File Location to Save a Copy of Report Output in IBM Cognos Software

You can save a copy of single-file report output in a file location in IBM® Cognos® software so that you can use it again.

By default, report output files are saved in the content store. Also saving the output in IBM Cognos software may be useful for archive purposes, since files that are saved in the Content Store may be deleted regularly due to retention rules. The following formats can be saved: PDF, .csv, XML, Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software 2002, and HTML that does not have embedded graphics. You cannot save HTML fragment, XMTML, or Excel 2000 or 2007 single sheet formats.

The file location applies to saved output originating from the selected Content Manager service.

If users select Save to the file system as the report delivery method Save Report Output when they run or schedule a report in IBM Cognos Connection, the files are saved in the specified location each time the report runs.

Use the following parameters to set the file location.

CM.OutputLocation
Specifies the location where you want to store copies of report output files.

Old report versions are not deleted when a new one is saved. You must manage the content of the output directory to keep the report versions you want.
CM.OutputScript
Specifies the location and name of a shell script, such as a .bat or .sh file, that runs after a report output is saved to the target directory. The full file names of the output file and descriptor are passed to the script.
CM.OutputByBurstKey
When report output is distributed by bursting, it is assigned a burst key. Specify whether to store output in a subdirectory with the same name as the burst key.

Default: false (output not stored by burst key).

Report Output Descriptor File

When you save report outputs files to a file system in IBM Cognos software, a report output descriptor file is also created. The descriptor file is an XML file that contains information about the report output, such as the name, locale, creation time, the associated report search path, burst key information, and the report version contact.

The descriptor file takes the same name as the output file, with the suffix _descr added. For example, a saved PDF report with the name 158_1075940415360.pdf has a descriptor file with the name 158_1075940415360_desc.xml.

Post-processing Scripts

You can also specify a script so that you can run post-processing commands each time a report output is copied to the file system. For example, if your report output files are ultimately stored in an archiving system, you can use a script to perform this action.