Cognos FAQ
- Saparnell
Access
Q: How do I request access to Cognos?
A: It depends, are you a consumer (want to run an existing report) or a developer (want to build a report). Either way you need to be a member of specific Active Directory (AD) groups for access to specific folders.
Consumers need to request access to reports seen on bah.ucsd.edu via the ‘request access’ link found on the same page. If the report is not on bah.ucsd.edu then the consumer will need to request access from the report developer.
Developers automatically have access to Cognos DEV and can upload their own data via Excel. Developers who want to use UCSD data can request access to existing data sources (https://blink.ucsd.edu/technology/bi/sources/index.html) or request to have their data added to Cognos ( Interim Solution - Adding Data to Cognos or Tableau )
Error Messages
Q: Error: model or package /name/ does not exist or you are not allowed to use it because of security settings.
A-1) You are attempting to build a report in Cognos QA or Cognos Prod. All report development should occur in Cognos DEV.
A-2) You have not been provisioned report developer access to that data source. Report developer access to each data source must be requested separately. You can find report developer access request steps on Blink > Data Sources.
Folder Best Practices
Q: What is the Business User Development folder?
A: It is where teams keep their ‘in-progress’ or ‘draft’ reports. This folder stays in Cognos DEV.
Q: Where do I save my report?
A: If your report is only for you then save it to your My Content. If your report is ready for you to share with your team then move it to Team Content > Business User Development > Your Team Folder. If your report is ready to be migrated to Cognos QA or Cognos Prod then move it to Team Content > Your Team Folder.
Watch out!
If you are using a data module the data module must live in the same folder or folder structure as the report so the customer has access to both.
If you are using an Excel in your data module the Excel must live in the same folder or folder structure as the report so the customer has access to both.
If you move your data module you will need to re-point all reports using that data module to the new location of the data module.
If you move a report and are using a drill through then you will need to re-point the drill through to the new report location.
If you move a report to a different folder in the same environment the link to that report will change.
Migrations
Q: How do I migrate my folder of reports from Cognos DEV to Cognos Prod?
A: https://blink.ucsd.edu/technology/bi/tools/cognos/index.html#FAQs
Q: How do I migrate my folder of reports from Cognos DEV to Cognos QA?
A: https://blink.ucsd.edu/technology/bi/tools/cognos/index.html#FAQs