such as Style
and Titles

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10. Add a background colour (to the ‘Plot Area’ and the ‘Canvas Colours and Borders’ area) and
a border

11. Select the tab

12. Change the title of the graph by selecting the tab

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13. Select the button

14. Click the button

15. Once finished save the chart view as Ex8

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12 Creating Pivot Tables

The pivot table is an interactive view that allows you to rotate and re-position your rows and columns
to obtain different perspectives of your data.

12.1 Step by Step Example

1. Select the tab

2. Select the required report and click the link

3. Select the tab

4. Add a filter for Entity 4260 in GL Segment1

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5. Select the tab

6. Click the New View drop-down list and select Pivot Table

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7. Two views will be displayed – Table and Pivot Table

8. By default the results will be displayed as a basic Pivot Table, by dragging the column
headings to different positions in the Pivot Table you can tailor the report view

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9. Select the edit icon in the Pivot Table view

10. With the mouse, drag the GL Segment 2 (Business Unit) row into the Columns area of the
screen

11. The amended Pivot Table will be displayed

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12. To add Row totals (Grand Total) select the icon and the Before option from the displayed
drop-down list

13. The Pivot Table will be redisplayed

Caution Note:
At the time of writing, there is a known issue with OBIEE Answers when adding both
Row and Column totals resulting in an error. This is due to the size of the data values.
An incident has been raised with Oracle to resolve.
For this example each totalling process will be shown separately.

14. To add Column totals select the icon and the Before option from the displayed drop-down
list

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15. The Pivot Table will be redisplayed

16. Select the button

17. Save the Pivot Table view as Ex9

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13 Editing the Compound Layout

The compound view is how the report will look when viewed as part of a dashboard or directly from
answers.
Each individual view within the Compound Layout can be edited to change:

1. The Title of the Compound Layout

2. The Table Properties (See section 10)
3. The Chart Properties (See section 11)

13.1 Step by Step Example

1. Select the tab

2. Select the required report and click the link

3. The Compound Layout will be automatically displayed in the tab

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4. You can edit and format each view in the compound layout

5. To add titles to the Compound Layout select the icon in the Title section of the Layout

6. The following screen is displayed:

7. Enter the following data. As each field is populated the information is displayed in the lower
half of the screen
Field Contents

Title Basic Balance Sheet (Use the icon to amend the font)

Display Saved By default the name the compound layout was saved as will be displayed. To
Name hide the name deselect the check box
Subtitle Chart View (Use the icon to amend the font)

Started Time Display date and time (Use the icon to amend the font)

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8. Select the button

9. To remove the Table section leaving just the graph within the compound view; within the
Table section, select the cross symbol to delete the table section:

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10. Save the report as Ex10

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14 Dashboards
Dashboards provide personalised views of financial and external information. A dashboard consists
of one or more pages containing columns and sections.
Pages can display anything that you can access or open with a web browser, including the following:

1. The results of analysis

a. The result of an analysis is the output returned from the Oracle BI Server that matches
the analysis criteria. It can be shown in various views, such as a
i. Table
ii. Graph
b. Users can examine and analyze results, print as PDF or HTML, save as PDF, or export
them to a spreadsheet.

2. Images
3. Text
4. Views of folders in the Oracle BI Presentation Catalog
5. Links to web sites
6. Links to documents
7. Embedded content (such as web pages or documents)
8. Oracle BI Publisher reports

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14.1 Dashboard Prompts

A prompt that is created at the dashboard level is called a dashboard prompt because the prompt is
created outside of a specific dashboard and is stored in the catalog as an object, which can then be
added to any dashboard or dashboard page that contains the columns that are specified in the prompt.
Dashboard prompts allow the end user to specify the data values (parameters) that determine the
content of all of the analyses and scorecard objects contained on the dashboard.
Dashboard prompts are reusable, because you can create one prompt and use it many times. When
the prompt object is updated and saved, those updates are immediately displayed in all dashboards
where the prompt is used. A dashboard prompt is a specific kind of filter that, when created, saved,
and applied to a dashboard or dashboard pages, can filter all or some of the analyses and scorecard
objects that are embedded in a dashboard or analyses and scorecard objects that are embedded on
the same dashboard page.
A dashboard prompt is interactive and is always displayed on the dashboard page so that the user
can prompt for different values without having to re-run the dashboard. Users can create and save
dashboard prompts to either a private folder or to a shared folder.
Creating Dashboard Prompts is a two step process:

 Step 1 - Set the option for the columns that are to act as Prompt paramaters in the
Dashboard page to ‘is prompted’
 Step 2 - Create and save a Dashboard Prompt file

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14.2 Setting Dashboard Prompt Column Filters

1. From the tab at the top of the screen select the link for the required report

2. The Compound Layout will be automatically displayed in the tab

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3. Select the tab

4. Amend Business Unit and Cost Centre to ‘is prompted’.

5. To set the column filter to ‘is prompted’ select the options icon to the right of the column
name for Business Unit and select the option

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6. From the drop-down list select is prompted

7. Select the button

8. Repeat the above process for the Cost Centre column (Steps 5 to 7)

9. Save the report, click the icon in the top right corner of the page and save as
Ex11

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14.3 Creating a Dashboard Prompt

1. Select the from the Global Header

2. Select from the displayed drop-down list. A list of the Subject Areas will be
displayed:

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3. Select the Subject Area the Dashboard Prompt is to be created from. In this example select
the subject area. The Dashboard Prompt screen will be displayed:

4. To add a Prompt select the icon drop-down list

5. Select Column Prompt… from the displayed list

6. Expand the GL Segment 2 folder

7. Select followed by the button to display the New Prompt detail screen

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8. Overwrite the contents of the Label field with Business Unit. This will be the name displayed
for the prompt:

Field Description

Label The name displayed against the prompt

Description Description of the prompt

What data is returned on the report is based on the operator value

Operator
selected
Choice List default – displays a list of the possible data items for the
prompt from a drop-down list. Allows the selection of multiple prompt
values
Check Boxes – automatically displays the complete list of possible
data items for the prompt with together with check boxes for selection
User Input (No drop-down list). Allows the selection of multiple prompt values
Radio Buttons - automatically displays the complete list of possible
data items for the prompt with together with radio buttons for selection
(No drop-down list). Allows the selection of multiple prompt values
List Box - automatically displays the complete list of possible data
items for the prompt. (No drop-down list). Single prompt selection only

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9. Select the button. The new Prompt will be displayed in the top half of the screen. The
lower half of the screen displays how the Prompt will be displayed in the Dashboard:

10. Add another prompt for GL Segments 3 with a Label of Cost Centre by repeating steps 4
through 9

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11. By default the prompts will be displayed in a column format in the lower half of the screen. To
change the grouping of how the prompts will be displayed select the check box(es) in the New
Column if the prompts are to be displayed in different columns

12. Save the Dashboard Prompt, click the icon in the top right corner of the page and save as
Ex12 - Prompt

Learning Note:
Dashboard prompts can be used on multiple reports that have been created from the
same Subject area(s).

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14.4 Creating My Dashboard

“My Dashboard” is a personal space within OBIEE where you can place objects such as reports,
URLs, text, images and prompts. The dashboard can be arranged across multiple sections, columns
or even pages depending on how much content you want and how you want it to be arranged.

1. From the tab on the Global Header select My Dashboard

2. Your personal Dashboard will be displayed which should be blank as the Dashboard has not
been created

3. Select to create your dashboard:

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4. In the Catalog section of the screen expand to locate the Reports, Tables and
Charts to be populated on the dashboard:

5. Locate the Ex4 report you saved in your own folder and drag it into the blank region on your
dashboard page:

Learning Note:
OBIEE has automatically created Page 1 of the dashboard, Column 1 and Section 1,
containing the report.

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6. To create another column select from the Dashboard Objects region of the
screen and drag it to the desired location. For example to the right of column 1

Learning Note:
Where the new column will be located is determined by the position of a blue location
line that is displayed while the new column is being dragged.

7. Select Ex12 - Dashboard Prompt and drag it into column 2

8. To create another section select from the Dashboard Objects region of the
screen and drag it to the desired location. For example below section 1 in column 1

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9. Select and drag Ex6 into Section 3 in Column 1 below Ex4 in a new section
10. Select and drag Ex11 into Column 2 and drop it below Ex12- Dashboard Prompt in Section
2

Learning Note:
The properties of the columns, sections or items on the dashboard can be modified by
selecting the icon in the relevant region that the cursor has been placed.
An active Column, Section or Item is highlighted by a yellow border.

11. As a demonstration the first Section in Column 1 will be given a name.

12. Ensure the cursor is in the first section, click on the icon and select Rename

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13. Enter Basic GL Balance Sheet as the section name and select the button

14. Select from the toolbar to review the contents of the Dashboard

15. Close the Preview screen

16. Select the icon to save My Dashboard

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Learning Note:

You would need to select the icon to save the Dashboard under a different name.

17. Select the icon to refresh and display the Dashboard data

Action Note:
The Dashboard MUST be saved before selecting the icon. If not the details of the
Dashboard will be lost.

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14.5 Link to an Existing Dashboard Report from My Dashboard

OBIEE allows users to Link to and modify existing dashboard reports on their personal dashboard.

1. From the Dashboard Editor (Catalog > My Dashboard > Edit) select the Link or Image
Dashboard Object and drag it into Column 1 as a separate section below Ex 6:

2. To link to an existing dashboard click on Properties within the Link or Image 1 section:

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3. The Link or Image Properties screen is displayed.

4. Select the button to locate the Shared Dashboard or Analysis to be linked to your
Dashboard

5. All the available dashboards are displayed, select the required option, for example Quarterly
Balance Sheet

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6. Select the button

Learning Note:
The Caption can be modified if required.

Learning Note:
The destination can either be:
URL – Web address link to external information
Request or Dashboard – Link to exisiting Dashboards/Requests within OBIEE

7. You can specifiy whether the link options in the same window as your dashboard or a whether
a new window should open

8. After entering all the required properties click on

9. The Dashboard Editor screen is displayed, click on and then

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10. The My Dashboard screen is displayed containing the new link to the existing Quarterly
Balance Sheet report:

11. To open the Quarterly Balance Sheet report click on the Quarterly Balance Sheet link

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14.6 Adding Report Links to your Dashboard

1. From the Dashboard Editor, click on Properties for the Basic GL Balance Sheet report
within the first section:

2. Select Report Links

3. Select the radio button

4. The following options are displayed:

Report Link Description
Option

Analyze/Edit Takes you back into Answers to amend the report

Export To Excel, PowerPoint, PDF
Refresh Refreshes the data
Print Allows you to print the report
Add to Briefing Not enabled in our version on OBIEE but will allow you to download reports
Book offline and share with other users.

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5. Tick the options Edit, Export, Refresh and Print options and click

6. Click on and then

7. The links are now displayed at the bottom of the Ex 4 report:

8. Repeat this process for all the reports on your Dashboard

9. Click on and then

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15 Appendix A – Icon Definitions

15.1 Catalog
Icon Name Function

New Create a new analysis, filter, dashboard prompt

Refresh Refresh the contents of the catalog

Up Move up to the next level in the folder hierarchy

Show / Hide folders pane

Search Search for a file(s) in the catalog

Change List View Type Change the format of how the folder contents are displayed

Create a new folder Only active at the My Folders level via the icon

15.2 Folders Region

Icon Name Function

Show Folder Tree Display all folders in hierarchical directories

Show Quick Access Use this button to list, excluding their hierarchy, the following
Folders folders:

1. My Folders
2. Shared folders
3. My (object) folder

15.3 Save As
Icon Name Function

Up Move up to the next level in the folder hierarchy

Create a new folder

Change List View Type Delete the Title section from the Layout

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15.4 Criteria Tab

15.4.1 Subject Areas Pane
Icon Name

Add/Remove Subject Areas

Refresh display

Remove View from Compound Layout

15.4.2 Criteria Icons

Icon Name

Show/Hide Filters pane

Show/Hide Selection Steps pane

Edit Analysis Properties

Save

Save As

Help

15.4.3 Selected Columns Pane

Icon Name

Remove all columns

Apply the following to the selected column

Sort

Edit Column Formula

Column Properties

Add a Filter to the column

Delete the column

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15.4.4 Filters Pane

Icon Name

Create a filter

Remove all filters

15.5 Results Tab

15.5.1 Subject Areas Pane
Icon Name

Add/Remove Subject Areas

Refresh display

Remove View from Compound Layout

15.5.2 Catalog Pane

Icon Name

Refresh display

15.5.3 Views Pane

Icon Name

Create a new view

Edit the view

Duplicate the view

Delete the view

Rename the view

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15.6 Table
Icon Name Function

Format Container Modify cell alignment, background colour and

borders

Edit View Format the Table Column properties

Remove View from Compound Delete the Table from the Compound Layout
Layout

15.7 Compound Layout Title

Icon Name Function

Format Container Modify cell alignment, background colour and

borders

Edit View Modify the name of the Title

Remove View from Compound Delete the Title section from the Compound Layout
Layout

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