You will be able to get hold of the latest and greatest 10.1.3.4 release on OTN later today, maybe tomorrow.
Update: you can get it here until the link from our home page is corrected.
Another point release but there are some great enhancements.
Big kudos to Leslie for the following prosaic prose.
App Server
- Integration with Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Workspace
Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Workspace (EPM Workspace) is a component of Oracle's Hyperion Foundation Services. It is the central Web interface
for users to access all Performance Management content and tools. With its ease-of-use and flexibility, EPM Workspace provides users with a "windows-on-the-Web" experience. In release 10.1.3.4, Oracle BI Publisher can be integrated into the Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Workspace, Fusion Edition 11.1.1 release.
- Integration with Oracle Smart Space
Oracle Smart Space, Fusion Edition is a personalized information delivery solution for Business Intelligence and Enterprise Performance Management that uses configurable desktop gadgets to deliver BI and EPM to every user in the enterprise, utilizing the Windows desktop. In addition, Oracle Smart Space includes a development toolkit for creating additional gadgets that employs common development languages and methodologies and a secure instant messaging system for shared decision making.
You can use gadgets from Oracle Smart Space, Fusion Edition 11.1.1 release to access and interact with the release 10.1.3.4 Oracle BI Publisher reports repository. For example, you can launch BI Publisher reports in the Oracle Smart Space Content Viewer and add BI Publisher reports to a Smart Book gadget and a Favorites gadget. You can use Oracle Smart Space Collaborator to share BI Publisher content with other Oracle Smart Space users.
- Support for Multidimensional Data Sources
BI Publisher now enables you to connect to databases configured for online analytical processing (OLAP) and submit an MDX query to return your report XML. In this release, BI Publisher supports connections to the following multidimensional data
sources:- Oracle's Hyperion Essbase
- Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Analysis Service
- Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Service
- SAP Business Information Warehouse (SAP BW)
- Enhancements to the BI Publisher Web Services
In release 10.1.3.4, the BI Publisher Web service PublicReportService has been expanded to support several more operations. These new operations include:- Operations to run reports
- uploadReportDataChunk
- downloadReportDataChunk
- Operations to Manage Scheduled Reports and History of Scheduled Reports
- suspendScheduledReport
- resumeScheduledReport
- deleteScheduledReport
- getScheduledReport
- getScheduledReportInfo
- getScheduledReportHistoryInfo
- deleteScheduledReportHistory
- getScheduledReportStatus
- Operations to Create and Manage Reports
- createReport
- deleteReport
- updateReportDefinition
- createReportFolder
- uploadTemplateForReport
- removeTemplateForReport
- uploadReport
- downloadReport
- Operations about the Report Server
- getSecurityModel
- getBIPHTTPSessionInterval
- Operations to run reports
- Support for "After Report" Triggers
BI Publisher now provides the ability to set up an HTTP notification as part of the report schedule. When the report completes, BI Publisher will send a notification to a designated URL, along with the report job information. Your remote application can use this information in conjunction with the BI Publisher APIs and Web services to access the job details, including the report output and XML data to enable third-party postprocessing of the report.
- Support for Complex Web Services as a Data Source
In previous releases BI Publisher could only accept simple Web services that returned simple data types, such as string and Boolean. Starting with the 10.1.3.4 release, BI Publisher can now accept Web services that return complex data types. The Web service data source user interface has been enhanced so that once you provide the WSDL, BI Publisher will present you with the list of Web services available from the WSDL, the methods available within the selected service, and the required parameters for the selected method.
- New Report Property "Disable Client Access from Analyzer for Excel"
In this release BI Publisher introduces a new method for downloading report data to the Excel Analyzer. The new property "Disable Client Access from Analyzer for Excel"
enables you to control the method used to download data to Microsoft Excel at the report level. Turning this property on has the following effects:- Your report data downloads faster and large data sets are handled more efficiently.
- You do not have to enable macros when you download the data.
- You can enable your own custom macros in Microsoft Excel.
- You cannot log in or connect to the BI Publisher server from your Microsoft Excel
session. Therefore you cannot upload a template directly from Excel, nor can you
update the report parameters or apply a new template.
- Enhancements to the Template Builder for Microsoft Word Add-in
The 10.1.3.4 release of BI Publisher introduces the following enhancements for the Template Builder for Microsoft Word:- Page Break Support - You can now insert a page break in your report layout when setting properties for a repeating group. When you insert a repeating group, the Properties dialog now presents you the following options:
- No break
- Page break
- Section break
- Support for Additional Chart Types
The following chart types are now supported by the Template Builder chart wizard:- Combination Charts
- Scatter Plot
- Bubble Chart
- Stock Charts
- More Properties Supported for Charts
This release includes expanded support for setting chart properties within the Chart Wizard. You can now set properties for the following:- Fonts - you can define the font size, family, weight, color (and effect) for the x-axis and y-axis, the chart legend, and chart labels.
- Colors - you can now specify the color for bars and lines, the chart plot area and legend, the background, and the border of the plot area and legend.
- Chart legend properties - you can now define the look and feel of the legend including the legend background and border color and the legend font family and font size. You can also define the position of the legend as follows: bottom, top, left, right.
- Support for Multiple Measures in Charts - The chart builder now supports multiple measures. You can also specify the name displayed in the legend for each measure.
- Enhanced Crosstab Features
The crosstab builder has been enhanced to support the following:- Total Options - previously, only the sum was displayed and it was always displayed. Now you can define whether you wish to show totals or totals based on sum, count, min, max or average.
- Number Formatting - you can now define the number formatting for the crosstab measures within the crosstab builder.
- Create and Omit Subtotal and Totals - the crosstab builder now enables you to choose whether to display total and subtotal rows or columns.
- Row Layout Options - you can now select whether you want the row groups to be displayed inline (as in a financial report) or not inline (as in Microsoft Excel).
- Page Break Support - You can now insert a page break in your report layout when setting properties for a repeating group. When you insert a repeating group, the Properties dialog now presents you the following options:
App Server
- BEA WebLogic 10
- JBoss 4.0
- Mac OS X
Comments (6)
Tim,
Just checked Oracle's BI Publisher page, and this version is NOT out there yet.. Maybe they will release it in the next week or so?
Also, have you heard anything about a scaled down version for inclusion in APEX, or some of the technology being added to APEX?
Thank you,
Tony Miller
Webster, TX
Posted by tony miller | August 7, 2008 2:10 PM
Posted on August 7, 2008 14:10
DHTML based template builder, isn't it part of 10.1.3.4
Posted by Rama | August 7, 2008 7:33 PM
Posted on August 7, 2008 19:33
@Tony - you can get it here - http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/products/ias/htdocs/101320bi.html
I'll nag someone to update our download link
@Rama: sadly it missed the 10.1.3.4 cut by a week. It will be out in the next release.
Posted by Tim | August 8, 2008 8:50 AM
Posted on August 8, 2008 08:50
From the BI pPublisher website you only have the 10.1.3.3. release. url:http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/products/publishing/index.html
I have found the 10.1.3.4 release in the Business Intelligence Suite EE. Are we still able to install and run 10.1.3.4 alone or do we have to switch to the BI Suite EE?
Posted by Theo van Arem | August 11, 2008 12:03 AM
Posted on August 11, 2008 00:03
I already downloaded it and tried to install it (updating the previous version). At first it seemed to work. I could log on, al the mappings were created. When I try to open an earlier created report, it fails. Just like when I try to create a new report. The error states that the .xdo file can't be found.
Furthermore, the 'View' option for the reports, disappeared from the Reportmenu.
Some blogs indicated it should have something to do with the xml-server-config.xml or the principal.xml in oracle\product\10.1.3\OracleBI\xmlp\XMLP\Admin, but I haven't been able to solve the problem yet.
I'd really love to get some pointers in this matter.
Posted by Dennis | August 11, 2008 12:10 AM
Posted on August 11, 2008 00:10
@Theo - our page is being updated. The link in my previous comment will get you to the 10.1.3.4 BI download page - there you can get just the BIP download
@Dennis - what were the steps you used when you applied the new version? Is you server still pointing to the same directory for the repository?
Posted by Tim | August 11, 2008 8:53 AM
Posted on August 11, 2008 08:53