Cognos Interview Questions

What is Cognos Framework Manager?
Cognos Framework Manager is a metadata modeling tool that allows you to create and publish data models for Cognos reports and analyses. It enables you to connect to various data sources, such as relational databases, OLAP cubes, flat files, etc., and define the logical and physical structure, relationships, calculations, filters, security, and query performance of the data. It also allows you to create packages, which are subsets of the data model that can be accessed by Cognos users.
What are the types of packages in Cognos?
There are two types of packages in Cognos: model packages and dynamic query packages. Model packages are based on the data model created in Framework Manager, and they support both relational and dimensional data sources. Dynamic query packages are based on the dynamic cube created in Cube Designer, and they support only dimensional data sources. Dynamic query packages offer better performance and scalability than model packages, as they use in-memory caching and aggregation.
What are the types of reports in Cognos?
There are four types of reports in Cognos: list, crosstab, chart, and freeform. List reports display data in rows and columns, and they can be grouped, sorted, filtered, and formatted. Crosstab reports display data in a matrix format, and they can show measures, dimensions, and calculations. Chart reports display data in graphical form, and they can show trends, patterns, and comparisons. Freeform reports allow you to create custom layouts and designs, and they can include images, text, and other objects.
What are the types of prompts in Cognos?
Prompts are user inputs that allow you to dynamically change the data or layout of a report. There are many types of prompts in Cognos, such as:
Value prompt: allows you to select one or more values from a list or a tree
Text prompt: allows you to enter a text value
Date prompt: allows you to select a date value from a calendar
Time prompt: allows you to select a time value from a clock
Date and time prompt: allows you to select a date and time value from a calendar and a clock
Interval prompt: allows you to select a range of values from a slider
Select and search prompt: allows you to select one or more values from a list or a search box
What are the types of joins in Cognos?
Joins are used to combine data from two or more tables based on a common column or expression. There are four types of joins in Cognos: inner join, left outer join, right outer join, and full outer join. Inner join returns only the matching rows from both tables. Left outer join returns all the rows from the left table and the matching rows from the right table. Right outer join returns all the rows from the right table and the matching rows from the left table. Full outer join returns all the rows from both tables, regardless of the match.
What are the types of filters in Cognos?
Filters are used to limit the data that is displayed or processed in a report. There are three types of filters in Cognos: detail filter, summary filter, and slicer filter. Detail filter applies to each row of data and determines whether the row is included or excluded in the report. Summary filter applies to aggregated data and determines whether the aggregated value is included or excluded in the report. Slicer filter applies to dimensional data and determines the subset of data that is used for the report.
What are the types of queries in Cognos?
Queries are used to retrieve and manipulate data from data sources. There are two types of queries in Cognos: relational query and dimensional query. Relational query is based on SQL and it works with relational data sources, such as tables and views. Dimensional query is based on MDX and it works with dimensional data sources, such as cubes and DMR models.
What are the types of variables in Cognos?
Variables are used to store values that can be used in expressions, calculations, or conditions. There are two types of variables in Cognos: parameter and macro. Parameter is a variable that is defined by a prompt and its value is determined by the user input. Macro is a variable that is defined by an expression and its value is determined by the report execution.
What are the types of drill-through in Cognos?
Drill-through is a feature that allows you to navigate from one report to another report based on a common data item. There are two types of drill-through in Cognos: parent-child and peer-to-peer. Parent-child drill-through is when the source report and the target report have a hierarchical relationship, such as summary and detail. Peer-to-peer drill-through is when the source report and the target report have a horizontal relationship, such as different perspectives or dimensions.
What are the types of burst options in Cognos?
Bursting is a feature that allows you to distribute a report to different recipients based on a data item. There are two types of burst options in Cognos: single file and multiple files. Single file burst option generates one report output file that contains all the burst instances, and it can be viewed by all the recipients. Multiple files burst option generates multiple report output files, each containing one burst instance, and they can be viewed by only the corresponding recipient.