Setting logging levels

In addition to the logging capabilities that exist on the IBM Cognos server, you can produce logs and error reports for your own workstation. This type of client-side logging is important for troubleshooting and can cover JavaScript anomalies that are not detectable from the server environment.

About this task

You can turn logging on or off as well as set the logging level. Under normal circumstances, logging is on, but the level is set to Error. In some circumstances, IBM customer support might direct you to increase the logging level. Set it to one of the following levels:

Error
Basic level of logging that tracks only major error messages that occur during processing on the client workstation.
Warning
The next level of logging that includes all the information from the Error level of logging and includes warnings about situations that might not affect your system function.
Information
This level of logging aggregates all previous levels of logging and includes more detail about the regular operation of the user interface. You might notice that performance at this level is slower.
Debug
This level of logging contains the most information. Use it if you are testing your own extensions or when you are advised by a member of the software development team or customer support. You can expect that performance at this level is noticeably slower.

Logging levels are stored in the browser cache. If you clear the browser cache, logging levels return to the default setting.

Procedure

  1. Click your Personal menu Personal menu icon in the application bar, and then click My preferences.
  2. On the Personal tab, expand the Advanced section.
  3. For Logging, click Manage.
  4. Ensure that logging is on.
  5. Set the Logging level to the level directed by the customer support representative.
  6. To retrieve logs from the browser console, press the F12 key on your keyboard or from the browser menu, click Developer, and then click Web Console.
    Tip: For the Firefox web browser, you can use an add-on, such as Firebug to make it easier to retrieve and save log files from the console.
  7. After you are done troubleshooting, return to the Logging preferences window and ensure that logging is set back to Error to prevent logging from slowing down your system while you are working.

What to do next

For more information about troubleshooting your system, see the IBM Cognos Analytics Troubleshooting Guide.