IBM Cognos Analytics (On-Prem)

This document outlines the integration with the IBM Cognos Analytics (On-Prem) connector, enabling efficient data management through features such as crawling, report preview, and lineage building (both automatic and manual). It also ensures secure authentication via Credential Manager.

Overview

Connector Details

Connector Category

Reporting Tools

OvalEdge Release Supported

Release6.X to Release7.2.3

Connectivity

[How the connection is established with IBM Cognos Analytics (On-Prem)]

JDBC

Driver Details

OvalEdge uses a JDBC driver to connect to IBM Cognos Analytics:

Driver
Version
Remarks

JDBC Driver

19.3

Oracle JDBC Jar.

Connector Features

Feature
Availability

Crawling

Delta Crawling

Profiling

NA

Query Sheet

NA

Report Preview

Auto Lineage

Manual Lineage

Secure Authentication via Credential Manager

Data Quality

NA

DAM (Data Access Management)

NA

Bridge

'NA' indicates that the respective feature is 'Not Applicable'.

Metadata Mapping

The following objects are crawled from IBM Cognos Analytics (On-Prem) and mapped to the corresponding UI assets.

Source Object
Source Attribute
OvalEdge Attribute
OvaEdge Category
OvalEdge Type

Folder

Name of the Folder

Report Group

Report Group

Report Group

Report

Name

Report

Report

Report Name

Report

Type

Report Type

Report

Report Type

Report

Desc

Source Description

Report

Source Description

Dashboard

Dashboard Name

Report

Report

Report Name

Dashboard

Type

Report Type

Report

Report Type

Dashboard

Page Name

Report

Report

Report Name

Dashboard

Type

Report Type

Report

Report Type

Set up a Connection

Prerequisites

The following are the prerequisites to establish a connection:

Service Account User Permissions

👨‍💻Who can provide these permissions? These permissions are typically granted by the IBM Cognos Analytics administrator, as users may not have the required access to assign them independently.

Operations
Objects
Access Permissions

Crawling

Reports, Sub Reports

Select Access

Lineage

Reports

Select Access

Lineage

Tables

Select Access

Lineage

Table Columns

Select Access

Connection Configuration Steps

  1. Log into OvalEdge, go to Administration > Connectors, click + (New Connector), search for IBM Cognos Analytics, and complete the required parameters.

Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory for establishing a connection.

Field Name
Description

Connector Type

By default, "IBM Cognos Analytics (On-Prem)" is displayed as the selected connector type.

Credential Manager*

Select the desired credentials manager from the drop-down list. Relevant parameters will be displayed based on the selection.

Supported Credential Managers:

  • OE Credential Manager

  • AWS Secrets Manager

  • HashiCorp

  • Azure Key Vault

License Add Ons

Select the checkbox for Auto Lineage Add-On to build data lineage automatically.

Connector Name*

Enter a unique name for the IBM Cognos Analytics (On-Prem) connection

(Example: "IBMCognosAnalyticsOn-Prem").

Connector Environment

Select the environment (Example: PROD, STG) configured for the connector.

Connector Description

Enter the description related to the connector.

IBM Cognos version*

Select the Cognos_Version_10 (On-prem) from the drop-down list (Cognos_Version_11 / Cognos_Version_10)

MetaDB URL*

Enter the JDBC URL to connect to the IBM Cognos repository database.

Database Name*

Enter the name of the IBM Cognos repository database.

MetaDatabase UserName*

Enter the username for the IBM Cognos repository database.

MetaDatabase Password*

Enter the password for the IBM Cognos repository database.

Model File Path*

Enter the path where the IBM Cognos files or folders are located.

Connection String*

Enter the connection string to connect to the APIs. This field auto-fills the API host details.

Proxy Enabled*

Select Yes to route API calls through a proxy server. Select No to bypass the proxy and connect directly.

Default Governance Roles

Default Governance Roles*

Select the appropriate users or teams for each governance role from the drop-down list. All users configured in the security settings are available for selection.

Admin Roles

Admin Roles*

Select one or more users from the drop-down list for Integration Admin and Security & Governance Admin. All users configured in the security settings are available for selection.

No of Archive Objects

No Of Archive Objects*

This shows the number of recent metadata changes to a dataset at the source. By default, it is off. To enable it, toggle the Archive button and specify the number of objects to archive.

Example: Setting it to 4 retrieves the last four changes, displayed in the 'Version' column of the 'Metadata Changes' module.

Bridge

Select Bridge*

If applicable, select the bridge from the drop-down list.

The drop-down list displays all active bridges that have been configured. These bridges facilitate communication between data sources and the system without requiring changes to firewall rules.

  1. After entering all connection details, the following actions can be performed:

    1. Click Validate to verify the connection.

    2. Click Save to store the connection for future use.

    3. Click Save & Configure to apply additional settings before saving.

  2. The saved connection will appear on the Connectors home page.

Manage Connector Operations

Crawl

The Crawl/Profile button allows users to select one or more schemas for crawling.

  1. Navigate to the Connectors page and click Crawl/Profile.

  2. Select the schemas to be crawled.

  3. The Crawl option is selected by default.

  4. Click Run to collect metadata from the connected source and load it into the Data Catalog.

  5. After a successful crawl, the information appears in the Data Catalog > Report / Report Column tab.

The Schedule checkbox allows automated crawling and profiling at defined intervals, from a minute to a year.

  1. Click the Schedule checkbox to enable the Select Period drop-down.

  2. Select a time period for the operation from the drop-down menu.

  3. Click Schedule to initiate metadata collection from the connected source.

  4. The system will automatically execute the crawl operation at the scheduled time.

Other Operations

The Connectors page provides a centralized view of all configured connectors, along with their health status.

Managing connectors includes:

  • Connector Health: Displays the current status of each connector using a green icon for active connections and a red icon for inactive connections, helping to monitor the connectivity with data sources.

  • Viewing: Click the Eye icon next to the connector name to view connector details, including databases, tables, columns, and codes.

Nine Dots Menu Options:

To view, edit, validate, build lineage, configure, or delete connectors, click on the Nine Dots menu.

  • Edit Connector: Update and revalidate the data source.

  • Validate Connector: Check the connection's integrity.

  • Settings: Modify connector settings.

    • Crawler: Configure data extraction.

    • Access Instructions: Add notes on how data can be accessed.

    • Business Glossary Settings: Manage term associations at the connector level.

    • Others: Configure notification recipients for metadata changes.

  • Build Lineage: Automatically build data lineage using source code parsing.

  • Delete Connector: Remove a connector with confirmation.

Connectivity Troubleshooting

If incorrect parameters are entered, error messages may appear. Ensure all inputs are accurate to resolve these issues. If issues persist, contact the assigned support team.

Sl. No.
Error Message(s)
Error Description & Resolution

1

Authentication Failed

Error Description: The connection could not be established due to invalid or incorrect authentication credentials.

Resolution:

  • Verify that the username and password are entered correctly.

  • Ensure the credentials are active and not expired.

  • Confirm that the user has the required access permissions.

2

Connection Timeout

Error Description: The connection attempt failed because the server did not respond within the expected time.

Resolution:

  • Check if the database server is up and accessible.

  • Verify the network connectivity between the application and the server.

  • Increase the connection timeout settings if required.


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