Getting
Started
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Descriptions
of Reports
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| Printing
Reports
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| Error
Messages
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| Notification
of Report Changes
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| Creating
or Modifying Discoverer Reports
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| Exporting Reports
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| Miscellaneous
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| Specific "How
Do I's"
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Discoverer 10.1
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Getting Started
How
do I log on to Discoverer? Specifically,
what is the connect string and what username
and password do I use?
- Username:
userid:(must enter a colon after your computing
ID
- Password:
your Integrated System password
- Connect:
iods
NOTE:
You must choose a responsibility that begins with "UVA
ODS Specialist" to see predefined Discoverer
reports
How
do I run reports?
The Integrated System offers three ways to run reports:
- The
Integrated System is equipped with standard reports
that are available on-line by each application
and responsibility.
- A
variety of custom reports were written by the ISDS
team in the Operational Data Store (ODS) using
Oracle Discoverer, a query tool. These are available
to all users in the ODS with the appropriate UVA
ODS Specialist responsibility.
- Users
are also able to build and maintain their own reports
in the ODS using Oracle Discoverer.
Other
query tools, such as Brio Query, SAS, etc., can also
be used to query the Integrated System. However,
there is a loss of some functionality such as naming
conventions, etc., whenever a tool other than Discoverer
is used.
Within
the ODS, there are a number of business areas and
views that will organize information and reports
along the lines of the applications, e.g. a purchasing
business area, PBPA Project Billing (grants management)
business area, etc.
How
can I see all the lines on a Discoverer report?
To see all lines on a report, do the following:
- Click "Tools" on
the menu bar.
- Click "Options" From
the Tools drop down box.
- Click
the "Query Governor" tab.
- Increase
the number associated with the "Limit Retrieved
Date".
- Open
the report, or if the report is already opened,
refresh the report (click Sheet on menu bar, click
Refresh Sheet from drop down box.)
- Click
Sheet from menu bar.
- Click "Retrieve
All Rows" from drop down box.
Note:
Once you have successfully completed steps 1-4, you
should only need to repeat steps 6 and 7 after you
first open a new report. |
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Description of Reports
How
can I view descriptions of Integrated System standard
reports?
- Open
the Submit Request Form screen.
- Click
on List of Values, select the report. Parameters
box will open.
- Click
on the "Help" button for a description
of the report.
How
can I view descriptions of Discoverer reports?
When you select a report in the "Open Workbook from Database" window, a description
of that report will show on the bottom of the window for many of the reports.
For longer descriptions, plus columns indicating the intended user, the purpose
of the report, parameters, page items, and columns, see Discoverer Predefined Reports
Inventory.
How
do I know what is in each Discoverer report
and which one to use?
For those reports with an “IS.” Prefix, see the Discoverer Predefined
Reports
Inventory. There is also more in depth information available for some
of the more frequently used reports. See Focus
on Reports Sessions.
NOTE: See Procurement
Services website for reports with a "PDW4X." prefix. |
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Printing
Reports
How
can I print my Integrated System standard reports
so they fit on 8 ½ x 11 paper?
Use one of the following methods:
- Direct
output to a network printer:
- When
you schedule the report, send the output directly
to a network printer by clicking "Completion Options" and
selecting the desired network printer.
- Alternately, from the “Requests” form which shows requests
statuses: select Tools, Reprint, and select the desired network printer
and desired number
of copies.
- Use
a local printer:
- If
you do not have a network printer, it is
possible to resize the HTML output to print
on your local printer that has a "postscript" print
driver by doing the following:
a. Open the Submit Request Form screen.
b. Click on List of Values, select the report. Parameters box
will open.
c. Click on question mark (?), which opens a Help screen, describing
the report and letting you select parameters.
d. Click OK.
e. Submit report, and you will see the Requests screen.
f. Click View Output, and you will see the report, with a menu
bar across top.
g. Go to File menu, and select Print, and you will see the
Print screen.
h. Select Properties.
i. On the Finishing tab, click on picture so shows landscape
position (horizontal).
j. On the Effect tab, enter 85 in the % of normal size box.
k. Click OK.
l. Click OK.
NOTE: The report may still not print on letter-size
paper using this method if there is too
much information for letter-size
paper. If the
above steps
do not resolve the problem, contact your technical support
person, or call the ITC Help Desk at 4-3731.
Standard
IS Reports Printing Tip: To
print or reprint a system report such as the
UVA Cash Balance Report by Project or the UVA
PA Installment vs Funding vs Expenditures Report,
you do not have to rerun the report. Simply select "View," "Requests," "Find." Then
select the request you want to reprint and select "Report," "Tools," "Reprint",
the select the desired network printer and number
of copies. This is helpful if you ran the report
initially with the ‘Number of Copies” set
to zero and then later determine you need a paper
copy.
How
can I print multiple reports in landscape without
formatting each one separately?
When running multiple standard reports
that you want to print landscape (Discoverer reports
are formatted
to print landscape), you can reset the setting in Windows,
then reset it when you are done. Depending on your version
of Windows, the process is: Start -> Printers and
Faxes ->Select printer ->Printing preferences ->Advanced
->Layout options ->Orientation ->Landscape.
You also may reduce the size of the data on the page
by reducing the scale to less than 100%. |
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Error Messages I
received an "ORA-03123: operation would block" message.
Anything I tried after that returns an "ORA-03127:
no new operation allowed until active operation
ends".
Once you receive the "ORA-03123: operation would block" message, the database
connection is actually broken. Any further action will result in "ORA-03127:
no new operation allowed until active operation ends" error. The only thing you
can do at this point is to reconnect. Sometimes Discoverer will allow you to
close the current workbook. If it asks you if you want to save the current changes,
click "no". Close Discoverer and reconnect. If you can't close Discoverer through
this method, you may have to either re-boot or, using Windows Task Manager, do
an "End Task" on Discoverer. |
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Notification of Changes
What
is happening regarding improving existing or
creating new reports?
Current steps being taken to improve or create
new reports include:
- FUSS
(Finance Usability and System Solution) task force
continues to work to improve existing and create
new pre-defined reports.
- HRD&T
ODSv-Working with Pre-defined reports class: shows
users how to make simple modifications to pre-defined
reports.
- HRD&T
ODS2 class: designed to develop the skills necessary
to design and develop ad-hoc user-defined database queries and reports. Both the presentation
the the practice exercises use data and information
directly related to the UVA Integrated System responsibilities.
Will
I be notified if reports are improved or new
reports are created?
New reports, or significant changes in existing
reports are communicated via some combination of the
following:
- email to targeted user groups
- IS Exchange
- Reports
website
- Announced at User Group meeting
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Creating or Modifying Discoverer
Reports
How
can I understand the links, views, and fields
to create my own reports by modifying and/or
combining information from existing reports?
HRD&T
ODS2 class: designed to develop the skills necessary
to design and develop ad-hoc user-defined database queries and reports. Both the presentation
and the practice exercises use data and information directly
related to the UVA Integrated System responsibilities.
How
can I modify existing Discoverer reports
to meet my needs?
HRD&T
ODSv-Working with Pre-defined reports class: shows
users how to make simple modifications to pre-defined
reports.
How
do I recreate one of my own existing reports
when a U.Va. custom view changes?
Click here for
steps to follow.
Tips
regarding Page Items
Page items are found on the page axis (or Page Item)
section of a Discoverer Report. Each page item represents
a column of data and contains a drop down list of values.
Page items restrict data displayed on the report to
the value selected from the drop down box. The way
they work is similar to data ‘filters’ in
Excel. For examples and details, click here.
Tips regarding using the Wild Card character "%" in
parameters
The % character is used by Discoverer as a wild card.
Often reports will have parameters that contain a ‘%’ character.
This is your cue that you may use one or more wild cards
any where in the parameter field to control how much
or how little data the report returns. For examples and
details, click here.
Tips regarding changing a parameter to allow multiple
selections
If there is a report that only allows you to select one
value at time (as in the example below) and you would
like to be able to select multiple values at one time,
you can change the parameter to allow multiple selections
if it makes sense to do so. For examples and details,
click here.
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Exporting Reports
How
can I modify my Discoverer report to make it easier
to export?
Warning
about Exporting to Excel from Discoverer
It is now possible to export the results of a Discoverer query directly to Excel
by clicking on the Excel logo in the upper right hand corner of the report display.
BEWARE: Discoverer uses an older Excel standard to ensure maximum backward compatibility,
but it also can cause some data from large files not to be retrieved. To be sure
that all data rows are retained, select “YES” when asked whether
you want to save to a later version. |
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Miscellaneous
What
happened to the Information Warehouse data?
Beginning in July 2001, information generated within the Integrated System financial
applications went into the new Operational Data Store (ODS) rather than into
the Information Warehouse. This means that, for longitudinal reporting, users
will have to go to two places, at least for a while. Both data repositories are
compatible with Excel and Access, however, so information can be down-loaded
into those programs and formatted for reporting purposes.
How
can I receive more training on reports?
All existing classes are open to UVA employees free of charge. You are encouraged
to enroll in any of the classes
and stay for as much or as little as you feel you need. The ODS 2 class is for
more advanced reports users. |
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Specific "How Do I's"
How
do I get more information about a transaction
on the detail transaction report?
If the comment field does not provide sufficient
information, you will have to contact the person listed
as preparing the transaction. In the case of Internal
Service Providers, the transaction number should have
a beginning code to help you identify the provider.
See Internal
Service Provider Contacts.
How
do I see the invoice payment date on the Detailed
Transactions report?
You cannot see the invoice payment date in
the report, but you can view the invoice payment date
on-line. Sign on to the Integrated System as UVA AP/PO
Viewer or UVA PO Purchaser. Open the “Invoice
Overview” form and key in either the invoice
number (shown on the expenditure detail report as “Transaction
No.”), then click “Find”. Click “Overview” at
the bottom of the form. On the bottom right hand side
of the overview form you will find a “Paid On” date
which is the invoice payment date.
Where
can I see the Voucher Number or Invoice Number
for my Expenditures?
When reviewing information found on the Expenditure Detail reports,
you can find the voucher number and invoice number
for your expenditures under the column titled "Transaction
No."
Can
I run my procurement reports by Org value?
It is not possible currently to run your purchasing reports by org. Procurement
Services is exploring the possibility. A message will be sent to users if that
selection
criterion becomes available to users.
Do
end-dated projects have to show up on reports?
This issue has been discussed in both FUSS and Grants Reports task forces. In
addition to end-dates, there are close-dates and project statuses that have to
be considered. Because reports are used by different people with different award
types, there is no obvious time to drop projects off of the report, even when
end-dated. ISDS is exploring possibilities and ramifications with central offices.
A message will be sent to users if that selection criterion becomes available
to users.
How
do I find out which employees report to which
supervisors?
Log on to Discoverer with either a “UVA ODS Specialist–Limited” or “UVA
ODS Specialist-Restricted” responsibility, then
run the “IS.HR_Employees by Supervisor and Organization” report.
How do I show only
the current commitments when I select multiple periods
in running the IS.FM_Expenditure Detail by Project
report?
The IS.FM_Expenditure Detail by Project
report was designed to allow users to run a detailed
report of transactions for a specified period. Although
you have the option of selecting multiple periods when
you run the report, you will also get all the commitments
as they existed at the end of each period selected. In
the case of payroll encumbrances, commitments most likely
will be over inflated when you run the IS.FM_Expenditure
Detail by Project report for multiple periods.
If you run the IS.FM_Expenditure Detail by Project report
for multiple periods, it would be best to delete the
commitment column all together so that you don’t
get an inflated commitment amount. Then, if current commitments
are desired, run the IS.FM_Open Commitments by Project
report for the latest of the multiple periods for which
you ran the IS.FM_Expenditure Detail by Project report.
To delete a column from a Discoverer report – run
the report as usual. When the report is finished, click
on the column you wish to delete (make sure the column
is highlighted), then press the <Delete> key.
Is there a way to make manual encumbrances disappear
from a report?
There is an option when you run the IS.FM_Expenditure
Detail by Project or IS.FM_Expenditure Detail by Award
report to exclude Oracle manual encumbrances. There is
also an option to exclude all labor encumbrances. (Note:
UVA Manual Encumbrance Sub-System transactions will always
show.)
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Discoverer 10.1
How can I tell which version of Discoverer is running?
Look at the name (either or the task bar or in the upper left hand corner of the screen).
- Discoverer 4.1 is labeled “Oracle Discoverer”
- Discoverer 10.1 is labeled “Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer Desktop”
Discoverer 10.1 is installed on my machine but there is no short cut. How do I find it?
The shortcut can be located by clicking: Start, All Programs, Oracle Business Intelligence Tools – BIToolsHome1, Oracle Discoverer Desktop
What causes a “#NUM” on a total line?
There were some minor changes to the totaling function in Discoverer 10.1. To get the column to total correctly from the menu bar, select Tools/Options and select the “Aggregation” tab. Uncheck the “Use the default aggregation behavior” check box, check “Show the sum of the values displayed in the contribution cells,” and click OK.
NOTE: If you save the report, it also will save the aggregation option selected, so you will not have to change it again each time the report is run.
Why are only some of my totals appearing on my cross-tab reports?
There were some minor changes to the totaling function in Discoverer 10.1. To get the column to total correctly from the menu bar, select Tools/Options and select the “Aggregation” tab. Uncheck the “Use the default aggregation behavior” check box, check “Show the sum of the values displayed in the contribution cells,” and click OK.
NOTE: If you save the report, it also will save the aggregation option selected, so you will not have to change it again each time the report is run.
Why do I get a “Failed to open document” error when I try to open my user defined report?
This normally happens when you are running the older version of Discoverer and someone else has run and/or saved in Discoverer version 10.1. Either run the report in Discoverer 10.1, or revert to a backup copy.
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