How to create, implement and use conditional blocks in Cognos reports.
Conditional blocks show different display results based on user interaction or parameters read in when a report is run. They provide a creative method for presenting either the same report data in various formats or executing several completely different reports from one prompt page. Read more
Cognos makes extensive use of data warehousing concepts. Most data warehouses are built using dimensional modeling techniques (also known as the “Kimball style”). Data is divided into fact and dimension tables, which are joined together in star schemas. Restructuring data in this fashion takes a great deal of effort, both in planning and implementation. These types of changes are only done because they are necessary for high-quality analytics. Understanding more about how they work and why they are important can help make Cognos a more efficient and effective reporting tool. Read more
IBM estimates that most businesses utilize about 20% of the data they collect, with the other 80% of a company’s stored information remaining under-utilized or inaccessible.
Today, businesses are storing more data than ever before. Data is vital for record keeping and to provide competitive advantage through reporting and analysis tools. So why the low utilization? Read more
As Business Intelligence (BI) systems become more and more embedded into the critical, analytics-based DNA of corporate decision-making, it is more important than ever to keep the system up and running at the highest level of efficiency. This article discusses methods for providing real-time monitoring and historical trending information for your system in the form of performance metrics. Read more
One question that Cognos Business Intelligence consultants often hear is “I bought licenses from IBM. How do I implement them in my user community and provide them with the various studios available in Cognos? There are so many studios, and I’m not sure which ones to give my users.”
The purpose of this article is to help your Cognos BI Administrator appropriately distribute user licenses and give access to licensed capabilities in IBM Cognos. There are four primary user license types: Enhanced Consumer, Advanced Business Author, Professional, and Administrator. One responsibility that generally lands on the IBM Cognos Administrator is to monitor the use of each purchased Cognos license. This is required to both maximize the utilization of the licenses and to make sure that the organization is in compliance with the IBM Cognos license agreement. The BI Professional role is for the technical developer/user who does not have administrative tasks. The BI Enhanced Consumer role is for consuming reports. Falling in between Enhanced Consumer and BI Professional is the Advanced Business Author, who has a need to both create and consume reports. Read more
Define the technique behind and benefits of standardizing prompt conventions in Report Studio.
Report authors can easily create automatically generated prompt page prompts for data items in a report using the question mark syntax, as shown below: Read more
Due to the rapid pace of today’s business world, new strategies, products, projects, and tools are being introduced on a constant basis. This means that the speed of business often does not match the speed at which IT departments, which tend to have to follow rigorous testing and governance policies, can provide ways to measure the success of the given implementation. With tools like social media and Google at our fingertips to provide constant and immediate information at our every whim, the ability to get answers to business questions with the same deftness as we can in our personal lives becomes expected by BI end users. That’s why accounting for self-service options is essential. Read more
Lexington, MA (May 16, 2014) – The Ironside Group, the award-winning North American business analytics consultancy founded in 1999, today re-launched their organization as simply Ironside. This change is both a reflection of their celebrated 15 year history, as well as a representation of their shift towards providing comprehensive solutions for organizations that are seeking to fundamentally improve performance by harnessing the power of information. The new Ironside will move toward being a one-stop shop for end-to-end analytics solutions, supporting clients from the planning phases all the way through full-scale implementations. Read more
The IBM Rapidly Adaptive Visualization Engine (RAVE) is a new tool introduced in Cognos 10.2.1. The engine can run on the server or the client, allowing for the dynamic creation of both static and active charts. Additionally, visualizations can be tweaked to allow for new charting options on the fly. IBM’s AnalyticsZone website provides a large number of downloadable visualizations, and one of the available options is Gantt charts. The standard Cognos 8/10 charting engine does not provide this type of chart, so this is a great opportunity to expand what Cognos can do. Read more
Ironside is happy to announce the release of our new, enhanced, and fully-revised Framework Manager curriculum. This update combines customer suggestions with expert insights from Ironside instructors and consultants to form the most comprehensive Framework Manager course available today. These two classes represent the current best-of-breed thinking around metadata modeling in the BI space.
Built around the latest IBM Cognos 10.2.1 technology, these two classes (Fundamentals and Advanced) provide a cumulative 5-day program that gradually builds a complete understanding of the metadata modeling process. Each chapter contains conceptual information and hands-on, practical demos and workshops.
Using the original Ironside Framework Manager curriculum as a foundation, we have developed many additions to it that further flesh out the intricacies of metadata modeling and supplement the already existing content. Below are some highlights of new material included in the Framework Manager Fundamentals and Advanced courses:
• Overview content describing in more depth how Framework Manager fits into and interacts with Cognos as a whole.
• Detailed descriptions of different database design structures and how best to make those structures available through Framework Manager.
• Key reporting requirements and how gathering them can set your project up for success.
• Deepened explorations of the core modeling layers and the objects used within them.
• Rich new chapters investigating DMR options in Framework Manager, determinants, and security.
• Full discussions of parameter maps, session parameters, and implementing them in calculations and filters.
• Enhanced content around accessing the SQL back end that governs how data appears in Framework Manager.
• Crucial performance tips and strategies for working in multi-modeler environments.
The top priority during the development process was to create course that provides an all-inclusive and cohesive understanding of all the Framework Manager features and functionality, promoting an understanding of the entire metadata modeling process from end to end. To achieve this, we enlisted the guidance of our technical trainers with years of Cognos and technical training experience, as well as our technical consultants, to provide real-world, practical modeling perspectives.
Below is a listing of the modules and topics covered in the Framework Manager curriculum.
Below is a listing of several of the upcoming public Framework Manager courses.
IBM Cognos 10.2.1 Framework Manager Fundamentals and Advanced Training Courses- Ohio
Mon Apr 21, 2014, 8:30 AM – Fri Apr 25, 2014, 4:30 PM
Worthington, OH
IBM Cognos 10.2.1 Framework Manager Fundamentals and Advanced Training Courses- Detroit
Mon Apr 28, 2014, 8:30 AM – Fri May 2, 2014, 4:30 PM
Detroit, MI
IBM Cognos 10.2.1 Framework Manager Fundamentals and Advanced Training Courses- Miami
Mon May 12, 2014, 8:30 AM – Fri May 16, 2014, 4:30 PM
Doral, FL
IBM Cognos 10.2.1 Framework Manager Fundamentals and Advanced Training Courses – Atlanta
Mon Jun 2, 2014, 8:30 AM – Fri Jun 6, 2014, 4:30 PM
Atlanta, GA
IBM Cognos 10.2.1 Framework Manager Fundamentals and Advanced Training Courses – DC
Mon Jun 16, 2014, 8:30 AM – Fri Jun 20, 2014, 4:30 PM
Washington, DC
Ironside is a data, analytics, and AI consulting and technology implementation company. We work with clients to understand their business objectives and day-to-day challenges, then employ our deep expertise in data strategy, architecture and engineering, integration, business intelligence, AI, and generative AI. We create technical solutions and practical approaches designed to drive smarter, data-driven decisions across a company and help it move further and faster toward its business goals.