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IBM Cognos Analytic Applications

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As consultants the first question we are often asked by our customers is can we build reports directly against our transactional systems.    While there are some exceptions our general best practice is to recommend against this type of architecture.

The reasons are long and detailed, but simply put, some high level reasons not to build reporting systems off of normalized databases are:

  • Query performance

  • General production system performance

  • Aggregate view of data vs transactional view

  • Complex SQL

  • Normalized databases are typically tuned for simple queries

The discussion then leads to questions surrounding data mart or warehouse creation.  Typical initial concerns are time, money, maintenance, and flexibility. All which are real considerations when traveling this path.

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Customizing Cognos URL Objects (Part 1)

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How Do URLs Currently Work In Cognos

Within IBM Cognos, a URL object is a very easy way of linking to any external file or web site. Using URLs helps you keep the files and web sites you use most frequently at your fingertips. However, the default behavior of a Cognos URL object opens the file or web site in the current browser, causing the user to move off of the current Cognos page. After opening the URL, you will have to click on the Back button in the browser to return to Cognos portal.

Can You Drive a URL Object to Behave Differently? Read more

IBM Cognos Express – Ensuring Implementation Success

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The late 2009 release of Cognos Express has generated quite a bit of interest from companies considering the benefits of a Business Intelligence (BI) implementation, but had previously been limited by financial considerations. While this entry into the market does provide an excellent solution at a relatively low cost, IT departments need to keep in mind that this type of BI software is never a turnkey solution.  Many of the same strategic and tactical issues that larger companies have faced over the past decade in an effort to effectively undertake a BI initiative while retaining a high ROI will be faced, all be it on a smaller scale, by mid-market organizations. It is critical that the IBM Cognos Express team in these organizations realize that a complete implementation methodology is vital to the overall success and sustainability of the BI project, no matter the size of the company, the cost of the tool or the complexity of the project. Read more

IBM Cognos 8 Report Studio Fundamentals Public Training Course

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We are excited to announce our first course in a series of IBM Cognos public training offerings. This is a fantastic opportunity to experience the same high-caliber training curricula as our on-site courses, led by our very own veteran consultants, at a fraction of the standard price.Class sizes for these public courses will be kept small to ensure the most valuable experience for all attendees, and thus space is limited.

Course: IBM Cognos 8 Report Studio Fundamentals (View Description)
When: July 12-14, 2010
Where: IBM Innovation Center (Newport Room), Waltham, MA (Boston)
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Creating Dynamic IBM Cognos Reports with jQuery

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There is a growing need to provide more dynamic and interactive reporting for technically savvy consumers that have elevated expectations for how their data should be presented to them. With the arrival of IBM Cognos 8.4 comes Cognos Mashup Services, an API that empowers us to build modern looking and feeling web applications using IBM Cognos Reports as a data source. But what do you do if you want to deliver that sort of functionality within Cognos Viewer? The following presentation describes how you can leverage the powerful open-source JavaScript library jQuery to add dynamic user interface elements to your reports or provide functionality previously unavailable. Demonstrations include dynamically filtered and sortable list reports as well as drill-down enabled Tree Map data visualizations.

Download the presentation for Creating Dynamic IBM Cognos Reports with jQuery

Presenting in Calendar Format

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The Problem

Over the past several years, we have had a number of customers inquire about a method to deliver real-time  scheduling information in a common calendar format.  Typically this requires the ability to schedule events around or related to other events, update dates in a separate application, and view the resulting calendar information immediately. The need for real-time information eliminates any possibility for caching or warehousing data which might be utilized to stage and provide performance improvements. Fortunately the amount of event data displayed on the calendar is often fairly small, and we can provide drill-down for specific events on the calendar, to more detailed information on lower-level reports. Additionally, other specific filters can be utilized to narrow the types of events to display within the calendar. This article describes one particular case of calendar reporting. Read more

The IBM Cognos SDK: Bridging the Gaps

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While the IBM Cognos 8 BI application suite provides best of breed capabilities and user acceptance, the one size fits all approach necessary for software vendors to allow their applications to remain business agnostic can often leave organizations lacking a focused solution to a specific issue. Providing a process to extend and add value to your organization’s solutions by utilizing existing application architecture ensures that the company continues to realize the maximum ROI from their Cognos software. The Cognos SDK provides a method for IT professionals to collaboratively utilize additional applications, streamline business processes and reduce manual work with a minimal resource commitment. Read more

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Integrating an Enterprise Wiki with IBM Cognos 8

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Beginning with IBM Cognos 8.4 and higher, IBM provides a means of linking package objects from within Cognos Viewer or any of the studios, to IBM Business Glossary to serve as a central, web-based repository for documentation. If you do not own Business Glossary but you do have an existing enterprise wiki that houses your own organizations business documentation, with a little bit of ingenuity we can integrate that resource using the same inline facilities. Read more

How to Increase User Adoption with IBM Cognos 8 Auditing

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One of the most daunting tasks for any Cognos administrator is the process of providing a sustainable and intuitive reporting solution that deciphers the often overwhelming user requirements into the simple question “What do they want?” Feedback is essential in developing methodologies and standards that increase the efficiency and usability of your Cognos environment. While the previous statement sounds straight forward, detailed feedback is often difficult to gather, quite frequently lacking articulation or clear definition. In addition, there are situations where people simply can’t communicate exactly what they want, or do not know how to ask for it. One of the most overlooked and underutilized tools in the IBM Cognos BI arsenal can assist you in forming an idea of what and how you need to deliver on user requests, providing feedback anytime you want without the need for multiple user requirement meetings.

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TM1 and Report Studio – The Mystery of the Missing Levels

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As many of you know, TM1 has become a major component of the IBM Cognos BI application offerings. As a corporate OLAP solution, there are a number of advantages to utilizing TM1 versus PowerPlay; from faster response times in larger cubes to the capability to handle vast volumes of data. The expectation of course is that the application will work within the IBM Cognos BI infrastructure, specifically within the user facing studios that make Cognos a best of breed solution. While this is true in most aspects, there are a couple of “work arounds” that must be implemented in order to optimize the user experience with TM1 as an MDX based data source.

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