impromptu cognos + ASP or other tool

[amorous]

Hi Guys,

we have our company data on Voyager Billing System software (by BCGI) and we use Impromptu Cognos to access this data and make reports out of it...

So when cognos impromptu can connect and access the data from the tables in the Voyager...i was wondering how to connect to the tables on the voyager software using ASP...

Here is one scenario:

Presently users send me the information with the constraints ( for eg: list of customers who deactivated their account on 09/05/2004)...then i make the report in cognos impromptu using these constraints and save it as an excel sheet and send(email) it to the user...

But what i would like to do is to create a nice search interface ( which i can put on our intranet ) from where the users can select their own criteria and get the desired report...

I wanted to do it in ASP but if it can be easily done in any other programming/scripting language, please let me know


can this be done or am i totally going in the wrong direction...

Any suggestions would be really appreciated...


-VJ

 

[Draoued]

If you have always the same reports ( Fields displayed in the report ) but only the filtering changing. Then you could use Impromptu Web reports , users would be able to answer prompts.

If you want the users to be able to create their reports by themselves , then why don't you consider Cognos reportnet.

I m not a Cognos sales guy ,but why do you want to invent the reel again ?

 

[drlex]

I'm also not a Cognos Sales guy, but used to be a lawyer. Not wishing to pre-empt fellower TT'er flex13's response, but I strongly suspect that what you propose doing would breach the terms of your licence.

I recall that one TT'er uses a script to read a networked file or set of files that contains users' report requests - that is probably an easier and more legally acceptable way of performing an interactive report on one licence.

Draoued has it - if you have a need for multi-user interaction, then Cognos will sell you a suitable product.

soi la, soi carre

 

[amorous]

Thanks for your insight guys...

but i was wondering what could be the reason for breaching the license or using ONLY the products available from cognos...

i am sure that we have read permissions to read the data from the voyager billing system and we are doing reports to see this data using a 3rd party tool (impromptu cognos)

So in this case why cant i use another 3rd party program or tool(ASP, or any other program) using which i can just read and present the data by connecting to the voyager system...

any suggestions...

-VJ

 

[AndyFreeman]

amorous

I am doing exactly the same with an Oracle call logging system we use in house here

We Primarily use Cognos Powerplay and Impromptu for reporting.

But the needs of the business changes slightly, so i started writing ASP pages that using SQL command I using and ODBC connection read information out of my Oracle DB and present it back into my ASP page.

I dont beleieve what we are doing is breakign the law as we own teh Oracle Db and continue to pay Cognos for the licencing and support of their products.

It would be like me going out and purchasing one of Cognos' competitor products to use alongside Cognos. That is not breaking the law is it?

Regards

Andy

 

[Draoued]

Breaking the law would be to have a ASP running an Impromptu report localling on the server to deliver it with the same format as before.
If you use the ASP to access your datasource , and create a nice report in HTML format , without the use of any cognos tools, then you are in safe side , i would say.

 

[Exie]

Wow, this is pretty interesting stuff.

For years I been using Impromptu, and writing scripts in the Cognos Macro language to kick-off and run reports. As cognos supply A) The macro writing tool, B) The scheduler and C) the API in impromptu to do this, I figured it was pretty supported functionality.

If lets say the Macro tool enables me to output my report via HTML or PDF and lets say cognos openly promotes interaction with other applications (eg. Outlook, Lotus Notes etc.) then how could they say that breaches their agreement ? .... unless they contradict themsleves.

Now, if I didnt like the Cognos scheduler, and used say, the built-in NT schedular to invoke the cognos macro tool, how does that breach the licence ?

Ok, now if I used a language like PHP to kick-off a Cognos Macro job ? How about that ?

... or heck, if I used PHP to make some COM calls to directly access the Impromptu API, how about that! If cognos make the API available in Impromptu, it's openly available AND supported, how can could that breach the licence ?

Can the licence really read "You cannnot use the API unless it's via our macro utility, and cannot invoke our utility unless via our scheduler" ???

When many of cognos's staff openly recomend NT scheduler over the Cognos one, and supply sample code for usnig Outlook and other things on their website.
It's a pretty grey line if you ask me.

Technically speaking, theres a zillion way to fry a chicken, and I cant see how cognos could successfully word any agreement/licence to cover such a wide open door.

If we think of an analogy, say ... Spray Cans ... someone cant manufacture and sell spray cans and then sue people for using them incorrectly. People may be charged under the law for grafitti, or other offences, but the company making the spray can, cannot dictate the terms for its use.

If cognos are able to produce a product and dictate it's use, then I'll go heave. 'Acceptable Use Policies' are traditionally used/valid(?) on services, not products.

ps. I'm obviously not a Cognos sales person or a lawyer either for that matter.

 

[drlex]

I think there's a certain degree of over-reaction and misunderstanding; perhaps I could elucidate:

If one ever takes the time to read the EULA of any software product, one would be surprised at the scope of what one is agreeing to. (There was amusingly one licence for a product where in accepting it, the user agreed to allow the programmers to come over and drink beer and borrow his/her car....). Exie - note that you are buying a licence and not an object and the licensor can impose extensive conditions on that licence.

Since Cognos sells licences per user, it follows that they have an idea of what constitutes a single user, and the reference in the software licence is "The number of authorized copies or users of the Software is limited to the numbers and locations set out in the agreement between you or the entity that licensed the Software from Cognos".

As has been mentioned, the multiple output formats and the ability to automate Cognos applications shows that one licence can be set up to provide information to multiple users. However, it seems pertinent to mention that some consideration ought to be taken of the Cognos licences and the definition of a 'user' before creating some involved systems, especially with the spread of self-certification of software licences compliance and the penalties for breaches.


soi la, soi carre