This update relates to the non-student Accounts Receivables, CAPS, Cash Management, Chart of Accounts, CSMA, Financials, Grants Management, Procure to Pay, Travel & Expense, and User Security folders.
OBI “By the Numbers” for October 2018
- 99.3%: Percentage of queries that completed in 1 minute or under
- 1,410: Number of distinct users in OBI for ALL subject areas – up 200 users since September
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193,591: Number of distinct requests made in ALL subject areas
- With 94,738 requests, the “Transaction Listing All” dashboard alone continues to make up almost half (48.9%) of all the requests at the university
Monthly OBI Release
Data Management Services (DMS) is pleased to announce that the next monthly OBI release will begin on Thursday, November 29th at 6pm. All changes will be implemented and the release complete by 9am on Friday, November 30th. Check out the newly updated OBI 3 Month Release Plan and Backlog wiki page for details of the dashboard changes in this release.
Update: “Name our Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Contest”
Earlier this year, DMS held a contest to find a name for the non-student OBI environment that contained the non-student Accounts Receivables, CAPS, Cash Management, Chart of Accounts, CSMA, Financials, Grants Management, Procure to Pay, Travel & Expense, and User Security folders. We had great voter participation, and the community selected for Harvard Oracle Business Intelligence Environment (HOBIE).
Unfortunately, after going through the review/approval process, DMS is unable to use the selected name. After working with the co-chairs of the OBI Working Groups and the Harvard Trademark Office, a new name was finalized: Harvard Analytics and Reporting Tool (HART). Going forward, communications for the OBI environment that contained the non-student Accounts Receivables, CAPS, Cash Management, Chart of Accounts, CSMA, Financials, Grants Management, Procure to Pay, Travel & Expense, and User Security folders will include the Harvard Analytics and Reporting Tool (HART) name.
Please congratulate Holly Ciavattone and Ted Torosian of the Harvard Museum of Science and Culture for coming up with Harvard Analytics and Reporting Tool (HART)!
Update on Service Unavailable Error Messages
Harvard Analytics and Reporting Tool (HART) users continue to receive the Service Unavailable messages. While we know the errors are still occurring, the complexity of the underlying architecture has made it very difficult for Oracle to pinpoint the exact cause of the issue. DMS has implemented tools to better monitor the environment and identify the root cause. DMS is working with Rittman Mead (a leading OBI consulting firm based in the UK) to perform a detailed assessment of the OBI environment and identify the solution to solve this problem. We also continue to work diligently with Oracle in searching for a resolution to this issue.
We realize this is frustrating for many of our users, and appreciate your patience. Please know that this is our team’s top priority.
Quick Tip: Best Practice for Exporting Large Amounts of Data
When exporting a large file, select the Export link under the data results and choose the Data>>CSV Format option. The results will export much faster and more thoroughly. This is also the option to choose when you are exporting results to use with the TLX Macro.
Please Note: Any formatting in the dashboard will not display in the exported results. The export results will contain all of the data for all columns in the dashboard, whether included in the results onscreen or available for inclusion via right-click.
Quick Tip: How to Avoid Error Messages When Exporting Data:
Sometimes, an error message is received when exporting to Excel. Based on the type of dashboard being exported, there are two options available to help with the data export:
- Use the Data>>CSV Format option described above if exporting a large amount of data.
- If there is only one page of data to export, select Export Current Page under the Page Options>>Export menu.
Please Note: Do not select Export Entire Dashboard, as this will often result in an error message.
Additional Resources for OBI
- The OBI dashboards are supported by readily accessible online simulations and job aids on the OBI wiki pages.
- OBI Drop-In Hours are held quarterly. Visit the OBI Training Calendar for links to register and to access the WebEx Session.
- For questions or concerns regarding OBI, please email huit-dms-obi-help@harvard.edu.
- For requests for enhancements to OBI, please email huit-dms-obi-request@harvard.edu.