BI Publisher with PeopleSoft Features and Best Practices 23 rd Sep 2013 Oracle Open World, SFO.

BI Publisher with PeopleSoft Features and Best Practices

23rd Sep 2013Oracle Open World, SFO

Section Name 2

This document contains information that is confidential and proprietary to Infosys Limited and Oracle. No part of it may be used, circulated, quoted, or reproduced for distribution outside Infosys Limited and Oracle Corporation.

Any disclosure of confidential information to, or use of it by a third party will be damaging to Infosys and Oracle. The ownership of all confidential information no matter what media it resides in, remains with Infosys and Oracle.

Views and points expressed in this document are based on Infosys experience working with Oracle BI Publisher and PeopleSoft.

Confidential Information

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Speaker

Mitul KumarMitul Kumar

Lead ConsultantChicago, USA

[email protected]+1 281-619-0544

Abhiram PatankarAbhiram Patankar

Technology ArchitectLondon, UK

[email protected]+44 793-280-8904

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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Feedback

@InfosysOracle

Hashtag: #InfosysAtOOW

Share your thoughts / feedback on this session via Twitter

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Objectives

Provide overview of standout features of Oracle BI Publisher

Present a comparative study of BI Publisher and Crystal Reports

Provide high-level estimation guidelines for Crystal Reports to BIP migration

Suggest best practices for BI Publisher implementation and configuration

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Introduction

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Architecture

BI Publisher Features

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Formatting features in template creation

Versatile data sourcing features

Support of several output formats

Ability to schedule and distribute reports

Ability to easily migrate report definition in PeopleSoft

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Features – Templates

Template Creation • Supports an easy to use MS word tool (BI publisher desktop) for creating template • Users can totally rely on their MS word knowledge for template building as

formatting, look and feel and pagination features inserted in the word template are retained in the report output.

Special Templates• Supports ETEXT templates which are vey useful in creating feed files for

interfaces such as EDI and EFT.• Supports XSL templates which provides ability to create multi-sheet excel sheets.• PDF template allows creating of form type of reports such as W4 form.

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Features – Data sources

Sources As a Standalone• In standalone mode, BI Publisher can support following data sources.• Databases (Oracle, SQL server, DB2 etc)• Web service• View objects • HTTP Feeds• View Objects

Sources With PeopleSoft Integration• Supports using PS query, Connected query and XMLs as sources.• Query reuse by utilizing same query across multiple reports• Performance optimization achieved by pushing the resource intensive operations to database

query

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Features – Output formats

• XML • Excel File

• PDF• RTF

• Text File (Fixed Width)

• CSV (Delimited text)

• HTML Web page• PDF• RTF (Word Doc)• Excel File

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Features - Migration

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Advanced Features - Standalone

BI Publisher vs Crystal Reports

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Parameter Crystal Reports BI Publisher Verdict

Ease of layout design

Requires crystal client for creation / modification of layout template

Templates can be developed by skilled user without any client installation. Novice developers

might require BI publisher desktop Report Migration

All reports are stored at a physical server and developer will need access of server to migrate

template from one server to another server.

Reports can be migrated by adding component definitions to projects using application manager

Output Format support

Supports following output formats: PDF , HTML , MS Excel and MS word

Supports following output formats: PDF , HTML , MS Excel and MS word and text based feeds

Multilingual SupportSupport multilingual report, Needs separate

template for each individual language.Supports multilingual reports without requirement to create separate templates for each language

VisualizationsSupports different data representation e.g. chart ,

graph , font style, images etc.Supports different data representation e.g. chart ,

graph , font style, images etc.

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Report in-built Functions

Provides flexibility to modulate data on basis of in-built condition and conditional logic (if-

else) Allows custom function creation in template.

Supports conditional logic and data manipulation functions can support custom

functions through extension functions Report

Authorization / Sharing and

security

Tightly coupled with PeopleSoft process definition security at PeopleSoft report

servers. It is challenging to enable authentication on report outside PeopleSoft

environment (password protection).

Tightly coupled with PeopleSoft process definition security at PeopleSoft report

servers. Data Source for

Report

PeopleSoft Query is only input data model as input source. Highly dependent on

underneath SQL ,

Supports PS query, Connected Query and XML as sources. Not overly dependent on

underlying SQL. Platform Support

Reports can only be executed at Microsoft servers. It requires a separate plugin

(Business Objects Enterprise XI) for non windows servers.

Can be executed on every platform . Is platform independent from implementation

perspective.

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Integration with PeopleSoft

Oracle provides ODBC connector for crystal report in PeopleSoft.

Seamlessly integrates with PeopleSoft without any connector requirement

Performance & Scalability

Complex logic should be either part of Oracle SQL ( PS Query ) or should be maintained in crystal report layout. This can impact report

performance sometime.

Complex business logic can be handled by using conditional logic or by using advanced syntax at

template level without significantly impacting performance.

Job Scheduling

management

Reports can be executed either through in-built client or PeopleSoft process scheduler can be

used to execute/ schedule report.

Reports can be executed by using bursting or run by using query report scheduler

Web Services/SOA

Doesn't provide inherent support for web service / SOA.

Provides substantial and well documented web service support

Charts and graph support

Provides bar, line and combination graphs. Also supports Pie charts. Cannot support

picture based graphs

Can support custom shaped graphs along with providing basic graph and chart support

Effort Guidelines

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Build Effort Map

Migration Step Level of Complexity

Source Definition

Template Creation

Scheduling and Bursting

Build Efforts

2-4 Hours 6-12 Hours 16-24 Hours

Best Practices

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Best Practices - Standalone

Data Retrieval

Data Retrieval

Always create at least one parameter with a valid default value

Always use ‘null value passed’ option when using prompt with ‘All’ Option

Always prefer using data template for data retrieval

Keep fields in child nodes to the minimum

Always try to use the bind variables in data templates to link data sets

Template Design

Template Design

Use sub-templates where ever possible

Ensure that development is done with same document attributes such as page sizes, fonts and margins as required in final output

Use MS word ‘Insert’ option for inserting static images (Logo) to template

Ensure that there are no extra spaces before or after if statements

For creating tabular layouts having more than 30 columns consider using XSL template

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Best Practices - Standalone

OtherOther

Create xliff files required for translation at the end of development

Ensure that font/s used for are setup within BI publisher server properly

If the report output displays check boxes ensure that correct font is setup for true and false status of checkboxes

While performing translation for right to left languages (e.g. Arabic), get the rendered output validated from language experts as some of the text might get inverted

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Best Practices – PeopleSoft

Crystal Reports

Migrations

Crystal Reports

Migrations

Prefer using/modifying existing PS query before creating a new one

Ensure that all the functions used in crystal reports are converted

Try to convert data connection query into a data template

While converting groups, take note of properties such as ‘Keep Together’ in tables

PeopleSoft IntegrationPeopleSoft Integration

Ensure that data ordering and aggregation is done in the PS query

Ensure that hierarchy joins defined in the PS query are suitable for reports layout

For multilingual reports ensure that XLAT properties are set

Wherever possible try using PS query instead of connected query

For bursting ensure that bursting values are unique in the result query

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Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact

Mitul Kumar

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Contact Infosys

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Thank You

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Appendix 1 – BI Publisher Pain Points

• Although BI publisher desktop is excellent for report format creating it helps in creating relatively standard type of data representations such as pivot tables, charts, graphs etc. For complicated scenarios (e.g. Dynamic columns, non standard graphs etc.) user needs to be skilled in BI Publisher template codes.

• BI Publisher desktop is only useful in case of RTF templates. Cannot support development of PDF and XSL templates

• ETEXT template though very powerful is not very intuitive due to unusual structure of template. Also debugging errors in the template is very challenging.

• PDF template is very restrictive requires lot of patience to develop.

• Newer versions of BI publisher desktop tends to add bits of code to the template which is not supported by some BI publisher severs (e.g. xref: bits added to the form fields)

• No straightforward oracle developed migration tool to migrate crystal reports to BI Publisher as is the case with actuate or oracle reports

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Appendix 2 – Steps to Create BIP Report

• Determine if creating new PS /Connected query is required to be created

• Create and register source definition using the identified PS/Connected query

• Using the sample XML from the PS query definition create the template by using BI publisher desktop.

• Create report definition using the data source definition created earlier. Also add template and parameters to the report definition

• Run the report by using query report viewer which allows viewing and saving of the reports.

• Reports can be scheduled through process scheduler or can also be distributed by using PeopleCode

Source Design Template design Run the report

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Appendix 3 – Steps to Create Crystal Report

• Determine if creating new PS /Connected query is required to be created

• Create a new PS query with Query tool.

• Using the query generated through tool, prepare a layout for report.

• Use external function or conditional logic for layout modification.

• Place Report template in windows server.

• Report can be scheduled through PS process scheduler.

• Reports can be scheduled through process scheduler or can also be distributed by using People Code

Source Design Template design Run the report

BI Publisher with PeopleSoft Features and Best Practices 23 rd Sep 2013 Oracle Open World, SFO.

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