Pastel Evolution BIC Web Reporting User Guide

Transcription

1 Pastel Evolution BIC Web Reporting User Guide Prerequisites: Pastel Evolution Business Intelligence Centre.NET Framework 3.5 Internet Information Services (version 6 and upwards) Microsoft Excel 2003 / 2007 Installation: Run setup.exe Navigate through the steps of the InstallShield wizard: 1

2 Introduction Choose your Destination Folder You may modify the Destination Folder, but it is recommended that you use the existing location. 2

3 Choose your Setup Type If Custom is selected above the following dialog will appear: Request Server: This module is responsible for executing the report requests coming from the Web Reporting module. Web Reporting: This module is the actual Web Reporting user interface that runs under IIS on the server and within the browser for the client. 3

4 Please Note: These modules are provided separately as it is possible to install them on different machines. In particular when Excel will not be installed on the Web Server then the Request Server will be installed on a Server running Excel and Evolution BIC. The Web Reporting component must be installed on a server running IIS version 6 or higher. Summary Page When the Installshield Wizard has completed, click Finish. The Pastel Evolution Web Configuration application will automatically launch. 4

5 Web Configuration Tool: General Tab Click Set Metadata Path to set the metadata path for all the listed BIC modules. Un-checking Update All will allow setting per module. Please Note: All of the modules must point at the same Metadata location (path to alchemex.svd) for the application to function correctly. 5

6 IIS (Web) Tab Click Create to automatically create the Pastel Evolution BIC Web Reporting site. IIS (Web) Tab From this dialog you can: Start and Stop the web site Set Anonymous User Credentials used to access the site o These are the credentials that the Web Server will use to access the files and the folders needed for its execution. The user account provided should have sufficient read and write access to the appropriate file system. (Hint: Use the Test Page to ensure that the correct permissions have been granted) 6

7 Set ASP.NET version used by the site o Applies ONLY to IIS6. o BIC Web Reporting requires.net framework 3.5 to run successfully. This option sets the ASP.NET version of the BIC Web Reporting Site to use the correct.net framework version. (Hint: Internet Information Services [IIS] will be set to version this is correct) Launch Test page Launch Web Reporting Covered in Launch Tab (below) Please Note: All these settings can be modified through Internet Information Services found in Control Panel > Administrative Tools. Request Service Tab From this dialog you can: Start and Stop the Request service Set the Service Logon Credentials o These are the credentials that the Request Service will use to access the files and the folders needed for its execution. The user account provided should have sufficient read and write access to the local file system. View the Request service log file o The Request Service runs tests (similar to those found in the Test Page) upon startup, the results of those tests are written to a log file on the local system. This will open that log file. Please Note: Set the Service Logon Credentials before trying to start the Request Service. Please Note: All these settings can be modified through Services found in Control Panel > Administrative Tools. 7

8 Common DB Tab Accounting DB Tab Enter the connection details to your Pastel Evolution Databases. The system must be able to connect to the Evolution Common database to assert whether BIC Web Reporting has been licensed in Evolution. The system must be able to connect to your Evolution Company database to run reports. Click Save (in both) when done. 8

9 Launch Tab From this dialog you can launch all BIC related modules: Report Manager Administrator Tool Test Page The Test Page helps to specifically diagnose installation problems. 9

10 Request Manager The Request Manager is an Administration tool that lets you (an Administrator) view all the requests (not limited by User) that are running or have been run through the Web Reporting module. You can change the status of these requests using the Tasks panel. Security Manager 10

11 The Security Manager is an Administration tool that lets you (an Administrator) manage Roles (User Groups) and assign Users and Reports to each Role. When security is enabled the Web Reporting User will be required to login and then will only have access to the Reports selected for the Role that that User belongs to. Please Note: The BIC Security Manager applies only to the BIC Web Reporting module. How to: Set Security On or Off: o Check or Un-check the Security On checkbox. Manage Roles (Add, Delete, Rename): o Click the Add button (under the Roles window) to Add a new Role. o Click the Delete button (under the Roles window) to Delete a Role. o Right click on a Role (in the Roles window) and select the Rename menu option to rename a Role. Manage Users (Manager Users > Add, Delete, Rename, Change Password) o Click the Manager Users button to reveal the User options window. o Click the Add button (in the Users window) to Add a new User, you will be prompted for a Username and Password. o Click the Delete button (in the Users window) to Delete a User. o Click the Rename button (in the Users window) to Rename a User. o Click the Change Password link (in the Users windows) to change a password. Select which Users belong to which Roles. o Select the relevant Role. o Check or un-check the User s names (in the Users Tab on the right) to select or unselect the Users that belong to the selected Role. Select which Reports belong to which Roles. o Select the relevant Role. o Check or un-check the Reports names (in the Reports Tab on the right) to select or un-select the Reports that belong to the selected Role. (One Click Select) 11

12 Web Reporting Browser Request Manager The Web Reporting module enables reporting from a central location. The user simply navigates to the web site (configured in the Web Configuration Tool / Internet Information Services) using a web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer 7). At this point, if security is enabled (in the BIC Security Manager), the user will be required to login and will have NO access to ANY reports until they do so. Once authenticated the user can select a report, set any parameters associated with that report, choose an output format and run the report. The Request Service will then pick-up the report request and run the report. The user will be notified via the Browser Request Manager as to the status of the request and also when the report is completed. How to: Select a Report: o Click on the black rectangle that reads Business Intelligence Centre to show the list of folders. Click on the desired folder to show the list of reports in that folder. Click on the desired report to select it. Once a report is selected, the parameters and options (for that report) will be shown in upper right pane. Set a Parameter: o Type the desired value into the appropriate textbox or click the button to the right of the textbox (if any) to select an option from a list. Choose an Output Format: o Select an option from the list labelled File Format. Excel Compressed Excel file. HTML HTML Page PDF PDF Document (requires Excel 2007) Run a Report: o Click the Run Report button. Download a Completed Report: o Click the Download link in the Browser Request Manager. 12

13 Extra Information: The Request Service logon and Web Reporting Anonymous User accounts must have the following permissions: o Rights to logon as a service. o Read / Write access to the BIC Web Reporting folder and sub-folders. o Remember to use the Test Page to ensure that the permissions are set correctly. If this is the first time the user account has been used to logon to the workstation, launch Microsoft Excel to configure it for the user account. Please note that the Web Reporting module is not capable of performing the following: o Editing reports (it is a report running interface) o Using PICKLIST and PICKLISTM for connections (although PICKLISTA can be used) o Executing Dynamic Drill Downs o Running Cube Reports o Using multiple report repositories Other things to be aware of when running Web Reporting : o Report writers should pay extra attentions to data volume efficiencies as the Excel books have to be downloaded over HTTP. For intranet this may not be a problem but good practice would be to minimise file sizes wherever possible. In particular reports omit fields that are not used and should pre-aggregate data by using aggregates (e.g. SUM) on the report display fields which represent values. This ensures that small data sets are dumped into reports and Excel files sizes are minimised. o The Security Manager maintains its own set of users (i.e. does not use Evolution users) as reports can be deployed to anyone on an intranet or internet. 13