One of the primary benefits to an organization that’s invested in IBM Cognos (or any business intelligence platform for that matter) is empowering its people to use the tools to interact with their company’s data to make smart, informed, and proactive decisions that positively impact the direction of the business. But unless a user feels confident working with the tools and the information returned, the success of the business intelligence investment will not be fully maximized. Proper training on the tools is imperative to instilling that sense of confidence and empowerment; the Ironside Group wants to be your training partner. Read more
Tag Archive for: IBM Cognos
IBM Cognos PowerPlay cubes are one of the most widely used OLAP data sources in the IBM Cognos environment. Typically, a PowerCube contains calculated and aggregated data that is organized as dimensions and measures, which can be viewed and analyzed in PowerPlay or Cognos BI (versions 8 or 10). Easy to use and fast access to pre-calculated summary data provides users with the ability to perform quick analysis. Since data stored in an IBM Cognos PowerCube is static, building a PowerCube naturally becomes a repetitive process. Often times cube data is refreshed on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Depending on data volume and the number of dimensions and measures in the cube, the build process can sometimes take hours to complete. In order to ensure the most benefit from the cube, having a scheduled and automated cube build is essential.
As many of you know, automated cube building can be easily achieved using Transformer command line options along with a scripting language of your choice. However, prior to the IBM Cognos 8.4 release, deploying the newly refreshed cube file wasn’t an easy process. It relied on an external utility to update your IBM Cognos data source connections to use the newly built cube. Today, I will show you a much easier approach that leverages new features in Transformer 10 to enable automated cube building and deployment with just a few easy steps. Read more
Traditional thinking when considering an enterprise business intelligence software purchase is for IT own it, operate it, and be wholly responsible for everything involved with it. Factor in a challenging economy, little room for adding headcount, and internal resources spread thin on multiple projects. If this seems like too much of a burden to undertake, but you’d still like to reap the benefits of an enterprise BI solution then it may be time to think outside the box and explore the idea of having your solution hosted and managed externally.
As we work with our customers, one important thing we have observed is that line of business customers in organizations of all sizes are trying to become less reliant on IT and more self-sufficient. Their major concern is the amount of internal resources and infrastructure they will need to dedicate to a solution. Although IBM designs their products to be easy to manage internally, sometimes having dedicated resources to manage the solution is not feasible.
What are the IBM Cognos TM1 Integration Points?
IBM Cognos TM1 is fast becoming a critical component of the IBM business analytics suite of offerings. As the application becomes more prevalent in the industry, we are seeing more and more customers inquiring about the integration points between IBM Cognos TM1 and the IBM Cognos BI suite of tools. There are six common integration points between TM1 9.5.2 and IBM Cognos BI:
-IBM Cognos BI Security
-Utilization of previously developed TM1 Web content within the Cognos Connection interface through TM1 Portlets
-TM1 cubes as a data source within the IBM Cognos BI environment
-TM1 Widgets
-TM1 cubes as a source within the IBM Cognos BIA studio
-IBM Cognos TM1 Package Connector to access IBM Cognos Framework Manager packages
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With the introduction of Active Report, IBM Cognos 10 report designers now have the ability to quickly and effectively create dynamic, powerful, interactive, self-contained reports available offline and on the go, which are highly sought after by report consumers.
Active Report’s intuitive, drag and drop interface makes it incredibly easy to add interactivity and functionality to reports, including variable text items, tab controls, and data decks.
To illustrate the ease of use, this tutorial will walk you through the steps for creating a simple report containing a data deck in Active Report. Data decks allow report developers to add modern and visually appealing animations to reports. Using master-detail relationships, a variety of data containers can be inserted into a deck and updated to show only values selected in an Active Report control. Read more
The Michigan Cognos User Group is an amazing opportunity to network and collaborate with other IBM Cognos Professionals in the area. Each event is packed with informative talks and demonstrations from local organizations that highlight their own applied experiences with IBM Cognos software. Experts from the Ironside Group will be in attendance and more than happy to answer your toughest questions or help you down the path to resolving your most bothersome issues. Attendance is always free and open to the public.
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New in April 2011, Ironside is now authorized to resell all IBM and Cognos Subscription and Support at a Discount!!
Ironside is now authorized to sell IBM Subscription and Support, please contact us asap to discuss your specific requirements. We can help you understand and validate your S+S bill from IBM. Our Account team has significant experience in interpreting and negotiating with IBM on your behalf, contact us today!
May 17, 2011 – Crowne Plaza
1605 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
Discover how to improve business outcomes with analytics everyone can use.
How can you learn about new innovations from IBM Business Analytics that will change how your organization makes decisions and shapes future outcomes? By attending an IBM Performance event.
June 16, 2011 - Hilton Hartford, CT
Discover how to improve business outcomes with analytics everyone can use
How can you learn about new innovations from IBM Business Analytics that will change how your organization makes decisions and shapes future outcomes? By attending an IBM Performance event.
June 14, 2011 – Boston Hyatt Regency
One Avenue De Lafayette
Boston, MA 02111
Discover how to improve business outcomes with analytics everyone can use
How can you learn about new innovations from IBM Business Analytics that will change how your organization makes decisions and shapes future outcomes? By attending an IBM Performance event.
Ironside helps companies translate business goals and challenges into technology solutions that enable insightful analysis, data-driven decision making and continued success. We help you structure, integrate and augment your data, while transforming your analytic environment and improving governance.