Michael Armstrong-Smith on Discoverer Libraries

Michael Armstrong-Smith, author of the forthcoming Oracle Discoverer 10g book and a regular OTN Discoverer Forum contributor, recently posted the slides and white paper from his IOUG Live! 2005 session on the learndiscoverer.com website. One interesting concept that Michael has come up with for these presentations is that of a "Discoverer Library".

Michael explained how this worked in a recent OTN Discoverer Forum posting :

"The concept of a Discoverer library is a mechanism that I invented to help my clients better manage Discoverer. It is not restricted to 10.1.2 although the 10.1.2 Plus lends itself ideally working with a library.

You can think of a library as being a collection of Discoverer workbooks all based around a common theme. For example you could have workbooks dedicated to Human Resources, Accounting, Order Entry, Managing Flights, Handling Bookings and so on. Each library has a dedicated, generic user account such that you will create accounts called HR Library, OE Library, Bookings Library and so on.

Next you would create two sets of roles, or responsibilities if using Apps. One set would be for the library managers, with names such as HR Library Manager, OE Library Manager, and Bookings Library Manager. The second set is for end user access, with names such as HR User, OE User, and Bookings User. Using Discoverer Administrator you would assign these roles access to the required business areas.

Next, you would assign the Library Manager role(s) to designated users. These users would be responsible for maintaining the workbooks inside their library. Logging in to Discoverer Administrator, the library manager would then SHARE workbooks with the user roles, such that a person with the HR Library Manager role would share the HR Workbooks with the HR User role.

Now all you have to do is grant that role to a real user and they automatically have access to all of the workbooks in that library.

The use of libraries maintains sets of corporate workbooks that adhere to corporate standards, are documented and guaranteed to work. End users cannot modify these workbooks because they are not the owner. Only the library manager has the power to add or remove workbooks. The manager also decides which workbooks get shared and which do not.

As you can see, therefore, the Discoverer library is a means of centrally managing and maintaining Discoverer workbooks. The concept is not restricted to Drake and can be used with every release of Discoverer."

It certainly sounds a useful idea and a good way to get around the traditional issue with Discoverer, where there is no concept of subject folders or organisation within an End User Layer. More details on Discoverer libraries, and general OracleBI Discoverer 10.1.2 administration, can be found in Michael's IOUG Live! 2005 slides and white paper.