BI Publisher in Oracle EBS R12:

What it is, its evolution,

and how to use it

Presented by:
Bob Bullman, BizTech
 Session Objectives
• What is Bi Publisher?
– Historical perspective
– Seeded functionality
– Options for creating new reports
• Bi Publisher in Action
- Creating a quick report
- Extracting into Excel
- Making changes to output using Word as the
editor.
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 Oracle Reports Options
• Seeded report discussion
– Oracle seeded reports were mainly RDF’s for Years
– Some C reports (MRP Outputs)
– 11i and R12 BI Publisher
• Spawned (11i often required adding an after
report trigger)
- Receipt traveler - Pick Slip
- Statements - Packing Slip
• PL/SQL Packages with delimiters
• BI Publisher 3
 Simplified Self-Service Reporting
BI (XML) Publisher
Reporting Evolution Benefits

• Replaces most standard reports • Put reporting in the hands of

with data extracts and the business user
templates • Create report formats using
• Merges custom templates and desktop tools (Adobe
data extracts at run-time Acrobat, MS Word, MS Excel,
and XSL Editors)
• Delivers output in PDF, HTML,
RTF, Excel (HTML), or text for
• Publish in any format, to the
web and electronically
use with EFT and EDI
transmissions • Drive reporting consistency
with one source of data

“Oracle’s new XML Publisher is visionary and empowers end users. This new capability
gives customers the look and feel of Excel with a desktop publishing look to reports, and
enables users to create their own reports, minimizing the dependency on the IT staff.”
-- Sean Malinski, Accenture Partner, Global
Business Solutions - Oracle Practice
 Oracle Report Developer
• RDF’s
– Difficult tool to use even for technical resources
– Required moving an RDF from Server to Desktop
– Required when needing to change data model and
layout
• This is what standard EB used for most reports

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 Oracle Reports
• Significant learning curve to get proficient
• Powerful, but complicated tool to use

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 What is BI Publisher?
• Initially released as ‘XML Publisher’ 5.5 with
Oracle E-Business Suite 11.5.10
• Released as two products
– XML Publisher (Desktop)
– XML Publisher (Server)
 XML Publisher 5.5 (Desktop)
• Add-in for Microsoft Word
• Provides the ability to:
– Import XML or SQL source
– Lay out a report template using standard
Microsoft Word formatting
– Preview and run the report within Word
 XML Publisher
• Released in April 2006
• Updated Template Builder add-in
• Latest Version integrates Desktop and Server
into a single release called XML Publisher
Enterprise
• Extended to Oracle, Peoplesoft and JD
Edwards
XML Publisher Enterprise
 OLTP vs. OLAP

 On-Line Transaction Processing (OLTP):

– technology used to perform updates on operational or
transactional systems (e.g., point of sale systems)

 On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP):

– technology used to perform complex analysis of the
data in a data warehouse
OLAP is a category of software technology that enables analysts,
managers, and executives to gain insight into data through fast,
consistent, interactive access to a wide variety of possible views of
information that has been transformed from raw data to reflect the
dimensionality of the enterprise as understood by the user. [source:
OLAP Council: www.olapcouncil.org]
 Multidimensional Data

Sales
Volume
Juice 10
as a
Cola function
47
Milk
of time,
30
city and
Cream 12 product
3/1 3/2 3/3 3/4
Date
 BI Publisher – Output Formats
• RTF (for modifiable documents such as
contracts, or marketing letters)
• PDF (for printing)
• Excel (for financial reporting)
• HTML (for web delivery)
• XML, EDI or EFT
 Creating an RTF Template
• Rich Text Format (RTF) is a specification used by common word processing
applications, such as Microsoft Word. When you save a document, RTF is a file
type option that you select.
• BI Publisher's RTF Template Parser converts documents saved as the RTF file
type to XSL-FO. You can therefore create report designs using many of your
standard word processing application's design features and BI Publisher will
recognize and maintain the design.
• During design time, you add data fields and other markup to your template
using BI Publisher's simplified tags for XSL expressions. These tags associate
the XML report data to your report layout. If you are familiar with XSL and
prefer not to use the simplified tags, BI Publisher also supports the use of pure
XSL elements in the template.
• In addition to your word processing application's formatting features, BI
Publisher supports other advanced reporting features such as conditional
formatting, dynamic data columns, running totals, and charts.

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 Process Overview
Creating customized reports using XML Publisher can be divided into two phases:
Design Time and Runtime.
Design Time
1. Register the E-Business Suite report as a Data Definition in the Template Manager.
Create a Data Definition in the Template Manager for E-Business Suite reports that
you wish to customize using XML Publisher.
2. Design your template.
Your template files can be either in Rich Text Format (RTF) or Portable Document
Format (PDF).
3. Register your Template in the Template Manager.
When you create the template in the Template Manager, you register and upload
your RTF or PDF template files. The Template must be assigned to the Data
Definition Code of the E-Business Suite report with which it will be merged.
Runtime
1. Set the concurrent program to generate XML.
2. Run the concurrent program using standard request submission.
• If you are using the Submit Request form, the Layout field of the Upon
Completion region displays the currently selected template. To change the
template, template language, or output format select the Options button.

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 The steps to create a basic report.
1. Create Concurrent Program
2. Create Data Definition (Create XML)
3. Create Template (Create RTF)
4. Add to Request Group
5. Test Report (PDF or Excel)
6. Run reapply
7. Review XML Data

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Create Concurrent Program

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 Responsibility – XML Pub.

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Create a Data Definition

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 Basic SQL (.xml)
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="WINDOWS-1252" ?>
<dataTemplate name="ati_AP_AC" version="1.0">
<dataQuery>
<sqlStatement name="Q_MAIN">
<![CDATA[
select msi.organization_id ORG, msi.segment1 ITEM, msi.description ITEM_DESC
from mtl_system_items_b MSI
]]>
</sqlStatement>
</dataQuery>
- <dataStructure>
- <group name="G_HEADER" dataType="varchar2" source="Q_MAIN">
<element name="ORG" dataType="varchar2" value="ORG"/>
<element name="ITEM" dataType="varchar2" value="ITEM" />
<element name="ITEM_DESC" dataType="varchar2" value="ITEM_DESC" />
</group>
</dataStructure>
</dataTemplate>

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Create Template

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Create and edit using MS Word

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Link to the data tag is in help text.

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Add to a Responsibility Group

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Review Output

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Re-run/Re-Publish

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Saves run time!

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 Recap and steps for changes
Create Concurrent Program
Create Data Definition
-Update XML
Create Template
-Upload RTF
Add to Request Group
Test Report (PDF or Excel)

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 Using A Stored Procedure!
• Depends on what your used to using.
• Extremely fast!
• You can use Toad or SQL DEV.
• You might need to following code control
procedures.

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Printing Bar Codes

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Very important Option

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 You can see the data stream (use
for testing).

* For AP checks go into in the log as a non-wrapped line.

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Invoice(+) - System Admin Setups

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Copy Seeded New Invoice Print

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Create new Executable that
points to a new RDF

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Create Data Definition (empty)

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 Create Template

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 Install the AR Invoice - XML
• Create Concurrent Program
• Create Data Definition
– Update XML (N/A)
• Create Template
– Upload RTF
• Add to Request Group
• Test Report (PDF or Excel)

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Changing the Purchase Order Layout

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Installing BI Publisher Template Builder
 Uses for BI Publisher
• Any Output that Outward Facing
– PO Purchase Orders
– PO Requests for Quotation
– AP Checks
– AP 1099 forms
– AR Statements
– AR Dunning Letters
– OM Shipping Documentation
• For standardization of PDF output, ensure PASTA drivers have
been installed and configured on your instance
AP Checks
Supplier Outstanding Balance analysis
Supplier Outstanding Balance (Grouped
and Totaled by Currency)
 BI Publisher & Release 12
• BI Publisher is here to stay
• 870 templates for more than 60 modules included
with baseline Release 12
– Oracle is currently migrating the remaining reports to XML
Publisher
– More than 2000 templates should be available later this
year
• R12 also includes a set of libraries to move custom
reports to a data template and layout template
• These libraries are the same as Oracle is using for
report migration
 BI Publisher on the Blog

http://www.biztech.com/blog/2012/12/oracle-e-business-%e2%80%93-supply-
chain-%e2%80%93-how-to-use-oracle-bi-publisher-based-reporting-to-analyze-
and-reduce-your-inventory-levels/
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Any Questions?
Thank you for your time, and special thanks to the OBI
Special Interest Group for supporting this session.

Bob Bullman
Director, Oracle Applications
Practice
BBullman@BizTech.com