Automate Cognos 11 -> PowerBI (with limited privileges)

Question

Desk Jockey here with the ability to write, schedule, and run reports. Although I have reached out to my IT for a solution, I'd rather not wait - especially because they may tell me that they won't.

I have been fiercely trying to automate the ability to take data that I have access to in Cognos and get it into PowerBI.

Things I CANNOT do (but presumably work)

• schedule a report to run and save a csv file to a.networked folder (option not enabled for me).
• give PowerBI direct access to the data in question (not my role)
• connect PowerBI to Cognos. There is no native way for PowerBI to do this, but there are tools which enable it. However, I lack the permissions and authority to do that.

Things I have tried:

• I can create a URL which which directly passes the parameters and runs the report in any format

-- I then tried accessing the web page via PowerBIs get data from web functionality...but at best when it loads the page the "frame" around the data loads (but not the data...yet) so PowerBI cannot grab it. I suspect if there were some way to tell it to "wait" until everything loaded, it would work.

-- I tried running it as a csv file to download. But, again, the link is not directly to the file, but to a landing page which then starts the download. This is beyond my ability to automate as the baked in tools need a link to the file, not a link to the page which starts the download. Additionally, it is beyond my ability to ascertain what the "direct" link to the report is.

-- Access it via an API call. Cool: Cognos has an API. Uncool: I couldn't get anything to work. I think it is either disabled or I dont have permissions. (OR I just dont know enough to even test if it is working).

-- Trying any of the above with some combination of Cognos's scheduling features.

-- Trying any of the above with a "report view" instead of a report.

Answer 1

Instead of using Cognos as ETL for the power Bi, use the Cognos to create your reports. You will do your work more easily and faster.