Cognos and SOAP/Web Services

[kc9400]

We currently access the data directly from the DB using SQL which is used to bring the data into the report. So currently reports are working on a relational setup.

It's been requested that instead of this a Web Service is setup and the data is to be pulled from this web service in xml SOAP format (if I'm understanding correctly) using a URL.

How can I then get the data from this xml SOAP into cognos report studio so I can create and run reports.

I've read something about VVM? Or importing it to DB2 and then creating a package in framework manager. If I used VVM doesn't that basically undo what they're trying to do?

Any links/advice would be greatly appreciated.

I know this is very vague but I'm unsure where to begin.


Thanks in advance.

[Vladimir]

Hi kc9400,

see this article on IBM developerWorks
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/data/library/cognos/infrastructure/databases/page476.html

It could help you.

Best regards,
Vladimir

[kc9400]

Hi, thanks for your reply.

I think I've found what I needed to know.

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/data/library/cognos/page417.html#download

[MFGF]

Just so you're aware, VVM isn't being developed any further by IBM - it's based on a version of Composite Information Server from a few years ago, and it's quite old and is 32-bit only. IBM seems to be replacing its functionality by providing direct access to the kinds of sources it traditionally leveraged, eg SalesForce, XML etc.

The link Vladimir posted is direct access to XML sources from within Cognos 10 BI, without having to model the data twice - once in VVM and again in FM. If this gives you what you need, it might be less work than building a VVM solution?

Just a thought.

MF.

[kc9400]

hmmm ok. Thanks for the information guys.

I think we'll look at another alternative as the data needs to be used in other places other than Cognos. A suggestion has been made to bring it into SQL Server instead via SSIS.

As far as I can tell this will work and make data management a little easier.

Thanks again.