Finally, we get to the heart of the OBIEE system, the metadata repository that resides within the RPD file. The RPD contains all information regarding the physical tables that are held in our database or data warehouse, whether this is from a single source or a heterogeneous set of sources. It stores their relationships, additional business logic, and the structure of how columns are presented via the frontend to the dashboard creators. As well as physical database tables, the RPD can also utilize other data sources, such as Essbase, Oracle OLAP, and Excel sheets.
The RPD also holds variable definitions, various security and cache settings, and drill/dimensional hierarchies that affect the end functionality of reports. All of these settings and metadata are used by the Oracle BI server choosing the content and structure of database queries when presented with a request via OBIEE Answers.
Once a system is installed and has gone live, a good amount...