Tag Archive for: IBM Cognos

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Ironside Tech Tip: Best Practices for Documenting Report Studio Reports

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Synopsis:

Three methodologies for documenting Report Studio reports.

Overview:

Reporting tools like IBM Cognos Report Studio do not naturally provide a means of documenting and commenting procedures like traditional programming languages do. As a result, once a report has been created, it may be difficult to follow the logic and design of the original report, modify it, or reverse-engineer how it works. Additionally, the lack of documentation makes it difficult to determine how and why a report was built and what specific techniques were used to create it. Read more

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Gantt Charts Using Cognos 10.2.1 RAVE Technology

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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

New Ironside IBM Cognos Framework Manager Curriculum Now Available

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framework manager curriculum training computers conceptIronside 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.

New Course Features

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.

Development Process

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.

Course Structure

Below is a listing of the modules and topics covered in the Framework Manager curriculum.

Framework Manager curriculum

Upcoming Framework Manager Classes

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

 

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Ironside Tech Tip: Integrate Salesforce.com with IBM Cognos

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Salesforce.com, most commonly implemented for its customer relationship management (CRM) platform, is a well-known industry leader in client relationship management as well as social performance management, sales performance management, and other areas. The IBM Cognos enterprise combined with Salesforce data can help your organization build a single view of your business and create reports, dashboards, and scorecards for analyzing your sales information. A few quick benefits of integrating Salesforce with Cognos are as follows: Read more

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Ironside Tech Tip: Change Transformer File and Server Locations Using an MDL Script

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When creating multidimensional models with IBM Cognos Transformer, many different types of data sources can be utilized such as reports, packages, Excel, and comma delimited files to design the model. Also various work environments may be used such as TEST, DEV, and PROD all of which have different server locations. Read more

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Why Migrate from IBM Cognos Planning to TM1?

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At first glance, IBM Cognos TM1 and Cognos Planning have similar features. They both leverage a multicube architecture and support complex, cross-cube calculations.

The primary differentiating feature of IBM Cognos TM1 can be found in its efficient calculation engine and its method for storing data. When users enter data into most other planning applications, a read/write procedure is performed to reflect the change in a database stored on a hard disk. In contrast, IBM Cognos TM1 calculations and data storage happens in memory/RAM. This allows entered data to be immediately updated within the cube and retrieved. As a result, data is available real-time, which greatly enhances both the performance of queries and ability to perform what-if analytics. Read more

Improving Performance by Using TIs vs Rules when Developing TM1 Planning Models

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Since TM1 is a memory-based OLAP engine, one of the most important considerations in developing  efficient planning models is to utilize the least amount of memory that is available on the server. As time goes on the model will likely grow in size and consume more resources. This usually happens when you add additional elements the cube’s dimensions and archive fewer elements . As the cube reaches its memory limit, users may experience issues like poor application performance, longer server start times, crashes, and other similar problems. Also, adding new elements can multiply memory use further because rules may act upon the elements added and take up even more of the server’s available resources. Read more

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Enhanced Security in IBM Cognos BI 10.2.1 Dynamic Cubes

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The IBM Cognos BI 10.2.1 release made significant enhancements to the Dynamic Cube options available in the product. One major boost to functionality is that you can now add enhanced security within Cube Designer and not have to restart the Dynamic Cube, and there are many other similar benefits included as well. Read more

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IBM Cognos Dynamic Cubes for Existing PowerPlay Customers

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You may have heard about the new Dynamic Cubes feature available in IBM Cognos. New technology is great, but if you have a library of existing PowerPlay cubes in your environment, you need to decide if it makes sense to migrate these cubes to Dynamic Cubes. Where does this new technology fit in your environment? What should you use to develop new cube capabilities if you choose to pursue them? This article will lay out the pros and cons of each approach in use case form to help you decide how best to leverage Cognos in your organization. Read more

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Ironside Tech Tip: Working with IBM Cognos BI and Microsoft Office

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Using Cognos we can generate reports in Excel, Microsoft Word and Power Point. In this article we will see what components we need to produce these reports in Microsoft Office.

Required Components and Installations:

1. You need to have Cognos environment ready and useable for generating reports, as shown below.

Cognos Connection

2. You have to install Microsoft Office in all the destination systems or client machines where we are going to access Cognos reports using Microsoft Office components. Read more