When I tried to set up Cognos 11 to send notifications via Gmail, it failed because
Google blocked access from Unsecured App. Even if I tried to turn off this option
and tried again, it still failed because Google automatically turned this setting
off again. So I had to create an App Password for my Gmail account to make it
work by following the steps below:
Step 1: Configure Gmail account
  • Log in to my Gmail account, go to “Manage your Google Account page”, then go to “Security” section
  • Enable 2-Step Verification
  • Once 2-Step Verification is enabled, the App Passwords option will be visible under the 2-Step verification option
 
 

  • Click on “App Passwords” to generate a new one. 
  • On the next page, choose “Mail” app, and “Other (Custom Name)” in the Select Device drop-down
  • On the next page, enter “Cognos” for the name of the app, then click on “GENERATE”
  • On the next page, copy the password, paste it to Notepad, then click on Done
 
 
Step 2: Configure Cognos:
  • Open “IBM Cognos Analytics” > “IBM Cognos Configuration” (not the one with the same name under “Framework Manager”)
  • Open “Notification” on the left side Explorer bar, enter
    the configuration as follows:

    • SMTP Mail Server: smtp.gmail.com:465
    • Account and Password:
      • User ID: <account_name>@gmail.com
      • Password: <Generated app password
        from the previous step>
    • Default Sender: <account_name>@gmail.com
    • SSL Encryption Enabled: True
  • Click Ok. Then Save the setting
  • Right-click “Notification” on the left Explorer menu again, and click on “Test” to check if the connection is working.
  • After the SMTP connection has been tested, to send a report from Cognos via email, we have to restart Cognos service for the change to take effect.

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