FactFinder Internal Error: loop in the join path IBM COGNOS Error

This is an example of poor --- very poor framework management. I was actually working on creating some metadata for a custom report and I had only half day time to test it, The report needed an humongous amount of details from various tables and performance was a major issue.

 I tried creating metadata from existing metadata in the import layer. When I create new relationship for the 2 new tables which I added for this report, there was a loop issue. Of course when you check the query subject on Framework Manager -- Launch Content Explorer; it does not show any loop. So now, I had to create redundant data in the import layer just for this report in order to accommodate the new query subject and avoid loops. Given more time we could have avoided this by re mapping some of old query subject relationships.

Lesson learn :) ---- Avoid joins to the same query subjects in the import layer. Always look at the base query subject and not the derived once in development layer or the second layer of the Framework Manager.

Anyways, I could find the issue fast and it was an easy solution. Way to go !!!!!

COGNOS Error ' Reason: java.io.IOException: DER length more than 4 bytes ' or ' signkeypair\jCAKeystore ' or Generating cryptographic information IBM

End users always play a lot with their machines, they install and uninstall so much stuff. One of our end user actually installed some new softwares on his machine and he played around with the services and config files. This lead to COGNOS down. We tried to restart the services both from back-end and front-end but no use. Usually we used to face this error due to the integrated security login that we have on COGNOS, so I removed the class file on configuration and tried it again. This time, the error was at a higher level --- " Generating cryptographic information "

So I tried this simple solution, :) replacing the configuration files @ location  .....c8\configuration\signkeypair . There are 5 files in all, I copied these files from my local machine and replaced them at the end user's machine. Things started working fine. 

F Y I -- Once COGNOS is installed; replacing any file within COGNOS installed files can be done with out any issues. If in case COGNOS is down but you want to take back up of the content store before re-installing it (the usual solution that IBM COGNOS gives us )... simple copy the entire folder of ...\c8\contentstore  from the server and take a back up. Then uninstall and reinstall the COGNOS. Now replace the Content Store back up folder in the new installation folder. You should be all set to go.