by ·Comments Off on The webpage cannot be found HTTP 400

Product:
Cognos Controller 10.4.2
Microsoft Windows 2019 server

Issue:
One user can not login to the new Cognos Controller setup with CA11, after selecting the database he get a error that he can not reach the CA11 website.

It worked in old version of Cognos Controller (where a different version of Cognos Analytics is used).

Solution:

On the CA11 servers, add the following registry value:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\HTTP\Parameters]
"MaxFieldLength"=dword:00032768
"MaxRequestBytes"=dword:01000000

Reboot the windows servers, in correct order, with Cognos Content Manger first.

If a user is member of a lot of AD groups, here login call may be to big for the HTTP settings, therefor a adjustment like this is needed.

More information:

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/troubleshooting-controller-client-seems-launch-after-selecting-database-logon-screen-fails-appear

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/troubleshooting-cannot-launch-controller-client-caused-incorrect-selectdb-database-selection-mode-setting

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/controller-logon-window-does-not-appear-or-webpage-cannot-be-found-appears-after-selecting-database-caused-incorrect-report-server-settings

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/order-restart-cognos-analytics-servers-distributed-environment

https://its.uiowa.edu/support/article/109196

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/6218316

Other causes can be;

1. Logon to the Controller application server as an administrator
2. From the Start menu, launch “Controller Configuration”
3. Open section “Web Services Server”
4. Open subsection “Report Server”
5. Ensure that the setting for “Report Server” is correct, and can be resolved by the end user’s PC.
Example (when using Cognos Analytics without SSO):
http://my-ca-server.company.com:9300/bi/v1/disp
Example (when using Cognos Analytics with SSO):
http://my-ca-server.company.com/ibmcognos/bi/v1/disp
6. Click “Save”
7. Test.
or

Steps:

  1. Logon to Report Server (Cognos Analytics server) as an administrator
  2. From the Start Menu, launch “Cognos Configuration“
  3. Expand section “Local Configuration – Security – Authentication“
  4. Ensure that the setting “Restrict access to members of the built-in namespace” is set to “True“
  5. After making changes, restart the Cognos service (for example restart the ‘IBM Cognos’ Windows service).

or

Steps:

  1. Logon to Report Server (BI server) as an administrator
  2. From the Start Menu, launch “Cognos Configuration“
  3. Expand section “Local Configuration – Security – Authentication – Cognos“
  4. Ensure that the setting “Allow anonymous access” is set to “False“
  5. After making changes, restart the Cognos reporting service.

or

Modify all IIS/SSO settings (for example the ‘Rewrite rules’) to use the lowercase value for the URLs.
All server references in Cognos and IIS must be lowercase.

but all above will give, that all users have the same issue.

by ·Comments Off on How change report engine

Product:
Cognos Controller 10.4.2
Microsoft Windows 2016 server

Issue:
How change from Cognos BI report, to the Controller report engine.

Solution:

To activate the controller report function, you need to change a web.config file.

1. Make sure that the Windows service ‘IBM Cognos Controller Reports‘ has already been successfully installed

 

2. Browse to the folder: C:\Program Files\IBM\cognos\ccr_64\ControllerProxyServer
3. As a precaution, create a backup copy of web.config
4. Open the file web.config inside notepad
5. Search for the entry: <appSettings>
6. Underneath that line, add an entry similar to:
<add key=”ccrReports” value=”http://servername.domain.com:9082/fcm.reports/report” />
7. Save changes
8. Browse to the folder: C:\Program Files\ibm\cognos\ccr_64\fcmweb\wlp\etc\

9. As a precaution, create a backup copy of server.env
10. Open the file server.env inside notepad
11.  Add the following line and save changes.  The default location for Java home is: C:/Program Files/IBM/cognos/ccr_64/fcmweb/jre
JAVA_HOME=C:/Program Files/IBM/cognos/ccr_64/fcmweb/jre
12. Make sure that the Windows service ‘IBM Cognos Controller Reports‘ is re-started
To turn off the controller report function, and use Cognos BI again. Remark it out like this:
<!– <add key=”ccrReports” value=”http://win2019server.domain.com:9082/fcm.reports/report” /> –>
Save the file, and wait a while.
More information:

by ·Comments Off on Grey line in View Batch Queue

Product:

Cognos Controller 10.4.2
Microsoft Windows 10

Issue:

Go into maintain – batch queue – manage

You see a grey line to the left over the dialog. If you move the dialog window, the lines follow the window.

Workaround:

Go to Maintain – User – Personal Defaults.

Click on Layout tab.

Mark “Save Window Size”

Click Save.

Exit Cognos Controller Client program, and login again.

 

by ·Comments Off on Dialog is missing when press button

Product:
Cognos Controller 10.4.2
Microsoft Windows 2019 server

Issue:

When press the Schedule Job icon in Optimize Database dialog – the windows is not visible.
The button does not work.
Solution:
Most common is that the controller dialog is outside the screen.

To reset all cognos controller windows to center or top left corner, do this steps inside Cognos Controller client program:

1. Click “Maintain / User / Personal Defaults > tab Layout (2)”
2. Uncheck the box ‘Save Window Size’:

3. Click Save
4. Logoff from Controller, and re-launch the Controller client.

More information:

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/hanging-slow-crashing-when-using-controller-triggered-message-appearing-inside-window-located-offscreen-triggered-save-window-size-being-enabled

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/375391

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/blurred-text-andor-strange-looking-fonts-andor-incorrect-display-layout-inside-controller-classic-client-caused-using-display-scaling-not-using-100-scaling-96-dpi-triggered-controller-not-being-high-dpi-aware

The values for Cognos Controller dialog position is stored in the users ccr.config file in there user profile folder, at C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Cognos\ccr.

You can change them in the file — but that is more difficult, than reset them as above.

<WinPos>
<add key=”frmRightsSystemReport-Left” value=”1950″ />
<add key=”frmRightsSystemReport-Top” value=”945″ />
<add key=”frmFormsDefine-Left” value=”390″ />
<add key=”frmFormsDefine-Top” value=”390″ />
<add key=”frmFormsDefine-Width” value=”15225″ />
<add key=”frmFormsDefine-Height” value=”8520″ />
<add key=”frmDefineFormSets-Left” value=”225″ />
<add key=”frmDefineFormSets-Top” value=”525″ />
<add key=”frmDefineFormSets-Width” value=”15675″ />
<add key=”frmDefineFormSets-Height” value=”8925″ />
<add key=”frmOptimize-Left” value=”45″ />
<add key=”frmOptimize-Top” value=”390″ />
<add key=”frmSubmission-Left” value=”45″ />
<add key=”frmSubmission-Top” value=”315″ />
<add key=”frmSubmission-Width” value=”10590″ />
<add key=”frmSubmission-Height” value=”6960″ />
<add key=”frmSubmissionReport-Left” value=”45″ />
<add key=”frmSubmissionReport-Top” value=”330″ />
<add key=”frmScheduleJob-Left” value=”45″ />
<add key=”frmScheduleJob-Top” value=”330″ />
<add key=”frmCompanyStructDef-Left” value=”60″ />
<add key=”frmCompanyStructDef-Top” value=”345″ />
<add key=”frmCompanyStructDef-Width” value=”12105″ />
<add key=”frmCompanyStructDef-Height” value=”11400″ />
</WinPos>

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/window-sizes-changeshrink-and-cannot-be-resized-plus-font-text-size-changes-when-using-java-functions-remote-desktop-caused-using-windows-81-option-let-me-choose-one-scaling-level-all-my-displays

by ·Comments Off on Cannot resolve the collation conflict between SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS and …

Product:
Cognos Controller 10.4.2
Microsoft Windows 2019 server
Microsoft SQL server 2016

Issue:

When open data entry, you get a system.exception error:

Source: ControllerForms12
Description: System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapException: Server was unable to process request. —> System.Exception: Cannot resolve the collation conflict between “SQL_Latin1_General_Pref_CP1_CI_AS” and “SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS” in the equal to operation.
at Microsoft.VisualBasic.ErrObject.Raise(Int32 Number, Object Source, Object Description, Object HelpFile, Object HelpContext)
at ControllerServerCommon.RaiseErrSrv.RaiseException….

This on a new SQL server installation, where you have restored your Controller database backup.

Solution:

Change collation settings on the SQL server. Cognos Controller demand that the SQL server and its TEMPDB have the same collation as the controller databases. Therefor you often have dedicated SQL servers for Cognos Controller systems.

Recommended format is: “SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS”

Other collations will work, as described here: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/which-sql-collations-are-supported-controller

You can change the SQL server collation without reinstall it, by this hidden feature.

  • Stop all Cognos services.
  • Detach all user databases (right click on Controller database in SQL manager and select Tasks – Detach)
  • Make backup of all other stuff
  • Stop SQL Server Service – can be done in Windows services.
  • Start a CMD prompt as Administrator
  • Go to folder C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL13.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Binn
  • Start the SQL Server Service using this command:
    sqlservr -m -T4022 -T3659 -q”SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS”
  • Now check for the message “Recovery is completed”, and then press CTRL+C to Stop the SQL Server service
  • Start the SQL Services Normally – from Windows services.
  • Check for the change in SQL Management Studio with below query:
    select serverproperty(‘COLLATION’) as servercollation
  • Attach the user databases back (right click on Databases in SQL manager and select Attach)

Use this with extra care and with your own risk!

 

More information:

https://www.sanssql.com/2013/10/change-sql-server-collation-without.html

https://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/3519/changing-sql-server-collation-after-installation/

Download SQL manager from https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/ssms/release-notes-ssms?view=sql-server-ver15#previous-ssms-releases

https://www.dbvis.com/download/

 

by ·Comments Off on System.IndexOutOfRangeException: Index was outside the bounds of the array

Product:

Cognos Controller 10.4.2
Microsoft Windows 2019 server

Issue:
When starting and stopping the Cognos Controller client several times you get this error when you try to login.

System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapException: Server was unable to process request. —> System.IndexOutOfRangeException: Index was outside the bounds of the array. at
Cognos.Controller.Proxy.ControllerReportNetService.RepNet.GetUserInfo ….

Solution:

There can be many cause of this issue, but first make sure you do not have previous errors that trigger this.

Logoff cognos controller client and restart your laptop, to ensure there are no excel or controller software running in the background.

Then login and try again.

When you get one error in Cognos Controller, it is best to logoff and restart the client completely to not get other errors as an affect of the first error.

More Information:

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/error-occurred-while-trying-access-server-systemindexoutofrangeexception-index-was-outside-bounds-array-when-launching-controller-client

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/troubleshooting-index-was-outside-bounds-array-when-launching-controller-client

by ·Comments Off on Date in Cognos Controller report is in wrong format.

Product:
Cognos Controller 10.4.2
Microsoft Windows 2019 server

Issue:
After new installation of Cognos Controller, when for example you check the data format in accusation registry.

It show like 28/02/2020

When it should look like 2020-02-28. This is the expected format for Sweden. Each country have its default format. This is often set inside your local computer, at Region in Control panel.

Solution:

Change the format in region to your country.

Go to Control panel.
Go to Region.

Change in the format drop down to your country, and click apply.
Click OK.
Start Cognos Controller client on your computer and try your report/view again.

On a citrix server, each users, have there own windows profile, and can have different region settings even do they are on the same citrix server.

More information:

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/time-zone-clock-date-formats-controller-explanation-and-description

https://support.citrix.com/article/CTX103288

by ·Comments Off on How create a standard user in Cognos Controller

Product:
Cognos Controller 10.4.2
Microsoft Windows 2012 R2 Server

Issue:
In Cognos Controller the IBM license is for users and servers. The user part is divided in Administrators and Standard Users.  The limit is that the Standard Users should not have access to all the menu points on the Maintain menu. How do we set this up?

Solution:
Create a security group called ST = standard user, and limit access to menu items as shown below.

Then use this menu group as template when you create other menu security groups in Cognos Controller- if you want the data entry people only to have access to less number of menus.

Log into Cognos Controller Client as a administrator (ADM) user.

Go to maintain – rights – security groups.

Create a new security group, by click on new icon.

Name it ST, Standard User and scroll down to select all menu points that should be set to Not Available.

Then for each menu a standard user, should not see, you need to select it and click “Not Available”.

Important, that Jobs menu above is set to red “Not Available”.

Submission – Tasks – Define, is a new function for Cognos Controller, so if you upgrade from a old version of Cognos Controller this menu will be active and set to allow – giving that all your old users become Administrators. You need to go into Security Groups and set “Not Available” on this new functions (after a upgrade).

“Manage Active Users” can in some cases be allowed for a “Standard User”.

When all fields need are set to “Not Available” click save icon.

Now click on save as icon to create a new security group with this as base;

Give it a good name, and then select the menu points your data entry users should not see, and also mark them as Not Available.

Here you need to decide what menu point your different users groups need. Save the new group.

Then you go to Maintain – Rights – Users.
On each user go to limitations and select your new security group.

Click on Save icon.
Now it may be needed, that you run a optimization of the database for the changes to take affect.

Go to maintain – rights – reports and click on Generate (to get a License Management Report as PDF)

Save the pdf to a folder you can find.
Open the UserReport.pdf file in your Adobe reader or web browser.

Now you should have more standard active users in the report.

The information is also stored in a SLMT tag file for each database, in a unique folder for each database, on the Cognos Controller main server.

C:\Program Files\ibm\cognos\ccr_64\SLMTagData\UK, is the folder for the UK database.

Where you can see historical values from your Controller installation.

In folder C:\Program Files\ibm\cognos\ccr_64\swidtag you find the file that the ILMT tool should check to find what version of Cognos Controller you have installed.

 

More Information:
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/controller-licensing-what-difference-between-administrator-and-non-administrator-user

http://public.dhe.ibm.com/software/passportadvantage/PA_Agreements/PA_Agreement_International_English.pdf

https://www.middlecon.se/vad-ar-ilmt-och-vem-behover-bry-sig/

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/faq-what-does-internal-database-optimise-do-and-how-often-should-i-run-database-optimize

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/cognos-controller/10.4.1?topic=environment-monitoring-license-usage

https://www-03.ibm.com/software/sla/sladb.nsf/lilookup/B2CD5F784772CDB08525860A0058085C?OpenDocument

by ·Comments Off on Controller Web error 401: Unauthorized

Product:

Cognos Controller web 10.4.2
Microsoft Windows 2012 R2 server

Issue:
Upgrade of controller web to later version with SSO (CAM login), you get a error after you select the database in the controller web page.

Error message:

The website declined to show this webpage
Most Likely causes:
This website requires you to login.

This error (HTTP 403 Forbidden) means that Internet Explorer was able to connect to the website, but it does not have permission to view the webpage.

Solution:

The file D:\Program Files\ibm\cognos\analytics\templates\ps\portal\variables_CCRWeb.xml

may contain the wrong information.

Open variables_CCRWeb.xml in Notepad++

Change line <CRNenv c_cmd=”http://servername.domain.com:9080/fcm.web/#!/CamLogin”>

to

<CRNenv c_cmd=”http://servername.domain.com:9080/#!/CamLogin”>
<cookies>
<param name=”cam_passport”/>
</cookies>
</CRNenv>

The extra fcm.web is from the old version of Controller web.

Save the file again.

Restart the 3 Cognos Controller Web services.

Try to browse to http://servername.domain.com:9080/ to see if Controller Web works.

More Information:

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

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/305259

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/controller-web-does-not-fully-logout-authenticated-users-unless-web-browser-closed-using-cam-authentication

The log files for controller web is found in folders:

D:\Program Files\ibm\cognos\ccr_64\frontend\logs\fcmwebui-stdout.2021-04-23.log

D:\Program Files\ibm\cognos\ccr_64\fcmweb\wlp\usr\servers\fcm.web\logs\fcmweb-stdout.2021-04-23.log