add csv or xml data source

[flashbbeb]

Hi all,

I'm very new to Cognos, and in training only covered ODBC connections. I have a flat file I need to use as a data source that comes to me as a pipe-delimited text file, which I usually convert (text to cols) to XLS to work with in Excel. The data itself is just a table with the first row as headers (i.e. employeeID,fname,lname,etc).

Does anyone know how to use a flat file (txt or csv) as a data source?

When I convert the XLS to XML and try to connect to it I receive errors that with my novice XML understanding indicate that saving directly to XML in Excel won't conform to Cognos' XML schema xmldata.xsd (pasted below).

How do I structure my XML file? All data are strings, and each header element is a simple, non-nested element - employeeID, fname, lname, etc.

Thanks! EB

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!--
    Copyright (C) 2008 Cognos ULC, an IBM Company. All rights reserved.
    Cognos (R) is a trademark of Cognos ULC, (formerly Cognos Incorporated).
-->
<xs:schema xmlns:d="[URL unfurl="true"]http://developer.cognos.com/schemas/xmldata/1/"[/URL] xmlns:xs="[URL unfurl="true"]http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"[/URL] targetNamespace="[URL unfurl="true"]http://developer.cognos.com/schemas/xmldata/1/"[/URL] elementFormDefault="qualified">
	<xs:element name="dataset">
		<xs:complexType>
			<xs:sequence>
				<xs:element name="metadata" type="d:metadataType"/>
				<xs:element name="data" type="d:dataType"/>
			</xs:sequence>
		</xs:complexType>
	</xs:element>
	<xs:complexType name="metadataType">
		<xs:sequence>
			<xs:element name="item" type="d:itemType" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
		</xs:sequence>
	</xs:complexType>
	<xs:complexType name="itemType">
		<xs:attribute name="name" type="xs:token" use="required"/>
		<xs:attribute name="type" use="required">
			<xs:simpleType>
				<xs:restriction base="xs:NMTOKEN">
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:ENTITIES"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:ENTITY"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:ID"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:IDREF"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:IDREFS"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:NCName"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:NMTOKEN"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:NMTOKENS"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:NOTATION"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:Name"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:QName"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:anyURI"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:base64Binary"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:boolean"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:byte"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:date"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:dateTime"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:decimal"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:double"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:duration"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:float"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:gDay"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:gMonth"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:gMonthDay"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:gYear"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:gYearMonth"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:hexBinary"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:int"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:integer"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:language"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:long"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:negativeInteger"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:nonNegativeInteger"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:nonPositiveInteger"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:normalizedString"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:positiveInteger"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:short"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:string"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:time"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:token"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:unsignedByte"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:unsignedInt"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:unsignedLong"/>
					<xs:enumeration value="xs:unsignedShort"/>
				</xs:restriction>
			</xs:simpleType>
		</xs:attribute>
		<xs:attribute name="length" type="xs:int" use="optional"/>
		<xs:attribute name="scale" type="xs:int" use="optional"/>
		<xs:attribute name="precision" type="xs:int" use="optional"/>
		<!--precision is usually tied to decimal type (xs:decimal), but it is also used specify the interval qualifier for interval type (xs:duration).  In this case the following values represent different interval qualifier: 0 for unknown, 1 for second, 2 for minute, 3 for minute to second, 4 for hour, 6 for hour to minute, 7 for hour to second, 8 for day, 12 for day to hour, 14 for day to minute, 15 for day to second, 16 for month, 32 for year, 48 for year to month.-->
	</xs:complexType>
	<xs:complexType name="dataType">
		<xs:sequence>
			<xs:element ref="d:row" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
		</xs:sequence>
	</xs:complexType>
	<xs:element name="row">
		<xs:complexType>
			<xs:sequence>
				<xs:element name="value" nillable="true" maxOccurs="unbounded">
					<xs:complexType mixed="true">
						<xs:simpleContent>
							<xs:extension base="xs:string">
								<xs:attribute name="currency"/>
							</xs:extension>
						</xs:simpleContent>
					</xs:complexType>
				</xs:element>
			</xs:sequence>
		</xs:complexType>
	</xs:element>
</xs:schema>

 

[drlex]

What Cognos application? I use flat files as sources in Transformer and Impromptu (best in the former, as lack of indices are a real performance issue in the latter).

soi là, soi carré

 

[flashbbeb]

I'm trying to connect the file to Cognos Framework Manager - I've never used (and don't have access to) Transformer or similar software to create cubes.