Synonym required to query custom tables from Oracle Apps database

Question

When creating an Answers report that queries from a table owned by a custom schema (not APPS), I cannot query the table and get error. Once I add a Synonym for APPS on this table, then OBIEE works normally.
Since OBIEE is logging in as the APPS user, are Synonyms required for all non-APPS tables/views or is there another feature of the Administrator where it can store the table alias (our typical owner of custom tables is XXFI)?

Answer 1

OK, well "compare" can mean one of two things: Compare structure or compare contents. Here is a quick script to compare column structures of two tables on one database:
(select COLUMN_NAME,
DATA_TYPE,
DATA_LENGTH,
DATA_PRECISION,
DATA_SCALE,
NULLABLE
from dba_Tab_columns
where owner=:OWNR1
and table_name = :tablename
minus
select COLUMN_NAME,
DATA_TYPE,
DATA_LENGTH,
DATA_PRECISION,
DATA_SCALE,
NULLABLE
from dba_Tab_columns
where owner=:ownr2
and table_name = :tablename)
union all
(select COLUMN_NAME,
DATA_TYPE,
DATA_LENGTH,
DATA_PRECISION,
DATA_SCALE,
NULLABLE
from dba_Tab_columns
where owner=:ownr2
and table_name = :tablename
minus
select COLUMN_NAME,
DATA_TYPE,
DATA_LENGTH,
DATA_PRECISION,
DATA_SCALE,
NULLABLE
from dba_Tab_columns
where owner=:ownr1
and table_name = :tablename)
If this query returns any rows, then these indicate that there are structural differences between the tables. We do a minus in both directions to ensure that an additional column in either schema will be returned in the query.
If you are going across dblinks to remote tables then you have to amend the "dba_tab_columns" to "sys.dba_tab_columns@yourdblink"
If you also want to compare indexes, triggers, etc then do the same sort of thing for the associated dba_ views for those objects.
And if you want to compare table contents, then often the fastest way is also to check minuses in both directions, if the tables are not too big:
e.g.
(select * from schema1.table@dblink1
minus
select * from schema2.table@dblink2)
union all
(select * from schema2.table@dblink2
minus
select * from schema1.table@dblink1)
local tables, of course, simply omit the "@dblink" issues.
There are tools to help in such things. TOAD, for example, has a pretty good schema comparison tool, and there are plenty of other options out there. But if you need to script this yourself then the logic I've shown is a good starting point.
Cheers,
Mike