Add-on tools are typically developed to fill gaps that were left during the original development of a product. The tools discussed in this chapter are no different. IBM Cognos BI is one of the leading tools in the industry for business intelligence, but no tool is perfect. One of the common concerns brought up by customers has always been around the administration interfaces. MetaManager addresses that concern by creating a single interface for performing administration tasks across multiple environments. It was purpose-built based on feedback from a variety of large and small IBM Cognos customers. Additionally, Integrated Control Suite was designed to meet governance, risk, and compliance requirements that exist in many industries and within publicly traded companies.

So, why should you consider spending more than you already have? MetaManager is going to decrease the time that it takes for Cognos administrators to do their jobs. It will also allow your...