IBM Cognos LoadRunner Ba Pp Performance Load_testing Page661 PDF

Copyright IBM Corporation 2013 TrademarksIBM Business Analytics Proven Practices: Scripting Basic IBMCognos 10 Report Execution Using LoadRunner

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IBM Business Analytics Proven Practices: ScriptingBasic IBM Cognos 10 Report Execution UsingLoadRunnerProduct(s): IBM Cognos 10 BI v10.1.1, v10.2 and v10.2.1; Area ofInterest: Performance

Eric RacinePerformance and StabilityIBM

06 December 2013

This document is intended for individuals using LoadRunner to drive performance and stabilitytests against IBM Cognos 10. The main focus of this document is the action of executing simplereports in IBM Cognos Viewer.

View more content in this series

IntroductionPurpose of DocumentThis document is intended for individuals using LoadRunner to drive performance, scalability andstability tests for IBM Cognos 10. The topic covered will be the action of executing simple reportsin IBM Cognos Viewer.

ApplicabilityIn general, the concepts should be applicable to all IBM Cognos 10 production versions. Thecode examples will be specific to IBM Cognos 10 BI versions 10.1.1, 10.2 and 10.2.1. All scriptexamples were recorded using LoadRunner v9.5. Minimal testing was successfully done withLoadRunner v11.5.

Exclusions and ExceptionsThe code shown in this document will not necessarily work in every environment for every testcase. Cases where there are authored drillthroughs, portlets or dashboards will require specificcoding even though they share many of the same concepts described in this document.

developerWorks ibm.com/developerWorks/

IBM Business Analytics Proven Practices: Scripting Basic IBMCognos 10 Report Execution Using LoadRunner

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As IBM Cognos 10 BI is continuously under development, the code examples and conceptsoutlined in this document may not apply to versions other than IBM Cognos 10 BI versions 10.1.1,10.2 and 10.2.1.

AssumptionsIt is assumed the consumer of this document has a programming background and is alreadyfamiliar with developing scripts in LoadRunner.

Description Of The Test CaseFor the purposes of this document, the following simple test case has been created and needs tobe tested in IBM Cognos 10 BI.

1. Connect to IBM Cognos 10 BI via a web browser.2. Login using simple LDAP authentication.3. Navigate to a report in a folder in IBM Cognos Connection.4. Click on the desired report which is a simple list. This action will execute the report in IBM

Cognos Viewer.5. Click on the Return link to exit IBM Cognos Viewer and return to IBM Cognos Connection.6. Logoff.

Asynchronous Communication In IBM Cognos ViewerThis section offers a simplified explanation of asynchronous (or async) communication in IBMCognos Viewer. For the purpose of this document asynchronous communication is betweenthe client (ie: a web browser) and the IBM Cognos 10 BI server. It is basically a back and forthbetween the client and the IBM Cognos 10 server in which the IBM Cognos 10 server updatesthe browser to the current status of the running report at specified intervals. Table 1 and Table2 describe a simple asynchronous conversation between a web browser client requesting theexecution of a report and the IBM Cognos 10 BI server.

Table 1: Communication for a report that executes in less than 3 secondsWeb Browser Client IBM Cognos 10 BI Server

Report Run request is issued ->

ibm.com/developerWorks/ developerWorks


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around it.Set the value to 3. The commented out property should be as follows,



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4. Restart each IBM Cognos 10 Dispatcher.

Recording The Test Case In LoadRunner

It is recommended that the LoadRunner recording of the test case be done in HTTP/HTML modeand the General: Recording option set to HTML-based script. The HTML Advanced options thatare tied to this setting should use the default settings.

When recording ensure comments are inserted into the script at record time so it is easier to knowwhat steps were being executed at the time the code was recorded.

Some may be tempted to use LoadRunners Click and Script technology. While Click and Scriptis not recommended, it may work so, if time permits, trying it out may be worthwhile. Investigationinto using the Click and Script recording option for IBM Cognos 10 BI test cases yielded mixedresults, more negative than positive. We found that anything beyond the most basic test caseswont work in this mode.

Understanding The Raw Recording Pertaining To Report Execution

Even with comments inserted into the code, it can be difficult to understand exactly what is goingon when a report is executed. IBM Cognos 10 BI describes many user gestures as actions.

Table 3 should assist a scripter in reading the generated raw recording. Looking for the followingkeywords in the raw recording will help explain what has just been recorded.

Table 3: Definitions of some IBM Cognos 10 BI actions

Keywords Explanation

ui.action=run Execute a report. Likely unseen in this code example.

ui.action=wait Respond to an IBM Cognos 10 BI status message of Working orstillWorking.

ui.action=release Signal to IBM Cognos 10 BI that the user is finished with a report.

IBM Cognos 10 BI makes use of numerous session related values that change dynamically duringscript execution. As a result, a simple record and playback scenario is not a viable option.

Creating LoadRunner Code From The Raw Recording

This section is an example on turning raw LoadRunner code into code that can be used for testingpurposes. We will draw from the raw LoadRunner recording to create a workable script.

The code will ignore step validation but validation should be done on each step of a LoadRunnerscript so that the success/failure of the step can be tracked. LoadRunner functions such asweb_reg_find should be used.



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In general, any EXTRARES resources should be stripped from the code. Leaving them in could,in certain circumstances, cause undue load on the IBM Cognos 10 BI system and in almost everycircumstance (with a few notable exceptions such as charts and PDF output), the resources aredownloaded automatically by LoadRunner.

Code for 1. Connect to Cognos 10 via a web browserThis step is straightforward. To connect to IBM Cognos 10 BI, a valid URL must be entered usingLoadRunners web_url function. This can be pulled almost as is from the raw recording if theweb server and the virtual directory for the IBM Cognos 10 Gateway will not be changing. It isvery common to parameterize the web server and virtual directory for portability to other testenvironments.

// connect to web serverweb_url("ConnectToCognosPortal", "URL=http://{WebServer}{WebVDir}", "Resource=0", "RecContentType=text/html", "Referer=", "Snapshot=t1.inf", "Mode=HTML", LAST);

Code for 2. Login using simple LDAP authenticationAgain, this step is straightforward as the recorded function is typically a web_submit_formfunction that takes two values, username and password. As above, these are usuallyparameterized. In a typical environment, successfully authenticating will cause the usersWelcome page to load.

// enter in username and passwordweb_submit_form("EnterUserCredentials", "Snapshot=t2.inf", ITEMDATA, "Name=CAMUsername", "Value={UserID}", ENDITEM, "Name=CAMPassword", "Value={Password}", ENDITEM, LAST);

// load IBM Cognos 10 Welcome pageweb_url("Welcome Page","URL=http://{WebServer}{Gateway}?b_action=xts.run&m=portal/welcome/welcome.xts",Resource=0","RecContentType=text/html","Referer=","Snapshot=t260.inf","Mode=HTML",LAST);

Code for 3. Navigate to a report in a folder in IBM Cognos ConnectionThe next step is to navigate to a folder in IBM Cognos Connection that contains a report.Using LoadRunners web_link functions are typically the best and easiest approach since nomaintenance or changes are required when moving to new IBM Cognos 10 BI environments.Parameterize the folder name, if necessary. If there is more than one Folder to navigate, string agroup a web_link functions together to complete the folder navigation steps.



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// click link defined by the Folder nameweb_link("NavCC_link", "Text={folderName}", "Snapshot=t7.inf", LAST);

Code for 4. Click on the desired report which is a simple list. This action willexecute the report in Cognos Viewer in HTML output.Step 4 contains most of the complexity within this test case. To make it easier to understand it hasbeen broken down into two subcomponents.

1. Issuing the run request for the report.2. Handling the async conversation programmatically.

Code for Issuing the run request for the reportIn the run_report() function listed below, the code that follows the web_link namedClickReportNameLink contains the ui.action=run command (see Table 3) to tell IBM Cognos 10to execute the selected report. There is client-server communication information that starts whenthe ui.action=run command is initiated. This is captured in the getAsyncInfo() procedure. SeeAppendix A for the code to the getAsyncInfo() procedure. This information is crucial to properlytrack the request and to avoid negative performance hits and unnecessary errors. If the report isnot ready in less than 3 seconds, the async communication loop is started.

If the report output is ready in less than 3 seconds, HTML and PDF output will be sent directly tothe browser.

If the report contains a chart, the PNG file containing the chart must be retrieved from the IBMCognos BI server once the report execution has completed. This is handled in a function call togetChartOutput() whose code can be found in Appendix A.

PDF output is a special case. If the PDF is not ready within 3 seconds the output is not pushed tothe client, the client must retrieve it. However, the location of the PDF is a URL that is found in theserver's status update when it responds with status = "complete" when running a report with PDFoutput. We use the getPDFReportOutput() (see Appendix A) function to retrieve the PDF reportoutput.

If we are running a CSV report, we need to obtain all required dynamic parameters. The left andright boundaries of these are different than those obtained when running a report containing chartsor running a PDF report. Similar to PDF and charts, CSV output must be retrieved using the URLin the server response. The getCSVReportOutput() function (see Appendix A) is used to retrievethe resulting output.

Run Report request for Cognos 10.1void run_Report(char *reportName, char *contentCheck) lr_save_string(lr_eval_string(reportName), "reportName"); // turn reportName into LoadRunner parameter lr_save_string(lr_eval_string(contentCheck), "contentCheck"); // turn contentCheck into LoadRunner parameter



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getAsyncInfo(); // gather dynamic server-client communication info{// gather dynamic server-client communication infogetAsyncInfo();

// check for a successful PDF or HTML reportweb_reg_find("Text={contentCheck}", "SaveCount=successfulReport", "Search=All", LAST);

/*If we've obtained one or many 'f' parameters, we've obtained one or morecharts. When we obtain a chart, we also obtain a 'k', 's', and 'did'parameter to accompany the 'f' parameter. To simplify this situation, we'veselected the 'f' parameter to validate that we've received the correctnumber of charts back in a given report. The number of 'f' parameterswe find should be equal to the number of 'k', 's', and 'did' parameters.Please note that the boundaries of the 'f' parameter for a chart areentirely different than those for a CSV report.*/web_reg_save_param("var_f_param_chart", "LB=&f=", "RB=&k=","notfound=warning", "ord=all", LAST);

/*If we are running a CSV report, obtain all required dynamic parameters. Theleft and right boundaries of these are different than those obtained whenrunning a report containing charts or running a PDF report.*/if (strcmp(lr_eval_string("{DataCheck}"),"application/vnd.ms-excel") == 0) { web_reg_save_param("var_b_action_csv", "LB=b_action=", "RB=&f=","notfound=warning", LAST); web_reg_save_param("var_f_param_csv", "LB=&f=", "RB=&k=","notfound=warning", LAST); web_reg_save_param("var_k_param_csv", "LB=&k=", "RB=&s=","notfound=warning", LAST); web_reg_save_param("var_s_param_csv", "LB=&s=", "RB=&did=","notfound=warning", LAST); web_reg_save_param("var_did_param_csv", "LB=&did=","RB=&viewer","notfound=warning", LAST);}

web_reg_save_param("var_ui.objectClass", "LB=ui.objectClass\": \"", "RB=\"", LAST);lr_save_string("", "var_chart_Src_param");

/*Store the searchPathSingleObject and modelID parameters which are used forthe Authored Drill Through Test Cases. Also capture the Dispatcher URI whichis used in the async conversations*/web_reg_save_param("var_searchPathSingleObject", "LB=bus:searchPathSingleObject\\\">storeID("", "RB=")", "NotFound=Warning", LAST);

web_reg_save_param("var_modelID", "LB=xsi:type=\\\"bus:searchPathSingleObject\\\">storeID("", "RB=")/model[last()]", "NotFound=Warning", LAST);

web_reg_save_param("var_dispatcherURI", "LB=dispatcherURI\": \"", "RB=\", \"enc", "notfound=warning", LAST);

// Capture the ui.object parameter which is now used in our Async conversation.web_reg_save_param("var_ui_object", "LB=\n", LAST);

// Execute report by clicking on the link defined by reportNameweb_link("ClickReportNameLink", "Text={reportName}", "Snapshot=t6.inf", LAST);

/*



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Since we've changed getAsyncInfo() such that we don't force an error if weare unable to obtain an m_tracking, ui.conversation, etc.. (due to ourdiscovery with CSV reports), we should now validate that the user hasreceived these parameters if they aren't running a CSV report. If theyhaven't, force a failure.*/if((strcmp(lr_eval_string("{DataCheck}"), "application/vnd.ms-excel") != 0) && (strcmp(lr_eval_string("{var_m_tracking}"), "") == 0) && (strcmp(lr_eval_string("{var_ui.conversation}"), "") == 0)){ lr_message("ERROR: m_tracking or var_ui.conversation not found. Their values are: m_tracking: %s, ui_conversation: %s", lr_eval_string("{var_m_tracking}"), lr_eval_string("{var_ui.conversation}")); lr_exit(LR_EXIT_ITERATION_AND_CONTINUE, LR_FAIL);}

/*This is a verification point to see if we've received the correct number ofcharts. If we've received less charts than we should have, we now force afailure and continue on to the next action.*/if (atoi(lr_eval_string("{var_f_param_chart_count}")) < atoi(lr_eval_string("{successfulReport}"))) { if(atoi(lr_eval_string("{var_f_param_chart_count}")) > 0) { lr_message("Error: Did not return expected number of charts var_f_param_chart_count %s does not equal successfulReport %s try using image/png as a datacheck", lr_eval_string("{var_f_param_chart_count}"),lr_eval_string("{successfulReport}")); lr_exit(LR_EXIT_ITERATION_AND_CONTINUE, LR_FAIL); }}

/*PDF and HTML output will be sent directly to the browser if it is ready in less than 3 seconds. CSV output won't be sent directly. Instead a URL to the location of the CSV output is sent. In the event that a CSV is completed in less than 3 secs we have to issue the URL request to get the CSV and NOT go into async. An error page should not lead to async since the web_reg_save_params should throw exceptions. If we are running a CSV report, no ui.coversation or m_tracking will be returned if the report has completed in less than 3 seconds. If this is the case, call getCSVReportOutput(), otherwise enter Async()*/if ((strcmp(lr_eval_string("{var_ui.conversation}"), "") == 0) && (strcmp(lr_eval_string("{var_m_tracking}"), "") == 0) && (stricmp(lr_eval_string("{DataCheck}"), "application/vnd.ms-excel")==0)) { // Substitute the f, k, s and did parameters obtained such that we // can invoke getCSVReportOutput(); lr_save_string(lr_eval_string("{var_b_action_csv}"), "var_b_action"); lr_save_string(lr_eval_string("{var_f_param_csv}"), "var_f_param"); lr_save_string(lr_eval_string("{var_k_param_csv}"), "var_k_param"); lr_save_string(lr_eval_string("{var_s_param_csv}"), "var_s_param"); lr_save_string(lr_eval_string("{var_did_param_csv}"), "var_did_param"); if (atoi(lr_eval_string("{successfulReport}"))==0) { if (atoi(lr_eval_string("{FileSize}"))>0){ getExcelReportOutput(); } else { getCSVReportOutput(); // get CSV output } }}else if ((atoi(lr_eval_string("{successfulReport}"))==0)) { reportWait(lr_eval_string("{contentCheck}")); // start async}

return;}



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Run Report for Cognos BI 10.2 and 10.2.1The internal process of retrieving charts, CSV and PDF in Cognos BI 10.2 and 10.2.1 are allhandled by the getResourceURIs() function to get the required URL to retrieve the outputas opposed to individual functions for each. Once the getResourceURIs() are found, theyare retrieved using the getResource() function to retrieve the output. The async processlogic and content check are still applicable to wait for report to complete. The code for thegetResourceURIs() and getResource() functions can be found in Appendix C.

void run_Report(char *reportName, char *contentCheck){ lr_save_string(lr_eval_string(reportName), "reportName"); // turn reportName into LoadRunner parameter lr_save_string(lr_eval_string(contentCheck), "contentCheck"); // turn contentCheck into LoadRunner parameter

getAsyncInfo(); // gather dynamic server-client communication info

// check for a successful PDF or HTML report web_reg_find("Text={contentCheck}", "SaveCount=successfulReport", "Search=All", LAST);

// If we obtain a PDF, CSV, or Report Containing a chart, // grab the URL to the resource. getResourceURIs();

web_reg_save_param("var_ui.objectClass", "LB=ui.objectClass\": \"", "RB=\"", LAST);

// Store the searchPathSingleObject and modelID parameters which are used for the // Authored Drill Through Test Cases. // Also capture the Dispatcher URI which is used in the RSVP async conversation web_reg_save_param("var_searchPathSingleObject", "LB=bus:searchPathSingleObject\\\" >storeID("", "RB=")", "NotFound=Warning", LAST); web_reg_save_param("var_modelID", "LB=xsi:type=\\\"bus:searchPathSingleObject\\\" >storeID("", "RB=")/model[last()]", "NotFound=Warning", LAST); web_reg_save_param("var_dispatcherURI", "LB=dispatcherURI\": \"", "RB=\", \"enc", "notfound=warning", LAST);

// Capture the ui.object parameter which is used in our Async conversation web_reg_save_param("var_ui_object", "LB=\n", LAST);

/* execute report by clicking on the link defined by reportName NOTE: This web_link generates two more web_URL requests. Because those two requests are redundant, they are not included in the header, but are captured when verifying scripts through Fiddler and Loadrunner. */ web_link("ClickReportNameLink", "Text={reportName}", "Snapshot=t6.inf", LAST);

/* Since we've changed getAsyncInfo() such that we don't force an error if we are unable to obtain an m_tracking, ui.conversation, etc.., we should now validate that the user has received these parameters if they aren't running a CSV report. If they haven't, force a failure. */

if((strcmp(lr_eval_string("{DataCheck}"), "application/vnd.ms-excel") != 0) && (strcmp(lr_eval_string("{var_m_tracking}"), "") == 0) && (strcmp(lr_eval_string("{var_ui.conversation}"), "") == 0)){



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lr_message("ERROR: m_tracking or var_ui.conversation not found. Their values are: m_tracking: %s, ui_conversation: %s", lr_eval_string("{var_m_tracking}"), lr_eval_string("{var_ui.conversation}")); lr_exit(LR_EXIT_ITERATION_AND_CONTINUE, LR_FAIL); }

// If a CSV report is being run... if ((strcmp(lr_eval_string("{var_ui.conversation}"), "") == 0) && (strcmp(lr_eval_string("{var_m_tracking}"), "") == 0) && (stricmp(lr_eval_string("{DataCheck}"), "application/vnd.ms-excel")==0)) { if (atoi(lr_eval_string("{var_resource_URI_param_count}")) < atoi(lr_eval_string("{successfulReport}"))){ lr_message("Error: Did not return expected report. Ensure your content check is correct"); lr_exit(LR_EXIT_ITERATION_AND_CONTINUE, LR_FAIL); }else{ getResource(); } }

if ((atoi(lr_eval_string("{successfulReport}"))==0) && (strcmp(lr_eval_string("{var_asyncStatus}"), "complete") == 0)) { lr_message("Error: Did not return the expected report. Ensure your content check is correct"); lr_exit(LR_EXIT_ITERATION_AND_CONTINUE, LR_FAIL);

}

if (atoi(lr_eval_string("{successfulReport}"))==0){ reportWait(lr_eval_string("{contentCheck}")); // start async }

return;}

The parameter contentCheck is a piece of information that is found on Page 1 of the desiredreport and should be data that is extremely unlikely to be found anywhere else but as data in thedesired report.

Code for Handling the async conversation programmatically

The code that follows is an example of how one could programmatically tell LoadRunner how tohandle an async conversation in IBM Cognos 10. It tells LoadRunner to issue an ui.action=waitresponse to IBM Cognos 10s status of stillWorking (assuming that the report execution is still inprogress). As soon as the status is anything other than stillWorking the loop can be exited.

The following code shows the reportWait() procedure for IBM Cognos 10.1 using individualprocedures to retrieve PDF, charts and CSV report,

/*void reportWait(char *contentCheck) {

int chart_iterator = 1; //Used to iterate through the number of charts which are found. char tmp[10]; //This is used to index the array of var_chart_Src parameters. char buffer[500]; //Temporary buffer used to store the current var_chart_Src value.



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char chart_status = 0; // Set to '0' if we encounter an error condition where we do not receive a number of // 'f', 'k', 's', and 'did' parameters equal to the number of charts we need to // obtain. Initialize the status to '0' to indicate a failure.

//Initialize buffers for use in determining the link to the Image/PNG in CM. strcpy(buffer, ""); strcpy(tmp, "");

messageEnable();

if(LRMessage_enabled) lr_message("async reportWait protocol has started");

lr_save_string(lr_eval_string(contentCheck), "DataCheck"); // turn contentCheck into LoadRunner parameter/* Since the report isn't ready tell the IBM Cognos 10 server that we are "waiting". Keep responding to each server status update as long as the server keep responding with the status "stillWorking". The loop is exited when a) the status is "complete" or b) an error page is displayed.*/do { sendAsyncWaitResponse();}while(atoi(lr_eval_string("{statusWaiting}"))==1);

/*PDFs are a special case. The PDF output is not pushed to the client. The client mustget it. However, the location of the PDF is a URL that is found in the server's statusupdate when it responds with status = "complete" when running a report with PDF output.This is a similar case with Chart reports, we must retrieve the PNG file upon completionfrom the Server.*/

/*The following condition evaluates to true if:A) The report has not been successfully found yet. This means we've obtained an 'f','k', 's', and 'did' parameter required to obtain a PDF, or we've received an error.HTML report output will be found since it's pushed to the client and will result in thiscondition evaluating to False.B) We haven't obtained the charts yet for the executing report.*/if (atoi(lr_eval_string("{successfulReport}"))==0) { // If we are obtaining a PDF report, we must call getPDFReportOutput(). if ((stricmp("application/pdf", lr_eval_string("{DataCheck}")) == 0)) { /* Since our 'f', 'k', 's', and 'did' parameters are captured as ordinals (an array of parameters), we must correctly substitute the first occurrence of each back into one parameter since we are dealing with one and only one PDF in this case. */ lr_save_string(lr_eval_string("{var_f_param_1}"), "var_f_param"); lr_save_string(lr_eval_string("{var_k_param_1}"), "var_k_param"); lr_save_string(lr_eval_string("{var_s_param_1}"), "var_s_param"); lr_save_string(lr_eval_string("{var_did_param_1}"), "var_did_param"); getPDFReportOutput(); } // If we've executed a report containing charts..... else if(stricmp(lr_eval_string("{DataCheck}") , "image/png") == 0) { /* This step is used to handle an erroneous condition in which we may not have obtained any f, k, s, or did parameters, yet the report we are executing does contain several charts. If this is the case, set chart_status to zero to force an error. */ If (atoi(lr_eval_string("{var_f_param_count}")) == 0) chart_status = 0;



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if (atoi(lr_eval_string("{var_k_param_count}")) == 0) chart_status = 0; if (atoi(lr_eval_string("{var_s_param_count}")) == 0) chart_status = 0; if (atoi(lr_eval_string("{var_did_param_count}")) == 0) chart_status = 0;

/* Verify that we have obtained the correct number of f, k, s, and did parameters equal to the number of charts we need to obtain. For example, if we are running a report which has 6 charts, we expect to obtain four unique parameters (f, k, s, and did) per chart. */if (atoi(lr_eval_string("{var_f_param_count}")) == atoi(lr_eval_string("{var_k_param_count}"))) {if (atoi(lr_eval_string("{var_f_param_count}")) == atoi(lr_eval_string("{var_s_param_count}")))if (atoi(lr_eval_string("{var_f_param_count}")) == atoi(lr_eval_string("{var_did_param_count}"))) chart_status = 1; }

/* If we've obtained the correct number of charts, continue on to obtain All of the charts by calling getChartOutput(). Since we don't need to pass a buffer containing the URL into getChartInput, simply pass an empty string in as an argument. */ if (chart_status == 1) { // This loop will iterate through the number of charts that it finds // and call getChartOutput() for each. while (chart_iterator0) { getExcelReportOutput(); } else { getCSVReportOutput(); } } // Handle CSV/Excel report output else if (strcmp(lr_eval_string("{runOption}"), "CSV") == 0) { // We are running CSV report output so call getCSVReportOutput to fetch // the resource from Content Manager getCSVReportOutput(); // then



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}else if ((strcmp(lr_eval_string("{runOption}"), "spreadsheetML") == 0) || (strcmp(lr_eval_string("{runOption}"), "XLWA") == 0 ) || (strlen(lr_eval_string("{FileSize}"))>0)) { // We are running Excel report output so call getExcelReportOutput to // fetch the resource from Content Manager getExcelReportOutput(); }

/* The following else condition evaluates to true if a) the report was not found due to an error page and/or b) the PDF "gd" value was not found and/or the HTML report's DataCheck is incorrect. */ else { lr_fail_trans_with_error("REPORT OUTPUT ERROR. If this is an HTML Report please validate your DataCheck."); lr_error_message("REPORT OUTPUT ERROR. If this is an HTML Report please validate your DataCheck."); lr_exit(LR_EXIT_ITERATION_AND_CONTINUE , LR_FAIL); }}return;

The following code shows the reportWait() procedure for IBM Cognos BI 10.2 and 10.2.1 using thegetResource() procedure to retrieve PDF, charts and CSV report.

/*Name: reportWait

Arguments: This function accepts one arguments. contentCheck = some piece of data that positively identifies a successful report navigation.Parameters: No parameter files are used in this procedure.

Description: This procedure will click a nav link in Cognos Connection to start report execution. If the report is lengthy (>3 secs server time to complete) start the async wait protocol.*/void reportWait(char *contentCheck) {

messageEnable();

if(LRMessage_enabled) lr_message("async reportWait protocol has started");

lr_save_string(lr_eval_string(contentCheck), "DataCheck"); // turn contentCheck into LoadRunner parameter

// since the report isn't ready tell the Cognos10 server that we are "waiting". // keep responding to each server status update as long as the server keep responding // with the status "stillWorking" do { sendAsyncWaitResponse(); } // loop is exited when a) the status is "complete" or b) an error page is displayed. while(atoi(lr_eval_string("{statusWaiting}"))==1);

// If we're obtaining charts, a PDF, or an Excel content type if (atoi(lr_eval_string("{successfulReport}"))==0) {

// This step is used to handle an erroneous condition in which we don't hav



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// the report we are executing does contain several charts. If this is the case, // set chart_status to zero to force an error. if (atoi(lr_eval_string("{var_resource_URI_param_count}")) > 0){ // If we've obtained the correct number of charts, continue on to obtain all // of the charts by calling // getResource. getResource(); } else{

lr_message("Error: Did not return the Expected Report, please validate Content Check"); lr_exit(LR_EXIT_ITERATION_AND_CONTINUE, LR_FAIL); } }

return;}

The code for the sendAsyncWaitResponse() procedure can be found in Appendix A.

Code for 5. Click on the Return link to exit Cognos Viewer and return toCognos Connection

Within IBM Cognos Viewer, when the user is finished viewing the report they click the Return linkto exit IBM Cognos Viewer and return to the IBM Cognos Connection portal. Clicking the link is atwo step procedure.

1. Load the IBM Cognos Connection folder the user executed the report from.2. Signal to the IBM Cognos 10 Report Service that the user is done with the report. This step

will allow the Report Service to clean up resources it had dedicated to this report.

// Return to the IBM Cognos Connection folderweb_url("ReturnToCognosConnection", "URL=http://{WebServer}{Gateway}?b_action=xts.run&m=portal/cc.xts& m_folder={returnFolder_guid}", "Resource=0", "RecContentType=text/html", "Referer=", "Snapshot=t14.inf", "Mode=HTML", LAST);

// Signal IBM Cognos 10 that the user is finished with the reportweb_submit_data("Release", "Action=http://{WebServer}{Gateway}", "Method=POST", "RecContentType=application/xml", "Referer=", "Snapshot=t9.inf", "Mode=HTML", ITEMDATA, "Name=b_action", "Value=cognosViewer", ENDITEM, "Name=cv.responseFormat", "Value=successfulRequest", ENDITEM, "Name=ui.primaryAction", "Value=run", ENDITEM, "Name=ui.objectClass", "Value=report", ENDITEM, "Name=ui.action", "Value=release", ENDITEM, "Name=m_tracking", "Value={var_m_tracking}", ENDITEM, LAST);



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Code for 6. LogoffThe last step is to log off IBM Cognos 10. This code emulates the user clicking the Log off link inIBM Cognos Connection.

// Log the user off the IBM Cognos 10 systemweb_url("LogOff", "URL=http://{WebServer}{Gateway}?b_action=xts.run&m=portal/logoff.xts& h_CAM_action=logoff", "Resource=0", "RecContentType=text/html", "Referer=", "Snapshot=t14.inf", "Mode=HTML", LAST);

Appendix A - The getAsyncInfo() functionThis Appendix contains the code for the getAsyncInfo() procedure which will capture the initialasync information returned from IBM Cognos 10 BI with respect to the current running reportexecution. There are some small differences in getAsyncInfo() between IBM Cognos BI versions10.1 and 10.2.x. Both are listed here.

getAsyncInfo() for IBM Cognos BI 10.1/*Name: getAsyncInfoDescription: procedure that looks for the necessary dispatcher tracking,conversation and async info for interactive reporting. Works for completelyrendered HTML pages. Since these parameters are not returned when running aCSV report that completes in less than 3 seconds (does not enter async()),we must set notfound=warning and check to see if we have found them lateron.*/void getAsyncInfo(){web_reg_save_param("var_actionState", "LB=action_state\": \"", "RB=\"","notfound=warning", LAST);web_reg_save_param("var_executionParameters", "LB=parameters\": \"", "RB=\"", "notfound=warning", LAST);web_reg_save_param("var_ui.conversation", "LB=conversation\": \"", "RB=\"","notfound=warning", LAST);web_reg_save_param("var_m_tracking", "LB=tracking\": \"", "RB=\"","notfound=warning", LAST);

// This breaks runReportWithOptions, since you only need to grab the CAF // context id once, at logon. if (stricmp(lr_eval_string("{runOption}"),"{runOption}") == 0) { web_reg_save_param("var_ui.cafcontextid", "LB=caf\": \"", "RB=\"","notfound=warning", LAST); }

web_reg_save_param("var_asyncStatus", "LB=\"status\": \"", "RB=\"","notfound=warning", LAST); return;}

getAsyncInfo() for IBM Cognos BI 10.2 and 10.2.1/*Name: getAsyncInfoDescription: procedure that looks for the necessary dispatcher tracking,conversation and async info for interactive reporting. Works for completely



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rendered HTML pages. Since these parameters are not returned when running aCSV report that completes in less than 3 seconds (does not enter async()),we must set notfound=warning and check to see if we have found them lateron.void getAsyncInfo(){ web_reg_save_param("var_actionState", "LB=ActionState\": \"", "RB=\"","notfound=warning", LAST); web_reg_save_param("var_executionParameters", "LB=Parameters\": \"", "RB=\"", "notfound=warning", LAST); web_reg_save_param("var_ui.conversation", "LB=Conversation\": \"", "RB=\"","notfound=warning", LAST); web_reg_save_param("var_m_tracking", "LB=Tracking\": \"", "RB=\"","notfound=warning", LAST); web_reg_save_param("var_objectPermissions", "LB=objectPermissions\": \"", "RB=\",","notfound=warning", LAST);

// This breaks runReportWithOptions, since you only need to grab the caf context id // once, at logon. if (stricmp(lr_eval_string("{runOption}"),"{runOption}") == 0) { web_reg_save_param("var_ui.cafcontextid", "LB=CAFContext\": \"", "RB=\"","notfound=warning", LAST); }

web_reg_save_param("var_asyncStatus", "LB=Status\": \"", "RB=\"","notfound=warning", LAST);

return;}

The following is the code for getAsyncInfo_HTMLFragment() which is used capture anysubsequent async information returned from the IBM Cognos 10 server with respect to thecurrently running report execution for a report that has entered async. The reason that the we usethe getAsyncInfo_HTMLFragment() procedure instead of the getAsyncInfo() procedure is becausewhen the report enters async, the left and right boundaries used in the web_reg_save_paramfunction need to be updated.

/*Name: getAsyncInfo_HTMLFragmentDescription: Procedure that looks for the necessary dispatcher tracking,conversation and async info for interactive reporting. Works for grabbingasync info from server status messages sent as an HTML Fragment. Since theseparameters are not returned when running a CSV report that completes in lessthan 3 seconds (does not enter async()), we must set notfound=warning andcheck to see if we have found them later on.*/void getAsyncInfo_HTMLFragment(){web_reg_save_param("var_actionState", "LB=action_state": "", "RB="","notfound=warning", LAST);web_reg_save_param("var_executionParameters", "LB=parameters": "", "RB="","notfound=warning", LAST);web_reg_save_param("var_ui.conversation", "LB=conversation": "", "RB="","notfound=warning", LAST);web_reg_save_param("var_m_tracking", "LB=tracking": "", "RB="","notfound=warning", LAST);web_reg_save_param("var_ui.cafcontextid", "LB=caf": "", "RB="","notfound=warning", LAST);web_reg_save_param("var_asyncStatus", "LB="status": "", "RB="","notfound=warning", LAST);return;}



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Appendix B The sendAsyncWaitReponse() functionThe procedure sendAsyncWaitResponse() sends a wait response to IBM Cognos 10 whenit receives a status of stillWorking for a longer running report that has entered async. Sincetextual report data is pushed to IBM Cognos Viewer when the status reaches complete, the reportvalidation must be included in this section of code.

The sendAsyncWaitResponse() for IBM Cognos 10.1 uses individual procedures to retrieve PDF,chart or CSV report output.

/*Name: sendAsyncWaitResponseArguments: This function accepts no arguments.Parameters: No parameter files are used in this procedure.Description: This procedure responds to the server's "stillWorking" statuswith a "wait" response. It also handles the situations where IBM CognosViewer debug logging is enabled.*/void sendAsyncWaitResponse(){ // track dynamic communication info between the client and server getAsyncInfo_HTMLFragment();

// validates successful async communicationweb_reg_find("Text="status": "stillWorking", "SaveCount=statusWaiting", "Search=All", LAST);

web_reg_find("Text={ "status": "", LAST);

if(LRMessage_enabled) // debug message lr_message("INFO: m_tracking: %s", lr_eval_string("{var_m_tracking}"));

// Capture all required dynamic parameters in order to obtain a PDF report // or chartif((strcmp(lr_eval_string("{DataCheck}"), "application/pdf") == 0) || (strcmp(lr_eval_string("{DataCheck}"), "image/png") == 0)) {web_reg_save_param("var_b_action", "LB=b_action=", "RB=&f=","notfound=warning", LAST);web_reg_save_param("var_f_param", "LB=&f=", "RB=&k=","notfound=warning", "ord=all", LAST);web_reg_save_param("var_k_param", "LB=amp;k=", "RB=&s=","notfound=warning", "ord=all", LAST);web_reg_save_param("var_s_param", "LB=&s=", "RB=&did=","notfound=warning","ord=all", LAST); }

/* Capture all required dynamic parameters in order to obtain a CSV/Excelreport. The left and right bounadaries of these are different whencompared to running a report containing charts or running a PDF report.*/ // Handle various Microsoft report output options. This code // is only for runReportWithOptions if ((strcmp(lr_eval_string("{runOption}"), "CSV") == 0) || (strcmp(lr_eval_string("{runOption}"), "spreadsheetML") == 0) || (strcmp(lr_eval_string("{runOption}"), "XLWA") == 0) || (strcmp(lr_eval_string("{DataCheck}"),"application/vnd.ms-excel")==0)) { // If 1 of 3 Microsoft report output types, grab parameters // for CSV/Excel report if(LRMessage_enabled) // debug messagelr_message("INFO: fetching dynamic params for excel/CSV report output: %s", lr_eval_string("{runOption}"));



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web_reg_save_param("var_b_action", "LB=b_action=", "RB=&f=","notfound=warning", LAST);web_reg_save_param("var_f_param", "LB=&f=", "RB=&k=","notfound=warning", LAST);web_reg_save_param("var_k_param", "LB=&k=", "RB=&s=","notfound=warning", LAST);web_reg_save_param("var_s_param", "LB=&s=", "RB=&did=","notfound=warning", LAST);web_reg_save_param("var_did_param", "LB=&did=", "RB=&viewer","notfound=warning", LAST); }

/* The "did" parameter has slightly different boundaries between PDFs and Charts. If we are looking for a chart, then we must change the left and right boundaries. */ if(stricmp(lr_eval_string("{DataCheck}"), "image/png") == 0)web_reg_save_param("var_did_param", "LB=&did=", "RB=\" width=", "notfound=warning","ord=all", LAST); elseweb_reg_save_param("var_did_param", "LB=&did=", "RB=&viewer", "notfound=warning","ord=all", LAST);

// Store the searchPathSingleObject and modelID parameters which are used // for the Authored Drill Through Test Casesweb_reg_save_param("var_searchPathSingleObject", "LB=bus:searchPathSingleObject\\\">storeID("", "RB=")", "NotFound=Warning", LAST);


// Check for the presence of a completed HTML report.web_reg_find("Text={contentCheck}", "SaveCount=successfulReport", "Search=All", LAST);

/* This is the client's "waiting" response to the server's "stillWorking" status update If IBM Cognos Viewer debugging is enabled then run the WaitResponse with cv.debugDirectory */ if (atoi(lr_eval_string("{cvDebugEnabled}")) > 0) { web_custom_request("WaitResponse", "URL=http://{WebServer}{Gateway}", "Method=POST", "Resource=0", "RecContentType=text/plain", "Snapshot=t75.inf", "Mode=HTML", "Body=cv.ignoreState=true" "&b_action=cognosViewer" "&cv.id=_NS_" "&ui.action=wait" "&ui.object={var_ui_object}" "&cv.actionState={var_actionState}" "&ui.primaryAction=run" "&errURL={var_errURL}" "&ui.objectClass={var_ui.objectClass}" "&executionParameters={var_executionParameters}" "&ui.conversation={var_ui.conversation}" "&m_tracking={var_m_tracking}" "&ui.cafcontextid={var_ui.cafcontextid}" "&cv.catchLogOnFault=true" "&cv.responseFormat=data" "&cv.debugDirectory={UserID}_{IterationNumber}_{ReportName}", LAST); } else { web_custom_request("WaitResponse",



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"URL=http://{WebServer}{Gateway}", "Method=POST", "Resource=0", "RecContentType=text/plain", "referer=" "Snapshot=t75.inf", "Mode=HTML", "Body=cv.ignoreState=true" "&b_action=cognosViewer" "&cv.id=_NS_" "&ui.action=wait" "&ui.object={var_ui_object}" "&cv.actionState={var_actionState}" "&ui.primaryAction=run" "&errURL={var_errURL}" "&ui.objectClass={var_ui.objectClass}" "&executionParameters={var_executionParameters}" "&ui.conversation={var_ui.conversation}" "&m_tracking={var_m_tracking}" "&ui.cafcontextid={var_ui.cafcontextid}" "&cv.catchLogOnFault=true" "&cv.responseFormat=data", LAST); } return;}

The sendAsyncWaitResponse() for IBM Cognos 10.2 and 10.2.1 uses the getResourceURIs()procedure to retrieve PDF, Chart and CSV.

/*Name: sendAsyncWaitResponseArguments: This function accepts no arguments.Parameters: No parameter files are used in this procedure.Description: This procedure responds to the server's "stillWorking" status with a "wait" response.*/void sendAsyncWaitResponse(){ messageEnable();

if(LRMessage_enabled) lr_message("AsyncWaitResponse from client");

// track dynamic communication info between the client and server getAsyncInfo_HTMLFragment();

// validates successful async communication web_reg_find("Text=m_sStatus": "stillWorking", "SaveCount=statusWaiting", "Search=All", LAST);

// Capture all required dynamic parameters in order to obtain a PDF report or chart getResourceURIs();

// Capture all required dynamic parameters in order to obtain a CSV/Excel report. // The left and right boundaries // This code is only for runReportWithOptions

// Store the searchPathSingleObject and modelID parameters which are used for the // Authored Drill Through Test Cases web_reg_save_param("var_searchPathSingleObject", "LB=bus:searchPathSingleObject\\\">storeID("", "RB=")", "NotFound=Warning", LAST);



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// checks for the presence of a completed HTML report. web_reg_find("Text={contentCheck}", "SaveCount=successfulReport", "Search=All", LAST);

// this is the client's "waiting" response to the server's "stillWorking" // status update if(firstAsync == 0) {

firstAsync = 1;

web_custom_request("WaitResponse", "URL=http://{WebServer}{Gateway}", "Method=POST", "Resource=0", "RecContentType=text/plain", "referer=" "Snapshot=t75.inf", "Mode=HTML", "Body=b_action=cognosViewer" "&cv.actionState={var_actionState}" "&cv.catchLogOnFault=true" "&cv.id=_NS_" "&cv.objectPermissions={var_objectPermissions}" "&cv.responseFormat=data" "&cv.showFaultPage=true" "&errURL={var_errURL_encoded}" "&executionParameters={var_executionParameters}" "&m_tracking={var_m_tracking}" "&ui.action=wait" "&ui.backURL={Gateway}%3Fb_action%3Dxts.run%26m%3Dportal/cc.xts%26m_folder %3D{returnFolder_guid}" "&ui.cafcontextid={var_ui.cafcontextid}" "&ui.conversation={var_ui.conversation}" "&ui.object={var_ui_object}" "&ui.objectClass={var_ui.objectClass}" "&ui.primaryAction=run", LAST); }

else {

web_custom_request("WaitResponse", "URL=http://{WebServer}{Gateway}", "Method=POST", "Resource=0", "RecContentType=text/plain", "referer=" "Snapshot=t75.inf", "Mode=HTML", "Body=b_action=cognosViewer" "&cv.actionState={var_actionState}" "&cv.catchLogOnFault=true" "&cv.responseFormat=data" "&cv.showFaultPage=true" "&errURL={var_errURL_encoded}" "&m_tracking={var_m_tracking}" "&ui.action=wait" "&ui.backURL={Gateway}%3Fb_action%3Dxts.run%26m%3Dportal/cc.xts%26m_folder %3D{returnFolder_guid}" "&ui.primaryAction=run", LAST);

}



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return;}

Appendix C: The getOutput() functionsThis appendix lists the code to retrieve the output formats that are not automatically returned whena report is finished executing. With IBM Cognos BI 10.1, individual functions were used to get thedifferent output format. With versions 10.2 and 10.2.1 these are covered by the getResource()functions. The functions that will be covered here are,

getPDFReportOutput() getChartOutput() getCSVReportOutput() getExcelReportOutput() getResourceURIs() getResource()

getPDFReportOutput ()As mentioned earlier in this document, PDF output is not pushed to the client if the output is notready within 3 seconds - the client must retrieve it. When the server responds with a status ofcomplete when running a report with PDF output, the response will be a URL that can be used toretrieve the PDF output. The getPDFReportOutput() function is used to retrieve the PDF using theURL from the server response.

/*Name: getPDFReportOutput()Arguments: This function accepts no arguments.Parameters: No parameter files are used in this procedure.Description: This procedure sends the URL to IBM Cognos 10 to get the completed PDF report output.*/void getPDFReportOutput(){ web_reg_find("Text={DataCheck}","Search=All", LAST);

// URL to get completed PDF output from Cognos10 web_url("GetPDFOutput", "URL=http://{WebServer}{Gateway}?b_action={var_b_action}& f={var_f_param}&k={var_k_param}&s={var_s_param}&did={var_did_param}&viewer=true", "TargetFrame=", "Resource=1", "RecContentType=application/pdf", "Referer=", LAST); return;}

getChartOutput ()When running a report containing charts, the charts are not pushed to the client. They must beretrieved from the server upon completion using the getChartOutput() function. This function usesthe URL that is provided when the server responds with a status of complete.

/*Name: getChartOutputArguments: buffer - a string containing the URL to the resource in CM. This is used only



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for HTML Views.Parameters: No parameter files are used in this procedure.Description: This procedure sends the URL to IBM Cognos 10 to get the completed Chart report.*/void getChartOutput(char* buffer){ char* encStr; // temp variable for manipulating string char* position; // variable for designating what position in original // string the "search" string is found int numCharts = 0;

// If we are obtaining charts from a view if (strcmp(lr_eval_string("{var_chart_Src_param}"), "") != 0) { // URL from IBM Cognos 10 must be encoded correctly. Must decode // before sending URL encStr = lr_eval_string(buffer);

// Replace "&amp" with "&", ";" with "", and "&apos" with "" // Loop until "&amp", ";", and "&apos" are not found in the string // defined by var_chart_Src do { lr_log_message("%s", encStr); encStr = replace_str(encStr,"&amp","&"); encStr = replace_str(encStr,";",""); encStr = replace_str(encStr,"&apos",""); }while((position = (char*)strstr(encStr, "&amp")) || (position = (char*)strstr(encStr, ";")) || (position = (char*)strstr(encStr, "&apos")));

// convert properly formatted string to a LoadRunner parameter lr_save_string(encStr, "var_chart_Src_param");

// data check to validate successful return of a Chart report web_reg_find("Text=image/png", "SaveCount=SuccessfulChart", "Fail=NotFound", "Search=All", LAST);

// URL to get completed Chart output from Cognos10 web_url("GetChartOutput", "URL=http://{WebServer}{Gateway}?SM=query&search={var_chart_Src_param}", "TargetFrame=", "Resource=1", "RecContentType=image/png", "Referer=", LAST); } else { // If we are obtaining charts from an interactive report. web_reg_find("Text=image/png","SaveCount=SuccessfulChart", "Fail=NotFound", "Search=All", LAST); // URL to get completed Chart output from IBM Cognos 10 web_url("GetChartOutput", "URL=http://{WebServer}{Gateway}?b_action={var_b_action}& f={var_f_param}&k={var_k_param}&s={var_s_param}&did={var_did_param}", "TargetFrame=", "Resource=1", "RecContentType=image/png", "Referer=", LAST); } return;}

getCSVReportOutput ()When running a report in CSV, the output of the report must be retrieved from the server uponcompletion using the getCSVOutput() function. This function uses the URL in the server response.



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/*Name: getCSVReportOutputArguments: This function accepts no arguments.Parameters: No parameter files are used in this procedure.Description: This procedure sends the URL to IBM Cognos 10 to get the completed CSV report output.*/void getCSVReportOutput(){

web_reg_find("Text={contentCheck}", "SaveCount=successfulReport", "Search=All", LAST);

// URL to get completed CSV output from IBM Cognos 10web_url("GetCSVOutput", "URL=http://{WebServer}{Gateway}?b_action={var_b_action}&f={var_f_param}&k={var_k_param}&s={var_s_param}&did={var_did_param}&viewer=true", "TargetFrame=", "Resource=1", "RecContentType=application/vnd.ms-excel" "Referer=", LAST);

// Validate that the correct data check was foundif((atoi(lr_eval_string("{successfulReport}"))== 0)){ // If not fail outlr_error_message("Data Validation failed! %s was not found.", lr_eval_string("{contentCheck}")); lr_exit(LR_EXIT_ITERATION_AND_CONTINUE, LR_FAIL);}

return;}

getExcelReportOutput ()When running a report for Excel, the output of the report must be retrieved from the server uponcompletion using the getExcelReportOutput() function.

/* Name: getExcelReportOutput Arguments: This function accepts no arguments. Parameters: No parameter files are used in this procedure. Description: This procedure sends the URL to Cognos10 to get the completed Excel report output.*/void getExcelReportOutput(){ int var_fileSize, var_fileSizeCheck, temp;

// Check for a valid data check, keep track of the count // We need this count later to indicate that we got the report

web_reg_find("Text={contentCheck}", "SaveCount=successfulRunReportCount", "Fail=NotFound", "Search=All", LAST);

//save the file size in bytes (the saved parameter will be a string) web_reg_save_param("var_fileSizeChar", "LB=content-length: ", "RB=\r\n", LAST);

// URL to get completed Excel output from Cognos10 web_url("GetExcelOutput", "URL=http://{WebServer}{Gateway}?b_action={var_b_action}&f={var_f_param}&k={var_k_param}&s={var_s_param}&did={var_did_param}&viewer=true", "TargetFrame=", "Resource=1", "RecContentType=application/excel", "Referer=",



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LAST);

//for testing purposes, display the file size returned. lr_message("Array index 1 = %s", lr_eval_string("{var_fileSizeChar}"));

//convert the file size to an integer var_fileSize = atoi(lr_eval_string("{var_fileSizeChar}")); lr_message("Value of var_fileSize is: %d", var_fileSize);

//convert the file size check (from the ReportInfo.dat file) to an integer //var_fileSizeCheck = atoi(lr_eval_string("{FileSize}")); var_fileSizeCheck = atoi(lr_eval_string("{FileSize}")); lr_message("Value of var_fileSizeCheck is: %d", var_fileSizeCheck);

lr_start_transaction("File Size Check");

if (var_fileSize < (var_fileSizeCheck - (var_fileSizeCheck * .1)) || (var_fileSize > var_fileSizeCheck + (var_fileSizeCheck * .1))) { lr_message("The file size is outside the tolerance range of +/- 10%."); lr_message("Please check your dat file to ensure you have specified the correct file size."); lr_message("You can get the content size from fiddler OR enable LR extended logging."); lr_end_transaction("File Size Check", LR_FAIL); lr_exit(LR_EXIT_VUSER, LR_FAIL);

} else { lr_message("The file size is within the tolerance range of +/- 10% ! :) "); lr_end_transaction("File Size Check", LR_PASS); }

return;}

With Cognos 10.2 and 10.2.1 scripts, we are now using 2 functions to retrieve output for pdf, chartand Excel. GetResourceURIs, to retrieve the URL to the resource and getResource to retrieve itusing the URL found.

getResourceURIs ()

In IBM Cognos BI 10.2 and 10.2.1, use the getResourceURIs() function to get the URL used by thegetResource() function to retrieve charts, PDF report output and Excel report output.

/*Name: getResourceURIs()Description: Used to grab the URLs of resources such as Charts, PDFs and Excel output types that need to be obtained.*/void getResourceURIs(){

// If we obtain a PDF, CSV, or Report Containing a chart, grab the URL to the // resource. if((stricmp(lr_eval_string("{DataCheck}"), "image/png") == 0) || (stricmp(lr_eval_string("{DataCheck}"), "application/pdf") == 0)){ web_reg_save_param("var_resource_URI_param", "LB=rsid=", "RB=\"","notfound=warning", "ord=all", "Convert=HTML_TO_TEXT", LAST); } else{ web_reg_save_param("var_resource_URI_param", "LB=rsid=", "RB=\'","notfound=warning", "ord=all", LAST); }}



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getResource()In IBM Cognos BI 10.2 and 10.2.1, use the getResource() function retrieve charts, PDF reportoutput and Excel report output.

/*Name: getResourceArguments: buffer - a string containing the URL to the resource in CM.Parameters: No parameter files are used in this procedure.Description: This procedure sends the URL to Cognos10 to get the completed Chart report.*/void getResource(){ int position = 1; int numResources = 0;

// If we are obtaining charts from a Report or a PDF. if(atoi(lr_eval_string("{var_resource_URI_param_count}")) != 0){

numResources = atoi(lr_eval_string("{var_resource_URI_param_count}"));

web_set_sockets_option("MAX_CONNECTIONS_PER_HOST","6"); web_concurrent_start(NULL); do{

web_reg_find("Text={DataCheck}", "SaveCount=successfulReport", "Fail=NotFound", "Search=All", LAST); // data check to validate successful return of a Chart report

lr_param_sprintf("var_resource_URI_param_tmp", lr_eval_string("{var_resource_URI_param_%d}"), position); lr_save_string(lr_eval_string(lr_eval_string("{var_resource_URI_param_tmp}")), "var_resource_URI");

//web_convert_param("var_resource_URI", "SourceEncoding=HTML", // "TargetEncoding=PLAIN",LAST);

// URL to get completed Chart output from Cognos10 web_url("GetResource", "URL=http://{WebServer}{Gateway}?b_action=rc&rsid={var_resource_URI}", "TargetFrame=", "Resource=1", "RecContentType={DataCheck}", "Referer=", LAST);

position++;

}while(position



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return;}

Appendix D: Example LoadRunner ScriptThe following is how a LoadRunner script running the test case in this document may look. Sincethe same procedures are frequently used in different scripts, adding these procedures to a headerfile (for example BI.h) and be included at the beginning of your scripts would allow to reuse thesame code while keeping your scripts shorter and easier to read. The header file should be placedin LoadRunner's includes folder in your LoadRunner install location.

Scripts are usually broken down in 3 sections - vuser_init, action (one or more) and vuser_end.vuser_init normally contains the calls or procedures to launch, logon and navigate to your reportlocation in Cognos 10. This should also contain the inclusion of your header file. action shouldcontain the code to execute the report and the expected datacheck. This section could be ran forone of more iteration to run same report multiple times or run different reports in same location.vuser_end normally contains the logoff and product shut down code.

Here is an example of the 3 actions blocks with calls to procedures that are in a header file whichis included in the vuser_init. These are example only and some calls to procedures not referencedin this document.

vuser_init#include "BI.h"vuser_init(){ // Define path to the folder containing the reports. Always end the array with "END". char navSequence[][50] = {"Folder1","Folder2","Folder3", "END"};

connect_CognosConnection(); // connect and logOn handled here

navCC(navSequence); // folder navigation

web_set_max_html_param_len("16384");

return 0;}

actionaction(){ lr_continue_on_error(3);

/* Executes the report using ReportName and datacheck. Report name and datacheck can be hard coded here if there is only 1 report to run. If running multiple reports, the name and datacheck could be changed to parameters and stored in a .dat file*/

run_Report("ReportName","DataCheck");

/* Release the report and return to portal */ returnToPortalRelease(); return 0;}



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vuser_end

vuser_end(){ /* Logs user off the system */ logOff();

return 0;}



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About the author

Eric Racine

Eric has been part of IBM Cognos since 1991 and has worked on the Performanceand Stability team for the past 7 years. Eric is well versed in using automation toolssuch as LoadRunner to simulate multiple concurrent users in order to analyzesoftware performance and determine hardware sizing requirements.

Copyright IBM Corporation 2013(www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml)Trademarks(www.ibm.com/developerworks/ibm/trademarks/)

Table of ContentsIntroductionPurpose of DocumentApplicabilityExclusions and ExceptionsAssumptions

Description Of The Test CaseAsynchronous Communication In IBM Cognos ViewerForcing Asynchronous Communication In IBM Cognos 10Recording The Test Case In LoadRunnerUnderstanding The Raw Recording Pertaining To Report ExecutionCreating LoadRunner Code From The Raw RecordingCode for 1. Connect to Cognos 10 via a web browserCode for 2. Login using simple LDAP authenticationCode for 3. Navigate to a report in a folder in IBM Cognos ConnectionCode for 4. Click on the desired report which is a simple list. This action will execute the report in Cognos Viewer in HTML output.Code for Issuing the run request for the reportRun Report request for Cognos 10.1Run Report for Cognos BI 10.2 and 10.2.1Code for Handling the async conversation programmaticallyCode for 5. Click on the Return link to exit Cognos Viewer and return to Cognos ConnectionCode for 6. Logoff

Appendix A - The getAsyncInfo() functiongetAsyncInfo() for IBM Cognos BI 10.1getAsyncInfo() for IBM Cognos BI 10.2 and 10.2.1

Appendix B The sendAsyncWaitReponse() functionAppendix C: The getOutput() functionsgetPDFReportOutput ()getChartOutput ()getCSVReportOutput ()getExcelReportOutput ()getResourceURIs ()getResource()

Appendix D: Example LoadRunner Scriptvuser_initactionvuser_end

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IBM Cognos LoadRunner Ba Pp Performance Load_testing Page661 PDF

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