Parameterized URLs for Dashboards

[aHort78]

I am currently using Cognos 8.2 and I need to generate links from one report to an Ad Hoc Dashboard and it works fine when used with m_page like so:

<a href="?b_action=xts.run
            &m=portal/cc.xts
            &m_page=i2A614375B572412CB4894AA8194CA87A
            &rui=">Ad Hoc Reports Dashboard</a>

however, whenever the reports, packages and dashboards are wiped out and redeployed the Ad Hoc Reports Dashboard is assigned a new m_page while all of the reports keep the old m_page. As a result it requires manually updating the link to the Ad Hoc Dashboard everytime its redeployed. I have tried looking into using ui.object/ui.tool/ui.action (link listed below) but I have never got it working.

<a href="?b_action=xts.run
             &m=portal/launch.xts
             &ui.tool=CognosViewer
             &ui.object=/content/folder[@name='Dashboard']/pagelet[@name='Ad Hoc Reports Dashboard']
             &ui.action=default" target="_new">Ad Hoc Reports Dashboard</a>

If ui.action is set to default, I get: Invalid operation: "/" "" "xts.run".
If ui.action is set to run, I get: Unable to load pluggable shared library.

Does anyone know of how to get parameterized urls working without explicitly stating m_page for dashboards, or how to keep cognos from assigning a different m_page each time its redeployed?

[xiska]

Hi,

the url you have taken is out of the properties.
take a look at the cognos or ibm websides. you will find there a documentation about the url's an the parameters as well.

But once for sure if you delete an object you will always get a new ID for any object which also has it's advantages.

[aHort78]

the url you have taken is out of the properties.

Not sure what you mean by this. I do include all of the required parameters in both versions, so I'm not sure if you are referring about something else.

take a look at the cognos or ibm websides. you will find there a documentation about the url's an the parameters as well.

I used IBM's documentation to develop these links. The document states that objects are referred by the ui-object parameter and pages by the m_page parameter. However dashboards are considered pagelets and its not referred in the document about how to create urls for them. The particular dashboard I have includes a two column layout with one half using Cognos Viewer and ther other using Cognos Navigator, so it doesn't make since to give it a single ui-tool.

Link to the documentation I used:
http://businessintelligence.ittoolbox.com/groups/technical-functional/cognos8-l/cognos-integration-using-parameterized-url-2576268

[xiska]

Hi

Properties: in most cases it works if you take the url out of the properties > seachpath and Uri > copy the link.
That is where I take the url's out.

I mean the documentation out of the tech talk
Here is a KB document which represents a small part of this documentation.
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=3442&context=SS9RTN&context=SSWGNW&q1=url+parameter&uid=swg21382280&loc=en_US&cs=utf-8&lang=en
<snip>
Proven Practices: Using URL's in Cognos 8 (PDF), available from Tech Talk Insider, under the Report Design section http://support.cognos.com/supported/tti/public/index.html See Section Performing Tasks in Cognos 8 Using URLs in the IBM Cognos 8 BI 8.3 Administration and Security Guide
</snip>
There are all parameters explained.
I did not found the document but it may help.


I had similar problems using the URL or a page/portaltab with no solution yet. Especially using the channel information. There are may be not all featutes documentated.
In addition the url's are pretty version and servicepack specific.
Yes - pages are treated as portlets.

to your link
"Now the challenge we have is that when the user enters the report params & submits the form to get the report, we want to update (fire Insert/update queries on Database) the database with some values...."
That is possible - i have done that in a high security multi server environment.