Oracle Reports Migration to BI Publisher in EBS – Part 3

Register BI Publisher Report Template to EBS

After you have completed converting the Oracle Reports RDF file to BI Publisher Data Template and RTF Template with the conversion tool, the next step is to register such template files. You can do so by logging into the EBS web UI with BI Publisher Administrator responsibility and register them. After the registration you need to update the existing concurrent program to use the new Data Template file.

Register Data Template as Data Definition in Template Manager

First, you need to register your Data Template.

1. Login to EBS
2. Choose XML Publisher Administrator responsibility
3. Click Data Definition in the left box
   
4. Click ‘Create Data Definition’ button to create a new Data Definition
   
5. Input Data Definition Name
6. Input Code
7. Choose Application. (e.g. Receivables)
8. Input Start Date
9. Specify the XML data file as Preview Data. (Optional)
10. Specify your Data Template file as Data Template
11. Click Apply to save
    

Register RTF Template as Template in Template Manager

Once your Data Template has been registered now you can register your RTF Template.

1. Click Templates tab
2. Click ‘Create Template’ button to create a new Template
   
3. Input Template Name
4. Input Template Code name
5. Choose Application (e.g. Receivables)
6. Choose Data Definition
   You need to choose the Data Definition that you have created at the previous process step.
7. Choose Template Type, in this case it’s ‘RTF’
8. Specify Start Date
9. Specify RTF Template file that you have developed
10. Choose English as Language
11. Check ‘Translatable’ checkbox
12. Click ‘Apply’ button to save
    

Create a new Concurrent Program with Data Engine

Once you have completed the registration of both Data Template and RTF Template then you want to create a new concurrent program based on the original concurrent program, which is associated with the Oracle Reports base report, and associate it with the templates.

1. Choose System Administrator responsibility
2. Go to Concurrent/Program/Define
3. Select the original Reports Concurrent program
4. Click ‘Copy to’ to copy the original concurrent program

In a popup window,

1. Type Program name
2. Type Short Name (This must be identical to the Data Definition Code that you have registered in Template Manager.)
3. Choose Application, e.g. Receivable (AR)
4. Check both ‘include Incompatible Program’ and ‘include Parameters’
5. Choose ‘XDODTEXE’ as Executable
   This is XML Publisher Data Engine Java Concurrent program that takes Data Template and extract data based on the template information and generate XML file
6. Choose XML as Output Format
7. Save
   

Assign the new Concurrent Program to a Request Group

Now you need to assign the newly created concurrent program to a request group that your users have access to, otherwise the users can not find the new concurrent program to run.

1. Go to Security/Responsibility/Request
2. Select a Request Group which is assigned to your responsibility that you want to run the request with. (e.g. Receivables All for Receivables Manager)
3. Add the new Concurrent Request program and Save
4. Make sure the users’ responsibility has the Request Group
   

Run the Report Request

Now you want to test this report to see all the registration and configuration at the previous steps have been done appropriately.

1. Go to Submit Request Window or select View/Request from the tool bar menu
2. Choose the new Concurrent Request program
3. Select parameter values if any.
4. You should see the RTF Template you have registered in the Template Manager.
   
5. Click Submit

Once the request is run with complete status successfully now you should be able to open the PDF report by clicking ‘View Output’. If the request has completed with an error click ‘View Log’ to find the detail problem.

Conclusion

After the ‘Oracle Reports Migration to BI Publisher in EBS Part 1, 2, and 3’, now you have 1) converted the original Oracle Reports base report to BI Publisher base report which consists of Data Template and RTF Template, 2) registered the converted template files with EBS, 3) created a new concurrent program by copying the original and associate it with the templates 4) validated the converted report.

This is a normal process of the reports conversion from Oracle Reports to BI Publisher for EBS. Of course, as discussed at the beginning, you can convert only the layout part of the report and keep using Oracle Reports as a data generation engine. In this case you need to register only the RTF Template and associate it with the original concurrent program through Data Definition.

Again, the most critical thing is not just the technical side of the conversion process, it’s more the business side. While administration and maintenance cost in IT departments will be reduced by converting to BI Publisher reporting architecture it’s important to note that there can be a huge value at the business side who will be the users and could see a lot of potential values with this new reporting architecture and this reports conversion initiative itself.

For example, by moving to BI Publisher reporting architecture now the users can use MS-Word to design the reports by themselves. With RTF Template the users can have images, charts, table of contents, URL hyper link, etc in their reports easily. Separation of the layout design piece from the data definition enables the users to make changes on the layout easier with less risk. BI Publisher’s reporting engine has better performance and scalability than Oracle Reports.

So not only delivering the x number of the reports being converted on time, but also it’s important to discuss how to meet the business requirements in today’s business condition and how the new reporting architecture can improve their business and set clear objectives to be shared through the conversion project phases. And such objectives should drive on what conversion option to be chosen and how to set the conversion plan and execute.

So that’s it for the reports migration (conversion) for EBS. I will start another reports conversion topic, ‘Actuate to BI Publisher conversion for Siebel’ from tomorrow, so stay tuned!