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IBM Cognos Business Intelligence

Book Image

IBM Cognos Business Intelligence

Overview of this book

IBM Cognos is Business Intelligence software that enables businesses to fully utilize their maximum potential. It connects people with information from virtually any data source whenever and wherever they need it so that they can make better decisions, faster.Take the practical, hands-on approach to managing your reporting environment with "IBM Cognos Business Intelligence" - packed with coverage of all the latest features to truly help you maximize your potential.With this in-depth practical guide you will learn how to fully utilize IBM Cognos 10 so that your business can make smarter decisions, achieve better results and gain a deeper understanding of your company's data. You will learn about critical topics like Report Studio, Query Studio, Analysis Studio, Security and Administration as well as in-depth coverage of other features like Business Insight, Business Insight Advanced, and Active Reports, which were introduced with IBM Cognos 10.

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IBM Cognos Business Intelligence
May, 2013 | 318 pages
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Table of Contents (21 chapters)
IBM Cognos Business Intelligence
IBM Cognos Business Intelligence
Credits
Credits
Foreword
Foreword
About the Author
About the Author
Acknowledgement
Acknowledgement
About the Reviewers
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Preface
Free Chapter
1
IBM Cognos Connection
IBM Cognos Connection
Web-based reporting
The welcome page
Folder structures
My Area
Searching
Running reports
Scheduling reports
Cutting, copying, pasting, and deleting objects
Creating URLs, jobs, and report views
The business case for Cognos
Summary
2
Introducing IBM Cognos Workspace
Introducing IBM Cognos Workspace
The self-service dashboard
Adding content and content types
Filtering
Changing the formatting
Sharing the dashboard
The business case for Cognos Workspace
Summary
3
IBM Cognos Active Reports
IBM Cognos Active Reports
What MHT files are
How MHT files can be read
Pros and cons
The business case for Cognos Active Reports
Interacting with Cognos Active Reports
Summary
4
IBM Cognos Mobile
IBM Cognos Mobile
Cognos Mobile on BlackBerry phones
New features of IBM Cognos Mobile
Interacting with Cognos Active Reports on mobile devices
The future of IBM Cognos Mobile
The business case for IBM Cognos Mobile
Summary
5
IBM Cognos Query Studio
IBM Cognos Query Studio
Who should use Cognos Query Studio?
Accessing Cognos Query Studio
An introduction to metadata
The drag-and-drop interface and the right-click menu
Saving and sharing reports
The business case for Cognos Query Studio
Summary
6
IBM Cognos Analysis Studio
IBM Cognos Analysis Studio
Who should use Cognos Analysis Studio?
Accessing Cognos Analysis Studio
An introduction to multidimensional data
Exploring the drag-and-drop interface and the right-click menu
Saving and sharing Cognos Analysis Studio reports
The business case for Cognos Analysis Studio
Summary
7
IBM Cognos Workspace Advanced
IBM Cognos Workspace Advanced
Who should use Cognos Workspace Advanced?
Comparing to Cognos Query Studio and Cognos Analysis Studio
Accessing Cognos Workspace Advanced
Exploring the drag-and-drop interface and the right-click menu
Using external data
The business case for Cognos Workspace Advanced
Summary
8
IBM Cognos Report Studio
IBM Cognos Report Studio
Who should use Cognos Report Studio
Accessing Cognos Report Studio
Cognos Report Studio report types
The drag-and-drop interface and the right-click menu
Building Active Reports
The business case for Cognos Report Studio
Summary
9
IBM Cognos Framework Manager
IBM Cognos Framework Manager
Introduction to metadata
Managing the model design project
Three-tier approach to model design
Designing a database view of your data
Designing a business view of your data
Designing an end user view of your data
Publishing a package
The business case for Cognos Framework Manager
Summary
10
Administration and Performance Tuning
Administration and Performance Tuning
Deciding who should be an administrator
Navigating the administration interface
Monitoring the system in the Status tab
Performance tuning the system
Designing your security model
Adding data source connections
Importing and exporting content
Routing your requests using routing sets
The business case for performance tuning
The business case for administration
Summary
11
Streamlining Common Administrator Tasks
Streamlining Common Administrator Tasks
Bulk updating Framework Manager models
Validating report objects
Bulk updating reports
Applying screen tips to report outputs
Managing security
Distributing portal tabs
Standardizing headers and footers
Backing up, restoring, and deploying content
Documenting content, security, and models
Versioning content
Archiving content outputs
Retrieving deleted content
The business case for add-on tools
Summary
12
User Adoption
User Adoption
The beginning – executive sponsorship
Building an internal user community
The right development team matters
How to partner with IBM and the partner community
Feedback and its role in the development process
Training is the key to success
The business case user adoption
Summary
Index
Index

Chapter 1. IBM Cognos Connection

IBM Cognos Connection is the out-of-the-box interface that IBM provides with IBM Cognos Business Intelligence. It is the primary interface for finding reports, opening development studios, and collaborating with other users within your business intelligence environment. IBM Cognos Connection was first introduced with Cognos ReportNet (CRN), but it is worth revisiting here in order to set the stage for the rest of the book.

In this chapter, we will look at the concept of web-based reporting, talk about the customizations that are available, and explore the interface, that is, IBM Cognos Connection. Some of the areas that we will look at are:

  • Web-based reporting

  • The welcome page

  • Folder structures

  • My Area

  • Searching

  • Running reports

  • Scheduling reports

  • Cutting, copying, pasting, and deleting objects

  • Creating URLs, jobs, and report views

  • The business case for IBM Cognos Connection

Previous Section
End of Section 1
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