Troubleshooting
Problem
When using Controller, user receives error message.
Symptom
The error varies depending on Controller version.
Controller 10.2.1 (and later):
The Cognos Controller link is not installed
Controller 10.2.0 (and earlier):
The Excel-link is not installed
Cause
There are many different potential causes for this error message:
Scenario #1 - Microsoft Excel 'Macro Security Setting' is configured too high, therefore blocking access to the Controller add-in.
- The Microsoft Office Service Packs often change the Excel 'Macro Security Settings' level. For example, MS Office XP SP3 changes the setting from the original default 'Medium' to 'High'
- This may cause Excel not to trust the Controller Excel Add-in.
Scenario #2 - Customer deploying Controller via Citrix, and only one user affected (all other users work OK).
- In this scenario, the issue is clearly specific to the one end-user's Windows profile (or their Windows domain user account settings).
Scenario #3 - User accessing Controller via standard (non-Citrix) local client installation.
- In this scenario, the client PC installation pre-requisites were not performed correctly.
Scenario #4 - Excel is trying to use the wrong version of .NET Framework (and/or that version does not have the security configured correctly).
Scenario #5 - Excel 2007 feature "Require Application Add-Ins to be signed by Trusted Publisher" was enabled, which stopped controller add-in to be shown in the Add-in list by default.
Scenario #6 - Windows Roaming Profiles causing unexpected behaviour.
Scenario #7 - Controller client was installed by a user who was not a local administrator on the client device.
Scenario #8 - During the installation of Microsoft Office (on the client device) the required (prerequisite) optional components of MS Office/Excel were not chosen/installed.
- For more details, see separate IBM Technote #1372860.
- Alternatively, the client device has a mixture of 2 different MS Office versions installed (for example Word 2003 and Excel 2007). This will stop these required components to be correctly installed.
Scenario #9 - End user's Windows account cannot launch Microsoft Excel, due to NTFS file permission restrictions on the Microsoft Office installation folder.
Scenario #10 - All Microsoft Excel VBA Add-ins have been blocked by an I.T. department security policy.
Scenario #11 - Excel itself has disabled the Controller add-in, due to a previous session of Excel where it detected a problem with the add-in.
Scenario #12 - Controller 10.2.1 (or earlier) client device has 64-bit version of MS Office installed.
Scenario #13 - The end user has never launched Microsoft Excel in the past (on this client device).
- If the MS Office registry branch (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office) does not exist, then the self-healing will fail, and an error is shown. This branch is only created when the end user first launches Office (typically Microsoft Excel), therefore the Controller Excel-link process will (naturally) fail if the end user has never launched MS Excel before.
Scenario #14 - Issue with Microsoft Internet Explorer, where it does not launch correctly (for the end user)
- The Controller client requires a working/functioning Internet Explorer for some of its component's communication. If Microsoft IE is not working, then this causes the Controller client to fail.
Scenario #15 - Intermittent issue caused by deploying Controller via Citrix, and only some Citrix servers having Excel link correctly installed/registered.
- For more details, see separate IBM Technote #2000337.
Resolving The Problem
Scenario #1 - Change the Macro Security to 'Medium' and ensure that 'Trust all installed add-ins and templates' is ticked:
- Launch Excel
- Tools - Macros - Security
- Change the security level to 'Medium'
- Click on 'Trusted Publishers' tab
- Tick the box 'Trust all installed add-ins and templates'
- Click OK.
Scenario #2 - Reset the user's Citrix (or Terminal Services) Windows profile.
- Ensure affected (bad) user is not logged onto the Citrix server
- Logon to Citrix server as an administrator
- Rename the user's Windows Profile (e.g. rename C:\Documents and Settings\USERID to C:\Documents and Settings\USERID.OLD)
- Ask user to test.
If this fails to fix the problem, create new Windows domain user for the affected end user:
- Create a new Windows domain user account (e.g. USERID2) for the affected (bad) user
- Ensure that it has *exactly* the same rights and permissions, and is inside the same OU (same policy settings) as a 'working' user account
- Ask user to test with the new Windows username/password.
Scenario #3 - Double-check that all the installation pre-requisites (for example the Excel macro security settings set to medium) have been performed on the client PC. If necessary, uninstall the Controller Excel add-in and then re-install it. Finally, launch Excel and ensure that the Controller Excel Add-in is ticked (enabled) inside the "add-ins" section:
- Launch Excel
- Tools - Macros - Security
- Change the security level to 'Medium'
Click on 'Trusted Publishers' tab
Tick the box 'Trust all installed add-ins and templates'
Click OK.
THEN:
- Start - Settings - Control Panel
- Add/Remove Programs
- Uninstall Controller Excel link (for Controller 8.2 this is labelled 'IBM Cognos 8 Controller Link Add-In')
- Download (e.g. save to Desktop) Controller link install file from http://<controllerserver>/cognos8/controllerbin/controllerclient.msi
- Double-click on ControllerClient.MSI to install link
THEN:
- Launch Excel
- Click 'Tools - Add-ins'
- Locate add-in labelled 'Controller' or 'ControllerXL'
- Ensure that the box next to this add-in is 'ticked' (enabled)
- Ensure that the 'Controller' menu item now appears inside Excel menu bar
- Close Excel
- Launch Controller and test
Scenario #4 - Ensure that client PC has correct file 'excel.exe.config' located inside Microsoft Office installation directory.
- Refer to separate IBM Technote #1347807 for steps.
Scenario #5 - In Excel 2007, Excel Option -> Trust Center, click on Trust Center Settings, Add-ins, uncheck "Require Application Add-Ins to be signed by Trusted Publisher"
- Refer to separate IBM Technote #1362039 for steps.
Scenario #6 - Refer to separate IBM Technote #1370810 for steps.
Scenario #7 - Refer to separate IBM Technote #1345902 for steps.
Scenario #8 - Ensure that the installation of Microsoft Office (on the client device) contains all the required optional components of MS Office/Excel
- Refer to separate IBM Technote #1398023 for steps.
- Also see Technote #1372860 for more information.
Scenario #9 - Ensure that the end user's Windows account has at least read and execute NTFS file permissions on the Microsoft Office installation folder (default = "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICExx") and all subfolders/files.
Scenario #10 - Refer to separate IBM Technote #1372860 for steps.
Scenario #11 - Refer to separate IBM Technote #1403281 for steps.
Scenario #12 - Uninstall Office 64-bit and replace with 32-bit.
- See separate IBM Technotes #1504061 & #1981289.
Scenario #13 - Ignore the (benign) error, and re-try.
- See separate IBM Technote #1673386.
Scenario #14 - Fix Internet Explorer (on the client device) so that it works correctly.
- See separate IBM Technote #1997908.
Scenario #15 - Re-install the Controller client on the 'bad' Citrix servers.
- See separate IBM Technote #2000337.
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Document Information
Modified date:
22 November 2018
UID
swg21396195