I’m showing my age here with a reference back to the iconic eighties pop song, but with age comes experience, which I thought I share with you today in the form of a question and answer session.
Q. What Does OBIEE Do?
- Reports on data from a database.
- Provides a web platform for content
- e.g. Reports, Embeded Content (websites/Services)
Q. So, Is OBIEE a Database?
- NO
Q. What Databases will it Report from?
- Oracle
- SQL Server
- DB2
- MySQL
- ODBC Sources
- MS Access
- SyBase
- Redbrick
- SAP BW
- SQL Anywhere
- DB2 AS400
- Informix
- Netezza
- Times Ten
Q. Can It Connect to Other Sources?
YES
- Excel
- XML
- Oracle OLAP
- Oracle Essbase
- MS Analysis Services
Q. But what does it do?
- Creates Web pages – Dashboards
- Has a Report Writer – Answers
- Sends Reports and Messages – Delivers (aka iBots)
- Pixel Perfect Reports - BI Publisher (e.g. Statements, invoices, cheques)
Q. What are the main ‘Features’?
- Hierarchy Drilling
- Graphical Reporting (Charts, Pivots, Gauges, etc)
- Scheduled Report Generation
- Ad Hoc Analysis
- Global support and development capabilty
Q. What are the Advantages?
Comparing OBIEE with other products:
- Mass deployment via Intranet
- Scalable
- Open standards based
- Deploys on all platforms
Q. What are the benefits?
- Reduces Skills required for report production
- Removes redundancy in Report production
- Removes time to produce reports, enabling more time to analyse the results
- Provides “Actionable Insight” i.e. it Highlights where action is required
- Enables Single Version of the Truth Common data and reporting objects
(FAB Virgil !!)
Q. But Which component do I use for my Work?
So you want to…
Q. Send a daily report in the same format to senior management, updated with the latest data?
- Use BI Publisher to create the report, and use Delivers to send it by Email
Q. Give teams a set of standard reports that highlight issues on KPI’s
- Create a standard set of reports (using Answers) and place these on Team dashboards.
Q. Create Pixel perfect documents?
- Use BI Publisher to produce reports, using the common data set of OBIEE
Q. Make sure everyone is using the numbers (i.e. one version of the truth)?
- Drive all reporting from same database that OBIEE uses.
- Direct as much as possible to the use of dashboards, Answers and BI Publisher.
Q. Improve Data Quality?
- Expose as much data as possible in the dashboards. Do not hide ‘odd’ data.
- Make sure that all senior management reports come from the OBIEE system.(This will also aid user adoption)
Q. Run a daily Invoice run
- Use BI Publisher on the latest financial data
Q. Store Reports for Audit Purposes
- Use Delivers to email a copy of a report or dashboard to a storage account
- Use Briefing Books to store data
- Save a report in PDF or HTML format and save in a share drive
Q. What departments is OBIEE suited for?
- Front Office
- Risk
- Finance
- Production
- Distribution
- Marketing
- Sales
All of them really !
Q. What size of company should use OBIEE?
- Very Large – Global Corporations, Banks, Mining
- Large – Government Agencies, Technology, Manufacturing, Consultancies
- Military – Ministry of Defence, Army, Navy, Airforce
- Medium – Retailers, Transport
- Small – Consultancies, Sports clubs
Any organisation that has any data to analyse!!
Note: There are licensing options for smaller companies
Q. Where do I start?
- Get a free copy of OBIEE from Oracle to evaluate how easy it is.
- Train up a couple of internal staff on how to use the product
- Get some independent advice
- Join UKOUG
- Go to the User Group conferences
- Talk to the Integrators
Q. Any Tips?
- Run a small POC.
- Identify the benefits to your organisation, but don’t ‘boil the ocean’ – Keep work packages small enough to get regular delivery
- Use OBIEE experienced Business Analysts
- Work with the end users in an ‘Agile / RAD’ way
- Build a platform for reporting, then build on it with the end users
- Focus on Dimensional Modelling avoid Normalised data reporting
- Call in Rittman Mead Consulting!!
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