Set Up a Successful Reporting Solution with Oracle Discoverer & Other Tools Presented by: Rob Griebel

Set Up a Successful Reporting Solution with Oracle Discoverer & Other Tools

Presented by: Rob Griebel

Copyright © May 2004 by Noetix Corporation – All Rights Reserved

A Day in the Life of a Report Developer


Your customer/end-user

Say…Did ya happen to get that Report Req form I filled out?


Typical Report Developer


Oracle’s TRM


Defining the query…

• Look at requirements to see which base table(s) include the most needed columns

• Figure out how best to join the base tables together

• Determine which org-id’s to use

• Where do I find the flexfields that the user wants

• I bet they’re going to want drill down again

• Hmm….what about security


Base Tables

• Budget vs. Actual Report

– GL_Balances

– GL_Budgets

– GL_Budget_Versions

– GL_Code_Combinations


Now start coding…

SELECT ACCT.SEGMENT5 Product, ACCT.SEGMENT4 Sub_Account, NVL(ACTBL.BEGIN_BALANCE_DR,0) -

NVL(ACTBL.BEGIN_BALANCE_CR,0) + NVL(ACTBL.PERIOD_NET_DR,0) - NVL(ACTBL.PERIOD_NET_CR,0)

Actual_Balance, NVL(ACTBL.BEGIN_BALANCE_DR_BEQ,0) -

NVL(ACTBL.BEGIN_BALANCE_CR_BEQ,0) +NVL(ACTBL.PERIOD_NET_DR_BEQ,0) - NVL(ACTBL.PERIOD_NET_CR_BEQ,0) Actual_Balance_Accounted, NVL(ACTBL.BEGIN_BALANCE_DR,0) - NVL(ACTBL.BEGIN_BALANCE_CR,0) Actual_Begin_Balance,…FROMGL.GL_BALANCES ACTBL, GL.GL_BUDGETS BUDGT, GL.GL_BUDGET_VERSIONS BUDVR, GL.GL_BALANCES BUDBL, GL.GL_CODE_COMBINATIONS ACCT


Your customer calls you…

Is my report done yet?It’s been a week and I needthat report for tomorrow’s

meeting!!


Your customer adds…

Oh, and by the way…I want to be able to distribute this to many organizations so

that they can see their own budgets but not others. Okey

dokey? Bye


Security

• May not be an issue if using Discoverer

– Use an apps mode EUL

• It will be an issue if I use Reports 6i or CrystalHow do I access the Apps Security packages?


Not another call…

Oh I forgot to mention…Did you see my email?

I need you to add 5 more columns and incorporate that new DFF we created an hour ago. That’s not a

big deal right?


At this point


TheGREATEST BARRIER

to achieving reporting goals

easilyis the

Complex Structure of

the Database Tables!


Key Elements for Successful Reporting for Business Users

• Hide Database Complexity– Views

• Incorporate Configuration Information

• Open Architecture– Diverse audience = different presentation

• E.g. Excel, Discoverer, Dashboards

• Tune for Performance– Views tuned for performance– Index columns identified– Filters & Parameters– Training

• Document in Business Terminology

• Organize Information by Functional Area


Example:Purchase Order tables in the database

PO_Lines

BuyerCurrency

ItemDescriptionList PriceOpen FlagLine No.PO No.QuantityTerms

Unit PriceVendor

Simplified Noetix “View”

PO_HEADERSC PO_LINE_TYPES

PO_LINES

MTL_ITEM_CATEGORIES

MTL_ITEMS

AP_TERMS PO_UN_NUMBERS

Open POs

PO No.Item

DescriptionList PriceQuantity

Unit PriceVendor

Your Report

What is a View?

PO_HEADER_TL

PO_LINE_TYPES

PO_LINES_TL

MTL_ITEM_CATEGORIES

MTL_ITEMS_TL

AP_TERMS_II

PO_NUMBERS

Same View… No changes!New database structure…


Key Flexfields as Configured

Key FlexfieldBase Table Column Names

SEGMENT12

SEGMENT6

SEGMENT3

Account$Company

Account$Division

Account$Cost_Center

Key FlexfieldView Column Names


Users can use any tool!!

• Discoverer

• Oracle Reports

• Crystal

• Noetix Web Query

• Business Objects

• Brio

• Cognos

• Excel


Wishing…

Wouldn’t it be nice if…• A system exists that has most of these

reports already written

• It would incorporate our security models

• I could easily customize the reports

• I could let the users customize their own reports

• It would somehow read our configurations like COA and DFFs and use them in the reports automatically

Copyright © May 2004 by Noetix Corporation – All Rights ReservedCopyright © May 2004 by Noetix Corporation – All Rights Reserved



Click on a link to see the Views for that Module


Copyright © May 2004 by Noetix Corporation – All Rights ReservedCopyright © May 2004 by Noetix Corporation – All Rights ReservedCopyright © May 2004 by Noetix Corporation – All Rights Reserved


Click on a link to see a description of that View





Noetix solutions for Oracle Discoverer and other

reporting tools

Login using your Apps username, password & responsibility


View for Budget to Actuals in the GL area


Double click the AnswerPoint report to run it




Click on a column header to resort





Drag column header to grey bar




Click “CUSTOMIZE” to modify the report



Let’s add the “Account” segment’s DFF to the report



Give the new column a friendly name


Let’s save the results in our Personal folder



New column in the output



Unlocking the Power of Excel

Create an Excel spreadsheet from this report




Click “Refresh Data” to rerun the report!


New Period Name for different results






How your customer feels after Noetix helps you…

I can’t believe how fast youbuilt this report for me!!

Thanks!!! I love the ability to change things myself without knowing any programming

stuff!!!


How you are seen at your company…


Now you have more time for…

Thank you for attending!

[email protected]

Toll-free 866-4Noetix

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Set Up a Successful Reporting Solution with Oracle Discoverer & Other Tools Presented by: Rob Griebel