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Southern Oregon University

Banner Systems

SOU Data Warehouses

Overview

There are currently two data warehouses supported by SOU. They are the Student Data Warehouse and the Recruits and Applicants Data Warehouse. The Finance Data Warehouse and HR Data Warehouse used by Business Services and the Human Resource department are maintained and supported by OUS. For more information on the Finance Data Warehouse, click on the FIS Data Warehouse Guided Tour word document.

The Student Data Warehouse contains information from the Banner Information System about students at Southern Oregon University. The Student Data Warehouse includes demographic data, current standing, academic history, registration, grades, course schedules and degrees obtained for the students. The Recruits and Applicants Data Warehouse includes information about the most current recruits, applicants and admits to SOU.

All of these data warehouses (supported by SOU and OUS) will end up being accessed through Cognos. Cognos is IBM's Business Intelligence system offering several software products working with both relational and dimentional data sources. Internet Exporer must be used to access Cognos on a PC. Mac users can access Cognos using Mozilla Firefox.

The tools in Cognos are:

  • Cognos Business Insight - Use this tool to view existing workspaces (also known as a dashboards) or build your own workspace. Charts and reports included will update with the current data in the data warehouse when you open up the workspace.
  • Cognos Business Insight Advance - Use this tool to easily build reports including tables, crosstabs (matrixes) and charts. Cannot be used to filter data using a partial match (like student attribute).
  • Cognos Query Studio - Use this tool to build queries or reports that need to use a partial matching filter (Begins with, ends with, contains).
  • Cognos Connection - Can be used as an access point to existing queries and reports (including your own in My Folders, existing reports for each package or I*Reports).

Faculty and staff who wish to use the Student Data Warehouse will need to have an account set up and attend training. For those users who have accounts, follow the How to Connect instructions to access the system.

This document has eight major sections. Click on the link below to jump to a section.

Data Protection Guidelines

Policies and procedures are consistent with overall institutional policies regarding release of student information as outlined in the Release of Student Information memo and the FERPA Summary document from the Office of the Enrollment Services to ensure compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and in the Acceptable Use policy in A Guide to Computing Resources.

  • We may not disclose any information about students, other than directory information, to unauthorized persons or organizations. Non-disclosable information includes things like social security number, grades, academic standing, which classes a student is enrolled in, how many credit hours the student has earned, test scores, student disciplinary records, and any other information considered an education record.
  • Directory information at SOU includes: name, local and permanent addresses and telephone numbers, date and place of birth, academic major, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, dates of attendance, enrollment status, degrees and awards received, and the most recent previous institution attended. We cannot release any information, even directory information, for a confidential student. We cannot even acknowledge that the student is at SOU.
  • Data which is identifiable to particular individuals (e.g., inclusion of names, social security numbers, student ID's, addresses, telephone numbers) shall be used only by persons with a legitimate educational interest and within the scope of the individual's responsibilities (e.g., instructors may access data for classes which they teach, departments for their majors, etc). A legitimate educational interest means that the person is required to perform certain duties and these duties involve the use of student data.
  • Any release of individual or aggregate student information to anyone outside of SOU who have a legitimate educational "need to know" must be authorized by the Office of the Enrollment Services consistent with a written request stating the use of the data.
  • Anyone with SOU data warehouse access must ensure that such data is not available to individuals who do not have access to the same data via a normal Banner account or who do not have a legitimate "need to know". The individual with warehouse access is responsible for providing security and auditing that security on a regular basis.
  • The actual data is made available only via the SIS Data Warehouse via an authorized user ID and password. Data which is saved locally must be adequately protected from outside access. We recommend that you password protect all saved data files and use the Windows workstation locking feature or screensaver password on all of your computers with this data. Saved data must be updated frequently enough such that the likelihood of incorrect data being used is minimized.
  • Requests for data or the use thereof which are outside the users' scope must be authorized in advance by the Office of Enrollment Services consistent with a written request stating the use of the data.
  • Requests (or subpoenas) for individual or aggregate student information from law enforcement authorities (including campus security, FBI, CIA, District Attorney) or legislative officials should be referred to the appropriate executive dean.
  • Printed reports with student ID's, social security numbers, confidential students, or FERPA protected data should be kept in a protected environment and shredded when disposed of.
Glossary
  • Canvas - An area within a workspace (dashboard) that users interact with to create, view, and manipulate content and data.
  • Charts - Graphical interpretation of the data. Cognos Business Insight Advanced can be used to create many chart types, such as column, bar, area, and line charts.
  • Crosstab Report - Use crosstab reports, also known as matrix reports, to show the relationships between three or more data items. Crosstab reports show data in rows and columns with information summarized at the intersection points.
  • Data Item (Query Item) - A representation of a column (fields) of data in a data source. Data items may appear in a model or in a report and contain a reference to a database column, a reference to another data item, or a calculation.
  • Data Objects (Query Objects) - The tables of information stored in the database. They have additional information, or data items, associated with them.
  • Grouping - In reporting, the process of organizing common values of data items together and only displaying the value once.
  • Filter - The process of restricting the data delivered.
  • Model - A physical or business representation of the structure of the data from one or more data sources. A model describes data objects, structure, and grouping, as well as relationships and security. In Cognos BI, a model is created and maintained in Framework Manager. The model or a subset of the model must be published to the Cognos server as a package for users to create and run reports.
  • Package - A representation of data in the database which consists of the data objects and relationships in the Data Warehouse.
  • Prompt - A report element that asks for parameter values before the report is run.
  • Queries - A request for information from a data source based on specific conditions:
  • Relationships- How the data objects are joined together. They allow users to formulate queries using more than one data object./li>
  • Report - A set of data deliberately laid out to communicate business information.
  • Session - The time during which an authenticated user is logged on.
  • Sort - Presentation options for organized appearance. Puts the data in alphabetical order that is either in ascending or descending order.
  • Widget - A portable, reusable application or piece of dynamic content that can be placed into a workspace (dashboard) receive input, and communicate with an application or with another widget.
  • Workspace (Dashboard) - A web page that can contain one or more widgets that graphically represent business data.

Data Packages (Data Models)

There are two distinct student packages (data models): Current Students and All Students and one Recruits and Applicants package. Current Students contains information for students who are enrolled for the current term. All Students contains information for all students who are in the Banner. The data for all both student packages is refreshed nightly from Banner. (For example: If a student registers for classes on the 18th of December, the data will not be available in the data warehouse until the 19th of December). An exception to this is the grade roll to academic history. Because the grade roll takes place after midnight, if the grades are rolled into academic history on the 18th of December, the grades will not be available in the data warehouse until the 20th of December. The Recruits and Applicants package is also updated nightly and includes information about the most current recruits, applicants and admits to Southern Oregon University.

All Students

The All Students package contains information on all students in the Banner and consists of seven data objects:

  • Course Registration and Grades - Contains all courses in students' registration and academic history records, including dropped courses, in-progress courses, and completed courses. Includes information about the course, including the instructor, level, college, department, registration status, and grade.
  • Course Schedule - Contains information on courses offered at SOU, including campus, college, department, subject, course number, course attributes, CRN, section meeting times and locations, instructor, enrollment counts, and waitlist counts.
  • Degrees - Contains awarded and complete/pending degrees for all students. Includes graduation term and date, degree status code, student level, degree, institutional honors, commencement term, department, majors, minors, and concentrations.
  • Student Demographic and Current Standing - Contains summary information about the student, including demographic data (city, state, zip, age, ethnicity), admission data, curriculum data, account balances, cumulative GPA and hours, academic standing, test scores, and holds.
  • Student Personal - Contains personal, identifying student information including name, address, phone number, parent information, email address, student ID, and confidential flag. Discretion should be used when accessing information in this data object.
  • Term Summary - Contains summary information for each term that students have taken courses, including term GPA, cumulative GPA as of that term, attempted hours, earned hours, academic standing, and curriculum information.
  • All Term - Contains the term code information for all terms in the All Students package. Includes term code and description, start date and end date. Also includes a field identifying the term as current or not.

Each of the data objects have many data items associated with them. A complete list of the data items is available by clicking on the pdf icon below.

PDF File All Students Package

Current Students

The Current Students package contains information on students enrolled in the current term and consists of seven data objects:

  • Course Registration and Grades - Contains all courses in students' registration and academic history records, including dropped courses, in-progress courses, and completed courses. Includes information about the course, including the instructor, level, college, department, registration status, and grade.
  • Course Schedule - Contains information on courses offered at SOU, including campus, college, department, subject, course number, course attributes, CRN, section meeting times and locations, instructor, enrollment counts, and waitlist counts.
  • Degrees - Contains awarded and complete/pending degrees for all students. Includes graduation term and date, degree status code, student level, degree, institutional honors, commencement term, department, majors, minors, and concentrations.
  • Student Demographic and Current Standing - Contains summary information about the student, including demographic data (city, state, zip, age, ethnicity), admission data, curriculum data, account balances, cumulative GPA and hours, academic standing, test scores, and holds.
  • Student Personal - Contains personal, identifying student information including name, address, phone number, parent information, email address, student ID, and confidential flag. Discretion should be used when accessing information in this data object.
  • Term Summary - Contains summary information for each term that students have taken courses, including term GPA, cumulative GPA as of that term, attempted hours, earned hours, academic standing, and curriculum information.
  • Current Term - Contains the term code information for the current term. Includes term code and description, part of term code and description, start date and end date.

Each of the data objects have many data items associated with them. A complete list of the data items is available by clicking on the pdf icon below.

PDF File Current Students Package

Recruits and Applicants

The Recruits and Applicants package contains information about the most current recruits, applicants and admits in the Banner and consists of three data objects:

  • Recruits and Applicants - Contains one recruit record or one application record per person. There is never more than one record per person even if they have multiple recruit records and/or applications in Banner at the same time. The program that builds the warehouse follows a set of criteria to determine which record is most "actionable" in the case of multiple records. "Actionable" generally means further along in the recruiting process (application data is more actionable than the preceding recruiting data) and sooner rather than later (an application for the next term is more actionable than a second application for a subsequent term.)
  • Interests - Contains information on the interests identified by the recruit, applicant or admit.
  • Test Scores - Contains the interest records of each of the recruits and applicants in the data warehouse.

Each of the data objects have many data items associated with them. A complete list of the data items is available by clicking on the pdf icon below.

PDF File Recruits and Applicants Package

Data Notes - Recruits and Applicants

  1. If a person has a recruit record but has not applied, that person is considered a recruit. If the person has multiple recruit records on file for the parameter period, the recruit record for the term nearest the parameter term is used.

    If the person has an application for the parameter period, then the person is considered an applicant and application data will always be used vs. recruit data for the parameter period. If a person has multiple applications on file, the application for the term nearest the parameter term is used.

  2. Record Type Code. - This field in the Recruit and Applicant Data Object is critical as it indicates whether a record is for a recruit, an applicant, an admit or a student as recruits, applicants, admits and students are in the same data object.

    • 1 - Recruit
    • 2 - Applicant
    • 3 - Admit
    • 4 - Student

    An admit is an applicant for whom a positive admission decision has been made. (Application Decision Code = D). A student is an admit who has registered.

  3. Status Code. - This field in the Recruit and Applicant Data Object is critical as it indicates the status of the prospect.

    • A - Active
    • C - Cancelled
    • D - Denied

  4. Status Date. - This source of this field in the Recruit and Applicant table is dependent on the record type code and status code on the record.The following lists all the valid combinations of record type code and status code and what status date will contain based on the code combination.

    • 1A - Recruit add date
    • 1C - 'BYE' contact record date
    • 2A - Application date
    • 2C - Application status date
    • 2D - Application decision date
    • 3A - Admit date
    • 3C - Application status date
    • 4A - First add date
    • 4C - Last registration activity date (dropped all courses)

  5. User-written Query Considerations - All user-written queries and reports need to consider filtering 3 fields:

    • Term Code
    • Record Type Code
    • Status Code

    For example, if you want a list of all the active applicants for Fall 2012 not yet admitted, you would filter these fields as follows:

    • Term Code = 201201
    • Record Type Code = 2
    • Status Code = A

    However, if you want a count of all applications for Fall 2012, you would need to include Record Types 3 (Admits) and 4 (Students) as well, since they were applicants, and you would not check status code. So the filter would be:

    • Term Code = 201201
    • Record Type Code includes ('2', '3', '4')

Back to Overview

Pre-Defined Reports

The Student Data Warehouse includes pre-defined reports. Pre-defined reports are reports that are already written and included in the package. The All Students package and the Current Students package each have the following 4 pre-defined reports available:

  • Academic History by Deparment - This report lists all of a student's academic history sorted by subject and course within department. The report includes in-progress courses as well.
  • Academic History by Term - This report lists all of a student's academic history sorted by subject and course within term. The report includes in-progress courses as well.
  • Class Roster - This report lists all of the students registered or wait listed for a section.
  • Class Schedule - This reports lists the classes a student is registered for.

The Recruits and Applicants Data Warehouse includes pre-defined reports. Pre-defined reports are reports that are already written and included in the package.

  • Admits - Freshman pre-Business with a 3.5+ GPA - Given a parameter term code this report selects undergraduate admits (record type 3) with a pre-business major 1 or 2 (BAOP, BCHP, BMTP, BMUP or BUSY) and a high school GPA >= 3.5 and produces a list of names, IDs and mailing addresses.
  • Applicants - Have One Checklist Item, but Not Another - This report provides a list of names, IDs and email addresses for applicants with one checlist item, but not another.
  • Applicants - Incomplete Undergraduate Transfers - Given a parameter term, this report selects transfer (student type codes 3, 4, 5, 6) applicants (record type code 2) with an incomplete application status (I) for the parameter term and provides a list of names, IDs and phone numbers.
  • Record Type and Status Counts - Given a parameter term, this report produces counts by term for each record type code/status code combination. You can use this report as a model or to confirm your report counts are reasonable for the population your are selecting.
  • Recruits - Undergraduate (First Name and Email) - Given a parameter term, this report returns the first names and email addresses of undergraduate recruits.

Back to Overview

Help Available

We have several different methods of help available for the Student Data Warehouse:

  • On-line documentation on the web (this document) - This document includes basic information about SOU Data Warehouses and more detailed information on how to use the different Cognos tools. It includes information on how to create queries and reports using Cognos Business Insight Advanced or Cognos Query Studio and creating workspaces (dashboards) using Cognos Business Insight.
  • Data Dictionary reports - Each package has data dictonary reports available. The data dictionary reports contains information about all data objects and data items in the package. The information includes the data object name, data object description, data item name, data item description, the data item format (i.e. character, number), an example of the data item, and the Banner source of the data item. Data Dictionary reports are available for each individual data object. You may also query the data dictionary tables directly.
  • Validation Reports & Tables - Validation reports and tables are used to look up valid values available for various data items such as major codes and descriptions. A report is available for every validation table or you may query the validation tables directly.
  • Help Menu within Cognos tools - The Help menu in each of the different tools is the Question Mark (?) on the menu bar. Click on this to get to the specific tool's user guide.
  • Documentation Widget - Within the Students and Recruits and Applicants workspace (dashboard) is a Documentation widget. It contains links to this document, the Cognos Getting Started guide, How To videos for creating a workspace and the user guides for Cognos Business Insight, Cognos Business Insight Advanced, Query Studio and Cognos Connection.
  • Cognos Documentation- There are various sets of Cognos documentation available.
  • Help Desk - Log a call directly to our helpdesk system by emailing your question to data-warehouse@support.sou.edu.

Back to Overview

How to Connect

MySOU provides access to Cognos along with many other applications. When you access Cognos from the Online Services for Faculty & Staff channel, it will open up Cognos in a new browser tab or window.

  1. Get into Internet Explorer. If on a Mac you can use Mozilla Firefox.
  2. Log into MySOU
  3. Click on the Faculty/Staff tab
  4. Click on one of the Cognos links in the Online Services for Faculty & Staff channel.
    • Cognos BI - Home - This will go the the home page or workspace you have designated as your home in Cognos Connection or Cognos Business Insight.
    • Cognos BI - Students - This goes to the Students workspace in Cognos Business Insight. You can use this if you have access to the Student Data Warehouse.
    • Cognos BI - Recruits and Applicants - This goes to the Recruits and Applicants workspace in Cognos Business Insight. You can use if you have access to the Recruits and Applicants Data Warehouse.
  5. Enter SOULDAP as the namespace and click OK.

     Cognos Login - Namespace

  6. Enter your Network username and password and click OK.

     Cognos Login - Username

Back to Overview

Cognos Business Insight

Cognos Business Insight allows you to build and use sophisticated, interactive workspaces (also known as dashboards) using Cognos content, as well as external data sources.

This document contains basic information on how to use Cognos Business Insight. For detailed information on how to use all of the features, refer to the following IBM Cognos Business Insight User Guide and How To Videos.

A workspace is a visual display of the important information that you want to quickly gain insight on. You can monitor a workspace at a glance. In Cognos Business Insight, objects that you add to a workspace are displayed in widgets. These widgets contain content and interact with each other. They can show your data in table and graphical formats and give you direct access to run already created reports.

You can launch and existing Cognos Business Insight workspace directly from MySOU that have been created for Student and Recruits and Applicants. You can also get to Cognos Business Insight from Cognos Connection. The following links will take you to our existing workspaces.

Launching Cognos Business Insight
  • From the Cognos Business Intelligence Welcome page.
  • From Cognos Connection by clicking the new workspace button in the application bar or by selecting Launch Business Insight from the menu bar.
  • By clicking the hyperlinked name of an existing workspace from Cognos Connection.
  • By selecting Cognos BI - Students or Cognos BI - Recruits and Applicants from the MySOU Online Services for Faculty & Staff channel on the Faculty/Staff tab.
Create a new workspace
  • Update an existing workspace and save it in your My Folders area.
  • From an existing workspace press the new workspace button (second button on the left).
  • From Cognos Connection select Launch Business Insight from the menu bar. If you see the Getting Started page select Create New.
  • From the Cognos Connection Welcome page, select Create my workspaces. If you see the Getting Started page select Create New.
Workspace

Use a workspace to combine data from various sources and gain insight into your business. A workspace is a collection of widgets that typically display tables or charts of data, text, images, HTML pages, or RSS feeds. Dotted guidelines appear when you insert, move, or resize widgets. They provide a visual aid to assist you in aligning widgets.

Resize individual widgets to fit content.

When you place a widget on the workspace, the widget is automatically sized to fit its content. As you interact with the widget, the content might change and the widget will not be resized to properly display the content. This results in either scrollbars or white space in the widget.

  • On the widget toolbar for the widget you want to resize, click the Widget Actions button.
  • Select Resize to Fit Content.
Layout Modification

Modify the layout of the widgets on a workspace. As widgets are added, moved, manipulated, and removed, the layout of the workspace might need to be corrected. Cognos Business Insight provides the following layout actions that automatically arrange widgets on the workspace.

  1. Click the Layout and Style menu button on the application bar.
  2. From the drop-down list, select either Fit All Widgets to Window or Arrange All Widgets to Fit Content.
    • Fit All Widgets to Window - This layout action resizes all the widgets on the workspace to fit into the current workspace window. Scroll bars might appear on the individual widgets, depending on the number and size of the widgets. Widgets are resized proportionally; all of the widget resizing is done relative to the other widgets on the workspace.
    • Arrange All Widgets to Fit Content - This layout action arranges all the widgets on the workspace to best fit the content of each widget. Scroll bars might appear on the workspace, depending on the number and size of the widgets. Widgets are repositioned after resizing to prevent overlapping on the workspace.
  3. The widgets are rearranged on the workspace according the layout action you select.
Content Pane

The Content pane is available on-demand and displays the objects that you can add to the workspace. When you launch the Getting Started page, the Content pane, may be collapsed. You can expand the Content pane in the following ways:

  • On the Getting Started page, click the Create New button.
  • On the far right or left edge of the Getting Started page, click the middle of the collapsed Content pane (if it is hidden).
  • On the application bar, click the new button.
  • On the application bar, click the insert button, and select Insert Content.

The Content pane contains two tabs: Content and Toolbox. The Content tab displays Cognos content that you can add to the workspace. The Toolbox tab displays widgets that access other types of content such as, images and web pages, and widgets that control the data on the workspace. You insert objects by dragging them from the Content and Toolbox tabs to the workspace. Tip: In the Content pane, you can also right-click objects to insert them on the workspace.

Content Tab

The Content tab displays the Cognos content that can be added to a workspace and workspaces that can be opened. The content is the same content that is displayed in Cognos Connection, excluding any content that has been filtered out.

There are two expandable folders:

  • My Folders contains your personal content and workspaces.
  • Public Folders contains entries that are of interest to and can be viewed by many users.

You can filter the content you see. The available filters are accessed from the drop-down list at the top of the Content tab. You can filter by using the following criteria:

  • All Content displays all content in the content store, excluding any content that is not supported in Cognos Business Insight. This is the default setting.
  • My Favorites displays workspaces and reports that have been marked as favorites.
  • My Folders displays only the content in your My Folders folder.
  • Search Results displays content based on search results. You must first perform a search, otherwise this filter is not available.
Toolbox Tab

The Toolbox tab displays additional widgets provided by Cognos Business Insight. RSS feeds, Images and Web pages must be located on the SOU web server.

You can add toolbox widgets to the workspace from the Toolbox tab.

  • Image widget - The image widget is used to display images.
  • My Inbox widget - The My Inbox widget is used to show a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed of your secure approval requests, ad-hoc tasks, and notification requests from My Inbox in Cognos Connection.
  • RSS feed widget - The RSS feed widget is used to display RSS news feeds.
  • Select value filter widget - The select value filter widget is used to filter the data in other widgets; you select or deselect the data items you want to display or remove.
  • Slider filter widget - The slider filter widget is used to filter the data in other widgets; you display or remove data items using a range slider filter.
  • Text widget - The text widget is used to enter, format, and display text.
  • Web page widget - The web page widget is used to display HTML based content.
Widgets

Objects you add from the Content pane to the workspace are displayed in widgets. Widgets are containers that allow you to interact with and manipulate the content contained within them. Widgets have an on-demand toolbar that is displayed when the widget is selected or in focus. The available toolbar options depend on the type of widget and the content displayed in the widget. Slider filters and select value filters do not have a toolbar. To access the widget actions on a slider filter or select value filter, right-click on the widget. Widgets can also communicate with other widgets. For example, you can use a select value filter widget to control what data is dynamically filtered in a report widget.

Maximizing Widgets

You can maximize a widget to view the report content in more detail or to view the content that exceeds the size of the widget. Maximizing is useful for viewing report content in large complex tables and detailed charts that cannot be fully displayed in the widget within the constraints of the other workspace objects.

To maximize a widget, on the top right of the widget toolbar, click the maximize button. To restore the widget and view the workspace again, click the restore button. Tip: You can also modify the number of rows to display in a widget.

Content widgets

The following widgets are used when content objects are added to the workspace from the Content tab.

  • Report widget - When a report object (report or report part) is added to a workspace, it is displayed in a report widget. Report objects include reports created in Cognos Business Insight Advanced, Report Studio, Query Studio, Analysis Studio, and Metric Studio.
  • Cognos Navigator widget - You can add an Cognos Navigator widget to the workspace by dragging a folder item from the Content tab to the workspace. Folder items include content folders and packages. Use this widget to browse a list of links that open published Cognos reports and other entries in Cognos Viewer or the associated Cognos tool.
Actions Menu

An action menu is available for the workspace and for each widget on the workspace. The items available in each menu depend on user capabilities and the type of widget selected.

The available actions at the application level include the following menu options:

  • New creates a new workspace.
  • Open opens an existing workspace.
  • Save saves changes to a workspace.
  • Save As saves a workspace with a new file name or new location.
  • Email Link sends the URL of the current workspace by email, or copies the URL to the clipboard so it can be pasted into other documents. (not currently recommended)
  • Copy Link to Clipboard copies the URL to the clipboard so it can be pasted into other documents.
  • Edit Workspace Style changes the visual appearance of the workspace style and widgets to customize the look of your workspace.
  • My Preferences sets personal preferences for accessibility support for reports, Getting Started page display, product and content language, and time zone.
  • Log On to launch Cognos Business Insight. Log off to end your session.
  • Launch starts installed Cognos applications that you have permission to use.
  • Refresh All refreshes all workspace widgets.

The actions available for a widget depend on the widget content and widget type. All workspace widgets provide the following actions:

  • Remove from Workspace deletes the widget and content from the workspace.
  • Listen for Widget Events sets widget to widget communication.
  • Resize to Fit Content makes the widget the right size to display all of its content without excess white space or scrollbars.
  • Send to Back makes the selected widget appear behind other widgets when two or more widgets overlap.
  • Properties sets the available properties for the widget.

Report widgets also provide the following actions:

  • Print as PDF prints the selected widget content to a PDF document.
  • Export to creates PDF, Excel, CSV or XML format versions of the widget data.
  • Versions displays different versions of the report content if there are saved output versions available.
  • Refresh updates the widget content with the latest data.
  • Prompt Again displays the prompt values if the widget contains prompted report content.
  • Reset updates the report content to the most recent version.
  • Do More opens the report in the advanced mode. This mode allows you to change the report content and apply more advanced sorting, filtering, calculations, summaries, and formatting. (Any changes using this method would only effect the report for this specific workspace. Original report would not be modified.)
Setting a home page

You can set any saved workspace in Cognos Business Insight as your home page. When you set a home page, you can click the home icon to return to your home page at anytime. You can also log into your home workspace from the Cognos BI - Home link in MySOU.

  1. Open the workspace you want to set as your new home page.
  2. On the application bar, next to the home icon, click the arrow and select Set Workspace as Home.
Saving workspaces

Save a workspace to preserve your changes. You can also save an existing workspace using a new filename or location as the basis of a new workspace. When you save a workspace for the first time, a copy of each report widget is created for the saved workspace. After you open and change the report (for example, you apply a sort), the changes are saved in this copy. The data in a report widget is not saved with the workspace. If the report widget is based on a live report, fresh data is retrieved from the data source when you open the workspace.

Editing the workspace style

You can change the visual appearance of the workspace and widgets to customize the look of your workspace. For the workspace, you can change the appearance of the background. For workspace widgets, you can change the appearance of the background, border, and title bar. Widget customizations are applied to all widgets on the workspace.

You can change the visual appearance of the workspace. Complete the following steps to set style properties for a workspace.

  1. On the application bar, click the Layout and Style menu button and select Edit Workspace Style. Tip: You can right-click a blank area on the workspace to access the Edit Workspace Style option from the context menu. You can also select the option from the workspace Actions Menu.
  2. Click the Page tab.
  3. Set the properties, and click OK.
    • Background - Specifies the workspace background. Note: A background image URL must be on the SOU web server.
Edit all workspace widgets
  • You can change the appearance of all the workspace widgets at the same time. Complete the following steps to set style properties globally for all widgets.
    1. On the application bar, click the Layout and Style menu button and select Edit Workspace Style.
    2. Click the Widgets tab.
    3. Set the properties, and click OK.
  • Specify to show or hide the title bar. The default is to hide the title bar. You can also specify the title bar font.
  • Specify to show or hide widget borders. You can also specify the widget borders formatting.

Back to Overview

Cognos Business Insight Advanced

Cognos Business Insight Advanced is a web-based tool used to author reports and analyze data. Cognos Business Insight Advanced allows you to create reports with relational or dimensional data sources, and show data in lists, crosstabs, and charts. You can also use your own external data source.

This document contains basic information on how to use Cognos Business Insight Acvanced. For detailed information on how to use all of the features, refer to the following IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced User Guide.

Launching Cognos Business Insight Advanced

There are several ways you can open Cognos Business Insight Advanced.

  • From a Cognos Business Insight page by selecting Launch Business Insight Advanced from the Action Menu button (circle icon with upside down triangle on the left side of the menu bar).
  • From a report in Cognos Business Insight, click on the report and on the title bar select Do more. The icon looks like a gear. Note: This method will only make changes to the report in the worspace. No changes will be made to the original report.
  • From Cognos Connection by selecting Launch Business Insight Advanced from the menu bar.
  • By clicking the button on an existing report in Cognos Connection that will open the report in Business Insight Advanced. The button looks similar to a compass.
  • From the Cognos Connection Welcome page, select Author business reports.
Working in Business Insight Advanced

To create reports in Cognos Business Insight Advanced, you must become familiar with the Business Insight Advanced environment, including the user interface, the basic report layout, and setting options.

The User Interface

The Business Insight Advanced user interface has a work area, content and properties panes, a page layers area, and a context filter area to help you create reports. We recommend that you use a screen resolution of at least 1024 by 768 pixels.

  • The Work Area - The work area contains the crosstab that you use to create your report. By default, you see live data as you create your report. You can switch to design mode where you see only placeholder data.
  • Content Pane - The content pane contains objects that you can add to a report. You add objects to a report by dragging them to the work area.
  • Source Tab - The Source tab of the content pane contains items from the package selected for your report, such as data items and calculations.
  • Toolbox Tab- The Toolbox tab of the content pane contains a variety of objects, such as text and graphics, that you can add to your report. To add an object, drag it to the work area or double-click on it from the Toolbox tab.
    • Text Item- Inserts text.
    • Block - Inserts an empty block, a container in which you can insert other objects. This is useful for controlling where objects appear. Tip: You can use blocks to add space between objects. However, empty blocks are not rendered. You must insert an object or specify the height and width.
    • Table - Inserts a table, a container in which you can insert other objects. This is useful for controlling where objects appear.
    • Query Calculation - Inserts a calculation.
    • Image - Inserts an image. Must be specified by a URL. We are currently only allowed to add images that exist on the SOU web server.
    • Crosstab Space - Inserts an empty cell on a crosstab edge. Allows for the insertion of non-data cells on an edge. Blank cells appear for the edge when the report is run. Insert this object when a crosstab edge does not produce useful data and you want blanks to appear in the cells instead.
    • Crosstab Space (with fact cells) - Inserts an empty cell on a crosstab edge. Allows for the insertion of non-data cells on an edge. The contents of the fact cells for the edge are rendered when a measure is added or the default measure is specified. If the crosstab space is nested, the scope of the fact cells is the scope of the item that is at the level before the space. If the crosstab space is not nested and there are no items nested below it, the scope of the fact cells is the default measure.
    • List - Inserts a list.
    • Crosstab - Inserts a crosstab. You can insert multiple crosstabs in your report layout.
    • Chart - Inserts a chart. You can insert multiple charts in your report layout.
    • Hyperlink - Inserts a hyperlink so that users can jump to another place, such as a Web site. There are no restrictions on this URL.
    • Date - Inserts the date when the report runs.
    • Time - Inserts the time when the report runs.
    • Page Number - Inserts page numbers that you can customize.
  • Properties Pane - The Properties pane shows the formatting for an object in a report. You can change the formatting properties by using either the toolbar or the Properties pane.

Work in Preview or Design Mode

By default, you see live data as you create your report. However, to see data, you must add enough information in your report to resolve the query. You can also switch to only see placeholder data, using the Page Design mode.

  1. From the View menu, select Page Design or Page Preview.
  2. To specify how many rows of data to show per page when working in Page Preview mode, from the View menu, select Preview Options and type a new value.
Creating Reports

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.

Specify the Package

Specify the package that will provide items for the report. A package contains a set of related objects, such as members, dimensions, filters, and calculations. When you open a package in Cognos Business Intelligence, these objects are visible in the Source tab.

  1. In Cognos Connection, from the Launch menu, select Business Insight Advanced (or in Cognos Business Insight, select Launch Business Insight Advanced from the Action Menu). If there is more than one package available, the Select a package page appears. Otherwise, Cognos Business Insight Advanced starts.
  2. If more than one package exists, select on 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, select Create a new report and choose a basic report layout.
    • To open an existing report or template, select Open an existing report and select a report.

Choose a Basic Report Layout

Cognos Business Insight Advanced includes several basic report layouts that include report objects, such as lists, crosstabs, and charts. You can also choose to start with a blank report or open an existing report.

  1. From the report actions button, select New.
  2. To change the package, click the ellipsis (...) button and select a different package.
  3. Choose a basic report layout:
    • To create a report using one of the predefined report layouts, select the layout then click OK.
    • To create a new report using another report, select Existing then click OK, locate the report, and click Open.

Add data to a report:

  1. Select the data items that you want to appear in the report.
  2. From the Source tab, drag each data item to the work area location where you want it to appear.
  3. Note: A flashing black bar indicates where you can drop an item.
  4. Another way to insert a data item is to right-click each item and select Insert.
  5. For more information about a data item, select the data item and from the Data menu, select Data Properties.

Remove data from a report:

  1. Select data item you want to remove.
  2. Press the delete button.

Sorting data

You can sort items to view them in your preferred order.

  1. Select the column or row to sort.
  2. Click the sort icon.
  3. Under Sort in Layout, select Ascending or Descending.
  4. To remove a sort order, select Don't Sort.

Sorting multiple rows or columns

If you want to sort more than one row or column, you can add items to sort or change the order in which they are sorted.

  1. Select a column or row.
  2. Click the sort icon and click Edit Layout Sorting.
  3. To change the sort order when multiple columns are sorted, change the order of columns in the Detail Sort List folder.
  4. Add items to the Detail Sort List folder to sort additional items.

Filtering data

Use filters to remove unwanted data from reports. Data is displayed in the report only if it meets the filter criteria. You can combine two or more filters into a complex filter.

  • If you want to filter on a field included on the report:
    1. Select the data item on which you want to filter. If you select two or more items, you can filter using a range.
    2. Click the filter icon.
    3. Select a filter condition from the list.Click OK.
  • If you want to filter on a field not on the report:
    1. Click on the field you want to filter in the Source list.
    2. Right click on the field and select Filter for Report.
    3. Select the values you want to include and move them to Selected values.
    4. If you want the report to prompt you for values each time you run it, check Prompt for Values.

Editing filters

You can specify whether filters are mandatory and whether to apply them before or after automatic aggregation.

  1. On the toolbar, click the filter button.
  2. Click Edit filters.
  3. To edit an existing filter, select the filter that you want to edit and click the edit button.
  4. Click the new button to add new filters.
  5. To specify whether the filter is mandatory, in the Usage box, select an option.
  6. To specify whether to apply filters before or after automatic aggregation, in the Application box, select an option.

Removing filters

You can remove a single filter or all filters for your report if they are no longer needed.

  1. On the toolbar, click the filter icon.
  2. To remove all the filters in your report, click Remove all filters.
  3. To remove a single filter, click Edit filters.
  4. Select the filter that you want to remove and click the delete icon.

Save a Report

Save your report to preserve the modifications you made. Reports are saved to the Cognos Business Intelligence server.

  1. From the report actions button, select Save, or select Save As to save a copy of the report under a different name.
  2. Click on My Folders under Save in.
  3. If you are saving the report for the first time, specify where to save the report and type a file name.
  4. Under My Folders, you can create folders to organize your reports. Click on the Create New Folder icon to do this.
  5. Click Save.
Run Report

When you run a report in an export format such as PDF, delimited text (CSV) or Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (XLS), the Cognos report name is used as the exported file name.

  1. Open the report that you want.
  2. If you want to set run options, from the Run menu, select Run Options.
  3. The default values come from the run options in Cognos Connection.
  4. Note: The run options you set apply only to the current session. When you close Cognos Business Insight Advanced, the options return to the default settings.
  5. Change any values you want for the current session.
    • Paper size - Specify only if the output format is PDF.
    • Paper orientation - Specify only if the output format is PDF.
    • Data mode - Specify how much data is returned. All Data returns all data. Limited Data limits the amount of data returned. No Data returns artificial data instead of actual data from the data source.
    • Language- The content language sets the preferred language for the data, Cognos Viewer, dates, and so on.
    • Rows per page- Specifies the number of rows to appear on each page.
    • Prompt- Select to be prompted for each prompt defined, unless the prompt is defined in a report page. If you clear the check box, you are prompted only if the report cannot run without user intervention. For example, if a report has a single parameterized filter that is optional, you are not prompted when you run the report.
    • Include accessibility features - Specifies whether accessibility features, such as alternate text on images and charts and summary text in tables, are included in the report output.

Running Report in Different Formats

  • From the Run menu, select one of the options to produce the report in the format you want.
  • You can produce a report in HTML, PDF, CSV, various Microsoft Excel formats, and XML.
  • The report runs in Cognos Viewer. Once the report has finished running, you can run the report again in the same format or in a different format. If you run the report again in CSV or XLS format, the report appears in a new browser window or tab.
Lists

Use list reports to show detailed information from your database, such as product lists and customer lists.

  • A list report is a report that shows data in rows and columns. Each column shows all the values for a data item in the database or a calculation based on data items in the database.
  • List reports automatically include an overall summary in a footer row. The default summary is used.

Group Data

Group data items in a list report to remove duplicate values. For example, you have a report that shows departments. For each department, the major is also shown. You group the department column to show only one instance of each department in the list.

  • Grouping a column automatically moves it to the left as the first column. Grouping a subsequent column moves it to the left until it follows the last grouped column. When you ungroup a column, it moves to the right until it follows the last grouped column.
  • After a column is grouped, you can move it elsewhere in the report.
  • In addition to grouping, you can specify the sort order of data items. In lists, you can sort data items within groups as well as ungrouped items. In crosstabs, you can sort row and column items.
    1. Click the column on which to group. You can click either the column heading or one of the column cells.
    2. Tip: To perform multiple groupings at once, use Ctrl+click or Shift+click.
    3. Click the group/ungroup button.
Crosstabs

Use crosstab reports, also known as matrix reports, to show the relationships between three or more data items. Crosstab reports show data in rows and columns with information summarized at the intersection points.

  • Working with Crosstab Reports - When you add data items to a crosstab, you create crosstab nodes and crosstab node members. These objects allow you to easily create crosstabs, using drag-and-drop operations.
  • Crosstabs are dimensional objects that have row edges and column edges. Each edge is composed of a set of crosstab nodes. Each crosstab node contains the following:
    • One or more crosstab node members.
    • Zero or one nested crosstab node, which contains one or more crosstab node members or nested crosstab nodes.
  • Each crosstab node member refers to a data item that contains an expression that defines the members that appear in the crosstab.
  • Create a Nested Crosstab - Nest data in a crosstab report to compare information by using more than one data item in a column or row. For example, a report shows the overall GPA average by department for the past five terms. You decide to add a data item to further break down the GPA by major.
  • When nesting columns in a crosstab report, there are four distinct drop zones where you can insert a new data item. The drop zone you choose will define the relationship between the data item and the column.
  • The following relationships are created when you insert a data item as a row:
    • Inserting a data item to the left or right of a column creates a parent-child relationship between them. When you insert a data item to the left of a column, the data item becomes a parent to the column. When you insert a data item to the right of a column, the data item becomes a child of the column.
    • Inserting a data item above or below a column creates a union relationship between them.
  • The following relationships are created when you insert a data item as a column:
    • Inserting a data item to the left or right of a column creates a union relationship between them.
    • Inserting a data item above or below a column creates a parent-child relationship between them. When you insert a data item above a column, the data item becomes a parent to the column. When you insert a data item below a column, the data item becomes a child of the column.

Swap Columns and Rows

Swap columns and rows to look at information from a different perspective. This may help you discover high and low points in the data that you hadn't previously noted.

  • You can only swap columns and rows in a crosstab or chart. In a chart, you swap the x- and y-axes.
  • From the toolbar, click the swap rows and columns button.
  • In the report, the rows become the columns and the columns become the rows.

Change a List into a Crosstab

Change a list into a crosstab to view your data from a different perspective.

  1. Click the columns to appear as columns or nested columns in the crosstab.
  2. From the Structure menu, click Pivot List to Crosstab.
  3. Results - The list becomes a crosstab with the columns you selected appearing as columns and nested columns. The unselected columns, except for measures, appear as rows and nested rows. If you have one measure, it becomes the cells of the crosstab. If you have more than one measure, they appear as columns.
  4. Tip: To make all measures appear as rows, swap columns and rows.
Creating Charts

You can use Cognos Business Insight Advanced to create many chart types, such as column, bar, area, and line charts.

  • Before creating charts, review the available chart types to select the best chart for your needs. Also review the chart elements that make up charts.
  • To view the available chart types, from the File menu, select New, and then double-click the chart icon. You can also view the available chart types by adding a Chart object from the Toolbox tab to an existing report.
  • To create charts, drag data items from the Source tab to the measures, data series, and categories drop zones.
  • To help you when creating charts, you can do the following:
    • Resize your charts.
    • Move the chart drop zones into flyouts so that they appear only when you pause your pointer over the chart.
    • After you create a basic chart, modify the various chart objects to customize your chart.

Chart Types

Cognos Business Insight Advanced includes a number of chart types, such as column, bar, area, and line charts.

  • Column Charts - Column charts use vertical data markers to compare individual values.
  • Line Charts - Line charts are useful for showing trends over time and comparing many data series.
  • Pie Charts - Pie charts are useful for highlighting proportions.
  • Bar Charts - Bar charts are useful for showing trends over time and for plotting many data series.
  • Area Charts - Area charts are useful for emphasizing the magnitude of change over time. Stacked area charts are also used to show the relationship of parts to the whole.
  • Point Charts - Point charts are useful for showing quantitative data in an uncluttered fashion.
  • Combination Charts - Combination charts plot multiple data series by using combinations of columns, areas, and lines within one chart. They are useful for highlighting relationships between the various data series.
  • Scatter Charts - Scatter charts use data points to plot two measures anywhere along a scale, not only at regular tick marks.
  • Bubble Charts - Bubble charts, like scatter charts, use data points and bubbles to plot measures anywhere along a scale. The size of the bubble represents a third measure.
  • Bullet Charts - Bullet charts are a variation of bar charts. They compare a featured measure (the bullet) to a targeted measure (the target). They also relate the compared measures against colored regions in the background that provide additional qualitative measurements, such as good, satisfactory, and poor.
  • Gauge Charts - Gauge charts, also known as dial charts or speedometer charts, use needles to show information as a reading on a dial.
  • Pareto Charts - Pareto charts help you to improve processes by identifying the primary causes of an event. They rank categories from the most frequent to the least frequent. These charts are frequently used for quality control data, so that you can identify and reduce the primary cause of problems.
  • Progressive Column Charts - Progressive column charts, also knows as waterfall charts, are like stacked charts with each segment of a single stack displaced vertically from the next segment.
  • Quadrant Charts - Quadrant charts are bubble charts with a background that is divided into four equal sections. Quadrant charts are useful for plotting data that contains three measures using an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a bubble size that represents the value of the third measure.
  • Marimekko Charts - Marimekko charts are 100 percent stacked charts in which the width of a column is proportional to the total of the column's values. Individual segment height is a percentage of the respective column total value.
  • Radar Charts - Radar charts integrate multiple axes into a single radial figure. For each figure, data is plotted along a separate axis that starts at the center of the chart.
  • Win-loss Charts - Win-loss charts are microcharts in which the value of each column is either 1 or -1, often denoting a win or loss.
  • Polar Charts - Polar charts are circular charts that use values and angles to show information as polar coordinates.

Chart Configurations

Chart configurations specify the grouping type of the columns, bars, lines, and areas in a chart. Some examples are standard, stacked, and 100 percent stacked charts.

  • Standard Charts - Standard or absolute charts are useful for comparing specific values and for representing discrete data, such as data for different regions or individual employees. For example, a standard column chart that plots regional sales emphasizes the actual value that each region achieves in sales.
  • Stacked Charts - Stacked charts are useful for comparing proportional contributions within a category. They plot the relative value that each data series contributes to the total. For example, a stacked column chart that plots product line sales will emphasize the proportion that each product line contributes to the total in each territory.
  • 100 Percent Stacked Charts - 100 percent stacked charts are useful for comparing proportional contributions across all categories. They plot the relative contribution of each data series to the total as a percentage. For example, a 100 percent stacked column chart that plots product line sales emphasizes the percentage within each region without referring to actual values.
  • Three-dimensional Charts - Three-dimensional charts provide a visually effective display that is suitable for presentations.

Convert Charts From One Type to Another

This procedure applies to converting charts from one type (for example, a bar chart) to another type (for example, a line chart).

  • When you convert a chart to a new chart type, Cognos Business Insight Advanced keeps the properties from the existing chart if they exist in the new chart type. For example, if you convert a donut chart to a bar chart, Cognos Business Insight Advanced maps your chart palette to the new chart, but does not map the hole size, because the hole size property does not exist in a bar chart.
    1. Right-click a chart and select Convert Chart.
    2. Select a new chart type, and click OK.
Using External Data Source for Reports

Business Insight Advanced allows an External Data Source to be created and used with an existing data warehouse for creating reports. The following is an example of setting up an Excel file of IDs as an external data source.

Create External Data File

  • Create an Excel file with your IDs in it. Put ID in the first row as a title.
  • Save it in a place you will be able to get to when you run Cognos reports in the future.

Set Up External Data in Cognos

  • Log into Cognos
  • Launch Business Insight Advanced.
  • Select whichever package you are creating your reports with (Current Students, All Students, etc).
  • Select Create New.
  • Select the type of report you are creating (List, Crosstab, etc.).
  • On the right side under Source, look for the cylinder icon with a pencil on it (it's green). Click it.
  • Browse for your external file.
  • If there are multiple columns, select the columns you want loaded into Cognos. Should be at least ID.
  • Change the name if you want.
  • Click on Next.
  • Click on the ... under Existing Query Subject/Report:
  • Select Choose Query Subject.
  • Find Student Personal, select it and click OK.
  • Find Student ID, select it then click on the "New Link" button above. If you brought in more than one column you will also need to select ID from your file before clicking on the button. This joins the fields.
  • Click Next
  • Change the Data type to Text.
  • Click Next
  • Click Finish
  • Click Publish. What it has done is create a new package that has both the original tables from the package selected and the External Data Source. It is saved in the My Folders area.

Create a Report

  • Select all of the fields from package you selected that you want to have included.
  • Drag the ID field from your External Data Source (whatever its name is) to the report.
  • This will cause the report to filter to the IDs in the External Data Source.
  • Save the report.

Creating a new report using new package (with external data)

  • If you are going to create a new report, Open Busines Insight Advanced.
  • When it asks you to select a package. Click on the Cognos link just below "List of all packages".
  • Select My Folders then select the package you have External Data Source connected to (like Current Student External Data)
  • Build the report like before, making sure you use the IDs from your External Data Source.
  • Save report.

Running Reports that use an External Data Source

  • If you are still in the current Cognos session that you created the External Data Source, you can run reports without having to specify your external data file, but any changes made in the file will not show up until the next time you log into Cognos.
  • The next time you log into Cognos and run the reports, the first one will ask you to browse to the external data file and it will read it in, refreshing the data. Locate the file using Browse, click on OK then it will run your report.
  • You won't be asked to identify the external data file again until the next time you log into Cognos.

Back to Overview

Cognos Query Studio

Cognos Query Studio is a web-based reporting tool for creating simple queries and reports. You want to use this tool if you need to filter your data using a partial match (begins with, ends with or contains). Student Attributes is an example of a field you would need to do this with.

This document contains basic information on how to use Cognos Query Studio. For detailed information on how to use all of the features, refer to the following IBM Cognos Query Studio User Guide.

Launching Cognos Query Studio

There are several ways you can open Cognos Query Studio.

  • From a Cognos Business Insight page by selecting Launch Query Studio from the Action Menu button.
  • From Cognos Connection by selecting Launch Query Studio from the menu bar.
  • By clicking the button on an existing Query Studio report in Cognos Connection that will open the report in Query Studio. The button looks similar to a pen.
  • From the Cognos Connection Welcome page, select Query my data.
Creating Reports

You can create a new report by inserting items from the data source into an empty report. You can also create a new report by opening an existing report, changing it, and saving it using another name.

  1. Launch Query Studio.
  2. The Select a Package page will appears. Select the package you want to use to build your report.
  3. To exit Query Studio and return to Cognos Connection, click Return.
  4. The query items you can use are listed in the left pane. You can now add data and save the report.

Add Data to a Report

A new report contains no data. You choose the report items that you want to include in the report from the package. Included items appear as columns in list reports, and as rows and columns in crosstab reports.

  1. Open a report in Cognos Query Studio.
  2. Click the Insert Data menu command.
  3. In the left pane, double-click the items you want to add. The items appear in the work area. You can also drag item to specific locations in the work area.
  4. To simultaneously add several query items, use Ctrl+click to select multiple items, and then, at the bottom of the left pane, click Insert.
  5. To remove data permanently from your report, click the report item heading, then click the delete button on the toolbar or keyboard.

List Reports

A list report shows data in rows and columns. You can apply a filter, summary, or calculation to manipulate the data that appears in the report.

  • Cognos Query Studio defaults to automatically suppresses duplicates, summarizes detail values, and generates footer summaries for measures.
  • Cognos Query Studio defaults to build list reports when you create a report from scratch.

Crosstab Reports

Use a crosstab report to show summary information. Like list reports, crosstab reports show data in rows and columns. However, the values at the intersection points of rows and columns show summarized information rather than detailed information.

  1. Open a report in Cognos Query Studio.
  2. Click the heading of the report item you want to use as the top row.
  3. Click the pivot button on the toolbar.
  4. The values of the selected report item are now column headings. The other report items become row headings, and the measure is now at the intersection of the two.

Charts

Use charts to see patterns and trends in data. You can show just the chart, or the chart with the table appearing under the chart.

  1. Open a report in Query Studio.
  2. Reorder report items, if necessary.
  3. Click the chart button on the toolbar.
  4. In the Chart type box, click a chart style.
  5. Click a chart configuration.
  6. If you want to view only the chart, click Chart only.
  7. If you want the values to appear on the chart, select the Show the values on the chart check box.
  8. Click OK.

Swap Rows and Columns

You can interchange rows and columns in a crosstab, a chart based on a crosstab, or both. For example, if you have a crosstab report that has few rows and many columns, you can swap the rows and columns to make the report easier to read. If you have multiple rows or columns in a crosstab report, the outermost rows become the outermost columns, and the outermost columns become the outermost rows.

  1. Open a report in Cognos Query Studio.
  2. Click the swap rows and columns button on the toolbar. If you have both a chart and a crosstab report open, you can specify which to swap.

Filters

You can use a filter to specify the subset of records that the report retrieves. Any data that does not meet the criteria is eliminated from the report, which can improve performance.

  1. Open a report in Cognos Query Studio.
  2. Click the heading of the item you want to filter then click the filter button on the toolbar.
  3. You can also add filters directly from the data tree without first adding the data item to the report. To do so, right-click the data item and click Filter for report.
  4. If filters already exist for the item, do one of the following:
    • To edit the existing filter, click Modify the existing filter.
    • To create a new filter, click Add a filter to data item.
    • To create a combined filter, click Open the "Combine filters" dialog.
  5. Depending on the type of data you are filtering, select the items you want from a list or specify the range of values to include. If you are filtering text or alphanumeric values, click Search for values or Type in values.
  6. If you want to filter using a partial match (like a student attribute), choose the Type in values option (right upper corner of filter block) and click the type of operation you want to perform in the Operation box:
    • To filter on values that start with specific letters or numbers, click Starts With.
    • To filter on values that end with specific letters or numbers, click Ends With.
    • To filter on values that contain a specific word or number, click Contains.
  7. Click OK.

Use Prompt

Use a prompt when you want to use different criteria for the same report item each time the report runs. The report does not run until you choose the values or click the Finish button. If you click the Finish button without choosing any values, all data is returned. Using prompts is faster and easier than repeatedly changing the filter.

  1. Open a report in Cognos Query Studio.
  2. Click the heading of the column you want to filter.
  3. Click the filter button on the toolbar.
  4. Select the Prompt every time the report runs check box. Each time you open or run the report, you can choose or type in the desired filter values. If no filter values are specified, all data is returned.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Repeat steps 2 to 5 to add other prompts.

Sort Data

Sorting organizes your data in either ascending or descending alphabetical or numerical order.

  1. Open a report in Cognos Query Studio.
  2. Click the heading of the report item on which you want to sort.
  3. From the Edit Data menu, click Sort. Tip: You can also sort directly from the data tree without first adding the data item to the report. To do so, right-click the data item and click Sort for report.
  4. In the Sort dialog box, choose the desired sort options.
  5. Click OK. A small up or down arrow in the heading indicates sorted data.
  6. To remove sorting, from the Edit Data menu, click Sort, then under Sort order, click Don't sort, and click OK. Tip: You can delete a sorted column but keep the sort itself. Click the column you want to delete and click the delete button. The Delete dialog box appears, and you can choose to delete or keep filters and sorting associated with the column.

Add Summary

You can use predefined summaries to calculate the total, count, maximum, minimum, or average of the values in individual report items. The summaries available depend on the type of data in the selected report item. For example, the only summaries you can use with text data is Count or Count Distinct.

  1. Open a report in Cognos Query Studio.
  2. Click the heading of the report item you want to summarize.
  3. From the Edit Data menu, click Summarize.
  4. In the Summary for footers box, click the function you want. If you want to apply one summary calculation to the detail values and a different summary calculation to the footer values, or you want to change the default order of operations in a calculated column, click the Advanced link.
  5. Click OK. Tip: To remove a summary, in the Summary for footers box, click None.

Save Report

Save your report to preserve any changes. What you save in Cognos Query Studio is the query definition, which is a specific set of instructions for extracting particular data. It is not a snapshot of the data you retrieve at the time you save the report. For example, if you run a report that you saved two weeks ago, the data in the report reflects any changes in the updated data source.

  1. Click the save button on the toolbar.
  2. If you are saving the report for the first time, specify where you want to save the report and type a file name. If you want to include a description, type the information you want to add in the Description box.
  3. Click OK.
Run Report

You can run a report to retrieve any recently updated data from the data source. An Cognos Query Studio report also runs when you open it, or when you make any changes. Note: When you run a report in an export format such as PDF, delimited text (CSV), Microsoft Excel (XLS), the Cognos report name is used as the exported file name.

  1. Open a report in Cognos Query Studio.
  2. From the Run Report menu, choose how to run the report:
    • To run the report using all data, click Run with All Data.
    • To run the report using limited data, click Preview with Limited Data.

View Report in PDF Format

To save a snapshot of your report data, you can create a PDF version of your report. Note: When you want to print a report, use the PDF format for best results.

  1. Open a report in Cognos Query Studio.
  2. From the Run Report menu, click View in PDF Format.
  3. The report opens in PDF format in a new window.

View Report in Microsoft Excel Format

You can view your reports in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software format (.xls).

  • Charts are rendered as static images.
  • Row height can change in the rendered report to achieve greater fidelity.
  • Column width that are explicitly specified in reports are ignored in Microsoft Excel 2007.
  • Merged cells are used to improve the appearance of reports.
  • The default size of worksheets is 65 536 rows by 256 columns.

Back to Overview

Cognos Connection

Cognos Connection is the portal to Cognos. Cognos Connection provides a single access point to all SOU data available in Cognos. You can use Cognos Connection to work with entries such as reports, analyses, queries, agents, metrics, and packages. You can use Cognos Connection to create and run reports and cubes and distribute reports. You can also use it to create and run agents and schedule entries.

  • Log On - To use Cognos software, you must successfully log on. During the logon process, you must provide the name space (SOULDAP), network user ID and password.
  • Log Off - You log off to end your session.
  • Create a Shortcut - A shortcut is a pointer to another entry such as a report, report view, folder, job, agent, page, or URL.
  • Entry Properties - You can control the way an entry appears and behaves by modifying its properties. The properties for entries vary depending upon the type of entry selected and your privileges. For example, reports have properties to control run options while folders do not. If a property is not applicable to the type of entry you are customizing, it will not appear in the Set properties page.
  • Organizing Entries - Organize entries such as reports in a meaningful way so that you can easily find them.
  • Personalize the Portal - You can personalize the way data appears in Cognos Connection by changing your preferences. For example, you can set the preferred output format of reports.

This document contains basic information on how to use Cognos Connection. For detailed information on how to use all of the features, refer to the following IBM Cognos Connection User Guide.

Entry Properties

You can control the way an entry appears and behaves by modifying its properties. The properties for entries vary depending upon the type of entry selected and your privileges.

General Properties

General properties appear on the General tab of the Set properties page.

  • Type - The type of entry.
  • Owner - The owner of the entry. By default, the owner is the person who created the entry. When the owner no longer exists in the namespace, or is from a different namespace than the current user, the owner shows as Unknown.
  • Contact - The person responsible for the entry. Click Set the contact and then click Select the contact to set the contact for the entry or click Enter an email address to enter the contact's email address.
  • Location - The location of the entry in the portal and its ID. Click View the search path, ID and URL to view the fully qualified location and the ID of the entry in the content store. Entries are assigned a unique identification (ID) number.
  • Created - The date the entry was created.
  • Modified - The most recent date that the entry was modified.
  • Icon - The icon for the entry. Click Edit to specify an alternative icon.
  • Disable this entry - When selected, users that do not have write permissions for this entry cannot access it. The entry is no longer visible in the portal. If an entry is disabled and you have write access to it, the disabled icon appears next to the entry.
  • Language - A list of languages that are available for the entry name, screen tip, and description according to the configuration set up by your administrator.
  • Name - The name of the entry for the selected language.
  • Screen tip - An optional description of the entry. The screen tip appears when you pause your pointer over the icon for the entry in the portal. Up to 100 characters can be used for a screen tip.
  • Description - An optional description of the entry. It appears in the portal when you set your preferences to use the details view. Details view appears only in Public Folders and My Folders.
  • Run history - The number of occurrences or period of time to retain run histories for the entry.
  • Report output versions - The number of occurrences or period of time to keep report outputs. Setting this value to zero (0) saves an unlimited number of versions.
  • Package - The package that is associated with the entry. If the source package was moved or deleted, the text reads "Unavailable." Click Link to a package to link the entry to a different package.
  • URL - A URL to either a file or Web site address. This field is visible only if you have read permissions for the entry. If you have write permissions without read permissions, this property is not visible.
  • Shortcut to - A path to the entry that the shortcut points to. If the referred entry no longer exists, the text reads "Source entry not found." Click Source Properties to view the properties of the source entry.
Permissions

Permissions appear on the Permissions tab of the Set properties page.

  • Override the access permissions - Whether to replace the permissions that are inherited from the parent entry.
  • Access permissions (Name, Type, Permissions) - The permissions that are set for the entry. You can grant or deny read, write, execute, set policy, and traverse permissions. Click Add to add more names to the list. Click Delete to delete names from the list.
  • Delete the access permissions of all child entries - Whether to remove the existing access permissions for all child entries so that they will use the access permissions for this entry.
Report, Query, Analysis, and PowerPlay Report Properties

Properties appear on the following tabs of the Set properties page:

  • Default action- The default action when the report is run.
  • Report options: Override the default values - Whether to override default run options for the report. When selected, the values that you can override appear.
  • Format - The default format, orientation, and paper size to use when the report runs. Appears only if Override the default values is selected.
  • Accessibility - Whether to create report output that supports accessibility. Enabling support creates report output that can be read by a screen reader.
  • Language - The default language to use for the report data when the report runs. Appears only if Override the default values is selected.
  • Prompt values - The values that are used to filter data when a report is run.
  • Run as the owner - Whether to use the owner credentials when the report is run.
  • Run as the owner: Capabilities only - Whether to use only the owner capabilities and not the owner credentials when the report is run.
  • HTML options: Open in design mode - Whether to open an HTML-format Series 7 PowerPlay report in design mode.
  • Number of rows per Web page in HTML reports - The number of rows you want to appear per Web page in HTML reports
  • Enable selection-based interactivity in HTML reports - Whether to enable the following in HTML reports that are viewed in Cognos Viewer: drill up and drill down, drill through, Cognos Search, watch rules, and agent notification. Note that to have watch rules evaluated in saved report output, you must select the Enable enhanced user features in saved output versions check box.
  • Enable alerts about new versions - Whether to allow report consumers to receive alerts about new versions of a saved report. If this check box is cleared, you are prompted whether to remove all users from the alert list.
  • Enable enhanced user features in saved output versions - Whether to create additional output formats so that watch rules can be evaluated and saved output versions can be imported into Cognos for Microsoft Office. Note that to enable watch rules, you must select the Enable selection-based interactivity in HTML reports check box.
  • Enable comments in saved output versions - Whether to allow users to add comments to saved reports.
  • Refresh the report cache - Create new cache data if none is available, when the report runs interactively.
  • Cache duration - The number of days or months before the report cache data expires. To enable the cache duration, select the Refresh the report cache check box.
Page Properties

Page properties appear on the Layout and Content and Page Style tabs of the Set properties page.

  • Number of columns - The number of columns used to organize the content of a page. Up to three columns can be used.
  • Content - Type of content added to a page. Use to add and remove portlets, distribute the portlets between the columns, change the order of columns and specify their width.
  • Language - The language in which the page title and instructions can be typed. It should match the product language.
  • Title - The page title. You can format the title by changing the font and character style, and the text alignment. To return to the default browser settings, click Return to default. To modify the default settings, click Custom. You can hide the title.
  • Instructions - Additional information about the page. You can format the text of instructions by changing the font and character style, and the text alignment. To return to the default browser settings, click Return to default. To modify the default settings, click Custom. You can hide the instructions.
  • Portlet style - The way a portlet appears on a page. To avoid cluttering the page, you can hide the portlet borders, title bars, and the edit button on the title bar.
Dropbox - Sharing Personal Reports with Others

If there is a report that you want to share with one or more people, you can use the dropbox folder to pass the report. This is a place to temporarily put reports that others can retrieve. This folder will occasionally be purged.

  1. Log into Cognos Connection.
  2. Go to your My Folders area.
  3. Locate the report you want to share. Click on the check box next to the report.
  4. Click on the Copy icon above the list of reports (to the right). It looks like two pages on top of each other.
  5. Go to the Public Folders by clicking on the Public Folders tab at the top.
  6. Click on the Dropbox link. It will open the Dropbox folder.
  7. Click on the Paste icon (to the right). It looks like a clipboard. Your report should now be in the Dropbox folder.
  8. The person who wants a copy of the report must now log into Cognos Connection to retrieve it.
  9. Open the Dropbox folder (under Public Folders).
  10. Click on the check box next to the report being retrieved.
  11. If multiple people are getting a copy of the file, click on the Copy icon. Otherwise click on the Cut icon (looks like scissors).
  12. Click on the My Folders tab. Go to the location you want to save the report (if you have added folders in your My Folders area).
  13. Click on the Paste icon.
Setting Up Reports to Run on a Schedule

Single or groups of reports can be scheduled to run on periodically with the results being emailed to you or a group of people. Before you can set up reports to be schedule, you will need your Cognos access modified to allow Scheduling. Create a helpdesk call requesting Scheduling ability in Cognos

To Schedule one report to run on a regular basis.

  1. Log into Cognos Connection.
  2. Go to the report you want to run regularly.
  3. Click on the Schedule icon. If you don't see the icon, click on More then select New Schedule.
  4. Set up the frequency.
  5. Under Options, click on Override the Default Values.
  6. Uncheck HTML (doesn't work in GMail).
  7. Check the format you want (Excel 2007, PDF, Delimited text (CSV), etc).
  8. Under delivery, leave Save checked if you want (can access report in Cognos).
  9. Click on Edit Options next to "Send a link to the report by email"
  10. You can type the email address in directly (easiest) or click on Select a Recipient.
    • If clicked Select a Recipient, Click on SOU LDAP, click on Employees then click on the Search link in the upper right corner.
    • Type in part of the name and click Search.
    • Select the person who matches the click on To. to move it over.
    • Type in another name if you are sending to multiple people. (then move over)
    • Once done selecting, click on OK.
  11. Make the subject line and body of the message whatever you want it to say.
  12. Uncheck, include a link to the report (not working right now)
  13. Check Attach the report.
  14. Click OK.
  15. Under Prompt Values you can override the value being run.
  16. Click OK.

To run multiple jobs at once on a schedule.

  1. Click on the New Job icon above the list of reports.
  2. Put in a name (and description if you want) for the job. Click Next.
  3. Under the Steps box, click Add.
  4. Select the first job you want to run. Move it over to Select Entries and click OK.
  5. Click Add again to select the next job.
  6. You can set the defaults for each individual reports or create an overall default for all reports.
  7. To update individual defaults, click on the pencil icon (edit) for each report and update.
  8. To update the overall defaults, click on Set under “Defaults for all Steps”. Click Report options. Check Specify default values for all reports of this job. Update then click OK.
  9. Click Next.
  10. Click Save and Schedule then click Finish.
  11. Update the schedule to run the days and frequency you want. Click ok
  12. The job is now in your My Folder area.

To update the scheduled running of a report or job.

  1. Log into Cognos Connection.
  2. Go to the report or job you want modify the schedule for.
  3. Click on the Schedule icon. If you don't see the icon, click on More then select Modify the Schedule.
  4. Make changes and press OK.

To stop the scheduled running of a report or job.

  1. Log into Cognos Connection.
  2. Go to the report you want to run regularly.
  3. Click on the Schedule icon. If you don't see the icon, click on More then select Modify the schedule to just disable it or Remove from Schedule.
  4. If you clicked on icon or selected Modify the Schedule, Check "Disable the schedule".
  5. Click OK.

Back to Overview

 

Help

For additional help, please call the Faculty & Staff Help Desk at 552-6900 or email banner@support.sou.edu.