The objective of this book is to introduce you to IBM Cognos Planning and provide you with a guide to help you get started. If you are a beginner seeking to expand your basic knowledge about IBM Cognos Planning, or perhaps a power-user who would like to start developing a model, then this book is for you. We provide you with a conceptual framework and cut to the heart of the subject without the technical clutter. We have structured this book in a way that focuses on the key aspects of IBM Cognos Planning while at the same time giving you step-by-step instructions on how to build simple models from the ground up. Like any software, IBM Cognos gives you tools that enable you to create solutions to problems. Tools by themselves do not solve problems; you do through the use of these tools. A lot has to do with the understanding of how to leverage the features of IBM Cognos in order to create new capabilities within your enterprise. That is what we hope you will learn from this book.

Throughout this book, we will offer our advice on building effective and efficient models and will provide tips on overcoming or avoiding some of the pitfalls of modeling. As with any skill, the aspiration for mastery of IBM Cognos Planning must begin with the fundamentals. We hope that after you have gone through the book, you will have gained the fundamentals that will prepare you to take on the challenge of building more complex models and, by harnessing the power of this software, improve on how your enterprise plans and manages performance.