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Report Formats

You can choose the output format for a report. You may want to view reports in a browser, or you may want the report in a format that is easily imported into another application.

You can choose from the following formats:

You can specify the default format to be used when a report is run . All shortcuts to a report acquire the default format from the source entry.

You can specify the report format in the run options page , in the report properties , or in your preferences . When you run a report without specifying run options, the format specified in the report properties is used. When it is not specified in the report properties, the format specified in your preferences is used.

XHTML and some PDF formats are only available when you set advanced run options . You can also select multiple formats when you set advanced run options.

To specify the report format, you must have read and write permissions for the report and traverse permissions for the folder that contains the report.

HTML Formats

You can select from the following HTML formats:

To select an HTML fragment and XHTML or the number of rows per web page, see Set Advanced Report Options for the Current Run.

XML Format

XML report outputs save the report data in a format that conforms to an internal schema, xmldata.xsd. You can find this schema file in c10_location/bin.

This format consists of a dataset element, which contains a metadata element and a data element. The metadata element contains the data item information in item elements. The data element contains all the row and value elements.

You can create models from reports and other data that conform to the xmldata.xsd schema. This is useful if you want to use a report as a data source for another report, or if you use a database that cannot be read by Framework Manager. In this case, export the data from the data source to an XML file, in conformance with the xmldata schema, and then open the XML file in Framework Manager.

For more information, see the Framework Manager User Guide.

PDF Format

Use the PDF format to view and distribute reports in an online book format.

You must have administrator privileges to specify the advanced PDF options.

Microsoft Excel Formats

IBM® Cognos® Business Intelligence can produce reports in Microsoft® Excel spreadsheet software format. The following options are available:

Excel 2007 format renders report output in native Excel XML format, also known as XLSX, that provides a fast way to deliver native Excel spreadsheets to Microsoft Excel 2002, Microsoft Excel 2003, and Microsoft Excel 2007. Users of Microsoft Excel 2002 and Microsoft Excel 2003 must install the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack, which provides file open and save capabilities for the new format. The output is similar to other Excel formats, with the following exceptions:

Excel 2002 format also offers the following benefits:

CSV Format

Reports saved in delimited text (CSV) format open in the application associated with the.csv file type, usually Microsoft® Excel spreadsheet software, Microsoft Windows® Wordpad, or Star Office.

Reports saved in CSV format