Changing Data Providers in Complex Reports
We have some fairly complex reports at my current client. Of course the word “complex” is not very clear; what is simple to me might be complex to someone else. So let me quantify what I mean by “complex” in this case. The report in question has multiple data provders. Each data provider generates multi-pass SQL because of contexts. Altogether there are 29 data providers with an overall total of over 100 SQL passes. 😯 That’s what I mean by a “complex” report, and I think most folks would agree with that assessment.
The challenge is that for this (and other) complex reports we have been encountering severe issues. In some cases we are unable to edit the queries without restarting our browser session. We also have encountered a number of problems during the process of repointing the document from one universe (development) to another (user acceptance testing) within the same environment. Continue reading “Java Memory Errors During Data Provider Updates in Web Intelligence”
Isn’t it a bit disconcerting that the Web Intelligence programmers felt like they had to include “hours” on the “please wait” dialog box?
This post might not seem like it’s related to Business Intelligence at first, but stay with me to the end and I promise I will tie it all together. 🙂
Have you ever purchased a product that came with a coupon that you had to mail in? The idea is that rather than drop the price on a product a company will offer a rebate or other incentive to encourage you to spend your money. There is cost (overhead) involved in processing the rebate, so why don’t they just discount the product to begin with? A few months ago I got a new Blackberry phone (love love LOVE it, by the way). It was $200 but came with a $100 rebate. Nice deal, right? Not so fast. It seems that the rebate wasn’t quite cash in my pocket. It was a $100 “credit” card that I could only use at certain stores. Best Buy couldn’t figure out how to use it, but Walmart could. I eventually got to spend the entire $100 but it took extra effort. And that’s the issue here, the fact that consumers need to make extra effort on rebates.
Several years ago I worked for a company (as a client) that processes rebate requests. (This is one of the reasons I enjoy my job; I get to see all sorts of companies in different industries and learn how they work.) What I learned at this job was that all of those different companies that offer rebates for purchases don’t process the money themselves. Instead they hire one of the few companies that specializes in this area. Here is how that process works, at a very high level.
First, the product company determines the product(s) involved. Then they will talk to the rebate processor to get input on how much the rebate should be. Based on that meeting they will set up the rebate program, which the rebate company then gets paid to manage. Why would they do that? Why would company “A” ask company “B” how to price their product? That’s where the BI comes in. Continue reading “When Is a Rebate Not a Rebate? Part I”
I admit it… I am a data geek. I love playing with data. (That might amaze my statistics professor from college as I wasn’t very interested back then.) Being interested in data does help in my current career… but what about having some fun with it too?
Continue reading “Looking for Love, Truth, and Honesty”
No more blog posts from me for the rest of the year, as I will be taking some time off. See y’all next year! Happy holidays, and wishes of happiness and success to you and yours in the new year. 😎
Today is the Thanksgiving Holiday in the United States. It is typically a holiday where families get together… the travel days around this holiday are often the busiest days from the entire year in airports and other travel hubs. As I am typing this my family is either in the kitchen preparing the afternoon meal (mmm, turkey) or outside running around (kids). I found myself – as I often do – migrating into my home office to check in online. While browing a few posts on BOB something occurred to me. I have come full circle in my “Adventures in Business Objects”. Continue reading “Full Circle: Memories of the Beginning”
Earlier today I delivered my GBN Conference presentation to an audience over the web. It was… interesting. 🙂 I have done web presentations before but never to an audience of this size. I didn’t have time to count, but it seemed like there were well over 100 attendees that stayed through to the very end. I hope they (or you, if you were online) found the time to be worthwhile.
It was certainly different for me. Presenting to a live audience is not stressful to me at all anymore. I have enough experience that it just doesn’t bother me. Whether I am delivering a training class to an audience of ten, or a conference presentation to an audience of hundreds, it doesn’t make me nervous at all. But today on the call was a different story. Continue reading “Webinar is Done, Whew!”
The presentation that I did for the 2008 GBN conference earlier this year has been scheduled for a webcast that will be hosted on the GBN web site. Registration is required, but it’s fairly simple. If you go to the GBN Home Page there is a link for Webcast Series on the right side of the screen. Clicking that link will take you to the schedule, and a link to sign up for the various presentations, including this one.
There are other speakers from the GBN conference that will be delivering their presentations in this format as well. I just get to go first and iron out all of the bugs in the process. 🙂
I have been asked by a few different folks about evaluations for the conference, both from an attendee perspective and for speakers as well. For previous conferences conference attendees filled out evaluation forms before leaving the site (that’s how you got your conference t-shirt). For the GBN conference we didn’t do that. From what I hear, conference attendees will be soon receiving an email with a link to an online survey, at which point you will be able to provide any feedback about the overall conference.
I don’t know how much of the details for the conference feedback will be made public. Business Objects did not release the overall conference evaluation numbers to the public. I do know that every single comment will be read, categorized, and evaluated. This was the first year for a GBN-run conference and I think everyone recognized that there were some differences. The opportunity before us will be to sort out which differences were important, which should be repeated, and which should be fixed.
For example, one bit of feedback that I intend to provide is related to the room configuration. The room I was scheduled to speak in was quite large, and fairly deep. I don’t know how many rows of chairs there were, but it was more than a few. Yet there was no raised platform for the speaker in the front of the room. I am sure that impacted how visible I was in the back of the room. I imagine everyone could hear me, but hearing is not the same as hearing + seeing at the same time. I think for larger rooms we want to make sure we have elevated platforms next year.
Speakers, on the other hand, will be waiting a bit longer to get our feedback. I don’t have exact dates, but I am told that each speaker should be getting an email soon with more details on when we can expect to see our results. I know I look forward to seeing the numbers. I have had some great comments over the years, and I do strive for the best overall ratings that I can get.
Survey response percentages are typically very low. If you attended the conference and you’re reading this, I would encourage you to fill out the survey once you get the link. The function of the steering committee is to “steer” or guide in the desired direction. It is your voice that should determine that direction. Let’s hear it. 🙂
Part of my recent presentation on Universe Designer was a listing of new features for XI 3.0. I will be writing about each of these features individually in some upcoming blog posts. But there is one change that I didn’t include in my presentation, and it involves the passing of an old friend that has been with us since 1996.
I am talking about this: 
Continue reading “The Passing of an Old Friend”
