Oracle Report Manager Tips Tricks Traps

8/6/2019 Oracle Report Manager Tips Tricks Traps

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Oracle Report ManagerOracle Report Manager

Tips, Tricks and TrapsTips, Tricks and Traps

Prithis DasPrithis Das


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AgendaAgenda Objectives

Case Study Company Background

Reporting background

Report Manager features

What Report Manager does not do

Setup Considerations

Quick Tutorial

Using Report ManagerTips

Using Report ManagerTricks

Traps Lessons learned


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ObjectivesObjectives Provide useful information for R12 implementation teams for

implementation of Oracle General Ledger, Financial

Statement Generator and Report Manager Indirectly educate users about new R12 Report Manager

features

Help avoid potential pitfalls using actual experience fromimplementing Report Manager


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Case Study Company BackgroundCase Study Company Background

Auto Salvage Company

New implementation of R12

Started April 2007 with very early releases of R12

General Ledger, Payables, Assets, Cash Management,Advanced Global Intercompany System

120+ Legal Entities

Six regional accounting centers

Complex reporting requirements

400+ legacy reports using best-of-breed reporting tool


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Reporting BackgroundReporting Background

Complex reporting requirements

400+ legacy financial reports using dedicatedreporting tool

Typical Trial Balance took over 15 minutes to

generate Legacy Reports in Excel, and included publishing

features such as fonts, bold and underlining

Lack of security Users were able to access allreports across legal entities


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What Report Manager does not doWhat Report Manager does not do You cannot create FSG components (Row Sets, Column Sets

etc) in Report Manager. These will need to be created

through standard FSG Excel outputs from Report Manager will not incorporate

Excel formulas

Excel templates do not save all formatting options Works well with FSG reports. However Standard reports in

Oracle will have formatting issues


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Setup ConsiderationsSetup Considerations Patchset level Metalink 820653.1 (9 Jul 2009)

Check for latest before implementation For 11.5.10.2 apply FRM.H over and above FRM.G

For R12 Report Manager is Auto-installed. Apply FRM.A Report Manager uses Self Service Workflow

Applications

Report Manager requires the BNE platform used by Web

ADI Functional Dependancies

FSGs should have been defined in GL For standard reports, they should be assigned to Request Group

assigned to the Report Manager

Custom menu and responsibility for Report Manager

Browser and Excel settings

Seeded template vs Custom templates


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Custom menu and responsibilityCustom menu and responsibility Pre-defined menus for Report Manager are not complete

FRM_SECURITY_MENU menu is pre-defined but not adequate

Need to define/assign additional functions to custom menu: Financial Report Template Editor

Financial Report Submission

Standard Report Submission

Repository Management Alternatively, you may add these functions to the

GL_SUPERUSER menu


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Custom menu and responsibilityCustom menu and responsibility Create custom menu for Report Manager

System Administrator > Application > Menu


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Custom menu and responsibilityCustom menu and responsibility Create custom Responsibility for Report Manager


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Browser and Excel SettingsBrowser and Excel Settings Works with Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape

See Metalink 389422.1 (5-Aug-09) for latest browser requirements

Internet Explorer Settings Navigate to Tools -> Internet Options and choose the Security tab

Select Local Intranet and choose the Custom Level button.

Set the following option to Prompt.

Initialize and script Active X controls not marked as safe Excel Settings

Open Excel, Go to Tools -> Macro -> Security -> Trusted Sources

Check the "Trust access to Visual Basic Project

Incorrect settings will lead to error Microsoft VBScriptruntime error: 429 - ActiveX component can't create objector similar error.


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Quick TutorialQuick Tutorial Create a Template

Submit a single FSG report

Monitor Request and View Output

Submit a Request Set


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Select Financial Report Template Editor

Select a Report, Select Excel Template Editor, Click on Create


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Confirm ActiveX control interaction by clicking on Yes, if prompted

Excel template

gets createdwith FSGcomponents


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Personalize template with fonts, graphics etc, then upload to Oracle

Use Oraclemenu to upload

modifiedtemplate to

Oracle


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Name the template, select Drill option, Upload.


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Name the template, select Drill option, Upload.


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Quick TutorialQuick Tutorial Run a Report

Select Financial Report Submission


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Quick TutorialQuick Tutorial Run a Report

Select the new template, add parameters, Submit.

Select your

template


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Quick TutorialQuick Tutorial

Run a Report Monitor Requests, View Output

View Output


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Quick TutorialQuick Tutorial

Run a Report Publish Report in Excel


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Using Report ManagerUsing Report Manager

TipsTips

Create and Test your financial report on standard FSG, andthen publish the report using Report Manager Do not waste time over column heading formatting in Apps

Use the Generic FSG template wherever possible. If you usecustom templates, each template is associated with a singlereport

Report Set considerations Report Sets can only be submitted through standard FSG submission

Responsibility submitting Report Set must be the same that ispublishing it

Use Repository Maintenance to avoid tablespace issues Apply Patch first (Metalink 803014.1)


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Using Report ManagerUsing Report Manager

TricksTricks

Use Report Manager templates directly from FSG submission Users are familiar with the Request submission functionality

Schedule your month-end reports to publish automatically Use standard scheduling functionality

Store Excel settings on custom Excel templates Cell background color

Cell / Text font Cell alignment

Cell Border

Cell Merge

Underline Page Settings:

a. Orientation (Portrait / Landscape)

b. Paper Size

c. Width of Page


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Using Report ManagerUsing Report Manager Tricks (contd.)Tricks (contd.)

Display the Description column in the middle of the report

Description

column in themiddle of a

wide report


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Display the Description column in the middle of the report Create a Custom Template Use the Menu (Oracle > FSG Template > Move Line Items Right)


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Use Report Manager templates directly from FSG submission

Before submission,select a template, andset Format = EXCEL.

View Output will openthe output in Excel,

using the template


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Use Report Manager templates directly from FSG submission Use XML Publisher Responsibility

Copy the Generic FSG Template, update the Data Definition to

FSGXML program. Attach custom template file if required.


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TrapsTraps

Repository Maintenance could lead to disappearing menus Patch 6884665 if on R 11i Patch 6884280 if on R 12 (Metalink 803014.1)

Can submit Report Set only from Java form Need to update Output Option to XML for each report

Mixup of Request Set submission vs Report Set submissionmenu items Report Set on Java form, but Request Set in Report Manager

Printing XML file if Profile Option Number of Copies is set to 1 Metalink 748037.1 workaround is to attach dummy printer to RGRARG

Significant impact on Database size due to XML outputs Does not use Definition Access Sets functionality

Report Manager output ignores Display Sets


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TrapsTraps

User to Value Security mandates use of Content Sets Alternately, place specific reports on end-user menus

Images (such as logos) can be used on templates from 12.0.6 Profile Option for AutoArchive does not archive. Need to

archive manually.


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Traps (contd.)Traps (contd.)

Repository Maintenance could lead to disappearing menus Patch 6884665 if on R 11i

Patch 6884280 if on R 12


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Can submit Report Set only from Java form You cannot submit a Report Set directly from Report Manager

Also, need to update Output Option to XML for each report

You can, however, publish a Report Set from Report Manager


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Mixup of Request Set submission vs Report Set submissionmenu items The menu labeled Request Set Publish publishes Report Sets

The menu labeled Report Set Publish publishes Request Sets


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Printing XML file if Profile Option Number of Copies is set to 1 Metalink 748037.1 workaround is to attach dummy printer to RGRARG

However, workaround will lead to using Reprint for regular reports


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Lessons learnedLessons learned

Need to be on at least 12.0.4 or later for minimal issues

Web interface can have a learning curve

Use Report Manager selectively for upper managementreports. Operational reports are efficiently done throughstandard FSG submission with text output

Use Repository Maintenance frequently move criticalreports to network drives

Longer than usual turnaround time on SRs


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Presenter InformationPresenter Information

Prithis Das

Rolta TUSC

[email protected]

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Oracle Report Manager Tips Tricks Traps