An email came in this morning to an internal mailing list,
We have an Essbase customer with some reporting requirements and we are evaluating BI Publisher as the potential solution. I'd like to ask for your help with any document, blog or white paper with guidelines about using BI Publisher with Essbase as the main data source.
Is there any tutorial showing how to use BI Publisher with Essbase as the main data source?
There is not one to my knowledge but trying to be helpful I came up with the following response
I'll refer to the docs ...
First set up your connection to Essbase
http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E28280_01/bi.1111/e22255/data_sources.htm#BIPAD294
Then create your data model using that Essbase connection
http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E28280_01/bi.1111/e22258/create_data_sets.htm#BIPDM404
Use the MDX query builder to create the query or write it yourself (lots of fun :)
http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E28280_01/bi.1111/e22258/create_data_sets.htm#BIPDM431
Add parameters (optional)
http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E28280_01/bi.1111/e22258/add_params_lovs.htm#BIPDM306
Then build layouts for your Essbase query
http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E28280_01/bi.1111/e22254/toc.htm
annnnd your're done :)
Simple, right? Well simple in its format but it required me to know the basic steps to build said report and then where to find the appropriate pages in the doc for the links. Leslie saw my reply and commented on how straightforward it was and how our docs are more like reference books than 'how to's.' This got us thinking. I have noticed that the new 'cloud' docs have How do I ... sections where a drop down will then show maybe 10 tasks associated with the page Im on right now in the application.
Getting that help functionality into the BIP is going to take a while. We thought, in the mean time, we could carve out a section on the blog for just such content. Here's where you guys come in. What do you want to know how to do? Suggestions in the comment pleeeease!