Deploy Discoverer Oracle Fusion Middleware Online Documentation Library

Introduction to Administering Discoverer with a Relational Data Source 3-9 What are the system prerequisites? Before you can use Discoverer Administrator: ■ A suitable database must be installed and available. An Oracle Enterprise Edition database will support the use of materialized views to improve the performance of summary folders. ■ Discoverer Administrator must have been installed on a PC, typically as part of a full Oracle Classic Suite installation. Before end users can use Discoverer, either one or both of the following must have been installed: ■ Discoverer Plus or Discoverer Viewer must have been installed on an application server machine and configured correctly as part of an Oracle Business Intelligence installation for more information, see the Oracle Fusion Middleware Configuration Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer ■ Discoverer Desktop must have been installed on the end users’ PCs. What are the data access prerequisites? To create and maintain a Discoverer system using Discoverer Administrator, you will require certain Discoverer privileges and database privileges: ■ to create an EUL you must have the privileges described in: ■ What privileges do you require to create an End User Layer in an Oracle database? ■ What privileges do you require to create an End User Layer in a non-Oracle database? ■ to manage an EUL you must have: ■ the Discoverer Administration privilege on the EUL ■ the Allow Administration privilege on business areas you want to modify ■ the SELECT database privilege on any tables you want to add to a business area ■ to install the sample data, see Chapter 27, Installing the Discoverer Sample Data EUL, Data, and Workbook . ■ to take advantage of the following Discoverer features, you need specific privileges: ■ Automated Summary Management for more information, see What are the prerequisites for creating summary folders with ASM? ■ manual summary folder creation for more information, see What are the prerequisites for creating summary folders manually in Discoverer? To use a Discoverer system, end users will require certain Discoverer and database privileges: ■ access to at least one EUL ■ access to at least one business area in the EUL ■ the SELECT database privilege granted either directly to database users or through a database role on the tables on which folders in a business area are based 3-10 Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrators Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer ■ to take advantage of the following Discoverer features, users need specific privileges ■ scheduled workbooks for more information, see What are the prerequisites for scheduling workbooks? ■ user PLSQL functions for more information, see What are custom PLSQL functions? About Discoverer using database parameters Discoverer uses several database parameters to take advantage of functionality that is available in the database. Database parameters need to be set to recommended values to achieve the expected outcome. You can specify database parameter values in the initialization file of the Oracle DBMS, the INITSID.ORA file. For example, the value you specify for timed_statistics will affect Discoverer’s query prediction feature. The following table lists the database parameters referenced in this guide, that are used by Discoverer. Database parameter Possible result if value is not set Description Recommended value timed_statistics No query prediction given. Related to enabling query prediction. For more information, see How to verify and change the timed_statistics parameter for query prediction . TRUE optimizer_mode No query prediction given. Related to enabling query prediction. For more information, see How to verify and change the optimizer_mode parameter for query prediction . CHOOSE optimizer_index_ cost_adj Slower queries. Related to tuning the way the Cost-Based Optimizer uses indexes. For more information, see the Oracle11g documentation. For more information, see your database administrator. optimizer_index_ caching Slower queries. Related to tuning the way the Cost-Based Optimizer uses indexes. For more information, see the Oracle11g documentation. For more information, see your database administrator. global_names Invalid connect strings. Related to setting up generic connectivity. For more information, see About setting up generic connectivity for Discoverer . FALSE failover_mode Database processes not relocated to alternative backup component on database failure. Related to enabling support for Transparent Application Failover. For more information, see How to enable Discoverer support for Transparent Application Failover . FAILOVER_ MODE=type retries type Database processes not relocated to alternative backup component on database failure. Sub-parameter of the failover_mode parameter. For more information, see How to enable Discoverer support for Transparent Application Failover . TYPE=SELECT retries Database processes not relocated to alternative backup component on database failure. Sub-parameter of the failover_mode parameter. For more information, see How to enable Discoverer support for Transparent Application Failover . RETRIES=5 Introduction to Administering Discoverer with a Relational Data Source 3-11 How to start Discoverer Administrator To start Discoverer Administrator:

1.

From the Windows Start menu, choose Programs | Oracle Business Intelligence Tools - BI_TOOLS_HOME_NAME | Discoverer Administrator to display the Connect to Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer Administrator dialog. Figure 3–2 Connect to Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer Administrator dialog

2. Enter the username of the database user with which you want to start Discoverer

Administrator in the Username field 3. Enter the password of the database user with which you want to start Discoverer Administrator in the Password field. Passwords are case-sensitive in Oracle databases Enterprise Edition release 11.1 or later.

4. Specify the database to connect to in the Connect field, using the following

guidelines: ■ if you are logging onto your default Oracle database, do not enter anything in the Connect field ■ if you are logging onto a different Oracle database, specify the name of the database if you are not sure which name to use, contact your database administrator

5. Click the Connect button to start Discoverer Administrator and connect to the

database. What you see next depends on your Discoverer system: ■ if you have access to one or more EULs, you are prompted to create a new business area or open an existing business area in your default EUL for more information, see Chapter 5, Creating and Maintaining Business Areas ■ if you do not have access to any EULs for example, if you are the first person to use Discoverer Administrator in your organization, or if you have not been given Administration privilege on any existing EULs, you are prompted to create a new EUL for more information, see How to create an End User Layer for an existing database user Notes ■ The Connect to Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer Administrator dialog might contain the Oracle Applications User check box. Select this check box if you want to use Discoverer Administrator to manage an EUL for use with Oracle 3-12 Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrators Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer Applications. For more information about using Discoverer with Oracle Applications, see Chapter 17, Using Discoverer with Oracle Applications . ■ You always start Discoverer Administrator in your default EUL. Your default EUL is the one specified on the Options dialog: Connection tab . If you want to change the EUL you are working in, you must change your default EUL and then reconnect to Discoverer Administrator for more information, see How to view or change the default End User Layer . ■ When you use Discoverer Administrator, you should make sure that no more than one current connection exists against a particular EUL. When you have a single connection against an EUL, you avoid the risk of unknowingly making conflicting changes to EUL objects. What is the Workarea? The Workarea is your view into the End User Layer. The Workarea is where you maintain the EUL by creating and editing: ■ business areas and folders and items ■ hierarchies ■ item classes ■ summary folders The Workarea window is displayed within the Discoverer Administrator main window. You can open more than one Workarea window at a time, which is useful when you want to copy objects between business areas. Note however that all Workarea windows contain the same business areas. About the tabs in the Workarea window The Workarea window contains four tabs: ■ The Data tab displays the structure and content of each business area. The Data tab enables you to: ■ create calculated items ■ create complex and custom folders ■ create joins ■ create conditions ■ create new business areas, folders, and items ■ modify object properties Introduction to Administering Discoverer with a Relational Data Source 3-13 Figure 3–3 Workarea window: Data tab For more information about the Data tab and the icons displayed on it, see Workarea: Data tab ■ The Hierarchies tab displays the hierarchies within each business area. The Hierarchies tab enables you to: ■ create new hierarchies ■ review the content and organization of existing hierarchies ■ view the hierarchy templates supplied with Discoverer Administrator The Show button on the Hierarchies tab enables you to specify the hierarchies that are displayed. Figure 3–4 Workarea window: Hierarchies tab For more information about the Hierarchies tab and the icons displayed on it, see Workarea: Data tab . ■ The Item Classes tab displays the item classes within each business area. The Item Classes tab enables you to: