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1. BUSINESS
INTELLIGENCE
Understanding Oracle BI
Components and
Repository Modeling Basics
by Abhinav Banerjee

2. INTRODUCTION
2

3. The importance of Business Intelligence
(BI) is rising by the day. BI systems, which
help organizations make better and more
informed decisions, are becoming crucial for
success.
One of the most common reasons for
unsuccessful or delayed BI implementations
is an improperly modeled repository not
adhering to basic dimensional modeling
principles. This article discusses this subject
and describes the intricacies related to
repository modeling and the associated
concepts.
3 © 2012 KPI Partners, Inc.

4. Introduction
In an Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) dimensional models are in place, we need
implementation, the repository plays the to ensure that the physical and the business
most important role as the heart of any BI models are also properly designed and
environment. The entire BI implementation developed based on the operational or
can go wrong because of a repository analytical reporting requirements.
that is not well designed. Repository
(RPD) designing and modeling is one of Dimensional models are level-based
the most complex processes in an OBI measures, aggregates, multiple facts,
implementation. RPD success is dependant multiple logical sources, conforming
on knowledge of a few principles, which dimensions, slowly changing dimensions
include dimensional modeling and data designed to optimize performance for
modeling. process reporting. This is a different
approach from traditional data-relational
In any implementation, we need to ensure models which are optimized to process
our data and dimensional models are well- transactions. The complexity of dimensional
designed because the model plays such a modeling increases when requirements call
significant role. Once these data and for the inclusion of very large data volumes.
4 © 2012 KPI Partners, Inc.

5. Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 3
Dimensional Modeling The Oracle BI Development Cycle
7 Dimensional Modeling (DM) 19 Oracle BI Development Cycle
8 Star Schema
9 Snowflake Schema CHAPTER 4
Building the Oracle BI Model
21 Build Oracle BI Model
CHAPTER 2
Oracle BI Architecture 22 Import Objects
11 Oracle BI Architecture 24 Build Physical Model
14 Oracle BI Server 27 Physical Layer Best Practices
14 Oracle BI Presentation Services 28 Build BMM Model
15 Oracle BI Repository 34 BMM Layer Best Practices
15 Actions Services 38 Build the Presentation Layer
16 Security Service 40 Presentation Layer Best Practices
17 Cluster Controller Severs
17 Oracle BI Administration Tool
5 © 2012 KPI Partners, Inc.

6. About Author
Abhinav Banerjee
Abhinav Banerjee is a Consulting Manager working with KPI Partners.
He has more than eight years of business intelligence and data
integration experience with more than four years in OBIEE (custom
and packaged analytics). He has worked with several global clients
in various domains that include telecommunications, high tech,
manufacturing, energy, education, and oil and gas. He is also a
frequent speaker at various Oracle conferences such as COLLABORATE
and Oracle OpenWorld. Abhinav specializes in OBIA as well as custom
OBIEE implementations. He can be reached at abhinav.banerjee@
kpipartners.com.
6 © 2012 KPI Partners, Inc.

7. About KPI
KPI Partners is an Oracle Partner who specializes in Oracle Business
Intelligence (BI) and Oracle Enterprise Performance Management so-
lutions. The award-winning staff at KPI Partners comes directly from
the product engineering departments at Oracle, Siebel, and Hyperion.
In addition to consulting services, KPI Partners offers training, support,
and exclusive pre-packaged analytic solution extensions for Oracle
Business Intelligence.
KPI Partners works with both corporate technology departments and
corporate business units to develop value-added business intelligence
solutions, not just new technology deployments.
7 © 2012 KPI Partners, Inc.

8. CHAPTER 1
DIMENSIONAL
MODELING
8

9. Dimensional Modeling (DM)
DM refers to the methodology used
to design data warehouses optimized
for performance while querying and
reporting. DM uses the concept of facts and
dimensions.
Facts, or measures, refer to measurable
items or numeric values. These include sales
quantity, sales amount, time taken, etc.
Dimensions are the descriptors, or the
relative terms, for the measures. Facts are
relative to the dimensions. Some of the
most common dimensions include account,
customer, product, and date.
Dimensional modeling requires the design
of star or snowflake schema.
9 © 2012 KPI Partners, Inc.

10. Star Schema
Dimension
The star schema architecture constitutes a
Table central fact table with multiple dimension
tables surrounding it. It will have one-to-
many relationships between the dimensions
and the fact table. The dimensions typically
Dimension Dimension have the relative descriptive attributes that
Table Table
describe business entities.
Fact
Table
In case of a star schema, no two dimensions
will be joined directly; rather, all the joins
between the dimensions will be through the
central fact table. Joins are completed via a
foreign key relationship, with the dimension
Dimension Dimension
having the primary key and the fact having
Table Table
the foreign keys to join to the dimension.
10 © 2012 KPI Partners, Inc.

11. Snowflake Schema
Dimension
Table The snowflake schema architecture also has
Dimension Dimension a central fact table with multiple dimension
Table Table
Dimension Dimension tables and one to many relationships
Table
Fact
Table
between the dimension and the fact
Table table, but it also will have one-to-many
relationships between dimensions. The
dimensions are further normalized into
Dimension
Table
Dimension
Table
multiple related tables. In this case, multiple
Dimension Dimension
dimension tables will exist related to the
Table Table main dimension table.
Normally, we have one-to-many
relationships between the dimensions. A
primary key-foreign key relationship exists
between the dimension and the fact tables
as well as between dimensions.
11 © 2012 KPI Partners, Inc.

12. CHAPTER 2
ORACLE BI
ARCHITECTURE
12

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