Where does Data Module save?

[Steve]

Hi All

Maybe a dumb question - Do Data Modules save the data in table(s)? If so, where does it create the table? In Content Store DB? Where does the data gets saved when we upload data from an Excel file?

Thanks
Steve

[bus_pass_man]

Modules don't save any data except for the metadata, which is data about the tables, columns, and joins from the data sources plus what objects which are created during modelling. 

All the data for any query that you run is retrieved at run time.

When you upload a file, it is stored in the content store.

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/cognos-analytics/11.1.0?topic=administration-queries-uploaded-files-data-sets

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/data-files-where-are-they-store-and-what-data-files-location-use

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/65703101/where-is-the-upload-file-location-in-cognos-analytics-11#:~:text=The%20uploaded%20files%20are%20stored,the%20CM%20data%20base%20itself.

[Steve]

Thanks so much. Appreciate it !

So why would anyone use Data Module as opposed to Framework Manager? If it's only metadata then FM would be sufiicient?

[bus_pass_man]

FM is just metadata too, plus a file which stores the user actions.


Modules do not have many features which FM has.  Presumably IBM is working at addressing those gaps.  Modules have functionality such as data groups and sorting which FM does not have. I find that column dependency is more flexible for normalizing dimensions than determinants, not the least of which I can define more than one dependency path, unlike a determinant, which has one hierarchy.
https://community.ibm.com/accelerators/catalog/content/Framework-Manager-versus-Data-Module-gaps

Both allow you to define a model for query planning and reporting applications.  Choosing one over the other entails deciding what tradeoffs you want to accept.  You can import FM packages into a module and use it in conjunction with whatever you have in the module although you tend to end up remodeling what you have in the FM package so that it can be useful with the stuff in the module.

[Steve]

I think based on what you say and what I see , it seems Data Module is a thin version of FM to facilitate self-service BI. Users who can't use FM can use Data Modules to generate reports with their own data