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Setting Up Consumer Access

Last Updated: August 15, 2025 4:10:40 PM PDT
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Learn how to set up consumer access to Cognos and Tableau analytics tools.

Access to Analytical Solutions

Reports are saved into folders in Cognos or Tableau. Each folder is then connected to one or more Active Directory (AD) group.  Report development teams or business units then maintain the AD group membership.

 

Set Up Process

This process assumes that you have report developer access to Cognos and Tableau.

Order Action Who Note
1 Creates analytic solution Report Developer
2 Requests folder Report Developer Folders can be requested via the ITS-BIA Service Request form
3 Request new Active Directory (AD) group or modifications to existing AD group Report Developer via email/ticket to their local Departmental Security Administrator (DSA) or local IT Support Team

BIA recommendation for AD Group naming convention

  • TeamName-Project-BI-Developer for the group of developers who will be building reports

  • TeamName-Project-BI-Consumer for the group of users who will be viewing or using the reports
4 Create AD group DSA or local IT Support team

Along with providing a group name and AD usernames to be added as members, request the following AD group settings:

Group scope = Universal

Group type = Security
5 Requests AD group be added to folder

Report Developer via the ITS-BIA Service Request form

include the folder name and AD Group name(s) to connect

AD Group access can be one of three options:

  1. Developer access

  2. Consumer access - can download summary data and images

  3. Consumer Restricted access - cannot download summary data and images (Tableau only, in Cognos the report developer would set this limitation)

Cognos Example:  Please create a new folder called "EcoTime Reports" and allow AD group "EcoTime_BI_Developer" to publish reports to this folder in DEV.  Please also allow “EcoTime_BI_Developer” and "EcoTime_BI_Consumer" to view these reports in QA and Prod.

 

Tableau Example:  Please create a new folder called "EcoTime Reports" and allow AD group "EcoTime_BI_Developer" to publish reports to this folder.  Please also allow "EcoTime_BI_Consumer" to view these reports but NOT download summary data.
6 Adds AD group to folder BIA
7 Adds report to folder Report Developer
8

Cognos: migrate to Cognos QA

 Report Developer

1st time set-up by BIA required
9

Cognos: Request migration to Cognos PROD

 Report Developer Migrations can be requested via the ITS-BIA Service Request form

 

Resources

Contact the IT Services Business Intelligence and Analytics Team with questions.