Question: How do I extract register data to Excel? The register has a lot of text fields and unstructured data that is not suitable for storage in a cube. How can I extract the register data for analysis in Excel, without the data going through a financial cube?

[OSAdmin]

Answer

Option 1 – Instead of using the register in specialty solutions, a ‘lighter’ option would be to use the data import staging area, where you can use attribute columns for text. This is set on the cube settings, where you can enable additional attribute values, and name them with appropriate column headers.

• Option 2: You can now also use BI-Blend, where you have more control over aggregation points, while having a mix of unstructured text and numerical data. This data you can bring into a dashboard, using a data adapter and grid view.
• Once the data is in the BI blend tables, you can additionally, using the embedded spreadsheet, use the Table Views feature (new in v5.2)
• This allows you to pull from the underlying tables and view in the spreadsheet.
  Additionally, an embedded spreadsheet that uses Table Views can itself be embedded within a dashboard.

• Table Views need to be defined using a business rule. This allows you store queries that may blend several sources together, but for end-users they don’t have to worry about the details of the query when they are using the Spreadsheet interface. The use of a business rule separates the complexity of data queries from the end-user. It also allows you to define standard parameters for the query.
• Remember the BI Blend tables are always on an external database, so you will need the connection name.
• For more information, refer to the TableViews Design and Reference Guide which is downloadable from the XF Marketplace.

Source: Office Hours 2019-12-12 Partner Enablement