9 General New Features in Release 10.1.3.3.1

Oracle BI EE Release 10.1.3.3.1 introduces three new BI Server features. This chapter describes the following new features:

Section 9.1, "Oracle Business Intelligence Installer Deploys BI Components into One OC4J Container"
Section 9.2, "DataDirect Connect ODBC Drivers for Linux and UNIX Operating Systems Bundled with Release 10.1.3.3.1"
Section 9.3, "Support for Charts in Arabic, Thai, and Hebrew"

9.1 Oracle Business Intelligence Installer Deploys BI Components into One OC4J Container

In 10.1.3.x releases before 10.1.3.3.1, during an Advanced installation, the Oracle BI Installer created the following OC4J containers and deployed BI components in them:

bianalytics - for the BI Presentation Services Plug-in component
bipublisher - for the BI Publisher component
bijmx - for the BI Systems Management component
bioffice - for the Oracle BI Office Server component (in Oracle BI EE version 10.1.3.3)

With Release 10.1.3.3.1, during an Advanced installation, the Oracle BI Installer deploys the BI components into one OC4J container called "home". The memory footprint for the OC4J instance is between 512 -1024 MB.

9.1.1 Upgrading to 10.1.3.3.1 from a BIEE 10.1.3.x Release Before 10.1.3.3.1

On upgrade to Release 10.1.3.3.1, if the "Keep User Modified Configurations" upgrade option is selected on the BI Installer screen, the old OC4J containers for BI are deleted and the BI components are deployed into the OC4J container named "home". The configuration files for the BI component applications deployed in the individual BI OC4J containers are migrated into the deployed application in the OC4J instance named "home".

The configuration files that are migrated are:

$ORACLE_HOME/j2ee/bianalytics/applications/analytics/analytics/WEB-INF/web.xml

$ORACLE_HOME/j2ee/home/applications/analytics/analytics/WEB-INF/web.xml

and

ORACLE_HOME/j2ee/bibioffice/applications/analytics/analytics/WEB-INF/bioffice.xml

$ORACLE_HOME/j2ee/home/applications/analytics/analytics/WEB-INF/bioffice.xml

On upgrade to Release 10.1.3.3.1, the old OC4J containers for BI are deleted if the "Reset Configurations" upgrade option is selected on the BI Installer screen. The BI components are deployed in the OC4J instance named "home". The configuration files web.xml for bianalytics and bioffice.xml from the previous release are not preserved.

Note:

If you have deployed any custom applications on any of the BI OC4J containers, then you must make a backup of the custom applications and redeploy them into a different OC4J container before performing an upgrade to Release 10.1.3.3.1.

9.2 DataDirect Connect ODBC Drivers for Linux and UNIX Operating Systems Bundled with Release 10.1.3.3.1

Release 10.1.3.3.1 provides DataDirect Connect ODBC drivers and driver managers version 5.3 for Linux and UNIX operating systems for connectivity to Informix, MS SQL Server, and Sybase ASE databases. 32-bit and 64-bit DataDirect 5.3 drivers are available on AIX, Solaris, and HP-UX Itanium. 32-bit drivers are available for Linux and HP-UX PA-RISC.

The Release 10.1.3.3.1 installer installs the DataDirect Connect ODBC drivers in the following location:

$OracleBI/odbc

The 32-bit drivers are installed in $OracleBI/odbc/lib and 64-bit drivers are installed in $OracleBI/odbc/lib64.

Note:

Communication between database clients and servers is typically independent of the widths and data paths. In other words, the 32-bit database drivers communicate with 64-bit database servers, and vice versa.

Refer to Systems Requirements and Supported Platforms Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence 10.1.3.3 for further information on supported operating systems and databases for the DataDirect Connect ODBC drivers.

9.2.1 Using the DataDirect Connect ODBC Drivers

The following examples show sample ODBC.ini file entries for Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase ASE, and Informix data sources.

9.2.1.1 For Connectivity to Microsoft SQL Server Database

The name of the DataDirect ODBC driver file to connect to an MS SQL Server database is SEmsss23.so (SEmsss23.sl on HP-UX PA-RISC). For supported versions of MS SQL Server see Systems Requirements and Supported Platforms Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence 10.1.3.3.

To use the DataDirect ODBC Driver to connect to MS SQL Server:

Make the following entries in the odbc.ini file. This file is located in $OracleBI/setup. Set the Driver parameter to the file name and location of the DataDirect driver for MS SQL Server. In the following example, the Driver parameter is set to the 64-bit DataDirect driver.
Example 9-1 Sample File for Microsoft SQL Server
```
[SQLSERVER_DB
Driver=/usr/OracleBI/odbc/lib64/SEmsss23.so
Description=DataDirect 5.1 SQL Server Wire Protocol
Address=111.111.111.111,1433
AlternateServers=
AnsiNPW=Yes
ConnectionRetryCount=0
ConnectionRetryDelay=3
Database=
LoadBalancing=0
LogonID=
Password=
QuoteID=No
ReportCodePageConversionErrors=0
```
In the $OracleBI/server/Config/DBFeatures.INI file, for the appropriate SQL Server sections, turn the IDENTIFIER_QUOTE_CHAR parameter off by setting the following:

IDENTIFIER_QUOTE_CHAR = '';

The default is:

IDENTIFIER_QUOTE_CHAR = "";

9.2.1.2 For Connectivity to Sybase ASE Database

The name of the DataDirect ODBC driver file to connect to a Sybase ASE database is SEase23.so. For supported versions of Sybase ASE see Systems Requirements and Supported Platforms Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence 10.1.3.3.

On Linux, AIX, Solaris, HP-UX PA-RISC and HP-UX Itanium operating systems, the 32-bit driver is located in $OracleBI/odbc/lib. On AIX, Solaris and HP-UX Itanium operating systems, the 64-bit driver is located in $OracleBI/odbc/lib64.To use the DataDirect ODBC Driver to connect to Sybase ASE, make the following entries in the odbc.ini file. This file is located in $OracleBI/setup. Set the Driver parameter to the file name and location of the DataDirect driver for Sybase ASE. In the following example, the Driver parameter is set to the 64-bit DataDirect driver.

Example 9-2 Sample File for Sybase ASE Data Source

[SybaseASE_DB
Driver=/usr/OracleBI/odbc/lib64/SEase23.so
Description=DataDirect 5.3 Sybase Wire Protocol
AlternateServers=
ApplicationName=
ApplicationUsingThreads=1
ArraySize=50
AuthenticationMethod=0
Charset=
ConnectionRetryCount=0
ConnectionRetryDelay=3
CursorCacheSize=1
Database=Northwind
DefaultLongDataBuffLen=1024
EnableDescribeParam=0
EnableQuotedIdentifiers=0
EncryptionMethod=0
GSSClient=native
HostNameInCertificate=
InitializationString=
Language=
LoadBalancing=0
LogonID=
NetworkAddress=111.111.111.111,5005
OptimizePrepare=1
PacketSize=0
Password=
RaiseErrorPositionBehavior=0
ReportCodePageConversionErrors=0
SelectMethod=0
ServicePrincipalName=
TruncateTimeTypeFractions=0
TrustStore=
TrustStorePassword=
ValidateServerCertificate=1
WorkStationID=

9.2.1.3 For Connectivity to Informix Database

The name of the DataDirect ODBC driver file to connect to an Informix database is SEifcl23.so. For supported versions of Informix see Systems Requirements and Supported Platforms Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence 10.1.3.3.

To use the DataDirect ODBC Driver to connect to Informix, make the following entries in the odbc.ini file. This file is located in $OracleBI/setup. Set the Driver parameter to the file name and location of the DataDirect driver for Informix. In the following example, the Driver parameter is set to the 64-bit DataDirect driver.

Example 9-3 Sample File for Informix Data Source

[Informix_DB]
Driver=/usr/OracleBI/odbc/lib64/SEifcl23.so
Description=DataDirect Informix Wire Protocol
AlternateServers=
ApplicationUsingThreads=1
CancelDetectInterval=0
ConnectionRetryCount=0
ConnectionRetryDelay=3
Database=
HostName=111.111.111.111
LoadBalancing=0
LogonID=informix
Password=inform_10
PortNumber=1526
ReportCodePageConversionErrors=0
ServerName=
TrimBlankFromIndexName=1

9.3 Support for Charts in Arabic, Thai, and Hebrew

Release 10.1.3.3.1 offers support for the Arabic, Thai, and Hebrew languages. Due to a limitation in the charting engine that is used in Oracle BI EE, bidirectional and Thai language characters do not render properly in charts.

To overcome this limitation and enable charting in Oracle BI EE for Arabic, Thai and Hebrew languages, you can use Oracle BI Publisher charting capabilities. BI Publisher charts are based on the Oracle BI Beans technology. A BI Publisher report that contains a chart might be embedded in an Oracle BI Interactive Dashboard to meet charting requirements.

To implement this solution, perform the following steps described below:

Integrate the Data Sources
Create a Report and Layout in BI Publisher
Embed the BI Publisher Report in a Dashboard

9.3.1 Prerequisites

This procedure assumes that you have previously performed the following tasks:

Set up users in Oracle BI EE and Oracle BI Publisher with appropriate privileges.

You must integrate the user security between Oracle Business Intelligence and Oracle BI Publisher using an available security model. Within Oracle BI Presentation Services the user must have privileges to update Dashboards. Within Oracle BI Publisher users must be granted the BI Publisher Developer Role.

For more information on setting up security in Oracle BI, refer to "Security in Oracle BI" in Oracle Business Intelligence Server Administration Guide and "Managing Oracle Presentation Services Security" in Oracle Business Intelligence Presentation Services Administration Guide. For information on setting up security in Oracle BI Publisher, refer to "Defining a Security Model" in Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Report Designer's Guide.
Created an Answers request that contains the data to display in a chart.
Installed the BI Publisher Template Builder for Microsoft Word.

The Oracle BI Publisher Template Builder for Microsoft Word Add-in can be installed from the BI Publisher application for users with the appropriate roles assigned (that is, BI Publisher Administrator, BI Publisher Developer, or BI Publisher Template Designer). The download link is displayed on the Developer Tools region. See the topic "Installing Oracle BI Publisher Desktop" in Oracle Business Intelligence Infrastructure Installation and Configuration Guide.

9.3.2 Integrate the Data Sources

You must set up the Oracle BI Server as a data source in BI Publisher. To use an Answers request as a data source, you must also set up integration with Oracle BI Presentation Services.

9.3.2.1 Adding the Oracle BI Server as a Data Source

If you included BI Publisher in the Oracle BI EE installation, then the Oracle BI Server is automatically configured as a data source in BI Publisher. If you did not include BI Publisher during the Oracle BI EE installation, then you must manually add the BI Server as a data source using BI Publisher's Admin interface. For detailed steps, see the topic: "Adding the Oracle BI Server as a JDBC Data Source" in Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Report Designer's Guide.

9.3.2.2 Integrating with Presentation Services

By setting up integration with Oracle BI Presentation Services, you enable connection to Oracle BI Answers requests as data sources for your reports.

The BI Publisher Admin interface provides a specific page for integration with Oracle BI Presentation Services. Navigate to this page from the Admin page by selecting Oracle BI Presentation Services under the Integration subheading.

If you included BI Publisher in the Oracle BI EE installation, then the Oracle BI installer sets the Presentation Services host name, port, and URL values. However, you must manually enter the Presentation Services user name and password on the Oracle BI Presentation Services integration page.

9.3.3 Create a Report and Layout in BI Publisher

Following are summary steps for creating a report and layout in BI Publisher. For detailed description refer to the following sources:

For detailed steps to create a report in BI Publisher, see the chapter "Creating a New Report" in Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Report Designer's Guide.

For information on using the Template Builder for Microsoft Word, see the Template Builder online help.

Open Microsoft Word (with the Template Builder for Word installed).
From the Oracle BI Publisher menu, select Log On and enter appropriate credentials (you must have either the Administrator, Report Designer, or Developer role assigned).
From the Open Template dialog, select Oracle BI from the Workspace list.
Navigate to your Answers request and double-click the request name.

Figure 9-1 Open Template Dialog
You are prompted to Save as Oracle BI Publisher Report. BI Publisher creates a report definition that uses the Answers request as the data source. The template that you design is saved as part of this BI Publisher report definition. Select the folder from the BI Publisher report repository.

After you save, the Template Builder loads the data and returns you to a blank Microsoft Word page.
To insert a chart, launch the Chart dialog from the Oracle BI Publisher menu by selecting Insert, then Chart. Figure 9-2 shows the Oracle BI Publisher Template Builder chart dialog.

Figure 9-2 Template Builder Chart Dialog
After inserting the chart, upload the template to the BI Publisher report repository. From the Oracle BI Publisher menu, select Upload Template As. Enter a name for the template.

The report is available as a BI Publisher object that can be added to a dashboard.

9.3.4 Embed the BI Publisher Report in a Dashboard

The following procedure describes how to embed the BI Publisher report in a Dashboard. For more detailed instructions and options, refer to the topic "Adding an Oracle BI Publisher Report to an Oracle BI Interactive Dashboard Page" in Oracle Business Intelligence Answers, Delivers, and Interactive Dashboards User Guide.

Note:

In Release 10.1.3.3.1, there is no longer a limitation of one BI Publisher Report per dashboard.

In the dashboard page, click the Page Options button, and click Edit Dashboard.
From the selection pane, drag and drop the BI Publisher Report object from the Dashboard Objects area into a section on the dashboard page.
Click the newly placed BI Publisher report object's Properties button.
In the BI Publisher Report Properties dialog, browse for and select the Oracle BI Publisher report.
Click Save to return to the dashboard and view your added report.

9.3.5 Supported Graph Types

The following graph types are supported in BI Publisher:

Area
Horizontal Bar
Bubble
Vertical Bar
Line
Line Bar Combo
Pareto
Pie
Radar
Scatter
Step

9.3.6 Known Limitations

The BI Publisher chart is static.

The locale information from the BI Server is not inherited by BI Publisher. BI Publisher charts embedded in the dashboard take the locale setting from BI Publisher. To ensure consistency, set the same locale for both applications.