Using Ibm Cognos Reports To Create A Data Source - IBM Cognos User Manual

found in the production source which were not found in the prototype source will
provide new categories for the UNIX or Linux server model.
IBM Cognos Impromptu Query Definition (IQD) files are available only on
supported IBM Cognos Series 7 platforms. IQD files are not a supported data
source on Linux and HPUX Itanium platforms.
If you use data sources other than IQD files or IBM Cognos package and report
data sources, you must set up separate physical sources of flat file data sources on
the local computer used for the prototype, and on your UNIX or Linux server.
Packages and reports are maintained in the model; however, the UNIX or Linux
server requires database client connectivity to retrieve query results for cube
building.

Using IBM Cognos Reports to Create a Data Source

You can use Report Studio or Query Studio list reports, designed against DMR or
relational data sources, as a data source in Cognos Transformer. When doing so,
create the report to include prompts so that when testing the model, you can test a
subset of the data that would be included in the full cube build.
Prompted reports are supported in Cognos Transformer, regardless of the platform
on which the cube build is performed. Prompts from reports can be handled either
interactively or silently as part of a batch script.
Consider taking advantage of the data filtering capabilities of IBM Cognos reports
to
v filter by value on specific columns
For example, you can include data for only a few of your regions when
generating categories for the Regions dimension in the model.
v return a specific number of rows
For example, if the server data source contains two million records, you can use
only the first 10,000 records for your model prototype.
v return only unique records if the server data source contains a lot of duplicate
records
After you generate categories and create .mdl files and cubes for your
production server, Cognos Transformer can acces the same database that you
used to build the prototype model.
Using an IBM Cognos Data Source for a UNIX Cube
Suppose you have a sales analysis model with reports defined for Products,
Regions, and Sales Transactions. You save these reports in IBM Cognos Connection,
and use Cognos Transformer on Windows to read the data and define the model
structure with a small number of text rows in Cognos Transformer.
You then use Cognos Transformer to rebuild the model using the report with no
restrictions on data retrieval, build the cube, and deploy it to your UNIX server.
1. In IBM Cognos Report Studio or Query Studio, create a new list report against
a DMR or relational package that returns sufficient data to build a prototype
model, using a prompt to filter the data results.
2. In Cognos Transformer on Windows, design and build the prototype, using the
report as a source for the data source query.
3. Fill in the prompt information to filter the data results for testing purposes.
Chapter 9. Guidelines for Optimizing Production Environments
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