Automate Cognos Powerplay from Excel

[Deutz]

Hi and thanks in advance.

I am looking for a way to import an open Cognos Powerplay report into an open Excel
worksheet.

I'm trying to automate this process from Excel via VBA but since I don't know the path
or the file names of the Cognos reports, I don't know how to achieve this.

We just have shortcuts to the Cognos Reports with the URLs made up of
a long string of characters e.g.

http://manbi.comms.ind/cognos/cgi-bin/ppdscgi.exe?....long character string .....

Thanks
Deutz

[cognostechie]

Hi !

It depends on the version of Cognos you are using and it's hard to say from your URL. Does not look like a version 8 URL. In series 6 and 7, the reports were stored on file system but if it is any version 8, then the reports reside inside a database called Content Store, not on the file system. There are some settings that need to be changed to make the reports get stored on the file system.

Just FYI..

[Deutz]

Thanks for your reply.

We are using Cognos PowerPlay Web version 7.0.

So if I can't retrieve the exact path or filename (due to network constaints), is there any way to pass commands to the active IE window that has the Cognos report running?

[cognostechie]

Sorry but I don't know the answer to that. I don't have version 7 now but I remember that the reports could be definately opened in Excel via an icon somewhere. That being the case, there must be some xml files that have the command to open the report in Excel. Try to find out which xml file has that icon. That's the one that passes the commands to the window to open in Excel.

That being said, I don't know if it will serve your purpose because you are trying to open it from within Excel, not from Cognos.

[Deutz]

Thanks for your replies.

I thought this may not be possible or close to impossible.

If I find an answer I'll post it.


Regards
Deutz

[MFGF]

Wow! It's been a loooong time since I did anything with Cognos 7! If memory serves, there is a PowerPlay for Excel addin that you can enable within your Excel environment, which then allows you to open cubes (and, I think, reports) either on the filesystem or available via PowerPlay Enterprise Server. The addin resides in the bin folder wherever Powerplay is installed (Program Files\cognos\cer4\bin or similar) and is called ppxlserver.xla  I think - just add it as an addin from within excel.

If you really are on 7.0, it's a long way behind the curve in terms of conformance - it dropped out of support ages ago. My guess is it will only be supported in Excel 2000 and possibly 2003, but certainly nothing more recent. I don't think Excel 2007 support was added until 7.4 MR2.

Regards,

MF.