By Swathi Ambati, HEXstream data solutions engineer 

The new Oracle Utilities Data Intelligence platform (OUDI) offers tremendous optimizations to users. And like most powerful new solutions, we’ve encountered many questions as we introduce OUDI to utilities. 

Below, we’ve compiled some of the most common questions related to OUDI, and we share our perspective in short responses. Take a look…

1. Are the AMI, customer and device-data sources available out-of-the-box, specifically for the CCS data-source integration in OUDI?

Yes, these data sources (AMI, customer, device) are available out-of-the-box as part of the standard CCS (Customer Care and Billing System) integration within OUDI. They are preconfigured to support typical utility-data domains and come with base metadata and model mapping.

2. What is the difference between the AMI, customer and device-data sources in OUDI? What types of objects are covered?

• AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure): Covers smart-meter data, interval readings, and meter events.
• Customer: Includes customer profiles, accounts, contacts, service agreements, and
  related billing entities.
• Device: Focuses on physical assets such as meters, transformers and sensors, including device types, status and configurations.

3. Is there documentation or metadata available that outlines the tables or views associated with the AMI-data source?

Yes, there should be technical documentation provided by Oracle or your implementation team. This includes data-dictionary references or data-model diagrams that show table-to-entity relationships for each data source, including AMI. These are typically found in the OUDI Product Documentation Portal or the internal Confluence/SharePoint used by the product team.

4. How can we inspect or explore the actual backend tables or views that are part of the AMI data source in OUDI?

You can explore the analytical base tables or stage tables within the ADW schema provisioned for OUDI; tools like SQL Developer can help inspect these tables. Schema  OAX_USER will contain the read-only tables.

5. How are these three data sources (AMI, customer, device) connected to the semantic model in Oracle Analytics or ADW?

Each data source feeds into a corresponding set of analytical base tables in ADW, which are then extended into the semantic model. Subject areas in Oracle Analytics Cloud (OAC) or Fusion Data Intelligence (FDI) reference these base tables and define business-friendly measures and dimensions.

6. Is the semantic layer in OUDI dynamically updated based on the selected data source (e.g., AMI)?

No, not dynamically in real-time. However, once the pipeline is configured and runs for a selected source, the metadata is registered and used to populate subject areas. Any changes to the data source or pipeline configuration may require a metadata refresh or remapping in the semantic layer.

7. If we select AMI as the data source, does it alter downstream configurations such as pipeline settings or frequency?

Yes, the frequency and configuration may vary depending on the data source. For example, AMI data is typically ingested daily due to the high volume and time-sensitive nature of meter readings, whereas customer or device data might be updated less frequently.

8. Is the data-ingestion pipeline frequency customizable for each data source?

Yes, OUDI allows you to configure frequency settings for each pipeline independently. This includes options such as daily, weekly or custom intervals depending on the operational requirements of each source system. 

9. Do all three data sources (AMI, customer, device) require independent pipeline setup and configuration?

Yes, each data source requires its own pipeline setup. While some configurations (like target schema or error handling) may be reusable, the source mappings, frequency and transformation logic will differ. This enables better control and optimization per source.

INTERESTED IN OUDI? CLICK HERE TO CONNECT WITH US.