OBIEE 12c Features

Key new features in 12c include an updated and cleaner look-and-feel, Visual Analyser that brings Tableau-style reporting to OBIEE users along with another new feature called “data-mashups”,   enables users to upload spreadsheets of their own data to combine with their main curated datasets.

Zerodowntime– All system and application operations should be supported on-line
Support offline configuration– All system and application configuration operations should be off-line
No requirement for runtime mid-tier processes to be started.
Radically simple and robust upgrade from11g/BaselineValidationTool
Multi-Tenant-12c will always be Multi-ServiceInstance(MSI) enabled – Initially a single Service Instance deployed
Effectively ‘Plugable BI’.
Self Service enablement.

Security features of OBIEE 12c

New security features in Oracle BI EE 12c (12.2.1) include:

BISystemUser and BISystem Removed
User GUIDs Removed
Database Security Store
Easier SSL Configuration
Migrating Catalog Groups to Application Roles
BISystemUser and BISystem Removed

To simplify administration and configuration in this release Oracle Business Intelligence no longer requires a real user called BISystemUser (or equivalent) for internal communication. The system user concept is now deemed "virtual" and is represented by the credential oracle.bi.system/system.user, for which the values are securely randomly generated by the Configuration Assistant. Oracle BI components continue to use this credential for internal communication, backed by Oracle BI Security. The application role BISystem is also no longer present in the Policy Store, and will be removed from any upgraded 11g environment.

User GUIDs Removed

In this release user GUIDs have been removed to make administration easier. GUIDs are replaced with user names. There is no longer any need to refresh GUIDs as part of lifecycle operations. Your administrator is now responsible for ensuring that users leaving the system are cleaned up from Oracle Business Intelligence.

Database Security Store

In this release the Security Store (Policy and Credential Stores) is configured in a relational database rather than in a file. The database is the same as used by RCU. This change makes scaling easier, and makes clusters more reliable.

Easier SSL Configuration.

In this release configuring SSL end to end is now less complex and uses offline commands.

Oracle BI Baseline Validation Tool

With OBIEE 12c we have got a new tool to validate baseline data between the upgraded system and an older instance.

This tool enables the creation of a baseline set of data that is then able to be compared with data from another (or the same) system that may be the result of an upgrade, patch or migration, or any change.

A way to perform regression testing on any two compatible Oracle BIEE environments– Works within and across 11g and 12c versions.

A way to instill confidence when performing an upgrade, migration orsignificant change to an existing environment

Provides a pluggable based implementation
The following modules will be available: –

Data verification
Compare result output (i.e. actual numbers or text) from different versions
Visual verification
Capture screenshots of reports to check they are visually the same
BI catalog verification
Capture object and metadata and compare with the target system
Logical query verification
Capture logical query definitions and compare with the target system
Performance verification
Capture performance profile to check there’s not degradation

OBIEE 12c released

Oracle has officially released the Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition 12c OBIEE 12.2.1.0.0.  Download available at OTN.

The installation files are different now. we need to download and install first JDK8, then Weblogic and finally OBIEE. RCU comes with obiee main install no need for download. After performing the installation of the OBIEE software you still need to run the RCU to create the database repositories and then use a configuration assistant to create the domains.

Key new features in 12c include an updated and cleaner look-and-feel, Visual Analyser that brings Tableau-style reporting to OBIEE users along with another new feature called “data-mashups”,   enables users to upload spreadsheets of their own data to combine with their main curated datasets.

Manually Enabling BI Composer

If you run the Configuration Assistant or the Configuration Wizard, then that program installs the files that are required for BI Composer. Before users can run BI Composer, you must manually enable BI Composer using an MBean.

To manually enable BI Composer:

1. Display the Fusion Middleware Control MBean Browser and lock the domain.
2. Navigate to the following folder:
   Application Defined MBeans, oracle.biee.admin, Domain:bifoundation_domain, BIDomain.BIInstance.PresentationConfiguration
3. Locate the following MBean:
   oracle.biee.admin:type=BIDomain.BIInstance.PresentationConfiguration,biInstance=coreapplication,group=Service
4. Set the value of the BIComposerEnabled attribute to "true".
5. Commit the changes and restart the system.

OBIEE 11G Upgrade stratergy

BI Upgrade from 11.1.1.X ---> 11.1.1.9

Step 1: Perform the following general pre-patch tasks:
            Stop all WebLogic Servers, Node Manager, OPMN, and OPMN-managed system components                 that are part of all Oracle BI domains that use the Middleware Home that you must patch.
Step 2: Download the appropriate Product Installers.
Step 3: Patch Oracle WebLogic Server to the latest version.
Step 4: Run the Oracle BI Product Installer, and perform a Software Only installation, specifying the                      existing Middleware home to be patched.
Step 5: Run the Patch Set Assistant for each of the Oracle BI schemas i.e MDS , BIPLATFORM using                  RCU utility.
Step 6: Update configurations and stores.
Step 7: Update catalogs.
Step 8: If you use DataDirect drivers, then update and configure them.
Step 9: Enable the Oracle BI JBIPS configuration template features for the Smartview client.
Step 10: Start servers and Verify the patched installation by starting Oracle BI EE, if you installed it.

OBIEE 11.1.1.9.0 Interesting new features

We can now:

• Reuse calculations, store them in web catalog and use in variables.
• Entire repository can be checked out in multiuser development.You can use the whole RPD checkout option.
• Improved usage tracking to millisecond precision.
• Html5 format supported for rendering images.
• Now analysis have the ability to Save columns to the Oracle BI Presentation Catalog for reuse in other analyses.

Still more to come......:)

Working with Multiple Subject Areas in OBIEE 11G!

If you have to do cross/Multiple-subject area operations in OBIEE 11g. Here we have two ways to do it.

Option 1:  Use Union/Intersect operations which creates a Union query.
Option 2:  Use 'Add/Remove Subject Area' which can be used to combine Attributes/Facts across multiple Subject Areas.

In 10g you were constrained to the use only option 1 which made life very difficult if you just wanted a simple report aggregating two measures from different subject areas across a common dimension. These operators are still there in 11g, but we also have a much more user friendly way of querying.

The steps are:

• Start by creating a normal Answers request in a single subject area.
•  In the subject areas pane there is an icon with a green plus on it ("Add / Remove Subject Areas")
• Select the subject area you are interested in
• Choose a common dimension from either subject area and measures from the relevant source.

Lets take Sample Applite rpd to work on this.
Step1 : Create new analysis –>click on   to select another subject area and click OK.

Pull columns from both the subject areas

Step2 :  Click on results.

 

OBIEE Inheritance of Permissions and Privileges

Permissions and privileges can be assigned to users directly or through membership in application roles or Catalog groups. From another perspective, permissions and privileges can be assigned explicitly or effectively. Effective permissions and privileges are assigned indirectly through inheritance from application roles or Catalog groups, which is the recommended approach for assignments.

Rules for Inheritance for Permissions and Privileges

• Any permissions or privileges granted explicitly to a user override any permissions or privileges inherited from the application roles or Catalog groups to which the user belongs.
• If a user belongs to two application roles or Catalog groups and both are granted permissions, then the least restrictive permissions are given to the user.

For example, if one application role allows Open access and another allows Modify access, then the least restrictive access would be granted; in this example, Open access.

• If a user belongs to Application Role X, and Application Role X is a member of Application Role Y, then any permissions assigned to Application Role X override any permissions assigned to Application Role Y. The same holds true if X and Y are Catalog groups.

• For example, if Marketing has Open permissions, Marketing Administrators, which is a member of Marketing, can have Full Control permission.
• If a Catalog group is specified along with an application role in the Permissions dialog in Presentation Services, then the Catalog group takes precedence.

For example, suppose that for a certain object, the BIAdministrator role has Read-Only permission and the Admin Catalog Group has Full Control permission. If a user signs in who is a member of both the BIAdministrator role and the Admin Catalog Group, then he is granted full access to the object.

• Explicitly denying access takes precedence over any other permissions or privileges.

                                                                    Example:

From the above fig effective permissions granted to user 1 are

• No access to DashboardA and DashboardE, because access is specifically denied.
• Open access to DashboardB.
• Full Control for DashboardC.
• Modify access to DashboardD.

Renaming Catalog Objects

Without Reference Updates

This renames the object and preserves the references to the original name that other catalog objects might have.

1.Open the catalog.

2.Navigate to the object to be renamed.

3.Right click the object in the Name column and select Rename.

4.Type a new name for the object

 

 

 

With Reference Updates

This renames the object and changes references that other objects might have to the new name (that is, original name references are notpreserved).

1.Open the catalog in offline mode.

2.Navigate to the object to be renamed.

3.Right click the object in the Name column and select Smart Rename.

4.Type a new name for the object.

 

OBIEE 11.1.1.7 Documentation

Click on the link for the OBIEE Documentation

OBIEE 11.1.1.7.1 - Sample Application Live Demo by Oracle

Please check out this link for the live demo of 11G analytics.

Click Here

Oracle Business Intelligence Certication

This post will give an overview of OBI Foundation suite 11g exam.

• Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) Foundation Suite 11g Essentials | 1Z0-591 

Topics tested in this exam are:

Oracle BI and EPM System Overview
OBI EE Architecture
Oracle BI Installation
OBI EE User Interface Overview
Dimensional Modeling
Oracle BI Repository Overview
Build Basic Repository
Repository Testing and Deployment
Complex Repository Modeling
Advanced Repository Modeling
Building a Repository with Multiple Sources
Hierarchies and Level Based Measures
Using Variables
Implementation Methodology and Best Practices
Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition Security
Cache Management & Performance Tuning
MS Office Integration
Spatial Integration
Write Back within OBI EE
Essbase Integration


Here are few sample questions for the Certification Exam.

What does the Oracle BI Foundation Suite consists of ?
•    A. Oracle BI Enterprise Edition Plus
•    B. Oracle Scorecard
•    C. Endeca Information Delivery
•    D. Hyperion Financial Management
•    E. Oracle Discoverer
Answer: A,B

What does the common Enterprise Information Model provide ?
A. A Common Metadata Foundation across all data sources
B. A dimensional data model
C. ETL data dictionary
D. A consolidated model for MDX queries
Answer: A

Name the three components of a Cluster Server ?
•    A. Master Server
•    B. Repository Publishing Directory
•    C. Primary Cluster Controller
•    D. Web Server
•    E. Server Request Controller
Answer: A,B,C

Identify the two components that can be used to customize the user interface in Oracle BI Presentation Services ?
•    A. Dashboard Editor
•    B. Styles and Skins
•    C. XML Message Files
•    D. Scripts in installation folders
•    E. VBScripts
Answer: B,C

In a dimensional model, if you want to capture history for a slowly changing dimension, what methodology would you use ?
A. Type I Slowly Changing Dimension
B. Type II Slowly Changing Dimension
C. Type III Slowly Changing Dimension
D. Type IV slowly Changing Dimension
Answer: B

The import feature of the OBI Repository allows you to import objects into the repository from
•    A. Another Multi Dimensional Source
•    B. The Database
•    C. Another Repository
•    D. All of the above
Answer: B

What is the correct method to edit the Oracle BI repository ?
•    A. All major enhancements and developments should be made in the Online Mode
•    B. All major enhancements and developments should be made in the Offline Mode
•    C. Always make major enhancements and developments in the database and never on the BI Repository
•    D. Always edit the file using a text editor on the server
Answer: B

When you open a sales.rpd file in the BI Server repository directory, it displays a message “The repository sales.rpd can only be opened as Read-Only. Do you want to open it ?”. What is the correct statement ?
•    A. Oracle BI Presentation services is running
•    B. Sales.rpd file can be opened only in the Online mode
•    C. Oracle BI Server is running and Sales.rpd is the default repository
•    D. None of the above
Answer: C

What do you use to Model a schema where the dimension table and the fact table have a many t o many relationship ?
•    A. Complex Join
•    B. Aggregate Table
•    C. Helper Table
•    D. Split Table
•    E. Bridge Table
Answer: E

Which layer within the Oracle BI Repository provides customized, role based views to users who build analyses and other client applications ?
•    A. Physical Layer
•    B. ETL Layer
•    C. Business Model and Mapping Layer
•    D. Presentation Layer
Answer: D

OBIEE can connect natively to the following MOLAP data sources ( Check all that apply )
•    A. Oracle Essbase
•    B. Oracle OLAP
•    C. SQL Server Analytic Services
•    D. SAP BW
•    E. All of the above
Answer: E

Which layer allows you to define the data hierarchy, define dimensions and measures for multidimensional analysis and create predefined calculations ?
•    A. Presentation Layer
•    B. Business Model and Mapping Layer
•    C. Physical Layer
•    D. ETL Layer
Answer: B

What is the name of the object that is used to initalize dynamic repository variable and system session variables for OBIEE Sessions ?
•    A. Tokens
•    B. Variables
•    C. Initialization Blocks
•    D. Meta Tags
Answer: C

Why do you use Aliases in the Physical Layer of the repository ?
•    A. To remove Complexity
•    B. To hide original Objects
•    C. To enforce naming conventions
•    D. To avoid Circular Joins
Answer: D

In a multi user environment, how do you resolve project conflicts ?
•    A. The Administration tool locks projects on the server to avoid conflicts
•    B. Always delete local changes when checking in files to avoid conflicts
•    C. Conflicts are resolved during the Check-In process
•    D. Multiple users cannot work on projects at the same time.
Answer: C

When you want to schedule an Analysis to run at a pre determined timeframe, what component will you use ?
•    A. Action Framework
•    B. Scorecard
•    C. KPI
•    D. Agent

Answer: D

Security features for the Oracle BI plug-in for Microsoft Office include :
•    A. The ability to secure tables and graphs in Office applications so users must credentials to view Oracle BI Data
•    B. Support for the Oracle BI Security Model including support for both encrypted (SSL ) and Single Sign On modes
•    C. Only A
•    D. Both A & B

Answer: D

What are the tools that can be used to construct map based applications for use in Oracle BI?
•    A. Google Maps
•    B. Oracle Mapviewer
•    C. Endeca Infront
•    D. Oracle Map Information Server

Answer: A,B

How would you enable an Analysis to “listen” for Dashboard Prompts ?
•    A. Create a variable in Analysis and then Create a similar variable in the Dashboard Prompt
•    B. When building a filter in Analysis, select “Is Prompted”
•    C. By Creating an Initialization Block
•    D. Through Custom Scripting

Answer: B

Which of the following tools provide viable methods to view Essbase Data ?
•    A. Smartview
•    B. OBIEE
•    C. SQL Developer
•    D. Essbase Administration Services


Answer: A,B,D

Best of Luck for the Certification!!!!

Reference: Oracle.com

Creating Subject Areas Based on Logical Stars and Snowflakes

From OBIEE 11.1.1.5 we can automatically create one subject area for each logical star or logical snowflake in your business model. Logical stars and logical snowflakes are both composed of a centralized fact table connected to multiple dimension tables. This feature provides another way to create multiple subject areas from a single business model.

For example, if you choose this option for the SampleApp business model with nine fact tables, nine corresponding subject areas are created, each with one fact table and its associated dimension tables. Subject areas are also created for lookup tables.