Oracle BI 12c is an enterprise application suite and comprises several major application components that tie it all together. Together, the components operate as a system. These components typically run on a server and are configured by using a web-client interface, an API library, or a command-line interface. These tools, which configure the system, are referred to as System Management tools as they coordinate the operation of the entire Oracle BI 12c system. The WebLogic and Fusion Control administration interfaces were briefly covered in a previous chapter.
This chapter goes into greater detail about each. We'll explain what these components are, what they do, and how they work together. We will delve into the navigation of these tools so that you become more familiar with the interfaces and learn what components are specific to Oracle BI 12c. We will also explore which key controls are used to maintain the Oracle BI 12c environment. These components are slightly different from prior versions of Oracle BI and, in some ways, are more efficient.
Finally, this chapter contains security exercises for creating the users and groups that will be used to integrate the repository dashboards and reports you will develop in subsequent chapters, similar to what you would do in a real-world corporate environment.
Oracle BI 12c is based on the Fusion Middleware architecture, which provides two core applications, WebLogic Server (WLS) Administration Console and Enterprise Manager (EM) Fusion Middleware Control. Oracle BI is deployed with a limited-use license for Oracle BI. This means that the WebLogic software itself is still the fully functioning product, but the implementation of WLS is bound to certain restrictions, such as a non-scaled-out environment, which would require the additional purchase (always consult your Oracle representative for these details) of an enterprise license for WLS. WLS and EM manage configurations that have a systemic impact. Basically, if those applications aren't online and available, neither is your Oracle BI 12c deployment. Yes, there are other management consoles that allow specific control of the individual applications, such as Oracle BI 12c server, BI Publisher, MapViewer, and so on. Those consoles are referred to as Application Administration Tools, all of which are part of a larger system that is managed by the System Management tools and are the topic of discussion for this chapter.
WLS and EM can be accessed through a standard web-based Graphical User Interface (GUI), as well as through command line and programmatic means. Access points for managing the system can be broken down into two classes: GUI and Programmatic.
The main programmatic interface tools for WebLogic are referred to as the Oracle BI Systems Management Application Programming Interface (API):
- WebLogic Scripting Tool (WLST): A command-line interface included with the WLS installation that provides a way to manage WLS domains, their objects, and artifacts. WLST leverages the Jython programming language and WLST-specific commands to script logic that executes against WLS.
Oracle BI 12c also introduces a Representational State Transfer (REST) protocol API. REST (or RESTful Web Services) relies on a stateless, client-server, cacheable communications protocol - and in virtually all cases the HTTP protocol is used. REST is an architecture style for designing networked applications and has become exceedingly popular in application-programming interfaces since 2010.