(Image courtesy of Siebel Essentials via @nephentur)
OBIEE Variables are often one of the stumbling blocks that new users to the software have to understand, and that being said, since there are a few different types of these variables, coming to an understanding of what each one is and where it resides is the first step towards understanding them, so here is a brief description of the different types of variables available to users:
Server Variables-This kind of variable can be used within a SQL statements within a report.
Session Variable: When a user logs into the BI Server, these variables are initialized according to the user’s log in credentials. OBIEE gives users a set of System Variables which are pre-determined and have saved names. Users can also create their own Non-system variables which will change for each user. Ex: User’s Home Division, User’s Login Name
Repository Variable:To bring in values that are the same, regardless of which user is logging in, Repository Variables are needed. These values work well for time periods, such as a rolling time frame. These variables can be either static or dynamic, depending on the information that’s being provided.
Presentation Variable: Users can pull data from the presentation server using Presentation Variables. These are helpful when you want to get specific values such as current time.