IBM Cognos 8 Framework Manager Training – Jan 10-14, 2011

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The Ironside Group is excited to once again publicly offer both our Fundamentals and Advanced Framework Manager Training courses in back-to-back fashion. As with all of our course offerings, this curricula is lead by our veteran consultants who have decades of in-depth real-world technical experience with IBM Cognos software. Take advantage of this special combined offering and become a Framework Manager expert in a weeks time.

Course: IBM Cognos 8 Framework Manager Fundamentals (View Description)
When: January 10-12, 2011

Course: IBM Cognos 8 Framework Manager Advanced (View Description)
When: January 12-14, 2011

Where: Ironside Group Lexington, MA (Boston)
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IBM Cognos 8 Report Studio Training – Feb 14-18, 2011

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The Ironside Group is excited to once again publicly offer both our Fundamentals and Advanced Report Studio Training courses in back-to-back fashion. As with all of our course offerings, this curricula is lead by our veteran consultants who have decades of in-depth applied technical experience with IBM Cognos software. Take advantage of this special combined offering and become a Report Studio guru in a weeks time.

Course: IBM Cognos 8 Report Studio Fundamentals (View Description)
When: February 14-16, 2011

Course: IBM Cognos 8 Report Studio Advanced (View Description)
When: February 17-18, 2011

Where: Ironside Group, Lexington, MA (Boston)
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IBM Cognos 8 – Custom Authentication Provider

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In the past we have introduced the IBM Cognos SDK family of products in our article IBM Cognos SDK: Bridging the Gaps providing you with a glimpse of the potential methods for utilizing the SDK to further the standard Cognos suite. Today let’s take a closer look at one of special SDK toolsets – the Custom Authentication Provider (CAP). What is an IBM Cognos Custom Authentication Provider? Read more

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IBM Cognos 10: Initial Thoughts and Reactions

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Cognos 10 was released on October 25th, with much fanfare (and fireworks – quite literally) at IBM’s Information on Demand conference in Las Vegas. I’ve been exploring the interface and feature set within my own test environment the past few days and here are a few early conclusions, including what I would consider to be the top three high-impact features of this release. Read more

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Database Suitability Assessment and IBM Cognos Framework Manager Best Practices

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As consultants, we have found that the majority of struggling IBM Cognos implementations we encounter are due to either poor framework model design, or more often, a flawed database architecture. The case of the latter can present itself in a number of ways, but in the worst cases, we’ve discovered reporting applications built upon highly normalized OLTP systems that are ineffective and detrimental to both analytical and operational performance of an organization’s information systems. Another common case is an implementation of Cognos upon an existing data warehouse where users are provided with unfettered ad-hoc access to the data source for the first time, exposing previously unforeseen or unknown data quality issues. Read more

IBM’s Information Management $20B Five Year Acquisition Budget

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IBM has executed a total of 12 acquisitions since January 2010, proceeding with its strategy of continually enhancing their product portfolio with best-of-breed technologies that are complimentary to their present solutions. Most noteworthy are three of such acquisitions that have occurred since mid-August:

  • Unica, a Marketing Planning company on August 13, 2010

  • OpenPages, an Integrated Risk Management company on September 15, 2010

  • Netezza , a Data Warehousing and Advanced Analytics company on September 20, 2010

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Taking Control – IBM Cognos Advanced Dispatcher Routing

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Like any system or application you are using, performance is one of the most important factors in successful adoption by the user community. As for IBM Cognos users, optimal performance means that their reports run fast and without error;  for system administrators like you, it means that the Cognos environment is stable and that the users are happy. That being said, there is no question that performance tuning is always on a system administrator’s must-do list. By properly tuning the IBM Cognos configuration settings of dispatcher and services, you can optimize the speed and efficiency of the IBM Cognos server. Read more

IBM Cognos 8 Go! Mobile: The Next Step in BI Delivery

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You’ve gone through the exercise of creating your data warehouse, developing a model and creating the most relevant and useful reports your organization could use. You’ve gone live: consumers have their logins and have been trained on how to receive their daily fill of data. There may be a few hiccups here and there but in general things are going well.

For the most part, users who begin to use Cognos will find themselves using it more and more, making requests as they discover the possibilities presented to them. Convenient as it already is, there will be several groups of users who may need or want even more accessibility. How do you deliver for them? Read more

Understanding the Benefits of IBM Cognos 64-bit

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The implementation of 64-bit infrastructures has become commonplace throughout most IT departments regardless of the size of the organization. Whether it is a corporate decision to utilize the opportunities available with the more powerful architecture or simply a question that arises when purchasing new hardware, it has become a common thread in all IT discussions. As hardware costs continue to drop and 64-bit operating systems and applications become more prevalent, IT decision makers are often encouraging the move. What is often lost in this decision is whether the hosted applications are truly 64-bit. Has the application been written to utilize all the available resources or does it simply run in a 32-bit emulation or processor core on the selected hardware? What advantages will actually be realized by “upgrading” to a 64-bit application? The true answer to this question often requires a bit deeper look under the covers. Read more

Customizing Cognos URL Objects (Part III)

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In our previous two articles we discussed methods of extending the existing Cognos capabilities: how to create a new URL link in Cognos Connection and change its default action to be open in a new re-sizable window and how to create an open-in- new-window URL link in Report Studio. Today, let’s continue our journey and uncover another trick, a frequently requested feature: how to customize the styles of a hyperlink in report. By default, a hyperlink created in Report Studio is styled in blue color and underlined. With the available built-in capabilities in Report Studio you have limited flexibility to change the style of a hyperlink which can severely limit the ability to adhere to a corporate requirement or provide a unique look and feel. Read more