Siebel Reports 8.2

Siebel Reports GuideVersion 8.2, Rev. ADecember 2012

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Siebel Reports Guide Version 8.2, Rev. A 3

Contents

Siebel Reports Guide 1

Chapter 1: What’s New in This Release

Chapter 2: Overview of Siebel ReportsAbout Siebel Reports 13

About Using Siebel Reports 14

Who Can Use Siebel Reports? 14

Siebel Reports Output File Types 15

About Oracle BI Publisher 16

About Using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word with Siebel Reports 16

Chapter 3: Siebel Reports Development EnvironmentAbout the Siebel Reports Architecture 19

Workflow for Generating Reports in Connected Mode 20

Workflow for Generating Reports in Disconnected Mode 21

Siebel Reports Directory Structure 23

Siebel Reports File Types 24

About the Oracle BI Publisher Server in Siebel Business Applications 24

How Siebel Business Applications and Oracle BI Publisher Interact 26

Chapter 4: Integrating Oracle BI Publisher with Siebel Business Applications

About Integrating Oracle BI Publisher with Siebel Business Applications 29

Where to Find Documentation for Previous Versions of Siebel Reports 29

Chapter 5: Administering Siebel ReportsDeploying Report Layout Templates to the Siebel Web Client from a Disconnected Client 32

Configuring the Reports Button 33

Siebel Reports Guide Version 8.2, Rev. A

Contents ■

4

Disabling and Enabling the Reports Button 33Renaming Siebel Reports Menu Items 34

About Controlling Access to Reports 34

How the Timestamp for Reports is Determined 35

Automatically Purging Reports from the Siebel File System 35

Purging Scheduled Reports from the Oracle BI Publisher Server 36

Changing the Location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository for Siebel Reports 37Changing the Location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository by Creating a Custom XML File

37Changing the Location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository by Replacing a JVM Property Name 38Changing the Location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository by Changing the Absolute Path to the Repository 39

Copying Fonts for Report Generation 39

About Working with Multilingual Reports 40

Designing Multilingual Reports 41

Roadmap for Uploading Multilingual Reports to the Siebel Application 42

Adding and Deleting Locales from Report Templates 43

About Report Translation 44

Viewing Report Usage Statistics 45

Roadmap for Optimizing the Performance of Siebel Reports 45

Setting the Report Execution Waiting Period for Reports 46

Setting the Server Request Processor Database Polling Interval for Siebel Reports 46

Setting Concurrency Parameters for Siebel Reports 47

Process of Optimizing the Generation Performance of Siebel Reports for Large Data Volumes 48

Enabling Scalable Mode for Siebel Reports 49Configuring a Temporary Directory on the Oracle BI Publisher Server for Siebel Reports

51Increasing EAI HTTP Transport Sleep Time for Siebel Reports 51

About Increasing the Java Heap Size on Oracle BI Publisher Server 52

About Reducing the Size of an Integration Object 53

Chapter 6: Generating ReportsGenerating Reports in Siebel Business Applications 56

Contents ■


Setting Siebel Reports User Preferences at the Application Level 57

About Generating Reports for Selected Records 57

About Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client 59

Scenario for Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client 60

Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client 61

Example of Generating an Opportunity Report Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client 63

About Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client 64

Scenario for Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client 65

Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client 66

Example of Generating an Opportunity Report Using the Siebel Open UI Client 67

Monitoring the Status of Currently Generating Reports 68

Viewing Details for Previously Generated Reports 69

Deleting Reports 70

Chapter 7: Creating ReportsScenario for Creating Reports 71

About Integration Objects in Siebel Reports 72

Using Integration Object Search Specifications for Siebel Reports 73

About Reporting Across Multiple Siebel Business Objects 74

Workflow for Uploading Report Layout Templates to a Siebel Application 76

About Registering and Sharing Report Layout Templates 78

About Multiorganizational Report Templates 78

Scenario for Report Template Visibility Across Organizations 79

Should You Clone an Existing Report or Create Custom Reports? 79

About Defining Report Layout Templates for Selected Records 80

Process of Creating Custom Reports 81Extending Integration Objects to Add New Fields for Siebel Reports 84Creating New Integration Objects for Siebel Reports 85Generating Sample XML Data Files for Siebel Reports 87Creating Report Layout Templates Using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word 88Registering Report Layout Templates 89Adding Multiple Integration Objects to a Report 93


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6

Sharing Report Layout Templates 94Defining Report Layout Templates for Selected Records 95Associating Registered Reports with Siebel Application Views 96Changing the Report Sequence Order in the Reports Menu 96

Chapter 8: Scheduling ReportsAbout Scheduled Reports 99

Scheduling Reports 100

Example of Scheduling an Opportunity Report 103

Monitoring and Viewing Scheduled Reports 104

Suspending and Resuming Scheduled Reports 104

Deleting Scheduled Reports 105

Chapter 9: Using Master-Detail ReportsAbout Master-Detail Reports 107

Example of Comparing the Service Request Activity (All) Report with its Corresponding Layout Template 108

Creating a Master-Detail Layout Template in Microsoft Word 112

Chapter 10: Migrating ReportsRequirements for Migrating Reports 115

Process of Packaging and Migrating Reports 116Packaging the Report Files in the Source Environment 116Migrating the Report Files to the Target Environment 117Packaging Report Database Records in the Source Environment 118Migrating Report Database Records to the Target Environment 119

Process of Migrating an Integration Object for a Report 120

Process of Migrating New Reports after Creating New Integration Objects 121

Chapter 11: Parameterized ReportsAbout Parameterized Reports 123

About Report Parameter Types and Attributes 124

About Referencing Parameters in the Report Layout Template 126

About Defining Report Parameters in the Siebel Application 127

About Report Parameter Validation 128

Contents ■


Process of Creating Parameterized Reports 129Adding Scrollbars to the Parameters Dialog Box 130

Defining Report Parameters in the Siebel Application 131

Example of Generating a Parameterized Report 132

Chapter 12: Troubleshooting Siebel ReportsEnabling Logging for Siebel Reports in the Siebel Application 135

About Enabling Logging for the Oracle BI Publisher Server 137

Enabling Debugging on Oracle BI Publisher Server for Siebel Reports 137

Enabling and Disabling Debugging for Siebel Reports in Disconnected Mode 138

Guidelines for Resolving Class Not Found Errors When Previewing Reports in Microsoft Word 139

Resolving Class Not Found Errors When Previewing Reports in Microsoft Word 140

Troubleshooting Error Messages for Siebel Reports 141

Chapter 13: Report Business ServiceAbout the Report Business Service 151

Configuring the Report Business Service 152

Index


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8


1 What’s New in This Release

What’s New in Siebel Reports Guide, Version 8.2, Rev. ATable 1 lists the changes described in this version of the documentation to support this release of Oracle’s Siebel software.

Additional ChangesThe following documentation changes affect the organization of this guide:

■ Chapter 4, “Integrating Oracle BI Publisher with Siebel Business Applications” was rewritten to cross reference to external integration instructions. Most topics are now documented in 1501378.1 (Article ID) on My Oracle Support.

This book contains the following general changes:

■ The Reports icon is now referred to as the Reports button.

■ “Renaming Siebel Reports Menu Items” on page 34 was modified to provide correct query criteria.

Table 1. New Product Features in Siebel Reports Guide, Version 8.2, Rev. A

Topic Description

“How the Timestamp for Reports is Determined” on page 35

New topic. The timestamp for a report is the submit time on the Siebel Server.

“Viewing Report Usage Statistics” on page 45 New topic. Administrators can view a report entitled Report Usage Statistics that provides detailed statistical information.

Chapter 6, “Generating Reports” Chapter modified. It includes new instructions for generating reports using Siebel Open UI.

Uploading New or Modified Report Layout Templates for Multiple Siebel Server Environments

Topic deleted. As of Siebel CRM version 8.1.1.3, this task no longer applies.


What’s New in This Release ■

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What’s New in Siebel Reports Guide, Version 8.2Table 2 lists the changes described in this version of the documentation to support this release of the software.

Table 2. New Product Features in Siebel Reports Guide, Version 8.2

Topic Description

Chapter 4, “Integrating Oracle BI Publisher with Siebel Business Applications”

New chapter. It provides updated content and reorganized topics to reflect the latest integration and configuration tasks.

Chapter 6, “Generating Reports”Chapter 7, “Creating Reports”Chapter 8, “Scheduling Reports”

Modified topics in these chapters to reflect the new user interface that allows for sharing reports, scheduling reports, and includes other new features.

“About Using Siebel Reports” on page 14 Modified topic. Access control to generated reports is based on standard Siebel position-based visibility.

“About Oracle BI Publisher” on page 16 New topic. It describes the Oracle BI Publisher, OC4J (Oracle Application Server Containers for Java Platform, Enterprise Edition), and Oracle BI Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word (also known as Oracle BI Publisher Desktop).

“Deploying Report Layout Templates to the Siebel Web Client from a Disconnected Client” on page 32

New topic. It describes how to deploy reports to the Siebel Web Client from a disconnected client.

“Automatically Purging Reports from the Siebel File System” on page 35

New topic. It provides instructions for administrators to set up an automated process for purging reports from the Siebel File System. You no longer have to purge reports manually.

“About Working with Multilingual Reports” on page 40

New topic. It describes how Siebel Reports determines the report language at run time.

“Designing Multilingual Reports” on page 41

Modified topic. Added an optional step to the procedure.

“About Report Translation” on page 44 New topic. It describes report translation.

Chapter 6, “Generating Reports” Modified topic. This chapter is not applicable to scheduled reports.

“About Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client” on page 59

Modified topic. Access to reports is based on standard Siebel position-based visibility.



“Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client” on page 61

Modified topic. You can now do the following:

■ Grant others access to your reports.

■ Select multiple records when generating reports.

■ Override the default report language and locale settings.

“Viewing Details for Previously Generated Reports” on page 69

Modified topic. It describes the following:

■ Which generated reports a user has access to.

■ How to run a query on any of the fields in the Reports views.

“About Registering and Sharing Report Layout Templates” on page 78

New topic. It describes how to register and share report layout templates.

“Extending Integration Objects to Add New Fields for Siebel Reports” on page 84

New topic. An optional step in creating reports that describes how to extend an existing integration object to add new fields for a report.

“Generating Sample XML Data Files for Siebel Reports” on page 87

Modified topic. When you generate sample XML data, only a subset of the I/O data is exported into the XML file. A note was added describing what to do when this occurs.

“Creating Report Layout Templates Using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word” on page 88

Modified topic. Oracle BI Publisher does not support report names containing special characters.

“Registering Report Layout Templates” on page 89

Modified topic. Updated the procedure for registering report layout templates.

“Sharing Report Layout Templates” on page 94

New topic. It describes how to share report layout templates.

“Defining Report Layout Templates for Selected Records” on page 95

New topic. It describes how to configure a report layout template to display only the currently selected records in a Siebel application view when a report is generated.

“Changing the Report Sequence Order in the Reports Menu” on page 96

New topic. It describes how to define the way reports are ordered in the Reports menu.

“Scheduling Reports” on page 100 Modified topic. It describes the new user interface.

“Example of Comparing the Service Request Activity (All) Report with its Corresponding Layout Template” on page 108

New topic. It provides an example of using a master-detail report.


Topic Description



12

Additional ChangesThis version of Siebel Reports Guide includes:

■ The following screen names and other user interface (UI) elements have changed:

■ The Administration - BIP Reports screen is now the Administration - BI Publisher Reports screen.

■ The BIP Reports Server is now BI Publisher Reports.

■ The Purge Administration view is no longer available in the UI.

■ The My Jobs view is now the Scheduled Reports view.

■ The Report Template Registration view is replaced with two new template views:

❏ Reports - Customer Templates

❏ Reports - Standard Templates

■ The Generate Sample Data File button in the Integration Objects list of the template views is now Generate Sample XML.

■ You can generate reports in MHTML (MIME HTML) format in connected mode only.

■ The following topics were relocated to Chapter 5, “Administering Siebel Reports”:

■ “Uploading New or Modified Report Layout Templates for Multiple Siebel Server Environments” on page 87

■ “Changing the Location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository for Siebel Reports” on page 37

■ “Copying Fonts for Report Generation” on page 39

“Syntax and Description of the Fields for an Example Template” on page 110

New topic. It provides additional information for the example of using a master-detail report.

“Troubleshooting Error Messages for Siebel Reports” on page 141

Modified topic. Added two new solutions for errors that can occur while uploading files to Oracle BI Publisher.


Topic Description


2 Overview of Siebel Reports

The reporting module for Siebel Business Applications is Oracle® Business Intelligence Publisher (Oracle BI Publisher). This chapter provides a brief introduction to Siebel Reports and the reporting tools used to create reports. It includes the following topics:

■ About Siebel Reports on page 13

■ About Using Siebel Reports on page 14

■ Who Can Use Siebel Reports? on page 14

■ Siebel Reports Output File Types on page 15

■ About Oracle BI Publisher on page 16

■ About Using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word with Siebel Reports on page 16

About Siebel ReportsOracle’s Siebel Business Applications ship with preconfigured reports and layout templates. You can choose to use these reports, modify these reports, or create your own custom reports. For a comprehensive list of the preconfigured reports that ship with Siebel Business Applications and to download additional preconfigured reports, see 876284.1 (Article ID) on My Oracle Support.

You work with Siebel Reports in the following locations:

■ In the Siebel application to generate, schedule, and view reports. The views are also used for Siebel application administrative tasks.

For more information about generating reports, see Chapter 6, “Generating Reports.” For information about scheduling reports, see Chapter 8, “Scheduling Reports.”

■ In Microsoft Word by using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word to create and customize layout templates.

For more information about using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word, see “About Using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word with Siebel Reports” on page 16.

■ In Oracle BI Publisher to manage report scheduling, report users, and other Oracle BI Publisher administration tasks.

Information about these administrative tasks is documented throughout this guide.


Overview of Siebel Reports ■ About Using Siebel Reports

14

About Using Siebel ReportsIn the Siebel clients (Siebel Web Client, Siebel Mobile Web Client, and Siebel Developer Web Client) you use views to generate reports. While in a view, you typically perform a query, and then select the report that you want to generate from the application-level Reports menu. From the Reports menu, you can choose to either generate a report immediately or schedule a report to generate at a later time. You can monitor your long-running and scheduled reports, view previously generated reports, or delete reports from the Reports and the Scheduled Jobs views.

NOTE: The reports that are available to you while in a Siebel view are based on either a view-report relationship for standard templates, or position-based and multiorganizational visibility for custom templates. Others can also grant you access to their reports.

For more information about using Siebel reports from a user perspective, see Chapter 6, “Generating Reports.” For more information scheduling reports from a user perspective, see Chapter 8, “Scheduling Reports.” For information about positions and visibility, see Siebel Security Guide.

Related Topic“Who Can Use Siebel Reports?” on page 14

Who Can Use Siebel Reports?This topic describes the users and the tasks they are allowed to perform.

Siebel Reports users include the following:

■ Report user. Users can generate, view, monitor, and schedule reports that they are granted access to in a Siebel application. Users can also delete reports that they have personally generated. Additionally, users who have Microsoft Word and Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word installed on their computers can also modify existing templates or create custom layout templates. For more information about Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word, see “About Using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word with Siebel Reports” on page 16. In a sales organization, typical report users might be sales representatives, sales managers, and sales executives.

NOTE: Report scheduling is available only in connected mode. For more information about the connection modes in relation to Siebel Reports, see “About the Siebel Reports Architecture” on page 19.

Overview of Siebel Reports ■ Siebel Reports Output File Types


■ Report developer (or business user). Developers are responsible for determining how best to extract data from various sources and are granted permission to perform administrative tasks. These administrative tasks include generating translatable XLIFF (XML Localization Interchange File Format) files, uploading and registering templates in the Siebel clients, associating reports with Siebel application views, and so on. In a sales organization, report developers might be sales managers, business analysts, and so on.

NOTE: A sales manager might be a report user or a report developer depending on the responsibility assigned. Your business requirements determine which views are made available to certain users for reports development and administration. Restrictions are implemented using the standard Siebel access controls. For more information about access control in general, see Siebel Security Guide.

■ Report administrator. The report administrator might perform tasks typically performed by report developers, but the administrator is also responsible for installation and configuration tasks, purging reports, and managing the translation of reports from one language to another.

Related Topic“About Using Siebel Reports” on page 14

Siebel Reports Output File TypesSiebel Reports supports the following output file types:

■ PDF (Portable Document Format)

■ HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)

■ RTF (Rich Text Format)

■ XLS (Microsoft Excel format)

■ PPT (Microsoft PowerPoint format)

■ MHTML (MIME HTML)

NOTE: The PPT and MHTML report output file types are available only in connected mode. For more information about the connection modes in relation to Siebel Reports, see “About the Siebel Reports Architecture” on page 19.

The report output file types that are available to you for a specific report are determined by the report developer when registering a report in the Siebel application. For more information about registering reports, see “Registering Report Layout Templates” on page 89.


Overview of Siebel Reports ■ About Oracle BI Publisher

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About Oracle BI PublisherOracle Business Intelligence Publisher (Oracle BI Publisher) is the reporting module for Siebel Reports. Siebel Business Applications integrate with Oracle BI Publisher for report generation and management. For more information about Oracle BI Publisher, see the documentation suite available on Oracle Technology Network (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/indexes/documentation/index.html). For more information about Oracle BI Publisher and Siebel Business Applications integration, “How Siebel Business Applications and Oracle BI Publisher Interact” on page 26.

Oracle BI Publisher Server and OC4JWhen you install Oracle BI Publisher, OC4J (Oracle Application Server Containers for Java Platform, Enterprise Edition) and the Oracle BI Publisher Server are installed as part of this installation. During report generation, which is triggered from the Siebel application, data is pushed from the Siebel Database to the Oracle BI Publisher Server to generate reports. When handling a report request, the Oracle BI Publisher Server merges the data with the report layout template from the Oracle BI Publisher repository, and then sends the report to the Siebel application. For more information about OC4J, see Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Installation Guide, Release 10.1.3 available on Oracle Technology Network (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/indexes/documentation/index.html). For more information about the Oracle BI Publisher Server, see “About the Oracle BI Publisher Server in Siebel Business Applications” on page 24.

Oracle BI Publisher Add-In for Microsoft WordOracle BI Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word (also known as Oracle BI Publisher Desktop) is the report authoring tool for Siebel Reports, which allows you to author and preview layout templates using Microsoft Word. For more information about using this tool, see “About Using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word with Siebel Reports” on page 16.

About Using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word with Siebel ReportsOracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word (also known as Oracle BI Publisher Desktop) is an authoring tool that allows you to use native formatting features of Microsoft Word to design layout templates for reports. The application includes documentation, demos, and samples.

NOTE: Siebel Reports allows you to use a subset of the functionality and features the Oracle BI Publisher Desktop provides. Only the features documented in this guide are supported.

Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word provides separate layout, query, and language capability in one interface. Because data logic is separate from the layout, and the layout is not dependent on the needs of a particular language, this feature allows for flexibility in deployment and reduced maintenance costs.

Overview of Siebel Reports ■ About Using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-infor Microsoft Word with Siebel Reports


When you open Microsoft Word after installing Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word, the Oracle BI Publisher toolbar appears, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 shows the following new elements in Microsoft Word:

■ A new application-level menu entitled Oracle BI Publisher

■ The Oracle BI Publisher toolbar with the following menu options:

■ Data

■ Insert

■ Preview

■ Tools

■ Help

For information about installing Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word, see 1501378.1 (Article ID) on My Oracle Support.

NOTE: It is recommended that you use the same versions of Oracle BI Publisher Server and Oracle BI Publisher Desktop in your deployment.

Advantages of Using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word as a Report Authoring ToolAdvantages of using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word for creating layout templates and customizing reports include:

■ Users can build the layout and rules for reports themselves or reuse their existing company documents. Even if your users do not have the skills to create their own layout templates, they can begin creating the template in Microsoft Word. Then the report developer can use that same document to finalize the template and report.

■ Deployment is more efficient, because users can build the report that they want without having to depend on an engineer to interpret their requirements.

■ Testing cycles are reduced because users can implement changes to the report rather than tying up valuable development resources.

■ Report developers can concentrate on extracting only data.

Figure 1. Example of Oracle BI Publisher Menu and Toolbar in Microsoft Word

Oracle BI Publisher Toolbar

Oracle BI Publisher Menu


Overview of Siebel Reports ■ About Using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word with Siebel Reports

18

■ Report developers can extract data from diverse sources.

■ Both report developers and report administrators can build and maintain reports.

■ Interoperability with other standards-based reporting engines, such as Oracle’s enterprise reporting tool that is used in Oracle E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, BI EE (Business Intelligence Suite, Enterprise Edition Plus), and so on.

Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word FeaturesSome of the Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word features that are especially helpful in Siebel Reports template creation and customization include:

■ Template Builder. Facilitates the development of RTF (Rich Text Format) layout templates for reports.

Using Template Builder, users create how they want their report to look, and then a report developer can use this same document to determine how to extract data from the database in the most efficient manner. Because both report users and report developers use the same report authoring tool, there is much less chance for misinterpretation of the requirements.

■ Template Viewer. Allows you to preview report layouts with sample data in multiple output formats at any stage of development. Template Viewer is a feature of Template Builder.

■ Excel Analyzer. Oracle BI Publisher Analyzer for Excel facilitates the development of Excel templates that export data to an Excel spreadsheet. It allows you to:

■ Export the results of a report query to an Excel spreadsheet

■ Log in to Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word from Excel to refresh your data, apply new parameters, and apply a template to the report data

■ Create templates in Excel, upload them to the Oracle BI Publisher repository, and then access and generate reports from an Excel session

NOTE: The Analyzer for Excel feature is available only in connected mode. For more information about the connection modes in relation to Siebel Reports, see “About the Siebel Reports Architecture” on page 19.

For more information about using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word, see Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Report Designer's Guide available on Oracle Technology Network (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/indexes/documentation/index.html).

NOTE: Not all features mentioned in the Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher documentation are currently integrated in the Siebel Reports solution; only the features documented in this guide.


3 Siebel Reports Development Environment

This chapter describes the Siebel Reports development environment and how Siebel Reports interacts with Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (Oracle BI Publisher) to generate reports in Siebel Business Applications. It includes the following topics:

■ About the Siebel Reports Architecture on page 19

■ Workflow for Generating Reports in Connected Mode on page 20

■ Workflow for Generating Reports in Disconnected Mode on page 21

■ Siebel Reports Directory Structure on page 23

■ Siebel Reports File Types on page 24

■ About the Oracle BI Publisher Server in Siebel Business Applications on page 24

■ How Siebel Business Applications and Oracle BI Publisher Interact on page 26

About the Siebel Reports ArchitectureFor Siebel CRM version 8.1 and later, Siebel Reports supports two architectures: one for connected mode, and one for disconnected mode. From the perspective of the user when requesting reports in the various Siebel clients, there is no apparent difference. However, executing report requests using the Siebel clients differs depending on the connection mode:

■ Disconnected mode. Requesting reports in disconnected mode runs Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (Oracle BI Publisher) through the XMLP Report Business Service using the embedded Oracle BI Publisher libraries. For more information about the architecture for disconnected mode, see “Workflow for Generating Reports in Disconnected Mode” on page 21.

■ Connected mode. Requesting reports in connected mode to a server or through the Siebel Web Client integrates directly with the Siebel XMLP Report Server component and the Oracle BI Publisher Server. For more information about the architecture for connected mode, the XMLP Report Server component, and the Oracle BI Publisher Server, see “Workflow for Generating Reports in Connected Mode” on page 20.

TIP: For some Siebel Business Applications, the Siebel Web Client is not required. It is possible to generate Oracle BI Publisher reports with the embedded Oracle BI Publisher libraries, such as is the case with Siebel Loyalty. Another instance of when a Siebel Web Client is not required is when report generation is requested using a workflow by way of the business services in the XMLP Report Server Component. These two instances, however, are not documented in this guide. The instances are mentioned so that you know there are other reporting capabilities available for Siebel Reports.


Siebel Reports Development Environment ■ Workflow for Generating Reports in Connected Mode

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Workflow for Generating Reports in Connected ModeThe Siebel Web Client and other connected clients allow you to generate reports in connected mode. When you select a report from the Reports menu in a Siebel application view, the XMLP Report Server component processes the request and extracts the relevant data from the Siebel Database. The XMLP Report Server component converts the data to XML, then issues an outbound Web service call to a standalone Oracle BI Publisher Server. The Oracle BI Publisher Server accepts the XML data file, generates the layout template, and merges the layout template with the XML data. The Oracle BI Publisher Server then sends the report output file back to the XMLP Report Server component using an outbound Web service call. The report is stored in the Siebel File System and then displayed in the Siebel application.

Figure 2 illustrates both the architecture and workflow for generating reports in connected mode.

NOTE: Oracle BI Publisher was recently renamed; previously Oracle BI Publisher was called XML Publisher or XMLP. For this reason, some software elements retain the XMLP naming convention.

The following text provides a high-level description of Figure 2:

1 A report generation event is triggered from a Siebel application view.

2 The Siebel Application Object Manager (AOM) routes the event to the Siebel Database.

3 The Server Request Broker (SRBroker) and the Server Request Processor (SRProc) monitor the request and pass it to the XMLP Report Server component through the XMLP Driver Service.

Figure 2. Siebel Reports Architecture and Workflow for Generating Reports in Connected Mode

Siebel Reports Development Environment ■ Workflow for Generating Reports inDisconnected Mode


4 The XMLP Driver Service makes a call to the XMLP Data Service.

5 The XMLP Data Service fetches data from the Siebel Database through the EAI Siebel Adapter, and then returns the control back to the XMLP Data Service.

6 The XMLP Data Service passes control back to the XMLP Driver Service.

7 The XMLP Driver Service makes a call to the XMLP Adapter Service.

8 The XMLP Adapter Service makes a call to the proxy PublicReportServiceService business service.

9 The proxy PublicReportService business service makes a Web service call to the Oracle BI Publisher Server.

10 The Oracle BI Publisher Server executes report generation and returns the generated report binary data by way of a Web service call back to the proxy PublicReportServiceService business service.

11 The proxy PublicReportServiceService business service returns control to the XMLP Adapter Service.

12 The XMLP Adapter Service then downloads the report, and creates the file in the Siebel File System, which is displayed in the Siebel application.

Workflow for Generating Reports in Disconnected ModeThe mobile clients (Siebel Mobile Web Client and Siebel Developer Web Client) allow you to generate reports interactively in disconnected mode.

In disconnected mode, the Oracle BI Publisher Server is a logical component that uses the Oracle BI Publisher XDO Engine to manage generating reports. The XMLP Report Business Service is the interface to this logical component that instantiates the EAI Java Business Service to load the JAR files to the JVM (Java Virtual Machine). The Oracle BI Publisher XDO Engine then processes the XML data, XSL template, and XLIFF files to generate the report. For more information about the EAI Java Business Service and JVM, see Transports and Interfaces: Siebel Enterprise Application Integration.

The XMLP Report Business Service and the Oracle BI Publisher core libraries (XDO JAR files) are available as part of a Siebel mobile client installation. These core libraries are located in the SIEBEL_CLIENT_ROOT\CLASSES directory. For information about client installation, see Siebel Installation Guide for the operating system you are using.


Siebel Reports Development Environment ■ Workflow for Generating Reports in Disconnected Mode

22

Figure 3 illustrates both the architecture and workflow for generating reports in disconnected mode.

NOTE: Oracle BI Publisher was previously known as XML Publisher or XMLP. For this reason, some software elements retain the XMLP naming convention.

Figure 3 illustrates the following:

1 A report generation event is triggered from a view in the Siebel application.

2 Data is retrieved from the Siebel Database using the EAI Siebel Adapter and stored as XML in the XMLP\DATA folder in the Siebel client installation (SIEBEL_CLIENT_ROOT\CLASSES) directory.

3 A call is routed to the XMLP Report Java Business Service.

4 The XMLP Report Business Service instantiates the EAI Java Business Service, and loads the JAR files to the JVM (Java Virtual Machine).

5 The Oracle BI Publisher XDO Engine loads the XDO classes from the JAR files, and then the XML, XLIFF, and XSL template are given as input to the XDO classes for generating the report. The report is temporarily stored in XMLP\REPORTS, and then sent to the Siebel File System.

6 The control then goes back to the Siebel user interface where the generated report appears.

Figure 3. Siebel Reports Architecture and Workflow for Generating Reports in Disconnected Mode

Siebel Reports Development Environment ■ Siebel Reports Directory Structure


Siebel Reports Directory StructureSiebel Reports files reside in the Siebel Server installation XMLP directory (SIEBSRVR_ROOT\XMLP).

Table 3 provides descriptions of these directories.

Table 3. Siebel Reports XMLP Directory Structure

XMLP Path Description

\DATA Contains the generated XML files from the integration object definition.

\FONTS Contains the prepackaged .ttf (TrueType format) font files.

NOTE: The administrator must copy the font files from the C:\WINDOWS\Fonts directory to the $JRE_HOME\fonts directory to make sure that reports are displayed and print properly. For more information about copying font files, see “Copying Fonts for Report Generation” on page 39.

\REPORTS Contains the temporary files for generating reports.

\TEMPLATES Contains the RTF (Rich Text Format) layout templates. Users can download these report files to a local drive.

This directory also contains the XSL files necessary for disconnected mode. For information about how these files are used for generating reports, see “How Siebel Business Applications and Oracle BI Publisher Interact” on page 26.

\xliff\lang Contains the XLIFF files for localization. XLIFF is the XML format for exchanging localization data. If multiple languages are supported, a separate xliff subdirectory is provided for each language and is identified by its language code. For example, XLIFF files for German reside in xliff\deu and XLIFF files for French reside in xliff\fra.

NOTE: After a report template is registered, the XLIFF file (or files) is stored in the relevant xliff\lang directory (or directories) on the Siebel Server. When you upload the report template, all the XLIFF files from each language folder and the RTF file are placed on the Oracle BI Publisher Server in their appropriate locations. For more information, see “About the Oracle BI Publisher Server in Siebel Business Applications” on page 24.

TIP: Siebel Language Packs are installed as part of the Siebel installation process. For more information about installing languages, see Siebel Installation Guide for the operating system you are using.


Siebel Reports Development Environment ■ Siebel Reports File Types

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Siebel Reports File TypesSiebel Reports uses or generates files of the following types:

■ XML (Extensible Markup Language). XML is a metalanguage that is a simplified version of SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) used for describing markup languages. A markup language is a mechanism to identify structures in a document. XML allows you to define a standard way to add markup to documents and provides a facility to define tags and the structural relationships between them.

■ XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language). A language for expressing style sheets. An XSL style sheet is a file that describes how to display an XML document of a given type. Used in disconnected mode only. For more information about the connection modes for Siebel Reports, see “About the Siebel Reports Architecture” on page 19.

■ XLIFF (XML Localization Interchange File Format). A format to store extracted text and carry the data from one step to another in the localization process.

Siebel Reports uses the following languages for generating reports:

■ XSL-FO (Extensible Stylesheet Language-Formatting Objects). An XML vocabulary for specifying formatting semantics.

■ XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation). A language for transforming XML documents.

■ XPath (XML Path Language). An expression language used by XSLT to access or refer to parts of an XML document.

Siebel Reports also supports various report output file types. For more information about these report output types, see “Who Can Use Siebel Reports?” on page 14.

About the Oracle BI Publisher Server in Siebel Business ApplicationsThis topic provides a high-level overview of the how the Oracle BI Publisher Server interacts with Siebel Business Applications to generate and schedule reports in connected mode. For more information about generating reports in connected mode, see “Workflow for Generating Reports in Connected Mode” on page 20.

About the Oracle BI Publisher ServerThe Oracle BI Publisher Server is installed as part of the Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (Oracle BI Publisher) installation. For information about installing Oracle BI Publisher, see 1501378.1 (Article ID) on My Oracle Support.

Siebel Reports Development Environment ■ About the Oracle BI Publisher Server inSiebel Business Applications


The Oracle BI Publisher Server uses a push-pull mechanism to transfer XML data between the Siebel application and the Oracle BI Publisher Server. During report generation, which is triggered from the Siebel application, data is pushed from the Siebel Database to the Oracle BI Publisher Server to generate reports. When handling a report request, the Oracle BI Publisher Server merges the data with the report layout template from the Oracle BI Publisher repository, and then sends the report to the Siebel application.

The following subtopics describe the Oracle BI Publisher Server functionality in relation to Siebel Reports in greater detail.

About the PublicReportServiceService Web ServiceThe PublicReportServiceService Web service is a Web service that is exposed by Oracle BI Publisher. This service is the mechanism that Siebel Reports uses in connected mode to upload and pass reports to the Siebel application.

The PublicReportServiceService Web service supports the following operations:

■ Validates privileges

■ Gets information about reports and the Oracle BI Publisher repository

■ Generates reports

■ Creates and manages reports

■ Gets information about the Oracle BI Publisher Server

About the Oracle BI Publisher RepositoryThe Oracle BI Publisher repository resides on the Oracle BI Publisher Server. The Oracle BI Publisher repository is a collection of reports that is installed as part of the Oracle BI Publisher Server installation. The repository stores the preconfigured reports that ship with Siebel Business Applications and new reports you create.

In the SharedFolder directory in the Oracle BI Publisher repository, the SIEBELCRMREPORTS directory stores all reports. Each report stored in the SIEBELCRMREPORTS directory has its own folder. The layout template (RTF) and XLIFF files necessary for generating that report are in that folder.

You upload the layout template files (RTF and XLIFF) to the Oracle BI Publisher Server by registering the template in the Siebel application. The Oracle BI Publisher Server then requests report generation using a Web service to generate the report. For more information about uploading layout templates to the Oracle BI Publisher repository and registering layout templates, see “Workflow for Uploading Report Layout Templates to a Siebel Application” on page 76.


Siebel Reports Development Environment ■ How Siebel Business Applications and Oracle BI Publisher Interact

26

How Siebel Business Applications and Oracle BI Publisher InteractSiebel Business Applications integrate with Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (Oracle BI Publisher) for report execution. However, depending on your connection mode, layout templates are merged with XML data differently to render reports in the Siebel user interface.

Figure 4 compares report execution in connected mode with disconnected mode.


1 A report generation request is initiated from a Siebel application view, and then routed to one of the following to generate the report:

■ Oracle BI Publisher XDO Engine in disconnected mode

■ Oracle BI Publisher Server in connected mode

Figure 4. Comparison of Report Execution in Connected and Disconnected Mode

Siebel Reports Development Environment ■ How Siebel Business Applications andOracle BI Publisher Interact


2 The RTF Processor converts the RTF layout templates to XSL for input to the BI Publisher-FO Processor.

3 The BI Publisher-FO Processor merges the XSL and the XML data files to produce the following output formats:

■ XML and XSL formats are converted to HTML.

■ XML, XSL-FO, are XLIFF formats are converted to: PDF, HTML, RTF, EXCEL, PPT, and MHTML.

NOTE: The PPT and MHTML output file types are available only in connected mode.

Template Builder, a feature of Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word, is used to modify and customize layout templates. Template Builder uses form fields to encapsulate XSL instructions for parsing XML data. Form fields are a feature of Microsoft Word and are the building blocks for layout templates in Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word. You use form fields in template design wherever data is required. Template Builder generates these form fields using the Siebel application and the information specified in the layout template.

Report Execution in Disconnected ModeThe XMLP Report Business Service provides XML files to the Oracle BI Publisher XDO Engine to merge the layout templates with XML data. One of the required inputs for the XDO Engine is an XML file. XML files are generated by way of the EAI Siebel Adapter, using the EAI Java Business Service for connecting a Siebel application to the XDO Engine. The EAI Java Business Service is the JVM (Java Virtual Machine) interface between the XDO Engine and the Siebel application. The XML data file is merged with the layout template, then Oracle BI Publisher exposes the completed report document to the user in the Siebel application after storing the file in the Siebel File System.

Oracle BI Publisher provides the XML file to the engine using the EAI Java Business Service. The XML contains the data that populates the resulting document. The data comes from the results of the internal queries run against various data sources.

Oracle BI Publisher uses XSLT and XPath to extract data from the XML data and incorporates that data into an RTF-formatted layout template during run time. XSL comprises three standards (XSLT, XPath, and XSL- FO) for manipulating XML data. The XMLP Report Server component uses the XDO Engine to convert the RTF templates into XSL format, and then using the BI Publisher-FO Processor, converts the files to the published report formats.

Report Execution in Connected ModeOracle BI Publisher uses XSLT and XPath to extract data from the XML data and incorporates that data into an RTF-formatted layout template during run time. The XMLP Adapter Service invokes the PublicReportServiceService Web service to generate reports. The PublicReportServiceService Web service is the interface between the Siebel application and the Oracle BI Publisher Server.


Siebel Reports Development Environment ■ How Siebel Business Applications and Oracle BI Publisher Interact

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4 Integrating Oracle BI Publisher with Siebel Business Applications

This chapter provides instructions for administrators on how to integrate Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (Oracle BI Publisher) with Siebel Business Applications for report generation. It includes the following topics:

■ About Integrating Oracle BI Publisher with Siebel Business Applications on page 29

■ Where to Find Documentation for Previous Versions of Siebel Reports on page 29

About Integrating Oracle BI Publisher with Siebel Business ApplicationsSiebel Business Applications integrate with Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (Oracle BI Publisher) for report execution. Each new Siebel CRM release typically introduces new report features and functionality. However, before you can use these latest features, you must perform several installation and configuration or upgrade tasks. The tasks you perform are contingent on whether you are deploying Siebel Reports for the first time or you are already using Siebel Reports. For integration instructions, see 1501378.1 (Article ID) on My Oracle Support.

NOTE: If you have an existing Siebel Reports environment and you want to use the latest report features, then you must upgrade to the latest Siebel CRM Fix Pack 8.2.2.x and perform additional configuration tasks for both the Siebel application and Oracle BI Publisher.

Where to Find Documentation for Previous Versions of Siebel ReportsEach Siebel CRM release has specific Siebel Reports setup instructions and features for that particular release that may not be applicable to earlier or later releases. To find the documentation for your deployment, see 1172844.1 (Article ID) on my Oracle Support.


Integrating Oracle BI Publisher with Siebel Business Applications ■ Where to Find Documentation for Previous Versions of Siebel Reports

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5 Administering Siebel Reports

This chapter describes some of the administrative tasks for Siebel Reports. The tasks in this chapter are for administrators only and are applicable to both connected and disconnected modes unless otherwise indicated. This chapter includes the following topics:

■ Deploying Report Layout Templates to the Siebel Web Client from a Disconnected Client on page 32

■ Configuring the Reports Button on page 33

■ Disabling and Enabling the Reports Button on page 33

■ Renaming Siebel Reports Menu Items on page 34

■ About Controlling Access to Reports on page 34

■ How the Timestamp for Reports is Determined on page 35

■ Automatically Purging Reports from the Siebel File System on page 35

■ Purging Scheduled Reports from the Oracle BI Publisher Server on page 36

■ Changing the Location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository for Siebel Reports on page 37

■ Copying Fonts for Report Generation on page 39

■ About Working with Multilingual Reports on page 40

■ Designing Multilingual Reports on page 41

■ Roadmap for Uploading Multilingual Reports to the Siebel Application on page 42

■ Adding and Deleting Locales from Report Templates on page 43

■ About Report Translation on page 44

■ Viewing Report Usage Statistics on page 45

■ Roadmap for Optimizing the Performance of Siebel Reports on page 45

■ Setting the Report Execution Waiting Period for Reports on page 46

■ Setting the Server Request Processor Database Polling Interval for Siebel Reports on page 46

■ Setting Concurrency Parameters for Siebel Reports on page 47

■ Process of Optimizing the Generation Performance of Siebel Reports for Large Data Volumes on page 48

■ About Increasing the Java Heap Size on Oracle BI Publisher Server on page 52

■ About Reducing the Size of an Integration Object on page 53


Administering Siebel Reports ■ Deploying Report Layout Templates to the Siebel Web Client from a Disconnected Client

32

Deploying Report Layout Templates to the Siebel Web Client from a Disconnected ClientSiebel reports are typically developed on a disconnected client, such as the Siebel Developer Web Client. After you test and verify a report layout template, you must move that report to the Siebel Server to deploy the report to the Siebel Web Client.

Report templates and associated XLIFF translation files are stored in the Siebel File System and are synchronized to the Siebel Server when a Mobile Client performs a synchronization. After you click Upload in the user interface, the report is then available for generation in connected mode with the Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (Oracle BI Publisher) Server. This topic describes how to deploy reports to the Siebel Web Client from a disconnected client.

To deploy a report to the Siebel Web Client from a disconnected client1 Copy the following report files from the Siebel Developer Web Client (or other disconnected

client) directory to the Siebel Server directory:

■ Report layout template file (.rtf)

■ XLIFF (.xlf) files

NOTE: It is recommended that you locate your report layout template files in the SIEBSRVR_ROOT\XMLP\Templates directory and the XLIFF files in the SIEBSRVR_ROOT\XMLP\xliff\language directory.

2 Register the report by doing the following:

a Navigate to the Administration - BI Publisher Reports screen, then one of the following template views:

❏ Reports - Custom Templates

❏ Reports - Standard Templates

b Create a new record and assign the template and integration object to the record.

c In the XLIFF field, assign the associated .xlf file to the report.

NOTE: The Generate XLIFF button is disabled in the Siebel Web Client and that is why you must explicitly select the .xlf file.

3 Assign the report to a Siebel view or views.

For information about assigning reports to Siebel views, see “Associating Registered Reports with Siebel Application Views” on page 96.

4 Upload the report to the Oracle BI Publisher Server by doing the following:

a Navigate back to the applicable template view.

b Click Upload Files.

5 Verify the report was successfully uploaded by doing the following:

Administering Siebel Reports ■ Configuring the Reports Button


a Log in to the Oracle BI Publisher Server with administrator privilege.

b Click the Reports tab, expand Shared Folders, and then click SiebelCRMReports.

c Verify that the new report layout template and associated files were uploaded.

Configuring the Reports ButtonBy default, the Reports button appears in Siebel Business Applications below the application-level menu. However, you have the option to disable it or alter which menu items appear and how they display in the user interface.

To configure the Reports button, perform the following tasks:

■ (Optional) “Disabling and Enabling the Reports Button” on page 33

■ (Optional) “Renaming Siebel Reports Menu Items” on page 34

Disabling and Enabling the Reports ButtonBy default, the Reports button appears in Siebel Business Applications below the application-level menu. You can disable it by setting the ReportEngineType system preference in the Siebel Business Applications. If this system preference is set to NONE, then the Reports button does not appear.

NOTE: If the Reports icon is disabled, then you can still execute reports using Siebel workflows or Siebel business services. For more information, see “Report Business Service” on page 151.

Disabling and Enabling the Reports ButtonThis topic is an optional step in “Configuring the Reports Button” on page 33.

Use the following procedure to enable and disable the Reports button.

To disable the Reports button1 Log in to the Siebel application with administrator privileges.

2 Navigate to the Administration - Application screen, then the System Preferences view.

3 Query for ReportEngineType, and then set the System Preferences value as described in the following table.

4 Restart the Siebel Server to verify the Reports icon does not appear.

System Preference Value Description

NONE This option disables the Reports button.

BIP This option enables the Reports button.


Administering Siebel Reports ■ About Controlling Access to Reports

34

Renaming Siebel Reports Menu ItemsThis topic is an optional step in “Configuring the Reports Button” on page 33.

The Reports menu in Siebel Business Applications is customizable. You can change the text strings that appear in the UI for the following menu items:

■ My BI Publisher Reports

■ Schedule Report

NOTE: By default, the scheduling option appears on the Reports menu only if a user has been assigned the XMLP_SCHEDULER responsibility. For more information about reports responsibilities, see the topic on setting up and enabling the Siebel Security Model for Siebel Reports in 1501378.1 (Article ID) on My Oracle Support.

For example, you might want to change My BI Publisher Reports in the Reports menu to Generated Reports or something similar.

Using Siebel Tools, you rename Siebel Reports menu items by configuring symbolic strings to change the text string.

To rename a Siebel Reports menu item1 Log in to Siebel Tools with administrator privileges.

2 In the Object Explorer, select the Symbolic String object.

3 Perform one of the following:

a To change the My BI Publisher Reports menu item, query for SBL_MY_BIPUBLISHER_REPORTS, and then edit the Current String Value.

b To change the Schedule Report menu item, query for SBL_SCHEDULE_BIPUBLISHER_REPORTS, and then edit the Current String Value.

4 Compile the Symbolic String project, distribute the updated SRF, and then restart the Siebel Server.

5 Verify your changes by doing the following:

a Launch the Siebel application, and then navigate to any screen.

b Click Reports to view your changes.

About Controlling Access to ReportsStandard Siebel Business Applications access controls apply to Siebel Reports. For standard report templates, access is controlled by way of a view to report relationship. For custom report templates, you can apply position- and organization-based visibility to configure which report templates are made available to users. You can also share completed reports using position-based visibility. For more information about user access in relation to Siebel Reports, see the topic about security and authentication in 1501378.1 (Article ID) on My Oracle Support. For more information about granting access to others, see “Sharing Report Layout Templates” on page 94. For general information about access controls, see Siebel Security Guide.

Administering Siebel Reports ■ How the Timestamp for Reports is Determined


How the Timestamp for Reports is DeterminedThe timestamp for a report is the submit time on the Siebel Server. If a report is submitted when the XMLP Report Server component is not enabled, the report appears with a blank status in the My Reports view. Then, when the XLMP Report Server component is enabled, the report immediately shows a status of In Progress. However, the status might not appear long enough for you to view it. This behavior is because typically the In Progress status disappears after only a few seconds and is replaced with a status of Success (or Error).

Automatically Purging Reports from the Siebel File SystemAdministrators must periodically purge reports from the Siebel File System. You purge reports by using filters or by running a workflow process. For more information about workflow processes, see Siebel Business Process Framework: Workflow Guide. This topic describes how to set up reports to automatically purge after the reports meet certain criteria.

NOTE: Administrators are also responsible for purging reports from the Oracle BI Publisher Server. For information about this purging, see “Purging Scheduled Reports from the Oracle BI Publisher Server” on page 36.

You can set up Siebel Reports to automatically purge reports from the Siebel Database after a specified time interval. The BIP Delete After Days system preference allows you to specify a nonzero positive value that executes the Auto Purge workflow to purge the reports. The reports are purged from the database and the Siebel File System after the number of days specified. For example, if you want to keep reports for the last seven days, but remove all reports after this time frame, then you set the value to 7.

CAUTION: It is recommended that only administrators perform this task, because you run the risk of inadvertently depleting or contaminating the report repository. Report developers and other users can delete reports, but they must not purge reports. For information about deleting reports, see “Deleting Reports” on page 70.

To automatically purge reports from the Siebel File System1 Log in to the Siebel application as a Siebel administrator.

2 Navigate to the Administration - Application screen, then the System Preferences view.

3 In the System Preferences list, select BIP Delete After Days, and change the value to a positive, nonzero value. By default, the value is set to -1 (minus 1).

NOTE: It is recommended that you set this value in relation to your daily report volumes, especially for large-scale implementations where many reports are generated. Setting this parameter to a low value prevents the Siebel File System from increasing to an unmanageable size.

4 Navigate to the Administration - Server Management screen, then the Jobs view.


Administering Siebel Reports ■ Purging Scheduled Reports from the Oracle BI Publisher Server

36

5 Add a new job entitled Workflow Process Manager.

6 Add a parameter to the job as follows:

a Enter Workflow Process Name as the name.

b Give the parameter a value of XMLP Purge Records.

7 Click Submit.

You can also schedule this job to generate periodically using a workflow. For more information about scheduling workflows, see Siebel Business Process Framework: Workflow Guide.

Purging Scheduled Reports from the Oracle BI Publisher ServerScheduled reports that users have generated are stored in the Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (Oracle BI Publisher) scheduling database. Administrators can periodically purge scheduled reports from the Oracle BI Publisher Server by removing Oracle Business Intelligence Scheduler job instances from the database.

TIP: You cannot purge scheduled reports from the Siebel application or by using the Oracle BI Publisher administration application.

This topic describes how to purge reports using either the Job Manager Instances List or the Job Manager Purge Instances Window.

To purge scheduled reports from the Oracle BI Publisher Server■ Follow the instructions provided in the Purging Oracle BI Scheduler Job Instances topic in the

Oracle Business Intelligence Scheduler Guide on Oracle Technology Network (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/indexes/documentation/index.html).

CAUTION: It is recommended that only administrators purge scheduled reports, because you run the risk of inadvertently depleting or contaminating the report repository. Report developers and other users can delete reports, but they cannot purge reports. For information about deleting reports, see “Deleting Scheduled Reports” on page 105.

NOTE: Administrators are also responsible for purging reports from the Siebel File System. For information about this purging, see “Automatically Purging Reports from the Siebel File System” on page 35.

Administering Siebel Reports ■ Changing the Location of the Oracle BI PublisherRepository for Siebel Reports


Changing the Location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository for Siebel ReportsThis topic describes how to change the location of the Oracle BI Publisher repository for use with Siebel Reports.

By default, the location of the Oracle BI Publisher repository is stored in the Oracle home JVM property with a value of ${oracle.home}/xdo/repository. The Siebel application uses this JVM property to access the Oracle BI Publisher repository. If Oracle BI Publisher is running on an Oracle Application server or an Oracle Application Server Containers for Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (OC4J) standalone, then this oracle.home property value is automatically set by the OC4J container. For more information about OC4J, see Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Installation Guide, Release 10.1.3 available on Oracle Technology Network (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/indexes/documentation/index.html).

If you do not want to use ${oracle.home}/xdo/repository as the location of your Oracle BI Publisher repository, then there are three different ways you can change it:

■ Create a custom XML file

For instructions, see “Changing the Location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository by Creating a Custom XML File” on page 37.

■ Replace a JVM property name

For instructions, see “Changing the Location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository by Replacing a JVM Property Name” on page 38

■ Change the absolute path to the repository

For instructions, see “Changing the Location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository by Changing the Absolute Path to the Repository” on page 39.

Changing the Location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository by Creating a Custom XML FileUse the following procedure to change the location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository by creating a custom XML file.


Administering Siebel Reports ■ Changing the Location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository for Siebel Reports

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This task is a step in “Changing the Location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository for Siebel Reports” on page 37.

To create a custom XML file to change the location of the Oracle BI Publisher repository1 Copy the xmlp-server-config.xml file and paste it to a folder where Oracle BI Publisher can read

it.

For example, in an Oracle AS/OC4J 10.1.3 deployment, you copy the configuration file from:

OC4J_HOME/j2ee/home/applications/xmlpserver/xmlpserver/WEB-INF/xmlp-server-config.xml

2 Edit the newly created .xml file to reflect the new path.

The default configuration for the xmlp-server-config.xml file is:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<xmlpConfig xmlns="http://xmlns.oracle.com/oxp/xmlp">

<resource>

<file path="${oracle.home}/xdo/repository"/>

</resource>

</xmlpConfig>

3 Start the application server by adding the following JVM option:

-Dxdo.server.config.dir=/home/BIP

Changing the Location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository by Replacing a JVM Property NameUse the following procedure to change the location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository by replacing a JVM property name.

This task is a step in “Changing the Location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository for Siebel Reports” on page 37.

To change the location of the Oracle BI Publisher repository by replacing a JVM property name■ In the WEB-INF/xmlp-server-config.xml file, replace oracle.home with some other JVM property

name.

NOTE: You must set the value of the new JVM property to the correct repository path.

Administering Siebel Reports ■ Copying Fonts for Report Generation


Changing the Location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository by Changing the Absolute Path to the RepositoryThis task is a step in “Changing the Location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository for Siebel Reports” on page 37.

Use the following procedure to change the location of the Oracle BI Publisher Repository by changing the absolute path to the repository.

To change the location of the Oracle BI Publisher repository by changing the absolute path to the repository■ In the WEB-INF/xmlp-server-config.xml file, change the absolute path to the repository that you

want.

Copying Fonts for Report GenerationFonts used in reports are obtained from the computer on which the report is generated. If a report is generated from a computer where the fonts in the report are not available, then the output might not be as expected when trying to generate, view, preview, or schedule reports. This topic describes how to resolve this unexpected behavior.

NOTE: It is the responsibility of the report designer to make sure that fonts are selected that match the data that is likely to be included in a report. For more information about fonts in Siebel Business Applications, see Siebel Global Deployment Guide.

To copy fonts■ On the Siebel Server where the XMLP Report Server component is enabled, do one of the

following:

■ For Windows, copy the fonts in C:\WINDOWS\Fonts directory to the fonts directory in the Java installation directory for your deployment (typically this is JAVA_HOME\lib\fonts).

■ For UNIX, copy the fonts in the /Fonts directory to the fonts directory in the Java installation directory for your deployment.

NOTE: This task is typically performed as part of the Siebel application installation. However, administrators can perform this task at any time.


Administering Siebel Reports ■ About Working with Multilingual Reports

40

About Working with Multilingual ReportsThe Siebel Reports architecture supports generating reports in multiple languages from a single object manager for a variety of needs. A locale is a language and locale combination as defined in the locale administration screen in the Siebel application (Data Administration screen, then the Locale view).

Siebel Reports allows you to:

■ Configure reports that are generated for a specific locale.

■ Make sure that a report is generated against a particular Siebel record with a preference for a specific document locale for that record. For example, you might have a preference for a document language for a specific Quote report.

■ Let users set a default locale preference for their own report generation.

■ Let users override the default locale values when generating reports.

■ Execute report generation using the default locale settings of the user’s session object manager.

Table 4 provides details of how this logic is implemented in Siebel Reports. The order defines the logic applied at run time to determine which default language preferences to use.

Table 4. How Siebel Reports Determines the Report Language at Run Time

Default Preference Order Description

Template specific 1 If a default locale is specified in the report layout template, then these values appear as the default selection for the report output. However, users can override these settings at run time for an individual report (see Run-time Selection in this table).

Entity related(business service)

2 The Report Business Service is configurable for locale as an optional inputs. If the locale is specified at the template level, then the template parameters are used rather than those specified for the input. If no parameters are passed to the Report Business Service, then the default application object manager values are used.

NOTE: Only use locale values as business service inputs when these values are not set at the template level.

User preferences 3 If the report layout template does not have a default locale, and the user has set a locale property in their user preferences, then the user preference values are used. Otherwise, the values in the report layout template prevail. For information about setting user preferences for report generation, see “About Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client” on page 64.

Administering Siebel Reports ■ Designing Multilingual Reports


Related Topics“Designing Multilingual Reports” on page 41

“Roadmap for Uploading Multilingual Reports to the Siebel Application” on page 42

“Adding and Deleting Locales from Report Templates” on page 43

“About Report Translation” on page 44

Designing Multilingual ReportsDesigning multilingual reports is the same as designing a standard report. The only difference is that you must externalize the user interface elements for localization in the locales that you want.

For more information about externalizing the user interface elements, see “About Report Translation” on page 44. For more information about designing reports, see Chapter 7, “Creating Reports.”

To design a multilingual report1 Design a report in the default language, for example, ENU (English U.S.).

2 Using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word, redesign the layout template for the new language.

3 In the Siebel application, register the report.

For information about registering reports, see “Registering Report Layout Templates” on page 89.

NOTE: How translation files are uploaded from Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word to generate reports differs depending on the connection mode; that is, whether it uses connected or disconnected mode. For more information about uploading files, see “Workflow for Uploading Report Layout Templates to a Siebel Application” on page 76.

4 (Optional) Using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word, add a default locale to the report layout template.

Related Topics“About Working with Multilingual Reports” on page 40



Run-time selection 4 Users can override the default locale values when generating a report.

No language or locale specified

5 If no default locale is specified in the report layout template level or in the user preferences, then the current application object manager values for the session are used.

Table 4. How Siebel Reports Determines the Report Language at Run Time

Default Preference Order Description


Administering Siebel Reports ■ Roadmap for Uploading Multilingual Reports to the Siebel Application

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Roadmap for Uploading Multilingual Reports to the Siebel ApplicationThis topic describes how to upload multilingual reports to the Siebel application. You might use this feature differently, depending on your business model.

To upload a multilingual report to the Siebel application, perform the following tasks and processes:

1 Associate the RTF layout template file with the report using the appropriate report template registration view (Reports - Standard Templates or Reports - Custom Templates). For information, see “Registering Report Layout Templates” on page 89.

2 Associate an XLIFF or ZIP file with the report record using the following guidelines:

■ To upload a single or multiple XLIFF files, use the following naming convention:

Report Template Filename_langcode1.xlf

where:

❏ Report Template Filename is the physical RTF filename

❏ langcode is the language code abbreviation

For example, aclist_enu.xlf.

■ To upload a ZIP file the naming convention should be in the form:

Report Template Filename.zip

NOTE: All files names are case insensitive.

3 Click Upload.

The files are stored as follows:

■ RTF file. The file is stored the SIEBEL_ROOT\XMLP\TEMPLATES directory. The RTF file and associated XLIFF files are uploaded to Oracle BI Publisher Server in the appropriate folders.

■ ZIP file. The file is stored in the SIEBEL_ROOT\XMLP\xliff directory. The ZIP file is automatically decompressed to the SIEBEL_ROOT\XMLP\xliff\locale_code folder.

NOTE: Validation occurs during the upload, and if any issues arise, an error message appears and the uploaded files are deleted. For information about this validation, see “Registering Report Layout Templates” on page 89.

4 Register the report, add the languages to the Translations list in the appropriate report registration view (Reports - Standard Templates or Reports - Custom Templates). For instructions, see “Registering Report Layout Templates” on page 89.

The report layout template and the associated XLIFF translation files are now registered.

Administering Siebel Reports ■ Adding and Deleting Locales from Report Templates


5 Log in to Oracle BI Publisher Server to review the structure of the registration.

Each XLIFF file is registered using the format TemplateName_language code_TERRITORY CODE.xlf. For more information about translation naming conventions, see Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Report Designer's Guide on Oracle Technology Network (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/indexes/documentation/index.html).





Adding and Deleting Locales from Report TemplatesYou add or delete a locale by adding or deleting a language. For more information about locales, see “About Working with Multilingual Reports” on page 40. This topic describes how to add and delete locales from report templates.

Adding a Locale to a ReportUse the following procedure to add a locale to a report template.

To add a locale to a report1 Log in to the Siebel application.

2 Navigate to the Administration - BI Publisher Reports screen, then to one of the following template views:

■ Reports - Custom Templates

■ Reports - Standard Templates

3 In the appropriate Template list, select the report to which you want to add a locale.

4 In the Translations subview, click New.

5 In the Language field, add a new language, and then click OK.

6 (Optional) If you want a different name for the translated report to appear in the Reports menu, enter a Report Name.

Deleting a Locale from a ReportUse the following procedure to delete a locale from a report template.


Administering Siebel Reports ■ About Report Translation

44

To delete a locale from a report1 Log in to the Siebel application.

2 Navigate to the Administration - BI Publisher Reports screen, then to one of the following template views:



3 In the Report Template Registration list, select the report from which you want to delete a language.

4 In the Translations list, choose a language, and then click Delete.

NOTE: This step removes only the language from the report; it does not remove the report.





About Report TranslationTo translate reports, you must externalize the user interface elements for localization in the languages that you want. To externalize the user interface means to separate the localizable attributes from the nonlocalizable attributes of the user interface elements for each translation. In the case of reports, strings are externalized to an XLIFF file. The XLIFF format separates localizable text from formatting, allowing the translator to work only on the text to be translated. For more information about XLIFF files related to Siebel Reports, see “Siebel Reports Directory Structure” on page 23.

Typically, an administrator manages report translations; a third party usually performs the actual translation.

NOTE: For a list of the languages that Siebel Reports supports, see Siebel System Requirements and Supported Platforms on Oracle Technology Network.

When multilingual reports are generated for a specific report locale, the following occurs for each component of the report translation:

■ Template text elements. Translation is determined by way of the translations in the relevant XLIFF file.

■ MLOVs. Translation is determined based on the selected report locale and LOV data extracted by way of EAI in the relevant language.

Administering Siebel Reports ■ Viewing Report Usage Statistics


■ Dates and currency formatting. The format of date, time, and currency fields is based on the template functions: format-date() and format-currency(). Both of these Oracle BI Publisher functions use the locale code specified for the report generation to determine the correct format to display based on the Oracle BI Publisher locale format definitions.

CAUTION: Each translated report must have a unique translated display name. If there are duplicate names for translated reports, then when those names pass from the browser to the Siebel Server, the server cannot differentiate which report to generate.





Viewing Report Usage StatisticsAdministrators can view a report entitled Report Usage Statistics that provides detailed statistical information about report generation, users who run the reports, failures, long-running reports, and so on. This report is available as part of the preconfigured reports that ship with Siebel Business Applications. For information about downloading these reports, see 876284.1 (Article ID) on My Oracle Support.

Roadmap for Optimizing the Performance of Siebel ReportsThere are several tasks you can perform to optimize the performance of Siebel Reports. It is recommended you perform these tasks as part of the Siebel Reports installation process. However, you can perform them later. These tasks are not implemented in a particular order.

■ “Setting the Report Execution Waiting Period for Reports” on page 46

■ “Setting the Server Request Processor Database Polling Interval for Siebel Reports” on page 46

■ “Setting Concurrency Parameters for Siebel Reports” on page 47

■ “Process of Optimizing the Generation Performance of Siebel Reports for Large Data Volumes” on page 48

NOTE: Most of these tasks are applicable only when the client is in connected mode unless noted otherwise.


Administering Siebel Reports ■ Setting the Report Execution Waiting Period for Reports

46

Setting the Report Execution Waiting Period for ReportsIt is recommended that you limit the wait time for report execution. You do so by setting a threshold value in seconds for the BIP Report Wait Time system preference. The minimum threshold value allowed is 0, which sends all reports into the background. By setting the value greater than 0 seconds, users can return to the Siebel application while their reports generate in the background.

After the threshold is reached, and if a report is still generating, a message appears stating that the report is running in the background and to retrieve the report from the BI Publisher Reports view. For information about this view, see “Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client” on page 61.

This task is a step in “Roadmap for Optimizing the Performance of Siebel Reports” on page 45.

To set the report execution waiting period for reports1 Navigate to the Administration - Application screen, then the System Preferences view.

2 In the System Preferences list, select BIP Report Wait Time, and then change the System Preference Value to a number greater than 0.

Related TopicsSetting the Server Request Processor Database Polling Interval for Siebel Reports

Setting Concurrency Parameters for Siebel Reports

Process of Optimizing the Generation Performance of Siebel Reports for Large Data Volumes

Setting the Server Request Processor Database Polling Interval for Siebel ReportsTo optimize the performance of Siebel Reports, it is recommended you change the Database Polling Interval parameter for the Server Request Processor (SRProc) server component. This parameter defines how long to wait before SRProc polls the database again when the current polling does not get requests.

NOTE: This parameter is hidden by default and does not appear in either the Siebel Server Manager GUI or the Siebel Server Manager command-line interface program.


Use the following procedure to set the Database Polling Interval server component parameter.

Administering Siebel Reports ■ Setting Concurrency Parameters for Siebel Reports


To set the Server Request Processor database polling interval for Siebel Reports1 Navigate to the Administration - Server Configuration screen, Servers, and then the Components

view.

2 In the Components list, select Server Request Processor (alias SRProc).

3 Scroll down, click the Parameters subview, and then click Hidden.

4 In the Parameter list, select Database Polling Interval, and change the value from 10 to 1.

The Value on Restart and Default Values are updated as well.

5 Restart the Siebel Server.

Alternatively, you can use the srvrmgr command-line interface to restart the SRProc component

For more information about setting the server component parameters and restarting the Siebel Server and server components, see Siebel System Administration Guide.

Related TopicsSetting the Report Execution Waiting Period for Reports



Setting Concurrency Parameters for Siebel ReportsTo optimize the performance of Siebel Reports, it is recommended that you change the values of the Maximum Tasks (MaxTasks) and the Maximum MT Servers (MaxMTServers) parameters. Perform one of the following procedures on the computer where the XMLP Report Server component is enabled. You configure the concurrency parameters for Siebel Reports by using the Server Manager GUI or the Server Manager command-line interface program (srvrmgr program).

NOTE: A single Oracle BI Publisher instance running on OC4J platform can handle approximately 1500 concurrent users.


Setting Concurrency Parameters Using a Siebel ApplicationUse the following procedure to set the concurrency parameters using a Siebel application.

To set concurrency parameters using a Siebel application1 Log in to the Siebel application as a Siebel administrator.

2 Navigate to the Administration - Server Configuration screen, Servers, and then the Components view.

3 In the Components list, select XMLP Report Server.


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48

4 Click the Parameters view tab, and perform the following:

a For the Maximum Tasks parameter, change the Value on Restart to 100.

b For the Maximum MT Servers parameter, change the Value on Restart to 2.

Setting Concurrency Parameters Using the Server ManagerUse the following procedure to set the concurrency parameters using the Server Manager (srvrmgr).

To set concurrency parameters using Server Manager■ Execute the following Server Manager (srvrmgr) commands to increase the MaxTasks parameter

to 100 and the MaxMTServers parameter to 2:

change param maxtasks=100 for comp xmlpreportserver server XmlpServer

change param maxmtservers=2 for comp xmlpreportserver server XmlpServer

where:

XmlpServer is the name of the Siebel Server.


Setting the Server Request Processor Database Polling Interval for Siebel Reports


Process of Optimizing the Generation Performance of Siebel Reports for Large Data VolumesTo optimize Siebel Reports generation performance with large data volumes (greater than 10,000 records), it is recommended that you adjust the DSMaxFetchArraySize profile parameter.

This task is a step in “Roadmap for Optimizing the Performance of Siebel Reports” on page 45 and is applicable to connected mode.

CAUTION: It is recommended that you perform the following procedure on a separate named subsystem (for example, reportsdatascr) that is used only by the XMLP Report Server component. Otherwise, the Application Object Manager (AOM) on the client computer might fail when retrieving large amounts of data.

To optimize the generation performance of Siebel Reports for large data volumes, perform the following tasks:

1 Set the DSMaxFetchArraySize profile configuration parameter value to -1.

For instructions for setting this parameter, see 1064043.1 (Article ID) on My Oracle Support.

Administering Siebel Reports ■ Process of Optimizing the Generation Performance ofSiebel Reports for Large Data Volumes


2 “Enabling Scalable Mode for Siebel Reports” on page 49.

3 “Configuring a Temporary Directory on the Oracle BI Publisher Server for Siebel Reports” on page 51.

4 “Increasing EAI HTTP Transport Sleep Time for Siebel Reports” on page 51.

For more information about setting server profile parameters, see Siebel System Administration Guide.

NOTE: It is recommended that you not execute reports with large data volumes as an immediate report request. Instead, schedule these reports on the Oracle BI Publisher Server.


Setting the Server Request Processor Database Polling Interval for Siebel Reports


Enabling Scalable Mode for Siebel ReportsTo optimize Siebel Reports generation performance, you can enable the scalable mode parameter by configuring the Oracle BI Publisher xdo.cfg file in the jre\lib directory.

This task is a step in “Process of Optimizing the Generation Performance of Siebel Reports for Large Data Volumes” on page 48 and is applicable to connected mode.

NOTE: It is recommended that you only enable scalable mode when viewing large reports online with a high concurrent report usage because this mode consumes more resources and might affect overall performance. If large reports are more common than not in your deployment, then set the scalable mode for all reports. Setting the scalable option prepares the FO processor to handle large data, longer processing times, time-outs, and so on. Although scalable mode is a relatively slower process, this mode makes sure there is no data loss even if the report is complex.

To enable scalable mode for Siebel Reports1 Navigate to the ORACLE_HOME\xmlp\XMLP\Admin\Configuration directory.

2 Open the xdo.cfg file, and in the <Properties></Properties> tag, use the following syntax to set the Scalable Mode parameter to true (if it is not already set):

<property name="xslt-scalable">true</property>

NOTE: You can set scalable mode to either true or false.

3 Save the xdo.cfg file.

The following is a sample xdo.cfg file:

<config version="1.0.0" xmlns="http://xmlns.oracle.com/oxp/config/">



<properties>

Administering Siebel Reports ■ Process of Optimizing the Generation Performance of Siebel Reports for Large Data Volumes

50





<property name="system-temp-dir">D:\Temp</property>

<property name="xslt-scalable">true</property>

</properties>



<fonts>



<font family="Arial" style="normal" weight="normal">

<truetype path="/fonts/Arial.ttf" />

</font>

<font family="Default" style="normal" weight="normal">

<truetype path="/fonts/ALBANWTJ.ttf" />

</font>



<font-substitute name="MSGothic">

<truetype path="/fonts/msgothic.ttc" ttcno="0" />

</font-substitute>

</fonts>

<currency-formats>

<currency code="USD" mask="FM9G990D00"/>

<currency code="JPY" mask="FMFM9G990"/>

<currency code="ILS" mask="FM9G990D00"/>

<currency code="EUR" mask="FM9G990D00"/>

<currency code="TRK" mask="FM9G990D00"/>

</currency-formats>

</config>

Related TopicsConfiguring a Temporary Directory on the Oracle BI Publisher Server for Siebel Reports

Administering Siebel Reports ■ Process of Optimizing the Generation Performance ofSiebel Reports for Large Data Volumes


Increasing EAI HTTP Transport Sleep Time for Siebel Reports

Configuring a Temporary Directory on the Oracle BI Publisher Server for Siebel ReportsTo benefit reports generation, configure a temporary directory for the Oracle BI Publisher Server. This temporary space allows you to build complex reports that you can clean up after the reports are generated.


To configure a temporary directory on the Oracle BI Publisher Server for Siebel Reports1 Navigate to the ORACLE_HOME\xmlp\XMLP\Admin\Configuration directory.

NOTE: The path for the Java installation folder varies depending on where you installed JRE.

2 Open the xdo.cfg file, and in the <Properties></Properties> tag, use the following syntax to set the temporary directory:

<property name="system-temp-dir">d:\tmp</property>

NOTE: Make sure the location of the temporary directory has adequate space for the temporary files.

3 Save the xdo.cfg file.

Related TopicsEnabling Scalable Mode for Siebel Reports

Increasing EAI HTTP Transport Sleep Time for Siebel Reports

Increasing EAI HTTP Transport Sleep Time for Siebel ReportsThe integration from Siebel Business Applications to Oracle BI Publisher uses an outbound Web service call. This invokes the PublicReportServiceService Web service on Oracle BI Publisher Server. Siebel outbound Web services use the EAI HTTP Transport business service for sending the HTTP request. By default, HTTPSleepTime is set to 120000 milliseconds (two minutes). If the generation of the Oracle BI Publisher report takes over two minutes, then an error occurs as a result of the timeout. However, typically errors occur only with very large and complex reports.

This step is a task in “Roadmap for Optimizing the Performance of Siebel Reports” on page 45.

You can optimize report generation for complex reports by increasing the default sleep time for the EAI HTTP Transport business service. This is especially helpful when generating complex reports or against large data sets, that might take longer than a couple of minutes to generate.


Administering Siebel Reports ■ About Increasing the Java Heap Size on Oracle BI Publisher Server

52


To increase EAI HTTP transport sleep time for Siebel Reports1 Log in to Siebel Tools.

2 In the Object Explorer, select the Business Service object.

3 In the Object List Editor, query for XMLP Driver Service.

4 In the Object Explorer, select Business Service Method, select the GenerateBIPReport method, and then the HTTPSleepTime Business Service Method Arg.

5 Set the value for HTTPSleepTime accordingly.

6 Compile the SRF.

Related Topics“Enabling Scalable Mode for Siebel Reports” on page 49

“Configuring a Temporary Directory on the Oracle BI Publisher Server for Siebel Reports” on page 51

About Increasing the Java Heap Size on Oracle BI Publisher ServerWhen running large reports with large data sets, the Oracle BI Publisher Server OC4J process might consume too much Java Virtual Memory (JVM). To avoid a reports failure, increase the JVM allocation for the OC4J process. For example, to specify a heap size of 512 megabytes, specify the following in the oc4j.cmd file (or equivalent):

-Xms512m -Xmx512m

NOTE: Different operating systems can have different JVM memory limits.

For more information about increasing the Java heap size, see the topic on setting the JVM heap size for OC4J processes in Oracle® Application Server Performance Guide in the Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Documentation Library 10.1.x available on Oracle Technology Network (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/indexes/documentation/index.html).

Administering Siebel Reports ■ About Reducing the Size of an Integration Object


About Reducing the Size of an Integration ObjectThe number of integration components and their related fields can greatly affect the performance of reports, especially reports that are run on large data sets. It is recommended that you limit the fields in integration objects to only those fields that necessary for report generation. Large integration objects increase the time necessary for the XMLP Component to extract data through Siebel Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) and increases the size of the resulting XML used by Oracle BI Publisher Server for report generation. Large integration objects can also affect performance when rendering the report if the report template includes logic to extract, aggregate, or reference elements in the XML.

Adhere to the following guidelines:

■ Avoid creating a large integration objects that might be shared by many different reports, if the integration object contains many fields. Create individual integration objects for each report to improve performance.

■ Deactivate any fields that are not required. When using the EAI Siebel Wizard to create an integration object, be aware that the wizard adds all fields from the business component.


Administering Siebel Reports ■ About Reducing the Size of an Integration Object

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6 Generating Reports

This chapter describes how to generate, view, monitor, and delete reports in Siebel Business Applications from a user perspective using the Siebel Open UI client and the high-interactivity client. This chapter also describes the reports user preferences that you can set at the application level. It includes the following topics:

■ Generating Reports in Siebel Business Applications on page 56

■ Setting Siebel Reports User Preferences at the Application Level on page 57

■ About Generating Reports for Selected Records on page 57

■ About Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client on page 59

■ Scenario for Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client on page 60

■ Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client on page 61

■ Example of Generating an Opportunity Report Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client on page 63

■ About Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client on page 64

■ Scenario for Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client on page 65

■ Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client on page 66

■ Example of Generating an Opportunity Report Using the Siebel Open UI Client on page 67

■ Monitoring the Status of Currently Generating Reports on page 68

■ Viewing Details for Previously Generated Reports on page 69

■ Deleting Reports on page 70

NOTE: For more information about the Siebel Open UI client, see Configuring Siebel Open UI. This chapter does not apply to scheduled reports.


Generating Reports ■ Generating Reports in Siebel Business Applications

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Generating Reports in Siebel Business ApplicationsSiebel Business Applications supports report generation using the Siebel Open UI client and the high-interactivity client. For general information about the Siebel Open UI client, see Siebel Fundamentals for Siebel Open UI. For general information about the high-interactivity client, see Siebel System Administration Guide.

The basic functionality for generating reports using these two clients is very similar. however, the user interface differs. For this reason, a separate set of report generation instructions is provided for each client as needed. The instructions are grouped under the following high-level topics:

■ “About Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client” on page 59

■ “About Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client” on page 64

Siebel Reports Mode DifferencesAlthough you can generate Siebel Reports in either the Siebel Open UI client or the high-interactivity client, there are differences that will impact how you work with reports. In the Siebel Open UI client:

■ The Reports Menu is known as the Generate Report pane.

■ The Reports drop-down list (that shows reports available for a specific view) appears in the Report Name field in the Generate Report pane.

■ You can override the default settings for the file output type and locale in the Generate Report pane.

■ You can access your previously generated reports by clicking the My Reports button in the Generate Report pane. You are automatically redirected to the My Reports View in the BI Publisher Reports screen.

NOTE: Report scheduling and parameterized reports are currently not available in the Siebel Open UI client.

For more information about using Siebel Reports in high-interactivity clients versus Siebel Open UI clients, see Article ID 1499842.1.

Generating Reports ■ Setting Siebel Reports User Preferences at the Application Level


Setting Siebel Reports User Preferences at the Application LevelThis topic describes how to set user preferences to override default values for report names and output files types and language. It is applicable to both the Siebel Open UI client and the high-interactivity client.

By setting Siebel Reports user preferences at the application level, you can generate your reports in any supported locale that you specify, as long as there is no default language or locale specified in the report layout template. For example, assume the default language for your deployment is English U.S. (ENU), you can choose to generate your reports in another language, such as Japanese (JPN) or German (DEU). For detailed information about how report locale is determined at run time, see “About Working with Multilingual Reports” on page 40.

Similarly, you can also override the report output file format or formats that were specified in the report layout template by setting user preferences at the application level. That is, if you set the Output Type property in user preferences, then the user preferences setting is used when you generate your reports.

NOTE: The default report output file types are determined by the report developer. For more information about report output file types, see “Siebel Reports Output File Types” on page 15.

To set Siebel Reports user preferences at the application level1 Navigate to the User Preferences screen, then the Report Parameters view.

2 Change the Locale and Language properties to the language of your choice.

3 Change the Output Type property.

Related Topics“Generating Reports in Siebel Business Applications” on page 56


“About Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client” on page 64

About Generating Reports for Selected RecordsThis topic describes how to generate reports only for specific records. It is applicable to both the Siebel Open UI client and the Siebel high-interactivity client.

You can choose which records you want to generate when you execute a report, given that report has been configured to support the selected records feature. You select multiple records from a list view using the CTRL key.

CAUTION: It is recommended that you select no more than 50 records at a time because doing so might cause report generation to fail. If you need to specify a large data set for a report, then execute a query and generate a nonselected records report.


Generating Reports ■ About Generating Reports for Selected Records

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For nonselected records reports, any query or predefined query you perform from a list view in Siebel Business Applications is the criterion used for report generation. When you drill down on a record from a list view into a detail view, the query context is preserved. Therefore, the query record set for the report generation reflects the record set in the detail view.

With a selected records report, if you select individual records from a parent list applet or form applet or child records on a list applet in a detail view, then these record selections override any user interface or predefined query. The selected records become the query record set for the report generation.

NOTE: The report developer must have specified that a particular report can be generated using the selected records functionality. For information, see “Defining Report Layout Templates for Selected Records” on page 95.

About Sort Order When Generating ReportsIf you sort records before executing a report, the sort order is preserved when the report is generated. However, if the sort order is configured on the integration object used to generate the report, then the user-defined sort order is overridden.



“About Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client” on page 64

Generating Reports ■ About Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client


About Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity ClientThis topic describes report generation using the Siebel high-interactivity client. It does not apply to the Siebel Open UI client. For information about generating reports using the Siebel Open UI client, see “About Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client” on page 64.

You use the Reports menu to generate reports. The Reports menu is a drop-down list that appears after clicking Reports on the Siebel application toolbar while you are in a Siebel view. The reports available to you for that view are based on standard Siebel responsibility-based visibility and access granted by others. You also use the Reports menu to schedule reports in connected mode. For information about scheduling reports, see Chapter 8, “Scheduling Reports.”

Figure 5 shows a sample Reports menu drop-down list, which displays the names of the reports available for the current view—such as Opportunity List and By Sales Rep—as well as a link to a user’s own previously generated reports (My BI Publisher Reports) and a link for scheduling reports (Schedule Report).


“Scenario for Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client” on page 60


“Example of Generating an Opportunity Report Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client” on page 63

“Monitoring the Status of Currently Generating Reports” on page 68


“Deleting Reports” on page 70

Figure 5. Sample Reports Menu Drop-Down List


Generating Reports ■ Scenario for Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client

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Scenario for Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity ClientThis topic gives a scenario of how you might generate reports in Siebel Business Applications using the Siebel high-interactivity client. You might use Siebel Reports differently, depending on your business model.

NOTE: This topic does not apply to the Siebel Open UI client. For a similar scenario using the Siebel Open UI client, see “Scenario for Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client” on page 65.

This scenario describes one example of a sales representative generating reports using the high-interactivity client. In this example, the representative chooses a report and the report output type, then the report generates and appears in the chosen format. While generating, the representative can monitor or view the status of the report and after successful completion, she can access the report immediately or a later time.

NOTE: The process for scheduling reports is similar, however, you choose Schedule Report from the Reports menu instead of selecting a report from the drop-down list. For information about scheduling reports, see Chapter 8, “Scheduling Reports.”

Choosing Reports to GenerateA sales representative generates a series of account and opportunity reports periodically. These reports include: Account List, Pipeline Analysis, and Opportunity Marketing Events Summary. They provide a view of her current pipeline and other account-related activities. Today, the sales representative decides to generate the Account List report. She navigates to the Accounts List view, performs a query to limit the number of records returned, and then clicks Reports. From the resulting Reports menu, she can choose a report. In this case, she chooses Account List in the BI Publisher section of the Reports menu.

Choosing the Report Output File Type and Monitoring Report StatusNext, the sales representative is prompted to choose a report output file type. In this case, she chooses PDF, which automatically triggers the report to start generating data. After successful completion, the report appears in the chosen format, where she can either open or save the report. However, if the report takes a while to render, a message appears indicating that she must access the report from the My Reports view. From the My Reports view, she can monitor the status of the report and eventually access the report when the status shows Success.

Accessing Previously Generated ReportAfter several weeks, the sales representative decides she wants to take another look at this Account List report. She accesses the report directly from the My Reports view by drilling down on the report that she wants to see. After she drills down on the Account List report, the File Download dialog box appears from which she can choose to open the report, save the report, or cancel the request. If she chooses to open the report, the report appears.

Related Topics“About Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client” on page 59

Generating Reports ■ Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client




Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity ClientYou generate reports for the Siebel high-interactivity client using the application views and the Reports menu. Figure 6 shows the tasks for generating Siebel Reports.

NOTE: This topic does not apply to the Siebel Open UI client. For a similar scenario using the Siebel Open UI client, see “Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client” on page 66.

To generate a report using the Siebel high-interactivity client1 (Optional) Override the default report language and locale by setting user preferences at the

application level.

For information about overriding user preferences for report generation, see “About Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client” on page 59. For information about how languages and locale settings are implemented in Siebel Reports, see “About Working with Multilingual Reports” on page 40.

Figure 6. Report Generation Using the High-interactivity Client


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2 Navigate to the Siebel application view from which you want to generate a report, run a query to limit the number of returned records, and then click Reports.

TIP: It is strongly recommended that you perform a query before generating a report. Performing a query will limit the number of returned records for the report.

3 From the Reports menu, you choose to either generate a report or schedule a report.

4 If you choose to:

■ Generate a report from the BI Publisher listing, you designate a report output file type, and then click Submit. Additionally, if this is a parameterized report, you have the option to select more criteria before selecting the report output file type.

NOTE: Optionally, you can choose a different locale rather than accept the defaults.

■ Select My BI Publisher Reports, you can choose a report that you previously generated by drilling down on it from the My Reports view.

■ Schedule a report, you choose the report name, the output type, and other scheduling criteria from the Schedule a Report dialog box.

5 If you chose a report from the BI Publisher section or drilled down on a report from the My Reports view, from the File Download dialog box, you can choose to:

■ Open the report. The report downloads and appears in a browser window in the format you chose in Step 4.

The report output file types are: PDF, HTML, RTF, EXCEL, PPT, and MHTML. The PPT and MHTML output file types are available only in connected mode. For more information about the report output file types, see “Siebel Reports Output File Types” on page 15.

■ Save the report. You can save the report to a destination of your choosing, and then Open it for viewing immediately or at a later time.

If you chose to schedule a report, you can view or monitor the report job in the Scheduled Reports view.

NOTE: The actual report is stored in the Oracle BI Publisher repository.

6 You can continue to generate or schedule reports in other formats or click Close to end.

NOTE: If a report encounters errors while generating, a log file is created that the report developers or administrators can use to troubleshoot the problem. For more information about troubleshooting reports, see Chapter 12, “Troubleshooting Siebel Reports.”




Generating Reports ■ Example of Generating an Opportunity Report Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client


Example of Generating an Opportunity Report Using the Siebel High-Interactivity ClientThis topic gives one example of generating a report using the Siebel high-interactivity client. You might use this feature differently, depending on your business model.

NOTE: This topic does not apply to the Siebel Open UI client. For a similar scenario using the Siebel Open UI client, see “Example of Generating an Opportunity Report Using the Siebel Open UI Client” on page 67.

This example shows how to generate the By Sales Rep opportunity report in PDF format.

To generate a By Sales Rep Opportunity report1 Navigate to the Opportunities screen, My Opportunities, and then the Opportunities List view.

TIP: The predefined query for this view shows only your current opportunities. If you want to see all of your opportunities, click Query, and then click Go.

2 Run a query to limit the number of records returned, and then click Reports.

3 From the BI Publisher section of the Reports menu, select the By Sales Rep report.

4 In the Select the Report Output Type dialog box, choose PDF, and then click Submit.

The By Sales Rep report Opportunity appears in a browser window, prompting you to open, save, or cancel the request.

5 Click Open.

The By Sales Rep Opportunity report appears in PDF format in a new browser window, from which you can choose to print, save, or cancel the report.




“Monitoring the Status of Currently Generating Reports” on page 68


“Deleting Reports” on page 70


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About Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI ClientThis topic describes report generation using the Siebel Open UI client. It does not apply to the high-interactivity client. For information about generating reports using the high-interactivity client, see “About Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client” on page 59.

You use Siebel application views and the Generate Report pane to generate reports. The Generate Report pane appears after clicking Reports on the application toolbar while you are in a Siebel view. The reports available to you for that view are based on standard Siebel responsibility-based visibility and access granted by others (the behavior is similar to the drop-down Reports menu in the high-interactivity client).

Figure 7 shows a sample Generate Report pane, which provides a drop-down list from which you can choose a report for the current view—such as By Sales Rep and Opportunity List—as well as a link to a user’s own previously generated reports (My Reports). From this pane, you can also override the report name, output type, and locale.


“Scenario for Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client” on page 65

“Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client” on page 66

“Example of Generating an Opportunity Report Using the Siebel Open UI Client” on page 67

Figure 7. Sample Generate Report Pane

Generating Reports ■ Scenario for Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client


Scenario for Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI ClientThis topic gives a scenario of how you might use Siebel Reports in Siebel Business Applications using the Siebel Open UI client. You might use Siebel Reports differently, depending on your business model.

NOTE: This topic does not apply to the high-interactivity client. For a similar scenario using the high-interactivity client, see “Scenario for Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client” on page 60.

This scenario describes one example of a sales representative generating reports using the Siebel Open UI client. In this example, the representative generates reports for immediate and future use. While generating, the representative can monitor or view the status of the report and after successful completion, she can access the report immediately or a later time.

Choosing Reports to GenerateA sales representative generates a series of account and opportunity reports periodically. These reports include: Account List, Pipeline Analysis, and Opportunity Marketing Events Summary. They provide a view of her current pipeline and other account-related activities. Today, the sales representative decides to generate a new Account List report. She navigates to the Accounts view, performs a query to limit the number of returned records, and then clicks Reports. From the resulting Generate Report pane, she can choose a report from the Report Name drop-down list. In this case, she chooses Account List. Optionally, she can change the name of the report by entering a new name in the Custom Report field or choose to override the default report output file type and locale (as indicated in those fields). In this case, she chooses the default values.

Accessing Previously Generated ReportsAfter several weeks, the sales representative decides she wants to take another look at this Account List report. She accesses the report directly from the My Reports view by drilling down on the report that she wants to see. After she drills down on the Account List report, a dialog box appears from which she can choose to open the report, save the report, or cancel the request. If she chooses to open the report, the report appears.

Related Topics“About Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client” on page 64




Generating Reports ■ Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client

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Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI ClientFor the Siebel Open UI client, you generate reports using the application views and the Reports pane.

NOTE: This topic does not apply to the Siebel high-interactivity client. For a similar scenario using the high-interactivity client, see “Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client” on page 61.

To generate reports using the Siebel Open UI client1 (Optional) Override the default report language and locale by setting user preferences at the

application level.

For information about overriding report user preferences at the application level, see “Setting Siebel Reports User Preferences at the Application Level” on page 57. For information about how languages and locale settings are implemented in Siebel Reports, see “About Working with Multilingual Reports” on page 40.

2 Navigate to the Siebel application view from which you want to generate a report, run a query to limit the number of returned records, and then click Reports.

TIP: It is strongly recommended that you perform a query before generating a report. Performing a query will limit the number of returned records for the report.

3 In the Generate Report pane, complete the appropriate fields.

Some fields are described in the following table.

NOTE: The field default values are determined by the report developer.

4 Click Submit to generate the report.

TIP: If a report encounters errors while generating, a log file is created that the report developers or administrators can use to troubleshoot the problem. For more information about troubleshooting reports, see Chapter 12, “Troubleshooting Siebel Reports.”

Field Description

Report Name Select a report from the drop-down list. The reports available to you are based on the screen and view you are using.

Custom Name (Optional) Type a custom name for the report rather than accept the value in the Report Name field.

Output Type (Optional) Choose a different file output type rather than accept the default value.

Report Locale (Optional) Choose a different locale rather than accept the default value.

Generating Reports ■ Example of Generating an Opportunity Report Using the Siebel OpenUI Client


5 Click My Reports to navigate to the My Reports view (in the BI Publisher Reports screen) to monitor the status of the report or to view it.

6 In the My Reports view, drill down on the report to open or save the file.

NOTE: The actual report is stored in the Oracle BI Publisher repository.

7 (Optional) Print the report using the application or browser Print menu as applicable.




Example of Generating an Opportunity Report Using the Siebel Open UI ClientThis topic gives one example of generating a Siebel report using the Siebel Open UI client. You might use this feature differently, depending on your business model.

NOTE: This topic does not apply to the high-interactivity client. For a similar scenario using the high-interactivity client, see “Example of Generating an Opportunity Report Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client” on page 63.

This example shows how to generate an opportunity report by sales representative to output in German and PDF format.

To generate a By Sales Rep Opportunity report1 Navigate to the Opportunities screen, My Opportunities, and then the Opportunity List view.

TIP: The predefined query for this view shows only your current opportunities. If you want to see all of your opportunities, click Query, and then click Go.


3 From the Generate Report pane, select or enter the following options:

■ Report Name is By Sales Rep

■ Custom Name field is My Opportunities by Sales Rep

■ Output Type is PDF

■ Report Locale is German (DEU)

4 Click Submit to generate the report.

5 To monitor the status of the report or to view or print the report, click My Reports.

This action takes you directly to the My Reports view in the BI Publisher Reports screen.

6 In the My Reports view, drill down on the report to open or save the file.


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7 (Optional) Print the report using the application or browser Print menu as applicable.




Monitoring the Status of Currently Generating ReportsThis topic describes how to monitor the status of currently generating reports. It is applicable to both the Siebel Open UI client and the high-interactivity client.

NOTE: This topic is not applicable to scheduled reports. For information about monitoring scheduled reports, see “Monitoring and Viewing Scheduled Reports” on page 104.

To monitor the status of a currently generating report1 Log in to the Siebel application.

2 Navigate to the My Reports view in the BI Publisher Reports screen.

TIP: In the Siebel Open UI client, you can alternatively click Reports while in an Siebel view, and then click the My Reports button in the Generate Report pane.

3 In the My Reports list, locate the report that you want to monitor, and then review the Status field for that report as described in the following table.

NOTE: The status value might take some time to appear.

4 Drill down on the report for more detail.

For more information about viewing report details, see “Viewing Details for Previously Generated Reports” on page 69.

Related Topics“Viewing Details for Previously Generated Reports” on page 69

Status Description

In Progress Indicates a report is currently generating.

Success Indicates a report generated successfully.

Error Indicates a report encountered an error while generating. Contact your system administrator to troubleshoot.

Generating Reports ■ Viewing Details for Previously Generated Reports


Viewing Details for Previously Generated Reports This topic describes how to view details for previously generated reports. This topic is applicable to both the Siebel Open UI client and the high-interactivity client.

After a report is generated, the report is saved in the Siebel File System. The report shows data as of the time the report was run. You can view reports that:

■ You have personally generated

■ Your team members have generated

■ All generated reports

Position-based visibility applies to generated reports, that is, a user’s position specifies which reports that user has access to. For more information about responsibilities and visibility in Siebel Business Applications, see Siebel Security Guide.

NOTE: This topic is not applicable to scheduled reports. For information about viewing scheduled reports, see “Monitoring and Viewing Scheduled Reports” on page 104.

To view details for previously generated reports 1 Navigate to the BI Publisher Reports screen, then one of the following Reports views:

■ My Reports

■ My Team’s Reports

■ All Reports


2 In the appropriate reports list, select or query for the report that you want to view.

3 Scroll down to Report Parameters to view the details.

Some of the fields are described in the following table.

Parameter Description

Bookmark The complete view context including any query and applet and business component search expressions and sort specifications that were active when the report was generated.

Description Editable field you can use to add more descriptive information or categorization.

Start TimeEnd Time

The start and end times of the report generation.

Error Message If there is a problem with report generation, an error message appears in this field.


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Related Topics“Monitoring the Status of Currently Generating Reports” on page 68

Deleting ReportsThis topic describes how to delete unwanted reports. It is applicable to both the Siebel Open UI client and the high-interactivity client.

You can delete reports that you have personally generated or have been granted access to. After a report is deleted, it is no longer available in the Siebel File System.

NOTE: This topic is not applicable to scheduled reports. For information about deleting scheduled reports, see “Deleting Scheduled Reports” on page 105.

To delete a report1 Navigate to the BI Publisher Reports screen, then to one of the following views:

■ My Reports

■ My Team’s Reports

■ All Reports


2 In the appropriate reports list, select a report, and then click Delete.

File Size The size of the physical output file in kilobytes.

Query String Shows the query entered when the report was generated.

Report Access Use this field to allow other Siebel users to share the report output.

Tags Editable field you can use to add more descriptive information or categorization.

Task Id The unique task ID for the report generation server request. The task ID is useful when searching log fields to find a specific segment related to a report request.

View Mode The visibility view mode that was used when the report was generated. The value in this field is useful for administrators and debugging.

Parameter Description


7 Creating Reports

This chapter describes how to create reports. It is intended only for those who have report developer or administrator privileges.

NOTE: Most users do not typically have access to the administration views in the Siebel application, and as such, are not able to perform the tasks in this chapter. For information about reporting from the user perspective, see Chapter 6, “Generating Reports”and Chapter 8, “Scheduling Reports.”

This chapter includes the following topics:

■ Scenario for Creating Reports on page 71

■ About Integration Objects in Siebel Reports on page 72

■ Using Integration Object Search Specifications for Siebel Reports on page 73

■ About Reporting Across Multiple Siebel Business Objects on page 74

■ Workflow for Uploading Report Layout Templates to a Siebel Application on page 76

■ About Registering and Sharing Report Layout Templates on page 78

■ About Multiorganizational Report Templates on page 78

■ Scenario for Report Template Visibility Across Organizations on page 79

■ Should You Clone an Existing Report or Create Custom Reports? on page 79

■ About Defining Report Layout Templates for Selected Records on page 80

■ Process of Creating Custom Reports on page 81

NOTE: The Reports menu as described in this chapter applies only to Siebel high-interactivity clients. In Siebel Open UI, it is known as the Generate Reports pane and the user interface is different. For information about the differences, see “About Generating Reports Using the Siebel High-Interactivity Client” on page 59 and “About Generating Reports Using the Siebel Open UI Client” on page 64.

Scenario for Creating ReportsThis topic gives a scenario of how you might create reports in Siebel Business Applications. You might use reports differently, depending on your business model.

This scenario describes how a sales manager works with a report developer to create a custom opportunity report.


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Sales Manager Generates Daily Sales ReportsA sales manager has a team of five sales representatives for the western region of a company. Every day he generates a series of reports, including Opportunity by Sales Rep, Account List, and Forecast Analysis Details to get the latest, current-account activities, and forecasted revenues for his sales representatives. These reports are view-based and available from the Reports menu in the Siebel application.

Sales Manager Modifies an Existing Sales Report to Hand Off to the Report DeveloperThese reports give the sales manager a good understanding of the opportunities in the pipeline for each sales representative on his team, and allows him to monitor how they are progressing through the sales cycle. Towards the end of the quarter, he wants to know how much potential revenue his team might be able to close for the quarter. To learn that information, he wants to see a revenue breakdown for the team’s opportunities by probability and sales stage. He knows, however, that no such report is currently available, but realizes that the reports developer can create such a report for him. Because the sales manager wants the report to have a certain look, he starts creating a preliminary opportunity report himself using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word. When he is satisfied with the report layout template design, he hands off the template to the report developer.

Sales Manager Generates the New Sales ReportAfter the reports developer finalizes the custom report, the sales manager can choose the report from the Reports menu while in an Opportunity view. After choosing a report output type, the report appears in a browser window, from which the sales manager can open or save the report. However, if the report takes a while to render, a message appears indicating that he must access the report from the My Reports view. From this view, he can monitor the status of the report and eventually access the report when the status shows Success. For more information about report output file types, see “Who Can Use Siebel Reports?” on page 14. For more information about the My Reports view, see “About Using Siebel Reports” on page 14.

About Integration Objects in Siebel ReportsIntegration objects are metadata objects in Siebel Business Applications that provide the ability to obtain Siebel data in XML format. Typical Siebel integration involves transporting data from an external application to a Siebel deployment, using Siebel EAI and integration objects. In the context of Siebel EAI, data is transported in the form of an integration message. A message, in this context, typically consists of header data that identifies the message type and structure, and a body that contains one or more instances of data, for example, orders, accounts, or employee records.

Siebel integration objects are used to define which Siebel data is integrated. A typical business object contains several business components and fields. In most integrations, only a subset of this data is necessary for generating reports. Siebel integration object definitions specify the components and which fields to integrate, and facilitate the integration by exchanging integration data as XML files. For more information about:

Creating Reports ■ Using Integration Object Search Specifications for Siebel Reports


■ Adding custom fields to existing integration objects for Siebel reports, see “Extending Integration Objects to Add New Fields for Siebel Reports” on page 84.

■ Creating new integration objects for Siebel reports, see “Creating New Integration Objects for Siebel Reports” on page 85.

NOTE: It is recommended that you request the assistance of a Siebel Tools developer to create new integration objects for Siebel Reports.

■ Viewing integration object definitions, see Using Siebel Tools.

■ Integration objects in general, see Integration Platform Technologies: Siebel Enterprise Application Integration.

Using Integration Object Search Specifications for Siebel ReportsYou can apply search specifications to an integration object to make a report static when the report is executed. Static means that the search specification expression will override a user interface query or predefined query.

Table 5 shows the integration object search specification run-time behavior for Siebel Reports. Keep this behavior in mind when specifying your search specifications.

Table 5. Integration Object Search Specification Run-Time Behavior for Siebel Reports

Search Specification

UIQuery

PredefinedQuery Applet

BusinessComponent IO Expected Result

1 Y N Y Y N The report appears with records filtered by the user interface, applet, and business component search expressions.

2 N Y Y Y N The report appears with records filtered by any predefined query, applet, and business component search expressions.


Creating Reports ■ About Reporting Across Multiple Siebel Business Objects

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Additionally, the following applies to all scenarios described in Table 5:

■ Position- and organizational-based visibility and view mode are automatically preserved.

■ The selected records functionality has no affect on query behavior. The context of the selected records becomes the user interface or predefined query.

■ Mobile Web Client functionality is not compromised.

■ Multilingual behavior does not affect the functionality.

About Reporting Across Multiple Siebel Business ObjectsSiebel Reports provides the ability to generate reports across multiple, unrelated Siebel business objects without having to build the relationships into a single business object. To generate reports across multiple business objects, you create a report based on multiple integration objects.

NOTE: Siebel Business Applications ship with standard integration objects for creating reports. However, if there is no appropriate integration object available, you can either extend an existing integration object or create new integration objects. For information about extending integration objects, see “Extending Integration Objects to Add New Fields for Siebel Reports” on page 84. For information about creating new integration objects, see “Creating New Integration Objects for Siebel Reports” on page 85.

3 Y N Y Y Y The report appears with records filtered by applet and business component search expressions, with the integration object search expression appended (overrides the user interface query).

4 N Y Y Y Y The report appears with records filtered by applet and business component search expressions, with the integration search expression appended (overrides the predefined query)

Table 5. Integration Object Search Specification Run-Time Behavior for Siebel Reports


UIQuery

PredefinedQuery Applet

BusinessComponent IO Expected Result

Creating Reports ■ About Reporting Across Multiple Siebel Business Objects


The following conditions and restrictions apply to reporting on multiple integration objects:

■ When specifying the integration objects in the report template in the Integration Objects list, nonprimary integration objects must have a valid search specification value. For more information about the report template in the Integration Objects list, see “Registering Report Layout Templates” on page 89. For more information about nonprimary integration objects, see “Adding Multiple Integration Objects to a Report” on page 93.

■ At run time, the query from the current view in the Siebel application is captured and passed to the primary integration object. However, for integration objects other than the primary (sometimes referred to as secondary integration objects) that are associated with a report, queries are not passed from the user interface. The secondary integration objects are passed according to the expression provided in the object’s search specification. For this reason, a valid search specification value is required to filter the data for nonprimary integration objects.

NOTE: Position-based visibility is automatically applied.

■ If no search specification value is entered for nonprimary integration objects, or the expression is incorrect, the integration object returns all data from the relevant business components. This omission returns potentially unwanted data, and also has a negative impact on performance.

An example of a valid search specification is:

‘Account’.Search = “[Name] LIKE ‘A*’”

NOTE: It is recommended that you test search specifications for multiple integration objects in a relevant application view to make sure the search specification is valid before applying the specification to a report in the applicable report template view. For information about adding multiple integration objects to reports, see “Adding Multiple Integration Objects to a Report” on page 93.


Creating Reports ■ Workflow for Uploading Report Layout Templates to a Siebel Application

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Workflow for Uploading Report Layout Templates to a Siebel ApplicationThis topic describes how Siebel Business Applications support Oracle BI Publisher report layout templates for report generation. After a report layout template is created using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word, the report layout template and translation files must be uploaded to the Siebel application before you can generate reports. Figure 8 shows how the uploading of these files differs depending on the type of connection mode (connected or disconnected).

Figure 8. How the Layout Template and Translation Files Are Uploaded from Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word to Generate Reports

Creating Reports ■ Workflow for Uploading Report Layout Templates to a Siebel Application



1 From the report template views (Reports - Custom Templates or Reports - Standard Templates), the RTF report layout template and translation files are uploaded using an upload business service to the Oracle BI Publisher repository as follows:

a In connected mode, the upload service occurs by way of the PublicReportServiceService Web service. For more information about connected mode, see “Siebel Reports Architecture and Workflow for Generating Reports in Connected Mode” on page 20.

To upload the report to the Oracle BI Publisher repository, the following must occur:

❏ The report layout template must have been saved in RTF format using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word.

❏ You must click Upload Files in the report template views in the Siebel application. The RTF and XLIFF files are uploaded and an XDO report definition file is created when the reports are generating.

❏ The report layout template (RTF) and language (XLIFF) files are attached to the report during the registration of the report layout template.

NOTE: The Generate XLIFF button is disabled (grayed out) in connected mode.

❏ Before moving to the Oracle BI Publisher repository, the layout template (RTF) and XLIFF files are attached to the report during the registration of the layout template.

b In disconnected mode, the upload service is not applicable. All files (RTF, XLIFF, and XSL) are local to the Oracle BI Publisher XDO Engine when generating reports after. For more information about generating reports in disconnected mode, see “Siebel Reports Architecture and Workflow for Generating Reports in Disconnected Mode” on page 22.

For disconnected mode, you must click Generate XLIFF to create XSL. (Whereas in connected mode, XSL is generated at run time by the Oracle BI Publisher Server.)

NOTE: The Upload Files button is disabled (grayed out) in disconnected mode.

2 For connected mode, the RTF and XLIFF files are stored in the Oracle BI Publisher repository by way of the PublicReportServiceService Web service.

3 In disconnected mode, the report templates and XLIFF files are stored in the Siebel client installation folder (that is, SIEBEL_ROOT_CLIENT\xmlp\templates and SIEBEL_ROOT_CLIENT\xmlp\XLIFF, respectively).

For more information about uploading from Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word, see “Registering Report Layout Templates” on page 89.


Creating Reports ■ About Registering and Sharing Report Layout Templates

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About Registering and Sharing Report Layout Templates Siebel Business Applications allow users to register and share report layout templates with others. Access to report templates is controlled using position-based visibility.

NOTE: Standard Siebel responsibilities control which reports views users can access. If you want to prevent users from creating their own report templates and executing them from the Siebel application, then do not grant access to the relevant template views. For example, you might want to limit access to the Reports - Standard Templates view only to administrators.

The two views you use for report template registration are:

■ Reports - Standard Templates. This view contains the standard (preconfigured) report templates provided with the Siebel application and any custom templates that you want to be accessible enterprise-wide (that is, not based on position-based visibility). These templates are visible within the Siebel application. The templates are based on the standard association of Siebel views; that is, users can execute reports if they have access to the relevant views.

CAUTION: It is strongly recommended that you limit access to standard templates only to administrators. Otherwise, you run the risk of users inadvertently modifying the standard report templates (or other templates that are visible to all users in the enterprise).

■ Reports - Custom Templates. This view contains report templates that are filtered by positions. Users with visibility to the My Templates view can create their own custom report templates. Only these users can see or execute the custom report templates in the Siebel application. However, they can share templates if other users have visibility to the relevant application views. The All Templates Across Organizations view allows managers and administrators to see the report templates of their subordinates. For more information about shared report layout templates, see “Sharing Report Layout Templates” on page 94.

About Multiorganizational Report TemplatesThe basic logic for how an organization-specific report template appears in the Reports menu is as follows:

■ When a user logs into the Siebel application, that user sees organization-specific reports where the Active Position Organization equals the organization or organizations defined for a custom template.

■ Users with more than one organization can change their Primary Active Position Organization during a single session. After making this change, the reports that user can view is different from the original access.

Creating Reports ■ Scenario for Report Template Visibility Across Organizations


Scenario for Report Template Visibility Across OrganizationsThis topic gives one example of how report template visibility across organizations might be used. You might use template visibility differently, depending on your business model.

A sales representative and his manager have visibility to the same Siebel view. However, the reports they can see differ depending on their organization settings. Let us consider that the user is the Holland organization, and his manager is in the Benelux organization. Benelux is the parent organization of both the Holland and Belgium organizations.

When accessing the reports menu:

■ Both the sales representative and his manager can see any report that is defined in the Standard Templates view and that is associated to the view.

■ The sales representative sees:

■ Custom templates he has created in the My Templates View. These templates have only a default organization.

■ Custom templates that are explicitly associated to the Holland organization, given his current active position organization is Holland.

■ The manager sees:

■ Custom templates he has created in the My Template View or templates his subordinates have created that appear in the My Teams view. These templates have only a default organization.

■ Custom templates that are explicitly associated to the Benelux organization, given his current active position organization is Benelux.

■ Custom templates created by both Holland and Belgium organizations because the manager can see report templates created by his subordinates regardless of whether the subordinate is in a different organization.

Should You Clone an Existing Report or Create Custom Reports?The following are some situations in which you might want to clone an existing report:

■ When you add new fields to a report layout template

■ When differences between your new report and an existing report are minor

■ When you want multiple versions of the same report showing slightly different data to different categories of users

When your requirements are not satisfied by an existing report and there are significant differences between the report that you want and an existing report, create a custom report. The following are some situations in which you must create a custom report:

■ When the report requires a new integration object


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■ When the report requires a new integration component for an existing integration object. For example, you create a new report for a view that belongs to the same business object.

About Defining Report Layout Templates for Selected RecordsSiebel Reports allows report developers to configure a report layout template so that users can select one or more individual records for report generation. This topic provides a comparison of how report generation is determined at run time when using the selected records functionality and when not using it. For more information about using selected records, see “About Generating Reports for Selected Records” on page 57 and “About Defining Report Layout Templates for Selected Records” on page 80.

How Reports are Generated at Run Time When Not Using Selected RecordsIf a report is not indicated in the report template registration views as supporting selected records, then the report executes using the user interface query defined in the list or detail view in the Siebel application based on the current view context. Drilldown context is also preserved so that when a user drills down on a record from a list view into a detail view, the query context is preserved. The query record set for the report generation reflects the record set in the detail view.

If you perform a query in the parent form applet on a detail view, then query replaces the record set with a new query. If you perform a query on the child applet in a detail view, then the child applet query is appended to the current query, and the record set in the view is reflected in the report output.

NOTE: This functionality also applies to predefined queries.

How Reports are Generated at Run Time When Using Selected RecordsIf a report is indicated in the report template registration views as supporting selected records, then the report executes only those records the user selects in the list or detail applet in the Siebel application.

TIP: You select Multiple records using the CTRL key.

When you run a report that supports the selected records functionality from a list view, the parent records selections are based on those records highlighted in the list applet. When you drill down, the context is preserved, and by default, the parent applet will become the active applet. Therefore, only the parent record and related child records will be the query used for the report generation.

If you select child records in the child list applet on a detail view, then these child records also become selected records, and along with the associated parent record, make up the query used for report generation.

CAUTION: It is recommended that you select no more than 50 records at a time because doing so might cause report generation to fail. If you need to specify a large data set for a report, then run a non-selected records report and execute a query prior to running the report.

Creating Reports ■ Process of Creating Custom Reports


Process of Creating Custom ReportsSiebel Business Applications allow you to create new reports based on preconfigured report layout templates, or you can create custom reports and report layout templates.

NOTE: For suggestions as to when to modify versus create a report layout template, see “Should You Clone an Existing Report or Create Custom Reports?” on page 79.

You create custom reports in three locations:

■ In Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word (also known as Oracle BI Publisher Desktop) by modifying the existing or creating new report layout templates.

■ In the Siebel clients by using the Siebel Reports administration views to upload and register report layout templates, associate reports with Siebel application views, and other administrative tasks.

■ (Optional) In Siebel Tools by either extending an existing integration object or creating new integration object definitions that execute at run time.

NOTE: Siebel Business Applications ship with standard integration objects. You create new integration objects only when existing integration objects do not suffice.



82

Figure 9 shows the process of creating custom reports. The roadmap is applicable to both connected and disconnected modes. For more information about the connection modes in relation to Siebel Reports, see Chapter 3, “Siebel Reports Development Environment.”

Figure 9 illustrates the high-level tasks you perform when creating custom reports:

1 (Optional) “Extending Integration Objects to Add New Fields for Siebel Reports” on page 84

2 (Optional) “Creating New Integration Objects for Siebel Reports” on page 85

NOTE: Create new integration objects only when no appropriate integration object exists.

Figure 9. Process of Creating Reports



3 “Generating Sample XML Data Files for Siebel Reports” on page 87

Using the Sample Data File Generation view in the Siebel client, in this step the following tasks are performed:

a Select an integration object for the report.

b Generate the sample XML data file, and then save it.

NOTE: The XML data file is typically saved to the XMLP\DATA directory in the Siebel File System. You can however, save the XML to another location. For more information about the Siebel Reports directory structure, see “About the Siebel Reports Architecture” on page 19.

4 “Creating Report Layout Templates Using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word” on page 88

In this step, you either modify an existing report layout template or create a new one, and then do the following:

a Assign the Siebel fields in the report layout template.

b Save the report layout template to RTF.

c Periodically preview the report layout template to verify it appears as designed.

5 “Registering Report Layout Templates” on page 89

Using the template views (Reports - Custom Templates or Reports - Standard Templates), in this step do the following:

a Create a new report.

b Select a report layout template.

c Assign an integration object.

d Select an output file type.

e (Optional) Select a default locale, report access control, and so on.

6 (Optional) “Adding Multiple Integration Objects to a Report” on page 93

In this step, you add new integration objects to a report, and the generate sample XML.

7 (Optional) “Sharing Report Layout Templates” on page 94

In this step, you grant report access to others by adding positions.

8 (Optional) “Defining Report Layout Templates for Selected Records” on page 95

In this step, you click the Selected Records field to configure a report template to display only the currently selected records in a Siebel application view when a report is generated.

9 “Associating Registered Reports with Siebel Application Views” on page 96

10 (Optional) “Changing the Report Sequence Order in the Reports Menu” on page 96

Using the Association View, in this step you can define the way reports are ordered or prevent them from appearing in the Reports menu.



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Extending Integration Objects to Add New Fields for Siebel ReportsSiebel Business Applications ship with preconfigured reports and each of these reports references an integration object that serves as the report schema. This topic describes how to extend an existing integration object to add new fields for a report.

NOTE: It is recommended that you seek the assistance of a Siebel Tools configurator for integration object modification. It is also recommended that you consider this option before creating new integration objects for your reports. For information about creating new integration objects for Siebel reports, see “Creating New Integration Objects for Siebel Reports” on page 85.

This task is an optional step in “Process of Creating Custom Reports” on page 81.

To extend an integration object to add a new field1 In the Siebel client, identify the integration object by doing the following:

a Navigate to the Administration - BI Publisher Reports screen, then the relevant report template view (either the Reports - Custom Templates view or Reports - Standard Templates view).

b Select the report for which you want to add a new field.

c In the Primary Integration Object Name column, identify and make note of the integration object for this report.

NOTE: Integration objects for reports begin with BIP.

2 Add a new field to the integration object by doing the following:

a Log in to Siebel Tools.

b In the Object Explorer, select and expand Integration Object.

TIP: Integration objects do not appear in the Object Explorer by default. Click the View menu, Options, and then the Object Explorer tab to add the integration objects to the Object Explorer view.

c Query for the integration object associated with the report.

d Expand the Integration Component and Integration Component Field object types to view the existing fields associated with this integration component.

e Create a new integration component field record and copy the Name, Data Type, and Length properties from the underlying business component field whose data you want to display in the report.

f Set the XML-related properties to construct the XML file when data is extracted.

NOTE: You must follow the convention for naming XML tags, that is, remove all spaces and special characters. However, it is not a requirement that you use the ss_ prefix convention.

3 Deploy the modified integration object by doing the following:

a While still in Siebel Tools, navigate to the Integration Objects List.



b Right-click the integration object you want to deploy, and then select Deploy to Runtime Database.

NOTE: This action overrides the object definition in the SRF file.

c In the Siebel client, Navigate to the Administration - Web Services screen, then the Deployed Integration Objects view.

d Query for the integration object to verify it was deployed.

e Navigate to the Administration - Web Services screen, Inbound Web Services view.

f Click Clear Cache to update the run-time database.

The extended integration object is now available for generating a new sample data file.

NOTE: You must migrate a modified SRF between environments for any changes you make to integration objects.

For information about generating sample data files, see “Generating Sample XML Data Files for Siebel Reports” on page 87. For more information about working with and deploying integration objects, see Integration Platform Technologies: Siebel Enterprise Application Integration.

Creating New Integration Objects for Siebel ReportsSiebel Business Applications ship with preconfigured integration objects that you can use for customizing your reports. However, you might want to create new integration objects, given no applicable integration objects are available in the Siebel Repository. Using Siebel Tools, you can create new integration objects. For more information about the role of integration objects in Siebel Reports, see “About Integration Objects in Siebel Reports” on page 72.

NOTE: It is strongly recommended you seek the assistance of a Siebel Tools developer for integration object creation. It is also recommended that you consider extending an existing integration object to add new fields before creating new integration objects for your reports. For information about extending existing integration objects, see “Extending Integration Objects to Add New Fields for Siebel Reports” on page 84.


After new integration objects are created and deployed, you can use the integration objects to register a report layout template. For more information about registering a report layout template, see “Registering Report Layout Templates” on page 89.

NOTE: When creating custom integration objects for Siebel Reports, make sure that the fields used for dynamic queries in the applet of the master business component are also contained in the integration component. Dynamic queries are specific, customized queries that you create.

By default, a QueryString field is automatically populated in the sample XML and parsed as a field value in the integration object during report execution. This field contains the user-defined query that was entered when the report was executed. You can display this field value on the report template. For example, the format of the field might be [Account Status] = “Active”].



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To create a new integration object for Siebel Reports1 Log in to Siebel Tools.

2 Use the Integration Object Builder wizard to create the new integration object, making sure to name the new object definition with the prefix, BIP.

By default, you must add the BIP prefix so that integration objects appear in the Sample Data File Generation view.

NOTE: It is recommended that if you use this wizard for creating integration objects, that you deactivate only the required business component fields for the report. By default, the wizard automatically adds all business component fields in the integration component. A large amount of fields in an integration component might affect performance.

Typically, you add to an integration component only the fields that are required in the report. You must also add to the integration component fields in the user interface that are required for querying and filtering the data before executing the report.

3 Deploy the integration object to the run-time database by doing the following:

a In the Object Explorer in Siebel Tools, select Integration Object.

b In the Integration Object list, right-click the integration object you want to deploy, and then select Deploy to Runtime Database.

c In the Siebel client, navigate to the Administration - Web Services screen, then the Inbound Web Services view.

d Click Clear Cache to invalidate the integration object and Web services definitions in the run-time database.

4 (Optional) Generate a new sample data file for the integration object for use when designing your report templates.

This newly created integration object is now available in the Sample Data File Generation view for creating custom reports. For information about generating sample data files, see “Generating Sample XML Data Files for Siebel Reports” on page 87. For more information about integration objects and deploying an integration object without compiling an SRF, see Integration Platform Technologies: Siebel Enterprise Application Integration.



Generating Sample XML Data Files for Siebel ReportsThis topic describes how to generate and save XML files for use in a report. You use the Sample Data File Generation view in the Siebel application to choose an integration object that seeds the data for a new report. Integration objects are metadata objects in Siebel Business Applications that provide the ability to obtain Siebel application data in XML format. XML data is used to create the report layout templates in RTF format and to generate reports at run time. When an XML data file generates successfully, it is used by the Siebel XMLP Report Server component in connected mode, and by the Oracle BI Publisher XDO Engine in disconnected mode to merge with the report layout template to construct the report. The produced document is then stored in the Siebel File System.

NOTE: It is recommended that you consider extending an existing integration object to add new fields before creating new integration objects for your reports. If, however, there is no existing integration object that fits your requirements, you can create new integration objects using Siebel Tools. For information about extending existing integration objects, see “Extending Integration Objects to Add New Fields for Siebel Reports” on page 84. For information about creating new integration objects for reports, see “Creating New Integration Objects for Siebel Reports” on page 85.

This task is a step in “Process of Creating Custom Reports” on page 81.

To generate a sample XML data file for a report1 Navigate to the Administration - BI Publisher Reports screen, then the Sample Data File

Generation view.

2 In the Sample Data File Generation list, select the integration object for which you want to generate a data file, click Generate Sample XML, and then save the file to the SIEBSRVR_ROOT\XMLP\DATA directory.

An XML file is generated with the name of the integration object followed by .xml. For example, if the integration object name is BIPLiteratureFulfillment, the file name for the XML file is BIPLiteratureFulfillment.xml.

NOTE: When you generate sample XML data, only a subset of the I/O data is exported into the XML file. If some fields (such as multivalue fields) are not populated, these fields do not appear when loaded into Microsoft Word using Oracle BI Publisher Add-In for Microsoft Word (also known as Oracle BI Publisher Desktop). If this occurs, export the schema using Siebel Tools (from the Tools menu, select Integration Object, and then Generate Schema). Rename the file with an .xsd extension, and then load this schema into Microsoft Word using the Oracle BI Publisher menu. All fields are now available for use in the template. For more information about XML schema generation, see Transports and Interfaces: Siebel Enterprise Application Integration.

You can now create report layout templates based on this XML data. For information about creating report layout templates, see “Creating Report Layout Templates Using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word” on page 88.



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Creating Report Layout Templates Using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft WordThis topic describes how to create report layout templates for reports using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word.


NOTE: It is recommended that you use Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word to create your custom RTF-formatted report layout templates. If you use other RTF-formatted templates for creating your reports, you must manually code the XSL statements and references to the data fields. Coding XSL is out of scope for this documentation.

CAUTION: Oracle BI Publisher does not support report names containing special characters.

The following are some situations in which you must create a new report layout template:

■ When a layout template requires that you add new fields or design a different layout

■ When a layout template requires association with a different integration component for the specified integration object

■ When a layout template requires association with a different or multiple integration objects

The following procedure assumes you have installed Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word (also known as Oracle BI Publisher Desktop). This procedure provides only quick reference information for creating report layout templates. For detailed information, see Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher User’s Guide, which is available from the Oracle BI Publisher Desktop program menu (click Start, Programs, Oracle BI Publisher Desktop, and then BI Publisher Users Guide).

To create a report layout template using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word1 Start Microsoft Word.

2 From the application-level menu in Microsoft Word, select Oracle BI Publisher, Data, and then Load Sample XML Data.

3 In the Select XML Data window, select the XML data file.

NOTE: Typically, the XML data files reside in the XMLP\DATA directory on which the Siebel Server is running.

4 Define the format of the report and the Siebel fields that you want to appear in the report, using the Template Wizard as follows:

a From the Microsoft Word toolbar, choose Insert, Table/Form, and then Wizard.

b In the Template Wizard, choose the report format, and then click Next.

You can choose one of the following: Table, Form, or Free Form.

c (Optional) Change the XML data grouping, and then click Next.



d Select the Siebel fields that you want to appear in your report, and then click Next.

e If the data is to appear in Table format, decide the grouping and sorting, and then click Next.

f Label the Siebel fields as you want them to appear in the new report, and then click Finish.

g Save the report layout template in RTF format.

The following files are created and stored in the Siebel File System for retrieval by the Siebel application as follows:

❏ The report layout template (RTF) and XLIFF files in connected mode

❏ The XSL and XLIFF files in disconnected mode

5 Periodically preview the report layout template by doing the following:

a In Microsoft Word, open the RTF template file (if not already open).

NOTE: Typically, the template files are stored in SIEBSRVR_ROOT\XMLP\TEMPLATES.

b From the application-level menu, select Oracle BI Publisher, Preview Template, and then choose the output file format.

The report appears in the chosen format with the data substituted.

c (Optional) Continue to preview different output file formats.

d Save the file in RTF format.

If you are currently creating a report for which you want to use this report layout template, you must register the report layout template in the Siebel application, see “Registering Report Layout Templates” on page 89.

NOTE: Additional report template creation information is provided in Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Report Designer's Guide in the Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Documentation Library 10.1.3.4 available on Oracle Technology Network (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/indexes/documentation/index.html). Not all features mentioned in the Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher documentation are currently supported in Siebel Reports; only the features documented in this guide.

Registering Report Layout TemplatesYou must register report layout templates so that users have access to reports using the Reports menu in the Siebel application. To generate reports, report layout template files created using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word, must be uploaded. How these files are uploaded differs depending on the connection mode; that is, whether the Siebel application is in connected or disconnected mode. This topic describes how to upload and register layout templates from the Siebel application for both connection modes.

NOTE: Each report can have only one report layout template, but you can register the same report layout template for many reports.




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In connected mode, the Oracle BI Publisher Server requires the RTF and XLIFF files in its folder structure. If the files are not available, the report is not generated. When the upload is successful, a new folder structure is created in the Oracle BI Publisher repository. This folder has the same name as the report selected and contains the report layout template (RTF), XLIFF, and .xdo files. The Oracle BI Publisher Server creates the XSL file during run time.

In disconnected mode, the RTF, XLIFF, and XSL files must be made available (by uploading the files to the Oracle BI Publisher XDO Engine) before the reports are generated. For more information about uploading report layout templates to the Siebel application, see “Workflow for Uploading Report Layout Templates to a Siebel Application” on page 76.

NOTE: If you are uploading multilingual reports, see also “Roadmap for Uploading Multilingual Reports to the Siebel Application” on page 42.

When associating an RTF or ZIP file with a report, the following validation checks occur to make sure that:

■ The RTF file name is not already in use

■ An RFT file name appears in the Template field

■ The XLIFF file name contains the same template name as the physical template file name

■ An XLF or ZIP file name appears in the XLIFF field

To register a report layout template1 Make sure the Oracle BI Publisher Server is running.

a Click Start, Programs, and then Oracle - BIPHomeX.

b Choose Start BI Publisher.

A command window appears.

NOTE: You must leave this command window open while the Oracle BI Publisher Server is running.

2 In the Siebel application, navigate to the Administration - BI Publisher Reports screen, then one of the following template views:



3 In the appropriate templates list, click New.

4 Register the report layout template for the report by doing the following:

a Type a report name and optionally a description.

NOTE: An error message appears if a report already exists in the Siebel application with the same Report Name value, including other user’s reports or standard preconfigured reports that ship with Siebel Business Applications.

b Select a report layout template.

c Select an output type.



d (Optional) Select an existing XLIFF file.

e (Optional) Assign a position or positions in the Report Access field.

NOTE: The Report Access field is available only in the Reports - Custom Templates view to allow for sharing of generated reports.

f Fill in the rest of the fields.

Some of the fields are described in the following table.

TIP: The start and end dates determine the period that a report is available for use. If you choose a start date, you must also choose an end date. Conversely, if you choose an end date, you must also choose a start date.

Field Description

Start Date A start date and time for the report.

For preconfigured reports that ship with Siebel Business Applications, there is no start date. For reports that you create, the Start Date field automatically populates with the current date and time when the report layout template was registered. However, you can change these values any time.

End Date An end date for the report. After the end date passes, the report no longer appears in the Reports menu. By default, this field is NULL.

Primary Integration Object Name

The primary integration object for the report. This field is read-only and is automatically populated when you select an integration object in the report template Integration Objects subview.

Template The RTF report layout template that is used to generate the report. Templates are stored in the following folder:

SIEBSRVR_ROOT\XMLP\TEMPLATES

Output Type The format of the generated report, which can be one of the following: PDF, HTML, RTF, XLS, PPT, MHTML, or All.

NOTE: If a report is saved with only one report output type, the Report Output Type dialog box does not appear when the user selects that report in the Reports menu. Instead, the report begins generating in the assigned format. Typically, the output type is set to All. PPT is applicable only in connected mode.

Default Locale The default locale for the template. Locale is the language and locale combination based on the locale configuration in the Siebel application. For more information, see Siebel Global Deployment Guide.

XLIFF XLIFF files contain the strings of the report column, field labels, and captions that are used for translation purposes.

NOTE: If you change a report layout template and upload the template to a Siebel client, you must regenerate the report.



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5 Associate a primary integration object with the report by doing the following:

a In the relevant Integration Objects subview, click New.

b Fill in the fields in the new record.

The fields are described in the following table.

Report Access Controls access to report templates using positions.

NOTE: The Report Access field is available only in the Reports - Custom Templates view to allow for sharing of report templates.

Selected Records Indicates that only the currently selected records in a Siebel application view are included in the report at run time. For more information about how to use the selected records feature, see “Defining Report Layout Templates for Selected Records” on page 95.

Parameters Indicates that the report is a parameterized report that accepts run-time parameters. You define the parameters associated with the report in the Parameters list. For information about defining parameters for a report, see “Defining Report Parameters in the Siebel Application” on page 131.

Field Description

Integration Object Name

The integration object that you want to associate with the report layout template.

Field Description



c (Optional) Click Generate Sample XML for use when designing reports.

6 (Optional) If you want to generate reports for multiple business objects, perform the tasks as described in “Adding Multiple Integration Objects to a Report” on page 93.

7 (Optional) Assign a language or languages to the report layout template.

For information about assigning languages to report layout templates, see “Adding and Deleting Locales from Report Templates” on page 43.

You must now associate the registered report with the views in which you want the report to be available. For more information on associating reports, see “Associating Registered Reports with Siebel Application Views” on page 96.

Adding Multiple Integration Objects to a ReportThis topic describes how to create a Siebel report that reports across multiple, unrelated Siebel business objects. For more information about reporting across multiple business objects, see “About Reporting Across Multiple Siebel Business Objects” on page 74.


The following procedure assumes that you have registered or are in the process of registering a report layout template, as described in “Registering Report Layout Templates” on page 89.


A query data filter. When you create a nonprimary integration object for a report, you must enter a search specification value. For example, the value of the search specification might be the following expression: 'IntegrationComponentName'.Search = "[FiledName] = ""ValueToBeTested"""

For example:

'Contact'.Search = "[Last Name] = ""Sh"""

NOTE: You can override queries in the user interface by specifying a search specification on the primary integration object. This field is not required for primary integration objects, because queries are taken from the Siebel application views.

For more information about multiple integration objects with regard to Siebel Reports, see “About Reporting Across Multiple Siebel Business Objects” on page 74.

Primary Indicates that this integration object is the primary integration object. The Primary Integration Object Name field in the template views are automatically populated when you select a primary integration object.

NOTE: The first integration object that you associate with a report is automatically indicated as the primary integration object.

Field Description



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To add multiple integration objects to a report1 Navigate to the Administration - BI Publisher Reports screen, and then one of the following

views:


■ Reports - Standard Template

2 In the relevant report template view, select a report (if not already selected).

3 In the Integration Objects subview, click New.

NOTE: Custom integration objects previously created appear as well as the preconfigured integration objects that ship with the Siebel application. One of the integration objects is indicated as primary. This Primary field is automatically indicated when associating an integration object with a report for the first time.

4 Fill in the fields in the new record.

The fields are described in Step 5 in “Registering Report Layout Templates” on page 89.

5 Repeat Step 3 and Step 4 of this procedure for each additional integration object that you want to add.

6 Click Generate Sample XML.

One XML data file is generated for the multiple integration objects.

NOTE: This step is similar to what occurs in “Generating Sample XML Data Files for Siebel Reports” on page 87, but in the Sample Data File Generation view, you can generate XML for only one integration object.

If you are currently creating a report, you must now associate the registered report with a Siebel application view. See “Associating Registered Reports with Siebel Application Views” on page 96.

Sharing Report Layout TemplatesSiebel Business Applications allow you to share report layout templates. If a report template is registered in the Siebel application, you can define the visibility of the report template for use by others using the Templates views.


The Report Access field on the report record controls access to the report templates that are executable. After a user is granted access to the report template, the template appears in the Reports menu when a user navigates to the relevant view.

To share a report layout template1 Navigate to the Administration - BI Publisher Reports screen, then the Reports - Custom

Templates view.

NOTE: The Report Access field is available only in the Reports - Custom Templates view to allow for sharing of generated reports based on position.



2 Perform one of the following:

■ Select or query for an existing report.

■ Click New to register a new report.

For information about registering a new report, see “Registering Report Layout Templates” on page 89.

3 Grant access to the report by doing the following:

a Click the Report Access field to display the Position dialog box.

b In the Position dialog box, select the positions that you want to grant access to the report, and then click Add.

NOTE: You can select multiple positions by using the CTRL key.

4 You can define multiorganizational templates by adding a specific organization or organizations to the report template in the organizations multi-value group (MVG).

a Click the Organizations field to display the Organizations dialog box.

b Select the organizations that you want to grant access to the report, and then click Add.

You select multiple records using the shift or control keys.

NOTE: By default, custom templates belong to the default organization.

Defining Report Layout Templates for Selected RecordsYou can configure a report template to display only the currently selected records in a Siebel application view when a report is generated. The report is generated, using the selected records in the context of the application view. This feature applies to any level of hierarchy visible in the view; that is, this feature is applicable to parent-child views and parent-child-grandchild views.

NOTE: If you encounter problems using this feature, you might need to perform additional Siebel Tools configuration. For instructions, see 1180903.1 (Article ID) on My Oracle Support.


To define a report layout template for a selected record1 In the Siebel application, navigate to the Administration - BI Publisher Reports screen, then one

of the following template views:



2 In the appropriate templates list, select the report for which you want to enable the single or multiselect feature, and then click the Selected Records field.



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Associating Registered Reports with Siebel Application ViewsAfter registering a report, you associate the report with one or more Siebel application views. The context-sensitive report appears in the Reports menu only in the views that are associated with the report.


To associate a registered report with a Siebel application view1 Navigate to the Administration - BI Publisher Reports screen, then the View Association view.

2 In the Views list, select a view with which you want to associate a report.

3 In the Reports List subview, click Add.

4 In the Views dialog box, do the following:

a Choose a report name and optionally a description.

b (Optional) Assign a sequence number.

c Click OK.

The report is now available in the Reports menu when a user is in a view with which the report is associated and the user has visibility to that view.

5 Test the newly created report by generating it.

For information about generating reports, see Chapter 6, “Generating Reports.”

NOTE: If a report encounters errors while generating, a log file is created that report developers and administrators can use to troubleshoot the problem. For more information about troubleshooting reports, see Chapter 12, “Troubleshooting Siebel Reports.”

Changing the Report Sequence Order in the Reports MenuThis task is an optional step in “Process of Creating Custom Reports” on page 81.

You can define the way reports are ordered or even hide a report from appearing in the Reports menu by setting the Sequence field on the report record. You can define this field when creating a report (or change the sequence later) to a numeric value that determines the sort order of the reports. The sort order is calculated with the lowest value appearing higher in the list of reports. The Siebel application calculates the order. The calculation is based on the following logic:

■ The sequence value can be any positive integer including 0 (zero) or NULL.

■ When the sequence value is set to 0 (zero), the report does not appear in the Reports menu.

■ If the field value is blank or NULL, the report is generated using the standard sort order (that is, according to the report name). This setting is the default.



■ Reports with a positive integer sequence value are sorted by the sequence value and ordered before any report with a NULL sequence value.

■ If two or more records have the same sequence value, the records are sorted by name.

TIP: Because the Sequence field is a standard, numeric-business component field, you can add your own business logic for how reports appear in the application. For more information about configuring business components, see Configuring Siebel Business Applications.

To change the report sequence order in the Reports menu1 Navigate to the Administration - BI Publisher Reports screen, then the View Association view.

2 Select the view for which you want to define the report order.

3 In the Report List, use the sequence field to assign a sequence to some or all of the reports.



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8 Scheduling Reports

This chapter describes how to schedule reports in Siebel Business Applications from a user perspective using Siebel high-interactivity clients. It includes the following topics:

■ About Scheduled Reports on page 99

■ Scheduling Reports on page 100

■ Example of Scheduling an Opportunity Report on page 103

■ Monitoring and Viewing Scheduled Reports on page 104

■ Suspending and Resuming Scheduled Reports on page 104

■ Deleting Scheduled Reports on page 105

NOTE: Report scheduling is not supported in Siebel Open UI for Siebel CRM version 8.2.2.2.

About Scheduled ReportsYou schedule reports using the Schedule Report menu item from the Reports menu. This menu item opens a dialog box from which you select a report to schedule and the criteria for generating the report (such as when to generate the report, how often you want the report to generate, and whether the report generates with a recurring frequency). After a report job is scheduled, you can monitor and view the report using the Scheduled Reports view.

The Scheduled Reports view is an Oracle BI Publisher Web page that is embedded in the Siebel application user interface. The Siebel application and Oracle BI Publisher exchange data by way of a Web service to produce the report. For more information about using the Schedule Reports view, see “Monitoring and Viewing Scheduled Reports” on page 104.

NOTE: Report scheduling requires the Siebel Web Client in connected mode. For more information about report scheduling in connected mode, see “Workflow for Generating Reports in Connected Mode” on page 20.

Related Topics“Scheduling Reports” on page 100

“Example of Scheduling an Opportunity Report” on page 103

“Monitoring and Viewing Scheduled Reports” on page 104

“Suspending and Resuming Scheduled Reports” on page 104

“Deleting Scheduled Reports” on page 105


Scheduling Reports ■ Scheduling Reports

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Scheduling ReportsYou schedule reports by selecting the Schedule Report menu item from the Reports menu while in a Siebel application view. If you have been granted scheduling privileges, you can schedule reports using various criteria. Report scheduling is available only in connected mode. For more information about the connection modes in relation to Siebel Reports, see “About the Siebel Reports Architecture” on page 19.

CAUTION: If you are unable to schedule reports, you might not have the appropriate access controls assigned. Ask your administrator to grant you the XMLP_SCHEDULER responsibility.

NOTE: You cannot schedule parameterized reports. For information about parameterized reports, see Chapter 11, “Parameterized Reports.”

To schedule a report1 Navigate to the Siebel application view from which you want to schedule a report, and click

Reports.

2 From the Reports menu, select Schedule Report.

A scheduling dialog box appears.



3 Enter the schedule criteria for the report, and then click Schedule.

Some fields are described in the following table.

Field Description

Report Name The report you want to schedule.

Job Name Enter a name for the job you are scheduling.

NOTE: Any descriptive text for the job name is acceptable, the job name does not have to be unique. However, for search purposes, you might want to adopt a naming convention.

Output Type The output file format for the report. For information about the available output file types, see “Siebel Reports Output File Types” on page 15.

Report Locale The locale for the report.

Frequency The recurrence of the report. Choices are: Run Immediately, Run Once, Run Daily/Weekly, or Run Monthly.

If you choose to run the report:

■ Immediately, the job is triggered as soon as you click Schedule.

■ Only one time, you must enter the exact date and time to run the report.

■ Daily or weekly, you must enter the day (or days) of the week, specify the run time for the selected day (or days), and a start and end date.

■ Monthly, you must enter the month (or months), the day (or range of days) to run, and a start and end date.

See also Run Time below.

Public If checked, the output of the job is viewable by all users. By default, this field is not checked.

Save Data If checked, the XML data of the job is saved and is viewable in the Scheduled Reports view. By default, this field is checked.

Save Output If checked, the output of the job is saved and is viewable in the Scheduled Reports view. By default, this field is checked.

Run Date The date and time the report generates when you choose the run once frequency.

Run Time The time the report generates when you choose a daily/weekly or monthly frequency.

NOTE: For a run once frequency, time is converted to UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). For daily, weekly, or monthly frequencies, the date, time, and time zone are based on the Oracle BI Publisher Server.



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A message appears indicating the report (with Job ID) has been scheduled.

4 (Optional) If scheduling a parameterized report, enter the run-time parameters by doing the following:

a Click Parameter.

The Parameters dialog box appears.

b Enter the values, and then click Submit.

NOTE: For this option to appear, the report developer must have indicated the report as a parameterized report in the applicable report template registration view.

5 (Optional) Schedule another report with different criteria.

6 Click Close to exit the scheduling dialog box.

NOTE: The scheduling dialog box remains open until you close it.

7 To view or monitor the report, do the following:

a Navigate to the BI Publisher Reports screen, then the Scheduled Reports view.

NOTE: The Scheduled Reports view is an embedded Web page from the Oracle BI Publisher Enterprise application.

b Drill down on the Job Name for more information, and then click Back if you want to view additional scheduled reports.

Related Topics“About Scheduled Reports” on page 99





Start Date andEnd Date

If a date is set in either of these fields, then it restricts the dates for which scheduling is active. By default, the start date is the date you schedule the report and the end date is NULL. A start and end date are required for the daily/weekly and monthly frequencies. The default Start Date format is based on the date format of the current user preferences.

Day(s) The day (or days) of the week or date range you want the report to generate when you choose a daily/weekly frequency.

Month(s) The month (or months) you want the report to generate when you choose a monthly frequency.

Date(s) The day (or days) of the week or date range you want the report to generate when you choose a monthly frequency.

Field Description

Scheduling Reports ■ Example of Scheduling an Opportunity Report


Example of Scheduling an Opportunity ReportThis topic gives one example of scheduling a Siebel report. You might use this feature differently, depending on your business needs. For more information about report scheduling, see “Scheduling Reports” on page 100.

In this example, assume you want the By Sales Rep opportunity report to generate in HTML format each Tuesday and Thursday at 10:15 a.m. for a two week period from August 2-15, 2009.

To schedule the By Sales Rep Opportunity report1 Navigate to the Opportunities screen, My Opportunities, and then the Opportunity List view.


3 From the Reports menu, select Schedule Report.

4 In the Schedule a Report dialog box, enter the following schedule criteria for the report, and then click Schedule:

■ Report Name is By Sales Rep Opportunity

■ Job Name is <Enter a job name>

■ Output Type is HTML

■ Time is Run Daily/Weekly

■ Day of the Week is Tuesday and Thursday

■ Start Date is 8/2/2009

■ End Date is 8/15/2009

■ Run Time is 10:15:00 AM

For descriptions of these and other fields in this dialog box, see “Scheduling Reports” on page 100.

5 (Optional) Navigate to the BI Publisher Reports screen, then the Scheduled Reports view to monitor the scheduled report.

For information about monitoring and viewing your scheduled reports, see “Monitoring and Viewing Scheduled Reports” on page 104.


“Scheduling Reports” on page 100





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Monitoring and Viewing Scheduled ReportsUsing the Scheduled Reports view, you can view scheduled jobs and completed job history for reports that you have generated or have been given access to. In this view, you can also suspend, resume, or delete scheduled reports. For more information, see “Suspending and Resuming Scheduled Reports” on page 104 and “Deleting Scheduled Reports” on page 105.

To monitor the status of a scheduled report1 Navigate to the BI Publisher Reports screen, then the Scheduled Reports view.


2 Monitor the status in Oracle BI Publisher by doing one of the following:

■ Click the Schedules tab to view the report jobs you have scheduled and their status. Drill down on a report to view detailed information about the report job.

■ Click the History tab to view a history of your report jobs.






Suspending and Resuming Scheduled ReportsUsing the Scheduled Reports view, you can suspend and resume scheduled reports you have previously generated or have been granted access to.

To suspend or resume a scheduled report1 Navigate to the BI Publisher Reports screen, then the Scheduled Reports view.


2 Click the Schedules tab.

3 Click the checkbox next to the applicable report, and then click Suspend or Resume.

Scheduling Reports ■ Deleting Scheduled Reports







Deleting Scheduled ReportsThis topic describes how to delete reports that you have personally scheduled. You use the Scheduled Reports view to delete the scheduled reports that you no longer want. For more information about the Scheduled Reports view, see “About Scheduled Reports” on page 99.

To delete scheduled reports1 Navigate to the BI Publisher Reports screen, then the Scheduled Reports view.

2 Click the checkbox next to the report you want to delete, and then click Delete.

NOTE: This step removes the report from the report list; it does not remove the report from the Oracle BI Publisher repository. Only administrators can purge Siebel reports from the Oracle BI Publisher repository. For more information about purging scheduled reports, see “Purging Scheduled Reports from the Oracle BI Publisher Server” on page 36.







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9 Using Master-Detail Reports

This chapter describes master-detail reports as well as how to create a master-detail layout template. It includes the following topics:

■ About Master-Detail Reports

■ Example of Comparing the Service Request Activity (All) Report with its Corresponding Layout Template

■ Creating a Master-Detail Layout Template in Microsoft Word

About Master-Detail ReportsThis topic describes master-detail reports in Siebel Business Applications. A master-detail report displays a list of detail business component records for each record in a master business component, to which the master and detail business components have a one-to-many relationship. It is similar to a master-detail view in a Siebel application, in that detail records are displayed for each master record. Unlike a master-detail view, however, a master-detail report lists detail records for all master records at the same time, rather than for one master record at a time.

Figure 10 shows an example of a Service Request Activity - All report in Siebel Service, which is a master-detail report.

In this example, the master-detail reports provide master information for each service request, followed by a list of activities for that service request. Each service request begins on its own page. For further analysis of the Service Request Activity - All master-detail report, see “Example of Comparing the Service Request Activity (All) Report with its Corresponding Layout Template” on page 108.

Figure 10. Example of a Master-Detail Service Request Activity (All) Report


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A master-detail report can also have multiple detail elements. In this case, a list of detail records appears for several business components for each master record. For example, the Account Service Profile report provides three lists for each account master record: customer survey responses, opportunities, and service requests. A report with two detail elements is described in “Creating a Master-Detail Layout Template in Microsoft Word” on page 112. Many of the preconfigured reports that ship with Siebel Business Applications are master-detail reports.

A master detail report incorporates a parent business component and related child and grandchild business components as defined in the business object definition that the integration object is based on. When executing a report, the UI context is captured and passed to the primary integration component of the integration object. If a multivalue field (MVF) is included in a report, only the first record is displayed. To display all the records from an MVF in the report, an integration object must have been created in Siebel Tools under the associated integration object based on the business component that contains the MVF to be displayed.

This information is also valid for indirect MVFs. For example, consider the case where the business address (an MVF) of an account associated with an opportunity appears in the report. The business addresses in the MVF are not directly related to the opportunity, but they are related to the account that it is associated with it. To display all the records in the business address MVF as a detail section, first create a link between the Business Address business component and the Opportunity business component using Account Id as the source field. Include the Business Address business component under the Opportunity business object, and then create an integration object with the Business Address business component under the integration object, and include the necessary MVF. For more information about master-detail reports, see “Example of Comparing the Service Request Activity (All) Report with its Corresponding Layout Template” on page 108 and “Creating a Master-Detail Layout Template in Microsoft Word” on page 112.

Example of Comparing the Service Request Activity (All) Report with its Corresponding Layout TemplateThis topic gives one example of how master-detail reports work by comparing a specific layout template with its corresponding report. You might use the feature differently, depending on your business model. This example compares the Service Request Activity (All) report and its corresponding layout template.

To compare the Service Request Activity (All) report in Siebel Service with its corresponding layout template1 Generate the Service Request Activity (All) report in Siebel Service by performing the tasks:

a Open the Siebel Service application.

b Navigate to the Service screen, then All Service Requests across Organizations view.

NOTE: My Service Requests is the default view.

c In the All Service Requests across Organizations list, select an account, click Reports, and then from the Reports menu, select Service Request Activity (All).

Using Master-Detail Reports ■ Example of Comparing the Service Request Activity (All)Report with its Corresponding Layout Template


d Choose a report output type, and then click Submit.

e In the File Download dialog box, select Open.

The Service Request Activity (All) report appears in the browser window. To view this report, see Figure 10 on page 107.

2 Open the layout template for the Service Request Activity (All) report using Microsoft Word:

a Navigate to the \XMLP\TEMPLATES folder (or the equivalent on your computer), and then open srvreqaa.rtf.

Notice the following features of this template as shown in the following figure:

❏ There is a table (form) for the master record.

❏ There is a table (list) for each set of child records.

❏ There is a for-each loop (over all master records) that includes the parent form and all the child lists.

❏ There is a condition on the IF statement (<?if:current-group()//ssAction?>) for the Activity section, which prevents the Activity section from displaying header information if there are no activities for the service request.

NOTE: To identify the layout template associated with a report, use the appropriate Template view (either Reports - Custom Templates or Reports - Standard Templates in the Administration - BI Publisher Reports screen).

b From the Oracle BI Publisher menu, select Tools, Field Browser, and then Show All.

The Field Browser dialog box appears, which allows you to view and modify the template logic.

For more information, see “Syntax and Description of the Fields for an Example Template” on page 110.


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Syntax and Description of the Fields for an Example TemplateTable 6 provides details of the Oracle BI Publisher syntax and description for the fields defined in the example template.

Table 6. Oracle BI Publisher Syntax and Field Definitions for the Service Request Activity (All) Report Template

Syntax Oracle BI Publisher Code Description

If <?if://ssServiceRequest?> An IF condition that checks for service request records. If there are no service request records, no records are displayed.

for-eachgroup: ssServiceRequest

<?for-each-group:ssServiceRequest;position()?>

The start of a group section which iterates for each record in the Service Request data set.

ssSrNumberssAccountssStatus

<?ssSrNumber?><?ssAccount?><?ssStatus?

Field mappings

If <?if://ssCreated?> If condition that does not display the ssCreated field if null.

ssCreated <?format-date:psfn:totext(ssCreated,"yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss","MM/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss");'SHORT_TIME'?>

Field formatting

End <?end if?> End of if condition

ssSeverityssDescription

<?ssSeverity?><?ssDescription?>

Field mappings

If <?if://ssClosedDate?> If condition that does not display the ssClosedDate field if null.

ssClosedDate <?format-date:psfn:totext(ssClosedDate,"yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss","MM/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss");'SHORT_TIME'?>

Field formatting


ssPriorityssCustomerRefNumberssOwner

<?ssPriority?><?ssCustomerRefNumber?><?ssOwner?>

Field mappings

for-each:current-group() <?for-each:current-group()?>

Start of a group section, iterating for each record in the current group (for example, Service Request).

Using Master-Detail Reports ■ Example of Comparing the Service Request Activity (All)Report with its Corresponding Layout Template


You can view additional information about the integration object definition (and related integration components) in Siebel Tools. For information about viewing integration object definitions in Siebel Tools, see Using Siebel Tools.

If <?if:current-group()//ssAction?>

Condition to check for Action records. If there are no records, do not display the section.

for-each:ssAction <?for-each:ssAction?> Beginning of the repeating element group for Action.

If <?if://ssCreated?> If condition that does not display the ssCreated field if null.

ssCreated <?format-date:psfn:totext(ssCreated,"yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss","MM/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss");'SHORT_TIME'?>

Field formatting


ssCreatedByNssOwnedBysssStatussTypessDescription

<?ssCreatedByName?><?ssOwnedBy?><?ssType?><?ssStatus?><?ssDescription?>

Field mappings

end for-each:ssAction <?end for-each?> End of the repeating element group for Action.

End if <?end if?> The end of the if condition

end for-each <?end for-each?> End of current-group() repeating group section.

page break <?split-by-page-break:?> Page break after the end of the group section.

end for-each-group: ssServiceRequest

<?end for-each-group?> End of Service Request group section

End <?end if?> End if statement for conditional check on Service Request records

If <?if:not(//ssServiceRequest)?>

If condition that prints "No Data Found" at the bottom of the report if there are no records.

End <?end if?> End if statement for above condition.

Table 6. Oracle BI Publisher Syntax and Field Definitions for the Service Request Activity (All) Report Template

Syntax Oracle BI Publisher Code Description


Using Master-Detail Reports ■ Creating a Master-Detail Layout Template in Microsoft Word

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For more information about Oracle BI Publisher syntax, see Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Report Designer's Guide, Release 10.1.3.4 available on Oracle Technology Network (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/indexes/documentation/index.html). For more information about creating master-detail templates, see “Example of Comparing the Service Request Activity (All) Report with its Corresponding Layout Template” on page 108 and “Creating a Master-Detail Layout Template in Microsoft Word” on page 112.

Creating a Master-Detail Layout Template in Microsoft WordCreating a master-detail report follows the same process as creating a simple report. However, consider the following important points when creating master-detail reports:

■ Make sure that all child integration components in the integration object have the appropriate value in the Parent Integration Component property.

■ In the RTF template, make sure that the correct for-each-group and for-each:current-group elements are placed in the template, see “Example of Comparing the Service Request Activity (All) Report with its Corresponding Layout Template” on page 108.

■ When creating custom integration objects for Siebel Reports, make sure that the fields used for dynamic queries in the applet of the master component are also contained in the integration component. Dynamic queries are specific, customized queries that you create.

To create a master-detail layout template in Microsoft Word1 Open Microsoft Word, and create a new document.

2 Using the Oracle BI Publisher Desktop menu, select Data, and then Load XML Data.

3 Select the XML file containing the sample data, and then save the template in RTF format.

4 Add the relevant titles, formatting, page header and footer, and so on to the document.

5 Add the Master data section by doing the following:

a Insert a master data section manually, or by using the Insert menu option from the Oracle BI Publisher Desktop menu.

b Select the master data section, and add a for-each-group section:

❏ Click Insert, Repeating Group, and then the Advanced tab.

NOTE: This process embeds the for loop within the table and does not replicate the location of the controls in the preconfigured examples.

❏ Change the expression:

<?for-each-group:ssServiceRequest;position()?>

c (Optional) If you want to view descriptive text for the inserted sections, click Tools, Options, Build, and then Descriptive.

Using Master-Detail Reports ■ Creating a Master-Detail Layout Template in MicrosoftWord


6 Add the Detail data section by doing the following:

a Select the detail data section.

b From the Oracle BI Publisher menu, click Insert, and then Repeating Group.

c Select the defaults, and then click OK.

7 Insert a page break after the final detail section by doing the following:

a Select the Oracle BI Publisher properties of the entire group.

b Navigate to Create, Group, and then Properties.

c Select a page break option.

8 Add the additional formatting features and conditions.

For more information on adding features, see “Example of Comparing the Service Request Activity (All) Report with its Corresponding Layout Template” on page 108.

9 After testing the report, register the report layout template in the usual manner.

For information about registering report layout templates, see “Registering Report Layout Templates” on page 89.

Viewing Descriptive Text for Repeating Group SectionsWhen creating templates with repeating group sections, you might find it useful to view the descriptive text for the inserted sections. Descriptive text allows you to view the Oracle BI Publisher syntax.

To view the descriptive text for the repeating group sections1 Start Microsoft Word.

2 From the Oracle BI Publisher application-level menu, click Options, Build, and then in the For-each form field box, select Descriptive.

For more information about master-detail reports, see “About Master-Detail Reports” on page 107 and “Example of Comparing the Service Request Activity (All) Report with its Corresponding Layout Template” on page 108.


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10 Migrating Reports

This chapter describes how to migrate reports from a development, test, or production environment to another. The tasks in this chapter are performed by the system administrator and are for disconnected mode only. This chapter includes the following topics:

■ Requirements for Migrating Reports on page 115

■ Process of Packaging and Migrating Reports on page 116

■ Process of Migrating an Integration Object for a Report on page 120

■ Process of Migrating New Reports after Creating New Integration Objects on page 121

Requirements for Migrating ReportsYou can use Application Deployment Manager (ADM) to migrate reports from one environment to another. When you migrate reports, you are importing data values from a source environment to a target environment. For example, you migrate reports from the development or test environment (source) to the production environment (target). For more information about ADM, see Siebel Application Deployment Manager Guide. For information about setting up your environment to use ADM for migrating reports, see “Requirements for Migrating Reports” on page 115.

Before migrating reports from one environment to another, perform the following tasks:

1 In the source environment, make sure the reports are finalized and ready to migrate.

2 Perform the following in the source environment:

a Install Perl software (version 5.0 or later).

b Make sure you include the Application Deployment Manager (ADM) component group as part of the Siebel Server installation process.

For more information about installing Siebel Servers, see Siebel Installation Guide for the operating system you are using.

c Set up ADM for your particular deployment needs. In particular, you must have a Siebel Management Server and Siebel Management Agents installed.

For more information on setting up ADM, see Siebel Installation Guide for the operating system you are using.


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Process of Packaging and Migrating ReportsThe Application Deployment Manager (ADM) packaging process prepares the report template data for migration by consolidating the information into a single deployment package. This deployment package is the functional entity used by the ADM framework to stage and execute the deployment. The deployment package is a set of files representing the report files, held in a predefined package directory, together with a package descriptor file holding details of the package contents.

To migrate XML files along with their associated SIF objects, you must specify the repository SIF object and the XML file for packaging. After the migration of the integration objects is called, the SIF objects and the XML files are migrated together.

To migrate reports from one environment to another:

1 Make sure you have met the necessary requirements for migrating reports.

For information about these requirements, see “Requirements for Migrating Reports” on page 115.

2 “Packaging the Report Files in the Source Environment” on page 116

3 “Migrating the Report Files to the Target Environment” on page 117

4 “Packaging Report Database Records in the Source Environment” on page 118

5 “Migrating Report Database Records to the Target Environment” on page 119

Packaging the Report Files in the Source EnvironmentThis topic describes how to package the report files in the source environment.

This task is a step in “Process of Packaging and Migrating Reports” on page 116.

The following procedure assumes that your reports are finalized and available in the source environment.

To package the report files1 Manually copy the files that you want to migrate from the source environment Siebel Server

installation directory (SIEBSRVR_ROOT\XMLP) to the following target environment:

SharedFolder\PackageName\file\siebsrvr\XMLP\<subdirectory_name>

where:

SharedFolder is a shared folder on the deployment computer.

PackageName is the name of the ADM package folder that contains the report files to be migrated.

file is the type of file, such as database, repository, and so on.

siebsrvr\XMLP<subdirectory_name> is the Siebel Server folder structure.



a Copy the XML files to the following directory:

SharedFolder\PackageName\file\AppServer\XMLP\DATA

b Copy the RTF and XSL files to the following directory:

SharedFolder\PackageName\file\AppServer\XMLP\TEMPLATES

c Copy the XLIFF files to the following directory:

SharedFolder\PackageName\file\AppServer\XMLP\enu\xliff

2 Run the following command to generate a descriptor file for the package:

admpkgr generate "shared folder\package name"

where:

SharedFolder\PackageName is the shared folder and package name in which the packages to be migrated reside.

Migrating the Report Files to the Target EnvironmentThis topic describes how to migrate the report files to the target environment.


To migrate the report files to the target environment1 Navigate to the installation folder where the Siebel Management Server is installed.

2 Run the following command to create a package folder structure:

admpkgr init SharedFolder\PackageName

where:

SharedFolder\PackageName is the shared folder package name in which the packages to be migrated reside.

NOTE: You must specify a path in a shared location.

TIP: If an error occurs, you might have an invalid path to the JAR files. To resolve this error, make sure the CLASSPATH variable points to the exact location of the JAR files in the admpkgr.bat file in the Management Server installation folder.

3 Run the following command to call the deploy.bat file to load the package to the server database:

deploy_enterprise load username password PackageName

where:

■ deploy_enterprise is of the form deploy_enterprise, where enterprise is replaced by the enterprise name given by the user at the time of the configuration.



118

■ username and password are the username and password account of the Siebel user who is deploying the package.

■ PackageName is the name of the package for which the descriptor was created in Step 2 on page 117.

4 Run the following command to create a session for the deployment:

deploy_enterprise create username password PackageName

5 Run the following copy command to complete the deployment of the sample package:

deploy_enterprise copy username password PackageName

6 In the destination Siebel Server folder (siebsrvr\XMLP), verify that the files you placed in the deployment package (as described in Step 1 on page 116) are available in the appropriate folders.

Packaging Report Database Records in the Source EnvironmentThis topic describes how to use Application Deployment Manager (ADM) to package report database records.


To package report database records 1 Navigate to the Application Deployment Manager screen, then the Deployment Projects view.

2 In the Deployment Projects list, create a new project record.

3 Fill in the project fields as necessary, making sure to check the Export to File field to create the export file.

For descriptions of the projects fields, see Siebel Application Deployment Manager Guide.

NOTE: It is recommended that you name your report projects with a BIP prefix. This prefix allows you to search for your report projects.

4 In the Deployment Filter field in the Deployment Project data type list, create search expressions for the data types to filter only those items of a data type that match the condition for migration. Save each filter.

For example, if you create a report in the source environment and that report is:

■ Named Test Account List

■ Based on the BIP Accounts - Current Query integration object



■ Associated with the Account List view

You enter the following filter information to migrate the data types to the target environment:

NOTE: If the data type of interest is not available, it might be set as Inactive. Make sure the Active field for the data type is checked in the Data Type Details view.

This step allows you to query the reports being migrated to the target environment.

5 Enable the report project by performing the following:

a Navigate to the Deployment Projects view.

b In the Deployment Projects list, select the draft deployment.

The Status field of the draft deployment project record appears as Draft.

c Click the Enable button to activate the report project.

ADM populates the Status field with Enabled and the Publication Date/Time field with the date and time of the report project activation.

6 Export the reports by performing the following:

a Navigate to the Application Deployment Manager screen, then the Deployment Sessions view.

b Select the newly enabled report project, and make sure the Export to File and the Deployment Lock fields are checked.

c Enter a shared location to store the XML files that contain the database records.

d Click Deploy.

The database record XML files are exported to the shared location.

Migrating Report Database Records to the Target EnvironmentUse the following procedure to migrate report database records from the source environment to the target environment.

To migrate report database records to the target environment1 Navigate to the Application Deployment Manager screen, then the Deployment Sessions view.

Data Type Filter

BIP Sample Data Generation [Name]=' BIP Accounts - Current Query'

BIP Report Template Registration [Report Name]=' Test Account List'

BIP View Association [Name]=' Account List View'

BIP Report Template Translations [Report Name]=' Test Account List'


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2 Click the Deployment Sessions Menu button, and select Deploy from File.

3 In the Deploy from File dialog box, enter the file paths from which to migrate the database records by doing the following:

a Enter the file path for the XML file that contains the Sample Data Generation file, and then click Import.

b Enter the file path for the XML file that contains the Report Template Registration file, and then click Import.

c Enter the file path for the XML file that contains the View Association file, and then click Import.

NOTE: Make sure to specify the shared location where the database records are stored.

For example, you might enter the following shared locations:

■ \\sharedlocation\88-25ZC7_BIP_Sample_Data_Generation.xml

■ \\sharedlocation\88-25ZC7_BIP_Report_Template_Registration.xml

■ \\sharedlocation\88-25ZC7_BIP_View_Association.xml

4 In the target environment, make sure the data was migrated correctly by verifying that the report appears in the Reports menu.

For example, in Step 4 on page 118 in the “Packaging Report Database Records in the Source Environment” you created a report named Test Account List. To verify that report migrated correctly, navigate to the Accounts screen, and then the Account List view. Click Reports to verify the Test Account List report appears in the Reports menu.

Process of Migrating an Integration Object for a ReportThis topic describes how to migrate integration objects for reports from the source environment.

NOTE: The following process assumes you have created a new integration object that has yet to be migrated.

To migrate an integration object for a report, perform the following tasks:

1 Create and export a SIF file for the integration object by doing the following:

a Log in to Siebel Tools.

b In the Object Explorer, select Integration Object.

c In the Integration Object list, right-click the integration object for which you want to create the SIF file, and then click Add to Hot Fix.

d In the Generate Hot-Fix dialog box, enter a label, and then click Export.

A directory containing this SIF file is placed in the Tools\ADM directory.

Migrating Reports ■ Process of Migrating New Reports after Creating New IntegrationObjects


2 Copy the SIF and descriptor files in the repository folder of the ADM package that was created when you ran the admpkgr init command.

For more information about generating the command, see “Packaging the Report Files in the Source Environment” on page 116.

3 Perform the steps as described in “Packaging the Report Files in the Source Environment” on page 116.

NOTE: If there is no report for this integration object and there are no plans to move a report for this integration object, you can skip Step 1 on page 116.

4 Verify that the integration object was moved to the target environment, perform the following:

a Log in to the target environment computer.

b Navigate to the Administration - BI Publisher Reports screen, then the Sample Data File Generation view.

c Make sure the integration object appears in the Sample Data File Generation list.

Process of Migrating New Reports after Creating New Integration ObjectsThis topic describes how to migrate reports if you create new reports based on newly created integration objects.

To migrate a new report after creating a new integration object, perform the following:

1 Perform the procedure in “Process of Migrating an Integration Object for a Report” on page 120.

2 Generate the XML data file for the report as described in “Generating Sample XML Data Files for Siebel Reports” on page 87.

3 Copy the database record files in the related package folder along with the SIF file, and then migrate them.


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11 Parameterized Reports

This chapter describes parameterized reports and how to create them. It is intended only for those who have report developer or administrator privileges.

NOTE: Most users do not typically have access to the administration views in the Siebel application, and as such, are not able to perform the tasks in this chapter. For information about reporting from the user perspective, see Chapter 6, “Generating Reports”and Chapter 8, “Scheduling Reports.”

This chapter includes the following topics:

■ About Parameterized Reports on page 123

■ About Report Parameter Types and Attributes on page 124

■ About Referencing Parameters in the Report Layout Template on page 126

■ About Defining Report Parameters in the Siebel Application on page 127

■ About Report Parameter Validation on page 128

■ Process of Creating Parameterized Reports on page 129

■ Defining Report Parameters in the Siebel Application on page 131

■ Example of Generating a Parameterized Report on page 132

NOTE: Parameterized reports are not supported in Siebel Open UI for Siebel CRM version 8.2.2.2.

About Parameterized ReportsParameterized reports allow developers and administrators to pass data into an Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (Oracle BI Publisher) RTF report layout template at run time and customize the report output. You can schedule parameterized reports. Additionally, parameterized reports are supported in both connected and disconnected mode (from the Mobile Web Client).

Parameterized reports allow you to:

■ Narrow the query, sort specification, or grouping by a field for report execution

■ Produce many different reports from the same report template

How Parameterized Reports Are GeneratedParameterized reports are generated in the same manner as other reports. The parameters a user chooses and the parameter values entered are held in memory at run time. After entering the parameters and clicking Submit, the report is executed and the parameter values are removed from memory.


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When scheduling a parameterized report, if a report template accepts run-time parameters, then a Parameters option appears in the Schedule a Report dialog box. You click Parameters to enter the parameter values from the Parameters dialog box. When you click Submit, the parameter values entered are held in memory. You can amend the parameter values by clicking Parameters again, upon which the parameter values you previously entered appear. To finalize the schedule report request, click Submit again. A message appears showing that the report is scheduled, and the parameter values entered are passed with the report request.

CAUTION: To use the Parameters option with scheduled reports, you must have installed the appropriate Oracle BI Publisher patch level. For information about which patch to use, see 880452.1 (Article ID), Siebel Maintenance Release Guide on My Oracle Support.

Related Topics“About Report Parameter Types and Attributes” on page 124

“About Referencing Parameters in the Report Layout Template” on page 126

“About Defining Report Parameters in the Siebel Application” on page 127

“About Report Parameter Validation” on page 128

“Process of Creating Parameterized Reports” on page 129

“Adding Scrollbars to the Parameters Dialog Box” on page 130

“Defining Report Parameters in the Siebel Application” on page 131

“Example of Generating a Parameterized Report” on page 132

About Report Parameter Types and AttributesParameters and attributes for the report template are defined at design time. These definitions are created in the Siebel application and determine the applet control type displayed at run time. The types of parameters include: Checkbox, Date, LOV, Text, Number, DateTime, Label, and TextArea. Attributes for each parameter include the custom display name (including custom multilingual translations), default value, required field, LOV name (for LOV type only), and order. For information about defining these parameters and attributes, see “Defining Report Parameters in the Siebel Application” on page 131.

Table 7. Report Parameter Types

ParameterType Behavior

Check box Displays a simple check box Boolean parameter.

Date Displays a text box where the user can enter a date value and an associated calendar control which can be invoked using an icon. The date format is based on the user preferences.

Parameterized Reports ■ About Report Parameter Types and Attributes


Related Topics“About Parameterized Reports” on page 123








LOV Displays a picklist where the user selects a value from a list. You can define any application list of values (based on Picklist Generic BC). Dynamic list of values are not possible. An LOV must exist in the list of application list of values. The LOV parameter type supports MLOV translation. The list of values available are those defined in the application list of values. Hierarchical LOVs are not possible.

NOTE: The picklist name chosen from the UI determines whether it is bounded or not. If the selected picklist is bounded, then the LOV parameter is bounded, but if the selected picklist is not bounded, then the LOV parameter is not bounded.

Text Displays a text box where the user can enter a string value.

Number Displays a text box where the user can enter a numeric value. The number control invokes the standard calculator widget.

DateTime Displays a text box where the user can enter a date and time value and an associated calendar control which can be invoked using an icon. The calendar control includes time and time zone options. The date format is based on the user preferences.

Label This parameter type is simple text that you can use as descriptive text for a section separator. There is no control type related to this parameter.

The only applicable property for this parameter type is Display Value and the Order attribute. All parameters of type Label align from the left when rendered in the user interface. The longest Label property of a Label type parameter is used for the alignment starting position. All other parameter types are then aligned relative to the starting position.

NOTE: It is not possible to define font face, size, color, style, or alignment or wrap the Display Value with HTML formatting codes in order to determine the run-time appearance of labels.

TextArea Displays a text area (with small scrollbar) where the user can enter a large string value.

Table 7. Report Parameter Types

ParameterType Behavior


Parameterized Reports ■ About Referencing Parameters in the Report Layout Template

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About Referencing Parameters in the Report Layout TemplateYou control the layout of report templates using parameter values. For information about parameter syntax and usage, see about defining parameters topic in the Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Report Designer's Guide Release 10.1.3.4 available on Oracle Technology Network (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/indexes/documentation/index.html).

You use template parameters within a report layout template to dynamically change the layout of the report using conditions based on the parameter value. Some examples are:

■ Control the sorting pattern in a table. You can select a column name for sorting.

■ Control the grouping pattern in a table. You can select a column name for the group.

■ Render data rows in different colors by defining a user-specified field (such as ACTIVE_STATUS).

TIP: To test that the parameters are passed through correctly, you can display user input directly on the report. In this manner, you can verify Oracle BI Publisher received the correct user input, but there is no impact on the report layout controls.

NOTE: You can also use parameters to filter data in a template, but this action is not recommended for performance reasons. It is more efficient to filter records in the user interface using a query than in the report layout template.

You must define template parameter definitions at the beginning of an RTF report layout template using the following syntax:

<?param@begin: Param1>

NOTE: Default values are now defined in the user interface (in previous releases, default values were defined in the report layout template). For more information about defining default values, see “Defining Report Parameters in the Siebel Application” on page 131.


“About Report Parameter Types and Attributes” on page 124







Parameterized Reports ■ About Defining Report Parameters in the Siebel Application


About Defining Report Parameters in the Siebel ApplicationTypically, you use parameters to control the layout of a report, such as dynamic grouping or dynamic sections.

Use the following sample syntax in the RTF report layout template to display run-time parameter values on the report output:

Param1 = <?$Param1?>



The following bullet points provide information about parameter definitions and how to use them:

■ In the Parameters list in the Templates views, you can:

■ Define parameters using the New button.

NOTE: It is recommended that you do not copy parameters using the Copy Record functionality.

■ Make a parameter required by setting the Required field to Y. A red asterisk appears next to the parameter at run time.

■ Define the order in which parameters appear at run time by setting values in the Order field. Parameters must have a unique Order value. If the order values are left blank, then the parameters appear in the user interface after any other values.

■ The parameter choices a user can select at run time is displayed as a single list. If a large number of parameters is specified, then the list becomes too large and impedes the ability to select values correctly, especially with smaller screen resolutions. It is possible to configure a scrollbar to appear on the parameter applet (helpful for usability) when there are a large number of parameters you want to display. By default, the threshold at which the scrollbar automatically displays in the Parameters dialog box is 25 parameters. Using Siebel Tools, you can reconfigure that value. For information about configuring the threshold, see “Adding Scrollbars to the Parameters Dialog Box” on page 130.

■ For each data type, the appropriate validation occurs at run time to check that a user has entered a correct value.

■ Each parameter value a user enters at run time is passed to the Oracle BI Publisher Server as string values when the report is generated. Therefore, certain data types, such as Date, must address the appropriate functions for the value to be recognized as an official date value. For example, you can use the canonical date functions to convert a string value into a date value.

■ The minimum and maximum validation (date values entered within a set range) and validation or defaults using date functions, such as Today()-7 and conditional value logic (a display of one parameter that depends on another value) are not currently possible.

■ In the Parameter Translations list in the Templates views, you can associate a language translation by setting a display value.


Parameterized Reports ■ About Report Parameter Validation

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■ By default, there are a set number of parameter definition fields available in the Report Parameters virtual business component. If you want to add more parameters of a certain data type than already exist, then you can create more fields in the virtual business component. By default, the number of parameter definition fields by data type that are provided are described in the following table.

CAUTION: Although possible, it is recommended that you do not use parameters to filter data in a report layout template. Doing so can negatively affect performance.









About Report Parameter ValidationGiven the report parameters have been defined, you can check for any inconsistencies using the validation feature. The validation verifies the:

■ Number of parameters defined in the Siebel application equals the number of parameters defined in the report layout template.

NOTE: Most parameter types are dynamically mapped to the Report Parameter Form Applet business component field, however, Label parameter types are not. Additionally, Label parameter types are ignored during validation against the report layout template.

Data TypeNumber of Parameter Definition Fields

LOV 10

Text 5

Text Area 5

Number 10

Date 5

Date/Time 5

Check box 10

Parameterized Reports ■ Process of Creating Parameterized Reports


■ Name attribute for each parameter in the Siebel application has an equivalent placeholder in the report layout template.

For information about when to perform parameter validation, see “Defining Report Parameters in the Siebel Application” on page 131.









Process of Creating Parameterized ReportsTo create a parameterized report, perform the following tasks:

1 Create parameter definitions (or make sure the definitions exist) in the report layout template.

For example, you might have the following definition:

<?param@begin: Param1?>

NOTE: For this example, a parameter must also exist as a parameter definition in the Siebel application with the Name property set to Param1 for the value of the output above to populate.

For information about parameter definitions in report layout templates, see “About Referencing Parameters in the Report Layout Template” on page 126.

2 (Optional) Adding Scrollbars to the Parameters Dialog Box on page 130

3 “Defining Report Parameters in the Siebel Application” on page 131









Parameterized Reports ■ Process of Creating Parameterized Reports

130


Adding Scrollbars to the Parameters Dialog Box The parameter choices available for a report at run time appear as a single list. If a large number of parameters is specified, then the list becomes too large, which impedes the ability to select values correctly (especially with smaller screen resolutions). You can configure a scrollbar to appear on the Parameter dialog box to make the list more usable. By default, the threshold value at which the scrollbar automatically appears is 25 parameters, however, you can change that value using Siebel Tools. For more information see “About Defining Report Parameters in the Siebel Application” on page 127.

To configure the parameterized reports threshold for scrollbars to appear1 Log in to Siebel Tools with administrator privileges.

2 In the Object Explorer, select Applet, and then in the Object List Editor query for Report Parameters Applet.

3 In the Object Explorer, select Applet User Prop, and then set the Display Scrollbar user property to the threshold value that you want.

NOTE: The scrollbar appears when the number of parameters that appear in the UI is greater than or equal to the threshold value.

4 Compile the SRF.

The threshold is used for all parameterized reports and for all users in the application.








Parameterized Reports ■ Defining Report Parameters in the Siebel Application


Defining Report Parameters in the Siebel ApplicationThis topic describes how to define report parameters in the Siebel application so that users have options when generating reports that govern what appears in the report output.

To define report parameters in the Siebel application1 Navigate to the Administration - BI Publisher Reports screen, then the Reports - Custom

Templates view.

2 From the applicable Template view, select a template, and then check the Parameters field to set it to True.

NOTE: This flag ensures the parameter applet appears at run time. The template views you have access to depend on the user’s responsibilities.

3 Scroll down to the Parameters list, click New, and then fill in the applicable fields.

The following table describes some of the fields.

NOTE: Each parameter name value you define must have a correlating parameter definition in the report layout template. For example, if you define a parameter with the Name property as Param1, then the definition of Param1 must appear in the report layout template.

4 If there are translations, add the following information for each language:

■ Default Value

Field Description

Label Descriptive text for the parameter. You can use this field for translations.

Name The name of the parameter. This field references the placeholder parameter name in the report layout template.

Order The order in which parameters appear at run time.

Type The type of parameter. Choices are: Checkbox, Date, LOV, Text, Number, DateTime, Label, and TextArea. For a description of each parameter, see “About Report Parameter Types and Attributes” on page 124.

Default Use this field to provide the default value for the parameter. This default value appears in the Report Parameter dialog box and is passed to the Oracle BI Publisher Server for report generation.

Picklist Name The name of the picklist from which users choose values in the parameter dialog box. Use this field for LOV parameter types.

Required A value of Y indicates the parameter is required. If required, a value must be entered in the user interface.


Parameterized Reports ■ Example of Generating a Parameterized Report

132

■ Display Name

NOTE: Translation fields are multilingual.

5 Click Validate to check for inconsistencies between the template definitions you defined above and the report layout template. For more information about this feature, see “About Report Parameter Validation” on page 128.









Example of Generating a Parameterized ReportThis topic gives one example of generating a Siebel report. You might use this feature differently, depending on your business needs.

In this example, assume you have created a parameterized report and want to generate that report in a specific format.

To generate a parameterized report1 Navigate to the application view that the parameterized report is associated with.

2 Run a query to limit the number of records returned, and then click Submit.

3 Select the report from the Reports menu.

NOTE: If this report has parameters defined, the Siebel application retrieves the parameters from the parameter definitions for the report template defined in the Siebel application.

4 From the parameter pop-up applet, select the parameter values for the report, and then click Submit.

NOTE: If the report does not have a default output type defined, you must select the output file type, and then click Submit again.

The report is generated by the Oracle BI Publisher Server, and then transferred to the Siebel application screen. For more information about generating reports, see “Generating Reports” on page 55.



134


12 Troubleshooting Siebel Reports

This chapter describes how to enable logging for the various Siebel Reports components and how to troubleshoot common error messages that might occur when generating reports.

It contains the following topics:

■ Enabling Logging for Siebel Reports in the Siebel Application on page 135

■ About Enabling Logging for the Oracle BI Publisher Server on page 137

■ Enabling Debugging on Oracle BI Publisher Server for Siebel Reports on page 137

■ Enabling and Disabling Debugging for Siebel Reports in Disconnected Mode on page 138

■ Guidelines for Resolving Class Not Found Errors When Previewing Reports in Microsoft Word on page 139

■ Resolving Class Not Found Errors When Previewing Reports in Microsoft Word on page 140

■ Troubleshooting Error Messages for Siebel Reports on page 141

NOTE: Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (Oracle BI Publisher) for Siebel Business Applications logs all exceptions and debug level information.

Enabling Logging for Siebel Reports in the Siebel ApplicationYou can configure Siebel Business Applications to create log files that capture detailed information about errors that occur while generating reports. The reports administrator can use the log files to investigate why the error occurred.

You set the log level for the XMLP Report Server component by using the Server Manager UI or the Server Manager command-line interface program (srvrmgr program).

NOTE: You can adjust the log levels at any time.

Setting the Log Level for the XMLP Report Server Component Using the Server Manager UIUse the following procedure to set the log level for the XMLP Report Server component using the Server Manager UI.

To set the log level for the XMLP Report Server component using the Server Manager UI1 Navigate to the Administration-Server Configuration screen, Servers, and then the Components

view.


Troubleshooting Siebel Reports ■ Enabling Logging for Siebel Reports in the Siebel Application

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2 In the Component field, query for XMLP Report Server, and then click the Events view tab.

3 In Events list, query for XMLP Report Log, and then set the log level value to 5.

4 Click the Component tab.

5 In the Component field, query for your AOM (Application Object Manager), for example, Call Center Object Manager (ENU), and then click the Events tab.

6 In the Events list, query for XMLP Report Log, and then set the log level value to 5.

7 Stop and restart the XMLP Report Server and Siebel Application Object Manager server components.

For more information about restarting the Siebel Server, see Siebel System Administration Guide.

Setting the Log Level for the XMLP Report Server Component Using Server ManagerUse the following procedure to set the log level for the XMLP Report Server component using Server Manager (srvrmgr).

To set the log level for the XMLP Report Server component using Server Manager1 Run the following command to connect to the Siebel Server Manager:

srvrmgr /g <gateway machine name:port number> /s <xmlp siebel server name> /e <enterprise> /u <user name> /p <password>

where:

gateway machine name:port number is the name of the physical computer on which the Siebel Gateway Name Server is running and the port number on which the Gateway Name Server is listening.

NOTE: The colon and port number are optional if using an optional default port.

xmlp siebel server name is the name of the server on which the XMLP Report Server component is enabled.

user name is the login name of the administrator.

password is the password for the administrator.

For example, you might use the following command:

srvrmgr /g <gateway machine name>:2330 /s <xmlp siebel server name> /e Siebel /u SADMIN /p MSSQL

2 Run the following command to change the event log level:

change evtloglvl XMLPReportLog=5 for comp xmlpreportserver

where 5 is the event log level that you want to change.

For example, to get details for a call to a business service, run the following command:

change evtloglvl ObjMgrBusServiceLog=5 for comp xmlpreportserver

Troubleshooting Siebel Reports ■ About Enabling Logging for the Oracle BI PublisherServer


3 Shut down the XMLP Report Server component and then restart this component to make sure logging changes take effect.

About Enabling Logging for the Oracle BI Publisher ServerYou can configure the Oracle BI Publisher Server to create log files that capture detailed information about errors that occur while generating Siebel Reports in connected mode. The administrator can use the log files to understand how much time it takes for a report to render and so on. For information about enabling logging for the Oracle BI Publisher Server, see the chapter about setting the system maintenance options in Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Administrator's and Developer's Guide, Release 10.1.3.4 available on Oracle Technology Network (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/indexes/documentation/index.html).

Enabling Debugging on Oracle BI Publisher Server for Siebel ReportsYou can configure Oracle BI Publisher Server to capture detailed information about errors that occur while working with Siebel Reports in the Siebel Web Client.

NOTE: This debugging is in addition to the usual debugging capabilities available in Siebel Business Applications.

To enable debugging on Oracle BI Publisher Server1 Log in to Oracle BI Publisher Server with administrator privileges.

2 Click the Admin tab, and then Server Configuration under System Maintenance.

3 Change the Debug Level value from Exception to Debug, and then click Apply.

4 In a text editor, such as Notepad, create a new file entitled xdodebug.cfg, and then type in the following for use as a sample file:

LogLevel=log_level LogDir=logging_directory_path

5 Copy the newly created xdodebug.cfg file to:

ORACLE_HOME\oc4j_b\jdk\jre\lib directory

where:

❏ ORACLE_HOME\oc4j_b is the directory where Oracle BI Publisher Server is installed.


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Enabling and Disabling Debugging for Siebel Reports in Disconnected ModeYou can configure the Oracle BI Publisher XDO Engine to create log files that capture detailed information about errors that occur while generating Siebel Reports in disconnected mode. The administrator can use the log files to learn when there are report generation problems with the JAR (Java ARchive) files or the Oracle BI Publisher (RTF) layout templates.

Enabling Debugging for Siebel Reports in Disconnected ModeUse the following procedure to enable debugging for the Oracle BI Publisher XDO Engine.

To enable debugging for Siebel Reports in disconnected mode 1 In a text editor such as Notepad, create a new file entitled, xdodebug.cfg, and type in the

following for use as a sample file:

LogLevel=STATEMENT

LogDir=<path to logging directory>

2 Place the file in the jre\lib directory used by the Siebel client (for example, C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_07\lib) and make sure that the directory specified by the LogDir parameter exists. The resulting log files from the report generation will be created at this location.

If an error occurs while generating reports in disconnected mode, an xdo.log file is created and saved to the path specified in the .cfg file. Use this log file for troubleshooting.

Troubleshooting Siebel Reports ■ Guidelines for Resolving Class Not Found Errors WhenPreviewing Reports in Microsoft Word


Disabling Debugging for Siebel Reports in Disconnected ModeTo optimize the performance of Siebel Reports in disconnected mode, you might want to disable debugging for the Oracle BI Publisher XDO Engine.

To disable debugging for disconnected mode1 On the computer where Oracle’s Siebel Developer Web Client is installed, copy the xdo.cfg in the

jre\lib installation folder to another computer for backup purposes.

2 Remove or rename the xdo.cfg in the jre\lib directory used by the Siebel client.

Guidelines for Resolving Class Not Found Errors When Previewing Reports in Microsoft WordThis topic provides guidelines for resolving class not found errors when previewing reports in Microsoft Word.

Guidelines for Resolving Class Not Found Errors When Previewing Reports in Microsoft WordObserve and adhere to the following guidelines when resolving class not found errors:

■ Make sure there are no spaces or new line character after the -Xbootclasspath/a: string. For example, this string might appear as follows:

set_JAVA_OPTIONS=-Xbootclasspath/a:C:\81DQSSIA\client\classes…

■ To check the syntax, turn off word wrapping in the editor you are using so that set_JAVA_OPTIONS is a single line. You must have three distinct lines in your batch file if word wrapping is turned off.

■ Check the path to Microsoft Word that the batch file references.

■ Search for winword.exe from C:\Program Files to find the path.

■ The %1 in the batch file is an argument to represent a document that is typically opened in Microsoft Word (RTF files).

■ Do not use set _JAVA_OPTIONS as a system environment variable because this prevents you from previewing reports in the Siebel client.

For instructions for resolving, see Resolving Class Not Found Errors When Previewing Reports in Microsoft Word on page 140.


Troubleshooting Siebel Reports ■ Resolving Class Not Found Errors When Previewing Reports in Microsoft Word

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Resolving Class Not Found Errors When Previewing Reports in Microsoft WordErrors can occur when previewing reports with Microsoft Word that use preconfigured RTF (Rich Text Format) templates. To resolve these types of errors, you create a custom batch file to launch Microsoft Word and load the required template libraries before opening the RTF template.

NOTE: In your batch file, replace the explicit drive and folder locations with those on your own computer based on where you installed the Siebel Web Client. It is not necessary to associate .doc extensions with this batch file.

To resolve class not found errors when previewing reports in Microsoft Word1 Navigate to C:\Program Files.

2 Create a MSWordForBIPub.bat file containing the following code to set the _JAVA_OPTIONS environment variable before launching Microsoft Word.

echo %1

set _JAVA_OPTIONS=-Xbootclasspath/a:

C:\81DQSSIA\client\classes\SiebelXMLP.jar;C:\81DQSSIA\client\classes\siebel.jar;C:\81DQSSIA\client\classes\XSLFunctions.jar;C:\81DQSSIA\client\classes\SiebelCustomXMLP.jar;C:\81DQSSIA\client\classes\SiebelCustomXMLP_SIA.jar

"C:\Program Files\microsoft office\Office\Winword.exe" %1

TIP: Create a shortcut to the MSWordForBIPub.bat batch file and move it to your desktop.

3 If you want to make sure this batch file is always executed when opening a preconfigured report layout template, you associate the RTF files with the .bat file by doing the following:

a Navigate to the template files in your Siebel client environment. (For example, C:\Siebel\client\XMLP\TEMPLATES)

b Sort the templates files by Type.

c Right-click on a RTF file (or select all) and Select Open With to choose an text editor.

d Click Browse to find the .bat file, and then open it.

Troubleshooting Siebel Reports ■ Troubleshooting Error Messages for Siebel Reports


e Check the Always use the selected program to open this kind of file checkbox, and then click OK.

This associates the selected RTF file or files with the batch file created in Step 2 on page 140. The batch file sets an environment variable needed for publishing Oracle BI Publisher reports from within Microsoft Word.

NOTE: This workaround automatically associates the RTF file with the batch file. Now, when you double-click a RTF file, you see a command prompt window (running the batch file) automatically run at the same time. Alternatively, you can go to the desktop shortcut icon and run the shortcut to the .bat file to test the report preview.

Many standard RTF files in the Siebel client Templates directory (C:\siebel\client\XMLP\TEMPLATES) are set to read only. Before previewing reports from this directory, go to Properties for the applicable template and remove the Read-only attribute to avoid run-time errors.

Troubleshooting Error Messages for Siebel ReportsTable 8 contains the error messages that you might encounter when using Siebel Reports and the suggested solutions for resolving the errors.

Table 8. Resolving Siebel Reports Error Messages

Error Message or Symptom Description and SolutionConnectionMode

SBL-OMS-00203: Error <?> invoking method "<?>" for Business Service "<?>"

This error occurs when you fail to upload the template to the Oracle BI Publisher Server.

To resolve, see “Troubleshooting Errors While Running Siebel Reports (SBL-OMS-00203)” on page 146.

Connectedanddisconnected

"Unable to find definition for component XMLPReportServer(SBL-SRQ-00103)" error when I clicked on the Submit button to generate the report."

This error occurs after clicking Submit to generate a report.

To resolve, see “Troubleshooting Error After Clicking Submit to Generate a Report (SBL-SRQ-00103)” on page 146.


The specialized method 'GetFileToDir' is not supported on Business Component 'Report Template BC' used by Business Object 'Report Administration'.(SBL-DAT-00322)

This error occurs when the path settings in the configuration files are incorrect.

To resolve, see “Troubleshooting Errors That Occur Due to Incorrect Configuration File Settings (SBL-DAT-00322)” on page 146.




142

SBL-RPT-50504: Error occurred while saving the record. No data file provided for XLIFF generation.

This error occurs when users forget to provide a sample XML data file for generating an XLIFF file.

To resolve, see “Troubleshooting XLIFF File Errors” on page 147.

Disconnectedonly

"Class name incorrect" error when generating BI Publisher reports

This error occurs when Oracle BI Publisher or the JAR files are not loaded.

To resolve, set the classpath, see “Troubleshooting the CLASSPATH Settings Using Siebel Server Manager” on page 148.

Disconnectedonly

Reports having custom java class involved are not generating.

Verify that SiebelCustomXMLP.jar, SiebelXMLP.jar are under SIEBSRVR_ROOT\classes.

Make sure that the Oracle BI Publisher Server path is:

$OC4J_PATH\j2ee\home\applications\xmlpserver\xmlpserver\WEB-INF\lib

For Siebel Industry Applications, make sure the following files are in both paths:

■ SiebelCustomXMLP_SIA.jar

■ SiebelXMLP.jar

Connectedonly

][java.lang.String][EXCEPTION] oracle.apps.xdo.XDOException: XSLT10gR1: Failed Secure Java Extensions check.

This error appears in the Oracle BI Publisher log file or console when generating a report when the JAR files have not been copied to the Oracle BI Publisher Server, or the required Disable External Reference parameter attribute has not been set to FALSE.

To resolve, see the topic on starting and stopping OC4J and Oracle BI Publisher in 1501378.1 (Article ID) on My Oracle Support.

Not applicable





SBL-EAI-04116 BIP: Server connection is lost

This error might occur if the report generation has extended the HTTP Sleep Time, typically only for very large or complex reports.

To resolve, increase the HTTPSleepTime method argument for the XMLP Driver Service business service.

Connected only

Verify the BIP Server Userid and Password. (SBL-RPT-50529) or

Failed to log into BI Publisher: invalid username or password.

This error message appears in the XMLP log file, because the user has not provided the correct User ID and password for the Oracle BI Publisher Server in the XMLP Report Server component parameters.

To resolve, see “Troubleshooting Oracle BI Publisher Server Login Errors” on page 148.

Connectedonly

Generic Error in Compression Routine (SBL-UIF-00227)

Verify whether the temp\xmlp directory exists in the Siebel Server root directory (SIEBSRVR_ROOT). If it does not, create one. Also make sure the Siebel File System is set appropriately. For information about setting the Siebel File System, see Siebel System Administration Guide.


PublicReportService::executeCreateReport Failure: due to Report Name contains special characters for report

Make sure that the report name does not contain the following special characters:

■ Forward slash (/)

■ Backslash (\)

■ Double quote (")

■ Single quote (')

■ Tilde (~)

■ Ampersand (&)

■ Asterisk (*)

■ Plus sign (+)

■ Left angle bracket (<)

■ Right angle bracket (>)

■ Percent sign (%)

Connectedonly





144

SBL-EAI-04308: Operation 'runReport' of Web Service 'http://xmlns.oracle.com/oxp/service/PublicReportService.PublicReportServiceService' at port 'PublicReportService' failed with the following explanation: "oracle.apps.xdo.webservice.exception.OperationFailedException: PublicReportService::generateReport failed: due to oracle.apps.xdo.servlet.CreateException: Report definition not found:/SiebelCRMReports/<Report Name>/<Report Name>.xdo".

This error occurs when you execute a report that has missing bits on the Oracle BI Publisher Server (such as the .xdo file).

To resolve, upload the layout template from Oracle BI Publisher using the Report Template Registration view. For more information about uploading layout templates, see “Registering Report Layout Templates” on page 89.

Connectedonly

Alignment issues with columns with HTML file output type

The problem occurs when the table header row and the data row are composed of two different tables with no space between them. HTML, and sometimes EXCEL, might generate output with alignment issues.

NOTE: There are two tables, one for Table Header and one for Data Row. But they look like one single table, because there is no space between the two tables.

To resolve, see “Troubleshooting Alignment Problems in HTML Output” on page 148.


Alignment issue with JPN/PSJ environment in the reports.

The PPT output type for Japanese (JPN) is distorted in generated reports. Create the font mappings for the Oracle BI Publisher Server to make sure that the HTML output appears correctly.

To resolve, see “Troubleshooting Japanese Font Errors” on page 148.

Connectedonly





SBL-EAI-05010: Class name incorrect or does not extend SiebelBusinessService : com/siebel/data/SiebelPropertySet -- JVM Exception:java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: com/siebel/data/SiebelPropertySetObjMgrBusServiceLog

Object manager error: ([0] Class name incorrect or does not extend SiebelBusinessService : <?>

This error occurs while uploading files to Oracle BI Publisher.

To resolve, verify the following:

■ JAVA_HOME variable is set correctly.

■ The following JAR files (Siebel.JAR, SiebelXMLP.JAR, XSLFunctions.JAR, SiebelCustomXMLP.JAR, and SiebelCustomXMLP_SIA.JAR) are copied from the following directory:

siebelroot\classes\original

Then make sure they are copied to the following directory:

ORACLE_HOME\j2ee\home\applications\xmlpserver\xmlpserve\WEB-INF\lib

■ The CLASSPATH variable is set correctly in the JVMSubSys profile.

■ The JVM SubSystem Name parameter for XMLPReportServer is set to XMLPJvmSubsys.

NOTE: If this value is JAVA, override it.

Not applicable

SBL-EAI-04308: Operation 'uploadReport' of Web Service 'http://xmlns.oracle.com/oxp/service/v11/PublicReportService.PublicReportServiceService' at port 'PublicReportService_v11' failed with the following explanation: "oracle.apps.xdo.webservice.exception.InvalidParametersException: PublicReportService::executeUploadReport Failure: Due to Report with Path [/SiebelCRMReports/Application Activity/Application Activity.xdo] already exist!".

This error occurs while uploading files to Oracle BI Publisher.

This error indicates that the Oracle BI Publisher Server already has a copy of the file that is currently being uploaded. The uploadReport method does not support uploading a new version of an existing file.

To resolve, the administrator must either rename or delete the folder for the existing instance of the report on the Oracle BI Publisher Server. The Oracle BI Publisher Server stores the report layout templates in:

ORACLE_HOME\xmlp\XMLP\Reports\SiebelCRMReports

Not applicable





146

Troubleshooting Errors While Running Siebel Reports (SBL-OMS-00203)Use the following procedure if errors occur while generating Siebel Reports (error message SBL-OMS-00203).

To troubleshoot errors while generating Siebel Reports1 Make sure the XMLP Report Server component is enabled.

2 Increase the XMLP Report Server component log level to 5 to create a more detailed log file.

3 Copy the xdodebug.log file to the jre\lib directory.

For information about performing these tasks, see “Enabling Logging for Siebel Reports in the Siebel Application” on page 135 and “Enabling and Disabling Debugging for Siebel Reports in Disconnected Mode” on page 138.

Additionally, you might encounter an instance where a layout template was registered with one database, but you generated it with a different database, and the generation fails. If this error happens, you must complete the following task.

To regenerate and rerun the report1 Regenerate the XML data.

2 Reregister the layout template.

3 Regenerate the report.

Troubleshooting Error After Clicking Submit to Generate a Report (SBL-SRQ-00103) Use the following procedure if an error occurs after clicking Submit to generate a report (error message SBL-SRQ-00103).

To troubleshoot if an error occurs after clicking Submit to generate a report1 Enable and synchronize the XMLPReportServer component.

For information about enabling this component, see Siebel System Administration Guide.


For information about restarting the Siebel Server, see Siebel System Administration Guide.

Troubleshooting Errors That Occur Due to Incorrect Configuration File Settings (SBL-DAT-00322)Use one of the following procedures to correct errors that occur due to incorrect configuration file settings (error message SBL-DAT-00322).



To troubleshoot for errors when in connected mode1 Make sure Siebel File System path is correct by doing the following:

a Navigate to the Administration - Server Configuration screen, Servers, and then the Components view.

b Query for the Callcenter Object Manager (or other application specific Object Manager, like Siebel Sales or Siebel Service).

c Click the Parameters view tab, and then query for FileSystemManager, and then click Advanced.

d In Siebel File System field, provide the path as \\<machine name>\fs.

e Make sure that the fs directory exists in the D: drive and also that it is shared.


3 Verify that the File System component is running.

4 Verify that CLASSPATH is set in the JVMSubSys profile parameter.

5 Verify that all the required JAR files are included and available in the CLASSPATH.

6 Verify that the CLASSPATH separator is in the correct format for Windows or UNIX.

In UNIX, the CLASSPATH separator is a colon (:). In Windows, the CLASSPATH separator is a semicolon (;).

To troubleshoot for errors when in disconnected mode1 In the application .cfg file, search for FileSystem, and then add \\<machine name>\fs\att as the

value, making sure the fs directory is shared.

2 In the [XMLPReports] section of the .cfg file, make sure this section is defined as follows:

[XMLPReports]XdoDir = /xmlp/templates/ReportOutputDir = /xmlp/reports/ReportDataDir = /xmlp/data/

3 To check whether the file system path is set properly, try to register the template.

If registering the template is successful, you can drill down on the generated XLIFF file. If either browsing the template fails or the drilldown fails, this means that the file system path is not set appropriately.

Troubleshooting XLIFF File ErrorsUse the following procedure when users forget to provide a sample XML data file when generating XLIFF files.

To troubleshoot XLIFF errors1 Navigate to the Administration - BI Reports screen, then the Sample Data File Generation view.

2 Select the integration object associated with the report, and then click Generate Sample XML.



148

Troubleshooting the CLASSPATH Settings Using Siebel Server ManagerUse the following procedure to change the CLASSPATH parameter using the Siebel Server Manager utility.

To change the CLASSPATH parameter using Siebel Server Manager1 Log in to the Server Manager command-line interface (srvrmgr program).

For information on how to start and use the srvrmgr program, see Siebel System Administration Guide.

Execute the following command to change the CLASSPATH:

change param CLASSPATH=SIEBSRVR_ROOT\classes\Siebel.jar; SIEBSRVR_ROOT\classes\SiebelXMLP.jar;SIEBSRVR_ROOT\classes\wlfullclient.jar;

Troubleshooting Oracle BI Publisher Server Login ErrorsUse the following procedure when Oracle BI Publisher login errors occur.

To troubleshoot Oracle BI Publisher Server login errors1 Navigate to the Administration - Server Configuration screen, then the Servers view.

2 Click the Component view tab, and query for XMLP Report Server.

3 Click the Parameters view tab, query for BIP Server Login, and then enter (or verify) the correct login information for the Oracle BI Publisher Server.

4 While still in the Parameters view tab, query for the BIP Server Password, and then enter (or verify) the correct password for the Oracle BI Publisher Server.

Troubleshooting Alignment Problems in HTML OutputUse the following procedure to troubleshoot alignment problems in HTML output.

To fix alignment problems in HTML output1 Add a row to the Table Header.

2 Copy the Form fields from the data row in the added row.

3 Delete the previous table that contained the data row.

The single table now contains both header and data row.

Troubleshooting Japanese Font ErrorsUse the following procedure to properly display JPN (Japanese) fonts in Siebel Reports.



To create font mapping to display Japanese fonts properly1 Search for msgothic.ttc, and then copy the file to the computer on which the Oracle BI Publisher

Server is installed:

\Java\jdk\jre\lib\fonts

2 Restart OC4J (Oracle Application Server Containers for Java Platform, Enterprise Edition).

3 Launch the Oracle BI Publisher Server URL.

4 Log in to Oracle BI Publisher Server.

5 Navigate to Admin, Runtime configuration, and then Font Mappings.

6 Create the following two font mappings:

■ Arial, Normal, msgothic.ttc

■ Arial, Bold, msgothic.ttc



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13 Report Business Service

This chapter describes the Report Business Service and its methods. These methods are used in scripts or workflow processes to automate reporting-related business processes. For example, you can define workflow processes to automate the business processes for generating a report with a specific query, or saving a report in a specific format, or emailing a report to a customer.

This appendix is intended for Siebel configurators. It consists of the following topics:

■ About the Report Business Service on page 151

■ Configuring the Report Business Service on page 152

About the Report Business ServiceMost users are familiar with report generation in the Siebel Business Application views. In these views, users can run a query, and then generate a report interactively or schedule a report for later generation. Subsequently, users can view, print, or share the report with others. This mechanism requires user interaction to accomplish reporting business needs.

Using the Report Business Service business service methods, administrators can generate, share, and print reports automatically without user interaction. Because reports are automatically generated when certain business rules are satisfied, there is no way for the user to pass a query. Therefore, the view mode applied on the report executable is used for obtaining data.

Siebel Business Process Designer, an interactive software tool, lets you automate how your organization handles workflow processes. For more information about Siebel Business Process Designer and workflow processes, see Siebel Business Process Framework: Workflow Guide.

NOTE: Currently, the Report Business Service business service methods are supported only on run-time events. Therefore, a user must be logged on to trigger an event that will invoke these methods.

Knowledge of Siebel Tools, scripting, Siebel Business Process Designer, and the Oracle BI Publisher Server is necessary to use the Report Business Service report business service methods. Having an understanding of running the business services is also necessary. Administrators can create as many workflow processes as needed to satisfy their business requirements and include the necessary report business service methods as steps (recall that workflow processes can include one or more business services as steps). The report designers can test these workflow processes in the Business Process simulator. For more information about workflow processes and the Business Process simulator, see Siebel Business Process Framework: Workflow Guide.

NOTE: The Reports Business Service report business service methods are executed only in the Siebel Web Client.


Report Business Service ■ Configuring the Report Business Service

152

Configuring the Report Business ServiceThe Report Business Service enables Oracle BI Publisher reports to be executed from the Siebel application using a workflow process, or through scripting. For example, you might want to add a button to invoke report generation. The report is generated in the background by connecting to the Oracle BI Publisher Server. The report output is stored in the Siebel File System and accessed from the My BI Publisher Reports view.

For detailed information about using the Report Business Service and its methods, see 1425724.1 (Article ID) on My Oracle Support.


Index

Aadministering reports 31

Ccustom reports

creating new integration objects for 85creating, process of 81extending integration objects for Siebel

Reports 84process of creating, diagram of 82

Ddebugging

disabling for Siebel Reports in disconnected mode 139

enabling for Siebel Reports in disconnected mode 138

enabling on Oracle BI Publisher for Siebel Reports 137

deleting scheduled reports 105deploying reports to the Siebel Web Client

from a disconnected client 32description of 78directory structure for Siebel Reports

DATA directory, described 23FONTS directory, described 23REPORTS, directory described 23TEMPLATES directory, described 23xliff directory, described 23

documentation, where to find previous versions of Siebel Reports 29

Eerror messages, troubleshooting for

reports 141Extensible Markup Language

See XMLExtensible Stylesheet Language

See XSLExtensible Stylesheet Language

TransformationSee XSLT

Extensible Stylesheet Language-Formatting Objects

See XSL-FO

GGenerate Report pane

for Siebel Open UI, sample diagram of 64using to generate reports in Siebel Open

UI 64generating reports

for selected records, about 57in Siebel Business Applications, about 56monitoring the status of 68using a Siebel high-activity client, example

of 63using the high-interactivity client, scenario

for 60using the Siebel high-interactivity client 61using the Siebel high-interactivity client,

about 59using the Siebel high-interactivity client,

diagram of 61using the Siebel Open UI client 66using the Siebel Open UI client, about 64using the Siebel Open UI client, example

of 67using the Siebel Open UI client, scenario

for 65workflow for connected mode 20workflow for generating in disconnected

mode 21

Iintegrating Oracle BI Publisher with Siebel

Business Applicationsguidelines for 29

integration objects for Siebel Reportscreating new 85extending to add new fields to a report 84reducing the size of, about 53

Llocales

adding to report layout templates 43deleting from report layout templates 43

logging for Siebel Reportsenabling logging for in the Siebel

application 135setting log levels for using the GUI 135setting log levels for using the Server Manager


Index ■ M

154

(srvrmgr) 136logging for the Oracle BI Publisher Server

about enabling 137

Mmaster-detail reports

about 107creating master-detail layout templates in

Microsoft Word 112example of comparing the Service Request

Activity (All) report with its corresponding layout template 108

using 107migrating reports

migrating an integration object for a report 120

migrating new reports after creating new integration objects 121

migrating the report files to the target environment 117

moving database records to the target environment 119

packaging and migrating reports, process of 116

packaging database records in the source environment 118

packaging the report files in the source environment 116

requirements for 115multilingual reports

about working with 40adding and deleting locales from report layout

templates 43designing 41uploading to the Siebel application, roadmap

for 42

Ooptimization

enabling scalable mode for Siebel Reports 49increasing EAI HTTP transport sleep time

for 51optimizing performance for large data

volumes, process of 48setting a temporary directory on the Oracle BI

Publisher Server for 51setting concurrency parameters for 47setting the report execution wait time for 46setting the server request processor wait time

for 46Oracle BI Publisher

enabling debugging on Oracle WebLogic Server for Siebel Reports 137

Oracle BI Publisher repositoryabout 25changing the location of for Siebel

Reports 37Oracle BI Publisher Server

about 24about installing 16increasing the Java heap size for, about 52

Oracle BI Publisher-Siebel application interaction 26

Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word

about using with Siebel Reports 16advantages of using 17Excel Analyzer feature 18menu and toolbar, example of 17Template Builder feature 18Template Viewer feature 18using to create report layout templates 88

Pparameter type

Check box, described 124Date, described 124DateTime, described 125Label, described 125LOV, described 125Number, described 125Text, described 125TextArea, described 125

parameter validation, about 128parameterized reports

about 123about defining parameters in the report

template 126about referencing parameters in the report

layout template 126creating, process of 129example of generating 132how they are generated 123

purging reportsautomatically purging from the Siebel File

System 35from the Oracle BI Publisher Server 36

purging scheduled reports 36

Rregistering report layout templates,

about 78report execution modes comparison,

diagram of 26report generation, copying fonts for

39

Index ■ S


report layout template views 78report layout templates

creating using Oracle BI Publisher Add-in for Microsoft Word 88

defining for selected records 95defining for selected records, about 80diagram for uploading to a Siebel

application 76registering 89registering and sharing, about 78sharing 94workflow for uploading to a Siebel

application 76report parameters

about defining in the Siebel application 127report sequence order, changing in the

Reports menu 96report templates

about multiorganizational templates 78visibility across organizations, scenario

for 79report translation, about 44reports

about parameterized reports 123adding multiple integration objects to 93associating registered reports with application

views 96creating 71deleting 70determining the report locale at run time 40determining whether to modify existing or

creating custom 79generating an opportunity report using a

Siebel high-interactivity client, example of 63

generating an opportunity report using the Siebel Open UI client, example of 67

generating in Siebel Business Applications 56

generating sample XML data files for 87generating using the Siebel high-interactivity

client 61generating using the Siebel high-interactivity

client, about 59generating using the Siebel high-interactivity

client, diagram of 61generating using the Siebel Open UI

client 66generating using the Siebel Open UI client,

about 64parameter types and attributes, about 124registering and sharing report layout

templates, about 78registering report layout templates 89

reporting across multiple Siebel business objects 74

scenario for creating custom 71setting user preferences for Siebel Reports at

the application level 57troubleshooting 135uploading report layout templates to a Siebel

application, workflow for 76using master-detail reports 107viewing details for previously generated

reports 69Reports Business Service

about 151configuring 152

Reports menuchanging the report sequence order 96renaming menu items 34sample diagram of 59using to generate reports 59

Sscenario

creating custom reports 71scheduled reports

about 99adding scrollbars to the Parameters dialog

box 130deleting 105example of 103monitoring and viewing 104procedure for 100suspending and resuming 104

selected recordsdefining report layout templates for 95defining report layout templates for,

about 80sharing report layout templates, about 78Siebel application-Oracle BI Publisher

interaction 26Siebel high-interactivity client, using to

generate reports 61Siebel Open UI client, using to generate

reports 66Siebel Reports

about 13about controlling access to 34about integration objects for 72about using 14administering 31architecture, described 19development environment, described 19directory structure, described 23file types, described 24


Index ■ T

156

overview of 13report execution in connected mode 27report execution in disconnected mode 27report output files types 15users, described 14using integration object search

specifications 73using Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher

Add-in for Microsoft Word with 16workflow for generating reports in connected

mode 20workflow for generating reports in

disconnected mode 21

Ttroubleshooting reports

alignment problems in JPN and PSJ environments 144

class name incorrect errors 142class not found errors when previewing

reports in Microsoft Word 140class not found errors when previewing

reports in Microsoft Word, guidelines for 139

column alignment problems in HTML and EXCEL 144

custom Java classes 142error after clicking Submit to generate a

report 141error due to special character violations 143error messages for 141error while uploading files to Oracle BI

Publisher 145errors relating to the Siebel File System or

XMLP directory 143errors while running 141incorrect path settings in configuration

files 141Oracle BI Publisher run-time errors 142Oracle BI Publisher Server login errors 143report definition errors 144XLIFF errors 142

Uuploading files to Oracle BI Publisher error

SBL-EAI-04308 145SBL-EAI-05010 145

user preferencessetting at the application level for Siebel

Reports 57setting report parameters to change the

default report output type 57

WWeb service

PublicReportServiceService Web service, about 25

workflowgenerating reports in connected mode 20generating reports in disconnected mode 21

XXLIFF (XML Localization Interchange File

Format), described 24XML (Extensible Markup Language),

described 24XPath (XML Path Language), described 24XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language),

described 24XSL-FO (Extensible Stylesheet Language-

Formatting Objects), described 24XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language

Transformation), described 24

Siebel Reports 8.2

Documents

Transcript of Siebel Reports 8.2