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Cognos Reportnet (CRN) - use Microsoft Excel as Datasource

You can connect to Microsoft Excel data source by using Excel ODBC driver. Excel ODBC driver is normally pre-installed to every Windows operating system, so you do not normally need to install it separately.

 

The steps are the same as they would be for any ODBC data source:

1. Create a system DSN in the Windows ODBC Administrator. Note: The excel file must be local to the Cognos server.

2. Create a new data source in Cognos Connection, select ODBC (Windows only) option.

3. Enter the system DSN name you created in Step 1 under ODBC data source property.

 

Cognos Reportnet (CRN) - use Microsoft Excel as Datasource

You can connect to Microsoft Excel data source by using Excel ODBC driver. Excel ODBC driver is normally pre-installed to every Windows operating system, so you do not normally need to install it separately.

 

The steps are the same as they would be for any ODBC data source:

1. Create a system DSN in the Windows ODBC Administrator. Note: The excel file must be local to the Cognos server.

2. Create a new data source in Cognos Connection, select ODBC (Windows only) option.

3. Enter the system DSN name you created in Step 1 under ODBC data source property.

 

Cognos SDK -- SOAP Connection Timeout Error in Visual Basic 6.0 Applications

A Visual Basic 6.0 application that extracts a large amount of data may encounter the SOAP error "Connector: Connection timeout." The default timeout for the HTTPConnector30 object of the SOAP Toolkit 3.0 is 30 seconds, which may be insufficient. Visual Basic 6.0 users can modify this limit by using the setTimeout method to increase the timeout. The setTimeout method signature is

Public Function setTimeout(timeout As Long)

where timeout is in milliseconds. This method can be used with all services, including the dispatcher. The following code snippet demonstrates how to set the timeout for the Agent Service to 60 seconds.

Public agServ As AgentService
Set agServ = New AgentService
agServ.endPointUrl = "http://localhost:9300/p2pd/servlet/dispatch"
agServ.setTimeout(60000)

 

Cognos SDK -- SOAP Connection Timeout Error in Visual Basic 6.0 Applications

A Visual Basic 6.0 application that extracts a large amount of data may encounter the SOAP error "Connector: Connection timeout." The default timeout for the HTTPConnector30 object of the SOAP Toolkit 3.0 is 30 seconds, which may be insufficient. Visual Basic 6.0 users can modify this limit by using the setTimeout method to increase the timeout. The setTimeout method signature is

Public Function setTimeout(timeout As Long)

where timeout is in milliseconds. This method can be used with all services, including the dispatcher. The following code snippet demonstrates how to set the timeout for the Agent Service to 60 seconds.

Public agServ As AgentService
Set agServ = New AgentService
agServ.endPointUrl = "http://localhost:9300/p2pd/servlet/dispatch"
agServ.setTimeout(60000)

 

Cognos 8 -- Framework Manager Determinants

Determinants are designed to provide control over granularity in a similar, but not identical, way as dimension information in Cognos ReportNet. A determinant can define the set of database columns (query items) that uniquely identify a set of data, or it can identify a set of columns that identify a non-unique set within the data.

Determinants are most closely related to the concept of keys and indexes in the data source and are imported based on key and index information in the data source. We recommend that you always review the determinants that are imported. There is no concept of hierarchy in determinants. The order in which they are specified governs
the order in which they are evaluated.

Use determinants in the following cases:
• Joins exist at multiple levels of granularity for a single query subject. An example is the Time dimension in the Go Data Warehouse sample model. There are joins
to the Time dimension on the day key and on the month key. Determinants are used for the Time dimension when you want to prevent double-counting for multiple-fact queries. For example, some facts join to time on month and some facts join to time on day. Specify determinants for time to clearly capture the functional dependency between month and day as a minimum to prevent double-counting for those facts that join at the month key.
• BLOB data types exist in the query subject. Querying blobs requires additional key or index type information. If this information is not present in the data source, you can add it using determinants. Override the determinants imported from the data source that conflict with relationships created for reporting. For example, there are determinants on two query subjects for multiple columns but the
relationship between the query subjects uses only a subset of these columns. Modify the determinant information of the query subject if it is not appropriate to use the additional columns in the relationship.
• A join is specified that uses fewer keys than a unique determinant that is specified for a query subject. If your join is built on fewer columns than what is stored in Framework Manager within the determinants, there will be a conflict. Resolve this conflict by modifying the relationship to fully agree with the determinant or by modifying the determinant to support the relationship.

Cognos 8 -- Framework Manager Determinants

Determinants are designed to provide control over granularity in a similar, but not identical, way as dimension information in Cognos ReportNet. A determinant can define the set of database columns (query items) that uniquely identify a set of data, or it can identify a set of columns that identify a non-unique set within the data.

Determinants are most closely related to the concept of keys and indexes in the data source and are imported based on key and index information in the data source. We recommend that you always review the determinants that are imported. There is no concept of hierarchy in determinants. The order in which they are specified governs
the order in which they are evaluated.

Use determinants in the following cases:
• Joins exist at multiple levels of granularity for a single query subject. An example is the Time dimension in the Go Data Warehouse sample model. There are joins
to the Time dimension on the day key and on the month key. Determinants are used for the Time dimension when you want to prevent double-counting for multiple-fact queries. For example, some facts join to time on month and some facts join to time on day. Specify determinants for time to clearly capture the functional dependency between month and day as a minimum to prevent double-counting for those facts that join at the month key.
• BLOB data types exist in the query subject. Querying blobs requires additional key or index type information. If this information is not present in the data source, you can add it using determinants. Override the determinants imported from the data source that conflict with relationships created for reporting. For example, there are determinants on two query subjects for multiple columns but the
relationship between the query subjects uses only a subset of these columns. Modify the determinant information of the query subject if it is not appropriate to use the additional columns in the relationship.
• A join is specified that uses fewer keys than a unique determinant that is specified for a query subject. If your join is built on fewer columns than what is stored in Framework Manager within the determinants, there will be a conflict. Resolve this conflict by modifying the relationship to fully agree with the determinant or by modifying the determinant to support the relationship.

Cognos 8 install -- Configure the Router to Test Dispatcher Availability

If you use a router to distribute requests to Cognos 8 dispatchers, and the router can test the availability of a server using a test URL, you can configure the router to test the availability of a Cognos 8 dispatcher.

 

To test the availability of a dispatcher, do the following:

• Configure the router to use a URL with the path /p2pd/servlet/ping.

 

If the dispatcher is not ready, the following response is returned:

 

503 Service Unavailable

 

If the dispatcher is ready, the following response is returned:

 

200 OK

 

Cognos 8 install -- Configure the Router to Test Dispatcher Availability

If you use a router to distribute requests to Cognos 8 dispatchers, and the router can test the availability of a server using a test URL, you can configure the router to test the availability of a Cognos 8 dispatcher.

 

To test the availability of a dispatcher, do the following:

• Configure the router to use a URL with the path /p2pd/servlet/ping.

 

If the dispatcher is not ready, the following response is returned:

 

503 Service Unavailable

 

If the dispatcher is ready, the following response is returned:

 

200 OK

 

Migration from Cognos Series 7 to Cognos 8

You can migrate metadata and applications from Cognos Series 7 version 2 (7.1) or later to Cognos 8. Content that can be migrated includes Web-based content from Windows and UNIX, Impromptu client reports and catalogs from Windows, and Architect models from Windows.

 

Cognos provides several migration utilities and documentation to aid with this process.  If you have access to their support site then do a search to download these items.

 

Architect

You can migrate Architect models for use as a metadata source for Framework Manager.

 

Impromptu

You can migrate catalogs for use as a metadata source for Framework Manager. You can then migrate and deploy Impromptu reports. You cannot migrate Impromptu query definition files (.iqd).

 

Upfront

You can migrate some Upfront content to Cognos 8 by using the migration utilities with a Deployment Manager package as the migration source.

 

Impromptu Web Reports

You can migrate Impromptu Web Reports using a Deployment Manager package as the migration source. Before you migrate the reports, you must migrate the Impromptu catalog metadata used by the reports.

Migration from Cognos Series 7 to Cognos 8

You can migrate metadata and applications from Cognos Series 7 version 2 (7.1) or later to Cognos 8. Content that can be migrated includes Web-based content from Windows and UNIX, Impromptu client reports and catalogs from Windows, and Architect models from Windows.

 

Cognos provides several migration utilities and documentation to aid with this process.  If you have access to their support site then do a search to download these items.

 

Architect

You can migrate Architect models for use as a metadata source for Framework Manager.

 

Impromptu

You can migrate catalogs for use as a metadata source for Framework Manager. You can then migrate and deploy Impromptu reports. You cannot migrate Impromptu query definition files (.iqd).

 

Upfront

You can migrate some Upfront content to Cognos 8 by using the migration utilities with a Deployment Manager package as the migration source.

 

Impromptu Web Reports

You can migrate Impromptu Web Reports using a Deployment Manager package as the migration source. Before you migrate the reports, you must migrate the Impromptu catalog metadata used by the reports.

Cognos 8 -- Report Studio external .js

Instead of manually adding the .js scripts to your Cognos 8 Report Studio HTML item properties you are able to reference external .js files in your Cognos 8 Report Studio report.

You would have to add a HTML item with following syntax to your Cognos 8 report:




Where http://localhost:90/Cognos8 example of the gateway URI and MyJavaScriptFile.js is an external javascript file.

Steps:

1. Create a javascript file which you want to execute in Cognos 8 BI
2. Copy it to the webcontent directory
3. Create a sample report and add a HTML item to it
4. Add javascript to the HTML item like this one:


Cognos 8 -- Report Studio external .js

Instead of manually adding the .js scripts to your Cognos 8 Report Studio HTML item properties you are able to reference external .js files in your Cognos 8 Report Studio report.

You would have to add a HTML item with following syntax to your Cognos 8 report:




Where http://localhost:90/Cognos8 example of the gateway URI and MyJavaScriptFile.js is an external javascript file.

Steps:

1. Create a javascript file which you want to execute in Cognos 8 BI
2. Copy it to the webcontent directory
3. Create a sample report and add a HTML item to it
4. Add javascript to the HTML item like this one:


Cognos 8 SDK -- BiBusHeader information needs to be shared among new services

If you are upgrading your Cognos SDK application to Cognos 8, then you need to be aware of some of the important differences between CRN and C8. On such change is that each of the new individual services in Cognos 8 contain a BiBusHeader object. Some of the new services are the ContentManagerService, the ReportService, the BatchReportService and the JobService. The BiBusHeader object is not automatically shared between services, nor is it inherited from other services. The BiBusHeader object contains among other things a CAM passport, which is a unique security token that reflects user’s session.

Unless anonymous access is enabled in Cognos Configuration, the security
information contained in the BiBusHeader object is required in any service
that makes an API method call.

Cognos 8 SDK -- BiBusHeader information needs to be shared among new services

If you are upgrading your Cognos SDK application to Cognos 8, then you need to be aware of some of the important differences between CRN and C8. On such change is that each of the new individual services in Cognos 8 contain a BiBusHeader object. Some of the new services are the ContentManagerService, the ReportService, the BatchReportService and the JobService. The BiBusHeader object is not automatically shared between services, nor is it inherited from other services. The BiBusHeader object contains among other things a CAM passport, which is a unique security token that reflects user’s session.

Unless anonymous access is enabled in Cognos Configuration, the security
information contained in the BiBusHeader object is required in any service
that makes an API method call.

Cognos 8 -- deployment

If you deploy data using the Reports Administrator role, access to security entries may be denied. By default, the Reports Administrator role does not have write access to the Cognos namespace.

Before you deploy, modify the permissions of this role to ensure that it has read and write permissions to the Cognos namespace.

Cognos 8 -- deployment

If you deploy data using the Reports Administrator role, access to security entries may be denied. By default, the Reports Administrator role does not have write access to the Cognos namespace.

Before you deploy, modify the permissions of this role to ensure that it has read and write permissions to the Cognos namespace.

Cognos 8 -- Activate a Content Manager Service

One Content Manager service is designated to become active at startup. All other Content Manager services start up in standby mode. Only one Content Manager service can be active at any time.   You can manually activate a Content Manager service that is in standby mode in the server administration tool. When you activate a service, any currently active service switches to standby mode.  You can also specify a Content Manager service which is currently standby as the default active service at startup.

 

To access the server administration tool, you must have execute permissions for the server administration secured feature and traverse permission for the Administration secured function.

 

Steps to Activate a Content Manager Service

 

  1. In Cognos Connection, in the upper-right corner, click Tools, Server Administration.

 

  1. Click the Monitor tab.

 

  1. Under Type, click Services.

 

  1. Click the Activate arrow in the Actions column next to that service.

 

 

Steps to Specify a Default Content Manager Service

 

  1. In Cognos Connection, in the upper-right corner, click Tools, Server Administration.

 

  1. Click the Monitor tab.

 

  1. Under Type, click Services.

 

  1. Click More in the Actions column next to a standby service.

 

  1. Click Set as active by default.

Cognos 8 -- Activate a Content Manager Service

One Content Manager service is designated to become active at startup. All other Content Manager services start up in standby mode. Only one Content Manager service can be active at any time.   You can manually activate a Content Manager service that is in standby mode in the server administration tool. When you activate a service, any currently active service switches to standby mode.  You can also specify a Content Manager service which is currently standby as the default active service at startup.

 

To access the server administration tool, you must have execute permissions for the server administration secured feature and traverse permission for the Administration secured function.

 

Steps to Activate a Content Manager Service

 

  1. In Cognos Connection, in the upper-right corner, click Tools, Server Administration.

 

  1. Click the Monitor tab.

 

  1. Under Type, click Services.

 

  1. Click the Activate arrow in the Actions column next to that service.

 

 

Steps to Specify a Default Content Manager Service

 

  1. In Cognos Connection, in the upper-right corner, click Tools, Server Administration.

 

  1. Click the Monitor tab.

 

  1. Under Type, click Services.

 

  1. Click More in the Actions column next to a standby service.

 

  1. Click Set as active by default.

Cognos 8 -- Framework Manager model version

If you are looking to determine the Cognos 8 Framework Manager model version then you would have to navigate to the folder where the model is stored and open the model.xml file with Notepad. 

 

The first 4 lines show the version.

 

Cognos 8.1 MR2

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>

<project xmlns="http://www.developer.cognos.com/schemas/bmt/58/1" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.developer.cognos.com/schemas/bmt/58/1

 

Cognos 8.2

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>

<project containsDynamicContent="true" xmlns="http://www.developer.cognos.com/schemas/bmt/58/2" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.developer.cognos.com/schemas/bmt/58/2

 

Cognos 8 -- Framework Manager model version

If you are looking to determine the Cognos 8 Framework Manager model version then you would have to navigate to the folder where the model is stored and open the model.xml file with Notepad. 

 

The first 4 lines show the version.

 

Cognos 8.1 MR2

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>

<project xmlns="http://www.developer.cognos.com/schemas/bmt/58/1" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.developer.cognos.com/schemas/bmt/58/1

 

Cognos 8.2

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>

<project containsDynamicContent="true" xmlns="http://www.developer.cognos.com/schemas/bmt/58/2" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.developer.cognos.com/schemas/bmt/58/2

 

Cognos 8 -- CAF (Cognos Application Firewall)

Hello, I’m reviewing our Cognos architecture and I’m looking at some of the main security settings for our Production environment.  I’ll admit that I had to read up on the CAF (Cognos Application Firewall).  Here is a quick intro to the CAF.

 

“Cognos Application Firewall (CAF) is a tool designed to supplement the existing Cognos 8 security infrastructure. By default, this supplemental security is enabled. Cognos Application Firewall acts as a smart proxy for the Cognos 8 product gateways and dispatchers. HTTP and XML requests are analyzed, modified, and validated before the gateways or dispatchers process them, and before they are sent to the requesting client or service.

 

CAF works to protect the Cognos 8 products from processing malicious data.  The most common forms of malicious data are buffer overflows and cross-site scripting attacks (XSS links), either through script injection in valid pages or redirection to other web sites.  To ensure that the Cognos 8 solution is as secure as possible, CAF should NEVER be disabled in a production environment.”

 

Cognos 8 -- CAF (Cognos Application Firewall)

Hello, I’m reviewing our Cognos architecture and I’m looking at some of the main security settings for our Production environment.  I’ll admit that I had to read up on the CAF (Cognos Application Firewall).  Here is a quick intro to the CAF.

 

“Cognos Application Firewall (CAF) is a tool designed to supplement the existing Cognos 8 security infrastructure. By default, this supplemental security is enabled. Cognos Application Firewall acts as a smart proxy for the Cognos 8 product gateways and dispatchers. HTTP and XML requests are analyzed, modified, and validated before the gateways or dispatchers process them, and before they are sent to the requesting client or service.

 

CAF works to protect the Cognos 8 products from processing malicious data.  The most common forms of malicious data are buffer overflows and cross-site scripting attacks (XSS links), either through script injection in valid pages or redirection to other web sites.  To ensure that the Cognos 8 solution is as secure as possible, CAF should NEVER be disabled in a production environment.”

 

Cognos 8 -- Report Studio not running

If you are having issues running Cognos Report Studio then one item to validate is the settings for your pop-up blocking software on your computer.  Starting Report Studio opens a new browser window and it also opens a new browser window when you run a report. 

 

Check to see if disabling any pop-up blocking software on your PC eliminates the issue.

Cognos 8 -- Report Studio not running

If you are having issues running Cognos Report Studio then one item to validate is the settings for your pop-up blocking software on your computer.  Starting Report Studio opens a new browser window and it also opens a new browser window when you run a report. 

 

Check to see if disabling any pop-up blocking software on your PC eliminates the issue.

Cognos 8 -- already authenticated?

Have you ever thought that your Cognos Connection session has already expired and you still receive an authentication error stating that the user is already connected to Cognos?  If so, then you should:

 

·         clear your web browser cache and rerun the Cognos report

·         close your browser, open it again, and restart your Cognos 8 session

·         attempt to log on to Cognos 8 again, reauthenticate your credentials, and then click the back button in your browser to return to the portal. Run the report again.

Cognos 8 -- already authenticated?

Have you ever thought that your Cognos Connection session has already expired and you still receive an authentication error stating that the user is already connected to Cognos?  If so, then you should:

 

·         clear your web browser cache and rerun the Cognos report

·         close your browser, open it again, and restart your Cognos 8 session

·         attempt to log on to Cognos 8 again, reauthenticate your credentials, and then click the back button in your browser to return to the portal. Run the report again.

Cognos 8 -- Report Studio: Add comments in report expression

Well I don’t know about you, but this was driving me nuts for a long time and I finally came across the answer! 

 

When you’re working with Cognos Report Studio and dealing with report expressions in a multi-developer environment sometimes you want the ability to add comments directly into the report.  I know, I know…you’re saying that anything that should require comments should have been included in the technical specs for the report but just go with it.

 

Here is the syntax for a sample Cognos 8 Report Studio report expression which contains comments:

 

#/*Here are the comments*/#

[GORT].[COUNTRY].[COUNTRY_CODE]

Cognos 8 -- Report Studio: Add comments in report expression

Well I don’t know about you, but this was driving me nuts for a long time and I finally came across the answer! 

 

When you’re working with Cognos Report Studio and dealing with report expressions in a multi-developer environment sometimes you want the ability to add comments directly into the report.  I know, I know…you’re saying that anything that should require comments should have been included in the technical specs for the report but just go with it.

 

Here is the syntax for a sample Cognos 8 Report Studio report expression which contains comments:

 

#/*Here are the comments*/#

[GORT].[COUNTRY].[COUNTRY_CODE]

AJAX Link

Hello, I usually always check out this site when I'm trying to remember the basic of any technical items that I'm currently working on. You can click on this url to learn more about the underlaying source behind Bindows. It's also a good tool to get the fundamentals of what actually makes up Cognos (XML, JavaScript, and SOAP)

http://www.w3schools.com/ajax/default.asp

AJAX Link

Hello, I usually always check out this site when I'm trying to remember the basic of any technical items that I'm currently working on. You can click on this url to learn more about the underlaying source behind Bindows. It's also a good tool to get the fundamentals of what actually makes up Cognos (XML, JavaScript, and SOAP)

http://www.w3schools.com/ajax/default.asp

Cognos 8 -- Framework Manager Project Size

If you'd like to increase the number of recent projects listed in your FM welcome screen then you'll need to modify the bmt.ini file in Framework manager to increase the number of project files to list within Framework manager welcome screen.

In order to achieve this you must

1) Go to your Cognos install path
2) Navigage to the subdirectory called /configuration
3) Make a backup copy of the bmt.ini file e.g. bmt_orig.ini
4) Edit the bmt.ini file using Notepad.
5) Locate the following section in the file:

Preference Name="RecentProjectListSize">4
to

Preference Name="RecentProjectListSize">8

This will give a list of 8 recent projects instead of the default 4 in Framework Manager.

Cognos 8 -- Framework Manager Project Size

If you'd like to increase the number of recent projects listed in your FM welcome screen then you'll need to modify the bmt.ini file in Framework manager to increase the number of project files to list within Framework manager welcome screen.

In order to achieve this you must

1) Go to your Cognos install path
2) Navigage to the subdirectory called /configuration
3) Make a backup copy of the bmt.ini file e.g. bmt_orig.ini
4) Edit the bmt.ini file using Notepad.
5) Locate the following section in the file:

Preference Name="RecentProjectListSize">4
to

Preference Name="RecentProjectListSize">8

This will give a list of 8 recent projects instead of the default 4 in Framework Manager.

What is Bindows?

Bindows is a term that originally referenced a "BI-Windows" application created with AJAX technologies. Although the name has remained the same, the term Bindows now refers to any type of rapid application development based on this platform and tools.

Bindows is a tool for writing "zero-footprint" applications. These applications do not require software installation on the client side, and they cannot access local resources such as the client's hard disk. There are other methods of creating these applications but Bindows offers a unique mix of GUI richness, supported client platforms, bandwidth effectiveness and server independence. Bindows uses the strong combination of DHTML, JavaScript, CSS and XML. Its programming language is JavaScript which is a modern, object oriented scripting language. Bindows also provides a unified method of accessing server resources through Web Services.

What is Bindows?

Bindows is a term that originally referenced a "BI-Windows" application created with AJAX technologies. Although the name has remained the same, the term Bindows now refers to any type of rapid application development based on this platform and tools.

Bindows is a tool for writing "zero-footprint" applications. These applications do not require software installation on the client side, and they cannot access local resources such as the client's hard disk. There are other methods of creating these applications but Bindows offers a unique mix of GUI richness, supported client platforms, bandwidth effectiveness and server independence. Bindows uses the strong combination of DHTML, JavaScript, CSS and XML. Its programming language is JavaScript which is a modern, object oriented scripting language. Bindows also provides a unified method of accessing server resources through Web Services.

Cognos 8 Framework Manager -- Unable to View the Result Set of a Stored Procedure

If the result set of a stored procedure contains a CLOB (character large object) or BLOB (binary large object), you must modify the stored procedure before running it.
Steps to Use CLOBs

1. Create a model query subject that references the stored procedure.
2. Insert a Cast or Substring function to calculate a string based on the CLOB.

Steps to Use BLOBs

1. Create a model query subject that references the stored procedure.
2. Remove the BLOB from the Select statement of the query subject.
3. Add query items to the Select statement that perform a lookup on the table that contains the BLOB data.

Cognos 8 Framework Manager -- Unable to View the Result Set of a Stored Procedure

If the result set of a stored procedure contains a CLOB (character large object) or BLOB (binary large object), you must modify the stored procedure before running it.
Steps to Use CLOBs

1. Create a model query subject that references the stored procedure.
2. Insert a Cast or Substring function to calculate a string based on the CLOB.

Steps to Use BLOBs

1. Create a model query subject that references the stored procedure.
2. Remove the BLOB from the Select statement of the query subject.
3. Add query items to the Select statement that perform a lookup on the table that contains the BLOB data.

Cognos SDK -- Report Output in CSV Format Contains an Extra Character

When you run a report that has the run option that specifies output encapsulation set to none, and the output format set to CSV, the output you retrieve contains an extra character. The output is in standard Unicode UTF-16 Little Endian character format. The extra character in the output is the UTF-16 Byte Order Mark (FF FE). You must write code to remove the extra character if your programming language does not automatically remove the UTF-16 Byte Order Mark.

 

For more information, you should review the run (objectPath, parameterValues, options) method and the runSpecification (specification, parameterValues, options) method.

 

Cognos SDK -- Report Output in CSV Format Contains an Extra Character

When you run a report that has the run option that specifies output encapsulation set to none, and the output format set to CSV, the output you retrieve contains an extra character. The output is in standard Unicode UTF-16 Little Endian character format. The extra character in the output is the UTF-16 Byte Order Mark (FF FE). You must write code to remove the extra character if your programming language does not automatically remove the UTF-16 Byte Order Mark.

 

For more information, you should review the run (objectPath, parameterValues, options) method and the runSpecification (specification, parameterValues, options) method.

 

Cognos Connection -- javascript:document.write(document.cookie)

TIP:  If you clear out the existing value in your url address bar and type in: javascript:document.write(document.cookie) then you will be able to see all of the cookies for your current browser session while in Cognos Connection.

Cognos Connection -- javascript:document.write(document.cookie)

TIP:  If you clear out the existing value in your url address bar and type in: javascript:document.write(document.cookie) then you will be able to see all of the cookies for your current browser session while in Cognos Connection.

Cognos SDK -- common dispatcher errors

Here are some common errors that you may encounter while working on your tests apps related to the Cognos 8 dispatcher.

 

DPR-DPR-1031

Unable to complete the request. The user does not have the 'canUseServerAdministrationTool' capability.

Ensure that the user has the canUseServerAdministrationTool capability.

 

DPR-DPR-1032

The stop request cannot be completed because the user lacks write capability on this object.

Ensure that the user has write permission for the service object.

 

DPR-DPR-1033

Unable to complete the start request. The user does not have write capability on this object.

Ensure that the user has write permission for the service object.

 

DPR-DPR-1034

Unable to complete the request. The query to retrieve the 'canUseServerAdministrationTool' capability failed.

Ensure that Content Manager is running correctly.

 

DPR-ERR-2008

The dispatcher is unable to process the request. The request is directed to an unknown service name:%0%

Ensure the search path to the service is correct.

 

Cognos SDK -- common dispatcher errors

Here are some common errors that you may encounter while working on your tests apps related to the Cognos 8 dispatcher.

 

DPR-DPR-1031

Unable to complete the request. The user does not have the 'canUseServerAdministrationTool' capability.

Ensure that the user has the canUseServerAdministrationTool capability.

 

DPR-DPR-1032

The stop request cannot be completed because the user lacks write capability on this object.

Ensure that the user has write permission for the service object.

 

DPR-DPR-1033

Unable to complete the start request. The user does not have write capability on this object.

Ensure that the user has write permission for the service object.

 

DPR-DPR-1034

Unable to complete the request. The query to retrieve the 'canUseServerAdministrationTool' capability failed.

Ensure that Content Manager is running correctly.

 

DPR-ERR-2008

The dispatcher is unable to process the request. The request is directed to an unknown service name:%0%

Ensure the search path to the service is correct.

 

Cognos 8 -- SQL Server database connection

One of the data sources available when using Cognos 8 is a SQL Server database.  You may occasionally experience problems with your database connectivity from within Cognos Connection.  This could produce errors such as “SQL Server cannot be found” or “Access Denied”.

 

If this issue occurs then you should start off by investigating if you configured named pipes instead of TCP/IP protocol as the default network library in the SQL Server Client Network Utility for a SQL Sever reporting or content store database.

Cognos 8 -- SQL Server database connection

One of the data sources available when using Cognos 8 is a SQL Server database.  You may occasionally experience problems with your database connectivity from within Cognos Connection.  This could produce errors such as “SQL Server cannot be found” or “Access Denied”.

 

If this issue occurs then you should start off by investigating if you configured named pipes instead of TCP/IP protocol as the default network library in the SQL Server Client Network Utility for a SQL Sever reporting or content store database.

Cognos Connection -- delete an inactive Namespace

If you remove a Namespace from Cognos Configuration, then only a member of the System Administrators role can delete it permanently from within Cognos Connection by using the Directory menu option.  Doing this also delete all the ‘My Folders’ objects that are associated with the Namespace.

In order to access the Directory administration tool you are required to have execute permissions for the directory secured feature and traverse permissions for the Administration secured function.

Here are the steps to do this from within Cognos Connection:

 

1.      Cognos Connection / select the Tools menu option / select the Directory sub-menu option

2.      Click the Users, Groups and Roles tab.

a.      Note:  if the Namespace that you want to delete does not have a check mark in the Active column, then it is inactive and can be deleted.

3.      In the Actions column you need to click the delete button.

a.      Note:  if the Namespace is active then the delete button is not available

 

This will permanently delete the Namespace and in order to use it again it must be added from within Cognos Configuration.

Cognos Connection -- delete an inactive Namespace

If you remove a Namespace from Cognos Configuration, then only a member of the System Administrators role can delete it permanently from within Cognos Connection by using the Directory menu option.  Doing this also delete all the ‘My Folders’ objects that are associated with the Namespace.

In order to access the Directory administration tool you are required to have execute permissions for the directory secured feature and traverse permissions for the Administration secured function.

Here are the steps to do this from within Cognos Connection:

 

1.      Cognos Connection / select the Tools menu option / select the Directory sub-menu option

2.      Click the Users, Groups and Roles tab.

a.      Note:  if the Namespace that you want to delete does not have a check mark in the Active column, then it is inactive and can be deleted.

3.      In the Actions column you need to click the delete button.

a.      Note:  if the Namespace is active then the delete button is not available

 

This will permanently delete the Namespace and in order to use it again it must be added from within Cognos Configuration.

Cognos 8.2 Report Studio -- Highlight data

End users normally want to view their data in the most visible manner possible. As a Cognos Report Studio developer you can develop your report template to highlight data to better identify exceptional results. Take for instance if you wanted to identify a sales representative who has exceeded their monthly sales quota. You would create a condition that checks whether the representative’s sales for the month are greater than their quota for the last month.

Here are the steps in order to achieve this:

1. From within Cognos Report Studio create a variable and define the condition that determines if the data will be highlighted.
2. In the work area, click the column that you want to highlight based on the condition you created.
3. In the Properties pane, double-click the Style Variable property.
4. Click Variable, click the variable you want to assign to the object, and click OK.
5. If you assigned a string variable, in the Values box, select the values you want the condition to support.
Tip: A default value exists for the variable, and it is always selected.
6. If you assigned a language variable, in the Values box, select the languages you want the condition to support.
Tip: A default value exists for the variable, and it is always selected.
7. Click OK.
8. Pause the pointer over the condition explorer and click one of the possible values for the variable other than the default value.
Tip: When you select a value in Condition Explorer, the Explorer bar becomes green to indicate that conditional formatting is turned on, and that any changes you make to the report applies only to the variable value. For example, if you created a boolean variable, click the Yes value.
9. In the Properties pane, specify the formatting that you want to highlight the column with when the condition is satisfied. For example, click the Border property to create a thicker border around the column.
10. Repeat steps 9 to 10 for other possible values defined for the variable.
Tip: When pausing the pointer over the condition explorer button, click (No variable) to view how the report looks when no variable is applied. Or you can triple-click the Explorer bar.

When you run the Report Studio report, the report objects to which you applied the variable are highlighted when the condition is satisfied. For example, if you created a boolean variable, the objects are highlighted when the condition is met. If the condition is not satisfied for any object, no conditional formatting is applied.

Cognos 8.2 Report Studio -- Highlight data

End users normally want to view their data in the most visible manner possible. As a Cognos Report Studio developer you can develop your report template to highlight data to better identify exceptional results. Take for instance if you wanted to identify a sales representative who has exceeded their monthly sales quota. You would create a condition that checks whether the representative’s sales for the month are greater than their quota for the last month.

Here are the steps in order to achieve this:

1. From within Cognos Report Studio create a variable and define the condition that determines if the data will be highlighted.
2. In the work area, click the column that you want to highlight based on the condition you created.
3. In the Properties pane, double-click the Style Variable property.
4. Click Variable, click the variable you want to assign to the object, and click OK.
5. If you assigned a string variable, in the Values box, select the values you want the condition to support.
Tip: A default value exists for the variable, and it is always selected.
6. If you assigned a language variable, in the Values box, select the languages you want the condition to support.
Tip: A default value exists for the variable, and it is always selected.
7. Click OK.
8. Pause the pointer over the condition explorer and click one of the possible values for the variable other than the default value.
Tip: When you select a value in Condition Explorer, the Explorer bar becomes green to indicate that conditional formatting is turned on, and that any changes you make to the report applies only to the variable value. For example, if you created a boolean variable, click the Yes value.
9. In the Properties pane, specify the formatting that you want to highlight the column with when the condition is satisfied. For example, click the Border property to create a thicker border around the column.
10. Repeat steps 9 to 10 for other possible values defined for the variable.
Tip: When pausing the pointer over the condition explorer button, click (No variable) to view how the report looks when no variable is applied. Or you can triple-click the Explorer bar.

When you run the Report Studio report, the report objects to which you applied the variable are highlighted when the condition is satisfied. For example, if you created a boolean variable, the objects are highlighted when the condition is met. If the condition is not satisfied for any object, no conditional formatting is applied.

Cognos 8 -- server optimization queue limits

If you are experiecing the following error message when executing reports then you should investigate the impact of increasing the queue time limit that is set in Cognos Connection.

"DPR-ERR-2002 Unable to execute the request because there was no process available within the configured time limit. The server may be busy."

In the server administration pages, the following parameters determine the maximum number of BIBusTKServMain.exe processes which can be handled by Cognos:

Maximum number of interactive report service processes (interactive reports)
Maximum number of batch report service processes (scheduled report)

Each BIBusTKServMain.exe process can handle a number of requests determined by the following parameters:

Number of high affinity connections for the batch report service
Number of low affinity connections for the batch report service
Number of high affinity connections for the interactive report service
Number of low affinity connections for the interactive report service

Remember that you can also refer to the documentation that was provided with your Cognos install, more specifically the "Administration and security guide" (ug_cra.pdf).

When the 'number of connections' (which equates to the number of report executions a BIBusTKServMain.exe process can handle) is reached for all the processes (BIBusTKServMain.exe), the request is queued. Queue time limit of report service in seconds is the queue timeout. If no report execution is finished before the timeout value, the error message is returned to the user.

The solution is to increase the Queue time limit of the report service in seconds parameter to allow requests to stay in queue longer.

You can also consider investigating increasing the number of processes or the the number of connections. These parameters have to take in account the machine (number of CPUs and quantity of RAM available) being used by CRN/Cognos 8, as well as the number of concurrent users.

The FrameWork modelization impacts the generated SQL for your reports. If the SQL generated by CRN/Cognos 8 is not optimized, the requests may take longer to execute. The connection will not be released, and there is a chance that requests will be queued - therefore modeling optimization may also help avoid this error message.

Here are the steps to make this modification:

1. Login to Cognos Connetion with an Administrator account.
2. Go to Tools > Server Administration > Configure Tab.
3. Go to the Dispatcher Properties > Settings Tab.
4. Look for the Queue time limit of report service in seconds parameter and increase it.

Cognos 8 -- server optimization queue limits

If you are experiecing the following error message when executing reports then you should investigate the impact of increasing the queue time limit that is set in Cognos Connection.

"DPR-ERR-2002 Unable to execute the request because there was no process available within the configured time limit. The server may be busy."

In the server administration pages, the following parameters determine the maximum number of BIBusTKServMain.exe processes which can be handled by Cognos:

Maximum number of interactive report service processes (interactive reports)
Maximum number of batch report service processes (scheduled report)

Each BIBusTKServMain.exe process can handle a number of requests determined by the following parameters:

Number of high affinity connections for the batch report service
Number of low affinity connections for the batch report service
Number of high affinity connections for the interactive report service
Number of low affinity connections for the interactive report service

Remember that you can also refer to the documentation that was provided with your Cognos install, more specifically the "Administration and security guide" (ug_cra.pdf).

When the 'number of connections' (which equates to the number of report executions a BIBusTKServMain.exe process can handle) is reached for all the processes (BIBusTKServMain.exe), the request is queued. Queue time limit of report service in seconds is the queue timeout. If no report execution is finished before the timeout value, the error message is returned to the user.

The solution is to increase the Queue time limit of the report service in seconds parameter to allow requests to stay in queue longer.

You can also consider investigating increasing the number of processes or the the number of connections. These parameters have to take in account the machine (number of CPUs and quantity of RAM available) being used by CRN/Cognos 8, as well as the number of concurrent users.

The FrameWork modelization impacts the generated SQL for your reports. If the SQL generated by CRN/Cognos 8 is not optimized, the requests may take longer to execute. The connection will not be released, and there is a chance that requests will be queued - therefore modeling optimization may also help avoid this error message.

Here are the steps to make this modification:

1. Login to Cognos Connetion with an Administrator account.
2. Go to Tools > Server Administration > Configure Tab.
3. Go to the Dispatcher Properties > Settings Tab.
4. Look for the Queue time limit of report service in seconds parameter and increase it.