Updating your Query Studio Reports with _IIT Data Packages in the ODS

Reason for Package Changes

Cognos ODS data packages are being modified so that the packages better serve IIT’s reporting needs. Specifically…•All delivered ODS packages will be copied to create a customized IIT packages.•This is a one-time event, i.e., once a package has been copied and re-named, further modifications to the copy will not have such a great impact on existing reports.

good news and bad news…

Bad News• All reports written

using Query Studio with the delivered packages will need to be recreated from scratch using the IIT customized packages

Good News• You’ll be able to test your new

report by running both the new and the old report on the same day. Your old report will continue to work until we remove the original package from Cognos*

• Future upgrades to Cognos and the ODS packages won’t break your reports.

• You will not need to recreate them ever again!

“Mr. Corleone is a man who insists on hearing bad news immediately."

* We will notify report authors one week prior to removing the standard package. After that deadline, reports not yet recreated in the new package will no longer function.

Schedule for Recreating QS reports

Reassign reports to IIT customized packages :Now through Friday February 27th

Any new reports created in Query Studio or Report Studio should be based on the new IIT

package. These will not require package reassignment.

What does this mean for me?

Report Authors• Any reports created using

Query Studio will need to be recreated from scratch.

• Reports created using Report Studio will also need revisions, but not recreation from scratch.

Report Viewers• Run reports all day long!

Have fun! Nothing will stop you!

Please note: We will notify report authors one week prior to removing the standard package. After that deadline, reports not yet recreated in the new package will no longer function.

To which packages does this apply?

• Admissions Application• Advisor Student List• Budget Availability Ledger• Budget Detail• Course Catalog• Employee• Financial Aid Award &

Disbursement• Student Detail• Encumbrance• Endowment Distribution• Endowment Unit• Enrollment Management• Faculty Assignment• Financial Aid Fund

• Fixed Asset• General Ledger• Government Reporting• Grant I Project• Grant Ledger• HR Application• HR Faculty• Invoice Payable• Operating Ledger• Payroll• Position• Purchasing Payable• Receivable Customer• Receivable Revenue• Schedule Offering

What about packages for which an IIT version was published previously?

Previously-customized Packages

• Active Registration IIT• Finance Approval Queue IIT• Finance Custom Views IIT• Finance Vendor Audit IIT• Financial Aid Application IIT• Graduate Student Tracking

IIT• Payroll Auditing IIT• Transaction History IIT

Required Action• Reports based on these

packages still need to be tested to make sure that the masking of the SSN did not “break” the report.

• Instructions for doing this testing are found in “Dealing with Package Updates.pptx.”

So, what’s the easiest way to fix my Query Studio reports?

• So glad you asked… The next several slides will coach you through

the easiest way to recreate your reports using Query Studio.

In addition to recreating the report, we will also guide you through a brief verification process that will allow you to test* your new report.

*Please note: This process will only verify your new report matches the output of your old report. Report writers are responsible for the accuracy of their reports.

Step 1: Run Your Report & Save the Output in MS Excel

• Follow these steps to preserve the output of your original report to compare with the output from the new report you will create.– Open the report in Query Studio.– Run the report as an MS Excel file.– Rename the file and save it on your desktop or

network drive (but not in Cognos).

Step 2a. Save your report definition

• Follow the steps below to save your filters and sorts by taking a screen shot of your report.– Make sure your title area displays any sorts and filters. If

these do not appear in the title area, double click on the title and check the filter and sort boxes at the bottom of the information window that opens.

– Once the Filter and Sorts are displayed on the screen below your title, take a screen shot by pressing the ALT & PRINT SCREEN buttons together.

– Paste this image into a word-processing or text application of your choice (e.g. MS Word, Word Perfect, Text Editor, Notepad, etc.) document like MS Word.

Step 2b. Saving the report definition, continued.

• Preserve the data items and their pathways by displaying the “Report Definition” as follows:– Go to the “Manage File” Menu on the left hand side.– Select “Report Definition” from the list. This

information will open in a window at the bottom of the screen.

– Using your mouse, Select and copy the information displayed.

– Paste this information in a word processing or text application of your choice (e.g. MS Word, Word Perfect, Text Editor, Notepad, etc.)

Report Definition Clarified

• You will end up with something like this:

Report Definitionpreserved

Sorts and Filters preserved

Step 3a. Rebuild your report

• Launch Query Studio using the new package.• Use the report definition that you saved from

your original report to insert the data into your new report. Data Item

Data type indicator

Namespace Table

HINT: If it is taking a long time to insert the data into the new report, because of the quantity of data returns, remember that you can run the report with limited or no data. This can speed up the process of inserting data.

Step 3b: Don’t forget calculations!

• Calculations will appear in your report definition too. You will also need to recreate any custom calculations by inserting the data items, identifying the columns as the data source for the calculation, and defining the mathematical expression.

Calculation definition within a Report definition

Step 3c: Don’t forget filters & sorts

• Use the Screen Shot of your original report to remind you of your filters and sorts. Replicate these in your new report.

HINT: You may want to run the original report (based on the old package) from Cognos connection to determine which, if any, of your filters were prompted filters. Be sure you check the “Prompt every time” box when replicating the filters in the new report.

Step 4. Make the new report look like the old one!

• Use the screen shot to help you recreate the look and feel of the original report. Use this list to help remind you:– Did you group any report items, or did you pivot your

table?– Did you rename any column headers or create a title for

the report?– Does your original include a graph?– Are there any general or advances summary functions

applied to your report?– Did you apply a template to the report or did you use any

custom colors, conditional formatting, or other formatting features?

Step 5: Run & Verify

• Run your report to output as an MS Excel file . You will use this new output to compare with the original output to complete the final verification process.

• Compare the two Excel outputs. Since all reports are different, here are some suggestions for things to watch for in the verification process:– Number of output lines match.– First 5 and last 5 lines of output data match.– Equivalent subtotals and totals match.

HINT: When making comparisons between new and original reports, be sure to use the same filter selections on prompts. Also, if you chose to make any “improvement” to the original reports, the outputs might not be the same.

Step 6: Save New Report

• Don’t forget to save your new report:– Save the report to the appropriate shared folder

associated with the correct ODS Package folder if it is a shared report.

– Be sure to include a• Meaningful document/report name.• Detailed description of the purpose and output.• Brief but descriptive screen tip.

Well Done! Excellent!

You’ve just replicated your first QS report… Now, rinse, lather & repeat,

for surely there are more to reports to recreate!

Deadline

Reassign reports to IIT customized packages :Now through Friday February 27th

Any new reports created in Query Studio or Report Studio should be based on the new IIT

package. These will not require package reassignment.