BIP Reports - Chapter 4: Creating Your First BI Publisher Report

 

🧾 Chapter 4: Creating Your First BI Publisher Report

In this chapter, you will build your first BIP report using a seeded data model available in Oracle Fusion. You’ll create a layout, define output formats, and test it.

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✅ 1. Objective of the Chapter

You will:

• Use an existing (seeded) data model

• Create a new report

• Design a simple RTF layout

• View and export the report in various formats

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✅ 2. Choosing a Seeded Data Model

Oracle Fusion comes with many pre-built (seeded) data models. You can use them to save time.

🔍 Example Seeded Data Model:

Let’s use the Employee Directory Report data model.

Location:
Shared Folders > Human Capital Management > Payroll > Data Models > Employee Directory

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✅ 3. Creating the Report Step-by-Step

🔧 Step 1: Copy the Seeded Data Model

1. Navigate to the seeded data model folder.

2. Click on the three-dot menu next to the data model.

3. Choose Copy.

4. Go to your folder (e.g., /Custom/HCM/Reports) and Paste it there.

5. Rename it to something like My_Employee_Directory_DM.

You should always copy seeded objects before using them to avoid system changes or loss during updates.

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📄 Step 2: Create a New Report

1. Click New > Report from the toolbar.

2. Select Use Existing Data Model.

3. Browse and select My_Employee_Directory_DM.

4. Click Next.

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🧩 Step 3: Create a Simple Layout

1. Choose RTF Layout.

2. Download the Sample XML (this is your report data).

3. Open Microsoft Word with the BI Publisher Template Builder plugin installed.

4. Load the sample XML using BI Publisher > Load Sample XML.

5. Use Insert Table Wizard to auto-generate a table layout.

   • Group by Department

   • Show fields like Name, Job Title, Email, Phone Number

6. Save the file as EmpDirectory.rtf.

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⬆️ Step 4: Upload the Layout

1. Back in BI Publisher, upload EmpDirectory.rtf as the layout.

2. Name it: Employee Directory RTF.

3. Set Output Formats: PDF, Excel, RTF.

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▶️ Step 5: Run and View the Report

1. Click Open to launch the report viewer.

2. Enter any parameters if required (e.g., Department ID).

3. Click View Report.

4. Export it as PDF, Excel, or Word.

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✅ 4. Understanding What You Did

Action	Purpose
Copied Seeded Data Model	To prevent overriding Oracle-supplied objects
Created Report Definition	Tied Data Model + Layout
Built RTF Layout	Designed how the data will look when rendered
Uploaded and Tested Report	Ensured working output for business consumption

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✅ 5. Tips & Troubleshooting

• Always use sample XML to design the layout—it saves time and shows real data

• If layout doesn’t show data, re-check XML tags and field mappings

• Keep the report output simple initially, add styling later

• Use Preview inside Word Template Builder before uploading

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✅ 6. Summary

You've now created your first BI Publisher report using a seeded data model. You’ve learned how to:

• Select data

• Design a layout

• Configure the report

• Export results in different formats

This sets the foundation for building more complex and customized reports.

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🔹 Next Steps

• Previous Chapter:  Chapter 3: Accessing BIP and Navigating the Interface

• Next Chapter:    Chapter 5: Creating Data Models from Scratch

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📌 Next Chapter Preview:

Chapter 5: Creating Data Models from Scratch

• Writing your own SQL queries

• Adding parameters, LOVs, and data sets

• Example: Custom report to list invoices by supplier