Export empty report to CSV

Question

Hi Experts,

I'm looking for an option to override default OBIEE behavior when exporting empty (no results) analysis to text file (CSV or Tab-delimited).

By default, OBIEE exports following text in the export file, if analysis returns no rows:

The query resulted in no rows

Is it possible to change it? Preferably, I need either empty file, or just header row present.

I have tried to play around with No Results settings under Analysis Properties, but it did not help.

OBIEE version: 11.1.1.9.5

Thank you in advance for your help!

Thomas Dodds · Answer

what's the end-game?  why use obiee for the export?

if you need obiee because logic is in the BMM layer, then make the ODBC call straight in and create the CSV via a script ... but still begs what's the end-game.  obiee as a data pump is a really bad use of an expensive tool.

Alexei H. · Answer

Robert,

Yeah, this is an option I was considering too, but it's a bit "ugly" approach indeed - you have listed the reasons why.

So I was curious if there are any configuration-like settings present to make it happen.

Anyway, thanks for your contribution!

Alexei

Robert Angel · Answer

The only other workaround I can think of on this one would be to turn it into a UNION ALL query, where the second half of the query has no output when the first half has output, and vica versa.

This would make the report harder to maintain and would mean that it took longer to run.

It is a nasty way to achieve your ends.

So

Your Current Query

union

A query with some kind of output for your export, where it only returns data when the above query doesn't....

Yuk.

But if you are desperate then it may be your only option for now.