What types of files can be uploaded into Cognos Analytics?

Answer

The files to be uploaded can be stored anywhere your computer has local or LAN access to.

Data being imported must be in simple columnar form; pivot tables/crosstabs are not supported.

The following file formats are supported:

• Microsoft Excel XLS and XLSX
• Delimited text files, containing either comma-, tab-, semi colon-, or pipe separated values

Files that are saved with an OpenOffice extension (ODS) are currently not supported.

Specific conditions applicable to Microsoft Excel files:

• Password-protected Microsoft Excel files are not supported
• Excel files will always use the first tab sheet. To upload multiple sheets, save them as separate Excel files
• Excel file formats prior to 2003, e.g. 95 or 97, are not supported.

To join two uploaded files, create a data module using them as sources.

You can refresh (upload a new version) of a data file through the portal (click … Update file).

You cannot prompt the user to upload a file at run time the way the External Data capability does.

Columns with text or BLOB data are truncated to 100 characters during data import.

Filters within a Microsoft Excel file are ignored. You can use the filtering options available in the web-based modeling tool to filter the data.

Comments before the first header row in a data file are interpreted as column headers. If you have text that describes the worksheet before the first row, the text will be incorrectly read as a column header. If you need a description of the worksheet, leave an empty row at the end of your data and add the description under the empty row.

Totals and subtotals in your data are treated as part of the data set. Totals can be mistaken as unsummarized data, and give misleading results. It is preferred to remove totals and subtotals from your data.