COGNOS CHARY

Cognos Certification Exam

Level I – Run Existing Reports

Level II – Basic Report Writing

List Reports

Login to Report Studio and choose package
Five main components of Report Studio
A1. Add fields
A2. Use pre-written prompts
A3. -A5. Add filters
A7. Save in My Folders
B1. Rename / Save as
B2. Remove fields
B3. Sort
B4. Change column order
B5. Group
B7. Add an Aggregate for subtotals and totals
B9. Add row numbers
B10. Format a number for number of decimal points
B11. Change date/time format
B12. Add a calculated field for percentage
B13. Create report title
B14. Create dynamic title
B15. Add text to footer
B16. Download to Excel
B17. Create a prompt

Crosstab reports

Areas of a Crosstab report
A1. Add fields
A2. Sort fields
A3. Use Pre-written prompts
A5. Add filters
A6. Format numbers for decimal points
A9. Swap rows and columns
A10. Add totals
A11 Change names of row and column
B. Change a List report into a Crosstab report
C. Create Drill Through

Repeater tables

Repeater Table defined
1. Convert a List report to a Repeater Table
2. Create a Repeater Table from scratch
2. l. Add a simple prompt
2. m. Add a border to a Repeater
3. Add a Repeater Table to a List

Charts

A. Chart Groups and Types
B. Pie Chart
C. Column Chart added to a Crosstab report
D. Convert a chart to a different type

Prompts

A. Add a pre-written prompt
B. Add a simple prompt with a filter Expression
C. Add a Text Box Prompt
D. Add a Value Prompt
E. Create a Cascading Prompt page

Advanced Topics

Joins using Query Explorer
A. Simple report, starting with List
Run menu item / View Tabular Data
Join Relationship / Cardinality
Adding a Query Calculation
BONUS - Add another field to the report
BONUS - Add another report to verify your data
B. Join with different queries
Master-Detail
BONUS – Master-Detail with Drill Through
Report Templates
Header/Footers
Borders
Conditional Formatting
Exceptional Data – Conditional Styles button
Alternating color on rows – Condition Explorer

Expressions

1-7.General Information
8. IF-THEN-ELSE and CASE WHEN
9. Function tab to help write expressions
10. Warning about Auto-aggregate feature

Complex Report

Tips & Hints

1. URLs for Cognos
2. Join Cognos mail list
3. Email for questions/problems
4. Two ways to run reports
5. Unrecognized SOAP error
6. Delete vs. Cut
7. Singleton data element and how to avoid
9. Hints for Filters / Writing Expressions
10. Validate Report
11. Write report in DEV and copy to PROD
12. Write report in DEV/PROD and copy to same DB
13. Two ways to open report in Report Studio
14. Sort – how to view or change sort order in List
15. Use My Area/My Preferences - customize the “look”
16. No Data Content option
17. Browser will show when report needs to be saved
18. More about Filter Expressions
19. Crosstabs – adding rows, columns, measures
20. Pickup Style/Apply Style to copy text formatting
21. IF THEN ELSE expression