Monday, June 2, 2008

June 2008

You can build a URL to interact with your Cognos portal. This can help you with content navigation and folder browsing. The cc.xts function is used perform Cognos Connection related tasks through a URL. When performing actions within Cognos Connection (folder browsing, viewing pages, searching, or browsing to other section in the Cognos Connection UI), the actual URLs can often be exposed in the web browser’s address bar. These URLs may be much longer than needed mainly because additional parameters, such as a “Back URL” are appended.

Here are a few examples of URLs that are commonly used for browsing content in Cognos Connection.

Viewing Portal Pages
http://server-name/cognos8/cgibin/cognos.cgi?b_action=xts.run&m=portal/cc.xts&m_page=iFEAD7E0238FD4FB0B7CC9144E91C79BC
Folder Browsinghttp://server-name/Cognos8/cgi-bin/cognos.cgi?b_action=xts.run&m=portal/cc.xts&m_path=/content/package[@name='GO Sales and Retailers']/folder[@name='Report Studio Report Samples']

Searching
http://server-name/cognos8/cgibin/cognos.cgi?stext=banded+report&b_action=xts.run&m=portal/cc.xts&m_path=/content&search=

Opening Analysis Studio
http://server-name/Cognos8/cgibin/cognos.cgi?b_action=xts.run&m=portal/launch.xts&ui.gateway=/Cognos8/cgibin/cognos.cgi&ui.tool=AnalysisStudio&ui.object=/content&ui.action=new

Opening Analysis Studio in the same browser window or frame
http://server-name/Cognos8/cgibin/cognos.cgi?b_action=xts.run&m=portal/launch.xts&ui.gateway=/Cognos8/cgibin/cognos.cgi&ui.tool=AnalysisStudio&ui.object=/content&ui.action=new&launch.openJSStudioInFrame=true

Opening Analysis Studio to a specific package
http://server-name/Cognos8/cgibin/cognos.cgi?b_action=xts.run&m=portal/launch.xts&&ui.gateway=/Cognos8/cgibin/cognos.cgi&ui.tool=AnalysisStudio &ui.object=/content/package[@name='Great Outdoors Company']&ui.action=new


Have you ever had a business requirement that asked you to dynamically update your Access Manager LDAP with a new user?

Here is a piece of code that will allow you to connect to your Access Manager LDAP and then add a new user.

private void Form1_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e) {
try
{
Authenticator2.Application _AuthApp = new Authenticator2.Application();
Authenticator2.Document _AuthDoc;
Authenticator2.DSConfigurations objDSConfigs;
Authenticator2.Configuration objConfig;
objDSConfigs = ((Authenticator2.DSConfigurations)_AuthApp.DSConfigurations);
objConfig = ((Authenticator2.Configuration)objDSConfigs.Add("cognosserver",389,"dc=dev",0)); objConfig.DefaultSecuritySource = true;
_AuthDoc = ((Authenticator2.Document)((Authenticator2.AuthenticatorDocuments)_AuthApp.Documents).OpenWithBasicSignon("default","administrator","mypassword","Root User Class"));
Authenticator2.User objUser;
objUser = ((Authenticator2.User)((Authenticator2.Users)((Authenticator2.Folder)_AuthDoc.UserFolder).Users).Add("MyNewUser"));
//clean up
System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(_AuthDoc);
System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(_AuthApp);
}

catch (Exception ex)
{
System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
}
}

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

January 2008 BI Centre newsletter is now available

The January 2008 BI Centre newsletter is now available.

inside this edition:

* MetaManager
* What's new with Cognos 8.3
* Cognos SDK Guide by BI Centre
* BI Centre Links

September 2008 BI Centre Newsletter

September 2008

version 1.4 | | Subscribe

1. Framework Manager --How to clear the most recently used project list from within Framework Manager.

 

If you want to clear the list of recently used projects because they are no longer relevant, or if you want to remove one or two items, then you can modify the following file:

Cognos Install Path \cognos8\configuration\bmt.ini

 

You need to ensure that you can save the file with UTF-8 encoding. This can be done by opening and saving the file in Notepad.


2. Framework Manager Studio -- Creating the structure for your Framework Manager model layout.

 

When you are planning your Framework Manager model you should ensure that you logically plan your model layer for both development and end user usage. At the minimum, you should include database namespace and presentation namespace layers to your model.

1) The database namespace view will contain all of the data source query subjects, model filters and calculations. The presentation namespace will contain only star schema groupings based on the database namespace objects.

2) Another approach would be to also include a business namespace. The business namespace would contain all of the relationships that would be required to resolve query subject definitions.
The business view would then also contain all of the calculations and filters for the model. This would then allow the presentation namespace to have all of the star schema groupings based on the business namespace.


3. SDK -- Cognos SDK Guide by BI Centre

 

You will have your own functional Cognos 8 SDK web solution that has been tailored to be scalable and flexible in order to adapt to your unique business requirements and solution architecture.

 

The Cognos SDK Guide by BI Centre provides you with the complete source code for a C# web solution, C8.1 report based on the GOSR package, and a Word document that will serve as your core reference to understanding the Cognos 8 SDK.

It will cover C8 SDK topics such as: authentication; querying the content store, rendering a C8 report in ASP.NET; exception handling; and much, much more.

 

You can purchase the Cognos SDK Guide by BI Centre through PayPal. Get your Cognos SDK Guide by BI Centre!

 

 


 

 

In this edition:

 

1. Framework Manager -- How to clear the most recently used project list from within Framework Manager.

2. Framework Manager -- Creating the structure for your Framework Manager model layout.

3. SDK -- Cognos SDK by BI Centre

 

 

 

 

 

Profiling:

http://c8jobs.blogspot.com


C8jobs is your best resource for posting all of your Cognos or BI jobs.
C8jobs targets key Cognos developers that are staying on top of the latest trends in BI and Cognos technologies.

 

We always welcome your comments and suggestions. If there is a discussion that you would like to see covered in an upcoming newsletter then please forward your request to us!

 


Freelancer.com - New Projects

BI Centre April 2008 Newsletter

April 2008

version 1.3 | | Subscribe

1. Report Studio --The prompt to open or save the report does not appear.

 

The prompt to open or save the report does not appear due to a setting in Internet Explorer. You will need to enable automatic prompting for file downloads.

 

In order to resolve this issue you can perform the following steps:

 

1.       Open Internet Explorer

2.       Tools -> Internet Options

3.       Click on the Security tab

4.       Click on Internet

5.       Click Custom Level

6.       Ensure that Automatic prompting for file downloads and File Download are enabled

7.       Click OK

8.       Repeat the same steps for Intranet and Trusted Sites


2. Report Studio -- How to prompt a user to perform a page break with a list report.

 

You can add a calculation within the list report that is based on a value prompt.

1) Within Report Studio, create a list report based on Go Sales and Retailers cognos sample package. Add the Sales territory & Country query items (under Countries Query Subject) and the Quantity query item (under Orders query item).

2) Under the Page Explorer, add a new prompt page.

3) Add a Value prompt in the prompt page and define a new parameter called Page Break (Choose the Toolbox tab under Insertable Objects and drag the value prompt to the prompt page work area)

4) Select the value prompt and under the Properties pane double click the Static Choices item. Add a new "Yes" value and a new "No" value.(Choose the use and display values as "Yes" and for the "Yes" choice and the use and display values as "No" for the "No" choice). Also set the Default Selections property to "Yes" (Double-click the Default Selections and add the "Yes" value)

4) From the Query Explorer, select Tabular Model. Click on the Toolbox tab under Insertable objects and drag a new Data Item to the Data Items pane. Rename this Data Item, c1(select the data item and under the Properties pane, change the Name property to c1)

5) For the c1 data item add the following expression:

if (?Page Break? = 'No') then ('No break') else ([Sales territory])

The above assumes that you have added the Sales territory data item into your list report and it is a grouped item. (See the attached report spec)

6) Go to the Page Explorer and select Page 1. From the Insertable objects pane, under Query Items, drag the c1 data item into the List report as the first item (just before the Sales territory item. Select the c1 and Sales territory items and choose to group the items.

7) Select the c1 item, and under the Properties ensure the following is set:

a) Query Item = c1

b) Level Span = c1

c) Content = Value

d) Horizontal Alignment = Right

e) Sort = Don't sort

f) Key = Yes

g) Aggregate Function = None

8) Run the report. If you select 'Yes', the report will page break on the Sales territory item. If you select 'No', no page break will occur. (see the attached report spec which is based on the Go Sales and Retailers sample report)

 


3. SDK -- Cognos SDK Guide by BI Centre

 

You will have your own functional Cognos 8 SDK web solution that has been tailored to be scalable and flexible in order to adapt to your unique business requirements and solution architecture.

 

The Cognos SDK Guide by BI Centre provides you with the complete source code for a C# web solution, C8.1 report based on the GOSR package, and a Word document that will serve as your core reference to understanding the Cognos 8 SDK. It will cover C8 SDK topics such as: authentication; querying the content store, rendering a C8 report in ASP.NET; exception handling; and much, much more.

 

You can purchase the Cognos SDK Guide by BI Centre through PayPal. Get your Cognos SDK Guide by BI Centre!

 

 


 

 

In this edition:

 

1. Report Studio -- The popup prompt to Open, Save, Cancel does not appear or flashes on the screen briefly.

2. Report Studio -- How to prompt a user to perform a page break with a list report.

3. SDK -- Cognos SDK by BI Centre

 

 

 

 

 

Profiling:

BI-DW is an independent Business Intelligence and Data warehousing resources knowledge base.
Our main objective is to include high quality and useful resources. The portal is a result of a thorough manual classification of internet resources which has made it possible to refrain from including pages that do not provide any additional value.

To learn more please visit them at:

http://www.bi-dw.info/

 

We always welcome your comments and suggestions. If there is a discussion that you would like to see covered in an upcoming newsletter then please forward your request to us!