OBIEE

user13510619

This is related to OBIEE reports. Is it possible to use a text file as a paramter? Let me explain.  In the report, there is an input parameter.  For the input parameter, I want it to automatically open the csv file and read the account numbers. These account numbers would be selected as comma seperated values.

Example if there is a file called File.csv.  It can have 10 account numbers.  The file gets opened automatically and the 10 numbers are selected.

The query should read the numbers as

ACCOUNT NUMBER IN ('AccountNo',AccountNo2',AccountNo3')

Let me know if there is a feature like that in OBIEE. I tried all different parameters but could not find anything specific to this example.

[Deleted User]

Are you talkung about BI Publisher "Report" objects? OBIEE uses "analyses".

user13510619

Yes it is analyses.

user13510619

Are you aware of any such feature where a text file could be used as a parameter

[Deleted User]

Visual Analyzer. There you can do mashups of Subject Areas and uploaded files.

user13510619

Could you please elaborate

Gianni Ceresa

If you think at how OBIEE works you maybe better see why you are looking at the problem from a wrong point of view in a way ...

You are mixing some business logic (the condition of an account being in a list of values) with technical aspects (the CSV file).

The CSV file can be read by a database as external table, it can be modelled in the RPD as a source, you can load it in data visualization as Christian said etc.

Once you made your file accessible you can focus on the business logic and define how to use the content.

So split the need in 2: solve the technical side, and focus only on the business need.

user13510619

Gianni

Thanks for your reply. Can this only be accomplished in Visual Analyzer?

Gianni Ceresa

If you import your file as external table in your DB or as source directly in the RPD, the modelling work is done in the RPD which means that any analysis in OBIEE will have access to it. But you have to model it, it isn't a thing like "open a file on the fly and just get a row out", the file will act as a source which requires joins with the rest of the model etc.

Keep in mind OBIEE is about modelling!

While Data Visualization (the not-so-new official name of VA) is a bit more free as it's supposed to be more for self-service not requiring a clean model first).

user13510619

I agree with your part of using the csv file as a data source. However, in my case I  do not have the access to create external tables.  I know in OBIEE you can create a new csv file and display it in grid view.  Is there a way to combine data from multiple data models.

Let me elaborate

I have one data model which has my sql and the other data model which has the csv files.   Can the csv files value be retrieved from the first data model. In other words, some sort of logic to call the csv fields.  They can be converted to xml. Let me know if that is possible and makes sense.

Gianni Ceresa

OBIEE can federate sources together. That's why you have the business model and mapping layer where you must ignore the technical aspects of your sources and only think at the business meaning of things. There you can federate the 2 sources together into a single common model.