Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) is a suite of reporting and analysis tools in an easy to use interface. It is the most commonly used reporting tool at Stanford, enabling high quality business decisions through an integrated set of reporting and analysis capabilities.
Use the Searchable OBI Financial Report Directory to find specific reports or use links to each dashboard in the Reporting section below.
About
OBI has one reporting interface, with a common data foundation. Dashboard users can quickly navigate across intuitive subject areas, drill into transaction details and save customizations. Data is integrated, consistent and accurate.
BI Publisher (BIP) reports have also been created for a limited number of special cases (primarily mimicking the previous reporting system for backwards compatibility). These reports are not drillable or customizable but can be scheduled while dashboards cannot. Refer to BI Publisher Reports and OBI Guide: Scheduling BI Publisher Report Jobs for more information.
OBI delivers the right tool to the right people with the right skill level:
- Report Viewer authority: Pre-defined and interactive reports for administrative and financial staff, supporting customization and saving of customized reports.
- Intermediate Ad Hoc authority: Robust and dynamic ad hoc analyses for budget officers and experienced financial analysts. Build reports from scratch and automate delivery.
| Features | Dashboard | Ad Hoc | BIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summarize and Pivot Data | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Change Sorts | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Advanced Filters | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Alternate Views | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Drill to Detail | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Save Customized Views | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Share links to customized reports | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Ad Hoc analyses | ✔ | ||
| Customize others analyses | ✔ | ||
| Advanced pivot of data | ✔ | ||
| Graphs | Some | ✔ | |
| Create Custom Rollups | ✔ | ||
| Share custom analyses | ✔ | ||
| Calculated fields | ✔ | ||
| Schedule report delivery | ✔ | ✔ |
Visit the Newsroom for recent announcements and subscribe to receive future OBI Reporting updates and enhancements.
Access
Gaining Access to OBI Financial Reporting
Before you can access financial reporting data using OBI, you must satisfy the following:
- Enroll in and complete the STARS online courses
- Complete required training within 9 months of grant. Refer to table in OBI Authority section for details. Status "pending prereqs" will stay stuck even when details show "Status Complete" if not completed within 9 months. The solution is to revoke the authority and immediately regrant.
- Be granted at least Report Viewer OBI financial reporting authority by your school or department using Authority Manager. Refer to the following for more information:
OBI Authority
OBI Reporting authority in Authority Manager is divided into two types, basic access and advanced access that adds the ability to edit and create reports from scratch:
| Report Viewer | Intermediate Ad Hoc |
|---|---|
Learning required for access: | Learning required for access: |
|
|
Select the link for more detailed information on OBI authority. Authority for OBI Financial Reporting is updated daily. Once you complete your training and new authority is granted, you should have access within 24 hours.
Learning
| Course | Required for Access? | Description | Prerequisite |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIN-0340: Introduction to OBI Financial Reporting | Yes | Introduction to the suite of OBI financial reports | FIN-PROG-0020: Financial Stewardship Expectations |
FIN-0345: CER Dashboard Intermediate Workshop
| Recommended
| Workshop discusses the different OBI Financial Dashboards. Topics include
Using short videos, shows techniques for using Excel to efficiently interact with OBI financial reporting data. | FIN-0340 |
| FIN-0351: Introduction to Payroll and Labor Management Reporting Using OBI | Recommended | Explains how to run predefined PLM reports in OBI to answer common business questions, relationships to related ReportMart reports and how to utilize available support resources. | FIN-0340 |
| FIN-0355: OBI Financial Reporting – Consolidated Expenditure Reporting Dashboard | Recommended | Focuses on consolidated expenditures report data, dashboard navigation and running and modifying reports that answer common business questions | FIN-0340 |
Once you have completed required training and your school or department grants you Report Viewer authority, you will receive access to all reports within the subject areas and limits of your authority.
If prerequisites are not completed within 300 days after grant, the Pending Prereqs flag will become stuck and can only be cleared by revoking and regranting the authority.
| Course | Required for Access? | Description | Prerequisite |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIN-0350: Creating Financial Analyses Using Oracle Business Intelligence | Yes | Designed for experienced financial analysts whose job requires flexible and efficient ad hoc financial analysis and reporting. |
Once you have completed required training and your school or department grants you Intermediate Ad Hoc User authority, you will receive access to perform ad hoc analyses within the subject areas and limits of your authority. Identify authorized authority grantors.
If prerequisites are not completed within 300 days after grant, the Pending Prereqs flag will become stuck and can only be cleared by revoking and regranting the authority.
Webinars
How to Attend
- No need to register, leave your desk, walk, or drive. Attend these seminars virtually from your computer, tablet, or mobile device.
- If you haven't set up Zoom on your device, do it in advance. It's easy!
- *Sessions are recorded. Afterward the Zoom link will be replaced with a link to the recording.
| Date | Title | Description | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-27 10-11 a.m. PT | Applying the Data: The Purchase Order and Related AP Invoices Report | Helpful for: Staff with OBI access who are managing or processing invoices and POs.
Note: You must have OBI Reporting access to use this report. We recommend confirming your OBI access prior to April 27 to try out the report before or during the event to inform your questions. | (Sign in with your SUNet ID to access these materials.)
|
| 2023-03-09 12-1 p.m. PT | Applying the Data: The PCard Efficacy Dashboard | Helpful for: Department managers with OBI access. Learn how and why to use the new dashboard and to leverage it to effectively manage your org's PCard usage.
| Recorded presentation Presentation slides |
| 2022-10-12 10-11 a.m. PT | PLM Salary, Fringe, and Indirect Costs by Employee (SFI) Report | Learn how to use the Salary, Fringe, and Indirect Costs by Employee report to:
| |
| 2019-09-30 10-11 a.m. PT | PLM Labor Schedule Trend Report | Learn how to use the Labor Schedule Trend report to:
|
How tos
Chrome browser is recommended for viewing the OBI videos below.
General Skills Short Videos
- Selection Criteria (2:20)
- Viewing Options (2:00)
- Page Options (0:45)
- Modifying Reports (1:40)
- Share Analysis with Other Users via the Create Bookmark Link (4:19)
- Save, Apply, Edit, and Clear Customizations (4:07)
Consolidated Expenditure Reporting (CER)
Training tool examples of using the CER dashboard report tabs:
- Overview and Resources (5:45)
- Expenditure Balance Tab (5:25)
- Expenditure Trend Tab (5:35)
- Expenditure Variance Tab (4:50)
- Expenditure Details Tab (7:50)
- iJournals Tab (4:35)
- Commitment Details Tab (3:35)
Video examples of specific uses cases in CER:
- Calculate Burn Rate (includes a demonstration of customization techniques) (11:00)
- Run the BI Publisher Monthly Expenditure Details Statement (5:12)
- Use the Balance Tab for Expenditure Reconciliation Research and Analysis (5:33)
- Use the Details Tab for Expenditure Reconciliation Research and Analysis (6:09)
- Use the Expenditure Details Data Download (5:56)
Procure to Pay (P2P) Report Tab
Video examples of running reports:
- Procure to Pay at a Glance Tab (10:43)
- Procure to Pay Inquiry Tab (8:46)
- Purchase Orders Tab (8:04)
- AP Invoices Tab (9:06)
- Purchase Order Trend Analysis (5:01)
Revenue and Fund Management (RFM) Report Tab Videos
Video examples of running reports:
- Award at a Glance (8:34)
- Endowment and Donor (8:33)
- Fund Statement (10:07)
- Fund Trend (8:18)
- Pledge Report (5:40)
- Transfer Report (8:32)
Resources
General
- Open Labs one-on-one support (Monday and Friday via Zoom)
- Dashboard Basic Navigation and Customizations
- Data Governance Center (DG Center) Finance Dashboard
- Financial Reporting Training and Support Options
- Quick Start Guide (OBI Basic)
- BI Publisher Reports
- Scheduling BI Publisher Report Jobs
- Timing of Data on OBI Reports
- Using Selection Criteria for OBI Reports
- Manage OBI Customizations
Consolidated Expenditure Reporting (CER)
- Data Fields Available in CER Dashboard Tabs
- Source Code Reference Table
- Expenditure Type Roll-ups
- CER Selection Criteria List of Values
Expense Requests and SU Card Activity Reporting (ERR)
- Data Fields available in ERR Dashboard Tabs
- Resolving Outstanding Expense Requests and Aging Transactions
- Data Fields Available in ERE Dashboard Tabs
- Data Fields Available in PCE Dashboard Tabs
Payroll and Labor Management Reporting (PLM)
- Data Fields Available in PLM Dashboard Tabs
- Salary Total Cost Calculator (download into Excel)
Procure to Pay Reporting (P2P)
Reference Data and Inquiry (INQ)
Revenue and Fund Management (RFM)
- Data Fields Available in RFM Dashboard Tabs
- Endowment Glossary
- RFM Selection Criteria List of Values
- Object Code Rollups
- Capital Assets on OBI Expenditure and Fund Reports
Ad Hoc
Reporting
The Financial Reporting Directory (FRD) lists OBI Finance reports organized by their dashboards. The following options are available to see the reports available and type of data they report on.
- Financial Reporting Directory within OBI allows you to launch the reports and includes central administration reports.
- Searchable OBI Financial Report Directory lists the production dashboard reports in alphabetical order with keyword searches on title and business questions answered. Central administration reports are not included.
Dashboard links below open Fingate pages representing OBI reports with information about business questions, selection criteria, report views, and understanding the data.
Authority Dashboard
For information about authority assignments by person, privilege or organizational perspective as well as privileges granted by an individual and grantors by privilege.
Consolidated Expenditure Reporting (CER) Dashboard
For information about Consolidated Expenditure Reporting, including the Expenditure Statement from Oracle Grants Accounting data, iJournals, Consolidated Budget (Cardinal Planning & Budgeting (CPB)), iBudgets, GA Budgets and Hard Commitments.
Expense Requests and SU Card Activity (ERR) Dashboard
For information about Expense Requests system transaction details (e.g., expense reports or reimbursements, advances, non-PO payments, petty cash replenishments), historical iOU transactions and Stanford credit card transactions (TCard and PCard).
Expense Request Efficacy (ERE) Dashboard
For information about expense request processing including processing times, approvals and rejection rates, approval aging and status for assessing process flow efficiency.
Force Clear Metrics (FCM) Dashboard
Summary information about force cleared university credit card transactions (TCard and PCard) and advances by budget unit/organization and employee.
Other Financial Reports
For reports designed for distributed users that are independent of the other financial dashboards.
Payroll and Labor Management (PLM) Dashboard
For information about payroll and labor management including salary, labor schedules, labor distribution adjustments, timecards, leave and vacation liability.
PCard Efficacy (PCE) Dashboard
PCard transaction data including withdrawal/return rates, processing statistics and details by employee role and name, expenditure types and merchants.
Procure to Pay (P2P) Dashboard
For information about purchase requisitions, purchase orders, Accounts Payable invoices, suppliers and supplier payments reporting.
Reference Data and Inquiry (INQ) Dashboard
For information about expenditure types and object codes; project, task and award attributes; configuration and fund authorization; and Stanford org hierarchy.
Revenue and Fund Management (RFM) Dashboard
For information about revenue and fund management reporting including details on fund statements, journals, transfers, fund trends, trial balances, fund variances, budget variances, budget transactions, endowments and pledges.
