Connect to OracleBI Discoverer page

Use this page to manage Discoverer connections. A Discoverer connection stores Discoverer login details (i.e. a Discoverer username, password, and database connection string). Use this page to:

view Discoverer connection details
start Discoverer by choosing a Discoverer connection
update existing Discoverer connections
create new Discoverer private connections
remove Discoverer private connections

If this page does not display any connections or the Create Connection button:

you can enter connection details and connect to Discoverer by entering connection details in the "Connect Directly" area
Discoverer has not been associated with an infrastructure (for more information, ask the Discoverer manager)

Create Connection

Use this button to display the Create Connection page, where you store the login details for a new Discoverer private connection.

Details

Use the Show and Hide links to display or hide Discoverer connection details.

Connection

Use this column to view existing Discoverer connections and to start Discoverer using one of the connections.

Click a connection link in this column to start Discoverer using an existing connection.

Click the column heading to:

sort the list of connections by the values displayed in this column
alternate the display between ascending and descending order

Description

Use this column to find out more information about connections.

Click the column heading to:

sort the list of connections by the values displayed in this column
alternate the display between ascending and descending order

Update

Use this column to display the Edit Connection page, where you update the details of the selected connection. For example, you might want to change the connection name or the EUL.

Delete

Use this column to remove the selected connection.

Connect Directly

Use this area to enter login details to connect directly to Discoverer. Depending on the login details you are prompted for, you might need to specify login information in some of the fields listed below.

Note: If you do not know which login details to use, ask the Discoverer manager.

Connect To

Use this drop down list to select an option to use to connect to Discoverer as follows:

OracleBI Discoverer - displays fields that enable you to enter connection details required to connect to a relational data source
Oracle Applications - displays fields that enable you to enter connection details required to connect to an Oracle Applications data source
OracleBI Discoverer for OLAP - displays fields that enable you to enter connection details required to connect to a multidimensional data source

User Name

Use this field to enter a database username. For example, pchan.

Password

Use this field to enter the password for the name in the User Name field. For example, 37463823.

Note: This field is not displayed when all of the following conditions apply:

if you select Oracle Applications from the Connect To drop down list
if OracleAS Single Sign-On is enabled for Discoverer
if the Connection supported drop down list is set to TRUE in the Discoverer Viewer Configuration page in Oracle Application Server Control

Database

Use this field to enter the database name. For example, companydatabase or <host>:<port>:<sid> for OLAP connections.

End User Layer

Use this field to enter the name of the Discoverer End User Layer (EUL) that you want to use to log in to Discoverer. This field is case sensitive, therefore you must enter the EUL name using the correct combination of lower and uppercase characters (most EUL names are uppercase).

Note: This field is not displayed when you select OracleBI Discoverer for OLAP from the Connect To drop down list.

Responsibility

Use this field to enter the Oracle Applications responsibility that you want to use to log in to Discoverer (e.g. US_Purchasing). Responsibility values are case-sensitive.

You can additionally use this field to enter the Oracle Applications security group that you want to use to log in to Discoverer (e.g. US_Managers). Security group values are case-sensitive.

The format for entering the Oracle Applications responsibility and security Group values is as follows:

Note: This field is only displayed when you select Oracle Applications from the Connect To drop down list.

Locale

Use this drop down list to select the language to use when connecting to Discoverer.

Use this button to connect to Discoverer with the login details specified.

Notes

When you create a private connection or connect directly, the most common error encountered is 'ORA-12154 Could not resolve service name', which is caused when database details are not listed in the tnsnames.ora file on the middle tier.

To workaround this error, enter a full set of TNS details (e.g. SID, address, port) for the database in the Database field. This is useful if you cannot edit the middle tier yourself but happen to know what the TNS settings are for the database.

For example, instead of entering database1 in the Database field, you might enter (or paste):

(DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS_LIST=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=@ machine_a.company.com)(PORT=1521)))(CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=database1)))

Hint: Make sure that there are no spaces in the TNS details.
To launch Discoverer Plus from a Netscape v7.0 browser, follow the instructions below to change your Netscape preferences:
1. Select Edit | Preferences | Helper Applications from the Netscape menu bar.
2. Clear the Always use the Netscape Plug-in Finder Service check box.
There is a known issue with the rendering of fonts in Discoverer Viewer with the Netscape 4.7 browser. This is due to limited support for Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) in Netscape 4.7, which causes the font size specified in the CSS to be ignored. To correct this problem, upgrade to a newer version of a supported browser.