Literacy SKW User Manual

Business Objects Training
Skilled Knowledge Worker (SKW)

Literacy Universe User Manual
North Carolina Community Colleges
Data Warehouse
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Basics of BusinessObjects......................................................... 1
Initiating BusinessObjects....................................................................................... 1
Opening Documents ............................................................................................... 3
Document Viewing.................................................................................................. 5
Refreshing Documents ........................................................................................... 7
Saving Documents.................................................................................................. 8
Sending Documents to BusinessObjects Users ..................................................... 9
Receiving Documents From BusinessObjects Users ........................................... 13
Closing Documents............................................................................................... 14
Exiting Business Objects ...................................................................................... 15
Exercise 1 ............................................................................................................. 15
Exercise 2 ............................................................................................................. 15
Modifying Reports ........................................................................... 16
Moving Blocks....................................................................................................... 16
Moving Report Titles............................................................................................. 17
Changing Report Titles ......................................................................................... 20
Moving Columns ................................................................................................... 22
Changing Column Titles ....................................................................................... 24
Changing the Width of Columns ........................................................................... 26
Manual Method............................................................................................................. 26
Automatic Method ........................................................................................................ 27
Changing the Height of Rows ............................................................................... 28

Manual Method............................................................................................................. 28
Automatic Method ........................................................................................................ 30
AutoFit .................................................................................................................. 31
Exercise 3 ............................................................................................................. 32
Applying Calculations...................................................................... 33
Using the Sum function......................................................................................... 34

Using the Percentage function.............................................................................. 35
Using the Count function ...................................................................................... 36
Using the Average Function ................................................................................. 37
Using the Min Function ......................................................................................... 38
Using the Max Function ........................................................................................ 39
Removing Calculations ......................................................................................... 40
Exercise 4 ............................................................................................................. 40
Sorting Data .................................................................................... 41
Applying Sorts....................................................................................................... 42
Ascending Sort ............................................................................................................. 42
Descending Sort........................................................................................................... 43
Custom Sort ................................................................................................................. 44
Removing Sorts .................................................................................................... 46

Removing Sorts............................................................................................................ 47
i
Filtering Data................................................................................... 48
Applying a Simple Filter ........................................................................................ 48

Applying a Complex Filter..................................................................................... 52
Removing a Filter.................................................................................................. 57
Exercise 5 ............................................................................................................. 58
Simple Queries................................................................................ 59
Block Style ............................................................................................................ 59

Tables........................................................................................................................... 59
Cross-tabs .................................................................................................................... 60
Charts........................................................................................................................... 60
Financial Tables ........................................................................................................... 61
The Elements of a Query...................................................................................... 62

Queries......................................................................................................................... 62
Objects ......................................................................................................................... 62
Classes......................................................................................................................... 63
Universes ..................................................................................................................... 63
The Query Panel................................................................................................... 64

Classes and Objects .................................................................................................... 64
Result Objects .............................................................................................................. 65
Adding and Removing Objects ..................................................................................... 65
The Query Process............................................................................................... 66

Documents............................................................................................................ 67
Building a Query ................................................................................................... 68
Editing a Query ..................................................................................................... 73
Editing a Table Block.................................................................................................... 74
Exercise 6 ............................................................................................................. 77
Creating Query Conditions ................................................................................... 78
Creating a Single-Value Condition ............................................................................... 79
Creating a Prompted Condition .................................................................................... 83
Relational Operators .................................................................................................... 87
Creating Multiple Conditions................................................................................. 91

Exercise 7 ............................................................................................................. 95
Creating a Crosstab Report .................................................................................. 96
ii
The Basics of BusinessObjects

Initiating BusinessObjects
Upon initiating BusinessObjects, you will be presented with a login screen. You are required
to enter two things:
A user name
A password
To initiate BusinessObjects:
1. Click the Start button on the Windows Taskbar
2. Select Programs
3. Select BusinessObjects 5.1.
4. Select BusinessObjects
The User Identification box is presented.
5. Type your user name in the User Name. BusinessObjects logins are case sensitive
so make sure you enter your login as it was set up.
Please note: BusinessObjects will disable your login after three incorrect
attempts. If this happens please contact the System Office to have your login reset.
6. Type your password in the Password box.
7. Leave the Use in Offline Mode box unchecked.
8. Press OK.
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North Carolina Community Colleges Data Warehouse

Basic BusinessObjects Class for Literacy Universe
Revised March 14, 2005
Please note: Offline Mode is used when the user is not connected to the data
warehouse. An example of this situation would be when a user does not have a
connection to the Internet but wants to view or modify a report without refreshing the
data.
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Opening Documents
BusinessObjects documents are held in a database, known as Corporate Documents.
Users within the Community College System have access to Corporate Documents, with
security limitations, via BusinessObjects WebIntelligence software.
Skilled Knowledge Workers are able to open documents in two ways depending on the type
of document. Documents will either be predefined reports held in Corporate Documents or
reports that the Skilled Knowledge Worker has created or modified on his or her desktop
and saved to a local folder.
To open a document stored in Corporate Documents:
1. Select File; Retrieve From; Corporate Documents.
2. Select the document you want to open in the Retrieve dialog box.
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3. Press the Retrieve button, and you will be presented with an Import Results box.
4. Press OK.
The document you retrieved will be automatically opened.
To open documents in a local folder:
1. Select the
button in the Standard Toolbar.
The Open window is returned, listing all the BusinessObjects documents in your local
folder.
2. Select the document you would like to open and press the Open button.
The document is opened.
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Document Viewing
When first opened, documents are typically displayed in Business Objects in the following
format:
Toolbars
Menu Bar (File, Edit, ViewHelp)
Standard (New Document, Open Document, Save, Print, Refresh, View Data, etc.)
Report (New Cell/Table/Crosstab/Chart, Filter, Sum, Sort, etc.)
To add a toolbar to the document, open the View menu in the Menu Bar and select
Toolbars for a list of available toolbars.
1. Report Manager (where objects within the query are displayed)
2. Report (where reports are actually displayed). Each tab represents a report, so you can
have many reports within one document.
Toolbars
Report
Manager
Report
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An additional feature of the Report Manager is the Map tab. The advantage of the Map tab
is that it provides users with easy navigation through a document with more than one report
in it as well as reports with more than one section in them. Users can quickly view data by
clicking on a report or section name in the Report Manager.
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Refreshing Documents
Whether youre viewing a pre-defined report or working on one youve created you will want
to check to make sure the data youre accessing is the most current. The Business Objects
function called Refresh allows the user to update the data.. When you refresh a report the
database is accessed and the current data is returned.
The status bar at the bottom of the screen displays the date and time of the last refresh.
1. Click the
(Refresh Data) button in the Standard Toolbar.
When the data has been updated, the status bar displays the new date and time of the
refresh.
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Saving Documents
When you choose to save your document, BusinessObjects will prompt you to save it in
your default folder UserDocs. If you would like to save it in another location, select the File;
Save as method of saving and change the location in the Save In box.
To save your document with the same file name:
1. Select File; Save in the Menu Toolbar or click the
Standard Toolbar.
button in the
To save your document with a different file name:

1. Select File; Save as in the Menu Toolbar.
The Save As window is displayed.
2. Enter a new document name in the File Name box.

3. Press the Save button.
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Sending Documents to BusinessObjects Users

Within BusinessObjects, you have the option to send your documents to other
BusinessObjects users. The users must have a user id created in BusinessObjects in order
for you to send documents to and retrieve documents from them. When you choose to send
a document to another BusinessObjects user, the document is stored in a database and
remains there until the recipient downloads it.
1. Select File; Send To; Users in the Menu Toolbar.
The Send window is displayed.
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2. Press the To button to display a list of users that can receive your document.
At lower left, click on the box to view users in my group only.
3. Select a user or users from the left-hand side of the box and press Add.
The user or users you have chosen will be shown on the right hand side of the box in
the Document Recipients area.
4. Press the OK button.

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The user or users you selected are shown in the Send to box.
5. The document that is active is automatically listed in the Document(s) to Send box.
6. Press the OK button to send or skip to the next step to send additional documents.
7. If you want to send more documents to these recipients, press the Browse button.
You are presented with the Select the File to Send window.
8. Select a document and press the Add button or double-click on the document name.
The document is added to the Document(s) to Send box.
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When the process is complete a Results box will display that you have successfully
sent your document(s) to your chosen users.
10. Press the OK button to complete the process.

The document(s) have now been sent to the users you identified.
11. Contact the recipient(s) of your report to notify them that they have a report to
retrieve.
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Receiving Documents from BusinessObjects Users

When a user has sent you a document, they should notify you. BusinessObjects will send a
notification message ONLY when you log in.
1. Select File; Retrieve From; Users.
A listing of the documents that have been sent to you is displayed.
2. Select the document(s) you want to retrieve.

3. Press the Retrieve button.
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Closing Documents
1. Select File, Close from the Menu Toolbar.
You will be prompted to save the report if you have not already done so.
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Exiting Business Objects

1. Select File; Exit from the Menu Toolbar.
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
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Modifying Reports
Moving Blocks
BusinessObjects allows you to have more than one block of data within a report page.
Example a report with a table block that returns the data from the query and a chart block
that turns the data from the table into a pie chart. These blocks can be positioned anywhere
on the report page by dragging and dropping them to the location you desire.
1. Click anywhere inside the block to display the block border.
Block
Border
2. Position the mouse pointer over the border.

The mouse pointer changes to
3. Press and hold down the left mouse button.
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4. Drag the table to the desired location in the report page.
5. Release the mouse button.
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Moving Report Titles

By default, report titles are placed in the body of the report. To have the title appear on
each page of the report, it must be placed in the page header. To view the page header,
enter Page Layout view.
1. Select View, Page Layout from the Menu Toolbar.
2. Click on the report title cell.
3. Press and hold down the left mouse button.

4. Drag the title above the dotted page header line in the report page.
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5. Release the mouse button.
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Changing Report Titles

1. Double-click on the report title.
The report title is highlighted and the cursor blinks to indicate that you are in edit
mode.
2. Enter a report title.
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3. Press the Enter key on your keyboard.

The title has changed.
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Moving Columns
You can change the order of the columns in your table by dragging and dropping them to
their desired location.
1. Select Student Count anywhere within the column with your left mouse button.
2. Hold down your left-mouse button and drag the Student Count column to the
position in the table you would like it.
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3. Drop the column.
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Changing Column Titles

The BusinessObjects column title default is the data items name returned by the data
warehouse. If the default name is not appropriate, you can change the default column title.
1. Double click on the column header Student Count.
The header is highlighted and the cursor blinks to indicate that you are in edit mode.
2. Enter the column title No. of Students.
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3. Press the Enter key on your keyboard.

The column title has been changed.
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Changing the Width of Columns

Manual Method
You can change the width of columns and rows as follows:
1. Place the mouse pointer on the border between the column you want to modify and
the one to the right of it.
The pointer changes to a
|| .
Adjusts
column width
2. Press and hold down with the left mouse key and drag the border to the required
width.
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Automatic Method
You can automatically change the width of a column as follows:
1. Position the mouse pointer on the border between the column you want to modify and
the column to the right of it.
|| .
2. Double-click the left mouse key and the column will change automatically.
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Changing the Height of Rows

Manual Method
To change the height of all rows in the table:
1. Position the mouse pointer on any row border.
2. Press and hold down the left mouse key and drag the border to the required height.
Note: The height of all the rows in the table has changed, but not
the height of the table header row.
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3. Position the mouse on the bottom border of the table header row.
4. Drag the header border to the required height.
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Automatic Method
To change the height of a row automatically:
1. Position the mouse pointer on the border between the row you want to resize and the
row below it.
2. When the pointer changes to a
resize automatically.
, double click the left mouse key and the rows will
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AutoFit
The AutoFit feature allows you to specify the exact width & height of your columns and
rows.
1. Select the Student Count column to resize.
2. Select Format, Cell Height & Width from the Menu Toolbar.
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The Cell Height & Width window is displayed.
3. Enter a value for the column width and for the row height, or click on AutoFit button.
Exercise 3
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Applying Calculations
Calculations can be created with very little effort using BusinessObjects.
To view the available functions:
1. Place the mouse pointer over the column that requires a calculation.
2. Press the right mouse button.
A speedmenu is displayed.
3. Move the mouse pointer over Calculations in the speedmenu, to show the available
calculation functions.
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Using the Sum function

1. Left click on the data in the column Location Count to be summed.
2. Click on the
Insert Sum button on the Report Toolbar.
An overall total for the column you selected has been added to the bottom of the
column. If necessary, scroll down to the bottom of the table to see the sum.
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Using the Percentage function

1. Left click on the data in the Student Count column to apply a percentage.
2. Click on the
Insert Percentage button on the Report Toolbar.
A new column called Percentage is added to the table.
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Using the Count function

The Count function counts distinct values in a column.
1. Left click on the data in the Student Count column.
2. Click on the
Insert Count button in the Report Toolbar.
Another row is added to the bottom of the table showing the number of items in the
column.
The Count All function returns a count for all the rows in a column, including
duplicates and empty rows.
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Using the Average Function

The Average function calculates the average of the data selected.
1. Right click on the data in the Student Count column.
2. Select Calculations; Average from the speedmenu.
A row is added to the bottom of the table showing the average of the values in the
column.
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Using the Min Function

The Min function returns the minimum value from the column selected.
2. Select Calculations, Minimum from the speedmenu.
A row is added to the bottom of the table showing the minimum value in the column.
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Using the Max Function

The Max function returns the maximum value from the column selected.
2. Select Calculations, Maximum from the speedmenu.
A row is added to the bottom of the table showing the maximum value in the column.
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Removing Calculations
You can remove calculations by selecting them in the Calculations option of the
speedmenu or by clicking on the icons in the Report Toolbar.
1. Right click on the data in the column from which you wish to remove the calculation.
The speedmenu appears.
2. Select Calculations and the function you wish to have removed.
OR
1. Left click on the data in the column from which you wish to remove the calculation.
2. Left click on the button in the Report Toolbar for the function you want to remove.
Exercise 4
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Sorting Data
BusinessObjects provides the standard sort options with the additional capability of
designing your own sort order.
These three sort types and their associated icons are:
Ascending Sort
Descending Sort
Custom sort
These icons can be found in the speedmenu by selecting Insert Sorts and choosing the
sort order you desire.
OR
The same icons can be found in the Report Toolbar by selecting the
the
Insert Sort icon to display your sort options.
arrow button of
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Applying Sorts
Ascending Sort
1. Left click on the data in the Program Code Desc column.
2. Press the right mouse button and select Insert Sorts, Ascending.
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This will apply an ascending sort on the column you selected.
Descending Sort
1. Remove ascending sort from Program Code Desc.
Left click on the data in the Placement Code Desc column.
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2. Press the right mouse button and select Insert Sorts, Descending.
This will apply a descending sort on the column you selected.
Custom Sort
1. Left click on the data in Program Area, the column to be sorted.
2. Press the right mouse button and select Insert Sorts, Custom
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The Custom Sort window appears and shows the values available for the column you
selected. You can move the values up or down to create your own custom sort order.
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Removing Sorts
You can remove sorts by selecting them in the Insert Sorts option of the speedmenu or by
clicking on the icons in the Report Toolbar.
1. Right click on the data in the column from which you wish to remove the sort.
The speedmenu appears.
2. Select Insert Sorts and the sort you wish to have removed.
OR
1. Left click on the data in the column from which you wish to remove the sort.
2. Left click on the button in the Report Toolbar for the sort option you wish to have
removed.
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Removing Sorts
1. Click on Placement Code Desc report block.
Select Format, Sorts from the Menu Toolbar.
Select Program Code Desc.
2. Click the Remove button.

A warning box appears.
3. Click Yes to confirm the removal.

4. Click OK to close the Sorts window.
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Filtering Data
A filter is used to limit the data you return to your report to a particular value or values. By
applying a filter you eliminate the data thats not useful to your analysis but you havent
removed the data from the query itself. It remains in the data provider and can be added
back to the report by simply removing the filter.
Applying a Simple Filter

1. Click on NRS Level Desc.
2. Select Format; Filter from the Menu Toolbar.

The Filters window opens.
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The Filters On box provides the ability to filter globally (for the whole report) or by
report block. The blocks are shown as folders.
3. Click on Table 1, the folder you would like to apply a filter too.
4. Click Add.
The Variable(s) to Filter box is opened.
5. Select NRS Level Desc, the variable (object) you would like to filter, and press OK.
You are returned to the Filters box. The variable you chose is highlighted in the left
windowpane of the box.
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6. Click ASE High, the value in the right windowpane by which you would like to filter.
You may select more than one value by holding down the CTRL key as you select
each value.
7. Press OK to return your filtered report.
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Applying a Complex Filter

In the example above, the data was filtered for a specific value. If you require filtering upon
a specific condition such as Values greater than or equal to 500, you can use the Filter
Editor to build a filter based on a formula.
1. Left click on Contact Hours.
2. Select Format; Filter from the Menu Toolbar.

The Filters window opens.
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3. Click on Table 1, the folder you would like to apply a filter too.
4. Press the Add button.
The Variable(s) to Filter box is opened.
5. Select Contact Hours, the variable (object) you would like to filter and press OK.
6. You are returned to the Filters box. The variable you have chosen is highlighted in
the left windowpane of the box.
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7. Press the Define button.

The Filter Editor box is displayed.
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The Filter Editor is made up of four components:

Formulas this is where you build the formula using the Variables, Functions
and Operators from the boxes below.
Variables this box displays the variables in your report to which you may apply
your complex filter.
Functions this box displays a variety of functions that you may use in building
your formula.
Operators this box displays the operators that are available to you as you build
your formula.
8. In the Filter Editor, double-click on Contact Hours.
9. Select the function and/or operator.
Here is an example of a formula for a complex filter. The filter is for values greater
than or equal to 500 based on the Contact Hours measure object.
10. Press OK.
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11. Press Apply.

12. Press OK.
Your filtered results are displayed.
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Removing a Filter
1. Click anywhere in the report block from which you want to remove the filter.
2. Select Format, Filters from the Menu Toolbar.
The Filters window is displayed.
3. Select NRS Level Desc.

4. Press the Remove button.
A message box is displayed confirming that you want to remove the filter.
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5. Press the YES button.

You are returned to the Filters window
Exercise 5
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Simple Queries
The first step in creating a query requires picking a block style in which to present your data.
After you have chosen your block style then you can begin to develop your query to return
the data that you require. This section will guide you through selecting your block, creating
a query, editing the query and finally applying conditions to your query.
Block Style
BusinessObjects has several different block styles that can be used to format data in
reports:
Tables
Charts
Cross-tabs
Financial Tables
Tables
The tabular style is the BusinessObjects default. Tables display data in columns.
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Cross-tabs
A cross-tab is a form of table that displays data, usually numeric, at the intersection of
the rows and columns. The following example displays Curriculum Calculated FTE. The
row headings describe the data contained in the Program Area Code. The column
headings describe data contained in the Degree Code.
A cross-tab requires three items in your query:

A variable that returns text for the column heading
A variable that returns text for the row heading
A variable that returns numeric data for the body.
Charts
Charts are the graphic equivalent of tables and cross-tabs. We will not cover Charts in
this course. BusinessObjects offers five different chart styles, three of which will be used
most frequently for reporting:
Line (2-D & 3-D)
Column (2-D & 3-D)
Pie (2-D & 3-D)
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Pie Chart
Column Chart
Line Chart
Financial Tables
A financial table is similar to a standard table except that the headings are along the
vertical axis as opposed to the horizontal axis. We will not cover Financial Tables in this
course.
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The Elements of a Query

Queries
Queries enable you to retrieve data from the data warehouse. You build a query to bring
data to a report, either when you create the report or when you are refreshing an existing
report. In BusinessObjects selecting Objects from a Universe creates a query. Upon
execution of the query, BusinessObjects connects to the database and retrieves the data
mapped by the Objects you selected.
Objects
Objects are the components in a BusinessObjects universe that correspond to a collection
of data in the data warehouse. Object names are usually the same as the everyday terms
that you currently use. For a registration manager, objects might be Student Name,
Address, Major, or GPA, while for a financial aid analyst, objects might be Salary, Financial
Need Amount, etc.
The properties of an object reveal how it can be applied in a query. An object can have the
property of dimension, detail, or measure. Each kind of object is used for different
purposes:
Dimension Objects
Dimension objects return the data that will become the basis for analysis in a report.
Dimension objects characteristically return text data (College Names, Student Names,
etc.), or dates (Reporting-Year, Semester, etc.) They are identified with a blue cube.
Detail Objects
Detail objects provide additional information about a dimension object. They arent used
for analysis but might be useful to have as additional data. For example, a detail object
called Address would be associated with Student Name. Its not expected that you
would use an address of a student to perform analysis, but you may want to see it in a
report. A green pyramid denotes that an object is a Detail object.
Measure Objects
Measure objects return numeric data that has been calculated at the data warehouse
level. The values they return are dependent on the objects that have been placed in the
query. For example, if you include College ID Code, NRS Level Desc and Student
Count in a query, Student Count per NRS Level Desc is calculated. If you include
College ID and Student Count, Count per College is calculated, and so on. A pink
sphere indicates that an object is a Measure.
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Classes
Objects are grouped in folders that have names that reflect logical collections of information.
These folders are called classes. For example, in the Literacy Universe, one class is
Student Information. A class can be further divided into subclasses. A subclass of the
Student Information class is Startup Parameters.
Universes
A universe contains all the classes, which hold all the objects that pertain to different
operations within the North Carolina Community Colleges System. Following are some
kinds of universes in the NCCCS BusinessObjects configuration:
Course/FTE
Curriculum Student
Con Ed Student
Staff
Literacy
Curriculum Student II
For example, the data that a Continuing Education Registration Manager and a Curriculum
Registration Manager require differ substantially, so they would have separate universes,
which they use to retrieve their own data.
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The Query Panel1

A BusinessObjects query is formed in the Query Panel. Shown below is an example of
Literacy universe and its structure.
The Query Panel has three parts:

Classes and Objects
Result Objects
Conditions
Each box has an explicit function in building your query.
Classes and Objects
The Classes and Objects area displays the objects (Dimension, Detail & Measure) that are
available for creation of the query. By clicking on the + sign next to a Class folder you can
access the subclasses and objects youll need for your query.
1
Based on information in the BusinessObjects Training Manual
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You will also note that a help description displays at the bottom of the Query Panel for each
object as you click on them.
Result Objects
You create a query by placing objects from the Classes and Objects panel into the Results
Objects box.
Adding and Removing Objects
There are several methods you can use to move objects in and out of the Result Objects
box.
Adding an object:
Drag and drop the object anywhere in the Result Objects box.
Double click on the object
Deleting an object:
Drag and drop it back into the Classes and Objects box.
Right click on the object and
select remove on your
speedmenu.
Left click on the object and
press the Delete key on your keyboard.
You would then send your query to the data warehouse by pressing the
button.
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The Query Process2

When you press the
button, BusinessObjects executes the following steps:
1. The query is changed into a SQL query.

2. The SQL query is sent to the data warehouse.
3. The results of the SQL query are returned to the users computer and stored.
4. The contents of the query are presented in a block on the report in the
BusinessObjects document.
Based on information in the BusinessObjects Training Manual
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Documents3
A BusinessObjects document contains:
The data returned by the query and held in the data provider.
Blocks, such as tables, cross-tabs and charts, contain data from the data provider.
Reports are the end result of your work with BusinessObjects. Reports contain blocks of
data that you can manipulate and modify to satisfy your analysis and reporting
requirements.
Based on information in the BusinessObjects Training Guide
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Building a Query
So far, you have manipulated data in existing tables. Now you will create a query using the
table presentation style.
1. Create a new blank document by selecting the
Toolbar.
(New) button on the Standard
The New Report Wizard is started.
2. Click the Begin button at the bottom of the wizard panel.

The window that is displayed next lets you choose how you want to access the data
for your report. In order to access the data held in the data warehouse you must
select a Universe.
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3. Select Universe, then click Next.

4. The Select a Universe dialog appears. You now see a list of universes you can use.
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5. Select Literacy Training Universe, the universe that you would like to access.
6. Click the Finish button.
You are now presented with the Query Panel. This is the area where you will
construct your query.
7. Add the objects you want in your query.
Student Information class
Startup Parameters subclass
Select the following objects:
NRS Level Desc
Initial Lit Program Code
Student Reporting Measures subclass
Student Count
Contact Hours
Your query panel should look similar to the following:
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Now youre ready to run the query but first we need to check to see if we have created a
very large query. If the query is too large, the processing speed can be extremely slow.
BusinessObjects provides a mechanism to return 100 records from the data warehouse so
that you can review the results to see if this is indeed the query that you desire.
8. Click the View button at the bottom of the Query Panel.
The Data Manager window is presented.
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The Results tab shows the subset of data for your review. If the data returned is
what you expected, then run your query. If it is not what you expected, press the
Cancel button to be returned to the query panel so that you can modify your query.
9. Click OK to run the query.
BusinessObjects processes your query and returns the results to a table block.
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Editing a Query
When a query is edited the data returned to the data provider is changed. If you delete an
object from a query, the data returned by that object is no longer requested of the data
warehouse.
A query is created in the Query Panel and the editing of a query is done here as well.
1. Select Data; Edit Data Provider from the Menu Toolbar
The Query Panel is shown.
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2. Edit the query by adding or deleting objects in the Result Objects box. You may add
objects by dragging & dropping them or by double clicking them. To delete objects
you can drag and drop the object back to the Classes & Objects box or click on the
object in the Result Objects box and pressing the Delete key on your keyboard.
Editing a Table Block
Editing a query differs from editing the report block. If you remove a column from a table
block, it will be removed from your report but not from your query. As long as it remains in
your query you will be able to add it back in to your report by dragging and dropping from
the Report Manager window.
1. Select Contact Hours.
2. Click your right mouse button and choose Delete from your speedmenu.
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Notice that the object that you deleted from your table is still listed in the Variables
folder of the Report Manager panel.
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To add the object back into your table block:

3. Click on the Contact Hours object and drag it over to the table block while holding
down your left mouse button.
4. Position the object to the left or right of the column you want it next to until your
cursor is changed to a + sign and the area between the column is changed to a half
bracket.
5. Release your left mouse button and the object will be added.
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Exercise 6A
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Creating Query Conditions

A Query Condition is used when you want to limit the data returned by your query to a
specific value or group of values rather than all values. For example, you may wish to
generate a report for one particular Initial Lit Program Code within your college, such as
Initial Lit Program Code ESL.
In order to achieve this result you would need to create the following condition within your
query:
Initial Lit Program Code Equal to ESL
A condition statement is made up of three parts:
An object a column of data from your data provider
An operator identifies the relationship between the object and the operand
An operand the value of the object to be retrieved
Initial Lit Program Code Equal to ESL
Object
Operator Operand
Condition Types
There are five types of conditions that you can create:
Single condition - Single value
Single condition - Multiple value
Prompted condition
Multiple condition
Predefined condition
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Creating a Single-Value Condition

A single-value condition is used when you want to return information for one value. The
example we used above, Initial Lit Program Code Equal to ESL, is a single-value
condition.
The example we will use in the following steps begins with a query that has already been
created. The query returns Student Count & Contact Hours by NRS Level by Initial Lit
Program Code. We will then apply a condition so that the query Student Count & Contact
Hours for a particular NRS Level for all the colleges in our data warehouse.
1. Select Data; Edit Data Provider from the Menu Toolbar.
The Query Panel is displayed.
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2. Create a condition by selecting the following:

Startup Parameter subclass
Object: Initial Lit Program Code (Drag and drop the Initial Lit Program Code
object to the Conditions windowpane.)
The condition statement now requires you to select an operator.

3. Double click the Equal to operator.
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Please note that the condition statement now includes the Equal to operator.
You may select your operand in one of two ways:
By double clicking on Type a new constant and entering in the value ESL in the
condition statement.
By double-clicking on Show list of values and selecting the desired value from
the List of Values dialog box.
4. Select ESL and press the OK button.
The condition statement is now complete.

5. Press the Run button to execute the query.
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The table now returns Student Count & Contact Hours for Initial Placement ESL.
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Creating a Prompted Condition

You would use a prompted condition when you want BusinessObjects to prompt the user for
the value to be placed in the condition. Using the previous example, we will add a prompt
that asks the user to select the Initial Lit Program Code they would like to view.
1. Select Data; Edit Data Provider from the Menu Toolbar.
The Query Panel is displayed.
2. Drag and drop the Initial Lit Program Code object from the Classes and Objects
windowpane to the Conditions windowpane.
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The condition statement now requires you to select an operator. You will notice that
your Classes and Objects windowpane has now become an Operators
windowpane. A list of all the available operators is displayed in this area.
3. Double click on the Equal to operator.
Please note that the condition statement now includes the Equal to operator. Also,
the Operators windowpane has now become the Operands windowpane.
4. Double click on the Type a new prompt operand.
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5. Type in Enter the Initial Program Code to Report: and press Enter.
The condition statement is now complete.

6. Press the Run button to execute your query.
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A prompt box is returned that is requesting a Initial Lit Program Code be entered or
selected from the list of values by pressing on the Values box.
7. Select ABE as the Initial Lit Program Code by pressing the Values button and
pressing the OK button.
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Relational Operators4
Relational operators are used in condition statements to determine the kind of comparison
that will be made between two values or group of values. Relational operators are most
commonly used with numeric data and dates.
BusinessObjects lists relational operators by their function rather than their symbol as
follows:
Symbol
BusinessObjects function
Equal to
<>
Not equal to
>
Greater than
>=
<
<=
Greater than or equal to

Less than
Less than or equal to
To create a query with a relational operator:

We will create a query to count all students where the Total Contact Hours are greater
than or equal to 12.
1. Using Literacy universe, select the following:
Objects NRS Level Desc
Objects Student Count
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2. Drag and drop Total Contact Hours to the Conditions windowpane from the
Progress subclass.
3. Select the Greater than or Equal to operator from the Operators windowpane.
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4. Double click on the Type a new constant operand in the Operands windowpane.
5. Type 12 in the text box and press the Enter key on your keyboard.
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Your condition statement is now complete.

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Creating Multiple Conditions5

To generate a report that has more than one condition, the relationship between these
conditions is defined using the logical operators AND or an OR.
The AND operator is used when both conditions have to be met in order for data to be
returned by the query.
The OR operator is used when either condition can be met in order for data to be returned
by the query.
To create a query with Multiple Conditions:
We will create a query to return Total Contact Hours greater than or equal to 12 for all
students in the ABE Levels of NRS Level Desc.
1. Create a query with the NRS Level Desc and Total Contact Hours objects.
2. Drag and drop Total Contact Hours to the Conditions windowpane.
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3. Select the Greater than or Equal to operator from the Operators windowpane.
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5. Type in 12 in the text box and press the Enter key on your keyboard.
6. Drag and drop the NRS Level Desc into the Conditions windowpane.
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Note that BusinessObjects places an AND between the two conditions by default.
If the relationship between your conditions require an OR, double-click on
in
the Conditions pane and it will change to an OR.
7. Select the Matches Pattern operator from the Operators windowpane.
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9. Type in the pattern ABE% in the text box and press the Enter key on your keyboard.
Your condition statement is now complete.

Here are the query results:
Exercise 7
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Creating a Crosstab Report

Crosstab reports can be created from an existing table or they can be created from scratch
by selecting Insert; Crosstab from the Menu Toolbar.
We will create a new query from the Literacy Training universe.
Object College ID Code
Initial Lit Program Code
Student Report Measures subclass
Object Student Count
1. Click on the data in the College ID Code column (Dimension object).

2. Click and hold down the left mouse button in this column.
3. Drag the mouse to the upper right corner of the table.
4. When the mouse changes to a cross, let go of the mouse button
The table has been changed to a crosstab.
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Business Objects Training

Skilled Knowledge Worker (SKW)

Modifying Reports ........................................................................... 16

Changing the Height of Rows ............................................................................... 28

Using the Sum function......................................................................................... 34

Sorting Data .................................................................................... 41

Removing Sorts .................................................................................................... 46

Applying a Simple Filter ........................................................................................ 48

Block Style ............................................................................................................ 59

The Elements of a Query...................................................................................... 62

The Query Panel................................................................................................... 64

The Query Process............................................................................................... 66

Creating Multiple Conditions................................................................................. 91

The Basics of BusinessObjects

North Carolina Community Colleges Data Warehouse

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North Carolina Community Colleges Data Warehouse

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North Carolina Community Colleges Data Warehouse

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button in the Standard Toolbar.

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North Carolina Community Colleges Data Warehouse

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(Refresh Data) button in the Standard Toolbar.

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To save your document with a different file name:

2. Enter a new document name in the File Name box.

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Sending Documents to BusinessObjects Users

The Send window is displayed.

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4. Press the OK button.

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North Carolina Community Colleges Data Warehouse

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9. Press the OK button.

10. Press the OK button to complete the process.

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Receiving Documents from BusinessObjects Users

A listing of the documents that have been sent to you is displayed.

2. Select the document(s) you want to retrieve.

North Carolina Community Colleges Data Warehouse

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North Carolina Community Colleges Data Warehouse

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Exiting Business Objects

North Carolina Community Colleges Data Warehouse

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2. Position the mouse pointer over the border.

North Carolina Community Colleges Data Warehouse

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4. Drag the table to the desired location in the report page.

5. Release the mouse button.

North Carolina Community Colleges Data Warehouse