Cognos® 8 Business Intelligence Readme

Cognos® 8 Business Intelligence

README

Product InformationThis document applies to Cognos® 8 Version 8.3 and may also apply to subsequent releases. To check for newer versions of this document,visit the Cognos Global Customer Services Web site (http://support.cognos.com).

CopyrightCopyright © 2007 Cognos Incorporated.Portions of Cognos® software products are protected by one or more of the following U.S. Patents: 6,609,123 B1; 6,611,838 B1; 6,662,188B1; 6,728,697 B2; 6,741,982 B2; 6,763,520 B1; 6,768,995 B2; 6,782,378 B2; 6,847,973 B2; 6,907,428 B2; 6,853,375 B2; 6,986,135 B2;6,995,768 B2; 7,062,479 B2; 7,072,822 B2; 7,111,007 B2; 7,130,822 B1; 7,155,398 B2; 7,171,425 B2; 7,185,016 B1;7,213,199 B2.Cognos and the Cognos logo are trademarks of Cognos Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other names are trademarksor registered trademarks of their respective companies.While every attempt has been made to ensure that the information in this document is accurate and complete, some typographical errors ortechnical inaccuracies may exist. Cognos does not accept responsibility for any kind of loss resulting from the use of information containedin this document.This document shows the publication date. The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. Any improvementsor changes to either the product or the document will be documented in subsequent editions.U.S. Government Restricted Rights. The software and accompanying materials are provided with Restricted Rights. Use, duplication, ordisclosure by the Government is subject to the restrictions in subparagraph (C)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Softwareclause at DFARS 252.227-7013, or subparagraphs (C)(1) and (2) of the Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights at 48CFR52.227-19,as applicable. The Contractor is Cognos Corporation, 15 Wayside Road, Burlington, MA 01803.This software/documentation contains proprietary information of Cognos Incorporated. All rights are reserved. Reverse engineering of thissoftware is prohibited. No part of this software/documentation may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmittedin any form or by any means, or translated into another language without the prior written consent of Cognos Incorporated.

http://support.cognos.com

Table of Contents

Introduction 7

Chapter 1: Cognos 8 Known Issues 9Administration Issues 9

Different User Interface When Cognos 8 Is Running on IBM WebSphere Application ServerVersion 5.1 9

Drilling Through from a PowerCube to DMR Data Using the Time Dimension Members 9Analysis Studio Issues 9

Unexpected Results May Occur When Using Items from the Same Hierarchy on MultipleCrosstab Edges 9

Defining Languages for OLAP Data Sources 10Crosstab Shows Percentage But Chart Shows Values 10

DB2 Data Sources Issues 10Query Fails When Using DB2 OLAP Server 10Unable to Open a Cube Using 8.2 DB2 OLAP or Essbase 7.1 12

Framework Manager Issues 12Defining Repository Connections 12Syntax of Macro Prompts 13Oracle 10G Uses Zeroes Instead of Nulls for Non-Matching Values 13Full Outer Joins Not Sent to Oracle 9i and 10GR1 13Unable to Load DB2 OLAP Library in Framework Manager 14Filter on SAP Attribute Is Ignored for Model Query Subjects If There Is No Business Key 14Review Governors When Upgrading Segmented Models 14Model Advisor Test Can Produce False Positive Results 15Order of Transactions in Transaction History 15BmtScriptPlayer Does Not Run Action Logs on UNIX Platforms 15Changes to Transaction Log Files and the Transaction History List 15Unable to Create Star Schemas, Merge Query Subjects, or Create Shortcuts Based on a

Read-only Project 16Event Studio Issues 16Go! Office Issues 16

bo:heap Buffer Overflow Error 16Prompted to Log on For Each Imported Report 16The Namespace Parameter is Case Sensitive 17Cognos 8 Go! Office Automation Does Not Support SiteMinder Form-Based

Authentication 17Installation and Configuration Issues 17

Cognos 8 Server May Fail to Start 17Issues with IBM WebSphere 6.0 on AIX 5.3 17

Issues Affecting Multiple Components 18Incorrect Values May Be Returned With Scoped Attribute Hierarchies in MSAS 2005 18Changes to Decimals in Currency Formats 18Different Results for List Reports and Crosstabs that Use the Same Set Expression 19Metadata Change in Essbase Not Reflected in Studios 19

Readme 3

A Filter Definition Returns Character Set Mismatch Error Against Oracle SampleDatabase 20

Very Large Dimensions May Cause Problems When Using MSAS Cube 20Limited Support for Relational Functions When Used With OLAP Data Sources 20Pivoting to a Crosstab Shows the Member of the Attribute 21

Metric Designer Issues 21Adding Multiple IQD files to an Import Source 21Previewed Scorecard Hierarchy Shows Blanks 21Scorecard Exclusion Settings Lost 22

Metric Studio Issues 22Metric Studio Reports Fail Because of an Oracle Internal Error 22Metric Studio Errors Occur When Loading Data into an Oracle Database 22Oracle Errors Occur When Using the cmm_uninstall Script 23Length of Filter Expression is Limited for Cube Queries 23

Query Studio Issues 23Report Studio Issues 23

Limited Calculated Member or Measure Expressions in Express Authoring Mode 24Master-detail or Burst Reports with Charts May Generate Large Temporary Data Files 24Unexpected Summary Values in Nested Sets 25Applying Filters to Dimensional Reports 25Limitations When Using FOR Clause in Summary Functions 26Aggregate Values Are Not Appearing in Crosstabs 26Running Totals Are Incorrect in Crosstab Reports 27Ragged or Unbalanced Hierarchies Result In Unexpected Behavior 27Different Results for List Reports and Crosstabs that Use the Same Set Expression 28Key Transformation Validation Level Returns Partial Information 28

SAP BW Data Sources Issues 29Incorrect Units of Measure in Calculations 29Grouping Columns That Have the Count Summary 29Missing Measures in Crosstab Reports 29Crosstab with the Same Dimension on Both Edges Returns No Data 29Custom Formatting for Empty Cells Does Not Appear in Cognos 8 30Creating Sections on Reports That Access SAP BW Data Sources 30Summary Rows Return Incorrect Total Values 30Calculated Key Figures Appear with the Non-aggregate Icon 30Filter Expressions Using Report Items and Smart Prompts Do Not Return Values 30

Security Issues 31Existing Passwords May not Work in an SAP Namespace 31Users Are Repeatedly Prompted for Credentials When Trying to Log On to an SAP

Namespace 32DPR-ERR-2079 Error When Using a Search Type of Migration in the New Job Wizard 32

Series 7 Integration Issues 32Unsupported Cognos Planning 7.3 Features with Cognos 8 33

Third-Party Issues 33Adobe Reader Displays Corrupted Characters in the Bookmarks Pane 33Firefox Add-on Adblock Plus Prevents Cognos Connection Menus From Working 33Importing a Large Content Store in Solaris using JRE 1.5 Fails 33Cognos 8 Running under WebLogic Application Server on AIX Fails 33

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Table of Contents

Unable to View HTML Output in Internet Explorer When Running under WebLogic 9.1.034

Importing a Large Deployment in Windows Crashes the Java Virtual Machine 34Transformer Issues 34

Support for Microsoft Excel 2007 34Limitations on Using Reports in Transformer 34Missing Values May Vary Results in PowerCubes 34Queries Against Multiple Hierarchies in the Same PowerCube Dimension Do Not

Execute 35Aggregate Values for Imported Query Items May Not Match the Source Package or

Report 35Prompts Values in Multiple Queries 36Prompts for Member Unique Names in DMR Report Packages 36Updated pcoptimizer Utility Included in Cognos 8.3 36Transformer 8.3 Installation Download 37

Chapter 2: Cognos 8 Documentation Updates 39Cognos 8 Administration and Security Guide 39

Set Up the Essbase Cube Sample 39Defining Global Filters 40Data Sources and Connections 40Samples 41Secured Functions and Features 41Drill-Through Access 41Cognos Portlets 41Deploying Cognos Portlets to Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and 2007 41

Cognos 8 Analysis Studio User Guide 42Specify the Purpose of Your Output 42

Cognos 8 Analysis Studio Quick Tour 42Cognos 8 Event Studio User Guide 43

Tutorial - Creating an Agent 43Cognos 8 Installation and Configuration Guide 45

JDBC Driver Conflict for Oracle 45Manually Changing the Installation Directory Name Affects Installations Running Under

an Application Server 45Cognos 8 Metric Studio User Guide 46

Metric Studio Support Bundle 46Add Email Notification for a Metric 47History Charts 47Specify Import Settings 47

Cognos 8 Transformer User Guide 48Transformer Support for Prompts in Report Data Sources 48Data Source Types: Cognos Package or Report 49Command Line Syntax 49Command Line Options 50-c option 52-n option 53

Cognos 8 Transformer Man 3-h option 53

Readme 5

Table of Contents

-i option 53Cognos 8 Report Studio Professional Authoring User Guide 54

Nested List Report Containing a Data Item That is Grouped More Than Once Does NotRun After Upgrade 54

Grouping by an Attribute is Not Supported 55Limitations When Aggregating Measures in Dimensionally Modeled Relational (DMR) or

Relational Data Sources 55Cognos 8 Framework Manager User Guide 56

When to Use Determinants 56Remap an Object to a New Source 57Merge Projects 57Publish a Package 58

Chapter 3: Deprecation Notices 59Supported Environments 59Framework Manager Security Filters for SAP BW: Notice of Intent to Change the Default

Setting 59IQD Externalize Method 60Transformer OLE Automation 60Transformer Client/Server Synchronization 61Transformer Data Source Support 61Transformer .pyi Files 61Transformer Menu Customization 61Compressed PowerCubes 61Cognos 8 Transformer Expression Editor Functions 62Third Party OLAP Support 62Secured PowerCubes 62Cognos Viewer URL API (b_action=xts.run) 62

Index 65

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Table of Contents

Introduction

This Readme contains late-breaking information, including installation issues, limitations, and

known issues.

The documentation included in this release is current as of October 2007.

Visit the Cognos Global Customer Services Web site for

● updates to this Readme and product documentation

● the fix list, which is a list of the known issues that were addressed in this release

Updates to the software are made available on the Cognos Global Customer Services Web site (http:

//support.cognos.com). These updates contain the latest set of quality improvements that were

completed after the release of this software. We recommend that you review these updates and

apply them once you have completed the installation.

Readme 7

http://support.cognos.com/go/docs/cognos8_bi/8.3/rdm_cr_updates.html

http://support.cognos.com/go/docs/cognos8_bi/8.3/fix_list.html



8

Introduction

Chapter 1: Cognos 8 Known Issues

This section contains information about Cognos 8 BI known issues.

Administration IssuesThis section contains known issues about administration.

Different User Interface When Cognos 8 Is Running on IBM WebSphere

Application Server Version 5.1

If Cognos 8 is running on WebSphere 5.1, the user interface for System on the Status tab in Cognos

Administration is not the same as documented in the Administration and Security Guide. There is

also no capability to select interactive activity for Current Activities on the Status tab. Instead, you

see a different user interface that lets you monitor and control your dispatchers and servers.

This is because the technology used to deliver the user interface in Cognos 8.3 is not fully supported

by WebSphere 5.1.566356

Drilling Through from a PowerCube to DMR Data Using the Time Dimension

MembersThis drill-through action does not support passing date values from a PowerCube time dimension

to a dimensionally modeled relational (DMR) time dimension.

Analysis Studio IssuesThis section contains known issues about Analysis Studio.

Unexpected Results May Occur When Using Items from the Same Hierarchy on

Multiple Crosstab Edges

A crosstab that contains items from the same hierarchy on more than one edge may have

unpredictable results, and may change from release to release. For example, in an analysis that uses

items from Years on rows and Quarters on columns, unexplainable More values and Totals, and

unexpected blank cells may appear. Also, expected results may be difficult to read because the useful

numbers are distributed over a large area of mostly blank cells.

Readme 9

For best results, ensure that items from the same hierarchy are on the same crosstab edge before

saving.565201,571084

Defining Languages for OLAP Data Sources

The first time you publish a cube definition to Cognos Connection, you must identify all the

languages that represent the data contained in the cube. If you add a language to the model after

the cube is published, users with locales that match the added language locale may find that Analysis

Studio does not recognize references to the member unique names. There is no impact on users

whose locale matches the original language list.499296

Crosstab Shows Percentage But Chart Shows Values

When the crosstab calculates the percentage of the total for an item, the chart does not show the

values as a percentage.494291

DB2 Data Sources IssuesThe following issues were identified with software components of DB2 data sources. We are

managing the status of these problems with the vendor, but, at the time of this release, the following

issues are still unresolved in the product.

Query Fails When Using DB2 OLAP Server

When you run a query to retrieve metadata or data in a DB2 OLAP server, you may see an exception

window indicating that there is a problem with the query.

The error probably occurred because Windows did not have enough remote procedure call (RPC)

ports available. This lack of sufficient RPC ports can cause data retrieval from DB2 OLAP and

Essbase data sources to fail because of network communication errors.

To resolve this problem, you must increase the number of RPC ports that are available for program

use. Hyperion and Microsoft propose that you add two registry entries, MaxUserPort TCP/IP and

TcpTimedWaitDelay in Microsoft Registry Editor.

For more information about these parameters, see http://www.microsoft.com/resources/

documentation/Windows/2000/server/reskit/en-us/Default.asp?url=/resources/documentation/

Windows/2000/server/reskit/en-us/regentry/58811.asp.

Important: Use Registry Editor at your own risk. Incorrect use may cause problems that require

you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems

that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly.

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We also recommend that you edit the Cognos 8 qfs_config.xml configuration file.

Steps to Add Entries in Microsoft Registry Editor

1. From the Start menu, click Run.

2. Type regedit and then click OK.

3. In the Registry Editor window, click the following directory:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters

4. From the Edit menu, click New, DWORD Value.

The new value appears in the list of parameters.

5. Type MaxUserPort and then press Enter.

Double-click MaxUserPort.

6. In the Edit DWORD Value window, do the following:

● Click Decimal.

● Type a value between 30000 and 65534.

Tip: We recommend the maximum value, 65534.

● Click OK.

7. From the Edit menu, click New, DWORD Value.

The new value appears in the list of parameters.

8. Type TcpTimedWaitDelay and then press Enter.

9. Double-click TcpTimedWaitDelay.

10. In the Edit DWORD Value window, do the following:

● Click Decimal.

● Type a value between 30 and 300 seconds.

The default is 240 seconds (4 minutes).

● Click OK.

11. Close the Registry Editor window.

12. Restart the Microsoft CRM server or reboot your computer for these settings to take effect.

Steps to Edit the Cognos qfs_config.xml Configuration File

1. Open the qfs_config.xml configuration file from the configuration directory.

2. Add the following parameters under the appropriate provider section, such as <provider

name="DB2OlapODP"...>.

Readme 11


● <parameter name="RecoveryAttemptNumber" value="50"/>

● <parameter name="RecoveryWait" value="3000"/>

The RecoveryWait value is in milliseconds.

Note: DB2OlapODP and Essbase are synonymous and are used interchangeably in Cognos 8.476181

Unable to Open a Cube Using 8.2 DB2 OLAP or Essbase 7.1

If you are using 8.2 DB2 OLAP or Essbase 7.1, you cannot open a cube which has been designed

to use Aggregate Storage.

When the Aggregate Storage Option (ASO) cube package is loaded into one of the Cognos 8 Studios,

the metadata is not shown.

To ensure that you have the run-time library required to access the ASO feature, perform the

following additional steps when installing your DB2 OLAP 8.2 client software.

Steps to Access the Run-time Library

1. In the DB2 OLAP 8.2 client installation wizard, select the Custom installation type, and then

click Next.

2. Select the Essbase API for Windows 32 option if it has not already been selected, and then

proceed through the remaining pages of the installation wizard.

3. When the installation is finished, locate libdb42.dll in the folder db2olap_installation_location\

api\redist, and copy this file to the client installation folder db2olap_installation_location\bin.

4. Restart your system.

Note: If you apply a Fix Pak to your DB2 OLAP 8.2 client, remember to also recopy libdb42.

dll (as explained above), to ensure that your \bin folder always contains the most up-to-date

version of this required file.483570

Framework Manager IssuesThis section contains known issues about Framework Manager.

Defining Repository Connections

Parsing errors occur when attempting to define a repository connection via Connection Manager

version 1.11.22 in Framework Manager.

Use UNC paths when defining repository connections through Connection Manager. Do not specify

a mapped drive letter.nbna

12


Syntax of Macro Prompts

When default values are specified in the syntax of macro prompts, you may see the following error:Error: QE-DEF-0261 QFWP - Parsing text: [mssql_gosales].[COUNTRY].[COUNTRY]= Canada

Use prompt syntax such as where Country = ?Enter Country?

566354

Oracle 10G Uses Zeroes Instead of Nulls for Non-Matching Values

On a left outer join, Oracle 10G fills in non-matching values with zeroes instead of NULLS.

For example, you have two tables:

Table 1 (T1)

a x

1 r

2 v

3 NULL

Table 2 (T2)

b x

7 r

8 v

9 NULL

With a left outer join between these tables (T1 LEFT OUTER JOIN T2 (T1.x = T2.x)), the result

is:

a T1.x | b T2.x

1 r | 7 r

2 v | NULL NULL

3 NULL | NULL NULL

The left side table (T1) is preserved and NULLs are used to fill in non-matching values in T2. For

Oracle 10G, zeroes appear instead of NULLs.530475

Full Outer Joins Not Sent to Oracle 9i and 10GR1By default, Cognos 8 will not send full outer joins to ORACLE 9i and 10GR1 due to Oracle bug

#2874433. This requires using limited local processing in Cognos 8.

To enable full outer joins with Oracle, you must

● ensure that you have the required patch sets, which include the fix for Bug#2874433

● modify the cogdmor.ini file to turn on full outer joins (Full_outer_join=T)

Readme 13


Because any manual edits to the ini settings are overwritten by the next installation, you must

manually replicate them on all machines where you installed Cognos 8 or Framework Manager.nbna

Unable to Load DB2 OLAP Library in Framework Manager

You installed the DB2 OLAP 8.1 or 8.2 client and cannot load the DB2 OLAP library into

Framework Manager.

You receive the following message:DB2-ERR-0028 Unable to load the following Essbase/DB2OLAP library: "essapinu.dll"."

To resolve the problem, you must edit the qfs_config.xml file and rename the library for Version

8.1 or 8.2.

All current DB2 OLAP client versions are supported for Cognos 8.3: "doodp81", "doodp82".

The default configuration in qfs_config is Hyperian Essbase version 9.3.1 "essodp93".

Steps

1. In the c8_location\configuration directory, edit the qfs_config.xml file.

2. Find the following code:<provider name= "DB201apODP" libraryName="essodp93"ConnectionCode="D0"/>

3. Change the library name from essodp93 to doodp81 or doodp82 and save the changes.

574849

Filter on SAP Attribute Is Ignored for Model Query Subjects If There Is No

Business Key

If the model query subject contains only attributes and if your user filters on an attribute, the filter

is ignored.

Add the business Key (identifier) to the model query subject and filter on the business key instead.

This is the recommended way to filter because captions and other attributes are not unique. Filtering

on non-unique attributes can create performance problems.578916

Review Governors When Upgrading Segmented Models

If you have a segmented or linked model that was created with a previous version of Framework

Manager, you must review the governor settings for each child and parent model before and after

upgrade. The governor settings for the top-level parent model are the settings that are applied when

publishing.

The Shortcut Processing governor is new in Cognos 8.3. By default, this governor evaluates the

shortcut objects in the model and creates an explicit value for the Treat As property of each shortcut

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that represents the current behavior. No change in behavior is expected if the governor is set to

Automatic.579031

Model Advisor Test Can Produce False Positive ResultsIf you run the Determinants that conflict with relationships test in the Model Advisor, you may

receive a false positive result.

In certain circumstances, the Model Advisor indicates that a relationship key conflicts with a

determinant if the key is a participant in a multiple-part key even when the relationship key does

match the key of another determinant in the query subject. In other circumstances, the Model

Advisor correctly notes the mismatch as a potential issue that requires investigation by the modeler.

Review the determinants of the query subject to confirm that the keys of one determinant match

the keys of a relationship.578864

Order of Transactions in Transaction History

The order of transaction could appear out of sequence when you view the transaction history for

a project that has not been saved. Scripts that have been created against an unsaved project may

fail to run successfully.

Save the project and the order of transactions is restored.579383

BmtScriptPlayer Does Not Run Action Logs on UNIX Platforms

When running the BmtScriptPlayer executable, you may encounter errors on UNIX, such as the

following error messages:BME-SP-0007 An unknown error occurred during execution.BME-SP-0028 All applied changes will be saved.

To resolve this problem, do the following:

1. Disable the multiuser feature by adding the following section in the configuration/bmt.ini file:<Section Name="MultiUser"><Preference Name="Logging">Off</Preference></Section>

2. Delete the project directories created without this entry in bmt.ini. They might contain wrong

log files.

579180

Changes to Transaction Log Files and the Transaction History List

In previous releases of Framework Manager, transactions were captured in a log file. One log file

was generated per session. Each log file name included timestamp information. When viewing the

Readme 15


transaction history list for a project, it was possible to search the transaction list by the time-stamped

log file names to locate a set of transactions.

In the current release of Framework Manager, each transaction is captured with timestamp

information and saved to a single file named log.xml. From the transaction history list, you are

required to click a individual transaction to display the timestamp information.579572

Unable to Create Star Schemas, Merge Query Subjects, or Create Shortcuts

Based on a Read-only Project

You are unable to create star schemas, merge query subjects, or create shortcuts based on a read-only

project. Read-only projects are often used as linked segments in projects where change protection

of the metadata needs to be rigidly enforced.

This limitation affects only those who implemented the Distribution by Layers methodology for

sharing metadata as documented in the Framework Manager User Guide.522986

Event Studio IssuesThis section contains known issues about Event Studio.

Go! Office IssuesThis section contains known issues about Cognos 8 Go! Office.

bo:heap Buffer Overflow Error

After long sessions, Microsoft Office may stop responding by generating a bo:heap Buffer Overflow

error.

This error may be falsely identified as a potential virus by some virus-monitoring programs.557292

Prompted to Log on For Each Imported Report

When refreshing all data in a document before logging on to the required servers, you are

automatically prompted to log on for each report in the document even if the reports originate from

the same server.

To log on only once to each server, use the Log On toolbar button to log on to the required servers

before refreshing report data.573884

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The Namespace Parameter is Case Sensitive

When logging on to a server using automation, you must match the namespace exactly. The

namespace parameter is case sensitive.573749

Cognos 8 Go! Office Automation Does Not Support SiteMinder Form-Based

AuthenticationCognos 8 Go! Office does not support Siteminder form-based authentication when using automation.

If SiteMinder is used as authentication, the SiteMinder logon page appears before Microsoft Excel

loads Cognos 8 Go! Office, and this logon page cannot be bypassed by Cognos 8 Go! Office

automation.

You must use the Cognos Go! Office menu commands and options instead of the application

programming interface (API) to automate the refreshing or publishing of workbook, document,

and presentation content.574640

Installation and Configuration IssuesThis section contains known issues about installation and configuration.

Cognos 8 Server May Fail to Start

A Cognos 8 server may fail to start after an upgrade or new installation, but no error message

appears. This may occur when a previously running or new Cognos 8 server is configured to use a

large amount of memory.

If the server on which Cognos 8 is installed contains version 1.0 of Microsoft security update

921883, there may be an issue when a lot of contiguous memory is requested by an application.

This is a known issue with version 1.0 of Microsoft security patch 921883. Microsoft distributed

a second version of the patch to fix the problem. As a workaround, uninstall the first security patch,

or install version 2.0 of the patch. Alternatively, you can configure the Cognos 8 server to use less

memory.

For more information, see the Microsoft knowledge base article about programs using a lot of

contiguous memory failing, at http://support.microsoft.com.nbna

Issues with IBM WebSphere 6.0 on AIX 5.3

Cognos testing has found difficulties with IBM WebSphere 6.0 on AIX 5.3. Cognos recommends

upgrading to AIX 5.3 Technology Level 4, Service Pack 2.nbna

Readme 17


Issues Affecting Multiple ComponentsThis section contains general known issues. This includes issues that affect more than one Cognos 8

component, such as Query Studio and Report Studio. Issues that affect just one component are

described in the section for that component.

Incorrect Values May Be Returned With Scoped Attribute Hierarchies in MSAS

2005In Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services (MSAS) 2005, you can now set the granularity for each

dimension in measure groups.

If a query refers to members below the granularity, attribute hierarchies are used, and no data exists

in the fact table, non-NULL values are returned when they shouldn’t. The data returned is the sum

of the scoped level against the hierarchy.

This applies to calculated measures or members that use a level or measure that is out of scope in

the calculation.

For example, a crosstab contains an August 2005 column from the Calendar Month attribute

hierarchy ([Time YQMD].[Calendar Month].&[2005]&[8]). You then select a measure from a

measure group whose granularity of the Time YQMD dimension is set to Calendar Year (which is

higher than Calendar Month). Assume that no data exists for that year. This crosstab will return

data when no data exists.

This problem is currently logged as MSAS 2005 problem number 491857 (Query contains a set

using a user hierarchy with members below the granularity attribute returns wrong results).

To avoid this problem and properly return NULL values, use a user-defined hierarchy instead of

the attribute hierarchy.549157

Changes to Decimals in Currency Formats

When you open a PowerCube in a Cognos 8.3 Web studio or in Cognos 8 Business Intelligence

Mobile Analysis 8.3, you may notice changes in the number of default decimal places shown in

currency formats.

This behavior is due to the following changes:

● The default decimal formatting in currency formats is now determined by the measure format

selected in the cube, instead of from the data source Currency Table definition.

For example, if the Actual Revenue measure format specifies two decimal places and the USD

currency in the Currency Table specifies no decimal places, two decimal places will now be

shown in the USD currency value.

● Calculations that include a division operator and at least one currency operand will now show

a resulting value with three decimal places only when

● neither of the currency values includes decimals

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● two currency operands have different numbers of decimal places

In all other calculations of this type, the number of decimals in the resulting value will be

determined by the number of decimals in the currency value. The following examples illustrate

this new behavior:

● $4.00 / $2.00 = $2.00

● $4 / $3.0000 = $1.3333

● $4 / $3 = $1.333

● $4.0 / $3.00 = $1.333

For more information about measure formats or currency tables, see the Transformer online help.545573, 545408, 545427, 546183

Different Results for List Reports and Crosstabs that Use the Same Set Expression

In a list report, a set expression such as TopCount produces fewer rows than the corresponding

crosstab report.

For example, in a list report with Year in the first column, followed by a column containing an

expression that returns the top three months by revenue, there will be only three rows in the report,

corresponding to the top three months across all years. If you group by Year, the report still shows

only three months. However, in a crosstab report, you will see three months for each year.

This behavior is a change from ReportNet, which delivered the same results for crosstabs as for list

reports.

In crosstab reports in Cognos 8, set evaluation is always done in the context of what the set is nested

under in the report. However, in list reports set evaluation is done independently of the grouping.

For example, if the first column contains Country instead of Year, you see the top three months

for each country (across all years) in both cases.

In the case of different dimensions, Report Studio authors can force context independence by

replacing [Revenue] in the TopCount expression with the Tuple( [Revenue], X ), where X is the

default member of the hierarchy containing Month.

However, for nested levels in the same hierarchy, there is no such workaround at this time.

This behavior may change in a future release. At that time, a mechanism will be provided to upgrade

existing reports for both ReportNet and Cognos 8 in a way that preserves their current behavior.537122, 537143

Metadata Change in Essbase Not Reflected in Studios

When there is a metadata change on the Essbase server, the change is not immediately reflected in

the metadata tree in the studios.

To view the new structure, you must restart both the Essbase server and the Cognos Content

Manager server.

Readme 19


545114

A Filter Definition Returns Character Set Mismatch Error Against Oracle Sample

DatabaseA filter definition may return a character set mismatch error when run against the Oracle version

of a sample database.

The following Oracle error appears:

ORA-12704: character set mismatch

To fix this error, the modeler must fix the filter definition in Framework Manager. In Framework

Manager, cast the item you want to filter as nvarchar, and then republish the package to Cognos

Connection.

Very Large Dimensions May Cause Problems When Using MSAS Cube

When working with very large cubes, query results can be much larger than what can be held in

memory. For example, if you insert the lowest level of four hierarchies that each contain 1000

members, the report can contain 1000,000,000,000 cells. At best, this query will take a very long

time to run. While this large query executes, all other queries for the same BIBusTKServerMain

process will likely be blocked. For most data sources, the query will likely fail due to insufficient

memory or timing out. Then the memory is released and normal services resume.

However, when using a Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services (MSAS) cube, the memory consumed

by the MSAS client is not always released in a way that other queries can effectively re-use. The

server continues to run with insufficient memory, causing new queries to either run very slowly or

fail completely. You may encounter an error and to continue, the system administrator must manually

stop and restart the Cognos 8 service.

To avoid these problems, consider the size of hierarchy levels and sets when creating reports and

avoid combining them in ways that create large queries. To determine the size of a set, create and

run a very small report that includes only that set.544245

Limited Support for Relational Functions When Used With OLAP Data Sources

When working with an OLAP data source, if you use a relational function in a Query Studio or

Report Studio report that contains a measure with the rollup aggregation function set to Calculated

or Automatic, all summaries are calculated using the Minimum function instead of the aggregate

function derived from the individual query items. For example, you create a Query Studio report

that contains the data items Product line and Gross margin. The footer summary is set to Calculated.

You then insert a calculated column that returns the first three characters of the Product line item.

The footer summary now shows the lowest gross margin value.

For more information about aggregation functions, see the Query Studio User Guide or the Report

Studio User Guide.

There is no workaround.

20


541657

568989

562768

541664

Pivoting to a Crosstab Shows the Member of the Attribute

When working with a dimensional data source, if you have a list report created in either Query

Studio or Report Studio that contains an attribute, and you pivot the list into a crosstab, the member

captions appear instead of the attribute. For example, a list report contains the items Beverages,

Ounces, and Profit, where Ounces is an attribute of Beverages. You pivot on Beverages to create a

crosstab that has Ounces as rows, Beverages as columns, and Profit as the measure. When you run

the report, you see beverages in both the rows and columns.

This issue also occurs in crosstabs that contain a grouped calculation whose expression is an

attribute.

To resolve the issue, create a crosstab report from scratch using the attribute.555435

Metric Designer IssuesThis section contains known issues about Metric Designer.

Adding Multiple IQD files to an Import Source

When you add multiple IQD files to an import source, Metric Designer creates an outer join between

the first pair of non-numeric, non-date columns with matching names. The join approach is designed

to work with a single fact IQD file and with multiple dimension IQD files.

Metric Designer does not recognize joins where more than one column is required for a join

condition. In this case, enter the IQD files into Metric Designer as separate import sources or

combine into a single IQD using Impromptu.440049

Previewed Scorecard Hierarchy Shows Blanks

If you use if () then () else () statements in an expression for level attributes, you will see blank

entries when you preview the scorecard hierarchy.

The workaround is to change the expression to cast the query item to VARCHAR. For example:

if (cast([great_outdoors].[Locations].[Locations].[Country].[PPDS_CODE],VARCHAR(1000)) =

'Canada') then ('Craig') else ('George')

if ( cast([great_outdoors].[Locations].[Locations].[Country].[Country] ,VARCHAR(1000)) =

'Canada') then ('Craig') else ('George')

Readme 21


To eliminate duplicates for items other then Canada' you can add a level filter expression. For

example

[great_outdoors].[Locations].[Locations].[Country].[Country] = 'Canada' or [great_outdoors].

[Locations].[Locations].[Country].[Country] = 'China'508879

Scorecard Exclusion Settings Lost

In OLAP extracts, after setting exclusions and clicking Refresh, some excluded members are still

included. This occurs when the Append Scorecard ID to Parent ID level attribute is set to No for

scorecards with duplicate IDs.

As a workaround, in the mapping dialog box, always set the Append Scorecard ID to Parent ID

attribute to True.492546

Metric Studio IssuesThis section contains known issues about Metric Studio.

Metric Studio Reports Fail Because of an Oracle Internal Error

Some reports that are included with Metric Studio fail to run because of an Oracle internal error.

This occurs when you are using 10.2.0.x releases of Oracle.

The reference bug for Oracle is 5864217.

If you encounter this error, you can resolve it by installing Oracle 10.2.0.3, Patch 5 which is officially

named 5946186. This patch can be obtained from the Oracle Support's Metalink site which is

available through your existing support agreement.

Apply the patch as directed by the instructions included with the download from Oracle Support.567585

Metric Studio Errors Occur When Loading Data into an Oracle Database

The application is disconnected from Oracle with ORA-07445 and ORA-3113 errors. You can see

these errors in the database alert log. The database errors then cause errors in Metric Studio.

This is a known issue with Oracle (Bug 5026836 - Ora-7445 [Kxccres()+3052] Updating View

With Instead Of Trigger)

The workaround is for the database administrator to run the following command while logged in

as SYS:

If an SPFILE is in use ALTER SYSTEM SET optimizer_features_enable='10.1.0' SCOPE=BOTH

If an SPFILE is not in use, ALTER SYSTEM SET optimizer_features_enable='10.1.0'

22


If an SPFILE is not in use, the database administrator should also add this setting to the init.ora

file for the database instance.530992

510492

Oracle Errors Occur When Using the cmm_uninstall Script

Oracle internal errors occur when clearing an Oracle schema using the cmm_uninstall script. The

errors occur if using the undocumented FORCE option

The errors are caused by an existing Oracle bug that is scheduled to be fixed in version 11. Details

can be found in Oracle Note 338953.1

The errors can be avoided by disabling the recycle bin using one of the following methods:

● In the init.ora file, add the line _recyclebin = false and restart the database

● Run the command SQL> alter system set "_recyclebin" = false scope=spfile; and restart the

database

531440

Length of Filter Expression is Limited for Cube Queries

Filter expressions have length limitations. Expressions that are longer than the limitations are

truncated and do not work when referenced.

The current limitations, by platform, are as follows:

● SQL Server is 4000 characters

● Oracle is 2000 characters

● DB2 is 1350 characters

There is no workaround if the filter expression is longer than the maximum length indicated.

A future release will increase the limit for all platforms.561356

Query Studio IssuesThis section contains known issues about Query Studio.

Report Studio IssuesThis section contains known issues about Report Studio.

Readme 23


Limited Calculated Member or Measure Expressions in Express Authoring Mode

The Report Studio Express authoring mode contains a limited number of expressions that you can

use in calculations. You should use only the expressions and functions available in the user interface,

and follow their syntax. We do not recommend that you build calculations or summaries on top

of other calculations that were authored in the Professional authoring mode.

In the Report Studio Express authoring mode, minimal checking exists for calculations. If a calculated

member or measure uses an invalid expression, your report results may contain unexpected values.

In addition, when defining member summaries, you should limit your expressions to one of the

following:

● summary_function (currentMeasure within set set_reference)

where set_reference is a level or set inserted from the Source or Query tabs of the Insertable

Objects pane.

Unless otherwise required, summary_function should be aggregate. If you use an explicit summary

function, you may encounter problems with measures and scenario or account dimension members

(such as profit margin, distinct count, and so on) that have complex rollup rules, or members that

do not roll up.

Know your data, and confirm with the owner of the cube where overriding the automatic aggregation

is safe.

Because of the above limitations, summaries of calculations may not provide reliable values. For

convenience, you may have to build reports where row summaries and calculated member columns

intersect. In such reports, these intersections may contain unexpected values. In contrast, row

calculations intersecting with column aggregates using the aggregate function is safe because the

calculation is performed on the reliably summarized values.

If you need to create expressions that are more complex, use the Report Studio Professional authoring

mode.549157

Master-detail or Burst Reports with Charts May Generate Large Temporary Data

FilesWhen running a master-detail or burst report that includes a chart, disk space exhaustion may cause

the report or other requests to fail.

A large set of burst keys or master rows may produce one or more charts per detail, resulting in

many master-detail executions. This may cause the "\temp" folder to accumulate many gigabytes

of temporary files containing data required for successful chart rendering.

To avoid this issue, we recommend that you test large master-detail or burst reports that include

charts to determine the potential peak disk requirements for the report.

24


Unexpected Summary Values in Nested Sets

If a report contains nested sets, summaries other than the inner set summaries may contain

unexpected values. For example, a crosstab contains a set with years in the rows and you insert a

summary. You then nest a product line set within years but the summary value does not change to

represent the total of the new values.

This occurs because the within set aggregation that Report Studio uses with dimensional packages

does not take into account sets that are nested below the set that is summarized.

To show the correct summary values and if the nested sets are from different dimensions, you can

nest a copy of the inner summary item under the outer summary item.

You can also drag the members in the inner set to the Context filter area. This forces the inner set

to be taken into account in all parts of the report, regardless of which dimensions the members are

from.

For more information, see the knowledge base document number 1036319.1 on the Cognos Global

Customer Services Web site (http://support.cognos.com).576832

Applying Filters to Dimensional Reports

Dimensional data sources do implicit rollup at all levels of each dimensional hierarchy. Detail filters,

summary filters, and slicers with more than one member invalidate any precomputed rollup of

members at hierarchy levels above the level at which the filter applies. Because of this, we recommend

that you avoid combinations of filters and slicers with members at these hierarchy levels.

You can apply the following filters to a dimensional report:

● Detail filters and summary filters in list reports with no dimensional expressions other than

level references.

● Detail filters and summary filters in crosstabs with no dimensional expressions other than level

references, optionally combined with the aggregation type within detail or within

aggregate.

● Dimensional expressions that use the filter function, provided that the condition is independent

of context.

The condition in the filter function must be written so that it returns the same value regardless

of what it intersects with elsewhere in the report. One way to do this is to use the

completeTuple function.

For example, you may have one of the following expressions:

filter([Products], [Revenue]>1000)

filter([Products], tuple([Revenue], currentMember(hierarchy([Products]))) >1000)

If you do, change it to the following expression:

filter([Products], completeTuple([Revenue], currentMember(hierarchy([Products]))) >1000)

Readme 25



This ensures that the default member of all other dimensions is used in the condition, which

returns the same result at all intersections.

● Slicers with a single member per dimension.

When you use any of these filters with a calculated fact or measure, you may see #Error! as values

for some or all of the cells in the report that represent an aggregate that is calculated in the database

(aggregate function is set to Automatic). This means that the data source is unable to compute these

values. You can work around this by using an explicit rollup rule or aggregation function such as

Total. However, do this only if you are familiar with the data and absolutely certain that this is the

correct answer for that report.nbna

Limitations When Using FOR Clause in Summary Functions

A summary function that uses a FOR clause may yield unexpected results. These may include error

messages, warnings, incorrect numbers, and more or fewer than expected rows, columns, or chart

points and lines.

To avoid these problems, ensure that the parameters that follow the FOR clause adhere to the

following constraints:

● Parameters must be simple data item references.

● All data items in the parameter list must appear on every list, crosstab, or chart that uses that

summary.

● For any edge used in the FOR clause, data items listed in the FOR clause must start with the

first data item on that edge.

● Data items must be listed in the order in which they appear on each edge of the report, with

no gaps.

● In crosstabs and charts, there must be no sibling data items that are considered details. Summaries

are normally not considered details.

● Section headers must not be included in the parameter list.

If following these constraints does not resolve the problems, and your report uses dimensional data

with no detail or summary filters, consider using the WITHIN SET clause instead of the FOR clause.

Aggregate Values Are Not Appearing in Crosstabs

When working with dimensionally modeled data, if you place members from the same hierarchy

on opposite edges in a crosstab and then aggregate them, blanks appear instead of totals.

You can show the aggregate values.

Steps to Show Aggregate Values

1. Access the query in Query Explorer.

26


2. In the Properties pane, set the Override Dimension Info property to Yes.

3. Click the Dimension Info tab.

4. For each level of the original dimension, create a separate dimension with a single hierarchy

and single level.

5. Include all necessary facts.

6. Lay out the query items in the report as per the original layout.

When you run the report, the aggregate values appear as expected.480409

Running Totals Are Incorrect in Crosstab Reports

Running totals are not calculated correctly when they are summed across a dimension. This is

because Cognos 8 does not currently support queries with both dimensional functions and running

totals. For example, when you drill down in a report, the query contains the dimensional function

children, which is not compatible with running totals. Running totals are supported only for the

overall level of a dimension.

Currently, there is no workaround.546796

Ragged or Unbalanced Hierarchies Result In Unexpected Behavior

In ragged or unbalanced hierarchies, some members that are not at the lowest level of the hierarchy

may have no descendants at one or more lower levels. Support for these hierarchy gaps in relational

sources is limited. For OLAP sources, more complete support is provided, but some reports may

result in unexpected behavior.

● Groups corresponding to missing members may appear or disappear when grouped list reports

are pivoted to a crosstab. This happens with set expressions using the filter function, and detail

filters on members.

● Ragged and unbalanced sections of the hierarchy are suppressed when set expressions in that

hierarchy are used on an edge.

● When a crosstab is sectioned or is split into a master-detail report, sections corresponding to

missing members become empty.

Some of these behaviors may be corrected in a future release, while others may be codified as

supported behavior. To avoid these behaviors, avoid the scenarios above.

The following scenarios are believed to be safe:

● One or more nested level references on an edge, with no modifying expression.

● A hierarchy reference on only one level of one edge.

● One or more explicit members or sets of explicit members as siblings on only one level of one

edge.

Readme 27


● Summaries of the previous three scenarios.

In all cases, reports based on ragged and unbalanced hierarchies should be tested to confirm that

hierarchy gaps are handled correctly.529310

536799

536813

539603

Different Results for List Reports and Crosstabs that Use the Same Set Expression

In a list report, a set expression such as TopCount produces fewer rows than the corresponding

crosstab report.

For example, in a list report with Year in the first column, followed by a column containing an

expression that returns the top three months by revenue, there will be only three rows in the report,

corresponding to the top three months across all years. If you group by Year, the report still shows

only three months. However, in a crosstab report, you will see three months for each year.

This behavior is a change from ReportNet, which delivered the same results for crosstabs as for list

reports.

In crosstab reports in Cognos 8, set evaluation is always done in the context of what the set is nested

under in the report. However, in list reports set evaluation is done independently of the grouping.

For example, if the first column contains Country instead of Year, you see the top three months

for each country (across all years) in both cases.

In the case of different dimensions, Report Studio authors can force context independence by

replacing [Revenue] in the TopCount expression with the Tuple( [Revenue], X ), where X is the

default member of the hierarchy containing Month.

However, for nested levels in the same hierarchy, there is no such workaround at this time.

This behavior may change in a future release. At that time, a mechanism will be provided to upgrade

existing reports for both ReportNet and Cognos 8 in a way that preserves their current behavior.537122, 537143

Key Transformation Validation Level Returns Partial Information

In Report Studio, if you revalidate a report using Validate with Options, and select the Key

Transformation validation level, you will get back all errors and warnings, but you may get little

or no information back regarding the transformation steps from the report specification to the

native query sent to the data source.

While the documented description for the Key Transformation validation level is correct, the feature

is only partially implemented at present.

28


SAP BW Data Sources IssuesThe following issues were identified with software components of SAP BW data sources. We are

managing the status of these problems with the vendor, but, at the time of this release, the following

issues are still unresolved in the product.

Incorrect Units of Measure in CalculationsWhen creating calculations in Report Studio and Query Studio, you may encounter problems with

the units of measure. For example, the calculation Cost*Cost returns the unit of measure CAD^2

in BEx but * in Cognos 8.

Change the format of the corresponding column to obtain the desired unit of measure.421591

Grouping Columns That Have the Count Summary

If you add the Count summary to a non-fact column in a list and then group the column, the column

will not be grouped when you run the report.

To resolve this issue, group the column first before adding the Count summary.435017

Missing Measures in Crosstab Reports

If you have a crosstab with multiple measures (multiple summary types and semi-additive

aggregations), one measure may not render if the default aggregation function for the measures is

set to Automatic.

To resolve this issue, set the default aggregation function to None.437751

Crosstab with the Same Dimension on Both Edges Returns No Data

If you run a crosstab report that has the same dimension on both edges, the report will not return

any data.

To resolve this problem, specify that data not be suppressed for the query that is driving the crosstab.

Steps to Specify That Data Not Be Suppressed

1. In the report layout, right-click the crosstab and click Go to Query.

2. In the Properties pane, click the Suppress property and click None.

3. Save the report.

545657, 545661

Readme 29


Custom Formatting for Empty Cells Does Not Appear in Cognos 8

If the SAP BW server administrator configures custom formatting for empty cells on the SAP BW

server, the custom format does not appear in Cognos 8 reports.

Administrators should configure the formatting of empty cells in Cognos 8.425064

Creating Sections on Reports That Access SAP BW Data Sources

SAP BW data sources may have problems with sections in reports under different circumstances:

If a section in a report uses the lowest-level query item in a ragged hierarchy, such as the children

of the "not assigned" node, the following BAPI error may appear:

BAPI error occurred in function module BAPI_MDDATASET_SELECT_DATA. Value <valueName>

for characteristic <cubeName> unknown

If you create a section in a report using conformed multicubes with SAP variables, an SAP error

message may appear.

Lowest-level Query Item in a Ragged Hierarchy

The solution is to remove the section from the lowest-level query item.443696

Several Multicubes with SAP Variables

The solution is to use one multicube when creating sections in reports.437613

Summary Rows Return Incorrect Total Values

When the rollup summary function of a measure is minimum, summary rows return incorrect total

values.

Currently, there is no workaround for this problem.409532

Calculated Key Figures Appear with the Non-aggregate Icon

Calculated key figures appear with the non-aggregate icon in the Key Figures folder.

To solve this, edit the variable in SAP BW and set the TIME OF CALCULATION to Before

Aggregation.nbna

Filter Expressions Using Report Items and Smart Prompts Do Not Return Values

If you create a filter expression such as the following, no data is returned.

30


[ <report item attribute> ] = ?prompt?

To resolve the problem, do one of the following:

● Fully qualify the item by using items from the metadata tree instead of the report item tree

● Build smart prompts in the report instead of hand coded prompts

495958496340

Security IssuesThis section contains known issues about security.

Existing Passwords May not Work in an SAP Namespace

When you log on to Cognos Connection using an SAP namespace, some previously functional

passwords may no longer work. The following error message may appear: "Unable to authenticate

a user. Please contact your security administrator. Please type your credentials for authentication".

This is because of a policy change in SAP software. In previous versions of SAP software, passwords

were not case sensitive. All password characters were automatically converted to uppercase. In SAP

RFC 6.40, password characters are not automatically converted to uppercase and so passwords

are case sensitive.

To address the password policy change, the SAP BAPI interface introduced a new configuration

parameter named bapiPasswordConv. Using this parameter, you can enable or disable the

functionality that automatically converts all password characters to uppercase. To ensure that all

previously created passwords can still provide successful logon to Cognos Connection, set the value

of the bapiPasswordConv parameter to true.

Steps to Change the Setting of the bapiPasswordConv Parameter

1. Open the file bapiint_config.xml.

This file is located in the c8_location\bin directory.

2. Change the value of the bapiPasswordConv parameter to true, as shown in the following

fragment of code:<bapiAbapDebug value="false"/><bapiTransCall value="false"/><bapiCharConv value="true"/><bapiCmdRecording value="false"/><bapiCacheReset value="false"/><bapiCallLocks value="false"/><bapiSupportCancel value="true"/><bapiMaxSuspendTime value="200"/><bapiPasswordConv value="true"/>

3. Save the file.

4. Restart the Cognos 8 service.

For more information, see the following SAP Notes:

Readme 31


● 792850 - Preparing ABAP systems to deal with incompatible passwords

● 862989 - New password rules as of Web AS ABAP 7.0/NetWeaver 2004

nbna

Users Are Repeatedly Prompted for Credentials When Trying to Log On to an

SAP Namespace

When users whose user IDs or passwords contain special characters try to log on to an SAP

namespace, they are repeatedly prompted for credentials and may not be granted access.

This is because SAP BW systems, version 3.5 and older, by default use a non-Unicode code page.

Newer SAP systems use a Unicode code page. As a result, the default SAP server code page was

modified for the SAP authentication provider to use a Unicode code page, which is SAP CP 4110.

To avoid this issue, in Cognos Configuration, modify the default SAP BW Server Code Pageparameter for the SAP authentication provider to use a non-Unicode code page, such as SAP CP

1100.nbna

DPR-ERR-2079 Error When Using a Search Type of Migration in the New Job

WizardIf you start a search from the New Job wizard in Cognos Connection and you select Migration as

the Search type, when you click Search, the following error appears:

DPR-ERR-2079 Firewall Security Rejection - Your request was rejected by the security firewall.

CAF rejection details are available in the log. Please contact your administrator.

If you reference the cogserver.log file in the c8_location\logs directory, it will include log messages

similar to the following:

Audit.dispatcher.caf Request Failure invalid variable: name => search_type

Audit.dispatcher.caf Request Failure invalid value: decoded value => migration

Audit.dispatcher.caf Request Failure value does not match pattern: pattern => ̂ (agents|all|consistency|

dataMovements|deployment|distribution|documents|groups(AndRoles)?|indexUpdate||jobs

(AndAgents)?|metricsTasks|package|pagelet|planning(Macro)?Tasks|reports|users|user(s)?Groups

(AndRoles)?|urls)$

Audit.dispatcher.caf Request Failure invalid variable: value => migration

Migration type searches are not supported in this release. Select another search type.564868

Series 7 Integration IssuesThis section contains known issues about Series 7 integration.

32


Unsupported Cognos Planning 7.3 Features with Cognos 8

The following Planning - Contributor 7.3 (or later) features are unsupported with Cognos 8.

● Publish to Cognos Metrics Manager admin extension

If you do not have PowerPlay Enterprise Server, the following features are also unsupported.

● Publish to PowerPlay Enterprise Server admin extension - All unpublished data source tasks

● View in PowerPlay Web client extension

nbna

Third-Party Issues

Adobe Reader Displays Corrupted Characters in the Bookmarks Pane

When viewing documentation with Adobe Reader version 7, some extended characters (notably

the é character) display as dots (.), and the font is different from that used for the rest of the

bookmarks.

To resolve this issue, upgrade your copy of Adobe Reader to version 8.

Firefox Add-on Adblock Plus Prevents Cognos Connection Menus From Working

Installing Adblock Plus with Firefox blocks the java script for all menus in Cognos Connection.

To unblock the Cognos Connection menus, uninstall Adblock Plus.

Importing a Large Content Store in Solaris using JRE 1.5 Fails

If you export a content store that is greater than 2 GB when exported, and then attempt to import

it in Solaris using JRE 1.5, the import fails with the error message "CM-SYS-5001 A Content

Manager internal error occurred."

This is due to a bug in JRE 1.5 on Solaris. Use JRE 1.4.2 instead.560146

Cognos 8 Running under WebLogic Application Server on AIX Fails

The Cognos 8 server instance may go into a FAILED_NOT_RESTARTABLE state in the WebLogic

Administration Console. Numerous core files and Java core files are written to the Cognos 8 domain

directory. Cognos 8 terminates and is not accessible via the portal.

This behavior occurs only when the Cognos 8 Managed Node is started with the WebLogic

Administration Console. Start the Cognos 8 Managed Node using the WebLogic startup scripts

instead.575696

Readme 33


Unable to View HTML Output in Internet ExplorerWhen Running underWebLogic

9.1.0A new Cognos Viewer configuration parameter, htmlOutputDataEncoding, that defaults to

MIMECompressed has been added to resolve performance problems when viewing large HTML

reports. However, this encoding makes it impossible to view HTML reports in Internet Explorer

when Cognos 8 is running on WebLogic 9.1.0.

Customers using WebLogic 9.1.0 must edit the file <installation_location>/webapps/p2pd/WEB-INF/

classes/viewerconfig.properties and change the linehtmlOutputDataEncoding=MIMECompressed

tohtmlOutputDataEncoding=MIME

577823

Importing a Large Deployment in Windows Crashes the Java Virtual Machine

The Java virtual machine under Windows crashes under the following circumstances.

1. The maximum Java memory setting is Medium (1152MB) or higher.

2. You are importing a large archive from a previous release of Cognos 8.

3. The archive contains large models that require upgrading.

To resolve this issue, set the maximum Java memory setting to Small (768MB).576426

Transformer IssuesThis section contains known issues about Cognos 8 Business Intelligence Transformer 8.3.

Support for Microsoft Excel 2007

Transformer 8.3 does not support Microsoft Excel 2007 XLSX files as a data source.

Limitations on Using Reports in Transformer

Transformer does not support Cognos 8 reports that run against OLAP data sources (Microsoft

Analysis Services (MSAS), SAP BW, PowerCubes, Essbase). DMR-based list reports are supported

in Transformer.

Missing Values May Vary Results in PowerCubes

When your data contains missing values, the data values in PowerCubes created with Cognos 8

Transformer 8.3 may be different from the data values in PowerCubes created with previous versions

of Transformer.

34


Transformer uses default measure settings for missing values to determine how null results are

handled. In previous releases of Transformer, the default setting for missing values was zero; when

the default setting was used, zeros were inserted for the missing values. In Cognos 8 Transformer

8.3, the default setting for missing values is NA; when the default setting is used, NA is inserted

for the missing values.

The default setting can also affect the values that are stored and shown for calculated measures.

When a calculated measure is based on a measure for which the missing value default setting is

zero, and there is no data for this second measure, the calculation result will be valid because the

missing information is treated as a zero. However, when the missing value default setting is NA,

the calculation result will be NA because the missing information is treated as a null value and not

a zero.

When models created with previous versions of Transformer are upgraded to Transformer 8.3,

measures that have the missing value setting set to the default will be explicitly changed to zero in

Transformer 8.3, preserving the same behavior as previous versions.

Queries Against Multiple Hierarchies in the Same PowerCube Dimension Do Not

ExecuteIn Cognos 8.3, when you run a query against a PowerCube requesting data from more than one

hierarchy in the same dimension, you receive an error message indicating that the action is not

supported. As a result, the report does not execute.

Your request fails to execute because, in Cognos 8 studios, any grouping of categories from the

same dimension that disregards the primary hierarchical organization, such as relative time categories,

special categories, or categories from an alternate drill path, is interpreted in Cognos 8 as a distinct

new hierarchy in that dimension.

To avoid errors and inconsistencies, if you must support a query containing multiple hierarchies

from a single dimension, one possible solution is to manually create new special categories in the

Transformer model, and then move the existing categories you require to the new special categories.

For this approach to work, you must retain at least one of the previously existing categories in the

original structure, for example, the convergence level of a multiple drill hierarchy.

Note: When you create the new special categories, you can accept the default property values.

For information about creating special categories, see the Transformer online help.529184

Aggregate Values for Imported Query Items May Not Match the Source Package

or Report

When you import a Report Studio, Query Studio or package data source, and the Regular Aggregate

rule is something other than Sum, the aggregate value for the dimension will not match the value

in the original report.

In Transformer 8.3, measures imported from packages or reports will default to the Transformer

Sum rollup rule.

Readme 35


To maintain the same rollup rule defined in the source package or report, set the Transformer

measure definition to use the same rollup rule as defined in the source package or report.568940

Prompts Values in Multiple Queries

When you use a Query Studio or Report Studio report as a data source and the report contains

prompts, and you attempt to add another query to that data source in Transformer 8.3, you will

not be reprompted for new values. This means that your newly added query will return data using

the same prompt values as your first query.

To avoid this situation, when you add the new query, click the Refresh Source button. You will be

reprompted to enter new values for the prompts in your report data source.nbna

Prompts for Member Unique Names in DMR Report Packages

When you use a dimensionally modeled relational report package as a data source and the report

contains prompts for members (Member Unique Names), the prompt interface is not the same in

Transformer 8.3 as in the Cognos 8 Web studios.

Transformer will present a similar interface that allows you to the select the MUN. However, when

you edit the prompt at a later time, Transformer will restart at the beginning rather than from the

previous value.nbna

Updated pcoptimizer Utility Included in Cognos 8.3

The pcoptimizer utility adds metadata to a previously built PowerCube to speed up Cognos 8

PowerCube query performance. This utility was delivered with previous releases of Cognos 8 and

Transformer, but it has been updated in Cognos 8.3 to allow for increased metadata caching in

cubes.

In Transformer 8.3, pcoptimizer is enabled by default. As a result, there is no need to use pcoptimizer

with Cognos 8.3 PowerCubes.

If you are using a PowerCube built in a previous version of Transformer and you optimized the

cube either by using the optimization setting in the trnsfrmr.ini file during the cube build or by

running the pcoptimizer utility on the cube after it was built, ensure that you update the cube

optimization by using the new Cognos 8.3 pcoptimizer.exe utility.

The Cognos 8.3 pcoptimizer.exe utility is located in the installation_location\bin directory.

Note: PowerCubes that were created with Series 7 Transformer without the pcoptimizer.ini setting

enabled will work in any version of Cognos 8. While these cubes do not need to be optimized to

be queried in Cognos 8, performance may suffer.nbna

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Transformer 8.3 Installation DownloadTransformer can now be made available more easily for business specialists who want to design

models and build PowerCubes for their own use. For example, IT departments can provide business

specialists or Transformer modelers with a Web-based, downloadable installation program from

a corporate or secured portal, allowing for easy distribution of the installation files.

For installers and administrators, see the topic "Create a Network Installation Location for

Transformer Modelers" in the Installation and Configuration Guide. For business specialists and

Transformer modelers, see the topic "Deploying Cognos 8 Transformer for Modelers" in the

Installation and Configuration Guide.

Note for Transformer modelers: The Installation and Configuration Guide is available from a link

on the Welcome page of the Transformer installation wizard. When you run the c8transformerinstall.

exe file from the Web or LAN location that an installer or administrator sets up, the installation

files are extracted to a temporary location on your computer and then the installation wizard

launches automatically.

Readme 37


38


Chapter 2: Cognos 8 Documentation Updates

This section contains information about Cognos 8 BI documentation updates.

Cognos 8 Administration and Security GuideThis section contains additions and corrections that will appear in the next version of the Cognos 8

Administration and Security Guide.

Set Up the Essbase Cube Sample

Note: This topic will replace the topic "Set Up the DB2 Cube Sample" in a future release.

To set up the Essbase cube sample, you must have Hyperion Essbase and Essbase Integration Services

Console installed.

Steps

1. Go to the c8_location\webcontent\samples\datasources\cubes\Essbase\Outlines_and_Raw_Data

directory.

This directory contains zip files for the different languages, such as EN.zip or JA.zip for English

and Japanese, respectively.

2. Unzip the file for your language.

Each zip file contains the following two files:

● languageU_Data.txt, such as ENU_Data.txt or JAU_Data.txt.

● GODWlanguageU.otl, such as GODWENU.otl or GODWJAU.otl.

3. Using block storage in Essbase, create a Unicode application.

4. Within the application, create a new database.

You can use GODWlanguageU, such as GODWENU or GODWJAU, as your database name,

or use the name of your choice.

5. Copy and paste the GODWlanguageU.otl file in your database directory.

6. If the database name specified in step 4 is different than GODWlanguageU, rename the

GODWlanguageU.otl file to match the database name that you created.

Confirm that you want to overwrite the .otl file.

7. In Essbase Administration Services console, open your database outline and save it.

Confirm that you want to save the outline even if it was not changed.

Readme 39

8. Copy the languageU_Data.txt file and paste it in the same directory as the .otl file.

9. In Essbase Administration Services console, right-click the database you created and select Load

Data.

10. Browse to the languageU_Data.txt file in your database directory, select the file, and click OK.

11. After the data loads successfully, right-click the database and select Execute Calculation.

12. Select the default calculation, and click OK.

The calculation process may take up to 5 hours, depending on the computer where Essbase

OLAP Server is installed.

You can now create a data source connection to the cube.

Defining Global Filters

Note: The following information will be added to this topic in a future release.

Using Metrics as Global Filters

You can use metrics as global filters in a page or in a dashboard with multiple tabs. The page must

contain a Metric List portlet and a Cognos Viewer portlet configured to show reports associated

with the metrics. You must also set up communication between the Metric List and the Cognos

Viewer portlets using the channel property in both portlets. When a user clicks a metric name in

the Metric List portlet, the Cognos Viewer portlet dynamically updates the associated reports based

on the parameters of the clicked metric. For this functionality to work, the names of the metric

parameters must match the names of the report prompt parameters. Currently, the following

parameters are supported by the Metric List portlet:

● scorecard_extid

● scorecard_sid

● strategy_sid

● metric_sid

● metric_extid

● time_period_sid

Data Sources and ConnectionsNote: The following information will be changed in this chapter in a future release.

● The following sentences contain errors.

"You can make more than one data source connection available by combining them, along

with other elements, in packages created in Cognos Connection (for OLAP data sources) or

created and published using Framework Manager."

The sentences should read:

40


"You can make more than one data source connection available by combining them, along

with other elements, in packages created and published using Framework Manager. You can

also make a Cognos PowerCube data source connection available by creating a package and

publishing it from Cognos Connection."

● In the following sentence in the section "Create a Data Source", step 7, replace the phrase “If

you created an OLAP data source" with "For Cognos PowerCubes ".

If you created an OLAP data source, a confirmation appears and you are given the option to

create a package using your new data source.

Samples

Note: The following information will be changed in this chapter in a future release.

The name of the sample model go_sales will be changed to great_outdoors_sales, and the name of

the sample model go_data_warehouse model will be changed to great_outdoors_warehouse.

Secured Functions and FeaturesNote: The description of the Drill Through Assistant secured function in this topic, chapter “Securing

Functions and Features “, is incorrect. The description should read as follows:

This secured function controls access to the drill-through debugging functionality in Cognos 8.

Drill-Through Access

Note: The following information will be added to the topic "Conformed Dimensions"in this chapter.

Dimensionally Modelled Relational Data Sources

In addition to ensuring that each level contains a business key that has values that match your

PowerCube or other DMR models, you must also ensure that the Root Business Key property is

set and using the business key of the first level in the hierarchy. This helps to ensure that you have

a conformed member unique name when attempting to drill through using members from this

dimension.

Cognos Portlets

Note: The following information will be changed in a future release of the Administration and

Security Guide and Cognos Connection User Guide:

The name of the portlet group Metric Studio Portlets is changed to Cognos Metrics.

Deploying Cognos Portlets to Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and 2007

Note: The following information must be added to the topic "Changes in the web.config File":

Add the following code under the <configuration>, <system.web>, <httpHandlers> element:

<add verb="*" path="CognosResources/*.axd"type="Cognos.Portal.Services.HttpResourceHandler, Cognos.BI.WebPart,

Readme 41


Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cb3c72729d0875cd"validate="false"/>

Cognos 8 Analysis Studio User GuideThis section contains additions and corrections that will appear in the next version of the Analysis

Studio User Guide.

Specify the Purpose of Your Output

Note: This topic will be added to the Analysis Studio User Guide in a future release.

You can specify the output of your analysis to suit your purpose. Differences may exist between

an Analysis Studio analysis and a report created to be run in Cognos Viewer in such areas as

● performance optimization

● drill-up and drill-down behavior

● preservation of items such as subtotals, More values, and so on

Steps

1. From the Run menu, click Report Options.

2. On the Output Purpose tab, specify the purpose of the output:

● To create a report featuring the current state of the analysis that is as close as possible to

the original created in Analysis Studio, select View as analysis.

This option is best if the output must be printed, or if the output must be consistent whether

it is launched from Analysis Studio or run from Cognos Connection.

Note: This option makes unavailable the drill-up and drill-down capability in Cognos

viewer.

● To create a report that you can explore by drilling up or down in Cognos Viewer, select

Use as interactive report.

This output may be modified by the drill rules of Cognos Viewer, and may have some

visual differences from the analysis as seen in Analysis Studio.

3. Click OK.

Cognos 8 Analysis Studio Quick TourThe next version of the Analysis Studio Quick Tour will include the following corrections.

● The suppress button shown on the toolbar is incorrect. The correct icon appears in Analysis

Studio.

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Cognos 8 Event Studio User GuideThis section contains additions and corrections that will appear in the next version of the Event

Studio User Guide.

Tutorial - Creating an Agent

Note: This topic will include the following corrections in the next version of the Event Studio User

Guide.

To create this example agent, perform the following tasks:

❑ Start Event Studio and select the Go Sales (query) package.

❑ Define a parameter named total_return_value_for_item.

❑ Define a calculation named order_item_return_value_calc.

Example - Define a Parameter

Note: This topic will include the following correction to step 2 in the next version of the Event

Studio User Guide.

In the Parameter name box, type total_return_value_for_item.

Example - Define a Calculation

Note: This enhanced topic will appear in the Event Studio User Guide in a future release.

You want to define a calculation named order_item_return_value_calc that you can insert into an

event condition. This calculation must determine the value of each order item returned.

Steps

1. From the Insert menu, click Calculation.

2. In the Name box, type

order_item_return_value_calc

3. In the Expression box, do the following:

● In the Insertable Objects area, click the source tab and expand Returned items (query).

● Under Returned items (query), expand Returned items.

● Click the Return quantity measure item, and drag it to the Expression box.

● After the source item you just inserted, type an asterisk:

*

● Expand Sales (query).

● Under Sales (query), expand Sales.

Readme 43


● Click the Unit sale price measure item, and drag it to the end of the expression.

The calculation expression is defined as follows:

Returned items (query)].[Returned items].[Return quantity]*[Sales (query)].[Sales].[Unit sale

price]

4. Click OK.

The calculation appears as a calculation icon on the data items tab.

Example - Specify an Event Condition


Studio User Guide.

On the data items tab, click the order_item_return_value_calc calculation that you defined previously,

and drag it to the end of the expression.

Example - Add a Report Task


Studio User Guide.

Specify the prompt values that you want:

● In the Method column, click Use an item.

● In the Insertable Objects area, click the source tab and expand Retailer site.

● Click Retailer name, and drag it to the Value box.

Example - Change the Task Execution Rules for a Report Task

Note: This topic will include the following additional step following step 3 in the next version of

the Event Studio User Guide.

Click Include only selected items.

In addition, the last three bullets in step 7 will be deleted.

Example - Add an Email Task


Studio User Guide.

In the second cell, type Value of items returned.

Note: This topic will include the following corrections to the last bullet of step 11 in the next version

of the Event Studio User Guide.

Expand Sales (query), then expand Retailer site, and click Retailer name and drag it to the fourth

cell.

44


Example - Add a News Item Task


Studio User Guide.

In the Headline box, type Preventable Returns for Large Value Individual Items.

Cognos 8 Installation and Configuration GuideThis section contains additions and corrections that will appear in the next version of the Cognos 8


JDBC Driver Conflict for OracleIf you use Oracle for data source, import source, logging database, or the content store database,

you must ensure that there is no conflict with the JDBC driver file. In earlier releases of Cognos 8,

Oracle databases required a classes12.jar file. In Cognos 8 Version 8.2, Oracle databases require

an ojdbc14.jar file.

To ensure that there is no conflict, check the c8_location\webapps\p2pd\WEB-INF\lib directory on

each computer where Content Manager, the Application Tier, Framework Manager, or Metric

Studio is installed. If both the classes12.jar file and the ojdbc14.jar file are present, you must delete

the obsolete classes12.jar file.547145

Manually Changing the Installation Directory Name Affects Installations Running

Under an Application Server

You installed Cognos 8 using the installation wizard and later renamed the installation directory

or manually copied the contents to another directory. When you attempt to run Cognos 8 within

an application server, you may have one of the following problems:

● Cognos 8 does not start.

● Log directories are empty.

● Logs contain a linkage error or unsatisfied link error.

When you manually change the installation directory, the information in the Cognos 8 root directory

becomes invalid. To resolve the problem, you must either update the Cognos 8 root directory before

you create the Cognos 8 application file to deploy to the application server or you must reinstall

Cognos 8 in the original location. If you reinstall Cognos 8, follow the process for upgrading.

Steps

1. In the new or renamed installation directory, open c8_location/webapps/p2pd/WEB-INF/classes/

cogroot.link in a text editor.

2. Replace the path with the new location of the installation directory and save the file.

Readme 45


3. To build the application file to be deployed to the application server, in Cognos Configuration,

from the Actions menu, select Build Application Files.

4. If you built and deployed an application file to the application server before updating the

cogroot.link file, undo the deployment.

5. Deploy the new application file to the application server.

For more information about configuring Cognos 8 for a third-party application server, see the


538629

Cognos 8 Metric Studio User GuideThis section contains additions and corrections that will appear in the next version of the Metric

Studio User Guide.

Metric Studio Support Bundle

If you must contact customer support for assistance, attaching the support bundle will help expedite

your case. This support bundle is a zip file generated by a tool called cmm_support_bundle.

The command is located in installation_location/bin and is invoked as follows:

cmm_support_bundle databaseServer databaseName databaseUser databasePassword databaseType

output_filename

where

● databaseServer is the hostname of the database server (default: localhost). For Oracle you can

add an optional port by appending ':port' to the hostname (default = 1521). For example:

localhost:1234. The databaseServer parameter is ignored for database type 'db2'

● databaseName is the name of the database (default: cmm). This is the 'database file' entry for

database type 'db2'

● databaseUser is the database user name (default: sa)

● databasePassword is the database password (default: cmm)

● databaseType is the database type. Values can include sqlserver, oracle, db2 (default: sqlserver)

● output_filename is the fully qualified name of the zip file to create (defaults to the

_SUPPORT_FILES directory)

For example, if a SQL Server database contains your metric store, issue a command such as

cmm_support_bundle dbserver1 prod_db sa topsecret sqlserver

or on UNIX

sh cmm_support_bundle.sh dbserver1 prod_db sa topsecret sqlserver

By default, this will create output in the installation location/_SUPPORT_FILES directory.

46


Add Email Notification for a MetricBy default, email notification about changes to a metric in the watch list is not selected when you

add a metric to the watch list. However, you can override the default. You must be logged on to

the namespace to add email notification.

Steps

1. At the bottom of the left pane, click My Folders.

Your watch list and accountability scorecard appears in the left pane.

2. Click Watch List and click the metric for which you want to add email notification.

3. In the right pane, click the button named click to turn on email alerts for this metric.

History Charts

A history chart is a graph that appears for each metric. You can use the history chart to analyze

the relationships between target values and actual values.

The history chart shows target values, actual values, target tolerance, and any specified user-defined

columns. Tolerance is the acceptable range that a result can deviate from the target. In the history

chart, a green diamond represents the target value, and yellow lines represent the tolerance.

A user-defined column is a comparative measurement for a metric. For example, revenue per month

is a metric that you monitor. Although this is an important metric, you are also interested in

comparing revenue to analyst forecasts. To compare revenue to analyst forecasts, the Metric Studio

author creates a user-defined column for analyst forecasts and then adds the column to the Revenue

metric type.

You can choose to view actual values and user-defined columns as line graphs or bar graphs.

A history chart shows the business calendar level that you selected.

The previous arrow shifts the graph one business calendar level left. The next arrow shifts the graph

one business calendar level right. For example, if months and quarters are shown along the bottom

of the graph, the previous arrow shifts the graph left by one month. The fast-previous arrow shifts

the graph one quarter to the left. The fast-next arrow shifts the graph one quarter to the right.

Specify Import Settings

You must specify the metric deployment location for the metric store. The metric deployment

location is the location of all the import source directories or folders for the current metric store.

You also select the import sources that are used by this metric package. You must define an import

source before you can select it.

Steps

1. In the Tools list, click Import Sources.

Readme 47


2. Specify the metric deployment location by clicking Change the deployment location and then

one of the following

● Use the default deployment location

Choose this option if the location of your import source is installation _location\cognos\

c8\deployment.

This option should only be used in a single-server installation. In distributed installations,

a deployment location that is available on all servers should be specified using the Specify

another location option.

● Specify another location

Choose this option if the location of your import source is not installation _location\cognos\

c8\deployment.

In a distributed installation, a deployment location that is available on all servers must be

specified.

In a Windows environment, you use a UNC path pointing to a share accessible by all

servers. You must use a UNC path and not a mapped drive to specify the metric deployment

location.

In Unix environments, an identical mount must be created on all servers.

3. Click OK.

4. Select the check box next to the import sources for this package.

Tips:

● You can exclude import sources by selecting the check box under the Exclude from the

import column.

● You can choose all import sources by selecting the check box next to Name.

● You can exclude all import sources by selecting the check box next to Exclude from the

import.

5. Click OK.

Cognos 8 Transformer User GuideThese sections contain additions and corrections that will appear in the next version of the

Transformer User Guide.

Transformer Support for Prompts in Report Data Sources

You can use a Cognos 8 report created in Query Studio or Report Studio, or a Cognos 8 package

as a data source for a model in Transformer. These reports or packages may include prompts. When

executing queries, Transformer uses values you provide for the prompts.

48


When using a report with prompts as a data source, the user interface presented by Transformer

for prompts may be different than the user interface presented when running the report in the

Cognos studio. For example, a report with a prompt page defined to contain a single select

drop-down list may be presented in Transformer as a multi-value select list. This behavior occurs

because Transformer does not process any information from prompt pages of reports. Ensure that

you understand the purpose of each prompt when using a report as a data source.

For more information about Transformer support for prompts, see the Transformer User Guide.562800

Data Source Types: Cognos Package or Report

In the next version of the Cognos 8 Transformer User Guide, Chapter 3: Data Sources for Your

Model, Data Source Types, the topic "Cognos Package or Report" will include the following

correction.

You can import query items from relational or dimensionally modeled relational packages and

reports, and the associated filters and prompts, by choosing the Cognos Package or Cognos Reportoption and browsing and selecting from the available metadata. Note that:

● When importing packages, Transformer ignores any zero suppression settings.

● Transformer cannot view or override Framework Manager governor settings.

● Query items that are calculated appear as regular query items. You should review the rollup

rules in Transformer when you use these calculated items as measures to avoid incorrect rollup

results. For example, a rollup rule of SUM should not be applied to a measure that uses a

calculated item when the value is expressed as a percentage.

Command Line Syntax

Note: This corrected topic will appear in the Transformer User Guide in a future release.

To use command line options, you must start the Transformer executable, cogtr.exe, from the

directory in which it is installed.

The syntax for using command line options with optional arguments is as follows:cogtr -option[argument] filename.py?|filename.mdl

Notes:

● On Windows, you can use -n with some options to run Transformer in batch mode.

● The option in the command line always starts with a dash (-).

● Command line options are case-insensitive. Arguments are case-sensitive.

● If there are spaces inside any argument, you must enclose the argument in double quotation

marks, for examplecogtr -n -k"field three=CarlosR/pw462" Field3.mdl

● For .py? files, the question mark (?) is replaced by the character that is used in your version of

Transformer.

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● You can use more than one option in a command line. If an option that is used in a command

line is incompatible with an option that appears earlier in the command line, the earlier option

is ignored.

● The filename.py? and filename.mdl files apply to Windows only.

Command Line Options


Transformer supports the following Windows and UNIX/Linux command line options. Detailed

explanations are provided in the subsections that follow.

Command line options are case-insensitive.

● -a

Runs AutoDesign then creates a cube, opens PowerPlay (Windows), and displays the report.cogtr -a data_source

Restriction: Use on Windows only, with -d, -f, -r, and -nologo options.

● -c

Generates categories and creates cubes.-c -pfilename.py?|-mfilename.mdl

Restriction: Use with -i, -m, or -p. On Windows, use with -n.

● -d

Overrides the specified user preference setting.-dpreference_var=setting -pfilename.py?|-mfilename.mdl

● -e

Updates the model structure but not the data.-e -pfilename.py?|-mfilename.mdl

Restriction: Cannot be used with -c. On Windows, use with -n. On Windows, UNIX, and

Linux, use with -o.

● -f

Specifies the user-defined preference file.

Can be used to publish PowerCubes in batch mode and include prompts in an XML command

file using the XML schema for preference files.-fpreference_file -pfilename.py?|-mfilename.mdl

● -i

Opens the specified .py? model and restarts a failed process from the beginning.-i -pfilename.py?

Restriction: On Windows, use with -n. On UNIX and Linux, cannot be used with -s.

● -h

50


Displays help for the command line.cogtr -h

● -k

Specifies database signon information for Series 7.-ksignon=userid/password -pfilename.py?|-mfilename.mdl

● -l

Specifies user authentication information for Cognos 8.-lsignon=userid/password -pfilename.py?|-mfilename.mdl

● -m

Opens the specified .mdl file or accepts Model Definition Language (MDL) statements.-mfilename.mdl

● -n

Runs cogtr in batch mode.-ndisplay_state -pfilename.py?|-mfilename.mdl

Restriction: Use on Windows only.

● -nologo

Omits splash screen display when opening Transformer.-nologo -pfilename.py?|-mfilename.mdl


● -o

Turns off various model and cube creation actions.-o -pfilename.py?|-mfilename.mdl

● -ox

Disables category creation and cube rebuild.-ox -pfilename.py?|-mfilename.mdl


● -p

Opens the specified binary model file, .py?, where the question mark (?) is replaced by the

character that is used in your version of Transformer-pfilename.py?

Restriction: Not valid with an MDL file.

● -r

Specifies the level of detail for error-logging reports.-rlog_level -pfilename.py?|-mfilename.mdl

Restriction: Valid levels are 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.

● -s

Saves the model.

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-s -pfilename.py?|-mfilename.mdl

Restriction: On Windows, use with -n; cannot be used with -i or -p.

● -t

Sets the current period.-tcategory_code -pfilename.py?|-mfilename.mdl

Restriction: On Windows, use with -n.

● -u

Gets the partition status for previously generated cubes.-upowercube_name -pfilename.py?|-mfilename.mdl

Restriction: Cannot use this option with secured cubes. On Windows, use with -n.

● -v

Specifies the number of records for the test cube.-vdata_subset_number

Restriction: Use with -c, -m, or -p. On Windows, use with -n.

● -x

Updates the column and measure scales based on the data source.-x -mfilename.mdl

● -y

Specifies how Series 7 user-class security conversion is performed.

● Use -y1 to preserve both the Series 7 user classes and custom views associated with the

Series 7 model.-y1namespaceName=username/password

● Use -y2 to preserve only the custom view associated with the Series 7 model.

cogtr.exe -n2 -ox -s -y2 -mfilename.mdl

● Use -y3 to discard the Series 7 user classes and custom views associated with the Series 7

model.cogtr.exe -n2 -ox -s -y3 -mfilename.mdl

-c option


This option loads a model file, interprets MDL statements, generates categories, and creates cubes.

Use this option with the applicable file-opening option: either -p, -m, or -i. On Windows, use this

option with -n.

The syntax for using the -c option is as follows:

cogtr -c -pfilename.py?|-mfilename.mdl

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The following UNIX/Linux example uses -c and -p options together to open the binary model file

go_sales.pyj and process it as described.cogtr -c -pgo_sales.pyj

The following UNIX/Linux example uses the -c and -m options together to open the equivalent

full model definition (the .mdl text file for go_sales), and process it as described.cogtr -c -mgo_sales.mdl

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-n option


This Windows-only option runs Transformer in batch mode, creates the cubes identified in the

model, and then closes Transformer.

You can also specify a window display state of 1 to minimize the Transformer window, or 2 to

hide the window. There is no space between -n and the display_state argument.

The syntax for using the -n option is as follows:

cogtr -ndisplay_state -pfilename.py?|-mfilename.mdl

The following example opens the model file, Roofing.mdl, without displaying an application

window, creates its defined cubes, and then saves the model file.cogtr -n -sRoofing.mdl

The following example opens the model file, Roofing.mdl, and creates its defined cubes:cogtr -n2 -mRoofing.mdl

Cognos 8 Transformer Man PageThis section contains additions and corrections that will appear in the next version of the Transformer

Man Page.

-h option

Note: This corrected topic will appear in the Transformer Man Page in a future release.

This option displays help for the command line. Help is also displayed if you do not provide any

command options.

The basic syntax for using the -h option is as follows:cogtr -h

-i option

Note: This corrected topic will appear in the Transformer Man Page in a future release.

This option opens a saved model, regardless of the existence of a checkpoint file. You cannot use

the -i option with the -s option.

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A checkpoint file is automatically created when a model is suspended due to a general system failure,

such as that caused by a power outage. The next time the model is opened in interactive mode,

users can open either the checkpoint file or the last-saved version of the model file. In batch mode,

you can use the -i option to bypass the prompt and force Transformer to open the original model

file instead of the checkpoint file.

The basic syntax for using the -i option is as follows:

cogtr -i filename.py?

Note: Checkpoint files have a .qy? extension. As with .py? files, the ? (question mark) in the extension

is replaced by the character that is used in your release of Transformer, such as .qyj.

The following example opens the model file, Sales.py?, discarding any existing checkpoint file, then

runs the process in batch mode to create all defined cubes:cogtr -i Sales.py?

Cognos 8 Report Studio Professional Authoring User GuideThis section contains additions and corrections that will appear in the next version of the Report

Studio Professional Authoring User Guide.

Nested List Report Containing a Data Item That is GroupedMore Than Once Does

Not Run After Upgrade

Note: This topic will be added to the Troubleshooting appendix in the Report Studio Professional

Authoring User Guide and the Administration and Security Guide in a future release.

When you upgrade a nested list report that contains a data item that is grouped in both lists, the

report does not run and an error such as the following appears:

OP-ERR-0199: The query is not supported. The dimensions on the edge are inconsistent. The

dataItems from dimension="[Product line]" must be adjacent.

This error occurs when the report is run against a dimensional data source and both lists are using

the same query. This error does not occur if the report is run against a relational data source.

For example, you have a list that contains the grouped items Product line and Product type and a

nested list that contains the data items Year, Quarter, and Unit sale price. Year, Quarter, and

Product line are grouped items in the nested list.

To resolve the issue, delete the data item that is grouped in both lists from the inner list.

Steps to Delete a Grouped Data Item From an Inner List

1. Click anywhere in the report.

2. In the Properties pane, click the select ancestor button and click the List link that represents

the inner list.

3. Double-click the Grouping & Sorting property.

4. In the Groups pane, select the data item that you want and click the delete button.

54


Grouping by an Attribute is Not Supported

Note: This topic will be added to the Report Studio Professional Authoring User Guide, the Report

Studio Express Authoring User Guide, and the Query Studio User Guide in a future release.

When working with dimensional data sources, grouping by attributes is not supported. If you group

by an attribute, the corresponding member is grouped instead, and there may be duplicate rows.

For example, a list report contains the columns Color and Product Code, where Color is an attribute

of Product Code. When you run the report, some colors, such as black, appear multiple times

because several products are available in black. Each product is available in only one color, so the

list has only one row for each product. Grouping the Color column does not change the output

because the grouping is done on the Product Code column, and there is only one row for each

product in the list. If the Product Code column is deleted, the output shows duplicate rows for some

colors, such as black.

Limitations When Aggregating Measures in Dimensionally Modeled Relational

(DMR) or Relational Data Sources

Note: This topic will be added to the Report Studio Professional Authoring User Guide, Report

Studio Express Authoring User Guide, and the Query Studio User Guide in a future release.

There are limitations when aggregating DMR measures, semi-additive measures, and relational

facts in crosstabs using the aggregation function count distinct, median, standard-deviation,

or variance. The following limitations can cause error cells when the report is run:

● The aggregation function must apply to all members of a level or all children of a member.

● You cannot use certain OLAP functions in detail filters that are applied to a dimension that is

not in the report or is at a level below what is being reported.

The supported OLAP functions are children, level, members, roleValue, and rootMembers.

● You cannot define detail filters that reference one or more measures and are set to After auto

aggregation.

● You cannot define slicers that have more than one member from a dimension that does not

appear in the report.

● Slicers that have more than one member from a dimension that appears in the report produce

errors in all cells that are ancestors of the slicer members.

● If a crosstab has a row that is a set of members from one dimension (dimension A) and another

row that is a set of members from another dimension (dimension B), and a slicer containing

members from dimension A is defined, error cells are produced in the row that contains members

from dimension B.

● If a slicer is composed of members from a dimension, and a crosstab has a row that is a set of

members from a higher level than the slicer members, error cells are produced for that row.

● Error cells are produced when drilling down on a crosstab that has two nested levels.

Readme 55


If any of these limitations are not taken into consideration in a calculation, the report will not run.

If there is a non-measure calculation that returns a constant or contains a summary function, and

the calculation has a lower solve order than the measure being aggregated, error cells are returned

for the aggregated measure.

In list reports, error cells are produced as a result of these limitations if the list uses an OLAP

function other than children, filter, level, members, roleValue, and rootMembers.

Cognos 8 Framework Manager User GuideThe Framework Manager User Guide includes procedures, examples, notes, tips, and other

background information to help you create a project, prepare a model for reporting, and create

and publish a package.

Additions and corrections will appear in the next version of this document.

When to Use DeterminantsNote: This topic will include the following addition in the next version of the Guidelines for Modeling

Metadata and the Framework Manager User Guide.

While determinants can be used to solve a variety of problems related to data granularity, you

should always use them in the following primary cases:

● A query subject that behaves as a dimension has multiple levels of granularity and will be joined

on different sets of keys to fact data.

For example, Time has multiple levels, and it is joined to Inventory on the Month Key and to

Sales on the Day Key.

● There is a need to count or perform other aggregate functions on a key or attribute that is

repeated.

For example, Time has a Month Key and an attribute, Days in the month, that is repeated for

each day. If you want to use Days in the month in a report, you do not want the sum of Days

in the month for each day in the month. Instead, you want the unique value of Days in the

month for the chosen Month Key. In SQL, that is XMIN(Days in the month for Month_Key)

.

There is also a Group by clause in the Cognos SQL.

There are less common cases when you need to use determinants:

● You want to uniquely identify the row of data when retrieving text BLOB data from the data

source.

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.

56


You cannot use multiple-segment keys when the query subject accesses blob data. With summary

queries, blob data must be retrieved separately from the summary portion of the query. To do

this, you need a key that uniquely identifies the row and the key must not have multiple segments.

● 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.

● You want to 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.

Remap an Object to a New Source

Note: This topic will be updated with the following information in the next version of the Framework

Manager User Guide.

The Set as Default check box was removed from the Remapping Options dialog box. When you

change the matching criteria for remapping, you are specifying the criteria that will be used to

remap subsequent objects.

Merge Projects

Note: The first four steps in this topic will be updated with the following information in the next

version of the Framework Manager User Guide.

Steps

1. Open the project into which you want to merge a branch.

2. From the Project menu, click Merge from.

3. In the Select Project to Merge From dialog box, click the Files of Type list and click All Files

(*.*).

4. Locate the log.xml file for the branch to be merged, and click Open.

The Perform the Merge window opens, showing a list of transactions. The transactions that

you selected are run.

Framework Manager requires only the log.xml and the IdLog.xml files, not the entire set of

project files to populate the transaction history list. If you do open the .cpf file directly when

prompted, Framework Manager locates and opens the log.xml file. The advantage of directly

opening the log.xml file is to reduce the number of large files that may need to be distributed

in a multiuser environment.

Readme 57


Publish a Package

Note: The first three steps in this topic will be updated with the following information in the next

version of the Framework Manager User Guide.

Steps

1. Select the package you want to publish.

2. From the Actions menu, click Package, Publish Packages.

3. Choose where to publish the package:

● To publish the package to the report server, click Cognos 8 Content Store, click open, and

select an existing folder or create a new folder in the Content Store.

● To publish the package to a network location, click Location on the network. Ensure that

you select a different location than the directory where the project files are stored. In general,

avoid saving to the same location as a model as the model could be overwritten.

579753

58


Chapter 3: Deprecation Notices

This section contains information about Cognos 8 BI deprecation notices.

Supported EnvironmentsThe following list describes important information related to Cognos 8 supported environments:

● SAP ended mainstream maintenance support for SAP BW versions 3.1c and 3.0b in December

2006. Cognos will continue compatible support for these versions in this Cognos 8 release.

Cognos will deprecate support for SAP BW 3.1c and 3.0b in the next major release of Cognos

8.

● Informix ended support for Dynamic Server version 9.3 in April 2005. Cognos has deprecated

support for this version in this Cognos 8 release.

● Informix ended support for Dynamic Server version 9.4 in April 2006. Cognos will continue

compatible support for this version in this Cognos 8 release. Cognos will deprecate support for

Dynamic Server version 9.4 in the next major release of Cognos 8.

● Informix ended support for Red Brick Decision Server version 6.2 in April 2006. Cognos will

continue compatible support for this version in this release. Cognos will deprecate support for

this version in the next major release of Cognos 8.

● Cognos will discontinue support for Netscape browsers in the next major release of Cognos 8.

● Sun ended support for Sun ONE Directory Server version 5 in June 2004. Cognos will continue

compatible support for this version in this Cognos 8 release. Cognos will deprecate support for

Sun ONE Directory Server version 5 in the next major release of Cognos 8.

● Cognos support for SAP NetWeaver Portal 7.0 (SAP NetWeaver 2004s) is pending in this

Cognos 8 release.

nbna

Framework Manager Security Filters for SAP BW: Notice of

Intent to Change the Default SettingIn all shipped versions of Cognos ReportNet and Cognos 8 including Cognos 8.2, the following

behavior has been enabled by default.

Multiple security filters defined within Framework Manager on metadata imported from SAP BW

sources are combined using 'AND' logic, effectively an intersection of a particular user's permissions.

This behavior is contradictory to corresponding behavior on relational data sources where similar

Readme 59

filters are combined using 'IN' and 'OR' (union) logic to facilitate cases where users belong to one

or more group and require a union of their permissions. The current default behavior for SAP BW

datasources has been determined to be a product defect and will be changed in the Cognos 8.3

release to align with the behavior of relational data sources. In the Cognos 8.1 Mr2 and Cognos

8.2 releases, it will be possible to get the union of filters behavior by modifying the following

switches in the qfs_config.xml configuration file. Under <provider name="OlapQueryProvider"

libraryName="oqp">, add the following new <parameter> element:

<parameter name="ORingSecurityFiltersWhenUserBelongsToMultipleGroups"value="true"/>

Effect

When multiple security filters are defined in the Data Security setting in Framework Manager for

a query subject, if a user belongs to more than one user group associated with these filters, the effect

of this switch is to perform a union of these filters instead of an intersection. For example, if a user

Joe belongs to a corporate group allowing him to see data for Asia, Europe, and America, and also

belongs to a regional group allowing him only to see data for Europe, the effect of the switch will

be to let Joe see data for Asia, Europe, and America (as compared to just Europe) when logging on

Cognos 8 and authoring or running a report. Note that security filters that are based on other

security filters in the Data Security settings for a query subject continue to be intersected, just as

before, independent of whether or not the new switch is activated.

As of Cognos 8.3, this behavior will become the new default for SAP BW metadata in Framework

Manager. There will be no change to the behavior of security filters applied on relational sources.

The switch will continue to be available and can be set to false by your administrator if required

to maintain existing application behavior.

IQD Externalize MethodIQD's generated by Framework Manager will continue to be supported in this Cognos 8 release,

but will not be enhanced. Cognos will deprecate support for IQD's generated by Framework Manager

in the next major release of Cognos 8. Cognos 8 Transformer will continue to support IQD's

generated by Impromptu in the next major release.

Transformer OLE AutomationPrevious versions of Transformer provided OLE automation support using a program language

interface as an alternative to the Transformer user interface. Product features introduced in version 7.

3 and higher were not supported using OLE automation.

In this Cognos 8 Transformer release, support for OLE automation in Transformer has been

deprecated. Transformer Model Definition Language (MDL) supports all Transformer features up

to and including version 8.3. MDL will continue to be the supported Cognos method for automating

Transformer models.

60


Transformer Client/Server SynchronizationPrevious versions of Transformer included two different installations: the UNIX Server installation

and the Windows Client installation. This Cognos 8 release provides one version of Transformer.

This one version can be installed on the appropriate platform.

In this Cognos 8 Transformer release, client/server synchronization, including the PowerGrid

Network daemon and NetInfo, has been deprecated.

Transformer Data Source SupportIn this Cognos 8 Transformer release, support for the following data source types has been

deprecated:

● dBase table

● Paradox table

● Lotus 1-2-3 crosstab or database

● FoxPro table

● Clipper table

● Architect models

Transformer .pyi FilesIn Transformer 8.3, models saved in binary format now use the .pyj file extension. In Transformer 7.

x, models saved in binary format used the .pyi file extension.

Before upgrading Transformer 7.x models to Transformer 8.3, you must save your .pyi models in

the .mdl (text) file format. We strongly recommend that you keep a .mdl file backup of all Series 7

models that you upgrade to Transformer 8.3.

Transformer Menu CustomizationPrevious versions of Transformer allowed users to customize the menu options. This functionality

is not included in Transformer 8.3.

Compressed PowerCubesPrevious versions of Transformer allowed users to compress PowerCubes. This functionality is not

included in Transformer 8.3.

Readme 61


Cognos 8 Transformer Expression Editor FunctionsTransformer 8.3 continues to use the expression editor included with previous Transformer releases.

However, the following expressions are no longer supported:

● Pack

● Spread

● Substitute

● Phdatetodate

Third Party OLAP SupportCognos 8 Mobile Analysis is intended for disconnected data exploration and reporting using

PowerCubes.

In the next maintenance release of Cognos 8, support for third party OLAP data access will be

discontinued.

Secured PowerCubesCognos 8 Mobile Analysis is intended for disconnected data exploration and reporting on

PowerCubes that have not been secured with either Series 7 or Cognos 8 security sources. In the

next maintenance release of Cognos 8, support for disconnected secured PowerCubes will be formally

discontinued.

Cognos Viewer URL API (b_action=xts.run)In previous releases of Cognos 8, the b_action parameter specified a value of xts.run and a

number of additional parameters to support launching Cognos Viewer using a customized URL

instead of using Cognos Connection. This parameter value is now deprecated and will be removed

in a future release of Cognos 8. A new value, cognosViewer, is available that provides the same

functionality. Continuing to use the deprecated parameter value will still work, but may result in

reduced performance.

The xts.run value is still valid, and is not deprecated, for components other than the Cognos

Viewer, such as Report Studio and Analysis Studio.

You can map xts.run parameters to cognosViewer parameters as shown below.

xts.run parameter -> cognosViewer parameter

ui.tool -> Not applicable

ui.action (default="view") -> ui.action (default="objectDefault")

ui.object -> ui.object

62


ui.header -> cv.header

ui.spec -> ui.spec

run.outputFormat -> run.outputFormat

run.outputLocale -> run.outputLocale

run.prompt -> run.prompt

run.xslURL -> run.xslURL

run.outputEncapsulation -> run.outputEncapsulation

async.primaryWaitThreshold -> async.primaryWaitThreshold

async.secondaryWaitThreshold -> async.secondaryWaitThreshold

run.version -> No equivalent

ui.toolbar -> cv.toolbar

Readme 63


64


Index

Symbols

.otl files, 39

.pro files, 42

-c option in Transformer, 52

-h option in Transformer, 53

-i option in Transformer, 53

-n option in Transformer, 53

A

accessing data sources, 10, 29

action logs

BmtScriptPlayer, 15

Administration and Security Guide

updates, 39

Adobe Reader

corrupt text in bookmarks pane, 33

aggregate values in Transformer, 35

aggregating measures

limitations, 55

AIX

version, IBM WebSphere, 17

Analysis Studio

troubleshooting, 9

Analysis Studio quick tour, 42

Analysis Studio User Guide, 42

analyzing

metrics history, 47

application servers

problems running Cognos 8, 45

applying

filters to dimensional reports, 25

as percentage

values, 10

attributes

filters, 14

problems when pivoting lists to crosstabs, 21

B

blank values

appearing instead of totals, 26

BmtScriptPlayer

action logs, 15

bo heap Buffer Overflow error, 16

business keys

model query subjects, 14

C

c8transformerinstall.exe, 37

calculated key figures, 30

calculations

SAP BW data sources, 29

changes to decimal formats, 18

character sets

Oracle mismatch and filters, 20

checkpoint bypass

-i command line option, 53

classes12.jar file, 45

client/server synchronization in Transformer, 61

cmm_support_bundle, 46

CM-SYS-5001 A Content Manager internal error

occurred, 33

Cognos 8

does not start on an application server, 45

integration with Cognos Planning, 33

Cognos 8 Go! Office

known issues, 16

multiple logon prompts, 16

Cognos Connection menus

blocked, 33

Cognos Connection User Guide

updates, 40, 41

Cognos Metrics

adding to pages and dashboards, 41

Cognos Metrics portlets, 41

Cognos Planning

integration with Cognos 8, 33

Readme 65

Cognos portlets, 41

deploying to SharePoint Portal Server, 41

Cognos PowerCubes, 40

cogroot.link file, 45

command line options, 50

-c, 52

-h, 53

-i, 53

-n, 53

command line syntax in Transformer, 49

compressed PowerCubes in Transformer, 61

conformed dimensions

drill-through access, 41

corrupt text

Adobe Reader, 33

crosstabs

aggregate values not appearing, 26

incorrect running totals, 27

no data returned when same dimension used on both

edges, 29

troubleshooting, 9

cubes

compressed in Transformer, 61

secured, 62

custom formatting

not appearing for empty cells, 30

customized menu options in Transformer, 61

D

dashboards

adding metrics, 40

databases

Oracle character set mismatch, 20

data files

large, 24

data sources

Cognos PowerCubes, 40

prompt support in Transformer, 48

unable to open a cube using 8.2 DB2 OLAP, 12

unable to open a cube using Essbase 7.1, 12

data source support in Transformer, 61

data source types

package or report, 49

DB2

incorrect average value, 29

incorrect count value, 29

DB2 data sources

problems accessing, 10

DB2 OLAP

query failure using DB2 OLAP Server, 10

unable to open a cube using 8.2 DB2 OLAP, 12

DB2 OLAP library, 14

decimal formats

changes, 18

defining a calculation

example, 43

determinants

keys, 15

dimensional data sources

grouping by attributes, 55

pivoting lists to crosstabs, 21

dimensionally modeled relational data sources

limitations when aggregating measures, 55

disk space, 24

documentation

Administration and Security Guide, 39

Analysis Studio quick tour, 42

Analysis Studio User Guide, 42

Cognos Connection User Guide, 40, 41

Event Studio User Guide, 43

Framework Manager User Guide, 56

Installation and Configuration Guide, 45

Metric Studio User Guide, 46

Query Studio User Guide, 42

Report Studio Professional Authoring User

Guide, 54

Transformer Man Page, 53

Transformer User Guide, 48

DPR-ERR-2079 error, 32

drill-through access

conformed dimensions, 41

Drill Through Assistant secured function, 41

limitations, 9

PowerCube to DMR, 9

Drill Through Assistant

description, 41

E

email

watch lists, 42, 47

email notification

Metric Studio, 42, 47

66

Index

environments

supported, 59

error cells

troubleshooting in reports, 55

errors

DPR-ERR-2079, 32

Essbase

cube sample, 39

incorrect average value, 29

incorrect count value, 29

Essbase 7.1

unable to open a cube, 12

Essbase changes, 19

Event Studio User Guide, 43

expressions

limited in Report Studio Express authoring mode, 24

externalize methods

IQD, 60

F

files

adding multiple IQD, 21

filter expressions

no data, 30

filtering

and Oracle character set mismatch, 20

filters

applying to dimensional reports, 25

attributes, 14

for clauses

limitations when using in summary functions, 26

formats

changes to decimals, 18

form-based authentication

using SiteMinder, 17

Framework Manager

issues, 12

security filters change for SAP BW, 59

Framework Manager User Guide

documentation updates, 56

full outer joins

Oracle, 13

G

global filters

Cognos Metrics portlets, 40

grouped data items

troubleshooting, 54


grouping columns


H

help

-h option in Transformer, 53

history charts

Metric Studio, 47

I

IBM WebSphere

AIX version, 17

version 5.1 and user interface in Cognos 8, 9

import settings

Metric Studio, 47

specify, 47

incorrect average value using DB2 or Essbase, 29

incorrect count value using DB2 or Essbase, 29

Informix Dynamic Server

supported environments, 59

Informix Red Brick Decision Server


Installation and Configuration Guide, 45

installation directory

problems after renaming or moving, 45

installing

Transformer, using an .exe file, 37

IQD externalize method, 60

IQD files

adding multiple, 21

J

Java virtual machine

crashes when importing deployment, 34

joins

Oracle, 13

K

key figures, 30

Readme 67

Index

keys, 15

known issues

administration, 9

Analysis Studio, 9

Cognos 8 Go! Office, 16

Cognos 8 Transformer, 34

Cognos Connection, 10

DB2 data sources, 10

Event Studio, 16

Framework Manager, 12

general, 18

installation and configuration, 17

Metric Studio known issues, 22

Query Studio, 23

Report Studio, 23


security, 31

Series 7 integration, 32

software development kit, 16

L

languages

OLAP data sources, 10

limitations

drill-through access, 9

linked models

upgrading, 14

list reports


loading

DB2 OLAP library, 14

log files, 15

logon problems

Cognos 8 Go! Office, 16

SAP namespace, 31, 32

M

macro prompts, 13

measures


menus

blocked in Cognos Connection, 33

merging projects, 57

metadata query failure with DB2 OLAP server, 10

Metric Designer

known issues, 21

scorecard hierarchy, 21

scorecards, 22

metrics

adding to pages and dashboards, 40

history, 47

Metric Studio

additional columns in Project tab-delimited file, 42

cmm_uninstall script, 23

email notification, 42, 47

errors, 22

failed reports, 22

filter expressions, 23

history charts, 47

import settings, 47

Support Bundle, 46

Metric Studio Portlets, See Cognos Metrics

Metric Studio User Guide, 46

Microsoft

security patch causes server failure, 17

Microsoft Excel 2007 support in Transformer, 34

Microsoft Office, 16

Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server

deploying Cognos portlets, 41

migration

not supported as search type in New Job wizard, 32

missing values in Transformer, 34

Model Advisor

false positive, 15

model query subjects

filters, 14

MSAS 2005

incorrect values with scoped attribute hierarchies, 18

MSAS cubes

problems with very large dimensions, 20

MUNs, prompts in DMR report packages, 36

N

namespaces

case-sensitive issues, 17

Nested list reports

does not run after upgrade, 54

nested reports

changes to SAP BW rules for set expression

evaluation, 19, 28

68

Index

nested sets

unexpected summary values, 25

Netscape

supported browsers, 59

nulls not shown, 13

null values

not appearing with MSAS 2005, 18

O

objects

remapping, 57

ojdbc14.jar file, 45

OLAP data sources

languages, 10

limitations when relational functions are used, 20

OLAP support, third party, 62

OLE automation, 60

Oracle

driver file conflict, 45

filters and character set mismatch, 20

full outer joins, 13

nulls not shown, 13

order of transactions, 15

outer joins

Oracle, 13

P

package data source, 49

packages

publishing, 58

pages

adding metrics, 40

passwords

SAP namespace, 31

pcoptimizer utility, 36


portlets, 41

ports

setting the maximum number for program use, 10

PowerCubes

compressed in Transformer, 61

multiple hierarchies, 35

secured, 62

problems

SAP namespace, 32

problems accessing DB2 data sources, 10

problems accessing SAP BW data sources, 29

projects

merging, 57

read-only, 16

prompts

macros, 13

prompts for MUNs in DMR report packages, 36


prompt values for multiple queries, 36

publishing

packages, 58

PYI files in Transformer, 61

Q

queries

do not execute, 35

prompt values, 36

query failure with DB2 OLAP server, 10

Query Studio User Guide, 42

query subjects

unable to merge, 16

quick tours

documentation update, 42

R

ragged hierarchies

Report Studio, 27

read-only projects, 16

relational data sources

limitations when aggregating measures, 55

relational functions

limitations when used with OLAP data sources, 20

relationships

keys, 15

remap objects, 57

report data source, 49

report data sources


ReportNet 1.1 documentation updates

Framework Manager User Guide, 56

ReportNet 1.1 issues

Framework Manager issues, 12

reports

applying filters to dimensional reports, 25

Readme 69

Index

limitations in Transformer, 34

limitations when relational functions used with

OLAP data sources, 20


edges of crosstab, 29

troubleshooting error cells produced, 55

Report Studio

aggregate values not appearing, 26

Key Transformation validation level returns partial

information, 28

limitations when using for clauses in summary

functions, 26

limited expressions in Express authoring mode, 24


edges of crosstab, 29

ragged hierarchies, 27

troubleshooting, 24

unbalanced hierarchies, 27

unexpected summary values when using nested

sets, 25

Report Studio Professional Authoring User Guide, 54

repository connections, 12

running totals

incorrect in crosstabs, 27

S

samples

Essbase cubes, 39

model names, 41

SAP

password policy, 31

SAP BW

filters, 14

key figures, 30

security filter change in Framework Manager, 59

set expression evaluation rules changes, 19, 28


SAP BW data sources

calculations, 29

grouping columns, 29

measures, 29

problems accessing, 29

sectioning reports, 30

summary rows, 30

SAP namespace

logon problems, 31, 32

repeated prompts for authentication, 32

SAP NetWeaver Portal


scorecard

exclusion settings, 22

scorecard hierarchy

blank entries, 21

search

migration type search is not supported, 32

sectioning reports


secured functions

Drill Through Assistant, 41

secured PowerCubes, 62

security

filter change in Framework Manager for SAP

BW, 59

Microsoft update causes server failure, 17

problems logging on to an SAP namespace, 31

segmented models

upgrading, 14

servers

failing to start, 17

set expressions

changes to SAP BW rules, 19, 28

SharePoint Portal Server

deploying Cognos portlets, 41

shortcuts

unable to create, 16

SiteMinder

form-based authentication, 17

Solaris

JRE 1.5, 33, 34

specify

import settings, 47

star schemas

unable to create, 16

studios

Essbase changes, 19

summary functions

limitations when using for clauses, 26

summary rows


summary values

unexpected when using nested sets, 25

70

Index

Sun ONE Directory Server


Support Bundle

Metric Studio, 46


syntax of macro prompts, 13

T

third-party data sources

8.2 DB2 OLAP, 12

Essbase 7.1, 12

third party OLAP support, 62

total values


transaction history, 15

transaction history list, 15

transaction log files, 15

Transformer

.pyi files, 61

aggregate values, 35

client/server synchronization, 61

command line options, 50

command line syntax, 49

-c option, 52

data source support, 61

data source types, 49

expression editor functions, 62

-h option, 53

installing from an .exe file, 37

-i option, 53

limitations on using reports, 34

menu customization, 61

Microsoft Excel 2007 support, 34

missing values, 34

-n option, 53

OLE automation, 60

pcoptimizer utility, 36

prompts for MUNs, 36

prompt support in report data sources, 48

prompt values for multiple queries, 36

queries against multiple hierarchies, 35

troubleshooting

Analysis Studio, 9

grouped data items in nested list reports, 54


Report Studio, 24

U

unable to view HTML output, 34

unbalanced hierarchies

Report Studio, 27

unexpected results

crosstabs, 9

UNIX

BmtScriptPlayer, 15

UNIX/Linux processing

-c command line option, 52

unsupported Cognos Planning 7.3 features, 33

upgrading

Cognos 8 fails to start, 17

segmented models, 14

V

values

as percentage, 10

W

watch lists

email notification, 42, 47

web.config file, 41

Weblogic 9.1.0

unable to view HTML output, 34

WebLogic Application Server

Cognos 8 fails, 33

Windows processing

-n command line option, 53

Z

zeroes and Oracle, 13

Readme 71

Index

Cognos® 8 Business Intelligence Readme

Documents

Transcript of Cognos® 8 Business Intelligence Readme