Chapter 4. Reviewing the Features of the Reporting Repository

So far, we have given you an overview of the Oracle OBIEE 12c components and discussed how those objects relate to each other. We have also shown you various configuration options. As we discuss in more detail as the book progresses, you will have installed all the software, readied the requisite database, set up your users, and have a BI server repository ready to go. Then you will be ready to use the reporting part of the system--the Presentation Catalog. The Presentation Catalog is controlled by the Presentation service, which now has a bigger role in managing the Presentation Catalog and the applications that form OBIEE 12c.

This chapter will introduce the new interface of the catalog and the tools that are integrated into the Presentation services. We will also explore the various aspects of the catalog administration. The Oracle 12c BI system has such a large number of features that we need to examine what they are before deciding which ones to use. Some features may be too advanced for certain readers at this moment, so feel free to go forward to other chapters and come back as needed.

The security of data available for reporting is controlled by the BI server that allows access to the entire OBIEE 12c system. There is also security available at the object level, that is, the dashboards and reports themselves. So, later in this chapter, we will explore the security administration of the catalog.

The Presentation Catalog can be thought of as a comprehensive file-management system that includes folders and files with attributes such as security controls. The files contain XML and the folders relate to the real folders in your operating system.

Presentation Services is a web-based system that contains various tools integrated with the security of the WebLogic platform and the Presentation Catalog itself. For example, you can use one of the report-creation tools, called Answers, to create an analysis report, and then save it in the catalog, in a secure folder.