Fusion Katta: BIP Reports - Chapter 3: Accessing BI Publisher and Navigating the Interface

🖥️ Chapter 3: Accessing BI Publisher and Navigating the Interface

✅ 1. Logging into Oracle BI Publisher

BI Publisher is embedded within Oracle Fusion Applications, so there's no separate URL. You can access it through the standard Fusion login.

🔐 Steps to Access BI Publisher:

Log in to Oracle Fusion Cloud (e.g., https://your-instance.fa.oraclecloud.com)
Navigate to the Navigator (top-left hamburger menu)
Click on Reports and Analytics or Tools > BI Publisher (depending on your version)
The BI Publisher interface will launch in a new tab or embedded window

🔒 Access Tip: Your user must have the appropriate roles like BI Consumer, BI Author, or BI Administrator to access BIP.

✅ 2. Understanding the BI Publisher Interface

Once you access BIP, you’ll see the BI Catalog home screen.

📂 Key Sections:

Area	Description
Catalog Pane	Shows folders: Shared Folders, My Folders, Favorites
Toolbar	Options to create, upload, delete, edit reports/data models
Search Bar	Quick lookup for reports, templates, or data models
Work Area	Displays report preview, data models, and layout editors

✅ 3. Folders in BI Catalog

BI Publisher organizes content using folders similar to a file system. Understanding them is critical for organizing and securing your work.

📁 Folder Types:

My Folders: Private to your user. Ideal for testing before moving to production.
Shared Folders: Visible to all users with access. Use this for finalized reports.
Custom Folders: Best practice is to create your own under Shared, like:
```
/Custom/Finance/
/Custom/Human Resources/
```

⚠️ Avoid modifying Oracle Seeded folders (like /Shared Folders/Human Capital Management) — they are system-managed and can be overwritten in updates.

✅ 4. Creating Objects from the Interface

From the BI Catalog home screen, you can create various reporting objects.

➕ Create Options:

Data Model
Report
Folder
Sub-folder
Upload (templates or reports from local machine)

📄 Right-Click Options:

Right-clicking a report or folder gives options like:

Edit
Open
Schedule
Copy
Move
Set Permissions

✅ 5. Roles and Permissions in BIP

Your access and capabilities within BI Publisher depend on the security roles assigned to your user in Oracle Fusion.

Role	Capabilities
`BI Consumer`	View and run reports
`BI Author`	Create and edit reports and data models
`BI Administrator`	Manage all reports, roles, folders, and server settings

🔐 Permissions can also be set at the folder or report level within BI Publisher itself using Access Control Lists (ACLs).

✅ 6. Best Practices for Navigation & Setup

Always build reports in My Folders first → move to Shared Folders after testing
Maintain consistent folder naming, e.g. /Custom/ModuleName/ReportName/
Set folder-level permissions instead of each report individually to save time
Bookmark frequently used reports using the Favorites feature

✅ 7. Summary

Navigating BI Publisher effectively is key to being productive. Understanding how to access, organize, and control your reporting assets ensures efficient report development and secure sharing.

Fusion Katta

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BIP Reports - Chapter 3: Accessing BI Publisher and Navigating the Interface