1. A Corporate-Wide Reports Distribution System < $1000 You Bet!
Russ Proudman
Lightship Enterprises LLC
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

2. Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
Agenda
1. Corporate-wide reporting system for < $1000!
2. Oracle Applications - Cost Distribution Analysis
3. The End-User Reporting Tool
4. The Meta-Data Layer
5. The Corporate-wide Distribution System
6. Under $1000 … and it works … really?!
7. Q & A
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

3. Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
“You can create a Corporate-wide Report Distribution System for under $1000!” …
famous last words by Russ Proudman
(… when attempting to get a contract)
Includes:
end-user query tool
Report scheduler to ‘push’ output
Complete directory structure for ‘pull technology’
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

4. Oracle Applications – Cost Distribution Analysis
Installing Oracle Apps
More money spent than budgeted
Budgets frozen for now
Custom reports? … ‘ya right!
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

5. Oracle Applications – Cost Distribution Analysis
Oracle Applications are installed
Your company has paid for:
… software
… hardware
… updates
… consulting & employee costs
The last thing your boss wants to hear is:
“We need a corporate-wide report distribution system!”
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

6. The End-User Reporting Tool
Many end-user tools are available for reporting.
Oracle Discoverer, Cognos Impromptu
Brio Query, Business Objects
Crystal Reports, InfoMaker
ODBC tools (ie: Access, Excel, etc.)
All these tools can see the Oracle Apps tables
but 200 – 300 tables per module!
best tools have a middle layer (ie: EUL, catalog, universe)
must populate this end-user query tool middle layer
what happens to other tools you use? (TOAD, SQL, etc.)
what happens w/ security changes, Oracle upgrades, etc?
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

7. Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
The Meta-Data Layer
Average Oracle Apps Module = 200 – 300 tables
# modules at your site X 10
Total Oracle Apps tables at site = 3000 tables!
In the majority of cases …
You need a meta-data layer between your query tool and the Oracle Apps database.
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

8. NoetixViews Meta-Data Layer
Oracle Tables
PO_HEADERS
PO_LINE_TYPES
PO_LINES
MTL_ITEM_CATEGORIES
MTL_ITEMS
NoetixViews
PO_Lines
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

9. Oracle BIS (Business Intelligent System)
Like a portal front-end on a reporting solution.
Uses Key Performance Measures (Indicators)
“KPIs are calculated from the production system using pre- defined formulas in Oracle Alert”.
Exists for many Oracle module areas.
Customer Intelligence, Call Center Intelligence, etc.
Many pre-configured reports, alerts preset for you.
Questions:
Are reports, views, etc. dynamic?
Is there a help file for creating new reports?
Can end-users create reports from scratch?
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

10. Meta-Data Layer Considerations
Need faster, easier access to business information using your end-user query tool.
Need dynamic business views built automatically.
Need Online help for your unique configuration
Metadata layer must work with ANY end-user query tool!
You must be shielded from Apps & Db. upgrades
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

11. Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
So now what?
So we’ve got the query tool …
Let’s use Oracle Discoverer.
(holds the majority of Oracle Apps-only sites)
And we’ve got the meta-data layer …
Let’s use NoetixViews
(is used at a considerable number of Oracle Applications clients I’ve worked with …)
So let’s created the corporate-wide report distribution system!
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

12. The Corporate-wide Report Distribution System
Made up of 5 main parts.
1. The directory structure
2. The automatic scheduler
3. HTML Dashboards to the rescue
4. 1 Shortcut – a one button feature
5. Security
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

13. The Directory Structure
Everything is contained within the directory structure.
All source Discoverer (.dis) files are there.
All Disco output from command-line mode (.htm) is there.
All help files (.doc) are there.
All dashboards are there.
All dashboard shortcuts are there.
All scheduler batch files are there.
Again, everything is completely contained within the directory structure.
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

14. The Directory Structure
Disco source file
Disco output file (.htm)
Developer area source, help, docs, etc.
Dashboard shortcuts
All reports input / output by module + special (VIP) area
Dashboards (.doc & .htm files)
All JIT Scheduler info found here (batch files, preferences, etc.)
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

15. The Automatic Scheduler
JIT Scheduler set up to run DOS batch command files.
Runs batch files (daily, weekly, monthly) early in morning.
Batch files contain the required statements to run Discoverer in command line mode with automatic sign-on, parameters, etc.
JIT, Pre-version 5 – free. Version 5+ … about $10 shareware!
Example command line mode command:
C:\orant\discvr31\dis31usr.exe /connect /open “y:/production reporting system/reports/ar/ar customer stats by period bo/ar customer stats by period bo” /batch /export “HTML” “y:/production reporting system/reports/ar/ar customer stats by period bo/ar customer stats by period bo” /parameter “customer” “%%”
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

16. Dashboards To The Rescue
Dashboards are created via Microsoft Word and saved as a web page (HTML format).
A dashboard is created for each Oracle Apps module within a geographic region (ie: US AR, UK PA, etc.).
A dashboard is created for special sensitive batch jobs (VIP).
A dashboard is created for online Disco jobs for a few users.
Dashboards can – and are – updated continually with new reports … easily.
Security (covered later) allows users only to run jobs associated with particular dashboard (ie: AR people run AR Dashboard).
Dashboards are created like a tree structure (ie: 1 master dashboard can call multiple dashboards below it, etc.).
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

17. Dashboards To The Rescue
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

18. Solves my initial goal “a user just has to push a button!”
Shortcuts
As users climb the corporate ladder …
The ability to push more than one button … decreases!
Solution  1 Shortcut for everybody
Every end user using the Production Reporting System is ed a shortcut that is stored on their Windows desktop.
Shortcut points to the Master Dashboard HTML page on a reporting server containing the self-contained directory system.
Security handles what dashboards a user can see any lower than the Master Dashboard.
Solves my initial goal “a user just has to push a button!”
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

19. Security Directory structure allows complete security.
Create a user group for each Oracle module (or set of .html output a user will be looking at) – ie: AR, AP, GL, etc.
Each subdirectory within the directory structure allows only particular ‘user groups’ to read everything in it.
John Smith has been added to the ‘user group’ – REPORTING AR. Only people with this ‘user group’ (ie: John Smith) can choose a hotlink from the AR Dashboard and have it work.
Only ‘REPORTING AR’ users can see all these reports’ .html output
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

20. Improvements to the Corporate-wide Report Distribution System
Purchase a reports distribution server so system can be controlled from a local environment. (get a cheap DELL or equivalent).
Create a set of programs to administer copying to correct area, reporting on all reports that exist, creating the DOS command line batch files, etc. (I created a simple Access DB for this).
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

21. Under $1000 … and it works … really?
Under $1000? YES!
1 copy of Discoverer approx. $975.00
1 copy of JIT Scheduler approx. $10.00
TOTAL COST APPROX. $985.00
… and NO!
May require some users to run on-line jobs – more licenses.
May want to purchase NoetixViews.
May want to purchase an NT Reporting Server.
May want to calculate costs of setting it up (salaries, etc.)
Does it work … really? YES!
I have set this system up at 3 different clients and hundreds of
users can access the .html reports run by the scheduler. All they do
Is click on a shortcut to the appropriate desktop(s).
All securely … and from around the world.
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018

22. Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
Questions & Answers
Copyright  2001 by Russ Proudman
November 23, 2018