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Contents


Preface
1 Introducing Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer 11g
Course Objectives 1-2
Objectives 1-3
In Search of BI Solutions 1-4
The Evolving Role of Business Intelligence 1-5
Addressing BI Requirements 1-6
Portfolio Approach: Enterprise Performance Management 1-7
Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g: An Overview 1-9
Fusion Middleware BI Solution 1-10
What Is Discoverer? 1-11
Discoverer: Components 1-12
Discoverer Plus Relational 1-13
Discoverer Plus OLAP 1-14
Discoverer Viewer 1-15
Discoverer Catalog 1-16
Discoverer Portlet Provider 1-17
Discoverer Administrator 1-19
Discoverer Web Services 1-20
Distributing Analyses 1-21
Summary 1-22
Quiz: Overview 1-23
Quiz 1-24

2 Building Ad Hoc Queries with Oracle BI Discoverer Plus Relational
Objectives 2-2
Data Warehouse Versus Transactional System 2-3
Using Discoverer with a Data Warehouse or a Transactional Database 2-5
End Users 2-6
Where to Get Helpful Information 2-7
Wizards 2-8
Key Terminology 2-9
Responsibilities of the Discoverer Manager 2-11
Identifying Requirements 2-13
Training Database 2-14
Sales History Business Area 2-15
Connecting to Oracle BI Discoverer Plus 2-16
Practice 2-1: Overview 2-17
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Creating a New Workbook 2-19
Selecting a Report Layout and the Objects to Display 2-20
Report Layouts 2-21
Discoverer Plus Relational Report Layouts: Examples 2-22
Worksheet Axes 2-23
Discoverer Plus Relational Crosstab Displays: Examples 2-24
Using a Page Axis 2-25
Selecting a Business Area 2-26
Selecting Items by Using the Workbook Wizard 2-27
Selecting Items: Terminology 2-28
Discoverer Item Navigator 2-29
Customizing the Worksheet Layout: Table 2-30
Customizing the Worksheet Layout: Crosstab 2-31
Selecting Items by Using the Available Items Pane 2-32
Selecting a Specific Item Value 2-34
Aggregating Results for Data Points 2-35
Discoverer Plus Page 2-36
Discoverer Plus Page: Worksheet Area 2-37
Discoverer Plus Page: Available Items Pane Items 2-38
Discoverer Plus Page: Available Items Pane Conditions 2-39
Discoverer Plus Page: Available Items Pane Calculations 2-40
Editing the Query Output: Pivoting 2-41
Sorting Tables: Sorting a Column 2-42
Sorting Tables: Ordering Sorts 2-43
Sorting Tables: Formatting Sorts 2-44
Sorting Tables: Example 2-45
Sorting Crosstabs: Sorting Column Headings 2-46
Customizing Display Properties 2-47
Data Display Formats 2-48
Formatting Data: Using the Formatting Toolbar 2-49
Formatting Data: Using the Format Data Dialog Box 2-50
Formatting Headings: Using the Formatting Toolbar 2-51
Formatting Headings: Using the Format Heading Dialog Box 2-52
Editing Headings: Using the Edit Heading Dialog Box 2-53
Adding a Worksheet Title 2-54
Using the Text Area 2-56
Worksheet Properties Dialog Box 2-57
Worksheet Properties Dialog Box: Aggregation Options 2-58
Saving a Workbook to the Database 2-59
Summary 2-60
Practice 2-2: Overview 2-61
Quiz: Overview 2-71
Quiz 2-72

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3 Managing Queries
Objectives 3-2
Workbooks Versus Worksheets 3-3
Opening an Existing Workbook 3-4
Opening a Recently Used Workbook 3-5
Opening an Existing Workbook: Monitoring Execution Progress 3-6
Viewing Workbook Properties 3-7
Deleting a Saved Workbook 3-8
Sharing a Workbook 3-9
Adding a New Worksheet 3-10
Duplicating a Worksheet 3-11
Refreshing a Worksheet 3-12
Moving a Worksheet 3-13
Deleting a Worksheet 3-14
Renaming a Worksheet 3-15
Selecting General Query Management Options 3-16
Setting the Measurement Unit for Workbooks 3-17
Selecting Default Query Governor Options 3-18
Governing Queries 3-19
Selecting Default Sheet Options 3-20
Selecting Default Format Options 3-21
Selecting Default Advanced Options 3-22
Selecting a Default EUL 3-23
Starting Discoverer Plus Relational by Using URL Parameters 3-24
Discoverer Plus URL Parameters: Examples 3-25
Using URL Parameters: Advantages 3-26
Building and Executing a Query 3-27
Caching or Retrieving New Data: ResultsBase 3-28
Summary Table Redirection 3-29
Viewing SQL Statements for a Worksheet 3-30
Viewing the Execution Plan of a Query 3-31
Summary 3-32
Practice 3: Overview 3-33
Quiz: Overview 3-35
Quiz 3-36
4 Creating Advanced Reports with Discoverer Plus Relational
Objectives 4-2
Using Conditional Formatting 4-3
Creating a New Conditional Format 4-4
Creating a New Stoplight Format 4-5
Managing Conditional Formatting 4-6
Managing Conditional Formatting: Editing Stoplight Colors 4-7
Conditions and Parameters: Overview 4-8
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Predefined Folder Conditions 4-9
User-Defined Workbook Conditions 4-10
Managing Conditions 4-11
Conditions List 4-12
Categories of Conditions 4-13
Examples of Conditional Operators 4-14
Creating a New Condition 4-15
New Condition Dialog Box 4-16
Condition Drop-Down List 4-17
Selecting Values 4-18
Using Calculations in a Condition 4-19
Creating Multiple Conditions 4-20
Grouping Conditions 4-21
Nested Conditions: Example 4-22
Using the Select Condition Dialog Box 4-24
Creating a Nested Condition: Summary 4-25
Using Parameters 4-26
Creating a New Parameter 4-28
Using Cascading Parameters 4-29
Summary 4-31
Practice 4: Overview 4-32
Quiz: Overview 4-34
Quiz 4-35
5 Using Advanced Calculations and Summary Functions with
Discoverer Plus Relational
Objectives 5-2
Totals and Subtotals: Overview 5-3
Reporting Functions 5-4
New Total Dialog Box: Table 5-5
New Total Dialog Box: Crosstab 5-6
Adding Totals and Subtotals with the Analysis Toolbar 5-7
SUM Versus Cell SUM 5-8
Incorrect Use of SUM and Cell SUM 5-10
Editing Totals 5-11
Creating Subtotals 5-12
Subtotals Example: Table 5-13
Subtotals Example: Crosstab 5-14
Aggregation Options 5-15
Aggregation Tabbed Page 5-16
Creating Percentages 5-17
Creating a New Percentage: Tables 5-18
Creating Percentages: Crosstabs 5-19
Percentages Example: Table 5-20

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Percentages Example: Crosstab 5-21
Adding or Modifying a Percentage 5-22
Calculations: Overview 5-23
Creating Calculations 5-24
Creating a Simple Calculation 5-25
Building Complex Calculations 5-26
Available Functions 5-27
Analytic Functions: Overview 5-28
Ranking Function: Example (Top N/Bottom M Analysis) 5-30
Lag/Lead Function: Example (This Period/Prior Period Analysis) 5-31
Analytic Calculation Formulas 5-32
Analytic Function Template 5-33
Rank Analytic Calculation Template 5-34
Preceding Value Analytic Calculation Template 5-35
Using Calculations in Conditions 5-36
Passing a Parameter to a Calculation 5-37
Summary 5-39
Practice 5: Overview 5-40
Quiz: Overview 5-42
Quiz 5-43
6 Using Graphs to Present Data in Discoverer Plus Relational
Objectives 6-2
Viewing a Graph 6-3
Graph Components 6-4
Graph Toolbar 6-5
Using the Graph Wizard to Edit Graphs 6-6
Graph Wizard: Graph Types and Subtypes 6-7
Graph Wizard: Styles 6-8
Graph Wizard: Titles, Totals, and Series 6-9
Graph Wizard: X-Axis and Y-Axis 6-10
Graph Wizard: Plot Area and Legend 6-12
Tips for Using Graphs 6-13
Summary 6-14
Practice 6: Overview 6-15
Quiz: Overview 6-17
Quiz 6-18
7 Analyzing Data by Using Drills in Discoverer Plus Relational
Objectives 7-2
Types of Drilling 7-3
Drill Along a Predefined Hierarchy 7-5
Drill Down for Detailed Information 7-6
Drill Up for Summarized Information 7-7
Using Filtered Drill 7-8
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Collapsing Drilled-Down Data 7-9
Drill to a Related Item 7-10
Drill to Detail 7-11
Drill to a Link 7-12
Summary 7-14
Practice 7: Overview 7-15
Quiz: Overview 7-17
Quiz 7-18
8 Scheduling and Distributing Reports by Using Discoverer Plus Relational
Objectives 8-2
Scheduling Reports 8-3
Scheduling a Workbook 8-4
Scheduling Manager 8-6
Sharing Scheduled Workbooks 8-7
Exporting Query Results 8-8
Export Wizard 8-9
Export Wizard: Define File Details 8-10
Export Wizard: Define Graph Details 8-11
Export Wizard: Supervise Options and Log 8-12
Exporting a Crosstab Worksheet
to Excel as a Pivot Table 8-13
Exporting to Oracle Reports in XML Format 8-14
Exporting to PDF Format 8-15
Exporting to Web Query for Excel Format 8-16
Exporting to Web Query for Excel Format: Example 8-17
Printing Worksheets 8-18
Printing Worksheets: Page Setup 8-19
Printing Worksheets: Print Preview 8-20
Summary 8-21
Practice 8: Overview 8-22
Quiz: Overview 8-24
Quiz 8-25
9 Understanding the OLAP Data Model
Objectives 9-2
Typical OLAP Business Questions 9-3
What Is Oracle Database 10g OLAP Option? 9-4
Oracle BI Discoverer 11g Data Model Options 9-5
Oracle BI Discoverer Deployment Options 9-6
Pure Relational Data Types 9-7
Dimensional Data Model with Relational Data Types 9-8
Multidimensional Data Types 9-9
Multidimensional Data Model 9-10
Measures 9-11

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Measure Types 9-12
Dimensions 9-13
Dimensional Views 9-14
Hierarchies 9-15
Typical Hierarchies 9-16
Levels 9-17
Types of Hierarchy 9-18
Attributes 9-19
Analytic Workspace 9-20
Summary 9-21
Quiz: Overview 9-22
Quiz 9-23
10 Getting Started with Discoverer Plus OLAP
Objectives 10-2
Introducing the Sales History Common Schema AW 10-3
Examining the Common Schema AW Data Model: Dimensions 10-4
Examining the Common Schema AW Data Model: Measures 10-5
Connecting to Discoverer Plus OLAP 10-6
Creating a Workbook and Worksheet 10-7
Selecting Measures in the Wizard 10-8
Specifying a Report Layout in the Wizard 10-9
Specifying Dimension Member Selections in the Wizard 10-10
Examining Conditions 10-11
Creating Conditions 10-12
Examining the Discoverer Plus OLAP Work Area 10-13
Accessing Online Help 10-14
Using the Available Items Pane 10-15
Accessing the Edit Worksheet Wizard 10-17
Examining Saved Selections 10-18
Creating Saved Selections: Edit Worksheet 10-19
Resulting Report 10-20
Query Steps 10-21
Creating Saved Selections: Query Steps Pane 10-22
Using Saved Selections 10-23
Undoing the Previous Action 10-24
Examining Calculations 10-25
Creating Calculations 10-26
Viewing Calculated Data 10-27
Using Prebuilt Calculations 10-28
Viewing More Calculated Data 10-29
Viewing the Graph 10-30
Using the Graph 10-31
Modifying the Graph 10-32
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Adding a Title 10-33
Saving the Workbook 10-34
Viewing the Finished Report 10-35
Summary 10-36
Practice 10: Overview 10-37
Quiz: Overview 10-46
Quiz 10-47
11 Building Advanced Reports by Using Discoverer Plus 11g OLAP
Objectives 11-2
Adding a Worksheet to a Workbook 11-3
Create Reports Based on Ranking and Exception Criteria 11-4
Examining a Ranking Condition 11-5
Ranking and Exception Condition: Evaluation Rules 11-6
Static and Dynamic Condition Parameters 11-7
Dynamic Condition Parameters 11-8
Dynamic Ranking Reports 11-9
Stoplight Format 11-10
Creating a Stoplight Format 11-11
Stoplight Format Reporting 11-12
Create Reports by Using Time-Series Calculations 11-13
Calculations for Time-Series Analysis 11-14
Time Series: Moving Average (Example) 11-15
Calculated (Custom) Members 11-16
Calculated Member Wizard Step 1: Specify Calculation Method 11-17
Calculated Member Wizard Step 2: Select Members 11-18
Calculated Member Wizard Step 3: Specify Aggregation Method 11-19
Calculated Member Wizard Step 4: Save 11-20
Resulting Worksheet 11-21
Oracle OLAP Forecasting Options 11-22
Summary 11-23
Practice 11-1: Overview 11-24
Practice 11-2 Overview 11-34
Quiz: Overview 11-39
Quiz 11-40
Appendix A: Practice Solutions
Appendix B: Distributing Business Intelligence Through Discoverer Viewer and
Discoverer Portlets