MSExcel Output Formats

Revised 13-Mar-2012

With Cognos 10, MSExcel output format choices are

1. Excel 2007 Format
2. Excel 2002 Format
3. CSV Format

The 2007 format is native Excel XML, also known as XLSX. Each page of output becomes a worksheet tab.

The CSV format is comma separated values.  It works for many, but not all, m-Fin reports.  CSV is a data set rather than a report and is a good starting point for when you want to do further work with the data in MSExcel.

Cognos supports MSExcel output formats on Microsoft Windows only, not on Apple Macintosh.

Firefox usually needs no special configuration but for Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 on Windows XP, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 on Windows 7, the following is necessary:

When you are in Cognos go to Tools, Internet Options, Security tab,
and click on Trusted Sites and then the Sites button. If gateway.prod.cu.edu
is not in the list, add it. Then click the Custom Levels button and scroll
down to the Downloads section. Enable "Automatic prompting for file
downloads."

The Cure For Slowness

You’ve done the above and now it works but wow is it ever slow getting the data into MSExcel? You can Save these files rather than open them, when prompted. After the save completes, click the Open button. In Microsoft Internet Explorer, for some reason direct Open can be much slower than Save and then Open. This is not an issue in Firefox.

“Yes but, umm… where did it save the file?”

Instead of a nice Open button after the save you have to go hunt for the report? In Tools, Internet Options, Advanced tab, enable Notify when downloads complete.