BIP Reports - Chapter 19: BI Publisher Administration, Migration & Backup (Oracle Fusion BI)

 

Chapter 19: BI Publisher Administration, Migration & Backup (Oracle Fusion BI)

This chapter covers:

• BI Catalog structure & folder management

• Exporting/importing reports between environments

• Backing up reports securely

• Migrating between TEST ➝ PROD environments

• Best practices for version control and auditing

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✅ 1. Understand BI Publisher Catalog Structure

BI reports are stored in the BI Catalog, structured as folders.

📁 Key Folder Types:

Folder Type	Path	Use
My Folders	/My Folders/	Personal (only visible to you)
Shared Folders	/Shared Folders/Custom/Human Capital/Reports/	For shared team access
Custom Folders	Under /Shared Folders/Custom/	Use for all custom HR reports
Security Folders	/Shared Folders/HR/	Pre-delivered folders (avoid changing)

🔐 Tip: Always create and deploy reports under /Shared Folders/Custom/ to avoid impacting seeded content during upgrades.

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✅ 2. Export & Import BI Publisher Reports

Use this to migrate reports between DEV ➝ TEST ➝ PROD.

🔽 Export Reports:

1. Go to: Catalog > Shared Folders > Locate Report

2. Right-click the report folder

3. Choose Download

4. A .xdo or .zip file is downloaded (includes report, data model, templates)

🔼 Import Reports:

1. Go to Catalog > Shared Folders

2. Click Upload

3. Choose your .xdo or .zip file

4. Ensure templates and data model paths are correct

✅ You can also use Archive and Unarchive to include full folder structure, permissions, and layout templates.

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✅ 3. Backup BI Publisher Content

🛡️ Best Practices:

What to Back Up	How Often	Notes
Reports and Data Models	Weekly	Export or archive folders
LOVs and Bursting Logic	Weekly	Part of data model XML
Scheduled Jobs	Monthly	Note schedules and delivery settings
BI Roles/Permissions	As Needed	Use security audit reports

⚙️ Consider automating exports using BI Web Services APIs or Oracle BI Migration Tools (for advanced use cases).

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✅ 4. Migrate Reports Between Environments (DEV ➝ TEST ➝ PROD)

🔁 Manual Migration Process:

1. Export from DEV

2. Test in TEST instance (validate SQL, output layout, security)

3. Adjust paths and test parameters

4. Import into PROD

5. Document changes in a version control tracker (Excel, Git, Jira, etc.)

🔒 Security Mapping Tips:

• Ensure Roles and Users in TEST/PROD environments are consistent

• Use Catalog > Permissions to manage view/run/edit rights

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✅ 5. Version Control Strategy (Highly Recommended)

Use this simple system to avoid accidental overwrites:

Component	Version Format	Example
Report Name	ReportName_v1.0	HR_ActiveEmployees_v2.3
Change Log	Excel or Git	Log who changed what & when
Retired Reports	Suffix _OLD	ExitReport_OLD_2024

✅ Keep a Changelog folder in each environment with export history.

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✅ 6. Automate Catalog Audits (Optional)

Use seeded Oracle reports:

• Navigate to: /Shared Folders > BI Publisher > Administration > Reports

• Run: Catalog Audit Report

  • Shows last modified, owner, access rights

  • Useful for cleanup and tracking unauthorized changes

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✅ 7. Avoid These Migration Mistakes

Mistake	Risk	Solution
Overwriting PROD reports	Loss of working version	Always back up before import
Mismatched LOV values	Report crashes	Sync LOVs across environments
Bursting failures	Emails not sent	Re-check bursting query logic
Wrong permissions	Unauthorized access	Review role mappings after migration

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✅ Summary Checklist

✅ Use Shared > Custom folders for all HR reports
✅ Export .xdo / .zip from TEST, import into PROD
✅ Archive entire folders for full backups
✅ Use clear versioning & changelogs
✅ Run Catalog Audit Reports regularly
✅ Schedule backups or automate with scripts for large orgs

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📌 Next Chapter Preview:

Chapter 20 (Final): Frequently Asked Questions & Common Issues

• Troubleshooting data model errors

• How to handle missing records

• Common layout issues (Excel, RTF)

• Real-world HR report pain points and fixes