Configuring the connection to a personal data set repository

Configure the connection to a personal data set repository to provide a database in which users' data sets will reside.

Before you begin

You must install and configure an IBM® DB2® database before you can configure a data source connection to a personal data set repository. DB2 can create either regular DB2 tables or BLU accelerated tables:
  • If you choose to use regular DB2 tables, file imports will be faster, but reporting will be slower.
  • If you choose to use DB2 BLU accelerated tables, file imports will be slower, but reporting will be faster.
Tip: If you selected the Quick Setup option (64-bit installation only) when you installed IBM Cognos® Business Intelligence, a preconfigured DB2 database is already installed and a connection to it is already created. You can use this database for your data set repository if it suits your needs. For more information, see "Preconfigured application database - IBM DB2 Advanced Workgroup Server Edition database" in the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Installation and Configuration Guide.

About this task

Note: You can create multiple data set repositories to maximize security or distribute the repository workload among multiple servers.

One repository can store each Cognos BI user's personal data sets while allowing them to secure their data set from other users' access within the Cognos BI web interfaces. However, users with access to User Defined SQL capability, Framework Manager, Cube Designer or the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence SDK will be able to see the data sets that other users have imported into a shared repository. If your users will be importing highly sensitive data into their data sets, then you can maximize security by configuring separate repositories for various groups of users.

For example, configure one repository for HR users and another repository for Finance users. Each repository must be a distinct Cognos Administration data source object. Multiple connections within the same My Data Sets repository data source object are not supported. Therefore, ensure that each repository has its own data source, connection, and signon object in Cognos Administration.

Procedure

  1. Open IBM Cognos Administration by connecting to the IBM Cognos BI portal and clicking Administer IBM Cognos Content on the Welcome page.
  2. Click the Configuration tab.
  3. Click the new data source button New data source icon.
  4. Enter a name in the Name box, and then click Next.
  5. In the connection page, under Type click My Data Sets Repository, and then click Next.

    The connection string page for the selected database appears.

  6. Specify the connection parameters for the data source.

    For information about connection parameters for the My Data Sets Repository data source type, see My Data Sets Repository.

    Tip: If you want your repository to use DB2 BLU accelerated tables, type BLU in the JDBC Connection properties field.
  7. Select Test the connection, and then Test to test whether parameters are correct.

    In the Status column, you can see if the connection was successful. If it was unsuccessful, select Close, return to the previous steps, and verify your connection parameters. If it was successful, go to the next step.

  8. Click Finish.

    The new data source appears in Data Source Connections on the Configuration tab.

Parent topic: Administering personal data sets