Creating Documents with WebIntelligence

With WebIntelligence, you can create your own WebIntelligence documents, or modify existing WebIntelligence documents.

The two basic mechanisms upon which WebIntelligence relies for generating documents are:

• The Universes used to build queries
• The Queries used to retrieve information from data storage

Return to topic: Introduction to WebIntelligence

Universes

Universes provide the business-intelligent semantic layer that isolates you from the technical issues of the database. A universe maps everyday business terms that describe your business environment to the data in the database.

Universes are made up of classes and objects.

• Objects are elements that map to a set of data from a relational database in terms that pertain to your business situation. These objects allow you to retrieve data for your documents.

For example, the objects in a universe for a chain of outlets might include Region, State, and Store name.

• Classes are logical groupings of objects.

For example, the objects listed above might belong to a class called Store.

In your company or organization, universes are created by a universe designer, using Designer. The designer then makes universes available to you and other users, so that you can access the data you want from the database through an intuitive, user-friendly interface.

Dimension objects, measure objects, and detail objects

When creating universes, universe designers define and qualify objects. The qualification of an object determines how it can be used in analysis in documents.

An object can be qualified as a dimension, a detail, or a measure. Each type of object serves a different purpose:

	Dimension objects retrieve the data that will provide the basis for analysis in a document. Dimension objects typically retrieve character-type data (customer names, resort names, etc.), or dates (years, quarters, invoice dates, etc.)
	A detail object is always associated with one dimension object, for which it provides additional information. For example, Address is a detail object that is associated with Customer. Address provides additional information about customers, such as their addresses.
	Measure objects retrieve numeric data that is the result of calculations on data in the database.

Measure objects are semantically dynamic: the values they return depend on the objects with which they're used. For example, if you include Resort and Revenue in a query, revenue per resort is calculated. If you include Customer and Revenue, revenue per customer is calculated.

This is called the object's context.

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Queries

Queries allow you to actually retrieve the data that you want to include in a document.

You build a query in a document editor called the Web Panel, by adding and organizing objects from a universe. When you run the query, WebIntelligence connects to the database, retrieves the data mapped to the objects you selected, then generates the HTML document you designed with the data in it. It then displays this document in the Document Results page in your browser.

Return to topic: Creating Documents with WebIntelligence

Return to topic: Introduction to WebIntelligence

The Web Panel

The Web Panel is a Java applet or ActiveX control that runs in your browser. It provides the query interface you use to build and edit WebIntelligence documents. You can determine which form of the Web Panel you want to use in the Options page. See Selecting your Document Editor.

The Web Panel is similar in appearance to the BusinessObjects document editor. It also includes elements of the BusinessObjects Query Panel, and the Slice and Dice Panel.

The Web Panel contains three tabs:

• The Results tab allows you to add objects to the query, order their appearance, add breaks, sorts and conditions, and specify the document type (e.g. crosstab or scatter chart).
• The Conditions tab allows you to set up data rules and conditions to search for only certain types of data or return values. For example, you can specify revenue for a particular year or country. See Defining Conditions and Filters.
• The Settings tab allows you to format your document by entering a document title, changing the font, cell widths, colors and borders, and by determining how data is displayed, for example, by including prompts. See Using the Settings Tab.

Return to topic: Introduction to WebIntelligence