Other components

In addition to the tools provided with IBM® Cognos® Controller, the following components use other resources.

Controller Database

Data sources, such as relational databases or other physical data stores, are used as the Controller database, which contains the data that the clients work with in IBM Cognos Controller.

Application Tier Components use data source connections to access the Controller database.

At least one database and its data source connection must be available before users can use IBM Cognos Controller. If more than one Controller database is available, each database must be the same Controller database version. For more information about database versions, see Installing and Configuring Controller.

If more than one Controller database is available, the administrator determines whether users can select the database they want to use or whether one is provided by default. Administrators can choose to let users select a database from a list that appears when IBM Cognos Controller starts. If no selection is allowed, users can access only the default database.

To enable the Web Services Server to connect to the Controller database, ensure that you install the database API software on each Web Services Server computer.

Controller Data Mart Database

A Controller data mart database is required if you use the Publish to Data Mart Framework Manager model provided with IBM Cognos Controller. By using the Publish to Data Mart functionality in Controller, you can publish data and structures from a Controller database to the data mart database. After it is populated, you can use the Controller data mart database for custom reporting using the Controller Publish to Data Mart Framework Manager model.

Financial Analytic Publisher Database

With IBM Cognos Controller Financial Analytics Publisher you can connect the IBM Cognos Controller database to the IBM Cognos Controller Financial Analytics Publisher client so that you can publish data in a TM1® cube.

FAP database is a temporary database to which changed facts and data and dimension updates are moved prior to their transformation into the cube. The information in this database is purged at regular intervals.