Creative uses for the Business Glossary functionality in Cognos

IBM Cognos Rocky Mountain Users Group August 5,2011

Presentation Requests • Please turn off your cell phone/beeper • If you must leave the early, please do so as discretely as possible • Please avoid side conversation during the presentation Thank you for your cooperation!

Introduction • Angela Hooper, Sr. Business Intelligence Consultant with Infolink Consulting.

• This presentation focuses on redirecting the IBM business glossary functionality in Cognos 10 to an external website for a low cost data dictionary solution.

Topics of Discussion • Client’s Business Need • Infolink’s solution • Technical components • Take home points • Links of interest

Business Need • Utilize a publically hosted online data dictionary • Provide direct link between Client’s data elements and data dictionary.

• Boundaries and limitations: – Redesign/renaming of FM Query items not Possible – Do not spend any money

Solution • Use Business Glossary and redirect to appropriate webpage • Create a crosswalk database table to handle naming differences • Create custom JSP to read the crosswalk and redirect to new URL

Solution Example

Solution Example

Technical Components • Enable Business Glossary • Install Database drivers ** • Database table to handle crosswalk • JSP Code

Technical Components Configure the business glossary URI following the steps outlined in the IBM Cognos 8.4/10 Security and Administration Guide • Edit the IBM Business Glossary URI to read:

http://10.xx.xxx:9300/p2pd/glossary.jsp

*Where the ip is Cognos BI server.

• Place the glossary.jsp file into the following Cognos BI server location: ../ibm/cognos/c10/webapps/p2pd/

Technical Components

Technical Components Deal with Database drivers and Connectivity • Oracle – Create a copy of the Oracle JDBC drivers and place into the webapps/p2pd/WEB-INF/lib/ directory – On the Cognos BI server append the CLASSPATH with $ORACLE_HOME/jdbc/lib/ojdbc6.jar

• Restart the Cognos Services!

Technical Components • Database table to handle crosswalk – SearchText – Crosswalked value – URL

Technical Components • JSP Code Walk through • See file glossary.jsp

Take Home points • Database/Driver connectivity was the hardest part.

• Could use ASP/PHP what works for you?

• Start small, redirect to main data dictionary page for every element

Links of Use • • • Infolink Consulting IBM InfoSphere Business Glossary Ironside Group – Original idea • Security and Administration guide: Configure Business Glossary