Variables

Variables:
We can reference variables in several areas of OBIEE,Including in analyses,dashboards,KPIs,actions,agents and conditions.
They are four types of variables:
1.Session.
2.Repository.
3.Presentation.
4.Request.
Session Variables:
A session variable is a variable that is initialized at login time for each user.When a user begins a session,the Oracle BI Server creates a new instance of session variable and initializes it.
A system variable that the administrator creates and names.For example- Admin creates a salesregion non-system variable that initializes the name of a user's sales region.
There are many instances of a session variables as there are active sessions on the oracle Bi server.
Each instance of a session variable could be initialized to a different value.
There are two types of session variables:
1.System-- A session variable that the Oracle BI server and Oracle BI Presentation services use for specific purposes.
System session variables have resrved names that can not be used for other kinds of variables such as static or dynamic repository variables and non-system session variables.
Non-system-A system variable that the administrator creates and names.For example,the administrator might create a salesregion non-system variable that initializes the name of a user's sales region.
Repository variable: A repository variable is a variable that has a single value at any point in time.
There are two types of repository variables:
1.Static-- Repository variable whose value persist and do not change until the administrator decides to change them.
2.Dynamic- Repository variable whose values are refreshed by data returned from queries.
Presentation Variables:A presentation variable is a variable that you can create as part of the process of creating one of the following types of dashboard prompts.
1.Column Prompt--A presentation variable created as part of a column prompt is associated with a column,and the values that it can take from the column values

Creating Analyses

In the global header,Click New,then Analysis,then one of the following options:
1.Select a subject area.The analysis editor is displayed.
2.Create Direct database request.
3.Create Analysis from simple SQL.

Combining Columns using set opeartions:
1.Guidelines for selecting columns to combine.
When selecting columns to combine,keep the following guidelines in mind:
1.The number and data types of the columns to combine be the same.The number of rows that are returned for eack column can differ.
2.We can select columns from the same subject subjec area or from different area,but the columns must have some commonality.
3.Can select one set opeartion for one collection of criteria.
4.We can not use hierarchical columns,selection steps or grouos when you combine criteria.
5.We can not use Hierarchical columns,selection steps or groups when you combine criteria.
Difference between combining columns using set opeartions and adding columns from related subject areas.
1.Combining columns using set opeartions produce different results than adding columns from related subject areas:
-- When you combine columns using set operations,the analysis results show a single newly combined column governed by a set opeartion.
2.When we add columns from related subject area to an analysis,the results show each added column individually.

Types of Columns:

Attribute column -- It holds a flat list of values that are also known as members.
No hierarchical relationship exist between these members,as is the case for members of a hirerachical column.
An attribute column referred to as a presentation column.

Hierarchical column-- Holds data values that are organized using both named levels and parent-child relationships.This column is displayed using a tree like structure.
Hierarchies allow you to drill deeper into the data,to view more detailed information.Examples include Time or Geography.

Hierachical column types:
1.Level Based Hierarchy-- It consists of an ordered set of two or more levels.
For example-- A time hierarchy might have three levels for year,quarter and month.

2.Parent-Child Hierachy -- It consists of values that define the hierarchy in a parent-child realtionship and does not contain named levels.Example: An employee hierarchy might have no levels,but instead have names of employees who are managed by other employees.
Employees can have titles,such as vice president.Vice Presidents might report to other vice presidents and different vice presidents can be at diferent depths in the hierarchy.

Ragged Hierarchy: A hierarchy in which all the lowest level members do not have the same depth.
For Example: A time Hierachy might have data for the current month at the day level,the previous month's data at the month level and the previous 5 years data at quarter level--This type of hierarchy is also known as Unbalanced Hierarchy.
Skip-level Hierachy: A hierarchy in which certain memebrs do not have values for certain higher levels.
For example: In USA,washington dc is not belongs to state but it is city.

Analyses:An analyses is a query aganist an Organization's data that provides answers to Business questions.A query contains the underlying SQL statements that are issued to the OBI Server.
Analyses that you create can be saved in the OBI Presentation catalog and integrated into any Oracle BIEE Dashboard.

Subject Area contains folders,measure columns,attribute columns,hierachical columns and hierarchy levels that represent information about of an organization's business or about groups of users with an organization.
Subject Areas usually have names that correspond to the types of information that they contain,such as markerting contracts,service requests and orders.

Introduction to OBIEE 11G

1.To Collect up-to-date data from your organization.
2.Present the data in easy to understand formats.
3.Deliver data in a timely fashion to the employees in organization.
4.These capabilities enable organization to make better decisions,take informed actions and more-efficient business process.

In OBI we work with
1.Analyses:These are also known as Answers.
2.Dashboards:This consists of pages,which contains views , prompts,web links,etc.
3. Filters,Prompts and Selection steps:These allow to limit the data in displayed dashboards and analyses.
4.Agents:This is also known as Delivers.
5.Conditions:These are objects that return a single Boolean value that is based on evaluation of an analysis or Key performance indicators.
6.Actions:Actions provide functionality to navigate to related content or invoke operations,functions or process in external systems.
7.Scorecards:This area of OBIEE is known as Oracle Scorecard and Strategy Management.

Presentation catalog is to store of OBIEE Objects susch as analyses,dashboards and KPIs.
Users create their own folders and save their objects and share the objects depends upon the security access.