A universe is a file that contains the following:
· Connection parameters for one or more database middleware.
· SQL structures called objects that map to actual SQL structures in the database such as columns, tables, and database functions. Objects are grouped into classes. Objects and classes are both visible to Web Intelligence users.
· A schema of the tables and joins used in the database. Objects are built from the database structures that you include in your schema. The schema is only available to Designer users. It is not visible to Web Intelligence and Desktop Intelligence users.
Web Intelligence users connect to a universe, and run queries against a database. They can do data analysis and create reports using the objects in a universe, without seeing, or having to know anything about, the underlying data structures in the database.