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8 BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
USER GUIDE
THE NEXT LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE
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REPORT STUDIO
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Cognos(R) 8 Business Intelligence Readme
Report Studio User Guide
USER GUIDE
Product Information
This document applies to Cognos
(R)
8 Version 8.1.2 MR1 and may also apply to subsequent releases. To check for newer versions of this
document, visit the Cognos support Web site (http://support.cognos.com).
Copyright
Copyright (C) 2006 Cognos Incorporated.
Portions of Cognos(R) software products are protected by one or more of the following U.S. Patents: 6,609,123 B1; 6,611,838 B1; 6,662,188
B1; 6,728,697 B2; 6,741,982 B2; 6,763,520 B1; 6,768,995 B2; 6,782,378 B2; 6,847,973 B2; 6,907,428 B2; 6,853,375 B2.
Cognos and the Cognos logo are trademarks of Cognos Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other names are
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
While every attempt has been made to ensure that the information in this document is accurate and complete, some typographical errors or
technical inaccuracies may exist. Cognos does not accept responsibility for any kind of loss resulting from the use of information contained in
this document.
This document shows the publication date. The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. Any
improvements or changes to either the product or the document will be documented in subsequent editions.
U.S. Government Restricted Rights. The software and accompanying materials are provided with Restricted Rights. Use, duplication, or
disclosure by the Government is subject to the restrictions in subparagraph (C)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software
clause at DFARS 252.227-7013, or subparagraphs (C) (1) and (2) of the Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights at
48CFR52.227-19, as applicable. The Contractor is Cognos Corporation, 15 Wayside Road, Burlington, MA 01803.
This software/documentation contains proprietary information of Cognos Incorporated. All rights are reserved. Reverse engineering of this
software is prohibited. No part of this software/documentation may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
transmitted in any form or by any means, or translated into another language without the prior written consent of Cognos Incorporated.
User Guide 3
Introduction 21
Chapter 1: Report Studio 23
Planning Reports 23
Working in Report Studio 23
The User Interface 23
Basic Report Structure 25
Working with Objects 27
Set Options 28
Creating a Report 29
Specify the Package 29
Choose a Report Template 30
Add Data to a Report 30
Recommendation - Creating Accessible Reports 33
Save a Report 33
Run a Report 33
Print a Report 37
Creating Your Own Report Templates 38
Convert a Report to a Template 38
Create a Query Studio Template 38
Managing Your Reports 39
The Cognos 8 SDK 39
Chapter 2: Types of Reports 41
List Reports 41
Group Data 41
Set the Group Span for a Column 42
Format Lists 45
Crosstab Reports 45
Crosstab Nodes and Crosstab Node Members 46
Create a Single-Edge Crosstab Report 47
Create a Nested Crosstab Report 47
Specify the Default Measure 48
Format Crosstabs 48
Change a List into a Crosstab 49
Example - Add Aggregate Data to a Crosstab Report 50
Example - Create a Discontinuous Crosstab 51
Charts 52
Example - Create a Column Chart to Plot Order Trends 53
Customize a Chart 54
Customize the Colors of a Chart 56
Change a Chart Background 57
Add a Baseline to a Chart 58
Customize the Lines in a Chart 59
Add a Marker to a Chart 60
Add a Note to a Chart 60
Specify the Chart Label Text and Value Text Shown 63
Specify the Properties of a Gauge Chart 63
Create a Drill-up and Drill-down Chart 63
Example - Show Values in the Chart Legend 64
Table of Contents
4 Report Studio
Define Query Context When Customizing Legend Entries, Legend Titles, or Axis
Labels 65
Example - Customize the Axis Titles 65
Example - Create a Conditional Palette 67
Maps 68
Example - Create a Map Report 69
Example - Define Data Values for the Region Layer 70
Ignore Data with no Features 70
Match Data Values to Names in the Map File 71
Define Data Values for the Point Layer 71
Add Another Color to the Region or Point Layer 72
Specify the Size of Points 72
Add Titles, Subtitles, Footers, and Axis Title 72
Add Legend Titles 73
Add a Note to a Map 73
Customize a Map 73
Drill Through to Another Report From a Map 75
Edit a Map 75
Additional Maps 75
Location Intelligence 76
Repeaters 76
Convert a List into a Repeater 76
Example - Create Mailing Labels 77
Chapter 3: Formatting a Report 79
Recommendation - Laying Out a Report 79
Report Layout Guidelines 80
The Page Structure View 80
Add a Header or Footer 80
Add Borders 81
Add Text 81
Specify the Font 82
Add Color 82
Insert an Image 82
Insert a Background Image 83
Add a Bookmark 83
Example - Add a Table of Contents to a Report 84
Insert Other Objects 86
Rich Text Item Supported Elements 87
Example - Add a Multimedia File to a Report 88
Align an Object 88
Use Tables to Control Where Objects Appear 88
Apply a Table Style 89
Apply Padding 89
Set Margins 89
Reuse a Layout Object 90
Change a Reused Object 90
Update Reused Objects 91
Add a Page 91
Create Page Sets 91
Join Nested Page Sets 92
Example - Preparing a Product List Report 93
Reorder Columns 94
Rename a Column 94
Swap Columns and Rows 95
Setting Object Properties 95
Control Page Breaks and Page Numbering 95
User Guide 5
Specify Text Properties 96
Specify Text Flow 96
Specify the Height and Width 97
Control How Objects Flow Around Other Objects 97
Specify Borders and Cell Size in Tables 98
Create and Modify Classes 98
Modify Classes to Format Query Studio Reports 99
Modifying the Default Layout Style Sheet 100
Chapter 4: Working with Data 101
Filter Data 101
Define a Slicer 102
Filtering Data Using an SAP BW Data Source 103
Ignoring the Time Component in Date Columns 103
Sort Data 104
Perform Advanced Sorting 104
Create Sections 105
Remove Sections 105
Add a Summary 106
Setting Aggregation Properties for a Column 107
Create a Calculation 107
Format Data 108
Specify the Format for an Object 109
Specifying the Number of Decimals 109
Locale-sensitive Properties 109
Specify the List of Properties for a Layout Object 110
Show Data for a Specific Time Period 110
Adding Prompts 111
Use the Build Prompt Page Tool 111
Build Your Own Prompt and Prompt Page 111
Create a Parameter to Produce a Prompt 114
Create a Prompt Directly in a Report Page 115
Modifying Prompts 116
Control the Data That Appears in Tree Prompts 119
Working with Queries 119
Relating Queries to Layouts 119
Working with Dimensional Data Sources 120
Add Queries to a Report 120
Create a Union Query 121
Create a Join Relationship 123
Add Dimension Information to a Query 124
Working with SQL or MDX 125
Add a Query Macro 128
Chapter 5: Working with Existing Reports 131
Open and Save a Report Locally 131
Open a Report from the Clipboard 132
Open Files from Other Studios 132
Components of an Analysis Studio Query Specification 132
Managing Changes in the Package 135
Update Name References 135
Change the Package Connection 136
Bursting Reports 136
Defining Burst Recipients 136
Specify Burst Groups 138
Set Burst Options 139
Enable Bursting 139
Creating Burst Reports Using a Dimensional Data Source 140
6 Report Studio
Example - Burst a Report 141
Defining Conditions 142
Add a Variable 142
Adding Conditional Formatting to a Report 143
Add Conditional Rendering 146
Create a Drill-through Report 148
Specify the Drill-through Text 149
Example - Create a Drill-through Report 149
Create a Drill-up/Drill-down Report 151
Member Sets 152
Example - Create a Drill-up/Drill-down Report 153
Create a Master-Detail Relationship 153
Chapter 6: Try It Yourself Exercises 155
Try It Yourself - Create a List Report 155
Try It Yourself - Create a Crosstab 156
Try It Yourself - Create Charts 157
Try It Yourself - Create Map Reports 166
Show the Distribution of Revenue by Country 166
Show Revenue and Margins for Cities in the United States 167
Try It Yourself - Add Prompts 169
Try It Yourself - Create a Multiple-Page Report 169
Try It Yourself - Create a Template 171
Try It Yourself - Create an Invoice 172
Appendix A: Troubleshooting 175
A Web Server Error When Trying to Browse Images 175
Values Not Recognized in Multilingual Query Items 175
Changes in the Model Are Not Reflected in the Report 176
Problems When Printing a PDF Manual 176
A Running Total in Grouped Reports Gives Unexpected Results 176
The java.lang.OutOfMemory Error Message Appears in Cognos Connection or Report
Studio 177
Report Studio Does Not Start 177
A Report is Not Rendered Properly 177
Unable to Delete a Prompt 177
Appendix B: Samples 179
Sample Reports in the GO Sales Package 179
Conditional Display 179
Custom Legend 179
Orders Report 179
Product Report 179
Quantity by Product Line 179
Retailer Contact (Multiple Prompt Values) 179
Returns by Order Method - Prompted Chart 179
Revenue by Product Line 179
Revenue by Sales Territory 179
Sales Territory Map 180
Top Revenue 180
Sample Reports in the GO Sales and Retailers Package 180
Actual Sales Against Target Sales 180
Actual Sales Against Target Sales - Burst 180
Banded Report 180
Basket Analysis with Total Contribution (Top 10 Rank) 180
Business Details Drill-Through 180
Consumer Trends 180
Cost of Goods 180
User Guide 7
Custom Grouping 180
Customer Invoice 180
Global Sales 181
Global Sales (1) 181
GO Business View 181
GO Media 181
Mailing Labels 181
Margin Cost and Volume 181
Multi-Grain Fact 181
Multiple Charts 181
Order Analysis 181
Percent Contribution by Country 181
Product Comparison Charts 181
Product Line by Year 181
Product Line by Year-Prompt 182
Product Revenue 182
Product Revenue - Lifetime/Q2 182
Product Summary 182
Products Ranked by Revenue 182
Progressive Column Chart 182
Quantity by Retailer 182
Regional Orders 182
Report with Totals 182
Retailer Contact 182
Returns by Order Method 182
Revenue by Date and Amount 182
Sales Representative Contact List 183
Sales Reps Performance 183
Union Crosstab 183
Sample Reports in the GO Data Warehouse Package 183
Sales Target by Region 183
Tool Tips 183
Appendix C: Chart Types 185
Choosing a Chart Type and Configuration 186
Pie Charts 186
Column Charts 187
Progressive Column Charts 187
Pareto Charts 188
Bar Charts 188
Line Charts 189
Area Charts 189
Combination Charts 190
Radar Charts 190
Scatter Charts 191
Bubble Charts 191
Point Charts 192
Quadrant Charts 192
Polar Charts 193
Metrics Range Charts 193
Gauge Charts 194
Chart Configurations 194
Standard Charts 195
Stacked Charts 195
100% Stacked Charts 196
3-D Charts 196
8 Report Studio
Appendix D: Using the Expression Editor 197
Creating Expressions Using SAP BW Data Sources 197
Browse the Data of a Query Item 198
Using Quotation Marks in Literal Strings 198
Recommendation - Use Member Unique Name (MUN) Aliases 198
Functions Not Available When Creating a Report or Layout Expression 199
Operators 199
Summaries 204
Member Summaries 214
Constants 216
Constructs 218
Business Date/Time Functions 218
Block Functions 222
Macro Functions 222
Common Functions 227
DB2 240
Informix 250
MS Access 255
Oracle 261
Red Brick 268
SQL Server 271
Teradata 276
SAP BW 281
Sybase 282
Report functions 288
Appendix E: Producing Reports in Microsoft Excel Format 295
Microsoft Excel Limitations 295
Unable to Load Images from the Cognos 8 Content Store in a Report 295
A Blank Worksheet is Opened 295
A Warning Message Appears When Excel Opens a Cognos 8 Report 295
Using Reports Saved in XLS Format 295
Loading Excel Reports in Netscape 7.01 Is Not Supported 295
Nested Labels in Charts Are Not Supported 295
Data Series Are Truncated 296
Charts and Custom Colors 296
Repeating Pie Charts 296
Discrete Axis Label Skip Control in Charts 296
Formatting Limitations 296
Overline Text Format 299
Text Strings with More Than 255 Characters 299
Reports with More Than 256 Columns 299
Table and Column Width 299
Excel Formats and Secure Socket Layer (SSL) 299
Number Format Becomes Currency Format in Japanese Excel 299
Cognos 8 Limitations 300
Accessing Reports on a Remote Server 300
Drill-through Reports 300
Map Reports 300
Formats Not Supported for Reports in Excel Format 300
Hyperlink Buttons 300
Emailing Reports in Excel Format 300
Charting Support in Excel and Cognos 8 300
Appendix F: Report Studio Object and Property Reference 305
Report Studio Objects 305
3-D Area 305
3-D Bar 305
User Guide 9
3-D Combination Chart 305
3-D Line 306
3-D Scatter Chart 306
Angular Axis 306
Angular Measure 306
Area 306
As of Time Expression 306
Axis Title 307
Bar 307
Baseline 307
Baseline 307
Baseline 307
Baseline 307
Block 308
Bookmark 308
Bubble Chart 308
Bubble Measure 308
Calculated Member 308
Caption 308
Chart Body 309
Chart Footer 309
Chart Node Member 309
Chart Subtitle 309
Chart Text Item 309
Chart Title 309
Class 310
Combination Chart 310
Component Override 310
Conditional Block 310
Conditional Block 310
Crosstab 310
Crosstab Columns 311
Crosstab Columns 311
Crosstab Corner 311
Crosstab Fact Cells 311
Crosstab Intersection 312
Crosstab Member Fact Cells 312
Crosstab Node Member 312
Crosstab Rows 312
Crosstab Rows 312
Crosstab Space 313
Cumulation Line 313
Cumulation Line Axis 313
Cumulation Line Label 313
Data Item 313
Date & Time Prompt 313
Date Prompt 314
Default Measure 314
Detail Filter 314
Dimension 314
Display Layer 314
Fact 314
Field Set 315
Gauge Chart 315
Gauge Labels 315
Gauge Numerical Axis 315
Generated Prompt 315
10 Report Studio
HTML Item 315
Hyperlink 316
Hyperlink Button 316
Image 316
Interval Prompt 316
Join 316
Key 316
Layout Component Reference 317
Legend 317
Legend Title 317
Level 317
Level Hierarchy 317
Line 317
List 318
List Cell 318
List Column 318
List Column Body 318
List Columns 318
List Columns 319
List Columns Body Style 319
List Columns Title Style 319
List Column Title 319
List Footer 319
List Header 320
List Page Footer 320
List Page Header 320
List Row 320
List Row Cells Style 320
Map 320
Map Location 321
Map Location 321
Map Refinement Location 321
Map Refinement Location 321
Marker 321
Marker 321
MDX 321
Member Hierarchy 322
Member Property 322
Member Set 322
Metrics Range Chart 322
Metric Studio Diagram 322
Note 322
Note Content 323
Numerical Axis 323
Numerical Axis 323
Ordinal Axis 323
Page 323
Page Body 323
Page Footer 323
Page Header 324
Page Set 324
Pareto Chart 324
Pie Chart 324
Pie Labels 324
Point Layer 325
Point Measure 325
Point Size Measure 325
User Guide 11
Polar Chart 325
Progressive Chart 325
Prompt Button 326
Query 326
Query Operation 326
Query Reference 326
Radar Chart 326
Radial Axis 326
Radial Measure 327
Region Layer 327
Region Measure 327
Regression Line 327
Repeater 327
Repeater Table 327
Repeater Table Cell 327
Rich Text Item 328
Scatter Chart 328
Select & Search Prompt 328
Slicer Member Set 328
SQL 328
Summary Filter 328
Table 329
Table Cell 329
Table Row 329
Target Measure 329
Text Box Prompt 329
Text Item 329
Time Prompt 330
Tolerance Measure 330
Total Column 330
Total Column Label 330
Tree Prompt 330
Value Prompt 330
Variable 331
X Axis 331
X Axis 331
X Axis Measure 331
Y Axis 331
Y Axis 331
Y Axis 1 332
Y Axis 2 332
Y Axis Measure 332
Z Axis 332
Z Axis 332
Z Axis Measure 332
Report Studio Properties 333
3-D Viewing Angle 333
Absolute Position 333
Across 333
Aggregate Function 333
Allow 45 Rotation 333
Allow 90 Rotation 334
Allow Is Missing 334
Allow Skip 334
Allow Stagger 334
Angular Axis 334
Application 334
12 Report Studio
Auto Group & Summarize 335
Auto-Sort 335
Auto-Submit 335
Auto Truncation 335
Avoid Division by Zero 335
Axis Assignment 335
Axis Assignment 335
Axis Labels 335
Axis Line 336
Axis Title 336
Background Color 336
Background Image 336
Bar, Line, or Area Index 336
Baselines 337
Block Variable 337
Border 337
Border Color 337
Borders 337
Bottom Position (px) 337
Bottom Position (px) 338
Box Type 338
Box Type 338
Calendar Type 338
Caption 338
Caption 338
Cardinality 339
Cascade Source 339
Case Insensitive 339
Catalog 339
Chart Orientation 339
Chart Type 339
Chart Type 339
Class 339
Clock Mode 340
Color Legend Title 340
Color Legend Title 340
Column Intersection 340
Column Titles 340
Component Reference 340
Component Reference 341
Conditional Palette 341
Connecting Lines 341
Contents Height 341
Cross Product Allowed 341
Cumulation Axis 341
Cumulation Label 342
Cumulative Line 342
Current Block 342
Custom Label 342
Data Format 342
Data Item 342
Data Item 342
Data Item Label 343
Data Item Label 343
Data Item Label 343
Data Item Label 343
Data Item Value 343
User Guide 13
Data Item Value 343
Data Item Value 344
Data Item Value 344
Data Item Value 344
Data Item Value 344
Data Item Value 344
Data Language 344
Data Source 344
Default Measure 345
Default Measure Solve Order 345
Default Selections 345
Default Title 345
Define Contents 345
Define Member Sets 345
Depth 345
Description 346
Detail 346
Diagram Identifier 346
Dial Outline Color 346
Dictionary 346
Display After Overall Header 346
Display Frequency 346
Display Milliseconds 347
Display Seconds 347
Display Value 347
Down 347
Drill Throughs 347
Duplicates 347
Embed 347
Execution Optimization 348
Expression 348
Expression 348
Expression 348
Face Color 348
Fact Cells Precedence 348
Fill Effects 349
First Column Color 349
First Date 349
First Label Index 349
Floating 349
Font 350
Font Auto-Sizing 350
Footer 350
Foreground Color 350
Gauge Labels 350
Gauge Palette 351
Generated SQL/MDX 351
Gridlines 351
Grouping & Sorting 351
Grouping Type 351
Group Span 351
Has Fact Cells 351
Height (px) 352
Hide Adornments 352
Hide Text 352
Hole Size (%) 352
Horizontal Alignment 352
14 Report Studio
HTML 352
HTML Source Variable 352
Ignore Data with No Features 353
Include Zero For Auto Scale 353
Indentation Length 353
Indentation Start Level 353
Intersection Name 353
Join Relationships 353
Label 354
Label 354
Label 354
Label 354
Label 354
Label 354
Label Control 354
Labels 355
Labels 355
Last Date 355
Left Position (px) 355
Left Position (px) 355
Legend 355
Legend Label 355
Legend Title 356
Limit Type 356
Line 356
Line Style 356
Line Styles 356
Line Weight (pt) 356
Map & Layers 356
Map Drills 356
Margin 357
Marker Color 357
Marker Label 357
Markers 357
Marker Text Location 357
Master Detail Relationships 357
Maximum Characters 357
Maximum Execution Time 358
Maximum Rows Retrieved 358
Maximum Size (pt) 358
Maximum Tables 358
Maximum Text Blob Characters 358
Maximum Truncation Characters 358
Maximum Value 359
MDX 359
Member Offset (%) 359
Minimum Size (pt) 359
Minimum Value 359
Minor Gridlines 359
Multi-Line 359
Multi-Select 360
Name 360
Name 360
Name 360
Name 361
Name 361
Name 361
User Guide 15
Negative Column Color 361
No Data Features Size (pt) 361
Note Border 361
Notes 361
Number of Regression Lines 361
Numbers Only 362
Numerical Axis 362
Numerical Axis 362
Numeric Value 362
Numeric Value 362
Ordinal Axis 362
Outer Join Allowed 362
Override Dimension Info 362
Overrides 363
Padding 363
Pagination 363
Palette 363
Palette 363
Parameter 363
Percentile 364
Percent of Axis 364
Performance Pattern 364
Pie Labels 364
Point Color 364
Point Shape 364
Point Shape 364
Point Size (pt) 365
Polynomial Exponent 365
Position 365
Positive Column Color 365
Pre-populate If Parent Optional 365
Pre-Sort 365
Processing 365
Progressive Axis 366
Projection List 366
Properties 366
Push To Bottom 366
Query 366
Radar Type 366
Radial Axis 366
Range 367
Range Label 367
Regression Line 367
Regression Type 367
Relative Alignment 367
Render Variable 367
Repeater Direction 368
Report Expression 368
Report Expression 368
Report Expression 368
Report Expression 368
Report Expression 368
Report Expression 369
Report Expression 369
Report Expression 369
Report Expression 369
Required 369
16 Report Studio
Right Position (px) 369
Rollup Aggregate Function 370
Rollup Processing 370
Rotate Labels 370
Row Intersection 370
Rows Per Page 370
Scale 370
Scale Interval 371
Scope 371
Scope 371
Selector 371
Selector 371
Select UI 371
Separator 371
Series Color 372
Set Operation 372
Show Caption 372
Show Data Range in Legend 372
Show Features with No Data 372
Show Feelers 372
Show Legend Values 372
Size & Overflow 372
Size Legend Title 373
Solve Order 373
Sorting 373
Source Type 373
Source Type 373
Source Type 374
Source Type 374
Source Type 374
Source Type 374
Source Type 374
Spacing & Breaking 374
Spider Effects 375
SQL 375
SQL Syntax 375
Standard Deviations 375
Static Choices 375
Style Variable 375
Subtitle 376
Suppress 376
Table Properties 376
Target Color 376
Target Marker 376
Target Marker Border Color 377
Target Marker Position 377
Target Range (%) 377
Text 377
Text Flow & Justification 377
Text Source Variable 377
Title 378
Tolerance Color 378
Tolerance Label 378
Tooltips 378
Top Position (px) 378
Total Column 378
Total Column Color 378
User Guide 17
Truncation 379
Truncation Text 379
Type 379
Type 379
Upper Range Skew (%) 379
URL 379
URL Source Variable 379
Usage 380
Use Local Cache 380
Use Same Range For All Instances 380
Use SQL With Clause 380
Use Thousands Separator 380
Use Value 380
Use Value 380
Value Location 381
Value Representation 381
Values 381
Values 381
Values 381
Value Type 381
Vertical Alignment 381
Visible 382
Visual Angle 382
White Space 382
Width (px) 382
X Axis 382
Y1 Axis 383
Y2 Axis 383
Y2 Axis Position 383
Y Axis 383
Data Formatting Properties 383
"Not Applicable" Characters 383
Any Error Characters 383
Calendar Type 383
Clock 383
Currency 384
Currency Display 384
Currency Symbol 384
Currency Symbol Position 384
Date Ordering 384
Date Separator 384
Date Style 384
Decimal Separator 384
Display AM / PM Symbols 384
Display As Exponent 384
Display Days 385
Display Eras 385
Display Hours 385
Display Milliseconds 385
Display Minutes 385
Display Months 385
Display Months 385
Display Seconds 385
Display Time Zone 385
Display Weekdays 385
Display Years 385
Display Years 386
18 Report Studio
Divide By Zero Characters 386
Exponent Symbol 386
Group Size (digits) 386
International Currency Symbol 386
Mantissa (digits) 386
Maximum No. of Digits 386
Minimum No. of Digits 386
Missing Value Characters 386
Negative Pattern 386
Negative Sign Position 387
Negative Sign Symbol 387
No. of Decimal Places 387
Numeric Overflow Characters 387
Padding Character 387
Pattern 387
Percentage Symbol 387
Percent Scale (integer) 387
Scale 387
Secondary Group Size (digits) 387
Security Error Characters 388
Thousands Separator 388
Time Separator 388
Time Style 388
Time Unit 388
Use Thousands Separator 388
Zero Value Characters 388
Appendix G: Using Patterns to Format Data 389
Pattern Guidelines 389
Date and Time Symbols 390
Decimal Format Symbols 396
Appendix H: Drilling Through from Cognos Series 7 to Cognos 8 399
Setting Up Drill-through Access from PowerPlay Web 399
Configure Cognos Series 7 for Cognos 8 399
Prepare the Transformer Model and Cube 399
Copy the Search Path 400
Enable the Cube for Drill-through access to Cognos 8 400
Decide Which Filters to Create in the Target Report 400
Create and Test the Target Report 401
Disable the Drill Through Assistant 402
Setting Up Drill-through Access from Cognos Visualizer 402
Configure Cognos Visualizer for Cognos 8 402
Copy the Folder Search Path 402
Specify a Cognos 8 Target Report 403
Decide Which Filters to Create in the Target Report 403
Create and Test the Target Report 404
Disable the Drill Through Assistant 404
Setting Up Drill-through Access from Third-Party Cubes 404
Configure Cognos Series 7 for Cognos 8 405
Prepare the Cube 405
Copy the Folder Search Path 405
Enable the Cube for Drill-Through Access to Cognos 8 406
Decide Which Filters to Create in the Target Report 406
Create and Test the Target Report 407
Disable the Drill Through Assistant 407
User Guide 19
Glossary 409
Index 413
20 Report Studio
User Guide 21
Introduction
This document includes step-by-step procedures and background information to help you create
standard and complex reports. Report Studio is a Web product for creating reports that analyze
corporate data according to specific information needs.
To use this guide, you should have
knowledge of your business requirements
experience using a Web browser, developing Web applications, and writing reports
knowledge of databases and data modeling concepts
The following documents contain related information and may be referred to in this document. To
view these documents, either consult your administrator to determine the online location of
Cognos documentation or search the Knowledge Base of the Cognos Global Customer Services
Web site: (http://support.cognos.com/kb-app/knowledgebase). If you require logon credentials,
either consult with your administrator or send an email to support.america@cognos.com.
For more information about using this product, visit the Cognos Global Customer Services Web
site (http://support.cognos.com). For information about education and training, click the Training
link from this site.
This document is available as online help and as an online book.
From within the online help, you can click the following link to open a printable version of this
document (PDF).
Document Description
Cognos 8 Getting Started Teaching new users how to use Cognos 8
Cognos Connection User
Guide
Using Cognos Connection to publish, find, manage, organize, and
view Cognos content, such as scorecards, reports, analyses, and
agents
Cognos 8 Administration
and Security Guide
Managing servers, security, reports, and Portal Services; setting up
Cognos samples; and customizing Cognos 8
Analysis Studio User
Guide
Exploring, analyzing, and comparing dimensional data
Framework Manager
User Guide
Creating and publishing models using Framework Manager
Metric Studio User Guide
for Authors
Monitoring metrics within a scorecard application
Query Studio User Guide Creating self-service business intelligence reports
Map Manager
Installation and User
Guide
Installing and using Map Manager to import and manage maps that
are used in map reports
Cognos 8
Troubleshooting Guide
Helping administrators to quickly identify and solve problems
22 Report Studio
Introduction
Our documentation includes user guides, tutorial guides, reference books, and other materials to
meet the needs of our varied audience.
Online Help
All information is available in online help. Online help is available from the help button in a Web
browser, or the Help menu and help button in Windows products. You can also download the
online help from the Cognos support Web site (http://support.cognos.com).
Books for Printing
The information in each online help system is available in online book format (PDF). However,
the information from a given help system may be divided into more than one online book. Use
online books when you want to print a document or when you want to search the whole
document.
You can print selected pages, a section, or the whole book. Cognos grants you a non-exclusive,
non-transferable license to use, copy, and reproduce the copyright materials, in printed or
electronic format, solely for the purpose of providing internal training on, operating, and
maintaining the Cognos software.
Online books are available from the introduction to the online help for each component.
All online books are available on the Cognos documentation CD.
You can also read the product readme files and the installation guides directly from Cognos
product CDs.
User Guide 23
Chapter 1: Report Studio
Report Studio is a Web-based tool that professional report authors use to build sophisticated,
multiple-page, multiple-query reports against multiple databases. With Report Studio, you can
create any report that your company requires, such as invoices, statements, and weekly sales and
inventory reports.
Planning Reports
Before you use Report Studio to design and create a report, some information is required. For
each report, answer the following questions:
Who is the target audience?
What business question do you want to answer?
Which type of report will best answer the business question?
What are the data sources, and where are they?
Which data items and calculations are needed?
What are the security needs?
How will the report be distributed?
Answering some of these questions involves working with other Cognos 8 components. For
example, Framework Manager is the metadata tool used to model your enterprise data. Models
created in Framework Manager provide the data items that you use in reports.
Working in Report Studio
To create reports in Report Studio, you must become familiar with the Report Studio
environment.
To work effectively in Report Studio, do the following:
Familiarize yourself with the user interface.
Learn about basic report structure, which includes the layout and queries.
Learn how to work with report objects.
Set the options you want.
The User Interface
The Report Studio user interface has two panes, an explorer bar, and a work area to help you
create reports.
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Insertable Objects Pane
The Insertable Objects pane contains objects that you can add to a report. You add objects to a
report by dragging them to the work area.
The Insertable Objects pane contains these tabs:
The source tab contains items from the package selected for the report, such as data items and
calculations.
The data items tab describes the queries created in the report.
The toolbox tab contains a variety of objects that you can add to the report, such as text and
graphics.
Properties Pane
The Properties pane lists the properties that you can set for an object in a report.
You can obtain additional information about a property by selecting it and clicking F1. For
example, you can view the list of objects that uses each property.
Tip: View a description of the currently selected property at the bottom of the pane. From the
View menu, click Property Descriptions.
Explorer Bar
Use the following buttons on the Explorer bar to work with different parts of a report:
Pause the pointer over the page explorer button to go to a specific report page or prompt
page.
Tip: You can also add a new report page or add a prompt page (p. 111).
Pause the pointer over the query explorer button to work with queries (p. 119).
You use Query Explorer to create or modify queries and to perform complex tasks, such as
defining union joins and writing SQL statements.
Pause the pointer over the condition explorer button to work with variables.
You use variables to add conditional formatting (p. 143) to a report.
Explorer bar
nsertable
Objects
Pane
Properties
pane
Work area
Chapter 1: Report Studio
User Guide 25
Work Area
The work area is where you design reports.
Visual Aids
The visual aids button provides the following options to assist you when you are designing reports
in the layout.
Basic Report Structure
All reports have two components, a layout component that defines the report appearance, and a
query component that defines report data. Understanding these components will help you design
effective reports.
Layout
A layout is a set of pages that defines the appearance and formatting of a report. When you design
the layout of a report, you
present the data in a meaningful way by using lists, crosstabs, charts, and maps
Visual aid Description
Hide boundary lines Hides all boundary lines
Show boundary lines Shows all boundary lines
Show boundary lines (override) Shows boundary lines when the Border property for an
object is set to None
Show repeating Repeats objects when you insert them. For example,
when you insert a data item in a crosstab, the data item
appears in each row or in each column of the crosstab.
Show drag and drop padding Shows drag-and-drop zone when the Padding property
for an object is set to 0. If the Padding property is set to
a value that is greater than the minimum padding
Report Studio uses to show drag-and-drop zones, only
the minimum padding is shown.
Show hidden objects Shows objects for which the Box Type property was set
to None
Show sorting Shows the sorting icon for data items for which a sort
order (p. 104) was specified
Show grouping Shows the grouping icon for grouped data items (p. 41)
Show source type Shows the source type icon of objects, such as layout
calculation (p. 107)
Show drill throughs Shows data items for which a drill-through definition
(p. 148) was defined as hyperlinks
Show bookmarks Shows bookmarks (p. 83) inserted in the report
Show master detail relationships Shows master detail relationships (p. 153) defined in
the report.
Tip: Pausing the pointer over the master detail
relationship icon will show the relationship.
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give the report the appearance you want by adding formatting, such as borders, color, images,
and page numbers
specify how the data flows from one page to the next
Pages
Pages are containers for the layout objects that you use to build a report. A page is made up of the
following mandatory and optional components:
page header (optional)
page body (mandatory)
page footer (optional)
When you run a report, the amount of data queried often exceeds one page. As a result, a page
will repeat until all the data is shown. You have control over how data flows from one page to the
next. For example, here are alternative representations of a report that contains a chart and a
lengthy list.
(1) The chart appears on its own page. The list begins on the next page and fills subsequent
pages until all rows appear.
(2) The chart and the first few rows of the list appear on the first page. The rest of the data in the
list appears on the subsequent pages.
Objects
You add layout objects to a page when you create a report. Below are objects that you will use
often when building reports in Report Studio:
list
Add a list to show data in rows and columns.
crosstab
Add a crosstab to show data in a grid, with dimensions along the rows and columns, and
measures in the cells or intersection points.
chart
Add a chart to show data in a graphical format.
map
Add a map to plot data geographically.
repeater
Add a repeater to show each instance of a certain column or data item in a separate frame.
text
Add a text item to show textual information.
block
Add a block to hold text or other information. Blocks are often used to lay out horizontal
bands of information.
table
Add a table to arrange or align layout objects in a left to right, top to bottom fashion.
For information about other layout objects you can add to a report, see "Insert Other
Objects" (p. 86).
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User Guide 27
Queries
Queries determine what data items appear in the report. Sometimes you want detail rows of data,
which you obtain by using a simple SELECT statement. Other times you must calculate totals or
averages using aggregate functions and grouped columns, or must apply filters to show only the
data you want.
Report Studio automatically creates the queries you need as you build reports. However, you can
modify these queries or create your own custom queries to get the results you want.
For more information about queries, see "Working with Queries" (p. 119).
Working with Objects
You build reports by adding objects and manipulating them to obtain the results you want. To
understand how to work with objects in Report Studio, you must be familiar with the following
concepts:
object types
objects as containers
locking and unlocking objects
hierarchy of objects
For information about Report Studio objects, see "Report Studio Object and Property
Reference" (p. 305).
Object Types
In Report Studio, layout objects are either inline or block. You can insert other objects on the
same line as an inline object, but not on the same line as a block object. When you insert an object
to the left or to the right of a block object, the object appears on the line above or below the block
object respectively. Examples of inline objects include graphics and text items. Examples of block
objects include any report type (list, crosstab, chart, or map) and tables.
Note: You can also use an objects floating (p. 97) property to define how other objects flow
around the object. For example, you can specify how text flows around an image.
Objects as Containers
Objects, such as tables (p. 88), blocks (p. 86), and any report frame (p. 41), are containers in
which you can insert other objects. For example, you can insert a list in one cell of a table and a
chart in another.
Tip: You can also nest objects to create a sophisticated layout. For example, you can insert a table
in a cell of another table.
Locking and Unlocking Objects
To manipulate the contents of some objects, you must first unlock the object. For example, you
have a list that contains the column Product Name. You want to insert a graphic inside the
Product Name column to show an image of each product. Unlocking the list allows you to insert
the image object inside a list column.
Tip: From the Structure menu, click Lock Page Objects. Toggling this menu item locks and
unlocks all layout objects in a report. However, this setting is not saved with the report.
Hierarchy of Objects
In Report Studio, objects are organized hierarchically. For example, a list contains list columns,
and each list column contains a text item, which is the name of the inserted data item.
The hierarchy of objects is useful to remember when you apply formatting because formatting is
applied to the child objects of the object. For example, you can specify that all list column titles in
a list have red as the background color. The formatting is automatically applied to any new
columns you add to the list, because the formatting is applied to the list and is therefore applied to
the objects in the list.
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Tip: Right-click a column title in the list and click the Columns Title Style. Then specify the
background color you want in the Background Color property.
Set Options
Set the options you want when working in Report Studio.
Steps
1. From the Tools menu, click Options.
2. On the General, View, and Edit tabs, set the options you want.
Option Description
Show members folder When working with dimensional data, shows members
folders for each level (p. 31).
Show startup dialog Shows the Welcome dialog box at startup
Resize window at startup Maximizes the Report Studio window at startup
In-place edit Enables the editing of text in place when double-clicking
Group properties Groups properties in the Properties pane (p. 24), such as
Text Source, Data, and General
Allow local file access Enables the opening and saving of reports on your
computer (p. 131)
Reuse Cognos Viewer window Reuses the same Cognos Viewer window when you rerun
a report without first closing the window
Resize Cognos Viewer window Maximizes the Cognos Viewer window when you run a
report
Automatically validate expressions Automatically validates expressions, such as filters,
created in the expression editor (p. 197)
Delete unreferenced query objects Automatically deletes query objects linked to another
object. For example, if you delete a list, the query linked
to the list is deleted as well.
Show hidden layout objects Shows layout objects in which the Visible property was set
to No
Wrap text in editors Automatically wraps text in all editors where you can
define expressions
Animate explorers Animates the appearance of the Page Explorer, Query
Explorer, and Condition Explorer(p. 24)
Use Windows skin Replaces the current appearance of the interface with the
display scheme specified by the Windows settings
Automatically populate values list When building expressions in the expression editor,
automatically shows values when browsing the data of a
data item (p. 198)
Alias member unique names When working with a dimensional data source, creates an
alias when you add a member to the report or to an
expression (p. 198).
Chapter 1: Report Studio
User Guide 29
3. On the General tab, do the following:
In the Request time out (seconds) box, type the maximum time allowed for an operation
to execute before it is cancelled.
If you are working with dimensional data, in the Member display count limit box, type
the maximum number of members that can appear in the Insertable Objects pane when
performing a search (p. 32).
If you are working with maps, in the Feature display limit box, type the maximum
number of features that can appear in a map.
4. On the View tab, under Layout dimensions, type the width and height of the area where you
will create reports.
5. On the Edit tab, do the following:
In Tab stops, specify the length of tabs.
This option allows you to add and remove tabs by pressing Tab and Shift+Tab.
In Aggregation mode, click the aggregation type you want Report Studio to use when
aggregating values in crosstabs.
6. Click OK.
Creating a Report
When you create a report, you are actually creating a report specification. The report specification
defines the queries and prompts that are used to retrieve data, as well as the layouts and styles
used to present the data. For simplicity, the report specification is named the report.
Before creating a report, ensure that you have the planning information (p. 23) you need.
Creating a new report involves
specifying the package
choosing a report template
adding data items
saving the report
running the report
You can then format the report (p. 79) and manipulate the data that will appear in the report
(p. 101). For information about other tasks that are specific to a report type, see "Types of
Reports" (p. 41).
Specify the Package
Specify the package that will provide items for the report.
The packages that you use to generate reports are based on models that are created in the
modeling tool, Framework Manager. A model is a set of related objects, such as query subjects,
dimensions, filters, and calculations. When you open a package in Cognos 8, these model objects
are visible in the left frame.
The package must be previously created and published to the Cognos Connection portal. For
more information, see the Framework Manager User Guide.
Aggregation mode Description
Within detail Aggregates the visible details.
Within aggregate Aggregates the visible aggregates at the next lower level of detail.
Within set Aggregates the member sets.
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Steps
1. In the Cognos Connection Welcome page, click the Report Studio link.
If there is more than one package available, the Select a package page appears. Otherwise,
Report Studio starts.
2. If more than one package exists, click the one you want to use.
3. In the Welcome dialog box, choose whether to open a new or existing report or template:
To create a new report or template, click Create a new report or template and choose a
report template.
To open an existing report or template, click Open an existing report or template and
select a report.
Objects from the selected package, such as data items, appear on the source tab of the Insertable
Objects pane.
Tip: You can later change packages (p. 136).
Refresh the Package
If the package that a report is using has changed, refresh it to ensure that you are working with
the latest version.
Steps
1. In the Insertable Objects pane, click the source tab.
2. Right-click its background and click Refresh.
Tip: You can also close and reopen the report to upgrade it to the latest version of the package.
Choose a Report Template
When creating a new report, choose a report template to get you quickly started. You can select a
predefined template that is formatted as a particular report type (p. 41), or you can open an
existing report as a template.
Steps
1. From the File menu, click New.
2. If you want to change the package, click the ellipsis points (...) and click a different package.
3. Choose a report template:
To create a report using one of Report Studios predefined templates, double-click the
template you want.
Tip: Double-click Query Studio Template to create a report template that Query Studio
users can apply to their reports.
To create a report using a previously created template, double-click Existing, locate the
template, and click Open.
Tip: Click the Type box and then click Templates to only see existing templates.
To open an existing report as a template, double-click Existing, locate the report, and
click Open. You are actually opening a copy of the report, and the original report remains
unchanged.
The report template appears in the report page. For more information about templates, see
"Creating Your Own Report Templates" (p. 38).
Add Data to a Report
Select the data items that you want to appear in the report.
You may frequently use items from different query subjects or dimensions in the same reports. Ask
your modeler to organize these items into a folder or model query subject and then to republish
the relevant package. For example, if you use the product code item in sales reports, the modeler
can create a folder that contains the product code item and the sales items you need.
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User Guide 31
Steps
In the Insertable Objects pane, on the source tab, drag each data item to the location where
you want it to appear.
Tips: For more information about a data item, right-click the item and click Properties. Other
ways to select data items are to double-click each item, or right-click each item and click Insert.
A flashing black bar indicates where you can drop an item. Items inserted in the report appear on
the data items tab.
Tip: If you want to remove a data item from the report, select it and click the delete button. To
remove the data item from the report but keep it on the data items tab, click the cut button
instead.
Working with Dimensional Data
If you are working with a dimensional data source, data items are organized hierarchically. The
source tab in the Insertable Objects pane shows a metadata-based view of the data.
Note: The names of levels and members in a dimension come from the model. It is the
responsibility of the modeler to provide meaningful names.
(1) Package. Packages are subsets of a model, containing items that you can insert in a report.
(2) Dimension. Dimensions are broad groupings of descriptive data about a major aspect of a
business, such as products, dates, or markets.
(3) Level hierarchy. Level hierarchies are more specific groupings within a dimension. For
example, for the Years dimension, data can be organized into smaller groups, such as Years,
Current Month, and Last Month.
(4) Members folder. Member folders contain the available members for a hierarchy or level. For
example, the Members folder for the Years level hierarchy contains everything found in the
Year, Quarter, and Month levels.
Note: To see members folders, you must select the Show members folder check box in the
Tools menu (p. 28).
(5) Level. Levels are positions within the dimensional hierarchy that contain information at the
same order of detail and have attributes in common. Multiple levels can exist within a level
hierarchy, beginning with a root level. For example, the Years level hierarchy has the
following related levels.