Learn Oracle XML Publisher

Installing the Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Enterprise Edition on Windows

2010-03-16T00:34:00.000-07:00

Hardware and Software Requirements

The following is a list of hardware and software requirements:

Oracle BI Server components:
- CPU and RAM: 1 GHz, 2 GB RAM, with two or more processors recommended
- Disk Space: 800 MB of hard disk space, plus appropriate disk space for cache storage and Scheduler results (temporary disk space of 2 GB)

Oracle BI Presentation Services components:
- CPU and RAM: 1 GHz, 2 GB RAM, with two or more processors recommended
- Disk Space: 500 MB of hard disk space, plus appropriate disk space for cache storage and log files (temporary disk space of 2 GB)

Cluster Server requirements:

	Machine hosting a clustered Oracle BI Server or a machine hosting both Oracle BI Server and Cluster Controller:
	- Processor and RAM: 1GHz, 2 GB RAM, with two or more processors recommended - Disk Space: 1 GB of hard disk space or better
	Machine only hosting a Cluster Controller:
	- Processor and RAM: 500 mhz, 256 MB minimum - Disk Space: 100 MB of hard disk space
	Shared File System for use as Repository Publishing Directory:
	- Disk Space: 200 MB of hard disk space - All Oracle BI Servers in the cluster need to have read/write access to the directory specified in the "Servers" parameter of the NQClusterConfig.ini file

Supported browsers include:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0
- Firefox 1.5.x
- Firefox 2.0
- Mozilla 1.7.x
- Netscape 7.2.x

Client operating systems:
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional with Service Pack 3 or later
- Microsoft Windows 2003 Professional with Service Pack 1 or later (32-bit only)
- Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 1 or later

Server operating systems:
- For Oracle BI Server: Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4/2003 Server

Microsoft Word 2000 or later (if installing BI Publisher)

This topic describes the process of downloading and running the installation wizard for the

Oracle BI EE platform components.

For this installation, a single instance of Oracle Database 10g is deployed locally.

1.	For this installation you need to download the software from OTN. Navigate to the directory where the files were unzipped, and double-click the setup.exe file located in the Windows\Server\Oracle_Business_Intelligence subdirectory.

The InstallShield Wizard appears and prepares your Java Virtual Machine

, enabling you to easily perform your Oracle BI EE installation using the wizard.

If you are running Windows 2003 or Windows XP, follow the instructions to disable

DEP (Data Execution Protection) if DEP is presently running on your machine;

otherwise, click Next.

In this step you choose both a product directory and a data directory. The Basic installation

type deploys components in stand-alone Oracle ApplicationContainers

for J2EE (OC4J) or in Microsoft IIS. If you are using Oracle Server 10.1.3.1.0 or later,

select Advanced.

This installation assumes that OC4J is used. Accept the default names for both directories

and accept the Basic installation type. Click Next.

Note: If you are running Oracle Application Server 10.1.3.1.0 or later and you have selected the Advanced option, you will be asked to choose: the Installation Type (Compete, Client Tools, and so forth), the application server running Presentation Services (Oracle Application Sever or Microsoft IIS), and the location for the server.
If you want to perform a custom installation, select the Advanced option and click Next. Select the Custom option button and click Next. Choose the components that you want to install and click Next.

Click the Complete option button to perform a full installation for this setup.

This installs the following components: Oracle BI Server, Oracle BI Presentation Services,

Oracle BI Client Tools, Oracle BI Disconnected Client, and Oracle BI Publisher.

Note: ODBC and JDBC drivers will be installed as well.

Click Next.

Next you choose the application server that runs Presentation Services and

Presentation Services Plug-Ins. Click the option button for Oracle Containers for

J2EE (OC4J) and click Next.

Now browse to locate your JDK location (JAVA_HOME environment variable).

Note: As mentioned in the Prerequisite section, you must be running

Java SDK version 1.5.0 or later.

Specify a password for the oc4jadmin password text box.

This password is used for future oc4j maintenance. Click Next.

Note: If you selected the Advanced option in step 4, you need to identify the location of the

Oracle Application Server.

Whether your server participates in a cluster or not, you need to choose how to start the services.

If you choose Automatic, machine boot time will increase. Click Next.

Accept the default error message language and click Next.

10.

A summary of your installation appears. Click Next.

11.

The InstallShield proceeds with the installation.

12.

A confirmation window appears after the installation has completed successfully. Click Next.

13.

A second summary window appears, providing you with useful information about OC4J. Click Next

14.

Click Finish to restart your machine.

Configuring Your Data Sources

After the InstallShield Wizard completes the Oracle BI platform installation, there are a number of additional tasks you must perform in order to properly configure the server components.

1.	The installation creates a sample repository file (paint.rpd) in\OracleBI\server\Repository. You use the Administration Tool to create, edit, and configure, or import a repository file. For this installation, an existing repository named sh.rpd is used. Copy sh.rpd from\SetupFiles to \OracleBI\server\Repository.
2.	The repository name, sh.rpd, must match the repository name within the NQSConfig.ini (or NQClusterConfig.ini, if you performed a cluster installation) file, which is also created during installation. The NQSConfig.ini file is located in \OracleBI\server\Config. Navigate to \OracleBI\server\Config and open the NQSConfig.ini file in Notepad and ensure that the entry matches your repository name. Close the configuration file. You will need to restart the Oracle BI Server service to load the new repository into memory. SelectStart > All Programs > Administrative Tools > Services. Select Oracle BI Server, right-click, and select Restart from the shortcut menu.
3.	Use the Windows Administrative Tools program to define the data source connection. Select Start > All Programs > Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC). The ODBC Data Source Administrator window appears. Click the System DSN tab. Click Add. When the Create New Data Source window appears, scroll down to locate the driver for the data source. Select your driver as indicated in the screenshot below and click Finish.
4.	The Oracle ODBC Driver Configuration window appears. The Data Source Name must be the same as the instance name, in this case, orcl SH. The TNS Service Name can be the service name name or the tnsnames entry name recorded in the tnsnames.ora file. For this installation, it is orcl. Note: If you run your setup on a different instance, your tnsnames.ora file may contain a different TNS Service Name. If this is the case, you must use this TNS Service Name. The User ID (sh) must match that within the connection pool. The connection pool is an object in the Physical layer of the repository that describes access to the data source. It contains information about the connection between the Oracle BI Server and that data source. It should be noted that the Data Source Name field for the connection pool within the Administration Tool must match the entry in your tnsnames.ora file. Note: When you create the Physical layer by importing a schema for a data source, the connection pool is created automatically. For additional information about creating the Physical layer and setting up connection pools and data sources, refer to the Oracle Business Intelligence Server Administration Guide.
5.	Click Test Connection. Enter the Service Name, User Name, and Password that correspond to the appropriate items in step 4, and click OK. The ODBC Driver Configuration tests successfully. Click OK twice to close the Oracle ODBC Driver Configuration window.

Back to Topic List

Testing Your Basic Installation

Now that you have successfully completed the installation and have created the data source connection, you need to verify that you can actually connect to your data source. You verify your data source connections by using the Administration Tool.

You begin by ensuring that your services have been started correctly. Select Start > All Programs > Administrative Tools > Services.

Oracle BI Server, Oracle BI Presentation Server, and Oracle BI Java Host should be running.

When verified, you open the Administration Tool. Select Start > All Programs > Oracle Business Intelligence > Administration.

The Oracle BI Administration Tool appears. You can open a repository for editing in either online or offline mode. You use online mode to view and modify a repository while it is loaded into the Oracle BI Server. Online mode allows you to perform tasks such as managing scheduled jobs, user sessions, and so on.

You want to verify that the connection pool parameters for your data source, sh.rpd, are correct.

Select File > Open > Online.

Enter the default Password, automatically set to "Administrator" during installation, and click Open.

The repository layers appear.

Expand the database object, orcl SH. Right-click the Connection Pool object and select Properties.

Click Yes to enable update capabilities for the repository.

The Connection Pool dialog box appears. Ensure that the following data items are accurate:

	Call interface: The call interface is the application program interface (API) that you use to access the data source. You use OCI for Oracle Database 10g. Other access methods include native APIs and a special call interface for XML.
	Data source name: The data source name is the name that you configured to connect to the database. This corresponds to the TNS Service Name.
	Shared logon and User name: Select the Shared logon check box if you want all users whose queries employ the connection pool to access the underlying database using the same user name and password. If this option is selected, then all connections to the database that employ the connection pool will use the user name and password specified in the connection pool.

You can modify the name of the connection pool that is automatically assigned by the system.

Click OK when you are satisfied with each attribute for the connection pool. When prompted to verify the password, enter sh.
Note: Sh is both the username and password.

Next, you should verify that you can actually access the data. Click the plus sign (+) to promote SH.

Move the cursor over the tables to view the row count for each. Notice that the row count has not yet been updated. When you request row counts, the Administration Tool retrieves the number of rows from the physical database for all or selected tables and columns (distinct values are retrieved for columns) and stores those values in the repository. If you successfully retrieve a count, you may surmise that you can access your data.

Right-click PRODUCTS and select Update Row Count.

The "Check out objects" dialog box appears. Click Yes.

The Physical layer table is updated. Move the cursor over Products to view the row count.

You can also verify that your connection pool is properly set up by checking the actual data. Once again, right-clickPRODUCTS. This time, select View Data.

The View Data from Table window appears and reiterates that you have successfully connected to your data source.

Next, you need to perform a consistency check on your repository. The consistency check analyzes the repository for certain kinds of errors and inconsistencies.

Repositories in online mode and the business models within them must pass the consistency check before you can make them available for queries. When a repository or business model is inconsistent, a detailed message alerts you to the nature of the inconsistency.
To check the consistency of a repository in the Administration Tool, select File > Check Global Consistency. The Consistency Check Manager window appears.
Click Check All Objects. An informational message alerts you if the repository is consistent.

If the repository is not consistent, a more detailed message will appear that contains information about the nature of the inconsistency. For example, if you created a business model that does not have a corresponding Presentation Catalog, a message will alert you and you will be prompted to create one.

Click Close.
For further information about the Oracle BI Server Administration Tool and the repository, refer to Creating a Repository Using the Oracle Business Intelligence Administration Tool (Oracle By Example).

Finally, you need to ensure that you are able to create a request and publish the request to a dashboard.

Note: After installation, the default catalog for Presentation Services is Paint. If you specify a name of your choice instead of Paint as the CatalogPath, you will eliminate this dashboard. You can change this entry in the CatalogPath by performing the following steps:
A. In Notepad, open the instanceconfig.xml file located in the\OracleBIData\web\config directory.
B. Locate the CatalogPath statement and change it to anything you choose. This is a sample catalog entry for My Dashboard:

C:/OracleBIData/web/catalog/default
In this example, default is the catalog name.
C. Save the new instanceconfig.xml file.
D. The first time you launch Presentation Services, default will be created automatically for you and an empty My Dashboard will appear.

If Oracle Business Intelligence is not currently open, select Start > All Programs > Oracle Business Intelligence > Presentation Services, enter Administrator in both the User ID and Password fields, and click Log In.

The My Dashboard page of Oracle Interactive Dashboards appears.
Click the Answers link.

Select the SH subject area.

You create a new request by selecting (clicking) each column from the Selection (left-hand) panel. They will be added to the Workspace area in the right-hand panel. Click these columns to add them to the Workspace area:Channel Class, Channel Description, Channel Total, Product Category, and Product Name.

The sample request Workspace area is provided below. Click Display Results.

The request completes.

Click Save Request , name the request My Request, and save it in My Folders.

Click OK.

10.

Now you verify that you can add a request to a dashboard.

Click the Dashboards link.

A blank My Dashboard page appears.

Click the Page Options drop-down list and select Edit Dashboard.

The Dashboard Editor window appears. Drag My Request from the pane on the left to the gray workspace area on the right. This gray area is actually a "Section" placeholder.

The Dashboard Editor window should look like this:

Click Save. My Dashboard appears with My Request.

Click the Log Out link and close your browser.

Best Wishes

Customizinge Seeded Reports in Oracle EBS Using XML Publisher

2010-01-24T23:57:00.000-08:00

Purpose

This tutorial covers the fundamental features of XML Publisher, in an Oracle E-Business Suite environment. You learn how to create templates and reports as well as how to publish your reports.
Topics
This tutorial covers the following topics:

Scenario
Prerequisites
Set the Oracle Reports Report Output to XML
Use Concurrent Manager to Create a Sample XML File
Create an RTF Template
Load XML Data in a Word Template
Insert Form Fields
Create a Table
Create a Data Definition for the Report
Use the Template Manager to Upload the Template
Run the Report with the Template
Summary

Scenario
This tutorial describes how to create a layout template for the Open Purchase Orders Report (by Buyer) (POXPOPAA). You create a Report that shows the Open Purchase Orders (by Buyer). This Report contains a Open Purchase Orders . You will then deploy the template to the Template Manager, run the report, and generate an output.

This course covers:

Data: You use a predefined Oracle Reports report from the Purchasing, Vision Operations (USA) application. This report is used as a data model for your report and generates data in XML format.
You use this XML file to create your layout template.
Layout Templates: You create a layout template for this report by using the BI Publisher Template Builder, an Add-in for Microsoft Word. BI Publisher Template Builder is one of the components that is installed with the BI Publisher Desktop.
Template Manager: You deploy your layout template by using the Template Manager in E-Business Suite. You can deploy multiple templates for the same report, run the report in E-Business Suite with any one of the layout templates, and then view the output.
Delivery: You can generate the report output in E-Business Suite with your template and deliver it via multiple delivery channels based on the choice of the end user or the recipient. Note: This is not covered in detail in this tutorial.

Prerequisites

- To complete this tutorial, you should have :
  The E-Business Suite 11.5.10 instance or higher.
  This tutorial is based on the E-Business Suite R12 .1.1instance.
-You must have the following responsibilities:
   - XML Publisher Administrator
   - System Administrator
  - Purchasing, Vision Operations (USA)

Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.4. and Microsoft .Net 2.0 on your Windows PC
Microsoft Word 2000 or Microsoft Word 2003 on your Windows PC
Set the Oracle Reports Report Output to XML
The first task is to set the Oracle Reports report to generate XML output. You do this as the System Administrator in the definition of the Concurrent Program for the Oracle Reports report.

1. Log in to your E-Business Suite instance.

2. Open the System Administrator responsibility. However, the screen below may not match with your environment. It depends on the responsibilities that you have. You may have to scroll down, and then click System Administrator.

3. Click the Define link from Concurrent: Program.

4. The Concurrent: Programs window appears. Select View > Query By Example and Enter from the Applications menu. Note that the color of the fields change to blue. You can also press [F11] to enter the query mode.

5. In the Short Name field, enter POXPOPAA. POXPOPAA is the short name for the report. You should always use this name to reference the report.

Take A copy from concurrent report to use for XML Template Output
Note :I recommend that don’t modify in seeded oracle report ,take a copy then do what you want,
Keep the original concurrent report and copy the concurrent with its parameters (see the next step)

6. In this example I will copy the concurrent report and keep the original concurrent
Hit the copy to button

7- Enter the Program name like “Open Purchase Order XML To PDF output”,ShortNmae like “PO-POXPOPAA” and Application like “Purchasing”
Be sure that you checked the c “include the incompatible Program” and “Include Program Parameters”

8 -Change the Output Format field to XML by using the drop-down list.

9 - Assign the report to the responsibility request group

- First get the request group name from system administrator:security:responsibility:Define
- F11 then enter then responsibility name “Purchasing, Vision Operations (USA)”

Note that request group for this responsibility is “All report”
10 - From the system administrator:security:responsibility:request
Find the request group “All repots” and Application “Purchasing”

Place the mouse curser In requests area then hit the new
Choose our concurrent program. Save the results by clicking the Save icon from the Applications menu.

Use Concurrent Manager to Create a Sample XML File
1 -To generate a sample XML data file for the “Open Purchase Order XML To PDF output”, you need to submit a request through Concurrent Manager to run the report and create the output in XML format.
2 -. Go to the E-Businee Suite's Home page and change the responsibility to Purchasing, Vision Operations (USA). Click Purchasing, Vision Operations (USA) in the left navigation bar.

3. The Submit a New Request dialog box appears. Select the Single Request option and click OK.

- In the Submit Requestdialog box, click the ellipses (...) next to the Name field.

- The Reports search dialog box appears. Enter open%purchase% and click Find.

- Select Open Purchase Order XML To PDF output from the list and click OK.

4 - Click on the Parameters field to enter other values for the report, a Parameters dialog box comes up.

5 - A Decision dialog box appears. Note the Request ID and click No, because you would not be submitting any requests now.

6 - From the Applications menu, select View : Requests.

7 - In the Find Requests window, select the All My Requests option and click Find.

8 - In the Requests window, search for your request and check the status of the report. If the request is completed, click the View Output button.

Oops The XML page cannot be displayed
If you have this message in your browser please open the program in othe prowser like firefox

9 - View the report in a another browser. Because no template is associated with the report and you have requested an XML output, the report is an XML file .from browser choose View menu :page source copy and paste XML Code. Save the XML file as OPENPO.xml in your local drive.

Create an RTF Template

BI Publisher supports several types of templates. RTF templates are the most common and provide a wide range of output formats. You can use the BI Publisher Template Builder, which is an Add-in to Microsoft Word, to build an RTF template. Make sure that you have installed Template Builder or BI Publisher Desktop before creating the templates.

1 - Load XML Data in a Word Template
You have to open a layout template and load the XML data. To load the XML data, perform the following steps:
- Open the Microsoft Word. . Any image can be inserted by using the Insert : Picture: From File from the Microsoft Word menu.

2 - Select Data : Load XML Data from the BI Publisher menu.

3 - In the Please select XML data dialog box, select the customer.xml file and click Open.
4 - When the "Data loaded successfully" message appears, click OK.

5 - Insert Table Fields
Now don’t care about how to formatting your report this will be later in details in my blogs
To insert Table With Content , perform the following steps:
- Select Add-in as follow.

6 - I Consider that the template will look like this after needed formatting

7. Click File and Save from Microsoft Word menu to save the template as *. rtf . then Click Preview:PDF from BI Publisher menu to view the report in PDF.

Create a Data Definition for the Report

To publish your report, you must register the data source that would be merged with the template. When you register your layout template file (in the next section), you must assign to it a data definition that exists in the Template Manager. This associates the two at run time.
Note that multiple templates can use the same data definition.
To create a data definition, perform the following steps:
1 - Log in to E-Business Suite and click XML Publisher Administrator to change to the XML Publisher Administrator responsibility.
2 - Click the Data Definitions link and you will be on the Data Definition tab for XML Publisher. Click the Create Data Definition button to create a new data definition.

3. Under Create Data Definition, fill the form as shown below. It is critical that you use the correct short name of the Concurrent Program - PO-POXPOPAA to correctly link this data definition to the underlying Concurrent Program and Oracle Reports report. For the Name field, you can use whatever you like. In this tutorial, use " Open Purchase Order XML To PDF output " Click Apply.

4. You should see a confirmation message. Now you have successfully created the data definition for the Open Purchase Order XML To PDF output.

Use the Template Manager to Upload the Template
1. On the Template tabbed page for XML Publisher, click Create Template.

2. Enter the template name as Po-tracking template - Template. Select Application name as Purchasing using the Lookup icon. Enter code as PO-POXPOPAA.
3. Click the Lookup icon next to the Data Definition field, enter the name of data definition PO-tr%, the name from step 1 and then click Go. Select Open Purchase Order XML To PDF output option from the list and click Select.

4. Select the template type as RTF from the Type drop-down list. Remember, you had saved your template as an RTF file.
5. You now need to upload the template that you created in Microsoft Word. To select the template file you created, scroll down to the Template File section. For File, browse and open the fileOpen Purchase Order XML To PDF - PO-OpenPO.rtf.

6. Select the Language as English.
7.Click Apply. You should get a message that your template has been created successfully.

Back to Topic List
Run the Report with the Template
1. Change to the Purchasing, Vision Operations (USA) responsibility from the E-Business Suite Application Home page. Click Run link from Control : Requests.

2. The Submit a New Request window appears. Select the Single Request option and click OK.

3. In the Submit Request window, click the ellipses (...).

4. The Reports search window appears. Enter open% in the Find field and click Find.

5. Select Customer Open Purchase Order XML To PDF and click OK.

- Then choose option

10. Note that in the Layout field, the layout template file is listed. Click the Options button to see the other options select the format which you want

11. You return to the Submit Request window. Click Submit to execute the request.
12. From the Applications menu, select View :Requests.
13. In the Find Requests window, select the All My Requests option and click Find.
16. In the Requests window, search for your Job ID and check the status. If the job is completed, click the View Output button.
17.. Click the View Output button to view the report in a browser. Note that the report is displayed with the layout in the template. You can also associate other templates with the same data definition.

Summary
In this lesson, you learned how to:

Set an Oracle Reports Report Output to XML
Use Concurrent Manager to Create a Sample XML File
Create an RTF Template
Create a Data Definition for the Report
Use the Template Manager to Upload the Template
Run the Report with the Template

ًWith My Best Wishes

Oracle BI Publisher

2010-01-23T05:05:00.002-08:00

XML Publisher, which is also called Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (BI Publisher), is a template-based reporting tool that leverages standard technologies for data extraction and display. Business users can build the layout and rules for the report themselves by using common desktop tools. Development engineers can concentrate on extracting data in the most efficient manner. Deployment time is faster. Also, business users with minimal training can design templates and reports based on the data sources provided by engineers, thus greatly reducing the cost of ownership.

More Information
Oracle BI Publisher is a new Java-based product that is available with both Oracle BI Server and
the technology stack of Oracle E-Business Suite. It is an easy-to-use, template-based publishing
solution that enables customers to rapidly develop and maintain report formats. It is built on
standard, well-known technologies such as XML and enables customers to take advantage of
familiar tools such as Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat.
Oracle BI Publisher consists of:
• A library of APIs
• An integrated architecture with Oracle E-Business Suite
• A reporting tool providing “rich” output options
• A friendly solution that provides control of the report design layout to the customer to
decrease the overall costs associated with customization and maintenance

What Can Oracle BI Publisher Do?

Financial reports
Business reports
Invoices
Purchase orders
Sales orders
Contracts
Government forms
Tax forms
Marketing materials
XML
EFT and EDI (eText documents)

Disadvantage Of Classic Reporting Tool Issues

High development cost
High customization cost
Difficult upgrade

Classic Reporting Tool Disadvantages:

One Input, One output

Classic reporting approaches combine the data definition, the layout format, and the translation

in a single source. This leads to large numbers of report files; a single data definition (query) can

support several layouts. But, due to the nature of the Report Definition File, the user must create

and maintain a separate report for each combination. Now add the required translation, and the

number of report definitions becomes extremely large.

The tools used to create these reports are typically powerful but complex and require a high level

of technical training to be used effectively.

If a company takes a development-delivered report and must customize it, the only option is to

take a copy of that report definition, make the required changes, and then use it. If development

upgrades the base report, any changes must be propagated through to the customized report.

These three factors lead to an increase in maintenance and customization costs and an extremely

difficult and complex upgrade.

In Oracle E-Business Suite prior to Oracle BI Publisher, reporting was accomplished using

Oracle Reports. The definitions used by Oracle Reports are kept in Report Definition Files

(RDFs).

Oracle BI Publisher: Advantages

BI Publisher breaks the three components apart and treats them separately at design time. At run

time, the three are brought back together by BI Publisher to generate the final formatted,

translated output. There is an immediate gain because this model is far more flexible; that is,

a single data definition can support multiple layouts, and multiple translations can be applied at

run time to generate translated output. This leads to a reduction in maintenance costs for all

concerned.

Oracle BI Publisher Advantages:

One Template, Multiple Sources

Oracle BI Publisher

Meeting Business Requirements
BI Publisher meets your business needs directly out of the box. You can rapidly deploy it into
your own environments.
BI Publisher reduces your total cost of ownership and increases the return on your investment

Why Use Oracle BI Publisher?

• Reduces complexity

• Reduces time to develop, test, and deploy

• Reduces total cost, including maintenance

• Increases developer productivity

• Enables flexible customization

• Follows Oracle development standards

• Enables ease of use

E-Business Suite Uses Oracle BI Publisher

• HRMS

• DBI/PMV

• Purchasing

• Contracts

• Sourcing

• Quoting

• FSG

• eRecords

• Loans

• Financial

Consolidation Hub

• AP/AR/FA

• Order Management

• iStore

• Project Contracts

• Marketing

• Student Services

• Discrete Mfg

• Process Mfg

• Bill Presentment

• Internal Controls Mgr

• Global Financials

• SCM

• Projects, and others

Best Wishes

Oracle XML Publisher Desktop Setup

2010-01-23T05:05:00.000-08:00

This tutorial covers the Setup of XML Publisher, also known as Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (BI Publisher), in an Oracle E-Business Suite environment

You can download the BI Publisher Desktop from Oracle

Download the BI Publisher Desktop by clicking the BI Publisher Desktop 10.1.3.2.1 for Windows link on the page link given above.You can save the download anywhere (for example, in E:\Source ). After the download is complete, install BI Publisher Desktop. Open File Explorer and navigate to the download directory (for example, E:\Source\XMLP_DESKTOP). Double-click setup.exe to start the installation process. A set of installation wizard pages guide you through the installation process.

Select English, and then click Next.

On the InstallShield Wizard screen, click Next

Enter the location where Java Runtime Exist and click Next.

Enter the location where you want to install BI Publisher Desktop and click Next

The installation proceeds:

When the installation is complete, click Finish.

After BI Publisher Desktop is installed, open Microsoft Word. Note a menu item named Add-Ins Publisher on the menu bar and a new toolbar.

Best Wishes

Creating Reports in Oracle E-Business Suite Using XML Publisher

2010-01-17T05:24:00.001-08:00

Creating Reports in Oracle E-Business Suite Using XML Publisher

Purpose

This tutorial covers the fundamental features of XML Publisher, also known as Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (BI Publisher), in an Oracle E-Business Suite environment. You learn how to create templates and reports as well as how to publish your reports.

Time to Complete

Approximately one hour

Topics

This tutorial covers the following topics:

	Overview
	Scenario
	Prerequisites
	Install Oracle XML Publisher / BI Publisher Desktop
	Set the Oracle Reports Report Output to XML
	Use Concurrent Manager to Create a Sample XML File
	Create an RTF Template
	Load XML Data in a Word Template
	Insert Form Fields
	Create a Table
	Create a Data Definition for the Report
	Use the Template Manager to Upload the Template
	Run the Report with the Template
	Summary

Viewing Screenshots

Place the cursor over this icon to load and view all the screenshots for this tutorial. (Caution: This action loads all screenshots simultaneously, therefore the response time may be more depending on your Internet connection.)

Note: Alternatively, you can place the cursor over an individual icon in the following steps to load and view only the screenshot associated with that step. You can hide an individual screenshot by clicking it.

Overview

XML Publisher, which is also called Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (BI Publisher), is a template-based reporting tool that leverages standard technologies for data extraction and display. Business users can build the layout and rules for the report themselves by using common desktop tools. Development engineers can concentrate on extracting data in the most efficient manner. Deployment time is faster. Also, business users with minimal training can design templates and reports based on the data sources provided by engineers, thus greatly reducing the cost of ownership.

Back to Topic List

Scenario

This tutorial describes how to create a layout template for the Receivables Customer Balance Letter (ARXCOBLX). You create a letter that shows the outstanding balance for a customer. This letter contains a table of all unpaid or partially paid invoices. You will then deploy the template to the Template Manager, run the report, and generate an output.

This course covers:

Data: You use a predefined Oracle Reports report from the Receivables, Vision Operations (USA) application. This report is used as a data model for your report and generates data in XML format. You use this XML file to create your layout template.
Layout Templates: You create a layout template for this report by using the BI Publisher Template Builder, an Add-in for Microsoft Word. BI Publisher Template Builder is one of the components that is installed with the BI Publisher Desktop.
Template Manager: You deploy your layout template by using the Template Manager in E-Business Suite. You can deploy multiple templates for the same report, run the report in E-Business Suite with any one of the layout templates, and then view the output.
Delivery: You can generate the report output in E-Business Suite with your template and deliver it via multiple delivery channels based on the choice of the end user or the recipient. Note: This is not covered in detail in this tutorial.

Because, this complete process is integrated into the Concurrent Manager, users will have the same report submission experience they currently have.

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Prerequisites

To complete this tutorial, you should have:

1.	The E-Business Suite 11.5.10 instance or higher. This tutorial is based on the E-Business Suite R12 instance. You must have the following responsibilities: - XML Publisher Administrator - System Administrator - Receivables, Vision Operations (USA)
2.	Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.4. and Microsoft .Net 2.0 on your Windows PC
3.	Microsoft Word 2000 or Microsoft Word 2003 on your Windows PC
	Note: Screen captures for this tutorial were taken in a Windows XP environment. Start menu options may thus vary slightly.

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Install Oracle XML Publisher Desktop/BI Publisher Desktop

You can use XML Publisher Desktop / Template Builder 5.6.3 or any later versions. In this tutorial, BI Publisher Desktop 10.1.3.2.1 is used. You can download the BI Publisher Desktop from here.

1.	Download the BI Publisher Desktop by clicking the BI Publisher Desktop 10.1.3.2.1 for Windows link on the page link given above. You can save the download anywhere (for example, in C:\temp). After the download is complete, install BI Publisher Desktop. Open File Explorer and navigate to the download directory (for example, C:\temp). Double-click BIPublisherDesktop.exe to start the installation process. A set of installation wizard pages guide you through the installation process.
2.	Select English, and then click Next.
3.	On the InstallShield Wizard screen, click Next.
4.	Enter the location where you want to install BI Publisher Desktop and click Next. The installation proceeds:
5.	When the installation is complete, click Finish.
6.	After BI Publisher Desktop is installed, open Microsoft Word. Note a menu item named Oracle BI Publisher on the menu bar and a new toolbar.

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Set the Oracle Reports Report Output to XML

The first task is to set the Oracle Reports report to generate XML output. You do this as the System Administrator in the definition of the Concurrent Program for the Oracle Reports report.

1.	Log in to your E-Business Suite instance.
2.	Open the System Administrator responsibility. However, the screen below may not match with your environment. It depends on the responsibilities that you have. You may have to scroll down, and then click System Administrator.
3.	Click the Define link from Concurrent: Program.
4.	Click Run, if the Warning - Security window is displayed.
5.	The Concurrent: Programs window appears. Select View > Query By Example > Enter from the Applications menu. Note that the color of the fields change to blue. You can also press [F11] to enter the query mode.
6.	In the Short Name field, enter ARXCOBLX. ARXCOBLX is the short name for the report. You should always use this name to reference the report. Change the Output Format field to XML by using the drop-down list.
7.	Run the query through Concurrent Programs. Select View > Query By Example > Run from the Applications menu to run the query. Alternatively, you can press [CTRL] + [F11] to run the query.
8.	After the query is executed, note that the rest of the fields get filled up automatically. Save the results by clicking the Save icon from the Applications menu.

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Use Concurrent Manager to Create a Sample XML File

To generate a sample XML data file for the Customer Open Balance Letter, you need to submit a request through Concurrent Manager to run the report and create the output in XML format.

1.	Go to the E-Businee Suite's Home page and change the responsibility to Receivables, Vision Operations (USA). Click Receivables, Vision Operations (USA) in the left navigation bar. However, the screen below may not match with your environment. It depends on the responsibilities that you have.
2.	Scroll down and click Run link from Control : Requests to open the request submission form. You may have to wait for the Applications form to appear the first time you access it.
3.	The Submit a New Request dialog box appears. Select the Single Request option and click OK.
4.	In the Submit Requestdialog box, click the ellipses (...) next to the Name field.
5.	The Reports search dialog box appears. Enter customer% and click Find.
6.	Select Customer Open Balance Letter from the list and click OK.
7.	Click on the Parameters field to enter other values for the report, a Parameters dialog box comes up. In the As of date field enter: 01-Jan-2006.

8.	To enter the customer name, scroll to the right and click the ellipses (...) next to the Customer Name From field. In the Longlist dialog box, enter a% and click OK.
9.	Select A. C. Networks from the list and click OK.
10.	Note that A. C. Networks is entered in both the Customer Name From and Customer Name To fields. Click OK.
11.	To submit the request, click Submit.
12.	A Decision dialog box appears. Note the Request ID and click No, because you would not be submitting any requests now.
13.	From the Applications menu, select View > Requests.
14.	In the Find Requests window, select the All My Requests option and click Find.
15.	In the Requests window, search for your Job ID and check the status of the job. If the job is completed, click the View Output button.
16..	View the report in a browser. Because no template is associated with the report and you have requested an XML output, the report is an XML file. Save the XML file as customer.xml in your local drive.

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Create an RTF Template

BI Publisher supports several types of templates. RTF templates are the most common and provide a wide range of output formats. You can use the BI Publisher Template Builder, which is an Add-in to Microsoft Word, to build an RTF template. Make sure that you have installed Template Builder or BI Publisher Desktop before creating the templates. You use an existing RTF template file named Balance Letter Start.rtf. Download the starting template from here and save the RTF file in C:\temp.

	Load XML Data in a Word Template
	Insert Form Fields
	Create a Table

Load XML Data in a Word Template

You open a layout template and load the XML data. To load the XML data, perform the following steps:

1.	Open the file named Balance Letter Start.rtf in Microsoft Word. This is a predefined template. In this template, the header, footer, Oracle logo, and page numbering in the header is added. It also has a text in the footer. These are done using the Microsoft Word features. Any image can be inserted by using the Insert > Picture > From File from the Microsoft Word menu.
2.	Select Data > Load XML Data from the BI Publisher menu.
3.	In the Please select XML data dialog box, select the customer.xml file and click Open.
4.	When the "Data loaded successfully" message appears, click OK.

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Insert Form Fields

To insert form fields in the customer letter, perform the following steps:

1.	Select and select Insert > Field from the BI Publisher menu.
2.	Select Customer Name from the Field dialog box and click Insert.
3.	Place the cursor in the line below Customer Name and select Address Line 1. Click Insert. Similarly, insert Address Line 3, Address Line 4, City, State, and Country. Close the Field dialog box.
4.	Select . Select Insert > Field from the BI Publisher menu. Select C As of Date Display and click Insert.
5.	Similarly, change the other fields as follows: as TRX CURRENCY CODE as C_INV_OPEN_BALANCE
6.	Click File>Save from Microsoft Word menu to save the template. Click Preview>PDF from BI Publisher menu to view the report in PDF.

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Create a Table

In this letter, you create a table of all unpaid or partially paid invoices. To create the table, perform the following steps:

1.	Select the text in the layout template. Select Insert > Table Wizard from the BI Publisher menu.
2.	In the Table Wizard window, select the Table option and click Next.
3.	For Grouping Field, select the last item with List of Invoices from the drop-down list. Click Next.
4.	Select the fields shown in the image below and move them to the right column. Click Next.
5.	In the Group By window, click Next. There is no group for the data in the letter.
6.	In the Sort By window, select Transaction Date from the drop-down list. Let the sort be Ascending order, which is the default. Click Finish.
7.	Your template should appear similar to the image below. Use the Microsoft Word features to modify the look and feel, and adjust the columns of the template.
8.	Use the Microsoft Word features to change the column headings as shown.
9.	Enter a new row at the end of the table to display the total for Amount Due. Place the cursor inside the last row and from the menu, select Table > Insert > Rows Below. Enter Total for the Amount column in the new row.
10.	Add the total of Amount Due for the customer in the last column. Click anywhere in the empty cell to the right of the Total cell. Select Insert > Field.
11.	In the Field window, select Trans Amount Remaining and sum from the Calculation drop-down list. Click Insert, and then click Close.
12.	Your table should appear similar to the image below:
13.	For better reading, change the data type and format for the date and amount fields. Select and double_click the C_AS_OF_DATE_DISPLAY field. The Text Form Field Options window appears. Change Type to Date. Change the date format as shown below.
14.	Similarly change the format for the Transaction Date column.
15.	Select and double-click TRANS_AMOUNT. Select the Number format $#,##0.00 and edit it as shown below. Enter $999 in the Default number field. Click OK. Similarly, change the format for Trans Amount Remaining and sum Trans Amount Remaining.
16.	Select TRX_NUMBER and click the Center align icon on the Microsoft Word toolbar. Similarly, center-align the Date field and right-align all the amount fields.
17.	Save the template as Balance Letter - Template.rtf and preview in PDF format. Select Preview > PDF from the BI Publisher menu. The preview report displays with the sample data. You can add other Microsoft Word features to the template.

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Create a Data Definition for the Report

To publish your report, you must register the data source that would be merged with the template. When you register your layout template file (in the next section), you must assign to it a data definition that exists in the Template Manager. This associates the two at run time. Note that multiple templates can use the same data definition.
To create a data definition, perform the following steps:

1.	Log in to E-Business Suite and click XML Publisher Administrator to change to the XML Publisher Administrator responsibility. However, the screen below may not match with your environment. It depends on the responsibilities that you have.
2.	Click the Data Definitions link and you will be on the Data Definition tab for XML Publisher. Click the Create Data Definition button to create a new data definition.
3.	Under Create Data Definition, fill the form as shown below. It is critical that you use the correct short name of the Concurrent Program - ARXCOBLX to correctly link this data definition to the underlying Concurrent Program and Oracle Reports report. For the Name field, you can use whatever you like. In this tutorial, use "Customer Balance Data Definition." Click Apply.
4.	You should see a confirmation message. Now you have successfully created the data definition for the Customer Balance Letter.

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Use the Template Manager to Upload the Template

1.	On the Template tabbed page for XML Publisher, click Create Template.
2.	Enter the template name as Customer Balance Letter - Template. Select Application name as Receivables using the Lookup icon. Enter code as ARXCOBLX.
3.	Click the Lookup icon next to the Data Definition field, enter cust%, and then click Go. Select the Customer Balance Data definition option from the list and click Select.
4.	Select the template type as RTF from the Type drop-down list. Remember, you had saved your template as an RTF file.
5.	You now need to upload the template that you created in Microsoft Word. To select the template file you created, scroll down to the Template File section. For File, browse and open the file called Balance Letter - Template.rtf.
6.	Select the Language as English.
7.	Here is what your template form should look like. Click Apply. You should get a message that your template has been created successfully.

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Run the Report with the Template

1.	Change to the Receivables, Vision Operations (USA) responsibility from the E-Business Suite Application Home page. Click Run link from Control : Requests.
2.	The Submit a New Request window appears. Select the Single Request option and click OK.
3.	In the Submit Request window, click the ellipses (...).
4.	The Reports search window appears. Enter customer% in the Find field and click Find.
5.	Select Customer Open Balance Letter from the list and click OK.
6.	Click on the Parameters dialog box, where you will enter other values for the report. In the As of date field enter 01-Jan-2006.
7.	To enter the customer name, scroll right and click the ellipses (...). In the Longlist dialog box, enter a% and click OK.
8.	Select A. C. Networks from the list and click OK.
9.	Note that A. C. Networks is automattically entered in both the Customer Name From and Customer Name To fields. Click OK.
10.	Note that in the Layout field, the layout template file is listed. Click the Options button to see the other options that you can set after the report is completed.
11.	The Upon Completion.. window appears. In this window, you can specify what actions can be taken after the job is executed. You can notify one or more people about the report. You can send the report to be printed. For the purpose of this tutorial, you do not print it. Click OK.
12.	You return to the Submit Request window. Click Submit to execute the request.
13.	Note the Request ID that is displayed in the the Decision dialog box and click NO.
14.	From the Applications menu, select View > Requests.
15.	In the Find Requests window, select the All My Requests option and click Find.
16.	In the Requests window, search for your Job ID and check the status. If the job is completed, click the View Output button.
17..	Click the View Output button to view the report in a browser. Note that the report is displayed with the layout in the template. You can also associate other templates with the same data definition.

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Summary

In this lesson, you learned how to:

	Install Oracle XML Publisher Desktop / BI Publisher Desktop
	Set an Oracle Reports Report Output to XML
	Use Concurrent Manager to Create a Sample XML File
	Create an RTF Template
	Create a Data Definition for the Report
	Use the Template Manager to Upload the Template
	Run the Report with the Template

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Related Information

In this tutorial, you learned how to create reports using XML Publisher in an E-Business Suite environment. XML Publisher is also available as a stand-alone product, which is known as Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (BI Publisher). BI Publisher has easy-to-use wizards and additional features that enable access to a wider range of data sources, such as relational databases that provide JDBC connections, XML feeds via HTTP, and Web services. BI Publisher speeds up template creation and report definition, and provides a greater variety of template types and output formats (you can create templates using Excel to create Excel worksheets or Adobe Flex to create Flash output). To learn more about Oracle BI Publisher, select several other Oracle Technology Network (OTN) tutorials from here.

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