OBI EE Lab Material

Lab 2 - Building the Business Model and Mapping Layer of a Repository

If you are following the sequence and have completed the Lab 1 of OBI EE, then please
ignore the Prerequisites.Doc steps. However, if you are directly starting with this lab, then
please read the Prerequisites.doc and perform the steps mentioned in the document.
In this lab, we shall perform the following steps to build the Business Model and Mapping layer:
Create a Business Model
Create Logical Tables
Create Logical Columns
Create Logical Joins
Rename Business Model Objects
Delete Unnecessary Business Model Objects
Build Dimension Hierarchies

Create a Business Model

To create a new business model, perform the following steps:
1. In the Business Model and Mapping layer, right-click the white space and select New Business
Model.

2. In the Business Model dialog box, name the business model SH and leave the Available for queries
box unchecked. The Description edit box is used to add a comment for yourself or another developer.
Leave it empty.

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3. Click OK to close the Business Model dialog. The new SH business model appears in the Business
Model and Mapping layer. The red symbol on the business model indicates it is not yet enabled for
querying. You enable the business model for querying later after the Presentation layer is defined and
the repository passes a global consistency check.

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Create Logical Tables
To create a new logical table, perform the following steps:
1. In the Business Model and Mapping layer, right-click the SH business model and select New Object
> Logical Table.

2. In the Logical Table dialog box, name the table Sales Facts.

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3. Click OK to close the Logical Table dialog. The Sales Facts logical table appears in the SH business
model in the Business Model and Mapping layer. The Sources folder is populated in the next step
when you create a logical column.

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Create Logical Columns
To create a logical column, perform the following steps:
1. In the Physical layer, expand the Sales physical table.

2. Select the column AMOUNT_SOLD.

3. Drag the AMOUNT_SOLD column from the Physical layer to the Sales Facts logical table in the
Business Model and Mapping layer. A new AMOUNT_SOLD logical column is added to the Sales
Facts logical table.

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4. Expand the Sources to see the logical table source that was created automatically when you
dragged the AMOUNT_SOLD column from the Physical layer. Logical table sources define the
mappings from a logical table to a physical table. A logical tables Sources folder contains the logical
table sources. Because you dragged a column from the Physical layer, the logical table source name,
SALES, is the same name as the physical table. However, it is possible to change names in the
Business Model and Mapping layer without impacting the mapping.

5. In the Business Model and Mapping layer, double-click the AMOUNT_SOLD logical column to open
the Logical Column dialog box.

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6. Click the Aggregation tab.

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7. In the Default aggregation rule drop down list, select SUM.

8. Click OK to close the Logical Column dialog box. Notice that the logical column icon is changed to
indicate an aggregation rule is applied.

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Create Logical Joins
To create logical joins in the business model, perform the following steps:
1. Select the following tables in the Physical layer. Select only these tables:
CHANNELS, CUSTOMERS, PRODUCTS, PROMOTIONS, TIMES

2. Drag the selected tables from the Physical layer onto the SH business model folder in the Business
Model and Mapping layer. This automatically creates logical tables in the Business Model and
Mapping layer. Notice that each logical table has a yellow table icon. In the Business Model and
Mapping layer, this indicates a fact table. Because you have not yet created the logical joins, all table
icons are yellow. The icon color for dimension tables changes to white in a later step when you create
logical joins.

3. Right-click the SH business model and select Business Model Diagram > Whole Diagram.

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4. Rearrange the table icons so they are all visible. Place the Sales Facts table in the middle. Adjust
the zoom factor, if desired.

5. Click the New Complex Join button in the toolbar.

6. Click the Channels table icon first and then click the Sales Facts table icon in the Logical Table
Diagram window. The order is important. The second table clicked is the many side of the relationship.
The Logical Join dialog box opens. Leave the default values as they are, but note which properties
you can set: name, business model, tables, driving table, join type, and cardinality. Also note which

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properties you cannot set: the join expression and the join columns. Typically, when defining logical
joins, you leave the defaults as they are.

7. Do not change the default values, click OK, and verify your work in the Logical Table Diagram.
Notice that the fact table, Sales Facts, is at the many end of the join:

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8. Repeat the steps for the remaining tables. Your final result should look similar to the picture.

9. Click the X in the upper right corner to close the Logical Table Diagram. Notice that the color of the
table icons for the dimension tables has changed to white in the business model. In a business model,
a yellow icon indicates a fact table and a white icon indicates a dimension table. Defining the join
relationships determined which tables are the logical dimension tables and which is the logical fact
table. A fact table is always on the many side of a logical join. You now have a logical star schema
consisting of one logical fact table, Sales Facts, and five logical dimension tables: Channels,
Customers, Products, Promotions, and Times.

10. Save the SH repository. Do not check global consistency.

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Rename Business Model Objects
To use the Rename Wizard to rename the objects in the business model, perform the following steps:
1. Click Tools > Utilities.

2. In the Utilities dialog box, click Rename Wizard and then Execute.

3. In the Rename Wizard, click the Business Model and Mapping tab and select the SH business
model.

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4. Click the Add Hierarchy button.

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5. Click Next.
6. Click Select None.

7. Check Logical Table and Logical Column.

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8. Click Next.
9. Select All text lowercase.

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10. Click Add.

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11. Click Change specified text. In the Find box, type an underscore. In the Replace box, type a
space.

12. Click Add.

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13. Click First letter of each word capital and click Add.

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14. Click Change specified text. In the Find box, type a space and the letters Id. In the Replace With
box, type a space and the letters ID. Check Case sensitive.

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15. Click Add.

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16. Click Next and review changes.

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17. Click Finish and verify that logical tables and logical columns in the Business Model and Mapping
layer are changed as expected.

18. Save the repository. Do not check global consistency.

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Delete Unnecessary Business Model Objects
To delete logical columns that are not needed in the business model, perform the following steps:
1. For the Channels logical table in the Business Model and Mapping layer, use Ctrl + click to select
the Channel Class ID and the Channel Total ID logical columns.

2. Right-click either of the highlighted columns and select Delete to delete the columns. Alternatively,
you can use the Delete key on your keyboard.

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3. Click Yes to confirm the delete.

4. Verify that the Channels logical table now has only four logical columns.

5. Repeat the steps to delete the following logical columns in the Customers table:
Cust City ID
Cust State Province ID
Country ID
Cust Main Phone Number
Cust Total ID
Cust Src ID
Cust Eff From
Cust Eff To
Cust Valid

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6. Place the cursor over the icon to display the screenshot and verify that the Customers logical table
has only the following logical columns:

7. Place the cursor over the icon to display the screenshot and repeat the steps to delete the
highlighted logical columns in the Products table.

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8. Place the cursor over the icon to display the screenshot and verify that the Products logical table
has only the following logical columns:

9. Place the cursor over the icon to display the screenshot and repeat the steps to delete the
highlighted logical columns in the Promotions table.

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10. Place the cursor over the icon to display the screenshot and verify that the Promotions logical
table has only the following logical columns:

11. Do not delete any columns in the Times table.

12. Save the repository. Do not check global consistency.

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Build Dimension Hierarchies
Dimension hierarchies introduce formal hierarchies into a business model, allowing Oracle BI Server
to calculate useful measures and allowing users to drill down to more detail. In a business model, a
dimension hierarchy represents a hierarchical organization of logical columns belonging to a single
logical dimension table. Common dimension hierarchies used in a business model are time periods,
products, customers, suppliers, and so forth.
Dimension hierarchies are created in the Business Model and Mapping layer and end users do not
see them in end user tools such as Oracle BI Answers or Interactive Dashboards. In each dimension
hierarchy, you organize dimension attributes into hierarchical levels. These levels represent the
organizational rules and reporting needs required by your business. They provide the structure that
Oracle BI Server uses to drill into and across dimensions to get more detailed views of the data.
Dimension hierarchy levels are used to perform aggregate navigation, configure level-based measure
calculations, and determine what attributes appear when Oracle BI users drill down in their data
requests.
To build the Channels dimension hierarchy in the SH business model, perform the following steps:
1. Right-click the Channels logical table and select Create Dimension.

2. Right-click the ChannelsDim object, which was created by the action in the previous step, and
select Expand All.

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3. Place the cursor over the icon to display the screenshot and verify that the ChannelsDim dimension
hierarchy matches the picture.

4. Right-click the Channels Detail level and select New Object > Parent Level.

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5. In the Logical Level dialog box, name the logical level Class and set the Number of elements at this
level to 3. This number does not have to be exact. The ratio from one level to the next is more
important than the absolute number. These numbers only affect which aggregate source is used
(optimization, not correctness of queries).

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6. Click OK to close the Logical Level dialog box. The new Class level is added to the hierarchy.

7. Right-click the Class level and select Expand All.

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8. Drag the Channel Class column from the Channel Detail level to the Class level to associate the
logical column with this level of the hierarchy.

9. Right-click Channel Class and select New Logical Level Key.

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10. In the Logical Level Key dialog box, verify that Channel Class and Use for drilldown are selected.
The level key defines the unique elements in each logical level. Each level key can consist of one or
more columns at this level.

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11. Click OK to close the Logical Level Key dialog box. The Channel Class column now displays with a
key icon.

12. Right-click the Class level and select New Object > Parent Level.

13. In the Logical Level dialog box, name the logical level Channel Total Attribute and set the Number
of elements at this level to 1.

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14. Click OK to close the Logical Level dialog box. The Channel Total Attribute level is added to the
hierarchy.

15. Right-click the Channel Total Attribute level and select Expand All.

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16. Drag the Channel Total column from the Channel Detail level to the Channel Total Attribute level.

17. Right-click Channel Total and select New Logical Level Key.

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18. In the Logical Level Key dialog box, verify that Channel Total and Use for drilldown are selected.

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19. Click OK to close the Logical Level Key dialog box. The Channel Total column now displays with a
key icon.

20. Right-click the Channel Desc column and select New Logical Level Key.

21. In the Logical Level Key dialog box, notice that Use for drilldown is selected.

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22. Click OK to close the Logical Level Key dialog. Both Channel Desc and Channel ID display with
key icons.

23. Double-click the Channels Detail level to open the Logical Level dialog box.

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24. Click the Keys tab.

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25. Click Channels Detail_Key.

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26. Click the Edit button.

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27. In the Logical Level Key dialog box, uncheck Use for drilldown.

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28. Click OK to close the Logical Level Key dialog box. Notice that the key icons are different. Channel
Desc is used for drill down Channels Detail_Key is not. Later, when a user drills down in Answers or a
dashboard, the default drill is to the level key that has Use for drilldown checked in the next lowest
level. Based on this example, when a user drills down from the Channel Class column (the next
highest level), the default is to drill down to the Channel Desc column, not the Channels Detail_Key
column.

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29. Click OK to close the Logical Level dialog box.

30. Place the cursor over the icon to display the screenshot and verify that the finished ChannelsDim
hierarchy looks like the picture.

31. Save the repository. Do not check global consistency.

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32. Optional: Build a dimension hierarchy for the Products logical table. Use the preceding steps, the
screenshot, and the characteristics below as a guide. Don't worry if you cannot complete this step. In
Part Two of this OBE, you use a different repository that already has the dimension hierarchies
prebuilt.

The ProductsDim dimension hierarchy should have the following characteristics:

For the Subcategory level, set Number of elements at this level to 21.
For the Category level, set Number of elements at this level to 5.
For the Product Total Attribute level, set Number of elements at this level to 1.
For the Products Detail level, uncheck Use for drill down for Products Detail_Key (Prod ID).
Check Use for drill down for all other keys in the ProductsDim hierarchy.
If you complete this step, save the repository. Do not check global consistency.