Setting up Publish Data for IBM Cognos

Interviewer - Server > UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer activities in UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer Server - Admin > Publish Data > Setting up Publish Data for IBM Cognos

When the Publish Data activity is started, three tabs display and provide settings for defining a specific IBM Cognos server. The IBM Cognos server must first be configured before the Publish Data activity settings will work. This section provides information on setting up the Publish Data activity for use with a IBM Cognos server.

Before defining the IBM Cognos server in the Publish Data activity, you must:

▪set up the dispatcher URL for the IBM Cognos server

▪set up the credentials for logging into the IBM Cognos server

▪specify the information used to build the IBM Cognos data source.

Setting up the dispatcher URL for the IBM Cognos server

After installation, the default DispatcherUrl value is empty, which effectively disables the IBM Cognos related Publish Data options. You must update the DispatcherUrl DPM property, in the appropriate property collection, under Applications > PublishData > ApplicationSettings > CognosServers.

For more information, see DPM settings for publishing data.

You can use the IBM Cognos Configuration utility to determine the appropriate DispatcherUrl value (Environment > Dispatcher URI for external applications).

Note If the IBM Cognos server and UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer are on different computers, replace the localhost value in the Dispatcher URI for external applications URL with the specific IBM Cognos server’s IP address.

Setting up credentials for logging into the IBM Cognos server

Login credentials are required in order to access the IBM Cognos server. The credentials can be anonymous, or associated with a specific user.

When using an anonymous login, you must ensure that the Allow anonymous access? setting is set to True in the IBM Cognos Configuration utility (Security > Authentication > Cognos > Allow anonymous access?). When using anonymous credentials, you can use the default CredentialsForLoginCognos DPM settings.

For more information, see DPM settings for publishing data.

When logging in as a specific user, you must ensure that a Namespace is configured in the IBM Cognos Configuration utility (for example, you could create a new datacollection namespace under Security > Authentication).

Restart the server must be restarted after making changes in the IBM Cognos Configuration utility.

After making the required IBM Cognos server updates, you must update the CredentialsForLoginCognos DPM setting (do not use the default settings). For more information, see DPM settings for publishing data.

Specifying information used to build the IBM Cognos data source

The IBM Cognos server requires a Cognos data source in order to access UNICOM Intelligence RDB2 data. The Publish Data activity creates a Cognos data source for the project if one does not already exist. For example, if you use the Publish Data activity to make a project called “Museum” available to Cognos, a new data source called “Museum” will be created if one does not already exist. If a “Museum” data source is already present, the existing data source is used.

Note You may need to manually delete an existing Cognos data source if you change the information used to build the data source.

There are three methods for specifying the information used to build a Cognos data source:

1 When the IBM Cognos server is hosted on a Microsoft Windows operating system, and the existing Content Store type is Microsoft SQL server, use Windows Authentication in the Microsoft SQL Server native client.

This is the most common method for specifying the information used to build a Cognos data source.

2 When the IBM Cognos server is hosted on a Microsoft Windows operating system, but the Content Store type is not Microsoft SQL Server, use SQL Server Authentication in the Microsoft SQL Server native client.

3 When the IBM Cognos server is not hosted on a Microsoft Windows operating system, use SQL Server Authentication with an ODBC driver.

For options 1 and 2, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 native client must be installed on the IBM Cognos server. If another version of Microsoft SQL Server is already installed on the IBM Cognos server, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 native client must be installed separately.

Setting up Windows Authentication in the Microsoft SQL Server native client

Use the following configuration information when the IBM Cognos server is on Microsoft Windows, and the existing Content Store type is Microsoft SQL server.

1 In IBM Cognos Configuration, go to Data Access > Content Manager > Content Store > Type, and then set the Cognos Content Store Type to Microsoft SQL Server Database (Windows Authentication).

2 On the IBM Cognos server, change the logon for the IBM Cognos service from Local System account to This account and enter the Windows account information.

The Windows account must:

▪have access to all required resources (such as printers)

▪have authority to logon as a service and act as part of the operating system

▪be a member of the local Administrator group.

3 Using SQL Server Management Studio on the UNICOM Intelligence computer, add the Windows account, used to start the IBM Cognos service, to the Security > Logins list and assign the Server Roles of public and sysadmin.

4 Using DPM Explorer on the UNICOM Intelligence cluster, ensure that the DataSourceConnection property collection matches the following default settings:

Password: blank

UseODBCDriver: False

UserID: blank

WindowsAuthentication: True

Setting up SQL Server authentication in the Microsoft SQL Server native client

Use the following configuration information when the IBM Cognos server is hosted on Microsoft Windows, and the existing Content Store type is not Microsoft SQL server.

1 Ensure that the UNICOM Intelligence RDB2 SQL Server uses mixed SQL Server and Windows Authentication mode. If the server uses Windows Authentication mode only, update the authentication mode using the following steps.

Changing the security authentication mode

a In SQL Server Management Studio Object Explorer, right-click the server and then click Properties.

b On the Security page, under Server authentication, select the new server authentication mode, and then click OK.

c In the SQL Server Management Studio dialog box, click OK.

d In Object Explorer, right-click the server, and then click Restart.

Note If SQL Server Agent is running, it must also be restarted.

Enabling the sa login

a In SQL Server Management Studio Object Explorer, expand Security, expand Logins, right-click sa, and then select Properties.

b You might be required to create and confirm a password for the login on the General page.

c On the Status page, in the Login section, click Enabled, and then click OK.

2 Using DPM Explorer on the UNICOM Intelligence cluster, update the DataSourceConnection settings as follows (these are not the default settings):

▪Password: Enter the password for the sa account

▪UseODBCDriver: False

▪UserID: sa

▪WindowsAuthentication: False

Setting up SQL Server authentication with an ODBC driver

Use the following configuration information when the IBM Cognos server is not hosted on a Microsoft Windows operating system.

1 On the IBM Cognos server, manually create the ODBC data source (SQL Server driver) using the project’s database name.

Note The project’s database name is not always the same as the project ID.

2 Using DPM Explorer on the UNICOM Intelligence cluster, update the DataSourceConnection settings as follows (these are not the default settings):

Password: Enter the password for the sa account

UseODBCDriver: True

UserID: sa

WindowsAuthentication: False