Linking from multiple tiles to one report

MrsJ

We have a dashboard with multiple performance tiles that drill to detail reports using action links. As it currently stands each tile has it's own detail report so as you can imagine there are a lot of reports linked to them!

I have tried to see if there is a way to drill from multiple tiles to one report by passing the metrics that are being used and the dashboard filters that have been applied but I cannot find a way to do this, either by navigating to BI content or by navigating to a webpage.

I have been told that it's not possible to do, I am relatively new to OBIEE but have used other BI tools before that can pass values through so I would be surprised if it is impossible in OBIEE. Just wondering if anyone has found a way around it?

The version is 11.1.1.9.0

Gianni Ceresa

Hi,

It really depend on what you exactly look for (so what kind of values you want to pass from the tile down to the detailed analysis) but there are ways with the normal action link behaviour.

OBIEE pass all the values of the columns (so filters), and there are also ways to pass other things by using the OBIEE logic against it (nothing bad on that). The idea is that OBIEE pass things based on the formula of columns, so using that behaviour you can manage to pass almost everything you need.

But as said: really depends on what's your exact use case and needs

MrsJ

Thanks Gianni

For example each tile has a type of employee (eg temporary/permanent) so the metric on the tile  is Permanent headcount. The detail report shows all the details for the employees and the drill should only pass the relevant metric, so only show me permanent people When drilling from tile 1, temporary from tile 2 etc. The problem is that in the action link you can only drill to a report and are unable to pass any parameters/variables. So we would have to have one report that is based on permanent and one that is based on temporary, even though the rest of the data needed is exactly the same! Just seems a bit shortfall in the system! The other issue is the passing of the dashboard filters, so say we then filter the dashboard by country - the drill would also need to pass the filters to return correct data.

Gianni Ceresa

The idea is the system is smart enough to pass all the required things by itself.

Thinking at your temporary headcount and permanent headcount, if the tile has a filter for "type of employee" = permanent once and "time of employee" = temporary for the second one, if you keep the column you filtered in the criteria of the tile when you click on the tile the value of "type of employee" comes with you automatically. In the detailed analysis you just need to set it as "is prompted"

MrsJ

Sorry, I've only just had chance to come back to this!

So if I've interpreted it correctly we should be able to have 2 tiles on the same report, one where the column formula for example is:

FILTER("Headcount" USING "Employee Type" = 'Permanent')

And another tile where the formula is for example:

FILTER("Headcount" USING "Employee Type" = 'Temporary')

And if in the detail report it links to there is a filter on "Employee Type" that is prompted?

If so it doesn't seem to work

Gianni Ceresa

Nope ...

Navigating from multiple tiles to one report is fine, but your tiles are independent analysis. In that way you can know from which one you come from.

If you have 2 tiles inside the same analysis first you had to cheat on filters (like you say) because you must use FILTER USING in the formula and the side effect of course is that you have no way to know from which one of the 2 tiles you clicked on. Having 2 different analysis each one with a tile and both linking the same detail would be possible.

In your example you just ask OBIEE to guess things, because you kind of cheated in the analysis with the tiles as your didn't apply a filter on the employee type. You apply a filter inside a formula, this one is like invisible and not there for the normal OBIEE features like actions links etc.

Gianni Ceresa

In the end what @PedroF told you is right, trust him

[Deleted User]

@Gianni Ceresa errrr.... @PedroF ? Where did Pedro say what? Are you crossing things with our chat channel discussions again?

Gianni Ceresa

Totally mixing things with the chat channel (isn't all about mashup nowadays? ), as they work for the same company I was making a kind of "shortcut".

[Deleted User]

Too confusing....too confusing

MrsJ

I do trust him!! I wasn't sure if that was in relation to variables which is what we had done originally so thought I'd try the filter instead if that worked but guess not...