IBM Support

MustGather: Read first for Cognos Business Intelligence (BI)

Troubleshooting


Problem

Collect troubleshooting data for problems with IBM Cognos Business Intelligence (BI) and IBM Cognos Analytics.

Resolving The Problem

Collect troubleshooting data for problems with IBM Cognos BI. Gathering this information before calling IBM support will help familiarize you with the troubleshooting process and save you time.


IBM Cognos BI 10.1.0 - 10.2.1

The following section is for IBM Cognos BI 10.1.0 - IBM Cognos BI 10.2.1

Collection of troubleshooting data


Learn more about MustGather


The term "MustGather" represents the diagnostic data (system information, symptoms, log files, traces, and so on) that is required to resolve a problem. By collecting MustGather data before you open a PMR, you help IBM Support quickly determine the following:


1.Whether symptoms match known problems (rediscovery).
2.If you have a non-defect problem that can be identified and resolved.
3.If there is a defect that identifies a workaround to reduce severity.
4.If locating the root cause can speed development of a code fix.




Component Specific Mustgather Pages
Cognos BI Dispatcher
Cognos BI Content Store
Cognos BI Reports


Collect troubleshooting information


Automated Data Collection



Collect information automatically by downloading and running diagnostics from IBM Diagnostic Tools.

Recommended General Diagnostics for Cognos BI

1. System Overview Diagnostic for Windows

Collects general Microsoft Windows information:

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computer name
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operating system version
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user and system environment
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Microsoft Internet Explorer properties and security settings
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Microsoft Internet Explorer trusted sites
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processes
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Microsoft Data Access (MDAC) version
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network status/statistics
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Microsoft .NET framework
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add/remove programs listing
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Microsoft Windows hot fixes
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ODBC versions


Collects general Unix information:

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disk space
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display time and date
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environment variables
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file mode creation mask
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file size limit
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computer running information since last reboot or power-off
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information about installed software
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listing of maintenance levels installed
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information about processors
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locale information
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network traffic
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operating system type
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paging space information
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processes, memory, and CPU information
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swap space
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system configuration information
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system errors, hardware errors and network failures
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system NIS/YP domain name
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system revision information


2. IBM Cognos BI Diagnostic

Collects the following information:

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Log Files
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JAVA _HOME environment variable
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Contents of the file cogroot.link
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Contents of the file cogconfig.prefs
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Processes
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Email Settings
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Authentication Information
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Cognos Configuration
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Copies and attaches files such as:
 <cognos install/cmplst.txt, <cognos install>/logs/cogserver.log, etc.


3. IBM Cognos BI Health Check Diagnostic

Checks your current versions of installed software with tested versions by IBM and validates the following information:

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Application servers
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IBM Cognos Software Development Kit (SDK)
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IBM Cognos portal services
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Composite information
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Content Store via JDBC
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Database support for reporting
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Directories
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Export format targets
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Java Runtime libraries
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Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) support
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On Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) support


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Operating system
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Microsoft Office connection
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Web browser support by components
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Web servers


Use this tool to:

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visualze test results of Cognos BI installation components and additional detailed information on each
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run other pertinent diagnostics which you have previously downloaded from this tool such as IBM Cognos Dispatcher Diagnostic
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troubleshoot installation issues


Manual Data Collection



Collect the following general MustGather information which is not automated.


1.Problem Description

a)Provide a detailed description of your problem. Include sample input values as needed, along with your own analysis of the problem.

b) Provide detailed instructions for how to recreate your issue.

c) Provide the names of any modules, components, or bindings which you believe may be involved in the issue.

d) How often does the problem occur? Include details about any recent problem occurrences including timestamps.

e) Is there any workarounds you use for the issue?

f) Supply the impact this issue is having on your company, including:
- any upcoming deadlines and dates
- if the problem is seen in production, development, or testing
- any realized or potential effect on customers

g) If the problem is reproducible, then you should clean up the old logs and generate new ones.




What to do next

1.Review diagnostic output reports to try to determine the source of the problem.

2.Review the logs and traces at the time of the problem to try to determine the source of the problem.

3.Use IBM Support Assistant to search for known problems in the information center, forums, and technotes.

4.If you cannot find related problems or cannot solve the problem, send the information you have collected to IBM by following the instructions in Exchanging Information with IBM Technical Support.



For a listing of all technotes, downloads, and educational materials specific to Cognos BI, search the Cognos Business Intelligence support page.




Collect MustGather data for related products


IBM Cognos 10.2.2 and IBM Cognos Analytics

The following section is for IBM Cognos BI 10.2.2 and IBM Cognos Analytics.


Manual Data Collection



Before calling or logging an issue with IBM Support on an IBM Cognos BI 10.2.2 or IBM Cognos Analytics issue, please gather the following initial information.

Issue
    1. Provide the IBM Cognos BI Version Number and operating system (plus version)
    2. What area of the product is the issue related to: Reporting, Modeling, Configuration or General Usage?
    3. Provide a detailed description of your problem. If the problem is due to an error, collect the entire error message or have the customer provide a screen shot of the error.
    4. Provide detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to recreate the issue.
    5. How often does the problem occur? Is the problem reproducible? Include details about any recent problem occurrences, including the date and time (timestamps.)
    6. Do you have a workaround for this issue? (Y/N) If yes, what is the workaround?
    7. If this is not a report design or modeling issue, collect the following log files:
      - <cognos install>/cmplst.txt
      - <cognos install>/logs/cogserver.log
      - <cognos install/configuration/cogstartup.xml
      - p2pd_messages.log (Cognos Analytics only)
      - p2pd_messages_<date and timestamp>.log (Cognos Analytics only)
    • Note: More files might be required at a later date by the Support Analyst.

Business Impact


    8. Supply the impact this issue is having on your company, including:
      - any upcoming deadlines and dates
      - if the problem is seen in a production or non-production environment
      - if the problem is seen in multiple environments
      - any realized or potential effect on users and if so, how many users are impacted.


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Product Synonym

Cognos BI

Document Information

Modified date:
15 June 2018

UID

swg21455598

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