Quick Reference Guide

This quick reference guide provides our users with some answers to frequently asked questions.

What is the current version of Cognos BI in Production?

8.2.45.7 (commonly referred to as 8.2 sp2)

What operating systems are fully supported?

Windows 2000 / Windows 2003 / Windows XP

What browsers are currently supported?

Supported web browsers to view reports (not including studio access): Internet Explorer 7.0 / Internet Explorer 6 SP1 / Internet Explorer 6 SP2 / Netscape 7.2 / Firefox 1.0.4 - 1.5.0.2
Note: Internet Explorer 8 is not currently supported

Supported web browsers for report studio/ analysis studio: Internet Explorer 7.0 / Internet Explorer 6 SP1 / Internet Explorer 6 SP2 (windows only)

Framework Manager is only supported on Windows 2000 / Windows 2003 / Windows XP
Note: Microsoft Office integration is only supported on Windows platforms (i.e. export to Excel)

What are the limitations on OSX?

Safari is not a supported browser and does not always render reports as intended. Safari does not function properly with any of the studios. Mozilla Firefox 1.5 is the recommended browser for OSX. Report Studio, Analysis Studio, and Framework Manager can only be used in a Windows environment. Parellels, VMware, or Boot Camp can be used to access a Windows environment on a Mac. Performance issues have been reported when emulating a Windows environment; we are currently investigating ways to improve performance.

How can't I save an Excel file?

This problem is usually related to a setting in Internet Explorer to confirm file after downloading. To change this setting:

1. Open the "Windows Explorer" and then click "Folder Options" on the Tools menu
2. Click the "File Types" tab and select the Extension XLS (Microsoft Excel Worksheet file type)
3. Click "Advanced"
4. Enable "Confirm open after download"
5. Check box and then click OK

How can I handle Excel files in Cognos BI?

There are multiple versions of Excel output for backwards compatibility reasons:

1. CSV-raw data, no formatting, only possible with single Query reports. Delivered in email as .CSV file.
2. Excel 2000 Single Sheet - all report pages rendered to one Excel 2000 worksheet. Delivered in email as a .HTML file.
3. Excel 2002 - each report page is rendered to its own Excel 2002 worksheet, in a single Excel 2002 workbook. Delivered in email as a .MHT file.

The Excel types are delivered via email as .HTML and .MHT files (supported Excel file types) instead of .XLS files for several reasons:

1. .XLS files are prone to macro viruses and as such are blocked by many email servers.
2. Using HTML/MHT files (supported Excel file types) permits users without Excel installed locally to view the files as well as those who have Excel available, thus potentially increasing a report's target audience.

Therefore, you should not be expecting .XLS files in the emails, instead you should be getting .HTML or .MHT files depending on which version of Excel you selected (HTML for Excel 2000 and MHT for Excel 2002). Cognos 8 uses a Microsoft-supplied open document standard that effectively embeds the Excel format into an HTML or MHT document.

For the .HTML email attachments, users can double-click the HTML and open it in Internet Explorer. Subsequently, they can go File --> Edit with Microsoft Office Excel. Alternatively, you can save the email attachment and give it an XLS extension.

For .MHT email attachments, users can open these with Internet Explorer or directly in Excel. By default Windows may associate .MHT files with Internet Explorer, but you can change this if you wish to open it directly with Excel:

1. Save the .MHT file locally to your machine
2. Right-click on the file and ensure you are on the general tab
3. Where it says Open with, click change
4. Select Microsoft Excel

After going through the above four steps users will then double-click on the .MHT files to open these in Excel.