Once you have 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.