Locked Catalog-Cannot access from Cognos Administrator

[pmjewett]

Does anyone know how to ensure all clients have disconnected from a Cognos catalog? I'm new to the program and we're trying to make edits to the catalog.

However many of our menu items like "tables" are greyed out and we can't access it. We emailed everyone we could think of that uses it and asked that they log off. No luck.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[paulsol]

If the tables are locked out, it generally means that the catalog is readonly or the catalog is being used.

To find if the catalog is a readonly file, you can right click properties and uncheck the readonly property.

If the catalog is being used, simply change the database appid and password used in the catalog OR remove the tnsname in the catalog and that will disconnect all the users and you can make your edits. A better way is to notify all of your users and comeup with a time when you will do the edits.

[pmjewett]

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, I had already checked that the file wasn't readonly but unfortunately we have no way of knowing for sure that we've contacted all our users and that they have indeed closed out.  Our IT dept hadn't kept a very accurate list of who has what license.

So I'm interested in these other options and I'm starting to look through the documentation but if you have the time to expand a little (ie., hold my hand a little) on how the changing of the database appid and password and/or how to remove the tnsname (not sure what that is) it would be GREATLY appreciated.

Not sure if it's worth mentioning but all of our users are simply pointed at the catalog file out on our SAN. We're not using any Cognos server technology...the last Cognos Admin used the administrator version to make changes to the catalog only.

They left abruptly so now I'm playing catchup.

[tudorm]

On a similar situation I built and tested the catalog in an offline folder with a scheduled copy into live every night. The only refinement would be to modify an application I did some time ago, to check for locks on a file then copy it when the locks are released. I trust you have a email group of all users.