C2090-623 Practice Questions

By default, an IBM Cognos Content Store deployment (export) does not include global configuration settings, such as dispatcher settings or data source configurations. This is a deliberate design choice to prevent accidental overwrites of configuration in a target environment. To create a complete backup that includes these settings within the deployment archive, the administrator must explicitly modify the Content Manager service's advanced settings on the source environment. The parameter CM.DEPLOYMENTINCLUDECONFIGURATION must be added and set to true before the export operation is initiated. This ensures the resulting deployment archive contains all necessary components for a full restoration.

A. Configuration settings are explicitly excluded from deployments by default to protect the target environment's configuration. They are not included automatically.

B. While manual restoration of configuration (e.g., from a backed-up cogstartup.xml file) is a valid recovery method, it is possible to include settings in a deployment by changing a parameter, making this statement incomplete.

D. The decision to include configuration settings must be made at the time of export, not import. The parameter affects what is written into the archive file; if the settings are not in the file, they cannot be imported.

1. IBM Cognos Business Intelligence 10.2.2 Administration and Security Guide, Chapter 15: Server Administration, Section: "Advanced settings for Content Manager".

This section details the advanced parameters for the Content Manager service. It lists CM.DEPLOYMENTINCLUDECONFIGURATION and specifies its purpose: "Specifies whether to include global configuration settings in a deployment. To include these settings, set the value to true." This confirms the parameter must be set to include the configuration. The context implies this is done on the source environment prior to export.

2. IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0.x Administration and Security Guide, Part 6: Server administration, Chapter 28: Tune server performance, Section: "Content Manager advanced settings".

This document for a later version confirms the continued existence and function of the parameter: "CM.DEPLOYMENTINCLUDECONFIGURATION: Specifies whether to include global configuration settings in a deployment... To include these settings, set the value to true." This demonstrates the consistency of this administrative concept.

The IBM Cognos Analytics Administration console exposes only a small set of Mobile-service properties. Among them is Credential cache timeout (minutes), which governs how long cached credentials are retained on the device. Options A, C, and D are not exposed as configurable properties; they are controlled by the mobile operating system or are hard-coded limits in the application and therefore cannot be managed by the Cognos administrator.

A. Saving credentials is a user-choice (“Remember me”) handled by the device key-store; there is no server-side or administration property to enable/disable it.

C. Screen-capture behavior is governed by the mobile OS; Cognos Mobile does not provide an administrative toggle for screenshots of Active Reports.

D. The app has a fixed limit (30) for offline Active Reports that cannot be altered by administration settings.

1. IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0.13 Administration and Security Guide – “Configure IBM Cognos Mobile > Set IBM Cognos Mobile service properties”, Property list, Credential cache timeout (minutes).

2. IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0.13 Knowledge Center – “IBM Cognos Mobile limitations”, paragraph “Active Reports: A maximum of 30 reports can be stored on a device; this value is not configurable.”

3. IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0.13 Knowledge Center – “IBM Cognos Mobile security”, subsection “Remember me”; explains saving credentials is a client feature, not an administrator-controlled setting.

This option describes the correct procedure for enabling a system-wide security override for administrators. By navigating to the advanced settings of the Content Manager service via the dispatcher properties, an administrator can configure a parameter that allows members of the System Administrators role to bypass all access control checks on all Content Store objects. This is a centralized, system-wide setting that grants universal accessibility to administrators for all entries, including reports, jobs, and schedules, fulfilling the requirement.

A. System Administrators have extensive permissions but do not bypass security on all objects by default, especially private content in users' "My Folders". A specific configuration is required for this override.

B. Manually changing ownership is not a "system-wide setting." It is an impractical, non-scalable action that would not apply to new content and could disrupt existing user ownership.

C. This describes a highly disruptive deployment process that would strip all security from the environment. It is not a configuration setting for accessibility but a destructive, one-time action.

1. IBM Cognos Business Intelligence 10.2.2 Administration and Security Guide, Chapter 19: Server Administration, Section: "Content Manager service advanced settings", Page 518.

Reference Detail: This section lists the advanced parameter CM.CAM.BypassAccessChecks. The guide states, "Specifies whether to bypass access control checks. When this property is set to true, members of the System Administrators role are allowed to bypass access control checks." This confirms the existence and purpose of the administrator override setting.

2. IBM Cognos Business Intelligence 10.2.2 Administration and Security Guide, Chapter 19: Server Administration, Section: "Set advanced settings for a service", Page 511.

Reference Detail: This section outlines the procedure for modifying advanced settings: "In IBM Cognos Administration, on the Configuration tab, click Dispatchers and Services... click the Set properties button... Click the Settings tab." This validates the navigation path described in the correct answer.

The request flow for a Dynamic Query Mode (DQM) report begins when a user request is processed and communicated between services via the BI Bus (BIBus). The request is routed to the Query Service, which is the core engine for DQM. A defining architectural feature of DQM is its sophisticated query planner. It parses the report specification to generate a logical query plan (representing the business request) and then transforms it into an optimized physical query plan (representing how to retrieve the data). This process is often described as creating "two trees." The physical plan is then executed against the database via an RDBMS adapter, with results being retrieved and cached to optimize performance before the final report is generated.

A. This is incorrect because the BI Bus is the communication infrastructure, not the query execution engine. The Query Service performs the execution, and this option omits the critical query parsing step.

B. This is incorrect as it oversimplifies the process by omitting the fundamental DQM step of parsing the request into logical and physical query plans ("two trees"), which is a key differentiator.

C. This is incorrect because the request does not originate at the Query Service. It is routed to the Query Service from other services (like the Report Service) via the BI Bus infrastructure.

1. IBM Redbooks, "IBM Cognos Dynamic Query" (SG24-8121-00)

Page 8, Section 1.2.2, "Query execution": "The query service receives an abstract representation of a query from a client such as the report service. The query service plans the query by creating a logical plan... The query service then transforms the logical plan to a physical plan that is specific to the data sources that are being queried." This text directly supports the concept of parsing the request into two plans or "trees".

Page 7, Figure 1-3, "Dynamic query mode architecture": This diagram illustrates the interaction where the Report Service sends a request to the Query Service, which then interacts with data sources. The BI Bus facilitates this inter-service communication.

2. IBM Knowledge Center, Cognos Analytics 11.1.x, "Dynamic query mode"

Section: "Query execution": The documentation states, "The query service plans and executes queries in a series of steps... The query service validates the query and analyzes it to produce a logical query plan... The query service converts the logical plan into a physical query plan." This confirms the multi-stage planning process central to DQM and represented by the "two trees" concept in the correct answer.

To make a data source available for use in web-based modeling tools like data modules, the administrator must explicitly enable this capability within the data source connection properties. The "Allow web-based modeling" option configures the connection for use with the Dynamic Query Mode (DQM) service, which is required for creating and using data modules and dashboards in the Cognos Analytics portal. Without this setting enabled, the data source will not appear in the list of available sources when a user attempts to create a new data module.

A. IBM Cognos Configuration is used for core server settings like the content store, dispatchers, and cryptography, not for managing properties of individual data source connections for specific features.

B. IBM Cognos Transformer is a separate client tool used for creating PowerCubes (OLAP models) and is not involved in configuring relational data sources for web-based modeling.

C. Access permissions are managed in the administration console, not within the modeling tool itself. Furthermore, this setting controls who can create data modules, not which data sources are available for modeling.

1. IBM Cognos Analytics 11.1.x Documentation, Managing, "Creating a data source": In the section describing the properties for a new data source connection, the documentation states for the Connection tab: "Allow web-based modeling: Select this check box to allow the data source to be used in web-based modeling tools, such as data modules."

2. IBM Cognos Analytics 11.1.x Documentation, Data Modeling, "Data sources for data modules": This section explicitly states the prerequisite: "To be used in data modules, JDBC data sources must be configured to Allow web-based modeling in their connection properties. This setting is enabled by default for new JDBC data source connections."

The IBM Cognos environment includes a crucial security setting for session management called "Inactivity timeout in seconds". This property is configured within IBM Cognos Configuration and dictates the maximum period a user's session can remain idle. Once this time limit is exceeded, the user's session is automatically terminated, and they are logged off. This is a fundamental behavior applicable to all authenticated users to enhance security and manage system resources, regardless of the specific authentication provider used.

A. When anonymous access is enabled, users can still choose to log on. Anonymous access provides a baseline level of access, but a "Log On" option is typically available for users to authenticate against a configured namespace for greater permissions.

C. This statement is only relevant in a specific scenario where multiple namespaces are configured. Option B describes a universal session management feature that applies to any authenticated user, making it a more generally true statement about the application.

D. Account lockout policies, such as locking an account after a number of failed attempts, are managed by the external authentication provider (e.g., Active Directory, LDAP), not by IBM Cognos itself. Unlocking the account must be done within that provider's administrative tools.

1. IBM Cognos Analytics 11.1.0 Administration and Security Guide, Chapter 4: Initial Configuration, Section: "Configure properties for the Content Manager", Subsection: "Inactivity timeout". This section explicitly details the "Inactivity timeout in seconds" property, stating, "This property specifies the time in seconds that a user can be inactive before the passport expires." This confirms the behavior described in option B.

2. IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0.0 Administration and Security Guide, Chapter 6: "Authentication", Section: "Users, groups, and roles". The guide explains, "Authentication in IBM Cognos software is the process of verifying the identity of a user... This is done by a configured authentication provider." This supports the reasoning that Cognos delegates authentication, including lockout policies (Option D), to the external provider.

3. IBM Cognos Business Intelligence 10.2.2 Administration and Security Guide, Chapter 6: "Configure Authentication Providers". The documentation describes the logon process for multiple namespaces, where a user selects one to authenticate against. This confirms a session is tied to a single namespace, but also highlights that this scenario (Option C) is conditional on having multiple namespaces, unlike the universal inactivity timeout (Option B).

4. IBM Cognos Business Intelligence 10.2.2 Administration and Security Guide, Chapter 5: "Set Up an Initial Configuration", Section: "Enable anonymous access". The guide states, "You can allow users to access IBM Cognos BI without being prompted for a user ID and password by enabling anonymous access." It also shows that authenticated access remains an option, invalidating Option A.

Memory limits for the Dynamic Query (caching) service are properties of the Query Service object.

They are edited in IBM Cognos Administration → System tab.

From the same place, the administrator can immediately purge the cache (Actions → Clear cache) or schedule it.

IBM Cognos Configuration is used only for basic service registration and cannot clear runtime cache, while Content Administration’s “Clear cache” task does not expose the memory-limit properties.

A. No memory limits or cache-clear schedule exist by default; they must be explicitly configured.

B. Cognos Configuration manages startup settings; it has no “Clear Cache” operation for Query Service.

D. Content Administration can issue a one-time/scheduled clear, but it provides no controls for memory usage settings required in the scenario.

1. IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0 Administration and Security Guide, “Tuning Dynamic Query cache” – System tab → QueryService → Set Properties → Settings (p. 350-353).

2. IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0 Administration and Security Guide, “Clear the Query Service cache” – System tab → QueryService → Actions → Clear cache (p. 357).

3. IBM Knowledge Center (v11.0.13), topic: “Setting memory limits for Query Service and purging the cache” (kc11.0.13/com.ibm.swg.ba.cognos.ugcra.doc/ccraqscacheadmin.html).

The option to 'Configure JDBC connection' for an IBM Cognos PowerCube data source is available only when using the Dynamic Query Mode (DQM). DQM is a Java-based query engine that runs exclusively in a 64-bit process. If the dispatcher's execution mode is set to 32-bit, it operates in Compatible Query Mode (CQM), which uses native client libraries to connect to PowerCubes, not JDBC. Therefore, the JDBC configuration option is unavailable (grayed out) when the dispatcher is not configured for 64-bit execution.

A. The IBM Cognos PowerCube is not optimized.

PowerCube optimization is a performance-tuning activity within the Transformer tool and does not affect the available connection types in Cognos Administration.

C. The execution mode for the environment is not set to 64 bit.

This is too general. The critical setting is the execution mode of the specific dispatcher service handling queries, not a global environment setting.

D. JDBC connection is not supported for IBM Cognos PowerCube.

This is incorrect. JDBC connections are supported for PowerCubes, but this functionality is dependent on using the 64-bit Dynamic Query Mode.

1. IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Dynamic Query Guide 10.2.2, Chapter 1: Dynamic query mode, Section: "Overview of the dynamic query mode".

This section states, "The dynamic query mode is a Java-based query execution environment that offers query execution on OLAP data sources... The dynamic query mode runs in a 64-bit process." This establishes the link between DQM, Java (implying JDBC), and the 64-bit requirement.

2. IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Administration and Security Guide 10.2.2, Chapter 15: Servers and Dispatchers, Section: "Set the query mode for a dispatcher".

This section details the procedure for changing the dispatcher setting: "You can run dispatchers in 32-bit or 64-bit mode... The 64-bit mode is required to run the dynamic query mode." This directly confirms that the 64-bit dispatcher mode is a prerequisite for DQM.

3. IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0 Knowledge Center, Section: "Data sources", Subsection: "IBM Cognos PowerCube".

In the documentation for creating a PowerCube data source, it specifies the requirement for a JDBC connection type: "To use a PowerCube as a data source for the dynamic query mode, you must create the data source connection in IBM Cognos Administration... Select the Configure JDBC connection check box." This confirms that JDBC is the connection method for PowerCubes in DQM, and its availability is tied to the mode enabled by the 64-bit dispatcher.

A Benchmark task in IBM Cognos LifeCycle Manager is designed to create a baseline by capturing the output and performance metrics of reports from a source environment in their current state. The option to force reports to run in Dynamic Query Mode (DQM) is a specific setting within a Comparison task, not a Benchmark task. This allows a user to compare the output of reports running in DQM on a target server against the established benchmark, which typically represents the original Compatible Query Mode (CQM) output from the source server. Therefore, the ability to choose DQM execution is not a feature available during the creation of a Benchmark task itself.

A. A benchmark creates a reusable baseline. This baseline can indeed be selected as the source for comparison tasks in any LifeCycle Manager project.

B. This describes a primary use case for LifeCycle Manager: establishing a CQM benchmark to validate the output and performance after migrating reports to DQM.

D. This accurately describes the process of setting up a Comparison task, where a pre-existing Benchmark task is selected as the source for comparison against a target server.

1. IBM Cognos LifeCycle Manager 10.2.2 User Guide, Chapter 4: Working with tasks, Section: "Creating a comparison task", p. 25. This section details the properties for a comparison task and explicitly lists the "Run reports in dynamic query mode" checkbox as an available option. The corresponding section, "Creating a benchmark task" (p. 23), does not include this option.

2. IBM Documentation for IBM Cognos Analytics 11.1.7, Section: Managing > Validating and comparing report outputs > Creating a comparison task. The documentation states, "To run the reports in dynamic query mode, select the Run reports in dynamic query mode check box." This option is documented exclusively for comparison tasks.

3. IBM Documentation for IBM Cognos Analytics 11.1.7, Section: Managing > Validating and comparing report outputs > Creating a benchmark task. This document outlines the steps and properties for creating a benchmark task. The option to run reports in Dynamic Query Mode is notably absent from the available settings, confirming it is not a feature of this task type.

To troubleshoot Dynamic Query Mode (DQM) execution, an administrator must enable tracing for the QueryService. This is a dynamic, run-time task performed through the IBM Cognos Administration portal. By navigating to the properties of the QueryService for a specific dispatcher, an administrator can enable the "Query execution trace" setting. This action captures detailed diagnostic information about query planning and execution without requiring a service restart, which is ideal for troubleshooting live environments. The resulting trace logs are generated in the [installlocation]/logs/XQE directory.

A. Tracing imposes significant performance overhead and is therefore disabled by default in production systems to ensure optimal performance.

B. IBM Cognos Configuration is used for initial setup and static, service-level startup parameters (e.g., memory allocation), not for dynamic, run-time diagnostic tracing.

D. While qfsconfig.xml can be used for advanced DQM configuration, this method is for persistent settings and requires a service restart, making it less suitable for temporary, on-the-fly troubleshooting.

1. IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0.x Documentation, Administration and Security Guide, Chapter: "Logging", Section: "Query service logging": This section details the procedure for configuring logging for the query service. It states, "You can configure logging for the query service... Use IBM Cognos Administration to configure logging." This confirms that the administration portal is the correct tool.

2. IBM Cognos Analytics Dynamic Query Cookbook, Version 10.2.2, Page 10, Section: "DQM Server Logging and Tracing": This document explicitly describes the two methods for enabling tracing. It states, "The settings can be changed dynamically using Cognos Administration... Changes made in Cognos Administration are lost when the service is restarted." This highlights the use of the Administration portal (Option C) for temporary, dynamic troubleshooting, contrasting it with the persistent XML method (Option D).

3. IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0.x Documentation, Managing Guide, Chapter: "Manage servers and services", Section: "Set properties for a dispatcher or service": This guide provides the step-by-step instructions for navigating the Administration portal to modify service properties, which is the process described in the correct answer. The path involves selecting the Configuration tab, then Dispatchers and Services, locating the specific dispatcher, and then accessing the properties for the QueryService.