OBIEE 11g - Double Column support for dashboard level prompt.

Now it is possible to filter on the IDs when an end user chooses its description.

This is one feature that I am pretty sure everyone expects by default in a reporting tool i.e. the ability to pass IDs when a description is chosen in a prompt. But the way it has been implemented in BI EE actually makes it useful for a lot of applications than just description/id switch. This can be put to use for multi-language applications where the descriptions can be any language but the id remains the same.

This feature has 2 fold advantages,

1. In OBIEE 10g, there was no automated way of filtering on ID’s when end users chose the description values in the prompts. The Double column feature provides this ability in 11g.
2. In many implementations where data is captured in multiple languages, the descriptions might be stored in different languages. But the filtering of data will be on ID’s (which will be the same across languages). Double column feature provides that ability now.

Let's try this feature by taking one example,

• The following is the screenshot for the table on which we will be applying this double column support.

• To achieve this double column support, in BMM layer of repository, we need to assign the descriptor ID column for the column on which we are going to apply this feature. Here, Country_Name.

• Save the repository and upload it on server.
• Now go to BI Analysis page and create one dashboard level prompt. When we include this Country_Name column in the prompt, you will notice that the prompt will automatically show the Included ID column as well.

• Notice that, we now have the ability to display the Descriptor ID as well.
  Lets enable that option as well so that users who are more familiar with the ID’s will have the ability to toggle between the Country_Name and the Country ISO Code.

• Now create a sample report and apply a filter on the column having description. Here, Country Name.

• Take that report and the prompt you have just created on a dashboard, end users will now have the ability to filter on the description as well as the ID.

• If you enable the Select by ID check box, you will notice that the drop down will now have the ID and the description concatenated for easy selection.

Reference: http://www.rittmanmead.com/

Happy blogging. :-)