BO Training Guide

8/2/2019 BO Training Guide

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User Guide

For

Business Objects Training

Version 042204


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Table of Contents

TASK PAGES

Welcome

Objectives

Changing Your Password

3

Lesson 1-1:Getting Started

Logging Into Business Objects

Terms & Navigation

3-5

Lesson 1-2:The Basics

Retrieving A Document

Working With The Report

5- 7

Lesson 1-3:Working With The Report

Helpful Terms & Toolbars

Refresh & Filter

Signature Authorization Report

Demand Check Report

Purchasing Report

Payroll ReportCenter Information Report

Person Report

7-15

Miscellaneous

Finding DataMap Feature

Saving A File

Printing A Report

Exiting Business Objects

15-17

Business Objects User Help & Support 17-18


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Welcome

Welcome to Business Objects training for the STAR universe! This user user-guide is intended

to give you step-by-step instructions on how to execute a pre-existing query using Business

Objects in the STAR Universe. While this guide is very comprehensive, it does not cover the use

of Business Objects in the Financial Reporting or EPIC universes. The objectives for this user

guide are:

To provide you with a basic understanding of how to access and

navigate within Business Objects,

To provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to execute the

existing Signature Authorization query, and

To demonstrate helpful features such as saving and printing your

report.

As a reminder, Business Objects requires the use of your VUnet ID and E-password for security

authentication. If you need to reset your VUnet ID password, you can do so by visiting

https://vunetid.vanderbilt.edu/faq.html.

If you are ready, lets get started!

Lesson 1-1: Getting Started

Logging Into Business Objects

Double-click on the Business Objects icon on your desktop, or select it from your Start menu.

You will see the following screen prompting you for your username and password. For your User

Name, enter your VUnet ID. For your Password, enter your E-password.
https://vunetid.vanderbilt.edu/faq.htmlhttps://vunetid.vanderbilt.edu/faq.html


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You will know that the system has accepted your login when you see the following screen.

The New Report Wizard is a helpful feature if you are interested in creating new reports inBusiness Objects. Since we are primarily interested in executing an existing report, lets de-select

the Run this Wizard at Startup box at the bottom left of the Welcome screen.


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Next, select the Cancel button and the following screen will appear.

Lesson 1-2: The Basics

Retrieving A Corporate Document

Now that we are in Business Objects, lets find our report. At the FILE menu, go to File |

Retrieve From | Corporate Documents as shown below:


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You will see a window similar to this:

Click on the Uncategorized folder under Corporate Documents, and you will see the following

screen:(Note: Your screen may look slightly different.)

Locate and highlight the file SigAuth (All).rep and make sure the Open on Retrieval box has

been selected. Next, click on the Retrieve button as shown below:


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creation/renaming capabilities.


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Menu Bar and Toolbars

Formula Tool Bar

Report Tool BarFormatting Tool Bar

Standard Tool Bar

Main Menu Bar

Tip: Generally all the icons and navigation buttons that you will need for training and everyday

use will be found on these toolbars.

Viewing Your Report

To maximize the viewing area of your report, lets minimize the Report Manager feature in

Business Objects. The Report Manager is the panel on the left-hand side of your screen. To hide

this panel, select the x as demonstrat

o

o

o

o

o

o


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o

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r Signature

Authorization Roles by center customized for users in the Demand Check areas. The report will

display the following codes:

Y indicates the individual has Signature Authority for a particular role at this

center.

N indicates the individual does not have Signature Authority for a particular role

at this center.

All indicates that the individual has approval for all dollar amounts for this

particular role and center.

Specific dollar amounts indicate the level of authority that an individual has for a


The recommended filter is #1 only. Set filters 2, 3& 4 to return all values.


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Purchasing - This report provides you with a list of persons with Signature Authorization

authority for Purchase Requisition, Small PO and Capital Requisition roles by center. The report

will display the following codes:


center


at this center.

All indicates that the individual has approval for all dollar amounts for this


Specific dollar amounts indicate the level of authority that an individual has for a


The recommended filter is #1 only. Set filters 2, 3 & 4 to return all.

Payroll - This report provides a list of persons and their Signature Authorization Roles by centercustomized for users in the Payroll area. The report will display the following codes:


center.


at this center.



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Center Information This report will provide the name and address of the person responsible

for the requested center(s). An Open/Close field is will populate the status of the requested

center(s).


Person Information This report displays detailed Signature Authorization information in

VUnet ID and cost center combinations. For each person and center combination, you can see the

following information:

The Signature Authority Role(s).

The Tree in which they have authority, and at the highest node within that Tree

that they have been granted access.

Whether the access is Direct or Inherited.

Any combination of filters works well with this report.


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Lesson 1-4: Miscellaneous

There are two ways to find data in the results of your query. They are the Find-In-Report Tool

and the Map Feature in Report Manager.

Finding Data (Find In Report Tool)

Business Objects provides with you the ability to search your data for specific information. To

do this, select the binocular icon from the Standard Toolbar. When prompted, enter thenumbers or characters that you wish to search for and select Find Next. Business Objects will

take you to the first occurrence of that item. The following screen demonstrates this feature in

action.

Map Feature

The second feature that allows you to locate data in your report is the Map Feature. The Mapping

Feature is located in the Report Manager. As you recall, we closed the Report Manager at thebeginning of the training so that we had more room to view our report. For this exercise, we need

to bring the Report Manager back into view. To do this, simply click the Report Manager icon

from the Standard Menu Toolbar, or select View| Report Manager from the Main Menu

Toolbar.

The Report Manager panel will now be visible on the left-hand side of your screen. At the top of

the panel you will see two tabs: Data and Map. In the lower left-hand corner of the Report

Manager panel there are two radio buttons. The button on the left is the default selection and it

displays data in alphabetical order. With that button highlighted, click on the Map tab and you

should see the following in the Report Manager panel:


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While working within the Map tab, observe what happens to your report data when you click

on the various report names. The map feature will automatically take you to that portion of the

report.

Also notice what happens when you click on the bullet points under the report name. The Map

Feature automatically takes you to that point in the report. This is especially helpful if you are

trying to locate one specific name or cost center.

Saving A File

There may be a situation where you need to save a copy of the data returned in your query.

Business Objects will allow you to save you results as an Excel file. To do this, simply selectFile| Save As| and the following screen will appear: Note: The files listed in your userDocs will

be different.


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In the Save as type: drop down menu, select Microsoft Excel Worksheet then select Save and

your report will be saved in the .XLS format.


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P rinting A Report

Occasionally, you may have a need to print a hardcopy of one of the report tabs in your query.

To do this, select File| Print Preview and the report tab in which you are viewing will be

displayed. See the following screen as an example of one of the report tabs in Print Previewmode. When you are comfortable with the page setup, select print and the report will print as

displayed.

Exiting Business Objects

When you have completed your work in Business Objects and you are ready to exit, select File|

Close to exit the query. Next, select File| Exit to leave the Business Objects tool.

Business Objects User Help & Support

Business Objects offers an extensive amount of electronic-based Help. Select Help from the MainMenu toolbar and you will access the on-screen help window as shown below:


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