How to Modify Existing Seeded Templates Using XML Publisher

Seeded templates cannot be updated or deleted. The Update and Delete icons for these templates are disabled. If you wish to modify a seeded template, duplicate it, then modify the template file of the duplicated entry. You can then End Date the seeded template if you do not wish it to be available to your users.

Copying a Template: Use the Search region to find the template you wish to copy. From the search results table, select the Duplicate icon for the template to launch the Copy Template page. Code – Assign a template Code using the product short name and a descriptive ending. (The Code assigned must have the same prefix in the name as the seeded templates’ code.)  Name – Enter a user-friendly name for your template. Application – Select the report’s application from the LOV. Source Template Name – (Not updateable) Displays the name of the template you are duplicating.

Use the following steps:

You must remove any incorrect duplicates of the template/report that you are trying to copy by end dating them on the same day they where created. 1. Go to XML Publisher Responsibility > Templates. 2. Use the search engine to find the template you wish to copy. 3. Click on the link for the copy previously created. 4. Click the Update button and enter an end date into the End Date field. (Use the creation date to completely remove the incorrect copy.) 5. Repeat this for every incorrect copy that may exist. If you have previously end dated the seeded template, remove the end date. 1. Go to XML Publisher Responsibility > Templates. 2. Use the search engine to find the template and change the Active field to "No". 3. Click on the link for the seeded report. 4. Click the Update button and remove the end date.

After making your modifications by downloading a copy of the seeded template or creating a new file, create a duplicate of the seeded template. 1. Use the search engine to find the template you wish to copy.  The seeded report should now display.  2. Click the "Duplicate" icon next to the seeded report. 3. Change the required Code field from Copy of XXXX to XXXX2. For example, if your seeded templates’ code was ‘BENSSCNF’, then for the duplicate template, one of the possible codes could be ‘BENSSCNF2′ (basically any code prefixed with ‘BENSSCNF’). Also, note that these codes are non-updateable, so make sure to rename them while duplicating the template itself. 4. Change the required Name field and click the Apply button. 5. Click the Add File button and upload the new or customized replacement file. 6. Click the Update button and change the Default file, if necessary.

7. Alter the copy start date, if necessary. This date will coincide with the date used to end date the seeded template. 8. Go back to Templates and find the seeded report you have duplicated. 9. Click the link for the seeded template and click the Update button. 10. End date the seeded template. 11. Generate the report in the application. The generated report should reflect your duplicate.

Delivery channels – How does the Oracle XML Publisher Core engine gets invoked?

Two step publishing method

Submit a concurrent program of which the Output Format is set to XML

Submit the XML Report Publisher concurrent request to produce the final output. At submission time, specify the request ID from step 1, choose the desired template and the Output Format (PDF, RTF,…).

   One step publishing method

Submit a Concurrent Program with the Output Format is set to XML. At submission time select the desired template and the Output Format (PDF, RTF,…). In the background the Output Post Processor (OPP) automatically applies the layout template to the generated XML data file and creates the output file. This method is the most common usage of XML Publisher.

   All other situations

These delivery channels do not use the concurrent managers but they are web or forms based, where the XML Publisher Core API’s are called directly in JAVA code. No concurrent request is involved and only the XML Publisher Core engine is used. Examples of such situations are the following:

Pick Slip Dunning Letters Blanket Agreement (Preview and Print)

How to Debug – XML Publisher Report – Log

The Concurrent Request ends with Phase ‘Completed’ and Status ‘Warning’ which indicates that the Output Post Processor (OPP) failed to generate an output file. In such cases the request log file shows a generic error message indicating the the post-processing action has failed:

+————- 1) PUBLISH ————-+ Beginning post-processing of request 3181529 on node PBREUGEL at 11-APR-

2008 11:41:30. Post-processing of request 3181529 failed at 11-APR-2008 11:41:31 with the error message: One or more post-processing actions failed. Consult the OPP service log for details. +————————————–+

The actual error returned by the XML Publisher Core engine is captured in the OPP log file. There are three possible ways to obtain the OPP log file:

Directly from the file system based after identifying the corresponding OPP log file name using the following SQL statement:

SELECT fcpp.concurrent_request_id req_id, fcp.node_name, fcp.logfile_name   FROM fnd_conc_pp_actions fcpp, fnd_concurrent_processes fcp WHERE fcpp.processor_id = fcp.concurrent_process_id    AND fcpp.action_type = 6    AND fcpp.concurrent_request_id = &&request_id

Via the Forms application:

1. Login to the application as SYSADMIN 2. Responsibility: System Administrator 3. Function: Concurrent –> Manager –> Administration 4. Select the Output Post Processor 5. Click on the Processes button6. Select the Concurrent Process which was active during the time that the

request ran 7. Click on the Manager Log button to open the Output Post Processor log

file

Via the Oracle Application Manager (OAM)

1. Login to the application as SYSADMIN 2. Responsibility: System Administration 3. Function: Oracle Applications Manager –> Concurrent Managers 4. Select the Output Post Processor Service and click on View Details 5. Click on View Processes 6. Select the Concurrent Process which was active during the time that the

request ran 7. Click on the Log button to open the Output Post Processor log file

Determine the current version of Oracle XML Publisher on an Oracle E-Business Suite environment.

Based upon an output file generated by XML Publisher

PDF Output1. Open the PDF document in Adobe Reader

2. Open the menu File 3. Select Document Properties 4. Click on the tab Description

      ==> The property named PDF Producer will show e.g. Oracle XML Publisher 5.6.3.

RTF Output1. Open the RTF document in Microsoft Word 2. Open the menu File 3. Select Properties 4. Click on the tab Summary

     ==> The property named Comments will show .e.g. Generated by Oracle XML Publisher 5.6.3

HTML and Excel output1. Open the document in Notepad (or any other plain text editor)

      ==> line 4 or 5 will show e.g. Generated by Oracle XML Publisher 5.6.1

With R12 – version is : 5.6.3

How to obtain the OPP debug log files Responsibility : System Administrator Concurrent Manager Administration Select the Output Post Processor Click on the Processes button Select the process that was active during the time  frame that your request ran. Select Manager Log

    What is BI Publisher?       A. It is a reporting tool for generating the reports. More than tool it is an engine that can be            integrated with systems supporting the business.

    Is BI Publisher integrated with Oracle Apps?        Yes, it is tightly integrated with Oracle Apps for reporting needs. In 11.5.10 instances xml publisher was used, in R12 we can it BI Publisher

    What is the difference between xml publisher and BI Publisher?        Name is the difference, initially it was released on the name of xml publisher( the initial patchset), later on they have added more features and called it Business Intelligence Publisher. In BI by default we have integration with Datadefinitions in R12 instance. Both these names can be used interchangeably

    What are the various components required for developing a BI publisher report?        Data Template, Layout template and the integration with Concurrent Manager.

    How does the concurrent program submitted by the user knows about the datatemplate or layout template it should be using for generating the output?        The concurrent program ‘shortname’ will be mapped to the ‘code’ of the Datatemplate. Layout template is attached to the datatemplate, this forms the mapping between all the three.

    What is a datatemplate?        Datatemplate is an xml structure which contains the queries to be run against the database so that desired output in xml format is generated, this generated xml output is then applied on to the layout template for the final output

    What is a layout template?        Layout template defines how the user views the output, basically it can be developed using Microsoft word document in rft (rich text format) or Adobe pdf format. The data output in xml format (from Data template) will be loaded in layout template at run time and the required final output file is generated.

    What are the output formats supported by layout template?        xls, html, pdf, eText etc are supported based on the business need.

    Do you need to write multiple layout templates for each output type like html/pdf?        No, only layout template will be created, BI Publisher generates desired output format when the request is run

    What is the default output format of the report?        The default output format defined during the layout template creation will be used to generate the output, the same can be modified during the request submission and it will overwrite the one defined at layout template

    Can you have multiple layout templates for a singe data template?        Yes, multiple layouts can be defined, user has a choice here to use one among them at run time during conc request submission

    Where do you register data and layout templates?        Layout template will be registered under xml publisher administrator responsibility>Templates tab.        Data template will be registered under xml publisher admininstrator responsibility> Data Definitions

    I want to create a report output in 10 languages, do I have to create 10 layout templates?        No, BI Publisher provides the required translation for your templates, based on the number of languages installed in your oracle apps environment requires outputs are provided

    What is the required installation for using BI Pub report?        BI Publisher deskop tool has be installed. Using this tool you can preview or test the report before deploying the same on to the instance.

    How do you move your layout or data template across instances?        xdoloader is the utility that will be used.

    What is the tool to map required data output and layout templates so that they can be tested in local machine?        Template viewer will be used for the same.

    Which component is responsible for generating the output in xml format before applying it to layout template?        DataEngine will take DataTemplate as the input and the output will be generated in xml format which will then be applied on layout template

    Can BI publisher reports be used in OAF pages?        XDO template utility helper java classes are provided for the same.

    Name some business use cases for BI  reports?        Bank EFT, customer documents, shipping documents, internal analysis documents or any transactional documents

    How do you pass parameters to your report?        Concurrent program parameters should be passed, ensure that the parameter name/token are same as in the conc prog defn and the data template

    What are the various sections in the data template?        Parameter section        Trigger Section        Sql stmt section        Data Structure section        Lexical Section

    What does lexical section contain?        The required lexical clause of Key Flex field or Descriptive FF are created under this section

    What triggers are supported in Data template?        Before report and After report are supported

    Where is the trigger code written?        The code is written in the plsql package which is given under ‘defaultpackage’ tag of data template.

    what is the file supporting the translation for a layout template?A. xliff is the file that supports the translation, you can modify the same as required.

  Q. How do you display the company logo on the report output?A. Copy and paste the logo (.gif. or any format) on the header section of .rtf file . Ensure you resize per the company standards.

xml publisher tags=======================1. Sort Tag :> "sort:VOUCHER_NUM;'ascending';data-type='number'"

2. Row Column Highlighting :> "if@row:position() mod 2=0"

3. Creation of page total Elements : "add-page-total:TotalFieldName;'element'"

4. Displaying Page Total: "show-page-total:TotalFieldName;'Oracle-number-format'"

5. Re grouping: "for-each-group:BASE Group;Grouping Element" , "for-each:current-group(); GROUPING-ELEMENT"

6. Last Page Only : "start@last-page:body" "end body"

7. Variable Declaration : :variable name="lpp" select="number(5)"

8. Assigning Value to Variable : "xdoxslt:set_variable($_XDOCTX, 'variable name', value)"

9. Get Value from Variable : "xdoxslt:get_variable($_XDOCTX, 'variable name')"

10. MICR font can be linked by moving it to a UNIX directory and referencing the location in the Template

11. Extended SQL and XSL Functions : xdofx:expression

12. Dynamic Data Column header : split-column-header:group element name

13 Dynamic Data Column Data : split-column-data:group element name