Refresh, Open, and Pass variables to Web Intelligence from Xcelsius

In this post – Jim Brogden, a BI Consultant from Daugherty Business Solutions explains how to Refresh, Open and Pass variables to Web Intelligence from Xcelsius in a BusinessObjects 3.x environment.

The “OpenDocument” syntax has changed in XI 3.0 and 3.1 for linking to BOE report objects.  The architecture in XI R2 had previously required a URL similar to the following:

XI R2 URL:

http://ATL-Daugherty:7027/businessobjects/enterprise115/desktoplaunch/jsp/openAnalytic.jsp?DocumentName=Company+Info&RepositoryType=C&RepositoryName=CompanyInfo&DocumentExt=wid&mode=full&nbPrompts=1&State=GA

XI 3.x no longer goes through desktoplaunch or uses openAnalytic.jsp to link to an object.  Instead, openDocument.jsp is used – similar to the following:

Example XI 3.x URL:

http://ATL-Daugherty:7027/OpenDocument/opendoc/openDocument.jsp?sPath=%5bDocument%5d&sType=wid&sRefresh=Y&sDocName=Company+Data&mode=full&nbPrompts=1&lsSYear=

(Before these instructions will actually work, you will need to revise the URL above to match your environment.)

1. To call a Webi report from within BOE XI 3.x, start by placing (a revised version of) the URL above in cell A3.  In this example, I will be passing a Year number to a Web Intelligence report prompt.
2. Enter the following information into your Xcelsius model.  Begin in cell A8.
   • A8, enter 2005
   • A9, enter 2006
   • A10, enter 2007
   • A11, enter 2008
3. Add a Listbox to your Xcelsius model and select cells A8:A11 as the Label range.
4. Change the Data Insertion type to Filtered Rows.
5. Select cells A8:A11 as the Source Data.
6. Select cell A4 as the component’s Destination cell.
7. In cell A13, enter the following simple formula.  =A3&A4
8. Now add a URL Button (Web Connectivity component) to your Xcelsius presentation.  Point the URL to cell A13
9. Under the Windows Options section, select either New Window or This Window to open the report in.
10. You are ready to Export your Xcelsius presentation to your Business Objects Platform and call, pass variables, refresh, and open a Web Intelligence document from within Xcelsius.

Below are a few definitions of parts of the URL string:

• SIA Node Name or “System” name: (in example URL): ATL-Daugherty
• Port: (in example URL): 7027
• Folder name: (in example URL): Document
• Type: (in example URL): Web Intelligence document displayed as wid
• Refresh: (in example URL): Y
• Document Name: (in example URL): Company Data
• Number of prompts: (in example URL): 1
• Prompt text: (in example URL): Year

Generic openDocument URL:

http://(system name:Web Application Server port #)/OpenDocument/opendoc/openDocument.jsp?sPath=%5b(folder name)%5d&sType=(report type)&sRefresh=(Y or N)&sDocName=(document name)&mode=full&nbPrompts=(# of prompts)&lsS(Prompt text)=2008

** Remember that when saving the Web Intelligence report, be sure to check the Refresh on Open check box.

To call an Xcelsius dashboard from within Xcelsius, use the following syntax:
http://ATL-Daugherty:7001/OpenDocument/opendoc/openDocument.jsp?sPath=%5bPresentations%5d&sType=swf&sRefresh=N&sDocName=TechBlue&mode=full

Note the sType=swf.

Please email me if you have any questions. If you know of a better or more efficient way of linking to BOE reports, please let me know. I’m interested in finding out how other developers are using this functionality.

Thank you,
Jim Brogden