Analytics: Application Developer (Siebel 7.

7)

Module 4: Analytics
Repository Basics
Module Objectives

After completing this module you will be able to:

 Identify and describe the three layers of a Siebel Analytics
repository and how they relate to one another
 Identify and describe how information in the presentation
layer of a repository is displayed in Siebel Answers

Why you need to know:

 Siebel Analytics repositories are the link between physical
data sources and the analytics information presented in
Siebel Analytics user interfaces

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Siebel Analytics Repository
 Stores the metadata used by the Siebel Analytics Server
 Is accessed and exposed using the Analytics Administration
Tool
 Is created by the architect who:
 Imports—metadata from databases and other data sources
 Simplifies and reorganizes the metadata into business models
 Structures the business model for presentation to users for
requesting information

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Analytics Administration Tool
 Exposes the Analytics repository into three separate panes,
called layers
 Physical layer
 Business Model and Mapping layer
 Presentation layer

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Physical Layer
 Contains objects representing the physical data sources to
which the Siebel Analytics Server submits queries
 There can be multiple data sources

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Physical Layer Objects
 Expand a database object to display the objects it contains,
such as:
 Connection Pool object—specifies the connection between the
Siebel Analytics Server and a data source
 Schema folder—contains the physical schemas of the tables and
columns of a data source

Database object

Connection Pool object

Schema folder

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Business Model and Mapping Layer
 Is where the physical schemas are simplified and reorganized to
form the basis of the users’ view of the data

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Business Model
 Breaks down a business into several logical components
 Dimensions are descriptive attributes, such as products and time
periods
 Facts are business measures, such as dollars and units sold

Dimension tables

Fact table

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Business Model Objects
 Expand the Business Model object to display the objects it
contains
 Logical Table objects contain logical columns and have one or
more data sources from the physical layer
 Logical Column objects can have one or more table sources from
the physical layer

Logical Tables and Columns have

sources from the Physical layer

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Hierarchies
 Hierarchies are established in the Business Model layer to
provide context for the logical tables and columns in a business
model
 Hierarchies are used to establish drilldown capabilities in
Dashboards

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Presentation Layer
 Contains Presentation Catalog objects that provide a
customized view of a business model to users

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Presentation Layer Continued
 Is the view of the data seen by users

SupplierSales appears as a subject

area in Siebel Answers

These tables and columns appear

as the content of the subject area
in Siebel Answers
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Object Properties
 Each object has a set of properties associated with it

Double-click an object to open its

properties dialog box

In the properties dialog box you can

view and edit properties

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Variables
 Are used in a repository to modify metadata content dynamically
to adjust to a changing data environment
 Example: The current month is a dynamically changing value
depending on what month today is in.
 Navigate to Manage > Variables to access the Variable
Manager

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Siebel Analytics Repository Directory
 Repository files reside in the …\SiebelAnalytics\Repository
directory, in which the Siebel Analytics software is installed

Default location of
repository files

Siebel Analytics
repository file

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NQSConfig.ini
 Is the Siebel Analytics configuration file
 Is read by the Siebel Analytics Server to determine the .rpd to
load into memory
 There can be multiple repositories, but only one is loaded for
access by Siebel Analytics at a time

Commented out

Repository to load

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Summary

This module showed you how to:

 Identify and describe the three layers of a Siebel Analytics
repository and how they relate to one another
 Identify and describe how information in the presentation
layer of a repository is displayed in Siebel Answers

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Lab
 In the lab you will:
 Use the Analytics Administration Tool to explore repository objects
and the relationships between them

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