SPICA

Desktop Intelligence
DATA SYSTEMS

Basic to Advanced Reports Development

SPICA What is Desktop Intelligence…
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• Desktop Intelligence is an editor that allows you

to create and edit BusinessObjects documents.
Using the Desktop Intelligence editor the user
has the ability to create simple reports very
quickly as well as create more complex reports
including multiple data sources and user-defined
variables.
SPICA The Need
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• Desktop Intelligence is a development editor for

reports, it provides the interface between
Universe & Reporting for the end users.
• End users are not expected to be technically
strong to understand & deal with universe. Desk-
i helps in developing simple to complex reports
& deploying them to Webintelligence for flexible
usage to end users.
• It enables handling of multi-data providers, free
hand SQL, creating variables etc in complex
reports.
SPICA Features
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Using Desktop Intellegence you can –

• Generate standard reports,

• Rank, Group Records,
• Use Alerters to highlight specific values,
• Perform Calculations on the data,
• Create User Defined Objects/variables,
• Slice & Dice the data,
• Analyze information by drilling it up-down
• Enable users to select the desired values using prompts etc.
• Use multiple data sources,
• Deploy & distribute the reports for sharing.
SPICA Getting Started
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SPICA Logging in
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SPICA The Wizard
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SPICA Data Access selection
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Contd…
SPICA Data Access selection
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BO provides 2 options to select the data source –

• Universe
• Others (includes…)
– Free hand SQL
– Personal data files (.xls, dBase, ASCII etc.)
– Stored Procedures
– Visual Basic for Applications procedures
– Web Connect
– XML Data Provider
SPICA Universe as Data Access
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• If user selects Universe as data access,

the list of available universes appears on
next screen.
• One can select specific universe as default
universe, if wants to work on same
universe repeatedly.
SPICA List of available Universes
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SPICA Query Panel – Objects view
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 Query Panel – Pre defined
SPICA Conditions view
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SPICA Objects & Conditions
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• Objects are used as data sources for specific

columns or derived calculations. These
elements go in Result Objects pane in query
panel.

• Conditions are predefined like “Year2000”, “age

group 18-24” etc. which filters the accessed data
based on parameters imposed. These elements
go in Conditions pane.
SPICA Building a Report
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• To build a report, simply drag the objects you

want to include in report to Result Objects pane,
drag objects or predefined conditions to
conditions pane if you want to impose
conditions.

• Specify the condition if using an object as

condition.

• Click Run button & Voíla, your report is ready !

SPICA Creating Report
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SPICA City wise Sales Report
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SPICA Creating Sections
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• What if my report produces huge data & I can not

read it properly?
• Answer is : Create value based Sections.
• A section holds all the relative information available
in report & breaks the table based on the values
used as section.
• To create Sections –
– Click on the field for which you want to create Section,
– Drag the value outside from the table
– for E.g. if you want City as section drag any city
 Simple Table
Vs
SPICA Sectioned table Report
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SPICA Table Formats
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• By default BusinessObjects produces results in

simple table format.

• The results can be turned to

– Crosstab reports,
– Charts
– Back to simple tables.
SPICA Crosstab & Chart format
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Cross
tab

3D
Line
Chart
SPICA Calculations
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• With BusinessObjects’ features you can perform

calculations on resulted measure columns.

• To calculate, click on the column you wish to

calculate,
– Right click Æ Calculations Æ desired operation (sum,
count, percentage etc.)
SPICA Calculations
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SPICA Exercise # 1
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Based on your eFashion’s universe, create a simple

report (Ref.name : citywise_sales_report)
• Display City wise Sales Revenue of Product Lines
for all quarters of all years.
1. Create Sections based on <City> object.
2. Create Sections based on <Lines> object.
3. Calculate Total Sales Revenue.
4. Display currency symbol ($) before revenue amount
(Hint : Format Cell ÆNumberÆ currency Format)
5. Create a copy of the table.
6. Turn the copied table into Bar Chart.
7. Turn the simple table into Cross tab Report.
SPICA Exercise # 2
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Create a report that display the variance of <Sales

Revenue> between Quarter 1& Quarter 2, Quarter 3
& Quarter 4 for each Product Line. (Ref.name :
Revenue_variance_report)
• Use <Year>,<Quarter>, <Lines>,<Sales Revenue>
Objects.
• Create Section on <Year>, turn the table to
Crosstab
• Calculate the variance (Hint : select Qtr2, Qtr1, click
“Insert variance” from toolbar.