Inventory optimization dashboard missing custom item attributes from flexfields

SCM Oracle Fusion Cloud SCM
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1

We added several custom item attributes last month using descriptive flexfields - specifically shelf life category, storage temperature requirements, and hazmat classification. These fields are visible and working correctly in the Item Master screens and all transactional processes.

However, when I try to add these attributes to our inventory optimization dashboard in OTBI, they simply don’t appear in the available columns list. I’ve searched through the entire Item subject area and related folders, but the custom flexfield attributes are nowhere to be found.

The flexfield deployment was completed successfully according to our admin team, and we can query the data directly in SQL. I’m wondering if there’s a metadata sync step we missed, or if the data model mapping for OTBI doesn’t automatically pick up flexfield changes. Running on 24A - any guidance would be appreciated.

2

Flexfield attributes don’t automatically flow through to OTBI - there’s a deliberate deployment process. After defining your flexfields in the application, you need to explicitly enable them for BI reporting.

Go to Setup and Maintenance > Search for ‘Manage Descriptive Flexfield Configurations’ and find your Item flexfield. There should be a checkbox or setting for ‘Enable for BI Reporting’ that needs to be activated for each attribute.

3

After the metadata sync, you need to refresh the subject area in your Analytics session. Log out of OTBI completely, then log back in. The subject area metadata is cached at the user session level.

Also verify that your user role has access to the flexfield attributes - sometimes they’re deployed with restricted visibility that needs to be adjusted in security settings.

4

I’ve encountered cases where the data model mapping doesn’t correctly link flexfield tables to the main subject area views. You might need to check if the flexfield extension tables are properly joined in the logical model.

This usually requires opening a service request with Oracle if the standard sync process doesn’t establish the relationships correctly, especially for newly added flexfields in 24A.

5

Even after enabling for BI reporting, the OTBI metadata doesn’t refresh automatically. You need to trigger a metadata sync job to pull the flexfield definitions into the BI repository.

Navigate to Scheduled Processes and run the ‘Incremental BI Repository Sync’ job. This can take 30-60 minutes depending on your data volume. After completion, the new attributes should appear in your subject areas.

6

You’re experiencing the classic three-step gap in getting flexfields into OTBI dashboards. Let me provide the complete end-to-end solution covering flexfield deployment, OTBI metadata sync, and data model mapping.

First, flexfield deployment for BI: While you’ve created the descriptive flexfields and they’re working transactionally, they need explicit BI enablement. Navigate to Setup and Maintenance > Search ‘Manage Descriptive Flexfield Configurations for Supply Chain Management’. Find the ‘Item’ context (EGP_SYSTEM_ITEMS_B is the underlying table). Locate your three custom attributes: shelf life category, storage temperature requirements, and hazmat classification. For each attribute, click ‘Edit’ and scroll to the ‘Business Intelligence’ section. Enable three specific settings: (1) ‘Displayed in BI’ - makes the field visible, (2) ‘Available for Analysis’ - includes it in subject areas, and (3) ‘Enable Drill’ - allows drill-down functionality. Save each attribute. This step is critical because flexfields default to transactional-only visibility.

Second, OTBI metadata sync - the multi-stage process: The Incremental BI Repository Sync you ran is only the first stage. You need to run three jobs in sequence: (1) ‘Incremental BI Repository Sync’ - you’ve done this, it pulls the flexfield metadata from the application to the BI catalog. (2) ‘Rebuild Analytics Indexes’ - this is the step most people miss. Navigate to Scheduled Processes, search for ‘Rebuild Analytics Indexes’ and run it with parameters: Object Type = ‘Flexfield’, Object Name = ‘EGP_SYSTEM_ITEMS_B_DFF’. This rebuilds the dimensional indexes that OTBI uses for query optimization. (3) ‘Refresh Subject Area Metadata’ - run this specifically for the ‘Inventory Management - Items’ subject area. This propagates the changes to the presentation layer where users build reports.

Third, data model mapping verification: Even after successful sync, the flexfield attributes might not appear if the data model joins aren’t properly configured. Log into Analytics as an administrator, navigate to Administration > Manage Repository Metadata. Download the current RPD (Repository) file for inspection. Open it with the BI Administration Tool (you’ll need BI Desktop Tools installed). In the Physical layer, verify that the table ‘EGP_SYSTEM_ITEMS_B’ has the three flexfield columns: ATTRIBUTE1 (shelf life category), ATTRIBUTE2 (storage temperature), ATTRIBUTE3 (hazmat classification) - the actual column names depend on your flexfield configuration. Move to the Business Model layer, expand ‘Inventory Management - Items’ logical table. Your flexfield attributes should appear here with descriptive names. If they’re missing, right-click the logical table, select ‘Add Logical Column’, and map each to the corresponding physical column. Set appropriate data types and display names. Finally, in the Presentation layer, ensure the attributes are exposed in a user-friendly folder like ‘Items - Custom Attributes’.

Fourth, cache clearing and session refresh: OTBI caches subject area metadata aggressively. After completing the above steps, you must clear multiple cache layers: (1) Navigate to Analytics > Administration > Manage Sessions and Cache, click ‘Clear All Cache’ - this clears server-side BI cache. (2) Have all users completely close their browsers (not just log out) to clear client-side cache. (3) Wait 15 minutes for the cache refresh cycle to complete. (4) When users log back in, they should see the three custom attributes in the Items subject area under a folder named ‘Items Extension’ or ‘Items Custom Attributes’.

Fifth, validation and troubleshooting: If attributes still don’t appear, check the BI Server log for metadata load errors. Navigate to Analytics > Administration > View Logs > BI Server Log. Search for ‘EGP_SYSTEM_ITEMS’ and look for any ERROR or WARNING messages related to flexfield loading. Common issues include: (1) Attribute display names containing special characters that break XML parsing - rename them to alphanumeric only. (2) Data type mismatches between physical and logical layers - ensure VARCHAR fields aren’t mapped as INTEGER. (3) Security restrictions on flexfield attributes - verify in Security Console that your user role has view access to the specific flexfield context.

In 24A specifically, there’s an enhancement where flexfields marked ‘Available for Analysis’ should auto-populate into OTBI within 24 hours via a scheduled metadata refresh job. However, this automated process is unreliable for newly added flexfields. The manual three-job sequence I outlined above is the guaranteed approach. After your initial setup, future flexfield additions should flow through more smoothly as the framework recognizes the extension pattern.

7

I found the BI Reporting checkbox and enabled all three custom attributes. Ran the Incremental BI Repository Sync job which completed successfully after about 45 minutes. However, I’m still not seeing the attributes in OTBI. Do I need to clear cache or refresh something else?