1. ADVANCED ANALYTICS Technical Seminar 2018 – Spokane, WA
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2018 Technical Seminar
ADVANCED ANALYTICS Technical Seminar 2018 – Spokane, WA
Connie Braun

2. Welcome and Introductions
Connie Braun
Implementation Services Manager
Have worked with Alma for more than seven years
Deliver on-site Alma workshops
Provide post GoLive consulting
Many of you have met my little friend…

3. Session Objectives
Session Description: Starting with scenarios describing what is required, we’ll build a number of complex analyses that focus on advanced reporting capabilities
Objective(s): By the end of this session you will be able to:
Create complex analyses
Build confidence in using advanced functions in Alma Analytics

4. Target Audience Target Audience for the Session:
Anyone interested in or responsible for Alma Analytics reporting activities
Those with some experience in creating analyses for reporting purposes
Note: staff operators with the Design Analytics role may edit and create analyses as well as expose results to others, particularly to those who do not have the role assigned

5. First Step
Please create a folder in your institutional Analytics folder calling it something like TechSem 2018
In this way, the analyses we create are stored in a discreet place and are easily found later

6. Agenda 1
Introduction 2
Using Regular Expressions to Separate Multiple Appearances of Repeated Data 3
Adding Action Links to an Analysis 4
Fines and Fees Aging Report and More 5
Views, Layouts and Formatting 6
Next Steps, Support Resources and Feedback

7. Using Regular Expressions to Separate Multiple Appearances of Repeated Data

8. Introduction
In Analytics, a “one to many” relationship sometimes displays for one entity when the “many” values appear are found in a field that is delimited with a semicolon
Some examples:
One Bibliographic record may have multiple ISBN entries
One Bibliographic record may have multiple 035 entries
One Course Reserves container may have multiple instructors

9. Introduction
If desired, it is possible to have “semicolon-separated” values appear as separate columns in the results of an analysis
Doing so can be useful for display and filtering purposes
There are multiple ways in which this can be accomplished
We will use the “regular expression,” perhaps the simplest method, to identify Bibliographic records with multiple ISBNs

10. We Begin With This Analysis and…

11. …These Results

12. Regular Expression Syntax
Evaluate('regexp_substr(%1,''[^\;]+'', 1,n)',REPLACE “Column”. “Name”,';','\;'))
Name of column as it appears in “edit formula”
Occurrence of value
The “n” is the column number (occurrence of the value between the semicolons)
The “Column”. “Name” is how the column appears by default when editing the formula

13. Regular Expression – ISBN
To establish the display of the first ISBN, the regular expression will be:
Evaluate('regexp_substr(%1,''[^\;]+'', 1,1)',REPLACE("Bibliographic Details"."ISBN",';','\;'))
Regular expressions are a very powerful feature that can be used to find a patron through a filter on a string. OBIEE doesn’t have this function available “out of the box” but permits you to use regular expressions with the EVALUATE function.

14. Building the Analysis
On the criteria tab, add the ISBN column for as many times as you want to display a separate column
In our example, we add the ISBN column four times. Save as something like MMS, Title and ISBNs.

15. Building the Analysis For each column, go to “edit formula”

16. Building the Analysis
Customize the Column Heading with a change to ISBN 1.

17. Edit Formula Step 1
Add the EVALUATE function and modify the db_function statement as shown before removing everything from [AS datatype…to the end].

18. Edit Formula Step 1
From the Available subject areas, open the Bibliographic Details folder, select ISBN and click on the > to push the column of data into the formula. It will fill in the blank space that I have identified.

19. Edit Formula Steps III
With the Bibliographic Details.ISBN column selected, add the REPLACE function.

20. Edit Formula Steps IV
Evaluate('regexp_substr(%1,''[^\;]+'', 1,1)',REPLACE("Bibliographic Details"."ISBN",';','\;'))
Modify expr2 and expr3 in the REPLACE statement changing to ‘;’, ‘\;’. Finally, make sure that there are three pairs of parentheses.

21. What the Analysis Looks Like at This Point

22. Adding the Formula to All ISBN Columns
Edit the formula for the ISBN 1 column and copy the entire EVALUATE statement
EVALUATE('regexp_substr(%1,''[^\;]+'', 1,1)',REPLACE("Bibliographic Details"."ISBN",';','\;'))
Close the ISBN 1 column and go to Edit Formula for the second ISBN column

23. Adding the Formula to All ISBN Columns
Customize the Column Heading, changing to ISBN 2
Paste in the EVALUATE statement and edit as follows, changing the second appearance of 1 to a 2
Customize the Column Heading, changing it to ISBN 2. Paste in the EVALUATE statement and edit as follows, changing the second appearance of 1 to a 2.

24. Adding the Formula to All ISBN Columns
Perform the same copy and paste function for the remaining ISBN columns, updating as appropriate for ISBN 3 and ISBN 4
Start by customizing the Column Heading for ISBN columns 3 and 4. Paste in the EVALUATE statement and edit as follows, changing the second appearance of 1 to a 3 and a 4 for the appropriate columns.

25. When Complete, We Have…
Here is the final result of our efforts.

26. Adding Actions Links to an Analysis

27. Introduction
Action links may be used to allow more interactivity in reports and dashboards
Using drill-throughs, one report can feed into another
One way to make large reports into more manageable chunks
Involves two or more analyses that are linked together

28. Introduction
Using the E-Inventory subject area, we’ll create several analyses that are linked together
Goal is to obtain a list of Electronic Collections and create a link to the Electronic Portfolios part of those collections
As described on the previous slide, creating a report like this makes a potentially very large report much more manageable

29. The Master Query
Save this analysis as Electronic Collections by Material Type and Number of Portfolios
First, we create the Master query. In this example, we are using the E-Inventory subject area.

30. The Master Query
Adding some filters via the More Columns option…

31. The Master Query
…starting with Portfolio > Availability = Available.

32. The Master Query
Then, adding Portfolio Activation Date > Portfolio Activation Date. Pick a date sometime in the past 12 months.

33. The Master Query
Save Electronic Collections by Material Type and Number of Portfolios
Save as Electronic Collections by Material Type and Number of Portfolios.

34. The Master Query
Run the analysis to view the results as they currently stand. Then, let’s move on to the Details query.

35. The Details Query
Save this analysis as Electronic Collections by Material Type and Number of Portfolios with Action Link to Portfolios
You’ll notice that there are similarities between the Master and Details analyses. It’s what we do next that makes the difference.

36. The Details Query
Adding some filters via the More Columns option…

37. The Details Query
…beginning with Portfolio > Availability and setting the Operator to is prompted. We use is prompted because Availability is defined in the Master Query.

38. The Details Query
Then, adding Portfolio Activation Date > and setting the Operator to is prompted. We use is prompted because Portfolio Activation Date is defined in the Master Query.

39. The Details Query
Add a filter for Public Name and set the Operator to is prompted. Again, we use is prompted because Public Name is defined in the Master Query.

40. The Details Query
Save Electronic Collections by Material Type and Number of Portfolios with Action Link to Portfolios

41. Return to the Master Query
Open Electronic Collections by Material Type and Number of Portfolios.
Return to the Master query to edit it further.

42. More on the Master Query
From the menu for No. of Portfolio (In Repository) column, choose Column Properties.

43. More on the Master Query
Go to the Interaction tab…and change the Primary Interaction for Value from Default (Drill) to Action Links. Click on the green + to enter Link Text, Click for details before clicking on green Gear icon to Create New Action.

44. More on the Master Query
Choose, Navigate to BI Content and identify the Details Query to establish the connection between the two fields.

45. More on the Master Query
Once the Details Query is selected, there are Action Options from which to choose. The option we particularly want to invoke is Open in New Window.

46. More on the Master Query
Here is how things look after adding the Action Link to the Column Properties via the Interaction tab.

47. More on the Master Query
Save the Master Query and run it. Note the hyperlinked items in the No. of Portfolios column. Click on the link to see the pop-up note, Click for details. Click on this message.

48. Results from Details Query
View the results from the Details Query that open in another tab.

49. Fines and Fees Aging Report

50. Introduction
Looking for a report that shows aging of fines and fees in defined numbers of days
We tried adding an Advanced SQL filter and received errors
What do we do?

51. Fines and Fees Aging Create initial structure of report.
Save as Fines and Fees Aging.
Create a new analysis using the Fines and Fees subject area.

52. Fines and Fees Aging
Go to the Column Properties for Fine Fee Transaction Creation Date. On the Column Format tab, change the Column Heading from Fine Fee Transaction Creation Date to Days Aged. Click on OK and save the analysis.

53. Fines and Fees Aging
Open the menu for the Days Aged column and select Edit Formula.

54. Fines and Fees Aging
Edit the Column Formula statement to change it from…
Click on OK.
Save Fines and Fees Aging.
Edit the Column Formula statement to change it from
"Fines and Fees Transactions"."Fine Fee Transaction Creation Date“ to
TIMESTAMPDIFF(SQL_TSI_DAY, "Fines and Fees Transactions"."Fine Fee Transaction Creation Date", CURRENT_DATE)

55. Fines and Fees Aging
Edit the formula for the Days Aged column again, this time going to the Bins tab.
Going to the Bins tab. Click on the Add Bin button, located at the bottom left.

56. Fines and Fees Aging
New Filter pops up. For Operator, choose is less than or equal to and in the Value cell, enter 30 for the number of days and click on OK. The Edit Bin Name window appears. Enter 1 – 30 for the number of days and click on OK.

57. Fines and Fees Aging
Add a second Bin, this time for 31 – 60 days. Add two more Bins, one for 61 – 90 days and the other for 91 – 180 days.

58. Fines and Fees Aging
Edit the Bin name for the All other values row. Leave the check box for Treat result as a numeric value or expression unchecked and click on OK. Save Fines and Fees Aging.

59. Fines and Fees Aging
Take a look at the Column Formula CASE statement that has resulted from creating the bins. Click on OK and run the analysis.

60. Fines and Fees Aging
The results look good, however, there are some things we can do to improve the content of the report.
Filter Fine Fee Status to Active.
Change the Original Amount column to display currency information.
Concatenate the First Name with Last Name.

61. Fines and Fees Aging
CONCAT(CONCAT("User Details"."First Name",' '),"User Details"."Last Name")
Update the Column Heading and modify the Column Formula to CONCAT(CONCAT("User Details"."First Name",' '),"User Details"."Last Name"). Click on OK and Save the analysis. Run it to view results.

62. Fines and Fees Aging
There’s still one more thing for us to do. In this case, change the view from a Table to a Pivot Table.

63. Fines and Fees Aging – Pivot Table View
Pivot table appears below the Table. Delete the Table and Save As Fines and Fees Aging Pivot Table View. Click on the Pencil icon to edit the Layout

64. Fines and Fees Aging – Pivot Table View
Move the Fine Fee Status column from Columns to Rows. Move the Days Aged from Rows to Columns.

65. Fines and Fees Aging – Pivot Table View
Once satisfied with the Layout, click on Done.

66. Fines and Fees Aging – Pivot Table View
Here is the final result.

67. Views, Layouts and Formatting

68. About Views and Layouts
There are times when a different view and layout of an analysis is helpful in examining the results and interpreting them
We’ll use an example from the “out-of-the-box” set of analyses
Open Shared Folders > Alma > Inventory > Reports > Physical Inventory Count
Working with Physical Inventory Count. You’ve already seen how to add a Pivot Table.

69. Physical Inventory Count
Physical Inventory Count Criteria and Results tabs. Save As Physical Inventory Count with Pie Chart.

70. Physical Inventory Count
Go to the New View button in the persistent bar and click on it to open the menu.

71. Physical Inventory Count
Hovering over the Graph entry opens a sub-menu containing different types of graphs. Click on Pie to add a pie graph to the display. Try some of the other options such as Gauge or Funnel.

72. Which Type of Graph to Use
Line graphs are used to track changes over short and long periods of time. When smaller changes exist, line graphs are better to use than bar graphs. Line graphs can also be used to compare changes over the same period of time for more than one group.
Pie charts are best to use when you are trying to compare parts of a whole.
Bar graphs are used to compare things between different groups or to track changes over time.
Area graphs are very similar to line graphs and can be used to track changes over time for one or more groups. Area graphs are good to use when you are tracking the changes in two or more related groups that make up one whole category.
Here are some pointers regarding which type of graph to use for which type of report.

73. Count of Items Loaned
Open the Fulfillment > Count of Items Loaned analysis. Save As Count of Items Loaned with Bar Graph.

74. Count of Items Loaned with Bar Graph - Vertical
Add a Bar Graph – Vertical to this analysis.

75. Count of Items Loaned with Bar Graph - Vertical
View the results. Try some of the other options for Bar Graphs. Click on the Pencil icon in the upper right corner to Edit the Layout.

76. Count of Items Loaned with Bar Graph - Vertical
With the Layout View open, you can see the options for changing the appearance of the bar graph, including the fill for the data, 2D vs. 3D, and more. Choose Triangle from the drop-down to see the change in appearance. When you have finished making adjustments, click on Done located at the upper right.

77. About Formatting
From time to time, you or another individual are planning to regularly export the results of an analysis and you want to minimize how much additional formatting needs to be done after the export is complete

78. Print and Export Options
Open the analysis, Fulfillment > Reports > General Circulation Statistics
Remove the columns, Reading Room At Shelf and Reading Room At User
Save a local copy of the analysis
Open the analysis, Fulfillment > Reports > General Circulation Statistics. Remove the columns, Reading Room At Shelf and Reading Room At User before saving a local copy of the analysis. Take a look at the results.

79. Print and Export Options
The first thing I want to do with this analysis is to change the position of the Library Name column so that it is situated at the far left. I’ll do that by hovering on the column and moving the cursor to the header that appears. Once the four-headed arrow is visible, pick up the column and move it to the preferred position.

80. Print and Export Options
Open the Print and Export Options. Change the Paper Size to something different than the User Default. Change the Orientation to Custom so that you may select Landscape for the PDF export.

81. Print and Export Options
Export the analysis to PDF and see the landscape view.

82. Formatting Rows
Open the analysis, Funds Expenditure > Reports > Detailed Expenditures

83. Formatting Rows
Here we are formatting the container and alternate rows for the analysis.

84. Formatting Rows
View the results of those formatting changes. Save the changes.

85. Formatting Columns Open any analysis and locate the column to modify
Click on the Options menu and select Column Properties

86. Formatting Columns

87. Other Formatting Options - Columns
View the results of those modifications.

88. Formatting Columns – Another Way
Go to the Layout View for the Detailed Expenditures analysis
Go to the Layout View for the Detailed Expenditures analysis and click on the More Options… button for the Allocated Fund column to select Format Values. Among other things, I’m changing the font colour and size for this column as well as adding a background colour.

89. Importing Formatting
Begins by creating a very simple analysis. In this example, the analysis is created using the Physical Items subject area and has one column of data in it: Location > Library Name.

90. Importing Formatting
Still working on the details.

91. Importing Formatting Save the analysis as Formatting.

92. Importing Formatting

93. Importing Formatting

94. Importing Formatting

95. Conditional Formatting
Comprises a way to apply formatting only when a specific condition is met
Applied by
Selecting one or more columns
Specifying the condition to meet
Modifying the formatting that should display

96. Conditional Formatting

97. Conditional Formatting

98. Conditional Formatting

99. Conditional Formatting

100. Next Steps, Support Resources and Feedback

101. Next Steps and Resources
Include documentation links in the CKC relative to your topic:
Analytics Documentation
Creating Analyses and Dashboards (Oracle)
Additional support resources within the ExLibris Ecosystem:
Idea Exchange
Developer Network
2018 Technical Seminar Presentations (Cross-Product section of CKC)

102. Questions?
Any Final Questions?

103. Session Feedback
We Value Your Feedback! Please complete the brief Session Comment Card:

104. Thank You!