Cognos 8 API Integration with asp.net

Guys, I wanted to integrate cognos 8 and fetch the reports in excel/xml/csv format from cognos server. I don't have much knowledge about cognos, so can you provide me some pointers to start this process.
Right now, i'm accessing the Cognos 8 server using IBM's sandbox server, is it possible to use this server as a testing interface? can you also provide me some documentation/link to get more information about cognos 8?
Thanks, Deepak