When you run a query against a single data source, the results of the query are stored in the microcube of that document and the query is identified as a data provider. Within one Web Intelligence document, you can include multiple queries based on one or more of the universes available in the BI launch pad.
Each universe is built for one functional area. Therefore, when you work with both sales data and customer demographics, the data comes from two separate universes. For example, your organization may use one universe to access data product line sales, and another universe for customer data. It might be useful to include data from both of these sources in one Web Intelligence document.
Universes, queries, and local documents are all data providers. You can include data from local data providers such as Excel spreadsheets, text files, and CSV files in your document.
If you want to present product line sales results and information on customer age groups in the same report, create a single document that includes data retrieved by two queries. Each of these queries is built using a different universe. You can then include and format the results from both queries in the same report.
Using Multiple Data Sources
The figure, Using Multiple Data Sources, shows an example of how data from various sources can be formatted within one document, irrespective of the format of the original source. The system administrator assigns rights for access to specific universes.
Advantages of Using Multiple Data Sources
The following list outlines some of the actions that using multiple data providers helps you to perform once the basic report is built:
- Compare and contrast information in a single table.
- Add calculations across data sources.
- Synchronize multiple data providers and merge on common dimensions to display data in the same block.
- Synthesize data from different sources in the same report.
- Create new variables and develop your analysis further.
