discoverer

Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights reserved.®

Using Discoverer 4i Plus


14-2

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able todo the following:

• Connect to Discoverer 4i Plus using a Web browser

• Describe the Discoverer 4i Plus window

• Work with saved workbooks

• Create and format new workbooks

• Apply conditions, calculations, totals, percentages, and parameters

• Drill Up or Down for data

• Chart worksheet data

• Export worksheets and graphs to other applications


14-3

Discoverer Plus


14-4

Discoverer Plus


14-5

Discoverer Plus Window


14-6

The Toolbar

Table/Crosstab LayoutTable/Crosstab LayoutExport

Shortcuts


14-7

Setting Options


14-8

The Workbook

1 2


14-9

Opening a Workbook from the Database


14-10

Opening a Scheduled Workbook


14-11

Opening a Workbook with Parameters


14-12

Multiple Values in a Parameter

1

2


DRILL

• Drilling is a common operation performed by users to get more details about the data that the user is interested in during analysis. Typically, you drill down into data to analyze it at a finer level of detail, and drill up to get the

"bigger picture."


14-14

DRILL

Drill to itemItems in a particular sheet that can be drilled (an item hierarchy has been set up to include this item) would have a drill icon displayed in front of the heading in the header area of the table/crosstab. When user clicks on this icon a drill menu containing all the drill targets would be displayed as

shown in the following


14-15

DRILL

Crosstab drill using the drill icons

1)Drill Down on Single value of an item

The drilled data has to be displayed at the immediate lower to the level from which the drill is performed. The data drill happens only to the data value on which the drill is performed. Drill is not performed to all other item values. All other item values are

collapsed until the level of the item on which the drill is performed.


14-16

DRILL

Before performing drill


14-17

DRILL

After performing drill


14-18

DRILL

Drill UP It means that drill applied to move up in the hierarchy. The drilled data is displayed at the immediate upper to the level from which the drill is performed. The item on which the drill is performed is removed from the sheet .


14-19

DRILL

Drill UP In the following fig, it is already drilled down to City level from Region, here it is drilled UP from City level to Region


14-20

DRILL

Drill UP The following figure reflects the result of drill up


14-21

DRILL

Collapse option for CrosstabBefore applying Collapse on single value of an item


14-22

DRILL

After applying Collapse on single value of an item.


14-23

Drilling Out to Other Applications


14-24

Creating Workbooks


14-25

Editing Worksheet


14-26

Creating Conditions


14-27

Format Masks


Calculations


14-29

New Calculation Dialog

Combo box which show

•Functions

•Selected Items

•Available Items

•Calculations

•Parameters

Formula Area

Basic Arithmetic Operations


14-30

Formula Area

• The Arithmetic Expression is displayed in this area

• Either we can Click the button for the operators or we can type from the Keyboard

• We can select the items and paste the items if you are using those items for the calculation, but here you can’t type the items names from the keyboard

• if you enter a invalid expression then Discoverer will popup a Error message.


14-31

Basic Arithmetic opertations

• Addition

• Subtraction

• Division

• Multiplication

• Concatination

• Percentage

Precedence of the operators is as in all the programming languages


14-32

Other Function

Select ‘f(x) Functions’ from the Show Combobox. The List box show the following Items in tree structure

•All Functions

•Analytic

•Conversion

•Database

•Date

•Group

•Numeric

•Others

•String

Here the All Functions is the collection of all others groups listed above


14-33

Analytic Functions

Functions that can be applied on Data points are listed under this group. Some of them are listed below

Example: AVG function has the expression

AVG(n) OVER (PARTITION BY expr1 [ORDER BY expr2 RANGE BETWEEN expr3 and expr4])

The CAPITAL letters represents the keyword and the small letters represent the value to be given.

•COUNT

•MAX

•MIN

•RANK

•STDDEV

•SUM

•VARIANCE

•CORR


14-34

Conversion Functions

• These functions are applicable only for non Data point items like strings items, Date items etc.

• Basically this functions are used to convert from one Type to another

some of the functions are listed below

•CHARTOROWID

•ROWIDTOCHAR

•HEXTORAW

•RAWTOHEX

•CONVERT

•TO_CHAR

•TO_DATE

•TO_LABEL

•TO_NUMBER

•TO_MULTI_BYTE

•TO_SINGLE_BYTE


14-35

Date Functions

Functions which manipulate with Date data type are listed in this group. The Syntax are as same as in SQL. Some of them are listed below

•ADD_MONTHS

•LAST_DAY

•MONTHS_BETWEEN

•NEW_TIME

•NEXT_DAY

•ROUND

•SYSDATE

•TRUNC


14-36

Group Functions

• The Function which can be applied for a non grouped item. We can say that these functions are Sub-group of Analytical function.

• The difference is analytic functions has constraints to specify inorder to concentrate on the data we are looking for, but group function will generally apply on all the data.

• Analytic functions are applicable for boths grouped and non-grouped item, ie ‘Profit SUM’ as well as ‘Profit’, but Group Function is applicable for only non-grouped items


14-37

Contd…...

• The Functions listed in Analytic functions are applicable to this also. the Syntax is changed

Example : AVG function has the expression

AVG(n)

n is the non-grouped item say ‘Profit’


14-38

Numeric Function

• All the Arithmetic operators comes under this group

• Trignometric functions like SIN, COS, TAN etc

• Arithmetic function like CEIL, FLOOR, ROUND, SQRT, POWER etc

• These function are only applicable for Data points

• The use of these function is same as in SQL


14-39

Others

Other functions supported by Discoverer which are supported by SQL, some of the are listed below

•CASE

•DECODE

•DUMP

•GREATEST

•LEAST

•NVL

•NVL2

•ROWNUM

•UID

•USER

•VSIZE


14-40

String Function

Function which can applied on String data types, ie varchar2, some of them are listed below

•ASCII

•CHR

•CONCAT

•INITCAP

•LENGTH

•LOWER

•UPPER

•LPAD/RPAD

•LTRIM/RTRIM

•NLSSORT

•SOUNDEX

•REPLACE

•SUBSTR/SUNSTRB

•TRANSLATE


14-41

Selected Items & Available Items

• ‘Selected Item’ lists all the Selected items, which we have selected for the worksheet

• ‘Available Items’ lists all the remaining items which can be accessed in the Business Area


14-42

Calculations & Parameters

• ‘Calculations’ lists the existing calculations, which is already created. if no calculation is created then display the message

• ‘Parameters’ lists the existing parameters, which is already created. if no parameters is created then display the message


14-43

Calculated items

• These items forms a column and display along with the datapoints.

• Error messages are show if the expression is wrong, or after querying whether to continue or revert back

• The Calculated item name should be unique


14-44

Creating Totals and Percentages


14-45

Creating Parameters


14-46

Selecting the Graph Type


14-47

Creating Titles, Totals, and Series


14-48

Setting X-Axis and Y-Axis Options


14-49

Setting Plot Area Options


14-50

Setting Legend Options


14-51

Positioning Graph


14-52

Changing Graph Type


14-53

Exporting Graphs

• Graphs can be exported to the following formats:

– GIF

– HTML

• You can also specify the size of the graph to be exported


14-54

Exporting Graph


14-55

Exporting Results


14-56

Exporting a Table and Crosstab Worksheet to Excel

Table worksheet Crosstab worksheet


14-57

Exporting to HTML, Excel, and Notepad

1 2


14-58

Export Status


14-59

Summary

In this lesson, you should have learned how to:

• Connect to Discoverer 4i Plus using a Web browser

• Describe the Discoverer 4i Plus window

• Work with saved workbooks

• Create and format new workbooks

• Apply conditions, calculations, totals, percentages, and parameters

• Drill up or down for data

• Chart worksheet data

• Export worksheets and graphs to other applications


14-60

Practice 13-1 Overview

This practice covers the following topics:

• Opening workbooks saved in the database

• Creating new workbooks and saving them in the database

• Creating workbooks with conditions, totals, and parameters

• Creating charts by using Discoverer 4i Plus

• Exporting worksheets


Using Discoverer Viewer


Oracle9iAS Discoverer Components


Client-Server and Web Components of Discoverer


What Is Discoverer Viewer?

Discoverer Viewer is the Web component of the Discoverer family that enables business professionals to

execute queries that have already been stored in the database.

Discoverer Viewer is a lightweight business intelligence tool that gives you access to workbooks and

worksheets that have been created in Discoverer Plus or Desktop Edition.

Discoverer Viewer is 100% HTML and requires no software other than a Web browser. It can be used over

low-speed modems and can be accessed through high-security networks and firewalls.


Using Discoverer Viewer, you can:

Open reports with or without parameters, using a Web browser.

Run customized reports and set query execution options. For example, if you seta limit to the query run time, the running query is automatically terminated whenthe time threshold is reached.

Redirect queries to summary tables. Queries are automatically redirected tosummary tables containing presummarized data if the Summary data option is set.

Sort the items on the worksheet in the ascending or descending order and group sort items.

Analyze data through drilling, pivoting, and using graphs.

Export reports to Excel and other supported formats.Print and bookmark reports as HTML pages.

You can also publish Discoverer contents on Oracle9iAS Portal, using the portlets thatDiscoverer provides.

What Are the Key Features in Oracle Discoverer Viewer?


What Are the Key Features in Oracle Discoverer Viewer?

Discoverer Viewer is 100% HTML and supports all the features of a Web

browser, you can:

- Set bookmarks for the frequently used worksheets

- Use the Back and Forward buttons to navigate through pages

- Use the browser Print function to print worksheets and reports

- Launch registered applications to view data exported from the

worksheets, using Discoverer Viewer


Key Terminology

Connections

To connect to Oracle Discoverer Viewer, you need to specify a username, password, and a connect string. Your Discoverer Manager can create a connection with all these details. A Discoverer Connection is an identifier for the data source that you will be using while working with Discoverer. When you navigate to the Discoverer Viewer page, you will find a list of connections that the Discoverer Manager has created. When you click on the desired connection, Discoverer logs you in using the username, password, EUL and connect string specified while creating the connection.

Worksheets and Workbooks

A report is generated when you run a query. It contains information retrieved from the database based on the items in the query. Discoverer presents the report as a worksheet. A workbook is a collection of worksheets that can be saved in the database. With Discoverer, you can produce different styles of worksheets.

Top, Side, and Page axes

In a worksheet the items can be placed on any of these axes. A worksheet should have minimum a top axis. A crosstab and a page-detail crosstab worksheet will have a side axis too. When you place an item on the page axis, you can toggle the values of the item. For example, if you place the Department item on the page axis, you can select different departments and the worksheet will show the data only for the selected department.


Connecting to Discoverer Viewer

There are two types of Discoverer Connections.

Public Connections: are created by your Discoverer Manager by making entries in the configuration file. You cannot edit or delete a public connection.

Private Connections: After you have connected to the Discoverer Viewer start page, you can click the create connection button to create a private connections. Private Connections are not visible if you change machines or browsers.


Opening a Workbook


Opening a Worksheet

Discoverer Viewer starts executing the query for the default worksheet, and the Query Progress page appears showing the estimated query run time.


The Worksheet Window


Navigating Through Worksheet Pages

Discoverer Viewer allows you to set the number of rows to be displayed per page for each worksheet. For example, this worksheet is set to display twenty five rows per page.


Selecting Page Item Values

Each worksheet may have multiple page items and each page item may have multiple page item values displayed in the drop-down list of values. When you select a page item value from the drop-down list, Discoverer Viewer automatically starts updating the worksheet to match your selection.


Setting Parameters

A parameter is a value within a condition that you specify when you run a query. If a query includes a parameter, you are prompted to specify the information you want to see when you run the query. For example, a parameter may prompt you for a department name or a year. You can create parameters for worksheets using Discoverer Plus.


Customizing Discoverer Workbooks

You can customize the look and feel of Discoverer Viewer according to your own personal preferences and your company's needs.


Customizing Discoverer Workbooks


Discoverer Viewer Preferences

In Discoverer Viewer, you can specify preferences to control how the query is run and how the data is displayed. These include:

- Query Governor Preferences

- Worksheet Preferences

- Summary Data Preferences

- End User Layer Access Preferences

- Fan-Trap Detection Preferences

- Locale Selection Preferences


Setting Query Governor Options

Query Governor options are used to set limits on the query run time and the amount of query data being retrieved from the database. The purpose is to minimize wait time and to prevent exceedingly long queries from running. Here you can also select between the options of running queries automatically after opening a worksheet or having Discoverer Viewer ask for confirmation.


Setting Worksheet Options

Whereas Query Governor options are used to limit query run-time and data retrieval, Worksheet options are used to determine the number of rows per page and how null values and values that cannot be aggregated should be displayed.


Setting Summary Data Options

Summary Data is set up by the Discoverer Administrator to enhance performance in data retrieval. The purpose is to load data quickly for the worksheets that you use most often. When this option is selected, Discoverer checks the summary data tables first whenever you run a worksheet query. If the data is not there, it will then look into the actual data tables.


Setting Fan-Trap Detection Options

Discoverer detects and prevents certain queries that could return ambiguous results. This automatic detection can be disabled if you want to see such data. Disabling fan-trap detection however, may result in queries generating potentially misleading results.


Setting End User Layer Access Options

End User Layer: A server-based metalayer set by the Discoverer Administrator. It is a collection of tables in the database that enables you to create and use Discoverer workbooks.


Selecting Locale Options

Discoverer Viewer can display results in many different languages.


Types of Drills in Discoverer Viewer

The amount of detail you want presented in the data may vary. Discoverer lets you view different levels of data without starting a new workbook or worksheet. This is called drilling. By drilling up or down you can choose to view more or less of the worksheet data.

There are three types of drills in Discoverer Viewer:

Drill Down

To display detailed information related to the current drill item.

Drill Up

To collapse the data at the current level to the previous level, in order to display summarized information for the selected item.

Drill Out

To drill to an external application that is linked to a particular worksheet. The external application can be a word processor, spreadsheet, or Web browser.


Drilling Down / Drill Up / Drill Out

Drill Down / Drill Up

Drill Out


Pivoting Data

Changing the order in which columns appear in a table, or interchanging items between axes, is called pivoting. By using pivoting, you can change the way data is presented in your worksheet.

Types of pivoting

- Pivoting between columns

- Pivoting top or side axis items

- Pivoting between rows and columns

- Changing page axis items


Customizing the Worksheet Layout


Viewing Worksheets with Graphs

Data comes alive with the use of graphs. If a worksheet includes a graph, Discoverer Viewer displays that graph whenever the query for the particular worksheet is run.


Setting Presentation Options

You can select the features in Discoverer Viewer you want to display on the page. Using the Presentation Options link, you can customize the content of your browser window according to your specific needs.


Export Worksheet Formats

In Discoverer Viewer, you can export the active (current) worksheet to any of the following formats:

xls Microsoft Excel workbook

htm Hypertext Markup Language

txt Tab-delimited text

csv Comma-delimited text

prn Formatted text

dcs Express format

xml Oracle Reports

dif Data interchange format

slk Symbolic link

wks Lotus 1-2-3 worksheet

The information exported to another format is the exact information displayed in the current worksheet. For example, if you have drilled down to look at the details of a particular item, then that detailed information is included in what you export.


Exporting a Worksheet Page

After you click Export Data, one of the following actions occurs (depending on the MIME type settings):

- The application is embedded in the browser and the worksheet opens.

- The stand-alone application is launched and the worksheet opens.

- The Save to File dialog box appears, enabling you to save the worksheet in the specified export format.


Bookmarking a Worksheet Page

Discoverer Viewer supports all Web browsers, including the latest releases of Netscape and Internet Explorer. The following usual features of your Web browser are available:

- Bookmarking your favorite reports

- Using the Back and Forward buttons to navigate

- Using the Print function to print output

- Launching registered applications to process data which was exported using Discoverer Viewer

To bookmark your favorite worksheets and reports, select "Add to Favorites" in Internet Explorer or "Add Bookmark" in Netscape.


Printing a Worksheet Page

You can use the browser Print function to print worksheets and reports. Discoverer Viewer also allows you to print a printer-friendly version of our worksheet. To use this function, click Printer Friendly Version.


What is Oracle Portal?

Oracle Portal, a component of Oracle9i Application Server, is a software framework for building and deploying personalized Web sites to deliver information to customers, employees, and partners. Oracle Portal provides a common integrated starting point for accessing all your data, including files, images, applications, and Web sites both internal and external to your company.

Portlets

A portlet is information placed within a region on a portal page. All portlets come from a data source registered with Oracle Portal, called a portlet provider. Portlets provide at-a-glance views of information from various sources both inside and outside of your corporate network. By assembling many portlets onto one page, you can have a centralized place to find and perform all of your daily work tasks. Oracle Portal provides simple self-service tools for creating your portlets. Even portlets created by others outside of your organization can be included in your portal.


Discoverer Contents on Oracle Portal

Oracle9i Application Server provides solutions for enterprise information portals, business intelligence tools, and Web site analysis tools. Oracle Discoverer can be integrated with Oracle Portal by using Discoverer portlets. Discoverer portlets can be published on Oracle Portal and customized and accessed by multiple users.


Discoverer Portlets

Discoverer is a portlet provider to Oracle Portal. There are two types of Discoverer portlets.

List of Workbooks Portlet

The List of Workbooks portlet contains the links to Discoverer workbooks that are already created in Discoverer Plus. It includes Discoverer Workbooks that are available to the user based on the Discoverer connection being used. When you click a link in the portlet, the selected workbook opens in Discoverer Viewer.

Worksheet Portlet

A Worksheet portlet allows you to place actual worksheet content on the portal page. A worksheet portlet can contain only data, or only a graph or both.


Thanks ….

Questions ???

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Documents

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data drill

drill icons

drill menu

drill drilling

drill targets

drillx drill upin

drillx crosstab drill