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Users intermittently receiving error '\\servername\share\profilepath\...\application data\cognos\ccr\foldername\databasename\reportname.XLSX' when launching Excel functionality inside Controller

Troubleshooting


Problem

User is working inside Controller. User clicks on a menu item (for example 'Reports - Run') which invokes Microsoft Excel. User receives error message.

Symptom

Microsoft Office Excel
'\\servername\share\profilepath\...\application data\cognos\ccr\foldername\databasename\reportname.XLSX' cannot be found. Check your spelling, or try a different path.
[OK]

Cause

Controller stores all of its 'cache' data inside the following folder:
%APPDATA%\cognos\ccr

By default, this is located inside the C: drive, for example:
C:\Documents and Settings\myname\Application Data\Cognos\ccr

In the above environment, the variable %APPDATA% has been redirected (for example via a Windows Active Directory policy) to a network share on a different server (\\servername\share\).

However, Controller needs to read/write quickly to this folder. Unfortunately, it you redirect the value of %APPDATA% to a UNC network path, the read/write operation may not be quick enough to keep up with Controller's needs.

Resolving The Problem

Modify the location of the end user's %APPDATA% variable to a non-UNC location.

TIP: This is typically configured by a Windows policy, such as an Active Directory user or machine policy. This will be configured by the I.T. network administrator.

Ideal Fix (suitable for all environments):

%APPDATA% should ideally be located on a local hard drive, to ensure the fastest read/write response.
By default, this should be: C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Application Data

Workaround (may not work for all environments):

It you must store %APPDATA% on a remote server, it is possible that it will work better via a mapped network drive (as opposed to a UNC path).
For example, you could modify %APPDATA% to a value such as: X:\users\%username%\Application Data

[{"Product":{"code":"SS9S6B","label":"IBM Cognos Controller"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU059","label":"IBM Software w\/o TPS"},"Component":"Controller","Platform":[{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Version":"8.4","Edition":"Not Applicable","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB10","label":"Data and AI"}}]

Document Information

Modified date:
15 June 2018

UID

swg21391066