Up until this part of the book, we have focused on creating a server environment that will run the OBIEE system. As you have seen, you can already use the system by logging in to the frontend dashboards at http://localhost:9502/analytics. Now we want to control what is available for the frontend to display.
We need to install the tools that will be used to build the metadata layer. The metadata layer is the part of the system that converts database columns into user friendly fields we can use in the Answers web application.
The main tool that will be installed is the Oracle BI Administration tool, which is used to edit the repository (RPD) files. There are also several other RPD management tools that are installed, along with a Web Catalog manager and Jobs manager.
This chapter will cover:
- Installing the client software
- Configuring a connection to the OBIEE server
- Configuring a connection to the database
- Creating shortcuts
- Testing the client software
The OBIEE Server software can be installed on Windows- or Linux-/Unix-/AIX- based systems, but the client tools can only be installed on Windows, and you will need to check the Certification Matrix for the versions that are supported. In this book, we have shown it being installed on the same server as the main OBIEE server, but you can install it on any Windows PC that can connect to the server where you installed the software. If you want to install on an Apple Mac, we recommend using VirtualBox from Oracle.
Installation is simple and quick:
- First, locate the installation media you downloaded previously:
This will fire up the Oracle installer:
- For step two, enter a folder for the client installation:
- Step three is a simple confirmation. Click on the Install button:
This will fire up the Oracle Installer:
- When you see all green ticks, you can click on the Next button; you are presented with a summary:
That's it: like I said, simple and easy! However, we now have several tasks ahead to make the system usable.