This white paper explains how the Cognos BI Server running in the Linux environment can be configured and used with a Greenplum database. Included in this paper are detailed instructions for configuration and connectivity verification.

1. White Paper
Working with the Cognos BI Server Using the
Greenplum Database
Interoperability and Connectivity Configuration for Linux Users
Abstract
This white paper explains how the Cognos BI Server running in
the Linux environment can be configured and used with a
Greenplum database. Included in this paper are detailed
instructions for configuration and connectivity verification.
March 2012

2. Copyright © 2012 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
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its publication date. The information is subject to change
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owners.
Part Number H10589
Working with the Cognos BI Server in Linux with the Greenplum Database 2

3. Executive summary
The correct functionality of the Greenplum database with the Cognos BI Server is
dependent on the configuration of an ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) driver
using the Greenplum Connectivity Pack. This white paper walks the reader through
the process of driver selection and installation, the configuration and validation of an
ODBC connection to Greenplum, the creation of a Cognos data connection, and
validation of that connection using Cognos Framework Manager and Query Studio.
This white paper is based on examples from Cognos 10.1.1 (release pack 1), Red Hat
Linux 5.5 and Greenplum 4.1.1 and Greenplum Connectivity pack greenplum-
connectivity-4.1.1.0-build-4-RHEL5-x86_64.
Audience
This white paper is intended for customers, as well as, EMC field and support
personnel who will be using the Cognos BI Server in the Linux environment with the
Greenplum database. This white paper does not replace the Cognos documentation
set supplied by IBM nor the Greenplum documentation set supplied by EMC. It is
expected that the reader has basic knowledge of the Cognos BI Server, ODBC driver
configuration in the Linux environment, and the Greenplum database.
Organization of this paper
This paper covers the following topics:
 Overview of the Cognos BI system and components
 How the Cognos BI Server integrates with relational database management
systems
 The installation, configuration, and verification of an ODBC connection using
the Greenplum Connectivity Pack
 Validation of the connectivity between the Cognos BI Server and the
Greenplum database using the Cognos components Framework Manager and
Query Studio
Overview of the Cognos BI system and components
The IBM Cognos BI server is implemented in a multi-tier architecture. For descriptive
purposes, this architecture can be thought of as three tiers. Please note that Cognos
10 is a 32 bit application, therefore 32 bit ODBC drivers must be used.
Tier 3 is the query database or data source. In this white paper the query database
can be Greenplum either implemented on a computing appliance (Greenplum Data
Computing Appliance) or in software only mode.
Working with the Cognos BI Server in Linux with the Greenplum Database 3

4. Tier 2 contains the Web server where the IBM Cognos BI gateway, dispatcher and
content manager are hosted. The content store is a relational database that contains
data that IBM Cognos needs to operate, such as report specifications, published
models, and the packages that contain them.
Tier 1 contains user interfaces including the Framework Manager modeling tool that
drives query generation for IBM Cognos and the Cognos Connection user portal that
includes administrative tools and reporting tools such as Query Studio.
TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3
Framework Manager
ODBC
GPDB
ODBC
Cognos Web server
Connection
IBM Cognos BI Gateway
Greenplum DCA
Content or Software
Store Installation
How the Cognos BI Server integrates with relational database
management systems
Because Cognos supports many databases and those databases offer various levels
of functionality, the Cognos BI Server must take into account which database it is
sending SQL commands to in order to get optimal use out of that database. Cognos
supports variable levels of SQL functionality by shipping individualized initialization
files for each supported query database. The initialization file renders the generic
Cognos SQL into the dialect of a particular supported database. The Cognos BI server
resolves which database initialization file to load by interrogating the
Working with the Cognos BI Server in Linux with the Greenplum Database 4

5. SQL_DBMS_NAME variable returned from the SQLGetInfo call to the ODBC driver. All
of this occurs automatically for the Cognos user.
The installation, configuration, and verification of an ODBC connection
using the Greenplum Connectivity Pack
This section walks the reader through the steps required to select, install, configure
and verify an ODBC connection to Greenplum.
Install Required and Recommended Software
The correct Greenplum Connectivity Pack for a particular combination of Greenplum
and Cognos releases can be determined by referring to the IBM support site.
Searching for the string “cognos 10.1.1 supported environments” in a Web search
site, should direct the reader to the IBM support site. In the ODBC section of the
Cognos release software environments page, locate the Greenplum database to be
installed. A Greenplum Connectivity Pack version will be indicated for each supported
environment. For example, for Cognos 10.1.1, Greenplum 4.1.1 is supported via
Connectivity Pack 4.1.1 for Linux (x86).
Greenplum Connectivity Packs can be downloaded from EMC’s PowerLink web site or
from the Greenplum Community site. Please refer to the GPConnectUnix PDF in the
installation pack for detailed installation instructions. Briefly, the installation of the
GP connectivity tools consists of these steps:
1. Download the appropriate greenplum-connectivity-4.1.1.0-build-4-RHEL5-x86_64.bin
installer package for RedHat Linux 64-bit.
2. Unzip the installer:
unzip greenplum-connectivity-4.1.1.0-build-4-RHEL5-x86_64.bin.zip
3. Run the installer:
/bin/bash greenplum-connectivity-4.1.1.0-build-4-RHEL5-x86_64.bin. Accept the
license agreement and supply an absolute path for the tool installation.
4. As a convenience, a greenplum_connectivity_path.sh file is provided in the client tools
installation directory following installation to set the environment variables GPHOME_CLIENTS,
PATH, and LD_LIBRARY_PATH. The examples in this white paper specified the ODBC driver
manager as unixodbc-2.2.12 and the ODBC driver as psqlodbc-08.04.0200.
The Cognos BI server requires a 32-bit ODBC driver. The word size of the ODBC driver
downloaded can be confirmed using the Linux “file” command. For example,
-bash-3.2$ file <4.1.1-gp-conn-install-dir>/drivers/odbc/psqlodbc-
08.04.0200/unixodbc-2.2.12/psqlodbcw.so
psqlodbcw.so: ELF 32-bit LSB shared object, Intel 80386, version 1
(SYSV), not stripped
Working with the Cognos BI Server in Linux with the Greenplum Database 5

6. In order to verify that all the shared objects required by the ODBC driver are properly identified
in the LD_LIBRARY_PATH, it is recommended that the user run the “ldd” command on the driver
shared object. The ldd command prints the shared libraries required by each program or
shared library specified on the command line. For example,
ldd <4.1.1-gp-conn-install-dir>/drivers/odbc/psqlodbc-08.04.0200/unixodbc-
2.2.12/psqlodbcw.so
linux-gate.so.1 => (0xffffe000)
libssl.so.0.9.8 => /my-gpconn-dir/lib/libssl.so.0.9.8 (0xf7f22000)
libpq.so.5 => /my-gpconn-dir/lib/libpq.so.5 (0xf7eeb000)
libpthread.so.0 => /lib/libpthread.so.0 (0xf7ec0000)
libodbcinst.so.1 => /my-gpconn-dir/drivers/odbc/psqlodbc-08.04.0200/unixodbc-
2.2.12/libodbcinst.so.1 (0xf7eab000)
libodbc.so.1 => /my-gpconn-dir/drivers/odbc/psqlodbc-08.04.0200/unixodbc-
2.2.12/libodbc.so.1 (0xf7e29000)
libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0xf7ce3000)
libcrypto.so.0.9.8 => /my-gpconn-dir/lib/libcrypto.so.0.9.8 (0xf7b9c000)
libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0xf7b98000)
libkrb5.so.3 => /my-gpconn-dir/lib/libkrb5.so.3 (0xf7b17000)
libcrypt.so.1 => /lib/libcrypt.so.1 (0xf7ae5000)
libldap_r-2.3.so.0 => /my-gpconn-dir/lib/libldap_r-2.3.so.0 (0xf7a9f000)/lib/ld-
linux.so.2 (0x00a0e000)
libk5crypto.so.3 => /my-gpconn-dir/lib/libk5crypto.so.3 (0xf7a7b000)
libcom_err.so.3 => /my-gpconn-dir/lib/libcom_err.so.3 (0xf7a75000)
libkrb5support.so.0 => /my-gpconn-dir//lib/libkrb5support.so.0 (0xf7a6d000)
libresolv.so.2 => /lib/libresolv.so.2 (0xf7a5a000)
liblber-2.3.so.0 => /my-gpconn-dir/lib/liblber-2.3.so.0 (0xf7a4c000)
Each of the shared objects should be found. If exceptions occur, the LD_LIBRARY_PATH
environment file should be adjusted.
It is recommended that the GP Client Tools from EMC be downloaded and installed.
The client tools can be downloaded from EMC’s PowerLink web site or the Greenplum
Community site. This tool will be used to verify connectivity between the Linux
machine where the Cognos BI Server will run and the target Greenplum database.
Please refer to the GPClientToolsUnix PDF in the Greenplum Database Client Tools for
Unix installation pack for detailed installation instructions. Briefly, the installation of
the GP client tools consists of these steps:
1. Download the appropriate greenplum-clients-4.1.1.0-build-4-RHEL5-x86_64.bin installer
package for RedHat Linux.
2. Unzip the installer:
unzip greenplum-clients-4.1.1.0-build-4-RHEL5-x86_64.bin.zip
3. Run the installer:
/bin/bash greenplum-clients-4.1.1.0-build-4-RHEL5-x86_64.bin. Accept the
license agreement and supply an absolute path for the tool installation.
Working with the Cognos BI Server in Linux with the Greenplum Database 6

7. 4. As a convenience, a greenplum_clients_path.sh file is provided in the client tools installation
directory following installation to set the environment variables GPHOME_CLIENTS, PATH, and
LD_LIBRARY_PATH.
Verify Connectivity between the Cognos Linux Machine and Greenplum
Before beginning the configuration of an ODBC connection for Cognos, it is
recommended that the connectivity between the Linux machine where the BI Server
will run and Greenplum be verified. If issues such as firewall restrictions exist, they
will be exposed by this verification step. The psql command line tool included in the
Greenplum Client Tools installation will be used to verify connectivity. At a Unix
command prompt, simply invoke the psql command line tool supplying the
Greenplum master database host name, port number, user name, and password. The
psql command connection options are:
Connection options:
-h, --host=HOSTNAME database server host or socket directory (default:
"local socket")
-p, --port=PORT database server port (default: "5432")
-U, --username=USERNAME database user name
-d, --dbname=DBNAME database name
A successful connection is followed by a prompt from psql that includes the database
name. For example, to access the cognos_samples database, the following command
would be issued supplying the correct host name, username, and password.
-bash-3.2$ psql -h HOSTNAME -U USER -d cognos_samples -p 5432
psql (8.2.15)
Type "help" for help.
cognos_samples=#
Some users may be inclined to confirm the connectivity between the Cognos BI host
and the Greenplum database using the Linux-installed isql program. Caution should
be exercised during this test because there is the possibility of a word-size mismatch
between a 64-bit isql program and the 32-bit Greenplum Connectivity pack ODBC
driver, resulting in a false-negative result to this connectivity test. It is recommended
that the “-v” option be supplied when invoking isql in order to expose wrong ELF class
errors.
Configure an ODBC DSN for Greenplum
The data source name (DSN) that is used to connect to Greenplum is specified in the odbc.ini
file. This file may be placed wherever it is convenient. The environment variable ODBCINI will
be used to inform Cognos where to find it. To get to the Greenplum database, the following are
needed:
 The database name
Working with the Cognos BI Server in Linux with the Greenplum Database 7

8.  The host name or IP address of the GPDB master server
 The port number used by the GPDB, default 5432.
 The username to log in to the master server
 The password of the login user
There are two sections of interest in the odbc.ini file, namely the ODBC Data Source section
followed by one section for each DSN defined. These will be described by in-line comments
below.
# ODBC Data Sources lists the DSN’s to be defined
[ODBC Data Sources]
Greenplum=PostgreSQL driver for Greenplum
# DSN for Greenplum points to cognos_samples database
[Greenplum]
Description = PostgreSQL driver for Greenplum
# the absolute location for ODBC driver to be used
Driver = /my-gpconn-install-dir/drivers/odbc/psqlodbc-
08.04.0200/unixodbc-2.2.12/psqlodbcw.so
# tracing is may useful during testing but turned
# after moving to production
Trace = 0
TraceFile = /tmp/odbctraces_dbtm
Debug = 0
DebugFile = /tmp/odbcdebug
# the name of the target database
Database = cognos_samples
# the host name or IP address, user and password of the target data
server
Servername = xx.x.xx.xxx
UserName = user-name
Password = password
# default port number for Greenplum
Port = 5432
ReadOnly = No
RowVersioning = No
# recommended size
MaxLongVarcharSize = 2048
DisallowPremature = No
# provides some efficiency in query reuse
UseServerSidePrepare = Yes
ShowSystemTables = Yes
ShowOidColumn = No
FakeOidIndex = No
# allows for cursor fetch of result sets avoids out of
# memory errors in Cognos BI server
useDeclareFetch = 1
Fetch = 4096
UpdatableCursors = Yes
# required version
Protocol = 7.4
# recommended sizes
CacheSize = 75000
MaxVarcharSize = 1024
Working with the Cognos BI Server in Linux with the Greenplum Database 8

9. Validation of the connectivity between the Cognos BI Server and the
Greenplum database
In order to validate the connectivity end-to-end between Cognos and Greenplum a
Cognos data source connection will be created that will be used in small package
created in Framework Manager and exercised in Cognos Connection Query Studio.
Create a Cognos Data Connection
From the Cognos Connection portal, launch IBM Cognos Administration. Select
Configuration > Data Source Connections > *New Data Source. Enter a Data Source
Name and Description and select the Next button.
For a Type, pick ODBC from the pull down and select the Next button. For the ODBC
data source, enter the ODBC DSN created above, in this example “Greenplum”.
Supply the User ID and Password in the Sigons section.
Working with the Cognos BI Server in Linux with the Greenplum Database 9

10. At the bottom of page, select Test the Connection. Verify connectivity to Greenplum
through Cognos and ODBC by selecting the Test button.
Working with the Cognos BI Server in Linux with the Greenplum Database 10

11. The next page should show the connection status as Succeeded. Complete the
Cognos data connection by selecting Close twice, followed by Finish.
Create Project in Framework Manager
In Windows, start Framework Manager (Start -> Programs -> IBM Cognos -> IBM Cognos
Framework Manager). From the Welcome page, click Create a new project. In the New
Project page, specify a name and location for the project, for example Greenplum in
this location, and click OK. In the Select Language page, click the design language for
the project.
Once the Metadata Wizard appears, select the Cognos Data Source created above, in
this case Greenplum, and then select the Next button. The scope of Greenplum
objects to be imported by the Wizard can be controlled in the Select Objects screen.
Assuming the IBM Cognos Samples database has been loaded into Greenplum, select
the branch table in Great Outdoors Sales (gosales) schema. Select the Next button to
continue.
Working with the Cognos BI Server in Linux with the Greenplum Database 11

12. It is important note that although Greenplum does not enforce referential integrity,
users should include foreign key constraints during data migration since they are the
source of information for the Metadata Wizard to build relationships between tables
in Query Subjects. Select Import followed by Finish to complete the metadata import
process.
Create a Package
In order to make the Query Subject just created available for reporting in the Cognos
Connection, a Package must be created and published. In Framework Manager select
Create under Packages.
Working with the Cognos BI Server in Linux with the Greenplum Database 12

13. Give the Package a name, in this case Greenplum and select the Next button. Select
the Next button and include the Greenplum function set in the Create Package screen.
Select the Finish button and specify the IBM Cognos 10 Content Store as publishing
location in the Publish Wizard – Select Location Type. Select defaults for security and
publish. Exit the Wizard by selecting the Finish button.
Create a Report in Query Studio
The final step in the end-to-end validation is to create a report in Query Studio. From
the Cognos Connection portal, launch Query Studio. In the Insert Data menu select
branch_code, address1, address2, and city from the branch table. The appearance of
Working with the Cognos BI Server in Linux with the Greenplum Database 13

14. data demonstrates a successful end-to-end validation of the Cognos to Greenplum
connectivity.
Working with the Cognos BI Server in Linux with the Greenplum Database 14

15. Conclusion
As stated at the outset of this white paper, the correct functionality of the Greenplum
database with the Cognos BI Server is dependent on the configuration of an ODBC
driver using the Greenplum Connectivity Pack. This white paper walked the reader
through the process of driver selection, installation, the configuration and validation
of an ODBC connection to Greenplum, the creation of a Cognos data connection to a
Greenplum database, and validation of that connection using Cognos Framework
Manager and Query Studio.
Working with the Cognos BI Server in Linux with the Greenplum Database 15