bigg advanced problem - Impromptu Webreports

[wclaes]

Hi,

Hopefully somebody can give some advise, because this problems beats them all. If you have any experience
with Impromptu Web Reports, then please read on:

Our system setup:
- a server is installed with Cognos series 7: Upfront + IWR.
- the server is used to provide publisched cubes and reports over the web.
- a cube is publisched with drillthrough functionality to a report.
- the report is publisched, together with the catalog.
- The connection with the database is via ODBC to an AS400

Problem:
1) We open the cube through upfront and drill through the report.
2) The report starts running, but hangs.
* report monitoring tells us the report is processing.
* in the taskmanager there is started an impserver.exe
process.
* no CPU activity for the impserver proces.

Some of the things we already tried or checked:
- Checked services(stopped them, restarted)
- rebooted
- The drillthrough works perfectly fine in a windows Powerplay client environment. The report opens correct.
- The publisched imr report can be opened and retrieved
correct on the server in impserver.exe (cognos bin folder)
So data can be retrieved.
- Knowledgebase of cognos shows no relevant help.
- Cognos support desk is unreacha

Is there anyone who had similar problems? This problem is urgent, because within a day the IWR functionality must be used in a live high-level demo...

Any help is definitely welcome!

Best regards,
Wim

 

[griffindm]

wclaes,

I've included the only knowledgebase post I could find that may be applicable below. Given your situation and Cognos' desire to make a good impression during demos, I'd suggest calling the following individual directly NOW and get them involved in solving your situation:

Ed Sheperdson
VP, Worldwide Customer Support
Tel (613) 228-7901
Cel (613) 290-0136

I met Ed at one of the User Update days and he seems very interested in helping high visibility users working to bring Cognos into their organizations. Give him a try (hopefully he was not one of those released in their round of layoffs earlier this year ).

It would also be useful to know your web server setup (Win or Unix?).

Knowledgebase Article

.... As well, some impserver processes hang but do not disappear even after the report has been run or cancelled.

Solution:

These consistency issues were resolved by changing two NT parameters:

1. Network Neighborhood Properties -> Services -> Server Properties -> Optimization : Set this to "Balance" (it was previously at the default setting "Maximize Throughput for File Sharing&quot.

2. My Computer Properties -> Performance -> Virtual Memory : specify disk space only on one drive (in this case the C drive; it was previously set to use both the C and D drives).

Regards,

Dave Griffin
The Decision Support Group
Reporting Consulting with Cognos BI Tools
"Magic with Data"

http://www.decisionsupportgroup.com

 

[wclaes]

Dave Griffin,

Thank you very very much for the help.
In the meantime we solved the problem just half an hour ago
after searching for 2 days (with lots of hours extra work)

The problem was an upgrade was not installed for the Client Access Express Service level on the server side.
That cause the connection to the AS400 to prompt for a user password (in upfront) without us showing the prompt box - the
report was hanging (waiting for the password), although
we supplied it hardcoded in the catalog and report.

After the upgrade it suprisingly just works!!!
2 full days of searching!

But anyway, thank you for the help - and maybe the person
you informed us about can be useful in the future.

So now you know what was wrong, in case you might encounter
a similar problem some day (hopefully not of course)

Have a nice weekend,
Best regards,
Wim

 

[griffindm]

Wim,

I thought that might also be another possible cause of the problem from some of the other knowledgebase articles. Did Upfront actually show a dialog box for the password, but fail to give it focus (hidden by other screens)?

Dave Griffin
The Decision Support Group
Reporting Consulting with Cognos BI Tools
"Magic with Data"

http://www.decisionsupportgroup.com

 

[wclaes]

Dave Griffin,

UNfortunately there was no visible messagebox to notify upfront needed a password....
It just hung on the connection to the AS400.

Best regards,
Wim

 

[griffindm]

Wim,

You might want to read thread401-311915. It regards DecisionStream, but echos of some of your problems regarding the client access ODBC for AS/400. Was anyone logged into your NT server when you were trying to drill through into the report?

Regards,

Dave Griffin
The Decision Support Group
Reporting Consulting with Cognos BI Tools
"Magic with Data"

http://www.decisionsupportgroup.com

 

[wclaes]

Dave Griffin,

It is best to be logged on to the system.

Normally this isn't necessary when you have set the
ODBC connection to system account. All other services
of cognos are running as system and should work.

Our server is always active and the system is always
logged in as a special user.
All connections run as system. This is necessary.

Best regards,
Wim