http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/c8fpm/v8r4m0/index.jsp?

topic=/com.ibm.swg.im.cognos.antut_an.8.4.0.doc/antut_an.html

Crosstab Node Creation Option

In the Structure menu, the Create Crosstab Nodes option affects the drag-and-drop
behavior in crosstabs. When the option is turned on and you add a data item to a crosstab,
the item is created as a crosstab node. If the option is turned off, the item is created as a
crosstab node member to an existing crosstab node.

For example, in the previous diagram, if the option is turned on and you drag Country from
the Insertable Objects pane to beneath Product line, Country becomes a new peer
node to Product line. If the option is turned off, Country becomes a new peer node to
Product line and has Product type as a nested crosstab node. This happens because
instead of adding a new node, you are adding a new member to the existing node that
already contains Product line.

Tip: To create discontinuous crosstabs , turn the Create Crosstab Nodes option on. If
you want the items on the edges of crosstabs to be related (contain the same nested
items), turn the Create Crosstab Nodes option off.

Order of Styles Applied

If you apply the same styles, such as font color, to crosstab rows, columns, and crosstab
intersections, the styles are applied in the following order:

 crosstab fact cells

 fact cells in the outermost rows

 fact cells in the innermost rows

 fact cells in the outermost columns

 fact cells in the innermost columns

 crosstab intersections

The style applied to the last object in the list overrides styles applied to previous objects. In
addition, class styles are applied before styles that you apply manually.

You can also quickly format crosstabs by applying table styles and add white space to a
crosstab by inserting crosstab space objects .
http://www.itap.purdue.edu/ea/files/UnderstandingParametersAndPrompts.pdf

Miscellaneous Prompt Tips and Tricks

• Value, date, time, and date & time prompts each have different options of user
interfaces. To change one of these prompts UI, click the prompt and change the
‘Select UI’ property in the Properties pane.
• When creating a prompt that is going to allow for multiple values, be sure to make
the operator for the filter ‘in’. If you make the operator ‘=’, it will only allow for
one value.
• If you inadvertently make a prompt required or not required and want to change
it to the other way, it is not as simple as changing the ‘Required’ property in the
Properties pane. You will need to go back to the parameterized filter and change
the ‘Usage’ to the proper selection. This also applies if you want to change any
part of the filter, such as changing the ‘=’ operator to ‘in’.

CognosDataFlow
http://www.itap.purdue.edu/ea/files/CognosDataFlow.pdf

Difference Between Style variable & Render Variable

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/forums/thread.jspa?messageID=14424809

http://cognos-starter.blogspot.com/2011/01/difference-between-style-variable.html

Render Variable: - Specify a variable based on which object can be conditionally rendered. 

Style Variable: - Specify a variable based on which object can be conditionally styled. Style variable is
used to show or represent different report objects in different styles that are present in report.

Example  for Style Variable

In a report in a list if u want to display every alternate row with particular color 
in this case, go to query explorer....
1) create a data item with name running-count with function "running-count" on particular unique
column
2) now create one more data item as mod  with functon "mod" on that running-count data item.

    Select List and in properties pane..select 'Properties' and select 'running-count' and 'mod' data
items.
3)create a boolean varibale with expression mod=1
4)go to the page select List column Body style
5)In properties pane select Style Variable as boolean variable 
6)click on YES variable and set its Foreground color as RED 
7)click on No variable and set its Foreground color as Yellow 
now run the report 

Example  for Render Variable

if the case is like you want to see the  particular page in HTML or PDF or CSV format then 
1)Create 3 pages in your report 
2)every page conatins some specific data
3)name these pages as HTML,PDF,CSV
4)create a String vaiable with 3 values as HTML ,PDF and CSV
5)now in string variable put expression as .....
case

when ReportOutput()='HTML' then 'HTML'

when ReportOutput()='PDF' then 'PDF'
when ReportOutput()='CSV' then 'CSV'
end 

6)now go the page named HTML and select page object 

7)in properties pane click on Render Variable ,select that string variable
8)check only HTML check box value for HTML page 
9)repeat step No. 6 to step No.8 for remaining 2 pages.

Conditional Block:

Able to use conditional block on prompt page also used in report pages with Boolean
variable (query condition ReportOutput() in (‘PDF’, ‘HTML’)).