Tag Archive for: Business Analytics

Introducing the New Ironside

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Award-winning IBM Partner celebrating 15 years re-launches as comprehensive business-focused analytics solution provider

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

Heat Map Formatting using HTML

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Even if you don’t have access to the RAVE visualizations available in Cognos 10.2.1, there are still some options to produce non-standard charts and simulate things such as heat maps using older Cognos versions. With some creative HTML use, you can set up a heat map that responds to various conditions in your reports. This article will discuss how to implement this structure. 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

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IBM Cognos TM1 Performance Modeler and Architect: Potential Collaboration Pitfalls

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IBM is encouraging developers to use Performance Modeler as the main tool for creating and maintaining TM1 server objects. Performance Modeler offers many features that Architect simply does not provide. The push toward Performance Modeler is evident in IBM’s documentation, presentations, and rapid update releases for the tool. For now, Architect will still exist and will continue to serve as a development tool. As future releases of Performance Modeler provide more and more functionality, Architect will likely only be used to maintain older TM1 versions going forward. Read more

SPSS Online: New Education Opportunities for Predictive Analytics

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SPSS online training computers conceptIronside is pleased to now offer online versions of our IBM SPSS training courses. The first SPSS online course offering is our May 12th Introduction to IBM SPSS Statistics course. This two-day course is suited for managers, beginning statisticians and programmers, and market research professionals interested in understanding the basics of how to perform data analysis using IBM SPSS Statistics and who want a solid introduction to the statistical capabilities of the program.

For a complete listing of Ironside’s training offerings, please visit the Ironside website.  If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact us at 781-860-8840 ext. 802 or training@ironsidegroup.com.

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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Migrating from Oracle to Netezza

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Many are looking to IBM Puredata System for Analytics (Netezza) but are unsure of the complexity of implementation. Is it a lift and shift? Is there redevelopment involved? The focus of this article is to describe the process for migrating from Oracle. At a high level this process is the same when migrating from other RDBMS but every RDBMS has its own nuances that should be taken into consideration. Read more

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Ironside Webinar Series: Overview of IBM Cognos Dynamic Cubes

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Dynamic CubesOn February 18th, 2014, Ironside hosted a Cognos Dynamic Cubes webinar to introduce the capabilities of this new, powerful tool. Led by Ironside’s Michael Vollmer, Senior BI consultant, and Francois Ross, Regional Vice President, we gave attendees insights into how dynamic cube interfaces empower end users to access data at much faster speeds. Read more

Three Sales Enablement Issues Solved with Sales Performance Management

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While working as a Compensation Administrator, I used IBM Cognos ICM, a sales performance management software solution, to empower account executives to understand their compensation plan quickly, so they could get back to selling. The visualizations and rankings available in IBM Cognos ICM are excellent sales enablement tools for motivating individuals at all levels of a business. When leveraged correctly, these resources allow territory and channel managers to speed the production and delivery of scorecards and other reporting deliverables, leading to faster, more strategic decision making. 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