For beginners and New Developers

Introduction to User Interface

After completing this module you will be able to:
Describe the features of the OBIEE Answers user

interface (UI)
Navigate the OBIEE Answers UI
Use OBIEE Answers to construct, modify, and save
analytics requests
Perform sorting and formatting options

Why you need to know:

Understanding the basic navigation techniques and UI

elements are vital to any user of the OBIEE Answers

application

OBIEE Answers
Is the OBIEE Analytics user interface used to

query an organizations data

Provides a set of graphical tools to create and
execute requests for information

OBIEE Answers Continued

Retrieves data from your organizations data

sources
Display the results in a customized view
Requires no knowledge of SQL
Advanced users are able to utilize SQL if they

wish

Can be shared

Starting OBIEE Answers

Starting Answers
Answers start page provides access to section

pane and workspace

Choose a Subject Area
Browse a saved Request

Steps for creating a new request

1. Select a Subject Area
2. Add Columns
3. View Results
4. Save the request

Select a subject area

A subject area is a grouping of related columns

that represent information about the areas of your

organizations business
Click a subject area in the workspace or click the
button to create a new request at the top of the
selection pane

Selecting a Subject Area

After selecting the subject area:
Selection pane shows columns and filters for
selected subject area
Workspace display tabs for working with
requests

Add Columns
Expand the subject areas folder to display

columns

Add columns
Click a column to add to the request

Add Columns
Each column has two rows
First row displays the folder name
Second row contains:
Column name
Sort By iconused for sorting
Edit Formula buttoncreate a formula involving this
column (and perhaps others in the subject area)
Format Column buttonset formatting options for the
column
Filter by Column buttonset a filter on the column to
limit the results
Delete Column buttonremove the column from the
request

View Results
Select the Results tab to display the results of the request
Results of the request
In table format

View Results Continued

Data is automatically sorted by the first column,

then sorted by the second column

Sorting can be specified by user
Repeating values are suppressed
By default, can be changed by user
Use the
button control to see the next group
or rows
Use the
button to see all rows

Save the Request

Once a request has been created, it can be saved for later

use
Requests are saved by default in the My Folder
To change the location where the request is saved, click
the name of the folder to change the location where the
1. request
Click
will be saved
Save
Button

2. Enter
Request
Name
3. Click the
OK
button

Create a personal folder

To create a new personal folder:
1.Click Create Folder
2.Name the new folder
3.Click OK

Column Formatting Options

Style Format Tab
Column Format Tab
Data Format Tab
Conditional Format Tab

Use the Format Column

button to apply formatting
options

Style
Format

Provides
ability tooptions
override defaults for:
Font
Cell (including alignment)
Border

Column Format Options

Provides ability to
Change columns headings
Enter an alias to be displayed for the column or table

(folder)
Hide a column

Data Format Options

Let user choose a format for data display

Conditional Format Options

Provides ability to define the condition by setting the value,

then the format

Sorting Columns
Use the Order By button

on the desired column to select

the order
Click the button to toggle the icon and the set the sort order
Ascending
This column sort occurs
Descending This column sort occurs
after the secondary sort
after the primary sort
Secondary column
sort

Changing Column Order

Rearranges the display order of columns in a table
1. Click the column and hold it
2. Drag the selected column over the column it should

appear before
3. Release

Working with Existing Content

The Catalog tab shows existing content saved in the Web

Catalog
Personal and shared requests
Filters
Briefing Books

Modifying Results Layout

Change views to control appearance of resultscovered in

more detail later in the training

Summary
This module showed you how to:
Describe the features of the OBIEE Answers

user interface (UI)

Navigate the OBIEE Answers UI
Use OBIEE Answers to construct, modify, and
save analytics requests
Perform sorting and formatting options