Content Manager And Its Infrastructure In IBM Cognos 10

What is Content Manager?

The IBM Cognos service that uses the content store is named Content Manager.

·         Content Manager is the IBM Cognos BI service that manages the storage of customer application data, including security, configuration data, models, metrics, report specifications, and report output.

·         Content Manager is needed to publish packages, retrieve or store report specifications, manage scheduling information, and manage the Cognos namespace.

·         Content Manager performs general functions, such as add, query, update, delete, move, and copy. It also performs content store management functions, such as export and import.

The information stored by Content Manager includes

• reports

Reports contain specifications, properties, security settings, and outputs. This includes analyses created in Analysis Studio, queries created in Query Studio, and reports created in Report Studio.

• report packages

Packages contain metadata, reports, and folders.

• metric packages

Metric packages contain metadata, scorecards, and folders.

• agents

Agents include the conditions, schedules, and tasks used to monitor events and deliver notifications. This includes the list of recently detected instances of an event.

• server configuration

Server configuration contains directory information, the Cognos namespace Cognos Namespace, and information about contacts, distribution lists, data sources, and printers.

• personal user information

Personal user information consists of My Folders and My Pages.

• language information

Language information includes names, descriptions, and tool tips in different languages to support IBM Cognos BI multilingual capabilities.

Difference between Content Store and Content manager.

The content store is a relational database that contains data that IBM Cognos needs to operate,

 Such as

·         Report specifications, published models, and the packages that contain them.

·         Connection information for data sources.

·         Information about the external namespace, and the Cognos namespace itself.

·         Information about scheduling and bursting reports.

·        The relational database can be Cognos Content Database or another supported database.

·        Design models and log files are not stored in the content store.

  Content Manager uses a JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) API to access the content store and metric stores. IBM Cognos comes with the JDBC drivers for IBM Cognos Content Database and MS SQL Server. If you are using Oracle, IBM, or Sybase databases, ensures you obtain the appropriate JDBC drivers.

Report results in other formats, such as HTML, XML, and CSV (comma separated values), are stored in compressed form and are uncompressed by Content Manager before they are sent to a user.

Infrastructure of Content Manager.

                                            

Authentication Flow.

·      User makes request to access IBM Cognos Connection

·      Gateway accepts request and sends it to the Dispatcher

·      Dispatcher detects no Passport and sends request to Content Manager

·      Content Manager sends request to Cognos Access Manager

·      CAM returns fault with required information

o   System recoverable – Single Sign On (step 9)

o   User recoverable – Basic authentication

·      Content Manager returns request and fault to Dispatcher

·      The Dispatcher sends the request to the Presentation Service

·      The Presentation Service generates the login page and returns the page through the Dispatcher and Gateway to the user

·      The User enters their credentials, or it is pulled from the environment for Single Sign On

·      The Dispatcher sends the request to Content Manager

·      Content Manager sends the request to CAM

·      If the details are valid, CAM issues a passport and sends request to Content Manager.

Content Manager Cache Service:

·         Each Dispatcher maintains a local cache for objects retrieved from Content Manager Service.

·         Used to decrease load on the active Content Manager and improve speed Objects subject to caching.

i)        Report, Report Cache, Package, Package Configuration, model, model Views, Data source Signon, account, session.

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