17
Metadata Browsing and Reporting

Use Warehouse Builder Design Browser to browse metadata stored in your repository and view reports on that metadata. You can access metadata reports from the Warehouse Builder client, which opens through a browser created and maintained by your Internet Application Server Administrator.

This chapter contains the following information:

• About Warehouse Builder Design Browser

• Using Warehouse Builder Design Browser

• Viewing Warehouse Builder Reports

About Warehouse Builder Design Browser

You can use Warehouse Builder Design Browser to view and generate reports on all repository metadata objects and the relationships between those objects.

You have two options with the Warehouse Builder Design Browser. You can use the client version, which is installed together with the Warehouse Builder Client, or you can use the Portal version--the version of Warehouse Builder Design Browser that is integrated with Oracle9i Application Server. The version available to you depends on what steps your Warehouse Builder Administrator performed during installation. For more information on the two versions of the Warehouse Builder Design Browser, refer to the Oracle9i Warehouse Builder Installation and Configuration Guide.

The Warehouse Builder Design Browser consists of portlets that you can add to customize your portal page. You can add more than one of each type of portlet. For example, you can add two Reports portlets with each running a report on a different repository.

The portlets used for viewing and generating reports on metadata include the following:

• Favorites Portlet

• Navigator Portlet

• Reports Portlet

Navigator Portlet

The Navigator Portlet enables you to browse repositories accessible to the current user, as shown in Figure 17-1. The Navigator Portlet has the same functionality as the main Navigator page, except it displays within the area of the portlet. You can click the Full Page link to display the Navigator in full page mode.

Figure 17-1 Navigator Portlet

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Favorites Portlet

The Favorites Portlet provides access to your favorite Navigator pages and Reports from your Oracle Portal home page, as shown in Figure 17-2. This portlet does not contain any default favorites. You can select Navigator pages and Reports as favorites using the Add to My Favorites links on the Warehouse Builder Navigator. You can also click the Full Page link to display Favorites in full page mode.

Figure 17-2 Favorites Portlet

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To view your favorite Navigator pages, select an item name under the column Name. You can also use the action links to view the properties, contents, related items, reports, or links associated with this item.

To view your favorite Reports, select a report name under the Report column. If you click on the item name under the column Name, the Navigator page for that item displays.

Reports Portlet

The Reports Portlet displays a Warehouse Builder Report on your Oracle Portal home page, as shown in Figure 17-3. This portlet does not contain a default Report. To display a Report, you must add a report to your favorites and use the Customize link on this portlet to add it.

Figure 17-3 Reports Portlet

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Note: When you have a Reports portlet on your Oracle Portal home page, it refreshes each time you reload the home page. This can delay the home page display.

Using Warehouse Builder Design Browser

Use Warehouse Builder Browser to browse metadata reports and search for specific information.

Starting Warehouse Builder Design Browser

You can start either the client or the Portal version of the Design Browser from within Warehouse Builder client. You can also start either version outside of the Warehouse Builder client.

To start the Design Browser from the Warehouse Builder client:

1. From the menu, select View and then Reports.

   Warehouse Builder launches your internet browser and displays the Warehouse Builder Browser Navigator.

   If the internet browser displays and error message, the Design Browser may have been configured incorrectly. Refer to the Oracle9i Warehouse Builder Installation and Configuration Guide for instrucctions for configuring the Design Browser.

2. Use the Navigator page to define a metadata report.

   The Navigator page displays at root level and lists only your login repository. There is no Administration page. You have all the privileges. All Lineage and Impact Analysis options are now available under the Refresh Dependency Index link. Only English is supported. MLS is available. No custom reports. Favorites are available.

To start the client version of the Design Browser from outside Warehouse Builder client:

1. Start OC4J.

   For Windows: From your desktop Start menu, select Programs, then Your_Warehouse_Builder_Home, then Warehouse Builder, and Start OC4J. A DOS window opens.

   For UNIX: Locate ORACLE_HOME/owb/bin/unix and execute startOwbbInst.sh.

   A message reading "Oracle9iAS (9.0.2.0.0) Container for J2EE is initialized" appears.

2. Minimize the message window.

3. Start the Design Browser Client.

   For Windows: From your desktop Start menu, select Programs, then Your_Warehouse_Builder_Home, then Warehouse Builder, then OWB Design Browser.

   For UNIX: Locate ORACLE_HOME/owb/bin/unix and execute openDB.sh.

4. Log in to the Design Browser client by providing the following information:

   HTTP Server Host Port: The default is 7778. Older versions of Oracle HTTP Server have a default of 80.

   DAD: Name of the Warehouse Builder Design Repository you want to browse.

   Repository User Name and Password: These are the User Name and Password assigned to the Design Repository during installation. They may not be the same as your Warehouse Builder User Name and Password.

Starting the Portal Version of the Design Browser

To start Warehouse Builder Design Browser if you have integrated it with Oracle9i Application Server, you need the Oracle Portal internet address and an Oracle Portal user account. Contact your Internet Application Server (iAS) Administrator for the required information.

To start the Warehouse Builder Browser:

1. Open your internet browser and set the URL to your Oracle Portal address.

2. Click Login.

   The Warehouse Builder Browser uses a standard Oracle Portal login screen, as shown in Figure 17-4. This is not specific to the Warehouse Builder Browser.

Figure 17-4 Single Sign-On Page

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3. Log on to Oracle Portal using a user name and password that has access privileges to the Warehouse Builder Browser portlets. The Internet Application Server (iAS) Administrator is responsible for providing user accounts. Each user has their own user name and password.

   After you log in, the default Oracle Portal home page displays. To display the Warehouse Builder Browser portlets, you must add them to a page such as the Oracle Portal home page and then navigate to that page. Use the Edit Page option to add portlets. For information on adding portlets, see "Adding Portlets".

   Figure 17-5 shows an example Portal page showing Warehouse Builder portlets.

Figure 17-5 Example Portal Page Showing Warehouse Builder Portlets

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Navigating Warehouse Builder Browser

After you have started the Warehouse Builder Browser, you first see the Navigator page, as shown in Figure 17-6. This page includes the following parts:

• Header Section

• Path Section

• Tabbed sections containing the Properties Tab, Contents Tab, Related Tab, Reports Tab, and Links Tab.

Figure 17-6 Warehouse Builder Navigator

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Header Section

Every Warehouse Builder Browser page displays a header at the top of the page similar to the header shown in Figure 17-7.

Figure 17-7 Navigator Header

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The header contains the title of the page and useful links. To the right of the title is the Home link. Below the title are links for Add to My Favorites, Browse My Favorites, Customize, and Logout.

Path Section

The Navigator page displays information about the currently selected path in the middle of the page.

Figure 17-8 Item Definition

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The path section contains the following:

• Item Name: On the left, Warehouse Builder Browser displays the item name. This is the name of the item to which you have navigated. In Figure 17-8, this is a project named GROCERY.

• Help/Question Mark: On the far right, Warehouse Builder Browser displays the help icon. The Help link opens online help for the Navigation Page.

• Path: Below the item name, Warehouse Builder Browser displays the path. The Path shows you the context of the item. It lists the items in the hierarchy and also shows the type of each item. You can click an item in the path to make it the current item. In Figure 17-8, the path is Path: MyRepository: Repository > GROCERY:Project.

• Role: Below the help icon on the right, Warehouse Builder Browser displays the role for the current user. In Figure 17-8 the role is Warehouse User.

Body Section

Every Warehouse Builder Browser page displays detailed information at bottom of the page. Select a tab to view details specific to the tab.

Properties Tab

The Properties tab displays property name-value pairs for the current item, as shown in Figure 17-9. The property names are different depending on the type of the current item.

Figure 17-9 Properties Tab

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Table 17-1 describes the columns displayed in the Properties tab.

Table 17-1 Property Column Values  

Column Name	Value
Property Name	The name of the property as defined in the Warehouse Builder Public Views. For more details on the Public views, see "Creating Custom Reports".
Property Value	The value of the property from the Warehouse Builder repository for the current item.

Contents Tab

The Contents tab lists the items that the current item contains. For example, if the current item is a table, then the Contents tab lists the columns, keys, and foreign keys. Use this tab when you drill down into the Warehouse Builder repository. In Figure 17-10, the current item is the Warehouse Builder repository and the list of items that the repository contains. Table 17-2 lists the columns in the Contents tab and brief descriptions of their values.

Figure 17-10 Contents Tab

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Table 17-2 Contents Column Values  

Column Name	Value
Physical Name	The name of the item.
Type	An icon showing a graphical representation of the item type along with the item type.
Actions	A set of links that go to the tab named on the link for the current item. Properties: Select Properties to make the item on that row the current item and to view the Properties tab for that item. Contents: Select Contents to make the item on that row the current item and to view the Contents tab for that item. Related: Select Related to make the item on that row the current item and to view the Related tab for that item. Reports: Select Reports to make the item on that row the current item and to view the Reports tab for that item. Links: Select Links to make the item on that row the current item and to view the Links tab for that item.

Related Tab

The Related tab allows you to view relationships between items, as shown in Figure 17-11. For example, if the current item is a table, then you can identify tables related by foreign keys. You can use this tab to drill down into items in the repository. When you make one of these items the current item, the path switches to represent the path of the new item.

Figure 17-11 Related Tab

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Table 17-3 lists the columns in the Related tab and brief descriptions of their values.

Table 17-3 Related Column Values  

Column Name	Value
Name	The name of the item.
Type	An icon showing a graphical representation of the item type along with the item type name.
Actions	A set of links that go to the tab named on the link for the current item. Properties: Select Properties to make the item on that row the current item and to view the Properties tab for that item. Contents: Select Contents to make the item on that row the current item and to view the Contents tab for that item. Related: Select Related to make the item on that row the current item and to view the Related tab for that item. Reports: Select Reports to make the item on that row the current item and to view the Reports tab for that item. Links: Select Links to make the item on that row the current item and to view the Links tab for that item.

Reports Tab

The Reports tab shows you the available reports for the current item, as shown in Figure 17-12. The reports you can view from the Reports tab depend upon your user role. A Warehouse User sees a different set of reports than a Warehouse Engineer. Table 17-4 lists the columns in the Reports tab with brief descriptions of their values.

Figure 17-12 Reports Tab

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Table 17-4 Reports Column Values  

Column Name	Value
Name	The name of the report.
Actions	View: Displays the report.

Links Tab

The Links tab allows you to associate other sources of information with an object or a type of object, as shown in Figure 17-13. You can link to anything that can be described with a URL, such as documents stored in Oracle Portal content areas or other web pages.

Figure 17-13 Links Tab

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Use the Customize link on the Links tab to edit, delete, or add links.

Note: You can only edit or delete links you created. You cannot edit or delete the links created by other repository users.

To edit a link:

1. Navigate to the object or object type that the link is associated with and select the Links tab.

2. From the Links tab, select Customize.

   The Customize Warehouse Builder Links page displays the Existing Links, as shown in Figure 17-14.

Figure 17-14 Customize Warehouse Builder Links Page

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3. Select edit for the link you want to edit.

   The Edit Link page displays the current link settings, as shown in Figure 17-15.

Figure 17-15 Edit Link Page

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4. Edit the link properties and click OK.

To delete a link:

1. Navigate to the object or object type that the link is associated with and select the Links tab.

2. From the Links tab, select Customize.

   The Customize Warehouse Builder Links page displays the Existing Links.

3. Select delete from links for the link you want to delete.

   The link is deleted and the Customize Warehouse Builder Links page displays without the deleted link in the list of existing links.

4. Click OK to go back to the Links tab.

To add a link:

1. Navigate to the object or object type that you want to associate the new link with and select the Links tab.

2. From the Links tab, select Customize.

   The Customize Warehouse Builder Links page displays the Existing Links.

3. Select Add Link.

   The Add Link page displays, as shown in Figure 17-16.

Figure 17-16 Add Link Page

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4. Specify the link properties using Table 17-5 and click OK.

   Table 17-5 Link Properties  

   Field	Description
   Display Name	Type a name for the link.
   URL	For an external web site, provide the complete URL. For files that are in an Oracle Portal content area, use the Oracle Portal Navigator to reach the content area where the file is listed. Right-click on the file and copy the URL location. Then return to the Add Link page and paste the URL into the URL field.
   Description	Type an optional description for the link.
   Scope	Choose one of the options: Link applies to only this object: For example, if the current item is the Customer Table, this option makes this link available to only the Customer Table. Link applies to all objects of this type: For example, if the current item is the Customer Table, this option makes this link available to all tables.
   Options	Choose from the following options: Make Public: Select this option if you want other users to access this link. Add to action list: Select this option to add a link on the Contents tab for the current item. Attach Warehouse Builder repository name and object ID: Select this option to attach the Warehouse Builder repository name and object ID to the link.

Browsing Favorites

Select Browse My Favorites to view your Warehouse Builder Favorites page. Every navigation page and every report has an Add to My Favorites link on the top right corner. When you select this link, a link to the current report or Navigation page is added to your Favorites list. You can also use the features on the Favorites pages to delete items from the list and to change the formatting of the list.

The Favorites Page contains a selection of reports and navigation that you select, as shown in Figure 17-17.

Figure 17-17 Warehouse Builder Favorites Page

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General Page Information

The top of every Warehouse Builder Browser page has a header that defines the type of page you are looking at. The header has links to your default home page, help page, customize page, and log out.

If you want to customize your Favorites page, select the Customize link. For details about customizing your page, see "Customizing Your Favorites Page".

Favorites Filter

You can narrow the content of the two Favorite tables by selecting a particular Repository, Role, or Item Type. Each of these Items has an All option. Figure 17-18 shows the filter on the Favorites page.

Figure 17-18 Favorites Filter

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Navigation Favorites

The Favorites page displays Navigation Favorites in the following format. Figure 17-19 shows the Navigation Favorties page.

• Type: Type shows the item type and an icon representing the type.

• Name: The name of the item. Select the name to view the Navigation content page for that item.

• Path: The Path shows the fully qualified name of the item as it appears in the Path field on the Navigator page. You can remove this column using the Favorites Customize Options Page.

• Actions: Actions provide links to tabs in the Navigator page for that item.

• Description: Description shows the optional descriptive text you added to a favorite in the Favorites Customize page.

Figure 17-19 Navigation Favorites

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Report Favorites

The Favorites page displays Report Favorites in the same format as Navigation Favorites. Figure 17-20 shows the Navigation Favorites page.

Figure 17-20 Reports Favorites

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Customizing Your Favorites Page

To customize your favorites page, select Options on the Favorites Customize page. The Customize Display Options page displays, as shown in Figure 17-21 and Figure 17-22. Use this page to change the layout of your favorites on the Favorites page.

Figure 17-21 Favorites Customize Display Options Page

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This page contains the following options:

• Apply: Applies the changes without returning to the previous page.

• OK: Applies the changes and returns to the previous page.

• Cancel: Ignores any changes and returns to the previous page.

• Show: Sets the maximum number of rows to display in the tables. If there are more items than can be shown, you click Next and Previous to see the remaining items.

• Show Descriptions: Select Yes to show the description column or No to hide the column.

• Show Path: Yes, shows the path column. No, hides the column.

Figure 17-22 Customize Favorites Page

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Table 17-6 describes the columns displayed in the Customize Favorites page.

Table 17-6 Customize Favorites Page Actions  

Action	Description
Edit	Use the Edit action to enter a description for a favorite. The description appears as a column in the Favorites list. Choose OK or Cancel to return to the Customize Page.
Delete from Favorites	Use this action to remove an entry from the Favorites table. This does not remove the item from the Warehouse Builder Repository.

Viewing Warehouse Builder Reports

You can view Browser reports for Warehouse Builder repositories using the following tools:

• Warehouse Builder Client

• Warehouse Builder Browser

Viewing Reports in the Warehouse Builder Client

You can view metadata reports using the Warehouse Builder client. However, you must first ensure that Oracle9i Portal is installed. To view metadata reports, first complete the steps described in "Configuring the Warehouse Builder Client".

To access reports from the Warehouse Builder client:

1. Open a project in Warehouse Builder and, from the navigation tree, expand any node and select any object. Or, open any editor such as the Mapping Editor or the Process Flow Editor.

2. From the View menu, select Reports.

   Warehouse Builder launches the logon screen for the Oracle Portal site you defined in the Preferences window. For more information, see "Setting Preferences".

3. Enter your Internet Application Server (iAS) Single Sign-On user name and password.

   The Warehouse Builder Browser displays a list of reports available for the selected object as shown in Figure 17-25.

4. Click the view link for a report.

   The report displays in a separate window. Figure 17-23 shows an example of the Table Summary Report.

Figure 17-23 Warehouse Builder Report

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To print the report, select the print operation from the browser menu or toolbar.

Viewing a Custom Report

To view a custom report from the Warehouse Builder Browser:

1. Log on to the Warehouse Builder Browser, select the role that has access to the report, and click Browse.

2. Navigate to an instance of the report type and select the Reports tab.

3. The custom report appears in the reports list. Select the view action link.

The report displays.

Viewing Reports in Warehouse Builder Browser

You can view reports from the Warehouse Builder Browser without installing Warehouse Builder Client. You start by launching Oracle Portal. From there you can select the Warehouse Builder Browser portlets.

To view metadata reports in Warehouse Builder Browser:

1. Select a Warehouse Builder Repository from the Repository drop-down list in the Warehouse Builder Browser Launcher portlet, as shown in Figure 17-24.

   The Repository list contains repositories that have been previously set up by your Warehouse Administrator using the Warehouse Builder Browser Administration pages.

Figure 17-24 Selecting a Repository

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2. Select the role you want to use: Warehouse Engineer, QA User, Warehouse User.

   The role determines the reports you can access. Roles are set up by your Warehouse Administrator in the Warehouse Builder Browser Administration pages.

3. Click Browse.

   This displays the Warehouse Builder Navigation Pages. You can then navigate around your repository and find the item to report on.

4. Select the Reports tab.

   Warehouse Builder Browser displays the reports available for that item as shown in Figure 17-25.

5. Select the view link to view the report.

Warehouse Builder Metadata Reports

Warehouse Builder contains a set of reports that use Warehouse Builder public views, as shown in Figure 17-25.

Figure 17-25 Warehouse Builder Metadata Reports

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Use these reports to examine your metadata. The following reports are available:

• Summary Reports

• Detailed Reports

• Implementation Reports

• Lineage and Impact Analysis Reports and Diagrams

• Lineage and Impact Analysis Diagrams

For related information, see:

• Creating Custom Reports

Summary Reports

You can run summary reports against source modules and target systems. Each summary report presents a list of items contained within the module. The type of items displayed is determined by the summary report you select. For example, a Table Summary Report lists all tables in the module. A Materialized View Summary Report lists all materialized views in the module. Header information that identifies the module also displays. Selecting the name of an item displays the detailed report for that item.

You can run the summary reports for the following objects:

• Advanced Queue

• Collection

• Cube

• Dimension

• External Table

• File

• Function

• Materialized View

• Procedure

• Sequence

• Table Library

• Table Function

• Table

• Transform Map

• View

Figure 17-26 shows a section from a Dimension Summary Report.

Figure 17-26 Dimension Summary Report

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Detailed Reports

Detailed reports provide comprehensive information about an item. For example, a Detailed Table Report lists information about the table columns, keys, foreign keys, and physical configuration parameters. Table 17-7 list the Detailed Reports and their contents.

Table 17-7 Detailed Reports  

Report	Contents
Detailed Advanced Queue Report	Information not listed.
Detailed Collection Report	Items in a collection.
Detailed Connector Report	Information not listed.
Detailed Cube Implementation Report	Information not listed.
Detailed Cube Report	Measures, Dimensions, and physical configuration parameters
Detailed Dimension Implementation Report	Information not listed.
Detailed Dimension Report	Hierarchies, Levels, Level Attributes, and physical configuration parameters
Detailed External Table Report	Information not listed.
Detailed File Module Report	Information not listed.
Detailed File Report	Records and physical configuration parameters
Detailed Function Library Report	Functions and physical configuration parameters
Detailed Function Report	Parameters and Function Implementations
Detailed Installation Report	Projects
Detailed Location Report	Information not listed.
Detailed Materialized View Report	Columns, Keys, Foreign Keys, and physical configuration parameters
Detailed Module Report	Cubes, Dimensions, Function Libraries, Materialized Views, Sequences, Tables, Views, Transform Maps, Files, and physical configuration parameters
Detailed Object Report	Information not listed.
Detailed Process Flow Activity Report	Information not listed.
Detailed Process Flow Module Report	Information not listed.
Detailed Process Flow Package Report	Information not listed.
Detailed Process Flow Package Report	Information not listed.
Detailed Process Flow Report	Information not listed.
Detailed Process Transition Report	Information not listed.
Detailed Project Report	Modules and Business Areas
Detailed Record Report	Fields
Detailed Repository Report	Information not listed.
Detailed Runtime Location Report	Information not listed.
Detailed Sequence Report	Columns and physical configuration parameters
Detailed Table Function Report	Information not listed.
Detailed Table Report	Columns, Keys, Foreign Keys, and physical configuration parameters
Detailed Transform Map Report	Object Uses, Map Components, Item Maps, and physical configuration parameters
Detailed Transform Map Report	Information not listed.
Detailed View Report	Columns, Keys, Foreign Keys, and physical configuration parameters

Figure 17-27 shows a section from a Detailed Cube Report.

Figure 17-27 Detailed Cube Report

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Implementation Reports

Implementation Reports can be run on Dimensions and Cubes. They provide information on how physical objects are used to implement logical objects. Table 17-8 lists the available Implementation Reports.

Table 17-8 Implementation Reports  

Report	Content
Cube Implementation Report	Tables that implement the Cube, Columns that implement the Measures, Foreign Keys that implement the Cube to Dimension Use
Dimension Implementation Report	Levels and the tables that implement them, Level Attributes and the Columns that implement them

Lineage and Impact Analysis Reports and Diagrams

Lineage and Impact Analysis Reports and Diagrams are available for Cubes, Dimensions, Materialized Views, Tables, Views, and Records.

Impact Analysis Reports

Impact Analysis Reports list all items belonging to the subject of the report. The name of the mapping and the name of the item that it is mapped to is also displayed. The report provides a one-step impact analysis for all items related to the selected item.

For example, if you want a list of all the columns in a table used as sources in any mappings, use this report.

Lineage Reports

Lineage Reports are similar to Impact Analysis Reports. They list items that are used as targets in a mapping.

Figure 17-28 shows a section from an Impact Analysis report.

Figure 17-28 Impact Analysis Report

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Lineage and Impact Analysis Diagrams

A Lineage Diagram graphically displays all the objects and transformations that are used to make up the subject of the Diagram. Lineage can be performed at either the object level or the item level. At the Object Level, the diagram can contain Tables, Views, Materialized Views, Dimensions, Cubes, Records, and Operators. At the item level the diagram can contain Columns, Measures, Fields, Operator Parameters, and Level Attributes.

The Lineage Diagram is displayed with the subject on the right side of the screen.

An Impact Analysis Diagram is identical except it shows all objects and transformations that might be affected by a change to the subject. The subject is displayed on the left side of the screen.

Figure 17-29 shows an example of an Impact Analysis Diagram.

Figure 17-29 Impact Analysis Diagram

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Lineage and Impact Analysis diagrams are created based on a Dependency Index. In order for the data displayed in the diagram to be current, the index must be refreshed. You can also create custom reports that are based on Warehouse Builder Public Views. For more information, see "Creating Custom Reports".

Note: To access the Warehouse Builder metadata reports, you must have access to an Oracle Portal site with a configured Warehouse Builder Browser portlet.