The fundamentals of using Oracle Answers to create a request.

Step #1: Accessing a Subject Area

1.Subject Areas are collections of metrics and attributes that can be reported together in a meaningful way.

 

2.Completed requests can be accessed either through a directory structure..

 

3 ... or through any Dashboard page, in which that request has been “dropped.” (Requests can be placed in an unlimited number of Dashboard pages.)

 1. Select the link “Answers” at the top of your web page.

2. Select the subject area “Paint” on the right side of the Answers page. When you need to find an existing request but you don’t where the request has been stored in the directory structure, you can track it down through the Dashboard tab in Answers.

 

Step #2: Selecting Columns

 

1.Once a subject area is selected, a “Pick List” appears on the left of the screen, organizing metrics and attributes into folders.

2.When clicked, the selected metric or attribute appears in the column list...

3...and any selected filters appear in the filters list. In this case, no filters have been added.

4.The user then has the option of picking from one of the standard request view types including:

   Tabular View

   Charted View

   Pivot Table View

 

1. Open each of the folders in the “Pick List” on the left side of the Answers page.

2. Click on the following fields in the pick list:

A. Region

B. Brand

C. Units

D. Dollars                     

 

 

Step #3: Creating a Tabular request

1.Selecting either the tabular request icon (looks like a grid), or selecting the Results tab directly, generates a tabular request view from the selected columns.

2.The results tab navigator will always inform you as to which view you are currently in. Its current setting indicates that we are in the tabular view.

3.Clicking the “Table View Properties” icon (looks like a hand) allows you to add “green bar” styling to the request (which colors every other row, used for reports without grouping); it allows you to enable sorting through the Dashboard; and it allows you to show or hide column headers, among other functions.

 

1. Click on the “Tabular View” icon.

2. Click the format icon (looks like a hand).

 

 

Step #4: Formatting Basics: Green Bar and Parent Columns

 

For tabular requests that will be placed in a Dashboard, it may also be desirable to enable sorting through the Dashboard, which allows the user to sort high to low on any column simply by clicking on it.

The user can also choose to display the columns “table headings” (which are actually the names of the folder in which the “column” is contained) as separate parent rows on the request. This allows a nice method of organizing columns for better readability.

 

Result

 The resulting request now has the folder names displayed as parent columns.