C8 Framework Manager Upgrade -Clarification

Upgrading Framework Models to version c8.4 will result in some updates due to additional features and functionality available in this version.

1.    Update the Governors Settings

Go to Project > Edit Governors

1.1.  Shortcut Processing change to Automatic (Refer Appendix for more info)

1.2. Uncheck the following options (Refer Appendix for more info)

·         Allow enhanced model portability at run time

·         Allow usage of local cache

·         Allow dynamic generation of dimension information

·         Use WITH clause when generating SQL

2.    Verify Query Subject

Verifies that the evaluation status for query subjects and dimensions is valid and is not set to 'needs reevaluation' or 'invalid'

3.    Verify Model  and Fix the Warning/Errors

3.1. Go to Project > Verify Model

3.2. Select the verify model options to run and click the "Verify Model" button.

3.3. In verify Model Report, select the warning/error and click

4.    Once it repaired you will see status of the query subject changed to Valid

Repair and fix all the query subject and other warnings & errors, if any.

5.    Save and publish the package.

Appendix

1.    "Shortcut Processing"

- Shortcut Processor is set to Automatic when opening a model from any previous release, including 8.2 Models.

FM Guide: Chapter 4, Section Organizing the Model, Use Shortcuts

Being able to specify the behavior of shortcuts is new to Cognos 8.4. When you open a model from a previous release, the Shortcut Processing governor is set to Automatic. When Automatic is used, shortcuts work the same as in previous releases, that is, a shortcut that exists in the same folder as its target behaves as an alias, or independent instance, whereas a shortcut existing elsewhere in the model behaves as a reference to the original. To take advantage of the Treat As property, it is recommended that you verify the model and, when repairing, change the governor to Explicit. The repair operation changes all shortcuts to the correct value from the Treat As property based on the rules followed by the Automatic setting, this means that there should be no change in behavior of your model unless you choose to make one or more changes to the Treat As properties of your shortcuts. When you create a new model, the Shortcut Processing governor is always set to Explicit

2.    "Allow enhanced model portability at runtime".

- This should not impact performance noticeably, although it is recommended to clear this governor after successful upgrade. Documented explanation and purpose of this governor from the documentation:

FM Guide Explanation of this governor

Framework Manager stores the metadata that is imported from the data source. However depending on the governor settings and certain actions you take in the model, this metadata might not be used when preparing a query. If you select the Allow enhanced model portability at run time governor, Framework Manager always queries the data source for information about the metadata before preparing a query. If you have not selected the Allow enhanced model portability at run time governor, Framework Manager accesses the metadata that has been stored in the model instead of querying the data source. There are exceptions and the main cases are:

- Any modification of the SQL in a data source query subject. This includes the use of macros.

- Adding a calculation or filter to a data source query subject.

Note: The metadata queries generated by Cognos 8 are well supported by most relational database management system vendors and should not have a noticeable impact on most reporting applications.

FM Guide Recommendation

This governor is selected upon initial upgrade of a IBM Cognos ReportNet 1.x model. It prevents rigid enforcement of data types so that a Cognos 8 model can function as a ReportNet 1.x model until you update the data types in the metadata. After you have verified that the model has been upgraded successfully, clear this governor.

Other than for initial upgrade, there are limited uses for this governor. For example, you have created a model for use with a data source and you want to run it against a different data source. The new data source must be structurally similar to the original data source, and the database schema must be the same between the two data sources. If you select this governor, Cognos 8 retrieves metadata from the data source and caches it instead of using the metadata already cached in the model. When you have completed modifying and testing the model against the new data source, clear this governor.

3.    "Allow dynamic generation of dimension information"

- Cognos 8.4 Framework Manager now uses Determinants to control uniqueness. When upgrading models you may need convert the Dimension Information in the model to Determinants.

The information on how this can be done is in Framework Manager User Guide in Section 'Converting Dimension Information to Determinants or Dimensions'. This includes explanation of Determinants and Dimensions, as well as what needs to be reviewed.