Product:
Cognos Controller 10.1 FAP
Microsoft Windows 2008 R2
Oracle Database

Error message:
** ERROR: java.sql.SQLException: IO Error: Invalid connection string format, a valid format is: “host:port:sid”

Problem:
When you setup the Cognos Controller FAP database, you need to populate it with tables by using the DBCONV program from Cognos Controller Configuration.
You enter the values for Database Connection and click Test – Connection Succeeded.
Then you click on the arrow to start DBCONV module, and click on CONNECT button to connect to the oracle database. Here you get above error.
If you get below error, it is because you have not entered domain.com value in the name in Cognos Configuration or in the TNSNAMES.ORA file.
** ERROR: java.sql.SQLException: IO Error: Unknown host specified
Only enter PT0572 in Cognos Controller data source will give that error.
Solution:
Inside Cognos Controller Configuration for the FAP database you must enter an EZCONNECT data source name. Like this;
oracleaixservername.domain.COM:1521/PT0572.domain.com
The important is that it is oracle host name (colon) port number (slash) tnsnames alias including domain.com
The TNSNAMES.ORA file should contain this;
PT0572.DOMAIN.COM=
(DESCRIPTION=
(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=oracleaixservername.DOMAIN.COM)(PORT=1521))
(CONNECT_DATA=
(SID=PT0572)
)
)

And Cognos Controller Configuration should be like this:
Database type: Oracle
Name: FAP
Provider: ORAOLEDB.ORACLE.1
User ID: CCR_FAP_data_mart (the oracle schema name)
Password: *******
Data Source: oracleaixservername.domain.com:1521/PT0572.domain.com

You must exit Cognos Controller Configuration program between every change to the TNSNAMES.ORA file. The file is only read during start of the Controller Configuration program (ControllerConf.exe *32).

More Information:
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21635338