Changing/updating hotfile

[kkcarlton]

Hi All,

I am new to this forum and Cognos/Impromptu. I was hoping someone could help me with changing a hot file in Impromptu?

We are running Cognos Impromptu Administrator version 7.1.339.0

I have a hot file that needs to be updated. When I try to open the hot file with impromptu I don’t have an option to open .ims files (the hotfile).

So I created a new one with the same columns, the same file name, etc. and copied it to the directory where the current hot file is saved.

When I run the report I get the following error message:

DMS-E-RBI-COLULMN, Column c21 was not found.

I tried an ‘open with’ on the file and selected Impromptu but get an error message that the file is not a report. So my dilemma is I can’t really look at the old hot file to see exactly what it looks like and creating a new one does not seem to work with existing reports – only new ones.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks,
Kristina

 

[griffindm]

Kristina,

When using hotfiles with other reports or catalogs, the general practice is to retain the original report (.imr) used to create them, and to rerun that report and use the 'Save As' option to update (overwrite) to original hotfile with new data.

The error message is telling you that something structural in the hotfile has changed. Can you find the original report that was used to create the hotfile and try to refresh it with that report?

Dave Griffin


The Decision Support Group
Reporting Consulting with Cognos BI Tools
"Magic with Data"
Want good answers? Read FAQ401-2487 first!

http://www.decisionsupportgroup.com

 

[kkcarlton]

I found the original report but it was created in a previous version of Impromptu. When I open it with the option to upgrade, I can't query the data. I get a similar error message to the one I posted before. It can't find the column 'employer'.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Kristina

 

[kkcarlton]

In addition, when I open my catalog now the Update Catalog, Folders, Properties, User Profiles, Tables, and Joins options are now disabled. It is the same catalog I opened last week and make changes to with the same user name and password.

Very confusing!

thanks,
Kristina

 

[griffindm]

Kristina,

If you declined to upgrade either the report or catalog, then you cannot make changes to them. What I suggest is to make copies of both, make the copies read-only (to prevent accidental upgrading), then open the original report and catalog again and upgrade them. This should re-enable the join and table screens.

From the error message, it sounds like the underlying table schemas may have changed since the hotfile was last created. You can check this by opening the upgraded catalog only (no report) and go into the Tables menu option under Catalogs and verify the tables. Any changes will show up with a red line through them. You can then go into the table so indicated and see which columns have changed.

Hope this helps,

Dave Griffin


The Decision Support Group
Reporting Consulting with Cognos BI Tools
"Magic with Data"
Want good answers? Read FAQ401-2487 first!

http://www.decisionsupportgroup.com