XML/BI Publisher Interview Questions

What is BI Publisher?
A. It is a reporting tool for generating the reports. More than tool it is an engine that can be
integrated with systems supporting the business.

Is BI Publisher integrated with Oracle Apps?

Yes, it is tightly integrated with Oracle Apps for reporting needs. In 11.5.10 instances xml publisher was
used, in R12 we can it BI Publisher

What is the difference between xml publisher and BI Publisher?

Name is the difference, initially it was released on the name of xml publisher( the initial patchset), later on
they have added more features and called it Business Intelligence Publisher. In BI by default we have integration
with Data definitions in R12 instance. Both these names can be used interchangeably

What are the various components required for developing a BI publisher report?
Data Template, Layout template and the integration with Concurrent Manager.

How does the concurrent program submitted by the user knows about the data template or layout template it
should be using for generating the output?
The concurrent program short name will be mapped to the code of the Data template. Layout template is
attached to the data template, this forms the mapping between all the three.

What is a data template?

Data template is an xml structure which contains the queries to be run against the database so that desired
output in xml format is generated, this generated xml output is then applied on to the layout template for the final
output

What is a layout template?

Layout template defines how the user views the output, basically it can be developed using Microsoft word
document in rft (rich text format) or Adobe pdf format. The data output in xml format (from Data template) will be
loaded in layout template at run time and the required final output file is generated.

What are the output formats supported by layout template?

xls, html, pdf, eText etc are supported based on the business need.

Do you need to write multiple layout templates for each output type like html/pdf?
No, only layout template will be created, BI Publisher generates desired output format when the request is
run

what is the default output format of the report?

The default output format defined during the layout template creation will be used to generate the output, the
same can be modified during the request submission and it will overwrite the one defined at layout template

Can you have multiple layout templates for a single data template?
Yes, multiple layouts can be defined, user has a choice here to use one among them at run time during
concurrent request submission

Where do you register data and layout templates?

Layout template will be registered under xml publisher administrator responsibility>Templates tab.
Data template will be registered under xml publisher administrator responsibility> Data Definitions

I want to create a report output in 10 languages, do I have to create 10 layout templates?

No, BI Publisher provides the required translation for your templates, based on the number of languages
installed in your oracle apps environment requires outputs are provided

What is the required installation for using BI Pub report?

BI Publisher desktop tool has be installed. Using this tool you can preview or test the report before
deploying the same on to the instance.

How do you move your layout or data template across instances?

xdoloader is the utility that will be used.
 What is the tool to map required data output and layout templates so that they can be tested in local machine?
Template viewer will be used for the same.

Which component is responsible for generating the output in xml format before applying it to layout template?
Data Engine will take Data Template as the input and the output will be generated in xml format which will
then be applied on layout template

Can BI publisher reports be used in OAF pages?

XDO template utility helper java classes are provided for the same.

Name some business use cases for BI reports?

Bank EFT, customer documents, shipping documents, internal analysis documents or any transactional
documents

How do you pass parameters to your report?

Concurrent program parameters should be passed, ensure that the parameter name/token are same as in
the concurrent programme definition and the data template

What are the various sections in the data template?

Parameter section
Trigger Section
Sql stmt section
Data Structure section
Lexical Section

What does lexical section contain?

The required lexical clause of Key Flex field or Descriptive FF are created under this section

What triggers are supported in Data template?

Before report and After report are supported

Where is the trigger code written?

The code is written in the plsql package which is given under defaultpackage tag of data template.

what is the file supporting the translation for a layout template?

A. xliff is the file that supports the translation, you can modify the same as required.

Q. How do you display the company logo on the report output?

A. Copy and paste the logo (.gif. or any format) on the header section of .rtf file . Ensure you resize per the
company standards.

What are the XML publisher tables.

Ans>PER_GB_XDO_TEMPLATES
XDO_DS_DEFINITIONS_B
XDO_DS_DEFINITIONS_TL
XDO_DS_DEFINITIONS_VL
XDO_LOBS
XDO_TEMPLATES_B
XDO_TEMPLATES_TL
XDO_TEMPLATES_VL
XDO_TEMPLATE_FIELDS
XDO_TRANS_UNITS
XDO_TRANS_UNIT_PROPS
XDO_TRANS_UNIT_VALUES

How to submit a layout in the backend ?

Ans> we have to write a procedure for this using the below code
fnd_request.add_layout
(template_appl_name => 'application name',
template_code => 'your template code',
template_language => 'En',
template_territory => 'US',
output_format => 'PDF'
);
How to write a loop in rtf template design?
Ans> <? for-each:G_invoice_no?>
..<? End for each?>

How to pass the page numbers in rtf layout?

<REPORT>
<PAGESTART>200<\PAGESTART>
....
</REPORT>
Enter the following in your template:
<? initial-page-number:PAGESTART?>