Creating Basic Ad Hoc Reports in Smart View

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through the process of creating basic ad hoc reports in Oracle Smart View for Office. Using Smart View, you can retrieve and analyze data within Excel spreadsheets, enabling you to conduct ad hoc analysis for various business processes, including Planning and Financial Consolidation.

Step 1: Accessing Ad Hoc Analysis

• Open Excel and ensure that Oracle Smart View is enabled.
• Access ad hoc analysis by:
  • Selecting it from the Actions Panel.
  • Right-clicking an object in the Smart View Panel and choosing "Ad Hoc Analysis."
• For this tutorial, select the Plan1 cube for your analysis.

Step 2: Understanding the Ad Hoc Ribbon

• Familiarize yourself with the Ad Hoc ribbon, which provides quick access to analysis tasks.
• Notice the grid layout with dimensions arranged in rows and columns.
• Use the Point of View (POV) dialog box to set dimensions that apply to the entire report. You can dock the POV by dragging it to the ribbon.

Step 3: Modifying Your Initial Grid

• To select specific members:
  • Use Member Selection to add or remove members.
  • Type the name of the member directly into the grid (e.g., "Sales" entity).
• After making changes, refresh the grid to see updated data.
• For the Account dimension, use the search feature to find and add specific accounts, like "Gross Profit."

Step 4: Adjusting the POV

• Select members for the POV by:
  • Clicking the ellipsis next to a dimension in the drop-down list.
  • Using the up and down arrows to rearrange the order of members.
• To view data for a different member, select it from the POV and click Refresh.

Step 5: Pivoting Dimensions

• You can pivot dimensions to change their position in the report:
  • Drag a dimension from the POV toolbar to rows or columns.
  • Use the Ad Hoc ribbon to pivot dimensions that are currently in rows or columns:
    • Selecting a member and choosing "Pivot" will switch its position.
• Note that the last dimension in a row or column cannot be pivoted.

Step 6: Zooming In and Out

• To view more detailed data:
  • Select a member and use the Zoom In button to expand the view.
  • Double-click a member to zoom in quickly.
• Use the Zoom Out button to return to a summary level.
• For example, selecting "YearTotal" and zooming in to "All Levels" will show all quarters and months.

Step 7: Customizing Your Report

• To refine your report:
  • Remove specific time periods (e.g., the second half of the year) by selecting them and clicking "Remove Only."
  • Keep only certain members (e.g., "Total Revenue") by selecting it and clicking "Keep Only."
• Combine these techniques with zooming and pivoting to display a comprehensive view of your data.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can effectively create and customize basic ad hoc reports using Oracle Smart View. Experiment with different dimensions, members, and layout options to gain insights into your data. For further learning, explore related tutorials and documentation on Oracle's official site.