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General:

• Make sure that the REPORT tab names are SELF explanatory. 
• For complex reports, specify an overview report tab stating the EXPLANATION of the report.

Data Providers:

• Every data provider name should reflect the usage of data
• Choose objects in order to show SQL in a hierarchical order of tables.

Report Structure:

• Use report templates when more reports need to use with similar structures.

Report Formats:

• All reports should have page layouts.
• All reports should have page numbers in the footer part of the report.
• All reports should have Last Refresh TIMESTAMP either in the header or in the footer.

General:

Data Providers:

Report Structure:

Report Formats:

BUSINESS Objects Designer: Supports to create Universes.

DESKTOP Intelligence: Allows analyzing data, creating reports, and PERFORMING queries to fetch data. Publishing Wizard: Allows adding new documents to BOXIR2 Enterprise.

Business view manager: Tool to build Business views such as reports.

SDKs: USED for integrating BO PRODUCTS into other applications.

Business Objects Designer: Supports to create Universes.

Desktop Intelligence: Allows analyzing data, creating reports, and performing queries to fetch data. Publishing Wizard: Allows adding new documents to BOXIR2 Enterprise.

Business view manager: Tool to build Business views such as reports.

SDKs: Used for integrating BO products into other applications.

• When a UNIVERSE is IMPORTED, the Universe needs to be locked
• Upon CLICKING on File Import option, select the Universe to import.
• Once the Universe is double clicked, a LOCK symbol appears
• Then only the Universe can be imported.
• While the lock is in position, no one can modify the universe.

Aggregate Awareness:

• INFORMATION is persisted in database as a summary form.
• The data warehouse stores the quantity of data each hour / day / week.

AGGREGATIONS are USED 

1. To save the space of storage media.
2. To improve the performance of BI tool – QUERIES takes less time to PROCESS, thus users obtain the information quickly.

Index Awareness:

• The ability to take the advantage of the indexes of key columns for quick data retrieval.
• Set up the Index awareness in BO Designer by specifying the database primary and foreign key columns.
• SQL is generated by the BO Designer, for filtering the most efficient way, by using Index Awareness.

Aggregate Awareness:

Aggregations are used 

Index Awareness:

Contexts avoid loops in Universe Design:

• Select Tools
• Detect Loops.
• Select the SUGGESTED context candidate.
• CLICK on Context.
• The Context maps all the joins needed
• Places the SELECTED joins in a Named Context.

Context avoids the conflicts in finding paths.

Contexts avoid loops in Universe Design:

Context avoids the conflicts in finding paths.

Functional Differences:

• Every PC should be installed with BO client to build or access the reports.
• Every PC should have BOMAIN.Key file that uses the BO Client.

ARCHITECTURAL Differences:

BO Client:

• BO Client machine INVOKES the BOMAIN.Key file from its LOCAL disk drive.
• It sends the information to BO Server’s BOMAIN.Key, validates it.
• Checks the key in the repository.
• Followed by repository validation, user can access the BO services.

Webi:

• Users log into Webi through Info View.
• Web Server’s BOMAIN.Key is checked for privileges of the logged in user.
• It sends the information to the BO Server’s BOMAIN.Key.
• Then the information is validated and forwards to Repository.
• If VALID, then provides the access to the Universe and underlying database.

Functional Differences:

Architectural Differences:

BO Client:

Webi:

The Open Document function is used to connect one to one report.

The function can be used in various methods.

In ASP environment:

1. UNIVERSE Level: Create an object using Object Format by enabling HTML option
2. SELECT
3. Report Level: Use Hyperlink function Hyperlink ("SERVER: PortNo/wiasp/scripts.........." , "TEXT Link")

In JSP Environment:

Replace opendocument.asp with opendocument.jsp.

The Open Document function is used to connect one to one report.

The function can be used in various methods.

In ASP environment:

In JSP Environment:

Replace opendocument.asp with opendocument.jsp.

• Windows Authentication.
• Securities of RDBMS.
• Security at Supervisor level by using Username and Password. 

Compare for Cognos REPORT net and Crystal REPORTS:

• Crystal Report is for low and mid RANGE ANALYSIS.
• Report net is for high end analysis.
• Signing through web and creating custom report through web is possible in Report net.

Compare for Cognos Report net and Crystal reports:

• The connection parameters should be set based on the underlying database.
• Use joins in the Universe structure.
• Use LESS SQL functions.
• Obtain most of the parameters / attributes from the database itself or from ETL.
• Remove unnecessary OBJECTS from Universe before moving to production.
• ENSURE LAWs are ticked only for the objects that may be used for REPORTS.
• Ensure the Data prompts are PROPERLY defined.

The below mentioned are requirements of UNIVERSE:

• Manually selected Database Connections.
• Classes and Objects to MAP the data from tables and columns.
• Joins – newly created / extracted automatically.
• SETTING Cardinalities.
• CONTROL – for limiting the size of rows and EXECUTION time.
• SQL Queries.
• Parameters for Joins, clauses like where, group by.

The below mentioned are requirements of Universe:

The report performance can be improved by the following steps:

At DESIGNER Level:

• Remove UNNECESSARY joins.
• UTILIZE condition as necessary as possible, at the database level.
• Supply the SQL QUERY in the Query Panel as per the requirement.

At Reporter Level:

• Eliminate the FILTERS as many as possible.
• Reduce the user variables.

The report performance can be improved by the following steps:

At Designer Level:

At Reporter Level:

• A simple script to extract structural information from a DATABASE.
• A BO Designer PROVIDES STRATEGIES.
• The strategies will.
• Extracts join.
• DETECTS cardinalities.
• Creates default classes and objects.
• Default strategies can be indicated by selecting certain options located in the ‘Database’ tab of the Options Dialog Box.

• One of the BUSINESS Object Components to create UNIVERSES.
• BO DESIGNER is used for defining measures / metrics.
• Semantic layer between database and business is established by BO Designer.
• Semantic layers allow working on REPORTS.
• Data cubes can be created by hiding the complexity of the Database.
• Provides OLAP analysis with reporting.

DATA is restricted by IMPLEMENTING ROW LEVEL Security in Supervisor.

Data is restricted by implementing Row Level Security in Supervisor.

1. Filters and Condition
2. Formula and VARIABLE

Filters and Condition:

• Filters are designed at Universe Level .
• Conditions are DEFINED at REPORT Level.

Formula and Variable:

• A named formula is REFERRED to as variable.
• Conversion of formula into variables is NEEDED when they are used for more than once in a report.

Filters and Condition:

Formula and Variable:

• SQL queries are AUTOMATICALLY generated at the time of objects are selected .
• Upon running, the query is processed pertaining to a database.

Ex: Local Machine FULL CLIENT runs query DIRECTLY.

• It connects to the appropriate database with the SUPPORT of a middleware.
• The web server will process the query, when the query is run using Webi browser.

Ex: Local Machine Full Client runs query directly.

• Execute the SQL from SQL Navigator (A reporting tool) / Toad after PASSING all the required parameters.
• Identify the PERFORMANCE of SQL, whether it takes less time or more time than the report. If the time is less than the report time then the PROBLEM is with the Universe. Otherwise the problem is with the report.
• Execute an ‘explain plan’ on the SQL. 
• Verify if indexes are built and used. Verify if aggregate TABLES can be utilized.
• Use materialized views which enable the pre-execution of complex joins and stores the data.
• Outer joins need to be checked properly.
• Remove unnecessary outer joins.
• Delete unnecessary or additional filters on the report.

Selection of one hierarchy to ANOTHER hierarchy is known as DRILLING.

Drill Up: One level TOWARDS up is known as Drill UP.

Ex: Month-Quarter-Year

Drill Down: One level towards down is known as Drill Down.

Ex: Year-Quarter-Month

Drill By: Selection of one level directly is known as Drill By.

Drill Through: Drilling of data from one hierarchy to another hierarchy is known as Drill Through.

Selection of one hierarchy to another hierarchy is known as drilling.

Drill Up: One level towards up is known as Drill UP.

Ex: Month-Quarter-Year

Drill Down: One level towards down is known as Drill Down.

Ex: Year-Quarter-Month

Drill By: Selection of one level directly is known as Drill By.

Drill Through: Drilling of data from one hierarchy to another hierarchy is known as Drill Through.

• Alters are used to PAY attention to a data block.
• FILTERS are used to obtain only REQUIRED data.
• Breaks are grouping data without changing the format of the data.
• CONDITION is utilized to retrieve data that meet some CRITERIA.

Logical grouping of SYSTEM tables is known as Domain.

A basic BO setup contain 3 basic domains, namely Secure, Universe, DOCUMENT domains.

• Security Domain: User names and passwords are available in security domain. 
• Universal Domain: It contains the Universe Information in which the universes are EXPORTED by USERS to the repository.
• Document domain: It contains the documents that are shared by VARIOUS users.

Logical grouping of system tables is known as Domain.

A basic BO setup contain 3 basic domains, namely Secure, Universe, Document domains.

BO MAIN key CONTAINS ADDRESS of the REPOSITORY of the domain.

BO Main key contains address of the repository of the domain.

• A Business Object is an ENTITY inside a business layer in n-tier architecture of OOP.
• A BO holds a group of instance variables of a class, known as attributes and associations with other business objects.
• BO maps objects REPRESENTING business RELATIONSHIPS.
• BO treats state and behavior as different components as they communicate across various layers in multi-layered architecture.

For example:

• A “Principal” can be a BO where its attributes like Id, NAME, and Area COULD hold 1-Many association with his sub-ordinates.
• A domain BO that does not have behavior is referred as Anemic Domain Model.

For example: