Various Components of Cognos

Discuss about various components of cognos:

Web-based:

Query Studio:  Use to create adhoc reports and support only relational modeling.

Report Studio: Use to create complex reports using prompts, joins, unions, etc.. and support both relational as well as dimensional modeling.

Analysis Studio: Use to create only cross tab reports using dimensional modeling. It doesn't support relational modeling.

Event Studio: Use to execute various task such as Job, News item, Run a report, Run an agent, Email, etc..  by automatically trigger the event when condition satisfies.

Cognos Connection: Display the packages, folders, reports, jobs, views,etc.. which are stored in content store. User interact with cognos connection to open the report, load the packages, run the job,etc..

Cognos Administration:  Use to provide security in cognos using user/group/role for capability, create data source connection, export and import the packages/content store, add user/group/role, server performance tuning, load balancing, etc..

Dashboards: Use to create different summarized view of business using list, crosstab, chart in single report page.

Window-based:

Framework manager: Use to load tables, datasources, packages, provide security at package/subject/query item/data item level, create and publish the packages for relational and dimensional modeling. Published packages will load in the studio for reporting.

Transformer: Use to create cubes.

Basic Installation and Configuration of Cognos:

Installation and Configuration of Cognos 8.4 with DB2 and Apache web server2.0:


Db2:
 

• Install DB2
• Create a database with UTF-8 code set and named as content store.
• Create two buffer pool with 32kb and 4kb space.
• Create regular,System and User temporary table spaces with 32kb page size for system,user, regular and point out 32kb buffer pool.
• Create system temporary table space with 4kb page size and point out 4kb buffer pool.

Cognos:

• Install Cognos
• Copy Common.jar,db2jcc4.jar,db2jcc.jar,db2dbgm.jar,db2java.zip,db2qgjava.jar files from DB2Installation path\IBM\SQLLIB\Java and put it under C:\Program Files\cognos\c8\webapps\p2pd\WEB-INF\lib
• Launch Cognos Configuration.
• Delete default content store,create new one and configure the content store by giving content store database name, port number, location of content store with cognos.
• Save the configuration.

Apache web server:

• Install Apache web server
• Add the below script

ScriptAlias /cognos8/cgi-bin "C:/Program Files/cognos/c8/cgi-bin/"
 <Directory "C:/Program Files/cognos/c8/cgi-bin">
     Options Indexes MultiViews
     AllowOverride None
     Order allow,deny
     Allow from all
 </Directory>
Alias /cognos8 "C:/Program Files/cognos/c8/webcontent"
 <Directory "C:/Program Files/cognos/c8/webcontent">
     Options Indexes MultiViews FollowSymLinks
     AllowOverride None
     Order allow,deny
     Allow from all
 </Directory>
in httpd.conf file present within the folder:Apache HTTP Server 2.0\data\usr\local\Apache2\conf

Start services:

Start content store database.
Start cognos server
Start apache server

Cognos Architecture

Cognos Architecture:

It is a three tier architecture. Presentation tier, Business tier, Data tier.

Presentation tier:  Web server is present in this tier and it handles request from user and response to user. After receive request from user it delegates the request to dispatcher to process the request and get the response from dispatcher to delegate to the user.

Various webserver: IIS, Apache, IBM Http.

Business tier:  Various cognos services and BI server are present in this tier. Dispatcher receive request from webserver and delegate to appropriate services. Services such as Email, Bursting, Presentation, Report, Event, Studio, Content Manager services. All these services are located under BI server.

Data tier:  Content store is present in this tier. BI server creates content store tables in content store with the help of content manager. BI server stores packages, reports,folders,scheduling, views,etc. in content store.
Datasource is present in this layer which helps to connect with database and olap.

Introduction and Overview of CognosBI Blog

Introduction of CognosBI Blog:

I have good experience in Cognos and want to share my knowledge on Cognos Studios, Configuration, Modelling and learn new things.

Overview of CognosBI Blog:

This blog is mainly focus to create and connect with Cognos people and discuss about cognos issues, practices, solutions of various scenarios and aware of cognos job opportunities.

This blog currently concentrate on Cognos architecture, Report studio, Framework Manager ,Cognos Connection, Cognos Admin, Query Studio, Analysis Studio, Event studio and Cognos Configuration. This line of items will be extended to other features and tools such as Active reports, Business Insight, Dashboards, Metric studio, Scorecards, Cognos TM1 and Cognos Planning in near future.

Please provide your support.