Product:
IBM cognos controller 11.1
Microsoft Windows 2022 server

Issue:

When you start the cognos controller client you get a error, like this:

System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapException: Server was unable to process request. —> System.ArgumentException: Access to the registry key ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings\FrangoController\Settings’ is denied.
at Microsoft.VisualBasic.ErrObject.Raise(Int32 Number, Object Source, Object Description, Object HelpFile, Object HelpContext)
at ControllerServerCommon.RaiseErrSrv.RaiseError(String sUser, Int32 lErrNo, String sErrSource, String sErrDesc, String sErrHelpFile, Int32 lErrHelpContext)
at FrServerB.LocalConnectionBusiness.SetSelectDb(String sGuid, String sUser, Boolean bSelectDb)
at FrServerB.ConnectionBusiness.SetSelectDb(String sGuid, String sUser, Boolean bSelectDb)
— End of inner exception stack trace —
at Microsoft.VisualBasic.ErrObject.Raise(Int32 Number, Object Source, Object Description, Object HelpFile, Object HelpContext)
at Cognos.Controller.Common.RaiseErrCli.RaiseError(Int32 lErrNo, String sErrSource, String sErrDesc, String sErrHelpFile, Int32 lErrHelpContext)
at Cognos.Controller.Direct.ConnectionDirect.SetSelectDb(Boolean bSelectDb)
at CCR.AppContext.SelectDb()
at CCR.AppContext.Login()

Solution:

Change the DefaultAppPool on the IIS server to use localsystem as the user for the service.

Go to IIS manager

Expand the application pool

Select the pool used by controllerservice

Click on advance settings

Change identity to localsystems

Click ok

Restart the iis from inside IIS manager.

More Information:

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/262325

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/controller/11.1.0?topic=icclo-installing-configuring-controller-one-computer

Product:
IBM Cognos Controller 11.1
Microsoft Windows 2022 server

Issue:

When you check the controller com+ components, you get a error in the web browser like this:

Server Error in ‘/’ Application.

The resource cannot be found.

Description: HTTP 404. The resource you are looking for (or one of its dependencies) could have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.  Please review the following URL and make sure that it is spelled correctly.

Requested URL: /ibmcognos/controllerserver/ccrws.asmx

Version Information: Microsoft .NET Framework Version:4.0.30319; ASP.NET Version:4.8.4494.0

Solution:

You may not have created the virtual directory’s correct under the virtual directory IBMCOGNOS, therefor they are not visible.

Create the cognos controller directory’s in correct place.

Then when the test works, it should look similar to this:

http://nameofyourserver/ibmcognos/controllerserver/ccrws.asmx

Other issues, could be, that not all files was installed. Run the installation of IBM Controller again on the server.

More Information:

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/controller/11.1.0?topic=iccoc-configure-web-server

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/controller/11.1.0?topic=options-configuring-controller-embedded-report-library

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/213339

Product:
IBM Controller 11.1 (before Cognos Controller 11.0)

Microsoft Windows 2022 server

Issue:

When you run a standard report inside Cognos Controller Client, you get a error, like this:

The PDF report is not shown.

If you check windows application log on the controller server, you see this message:

Error occured at 2025-03-09 15:13:11 in IBM Cognos Controller, Error No=5, Source=FrangoDirect.StandardReportD.GetCCRReportSystem.Web.Services, Description=System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapException: Server was unable to process request. —> System.ArgumentException: Unable to connect to the remote server
at Microsoft.VisualBasic.ErrObject.Raise(Int32 Number, Object Source, Object Description, Object HelpFile, Object HelpContext)
at ControllerServerCommon.RaiseErrSrv.RaiseError(String sUser, Int32 lErrNo, String sErrSource, String sErrDesc, String sErrHelpFile, Int32 lErrHelpContext)…..

Solution:

The report service is not started, start the windows service: IBM Controller Reports   (FCMREPORTS)

More information:

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/controller/11.1.0?topic=options-configuring-controller-embedded-report-library

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/controller/11.1.0?topic=SS9S6B_11.1.0/com.ibm.swg.ba.cognos.ctrl_inst.doc/t_installfixpacks.htm

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/controller/11.1.0?topic=icclo-installing-configuring-controller-one-computer

Product:
Cognos Controller 11
Microsoft Windows 2022 server

Issue:
I want to upgrade Cognos Controller – what files should i download?

(check the day before you do your installation – there will be newer version available than those listed in this article)

Solution:
Check the different IBM web pages, to find out the latest version. As IBM changed the name of IBM Cognos Controller to IBM Controller, old links are not valid.

First you need to download the “base” RTM files from IBM passport portal.

Then you need to find the latest fix pack for the product, check the “what’s new” section to find the latest versions.

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/announcements/controller-111-introduces-new-look-new-features-providing-benefits 

Or you can check the fix list to find the latest version:  https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7173282 

Then search the IBM Fix central for the latest fix pack to download.

In https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral  you can browse for the latest fixes for your product.

Select the product, and click continue to get to a page where you can select “browse for fixes”, then you get a list of all the fixes.

In the list, select the latest fix, and click continue. Select download method, simplest is Download using your browser (HTTPS), and click continue.

Click on the blue file name to download the fix pack for your IBM application.

This date, the file up_cntrl_winx64h_11.1.1002.5_ml.tar.gz (2.38 GB)  is the one you should download. In a few weeks there maybe be a new fix pack.

This page can also help find the latest version of IBM Controller:

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-controller-and-ibm-cognos-controller-builds-ccr-name-and-database-version 

Latest fix pack for Cognos Analytics can be:

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/cognos-analytics/12.0.0?topic=120x-release-1204-october-2024 

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm%C2%AE-cognos-analytics-fix-lists 

Search fix central for above fix (interim fix: 12.0.4-BA-CA-Win64-IF002) , for your OS, in case of Microsoft Windows you should download files:

analytics-installer-3.7.38-win.exe (234.48 MB)

casrv-12.0.4-2501300500-winx64h.zip (7.23 GB)

Latest fix pack for Planning Analytics can be:

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/planning-analytics/2.1.0?topic=features-whats-new-in-planning-analytics 

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-planning-analytics-21-fix-lists 

Search fix central for above, and you should download this planning analytics files for use with Windows 2019 server:

tm1_winx64h_2.1.7.1_ml.tar.gz (1.42 GB) = the planning analytics server (tm1).

IBM_PAfE_x86_2.1.7.2.xll (7.83 MB) = the new tm1 perspective replacement e.g. pax.

tm1web-11.0.100-24120513-2.1.7-winx64h_bundle.zip (706.64 MB) = for the tm1web installation.

ipa_workspace_win_2019_2.1.7.219.zip (4.78 GB)  = for paw installation.

(if you have a Windows 2022 server for PAW, then you need to download this file instead ipa_workspace_win_2022_2.1.7.49.zip (4.69 GB) )

Then check the supported environments, to ensure that your download products can work with each other.

Cognos Controller 11.1 support this version of the other products:

IBM Cognos Analytics 12.0.4 support this version of the other products (as data source) :

Planning analytics 2.1.7 support this version of the other products (this is for authentication):

If you need to import data from a SQL database for Planning Analytics 2.1.7 it supports:

Please check that cognos controller and cognos analytics support the version of SQL database you are using.

More information:

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-planning-analytics-local-217-now-available-download-fix-central-0 

https://www.ibm.com/software/reports/compatibility/clarity/index.html 

Product:

Cognos Controller 11.0.1200
Microsoft Windows 2019 server

Issue:

Cognos Controller use can not open excel from data entry – the open button is grey, or the when they click on the excel icon, the excel crash with error like this:

Unable to cast COM object of type ‘Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel.ApplicationClass’ to interface type ‘Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel._Application’. This operation failed because the QueryInterface call on the COM component for the interface with IID ‘{000208D5-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}’ failed due to the following error: Interface not registered (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80040155).

Solution:

Restart the laptop and reinstall Microsoft Office is the solution.

More Information:

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/user-not-automatically-logged-excel-link-when-using-controller-client-excel-based-functionality-example-data-entry-leading-security-error-1-errors 

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/troubleshooting-user-not-automatically-logged-excel-link-when-launching-functionality-main-controller-program-ccrexe

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/user-not-automatically-logged-excel-link-when-launching-functionality-main-controller-program-caused-corrupt-xuser-table 

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/open-button-greyed-out-intermittently-cannot-open-any-data-entry-forms 

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/troubleshooting-interface-not-registered-exception-hresult-0x80040155-when-trying-use-data-entry-reported-values 

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/unable-cast-com-object-type-queryinterface-call-com-component-interface-not-registered-0x80040155-error-launching-excel-link-controller-caused-orphan-registry-key

Product:
Microsoft SQL server

Cognos Controller 11.0.1

Issue:

Open account define take long time to open – can it be that we need to index the database?

If the issue is only for one user – please ask that user to inside cognos controller client run “clear local cache”, to see if it helps.

Check if you move the user to a diffrent subnet, e.g. move from LAN to WIFI at the office, does it help?

Does it help to run it over VPN to the office?

If the issue is for all users, but on a specific network, it can be a windows group policy to the client computer that give the issue.

Create a ticket to your IT department, and ask them to check intune policy and firewall and network, when you reproduce the issue.

Solution:

Enter below script in SSMS for your cognos controller SQL server database, to check when it was last updated:

• SELECT *,
• STATS_DATE(object_id, stats_id) AS LastStatsUpdate
• FROM sys.stats
• WHERE left(name,4) = ‘NC_X’ order by laststatsupdate

Below SQL script will list the size of the tables in the database:

;with cte as ( 
SELECT 
t.name as TableName, 
SUM (s.used_page_count) as used_pages_count, 
SUM (CASE 
WHEN (i.index_id < 2) THEN (in_row_data_page_count + lob_used_page_count + row_overflow_used_page_count) 
ELSE lob_used_page_count + row_overflow_used_page_count 
END) as pages 
FROM sys.dm_db_partition_stats AS s 
JOIN sys.tables AS t ON s.object_id = t.object_id 
JOIN sys.indexes AS i ON i.[object_id] = t.[object_id] AND s.index_id = i.index_id 
GROUP BY t.name 
) 
,cte2 as(select 
cte.TableName, 
(cte.pages * 8.) as TableSizeInKB, 
((CASE WHEN cte.used_pages_count > cte.pages 
THEN cte.used_pages_count - cte.pages 
ELSE 0 
END) * 8.) as IndexSizeInKB 
from cte 
) 
select TableName,TableSizeInKB,IndexSizeInKB, 
case when (TableSizeInKB+IndexSizeInKB)>1024*1024 
then cast((TableSizeInKB+IndexSizeInKB)/1024*1024 as varchar)+'GB' 
when (TableSizeInKB+IndexSizeInKB)>1024 
then cast((TableSizeInKB+IndexSizeInKB)/1024 as varchar)+'MB' 
else cast((TableSizeInKB+IndexSizeInKB) as varchar)+'KB' end [TableSizeIn+IndexSizeIn] 
from cte2 
order by 2 desc

If it is a SQL Index issue, then normally all cognos controller users are affected.

More information:

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/suddenly-slow-example-3-minutes-compared-10-seconds-open-data-entry-form-even-if-only-one-user-active-caused-out-date-statistics

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/xdbaudit-database-table-used-auditing-instead-xdbtrickle-controller-102-onwards

Manually purge the ‘xdbaudit’ table from audit information by performing the following steps:
1. Obtain a short period of downtime (no other users on the system)
2. Logon to Controller as an administrator
3. Click “Maintain – User- Single Mode”
4. Click “Maintain – System Audit Log – Configuration”
5. Choose how recent the audit data they wish to keep
6. Enter that chosen value (for example ’30’) into the section “Delete Data change details older than (days)”:

7. Click “delete”.

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/303323

Product:
Cognos Controller 11.0.1200.28

Microsoft Windows 2022 Server

Issue:

Most users get that the Cognos Controller client hang, when they open some selection dialogs. For example – go to Maintain – Account Structure Reports – select codes – and click on the … for the account field, to get a list of all the accounts.  Here the Cognos Controller client hang, and you have to stop cognos controller from the task manager.

Possible Solution:

Do a optimize on the database from inside cognos controller client.

1. To run the optimization immediately, the system must be in single user mode. Go to Maintain > User > Single Mode and set the system to single mode.
2. Click Maintain > Database > Optimize. The Optimize Database window opens.
3. Select the Rebuild Structure Tables check box to rebuild the structure tables.
4. Select Rebuild Indexes (advanced option).
5. Click Run

Other things you can try to solve the issue are:

Clear the cache in cognos controller

Inside Controller Client program, via Maintain > Special Utilities > Clear Local Cache.

Change the cache folder for cognos controller client:

Launch Windows Explorer
4. Open the folder where Controller is installed.

• Default this is here: C:\Program Files\ibm\IBM Cognos Controller Local Client

5. Open the file “CCR.exe.config” inside Notepad++
6. Search for the entry similar to the following:
<add key=”CacheDir” value=””/>
7. Modify this entry appropriately, for example similar to the following:
<add key=”CacheDir” value=”D:\Controller\Cache” />
8. Save and test

Start Cognos Controller client, and try to open the same account list.

There are 3 types of cache folder used by Cognos Controller Client:
(1) Microsoft Internet Explorer cache at C:\Documents and Settings\%USERNAME%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files
(2) Microsoft .NET components at C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Application Data\assembly
(3) Controller user cache files: at C:\Documents and Settings\%appdata%\Application Data\Cognos\ccr\

If there is damage files in this folders, can give strange errors inside Cognos Controller Client program.

More information:

Optimize the Database – IBM Documentation

FAQ – What does an ‘internal’ database optimise do, and how often should I run a database optimize?

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/how-modify-controller-use-different-location-its-temporary-cache-files 

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/error-systemxml-root-element-missing-inside-multiple-menus-controller-caused-appdata-redirected-unc-path 

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/explanation-why-cognos-controller-client-side-cache-file-folders-can-be-very-large-and-how-housekeep-them

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/how-automatically-clear-local-cache-when-closing-controller

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/controller-microsoft-sql-database-optimisation-and-maintenance-proven-practice-best-practice 

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/massive-sql-transaction-logs-caused-rebuilding-sql-indexes

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/reducing-size-controller-database-deleting-period-locking-company-records-table-xacclock

You can use Cognos Controller database optimize function to make the following database changes:

• Remove Period Zero Values – clears the value 0 from selected period tables.
• Rebuild Structure Tables – which gives quicker access to data.
• Rebuild Indexes (advanced option) – Rebuilds all indexes in the database to enhance performance and give quicker access to data.
• Analyze Schema (advanced option) – Reanalyzes the schema for Oracle database.

Product:
Cognos Controller 11.0.1200
Windows Server 2022

Issue:

When press the excel icon in Cognos Controller, excel starts but there is no controller toolbar inside.

Solution:

Check that you have two lines for cognos controller in options-add in.

if not, ensure that one is not disabled.

1. Launch Excel

2. Click “File – Options”

3. Click “Add-ins”:

4. Change “Manage” to “Disabled Items” and click ‘Go’:

5. Highlight the Controller add-in (“cognos controller link for Microsoft excel (adxloader.Controller.ExcelLink.dll)”), and click “Enable“:

6. Test.

If that not helps, try to add the add-in manually.

More information:

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/missing-menu-item-controller-excel-excel-add-not-visible-active-caused-com-add-inside-disabled-items 

Product:
Cognos Controller 11.0.12
Microsoft Windows 1016 server

Issue:

Error message about missing files when doing a upgrade installation of Cognos Controller 11.

Failed to copy file “d:\cognos controller upgrade\cntrl_11.0.1_win_ml\winx64h\./resource/utf-8\is_en_rc.txt” to destination “d:\program files\ibm\cognos\ccr_64\uninstall\./resource/utf-8\is_en_rc.txt”: No such file or directory.

If you press skip, you get a new message for other missing file.

Solution:

Check the size of the cntrl_11.0.1_win_ml.tar.gz   file – if it is less than 2 326 187 KB, you have the wrong file. Download again from IBM.

A zip file of the size 409 587 KB is wrong.

More information:

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/downloading-ibm-cognos-controller-1101

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/cognos-controller/11.0.1?topic=icclo-installing-configuring-cognos-controller-one-computer

To log a ticket with IBM support go to: https://www.ibm.com/mysupport/s/?language=en_US

IBM Documentation: https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/cognos-controller

Product:
Cognos Controller 11.0.12

Microsoft Windows 2022 server

Issue:

User get a error when they try to login to Cognos Controller after you have upgraded the software on the server.

Solution:

Ask the user to install the new Cognos Controller client that match the version you have installed on the windows server.

This is often done by central distribution system, like Software center.

INSTALLATION INFORMATION
IBM Cognos Controller Version 11.0.1200.28
Integration Version 11.0.1200.8
Install/Updater Kit Version 11.0.1200.36

More information:

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/cognos-controller/11.0.1?topic=icclo-installing-configuring-cognos-controller-one-computer 

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/troubleshooting-error-invalid-database-version-version-controller-requires-database-version-710-when-launching-controller 

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/how-install-controller-local-client