IBM Cognos Analytics Version 11 Discussion
Overview of Changes and Features
This document, authored by IBM, discusses the Cognos Analytics product.
Date: 12 22 2015 Version 3
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IBM Cognos Analytics Discussion
IBM Cognos Analytics is the new name for, and the next version of, IBM Cognos Business Intelligence. You
can think of it as version 11.
1. About this Document
This document discusses the Cognos Analytic product. It is intended as a general discussion document and
as such leaves out many details which will be conveyed in some other fashion or via updates to this
document.
This document is complementary to the product documentation and focuses primarily on introductory
material and information the documentation may not cover.
2. Cognos Analytics Licensing
Existing support and license agreements for Cognos BI version 10 should cover upgrades the same way as
any other upgrade, but check with your account manager to be certain. Generally, any user entitled to create
or consume reports in Cognos BI will also be entitled to create reports, dashboards, and data modules in
Cognos Analytics.
3. Unified User Experience
Cognos Analytics features a consistent user experience when moving from capability to capability. For
example, the new portal, authoring, and web-based modeling all sit inside a single browser tab united by a
common look, feel, and style.
Older components, some of which are not intended to be in the product for the long term, have not and will
not have their interfaces reworked.
4. Quirks and Standard HTML
Many user interfaces use standard HTML including but not limited to: portal, HTML reports and viewers,
authoring, dashboards, web-based modeling, Cognos Workspace, and Dynamic Cube Builder.
Reports, which use quirks HTML in IBM Cognos BI version 10, now use standard HTML. Because of this
change, there may be fine differences in item sizes. These will have no impact on the vast majority of
reports, but a small number, such as reports printed on forms, may need small tweaks.
Some older user interfaces continue to use Quirks mode HTML including but not limited to: Query Studio,
Analysis Studio, PowerPlay, Event Studio.
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5. New Portal
Cognos Connection has been replaced with a new, unnamed portal1 that is often referred to as content
explorer.
Search has been fully integrated into the portal using a new, lightweight and scalable search engine that
requires no administration and is always up-to-date with the latest content changes.
My Folders has been renamed My Content.
Public Folders has been renamed Team Content.
Recent (on the left-hand navigation) will show the last 20 items the user has accessed. Data modules the
user has recently edited do not appear in the Recent folder.
Shortcuts from previous releases will be retained, but there is no mechanism to create new shortcuts. This is
based on the belief that the new portal will alleviate the requirement for shortcuts.
Report views are now created by running the report and saving ( ) as report view. This will capture the
current prompt values. The prompt values can be edited through the report view properties.
Subscriptions are a new mechanism available when viewing a report which allows the user to quickly schedule
a personal copy of the report. Subscriptions are created when viewing the report.
The current prompt values are saved and the user is prompted to create a schedule:
1Cognos Connection portal is still included as there are a few things that have not yet been surfaced in the new portal.
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The report will appear in the portal notifications each time the schedule runs.
The visibility of the Subscribe button is controlled by two capabilities:
Scheduling needs to be at least set to Traverse
Schedule by Day
This means that a user can have the ability to subscribe, but not the whole Scheduling interface
The user can manage subscriptions in the portal:
Behind the scenes, subscriptions are implemented using report views that are stored in a hidden folder
named Subscriptions in each user’s My Content. Use My Preferences to Show hidden and see both the
folder and the subscriptions (report views).
By default, each time the schedule runs the report, an entry is created in Notifications. The notification setting
are controlled when viewing the output in the viewer. Notification settings can be changed using the top right
corner dropdown. Select options: Notify me or Stop notifying me.
The traditional scheduling mechanism continues to exist to meet the need of distributing reports to a wider
audience. This area has received a facelift and can be found in the properties of a report:
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To open the scheduling interface:
Older styles pages that look like Cognos Connection will appear on occasion. For example, in the My
Preferences, under the Personal tab, the Advanced option will open an older style page. These pages will be
replaced with new styled pages in due course.
5.1. Search
The new portal search uses a fast, highly scalable search engine that is always up-to-date, and has a light
resource consumption footprint that requires no administration. That means the old index update tasks and
out-of-date search results are a thing of the past.
The content objects that are indexed and searched for are:
Reports including new and upgraded Report Studio, Query Studio, Analysis Studio, and PowerPlay
reports, as well as templates, Active Reports, and report views
Dashboards including dashboards, workspaces, and portal pages
Data including data modules, uploaded files, and packages
Folders includes both folders and packages
Shortcut, news items, URLs, documents, and Metric Studio objects
For each object the name and description are indexed/searchable within the user's language setting. For
reports the XML report specifications are indexed/searchable as well as outputs stored in external object
store are included. Report outputs stored in the content store are not indexed/searchable because of the
performance cost of doing so.
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For a data module, all of the text in the underlying metadata is indexed/searchable allowing metadata like the
labels of tables/columns to be found by searches.
Narrow a search to specific objects types and date ranges using the button.
Search looks for all the above types of objects plus: Shortcut, news items, URLs, documents, and Metric
Studio objects.
Search automatically remembers the last used criteria during the same session.
Save searches for future use. After searching, press the button. The next time you search, press the
button to see your list of saved searches. You can delete saved searches using the button. Saving
a search provides the ability to search quickly. When a search is selected it will be triggered to run as if you
had just entered the key words at that time.
PowerPlay and Planning content, jobs, and drill-through definitions are searchable, but not selectable by
type.
5.2. Cognos Connection Portal Pages and Portal Tabs
Cognos Analytics does not support the creation of new portal pages; upgraded Portal pages can be
maintained through Cognos Connection, but this is not encouraged. Portal pages upgraded from a previous
release will appear in the folder in which they resided in Cognos BI version 10. Portal page/tab will open the
page/tab in a new web browser tab with the Cognos BI version 10 look and feel. You cannot set a portal
page/tab as Home.
5.3. Global Experience
As with Cognos BI version 10, Cognos Analytics is fully globalized. Users can change their language and
locale preferences as before.
Due to the new UI architecture, changing the language or locale requires a browser refresh. For that reason,
it is recommended that the following process be followed to change the locale:
Using the navigator control, close all items but the portal
Change the language and locale as desired
Close the user preferences
Refresh the browser (F5 works on most PC browsers)
The new language/locale will take effect.
5.4. My Inbox
My Inbox is still accessible and remains unchanged to version 10. It is accessible from the user's profile
menu (top right of the screen) and appears only if the admin has enabled the Legacy applications. See the
Legacy Switch section of this document for more details.
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5.5. My Watch Items
My Watch items are accessible from the user's profile menu (top right of the screen) and appears only if the
admin has enabled the Legacy applications. It allows the user to manage existing alerts, but cannot create
new alerts. We are planning on bringing this functionality back into Cognos Analytics in a future release. See
the Legacy Switch section of this document for more details. 5.6. Limited Administrative Capabilities
The new portal includes a subset of administrative capabilities which are often used by non-IT line of
business (LOB) users including:
Accounts – Manage users, groups, and roles, if the 'Ready to run' install is used, the user can create and
manage users
Activities – View background and interactive activities for the entire environment and work with
schedules
Content – Create/restore full content store backups
Data servers – Create and maintain connections to existing data sources (SQL Server, DB2) and use
them to create data modules. Only data sources for which web-based modeling (a property on the data
source available through the Full Administration portal only) has been enabled appear here. See the
Data Module section of this document for more information. Only data sources the user has write access
to appear here. Other data sources are available through the full administration portal. In the initial
release of Cognos Analytics, only JDBC data source connections are supported data servers for data
modules.
Configuration – Allows the user to determine:
o If the system is production or non-production (license type)
o The location of directory for data files (uploaded files)
o Whether uploaded data files are encrypted or not
o The maximum file size a user can upload, default is 100Mb
o The total data limit for all files a single user can upload, default is 500Mb
o Administration – provides access to the full Administration Portal
Jobs – Provides access to the jobs interface as it exists in Cognos BI version 10
Access to these management capabilities is restricted to privileged users. 5.7. Full Administration Portal (Cognos Administration)
The Cognos BI version 10-like administration portal remains intact with little or no change. It is accessed via
the portal Manage …Administration console link.
There are some small issues with the administration portal. Capabilities still say Report Studio and Cognos
Workspace Advanced despite the name change to Authoring. The User Interface Profiles and Data Sets
areas are still present despite the fact that they have no effect in this release.
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5.7.1. Capabilities
In the Cognos Administration console, capabilities for user/group/roles permissions are controlled.
The capabilities new to version 11 include:
Dashboard (not to be confused with the Executive Dashboard capability which pertains to Cognos
Workspace)
Snapshots
Upload files
Web-based modeling
5.8. Cognos Connection
Cognos Connection is included in Cognos Analytics for administrators as there are some capabilities that
have not been exposed in the new portal and are planned to be redesigned in a later release. For that
reason, Cognos Connection can be enabled if there's a need to access:
1. Setting Burst options on reports – if there is a need to override the default settings. (run in parallel =
"disabled"; query prefetch = "default"; limit = 0)
2. Administering tenants – for the administrative tasks of creating and managing tenants the new portal
supports multi-tenancy, users can access content via the new portal
3. Maintaining portal pages
Cognos Connection is enabled by the Legacy Switch section in this document and an advanced server
property (portal.disableCC = false). If enabled access is via the URL:
http://<server>?b_action=xts.run&m=portal%2fcc.xts.
The Cognos Connection interface is not supported for consumption of content in Cognos Analytics and will
be removed in a future release.
5.9. Package Drill Through
The Drill Through definitions support Framework Manager and OLAP packages as they did in Cognos BI
version 10, but do not support data modules.
Drill through definitions can be accessed through the portal New … Other menu. Only users with appropriate
capability will see the menu item. See the Legacy Switch section of this document for more details.
5.10. Event Studio
Event Studio is still available in Cognos Analytics.
Event Studio still reflects the Cognos BI version 10 user experience.
Event Studio does not appear by default in a new install, but will appear as per capabilities for upgraded
systems. See the Legacy Switch section of this document for more details.
6. Authoring and Reports
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In Cognos BI version 10, Report Studio and Cognos Workspace Advanced are simply profiles atop a single
studio technology. In Cognos Analytics the studio has been upgraded with a new user experience accessible
via the portal new report menu or by editing a report. Authoring has all of the capabilities of Cognos BI
version 10 Report Studio and Cognos Workspace Advanced combined. You can author and maintain all the
same reports as in previous releases.
Authoring with multiple Framework Manager package and/or data modules did not make the release. If the
two data modules need to be joined, create a third data module that includes the other two.
Most Recently Used package has not been implemented.
Conditional styles with data modules is not implemented yet. You might see the UI, but the result will not
function. There is other authoring functionality available with packages, but not with data modules.
Calculations cannot currently be created in report based on a data module, these are expected in a future
update to Cognos Analytics. The query explorer functionality of creating join, unions is not exposed when
using data modules because moving forward, all such data shaping will be performed in the modeling
interface.
The profiles for professional authoring (Report Studio) and LOB authoring (Cognos Workspace Advanced)
are not available in Cognos Analytics. Therefore, a user with authoring access has access to all authoring
capabilities. The new authoring experience is well suited to create a report that will be used by thousands of
other people, as well as creating ad hoc reports for exclusively your own, perhaps temporary, use.
6.1. Limited and Fully Interactive Reports
Reports can run in limited interactivity or full interactivity mode. Any report can be set to either mode by the
author using the Run with full interactivity Report Property:
Limited interactivity (Run with full interactivity = No) means Cognos BI version 10 behavior – drill up/down,
drill through, JavaScript works, prompt API. Reports are opened in the same viewer as version 10.
Full interactivity (Run with full interactivity = Yes) means the new Cognos Analytics behavior – drill up/down,
toolbars (sort, group, filter, style, etc.), but with some current limitations: no drill through, no prompt API,
JavaScript gets stripped out of the report when it is run; no drill down on Lists. Reports are opened in a
stripped down authoring interface.
By default, new reports are fully interactive (Run with full interactivity default to Yes). The user can limit the
interactivity by setting Run with full interactivity to No.
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By default, existing version 10 reports run with limited interactivity (Run with full interactivity = No) to ensure
the reports have the same behavior as the previous release. The user can set them to full interactivity (Run
with full interactivity = Yes).
Generally, full interactivity uses more resources than limited interactivity as the user has more options to
change. Each change re-runs the report, similar to using live data in Cognos Workspace Advanced
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6.2. Drill Through
Drill through is not operational in fully interactive reports. This table documents the behavior of report drill
through with various combinations of interactivity settings:
Parent Drill Report Target Drill Report Behavior
Not Fully Interactive Not Fully Interactive The parent report is run in the old viewer
The drill through links display in the report
When the user drills through, the target drill report is opened in the same viewer
Not Fully Interactive Fully Interactive The parent report is run in the old viewer
The drill through links display in the report
When the user drills through, the target drill report is opened in the same viewer
The interactivity setting on the drill target report is ignored
Fully Interactive <not relevant> The parent report is run in the new viewer
The drill through links display in the report
When the user attempts to drill through, as error message appears
Solution: remove drill through definitions from Fully Interactive reports
6.3. Active Reports as Prompts
A new authoring capability allows the user to use an Active Report in much the same way that prompts are
used. Active Reports offer advantages such as faster time to display the prompts, so the user can schedule
the Active Report to run overnight.
The authoring interface is still a work in progress, but that does not detract from the capability. This operates
much like a drill through. The user authors the target report(s) with parameterized filters first and then the
parent Active Report. When creating the Active Report, drop the Toolbox Report prompts object into the
report and a wizard will open to select the target reports and define what values are passed. Target reports
can be embedded in an iFrame in the Active Report or in a separate viewer. You can have an arbitrary
combination of multiple iFrame or separate viewer reports. This looks best when the user spends time
making the Active Report and target reports look great by taking advantage of the features in Active Reports.
There are no prompts for charts and RAVE visualizations.
Use a live data report to provide real-time data as a drill through from a pre-run Active Report.
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6.4. Query Studio and Analysis Studio
Query Studio and Analysis Studio are in Cognos Analytics only until such time as the authoring capabilities
are extended to replace it. These documents, while originally written for Cognos BI version 10, are still
accurate with regards to missing capabilities. These documents do not yet reflect the Cognos Analytics user
experience.
https://www-
304.ibm.com/connections/blogs/basupportlink/entry/analysis_studio_capabilities_in_cognos_workspace_
advanced?lang=en_us
https://www-
304.ibm.com/connections/blogs/basupportlink/entry/query_studio_capabilities_in_cognos_workspace_ad
vanced?lang=en_us
Once the capability gaps are filled, both Query Studio and Analysis Studio will be removed. For that reason,
the user experience still reflects the version 10 user experience.
These studios do not appear by default in a new install, but will appear as per capabilities for upgraded
systems. See the Legacy Switch section of this document for more details.
6.5. Mobile and Touch Enablement
For larger touch screen devices such as tablets, the same user interfaces are used as for PC and Mac users.
The portal, report viewers and dashboards are touch enabled. The following components are not touch
enabled: PowerPlay, Query Studio, Analysis Studio, Authoring, Cognos Workspace, Cognos Metrics, Admin
portal, Cognos Connection, Event Studio.
Reports must have objects of a minimum size of 44x44 pixels for successful touch actions. This may require
tweaking existing reports; otherwise, the user will be unlikely to operate the touch controls.
The Cognos Mobile native apps continue to be available on iOS and Android and is still backwards
compatible to Cognos BI version 10.1.1. For users who have not upgraded to Cognos Analytics, the app will
behave exactly the same as it did in the past, without any changes. See this article for a recap of the existing
capabilities: http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27045608.
When the user creates a connection to a Cognos Analytics server, the app will behave slightly differently, its
focus is now for using Active Reports in disconnected mode and will no longer allow the user to run reports
directly from the app. Regular HTML reports will no longer appear in the user's locally stored reports and will
be hidden from the browsing panel. All regular reports should now be used via the Cognos Analytics portal
through a supported browser such as iOS Safari. This change will provide a much richer and consistent user
experience across desktop and mobile devices while in a connected mode. For anything disconnected,
create an Active Report, send it to your mobile device, and continue to interact with the data.
We have temporarily kept access to Cognos Workspace (CW) via the native apps until we provide a touch
friendly interface via the browser or migrate the CW content to another area of Cognos Analytics.
The structure of the URL to connect mobile to the Cognos Analytics server is: http://<server
name>:<dispatcher_port>/bi/v1/disp where the server name and dispatcher port are configured by the
configuration of the current installation.
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7. Web-Based Modeling/Data Modules and Uploaded Files
The new web-based modeling capability allows LOB users to access and shape data from data servers or
uploaded files. Web-based modeling creates a data module which is similar in concept to a Framework
Manager package, but uses different technology.
The user can create a data module by fusing together many sources of data including relational databases,
Hadoop based technologies, and Excel or CSV files. Star schemas are the ideal database structure for data
modules (also true for Framework Manager models), but transactional schemas are equally supported.
The User can refine a data module in many ways including:
Create calculations
Define data filters
Reference additional tables
Review/update properties including aggregation settings and labels
Data modules can be saved in both My Content and Team Content depending on the required access. Data
module are not published like a Framework Manager package. Instead, Data Modules are accessible as
soon as they are saved just like a report or dashboard.
Data modules do not operate as folders the way Framework Manager packages do. Reports cannot be
saved inside the data module.
Data modules cannot include dimensional data sources such as TM1, Dynamic Cubes, or any other type of
OLAP/cube technology.
Data modules do not replace Framework Manager or Cube Designer which remain the IT centric modeling
interfaces. Framework Manager and Cube Designer continue to be supported.
Data modules can be used in both dashboards and reports. Dashboards can be assembled from multiple
data modules.
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There will be IT managed data sources which are inappropriate for the user to create data modules against.
By default, JDBC data source connections created in Cognos Administration are not exposed in the
Manage…Data servers area or for use in Data modules. There is a new property on JDBC data sources,
accessible only through the administration portal, which can be used to prohibit the use of web-based
modeling:
Checking the Allow web-based modeling box will enable that data source connection to be used to create
Data modules.
Connections created through the Manage…Data servers interface will appear in Cognos Administration with
Allow web-based modeling enabled. The default permissions are such that the data server connection is only
accessible by the creator and privileged administrators only. Data modules always use the new query
service, a.k.a. XQE (eXtensible Query Engine), DQE (Dynamic Query Engine), or DQM (Dynamic Query
Mode)2.
Only users assigned with permissions on the web-based modeling capability will be able to create or edit a
data module.
7.1. Intent-driven modeling
You may use intent-driven modeling to add tables into data modules. Intent proposes tables to include in the
module based on matches between the terms entered and the metadata in the underlying sources.
2 Different names for the same thing.
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By the time keywords for intent, text from column, and table names have been entered, the underlying data
sources have already been retrieved by the Cognos software. This is why the intent field has a type-ahead
drop-down list suggesting terms that are found in the sources metadata.
We are constantly tweaking intent algorithms to make it smarter. This will continue after the initial release of
Cognos Analytics. It's not feasible to document all the ways that intent generates its proposals, especially
because this is constantly evolving, but here's some info you should know:
Intent recognizes fact tables vs dimension tables by the number of rows, data types, and distribution of
values within some of the columns
When possible, intent proposal is a star or snowflake of tables, if an appropriate star/snowflake can't be
found, then intent will propose a single table or collection of tables
7.2. Snapshots
A snapshot is a cached copy of data for a data module. Snapshot data is stored in a file system location
accessible to the Cognos Analytics server. Snapshots are useful to:
Improve query performance if the database is too slow
Reduce the database’s load time, especially during peak periods
Retain a point-in-time view of your data
To create a snapshot, set a data module to snapshot mode:
When snapshot mode is enabled, queries will be processed by the Cognos software on the previously
extracted data. When snapshot mode is disabled (live data mode), all queries will be submitted directly to the
underlying data server and reports/dashboards will reflect the most current data.
Use of snapshots is not appropriate when your database is fast and load is not a concern or when you need
up-to-the-minute data in reports and dashboards.
As the data module sits atop the query database, be careful not to copy the entire database into the
snapshot. Filters in the data module are used to limit the amount of data stored in the snapshot.
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Load data into a snapshot data module by initiating the following action in the portal:
The different icons on live and snapshot data modules above. There is no mechanism to schedule the
snapshot refresh in the initial release of Cognos Analytics.
The snapshot data is stored in the same location using the same columnar file technology as CSV and
Excel files. The file location is specified by the administrator as:
In a multi-server, install a shared file location makes the snapshot available to all servers. For
dashboard/report queries against a snapshot module, all the data processing is done locally by the Cognos
software which retrieves the data in blocks from the columnar storage. Data is retained in-memory only while
the query is being processed.
7.3. JDBC Drivers
JDBC drivers for both Content Manager and Query are now installed into the directory install location/drivers.
If using DB2, the user needs to have the latest IBM Data Server for JDBC drivers, available at:http://www-
933.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/swg/selectFix?source=dbluesearch&product=ibm%2FInformation+Managem
ent%2FIBM+Data+Server+Client+Packages&release=10.5.*&platform=Windows+64-
bit,+x86&searchtype=fix&fixids=*jdbc*FP006&function=fixId&parent=ibm/Information%20Management .
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7.1. Upload Data Files
The new Upload Files option in the portal provides a new, faster, more scalable way to upload local data
files. The new Upload File capability stores data from delimited text and Excel files in a high-speed columnar
storage format on the file system rather than in-memory or in an RDBMS. The new Upload File capability
does not generate a separate model/package that has to be managed by the user.
Data being imported must be in simple columnar form; pivot tables/crosstabs are not supported. The
following file formats are supported:
Microsoft Excel XLS and XLSX
Delimited text files, containing either comma-, tab-, semi colon-, or pipe separated values
Excel files will always use the first tab sheet. To upload multiple sheets, save them as separate Excel files.
Uploaded files are immediately useable in Dashboards.
Uploaded files must be modelled into a data module for use in reports.
To join two uploaded files, create a data module using them as sources.
You cannot join two or more uploaded files in the initial release of Cognos Analytics.
You can refresh (upload a new version) of a data file through the portal (click … Update file).
You cannot prompt the user to upload a file at run time the way the old external data capability does.
Only the user assigned with permissions will be able to upload files.
7.2. Cognos BI Version 10 External Data and My Data Sets
The Cognos BI version 10 External Data and My Data capabilities still exist with some limitations.
External Data is retained to allow existing reports to operate. External Data allows the user to prompt for a
file, which the new Upload File mechanism does not.
Upgraded My Data Sets content will continue to run successfully as long as the associated DB2 database is
retained. The user can no longer refresh My Data Sets with new versions of the original files; instead, the
user must move to the new Upload File mechanism and re-create saved reports. For critical reports, it is
possible to update the underlying DB2 data directly, but this will require IT assistance.
7.3. Lineage and Glossary
Lineage and glossary are supported for Framework Manager packages in Authoring and when using limited
interactivity reports. Lineage and glossary are not supported with data modules nor when using fully
interactive reports.
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8. Legacy Components
8.1. Cognos Workspace
Cognos Workspace is in Cognos Analytics only until such time as the dashboard capabilities are extended to
replace it. For that reason, the user experience still reflects the Cognos version 10 user experience.
Cognos Workspace has restrictions based on its use version 10 style reports and its use of Cognos
Workspace Advanced for the Do More capability.
Limited interactivity mode reports can be included in Cognos Workspace and operate the same as C10.
Fully interactive mode reports can be included in Cognos Workspace, but appear with same capability as a
limited interactivity mode report, the new interactive toolbar is not available.
Do More is not available in Cognos Analytics as the new authoring interface, which replaces Report Studio
and Cognos Workspace Advanced, is not compatible with Cognos Workspace.
Cognos Workspace does not appear by default in a new install, but will appear as per capabilities for
upgraded systems. See the Legacy Switch section of this document for more details.
8.1.1. TM1 Widgets
TM1 widgets can be used in Cognos Workspace. They are not supported elsewhere at this time.
8.2. PowerPlay and Transformer
There are no plans to deprecate PowerPlay or Transformer as part of this release. PowerPlay Studio is still
supported and available through the portal interface. See the Legacy Switch section of this document for
more details.
Transformer cubes can be used as in version 10.
9. Cognos Analytics Architecture
9.1. Report Server and Data Sources
Report server is the Cognos Analytics software component that accepts XML report specifications created in
authoring and generates the desired output including visualizations. Report server is the same as previous
releases with both 32 and 64 bit versions. The following simplified architecture diagram applies to both
Cognos BI version 10 and Cognos Analytics:
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Report server supports the same query engines and in general data sources as previous releases (some
database versions have been dropped or added, some entirely new data sources have been added).
Examples of supported items include (this is NOT a complete list):
Compatible Query Mode (CQM)
Dynamic Query Mode (DQM)
Dynamic Cubes
Transformer Cubes
TM1
RDBMS
Various non-IBM cubing technologies
Report Server creates the same output formats as previous releases: HTML, Active Reports, PDF, Excel,
Excel Data, CSV. XML can still be created via the SOAP SDK, but have been removed from the product
interfaces (most of them) due to a lack of customer use.
The XML report specification is virtually identical to version 10. The version (namespace) has been updated
as happens with each new release and there is new syntax for new capabilities.
9.2. Content Manager
Content Manager is effectively the same as previous Cognos BI version 10 releases using an RDBMS for
storing its objects.
Options to archive content and save the file system are the same as previous releases.
Existing reports and jobs are brought forward as in any other upgrade.
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9.3. Web Gateway
Most installs of Cognos Analytics will stop using the CGI and ISAPI gateways. The new normal configuration
uses the web server reverse proxy capability to route requests to the Cognos Analytics server. This allows
the user to connect to the web server using ports 80 or 433 (HTTPS) at the web server tier. If Active
Directory Single Signon without Kerberos is used, it requires configuration.
The CGI and ISAPI web gateways are required if using Active Directory with Kerberos for Single Signon
(SSO).
The gateways are also required for third party portal integration, details to follow in a subsequent revision of
this document.
Detailed instructions to set up IIS and Apache reverse proxy follow.
9.3.1. IIS
Set up virtual directory: /ibmcognos
Set up application: /ibmcognos/cgi-bin
Set up Titan proxy:
o in IIS Manager, select the bi folder in ibmcognos and click URL-Rewrite
o click Add Rule(s) - >ReverseProxy
o type localhost:9300/bi3 for server name click OK
3 Or correct URL per installation
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This will create the rule and return to the rules page.
Click on View Server Variables → Add...
Add a variable called HTTP_X_BI_PATH
Click Back to Rules
Select and edit the new rule
In the Server Variables section, add and entry for HTTP_X_BI_PATH with a value of /ibmcognos/bi/v1
Click Apply
Cognos Analytics will now be available at http://server/ibmcognos/bi/.
9.3.2. IIS with Kerberos
To logon using IIS Kerberos, requests must pass through the version 10 gateway first, use this URL:
http://server/ibmcognos/cgi-
bin/cognos.cgi?b_action=xts.run&m=portal/main.xts&m_redirect=/ibmcognos/bi/
Use cognosisapi.dll to modify {install.dir}/webcontent/default.htm, if Kerberos is not configured, and
anonymous is disabled, the old version 10 logon screen appears
9.3.3. Options
To use a path other than /ibmcognos, modify {install.dir}/wlp/usr/servers/cognosserver/bootstrap.properties
and change the value of ibmcognos.root to: ibmcognos.root=ibmcognos.
The value can be anything as long as it uses ASCII characters (with or without leading '/' ): /path/to/cognos
for http://server/path/to/cognos/bi/.
To use a path other than bi to get to Titan, create a virtual directory that points to {install.dir}/webcontent/bi,
then add/edit the rewrite rule so HTTP_X_BI_PATH has the correct value.
9.3.4. Apache or HIS Example Configuration
<Directory /x/opt/ibm/cognos/c11/webcontent>
AllowOverride None
Options +FollowSymLinks +Indexes
Order Deny,Allow
Allow from all
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</Directory>
ScriptAlias /ibmcognos/cgi-bin /x/opt/ibm/cognos/c11/cgi-bin
Alias /ibmcognos /x/opt/ibm/cognos/c11/webcontent
<Location /ibmcognos/bi>
RequestHeader set X-BI-PATH /ibmcognos/bi/v1
ProxyPass http://localhost:9300/bi
ProxyPassReverse http://localhost:9300/bi
ProxyPassReverseCookiePath /ibmcognos/bi/v1 /ibmcognos
</Location>
9.3.5. Load Balancing
Load balancing will require a longer discussion, it will be different in Cognos Analytics with the web tier doing
load balancing for some (REST) services and IBM Cognos code for SOAP services.
9.3.6. Gateway Install
A gateway install is required even when the CGI/ISAPA gateways are not used. The gateway install is
required to make the various user interface components available such as portal and authoring.
9.4. Legacy Switch
The legacy switch is used to expose mature functionality, primarily for existing users as it is expected that
new customers or applications will have less use for these interfaces.
When the Legacy switch is enabled, several otherwise hidden capabilities appear in the user interface
(assuming the user has appropriate capabilities in some cases as well).
In the portal, under New, Other appears only if you have one of the capabilities for the legacy studios:
Analysis Studio
Query Studio
Event Studio
Cognos Workspace
Metrics Studio
PowerPlay
Planning
Drill-through definitions
In the portal Profile menu:
My Inbox
My Watch Items
In the portal Manage menu
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Create new Jobs (admin only)
The legacy switch is implicitly set during the install process. If the custom install is used, we assume it is an
existing customer, and enable the legacy components. If the quick install is used, we assume it is a new
customer, and disable the legacy switch.
Changing the legacy switch after install is hard by design. A browser plug-in, such as Postman for Chrome,
to send REST command to the Cognos Analytics server is required. IBM does not recommend any specific
plug-in. These steps can be used to change the switch setting:
Download a browser appropriate REST capable plug-in such as Postman for Chrome
Launch Cognos Analytics logging in as System Administrator
Using REST capable plug-in send a put method with JSON with a URI:
http://<server>:<port>/bi/v1/configuration/keys/global
Select RAW JSON, with value: {"Configuration.LegacyLaunchable":"X"}
X=1: Legacy components are available
X=0: Legacy components are not available
10. Partner and Application Integration
Partners tend to integrate with Cognos BI version 10 in several ways, some of which are currently not
working.
SOAP applications will need to be recompiled but will continue to operate.
Applications that added Report Studio toolbox items can continue to add authoring toolbox items.
JavaScript applications will operate only in limited interactivity reports.
Applications that added menu items to Report Studio will not function as the studio user interface code
initially plugged into no longer exists.
The report viewer URL still operates for the version 10 user with limited interactivity reports. There is no API
to the new viewer for fully interactive reports in Cognos Analytics.
The prompt API still operates for the version 10 user with limited interactivity reports. There is no prompt API
in the new viewer for fully interactive reports in Cognos Analytics.
10.1. User Interface Styling
There is no ability to customize the user interface style in Cognos Analytics. Theme designer does not
support this release.
10.2. Authentication
Application authentication via bridge.xts is supported.
Custom Authentication Providers are supported. There are no changes to the API.
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11. Install and Upgrade
The new server installation process has three options:
1. Ready to Run – a complete install of Cognos Analytics using an Informix database as content store. This
is intended for SMB or LOB applications where IT skills are at a premium. With this configuration, users
can connect directly to the Web Sphere Liberty server at the URL
2. Expand – allows the user to add an additional server into the Ready to Run Configuration.
3. Custom – provides the flexible installs that Cognos BI version 10 server did, including Application Tier,
Data Tier, and Gateway. While this configuration will work with users connecting directly to the Web
Sphere Liberty server, it is expected that a web tier will be in place.
The install process stops at 100% for a long time when using the Ready To Run install option because the
service is being started so it is available for immediate use.
11.1. Upgrade and Life Cycle Manager
The upgrade from version 10 is much like the upgrade to any previous release. A new release of Life Cycle
Manager will be available early in 2016 with support for this release.
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About Senturus
Since 2000, Senturus a nationwide business analytics consultancy, has delivered more than 2,000 projects
to more than 900 clients, from medium -sized companies to the Fortune 500. Learn more at: Senturus.com.
Our extensive online resource library provides free access to technology-neutral and software specific
webinars, training sessions, demonstrations, and unbiased product reviews and more. To access our
resources library, visit: Senturus.com/resources.
We also offer a variety of IBM Cognos BI, TM1, Tableau, and other training courses, including classes
specifically designed for business users. Visit our training page to learn more: Senturus.com/training.
