Oracle Discoverer Administration Edition Administration Guide
Release 4.1 for Windows
A86730-01

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5

The End User Layer

This chapter consists of the following sections:

5.1 What is an End User Layer?

The End User Layer (EUL) is the meta data (i.e. data about the actual data in a database) that is simple and easy for users to understand. You use Discoverer Administration Edition to create, customize, and maintain this view for your users so they can easily access data in Discoverer Plus. You must have access to at least one EUL in order to use Discoverer Administration Edition or Discoverer Plus. Access is granted using the Privileges dialog box, described in Chapter 8, "Access Privileges and Security".

The EUL insulates end users from the complexity and constant change usually associated with databases. It provides an intuitive, business-focused view of the database using terms that a user (or group of users) are familiar with and easily understand. This lets end users focus on business issues instead of data access issues.

The EUL is a repository that contains one or more Business Areas (depending on the needs of the user or group of users accessing the EUL). A Business Area is a conceptual grouping of tables and/or views that apply to user's specific data requirements. For example, an accounting department may have an accounting Business Area that represents data about budgets and finance, while project leaders in an engineering department would have a business area specifically for projects requiring budget information. Although some of the items may be the same, the exact combination of tables and views for each department may be different.

You create and manage the set of database tables that contain the EUL using the EUL Manager dialog box.

The EUL generates SQL statements on the client and communicates with the database using SQL*Net or a non-Oracle database network. When a user defines Folders and Items, the EUL generates the appropriate SQL statements that define the selections from a table, view, or column. When a user executes a query (in Discoverer Plus), the EUL generates the corresponding SQL statement and sends it to the database, which in turn sends the results to the End User interface. Thus, the end user does not have to understand any SQL to access, analyze, and retrieve data. It is all handled in the End User Layer.

NOTE: The EUL preserves the database's data integrity. Nothing that you or the end user does with Discoverer affects the application data in the database; the EUL only affects the metadata. 

An EUL is owned by a individual user (assigned an ID) in the database. The owner maintains and modifies his or her EUL. However, the owner can grant access to other users so that they can either use or make changes to that EUL.

You can choose who has access to an EUL when you create it: every user in the database (PUBLIC) or just the EUL owner. You change access to an existing EUL in the Privileges dialog box. To do this, you must be logged in as the owner of the EUL or as a user who has "Administrator" and "Set Privileges" privileges. For more information, see Chapter 8, "Access Privileges and Security".

5.2 Creating an End User Layer

While the steps in this section tell you how to create the actual EUL tables for a specific user, this is only the beginning. Once you have created the EUL, you design Business Areas containing Folders that refer to information in the EUL. You then customize the Business Area to provide maximum ease-of-use for your users. Other chapters in this guide describe how to customize the Business Area to suit your users' needs.

Section 4.1, "Lesson 1: Creating a private End User Layer." of the Tutorial provides an example of creating an EUL.

This section consists of the following topics:

5.2.1 Required Privileges

Oracle Databases

You can create an EUL for any user ID in the database you are connected to, provided that the user who will own the EUL has the following database privileges:

The user also needs to have a default tablespace (do not use a temporary tablespace) and quota set.

If you are creating a new user through the Tools | EUL Manager menu option, Discoverer grants the necessary privileges and sets the default tablespace and quota for you.

Using the EUL Manager dialog box, you can create a new user, password, and EUL, provided that you have the following database privileges:

Non-Oracle Databases

To create an EUL for a user ID in a non-Oracle database, the user must have the following database privileges:

Discoverer Administration Edition does not enable you to create new users for non-Oracle databases. Before you can install the tutorial, the tutorial user ID VIDEO4 must exist on the database and it must have the same privileges listed above.

Privileges required to create summaries

The privileges required to create summaries and Materialized Views (8.1.6+ databases) are detailed in Chapter 2.2, "Summary Management".

5.2.2 Creating an EUL for an Existing User

A user can only own one EUL. If you are connected to your own EUL and you attempt to create a new one, Discoverer Administration Edition tells you that you must delete your existing EUL. If you are creating an EUL for another user who already owns another EUL, Discoverer Administration Edition asks if you want to delete their existing EUL. If you click Yes, Discoverer Administration Edition deletes their existing EUL before building the new one.

  1. Choose Tools | EUL Manager.
    This opens the EUL Manager dialog box (see Figure 5-1).

Figure 5-1 EUL Manager

  1. Click Create an EUL.
    This starts the Create EUL Wizard with Select an existing user already selected (see Figure 5-2).

Figure 5-2 The Create EUL Wizard


  1. Select or clear Grant access to PUBLIC to suit your needs:

    • Select this check box to allow all users in the current database access to this EUL.

    • Clear this check box so only the EUL owner can view data through this EUL.

  2. Select or clear New EUL is for use by Oracle Applications users ONLY to suit your needs:

  3. Select the user who you want to own the new EUL from the User drop-down list.

  4. Specify the new EUL owner's password.
    (This is not necessary if the new EUL is to be owned by the current user.)

  5. Click Finish.

    Discoverer Administration Edition displays the Commit Status progress bar and tells you that it is creating a new EUL for the EUL owner's user ID.

Discoverer Administration Edition asks you if you want to install the tutorial data in the EUL. See Section 5.6, "Installing the Tutorial Data" for more information.

5.2.3 Creating an EUL for a New User

NOTE: This feature is not available with non-Oracle databases. If you are using a non-Oracle database, ask your database administrator to create the necessary user IDs on the database. 

  1. Choose Tools | EUL Manager.
    This opens the EUL Manager dialog box.

  2. Click Create an EUL (Figure 5-1).

    This starts the Create EUL Wizard.

  3. Select Create a new user.
    If this option is unavailable, see your database administrator.

  4. Select or clear Grant access to PUBLIC to suit your needs:

    • Select this option to allow all users in the current database access to this EUL.

    • Clear this option so that initially, only the EUL owner can view data through this EUL.

  5. Select or clear New EUL is for use by Oracle Applications users ONLY to suit your needs:

  6. Specify the new user's user ID in the User field.
    The Create EUL Wizard should look similar to Figure 5-3.

Figure 5-3 Creating a New User in the EUL Wizard

  1. Specify the new user's password in the Password field.

  2. Specify the new user's password again in the Confirm Password field.

  3. Click Next.
    This opens the Create EUL Wizard: Step 2 (see Figure 5-4).

Figure 5-4 Selecting the Default and Temporary Tablespaces


  • Set the default and temporary tablespaces for the new user.

  • Click Finish.

    Discoverer Administration Edition displays the Commit Status progress bar and tells you that it is creating a new EUL for the EUL owner's user ID.

    Discoverer Administration Edition asks you if you want to install the tutorial data in the EUL. See Section 5.6, "Installing the Tutorial Data" for more information.

    5.3 Maintaining an End User Layer

    As Discoverer administrator, you maintain an EUL using Discoverer Administration Edition. This involves creating business areas, giving meaningful names to objects, choosing items to see or hide from users, creating calculations and summaries, and all of the other things you do to make it easy for your users to view and analyze their data. This chapter specifically describes how to manage access to the different EULs you have in your database.

    5.4 Deleting an End User Layer

    Only the owner of an EUL has the privilege to delete it. To delete an EUL:

    1. Choose File | Connect....
      This opens the Connect to Oracle Discoverer Administration Edition dialog box.

    2. Log on as the owner of the EUL that you want to delete.

      This starts the Load Wizard.

    3. Click Cancel.

    4. Choose Tools | EUL Manager.

    5. Click Delete an EUL.

      This opens the Delete EUL dialog box which asks you to verify that you want to delete the current EUL.

    6. Check that the EUL specified in the EUL field is the one you want to delete.

      • If the correct EUL name is displayed, click OK.

      • If the EUL name displayed is incorrect, click Cancel and then start at Step 1 with the correct user ID.

      When you click OK, Discoverer Administration Edition warns you that this action will delete all EUL tables, all EUL information and workbooks in the database, and all summary data and information.

    7. Decide whether you want to continue. Either:

      • Click Yes to continue or

      • Click No to return to the Delete EUL dialog box without deleting the current EUL or

      • Click Cancel to return to the EUL Manager dialog box without deleting the current EUL.

      If you click Yes, Discoverer Administration Edition warns you that this action will close all work areas and disconnect you from the database.

    8. Decide whether you want to continue. Either:

      • Click Yes to continue or

      • Click No to return to the Delete EUL dialog box without deleting the current EUL or

      • Click Cancel to return to the EUL Manager dialog box without deleting the current EUL.

      If you click Yes, the current EUL is deleted. Discoverer Administration Edition displays a progress bar. At the end of the deletion, Discoverer Administration Edition confirms that the EUL has been deleted.

    9. Click OK.

    5.5 Moving End User Layer Elements Between Databases

    This section describes how you can use the command line interface to export EUL elements (Business Areas, Workbooks, Folders, items etc.) from one database and import them into another. For example when moving from development to production.

    To copy EUL elements from one database to another:

    1. Use the Command Line interface to Export EUL elements, (E.g. BAs, Workbooks etc.) to Discoverer export files (.EEX) .
      The following example illustrates how the command line syntax could export a business area and specified workbooks to an .EEX file.

      D:\orant\Discvr4\Disadm.exe /connect eulowner/eulowner@orcl.world /export 
"D:\Vidstr.eex" "Video Store Tutorial" /workbook "Vistr4 - Video Tutorial 
Workbook" /workbook "Vidaf4 - Analytic Function Examples"


    See Appendix D.9.21, "Exporting EUL elements to an EEX File" for further details.

    1. Import the EUL elements into the new EUL owner on the new database.
      See Section 7.4, "Exporting a Business Area to a File," and Section 7.5, "Importing EUL elements from a file."

    5.6 Installing the Tutorial Data

    If you are new to Discoverer Administration Edition, we recommend that you work through Chapter 4, "Tutorial".

    Before a user can complete the tutorial the user ID VIDEO4 must already exist on the database. This can be achieved by installing the tutorial which creates the user ID VIDEO4 and places the tutorial tables with relevant video data in VIDEO4's tablespace in the database. All subsequent users will then be able to complete the tutorial.

    NOTE: If you are using a non-Oracle database, you or your database administrator must create VIDEO4 in your database before installing the tutorial.  

    When you log in to Discoverer Administration Edition for the very first time, you are asked if you want to create an EUL (see Section 5.2.2, "Creating an EUL for an Existing User" or Section 5.2.3, "Creating an EUL for a New User"). When this EUL has been successfully created, Discoverer Administration Edition asks if you want to install the tutorial. If you decide not to install the tutorial at that time, you can install it later.

    Installing the tutorial in the EUL makes it available to all users who have access privileges to that EUL.

    This section consists of the following topics:

    5.6.1 Required Privileges

    To install the tutorial data in the current EUL, you must have the following database privileges (if the Video4 user has not already been created):

    If you are running against an Oracle 8.1.6+ database you need the following privileges (granted in the script [ORACLE_HOME]\discvr4\sql\eulasm.sql). The script eulasm.sql sets up the privileges required for summary management and ASM in Discoverer 4.1:

    Other privileges required (also granted in eulasm.sql):

    5.6.2 Installing the Tutorial Data

    If you are installing the tutorial immediately after creating the EUL, start at step 2 of the following procedure. If you are installing the tutorial some time after creating the EUL, ensure that you are logged in as the owner of the EUL that you want to load the tutorial data into and start at step 1.

    NOTE: If any warnings or errors occur during the tutorial installation, Discoverer Administration Edition tells you the name of the log file generated by the error. Read that file for more information. 

    1. Choose Tools | EUL Manager.
      This displays the EUL Manager dialog box.

    2. Click Install the Tutorial.
      This opens the Install Tutorial Wizard: Step 1 (see Figure 5-5).

    Figure 5-5 Install the Tutorial Wizard: Step 1

    1. Ensure that the named EUL is where you want to install the tutorial data.

      • If it is, click Next.

      • If it isn't, click Cancel and log in as the owner of the EUL where you want to install the tutorial data.

      Clicking Next opens the Install Tutorial Wizard: Step 2.

    Figure 5-6 Install Tutorial Wizard: Step 2

    1. If the Confirm Password field is unavailable, this means the VIDEO4 user already exists in the database and you are going to create the user.

      • Specify the VIDEO4 user's password in the Password field and proceed to step 5.

      If the Confirm Password field is available, this means the VIDEO4 user does not exist in the database.

      If you are using an Oracle database:

      • Specify a password in the Password field.

      • Repeat the password in the Confirm Password field.

      TIP: If you are creating the new user, VIDEO4, make a note of the password; you will need it if you uninstall or reinstall this tutorial. 

      If you are not using an Oracle database:

      • Create the VIDEO4 user in the database.

      • Restart the Install Tutorial Wizard.

    2. Click Next.

      This displays the Install Tutorial Wizard: Step 3. If you are not creating the new user VIDEO4, Discoverer Administration Edition skips this wizard.

    3. Select the default and temporary tablespaces for the VIDEO4 user. For example, USER DATA as the default tablespace and TEMPORARY DATA as the temporary tablespace.

    4. Click Finish.

    If you installed the tutorial data as part of creating an EUL, you can now connect to that EUL. If you choose not to connect to that EUL, Discoverer Administration Edition returns you to the EUL Manager.

    5.6.3 Installing the Tutorial Data in several EULs

    You can install the tutorial in more than one EUL. You may want to do this if some of your users don't have access to the EUL containing your original tutorial installation.

    Each time you install a copy of the tutorial in a different EUL, a copy of the tutorial business area is created in that EUL. However, all copies of the tutorial business area access data in the same set of tables in the database. Only one copy of each table is created in the database (in the VIDEO4 user's tablespace).

    To install the tutorial in a different EUL:

    1. Connect to the EUL in which you want to install the tutorial.

    2. Choose Tools | EUL Manager.

    3. Click Install the Tutorial.

    4. Enter the password you created for the VIDEO4 user.

    5. Click Finish.

    5.6.4 Reinstalling the Tutorial Data

    If you have previously uninstalled the tutorial, you can reinstall it by following the steps in Section 5.6.3, "Installing the Tutorial Data in several EULs."

    5.7 Uninstalling the Tutorial Data

    Uninstalling the tutorial removes the business area from an EUL and the tables from the database. The user ID (VIDEO4) is not removed from the database.

    If you have installed the tutorial in more than one EUL in this database, the business areas stored in the other EULs remain. However, the tables those business areas point to are gone.

    NOTE: Removing copies of the tutorial from multiple EULs can only be done one at a time. 

    To uninstall the tutorial data:

    1. Connect to the EUL in which you installed the tutorial (choose File | Connect).

    2. Choose Tools | EUL Manager.
      This opens the EUL Manager (Figure 5-1).

    3. Click Uninstall the Tutorial.
      This opens the Uninstall Tutorial Wizard: Step 1 (see Figure 5-7).

    Figure 5-7 The Uninstall Tutorial Wizard: Step 1

    1. Ensure that the EUL containing the tutorial installation you want to remove is displayed in the EUL field.

    2. Click Next.
      This opens the Uninstall Tutorial Wizard: Step 2 (see Figure 5-8).

    Figure 5-8 The Uninstall Tutorial Wizard: Step 2

    1. Specify the password for the VIDEO4 user you created when you installed the tutorial.

    2. Click Finish.

      Discoverer Administration Edition warns you that uninstalling the tutorial removes the tutorial data and tables from the database, and the tutorial business area from your EUL.

    3. Decide whether you want to continue. Either:

      • Click Yes to continue
        Or

      • Click No to return to the Uninstall Tutorial Wizard: Step 2 without uninstalling the tutorial data or

      • Click Cancel to return to the EUL Manager dialog box without uninstalling the tutorial data.

    You can reinstall the tutorial at any time, using the steps in Section 5.6.3, "Installing the Tutorial Data in several EULs."

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