What is RPD in OBIEE?

In the context of Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE), RPD stands for Repository Metadata (RPD). The RPD file is the central component of an OBIEE installation, serving as the metadata repository that defines the logical and physical structure of the data model, security settings, and other configuration details necessary for reporting and analysis.

Here's a brief overview of key aspects related to the RPD in OBIEE:

Metadata Definition: The RPD file contains metadata definitions that define the logical data model, including logical tables, columns, joins, calculations, and other business logic. This metadata provides a semantic layer that abstracts the underlying data sources, making it easier for users to query and analyze data without needing to understand the complexities of the underlying databases.

Physical Data Source Configuration: In addition to defining the logical data model, the RPD file also contains configurations for connecting to one or more physical data sources. This includes database connections, connection pools, and other settings necessary for OBIEE to retrieve data from the underlying databases.

Security Configuration: The RPD file includes security settings that control user access to data and functionality within OBIEE. This includes defining user roles, permissions, data-level security filters, and other security-related configurations.

Business Logic and Calculations: OBIEE allows developers to define business logic and calculations within the RPD file using the Calculation Manager tool. This allows for the creation of custom metrics, aggregations, and other calculations that can be used in reports and analyses.

Deployment and Administration: The RPD file is typically developed and maintained using the Oracle BI Administration Tool, a desktop application provided by Oracle for managing OBIEE repositories. After making changes to the RPD file, administrators can deploy the updated file to the OBIEE server for use by end-users.

Overall, the RPD file serves as the backbone of an OBIEE implementation, providing the necessary metadata and configuration details to enable reporting, analysis, and dashboarding capabilities within the OBIEE environment.