Using Query Browser in Dashboards 4.0: What You Need to Know

The BusinessObjects 4.0 release gave birth to a few new interesting features to the BI toolkit. One key enhancement was the addition to the Query Browser to the Dashboard (formerly Xcelsius) application. The idea was inherent and simple: allow the developer to obtain data directly from a Universe or BEx Query, thus bypassing the use of the embedded Excel spreadsheet. In this context, the feature achieves what it intends to. However, the feature has its limitations and is not a comprehensive replacement for data connections, such as Web Services. In this post, I will discuss these limitations and what I have found to be the most practical cases for utilizing the Query Browser in your dashboards.

Query Data Using the Query Browser 

Let’s first examine the process of querying data using the Query Browser.

To create a query using the Query Browser, the user must open the Query Browser panel and select either the “Add Query” button (if there is no query already created) or the  button (regardless of prior created queries).

In order to access the correct BusinessObjects system, the user must first input a set of credentials. Note that once the user logs into a BusinessObjects system, that is the only system the user will be able to access for the duration of the Dashboard session (the application must be closed to access another system).

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About James T. Mason

Jason Mason is a business intelligence consultant specializing in report, dashboard, and semantic layer development. James delivers customized SAP BusinessObjects solutions for customers across all industries. With Decision First Technologies, James utilizes Web Intelligence, Dashboards, Universe Designer, Information Design Tool, and Explorer.