Do iqd files work without Impromptu?

[GaryC]

Can I use impromptu iqd files as a datasource despite me not having impromptu?

If I used a text editor to write correctly formed iqd files, will transformer accept this as a data source?  Will I be missing important system/driver files if I don't install impromptu?

I have Powerplay 7.3 with Transformer 7.3.

[raj4cognos]

hi,

   using impromptu we can create iqd files.

[GaryC]

Thanks - do you know if Transformer can use IQD files without having Impromptu installed?

[MFGF]

Hi,

IQDs are just text files containing a SQL Query, database connection name and projection list (result set).  You don't need Impromptu to create them or use them.  If you don't have Impromptu, the only thing you need to make sure is that you have the data source connection to your database defined in your COGNOS.INI file.

Regards,

MF.

[GaryC]

Excellent answer!!!

Now - I just need to work out what needs to go into the INI file and the structure/format of the IQD!

:D

[MFGF]

Hi,

If you have an existing IQD, open it with Notepad to see the expected structure and content.  Take note of the connection name (near the top) then open up COGNOS.INI and look for the same name to get an idea of what your current connection string looks like.

If you don't have an example, take a look at Darek's contribution in the thread below - that will give you some ideas.

http://www.cognoise.com/community/index.php?topic=98.0

Best regards,

MF.

[GaryC]

I have found two different examples of IQD structure which is a great help.

Do I need a DSN (data source in control panel) that points to my Oracle source?

And I couldn't find the (in)famous COGNOS.INI.

I have v7 r3 Transformer and Powerplay installed (and working).  No other Cognos/Impromptu products.

Yes - I'm doing this the hard way but I only need do it once and I then hope to eliminate the need for data extracts to build cubes.

Thanks for your patience thus far!  :)

[a027309]

We don't put our data connections in the COGNOS.INI file - we add them to Access Manager, which would require you to add an LDAP server but it's much more flexible than using the INI file.

[MFGF]

Hi,

If you want to connect to ORACLE via ODBC, then yes - you would need a DSN that points to your ORACLE data source.

You should find COGNOS.INI directly below Program Files\Cognos.  If it's not there, create it in notepad, and add the entries manually.  Below is an example of what you would expect to see - I have two connections defined - the first is to MS SQL Server via OLEDB and the second is using an ODBC DSN.

Regards,

MF.

[Databases]
GOSL=^User ID:^?Password:;LOCAL;OL;Provider=sqloledb;User ID=%s;Password=%s;Data Source=myhostname;Provider_String=database=GOSL@COLSEQ=
GOS=;LOCAL;OD;DSN=GOScer4@ASYNC=0@0/0@COLSEQ=