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RR I-TEC,,#209,Nilagiri Block, Adithya Enclave @8801408841 , 8790998182

Practice 1-1: Exploring an Oracle BI Repository

Goal To explore the three layers of an Oracle BI repository

Scenario Before beginning the development of a repository, you use theAdministration Tool to explore an existing repository to get a betterunderstanding of its three layers and how the layers relate to one another,and to understand the link between physical data sources and theinformation presented in the Oracle BI Answers user interface.

Time 1520 minutes

Instructions

1. Stop the Oracle Business Intelligence Server service.

a. Double-click the Services icon on your desktop.

b. Right-click the Oracle BIServer service and clickStop.

c. Ensure that the status is blank, that is, the service is stopped.

d. Minimize the Services window.

2. Copy the repository for this practice to the appropriate directory.

a. Navigate to D: \ Labs .

b. Copy the ClassStart.rpdfile.

c. Paste the file in D: \ Or acl eBI \ ser ver \ Reposi t ory.

3. Start the Oracle BI Administration Tool and open the ClassStart repository inoffline mode.

a. Select Start > Programs > Oracle Business Intelligence > Administration.

b. Select File > Open > Offline.

c. In the Open dialog box, double-clickClassStart.rpd.

d. Log in as Administrator; no password needed.

4. Examine the properties of the ORCL database object.

a. In the Physical layer, double-click the ORCL database object to view itsproperties.

b. Click the General tab.

c. What is the database platform type for this database?


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RR I-TEC,,#209,Nilagiri Block, Adithya Enclave @8801408841 , 8790998182d. Click the Features tab. Each database comes with a set of features that

determine the SQL Oracle BI Server will issue for this database. Features canhave a Boolean value (on or off), integer value, or a string value. Scroll to the

right to view the Value and Default columns. The features are specified in the

DBFeat ures. i ni file located in the D: \ Or acl eBI \ ser ver \ Conf i gdirectory. If the Default check box is selected, the default SQL features are

identified. Default SQL features that are supported by the database type of thedata source are automatically selected.

e. Click the Connection Pools tab. This tab identifies all the connection poolsassociated with this database.

f. Click the Display Folders tab. Physical layer objects can be organized intodisplay folders. When there are display folders in the Physical layer, they are

listed here.

g. ClickCancel to close the Properties dialog box.

5. Explore the properties of a connection pool object.

a. In the Physical layer, expand the ORCL database object.

b. Double-click the SUPPLIER CP connection pool object.

c. What is the call interface type for this connection pool?

The call interface is the application programming interface (API) used to

access the data source. Some databases may be accessed using native APIs,

some using ODBC.d. What is the data source name for this connection pool?

The data source is accessed by Oracle Call Interface (OCI). The data source

name, ORCL, is a t nsnames. or a entry.

e. ClickCancel.

6. Examine the properties of a physical schema and its physical table objects.

a. Expand the SUPPLIER2 schema folder to display the physical table objectsin the Physical layer. These physical table objects map to tables in the

physical database.


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RR I-TEC,,#209,Nilagiri Block, Adithya Enclave @8801408841 , 8790998182There are more tables in the physical database. The tables displayed here are

the tables that have been imported into the Physical layer. You learn moreabout importing tables in the lesson titled Building the Physical Layer of a

Repository.

b. ExpandD1_ORDERS2 to view the physical columns for this table.

D1_ORDERS2 is the fact table in this business model. These columnscorrespond to the columns in the physical database.

c. Right-clickD1_ORDERS2 and select View Data. The first 100 rows of datafor this table are displayed.

d. ClickClose.


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e. Double-click the D1_ORDERS2table object to view its properties.

f. Click the Columns tab to view the columns in this table. This is another way

to create, view, and modify physical columns.g. Click the Foreign Keys tab.

h. Which tables have join relationships with D1_ORDERS2?

i. Double-click one of the foreign keys. The Physical Foreign Key dialog boxopens and displays the join relationship in the Expression field.

j. ClickCancel to close the Physical Foreign Key dialog box.

k. ClickCancel to close the Physical Table dialog box.

l. Right-clickD1_ORDERS2 and select Physical Diagram > Object(s) andDirect Joins. The Physical Diagram opens and displays the physical join


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RR I-TEC,,#209,Nilagiri Block, Adithya Enclave @8801408841 , 8790998182relationships.

m. Double-click the connector between D1_CUSTOMER2 andD1_ORDERS2.The Physical Foreign Key dialog box opens and displays the join relationship

in the Expression field. This is another way to view, build, and modify joins

between tables in the Physical layer.

n. ClickCancel.

o. Close the Physical Diagram.

7. Examine the properties of a physical column object.

a. Expand the D1_CUSTOMER2 table object.

b. Double-click the Address physical column to view the properties.

c. Can this column object have null values?

d. ClickCancel.

8. Examine the properties of a logical table in the SupplierSales business model.

a. If necessary, expand the SupplierSales business model in the Business Modeland Mapping layer.

b. What are the logical table objects in the SupplierSales business model?

c. Expand the SalesFacts logical table to view the logical columns for this table.SalesFacts is the logical fact table in this business model. These columns


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RR I-TEC,,#209,Nilagiri Block, Adithya Enclave @8801408841 , 8790998182map to columns in the Physical layer.

d. Double-click the SalesFacts logical table object.

e. Click the General tab. Note that the logical columns and their corresponding

properties are listed. On this tab you can change the name of the logical table,reorder the columns, and add, edit, or remove a column.

f. Click the Sources tab. The source for this logical table is the D1_ORDERS2table that you explored in the Physical layer. In a more complex business

model, there may be many physical sources for a logical table.

g. Click the Keys tab. Typically, there are no keys defined for a logical facttable.

h. Click the Foreign Keys tab. Foreign key joins are typically not used in theBusiness Model and Mapping layer. All joins in the Business Model and

Mapping layer are logical joins.

i. ClickCancel to close the Logical Table properties dialog box.j. Right-clickSalesFacts and select Business Model Diagram > Whole

Diagram. The Logical Table Diagram opens and displays the logical joinrelationships.

k. Double-click the connector between Customers andSalesFacts. The LogicalJoin dialog box opens. Note that there is no join expression in the Expression

field and that there is a one-to-many relationship between the Customerslogical dimension table and the SalesFacts logical fact table. You learn more

about complex logical joins in the lesson titled Building the Business Model


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RR I-TEC,,#209,Nilagiri Block, Adithya Enclave @8801408841 , 8790998182and Mapping Layer of a Repository.

l. ClickCancel to close the Logical Join dialog box.

m. Close the Logical Table Diagram.


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9. Examine the logical table source for the SalesFacts logical table.

a. Expand the Sources folder for the SalesFacts table to display the

D1_ORDERS2 logical table source for this logical table. In this example, thereis only one logical table source. It is, however, possible to have many logical

table sources for a single logical table.

b. Double-click the D1_ORDERS2logical table source to view the properties.

c. Click the General tab.

d. Which physical table does the D1_ORDERS2 logical table source map to?

e. Click the Column Mapping tab.

f. If necessary, scroll to the right to view the Physical Table column. Do allcolumns in the SalesFacts logical table map to the same physical table?

g. Which physical column does the Dollars logical column map to?

h. Explain why some logical columns have names that are different from thephysical columns to which they map.

i. Click the Content tab. Currently, there is no information on the tab. Later inthis course, you learn how to use this tab to identify aggregation content and

fragmentation content.

j. ClickCancel to close the Logical Table Source dialog box.

10.Examine the properties of a logical column in the SalesFacts logical table.

a. Double-click the Dollars logical column to open the properties window.

Dollars is a measure in this business model.b. Click the General tab. This tab provides general information about thecolumn, like the column name, the table it belongs to, and a description of thecolumn.

c. Click the Data Type tab.

d. Which physical table and physical column does the Dollars logical columnmap to?


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RR I-TEC,,#209,Nilagiri Block, Adithya Enclave @8801408841 , 8790998182e. Which logical table source does the Dollars logical column belong to?

f. Double-click the D1_ORDERS2 logical table source in this dialog box. Notethat this is another way to access the Logical Table Source properties dialog

box.

g. ClickCancel to close the Logical Table Source properties dialog box.

h. Which aggregation rule is applied to the Dollars logical column?

i. Click the Aggregation tab. Note that the default aggregation rule is set to

Sum. It is common to apply aggregation rules to measures in business models.Open the aggregation rule drop-down list to see the other available

aggregation rules.

j. Make sure that the Sum aggregation rule is selected and clickCancel to closethe Logical Column dialog box.

11.Examine the properties of the SupplierSales presentation catalog object.

a. In the Presentation layer, double-click the SupplierSales presentation catalogto open the Presentation Catalog properties dialog box.

b. Click the General tab. Note that the presentation catalog name is the same asthe business model name. This is because the presentation catalog was created


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RR I-TEC,,#209,Nilagiri Block, Adithya Enclave @8801408841 , 8790998182by dragging the business model from the Business Model and Mapping layer

to the Presentation layer. If desired, you could use this tab to change the nameof the presentation catalog. The description appears in the Answers user

interface.

c. ClickPermissions to open the Permissions dialog box. This shows thepermissions for all users and groups in the repository. Currently, there are no

users and groups defined, so the default is to give everyone read permission

for this presentation catalog. You learn more about setting up security in the

lesson titled Security.

d. ClickCancel to close the Permissions dialog box.

e. Click the Presentation Tables tab to display a list of presentation tables. Youcan use this tab to add, remove, edit, or change the display order of thepresentation tables.

f. Click the Aliases tab. If you change the name of a presentation catalog, thetool automatically creates an alias using the previous name. You can use this

tab to specify or delete an alias for a presentation folder.

g. ClickCancel to close the Presentation Catalog dialog box.

12.Examine the properties of a presentation table in the SupplierSales presentationcatalog.

a. In the Presentation layer, expandSupplierSales to view the presentationtables.

b. Double-click the SalesFacts table to view the properties.

c. Click the General tab. You can use this tab to change the name of the

presentation table. A description would appear as a tool tip in the Answersuser interface.

d. Click the Columns tab to see a list of columns in the SalesFacts presentationtable. You can use this tab to add, remove, edit, or change the display order of

the presentation columns.

e. Which logical table and logical column in the Business Model and Mappinglayer does the Dollars presentation column map to?

f. Double-clickDollars to open the Presentation Column properties dialog box.This is one method for viewing and modifying presentation column properties.

g. ClickCancel to close the Presentation Column properties dialog box.

h. ClickCancel to close the Presentation Table properties dialog box.

i. Double-click the SupplierSalesDM presentation catalog.

j. Click the General tab. Note that this presentation catalog also maps to theSupplierSales business model. Many presentation catalogs can map to a single

business model, but each presentation catalog can map to only one business

model.

k. ClickCancel to close the Presentation Catalog dialog box.


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RR I-TEC,,#209,Nilagiri Block, Adithya Enclave @8801408841 , 879099818213.Examine the properties of a presentation column in the SalesFacts table.

a. Expand the SalesFacts presentation table.

b. Double-clickDollars to open the Presentation Column properties dialog box.Note that this is the same dialog box you saw earlier. This is another methodfor viewing and modifying presentation column properties.

c. ClickCancel to close the Presentation Column properties dialog box.

d. ClickFile > Close to close the repository without saving any changes.

e. Leave the Administration Tool open.

14.Modify the NQSConf i g. i ni file to load the ClassStart repository on Oracle BIServer startup.

a. Navigate to D:\OracleBI\server\Config.

b. Double-clickNQSConfig.ini to open the file.

c. Scroll to the REPOSITORY section.

d. Modify the file to load the ClassStart repository. Your file should look similarto this:

e. Save and close NQSConf i g. i ni .

15.Start the Oracle BI Server service.

a. Return to the Services window.

b. Right-click the Oracle BI Server service and select Start.

c. Wait until the status displays as Started.

d. Minimize the Services window.

e. Navigate to D:\OracleBI\server\Log.

f. Open NQServer.log. This log file contains information about Oracle BIServer. It is useful in diagnosing and troubleshooting Oracle BI Server startup

and shutdown issues.

g. Ensure that you see the message Oracle BI Server started. It may benecessary to scroll to the bottom of the file.

h. Close NQServer.log.

16.Examine the relationship between the columns in the Presentation layer and thecolumns displayed in Oracle BI Answers.

a. In the Administration Tool, select File > Open > Offline.

b. Double-clickClassStart.rpd.

c. ClickYes to open as read-only.

d. ClickOK to log in as Admi ni st r at or ; no password needed.


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RR I-TEC,,#209,Nilagiri Block, Adithya Enclave @8801408841 , 8790998182e. Select Start > Programs > Oracle Business Intelligence > Presentation

Services.

f. Log in as Administrator; no password needed.

g. Click the Answers link to navigate to the Answers start page.

h. What are the names of the subject areas listed on the Answers start page?

i. Which object in the repository corresponds to the SupplierSales subject area inAnswers?

j. Size the windows of Answers and the Administration Tool so you can see thetwo applications side-by-side.

k. Click the SupplierSales subject area link on the Answers start page.

l. Expand the Facts table in Answers to see the nestedSalesFacts table.

m. Expand the SupplierSales presentation catalog in the Administration Tool.Note that the SupplierSales tables listed in Oracle BI Answers have the same

names as the tables listed in the Presentation layer in the Administration Tool.

n. Expand the SalesFacts table in Answers.

o. Expand the SalesFacts table in the Presentation layer in the AdministrationTool. Note that the column names in the Presentation layer of the

Administration Tool are the same as the columns listed for the SalesFactstable in Answers.

p. Do some more exploration on your own. Examine tables and columns of theSupplierSales subject area in Answers and note how they correspond to the

Presentation layer. The key point to understand is this: What you see in

Answers is driven by what is defined in the repository in the Administration

Tool.

17.Create a simple request.

a. In Answers, expand the Customers table and select the Region column to addit to the request criteria in the right pane.

b. ExpandFacts > SalesFacts and select the Dollars column to add it to therequest.


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RR I-TEC,,#209,Nilagiri Block, Adithya Enclave @8801408841 , 8790998182c. Click the Results tab. The table displays the total dollars (sales) for each

region.

18.Log out of Oracle Business Intelligence.

19.Close the browser.

20.In the Administration Tool, close the repository.

21.Select File > Exit to close the Administration Tool.


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Solut ions 1-1: Exploring an Oracle BIRepository

Answers

4.c. What is the database platform type for this database?

Oracle 10gR1

5.c. What is the call interface type for this connection pool?

Default (OCI 10g)

5.d. What is the data source name for this connection pool?

ORCL

6.h. Which tables have join relationships with D1_ORDERS2?D1_CUSTOMER2, D1_PRODUCTS, D1_CALENDAR2

7.c. Can this column object have null values?

Yes

8.b. What are the logical table objects in the SupplierSales business model?

Customers, Periods, Products, SalesFacts

9.d. Which physical table does the D1_ORDERS2 logical table source map to?D1_ORDERS2

9.f. Scroll to the right to view the Physical Table column. Do all columns in the

SalesFacts logical table map to the same physical table?

Yes

9.g. Which physical column does the Dollars logical column map to?ACTLEXTND

9.h. Explain why some logical columns have names that are different from thephysical columns to which they map.Because the names were changed in the logical (BMM) layer

10.d. Which physical table and physical column does the Dollars logical column

map to?D1_ORDERS2.ACTLEXTND

10.e. Which logical table source does the Dollars logical column belong to?D1_ORDERS2


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RR I-TEC,,#209,Nilagiri Block, Adithya Enclave @8801408841 , 879099818210.h. Which aggregation rule is applied to the Dollars logical column?

Sum

12.e. Which logical table and logical column in the Business Model and Mappinglayer does the Dollars presentation column map to?SalesFacts.Dollars

16.h. What are the names of the subject areas listed on the Answers start page?

SupplierSales, SupplierSalesDM

16.i. Which object in the repository corresponds to the SupplierSales subject area

in Answers?

SupplierSales presentation catalog


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