Objects you will use

Projects

A project contains a model, namespaces, packages, data sources, and related information for maintaining and sharing model information. A single project can span many data sources or tables.

An IBM Cognos Framework Manager project displays as a folder that contains a project file (.cpf) and the specific .xml files that define the project. The files in a project folder are unique to each project. The project and its associated files are contained in a project folder.

In general, do not add secondary files to the project folder because they may be affected by actions such as move, rename, and delete commands on the Manage Projects menu. If you decide to add secondary files to the project folders, the files are added with absolute paths. If they are moved from the original location, they must be retargeted.

These are the contents of a project folder.

<project name>.cpf

The Framework Manager project file, which references the .xsd and .xml files that define a project.

archive-log.xml

This file contains the portion of the main log file that was archived.

customdata.xml

This file contains the layout information for the diagram.

If this file is deleted, layout information is lost. An automatic layout will be applied.

IDLog.xml

This file tracks objects for models that use branching and merging.

log.xml

A list of all modifications made to the model.

mda_metadata.xml

A Model Design Accelerator file, which contains the metadata imported from data sources.

mda_engine_project.xml

A Model Design Accelerator file, which contains the definition of the star schema.

model.xml

The actual model data created by Framework Manager users.

preferences.xml

The preferences for Framework Manager projects.

session-log.xml

A list of unsaved transactions in the model. When the project is saved, this list is deleted. View contents of this file using View Transaction History.

When Framework Manager is started, the existing session-log.xml file is renamed to session-log-backup.xml.

session-log-backup.xml

The session-log.xml from the previous session. Using this file, a modeler can run a script to restore the unsaved model transactions in the event of an unexpected interruption in the current session.

This file is deleted each time Framework Manager is started. Ensure you make a copy of this file before exiting the current Framework Manager session if you want to keep a copy.

repository.xml

The logged version history for each project or segment that was added to a repository; this file exists only if you added projects to a repository.

upgradeReport.htm

The content of the upgrade summary message that is displayed after upgrade.

Models

A model is the set of related dimensions, query subjects, and other objects required for one or more related reporting applications.

The Framework Manager model is a metadata layer that adds value to a data source in several ways. Most importantly, it provides a business view of the information in the source data to simplify building reports, analyses, and queries. The business view can:

• Organize items in folders that represent business areas for reporting
• Format items using numeric, currency, date, time, and other formats
• Present multilingual folder and item names, descriptions, tips, and data so that users can operate in their language of choice
• Automate the generation of SQL queries sent to the relational data source
• Specify default prompting

  This can include having IBM Cognos software prompt the user using a descriptive name while actually filtering on a code or key value for improved query performance.

In particular, you can modify the Framework Manager model to ensure that queries sent to the data source are efficient, well formed, and secure. You can specify the rules governing query generation, restrict user access to specific rows or columns of data, and model data relationships to hide the complexity of data from your users.

Namespaces

A namespace uniquely identifies query items, dimensions, query subjects, and other objects. You import different databases into separate namespaces to avoid duplicate names.

Packages

A package is a subset of the dimensions, query subjects, and other objects defined in the project. A package is what is actually published to the IBM Cognos Analytics server, and it is used to create reports, analyses, and ad hoc queries.

Query subjects

A query subject is a set of query items that have an inherent relationship.

In most cases, query subjects behave like tables. Query subjects produce the same set of rows regardless of which columns were queried.

There are different types of query subjects.

Data source

Data source query subjects directly reference data in a single data source. IBM Cognos Framework Manager automatically creates a relational data source query subject for each table and view that you import into your model.

Model

Model query subjects are not generated directly from a data source but are based on query items in other query subjects or dimensions, including other model query subjects. By using model query subjects, you can create a more abstract, business-oriented view of a data source.

Stored procedure

Stored procedure query subjects are generated when you import a procedure from a relational data source. IBM Cognos Framework Manager supports only user-defined stored procedures. System stored procedures are not supported.

Query items

A query item is the smallest piece of the model that can be placed in a report. It represents a single characteristic of something, such as the date that a product was introduced.

Query items are contained in query subjects or dimensions. For example, a query subject that references an entire table contains query items that represent each column in the table.

For your users, query items are the most important objects for creating reports. They use query item properties of query items to build their reports.