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 Home > Resource Centre > Frequently Asked Questions
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Q. How do I apply for BusinessObjects Access?
A. Complete the application form online to get access to BusinessObjects. An email will be sent to your supervisor to approve your request. Once the application has been approved and your account has been created you will be notified via email.
Back to top Q. I have forgotten my BusinessObjects password
A. Contact ITS (Ext 56000) to have your password reset.
Back to top Q. When I try to log on to BusinessObjects, I get a logon message saying that the system could not log me on.
A. If you are having problems logging in to BusinessObjects click the 'Link Reference' below to verify your username and password. If both your username and Citrix validate successful call BusinessObjects User Support (Ext 52595) otherwise call ITS (Ext 56000).
Back to top Q. I have a new PC. How can I make sure that all my BusinessObjects reports on my old PC are available to me on my new PC.
A. BusinessObjects will by default save your reports to the Local Disc(C)\Business\UserDocs. If you are unable to copy the folders and contents directly from one computer to another, you can send the reports to yourself via BusinessObjects. Just log into BusinessObjects on your old PC and send the documents to your own user name. When you start using your new pc, just log into BusinessObjects on your new PC, and retrieve the reports.
Back to top Q. How do I save my report to an Excel spreadsheet?
A. There are 3 ways to do this - 1. To copy data from one tab of your report, go to Edit in the menu, then Copy All. Open Excel then click the Paste icon. This is the most efficient way to copy data from BusinessObjects into Excel. BusinessObjects formatting is not retained in Excel. However, if you have filtered data in the table, this will be retained in Excel. 2. To copy ALL data returned in a query, go to Data in the menu, then View Data. Click on Export, then select Excel format and navigate to where you want to save the document and rename it. No BusinessObjects formatting is retained. 3. Go to File in the menu then Save As. Change the 'Save as type' to Microsoft Excel Worksheet (*.xls). Keep in mind that all data and all BusinessObjects formatting will be retained including multiple report tabs if you have them, which may cause formatting issues in Excel.
Back to top Q. When I try to produce a set of reports by using duplicate report and then applying a different filter to each through the data provider the same filter is applied to each report. How do I avoid this?
A. This is because you are editing the data cube, which lies behind the report. Filters can be applied at both the data cube level and the report level. In this case, you need to apply a filter at the report level. Duplicate the report. Choose FORMAT, FILTERS. Select ADD and click the variable(s) to be filtered. If the variable is not included in the data you originally brought back you can add it by rerunning your query. Although you need the variable in your query, you do not need to have it visible in your report to filter on it.
Back to top Q. Can I group a number of objects together? For example, I often want to show a grouping of course levels such as higher degree research, undergraduate etc., rather than the individual levels in each row.
A. Highlight the individual cells you wish to group (remember to hold down the Control key to select more than one cell) and click the Group Values icon on the toolbar. You will then be asked to name each new value (eg Higher Degree Research etc). There is a user guide available for this item.
Back to top Q. Can I run a BusinessObjects query on a different universe?
A. Yes, provided that the data elements (objects) in your query are available in both universes. There is a user guide available for this item.
Back to top Q. Can I use wildcards? For example, I want to select all courses that start with a particular course specialisation eg COMP.
A. In Business Objects the wild card characters are % for a string of any length and _ for a fixed character. For example, M_T will return MAT, MIT, MUT etc., and M%T will return MOOT, MANAGEMENT, MOVEMENT etc. To get all courses starting with COMP set a condition in the query panel based on the course code object. Select the operator MATCHES PATTERN, then select TYPE A CONSTANT. Type COMP%. This will return only courses starting with COMP. If you want more than one specialisation in the query simply repeat this process for each specialisation and remember to change the AND between each condition to OR by double clicking on the AND.
Back to top Q. When I run a new query to determine, for example, the number of students enrolled in a particular course, my report returns no rows. I know that there are students enrolled in the course. What is wrong?
A. If you have typed in the course code rather than used the List of Values you may have used the wrong case (eg comp1001 instead of COMP1000). Most of the fields in the universes are case-sensitive.
Back to top Q. A saved query which has worked in the past is now returning a "no data to fetch" message. Why?
A. If you are sure that your query has not been modified since the last time you used it, the problem may lie in the 'conditions' panel within your BusinessObjects data provider. It may be that the lists of values have changed since the last time you ran your query. If this has happened, the conditions you specified in your query may no longer be valid. You will need to refresh the list of values. You can choose to refresh all lists of values in the universe (Option 1 below) or specific lists of values (Option 2 below). Option 1 - Refreshing all lists of values in a universe Log on to BusinessObjects. Select TOOLS from the menu bar. Select UNIVERSES from the tools drop down menu. The UNIVERSE DIALOGUE BOX appears. Scroll down within this until you find the universe on which your query was built. Select the required universe (it will be highlighted when selected) and click on the REFRESH button. Go back to your query panel and rebuild your condition(s). The only part of your query that will be affected by refreshing the list of values is the operand. This is the part following the operator (eg Equal to, not in list etc.). Highlight the operand portion of the condition and use SHOW LIST OF VALUES from the operand window. Select your required values from the list of values. Run the query. Option 2 - Refreshing specific list(s) of values in a universe. Choose SHOW LIST OF VALUES from the operand window in your query panel (as explained above). The list of values for the object in your selected condition will appear. Click on the REFRESH button. Select your required values from the list of values. Run the query.
Back to top Q. I would like to create reports for my Head of School he/she simply has to type or select a variable such as course code or permanent domicile(s) without having to build the query from scratch. Is there an easy way for me to do this?
A. Yes. For example if your Head of School is interested in producing reports on international students and wishes to be able to select one or more countries you can create a prompt as follows. Go into the query panel and construct your query as normal. Format the report to your liking. Return to the query panel. When inserting your condition, in the operator section choose "in list" (this enables more than one country etc to be chosen) and in the operand section (this is the part following the operator) where you would normally choose show list of values, select TYPE A NEW PROMPT. Type in an appropriate prompt such as "Which country(ies)?" When the Head of school runs the query they will be prompted for the country and can either type it in or select from the list of values by choosing VALUES. (It is a good idea to encourage them always to use the value list). Make sure that they know to hold down the control key if they want to select more than one country.
Back to top Q. Can I send a report to another BusinessObjects user?
A. BusinessObjects has an in built feature which allows you to send a report to any other BusinessObjects user or group of users. When the user(s) receiving the report next log into BuisnessObjects, they will receive a message telling them that they have been sent a report that is waiting to be retrieved. Refer to the BusinessObjects Basic Training Manual for more information.
Back to top Q. Is there a way to create an automatic outline system similar to that in Microsoft Excel?
A. If you have a report which includes, for example, both faculty and school fields, then you can organise the report in school within faculty order by clicking on a cell in the faculty column and selecting BREAK' from the INSERT menu. The data is now organised so that Arts, for example, appears once in the faculty column, while each school in the Arts Faculty is shown grouped together in a single section, with an extra row for the Faculty total at the bottom, which you can fill by clicking a cell in the relevant column with a measure value in it and then using the menu commands 'insert' 'calculations' 'sum'.If you now choose OUTLINE from the VIEW menu, a set of outline symbols will appear at the left hand side. By clicking on the small triangles, you can close and open the levels of the outline and the blocks of data will contract and expand.
Back to top Q. How do I create automatic subtotal descriptions in my report?
A. When you create a report that's broken up into Master/Detail sections, you can improve the appearance of subtotals by creating automatic subtotal descriptions. For example, if you had a report that has Faculty Name set as a Master heading, it would look good to have our subtotals described as 'Total for Arts', 'Total for Biological and Chem Sciences' etc., instead of the default 'Sum:'. If you edit the text field and replace Sum the new text will show in the sub-total for each Faculty. This is fine if you want the text to be generic - eg "Sub-total". However, if you type "Sub-Total for Faculty of Arts" this will be incorrect since this text will appear under each Faculty. You can get BusinessObjects to show the correct Faculty by using the concatenation function &. Click on the cell next to any one of your subtotals. It should contain the description 'Sum:'. Click on DATA at the top of the page and choose EDIT FORMULA. (Or you can click on the Formula Editor button on the Formula toolbar). The Formula Editor window will now open.Delete 'Sum:' from the Formulas section, type in ="Total for " (or whatever text you require) and then double click on the & in the Operators section. (be careful to leave a space between for and "). In the Variables section, double click on the object that represents your Master heading. In this case, the object is Faculty Name (for Course). Click on OK to finish.Note: You may need to adjust the alignment of the text in the cell to properly view the changes you've made. To do this, simply click on the cell to highlight it. Click on FORMAT and choose CELL. Change the alignment to Left.
Back to top Q. How do I create a grand total at the bottom of a Master/Detail report?
A. The quickest way to do this is to scroll to the bottom of your report so that you can see the last section. Holding down the key, click on the cell that contains the word 'Sum' and the cell containing the section total. Click on Edit at the top of the page and choose copy. You can now paste these cells into the bottom section of your report. This will give you a grand total. There is a user guide available for this item.
Back to top Q. How do I abbreviate labels in a chart?
A. BusinessObjects will not let you edit labels because they contain variables. This can cause problems when they are too long to use in charts. One way around this is to create (derive) a new variable. For example with Faculties, create a new folder for each Faculty and give the folder an abbreviated name. Biological and Chemical Sciences might become BACS. Drag and drop or highlight Biological and Chemical Sciences and add it to the new folder. You can then insert the new variable in your chart using Format Block and Pivot.
Back to top Q. How do I remove the page number from the bottom of a BusinessObjects report?
A. Select PAGE LAYOUT in the VIEW menu. Delete the page number at the bottom of the page. You can also drag page margins and customise the page layout in other ways. To return to the normal report select NORMAL in the VIEW menu.
Back to top Q. Can I change the contents of a column to upper or lower case?
A. You can change a column's case by applying a formula and using either the Lower or Upper Functions. Highlight the column you want to change by clicking on it with the mouse. Click on Data at the top of the page and choose EDIT FORMULA (or you can click on the Formula Editor button on the Formula toolbar).The Edit Formula window will now open. Locate the function you wish to use. The Lower and Upper Functions can be found in the Character Functions folder. Double click on the function you wish to use. It will then appear in the formula section at the top of the window. Double click on the variable which the column originally contained. Click on OK to finish.
Back to top Q. How do I format the title of a report to display the document name automatically?
A. You can have the document name automatically displayed in the title box at the top of your report. Double click on the title box. The text inside which by default reads Free Form Report should now be highlighted. Type in =DocumentName() and press Enter. The current name of the report will now appear in the title box. If you save your report as a different name, the title will now change automatically. There are also a number of special fields that can now be inserted in a report. These include date fields, page numbers, drill and global filters and query prompt values. In INSERT choose SPECIAL FIELDS and then select the appropriate entry. The cursor will change to allow you to insert a cell. Note if you are already in a cell, row or column in the report, the special field will be inserted there.
Back to top Q. How do I decide whether to use a current or official student universe to get my data?
A. The choice of universe depends on the end purpose of your report. For example, if it is for a school review, official data is usually the preferred option. However, if you wanted a class list as of the current day, the current universe would be used. Further hints on the most appropriate universe choice is available through the on-line Datawarehouse Guide.
Back to top Q. What type of data is available through BusinessObjects and the Datawarehouse?
A. Available data includes student, staff, finance and research. Refer to the on-line Datawarehouse Guide for details.
Back to top Q. How do I remove an empty value from a list of variables(eg Permanent Country) whilst allowing for further updates to the variable?
A. Go to Format>Filters and add the variable you wish to filter on to the Global Level. Then add the formula =not IsNull (<Permanent Country>) All the items except "empty" will now be selected from this variable.
Back to top Q. How can I include the value returned by my prompt in the title of my report?
A. Create a blank cell where you want to place the title and go to Insert>Special Fields>Query Prompt. The result of the prompt will now appear in this cell.
Back to top Q. Can I use the one prompt twice for reports with more than one query?
A. Yes, simply set the prompt up for the first query as normal, then in the second query instead of choosing "Type a New Prompt" use "Show list of Prompts" and select the one you wish to use.
Back to top Q. How can I position a crosstab or cell relative to another crosstab on the same page?
A. Select Format>Table>Appearance. Select the crosstab you wish to align to from either the horizontal or vertical drop down position list.
Back to top Q. How do I apply to change my access privileges for my new position at UQ?
A. If you are an existing data warehouse and BusinessObjects user, and you change jobs, your access privileges may need review. If you need to either upgrade, change or downgrade your access, you should complete another access form, indicate the changes required by checking (or unchecking) the universes listed in Step 2 of the Online Application form.
Back to top Q. How do I terminate my access to the data warehouse and BusinessObjects?
A. You should notify User Support.
Back to top Q. How do I refresh the data in a report that has already been built in order to update my report with the most recent data?
A. Open BusinessObjects. Open the report. Go to the Data Menu and select "Refresh Data". Click OK to run the report, then File->Save As, as required. You may also click on the Refresh Icon on the toolbar to refresh the data.
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