Business Objects Business Intelligence 4.2 - …study.cardiffmet.ac.uk/Help/training/Training Resources... · Web viewApplet:The Applet interface will be used to modify documents

CARDIFF METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY │ PRIFYSGOL FETROPOLITAN CAERDYDD

LIBRARY & INFORMATION SERVICES

INFORMATION SERVICES DIVISION

CORPORATE INFORMATION SERVICES

Business Objects Business Intelligence 4.2 - Intermediate Training Course

Business Objects Business Intelligence 4.2 - Intermediate Training Course Oct-2018 Version 1.3

Contents Page No

1. Course Schedule..........................................................................................1

1.1 Morning Courses................................................................................1

1.2 Afternoon Courses.............................................................................1

2. Course Objectives.........................................................................................2

3. Scheduling....................................................................................................3

3.1 Scheduling a Document.....................................................................3

3.1.1 Naming a Scheduled Instance.................................................4

3.1.2 Selecting a Recurrence Pattern...............................................4

3.1.3 Scheduling a Document with Prompts.....................................5

3.1.4 Selecting an Instance Format..................................................6

3.1.5 Selecting a Destination............................................................6

3.1.5.1 BI Inbox......................................................................7

3.1.5.2 Email...........................................................................7

3.1.5.3 File System.................................................................8

3.2 Working with Instances......................................................................9

3.2.1 Viewing the Latest Instance of a document...........................10

3.2.2 Viewing a Historical Instance of a document.........................10

3.2.3 Pausing an Instance..............................................................11

3.2.4 Resuming an Instance...........................................................11

3.2.5 Reschedule an Instance........................................................12

3.2.6 Deleting an Instance..............................................................12

3.2.7 Deleting the Scheduled Instance...........................................12

3.3 My Recently Run Documents...........................................................13

4. Web Intelligence Interfaces.........................................................................14

4.1 Choosing a Web Intelligence Interface.............................................14

4.2 Web Intelligence Applet Interface.....................................................15

4.2.1 User Interface Differences between HTML and Applet.........16

4.2.2 Web Intelligence Data Mode.................................................16

4.3 Which Web Intelligence Interface am I using?.................................17

5. Web Intelligence Queries............................................................................18

5.1 Change Data Source of a query.......................................................18

5.2 Query Properties..............................................................................20

5.3 Working with Multiple Queries and Data Providers..........................22

5.4 Filtering data using results from another query................................22

L & IS: Information Services Division – i


6. Exercises....................................................................................................25

6.1 Exercise: Scheduling........................................................................25

6.2 Exercise: Query Filtering..................................................................27

7. Web Intelligence Report Layout..................................................................28

7.1 Multiple Reports...............................................................................28

7.1.1 Adding a Report....................................................................28

7.1.2 Renaming a Report...............................................................28

7.1.3 Duplicating a Report..............................................................28

7.1.4 Deleting a Report...................................................................28

7.1.5 Changing the Order of Report Tabs......................................28

7.2 Displaying Data in Tables.................................................................29

7.2.1 Vertical Tables.......................................................................29

7.2.2 Horizontal Tables...................................................................29

7.2.3 Cross Tables.........................................................................29

7.2.4 Forms 30

7.2.5 Creating a Table....................................................................31

7.2.5.1 Insert Report Element – Vertical Table.....................32

7.2.5.2 Insert Report Element – Horizontal Table.................32

7.2.5.3 Insert Report Element – Cross Table.......................33

7.2.5.4 Insert Report Element – Form..................................33

7.2.6 Copying a Table....................................................................34

7.2.7 Deleting a Table....................................................................34

7.2.8 Changing the Format of a Table............................................34

7.3 Using Sections to Group Data..........................................................35

7.3.1 Creating a Section from a dimension....................................35

7.3.2 Creating a Section from a Column........................................37

7.3.3 Creating Sub-sections...........................................................38

7.3.4 Deleting a Section.................................................................38

7.4 Document Structure and Filters........................................................39

7.4.1 Report Filters.........................................................................40

7.4.2 Simple Report Filters.............................................................40

7.4.3 Standard Report Filters.........................................................41

7.4.4 Query Filters vs Report Filters...............................................42

L & IS: Information Services Division – ii


7.5 Formatting........................................................................................42

7.5.1 Format Report.......................................................................42

7.5.2 Format Header......................................................................43

7.5.3 Format Footer........................................................................44

7.5.4 Format Section......................................................................45

7.5.5 Format Table.........................................................................46

7.5.6 Format Cell............................................................................48

7.5.7 Manage Break.......................................................................49

7.5.8 Formatting Numbers and Dates............................................50

7.6 Getting to know Formulas................................................................51

8. Viewing Documents....................................................................................54

8.1 Document Map.................................................................................54

8.2 Outline Fold/Unfold..........................................................................55

8.3 Freezing Table Headers...................................................................56

9. Document Templates..................................................................................57

9.1 Creating a Document Template.......................................................57

9.2 Using a Document Template............................................................58

10. Exercises....................................................................................................59

10.1 Exercise: Cross Table Report..........................................................59

10.2 Exercise: Sections to Group Data....................................................60

11. Hints and Tips.............................................................................................61

11.1 IT Helpdesk......................................................................................61

11.2 Help..................................................................................................61

11.3 Undo/Redo.......................................................................................61

11.4 Refresh Data....................................................................................61

11.5 Explore the Universe........................................................................61

11.6 Time-out...........................................................................................61

11.7 Performance.....................................................................................62

11.8 Web Intelligence Application: HTML vs Applet (Java)......................62

11.9 Custom Formats for Numbers and Dates.........................................62

12. Notes...........................................................................................................66

L & IS: Information Services Division – iii


1. Course ScheduleAll times are approximate and may change.

1.1 Morning Courses

09:30 – 09:40 (10 minutes) Introduction

09:40 – 10:30 (50 minutes) Course Content

10:30 – 11:00 (30 minutes) Exercises

11:00 – 11:20 (20 minutes) Refreshment Break


12:20 – 12:30 (10 minutes) Course Round-up


1.2 Afternoon Courses

13:15 – 13:25 (10 minutes) Introduction



14:45 – 15:05 (20 minutes) Refreshment Break


16:05 – 16:15 (10 minutes) Course Round-up


L & IS: Information Services Division - 1


2. Course ObjectivesThe purpose of the course is for users to extend their knowledge of how to use the Business Objects Business Intelligence Launch Pad and the Web Intelligence reporting tool. It is assumed that you have a basic knowledge of the Business Objects Business Intelligence Launch Pad and Web Intelligence applications and ideally undertaken the Business Objects Business Intelligence Introduction Training course.

The aim is to increase user’s knowledge of the reporting capabilities within Business Objects enabling the production and sharing of complex and well-presented documents.

At the end of this course you should be able to:

Within the Business Objects Launch Pad

o Schedule the running of documents

o Work with historical instances of documents

o Create and use document templates

Within Web Intelligence

o Switch between user interfaces

o Use multiple queries

o Use multiple reports

o Display data in various tables

o Group data into sections

o Use report filters

o Format reports, headers, footers, sections, tables and cells

o Format numbers and dates

o Create formulas

o Fold and unfold data

We wish all staff, academic and support, to gain full potential from the reporting information which is available to them.



3. SchedulingWithin the BI Launch Pad, you can schedule a document to automatically run at specified times. When a scheduled document runs successfully, an instance is created. An instance is a version of the document that contains data from the time the document ran and can be delivered to different destinations in multiple formats.

All users can schedule personal documents from within the My Documents drawer on the Documents tab. However, the access you have been granted determines whether you can schedule Corporate documents from within the Folders drawer.

3.1 Scheduling a DocumentTo schedule a document from within the BI Launch Pad, select the Documents tab and My Documents or Folders drawer. Navigate to the folder containing the document and either:

Select the document in the list panel, click the More Actions menu from the toolbar and select Schedule.

Right click the document in the list panel and select Schedule.

A Schedule dialog box is displayed with schedule categories listed down the left hand side.

Modify each schedule category as required and click the Schedule button to create the schedule.



3.1.1 Naming a Scheduled InstanceSelect the Instance Title category in the schedule dialog box and enter your Instance Title in the textbox in the right hand window. The Instance Title defaults to the document name but it is recommended to suffix this with the schedule name.

3.1.2 Selecting a Recurrence PatternSelect the Recurrence category in the schedule dialog box. The recurrence pattern specifies when you wish to run the document and is described in the table below.

Run Object DescriptionNow Runs the document one time, starting immediately

OnceRuns the document once, at a specified start time.Select when to start and to stop running the document in the Start Date/Time and End Date/Time fields.

Hourly

Runs the document multiple times a day at the specified interval. The first instance will be created at the specified start time, and instances will be created at every interval until the document stops running at the specified end time.Select the interval time to run the document in the Hour and Minute fields. Select when to start and to stop running the document in the Start Date/Time and End Date/Time fields.

Daily

Runs the document once daily, at the specified start time. The first instance will be created at the specified start time and instances will be created every interval until the document stops running at the specified end time.Select the number of interval days to run the document in the Days field. Select when to start and to stop running the document in the Start Date/Time and End Date/Time fields.

Weekly

Runs the document each week on the selected days, at the specified start time. The first instance will be created at the specified start time and instances will be created each week on those days at that time, until the document stops running at the specified end time.Select the check box for each day on which to run the document. Select when to start and to stop running the document in the Start Date/Time and End Date/Time fields.



Run Object Description

Monthly

Runs the document on the specified date, at the specified start time and at the specified monthly intervals. The first instance will be created at the specified start time and instances will be created in monthly intervals at that time, until the object stops running at the specified end time.Select the number of interval months to run the document in the Month box. Select when to start and to stop running the document in the Start Date/Time and End Date/Time fields.

Nth Day of Month

Runs the document each month on the specified day, at the specified start time. The first instance will be created at the specified start time, and instances will be created on the specified day of each month at that time until the document stops running at the specified end time.Select the day of the month on which to run the document. Select when to start and to stop running the document in the Start Date/Time and End Date/Time fields.

1st Monday of Month

Runs the document on the first Monday of each month, at the specified start time.Select when to start and to stop running the document in the Start Date/Time and End Date/Time fields.

Last Day of Month

Runs the document on the last day of each month, at the specified start time.Select when to start and to stop running the document in the Start Date/Time and End Date/Time fields.

X Day of Nth Week of the Month

Runs the document each month on the specified day and week, at the specified start time.Select the day of the week, and the week in the month to run the document. Select when to start and to stop running the document in the Start Date/Time and End Date/Time fields.

Calendar

Creates an instance on each calendar date you specify, at the specified start time.The calendar will need to be created by Corporate Information Services prior to creating the schedule. Please log a Helpdesk call for a calendar to be created if required. Select when to start and to stop running the document in the Start Date/Time and End Date/Time fields.

3.1.3 Scheduling a Document with PromptsIf your document contains prompts, select the Prompts category in the schedule dialog box and the prompts will be displayed with their current values. To change the values for the prompts, click the Modify icon.



3.1.4 Selecting an Instance FormatSelect the Formats category in the schedule dialog box. The format can be one of:

Web Intelligence – do not use this option with a Destination (see below) of Email or File System as the created file will not be able to be opened.

Microsoft Excel

Adobe Acrobat (PDF)

Comma Separated Value (CSV) - Data – this exports the raw data retrieved from the query rather than the formatted data in your report.

Comma Separated Value (CSV) Archive - Reports – this exports the formatted data of your reports into a CSV ZIP file.

Plain Text

3.1.5 Selecting a DestinationSelect the Destinations category in the schedule dialog box.

Destination DescriptionDefault Enterprise Location

Selecting this destination will create instances within the document history.

BI Inbox Selecting this destination will send instances to the specified recipients BI Inbox.

Email Selecting this destination will email the instances to the specified email recipients.

File System Selecting this destination will create instances in the specified file directory.



3.1.5.1 BI Inbox

If you tick Keep an instance in history, an instance will be created within the document history as well as sending instances to the selected recipients BI Inbox.

If you use a Specific Name you can use the Placeholder dropdown to include dynamic elements in the name such as the Date and Time.

3.1.5.2 Email



If you tick Keep an instance in history, an instance will be created within the document history as well as emailing instances to the selected recipients.

You can specify multiple recipients in the To, Cc and Bcc fields by separating the email addresses with a semicolon. Please ensure you specify the subject of the email message as most email systems regard messages without subjects as spam.


3.1.5.3 File System

If you tick Keep an instance in history, an instance will be created within the document history as well as creating instances in the specified file directory.

The file directory you specify must be accessible from the Business Objects server. Therefore, you cannot specify C:\My Documents on your PC as this folder is unknown to the Business Objects server.

For team working, it is recommended that you use a document library in a SharePoint team site. To do this you must convert the URL of the team site to a path.

E.g. For the team site:

https://teamsites.cardiffmet.ac.uk/units/lis/isd/cis/doclib2

You must remove the https:, replace the forward slashes with back slashes and add “@SSL\DavWWWRoot” to the site name to become:



\\teamsites.cardiffmet.ac.uk@SSL\DavWWWRoot\units\lis\isd\cis\doclib2

The above is then used as the file directory.

When using a SharePoint file directory, you must leave the User Name and Password fields blank and use a Specific Name as an Automatically Generated Name may include a tilde character (~) which is invalid in SharePoint.

You can also create an instance within your home folder (Drive H:). You can find the path of your home folder by using File Explorer to look at Drive H: and manipulating the details shown:

E.g. For user ad0102 in File Explorer Drive H would show as:

ad0102 (\\fsllcl01stf\staff\oth\tst) (H:)

You take the path shown in the first set of brackets and add on the user id. Therefore, the full path of the above home folder to use as the file directory would be:

\\fsllcl01stf\staff\oth\tst\ad0102

If you wish to place the reports within a sub folder, create the sub folder and add this to the path. Therefore, if a sub folder called BOReports was required then the path above to use as the file directory would be:

\\fsllcl01stf\staff\oth\tst\ad0102\BOReports

As this is your Home folder you must also specify your own User Name and Password in the fields provided otherwise the instance will not be created.


3.2 Working with InstancesAn instance is a single copy of your document at a point in time that is saved in the Document History. The list panel within BI Launch Pad has an Instances column that shows the number of instances saved within the Document History. If this shows zero, then the document has not been scheduled and no instances exist. The Last Run column indicates the date and time of the last run.

A maximum of 50 instances are allowed to be kept in the document history. If this is exceeded, then the oldest instance is deleted automatically so that the new instance can be created.



3.2.1 Viewing the Latest Instance of a documentThere is a difference between opening a document for viewing and opening the latest instance of a document:

Opening a document for viewing will open the document and if set, will auto refresh the documents contents.

Opening the latest instance of the document will open the document and display the contents at the time it ran.

Within the BI Launch Pad select the Documents tab and My Documents or Folders drawer. Navigate to the folder containing the document and select the document.

If the document has one or more instances, then:

Clicking the View menu from the toolbar and selecting View opens the document for viewing.

Right clicking the document and selecting View opens the document for viewing.

Double clicking the document opens the latest instance of the document.

Clicking the View menu from the toolbar and selecting View Latest Instance opens the latest instance of the document.

Right clicking the document and Selecting View Latest Instance opens the latest instance of the document.

If the document has zero instances, then all options described above will open the document for viewing.

3.2.2 Viewing a Historical Instance of a documentWithin the BI Launch Pad select the Documents tab and My Documents or Folders drawer. Navigate to the folder containing the document and either:

Select the document in the list panel, click the More Actions menu from the toolbar and select History.

Right click the document in the list panel and select History.

A History dialog box is displayed with the instances detailed.



If your schedule includes a recurrence pattern that produces multiple instances you will see the earliest instance with a status of Recurring or Pending. This is the Scheduled Instance which holds the details of the schedule. The other instances are the instances created at the times specified within your schedule.

The status column can contain the following values:

Recurring – The schedule is created and waiting for the next recurrence.

Pending – The instance is created and waiting to run.

Paused – The schedule has been paused.

Failed – A problem occurred when creating the instance. Click the Status link to display the error details.

Success – The instance was created successfully.

To view an instance, click the Instance Time link or Title link of the required instance.

3.2.3 Pausing an InstanceFor scheduled instances that have a status of Pending or Recurring you can pause the schedule which will stop any further instances being created until you resume the instance.

You can pause an instance from within the Document History by selecting the instance and either:

Click Pause on the toolbar.

Click the More Actions menu and select Pause.

Right click the instance and select Pause.

The status will change to Paused.

3.2.4 Resuming an InstanceFor scheduled instances that have a status of Paused you can resume the schedule to continue with creating instances based on the recurrence pattern.



You can resume an instance from within the Document History by selecting the instance and either:

Click Resume on the toolbar.

Click the More Actions menu and select Resume.

Right click the instance and select Resume.

The status will change to Pending or Recurring as appropriate.

3.2.5 Reschedule an InstanceFor scheduled instances that have a status of Recurring you can modify (reschedule) the schedule to create instances with a new schedule. This leaves the original schedule in place and creates a new schedule.

You can reschedule an instance from within the Document History by selecting the instance and either:

Click the More Actions menu and select Reschedule.

Right click the instance and select Reschedule.

The Schedule dialog box is displayed and the schedule categories can be modified as required. Click the Schedule button to create the new schedule.

3.2.6 Deleting an InstanceYou can delete an instance from within the Document History by selecting the instance and either:

Click the Organize menu and select Delete.

Right click the instance and select Organize and Delete.

Multiple instances can be deleted by holding down the CRTL or SHIFT key whilst clicking to select them.

3.2.7 Deleting the Scheduled InstanceIf you delete the scheduled instance with a status of Pending, Recurring or Paused, no further instances will be created.



3.3 My Recently Run DocumentsWithin the BI Launch Pad on the Home Page tab there is a section titled My Recently Run documents.

This lists the last 10 document instances that you have scheduled and ran. To view the status of each instance, hover the cursor over the link.

To view successful instances or details of failed instances, click an instance link.



4. Web Intelligence InterfacesWeb Intelligence has two interfaces, the HTML interface and the Applet (Java) interface. The HTML interface is sufficient for most requirements but the Applet interface does have some features currently not available in the HTML interface. The downsides of using the Applet interface are that it does require additional software to be installed and takes longer to launch Web Intelligence.

It is recommended that you use the HTML interface until you require one of the features only available within the Applet interface.

4.1 Choosing a Web Intelligence InterfaceYou can choose which Web Intelligence interface to use by opening the Preferences from the BI Launch Pad Header Panel and selecting Web Intelligence.



You can choose different preferences for viewing documents and modifying documents.

View

HTML: The HTML interface will be used to view documents.

Applet: The Applet interface will be used to view documents.

PDF: The document will be viewed as a PDF document.

Modify

HTML: The HTML interface will be used to modify documents.

Applet: The Applet interface will be used to modify documents.

Once you open a document in a specific interface, you remain in that interface for the rest of your session. For example, if you set your View interface as HTML and Modify interface as Applet, when you first view a document in the HTML interface, you remain in the HTML interface even if you switch to Design mode to modify the document.

To use the Modify interface you must start Web Intelligence by either:

On the List Panel highlight a document, click More Actions and select Modify.

On the List Panel right click a document and select Modify.

On the Header panel click the Applications menu and select Web Intelligence.

On the Home Page tab click the Web Intelligence icon in the My Applications area

4.2 Web Intelligence Applet InterfaceWhen the Web Intelligence Applet interface is used for the first time you will be presented with two prompts.



Click the checkbox on for “Do not show this again for apps from the publisher and location above” and click Run.

Click the checkbox on for “Do not show this again for this app and web site” and click Allow.

This will ensure the application runs successfully and you will not be prompted for these again on this PC.

4.2.1 User Interface Differences between HTML and AppletThere are a few differences between the Web Intelligence user interfaces of HTML and Applet. One key disadvantage of using the Applet interface is that it does not have the accessibility option of increasing the size of the font used within the browser.

A table of the key differences between the interfaces can be found in the Hints and Tips section at the end of this manual. One of the main features only available in the Applet interface is Web Intelligence Data Mode described below.

4.2.2 Web Intelligence Data ModeThe Data mode within the Web Intelligence Applet interface can be used to view, explore and manage all the queries in a document.

To change to the Data mode, select Data from the Toolbar.



Highlighting an item in the Data Manager panel will change the details shown in the list panel on the right hand side of the screen. Highlighting the queries will show the data that has been retrieved from the database.

4.3 Which Web Intelligence Interface am I using?If you already have Web Intelligence started, to find out which interface is loaded look at the right hand side of the Toolbar and there will be an extra option of Data if you are using the Applet interface:

HTML:

Applet:



5. Web Intelligence Queries

5.1 Change Data Source of a queryYou can change the data source of your query from one universe to another. You may need to do this if you started the query with the wrong universe and not all the objects are available for your query or more commonly, you wish to change between the Production and Test universes. The data source is changed by using the Change Source Wizard, which can be started in two ways.

In Design Mode select the Data Access tab and the Tools subtab. Click Change Source and select the Query you wish to change.

Within the Web Intelligence Applet interface only, in Data Mode locate the Data Manager Panel, right click the Query you wish to change and select Change Source.

The Change Source Wizard is displayed as shown below.



Select Specify a new data source, click Select a data source and select Universe. Highlight the new universe from the displayed list and click select to return to the Change Source Wizard. Click Next to display the Strategy Selection.



Leave the default strategy selection in place and click Next to display the Object Mapping.

For the change of data source to be successful, all objects used in your query have to be mapped to corresponding objects in the new universe. If some of your objects have red crosses against them, use the lookup button next to each object to choose the equivalent object in the new universe. Once all the objects have green ticks then click Finish.

5.2 Query PropertiesSometimes you may wish to change the query properties. This is achieved by first opening the query panel from within Web Intelligence design mode by clicking the Edit Data Provider button in the toolbar or alternatively you can select the Data Access tab and under the Data Providers subtab click the Edit button.

Select the required Query tab and click the Query Properties icon in the toolbar.



Property Description

Max rows retrieved Turning this on will limit the number of rows returned by this query to the number specified.

Max retrieval time Turning this on will limit the retrieval time of this query to the number of seconds specified.

Sample result set Turning this on will retrieve a sample of data limited to the number of rows specified.

Retrieve duplicate rows

The data retrieved by any query may result in the same data being repeated over many rows. This property allows you to specify to retrieve these duplicates or to only retrieve unique rows.

Allow other users to edit all queries

Allow other users to edit the queries or restrict access to only allow yourself to edit the query.It is recommended that you allow other users to edit queries as unticking this option has caused issues in the past where reports have been shared.

Prompt orderIf you have multiple prompts you can change the order by highlighting a prompt and using the arrows to move up or down.



5.3 Working with Multiple Queries and Data ProvidersYou can have multiple queries in a document. These queries can be based on any data source or universe. Defining multiple queries in a single document is necessary when the data you want to include in a document is available in different data sources and universes, or when you want to create several differently focused queries on the same data source. You can define multiple queries when you create a document or add more queries to an existing document. You can present the information from all of the queries on a single report or on multiple reports in the same document.

To add a query to a document, open the Query Panel of the document then click Add Query and select From the universe.

Select the required universe from the list and the new query will be created on a new tab at the bottom of the screen.

Construct your query as required.

5.4 Filtering data using results from another queryIt is possible to filter your query using the results from another query. First you have to create a query which returns the data you wish to match, the filtering query. This usually will only return one column in the result objects.

In the example below the filtering query retrieves the student id for students who graduated on undergraduate programmes in academic year 15/16.



Then create your main query and add a query filter using the In List operator. The In List operator must be used as the filtering query usually has multiple values.

Click on the Define Filter Type button next to the operand field.

Select Result from another query.

Choose the object from your filtering query.



The main query then shows the operand as the objects name followed by the filtered query name in brackets.

The example above will retrieve the students enrolled on postgraduate programmes in academic year 16/17 who graduated on undergraduate programmes in academic year 15/16.



6. Exercises

6.1 Exercise: Scheduling Within the BI Launch Pad navigate to the Documents tab and Folders

drawer.

Open the Public Folders, Business Objects Training Folders and select the Intermediate Training Course folder.

Copy the Overseas Student Enrolment Totals document to the My Favorites folder in the My Documents drawer. You now have a personal copy of this document.

Right click on your personal copy of the Overseas Student Enrolment Totals document and select Schedule.

Append the word Test to the Instance Title.

Under the Recurrence category:

o Select Hourly for the Run object field.

o Set the Hour field to 0 and the Minute field to 2. This will run the document every 2 minutes.

Under the Prompts category:

o Click Modify.

o Select the Acad Period of 17/18.

Under the Formats category:

o Select Adobe Acrobat.

Under the Destinations category:

o Select Email.

o Enter your Cardiff Met email address in the From and To fields.

o Enter a Subject and Message.

Click Schedule and the History dialog is displayed.

Note there are two rows:

o One has a Status of Recurring which is the Scheduled Instance.

o The other has a Status of Pending, Running or Success depending on whether the document has run yet.

Clicking the refresh button on the toolbar will refresh the history until you have a status of Success. Close the History dialog.

Login to your Cardiff Met web email:

(http://outlook.com/owa/outlookuwicac.onmicrosoft.com )


http://outlook.com/owa/outlookuwicac.onmicrosoft.com


You should have an email from yourself with the subject you entered above. Open this email and open the attachment which is the PDF document of the report that run.

Every 2 minutes the document will run again and you should receive another email.

Within the BI Launch Pad navigate to the My Favorites folder. If you are still in this folder click the refresh icon.

Note that the number of instance for the Overseas Student Enrolment Totals document is now greater than zero. This shows there are historical instances.

Right click on the Overseas Student Enrolment Totals document and select History. Note that there are now instances which have run every 2 minutes.

Right click on the instance with the Recurring status. Select Organize and Delete. As this is the Scheduled instance this will stop the schedule.

Highlight all the other instances and click Organize and delete to delete all instances. Close the History dialog.



6.2 Exercise: Query Filtering Within the BI Launch Pad navigate to the Documents tab and Folders

drawer.


Copy the Query Filtering Exercise document to the My Favorites folder in the My Documents drawer. You now have a personal copy of this document.

Right click on your personal copy of the Query Filtering Exercise document and select Modify.

Click Edit Data Provider to open the Query Panel. This query retrieves all PGT students enrolled in academic year 17/18.

Click Add Query and select From Universe. Select the Unit 4 Enrolment Details – Prod universe.

Right click the query tab and select Rename. Rename the query to become Previous UGD.

Add the Student Id to the Result Objects.

Add the following to the Query Filters:

o Acad Period (E Prog) Equal to 16/17

o HEFCW Level Id Equal to UGD

o Stage Code (Prog) Equal to GRAD

This query will retrieve the student Id’s of all students who graduated from UGD programmes in academic year 16/17.

Click Run queries. When prompted on how to include the data from the new query select Include the result objects in the document without generating a table.

Click Edit Data Provider to open the Query Panel again.

Select the Current PGT query tab.

Add Student Id to the Query Filter.

Leave the operator as In List.

Click the Define Filter Type button and select Result from another query.

Choose the Student Id from the Previous UGD query.

Click Run queries.

The Number of Enrolments has decreased as the report now only contains 17/18 PGT enrolments for student who graduated from UGD programmes in 16/17.

Either save and close the document or just close the document.



7. Web Intelligence Report Layout

7.1 Multiple ReportsWithin a Web Intelligence document, you can have multiple reports. These reports can use any of the data within the available objects.

7.1.1 Adding a ReportTo add a report right click on a report tab and select Add Report. A new blank report will be added to the right of the report tabs.

7.1.2 Renaming a ReportTo rename a report right click on the report tab and select Rename Report. You can then enter the report name.

7.1.3 Duplicating a ReportTo duplicate a report right click on the report tab and select Duplicate Report. A new tab will be created containing a duplicate of the report will be added to the right of the report tabs. You will probably want to rename this report.

7.1.4 Deleting a ReportTo delete a report right click on the report tab and select Delete. You will be asked for confirmation.

7.1.5 Changing the Order of Report TabsTo change the order of the report tabs right click on the report tab you wish to move and select Move Report and one of:

First

Previous

Next

Last



7.2 Displaying Data in TablesWithin a report you can have multiple tables. These tables can use any of the data within the available objects. There are four types of tables vertical, horizontal, cross and form.

7.2.1 Vertical TablesVertical tables display header cells at the top of the table and the corresponding data in columns. By default, the header cells display the names of the Dimensions, Attributes and Measures included in the table. The body cells display the corresponding values.

7.2.2 Horizontal TablesHorizontal tables display header cells on the side of the table and the corresponding data in rows. By default, the header cells display the names of the Dimensions, Attributes and Measures included in the table. The body cells display the corresponding values.

7.2.3 Cross TablesCross tables (pivot tables) display values for Dimensions and Attributes across the top axis and on the side axis. The body displays the values of a Measure that correspond to the cross-section of the dimensions.

You can include multiple dimensions in cross tables. In the following example the cross table displays two dimensions on the top axis, academic year and gender.



7.2.4 FormsForms display a block of cells for each data record as you would expect on a form.



7.2.5 Creating a TableYou will have seen that when you run a query for the first time it automatically creates a vertical table of your results data.

You can add vertical tables by dragging and dropping objects from the Available Objects in the Side Panel onto an empty area of a report. When you release the mouse button the objects appear as columns in a vertical table.

To add tables to a report, use the Report Elements tab and Tables subtab and click one of the following:

Define Vertical Table

Define Horizontal Table

Define Cross Table

Define Form

Click to insert the table in the required position.

If you click the icon a new blank table will be added to the report and you will have to either drag the objects from the Available Objects in the Side Panel or right click the table and choose Assign Data to display the Inspect Report Element dialog.

If you click the arrow next to the icon and choose the Define option, a new blank table will be added to the report and the Inspect Report Element dialog is displayed.

Within the Inspect Report Element dialog click the Pick dropdown list to select the object to associate with the table column, row or body cell. To add another column or row click the + next to the Pick dropdown list. To delete a column or row Click the X icon. Clicking the arrow next to the + also allows you to delete a column or row and change the order of columns and rows.



7.2.5.1 Insert Report Element – Vertical Table

7.2.5.2 Insert Report Element – Horizontal Table



7.2.5.3 Insert Report Element – Cross Table

7.2.5.4 Insert Report Element – Form



7.2.6 Copying a TableTo copy a table, you can either:

Right click a Table and select Copy.

Left click to select a table and click the Copy icon in the Toolbar.

To paste the copied table, select the Report you want to past the table into and either:

Right click where you want to place the table and select Paste.

Click the Paste icon in the Toolbar and then move the table to the required position.

7.2.7 Deleting a TableTo delete a table, you can either:

Right click a Table and select Delete.

Left click to select a table and press Delete on the keyboard.

Left click to select a table and click the Delete icon in the Toolbar.

7.2.8 Changing the Format of a TableYou change between the formats of a table by right clicking on a table and selecting Turn Into and another table format.



7.3 Using Sections to Group DataIn the Introduction Training Course, we saw that you can group data by adding a Break to a column which divides the data within the table block.

Below is an example of how a break alters the appearance of the data. A break has been applied to the Student Status column.

Before After

When you add a Break the column must be present in your data table. Sometimes you may want to divide the data but not have the column in the data table. To achieve this, you can group data by creating sections into the report. Another advantage of using sections is that each section is displayed in the Document Map (see section 8.1 Document Map).

7.3.1 Creating a Section from a dimensionYou can create a section based on a dimension from your available objects. To create a section, use the Report Elements tab and Section subtab and click the Insert Section button. Move the cursor onto the report page and you will see the prompt below. Click to insert the section in the required position.



A list of available objects is displayed.

Select the object and click Ok to create the section.



7.3.2 Creating a Section from a ColumnYou can also create a section from a column in a table.

Right click on the column you wish to create a section and select Set as section.

The section is created and the column is removed from the table.



7.3.3 Creating Sub-sectionsYou can create sub-sections by creating a section inside another section. Below is an example of a section for department and sub-section for programme.

7.3.4 Deleting a SectionTo delete a section, you can either:

Right click a section cell and select Delete and Cell and Section.

Right click white space within a section and select Delete.

Alternatively, you can use the Document Structure and Filters from the Side Panel.



7.4 Document Structure and FiltersThe Document Structure and Filters panel displays the structure of the document in a hierarchical tree view and displays filters applied to different report elements.

Icon Report Element

Document

Report

Page Header

Page Footer



Icon Report Element

Section

Vertical table

Horizontal table

Cross table

Form

Cell

Dimension

Attribute

Measure

Filter

The Filter button toggles between showing and hiding filters. The Axis button toggles between showing and hiding table contents. Left clicking an element selects the element on the corresponding report. Right clicking an element displays a menu of all options available for that element.



7.4.1 Report FiltersThere are two types of report filter:

Simple report filters – These provide an easy way to create filters using the Equal to operator. They can filter on single values only, and are applied to a whole report (not an entire document or report element).

Standard report filters – These can use any filter operator and can filter on single values or lists of values and can be applied on different report elements:

o Report – A filter applied on the report will act upon all sections and tables within the report.

o Section – A filter applied on the section will act upon all tables within the section.

o Table – A filter applied on the table will filter for the table only.

7.4.2 Simple Report FiltersSimple report filters are an easy way to interact with a document to filter values from a report. They can be used in Reading mode and Design mode of Web Intelligence. Creating a simple report filter differs slightly depending on the Web Intelligence mode:

In Reading mode click the Filter Bar button on the toolbar.

In Design Mode click on the Analysis tab and Interact subtab and click on the Filter Bar button.

The simple report filter toolbar appears.

Click the Add simple report filters icon on the toolbar and select the object on which you want to filter. The object is added to the toolbar and you can select the value you want to filter from the dropdown list. You can add multiple objects to the toolbar to create multiple filters.

To remove a simple report filter, select (Remove) from the dropdown list.



7.4.3 Standard Report FiltersStandard report filters can be added by using the Document Structure and Filters Panel. Right click on an object and select Filter and Add Filter. Alternatively, you can use the Analysis tab and the Filters subtab and select Filter. Both of these methods display the Report Filter dialog.

Select the report element on which you wish to create the filter in the Filter Map pane and click Add Filter to display the Available Objects dialog. Select the object to filter upon from the Available Objects and click OK. The object is added to filter and you can now select the operator and operand the same as for query filters.

Standard report filters can be edited by either:

Using the Analysis tab and the Filters subtab. Click the arrow next to Filter and select Edit Filter.

Using the Document Structure and Filters Panel. Right click on the filter and select Edit Filter.

Standard report filters can be removed by either:

Using the Analysis tab and the Filters subtab. Click the arrow next to Filter and select Remove Filter. This can be a bit tricky as it removes the filter from the current report, section or table you have selected.

Using the Document Structure and Filters Panel. Right click on the filter and select Remove Filter.



7.4.4 Query Filters vs Report FiltersThe differences between query filters and report filters are:

Filter Description

Query Filter Defined on the query to limit the data retrieved from the database and returned to the document.

Report Filter

Defined within the report to limit values displayed in reports, sections, tables and charts within the document. Unlike the query filter, a report filter doesn’t modify the data that is retrieved from the data source; it simply hides values at the report level.

Only retrieve into the document the data you are going to use in that document by using a Query Filter. This will improve the speed and performance of your document. Use a Report Filter to limit the data for one specific report within your document.

7.5 FormattingThere are many formatting options available at all levels within a report. These can be set by using the tabs and subtabs on the toolbar or via individual Format dialog boxes. The next sections describe the Format dialog boxes for each level.

7.5.1 Format ReportTo open the Format Report dialog:

Right click an empty part of the report body and choose Format Report.

Right click a report tab and choose Format Report.

In Document Structure and Filter right click a report and choose Format Report.

Category: GeneralOption Description

Name The name of the report. Typing here will rename the report.

Number of records per page

Specify the number of records to display vertically and horizontally. Quick Display mode only.

Category: BorderOption DescriptionStyle The style of the border.Thickness The thickness of the border.Color The colour of the border.



Category: AppearanceOption DescriptionBackground Color Background colour of the report.

Pattern Skin Skin of the report background. Choose from curve, dots, draft and final copy.

Pattern Image Image to use as the report background.Pattern Image Position Position of the report background image.Hyperlink color: Visited Colour to use for Visited hyperlinks.Hyperlink color: Unvisited Colour to use for Unvisited hyperlinks.

Category: LayoutOption DescriptionPage Size Report page size.Orientation Report orientation.Scaling: Adjust to Specify the percentage scale to adjust.Scaling: Fit to Fit report to x pages wide and y pages tall.Top Margin Margin at the top of the report.Bottom Margin Margin at the bottom of the report.Left Margin Margin at the left of the report.Right Margin Margin at the right of the report.Show Header Show the report header.Header Height Height of the report headerShow Footer Show the report footer.Footer Height Height of the report footer

7.5.2 Format HeaderTo open the Format Header dialog:

Right click an empty part of the report header and choose Format Header.

Right click the report header border and choose Format Header.

In Document Structure and Filter right click the Page Header of the required report and choose Format Header.




Category: AppearanceOption DescriptionBackground Color Background colour of the header.

Pattern Skin Skin of the header background. Choose from curve, dots, draft and final copy.

Pattern Image Image to use as the header background.Pattern Image Position Position of the header background image.

Category: LayoutOption DescriptionShow Header Show the report header.Header Height Height of the report header

7.5.3 Format FooterTo open the Format Footer dialog:

Right click an empty part of the report footer and choose Format Footer.

Right click the report footer border and choose Format Footer.

In Document Structure and Filter right click the Page Footer of the required report and choose Format Footer.


Category: AppearanceOption DescriptionBackground Color Background colour of the footer.

Pattern Skin Skin of the footer background. Choose from curve, dots, draft and final copy.

Pattern Image Image to use as the footer background.Pattern Image Position Position of the footer background image.

Category: LayoutOption DescriptionShow Footer Show the report footer.Footer Height Height of the report footer



7.5.4 Format SectionTo open the Format Section dialog:

Right click an empty part of the section and choose Format Section.

Right click the section border and choose Format Section.

In Document Structure and Filter right click the section of the required report and choose Format Section.

Category: GeneralOption DescriptionMinimum Height Minimum height of the section

Bottom Padding Minimum space to pad at the end of each section.

Include section in the Navigation Map

Include or exclude the section from the Navigation Map.

Hide section when the following are empty

Hide the section when fields or data block are empty.

Hide always Always hide the section.Hide when empty Hide the section when it is empty.Hide when following formula is true Hide the section based on a formula.

Category: AppearanceOption DescriptionBackground Color Background colour of the section.

Pattern Skin Skin of the section background. Choose from curve, dots, draft and final copy.

Pattern Image Image to use as the section background.Pattern Image Position Position of the section background image.

Category: LayoutOption DescriptionStart on a new page Displays each section on a new page.

Repeat on every pageRepeats the header at the top of the section on every new page when a section goes over onto a new page.

Avoid page breaks in section

Where possible, keeps each section on the same page. This option is not taken into account when a section is larger than one page.

Minimum Top Offset The minimum height between the top of the page and the start of the section.

Top Margin The top margin before the section.



7.5.5 Format TableTo open the Format Table dialog:

Right click the table and choose Format Table.

In Document Structure and Filter right click the Table of the required report and choose Format Table.


Name The name of the table. Typing here will rename the table.

Avoid duplicate row aggregation

When rows contain duplicate data measure values are aggregated by default. You can choose not to aggregate measure values.

Show rows with empty measure values

Rows are displayed in the table, even if they do not contain values.

Show columns/rows for which all measure values = 0

Suppress rows where all measure values are equal to zero.

Show columns/rows for which the sum of measure values = 0

Suppress rows where the sum of the measure values is equal to zero.

Table headers Show the table header.Table footers Show the table footer.Show rows with empty dimension values

Rows are displayed in the table, even if they do not contain values.

Hide always Always hide the table.Hide when empty Hide the table when it is empty.Hide when following formula is true Hide the table based on a formula.




Category: AppearanceOption DescriptionBackground Color Background colour of the table.

Pattern Skin Skin of the table background. Choose from curve, dots, draft and final copy.

Pattern Image Image to use as the table background.Pattern Image Position Position of the table background image.Horizontal Spacing Spacing between columns.Vertical Spacing Spacing between rows.Alternate Color Frequency The frequency of the alternate row colour.

Alternate Color The alternate row colour.

Category: LayoutOption DescriptionHorizontal: Start on a new page Start on a new page for the horizontal axis.

Horizontal: Repeat on every page

Repeat the table on every page of the report for the horizontal axis.

Horizontal: Avoid page breaks in table

Where possible, keeps each table on the same page for the horizontal axis. This option is not taken into account when a table is larger than one page.

Vertical: Start on a new page Start on a new page for the vertical axis.

Vertical: Repeat on every page

Repeat the table on every page of the report for the vertical axis.

Vertical: Avoid page breaks in table

Where possible, keeps each table on the same page for the vertical axis. This option is not taken into account when a table is larger than one page.

Vertical: Repeat header on every page

Repeats the header at the top of the table on every new page when a table goes over onto a new page.

Vertical: Repeat footer on every page

Repeats the footer at the bottom of the table on every new page when a table goes over onto a new page.

Left PositionSpecify the horizontal position of the table relative to the edge of the report or other data blocks.

Top position Specify the vertical position of the table relative to the edge of the report or other data blocks.



7.5.6 Format CellTo open the Format Cell dialog:

Right click the cell and choose Format Cell.


Autofit width to content The cell will automatically adjust its width to the data contents.

Autofit height to content The cell will automatically adjust its height to the data contents.

Minimum width The minimum width of the cell.Minimum height The minimum height of the cell.

Read content as Define the cell contents as HTML, Image URL or Hyperlink.

Category: AlignmentOption Description

Horizontal alignment Horizontal alignment of left, centre or right alignment.

Vertical alignment Vertical alignment of top, centre or bottom alignment.

Top padding Space to pad at the top of each cell.Bottom padding Space to pad at the bottom of each cell.Left padding Space to pad at the left of each cell.Right padding Space to pad at the right of each cell.Wrap text Wrap the cell text onto multiple lines.

Category: FontOption DescriptionFont Name Font name of the cell.Font Style Font style of the cell.Font Size Font size of the cell.Color Font colour of the cell.Underline Underline cell contents.Strikethrough Strikethrough cell contents.




Category: AppearanceOption DescriptionBackground Color Background colour of the section.

Pattern Skin Skin of the section background. Choose from curve, dots, draft and final copy.

Pattern Image Image to use as the section background.Pattern Image Position Position of the section background image.

7.5.7 Manage BreakBreaks are formatted using the Manage Breaks dialog. To open the Manage Breaks dialog use the Report Elements tab and Table Layout subtab and click the arrow next to the Break button and select Manage Breaks.

Option DescriptionBreak header Displays a header for each break.Break footer Displays a footer for each break.

Apply sort Applies the default sort order to the values in the break.

Duplicate values: Display all

Displays all values in the break, even when they are duplicated.

Duplicate values: Display first

Displays the first value only when values are duplicated.

Duplicate values: Merge Merges cells containing duplicate values and displays a single value over the merged cells.

Duplicate values: Repeat first on new page

Displays the first value in a group of duplicate values at the beginning of the break and on each new page.

Start on a new page Displays each part of the table created by a break on a new page.

Avoid page breaks in block

Where possible, keeps each break section on the same page. This option is not taken into account when a block is larger than one page.

Repeat header on every page

Repeats the header at the top of the table on every new page when a table goes over onto a new page.



7.5.8 Formatting Numbers and DatesYou can change how values appear in specific cells using predefined formats available or by creating your own custom formats.

To apply a predefined format, select the cell and use the Formatting tab and Numbers subtab and select the required format from the Number Format dropdown list.

To create your own custom formats, select the cell and use the Formatting tab and Numbers subtab and click the Custom icon.

Select a category and sample format and then click the Custom button to display the New Custom Format dialog.



You can specify the following:

The Number, Currency, Percentage and Custom categories have custom formats for positive numbers, negative numbers, numbers that equal zero and undefined (blank) numbers.

The Date/Time category has custom formats for date/time and undefined.

The Boolean category has a custom formats for true, false and undefined.

The table in section 11.9 Custom Formats for Numbers and Dates lists the characters you can use to create custom formats. Once you have entered your custom format click the Add button to add this format to the list of predefined formats. You can then apply the format by using the dropdown from the Formatting tab and Numbers subtab.

7.6 Getting to know FormulasYou can use formulas to add calculations to your report. In the Introduction Training Course, we saw the standard calculations for summary data of sum, count, average, minimum, maximum and percentage. However, every cell within a report has a formula which can be seen in the Formula bar underneath the toolbar.

If you cannot see the Formula Bar, click the Properties tab on the toolbar and select View and Formula Bar.



Each formula describes the contents of the cell. Below are some examples:

Formula Cell Contents=ReportName() The name of the report on the report tab.

=[ObjectName] The value of the object called ObjectName.

=NameOf([ObjectName]) The object name of the object called ObjectName.

=LastExecutionDate() The last execution date (last refresh date).

=Page() The current page number in the report..=NumberOfPages() The total number of pages in the report.

=[ObjectName1] + “ ” + [ObjectName2]

Concatenates the value of ObjectName1 with a space and the value of ObjectName2.Note: concatenation is especially useful for creating sections to hold the code and description of an object.

=Page()+ "/" + NumberOfPages()Concatenates the current page number with a forward slash and the total number of pages in the report.

="Last refreshed: " + FormatDate(LastExecutionDate();"dd/MM/yyyy") + " " + FormatDate(LastExecutionDate();"HH:mm")

Concatenates the text “Last Refreshed:” followed by the last refresh date and time formatted to dd/mm/yyy hh:mm.

Any Text The text as it appears in the formula. Note: there is no equals sign at the beginning to display text.

A formula can be edited by simply selecting the cell and typing in the Formula bar. Alternatively, you can click on the Formula Editor icon.

The Formula Editor dialog will be opened.



The Formula field is where you create the formula to use in the cell. The Available Objects, Available Functions and Available Operators can be dragged and dropped or double clicked to insert them into the formula.

Formulas are discussed in greater detail in the Advanced Training Course.



8. Viewing Documents

8.1 Document MapWhen a document contains multiple reports and sections, each report and section is added to the document map in the Web Intelligence Side Panel so that you can quickly navigate to each section in the document.

Click on an item to jump to that part of the report.



8.2 Outline Fold/UnfoldYou can hide and display report data by folding and unfolding the display of different report elements. You can fold and unfold sections, breaks and tables.

To fold and unfold you must first switch on the Outline:

In Reading mode click the Outline button on the Toolbar.

In Design mode use the Analysis tab and Interact subtab and click the Outline button.

Use the icons at the left hand side of the report to fold and unfold the sections, breaks and tables

Icon Description

Data is unfolded (visible). Click to fold (hide).

Data is folded (hidden). Click to unfold (show).

To fold and unfold table data click inside the table to display the fold and unfold icons.



8.3 Freezing Table HeadersYou can freeze table headers when viewing a document in Web Intelligence Reading mode. To freeze headers, you must be in the Quick Display mode which can be changed using the buttons in the Status Bar of the report panel.

To freeze headers first select a cell in a table and click the arrow next to the Freeze button on the Toolbar:

In a Vertical Table

o Select Freeze Header Rows to freeze the column headings when scrolling down.

o Select one of the numbers to freeze that number of left hand columns when scrolling to the right.

In a Horizontal Table

o Select Freeze Header Columns to freeze the row headings when scrolling to the right.

o Select one of the numbers to freeze that number of top rows when scrolling down.

In a Cross Table

o Select Freeze Header Rows to freeze the column headings when scrolling down.

o Select Freeze Header Columns to freeze the row headings when scrolling to the right.

In a Form

o Select one of the numbers to freeze that number of top rows when scrolling down.

To unfreeze table headers, click the arrow next to the Freeze button on the Toolbar and deselect the options.



9. Document TemplatesA document template is simply a document that has no data source defined. There are two standard document templates available within the Corporate Documents repository located in the Business Objects Training > Document Templates folder. One template is for portrait reports and another for landscape reports.

These enable you to create a report with a predefined report header, footer, fonts, colours, etc.

9.1 Creating a Document TemplateTo create your own document templates, start the Web Intelligence application and click on the New button on the toolbar. When prompted to select a data source choose No data source.



A new document is displayed which you can now format as required. You save the document template as normal using Save As from the Toolbar.

9.2 Using a Document TemplateTo use a standard document template, copy the required document template from the Business Objects Training > Document Templates folder to My Documents, renaming appropriately.

Open the document template from My Documents, switch to Design Mode and click Edit Data Provider on the Toolbar to open the Query Panel. Click Add Query > From the universe and choose the required universe. You can now construct your query.



10. Exercises

10.1 Exercise: Cross Table Report Within the BI Launch Pad navigate to the Documents tab and Folders

drawer.


Copy the Cross Table Exercise document to the My Favorites folder in the My Documents drawer. You now have a personal copy of this document.

Right click on your personal copy of the Cross Table Exercise document and select Modify.

This document has one query which retrieves the data shown in the Raw Data report which displays the department, academic period, gender and number of students. This shows the numbers of female and male students for each academic year since 14/15 per department.

Right click the Raw Data report tab and select Add Report. Right click the Report 2 report tab and rename the Report to Cross Table.

Using the Report Elements tab and Tables subtab, click the arrow next to the Cross Table icon and select Define Cross Table.

Position the cursor where you want the table to appear on the report page and left click. The Insert Report Element dialog appears.

Under Columns (Horizontal Axis in Applet) select Acad Period (E Prog). Click the + icon next to this field to add another column and select Gender Desc.

Under Rows (Vertical Axis in Applet) select Dept Desc (Prog Stat).

Under Body select Number of Students and click OK.

The table now contains a cross table showing the number of female and male students for each academic year per department.




10.2 Exercise: Sections to Group Data Within the BI Launch Pad navigate to the Documents tab and Folders

drawer.


Copy the Sections to Group Data Exercise document to the My Favorites folder in the My Documents drawer. You now have a personal copy of this document.

Right click on your personal copy of the Sections to Group Data Exercise document and select Modify.

This document has one query which retrieves the data shown in the Raw Data report which displays the department, programme AOS code, AOS period and title, and module AOS code, AOS period and title. This shows the modules sessions attached to each UGD programme session.

Right click the Raw Data report tab and select Duplicate Report. Right click the Raw Data (1) report tab and rename the Report to Section Data.

Select the Aos Code (Prog) column and click the Formula Editor icon.

Add a space and the Programme Title (Prog) to the end of the formula. The whole formula should appear as:

=[Aos Code (Prog)]+" "+[Programme Title (Stat)]

Click OK to close the formula editor. The column should now display the programme AOS code and title.

Change the Aos Code (Prog) column heading to become Programme and reflect the new contents.

You can now delete the Programme Title (Stat) column.

Right click the Dept Desc (Prog Stat) column and select Set as section. Expand the department section cell to display the whole name.

Right click the empty space to the side of the department section cell and select Format Section.

Select the Layout category and click the Start on a new page checkbox on. Click OK.

Right click the Programme column and select Set as section. Expand the programme section cell to display the whole name.

Select the Navigation Map icon from the Side Panel.

Expand the Section Data report and click the school names to jump to the sections.

Expand the school sections and click the programmes to jump to the sections.




11. Hints and Tips

11.1 IT HelpdeskShould you have any problems or questions please feel free to log a call with the helpdesk by calling 7000 or e-mail [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as possible. We are there to help you. Feel free to do this no matter how big or small your problem or question may be.

11.2 HelpOn-line help is available from the header panel within the BI Launch Pad and from the toolbar within Web Intelligence. The full SAP help guides can be found within the BI Launch Pad on the Documents tab, Folders drawer within a folder called Business Objects Training. Also in this folder is a copy of this guide.

11.3 Undo/RedoIf you have done something whilst in Web Intelligence that you wish to reverse, try using the undo button. To re-do what you have just undone use the redo button.

11.4 Refresh DataRefreshing the data will fetch the data from the database again and if that data has been updated since the last time the report was run, it will be updated in the report. Keep an eye on the last refresh date of the document on the right-hand side of the status bar.

11.5 Explore the UniverseFeel free to experiment. Business Objects is just a reporting tool so feel free to play around with what is available. You will never change any of the data so you can’t cause any damage should something go wrong. It may help you to try to familiarise yourself with what objects are available within each universe that you have access to.

11.6 Time-outA useful thing to know is that after a specified time Business Objects will time-out. This time-out is about an hour. It is worth saving the document regularly as you can always delete it later. If you have not saved your document and Business Objects times-out, a copy of your report is automatically saved within the My Favorites folder called “~Webintelligence”.


mailto:[email protected]


11.7 PerformanceOnly add fields to the results objects panel that you are using in the report. When creating a document, it is common to add fields you think you may need in the report but then end up not using them. Open the query panel and delete the no longer used fields from the results objects panel. This will improve the performance of your document.

11.8 Web Intelligence Application: HTML vs Applet (Java)The following table shows the differences between the HTML and Applet interfaces of Web Intelligence.

Feature HTML AppletIncrease/decrease the size of the screen font for accessibility.

×

Use the Document Linking Wizard to link from document to another.

×

Use Data Mode to view, explore and manage all queries. ×

The following table shows the differences between the HTML and Applet interfaces when using Export As and Save As.

Interface Export As Save As

HTML

CSVCSV ArchiveExcelExcel 2007PDFText

Web Intelligence Document

Applet CSV

CSV ArchiveExcelExcel 2007PDFTextWeb Intelligence Document

11.9 Custom Formats for Numbers and DatesThe following table shows the characters that can be used when creating custom formats for formatting numbers and dates.



Character(s) Description Example

#

The corresponding digit. If the number has less digits than the number of # characters used to specify the format, no leading zeros are inserted.

‘12345’ with the format #,##0 gives ‘12,345’.

0

The corresponding digit. If the number has less digits than the number of 0 characters used to specify the format, a leading zero(s) is inserted before the number.

‘123’ with the format #0,000 gives ‘0,123’.

, The grouping separator. ‘1234567’ with the format #,##0 gives ‘1,234,567’.

. The decimal separator. ‘12.34’ with the format #.#0 gives ‘12.34’.

[%]%Displays a percentage sign (%) after the result and multiplies the result by 100.

0.50 becomes 50%.

%The % sign after the result, but does not multiply the result by 100.

0.50 becomes 0.50%.

(space) A non-breaking space. ‘1234567’ with the format # ##0 gives ‘1234 567’.

1, 2, 3, a, b, c, $, £, € (and so on)

The alphanumeric character.

‘705.15’ with the format $#.#0 gives ‘$705.15’ or with the format #,#0 € gives ‘705,15 €’.Note: Alphanumeric characters should be contained in single quotes, otherwise they can be interpreted as formatting characters. For example, # # will result in '123 4' while '#' # will result in '# 1234'.

[Red], [Blue], [Green], [Yellow], [Gray], [White], [Dark Red], [Dark Blue], [Dark Green]

The value in the specified colour.

‘150’ with the format #,##0[Red] gives ‘150’ in red text, #,##0[Blue] gives ’150’ in blue text.




d

The number of the day in the month with no leading zeros. If the date for day is less than two characters, the date displays without a zero before it.

The first day of a month with the format d gives ‘1’.

dd

The number of the day with leading zeros. If the date for day is less than two characters, the date displays with a zero before it.

The first day of a month with the format dd gives ‘01’.

ddd The name of the day abbreviated.

'Monday’ with the format ddd gives ‘Mon’.

Dddd Forced the capitalisation of the day name.

'Monday’ with the format Dddd gives ‘Mon’.

dddd The name of the day in full. ‘Monday’ with the format dddd gives ‘Monday’.

DDDD The name of the day in full, in uppercase.

‘Monday’ with the format DDDD gives ‘MONDAY’.

dddd ddThe day of the week followed by a space and the number of the day.

‘Monday’ with the format dddd dd gives ‘Monday 01’.

M

The number of the month with no leading zeros. If the number for month is less than two characters, the number displays without a zero before it.

‘January’ with the format M gives '1'.

MM

The number of the month with leading zeros. If the number for month is less than two characters, the number displays with a zero before it.

‘January’ with the format MM gives ‘01’.

mmm The name of the month abbreviated.

‘January’ with the format mmm gives ‘Jan’.

MmmmThe name of the month abbreviated. The first letter is capitalised.

‘January’ with the format Mmmm gives ‘Jan’.

mmmmThe name of the month in full. The first letter is capitalised.

‘January’ with the format mmmm gives ‘January’.

MMMM The name of the month in full all in uppercase.

‘January’ with the format MMMM gives ‘JANUARY’.

yy The last two digits for year. ‘2003’ with the format yy gives ‘03’.

yyyy All four digits for year. ‘2003’ with the format yyyy gives ‘2003’.




hh:mm:ss a

The hour with no leading zeros and the minutes and seconds with leading zeros. The “a" character displays AM or PM after the time.

‘21:05:03’ with the format hh:mm:ss a gives ‘9:05:03 PM’.

H

The hour according to the 24-hour clock, starting at 0. No leading zero for single figure hours.

‘21:00’ with the format H gives ‘21’. Possible values are 0-23.

HH The hour according to the 24-hour clock, starting at 0.

‘21:00’ with the format HH gives ‘21’. Possible values are 00-23.

k

The hour according to the 24-hour clock, starting at 1. No leading zero for single figure hours.

‘21:00’ with the format k gives ‘21’. Possible values are 1-24.

kk The hour according to the 24-hour clock, starting at 01.

‘21:00’ with the format kk gives ‘21’. Possible values are 01-24.

hh The hour according to the 12-hour clock.

‘21:00’ with the format hh gives ‘09’.

HH:mmThe hour and minutes with a zero in front of a single-digit hour.

‘7:15 am’ with the format HH:mm gives ‘07:15’.

HH:mm:ssThe hour, minutes, and seconds with a zero in front of a single-digit hour.

‘7:15 am’ with the format HH:mm:ss gives ‘07:15:00’.

mm:ssThe minutes, and seconds with a zero in front of a single-digit hour.

‘07:15:03’ with the format mm:ss gives ‘15:03’.



12. Notes
