Session id: Darrell Hilliard Senior Delivery Manager Oracle University Oracle Corporation

Session id: Tips and Techniques to Enhance and Optimize Access to Your data using Discoverer

Overview  Overview of Discoverer  Strategies for Optimizing Queries – Query Creation – Batch Scheduling – Complex Folders – Summary Tables – Materialized Views – Calculations – Indexes  Questions  Summary

End User Layer Data warehouse, data mart, or relational database Discoverer Viewer Discoverer Administrator Discoverer Plus Discoverer Desktop Discoverer Portlet Provider Discoverer Product Set

Report Types  Complex Cross-Tab reports may use more client memory for display than Tabular report (depending on amount of data returned)  Can avoid these if a tabular report shows the same data

Report types  Cross tab reports can often be duplicated as tabular reports, giving the same results. If you find display performance is an issue, try this.

Query Governor Options Discoverer PlusDiscoverer Administrator

Batch Scheduling  Allows reports to be created now, but run at either a later time or on a regular basis

Batch Scheduling  Result tables are stored in the database in one of the following areas: – User’s own schema – Repository user’s schema  If in user’s schema, user needs CREATE TABLE, CREATE PROCEDURE, CREATE VIEW privileges  Advantages to each

Batch Scheduling Can be controlled in Discoverer Administrator

Complex Folders  Created in Discoverer Administrator  Similar to a database view  Can be built from one or more existing folders  Useful to users – allow them to choose commonly used items from one folder instead of many simple folders  Discoverer uses intelligence to join only necessary base tables

Complex Folders Simple Folders Complex Folders Items

Complex Folders Sales Fact Sales Profit Customer Count Product Key Description Type Category Department Store Key City Region Day Month Quarter Year Times StoresProducts Sales Analysis

Reasons for Using Complex Folders  Easier than using database views  No need to know SQL  No need to modify the database schema, grants, and so on  Provide data security and restrictions in addition to the underlying database security  Can be used to simplify business areas with numerous simple folders

Intelligent Joins in Discoverer Simple folders Complex folders Video Analysis Store and Sales Detail Sales facts Products Stores Selecting items from Store and Sales Detail generates SQL that will only join the necessary base tables If items in the report are based only on Sales Facts and Stores, then SQL will include join only on those tables.

Summary Management  One of the most important features of Discoverer.  When used correctly, it can reduce query response time significantly, resulting in queries that take seconds rather than hours.  Managing summaries is a key to good performance with Discoverer implementations.

Summary tables (database)  Contain preaggregated and prejoined data  Hold the results of frequently run queries Summary folders (Discoverer) Contain information about the summary tables Direct queries to run against the summary tables Summary Management

Materialized Views in Discoverer  Discoverer Summary tables (pre-Oracle 8.1.7)  Materialized views (Oracle and later versions)  Automatic Summary Management – Discoverer creates and maintains summaries automatically  You can create summaries manually – From the items in the End User Layer – Using query performance statistics – Registering external summary tables

Materialized Views in Discoverer  Used by Summary Manager in Discoverer  Can be manually created and used by Administrator – can base Business Area folders on MVs  In either case, indexes can be used to supplement Materialized Views to help query performance

Summary awareness Or Data tables Summary tables Summary Table Redirection

Calculations in Discoverer  Can be created by Discoverer Administrator or by End User  Provide strong support for analytical tasks  Can be simple, such as an arithmetic operation between items that belong to a folder, can be complex mathematical or statistical expressions.

Use of ALL in Parameter List ALL now appears in both cross-tabular and tabular reports Avoid using DECODE in Discoverer Administrator to add the ‘ ALL ’ item, as it is now included. No need to create custom folder in Discoverer Administrator.

Analytical Functions  Ranking Functions  Window aggregate Functions  Reporting aggregate Functions  LAG and LEAD Functions  First and Last Functions

Creating Analytical Functions

Speed and Analytical Functions  Calculated Items can be created by Administrator, and belong to a folder  Calculated Items can be created by User, and belong to workbook  Discoverer Administrator may want to create index on Analytical Function item if commonly used by Users

Registering PL/SQL Functions – Enable use of custom functions in calculations – Extend the standard set of functions – Can be used in conditions, derived items, and so on – Are executed for every row that is returned – Can include SQL SELECT statements

Registering PL/SQL Functions 1. Create PL/SQL function 2. Grant Execute to users 3. Register function in Discoverer Administrator 4. Is now usable in Discoverer Plus

Registering PL/SQL Functions 1 2 3

Summary  Display speed can be impacted by complex queries  Batch Scheduling can greatly reduce query time  Complex folders are useful for organizing items from numerous simple folders, and Discoverer uses intelligent joins to reduce query time  Summary tables can greatly enhance query time  Calculations are widely used, and may be good candidates for function-based indexes

Next Steps….  Recommended sessions – Session 36019: Discoverer for Sales Trends – Session 36225: Best Implementation Practices for Discoverer  Try our hands-on labs and see Discoverer in action!  See Your Business in Our Software – Visit the DEMOgrounds for a customized architectural review, see a customized demo with Solutions Factory, or receive a personalized proposal. Visit the DEMOgrounds for more information.  Relevant web sites to visit for more information – OTN.oracle.com (Oracle TechNet) – Education.oracle.com (Oracle University) – Oracle.com/education/oln (Oracle Online Library)

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