integrating obiee11g and oracle fusion middleware (adf, webcenter etc)

T : +44 (0) 8446 697 995 or (888) 631 1410 (USA) E : [email protected] W: www.rittmanmead.com

Mark Rittman, Technical Director, Rittman MeadACE Directors Nordics Tour, October 2012

Integrating OBIEE and Oracle Fusion Middleware

mailto:[email protected]


Mark Rittman

•Mark Rittman, Co-Founder of Rittman Mead•Oracle ACE Director, specialising in Oracle BI&DW•14 Years Experience with Oracle Technology•Regular columnist for Oracle Magazine•Author of two Oracle Press Oracle BI books

‣Oracle Business Intelligence Developers Guide‣Oracle Exalytics Revealed

•Writer for Rittman Mead Blog :http://www.rittmanmead.com/blog

•Email : [email protected]•Twitter : @markrittman


http://www.rittmanmead.com/blog



What is Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g?

•Oracle’s mid-tier technology stack for delivering business applications•Based around Java JEE technology + non-Java components (typically legacy)•Open architecture, standards-based, scalable and secure•Two development branches:

‣OFM 11.1.1.x - mainstream release, contains most servers and applications‣OFM 12c.x - newer release stream,

mostly concerned with infrastructure now



Full Disk to Application Product Stack

•Fusion Middleware is part of the wider Oracle technology stack

•Full set of hardware, software and services forenterprise customers

•Typically runs on Unix/Linux servers, withFMW tier often virtualized using OVM or VMWare

•Engineered systems for data (Exadata),middleware (Exalogic) and analytics (Exalytics)

•Applications built on JEE and SOA infrastructure•Management through Oracle Enterprise Manager•On-premise or in the cloud

Storage

Servers

Operating System

Virtual Machine

Database

Middleware

Applications



What is Oracle Business Intelligence?

•Oracle BI provides a set of web-based tools for reporting and analyzing data•Based around dashboards, built around graphs, tables, pivots etc•Multiple server architecture that splits data access / presentation elements•Based on Siebel Analytics technology•Connects to multiple data sources

‣Oracle DB & Exadata‣SQL Server, DB/2, Teradata‣Essbase, Oracle OLAP, MSAS‣ADF View Objects etc

•Integral part of Oracle Fusion Middleware



Web-Based Delivery of Analytics and Analysis

•Users access information and analytics through role-based dashboards•Can also publish reports to PDF, distribute, or access through MS Office



All Built Using Shared “Common Enterprise Information Model”

•All reporting tools can take their data from a shared metadata layer•Defined as dimensional model, embeds common calculations and drill paths•Subject-area and row-level security•Three-layer design to provide

abstraction from underlying complicated source systems

Simplification of the Data ModelIntegration of Disparate DataSources

Addition of Business Logic and Calculations



OBIEE Benefits for Oracle Fusion Middleware Developers

•A richer, more user-customizable set of graphs, tables and other data visualizations than provided by stock ADF DVT

•Create formatted reports and distribute them to users•Metadata catalogs and repositories to provide business

context, control access and organize reporting•Access to a wide range of data sources, including

relational, OLAP, unstructured, file and application sources (and the ability to combine them together)

•Ability to create alerts that test for business events•Embed BI insights into applications and business



Technical Integration Points Between FMW11g and OBIEE11g

•OBIEE Analyses, dashboards and scorecards can be embedded in ADF pages and WebCenter

•OBIEE Semantic layer can be a data source for ADF business components

•OBIEE Repositories can use ADF View Objects as data sources

•OBIEE Analyses and ADF regions can exchange parameters and events

•OBIEE, through the Action Framework, can leverage ADF web services

•FMW Data Integration routines (ODI) canbe called from OBIEE

•Both OBIEE and ADF can share common security, and hosting in WebLogic Server



Accessing OBIEE Metadata and Data from ADF Applications

•Metrics, Dimensions and Attributes from the BI Repository can be exposed throughADF view objects

•Uses JDBC connection to the BI Server, and a logical SQL query to retrieve data•Requires the Business Intelligence Logical SQL View Objects JDeveloper

extension

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Enables use of BI Server Calculation and Data Federation

•SQL issued by View Object is “logical SQL”, special dialect used by BI Server‣Identical syntax across all data sources (even OLAP and file)

•BI Server can combine data from multiple sources,present as a single combined data model

•Combine actuals and forecast,OLAP and relational,data sourced from multipledatabases and applications

ADF ViewObject

Oracle BIServer

JDBC

SELECT amount_sold, product_category, customer_cityFROM sales, products, customer

Oracle SQL MDX File access over ODBC

CUSTOMER table SALES cube PRODUCTS file



ADF Business Components as an OBIEE Repository Data Source

•The BI Repository is a metadata layer that provides a logical dimensional model•Maps to one or more physical data sources, whose data can be combined together•Presented as one or more subject areas•ADF View Objects can be accessed via HTTP

to provide access to transactional data‣Recommended JDev version is 11.1.1.6+‣Method used by Fusion Apps

Oracle Transactional BI (OTBI)



Configuring an ADF Application to Access ADF BI View Objects

•OBIEE BI Repository access to ADF view objects is enabled through two librariesthat need to be added to the ADF WebLogic Server‣OBIEEBroker (servlet)

- Available as part of OBIEE install‣Oracle Application Core

•Additional webapp needs to be added to the ADF application for OBIEEBroker

•JDBC Datasource configured for the AppModule, and the hosting WLS servers

•ADF VOs then accessed through this new servlet, via HTTP connectionfrom OBIEE’s BI Server



Typical ADF Fusion Web Application Enabled for OBIEE VO Access

Additionalapplication module configuration that uses JDBC Data Source

•Based on JDeveloper 11.1.1.6+•ADF BC View Objects provide the

base data object, exposed then through data controls

•App Module updated to add additional configuration that usesJDBC data source, also presenton host WebLogic server

•OBIEEBroker webapp providesaccess to required servlet

ADF view objects that will be exposed as a data source for OBIEE

Servlet configuration entries for webapp, referencing OBIEEBroker and Oracle Application Core shared libraries

Additional webappProject that usesOBIEEBroker servlet to interface with OBIEE BI Server



Create Additional “Backwards” Joins to Enable BI Server Joining

•Ensure joins that go from fact source to dimension sources are created within JDev‣View links, equivalent to table joins; default ones go from dimension to fact

•Ensures that there is a suitable set of VOs within the application module data modelthat supports the correct joining in OBIEE



Importing ADF View Object Metadata into the BI Repository

•OBIEE’s BI Administration Tool connects to the webapp and imports ADF VO metadata•ADF Business Components from the Application Module are presented for import

‣ViewObject instances become physical tables‣ViewLink instances become complex joins between ViewObjects

Connection details to the obieebroker servlet

AppModule definition (FQ Java package name)AppModule config (that uses JDBC datasource)URL (appname/obieebroker)Username/password



Enabling SQL Bypass Database for ADF View Object Datasources

•HTTP access to ADF VOs works well, but you may hit performance issues‣BI Server cannot “push-down” functions, has to functionally compensate

after dataset is returned from servlet‣All rows in the resultset are returned to

BI Server, which then has to aggregateresults, apply functions etc

•To address this, an SQL Bypass database can be configured within the connection pool‣BI Server extracts SQL from VO‣Adds aggregation clauses, functions etc‣Sends SQL directly to VO source DB

•Defined in the Connection Pool, needs to point to the same database that sources the ADF VO data



Embedding OBIEE Graphs and Other Visuals in ADF Applications

•OBIEE’s graphs, tables and other visualizations are built using ADF DVT•Approach taken by Oracle for the Fusion Applications•Can be embedded in ADF applications, with parameter passing, shared security etc•Ability for end-users to customize views, persisted using MDS



Access to Maps, KPIs, Scorecards, Mobile BI and the Catalog

•OBIEE analyses, dashboards and other objects are held in a catalog•Granular access rights, mapped to application roles and LDAP users•Rich visualizations including maps, scorecards, KPIs and published reports•Report distribution through the Oracle BI Scheduler•More complete reporting solution compared to ADF DVT objects



Using the BI Action Framework to Invoke SOA Processes

•OBIEE’s Action Framework can also be used to call Web Services, SOA processes etc‣Run some BPEL workflow process‣Trigger an ETL process in ODI to reload a dataset‣Call secured web services asynchronously

•OBIEE Action Framework agents can also be called via BI Web Services for SOA‣Distribute a set of reports to users‣Detect and then act on changes

in business data, KPIs etc•Enables a closed-feedback loop where BI detects

and responds to changes, and can respond toand trigger business processes and



Options for Embedding BI Content in ADF Applications

•Add BI Presentation Catalog content directly into ASF JSF/JSP pages‣Direct control over what goes where‣Create connection to the BI Presentation Server to browse catalog content‣Pass parameters, respond to and raise events‣Programmatically control and embed the BI content

•Add BI Content via the WebCenter Portal : Framework component set‣Users have ability to add their own BI content via portlet framework‣Options for end-user customization, also include other collaboration features‣Additional license cost for WebCenter Portal‣Alternative is to deploy WebCenter Portal : Spaces and use prebuilt approach



Configuring ADF Applications to Access OBIEE BI Content

•JDeveloper 11.1.1.6+ is recommended for BI integration•Requires a number of JDeveloper extensions:

‣Business Intelligence ADF Task Flow‣Business Intelligence ADF View Regions‣Business Intelligence Composer‣Business Intelligence Logical SQL View Objects‣Business Intelligence Soap Connection

•Create an additional connection in the Application Resources folder to connect to BI Presentation Services (using SOAP)

•Uses OBIEE Impersonator user to connect‣Uses credentials of logged in ADF user

to browse the BI Catalog



Embedding BI Objects in an ADF Application

•BI content can be dragged and dropped from the Presentation Catalog browser•Content using filters prompts you to enter parameter values, or map to ADF objects•Content renders alongside other ADF content, using same UI, visual styles etc•Customization of BI content persisted in MDS metadata store



Passing Parameters and Invoking Events

•BI Objects automatically prompt you to map values or attributes into report filters‣Can be linked to controls such as drop-down menus, radio buttons etc

•BI Objects can also raise contextual events that can be consumed by other ADF regions•Uses OBIEE11g’s Action Framework, and the ADF Contextual Event action link type

‣Enabled through the instanceconfig.xml BI Presentation Server configuration file <ActionLinks> <EnableADFContextualEvent>true</EnableContextualEvent></ActionLinks>



Lifecycle of an OBIEE ADF Contextual Event

•Clicking on ADFContextualEvent action link triggers the ADF contextual event, andQDR (qualified data reference) then sent in payload for listener to detect and handlerto process

{"_m":[{"_g":{"%22Warehouses%20Dim%22.%22Warehouse%20Name%22":["Mexico%20City"]}},{"_g":{"%22Products%20Dim%22.%22Product%20ID%22":[3167]}},{"_g":{"%22Products%20Dim%22.%22Product%20Name%22":["Manual%20-%20Vision%20OS/2.x"]}},{"_g":{"%22Orders%20Fact%22.%22Quantity%20Ordered%22":[216]} ... }}

<eventMap xmlns="http://xmlns.oracle.com/adfm/contextualEvent"> <event name="handleBIContextualEvent"> <producer region="*"> <consumer handler="receiveBiQDREvent"> <parameters> <parameter name="qdr" value="${payLoad}"/> </parameters> </consumer> </producer> </event> </eventMap>

public void receiveBiQDREvent(String incomingPayload) { int index0 = incomingPayload.indexOf("%22Warehouses%20Dim%22.%22Warehouse%20Name%22"); int index1 = incomingPayload.indexOf("]}", index0); ... index0 = incomingPayload.indexOf("%22Products%20Dim%22.%22Product%20ID%22"); index1 = incomingPayload.indexOf("]}", index0);

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User clicks on the ADFContextualEvent action link, triggering the event and enclosing the QDR payload

ADF eventMap registers a listener for the event, and a handler to process the QDR

Handler reads the payload, parses the QDR and sets required object attribute values


http://xmlns.oracle.com/adfm/contextualEvent


Adding BI Content to Oracle WebCenter Portal

•WebCenter Portal is a part of WebCenter Suite for creating portals and “spaces”•Leverages rest of WebCenter suite for content management, web 2.0-style collaboration•Comes in three versions:

‣WebCenter Portal : Spaces‣WebCenter Portal : Framework‣WebCenter Portal : Services

WebCenter Sites

Web ExperienceManagement

(ex-Fatwire)

Oracle WebCenter

WebCenter Portal

CompositeApplications

WebCenter Social

Social Networkingand Collaboration

WebCenter Content

EnterpriseContent Management

(ex-Stellent)

WebCenter Portal : Spaces

Ready-built Collaboration Portal

WebCenter Portal : Framework

ADF Portal Components

WebCenter Portal : Services

Web 2.0 Services for Portals



Presentation Catalog Content and WebCenter Portal : Spaces

•WebCenter Portal : Spaces is pre-built, but requires admin configuration to accessBI Presentation Server catalog‣Create ImpersonateUser in OBIEE WLS LDAP server, grant A‣Create BISOAPConnection ADF datasource using wlst or EM‣Add BI Presentation Services Catalog as a folder with the Spaces resource catalog

•BI Content can then be added by users to their portal page

Select BI Presentation Catalog Content folder, then drill into catalog folder hierarchy to select required BI object

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Add catalog content to page,map parameters and perform customization

View content in Space



Presentation Server Content and WebCenter Portal : Framework

•JDeveloper provides two more extensions, for WebCenter Portal components‣WebCenter Customization Framework Design Time‣WebCenter Framework and Services Design Time

•Provides ability to create custom ADF applications using portal and web 2.0 services•BI content can also be included in these applications

‣Programatically create connection to BI Catalog‣Automatically add in certain BI views, and allow

users to add to or customize their pages with additional content

‣Make use of collaboration features such as- Polls- Wikis- Forums- Messaging



Enabling ADF Applications for Portal : Framework and OBIEE

•OBIEE connection needs to be set up as per regular ADF / OBIEE integration•Install all required extensions for OBIEE, and for Portal : Framework•Add entry in the default-catalog.xml file to register Presentation Services catalog•Ensure pages containing OBIEE content are secured, so credentials passed to

Presentation Server for browsing the catalog•Create JSP page using Portal : Framework template to include log in and security, page

framework, ability to add content and customize etc



Monitoring and Management through OEM 12cR2 Cloud Control

•OBIEE comes with its own EM version, focused on BI management tasks•EM 12cR2 Cloud Control also now available, with BI Management Pack

‣Monitor OBIEE hosts‣OBIA DAC ETL jobs‣Essbase Databases

•Standard maintenance tasks plus persistent metrics, quality of service alerts, usage tracking,

•Automated patching and configuration•Cloning of installations, other

enterprise management tasks



Summary

•Being built on the same Fusion Middleware JEE platform, BI and Oracle’s Javadevelopment tools are closely integrated and share common underpinnings

•BI content can interoperate with ADF applications, and WebCenter portals•Primary driver was the Fusion Applications, but features are open to all to use•OBIEE repositories can consume ADF VO data sources, and ADF Business

Components can source data from the BI Repository•BI can invoke BPEL processes, web services etc, and raise ADF contextual events•Common personalization framework (MDS),

security (OPSS) and visuals (ADF DVT)



More Information

•Thank you for attending this presentation•More information can be found at http://www.rittmanmead.com•Contact us at [email protected] or [email protected]•Look out for our book, “Oracle Business Intelligence Developers Guide” out now!•Follow-us on Twitter (@rittmanmead) or Facebook (facebook.com/rittmanmead)


http://www.rittmanmead.com/




Mark Rittman, Technical Director, Rittman MeadACE Directors Nordics Tour, October 2012

Integrating OBIEE and Oracle Fusion Middleware

integrating obiee11g and oracle fusion middleware (adf, webcenter etc)

Technology

oracle exalytics

oracle olap

oracle bidw

oracle fusion middleware

data exadata

business t

data federation sql

business applications