A data model defines the data sets that we can use to build one or more reports. The data model can be created via the /xmlpserver application URL or the/analytics application URL. The former is primarily used for standalone BI Publisher deployments, although you could also use it when full integration with the Oracle BI 12c suite has been deployed on your server.
Note
For the exercises in this book, you can use the Oracle BI 12c analytics portal--http://<server_name>:9704/analytics/--unless otherwise stated.
Out-of-the-box, data source connections cannot be created in BI Publisher unless you have administration privileges. More importantly, the only place to create a new data source, which may be used globally in BI Publisher, is within the Oracle BI Publisher Administration page. This centralizes data source creation across the application. It also allows an administrator to restrict access to the predefined data sources...