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Add IBM Cognos data to your map

Once you've created a map-enabled report in Report Studio (see Configure a map-enabled report), you can add your IBM Cognos data to the map.

A map is a spatial document composed of one or more layers. A layer is the way in which Esri Maps for IBM Cognos visually represents geographic datasets. A layer is similar to a legend item on a paper map. For example, on a road map, roads, national parks, political boundaries, and rivers might be considered different layers. When you add data from IBM Cognos to a map, Esri Maps for IBM Cognos creates a layer and displays it in the Contents pane. Once the layer is created, you can configure how it is styled, set its transparency, enable clustering or heat maps, turn on pop-ups, and so on.

When you add IBM Cognos data to a map, Esri Maps for IBM Cognos runs an XML query against the queries in the IBM Cognos report. It then sends to ArcGIS a record set with only the location information (addresses, latitude and longitude values, cities, and so on) required to satisfy the parameters of the ArcGIS service used to render the features as a layer on the map. For example, if address data is added to the map using the Address location type, a list of addresses is sent from Esri Maps for IBM Cognos and the browser to ArcGIS for geocoding. ArcGIS returns the geocoded address data to the browser for rendering as a layer of point features. ArcGIS does not directly query the IBM Cognos databases to get the required information, and no other business information, such as customer or sales information, is passed to ArcGIS.

  1. In Esri Maps Designer, browse to your map-enabled report and click Configure or Edit beside the map to which you want to add data.
  2. In the map configuration window, sign in to ArcGIS if prompted to do so.
  3. From the Add data menu, choose from IBM Cognos.

    The queries you included in your report appear in the Add data from IBM Cognos pane.

  4. Choose the query you want to add and click Next.
  5. Do one of the following:
    • Specify how location is represented in the current query by choosing one of the location types.
      Note:

      When choosing a location type, it's important to ensure that there is a one-to-one relationship between the rows in the IBM Cognos data you're adding and the features in the map layer that is being used to display the data. For more information, see Location types.

    • If you want to use a map service or feature service from ArcGIS as a location type, choose Add location type and follow the steps in Add a location type.
    Note:

    If you choose the Address location type, you'll consume ArcGIS service credits. To help you estimate how many service credits you'll use, see Service Credits Overview.

    To use the Address location type in Portal for ArcGIS deployments, your portal must have a configured hosting server and a valid geocoder that supports batch processing. For more information, see Configure the portal to geocode addresses and Configure a hosting server.

  6. Click Next.
  7. Choose and specify the values for the columns containing the location information. Ensure that there is a one-to-one relationship between the columns you choose and the location type you chose.
  8. If you chose Latitude, Longitude for the location type, the default coordinate system that will be used is World Geodetic Survey (WGS) 1984. To specify a different coordinate system, do the following:
    1. Click the Advanced link.
    2. Choose the appropriate coordinate system for the data you're adding. Choose Other if your data is in a coordinate system other than WGS 1984 or Web Mercator.
    3. If you chose Other, enter the well-known ID (WKID) of the coordinate system in the WKID text box.
      Note:

      Point locations must be compatible with the basemap's spatial reference system.

  9. Click Next.
  10. Do the following:
    1. Choose the columns you want to make available in pop-ups, styling, and so on, and choose the format of the column data that you specified.
      Tip:

      If you miss a column or accidentally include columns you don't want in this step, you can make changes after the data has been added to the map. For more information, see Edit layer properties.

    2. If you want the map to zoom to the full extent of the layer created when the data is added, check the Zoom to layer check box.
    3. If you want a different name for the layer, type a new name in the Layer Name box.
  11. Click Add data to map.

    A layer containing the data is added to the map and is listed in the Contents pane. If you checked the Zoom to layer check box, the map zooms to the full extent of the layer you added.

    Note:

    To mitigate performance issues when adding data, Esri Maps for IBM Cognos automatically clusters points on layers that have more than 1000 features. You can turn off clustering using the Cluster points button in the Contents pane. The administrator can also modify the threshold at which the points are automatically clustered. For more information, see Configure administrative settings.

  12. Repeat steps 3 through 11 for each additional query you want to display in the map.
    Note:

    If errors occurred in finding locations, this information is displayed under the layer in the Contents pane. You can click the View errors link and use the scroll arrows to see where the errors were found. To fix errors in your data, contact your database administrator.

    If you don't want to see these errors, you can disable error display by turning off the Show load data errors setting in the Configure window.

  13. To save and close the map, click Save and close from the Save map menu.