BI Publisher Plugins For Excel
Overview
Welcome to the definitive resource for enhancing your data reporting capabilities with BI Publisher plugins for Excel. These plugins bridge the gap between the robust data processing of BI Publisher and the familiar, feature-rich environment of Excel. They are invaluable for users needing to overcome the limitations of traditional Excel formats and to streamline their reporting workflow with automation and direct server connections. On this page, we'll delve into what BI Publisher is, explore the seamless integration provided by plugins between BI Publisher and Excel, discuss common use cases for these plugins, and answer frequently asked questions to empower you with the knowledge to transform your data analysis and reporting.
What is BI Publisher?
Oracle BI Publisher is a reporting solution that enables users to create reports and documents with various layouts, including pixel-perfect formats and interactive management reports. It is designed to function seamlessly with web browsers and desktop tools, providing flexibility in how reports are generated and accessed. Additionally, BI Publisher is capable of integrating with any data source, making it a versatile tool for organizations dealing with diverse data sets.
Moreover, Oracle BI Publisher is engineered to handle the scheduling and delivery of large volumes of documents efficiently, with the capability to distribute thousands of documents per hour. Its design ensures that while performing these tasks, it has a minimal impact on transactional systems, preserving the performance and stability of those systems.
BI Publisher Plugins for Excel
BI Publisher Desktop
The BI Publisher Desktop plugin, which includes capabilities for both Microsoft Word and Excel, facilitates the design and creation of reports. This plugin is tailored for Microsoft Windows users, as it is compatible with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the operating system. However, it is not available for Mac OS or Linux users.
Template Builder for Excel
The Template Builder for Excel is a significant feature of the BI Publisher Desktop that streamlines the process of report creation in Excel by automating the insertion of simple mappings. It enables users to connect directly to the BI Publisher server from an Excel session, which is referred to as the connected mode. When in connected mode, users can upload templates directly to the BI Publisher catalog. Conversely, the disconnected mode is available for scenarios where a direct server connection is either not possible or not desired, allowing for the design and preview of templates offline. The Template Builder requires sample data, which can be obtained from the report data model or the report viewer, and this data can be loaded even while offline.
BI Publisher Excel Reporting
BI Publisher Excel reporting empowers users to create sophisticated report layouts within Excel, leveraging Excel's native functions and features. The Excel Template Builder, an add-in for Excel that is part of the BI Publisher Desktop Tools, provides a user-friendly interface to automate field and group mappings. It also enables users to test their templates by providing a preview using sample or live data. For those needing to perform more complex design tasks, manual coding using XSL and XSLT is required, and for certain features, the Excel 97-2003 Workbook binary format must be used to save the template.
Excel Template Features
Excel templates are designed to map data to worksheets, format output data, and even split hierarchical data across multiple sheets with dynamic naming. These templates can also perform preprocessing with XSLT to regroup data before it is rendered. The XDO_METADATA sheet plays a crucial role in Excel templates, as it contains advanced calculations and processing instructions that are automatically generated and should be hidden before template upload. Additionally, BI Publisher syntax and functions enable specific report features, such as data cell style definitions using the XDO_STYLE command and hyperlinks with the XDO_LINK command.
Advanced Excel Template Processing
For more intricate templates, BI Publisher Excel reporting allows the use of Java extension libraries, XSL subtemplates, and a variety of commands to control data layout and styling. XDO_GROUP and XDO_REGROUP commands enable data grouping within the template, and XDO_SKIPROW can suppress data rows based on certain conditions. Markup of the final report can be disabled using the XDO_MARKUP_? command, set to \"false\". In cases where the Excel templates incorporate XSL subtemplates, it is important to note that they cannot be previewed with the Template Builder for Excel.
Debugging and Output
When it comes to debugging templates, users can utilize the Template Viewer, which is installed alongside the Template Builder for Word. This tool helps in debugging reports by providing insights into the processing of XML data through the XSLT file before it is output in Excel format.
Common Use Cases
-
Automating the process of inserting simple mappings into Excel templates for enterprise reporting dataB
-
Designing and previewing BI Publisher report templates in Excel without a direct connection to the BI Publisher server by using disconnected modeB
-
Interacting directly with the BI Publisher server to design and format reports in Excel using connected modeB
-
Importing Analyzer for Excel templates into BI Publisher for enhanced report design capabilitiesB
-
Splitting data into multiple sheets and applying processing instructions within Excel templates using the XDO_METADATA sheetB
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the BI Publisher Desktop and what plugins does it support?
BI Publisher Desktop is an Oracle tool that can be installed with plugins for Microsoft Word and Excel, enabling the creation of report layouts.
Can the BI Publisher Desktop and its plugins be installed on any operating system?
The BI Publisher Desktop and plugins can be installed on Windows 7 and support both 64-bit and 32-bit operating systems.
What are the capabilities of Excel templates in BI Publisher?
Excel templates can format enterprise reporting data, map data to worksheets, process data, split hierarchical data across sheets, and create master-detail relationships while supporting native Excel functionality.
How do Excel templates handle data mapping and output in BI Publisher?
Excel templates use named cells to map fields from XML data and generate Excel binary (.xls) output. The cell names correspond to calculations and formatting instructions in the XDO_METADATA sheet.
What is the Template Builder in BI Publisher and how does it work?
The Template Builder is an Excel add-in that automates simple mappings, provides preview functionality, and can connect to the BI Publisher server in both connected and disconnected modes.
Conclusion
In summary, the integration of BI Publisher plugins with Excel significantly enhances data reporting and analysis capabilities. By leveraging the Template Builder for Excel and the Power BI Publisher for Excel, users can automate field mapping, preview templates, and create dynamic reports with advanced data formatting and splitting features. These tools facilitate a seamless connection to BI Publisher servers, allowing for efficient data manipulation and presentation. However, for a more streamlined workflow, consider using Sourcetable to import data directly into a spreadsheet. Sign up for Sourcetable today to get started and elevate your data analysis to the next level.
