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K. and IT Architect. Professional Report Author. standards. Rodrigo Frealdo Dumont is an IT Specialist at the IBM Brazil Global Delivery Center. He holds a degree in Computer Science from Hogeschool Gent. data integration and data modeling. He has four years of experience in Business Analytics applications. Belgium. xi . Pennsylvania.S. The team who wrote this book This book was produced by a team of specialists from around the world working in Ottawa. He also © Copyright IBM Corp. He has 4 years of experience in the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence field. He writes extensively about Cognos business solutions development life cycle and Business Analytics requirements. This IBM Redbooks® publication addresses IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Dean worked as an IT infrastructure design and out-sourcing consultant. You can use this book to: Understand core features of IBM Cognos BI V10. Canada.Preface IBM® Cognos® Business Intelligence (BI) helps organizations meet strategic objectives and provides real value for the business by delivering the information everyone needs while also reducing the burden on IT. and out-sourced support processes for global chemical and pharmaceutical corporations. Cognos Software team.1 Realize the full potential of IBM Cognos BI Learn by example with practical scenarios This book uses a fictional business scenario to demonstrate the power of IBM Cognos BI. Before joining IBM Software Group 7 years ago.1. Business Analytics in Philadelphia. He designed global telecommunications and server infrastructures. U. including reporting. 2010. As part of the IBM Business Analytics. Currently he acts as a Cognos development lead of Business Analytics projects at the Business Analytics Center of Competency. Brecht Desmeijter is a Proven Practice Advisor in Bedfont. The book is primarily focused on the roles of Advanced Business User. Dean Browne is a Product Manager for IBM Software. Dean is responsible for IT value related features in IBM Cognos products. His areas of expertise include the IBM Cognos infrastructure and the Software Development Kit. Administrator. All rights reserved. and remotely. U. Modeler.
With over 11 years in business intelligence and information management. He implemented various IBM products. He has 9 years of experience working with IBM Cognos products with a focus on metadata modeling and report design. He writes extensively about IBM Cognos Financial Performance Management products and has over 9 years experience working with IBM Cognos products in various roles. he has focused on the technology and infrastructure organizations need to drive better business performance. Shinsuke Yamamoto is an IT Specialist joining IBM Japan in 2001. and Tivoli®. She has 9 years of IT experience. and customer support. In 2007. He holds a degree in Communications and Psychology from The University of Ottawa and a diploma in Information Technology from ITI. working with local technical communities in providing technical sales support for major prospects and customers. reporting tools such as Microsoft® Reporting Services and Crystal Reports and data warehousing implementations (Microsoft SQL Server DTS. end-user education and large-scale projects.1 Handbook . Rodrigo holds a bachelor degree in Systems Analysis from Pontifícia Universidade Católica of Campinas. His areas of expertise include course development. he moved to IBM Systems Engineering in Japan and has experience in handling DB2 projects as a subject matter expert and publishing xii IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.acts as a technical lead and subject matter expert of IBM Cognos for the Information and Data Management Center of Competence of Application Services area in Brazil. Canada. DB2®. John holds a bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics from Ursinus College. working in Ottawa. John is an IBM Cognos Planning Certified Expert and an IBM Cognos TM1® Certified Developer. he writes extensively around IBM Cognos products and how to optimize the administration of the Business Intelligence infrastructure. Armin Kamal is an IBM Cognos Proven Practice Advisor for Business Analytics in Canada. including technical sales. She is a member of the Community of Practice for Central and Eastern Europe responsible for the Cognos portfolio. Rodrigo is an IBM Certified Designer for Cognos 8 BI Reports and IBM Certified Developer for Cognos 8 BI Metadata Models. Ksenija Rusak is a Client Technical Professional in IBM Croatia. John Leahy is a Proven Practice Team Leader with the IBM Cognos Business Analytics iApps Team. WebSphere®. implementation of business intelligence solutions. He has written extensively on IBM Cognos Framework Manager and IBM Cognos Report Studio. Author of the IBM Cognos System Management Methodology. Scott Masson is an IBM Cognos Senior Product Manager. including AIX®. consulting. IBM InfoSphere™ Warehouse). Her areas of expertise include the IBM Cognos portfolio. technical writing. She holds a degree in mathematical statistics and computer science.
Thanks to the following people for their contributions to this project: Daniel Wagemann Proven Practice Consultant. U. Martin holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Studies from Southampton Institute of Higher Education. Martin. and Armin Special thanks to Chris McPherson for his written contributions to this book. Scott. IBM Business Analytics Wassim Hassouneh Product Manager. He also teaches IBM classes worldwide about WebSphere. focusing on Cognos architecture. IBM Software Group Rebecca Hilary Smith Senior Manager. He holds a BA from the University of Western Ontario. IBM Business Analytics Preface xiii . He writes extensively about WebSphere products and service-oriented architecture (SOA).technical guides about DB2. Shinsuke. IBM Cognos BI and PM Product Marketing. Rodrigo. Before joining the ITSO. Martin worked in the EMEA WebSphere Lab Services team in Hursley. and ESB. He is currently the leader of the Cognos support team. IBM Cognos Software Rola Shaar Senior Product Manager. Ksenija. Figure 1 Ottawa team (left-to-right): Dean. IBM Business Analytics Andrew Popp IBM Cognos BI and PM Product Marketing and GTM Strategy.K. Martin Keen is a Consulting IT Specialist at the ITSO. Business Intelligence. design and administration. Raleigh Center. Business Analytics. SOA. Chris McPherson is Product Manager responsible for IBM Cognos Framework Manager and Metadata at the IBM Canada Ottawa Lab.
IBM Ottawa Bill Brousseau Cognos Beta Management Team.Financial Consolidations. IBM Business Analytics Mike Armstrong Senior Manager Cognos Platform Product Management. IBM Ottawa Brett Johnson Information Development Infrastructure Lead. IBM Ottawa Douglas Wong Technical Solution Manager.1 Handbook . IBM Business Analytics xiv IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. IBM Business Analytics Ronnie Rich Product Manager. IBM Business Analytics Doug Catton Proven Practice Advisor. Cognos BI. IBM Business Analytic Stewart Winter Senior Software Developer. IBM Business Analytics James Melville Pre-Sales . IBM Ottawa Robert Kinsman Product Manager. IBM Business Analytics Greg McDonald Product Manager. IBM Ottawa Paul Glennon Product Manager. IBM Business Analytics Michael McGeein Senior Product Manager. IBM Software Group Jennifer Hanniman Senior Product Manager. IBM Business Analytics Paul Young Proven Practice Advisor.Andreas Coucopoulos IBM Cognos 8 Platform Product Marketing and GTM Strategy.
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we introduce IBM Business Analytics and IBM Cognos BI and discuss the following topics: IBM Business Analytics Introduction to IBM Cognos BI © Copyright IBM Corp. you can satisfy needs throughout the user community and ensure that everyone can work and collaborate from a consistent set of data. All rights reserved. manage. With IBM Cognos Business Intelligence (BI) solutions. when. IT is simplified with fewer components to deploy. 3 . all levels of an organization can receive information how. Many organizations often satisfy this complexity and these diverse demands with a number of point solutions. Introduction to IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Organizations are pressured constantly to understand and react quickly to information. 2010. In this chapter. With a capable and efficient business intelligence solution.1 Chapter 1. and maintain. In addition. and where they need it to make faster and better aligned decisions.
taking advantage of mobile devices and real-time analytics Integrate and link analytics in everyday work to business workflow and process Organizations need to make the most of a workforce that is increasingly driven to multi-task. network and collaborate. 4 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. assemble and personalize information Explore all types of information from all angles to assess the current business situation Analyze facts and anticipate tactical and strategic implications by simply shifting from viewing to more advanced.2 Introduction to IBM Cognos BI IBM Cognos BI provides a unified workspace for business intelligence and analytics that the entire organization can use to answer key business questions and outperform the competition. With IBM Cognos BI. IBM Cognos BI delivers analytics everyone can use to answer key business questions.1.1 Handbook . predictive or what-if analysis Collaborate to establish decision networks to share insights and drive toward a collective intelligence Provide transparency and accountability to drive alignment and consensus Communicate and coordinate tasks to engage the right people at the right time Access information and take action anywhere. users can: Easily view.
assemble. IBM Cognos BI allows business users to consume fact-based statistical evidence to support key decisions directly in the IBM Cognos BI environment.1 Easily view. build on the insights of others. and personalize information Often. and available tools might not provide the freedom to combine and explore information in the way they want.2.3 Analyze facts and anticipate tactical and strategic implications Business users need tools that let them accurately evaluate and identify the impact that different scenarios will have on the business and on the bottom line. assemble. IBM Cognos BI allows the business user to analyze facts and anticipate strategic implications by simply shifting from viewing data to performing more advanced predictive or what-if analysis. These capabilities ensure that more people are engaged in providing unique insights and delivering faster business decisions. These functions allow business users to deliver reports that include statistical insight and validation and to distribute these reports to the larger business community.1. Giving business users greater self-service control reduces demands on IT and business intelligence systems. Using a single place to quickly see a view of their business. Understanding the scenarios that affect business enables the business user to make informed recommendations to the business and provides an increased competitive advantage. 1.2 Explore all types of information If a separate tool is required. Introduction to IBM Cognos Business Intelligence 5 . it is difficult to incorporate statistical results with core business reporting. business users do not know how to get to the information that they need. and personalize information to follow a train of thought and to generate a unique perspective. IBM Cognos BI features allow business users to easily view.2. and incorporate data from a variety of sources. Chapter 1. The ability to explore all types of information from all angles to assess the current business situation provides a deeper understanding of the patterns that exist in data. users can personalize content. 1.2.
IBM Cognos Query Studio Using IBM Cognos Query Studio. IBM Cognos Report Studio IBM Cognos Report Studio is a robust report design and authoring tool. edit. You can view and open favorite dashboards and reports. For information about using IBM Cognos Query Studio. This book does not cover use of IBM Cognos Report Studio. report authors can create. IBM Cognos Business Insight With IBM Cognos Business Insight.1. professional reports created in IBM Cognos Report Studio. users with little or no training can quickly design. and email your dashboards. and save reports to meet reporting needs that are not covered by the standard. manipulate the content in the dashboards.1 Handbook . You can also use comments and activities for collaborative decision making and use social software such as IBM Lotus® Connections for collaborative decision making. For more information about using IBM Cognos Business Insight. according to your specific information needs. Users can also compare data to spot trends or anomalies in performance. create. online analytical processing (OLAP).4 IBM Cognos BI user interfaces IBM Cognos BI includes web-based and Windows®-based user interfaces that provide a business intelligence experience that is focused upon the needs of different users. For information about using IBM Cognos Report Studio. They can also define corporate-standard report templates for use in IBM Cognos Query Studio and edit and modify reports created in IBM Cognos Query Studio or IBM Cognos Analysis Studio. IBM Cognos Analysis Studio With IBM Cognos Analysis Studio. you can create sophisticated interactive dashboards using IBM Cognos content. users can explore and analyze data from different dimensions of their business. see the IBM Cognos Query Studio User Guide or the online Quick Tour. and dimensionally 6 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. and distribute a wide range of professional reports.2. Using IBM Cognos Report Studio. see the IBM Cognos Business Insight User Guide. IBM Cognos Analysis Studio provides access to dimensional. given the depth of features that IBM Cognos Report Studio provides. refer to IBM Cognos Report Studio User Guide or the online Quick Tour. as well as external data sources such as TM1 Websheets and CubeViews.
For example. analyze. providing a single. Users can monitor. run and distribute reports based on events. For information about using IBM Cognos Metric Studio. see the IBM Cognos Administration and Security Guide. It provides easy access to the overall management of the IBM Cognos environment and is accessible through IBM Cognos Connection. see the IBM Cognos Event Studio User Guide or the online Quick Tour. Chapter 1. see the IBM Cognos Metric Studio User Guide for Authors. Introduction to IBM Cognos Business Intelligence 7 . When an event occurs. and monitor the status of events. For information about using IBM Cognos Administration. IBM Cognos Event Studio In IBM Cognos Event Studio. For information about using IBM Cognos Event Studio. and report on time-critical information by using scorecards based on cross-functional metrics. IBM Cognos Framework Manager IBM Cognos Framework Manager is the IBM Cognos BI modeling tool for creating and managing business related metadata for use in IBM Cognos BI analysis and reporting. IBM Cognos Metric Studio In IBM Cognos Metric Studio. sending an email to the appropriate people. Metadata is published for use by reporting tools as a package. you can create and deliver a customized score carding environment for monitoring and analyzing metrics throughout your organization. you set up agents to monitor your data and perform tasks when business events or exceptional conditions occur in your data. a support call from a key customer or the cancellation of a large order might trigger an event. deliver alerts by email. see the IBM Cognos Analysis Studio User Guide or the online Quick Tour. integrated business view of any number of heterogeneous data sources. Agents can publish details to the portal.modeled relational data sources. Analyses created in IBM Cognos Analysis Studio can be opened in IBM Cognos Report Studio and used to build professional reports. people are alerted to take action. IBM Cognos Administration IBM Cognos Administration is a central management interface that contains the administrative tasks for IBM Cognos BI. For information about using IBM Cognos Analysis Studio.
IBM Cognos Framework Manager models the minimum amount of information needed to connect to a cube. For information about using IBM Cognos Framework Manager. 8 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Because cube metadata can change as a cube is developed. Cube dimensions.1 Handbook . see the IBM Cognos Framework Manager User Guide. and levels are loaded at run time.OLAP cubes are designed to contain sufficient metadata for business intelligence reporting and analysis. hierarchies.
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As a Premier IBM Partner we deliver award-winning IBM Cognos.COM Elevate Performance™ with NEC. Reduce risk with our proven experience and expertise in delivering quality solutions you can trust. Master Data Management. ECM. SHAREHOLDERS OR OFFICERS. Portal and Collaboration. SmartPredict solutions and a highly successful delivery team NEC is your “one stop” partner for Business Analytics/Information Management. IBM MANAGEMENT. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN ENDORSEMENT OF ANY OF THE ABOVE COMPANY'S PRODUCTS.prft_redbook_2012_Layout 1 10/4/11 9:25 AM Page 1 SPONSORSHIP PROMOTION Perficient is an award-winning Premier IBM solution provider. IBM DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTEES FOR GOODS OR SERVICES RECEIVED THROUGH OR PROMOTED BY THE ABOVE COMPANY.com/performanceanalytics © 2011 NEC Corporation. NEC is a leading provider of innovative IT. visit www. TM1. THE ABOVE IS A PAID PROMOTION. That partner is NEC. SERVICES OR WEBSITES BY IBM. With dual-shore capabilities. Commerce. SPSS and InfoSphere solutions & services. network and communications solutions for businesses across multiple vertical industries. For more information. We solve business problems with technology solutions by: THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK • Aligning business strategy with a technology roadmap • Providing proven implementation methodology.PERFICIENT. Now. IOD 2011 Platinum Partner – Booth P605.necam. . One with market strength and global stability plus one that will empower you with strategies that will help your business thrive. training and ongoing support • Delivering technology expertise in Business Analytics. BPM and SOA • Understanding your unique industry challenges WWW. All rights reserved. more than ever. you need a strategic partner that will help you achieve your business goals. NOR DOES IT REFLECT THE OPINION OF IBM.
All rights reserved. 9 . we introduce the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence (BI) architecture and the IBM Cognos Platform. Overview of the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence architecture In this chapter. We discuss the following topics: Enterprise class SOA platform architecture Open access to all data sources Business intelligence for all Common integrated security model © Copyright IBM Corp.2 Chapter 2. 2010. We discuss the various components that make up an IBM Cognos Platform deployment for business intelligence applications and how you can deploy them to meet application requirements.
web-based administration that provides a complete view of system activity as well as system metrics and thresholds so that organizations can resolve potential issues before there is a business impact. Reliability and scalability were key considerations when designing the IBM Cognos Platform. The IBM Cognos BI user interfaces are accessed through the web tier. All capabilities—including viewing. The dispatching (or routing) of requests is done in an optimal way. This n-tiered architecture is made up of three server tiers: The web tier The application tier The data tier The tiers are based on business function and can be separated by network firewalls. with a single query service. and native MDX to optimize data retrieval for all these different data providers. which results in complete fault tolerance. 10 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. The IBM Cognos Platform provides optimized access to all data sources. which means that no service is more important and that there are loose service linkages. Services in the application tier operate on a peer-to-peer basis. can satisfy an incoming request. on any machine in an IBM Cognos Platform configuration. with automatic load balancing built into the system. Any service of the same type. this query service understands and takes advantage of the data source strength by using a combination of open standards such as SQL99. enterprise-class platform. reports. The IBM Cognos Platform delivers the capabilities to manage business intelligence applications with centralized.2. scorecards. including relational data sources and online analytical processing (OLAP).1 Enterprise class SOA platform architecture IBM Cognos BI delivers a broad range of business intelligence capabilities on an open. creating and administering dashboards. and events—are accessed through web interfaces. In addition. The IBM Cognos Platform is built on a web-based service-oriented-architecture (SOA) that is designed for scalability. analysis.1 Handbook . availability. and openness. native SQL.
1. These server roles also define the tier within the architecture that an IBM Cognos BI server uses.1 IBM Cognos Platform server roles To ensure optimal performance. For high availability or scalability Chapter 2. Web tier: The IBM Cognos Gateway The web tier provides user session connectivity to IBM Cognos BI applications.. The workload on the IBM Cognos Gateway server requires minimal processing resources. IBM Cognos Platform services are normally grouped together to fulfill certain roles within a distributed deployment for business intelligence applications. The IBM Cognos components that fulfill this role are referred to as the IBM Cognos Gateway.Figure 2-1 illustrates a typical tiered deployment of the IBM Cognos Platform. Overview of the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence architecture 11 . The IBM Cognos Gateway component manages all web communication for the IBM Cognos Platform.
each IBM Cognos Dispatcher registers locally available services with the IBM Cognos Content Manager. requests are load balanced across all available services using a configurable. You can tune the performance of IBM Cognos Platform by defining how IBM Cognos Dispatcher handles requests and manages services. The IBM Cognos Dispatcher component is a lightweight Java servlet that manages (and provides communication between) application services.requirements. A high affinity request is a transaction that can gain a performance benefit from a previously processed request by accessing cache. which is referred to as high and low affinity. High-affinity connections are used to process absolute and high-affinity requests from the report services. but resource consumption is minimized if the request is routed back to the report service process that was used to execute the original process. It can be processed on any service. At startup. you can deploy multiple redundant gateways along with an external HTTP load-balancing router. weighted round-robin algorithm to distribute requests. Low-affinity connections are used to process low-affinity requests..1 Handbook . IBM Cognos Dispatcher IBM Cognos Dispatcher performs the load balancing of requests at the application tier. During the normal operation of IBM Cognos BI services. 12 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Affinity relates to the report service process that handled the original user request when multiple interactions need to occur to satisfy the request. A low affinity request operates just as efficiently on any service..
For example. which is not Java. as well as the minimum number of processes that should be running at non-peak times. you must set a Java heap size. Chapter 2. For more details. given two servers with an equal number of processors. When configuring the IBM Cognos Platform server environment. In general. IBM Cognos Dispatcher starts IBM Cognos Report Server processes dynamically as needed to handle the request load. Overview of the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence architecture 13 . configure the server with a significantly faster processor clock rate to have more report and report-service processes. The number of processors in a server and their clock rates are the two primary factors to consider when planning for additional IBM Cognos Report Server hardware capacity. Similarly.. refer to the IBM Cognos BI Architecture and Deployment Guide IBM Cognos Report Server The main service that is responsible for application-tier processing is the report or query service (often referred to as the BIBus processes). IBM Cognos BI reporting service performance is closely tied to processor clock speed and throughput capabilities. This setting ensures that as much memory as possible is available to the IBM Cognos Report Service. An administrator can specify the maximum number of processes that these services can start. Configure the number of processes for IBM Cognos Report Server based on the available processor capacity.You can manage the number of threads per IBM Cognos BI reporting service process through the IBM Cognos Platform administration console by setting the number of high. you generally configure a server with four available processors to use more report service processes than a server with only two available processors. You can determine the optimal Java heap size using Java garbage collection statistics.and low-affinity connections.
IBM Cognos BI deployment options The first step to creating a proper IBM Cognos BI environment begins with a successful installation. to meet a variety of business intelligence processing requirements. An experienced database administrator should monitor and tune relational database-management systems (RDBMS) to achieve optimum database performance. Relational data sources that are tuned to meet the access requirements of the business community naturally perform better than those that are not. For detailed information about IBM Cognos Platform architecture and server deployment options. Use the IBM Cognos BI Installation and Configuration Guide for complete information about the installation and initial configuration process. Content Manager performance can benefit from the availability of high-speed RAM resources and typically requires one processor for every four processors that are allocated for IBM Cognos Report Server processing. Server components within all three tiers can scale easily. the IBM Cognos Gateway system requirements are lightweight and can. refer to the IBM Cognos BI Architecture and Deployment Guide. handle large user loads with fewer system resources than other server tiers in the IBM Cognos Platform architecture. A minimum of one IBM Cognos Content Manager service is required for each IBM Cognos Platform implementation. retrieve or store report specifications.1 Handbook . including relational and OLAP sources. IBM Cognos Content Manager maintains information in a relational database that is referred to as the content store database. either horizontally or vertically. IBM Cognos BI can access many data sources. therefore. At the web tier. handle scheduling information and manage the IBM Cognos security name space. You can also deploy 14 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. IBM Cognos BI data-source performance considerations Query performance is typically bound to the performance of the server that hosts the data source for IBM Cognos BI.
You can deploy multiple IBM Cognos Report Server instances to meet the processing requirements of large applications and user populations. General guidelines In general. Do not over-subscribe CPU resources with IBM Cognos BI implementations. or other service level agreements (SLAs). IBM Cognos Report Server performs the heavy lifting within an IBM Cognos BI server deployment. user concurrency. both the IBM Cognos Report Server and IBM Cognos Content Manager components can scale to meet application-processing requirements. IBM Cognos Report Server performance is tied to overall system performance and. throughput requirements. Chapter 2. and OLAP data source. can be affected by processor clock speed and I/O performance. the IBM Cognos Report Server. One instance actively process requests while the other instances remain in standby mode to provide high availability. decisions regarding the best methods for deploying IBM Cognos BI are driven by application complexity. for example using a configuration in which the total number of processors that are allocated among the virtual guest servers instances for the IBM Cognos Platform exceed the number of physical CPUs that are available on the physical server or LPAR. use 2 GB RAM per CPU with IBM Cognos Content Manager and IBM Cognos Report Server instances. IBM Cognos Content Manager server hardware can also scale vertically to provide increased throughput. Deployment options and recommendations include: Use one server and operating system instance with a single or multiple IBM Cognos Platform instances. You can deploy multiple IBM Cognos Content Manager instances. and systems management requirements such as availability and security. Overview of the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence architecture 15 . Generally. server availability. and IBM Cognos Content Manager are implemented in one or more WebSphere Application Server profiles or JVM instances. Configure one physical server or virtualization platform guest instance per IBM Cognos Platform application tier server instance. relational data sources. At the application tier.multiple IBM Cognos Gateway instances to meet requirements for additional user load. Use separate servers for the RDBMS that is hosting the content store database. with the exception of IBM System z® deployments that have sufficient available resources. therefore. Use IBM Cognos Report Server with two BIBus processes per processor and five threads per process (four low affinity and one high affinity).
the agent service also runs two other types of specialized tasks: Stored procedures using IBM Cognos Report Server Web service tasks Annotation service The annotation service enables the addition of commentary to reports using IBM Cognos Business Insight.1 Handbook . and copy. 16 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.2. such as Builds and Job Streams. move. This service runs the conditions and creates and stores the generated event list. Content manager service The content manager service interacts with the content store.1. such as import and export. Content manager cache service The cache service enhances the overall system performance and IBM Cognos Content Manager scalability by caching frequent query results in each dispatcher. It also handles the content store management functions. query. are created in the IBM Cognos Data Manager Designer and are published to IBM Cognos BI. Agent service The agent service is responsible for running agents. Data movement tasks. In addition to running agents. It performs object manipulation functions such as add. update. delete. The service determines which tasks to execute and forwards those tasks to the monitor service for execution. Batch report service The batch report service manages background requests to run reports and provides output on behalf of the monitor service.2 IBM Cognos BI services This section introduces the various services offered by IBM Cognos BI. Data movement service The data movement service manages the execution of data movement tasks in Cognos BI. These comments persist throughout different versions of the report.
or suspend are forwarded from the event management service to the monitor service. release. Part of the scheduling aspect is the control over cancelling. Graphics service The graphics service produces graphics on behalf of the report service.Delivery service As the name implies.. Index data service The index data service provides basic full-text functions for storage and retrieval of terms and indexed summary documents. Chapter 2. Event management service The event management service is the service that handles scheduling. requests to cancel. Overview of the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence architecture 17 . and report output that is written to the file system are examples of content that is handled by the delivery service. Email. Part of this service is a persistent email queue that is in place to guarantee that the items are forwarded to the configured SMTP server. the delivery service delivers content. suspending. including lists of aliases and examples. Index search service The index search services provides search and drill-through functions. A human task such as report approval can be assigned to individuals or groups on an ad hoc basis or by any of the other services. and releasing scheduled tasks. news items. For tasks that are already entered the queue. SDK requests: All SDK requests coming into IBM Cognos BI start with the event management services.
Log service The log service creates log entries that are received from the dispatcher and other services. and so forth). and IBM Cognos Analysis Studio. Because the monitor service can receive more requests than can be executed. Monitor service The monitor service handles all of the requests set to run in the background. and administration functions. IBM Cognos Report Studio. The job service completes these tasks and then sends the job to the monitor service for execution. Migration service The migration service manages the migration from IBM Cognos Series 7 to IBM Cognos BI version 10. including scheduled tasks. update. and jobs. Lineage information includes information such as data source and calculation expressions. IBM Cognos Query Studio. When a service indicates that there is sufficient bandwidth. Job service Before jobs can be executed. Metric studio service The metric studio service provides the IBM Cognos Metric Studio user interface for the purposes of monitoring and entering performance information.1. the monitor service then forwards the task to the appropriate service for execution. file. writing history information about the individual task executions is the responsibility of the monitor service. delete. reports that are set to run and then email the results. Metadata service The metadata service provides support for data lineage information that is displayed in Cognos Viewer. meaning that the steps of a job must be analyzed for issues such as circular dependencies in nested jobs and resolution for run options that are part of the jobs. remote log server.1 Handbook . The exceptions to this process are the history details for deployment and IBM 18 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. The log service is called regardless of which logging output is specified (for example database. Because the monitor service handles all of the background tasks. it also queues requests and waits for resources to become available for the required service.Index update service The index update service provides write. they must first be prepared.
Cognos Search indexing tasks. The information found as part of the Current Activities task in the administration console is also provided by the monitor service. which are written directly to the content store using the IBM Cognos Content Manager component. If a request to execute the report is made from inside of Cognos Viewer. the request is handled by the report service. It also receives generic XML responses from other services and transforms them into output format.2 Open access to all data sources Most organizations have data sitting in different systems and data sources. such as IBM Cognos Analysis for Excel. Report service The report service manages interactive report requests to run reports and provides the output for a user in IBM Cognos Business Insight or in one of the IBM Cognos studios. System service The system service is used by the dispatcher to obtain application configuration parameters and provides methods for interfacing with locale strings that are supported by the application for support of multiple languages. and IBM Cognos Mobile. The IBM Cognos Platform provides the ability to deliver all information from wherever it resides and isolates Chapter 2. such as HTML or PDF. and administration capabilities in IBM Cognos Connection. Presentation service The presentation service provides the display. In addition. navigation. Query service The query service manages Dynamic Query Mode requests and returns the result to the requesting batch or report service. which makes gaining access to all data difficult. Another function of the presentation service is to send the saved content when a request to view saved output is made. methods to ensure that users get complete access to data can be expensive. 2. Report data service The report data service manages the transfer of report data between IBM Cognos BI and applications that consume report data. IBM Cognos Office Connection. Overview of the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence architecture 19 .
With complete. IBM Cognos BI also provides tools to enable equal access to business intelligence information for users with physical disabilities. and other business intelligence objects using dashboards from IBM Cognos Business Insight. We discuss further details about these features in subsequent chapters in this book. Information consumers and executives can access reports. 20 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. In addition. This process removes barriers to information and hides source complexity from metadata modelers. capabilities. IBM Cognos Advanced Business Users and Professional Report Authors can use IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced to create new IBM Cognos BI objects and to analyze information from any source and from new perspectives. optimized access to all information. and data.4 Common integrated security model The IBM Cognos Platform provides integration with enterprise authentication and single sign-on (SSO) solutions and a central place to control access and authorization for all IBM Cognos BI objects. 2.the user from technological complexity. charts. all capabilities that are associated with IBM Cognos BI can access data as soon as any data source is made available to it. The IBM Cognos Platform provides a single point to access all data sources.3 Business intelligence for all IBM Cognos BI provides users with many options to access information. IBM Cognos software ensures satisfaction and a successful business intelligence project that the organization will embrace and promote. Executives can take IBM Cognos Active reports offline to keep working while out of the office. Users familiar with office productivity tools can use IBM Cognos Analysis for MS Excel to blend the power of IBM Cognos BI information with the personal workspace of Excel. 2. Users on the go can use IBM Cognos Mobile to stay connected to their IBM Cognos BI information.1 Handbook . Each option uses common functions and interfaces. Business users can interact and view all the data they need to make the best possible decision.
All rights reserved.3 Chapter 3. In this chapter. 21 . 2010. we discuss the following topics: Business scenario overview Personas used in the scenarios in this book © Copyright IBM Corp. Business scenario and personas used in this book This chapter describes the fictitious business scenario and personas that we use to demonstrate IBM Cognos Business Intelligence (BI) functions and use cases that we describe in this book.
Recently. It does not manufacture its own products. it has been difficult for managers of the Great Outdoors company to run their branches and monitor only performance indicators based on sales. Because the company has steadily grown into a worldwide operation over the last several years. the products are manufactured by a third party and are sold to third-party retailers.3. For more information about how to install IBM Cognos samples. GO Accessories sells only Personal Accessories.1 Business scenario overview Fictional company used for this scenario and samples: This book uses the fictional Great Outdoors company. The company built its business by selling products to other vendors. outdoor protection. The Great Outdoors company includes the following subsidiaries: GO Americas GO Asia Pacific GO Central Europe GO Northern Europe GO Southern Europe GO Accessories Each of these subsidiaries sells camping equipment. rather.1 Handbook . These companies are primarily geographically-based. Each of these countries has one or more branches. 22 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. and IBM provided samples to describe business scenarios and product functionality. golf equipment. with the exception of GO Accessories. mountaineering equipment. and personal accessories. the Great Outdoors company expanded its business by creating a website to sell products directly to consumers. The fictional Great Outdoors company began in October 2004 as a business-to-business company. The Great Outdoors organization is made up of six companies. refer to the IBM Cognos Installation and Configuration Guide. The Great Outdoors company executives need a clear view of where the pain points exist in the sales process. Switzerland. which sells to retailers from Geneva. These samples are included with IBM Cognos software and install with the IBM Cognos samples database.
revenue. In this book.2 Information stored in the data warehouse of this company The information management team of the Great Outdoors company created a data warehouse with information about sales targets. In our scenarios in this book.3. we focus on the following dimensions: Organization Product Retailer Order method Sales staff Purchase.1. distribution. employee. and retailer). chapters within this book focus on creating a dashboard that provides insight to address the following questions.. marketing (promotions. such as quantity. gross profit.1. Business scenario and personas used in this book 23 . charges and shipping from its warehouses Metrics. we focus on the Sales perspective in order to translate the data warehouse data into meaningful insights about the Great Outdoors company. and human resources to solve this information gap. gross margin. satisfaction (customer.1 Business questions to address Based on this scenario. bundle sales. planned revenue.
the Advanced Business User’s name is Lynn Cope. that represent people in a real Business Analytics deployment. called personas.1 Handbook . In this book.3. We describe scenarios are that meet the business needs of these users. 3.2 Personas used in the scenarios in this book To demonstrate the samples and business scenarios. this book refers to user roles.2. A user can take on the role of one or more personas (for example Advanced Business Users and Professional Report Author).1 Advanced Business User This persona has a deep understanding of the business needs and a good understanding of technology. such as IBM Cognos Business Insight and IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced. The six personas are as follows: Advanced Business User Professional Report Author Modeler Administrator Analyst Business User Each these personas has different needs and expectations that must be delivered by the Business Analytics platform. IBM Cognos BI addresses these business needs with a range of integrated tools.. The Advanced Business User leads the interpretation of business requirements and creates reports to answer business questions.
slicing and dicing the information. IBM Cognos Analysis Studio Easily perform interactive exploration and analysis on dimensional data models. and sorting. using calculations. interactive exploration and analysis of multidimensional data into Microsoft Excel. interactive exploration and analysis. IBM Cognos Mobile Consume reports and dashboards from a friendly interface on mobile devices. apply filters. IBM Cognos Query Studio Easily create simple reports with relational and dimensional data models. add calculation and statistics. perform interactive exploration and analysis. Business scenario and personas used in this book 25 . add external data. groups. IBM Cognos TM1 Insert and update plans and actual data Chapter 3. sort. IBM Cognos Analysis for Microsoft Excel Perform flexible.Solutions that can help this persona The following solutions can help the Advanced Business User meet the business needs: IBM Cognos Business Insight Create and change dashboards in order to organize the information. and create additional objects to existent reports. such as prompts. group data. and sort and change the display type to discover meaningful details about the information and collaborate with insights about the business performance. IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced Easily create new reports. IBM Cognos Metric Studio Align tactics with strategy and monitor performance with scorecards. IBM Cognos Planning Insert and update plans and actual data. and advanced queries. filters. apply filters. multiple objects. IBM Cognos Report Studio Create professional reports with advanced features.
3. HMTL.3. 26 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. bursting. and leading practices of data modeling to deliver the best data models to be used in IBM Cognos solutions. Apply filters and sort and change the display type to display meaningful details about the information. such as prompts. databases. In this book.2.3 Modeler This persona works closely with the Business Analyst to understand the business needs and to translate them in data models. and multi-language support. The Modeler has a deep understanding of technology.2 Professional Report Author This persona has a deep understanding of Cognos tools and creating reports based on business requirements. IBM Cognos Event Studio Create events to monitor business performance. In this book. the Modeler’s name is John Walker. advanced queries..2.1 Handbook . IBM Cognos Report Studio Create professional reports with advanced features. multiple objects.
IBM Cognos TM1 Create dimensional cubes (in memory OLAP) for planning purposes. Transform. IBM Cognos PowerPlay® Studio Perform interactive exploration and analysis on dimensional data models. check the execution path of the queries. Chapter 3. and advanced queries. multiple objects. IBM Cognos Data Manager Create jobs to Extract. Business scenario and personas used in this book 27 . slicing and dicing the information to check if the model is working as expected. and Load data to the database data model. IBM Cognos Planning Create dimensional cubes (OLAP) for planning purposes. IBM Cognos Report Studio Create professional reports with advanced features. configure data multi-language support and security filters. IBM Cognos Administration Manage security of the packages and data sources. IBM Cognos Connection Add data sources and connections to databases to be used with IBM Cognos Framework Manager and IBM Cognos Transformer. define filters. IBM Cognos Query Studio Create simple queries to check if the model is working as expected. IBM Cognos Transformer Create dimensional cubes with security filters to improve performance of the Business Analytics solution. such as prompts.
distribution lists. In this book. printers.5 Analyst This persona uses dashboards and reports when connected to the network (mobile computer or mobile phone) or when not able to access the network to provide consolidated. In this book. data sources. portlets.1 Handbook . detailed reports and statistical analysis to support management decisions.2. They are consumers of reports and dashboards that were created by an Advanced Business User or a Professional Report Author. configuring it.2. Persona’s needs The Administrator has the following business needs: Application installation. The personas described here might also perform ad-hoc analysis. IBM Cognos Configuration Set server URLs. IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager Manage and make the transition from prior versions of IBM Cognos to the latest version. and set search indexes. manage content. dispatchers. LDAP preferences and start the services to run IBM Cognos. configuration. and assuring that the IBM Cognos services running and performing properly. upgrades. The Analyst also collaborates with colleagues to provide insight about Great Outdoors business performance. and life cycle Manage complex environments Visibility into processes and activities Limit costly maintenance.4 Administrator This persona is responsible for installing the overall IBM Cognos solution. security. the Analyst is named Ben Hall. the Administrator’s name is Sam Carter. ports. 3. 28 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. and downtime Solutions that can help this persona The following solutions can help the Administrator meet the business needs: IBM Cognos Administration Monitor server resources. styles. Remaining personas: The remaining personas are not advanced users.3. content store database connection.
Chapter 3. Collaborate with insights. such as prompts. IBM Cognos Statistics Perform three different kinds of statistical calculations—Distribution of Data. IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced Easily create new reports. slicing and dicing the information. multiple objects and advanced queries. IBM Cognos Analysis Studio Easily perform interactive exploration and analysis on dimensional data models. interactive exploration and analysis of multidimensional data into Microsoft Excel. Business scenario and personas used in this book 29 . sort. apply filters. Use the dashboards for interactive exploration and analysis. and to sort and change the display type to discover meaningful details about the information. and Testing and Statistical Process Control—to display the best insights about the business performance. IBM Cognos Analysis for Microsoft Excel Perform flexible. IBM Cognos Query Studio Easily create simple reports with relational and dimensional data models. perform interactive exploration and analysis. filters. Data Analysis. add calculation and statistics. using calculations. group data. IBM Cognos Report Studio Create professional reports with advanced features. and create additional objects to existent reports. groups. add external data. to apply filters. and sorting.
1 Handbook . In this book. IBM Cognos Connection Receive scheduled reports. IBM Cognos Planning Insert and update plans and actual data.2.. the Business User is named Betty Black. 3.IBM Cognos Mobile Consume reports and dashboards from a friendly interface on mobile devices. IBM Cognos TM1 Insert and update plans and actual data 30 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. IBM Cognos Planning Insert and update plans and actual data. My Inbox of IBM Cognos Connection Store and open report views from previous executions of a report.6 Business User This persona uses dashboards and reports that have been created specifically for this persona to understand aspects of the performance for this persona’s area of the Great Outdoors company. IBM Cognos TM1 Insert and update plans and actual data.
2010. 31 .Part 2 Part 2 IBM Cognos metadata modelling © Copyright IBM Corp. All rights reserved.
1 Handbook .32 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.
4 Chapter 4.. Because metadata modeling is the foundation of business intelligence reporting on relational data sources. All rights reserved. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager This chapter provides an overview of IBM Cognos Framework Manager and illustrates several general modelling concepts through practical exercises. In this chapter. it is critical that the proper training and experience be gained to ensure a successful IBM Cognos BI project. The recommended training for IBM Cognos Framework Manager is IBM Cognos Framework Manager: Design Metadata Model. This chapter is not intended as a replacement for formal training on IBM Cognos Business Intelligence (BI) metadata modelling. 33 . 2010.
known as a star schema data warehouse or data mart? How fresh does the data need to be? Will your reporting occur daily. 34 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. then using data warehouses or data marts that are refreshed at the required interval is a better choice. This type of model is known as a Dimensionally Modeled Relational (DMR) model. With IBM Cognos Framework Manager. we discuss items that you need to consider before beginning metadata modeling projects. This choice.1 Reporting requirements and data access strategies Before creating an IBM Cognos Framework Manager project. This knowledge allows the modeler to make better decisions regarding data access strategies. It is a Windows-based client tool that you can use to create simplified business presentations of metadata that are derived from one or more data sources. because transactional systems are typically quite complex. You can also use it to add dimensional information to relational data sources that allow for OLAP-style queries. and report package delivery to IBM Cognos BI. you can publish that metadata to IBM Cognos BI in the form of a package. 4. Reviewing sample or mock reports that meet the business needs is a good start. or month for example. This information familiarizes you with the IBM Cognos Framework Manager user interface (UI) and terminology. The modeler also needs to consider the following types of questions: Are those data sources appropriate for reporting? Is it a transactional system or the preferred reporting database structure.1 Handbook . or monthly? The answers to these types of questions can affect dramatically the data access strategy that you choose. metadata model design. can increase the metadata modeling work drastically. weekly.4. it is important for the modeler to understand the reporting requirements. by the hour day.1 IBM Cognos Framework Manager overview IBM Cognos Framework Manager is the metadata model development environment for IBM Cognos BI. In this section. week. For example. followed by identifying which data sources contain the information that is required.1. then going with the transactional database might be the only option. if you require up-to-the-minute data in your reports. however. If the intervals of data freshness are greater.
sorting. because the data is already calculated and aggregated. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 35 . which allow users to navigate through the data and to apply powerful dimensional functions. A metadata model is a collection of metadata that is imported from a database. consider using some form of materialization in which views are created with pre-aggregated results. or security requirements? These types of questions allow you to investigate what can be done at the data source level rather than in the IBM Cognos Framework Manager model. it is better to off-load to the extract. and relationships in the database. transform. and load (ETL) process that populates a warehouse to avoid that processing time when running reports. and so on. filters. OLAP sources provide the added bonus of dimensional analysis and reporting. It describes the tables. You can also use OLAP sources. Give special attention to planning and scope before you embark on a business intelligence project to avoid rework down the road.IBM Cognos bases its algorithms around industry-standard star schema designs that consist of fact tables and related dimension tables. columns. grouping. In addition. This method can reduce response times dramatically as well. As a general rule. which can bypass the requirement for metadata modeling in IBM Cognos Framework Manager. 4. Also ask the following questions before creating an IBM Cognos Framework Manager project: What type of business logic needs to be implemented? Are there specific calculations. we need to define a metadata model in the context of IBM Cognos BI. Chapter 4.2 Metadata model Before we continue. For larger warehouses that have slower response times due to the sheer volume of data. such as filters.1. because vendor databases are typically optimized for those types of operations. it is better to push more processing to the data source.
and is used to generate appropriate SQL requests to the database when reports or analysis are run..This metadata is published as a package to the IBM Cognos BI portal. as shown in Figure 4-1. IBM Cognos BI Portal IBM Cognos BI Metadata Model Relational Files Cubes Other Figure 4-1 Metadata model workflow In most cases. 36 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook . The overall goal of modeling the metadata is to create a model that provides predictable results and an easy-to-use view of the metadata for authors and analysts.
is on the left side of the window and provides an easy way to access all your project's objects in a tree format. The Project Info pane is the center pane and provides access to the project’s objects through various methods.1.3 The IBM Cognos Framework Manager UI Figure 4-2 shows the IBM Cognos Framework Manager UI. configure. You use each of these tabs throughout this chapter. Diagram. by default. edit. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 37 . Figure 4-2 IBM Cognos Framework Manager user interface The user interface includes the following panes: The Project Viewer pane. and Dimension Map) allow you to create.4. or delete objects. Chapter 4. The three tabs in this pane (Explorer.
use the View menu or use the toggles on the toolbar. by default.1 Handbook . All panes can be hidden except the Project Info pane. by default. Simply drag an object (and its children if it has any) to the top panel. and to perform common tasks for selected objects.The Properties pane. To restore a pane. is located in the bottom middle of the window and allows you to configure various properties for any of the project's objects. Properties. This is very useful when you want to change an object and assess the impact that the change will have on other objects in the model. to view project statistics. is located on the right side of the window and provides several useful tools. This pane also provides a search utility (second tab) and an object dependencies utility (third tab). You can also detach and rearrange the Project Viewer. The Tools pane. You can use it to switch the project language quickly. 38 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. which is the main work area. select the object or one of its children in the top panel and view the dependant objects in the bottom panel. and Tools panes.
1. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 39 . shown in Figure 4-3.4 Reporting objects In IBM Cognos Framework Manager. we examine the objects in the Properties pane. Figure 4-3 Model objects in the Project Viewer pane Chapter 4. For simplicity.4. with the exception of relationships. there are several objects with which you interact in either the Project Viewer or the Project Info panes.
maps to existing metadata in the model. shown in Figure 4-5. is contained within a query subject and maps to a corresponding object in the data source. Figure 4-5 Model query subjects – A Stored Procedure executes a database stored procedure to retrieve or update the data. A Query item. shown in Figure 4-4. shown in Figure 4-6. Figure 4-6 Query items 40 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. These types of query subjects will be beyond the scope of this book.1 Handbook .The Project Viewer pane includes the following reporting objects: The following types of query subjects: – A Data Source object. Its icon appears the same as a Data Source query subject. This object is identifiable by the small database icon in the top-right corner. maps to a corresponding object in the data source and uses a modifiable SQL statement to retrieve the data. Figure 4-4 Data Source query subjects – A Model object.
Figure 4-8 Measure Dimension A Shortcut object. from the highest level of granularity to the lowest. shown in Figure 4-9. shown in Figure 4-8. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 41 . is a collection of facts for OLAP-style queries. shown in Figure 4-7.A Regular Dimension object. contains descriptive and business key information and organizes the information in a hierarchy. Figure 4-7 Regular Dimension A Measure Dimension object. Figure 4-9 Shortcuts Chapter 4. is a pointer to an underlying object that can act as an alias or reference. allowing for OLAP-style queries.
such as model filters and calculations. but we discuss those later. shown in Figure 4-10. For example. shown in Figure 4-11. two different namespaces can both contain a shortcut called Products without causing a naming conflict in the model. which is useful for star schema groupings. is an organizational container for various model objects.A Namespace object. is an organizational container that also uniquely identifies the objects that it contains.1 Handbook . Figure 4-10 Namespaces A Folder object. Figure 4-11 Folder Other objects are available. Query item folders are also available to organize items within a query subject. 42 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.
Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 43 . Figure 4-12 Relationship A scope relationship. Figure 4-13 Scope relationship Chapter 4. exists between Measure Dimensions and Regular Dimensions to define the level at which the measures are available for reporting. explains how the data in one query subject relates to the data in another. shown in Figure 4-13.The Project Info pane on the Diagram tab includes the following relationships: A relationship. shown in Figure 4-12.
Figure 4-14 The Data Source folder The Parameter Maps folder. shown in Figure 4-15. time. contains the data sources that we used in the project. These parameter maps are useful when trying to dynamically affect the way that the model behaves when reports are run. and order methods and to compare the sales figures to sales target values. Figure 4-16 The Packages folder 4. contains parameter maps that allow for data or some other model value substitution at run time. The data sources are defined in IBM Cognos Connection.2 Build a model with IBM Cognos Framework Manager In the modeling scenario for this chapter. The data sources are definitions containing the pertinent information the IBM Cognos BI requires to connect to the underlying data sources. shown in Figure 4-16.1 Handbook . John’s requirements are to create a reporting package for IBM Cognos BI that allows authors and analysts to query the data source for sales information by product.You might also work with the following types of objects: The Data Sources folder. contains packages that are published to IBM Cognos BI to make model metadata available to authors. shown in Figure 4-14. John Walker is the company modeler who is creating a basic sales model based on the Great Outdoors data warehouse. 44 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Figure 4-15 The Parameter Maps folder The Packages folder.
John will deliver the following packages. The following steps describe how to import metadata using the Model Design Accelerator. Open IBM Cognos Framework Manager.John has already looked at various report samples and interviewed users to better understand how he needs to present the data to the authors. Figure 4-17 IBM Cognos Framework Manager welcome panel Chapter 4. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 45 .2. you can link the results together. You can add features to the model using standard IBM Cognos Framework Manager functionality. and other authors.1 Import metadata using Model Design Accelerator The Model Design Accelerator is a graphical utility that is designed to guide both novice and experienced modelers through a simplified modeling process. particularly analysts. 1. 4. and click Create a new project using Model Design Accelerator. want the ability to navigate through the data to better understand how the business is doing and where it is being affected positively and negatively. You can create multiple star schemas using the Model Design Accelerator several times. The Model Design Accelerator applies IBM Cognos leading practices to produce single star schemas quickly. Then. see Figure 4-17. Some authors want to perform only basic relational queries against the data source. both based on the relational data source: A package for basic relational queries A package for OLAP-style queries We provide the final result model for this chapter as a reference in the additional material that is supplied with this book. To that end.
Figure 4-19 Metadata wizard: Select Data Source dialog box 46 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. in this example GO Sales. Select the GOSALESDW data source as shown in Figure 4-19. in this example English. 4. which was already created by the IBM Cognos BI administrator.1 Handbook . you are prompted with a message asking if you want to create one. and specify the location for the project. Select the design language for the project. Enter an appropriate project name.2. Click OK. Figure 4-18 New Project dialog box 3. and then click OK. as shown in Figure 4-18. and then click Next. If the specified folder does not exist.
You can close this window. displaying information about the Model Design Accelerator. In the Model Accelerator pane. In the list of objects. Chapter 4.Modeler permissions: If given appropriate permission. Click Continue. and then select the following tables: – – – – – – – GO_TIME_DIM SLS_ORDER_METHOD_DIM SLS_PRODUCT_DIM SLS_PRODUCT_LOOKUP SLS_PRODUCT_TYPE_LOOKUP SLS_PRODUCT_LINE_LOOKUP SLS_SALES_FACT 6. and click Rename. right-click the Fact Table query subject in the center of the pane. The information in this window explains the steps to create a model using the Model Design Accelerator. 5. Refer to the IBM Cognos BI Administration and Security Guide for details about how to create a data source connection. 7. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 47 . modelers can also create their own data source connections either through the Metadata wizard by clicking the New button or directly in IBM Cognos Administration by selecting Configuration Data Source Connections. The IBM Cognos Framework Manager User Guide window opens. expand GOSALESDW Tables.
Type Sales Fact to rename the fact query subject. Figure 4-20 Model Accelerator pane 48 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. and then press Enter. The result displays.1 Handbook .8. See Figure 4-20.
as shown in Figure 4-21. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 49 . select the measures that follow.9. In the Explorer tree pane. Figure 4-21 Model Design Accelerator: Explorer Tree Chapter 4. expand gosalesdw SLS_SALES_FACT. and then drag those measure to the Sales Fact query subject shown in Figure 4-22 on page 50.
and drag the PRODUCT_ NAME data item into the Products query subject. and drag the PRODUCT_LINE_EN data item into the Products query subject. b. Expand the SLS_PRODUCT_LINE_LOOKUP table. 11. Expand the SLS_PRODUCT_TYPE_LOOKUP table. 50 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Expand the SLS_PRODUCT_LOOKUP table.In the Explorer tree pane: a.1 Handbook . and drag the PRODUCT_TYPE_EN data item into the Products query subject.Figure 4-22 Model Design Accelerator with query items added to Sales Fact 10.Rename New Query Subject 1 to Products. c.
Figure 4-23 Model Design Accelerator Relationship Editing dialog box This dialog box opens because IBM Cognos Framework Manager cannot determine the relationship between the SLS_PRODUCT_LOOKUP table and the SLS_SALES_FACT table. See Figure 4-23. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 51 . Chapter 4. You need to establish the relationship yourself.The Relationship Editing Mode for: Products dialog box opens.
and then click OK again to close the Relationship Editing Mode dialog box. 13. Figure 4-24 Modify the Relationship dialog box The SLS_PRODUCT_ LOOKUP table has an entry for each product for each language. 52 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. which results in a many-to-many relationship with the PRODUCT table. 14. See Figure 4-24.Click OK. The Modify the Relationship dialog box opens.Ctrl-click SLS_PRODUCT_LOOKUP . After you generate the basic model.12. thus creating a one-to-many relationship. PRODUCT_NUMBER and SLS_PRODUCT_DIM PRODUCT_NUMBER.1 Handbook .Click the Create a Model Relationship icon in the top-left corner of the dialog box. you will eventually add a filter to filter out all non-English product names.
In the Explorer Tree. as shown in Figure 4-25. expand SLS_PRODUCT_DIM. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 53 . – – – – – – – – PRODUCT_KEY PRODUCT_LINE_CODE PRODUCT_TYPE_KEY PRODUTCT_TYPE_CODE PRODUCT_NUMBER PRODUCT_IMAGE INTRODUCTION_DATE DISCONTINUED_DATE Figure 4-25 New Relationship and added query items to the Products query subject Chapter 4.15. and add the following items to the Products query subject.
click DAY_KEY and then Shift-click WEEKDAY_EN. expand the GO_TIME_DIM table. and then drag the selected items to the Time query subject. 17.Rename New Query Subject 2 to Time.In the Explorer Tree pane.16. The results displays. See Figure 4-26. Figure 4-26 New relationship and newly added query items to the Time query subject 54 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook .
19.18.In the Explorer tree pane.Rename New Query Subject 3 to Order Methods. and add the following items to the Order Methods query subject. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 55 . as shown in Figure 4-27: – ORDER_METHOD_KEY – ORDER_METHOD_CODE – ORDER_METHOD_EN Figure 4-27 New relationship and added items to the Order Methods query subject Chapter 4. expand the SLS_ORDER_METHOD_DIM table.
Click Generate Model. Figure 4-28 IBM Cognos Framework Manager with newly created model from Model Design Accelerator 4. or such as Foundation Objects Layer. The typical approach is to have three root namespaces: One for the data source objects One for model query subjects that are used to either model or consolidate metadata that is found in the data source query subjects One for the final presentation view.20. the model is visible in the IBM Cognos Framework Manager UI. and Presentation Layer. Consolidation Layer. which represent each of the layers. 56 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. it is recommended to model in layers.2 Model organization For IBM Cognos BI. The Model Design Accelerator creates a model based on your selections. When complete. You might see naming conventions such as Physical View. which represent the views. and Presentation View. and then click Yes to the message. See Figure 4-28.1 Handbook .2. which typically consists of shortcuts The namespace layers can use any naming convention that makes sense to you. Business View.. you might choose to create a model query subject to act as an alias for a dimension table that relates back to a fact query subject. Figure 4-30 Physical View layer Chapter 4. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 57 . you might have to make some exceptions. extra calls to the database for metadata might be required at run time. Figure 4-29 Project Viewer illustrating multiple layer approach Physical View The Physical View.The Model Design Accelerator follows the layered modeling approach and creates a three-layered model automatically of the model that we created in the previous section. contains the data source query subjects as they were when imported from the data source. as shown in Figure 4-29. After data source query subjects are modified. For example. However.
but as a general rule. shown in Figure 4-32 on page 59. Because namespaces provide uniqueness. When more than one star schema grouping is involved. You can easily create separate packages for different reporting needs based on this layer. If the underlying data source changes. a dimension shortcut with the same name can exist in multiple namespaces.1 Handbook . Reports are based on query items that are found in this layer.Business View The Business View. you can remap the Business View to the correct items in the Physical View without affecting reports. this is the layer to apply logic. shown in Figure 4-31. This layer is the ideal location to implement filters. typically consists of model query subjects that are used either to remodel the Physical View to meet reporting requirements or to consolidate information from the Physical View for a cleaner presentation of the metadata to the user. This layer also acts as an insulation layer for reports. and any other business logic that you might require. namespaces are used to contain the shortcuts because facts can share one or more dimensions. 58 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. In our model. typically contains star schema groupings. calculations. all query items in this layer are given user-friendly names for report authors and analysts. The Model Design Accelerator uses the consolidation methodology. allowing authors to query across multiple fact tables using a shared dimension. Figure 4-31 Business View layer Presentation View The Presentation View. It might not always be the case. which are logical groupings of fact and related dimension query subject shortcuts.
it is recommended that you verify and edit certain property settings and determine if the correct relationships are in place to meet the reporting requirements. should numeric values be displayed as currency. or a just a number with comma separators? Chapter 4. such as configuring the data format. For example. and query item properties (shown in Figure 4-33 on page 60) let you edit the behavior of the query items.2.Figure 4-32 Presentation View layer 4. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 59 .3 Verify query item properties and relationships After importing metadata into IBM Cognos Framework Manager. such as descriptions and screen tips. Examine query item properties Object properties allow you to add additional information. percentage.
but rather is a key. date. as shown in Figure 4-33. This item is not a fact. If this key is to be used in a relationship or filter.1 Handbook . Thus. Sum is correct for most 60 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. datetime. or non-indexed columns are set as Facts Key. or any indexed columns are set as Identifiers Strings and BLOBs are set as Attributes The Regular Aggregate property for numeric facts (measures) describes how measures should be aggregated and defaults to SUM. index. SALES_ORDER_KEY. it is better that the field is indexed in the database. This issue occurs because the item is not indexed in the database. Examining this setting allows you to have relevant conversations with the database administrator. time-interval. you expect to see the Usage property set to Identifier.Figure 4-33 Query items properties You need to examine two properties closely after import to ensure that they are set as expected: Usage property Regular Aggregate properties For example. The following rules explain how the Usage property is applied during import: Numeric. was imported as an Int32 data type and had its Usage property set to Fact.
and so on.measures (such as SALE_TOTAL and QUANTITY). in some instances. Chapter 4. Figure 4-34 Prompt Info properties You can specify the type of prompt that you want generated in the studios or the default prompt type for IBM Cognos Report Studio. Another set of important properties to take advantage of are the Prompt Info properties. Maximum. The remaining properties are used to improve performance by causing automatic retrieval through indexes while still displaying user-friendly selection values. as shown in Figure 4-34. however. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 61 . you might want to set the property to Average. Minimum. The default is for the server to determine the prompt type based on data type.
set the Use Item Reference property in ORDER_METHOD_EN to ORDER_METHOD_CODE. to see a list of ORDER_METHOD_EN names when using ORDER_METHOD_CODE in a prompt. For example. as shown in Figure 4-35. For example. for example. Display Item Reference identifies the default value that a manually-created Report Studio prompt displays for a particular query item. Figure 4-35 Filter Item Reference property 62 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. set the Display Item Reference property for ORDER_METHOD_CODE to ORDER_METHOD_EN. for a Report Studio generated prompt on ORDER_METHOD_EN to display a list of ORDER_METHOD_EN names but retrieve data through the ORDER_METHOD_CODE. it defaults to the values that are returned by the query item to which it belongs. Use Item Reference identifies the default value that a manually-created Report Studio prompt uses in the query’s filter.Here is a brief description of the remaining properties: Cascade on Item Reference is for cascading prompts in Report Studio. for Query Studio to display ORDER_METHOD_EN values but use ORDER_METHOD_CODE in the query’s filter. For example. set the Filter Item Reference property to ORDER_METHOD_CODE.1 Handbook . If this field is left blank. where the list of Product Type choices is restricted to those within a selected Product Line. Filter Item Reference identifies the value that an IBM Cognos generated prompt uses to filter a query.
As a quick side topic. is another useful UI element in IBM Cognos Framework Manager. Figure 4-36 Context Explorer Chapter 4. Context Explorer.Examine relationships Relationships are maintained in the Object Diagram or Context Explorer. shown in Figure 4-36. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 63 .
. Optional cardinality.n or 0..1 cardinalities attached. back to relationships. IBM Cognos BI can aggregate the facts properly and not lose records from either fact table. in particular. right-clicking one of the selected items. which generates an inner join in the SQL.n or 0. when querying from multiple fact tables through a shared dimension. and dimension query subjects have only 1. and you must decide if you require optional or mandatory cardinalities.. is represented by a 0. is represented by a 1 as in 1. as shown in Figure 4-36 on page 63. This determination is important.1 or 0. In short.1 Handbook . You can edit items directly in this window. you must ensure that the appropriate relationships exist to meet your reporting needs. Optional cardinalities require more processing but might be needed to return the desired results. Mandatory cardinality.1. Now...1.n or 1. 64 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.You can launch this window by selecting one or more query subjects. and then clicking Launch Context Explorer. fact query subjects have only 1. as in 0. which generates an outer join in the SQL.. Cardinality is used by IBM Cognos BI to determine which query subjects are facts and which are dimensions in the context of a query. For larger models.n cardinalities attached. this feature is useful when working with a subset of the model.. It is important to model as a star schema so that there is no ambiguity about the nature of a query subject.. By identifying which query subjects are facts. When verifying relationships.
with the exception of when dealing with snowflake dimensions. as shown in Figure 4-37. Snowflake dimensions are where the hierarchy for the dimension is split out into two or more tables. Figure 4-37 Snowflake dimension Chapter 4.Unpredictable results can occur when query subjects have a mix of cardinalities. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 65 .
66 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Refer to the IBM Cognos Framework Manager User Guide for more details about cardinality.The product hierarchy is split out into the following tables: Product line Product type Product In this case. there is a clear path from the highest level all the way down to the fact table.1 Handbook . The hierarchy does not branch of at higher levels such as product type level or product line level.
Chapter 4. double-click the relationship line in the Diagram pane or the Context Explorer to open the Relationship Definition dialog box. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 67 .To edit a relationship. Figure 4-38 Relationship Definition dialog box Here. you can change the cardinality on either end of the relationship. as shown in Figure 4-38. or create a compound definition with additional business logic by editing the expression located at the bottom of the dialog box. change the query items the join is based on.
68 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. 3.2. follow these steps: 1. Time. and then click Run Metadata Wizard as shown in Figure 4-39. and Order Methods). and click Next. and click Next. Importing SAP BW metadata: Just as a quick side note for those who want to import SAP BW metadata. John Walker. IBM Cognos Report Studio users can use these structures to report on and compare levels that are valid for a specific time period. using the Model Design Accelerator does not make sense in this case.1 Handbook . However. he will use the manual import process to bring in this additional table as metadata in the model. has created a model that contains sales facts along with its related dimensions (Products. in the Project Viewer. So. Ensure that Data Sources is selected. therefore. Figure 4-39 Run Metadata wizard 2. When a structure is imported into IBM Cognos Framework Manager. In IBM Cognos Framework Manager.4 Import additional metadata Our modeler. time-dependant hierarchies now reflect hierarchy or structure changes automatically. right-click the gosalesdw namespace under the Physical View. To import additional metadata manually.4. each SAP BW time hierarchy is depicted as an individual level. Products and Time are both shared (conformed) dimensions for this fact table. this model also requires sales target information. Select the GOSALESDW data source.
and select SLS_SALES_TARG_FACT as shown in Figure 4-40. Click Next.4. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 69 . Locate and expand the Tables folder. Figure 4-40 Metadata wizard: Select Objects dialog box Chapter 4.
In the first section. The other two options in this section are often used when importing from a different database. 70 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Figure 4-41 Metadata wizard: Generate Relationships dialog box Let us take a moment to discuss this dialog box. By selecting this option. select the “Both” option in the wizard. In the second section. or both. in general. Typically the database will have primary and foreign keys defined. use the “Use primary and foreign keys” option for relational data from the same database. you can request to create relationships among either the objects being imported.5. When importing several additional tables that have relationships to each other and to objects already in the model. you do not need to create the relationships manually after import.1 Handbook . Select Between each imported query subject and all existing query subjects in the model as shown in Figure 4-41. the objects being imported and the existing objects in the model.
Click Import. If this option is disabled. Double-click the gosalesdw namespace.1. all relationships will be 1. and then click Finish.In the third section. 7. Another option is to enable or disable fact detection. or you can edit specific relationships after import to meet your needs. In this case. and it is not a primary key in the table. You can choose to generate outer joins if that meets your business needs. shown in Figure 4-42.. Figure 4-42 New Sales Target query subject with no relationships defined Notice that no relationships were generated. 6. MONTH_KEY is not Chapter 4. and to examine any relationships.. by default. and click the Diagram tab to view the new query subject in the diagram. The same issue applies to the time dimension. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 71 .1 to 1..
and then click Relationship as shown in Figure 4-43. but the keys should be indexed in the database to improve performance. Right-click over the selected items.1 Handbook . 9. and it is not indexed in the database. In the Project Viewer. and select MONTH_KEY from SLS_SALES_TARG_FACT. select MONTH_KEY from GO_TIME_DIM. You can create the relationships manually in IBM Cognos Framework Manager.a primary key. point to Create. 8. Figure 4-43 Create Relationship 72 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.
.The Relationship dialog box opens. and the fact on the 1. Click OK. The relationship is configured as desired. The dimension is on the 1..n side. Figure 4-44 Relationship Definition dialog box Chapter 4. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 73 .1 side. as shown in Figure 4-44.10.
The Diagram pane now shows the new relationship as shown in Figure 4-45.1 Handbook . Figure 4-45 New relationship in Diagram pane 74 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.
Under Available Model Objects. The Presentation View is organized to have separate namespaces for each fact shortcut and its related dimensions. 12. Chapter 4. and then click Query Subject. point to Create. You can use the star schema groupings feature to create the grouping for the new Sales Target Fact query subject that will be created.In the Project Viewer.In the Name box. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 75 .Using the same process. you need to update the Business View and Presentation View manually. type Sales Target Fact. and click OK. 13. 14. create a relationship between SLS_PRODUCT_DIM and SLS_SALES_TARG_FACT on PRODUCT_TYPE_KEY as shown in Figure 4-46. Figure 4-46 New relationship in Diagram pane Now that the new sales target object is imported and relationships are created. right-click the Business View namespace.A Query Subject Definition window for a new model query subject opens. expand Physical View gosalesdw SLS_SALES_TARG_FACT.11.
and then click Create Star Schema Grouping.Click the new Sales Target Fact query subject in the Business View namespace. Figure 4-47 Query Subject Definition window for new Sales Target Fact model query subject 16. shown in Figure 4-48.15. Ctrl-click Products and Time (these are related dimensions).1 Handbook . and then click OK. type Sales Target in the Namespace field. and click OK. right-click one of the selected items. 17.In the Create Star Schema Grouping dialog box.Drag SALES_TARGET to the Query Items and Calculations pane. Figure 4-48 Create Star Schema Grouping dialog box 76 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. shown in Figure 4-44.
Time.Right-click the Presentation View namespace. we used the Model Design Accelerator to create a one star schema grouping. and then drag the Sales Fact. examined query item properties and relationships.Name the namespace Sales. and imported additional metadata which was then organized into an additional star schema for presentation purposes. as shown in Figure 4-49. point to Create. Next.18.Drag the Sales Target namespace to the Presentation View. and then click Namespace. 20. and Order Methods shortcuts into the Sales namespace. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 77 . Figure 4-49 Presentation View with star schema groupings To this point. Chapter 4. 19. Products. we describe using techniques to validate the model and the data itself.
in this case called Model. Figure 4-50 Verify Model . and click Verify Selected Objects. or you can verify the entire model by verifying the model’s root namespace. Right-click the root model namespace.5 Verify the model You can verify independent model objects and their children.1 Handbook .Options dialog box In this window. In this example.Options dialog box opens as shown in Figure 4-50. we verify the entire model. The Verify Model . you can select the types of items that you want to include in the validation process. 78 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. To verify the model: 1.2.4.
you can choose to repair the objects. Chapter 4. the model is quite simple and presents no issues as shown in Figure 4-51. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 79 . In other instances where issues are found. Click Verify Model. In this case. if applicable.2. Figure 4-51 Verify Model Results dialog box 3. Click Close. or open the items in the model to edit their definitions to resolve any issues.
1 Handbook . 80 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. In this example. To assist you in understanding the nature of the highlighted issue and some possible actions. which is an automated tool that applies rules based on current modeling guidelines and identifies areas of the model that you need to examine. Options tab Here you can select or deselect items to be tested.You can verify the objects in the model. as shown in Figure 4-52. Click Run Model Advisor. you are provided with links to the appropriate sections of the documentation. and you can also use Model Advisor. use the following steps: 1. Right-click the namespace that you want to examine. The Model Advisor dialog box opens. we use gosalesdw. To run the Model Advisor. Figure 4-52 Model Advisor dialog box.
4.2. 3. Click Analyze. The results display as shown in Figure 4-53.2. Figure 4-53 Model Advisor results In the results. Chapter 4. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 81 . You can also click the more information links to read the documentation regarding specific modeling recommendations. you can identify items that fit certain categories and click the icon under the Action column to view the object or objects in the Context Explorer.6 Verify the data It is also critical that you test each of your query subjects alone and in conjunction with other query subjects to ensure that authors will receive predictable results. Click Close.
select Auto Sum to emulate the default IBM Cognos BI behavior. To verify the data: 1. Figure 4-54 Test Results dialog box 82 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Click Test Sample. 2. Right-click one of the selected items. our modeler John Walker tests Sales Targets against the Time dimension and tests the Products dimension against Sales to ensure that the numbers come back correctly. in the Business View. select Year (formerly CURRENT_YEAR).1 Handbook . in the Test Results dialog box.In this next scenario. Then. John Walker renamed all the query items in the Business View to user-friendly names and organized them in a logical manner. In the Project Viewer. and select Sales Target (formerly SALES_TARGET) from Sales Target Fact. and examine the results. and click Test. which is to auto group and summarize in the studios. select Month (formerly MONTH_EN) from the Time dimension. as shown in Figure 4-54. 3.
Because there is a relationship on the Month Key. This issue is the result of double counting that occurs because the Month Key in the Time dimension repeats once for every day in the month.540 (over four billion). because overall summaries in the studios double count Revenue values once for each product language in the data source. Validate your data often and as new items are imported or modeled to ensure predictable results. Chapter 4.John Walker knows that the overall total for Sales Target for all time and products is 4. 5. and click Test. 4. in the Business View namespace. yet the results show several results all adding up to well over four billion dollars. In the Test Results dialog box. Validating the data is an important process.3. 4. Figure 4-55 Test results dialog box Again. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 83 . 7.368. This issue is resolved by applying a filter in 4. and click Test Sample. select Product Name (formerly PRODUCT_NAME) from Products. We discuss this issue in the next section. 6. Click Close. “Specify determinants” on page 84.205.2. select Product Line (formerly PRODUCT_LINE_EN). “Add business logic to the model” on page 89. determinants must be defined for the underlying query subject in the Physical View layer to ensure that this double counting does not occur.7. select Auto Sum. these results are questionable. In the Project Viewer. Click Close. The results display as shown in Figure 4-55. and select Revenue (formerly SALE_TOTAL) from Sales Target. Right-click one of the selected items.
Determinants are required for dimensions that are connected to facts at levels of granularity that have repeating keys. for BLOB data types in the query subject.4. To specify determinants to prevent double counting: 1. in the Physical View namespace. In this section.7 Specify determinants As discussed in the previous section. we discuss double counting. Determinants are a feature of IBM Cognos BI that are typically used to provide control over granularity when aggregating. You can also use them to prevent the distinct clause on unique keys. and to improve performance on dimensionally modeled relational (DMR) metadata. double counting can occur in scenarios where a a relationship based on a key that is not unique and repeats in the data is used in a query. Specifying determinants resolves this issue. which is the most common of the issues. 84 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. and then click the Determinants tab. as shown in Figure 4-56. see the IBM Cognos Framework Manager User Guide. For more detailed information about determinants.2.1 Handbook . double-click the GO_TIME_DIM query subject. In the Project Viewer.
click Rename. However. Under the Determinants pane. Chapter 4. that require a group by clause to prevent double counting of facts. To that end. type Day. click Add. only one determinant was detected based on the table’s primary key. type Year. 4.Figure 4-56 Query Subject Definition dialog box. there are other levels in this data. and then press Enter. Because this key is unique. and then press Enter. Right-click pk. Determinants tab During import. New Determinant displays below Day in the Determinants pane. Right-click New Determinant. 2. all items in the query subject are an attribute of the determinant key. 3. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 85 . we create the appropriate determinants for this query subject and apply the Group by setting. click Rename. such as the MONTH_KEY.
For example. with Key = MONTH_KEY. the determinant configuration is implemented in the generated SQL. if CURRENT_MONTH is used in a report. Attributes are any items that are associated with the determinant key. 7. 11. drag CURRENT_YEAR to the Key pane. 9. drag CURRENT_QUARTER into the Attributes box.Repeat the steps again to create a Month determinant. Repeat the steps to a create Quarter determinant. drag the following items into the Attributes box: – CURRENT_MONTH – MONTH_NUMBER – MONTH_EN 86 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.5.1 Handbook . When used in a report. 8. Click the Up Arrow key on the right to move Year above Day. you find a Group By clause on the MONTH_KEY in the SQL. 10. With the focus still on Year. With the focus still on Quarter. Select the Group By check box beside Year.With the focus still on Month. and select the Group By check box beside Month. with Key = QUARTER_KEY and select the Group By check box beside Quarter. 6. from the Available items pane.
Right-click one of the selected items.Click OK. in the Business View. click Test. 14. and then in the Test Results dialog box. select Month (formerly MONTH_EN) from the Time dimension. Figure 4-57 Determinants tab with multiple determinants specified 12. conduct the same test from the previous section to see if the correct Sales Target values are returned.In the Project Viewer.Figure 4-57 shows the results. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 87 . 13. and select Sales Target (formerly SALES_TARGET) from Sales Target Fact. Chapter 4. select Year (formerly CURRENT_YEAR). select Auto Sum. To test this change.
and examine the results.Click Close.Click Test Sample. shown in Figure 4-58. 16.15. Figure 4-58 Test Results after determinants are specified The values now appear correctly and double counting is prevented. 88 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook .
try applying determinants for the SLS_PRODUCT_DIM query subject.3 Add business logic to the model Again. there are instances where it makes sense to implement items in the Physical View where the cost of performance and maintenance is low. which is also a repeating non-unique key just like the MONTH_KEY is in the GO_TIME_DIM. However. Figure 4-59 Determinants specified for SLS_PRODUCT_DIM 4. which had multiple Chapter 4. One example of this is the requirement we saw earlier to apply a filter on the SLS_PRODUCT_LOOKUP query subject.This model also includes an SLS_PRODUCT_DIM dimension that has a relationship on PRODUCT_TYPE_KEY. typically business logic such as filters and calculations are applied in the Business View layer. If you are feeling adventurous. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 89 . The results should display as shown in Figure 4-59.
Another example might be the requirement to implement aliases in the Physical View to control query paths between objects. then applying filters and calculations on these query subjects makes sense because they are not data source query subjects. we apply an embedded filter to the SLS_PRODUCT_LOOKUP data source query subject to filter on English values: 1. If model query subjects are used to create these aliases or to consolidate multiple underlying query subjects. 4. click Add. does it make sense to apply a product name language filter when only querying Product Line? If the filter is place in the Products model query subject in the Business View.rows for the same product to support multiple languages. double-click SLS_PRODUCT_LOOKUP.1 Handbook . For example. Embedded filters can be converted to stand-alone filters after they are created. 2. double-click PRODUCT_LANGUAGE. In the Project Viewer. type Language Filter.1 Add filters to the model The first filter John Walker applies is a filter on a data source query subject. They are appropriate when required in multiple query subjects or dimensions or to make commonly used filters readily available for authors.3. 3. Stand-alone filters are filters available across the model. Although adding this filter goes against the general rule of thumb. They are appropriate when the filter is intended for just one query subject or dimension. Click the Filters tab. regardless of whether it was required. Filters come in two forms in IBM Cognos Framework Manager: Embedded filters are created within query subjects and their scope is restricted to that query subject. 90 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. In the following steps. The performance hit of scanning an extra table unnecessarily in such cases is greater than the performance hit that can occur from an additional metadata call to the database. in the gosalesdw namespace under the Physical View. and then in the Name box. the filter would be applied in every instance an item from that query subject was used. In the Available Components pane. the filter must be applied a level lower than the Business View layer because the filter is required only when Product Name is included in the report.
Click in the Expression Definition pane at the end of the expression. The result displays as shown in Figure 4-60. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 91 . and then type = ‘EN’.4. Figure 4-60 Filter Definition dialog box Chapter 4.
Click OK.) – Design Mode Only This option limits the amount of data that is retrieved when testing in IBM Cognos Framework Manager or at report design time (when authoring reports in IBM Cognos Query Studio.1 Handbook . Figure 4-61 Embedded filter Notice the Usage column beside the Name column. The results display as shown in Figure 4-61. (This option applies only to filters that use a prompt value or macro. IBM Cognos Report Studio. – Optional The filter is not mandatory and users can choose to enter a filter value or leave it blank. 92 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Each filter has a Usage setting with the following options: – Always The filter is applied in all instances regardless of whether the filtered query item is in the query. and IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced).5.
8. We conduct the same test that we conducted in the previous section between Products and Sales Fact again in the Business View to ensure that the results are as expected. in the Business View namespace. In the Project Viewer.6. Click the Test tab. Figure 4-62 Test results with filter applied 7. select Product Name (formerly PRODUCT_NAME) from Products. and select Revenue (formerly SALE_TOTAL) from Sales Target. The results display as shown in Figure 4-62. Click OK. and click Test Sample. select Product Line (formerly PRODUCT_LINE_EN). Chapter 4. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 93 .
and functions.9.3. Right-click one of the selected items. and then click Test Sample. Calculations can use query items. Figure 4-63 Test results dialog box The overall summary totals in the studios for Product Name are now accurate and are not double counted for each product name language in the data source. In the Test Results dialog box.1 Handbook . 10. 4.2 Add calculations to the model You can create calculations to provide report authors with values that they regularly use. “Make the model dynamic using macros” on page 97. The results display as shown in Figure 4-63. For example. and click Test. 94 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.3. select Auto Sum.Click Close. parameters. you might want to include a product break even value as one of the measures in the Sales Fact query subject in the form of Quantity * Unit Cost.3. We illustrate an example of a stand-alone filter in 4.
and then double-click the multiplication operator (*).There are two types of calculations: If you want to create a calculation specifically for one query subject or dimension. expand Operators. Click Add in the bottom-right corner. Chapter 4. you can embed the calculation directly in that object. double-click Sales Fact. 4. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 95 . In the Name box. type Break Even Point. Stand-alone calculations are also valuable if you need to do aggregation before performing the calculation. it is recommended that you apply calculations in model query subjects wherever possible. and then double-click Quantity in the Available Components pane. Under Available Components. click the Functions tab. This aggregation can be accomplished by changing the stand-alone calculations Regular Aggregate property to Calculated. in the Business View. 2. In the Project Viewer. this calculation can be done for either data source query subjects or model query subjects. To add an embedded calculation to a model query subject: 1. This allows for better maintenance and change management. Create a stand-alone calculation when you want to apply the calculation to more than one query subject or dimension. However. 3. For query subjects.
The following results display: [Business View]. Under Available Components.[Sales Fact]. Click Test Sample (the blue triangle button above the Name box) to verify that the calculation works. and then double-click Unit Cost.1 Handbook .[Quantity] * [Business View].[Sales Fact].[Unit Cost] 6. click the Model tab.Notice there is a description of the function in the Tips pane as shown in Figure 4-64. 96 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Figure 4-64 Calculation Definition dialog box 5.
parameter maps. Click OK. To alter the filter. and then click OK again. we alter the filter that was created for the SLS_PRODUCT_LOOKUP query subject.7. Figure 4-65 Break Even Point calculation 4. For the scope of this book. Authors and analysts want to be able to see product names in their language based on their local settings. mapping a set of keys (source) to a set of substitution values (target). that are to be evaluated at run time.3. we show one example that incorporates all three elements in an embedded filter. properties. This substitution is wrapped in a macro that also encloses the substitution value in single quotation marks because the filter expects a string value. and macros. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 97 .UserName). and so on.3 Make the model dynamic using macros You can modify query subjects and other model properties to control dynamically the data that is returned using a combination of session parameters. In this example. such as EN for English or FR for French. we import a parameter map. runLocale or account. The new calculated query item displays in the Sales Fact model query subject as shown in Figure 4-65. Macros are enclosed by the number sign (#) character. Chapter 4. A parameter map is a two-column table. A session parameter returns session information at run time (for example. A macro is a fragment of code that you can insert within filters. Let us quickly examine each piece. The parameter map substitutes a user’s runLocale session parameter with a language code value found in the database. calculations. These items can be used to return data dynamically from specific columns or rows or even from specific data sources.
and then click Open. or you can import the values from a file. The same mapping applies for other languages and their locales. Figure 4-66 Parameter Map values Note that en-us (and all other English variants) map to EN. 4. click Language_lookup. and then click Parameter Map. In the Project Viewer.To implement a macro to change a filter dynamically at run time. 5. type Language_lookup. right-click Parameter Maps. 3. You can type in the values if you support only a small set of languages. For this exercise. and then click Next. we use a text file that has the mappings already entered. Then. click Browse. Click Import File. 2.txt. The Create Parameter Map wizard opens. 98 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. follow these steps: 1. The values in the file are imported as shown in Figure 4-66.1 Handbook . point to Create. Click Finish. You can also base the parameter map on query items within the model. In the Name box. next to the Filename box. Navigate to <IBM Cognos BI install location>\webcontent\ samples\models. Click OK.
and then type sq(.Place the cursor right after the first macro tag (#). Use the following syntax: [gosalesdw].. and then click the ellipsis (. Under Available Components.) in the Source column for the Language Filter. 8.Under Available Components. click the Parameters tab.6. Figure 4-67 Expression definition with macro Notice that the parameter map is enclosed in the macro tags (#) automatically. double-click the SLS_PRODUCT_LOOKUP query subject..Double-click Language_lookup to add it to the expression as shown in Figure 4-67. which is the function for a single quotation mark. and then expand Parameter Maps. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 99 . The macro now requires a value to pass to the parameter map for substitution.[SLS_PRODUCT_LOOKUP]. 9. 7. Click the Filters tab. 11. You can also find this function in the Functions folder under Available Components. In this case. 12. In the Expression definition pane. expand Session Parameters. remove the EN portion of the expression. indicated by a red squiggly underline. The Filter Definition window opens. the runLocale session parameter is passed to the parameter map.[PRODUCT_LANGUAGE] #$Language_lookup{$runLocale}# = This syntax still shows that there is an error. and place the cursor after the equal sign (=). Chapter 4. The value that the parameter map returns needs to be wrapped in single quotation marks. 10. In the gosalesdw namespace under the Physical View. and then double-click runLocale to add it to the expression.
A DMR refers to the dimensional information that a modeler supplies for a relational data source to allow for OLAP-style queries. 100 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.Place the cursor just before the last macro tag (#).4 Create dimensional objects for OLAP-style reporting The IBM Cognos Framework Manager product allows you to create dimensionally modeled relational (DMR) models. it is en.13. This pane shows what the macro resolves to based on the current runLocale. In this case. which allow for navigational functionality and access to dimensional functions in studios that support dimensional functions. such as IBM Cognos Report Studio and IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced. which is substituted for EN in the filter. click the Test tab.Click OK. and then type ). Figure 4-68 Macro expression for Language Filter Notice the results in the Tip pane. and then click Test Sample to ensure that all values come back in your local language.1 Handbook . The final syntax displays as shown in Figure 4-68. 14. 4.
The following steps show one example of how to create a Regular Dimension. 5. 4. Type Time.4. expand Business View Time.Dimensional information is defined through the following dimensions: Regular Dimensions Measure Dimensions Scope Relationships A dimensionally modeled layer can be applied to any metadata in star schema format. and then drag Year (formerly CURRENT_YEAR) into the Hierarchies pane. 4. we model a Time dimension. In the Available items pane. create a new namespace under Model called Dimensional View. and then press Enter. 1. The Dimension Definition window opens. and then click Regular Dimension.1 Create Regular Dimensions Regular Dimensions consist of one or more user-defined hierarchies. Right-click the top Year in the hierarchy column. When your metadata is in star schema format. These items are used to generate members in the studios data trees (where applicable) and retrieve the members at run time. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 101 . 3. point to Create. Right-click Dimensional View. Chapter 4. In the Project Viewer. In this case. and then click Rename. Regular Dimensions require that each level have a key and caption specified. 2. and that the caption be a string data type. you can provide hierarchy information to dimensions and measure scope for each Regular Dimension created. Each hierarchy consists of the following components: Levels Keys Captions Attributes Level information is used to roll up measures accurately when performing queries or analyses.
In this case Year is an integer. therefore. Remember. Rename Year(All) to Time (All). 102 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. a caption must be a string data type. If needed.6.1 Handbook . The results display as shown in Figure 4-69. you need to create an item to cast Year into a string. Figure 4-69 Dimension Definition dialog box You need to assign a business key and member caption to each level. rename CURRENT_YEAR to Year.
. Click Close.. 11. Figure 4-71 Year level roles Chapter 4.7. under Available Components. char(4)) This expression casts the integer value to a string. and then click Close. type Year Caption.[Time]. Figure 4-70 Specify Roles dialog box for Regular Dimension 8.. click the ellipsis (. and drag Year to the Expression definition pane. and then select _businessKey as shown in Figure 4-70. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 103 . 10. The Year level now has a business key and member caption assigned as shown in Figure 4-71. select _memberCaption.. Then.) for Role for the new Year Caption item. In the Hierarchies pane.Edit the expression to display as follows: cast([Business View]. click the Year level in the bottom pane.[Year]. 9.) in the Role column. and then click Add in the bottom-right corner. click the ellipsis (. expand Business View Time. In the Name box.Click OK.
rename it to Month.From the Available items pane. 19. 18.Rename the level to Quarter. char(1)) 15. 17.) for the Source column for Day Caption to edit its definition.. 13. and then click Unique Level as shown in Figure 4-72.[Time].[Time]. then leave this check box clear. because Day Key is an identifier as it is the primary key in the underlying table.[Quarter (numeric)].Drag Day Key below the Month level in the Hierarchies pane.Drag Day Date to the bottom-right panel. set it as the _memberCaption. and then assign the _businessKey role to Month Key in the bottom pane.Click the ellipsis (.. select _memberCaption as the role. Notice that the _businessKey role is already assigned to Day Key in the bottom pane. and then assign a Role of _businessKey to Quarter Key in the bottom pane.1 Handbook . char(10)) 104 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. drag Quarter Key under the Year level in the Hierarchies pane. because it has no parent keys. and change the expression as follows: cast([Business View].Drag Month Key below the Quarter level in the Hierarchies pane.Assign the _memberCaption role to Quarter Caption. The top level does not need this setting. 16. and then select the Unique Level check box.Drag Month to the bottom-right pane. and then rename it to Day Caption. cast([Business View].12. Figure 4-72 Unique Level check box The Unique Level check box indicates that the keys in the levels above the current level are not necessary to identify the members in a level. Note that Quarter (numeric) was formerly CURRENT_QUARTER. If they are. 14.Add a new item for this level called Quarter Caption with the following expression. 20.[Day Date]. and rename it to Day.
21. Figure 4-73 Time dimension hierarchy completed For some dimensions. For these types of functions to work. you might want to use the Lag function. which allows you to view the current month and the previous month by lagging one month from the current month in a calculation. or attributes are sortable so that there is a logical order to the data. the order of the data must be correct and consistent. ensure specific sorting of the data in all scenarios to take advantage of dimensional functions that navigate the data. If your business keys. For example. such as the Time dimension. select Unique Level as shown in Figure 4-73. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 105 .Click OK. you can use the Member Sort feature for Regular Dimensions to ensure the correct structure for you data. captions. Chapter 4.
Click the Member Sort tab. Figure 4-74 Dimension Definition.1 Handbook . select Metadata. and then. Data.22. Member Sort tab 106 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. and Always (OLAP compatible) as shown in Figure 4-74. under Sorting Options.
as shown in Figure 4-75. In this case. the business keys for the levels are used. Member Sort tab For more information about the Member Sort feature. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 107 .23. refer to the IBM Cognos Framework Manager User Guide.Click Detect to detect which item will be used in the Level Sort Properties pane to sort the data. Figure 4-75 Dimension Definition.Click OK. Figure 4-76 New Regular Dimension for Time Chapter 4. which is correct. 24. and then rename New Dimension to Time as shown in Figure 4-76.
Figure 4-77 Time dimension expanded in Project Viewer 108 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.The new Time dimension is now complete and when expanded in the Project Viewer displays as shown in Figure 4-77.1 Handbook .
Again. We include the results in the model that we provide with this book. Figure 4-78 Products dimension configuration Chapter 4. if you are feeling adventurous. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 109 . and Order Method as shown in Figure 4-79 on page 110. create a dimension for Products as shown in Figure 4-78.
point to Create.4. and then click Measure Dimension. 110 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. expand Business View Sales Fact. Right-click Dimensional View.Figure 4-79 Order Methods dimension configuration 4.1 Handbook .2 Create Measure Dimensions A Measure Dimension is a logical collection of facts that enables OLAP-style analytical querying and is related to Regular Dimensions within scope. 2. To create Measure Dimensions: 1. In the Model Objects pane.
and rename the new Measure Dimension to Sales Fact. Chapter 4. and then drag all the selected measures to the Measures pane as shown in Figure 4-80. Click Quantity. Figure 4-80 Sales Measure Dimension 4. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 111 . Click OK.3. Shift+click Break Even Point.
underlying join relationships are still required to generate the SQL that is sent to the data source. Repeat the steps to create a Measure Dimension called Sales Target Fact that is based on the Sales Target Fact data source query subject in the Business View. Figure 4-81 Sales Fact and Sales Target Fact Measure Dimensions expanded in the Project Viewer 4.3 Define scope for measures Measure Dimensions are related to Regular Dimensions through scope relationships that define at what levels a measure is in scope. you can use the Dimension Map in the Project Info pane. 112 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Select only the Sales Target measure. The results display as shown in Figure 4-81. However.5.4.1 Handbook . To define the scope of a measure or group of measures. A scope relationship is created automatically between a dimension and a measure dimension whose underlying query subjects have a valid JOIN relationship defined and are required to achieve predictable roll ups.
we use the Dimension Map because it is a central location to define scope easily for all measures. However. Notice the scope relationships as shown in Figure 4-82. and delete Regular Dimensions and Measure Dimensions in this pane. Double-click the Dimensional View namespace to give it focus. edit. Figure 4-82 Scope relationships You can double-click the relationships to edit scope.To define the scope for the Sales Fact and Sales Target Fact Measure Dimensions: 1. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 113 . Chapter 4. You can also create. in our example.
which is correct for the Sales Fact measures. under Time click the Month level.2. However. 3. as shown in Figure 4-83. which is at the Month level for the Time dimension and Product Type level for the Products dimension. and then on the toolbar click the Remove Scope icon (shown in Figure 4-85). Figure 4-83 Sales Fact scope All levels in all dimensions are highlighted indicating that they are all currently in scope. In the middle pane. Figure 4-85 Remove Scope toolbar icon 114 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. 5. and then click Set Scope on the toolbar.1 Handbook . Click Product Type in the Products dimension. and then on the toolbar click the Set Scope icon as shown in Figure 4-84. Click Sales Target Fact. click the Dimension Map tab. and then click Sales Fact in the Measures pane. Figure 4-84 Set Scope toolbar icon 4. We set the appropriate scope for the Sales Target measure. Sales Fact is also not in scope at all for the Order Methods dimensions. this is not the case for Sales Target Fact. Click the Order Methods dimension.
Drag the Sales Target and Sales namespaces into the Query namespace. Name the new namespace Query. Now that the dimensional objects are created and scope is set. 9. and name it Analysis. The results display as shown in Figure 4-87. In the Project Viewer. 7. Create another namespace. 8. we create a presentation view for authors and analysts. The Order Methods dimension is completely out of scope. These namespaces are used to organize the relational and dimensional presentation views. Figure 4-87 Presentation View organized Next. right-click Presentation View. and then click Namespace. point to Create.As shown in Figure 4-86. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 115 . Chapter 4. Figure 4-86 Scope settings for Sales Target Fact 6. create star schema groupings for the DMR objects and place them in the Analysis namespace. the Day level for the Time dimension and the Product Name level for the Products dimension are no longer highlighted and are out of scope for Sales Target Fact.
1 Handbook . The result displays as shown in Figure 4-88. and then click Create Star Schema Grouping. 11.Click OK. and then repeat these steps to create a star schema grouping for Sales Target Fact.In the Dimensional View. Figure 4-88 Create Star Schema Grouping dialog box The Measure Dimension and all related Regular Dimensions are selected automatically based on the scope relationships. 116 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. right-click Sales Fact.10.
Each report can contain information from a single package only. The next step is to publish packages to IBM Cognos Connection to make both the query package and analysis packages available to authors and analysts. which are a subset of your model. This modeling was done for both traditional relational reporting (query) and OLAP-style reporting (analysis) using DMR. Figure 4-89 Final Presentation view 4. validated. Chapter 4.5 Create and configure a package Up to this point. and order methods. we have imported.Drag the two new star schema grouping namespaces to the Analysis namespace.12. The final Presentation View displays as shown in Figure 4-89. to make metadata available to users. A package must contain all the information that a specific user or group of users needs to create reports. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 117 . and organized metadata to address the requirement to report and analyze sales and sales target information by products. time. modeled. You create packages.
In the name box. select a location where you want to publish your package. which can be useful if you want to publish a new version of the model but want existing reports to continue using an earlier copy. but you can browse to any location in IBM Cognos Connection to which you have write access. point to Create. Note that all new reports that you author always use the most recent version of a published model. 7. right-click the Packages folder. expand Presentation View Query. In the Select Location Type dialog box. 8. Figure 4-90 Create Package. Opening an existing report in one of the studios will also cause the report to become associated with the latest version of the model. When prompted to launch the Publish Package wizard and publish your package to the server. Click Finish. 9. and select Sales Target and Sales as shown in Figure 4-90. Click Next.1 Handbook . click Yes. 6. This option is checked by default. type GO Sales DW (Query). Click Next.To create packages: 1. 5. Clear the Model namespace. and then choose the set of functions that you want to be available in the package. Clear Enable model versioning. 118 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. It allows you to keep multiple copies of a model on the server. 2. In the Project Viewer. and then click Package. We leave the default location of Public Folders. all function sets are included unless you specify which function set is associated with a data source in the Project Function List dialog box located in the Project menu. By default. Define objects dialog box 4. 3. and click Next.
Click Publish. Use the Add and Remove buttons to specify which groups or roles will have access to the package. Informational warnings that might display indicate that items in the package reference other items in the model and that those items are included in the package as well but are hidden from authors.Click Finish to close the Publish Wizard. We discuss security in more detail in 4. IBM Cognos Framework Manager performs a validation of your package and alerts you to any potential issues.Repeat these steps to create and publish a package called GO Sales DW (Analysis). click Next. 11. Select only the Sales Target Fact and Sales Fact namespaces in the Analysis namespace as shown in Figure 4-91. Figure 4-91 Create Package.6.10.To verify your package before publishing. 12.Specify who has access to the package. Define objects dialog box Chapter 4. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 119 . When you have finished adding security. 14. When this option is selected. ensure that the “Verify the package before publishing” option is selected.Click Close. “Apply security in IBM Cognos Framework Manager” on page 124. 13.
The packages are now available in IBM Cognos Connection. Figure 4-92 IBM Cognos Connection. Public Folders 120 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. as shown in Figure 4-92.1 Handbook . and are ready for use by authors in one of the studios.
Chapter 4. Figure 4-93 IBM Cognos Report Studio.Figure 4-93 shows the GO Sales DW (Query) package in IBM Cognos Report Studio. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 121 . Insertable Objects pane This package displays query subjects and query items for use in studios that support relational only packages.
Changing the name of a query item in the model or 122 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook .5. You can see details about each change that was made to the package and which reports are affected by a specific change. Reports that are authored using the package can be impacted by changes that you make to the model.1 Analyze publish impact Before you publish your package. 4. For example. attributes. This package allows for OLAP-style queries on a relational data source. adding a new object to the model will not affect any existing reports. Figure 4-94 IBM Cognos Report Studio.Figure 4-94 shows the GO Sales DW (Analysis) package in IBM Cognos Report Studio. and measures. levels. you can work with hierarchies. Insertable Objects pane With this package. you can see how the changes that you make to a model will affect the package and any reports that use it. members.
The report definition will not be valid because the query item that it references is not in the package definition. When you are finished. Chapter 4. so your changes do not have any impact until the package is republished. The results of the analysis display. For example. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 123 . Reports use the published package. It is important to note that changes to the model do not impact reports until the package is republished. You can then take whatever action is necessary. it appears as a modified object in the analysis results. In the Project Viewer. and you can choose to search for dependant reports. click a package that was published. From the Actions menu. The following types of objects are analyzed: Query subjects Query items Measures Regular dimensions Measure dimensions Hierarchies Levels Stand-alone filters Stand-alone calculations To analyze a publish impact: 1. click Close to close the Analyze Publish Impact dialog box. 3.deleting a query item does affect a report. If you change the model query subject. If you change the underlying data source query subject. The analysis is done on objects that a package uses directly as well as the underlying objects. 2. you have a model query subject that references a data source query subject. click Package Analyze Publish Impact. 4. it also appears as a modified object in the analysis results.
ensure that security was set up correctly in IBM Cognos BI. 4. the user will not have access to the secured object.6 Apply security in IBM Cognos Framework Manager This section discusses security at a high level. If a user is a member of multiple groups or roles and if one group is allowed access to an object and another is denied access. When you add object-based security. If you do not set object-based security. When you apply security to a parent object. This level of security controls the data that is shown to the users when they build and run their reports.1 Handbook . or role directly to the object. group. you override the inherited setting. In IBM Cognos Framework Manager. the denied access group or role membership will have priority. Row level security allows you to create a security filter and apply it to a specific query subject. Package level security allows you to apply security to a package and identify who has access to that package. When you explicitly allow or deny access to an object. You might want this query subject visible to a Manager role but not visible to an Employee role. security is a way of restricting access to metadata and data. groups.4. Before you add security in IBM Cognos Framework Manager. After you set security for one object. all of the child objects inherit the security settings. You can set security for all objects by setting security on the root namespace. We do not implement security in our model directly but discuss generic steps about how to apply security. you choose to make the object visible to the select users or groups.1 Object level security You can apply metadata security directly to objects in a model. you apply a specific user. Each type of security relies on users. you must set it for all objects. 124 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. The object inherits the security that was defined for its parent object. There are three different types of security in IBM Cognos Framework Manager: Object level security allows you to secure an object directly by allowing or denying users access to the object. and roles to define access. or keeping it hidden from all users.6. You might want an object to be visible only to one selected group or role. in your project you might have a Salary query subject. all objects in the model are visible to everyone who has access to the package. In doing so. For example. In cases of conflicting access.
For example. Select the users. You can also click Add to add new users. group or role. or role by completing one of the following steps: – To deny access to a user.6. or roles that you want to change. 2. Remember that Deny takes priority over Allow. Specify security rights for each user. 4. Click OK. group. or roles. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 125 . In the middle pane. group. and click Delete. Click the object that you want to secure. 3. 2. To accomplish this. 3. – To grant access to a user. create and add members to a Sales Managers and Camping Equipment Reps groups. sales managers at the Great Outdoors company want to ensure that Camping Equipment sales representatives see only orders that relate to the Camping Equipment product line. select Deny next to the name of the user. 4. In the Project Viewer. groups. Then apply a security filter to the Products query subject to restrict their access to camping equipment data. Chapter 4. and from the Actions menu. select Allow.2 Row level security You can restrict the data that is returned by query subjects in a project by using security filters. group or role. A security filter controls the data that is shown to users when they author their reports. double-click the Packages folder to give it focus in the Explorer. click Explorer. groups. A list of all packages and any security objects that are applied in the model display. To remove object level security from the model: 1.There are two basic approaches to implementing object level security in your model: Allow access to all objects and then restrict access to certain objects as required Restrict access to all objects and then grant access as required To add object level security: 1. Select any of the security objects that you want to remove from the model. click Specify Object Security.
click OK to return to IBM Cognos Framework Manager. Click the package that you want to edit. These options allow you to either select an existing filter from your model to use or define the expression for a new filter. Create. although they can still view saved report outputs if they have access to the reports. or roles. click the Permissions tab. add users. 4. If you want to base the group on an existing group. c. Users without these permissions are denied access. 3. click the Based On column.1 Handbook . 2. Click Add Groups. 2. If you want to add a filter to a group.6. To modify access to your package after it has been published: 1. 3.3 Package level security Package access refers to the ability to use the package in one of the IBM Cognos BI studios or to run a report that uses the package from IBM Cognos Connection. In IBM Cognos Connection. You can also grant administrative access to packages for those users who might be required to republish a package. add or remove groups or roles as required. In the Select Users and Groups window. If a group or role is based on another group or role. click OK.Multiple groups or roles: If a user belongs to multiple groups or roles. To specify row level security: 1. the security filter that is associated with these roles are joined together with ORs. 4. 126 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. in the Filter column. and from the Actions menu click Package Edit Package Settings to invoke IBM Cognos Connection in a new window. Click the query subject with which you want to work. the security filters are joined together with ANDs. In the Select Users and Groups window. You define package level security during the publish process the first time the package is published. groups. 4. b. After you modify the package access permissions. and from the Action menu click Specify Data Security. To add new users: a. click either Create/Edit Embedded filter or Insert from Model.
you can verify query path and join conditions and determine if elements of the query are being processed locally by comparing the Cognos and Native SQL.1 Examine the SQL When testing query objects in IBM Cognos Framework Manager.7.7 Model troubleshooting tips This section provides some tips for troubleshooting your models. This issue might be due to unsupported functions in the vendor database. Any warning or error messages generated are recorded here.4. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 127 . You can also select the Response sub-tab in the Query Information tab to view the request and response sequence to and from the data source. Items that appear in the Cognos SQL but are not replicated in the Native SQL indicate that additional processing of the data is required on the IBM Cognos servers. Chapter 4. Viewing this information can be a useful way to verify expected results and can be a valuable troubleshooting technique to help you debug a model. In particular. 4. you can view the SQL that is generated for the query on the Query Information tab.
and click Test. Test the results. Right-click a query subject or multiple selected query items.1 Handbook .To test a query and examine the generated SQL: 1. Figure 4-95 Query Information tab 128 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. and then click the Query Information tab to view the SQL generated for the query as shown in Figure 4-95. 2.
3. the response. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 129 . click Show Object Dependencies. select Show Object ID. and any warning messages that were generated.7. 2. The objects that depend on the selected object display under Dependent objects. In the Project Viewer. 3. as shown in Figure 4-96. Chapter 4. click the Response tab. click an object.2 Object dependencies You can find objects easily that depend on other objects or show the dependencies of a child object. To show the object identifier for the dependent objects. To determine object dependencies: 1. From the Tools menu. To view the request. Figure 4-96 Response tab 4.
Click the double down arrow button to show the search criteria boxes. 130 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. 2. In the Search String field. The Condition box determines how the Search string value is matched with text in the model. 3. use the equals condition. type the text that you want to find. To search the model: 1. Click a child object under the parent object. or mixed case strings. such as the location. Valid wildcard characters are an asterisk (*) and a question mark (?). You can drag the Tools pane to the bottom of the IBM Cognos Framework Manager window and resize it to have a better view of the search results.1 Handbook . In the “Class” list. click Tools. If the Tools pane is not visible. it can be difficult to locate the objects that you need to complete a task. 6.4. or a property. click the plus sign (+) beside the object that contains the child object. 5. Use the Context Explorer window by right-clicking an object and selecting Show Object Dependencies.3 Search the model When working with a large project. Use the Analyze Publish Impact window by clicking the Show Dependencies icon under Actions in the row that contains the object. Use the Search tab to find objects quickly by applying different search criteria. In the Tools pane. select the part of the model hierarchy that you want to search. a condition. the class. 4. It contains a list of possible search conditions. In the “Search in” list. click the Search tab. The objects that depend on the child object display under Dependent objects. The search is not case sensitive. from the View menu. You can also show object dependencies using the following methods: Use the Project Viewer by right-clicking an object and selecting Show Object Dependencies. select the single class of objects that you want to search. You can use uppercase. 5. If the selected object has children and you want to see the dependencies for a child object. In the “Condition” list. select a condition to apply to the search string. lowercase.7. 4. If you want to search using wildcard characters.
The Text Properties property searches the set of properties that contain text strings. If you select Subset. 8. The Object Name property restricts the search to the name of each object. such as Description or Screen Tip. After you do one search. Now that you have seen the basics of developing a simple IBM Cognos Framework Manager model. Click Search. it is a good idea to augment this knowledge with formal training to ensure the success of your IBM Cognos BI project. The Subset option is cleared after each search. the next search operates on the existing search results. right-click an object in the Search tab. For the remainder of the book. Chapter 4. Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager 131 . and click Locate in Diagram. The (All Properties) property searches all properties. The results are listed at the bottom of the Search tab. select the type of property that you want to search. click an object in the Search tab. 10. the Subset check box becomes available.To see an object in the diagram. The model that we describe in this chapter is just a small subset of the more robust sample models that ship with the product. but not the object name. To see an object in the Project Viewer.7. we use the sample models that ship with the product to demonstrate authoring business intelligence reports and analysis in IBM Cognos BI. In the “Property” list. 9.
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Companies today have various applications that produce large amount of data. we discuss how to deliver this information to users to help them answer key business questions.5 Chapter 5. In addition. It can be a challenge to transform all this data into complete. “Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager” on page 33. such as data about their competition. Business intelligence simplified: An overview In Chapter 4. and at the same time to collaborate with other members of the team. they have access to information outside their companies. All rights reserved. we discuss the following topics in this chapter: Information delivery leading practices Enabling access for more people Business use case © Copyright IBM Corp. and information from websites. In this chapter. we discussed metadata modelling. 135 . 2010. which creates packages to include all that information that you need for reporting purposes. meaningful information therefore providing business intelligence. to have a unique perspective on data. As an introduction to how to achieve a successful business intelligence solution. Business users want to have freedom to combine and explore information.
so that a report contains one object. The IBM Cognos Business Insight workspace is designed to allow a user to focus on an area for analysis. if two lists are in the report List1 and List11. business users can use flexible dashboards and reports. reports that are added to a dashboard are focused and summarized. Each of the parts or components in a report has a default name. If saved output is included in a dashboard. When creating a new report for a dashboard. do not display in a Content unless you give them a name. 136 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. unlike production reporting. With IBM Cognos Business Insight. Use atomic-level reports or purpose built parts. With IBM Cognos Business Insight.1 Information delivery leading practices The IBM Cognos Business Intelligence (BI) product provides a unified. Turn off the headers and footers. that provides an at-a-glace view of business performance with a simple and visually compelling way of presenting data. Therefore. detailed reports with which the user does need to interact should not be included in an IBM Cognos Business Insight workspace. a dashboard needs to be an uncluttered display of relevant data. such as a list or chart. Business users can customize existing dashboards and change them in a way that answers their question or they can build completely new dashboards. because they can confuse the consumer. set the dashboard to open with the latest version. Keep reports and report parts that are candidates to be included in IBM Cognos Business Insight workspace in a specific series of folders so that they can be found easily. You can include any report in IBM Cognos Business Insight. To achieve this goal. Prompts do not have a default name and. However. you can use saved output as part of the workspace. or execute the report. consider the following recommended approaches: Use reports that focus on data that is of interest to the user.1 Handbook . build reports at an atomic level.5. the default name is typically List1 or. interactive workspace for business users to create their view on data by combining all types of information and to personalize content to provide unique insights and to deliver faster business decisions. users can change the version that they want to see. For Lists. Change the default names of parts or components. as such. From the user perspective. A good practice is to change the default names to a name that is more meaningful to users. which is typically static in nature. Use saved output or views.
Use My Favorites. for example the year. Chapter 5. as long as they share the same caption or dimension. you can use that prompt to apply a filter to that report only. When using a chart to represent the data. add them to My Favorites. avoid multi-color backgrounds or third-dimensions added to bars or lines unless these features provide meaningful information. so try not to overlap them. This option typically renders smaller results that fit better in a workspace. and use appropriately-sized widgets. Use the “Fit all Widgets to Window” option after you add all the widgets to the dashboard. you can save a report widget to a PDF file and then print the PDF file. try using the URL and adding /m to the URL to get the mobile version (for example. can respond to a year selected from the first report. or you can press Ctrl+P to use the web browser to print the information that is displayed on the screen. If you want to see multiple dashboards at the same time. You can use one prompt to apply the same filter to more than one report on the workspace. You cannot print a dashboard directly from IBM Cognos Business Insight. You can create several different types of reports and then use them in the dashboard. For quick access to the dashboards that you use on a regular basis.Do not overwhelm users with charts. Alternatively. Use workarounds for the dashboard printing. However. After you save them. we discuss each of these reports in detail. Reuse prompts. When using a web page in a workspace. display only the data that is relevant for the users. if a report contains a date prompt. the other reports that have dates. Use multiple dashboards. Also. you need to open IBM Cognos Business Insight in chrome mode (with the web browser showing toolbars and menus). do not make a widget bigger than it needs to be.com/m). For that purpose. Avoid overlapping hidden widgets.ibm. Widgets can get “hidden” under other widgets. www. Business intelligence simplified: An overview 137 . you can open the favorite dashboard or report from the Getting Started Page or the Content tab. Use mobile support. For example. In the next sections. use the multi-tab option of the web browser. For example.
1. add summaries. However. Measures define that data is reported. 5.1 List reports A list report is a type of report that displays detailed information. 138 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1. such as revenue. Figure 5-1 shows an example of a simple list report.5. You can add any data that can be aggregated to the body of the crosstab as a measure. such as product orders or a customer list. or as in Figure 5-2. or you can report on more than one measure. Figure 5-2 Crosstab report You can create a nested crosstab by adding more than one item to rows or columns. You can also group data in a list report by one or more columns. Figure 5-2 shows a crosstab report. where each column shows all the values for that item in the database. quantity.2 Crosstabs Like list reports. return quantity. or include headers or footers to provide additional information.1 Handbook . the values at the intersection points of rows and columns show summarized information rather than detailed information. crosstab reports (also called matrix reports) are reports that show data in rows and columns. Figure 5-1 Simple list report A list report shows data in rows and columns.
5. and bar charts use horizontal objects. They reveal trends and relationships between values that are not evident in lists or crosstab reports. This type of chart is useful when you want to see how individual values are ranked from highest to lowest level where sorted column or bar charts are best. These charts make it easy to compare individual values just by comparing the heights or lengths of two bars. Business intelligence simplified: An overview 139 . Chapter 5. we discuss the various chart types and give suggestions about when to use each of them. Column and bar charts These charts show trends over time or compare discrete data. For example..1. you can create a report that visually compares actual sales and planned sales or that shows the percentage share of product lines in the total revenue of the company. Column charts present data using vertical objects.
1 Handbook . Figure 5-3 Simple column chart You can use more complex bar or column charts to display part-to-whole relationships as a stacked bar chart. as shown in Figure 5-4. Figure 5-4 Stacked bar chart 140 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.Figure 5-3 shows a simple column chart.
Figure 5-5 Line chart Chapter 5.Line. Figure 5-5 shows the distribution of gross profit over all the months in a year for different order methods. but instead of using columns they plot data at regular points and connect them by lines. For example. area. and point charts Line charts are similar to column charts. Business intelligence simplified: An overview 141 . If you are interested only in a trend line but not individual values or when you are comparing many data series. this chart is a good choice.
Figure 5-6 Area chart As for column and bar charts. it is best not to use stacked line charts because they are difficult to distinguish from unstacked line charts when there are multiple data series. Figure 5-6 shows the line chart shown in Figure 5-6 as an area chart. 142 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Typically. instead of having lines.You can accomplish the same result with the area chart where.1 Handbook . you can use complex area charts (stacked area charts) to show the relationship of parts to the whole. areas below the lines are filled with colors or patterns.
Figure 5-7 Point chart Chapter 5. but the points on the chart are not connected with lines.Another variation of a line chart is a point chart. Figure 5-7 shows an example of a point chart. Business intelligence simplified: An overview 143 . A point chart is similar to a line chart. Just the data points are shown.
Figure 5-8 shows a combination chart that displays revenue and gross profit for marketing campaigns. They plot multiple data series using columns. or lines all within one chart. areas.1 Handbook . They are useful for highlighting relationships between the various data series.Combination charts Combination charts are a combination of the charts mentioned previously. Figure 5-8 Combination chart 144 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.
for example in upper-left corner. indicating positive or negative correlation Randomness: Points arranged randomly. For example.Scatter. Their purpose is to show correlations between two sets of data (measures). which indicates many product or product lines with a small number of items sold and a high number of returns Exceptions: Points stand out from the remaining pattern. as in the previous chart example In this chart. and quadrant charts Scatter and bubble charts plot two measures along the same scale. bubble. indicating anomalies.. the Outdoor Protection product line has a higher number of returns than other product lines. Business intelligence simplified: An overview 145 . Figure 5-9 shows the relationship between quantity sold and return quantity for each product line. Chapter 5. indicating that there is no correlation between two measures Concentrations: Points appear in particular area of the chart.
000 and 20. such as strengths. You can create more complex bubble (or scatter) charts by adding a forth measure to the chart by specifying that the data point appears in different colors based on that measure. Figure 5-10 Bubble chart Quadrant charts are in fact bubble charts with a background that is divided into four equal sections. You can change the size of the quadrants. weaknesses.000. These charts are used usually for showing financial data.000 (yellow) or greater than 20.000. opportunities. Figure 5-10 shows an example of a chart with a correlation between Unit Sale Price and Unit Cost. and threats (a SWOT) analysis. 146 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. The size of the bubbles shows the Gross Profit and the color of the bubbles shows whether the quantity is less than 1.000 (green). Note that bubble charts are not supported for Microsoft Excel output.000.000 (red) between 1. Legacy quadrant charts use baselines to create quadrants. You can use quadrant charts to present data that can be categorized into quadrants.1 Handbook . and current default charts use colored regions.000.Bubble charts are similar to scatter charts but contain one additional piece of information—the size of the bubble represents the third measure.
Business intelligence simplified: An overview 147 . Figure 5-11 Quadrant chart Chapter 5.Figure 5-11 shows an example of the quadrant chart.
Also. pie charts are not a good choice for a chart if you have measures that have zero or negative values. To show actual values. Figure 5-12 Pie chart Note that reports in PDF format or HTML format show a maximum of 16 pie charts.1 Handbook . Figure 5-12 shows a pie chart showing proportions of advertising costs. 148 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. a stacked bar chart or a column chart (as shown in Figure 5-4 on page 140) provides a better option.Pie and donut charts Pie and donut charts are used to show the relationship of parts to the whole by using segments of a circle.
and poor. Figure 5-13 Bullet chart Because they deliver compact information and do not need too much space on a dashboard. Business intelligence simplified: An overview 149 . Figure 5-14 Combination of a bullet chart and a list report Chapter 5. Bullet charts shows a primary measure. such as good.Bullet charts Bullet charts are one variation of a bar charts. you can add bullet charts to other report objects. as in Figure 5-13. in comparison to one or more other measures. satisfactory. It also relates the compared measures against colored regions in the background that provide additional qualitative measurements. such as list reports as shown in Figure 5-14.
and each value is compared to a colored data range. Figure 5-15 Gauge chart 150 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. These charts are usually used to show the KPIs in executive dashboards. Gauge charts are a better option than a bullet chart in the case where you need to compare more than two values (measures). Note that PDF output and HTML output of reports are limited to show up to 16 gauge charts. Figure 5-15 shows how to compare three measures (product cost. These charts are not available for Microsoft Excel output.1 Handbook .Gauge charts Gauge charts (also known as dial charts or speedometer charts) are similar to bullet charts in that they also compare multiple measures but use needles to show values. Reading a value from a gauge chart is as easy as reading a value on a dial. and revenue) on the same gauge chart. planned revenue.
Figure 5-16 shows an example of a Pareto chart showing the gross profit (in millions) for regions by product lines. They include a cumulation line that shows the percentage of the accumulated total of all the columns or bars.Pareto charts Pareto charts rank categories from the most frequent to the least frequent. Business intelligence simplified: An overview 151 . so that you can identify and reduce the primary cause of problems. use these charts for quality control data.
2.500. These charts are not supported for Microsoft Excel output.Progressive column charts Progressive charts (or waterfall charts) are a variation of column or stacked charts.000.000.. with each segment of a single tack displaced vertically from the next segment. Progressive charts.000.1 Handbook .000. are useful for emphasizing the contribution of the individual segments to the whole. Figure 5-17 shows the contribution of each Product Line to Gross Profit (in millions).000 Camping Equipment Positive Values Gross profit (in millions) 1.000 1.000 500.000.
Figure 5-18 Marimekko chart Chapter 5.Marimekko charts Marimekko charts are stacked charts in which the width of a column is proportional to the total of the column’s values. Business intelligence simplified: An overview 153 . Figure 5-18 shows the contribution of return quantity of returned items for product lines by order methods. Individual segment height is a percentage of the respective column total value.
for example the months that have revenue over a certain threshold. Figure 5-20 Win-loss chart 154 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Figure 5-19 shows an example of a radar chart that compares revenue by product lines for different retailers. as shown in Figure 5-20. Figure 5-19 Radar chart Win-loss charts Win-loss charts are microcharts that use the following measures: The default measure The win-loss measure The win-loss measure is the measure or calculation that you define.1 Handbook . You can use these charts for visualizing the win-loss trends. if necessary.Radar charts Radar charts compare several values along multiple axis that start at the center of the chart forming a radial figure. This type of chart is also useful for spotting anomalies or outliers. You can also define the default measure. These charts are useful if you want to compare a couple of variations against the same set of variables or to compare multiple measures.
Figure 5-21 Polar chart Chapter 5. Business intelligence simplified: An overview 155 . Figure 5-21 shows the revenue and quantity for each product line. The distance along the radial axis represents quantity.Polar charts Polar charts are circular charts that use values and angles to show information as polar coordinates. and the angle around the polar axis represents revenue.
1 Handbook . you can add a baseline to show a sales target (see Figure 5-22) or break-even point. For example. area. A trendline is typically a line or curve that connects or passes through two or more points in the series. and scatter charts..Baselines and trendlines Baselines or trendlines provide additional details on a chart. 156 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. displaying a trend. You can add trendlines to bar. line. Each baseline represents a value on an axis. Baselines are horizontal or vertical lines that cut through a chart to indicate major divisions in the data. bubble.
for data values that fluctuate and you want to smooth out the exceptions to see trends Chapter 5. for data values that both increase and decrease (as in example in Figure 5-23) Logarithm. for data values that increase or decrease along a straight line at a constant rate (for example revenue that increases over time period) Polynomial. Figure 5-23 Example of a trendline added to a chart The following trendlines are available: Linear. Business intelligence simplified: An overview 157 . for data values that increase or decrease rapidly and then level out Moving average.Figure 5-23 shows an example of adding a polynomial trendline to a chart displaying revenue by product lines over time to see the trend.. It sells products from third-party manufacturers to resells.3 Business use case Chapter 3.1 Handbook . IBM Cognos Business Insight uses both Microsoft Windows navigation keys (such as F1 for online help or Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V for copy and paste) and application-specific shortcut keys. For a complete list of supported shortcut keys.2 Enabling access for more people IBM Cognos BI includes features to create reports that are more accessible to people with a physical disability. do we need to discontinue some products? The Great Outdoors company does not manufacture its own products. IBM Cognos Business Insight uses Web Accessibility Initiative . In the following chapters.Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA). we address some questions from the Great Outdoors executives and provide relevant information to help them get better insight into their business performance and ultimately get better decisions: Are we selling the right products. IBM Cognos Business Insight supports your system’s display settings.5. such as restricted mobility or limited vision. refer to IBM Cognos Business Insight User Guide. Major accessibility features in IBM Cognos Business Insight are: Use of command keys or shortcut keys to navigate through the workspace. WAI-ARIA ensures that people with limited vision can use screen-reader software along with a digital speech synthesizer to listen to displayed information. “Business scenario and personas used in this book” on page 21 describes the fictitious Great Outdoors company scenario that we use throughout this book. such as a high-contrast display. Shortcut keys directly trigger an action. 5.. to our dashboards? Or information about our competitors that is publicly available? Or reports from a stock exchange or currency exchange rates from a bank internet site? How successful are our promotions? The marketing department is responsible for organizing campaigns and promotions. What are the most successful campaigns? Maybe we can focus on them in all Great Outdoors company regions? Chapter 5. Business intelligence simplified: An overview 159 . We need information about achieved revenue and profit.
160 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook .
we introduce IBM Cognos Business Insight. 161 . Individual and collaborative user experience In this chapter. In this chapter. All rights reserved.6 Chapter 6. the web-based interface that allows you to build sophisticated. interactive dashboards that provide insight and that facilitate collaborative decision making. 2010. we discuss the following topics: Dashboard overview Introduction to IBM Cognos Business Insight Interaction with the dashboard components Collaborative business intelligence © Copyright IBM Corp.
For business users. Pro activity and collaboration Business users can take action directly from within the dashboard using collaboration and workflow integration. Information is consolidated and arranged in a way that makes it easy to monitor. Assembling information from various different sources Dashboards combine data from various different data sources (enterprise resource planning systems. Different users have different understandings of what a dashboard is and how it should look. In addition. different data marts.6. Business users can use a free-form layout to add dashboard elements such as reports. such as websites or RSS feeds. they can interact with reports to sort or filter data. properties that are in common for all dashboards can be summarized in following key features: At-a-glace view of business performance A dashboard is a visual display of the most important information about business performance. or slider filters. It has to be intuitive and interactive to allow business users to personalize content to fit their needs. and to change list or crosstab reports to a chart or vice versa. a dashboard is the key to understanding trends or spotting anomalies in performance. to add additional calculation. Nevertheless. based on their business needs. images.1 Handbook . dashboards can contain non-business intelligence data. customer relationship management. Visibility on non-business intelligence content In addition to a variety of reports.1 Dashboard overview Dashboard is a term that is used commonly in the context of business analytics and that is a popular way of presenting important information. Interactivity and personalization A dashboard is more than just a static set of reports. textual objects. 162 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. data warehouses. RSS feeds. They can collaborate with team members to make decisions. and so forth) to give users a complete view on business performance.
When you launch IBM Cognos Business Insight directly in a web browser by entering a URL.6. that user can also make changes to it. If a business user has permission to access a particular dashboard. If you use any of the other options to launch IBM Cognos Business Insight.2 Introduction to IBM Cognos Business Insight IBM Cognos Business Insight is a web-based user interface that allows you to open or edit a dashboard or to create a dashboard. it opens in chromeless mode. Individual and collaborative user experience 163 . and chromeless mode does not these elements.cgi?b_action=icd You can open an IBM Cognos Business Insight interface in two modes: Chrome mode Chromeless mode Chrome mode includes the toolbars and menus of a web browser. No read-only dashboards: You cannot create a read-only version of a dashboard. it opens in chrome mode. Chapter 6. .Figure 6-1 shows the user interface.
2 Application bar The application bar displays the name of the current dashboard and contains the icons for different actions that you can perform in the dashboard layout area. 6. you can access the Action Menu. Individual and collaborative user experience 165 . If you do not want this page to display when you launch IBM Cognos Business Insight..2. change the layout.1 The Getting Started page Figure 6-2 shows the page that opens when you launch IBM Cognos Business Insight. or search for content. disable it using the My Preferences menu option.2. send an email or collaboration. create a dashboard. In the following examples.6. we demonstrate the features of some of these Chapter 6. the page closes. open an existing dashboard. For example.
and RSS feeds). this view is unavailable The Toolbox tab includes the following types of widgets that are provided by IBM Cognos Business Insight: – Widgets that can add additional content to a business user’s workspace. Within the Content tab. In addition. and select value filters 166 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. otherwise. list. This content is the same content as in IBM Cognos Connection with My Folders (personal content and dashboards) and Public Folders (content that is of interest for many business users).4 Content pane The content pane contains all that objects that you can add to a workspace.2. You can display content in thumbnail.3 Dashboard layout area The dashboard layout area is the workspace on which you can combine data from different sources to gain insight into your business. refer to IBM Cognos Business Insight User Guide. For the complete list of available icons. images. 6. non-BI content (text. 6. or chart reports).icons. sliders. or RSS feeds – Widgets that allow you to filter already added content. or you can add filters to narrow the scope of the data (sliders or select value filters).. HTML pages. crosstabs.2. HTML content. you can enable or disable the display of information cards and refresh the display to get the current content. It is includes the following tabs: The Content tab displays IBM Cognos content in a hierarchy of folders and subfolders with dashboards that you can open and reports that you can add to a workspace. such as images. You can add various widgets with BI content (lists.1 Handbook . or tree view.
Individual and collaborative user experience 167 .5 Widgets Widgets are containers for all objects that you can add to the workspace.2. You can change the manner in which content displays in a widget. if you have two report widgets that are created on the same dimensionally-modelled data source. how the links in a widget are opened. TrailChef Campaign Seeker Campaign Rising Star Campaign Revenue Gross profit Campaign name Outdoor Protection Campaign Hibernator Campaign Extreme Campaign EverGlow Campaign Course Pro Campaign Canyon Mule Campaign Big Rock Campaign 0 40. For example. language. top-level location where the navigation begins.000. as shown in Figure 6-3. a variety of toolbar options are available. You can specify the title. and so forth. Alternatively. an on demand toolbar displays. Chapter 6. For business users.000. when the data in one report is changed. you can use the slider filter to filter the data dynamically in one or more report widgets. When you select a widget or it is in focus. widgets allow the interaction and manipulation with the content that they contain.6. the second report is updated based on user interactions in the first report. summarized or detailed view. Depending on the type and content of a widget. whether it is a report or a filter.000 80.000 Figure 6-3 A widget with the on demand toolbar Widgets can communicate with other widgets.
If you add the entire report with several report parts to a dashboard. drill through. Each 168 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. It is leading practice to use report parts whenever possible instead of entire reports to improve the layout and usability of dashboards. we discuss each of these widgets and when and how you can use them. or chart) to a workspace. which is not the best choice for a dashboard.1 Handbook . For any other IBM Cognos Metric Studio content that you add. If IBM Cognos Metric Studio is installed and configured as part of your IBM Cognos BI environment.There are two types of widgets inside IBM Cognos Business Insight: Content widgets Toolbox widgets In the following sections. This section describes the content widgets. Content widgets You can use content widgets when adding IBM Cognos content to the Content tab of a workspace. historical data for the metric displays in a form of a bar chart. the content displays as a list of metrics for the selected item. Reports parts are smaller and provide consolidated information for business users. A report widget includes the following reports: IBM Cognos Report Studio IBM Cognos Query Studio IBM Cognos Analysis Studio IBM Cognos Metric Studio Report views and saved report output versions Reports objects that contain prompts. all report parts that include the header and the footer are added to a single widget. and navigation are supported.. Report widget Business users use the report widget to add reports or individual report parts (for example list.
Support for reports in HTML format: IBM Cognos Business Insight supports only report versions that are saved in HTML format. PowerPlay widget If IBM Cognos PowerPlay Studio is installed and configured as part of your IBM Cognos BI environment. Users can choose to view the saved report output versions (by default. a IBM Cognos PowerPlay Studio report displays in HTML format.metric in the list has a hyperlink that opens the individual metric in IBM Cognos Metric Studio. you can navigate to IBM Cognos PowerPlay Studio content in the Content tab and add IBM Cognos PowerPlay Studio reports to a dashboard using this widget. If business users do not have a need for the most current data in some reports. they can use report output versions in report widgets. For example. We use some of these actions in examples later in this chapter. “Work with report versions and watch rules” on page 207). you can change the title of a widget.3. When added to a workspace.6. You can change several properties of a report widget using the widget Actions Menu button. or the report specification. Users can also create watch rules based on specific conditions and thresholds for a given report version (see 6. it is the latest saved output version) or the live version of the report. the maximum number of rows per page. but you can also view the report in PDF format. Chapter 6. Communication note: IBM Cognos PowerPlay Studio report content does not interact with the slider filter and select value filter widgets. Widget-to-widget communication is also not supported. the location. Individual and collaborative user experience 169 . For details about all properties that are available refer to the IBM Cognos Business Insight User Guide.
By default. you can add applications that are developed in TM1 to a workspace Cube Viewer widgets listen to each other.
TM1 objects are displayed in HTML format in a dedicated TM1 Viewer widget with TM1 toolbar buttons on top of the widget. as shown in Figure 6-4. Figure 6-4 TM1 widget Chapter 6. Individual and collaborative user experience 171 .
TM1 Navigation Viewer is incorporated in the Content pane and is not available as separate widget. which is Applications and Views.1 Handbook . as shown in Figure 6-5. Figure 6-5 Example of TM1 Navigation Viewer You can add only the individual TM1 content objects to a workspace (that is. Cube Views. The Views folder contains original TM1 Cubes and TM1 Cube views objects. not the entire folders. or TM1 Contributors). TM1 Websheet objects. and the Applications folder has more sub-folders. or TM1 Cube Views® objects. Entire TM1 content is located in a folder in the Content pane with two main folder at the highest level of the tree. 172 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. TM1 Websheets.
Individual and collaborative user experience 173 . packages. we describe the toolbox widgets. The image can also be used as a link. Chapter 6. In this section. Web page widget This widget displays HTML based content such as a Web page on a dashboard. either to add additional information or to filter the content of existing widgets in the workspace. Using the web page widget: You must add the web page URL to the trusted domain list as defined in the IBM Cognos Configuration tool. Image widget This widget displays the image on the dashboard. Using the image widget: You must add the image URL to the trusted domain list as defined in the IBM Cognos Configuration tool. For example. you can configure the image widget to broadcast a specified URL in the web page widget or a new browser window when the image is clicked. as shown in Figure 6-6. and reports. The image must be a single file that is accessible by a URL.
You can specify how these links open in the web page widget or whether the web page widget listens to broadcasts from the RSS feed widget automatically.My Inbox widget This widget displays an RSS feed of a user’s secure approval requests. For example. because the valid RSS feed link opens an XML file. ad-hoc tasks. or customers. RSS feed widget This widget displays the content of a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) or an Atom news feed that is specified by a URL address. as shown in Figure 6-7. not a web page. you can narrow the scope of data. you can filter on the product line or region. The specified URL must point to a valid RSS or Atom feed and not a web page. which makes reports easier to read. and notification requests from My Inbox in IBM Cognos Connection. Text widget You can use this widget to display text on the dashboard. product lines.1 Handbook . Select value filter widget You can use this widget to filter report data dynamically on the report widgets that you added to a workspace previously. 174 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Figure 6-7 Select value filter widget Select value filter widgets are useful in a situation when you have several reports on a dashboard that show data by a variety of locations. With these filters. subsidiaries. Using the RSS feed widget: You must add the RSS or Atom feed URL to the trusted domain list as defined in the IBM Cognos Configuration tool. The RSS or Atom channel includes a list of links to specific web pages.
a bar chart shows returned quantity by product lines. You can also filter the reports on data items that are not shown in the report. for example just some specific product lines or years. You must include the data item or items based on the items that you want to filter in the report query. you can filter the chart by years. you can choose whether users can select single or multiple values in the filter widget. Therefore. The report must be authored in a way that allows this type of filtering. However. Figure 6-8 Filter report based on data that is not displayed You can specify the list of values that you want in a select value filter. In addition. because the report was authored in the manner that we described previously. Selecting data for the filter: It is not possible to select one data item for more than one filter. For example. as shown in Figure 6-8. Chapter 6. you can select data items that you can filter with the corresponding report widget to which the items belong. additional data items must exist in the initial query (but do not have to display on the chart or crosstab) and in this separate query. Individual and collaborative user experience 175 .When adding a select value filter. and you must name the filter _BusinessInsight_.
changing a pie chart to a bar chart. which is similar to the select value filter. Regardless of your selection. Thus. to filter report data dynamically. or share information with the other members of the team.Slider filter widget You can use this widget.1 Handbook . this widget can filter single values or value range. you can view and interact with reports. Then. Figure 6-9 Slider filter widget As with a select value filter. sorting data easily to see how 176 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.3 Interaction with the dashboard components Dashboards created with IBM Cognos Business Insight allow business users an integrated business intelligence experience together with collaborative decision making. All dashboards are editable. These needs might include rearranging the layout. Depending on the settings of the slider filter. 6. Users have different needs for reports and data. you can filter data based on values that are not displayed on report widgets. if business users have permission to access a particular dashboard. you can choose whether to open an existing dashboard or create a dashboard. For example. business users can personalize the dashboards to fit specific needs. in the workspace that opens (either an empty dashboard or a dashboard that contains widgets). they can also change it.3. you can also choose the data items on which to filter reports. such as revenue and quantity. sort data or perform additional calculations. In addition. you can add and rearrange new widgets. Users can complete a wide variety of tasks quickly and easily.1 Personalize content When launching IBM Cognos Business Insight. This type of filtering is especially useful when filtering on a data range (see Figure 6-9) or numeric items. 6. so they can make use of the free-form layout and can rearrange reports or add new reports. Advanced business users or report authors can create reports and basic dashboards for a group of business users to include all information that is necessary for that group of users to work.
marketing data. and searching for an additional report and adding it to a workspace. Chapter 6. Our goal is to create a dashboard for Great Outdoors company executives and business users that combines all the relevant information that is needed to gain better insight into business performance of the company. as shown in Figure 6-10. On the My Actions pane click Create my dashboards to open a Getting Started Page of IBM Cognos Business Insight. sales forecasting. Lynn Cope is an Advanced Business User in the Great Outdoors company. Individual and collaborative user experience 177 . She begins by opening the current version of the GO Sales Dashboard. Open the IBM Cognos Connection using the following URL: 2. she interacts with the reports. Her role is to enable senior management to have access to all relevant information in a dashboard. The dashboard must include data about sales performance as well as product returns. and click GO Sales Initial Dashboard. We demonstrate the unified business experience that IBM Cognos Business Insight provides to using the fictional Great Outdoors (GO) company scenario that we introduced in Chapter 3. “Business scenario and personas used in this book” on page 21. and external data. creates additional calculations. On this page. and removing reports that are redundant. She uses the IBM Cognos Business Insight interface to create and change dashboards. and adds filters to allow users to narrow the scope of data. making some changes on the layout. Later. Open the Business Insight folder. To begin this scenario: 1. In this scenario. including data that is relevant for the users. you can create a new existing dashboard. Open an existing dashboard to change it by clicking Open Existing and navigating to the folder where you imported the deployment archive that is provided in the additional material that is supplied with this book. but is missing in the current version of a dashboard.measures are ranked from highest to lowest values.
shown in Figure 6-11.1 Handbook . Figure 6-11 GO Sales Initial Dashboard opens in Business Insight 178 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. The GO Sales Initial Dashboard opens.Figure 6-10 Getting Started Page: Open an existing dashboard 3. Click Open.
click Show Titles as shown in Figure 6-12.4. you should see the cursor in a shape shown in Figure 6-13 on page 180. Right-click. On the Application bar. You can show or hide the titles of all widgets on a dashboard. and drag the widget to another Chapter 6. By default. you can rearrange the layout of a dashboard. while hovering over the Application bar. By taking a closer look at data in a report. Individual and collaborative user experience 179 . click Layout and Style. the titles are hidden. b. select it. To show titles: a. and then click Edit Dashboard Style. To move a widget. Figure 6-12 Turning on the titles 5. Showing titles: It is not possible to show the titles of just selected widgets. In the Edit Dashboard Style window. You usually want titles hidden so they do not take much space on a dashboard. Then. turn on the titles on the widgets. Change the places of the Gross profit by Region and Revenue Planned versus Actual widgets. To better understand the information shown in each report.
location on the dashboard. Figure 6-13 Moving a widget 6.1 Handbook . Notice that you have reports that show almost the same data and that you need space on the dashboard for additional reports. These lines provide a visual aid to assist you in aligning widgets. Rearrange the widgets so that they do not overlap. Dotted guidelines display on the dashboard when you insert. To make room for additional reports. or resize widgets. move. 7. remove the Return Quantity by Products and Order 180 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.
and then click Remove from Dashboard. as shown in Figure 6-14. When prompted. click Remove. click Widgets Action. Click the widget.Methods report. Figure 6-14 Deleting a widget Chapter 6. Individual and collaborative user experience 181 .
Using a column chart instead of a pie chart makes it easier to compare values for different product lines. as shown in Figure 6-15. Right-click the widget. change the display type for the Return Quantity by Product Lines report.1 Handbook . Turn off the widget titles in the same way as described in Step 4 on page 179.8. 182 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Clear the “Show titles” option. Next. Figure 6-15 Changing the display type 9. and select Change Display Type Column Chart.
2. you can add reports. You can use the IBM Cognos Business Insight enhanced search feature to find and add relevant content to the dashboard. report parts. “Widgets” on page 167. This feature is a full-text search similar to popular search engines. TM1 objects.5. Individual and collaborative user experience 183 .3. metric lists or individual metrics. Index note: IBM Cognos content must be indexed before you perform a search. Chapter 6. any object described in 6. Using the same method.The dashboard should now look as shown in Figure 6-16.2 Add new content to broaden the scope You can add new widgets to a dashboard by dragging them from the Content or Toolbox tabs. or in fact. Figure 6-16 Modified dashboard 6.
the result includes entries that contain all of the search keywords and entries that contain only one of the search keywords. keep in mind the following rules: Search results include only the entries for which you have permission to access at the time of the last index update. For example. use the following operators as you use them in other search engines: – A plus sign (+) – A minus sign (-) – Double quotation marks (“ ”) If a search term matches a specific item on a dashboard. When using more than one word in a search.When using the search capability. For example. if you enter camp. searching for report and Searches include word variations automatically. Searches look for matching prompts.1 Handbook . and other key fields. row names. Report returns the same result. headings. the dashboard is included in the search results. To modify this type of search. titles. 184 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Searches are not case-sensitive. but the individual item is not included. results also include camps and camping. column names.
When the search is complete. Individual and collaborative user experience 185 . Figure 6-17 Result of the search in IBM Cognos Business Insight Search note: In addition to the IBM Cognos content. the results are ranked according to the search term match relevance. Chapter 6. as shown in Figure 6-17. you can search annotations and IBM Lotus Connections dashboard activities.
list. or pie chart The year of creation The owner of the object The metadata or packages that were used for to create this object Figure 6-18 Refine search option 186 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. or queries The type of report part. such as crosstab. such as dashboards. reports.1 Handbook .After a search is complete you can refine search results using the following filters (see Figure 6-18): Result Type Part Date Owner Metadata Shows only report parts or hides report parts The type of IBM Cognos object.
and drag it onto a dashboard. click Search Results for “promotion revenue” All Content as you shown in Figure 6-20. Among the search results. Locate the Search window in the upper-right corner of the IBM Cognos Business Insight user interface. and click GO Data Warehouse (query) to narrow the result set.Now. Refine the search by clicking Refine Search. To add this report: 1. She wants to add a report that contains marketing data for the Great Outdoors company promotions. A window opens next to the search results. To close a search and return to the standard Content view. and it now looks as shown in Figure 6-16 on page 183. Lynn Cope made changes to a dashboard. and press Enter. locate a Promotion Data (Revenue vs Gross Profit) report. as shown in Figure 6-19. Go to the Metadata section. 4. Figure 6-20 Closing a search Chapter 6. Figure 6-19 Search for objects containing “promotion revenue” 3. Individual and collaborative user experience 187 . including gross profit information. 5. 2. type promotion revenue. back to our scenario.
6. click Change color palette Jazz on the widget toolbar.1 Handbook . To change the color palette of the report. as shown in Figure 6-21. Figure 6-21 Changing the color palette of the widget 188 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.
In addition. you can sort lists. for example. We describe these features in this section.The dashboard now looks as shown in Figure 6-22. and you can filter data. you can add basic calculations using data in the report. you can interact with report widgets and apply custom sorting. Figure 6-22 Modified dashboard 6.3. crosstabs. based on an alphabetical or numeric value. Chapter 6. Individual and collaborative user experience 189 . Sorting data Sorting organizes data in either ascending or descending order. Sorting is useful when you want to see.3 Sort and filter data and perform calculations Apart from changes in the visual display of data in reports. the ranking. and charts. In IBM Cognos Business Insight. You can sort on a column that lists revenue in descending order to view revenue data from the highest to the lowest.
On the Revenue and sales target by region report. or IBM Cognos Query Studio. To sort this data: 1. In this scenario. click the information bar to see the current sorting on the report (as shown in Figure 6-23). with IBM Cognos Analysis Studio. she sorts the Revenue column to display the regions with the highest revenue at the top of the report. This sorting makes it easier for senior management to identify the best performing regions. sorted information for crosstabs does not displays in the information bar in the report widget.When sorting data. consider the following rules: For crosstab reports with sorting applied in IBM Cognos Report Studio. nested measures. Figure 6-23 Information bar with current sorting status 190 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Sorting by label is not available in crosstab reports for summary rows or columns. However. the sorted information displays in the information bar in the report widget. Sorting by value is not supported on the outer edges of a nested crosstab or in relational crosstabs.1 Handbook . Notice that the report is sorted in ascending order by the label Branch region. calculations. IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced. Lynn Cope wants to use the possibility to sort the data in the report on a dashboard. or rows and columns based on single dimensional members. For the Revenue and sales target by region report.
To sort the report on the Revenue column in descending order. Figure 6-24 Sorting column in a report The report now looks as shown in Figure 6-25. click Sort Descending on the toolbar.2. Then. click the Revenue column. Figure 6-25 Report with sorted column Chapter 6. Individual and collaborative user experience 191 . as shown in Figure 6-24.
to add one additional column (Gross Profit Margin=Gross Profit/Promotional Revenue). Next. to divide the values from two columns). add a column by clicking the “Promotion revenue” column. 2. The results are always based on the current data in the data source.Adding simple calculations In IBM Cognos Business Insight. Go to the Promotion Data (Revenue vs Gross Profit) report. and click Change Display Type List Table. First. pressing the Ctrl key on keyboard. follow these steps: a. and clicking the “Gross Profit” column. Calculation results: The results of calculation are not stored in the underlying data source. to insert an additional column with a default name of Gross profit/Promotion revenue.1 Handbook . IBM Cognos Business Insight includes the following calculations: Sum (+) Difference (-) Multiplication (*) Division (/) Difference (%) Performing more complete calculations: If you need to perform more complex calculations. 192 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. as shown in Figure 6-26. Instead. convert the chart to a list report. Click Calculate Gross Profit/Promotion Revenue. click Do More to open the report in IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced. To modify the report: 1. you can perform basic calculations for list and crosstab reports using data from one or more report items (for example. On the widget toolbar. and to filter the report to obtain only the campaigns that are the most profitable. IBM Cognos Business Insight reruns the calculation each time the report is refreshed. Lynn Cope wants to modify the Promotion Data (Revenue vs Gross Profit) report to convert the report to a list report.
right-click the column. To rename a column.Figure 6-26 Perform simple calculation b. To move the newly created column to the last position in a list report. Figure 6-27 Report with added calculated column c. Individual and collaborative user experience 193 . and click Rename. Chapter 6. The report now looks as shown in Figure 6-27. Enter Gross Profit Margin as the name. and click Move Right on the menu. right-click it.
use the Reset option on the widget Actions Menu button. If you want to revert to the original report. the changes are saved in this copy. and click Save to save this version of the dashboard. click Do More to open the report in IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced. only the data that meets the criteria of the filter displays. 194 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. you apply a sort or add a calculation). Using the Reset option: The Reset option is not available for saved output reports or for the reports where the original report was deleted or disabled. When the report content is reset. As shown in the previous example. After you open and change the report (for example. Click Actions Menu. Applying more detailed filtering: To apply more detailed filtering to the report.4).41119418. Next. Filtering Filtering is a way to narrow the scope of data in reports by removing unwanted data. but the original reports are not changed. Note that the changes that you made are saved with the dashboard when you save it. Right-click the Gross Profit Margin for Extreme Campaign (value 0. You cannot type the value manually.3. The report now looks as shown in Figure 6-28. narrow the data in a report and display only the campaigns with the high Gross Profit Margin (for example >0. Resize the report widget. You can only filter data by selecting values from a report. any changes that you made to the content are lost. Click Filter =0. a copy of each report widget is created for the saved dashboard.1 Handbook . 4.41119418). When you save a dashboard for the first time. Figure 6-28 Promotion Data report after filtering 5.
Figure 6-29 Information bar displaying applied filters Note that if you apply a filter or sort to data in a table report that is changed to a chart. You can filter the individual report widget using filter actions on numeric and non-numeric values. Chapter 6. User can filter the data on reports using one of the following options: Prompt Filter in individual report widget using filter actions Slider or select value filter You receive prompts to select the parameter values before the report runs. You can select multiple non-numeric values (in list reports within the same column and in crosstabs in column or row headings) on which to filter. for example the name of the campaign as shown in Figure 6-30 on page 196. All values are included in the condition. the information bar displays the filter and sort information in the chart. you can use the Include or Exclude conditions. When filtering on values that are non-numeric in a list or in crosstab reports. Individual and collaborative user experience 195 . you cannot filter on chart data in the report widget by using the filter actions from the report widget toolbar or context menu. the report is filtered. In the case of our previous example. Based on the parameter values that you select.You can find the information about all the filters that are applied to the report on the information bar. the applied filters look as shown in Figure 6-29. However.
or you can use Between and Not Between if two values are selected (see Figure 6-31). 196 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. >=) if only one value is selected. the filter is applied only to the selected report part within the report widget. >=.Figure 6-30 Filtering non-numeric data For numeric data you can use conditions (for example >. <.1 Handbook . a filter applied to one report part is also applied to the other. If the query is not shared. Figure 6-31 Filtering numeric data In case of compound reports that consist of more report parts. if all parts share the same query.
if you have a select value filter for regions. When you select a value on a filter widget. Thus. the report widget refreshes to display the filtered data items that you selected. click the delete icon next to the filter that you want to remove. as shown in Figure 6-32.4 Use advanced filtering Filtering data in the report widget using a slider widget or a select value filter widget filters data in all reports that communicate with that particular filter. 6. it filters all reports that have regions as a data item. Figure 6-32 Removing filter Note that you can delete only filters that are created using one of the following methods: The filter button The filter context menu The slider filter The select value filter You cannot remove filters applied in IBM Cognos Analysis Studio. We discuss advanced filtering using slider filters and select value filters in the next section.If you want to remove a filter from a report widget on the information bar. IBM Cognos Query Studio.3. Also. or IBM Cognos Report Studio in this manner. Individual and collaborative user experience 197 . it filters data only on those reports that communicate with that filter. Chapter 6.
the following types of widgets are available: A source widget is a widget that is broadcasting information. This filtering allows business users to narrow the scope of data and to focus on analyzing data for a specific region or to have a global overview on all regions. Filter widgets broadcast the information (sending the data based on your input or selection). Lynn Cope wants to add a select value filter for regions to make filtering easier for the users of the dashboard. After adding a select value filter. Lynn notices that the filter is impacting one report that she does not want to filter. report widgets can interact with each other and with filter widgets.1 Handbook . two report widgets listen to each other.Widget communication Communication between widgets in IBM Cognos Business Insight has an important role in understanding how filter widgets work. For example. The results of actions in the source widgets are shown in the associated target widgets. you might want a widget to listen to filter events and to not listen to drill events from another widget. Based on the type of interaction. an image widget can broadcast a specified URL in a web page widget when the image is clicked. you must disable the communication in the target widget. drilling in one report widget affects a drill in the other report widget. Report widgets can be both source and target widgets. A target widget is a widget that is listening to other widgets. In our business scenario. widgets communicate with each other. If they are based on the same dimensionally-modelled data source and if the report contains items from the same hierarchy. By default. She needs to modify the communication between these widgets to change this behavior. You can also choose to disable some widget events while leaving other widget events enabled. For example. By default. For example. Using filter widgets Filter widgets are especially useful if you have several reports on a dashboard that share the same data items. If you do not want a target widget to receive information from any or all source widgets. 198 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Image and RSS feed widgets are also source widgets.
Individual and collaborative user experience 199 . Figure 6-33 Dashboard before adding filter widget Chapter 6.The Great Outdoor company Sales Dashboard currently looks as shown in Figure 6-33.
Drag Select Value Filter from the Toolbox tab to the dashboard. You can filter on the Region data item for reports Revenue Planned versus Actual and Gross Profit by Region. Figure 6-34 Select Value Filter properties window 200 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.To modify the dashboard to change the communication between widgets: 1.Select Value Filter window opens. Leave the default setting for the remainder of the options.1 Handbook . Select Region. The Properties . and click OK. as shown in Figure 6-34.
as shown in Figure 6-36. so you can remove filtering on that report widget. Individual and collaborative user experience 201 . and then click Listen to Widget Events. Select values for Central Europe. Figure 6-35 Select a value filter widget by region 2. Chapter 6. Note that the Revenue Planned versus Actual and Gross Profit by Region refresh and now display data just for the selected regions. You do not want to filter the data on the Revenue Planned versus Actual report.The widget opens on the dashboard (see Figure 6-35). Northern Europe. and Southern Europe. Click Action. Figure 6-36 Dashboard with filter applied for the region 3. and click Apply.
1 Handbook . Now.4. this widget will not communicate with the select value filter widget. and clear that option as shown in Figure 6-37. Figure 6-37 Listen for Widget Events window 202 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Scroll down to Select Value Filter.
Click Apply. Individual and collaborative user experience 203 . Go to the filter widget. because it is not listening to the filter widget anymore (see Figure 6-38). However. and select Americas and Asia Pacific. the Revenue Planned versus Actual report remains the same. The Gross Profit by Region report is filtered again and now shows data for these two regions.5. Figure 6-38 Filtering report after changes in Listening for Widget Events properties Chapter 6.
1 Handbook . so you remove filtering that was applied previously with the select filter widget. and remove the filter as shown in Figure 6-39.6. Go to the information bar. You want the Revenue Planned versus Actual report to display data for all regions. Figure 6-39 Removing filter from a report widget 204 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.
2. Figure 6-40 Modified dashboard 6.The dashboard now looks as shown in Figure 6-40. Assure that the Atom feed URL (*. or RSS feeds.wss?keyword=null&maxFeed=& feedType=RSS&topic=80 3. to a dashboard.3. such as images.ibm. In our business scenario.ibm.com in this case) is added to the trusted domain list that is defined in the IBM Cognos Configuration tool. text.com/press/us/en/rssfeed. you can add non-BI content. In the Properties RSS Feed window. Individual and collaborative user experience 205 . shown in Figure 6-41. Drag the RSS Feed widget from the Toolbox pane to the dashboard. Chapter 6. Click OK. To add non-BI content: 1. enter the following URL:. Lynn Cope wants to include stock exchange reports and news from various websites.5 Add non-BI content to a dashboard In addition to IBM Cognos BI content. web pages.
1 Handbook .Figure 6-41 Add RSS Feed to a dashboard The widget is added to a dashboard (see Figure 6-42). Figure 6-42 RSS Feed widget 206 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.
you might want to see older data to compare monthly revenue for a region before and after features are added. Individual and collaborative user experience 207 . it is the latest saved output version) or to view the live version of the report. The watch rule sends an alert when a specific condition in a saved report is satisfied. you do not need reports that are executed multiple times during working hours on the same data set. if reports are running against a data warehouse that is refreshed once daily. as illustrated in Figure 6-43.6. reports are run directly against the underlying data source so that they reflect the latest data. Alternatively. For the output versions of the reports. Watch rules are based on event conditions that are evaluated when the report is saved. Chapter 6. You can choose to view the saved report output versions (by default. you can define the watch rules to monitor events of interest. reports can use older data for comparisons.6 Work with report versions and watch rules Usually. For example. However. Figure 6-43 Report version options Reports in HTML format: Only report versions saved in HTML format are supported in IBM Cognos Business Insight. at time. In this types of scenarios. Report outputs are saved when the report runs in the background. you can use the report output versions in report widgets.3.
Open the Business Insight Source Reports folder.. 2. and add the Campaigns by product lines report to the dashboard. refer to IBM Cognos Connection User Guide. click Versions. The next example shows how to use the watch rules in the business use case of the Great Outdoors company. and inspect the options that are available. and navigate to the folder where you imported the deployment archive that we provided with the additional materials accompanying this book. She noticed the negative Gross Profit in case of the Extreme Campaign for Outdoor Protection product lines. 208 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. To add a watch rule: 1. To enable other users to monitor that result and to take measures if necessary. Lynn Cope created a list report with the campaigns by product lines and the gross profit.1 Handbook . Click Actions Menu. select the Create New option. For the details. Open IBM Cognos Business Insight.
Leave the performance pattern as “High values are good.” Chapter 6. right-click the intersection of Gross Profit and Outdoor Protection Extreme Campaign. A window opens where you can specify the rule.3. and click Alert Using New Watch Rule as shown in Figure 6-44. Figure 6-44 Add new watch rule 4. Select the “Send an alert based on a thresholds” option. To add a watch rule to the negative Gross Profit value for Extreme Campaign. Individual and collaborative user experience 209 .
Figure 6-45 Watch rule specification 6. Figure 6-46 Alert type specification 210 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.5.1 Handbook . Click Next. You can set up a watch rule to send different alerts depending on the performance status of a condition (good. Set the alert to send an email in the case of average performance and to publish a news item in case of good performance. A window opens where you can specify an alert type. and poor). Make a selection as shown in Figure 6-46. Enter the value 10000 in the first box and 0 in the second (see Figure 6-45). average.
Individual and collaborative user experience 211 .Click Finish. 9. The watch rule is added. and you can view it if you click Watch New Versions on the report widget toolbar as shown in Figure 6-47. 8. Figure 6-47 Watch new versions menu 6. Define the list of users that you want to receive the email by clicking Edit the options for Send a notification. Enter the following text as the name for a watch rule: Gross Profit for Outdoor Protection has met a threshold condition 10. Click Next. a team of users typically creates reports and dashboards and analyzes data.7. Creating reports and dashboards and analyzing data are tasks that are performed by individual users. when it comes to making business decisions based on that information. Define the headline and text of the news item by clicking Edit the options for Publish a news item. However. Chapter 6.4 Collaborative business intelligence Collaboration plays an important role in decision making and resolving any business issues.
To print the entire dashboard. providing additional information. Send a URL in an instant message or put the URL in a document using the Copy Link to Clipboard option on the Actions Menu button. they cannot access it. You can achieve collaboration using one of the following methods: Annotations IBM Lotus Connections activities 6.Users can share a dashboard with other colleagues using various methods: Email a link to the dashboard using the Email Link option on the Actions Menu button.4. For example.1 Handbook . These comments are visible to other users who view the same report. you can collaborate with other users while creating reports or monitoring dashboards in IBM Cognos Business Insight. comments can be a reminder to investigate low sales results in a particular region or an explanation of some anomalies in data. you can use Ctrl+P to use the web browser printing. Recipient permissions: The recipients of the shared dashboard URL must have permission to view dashboards. such as low sales figures for a product that was recently released and has been on the market for a few months. Your email client opens with a message that is populated with the dashboard name in the subject line and the link to the dashboard in the message body. Export individual reports to any of the following formats: – – – – – PDF Microsoft Excel 2007 Microsoft Excel 2002 CSV XML In addition. Print individual reports to PDF format using the Print as PDF option on the Actions Menu button of a report widget. Note that you cannot print the entire dashboard. These users can also add further comments about that report. 212 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. This option opens Adobe® Reader with a PDF version of a report with full data and a preview of how that data will print. Otherwise.1 Create annotations Comments or annotations allow users to collaborate with other members of the team on the content of an individual report on the dashboard.
When adding comments to individual cells be aware of the following rules: The comment belongs to the cell. You can comment live reports and saved output versions.Using comments: Comments available in IBM Cognos Viewer are completely separate from comments in IBM Cognos Business Insight and work in a different way. You can add comments to the following elements: Reports or reports part Data items in reports and report parts Individual cells in list and crosstab reports You can add comments by selecting the required report cell or report widget and clicking Comment in the widget toolbar. the comment on that cell still exists and will is visible. users must have execute access for live reports and read and traverse access for saved output versions. In the example shown in Figure 6-48. not to the value. All users who can access the report can see comments that are added to it. Individual and collaborative user experience 213 . when the report is refreshed with data and cell value changes (perhaps the percentage is significantly lower). When printing a PDF version of a report or exporting a report to PDF or Excel output. the comments are included. Figure 6-48 Comments on individual cells in report Chapter 6. Adding or editing comments: To add or edit comments.
you can see the user’s name. Users can post messages. the value of a cell is added automatically. IBM Lotus Connections is a collaboration service that allows users to interact in an online location where they can create and share ideas and resources. and create and assign to-do items. For each comment. You cannot edit or delete the comments added by other users. Because activities are integrated with IBM Cognos Business Insight. If you have another report that has the same cell (in the previous example. These reports are not linked and do not share the comments. share files. 214 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. link to websites or their dashboards. the same cell is the Percentage of customers who returned a product with the reason listed as Wrong product shipped). users can use activities for collaborative decision-making in a single place.4. date.The cell value is added to the comment by default. it is no longer possible to edit or delete comments from that session. 6. Users can include stakeholders or other interested parties involved in the decision-making process. Dashboard note: When the dashboard is closed. If there are multiple comments for the same cell or report widget. For example. edit added comments. As shown in Figure 6-48. the report does not include the comment added previously.2 IBM Lotus Connections activities One step further from collaborating by using comments is setting up activities in a web-based collaboration tool. and the time the comment was written (see Figure 6-48).1 Handbook . You can add. they display in reverse chronological order. or delete comments during the current dashboard session. A comment is specific only to the cell in the current report. users can use activities to post a link to their IBM Cognos Business Insight dashboard so that other users can use it for future analysis or to track and audit decisions and initiatives. The original value stays in the comment after the report is refreshed.
and the activity priority and due date are reported if they are set up. the date and time of the update. Figure 6-49 Start a dashboard activity in Business Insight In IBM Lotus Connections you can complete the following activities: Add members to an activity and change the access to an activity Add entries to an activity. Chapter 6. Individual and collaborative user experience 215 . the activity title. When clicking an activity or specific entry within it. the activity opens in IBM Lotus Connections.When you want to collaborate with other members of the team to resolve an issue or to perform an investigation. a summary of the last three updates and the activity goal displays. the name of the user who performed the last update. After that. you can work with the activity in IBM Lotus Connections. For each activity. start a dashboard activity from the application bar (see Figure 6-49) to create an IBM Lotus Connections activity that is connected to that particular dashboard. If you expand an activity by clicking More. for example additional files or bookmarks Add to-do items and assign them to activity members Add comments Complete to-do items or mark an activity as complete In IBM Cognos Business Insight. you can view the list of activities that are started for that dashboard.
1 Handbook .216 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.
including statistics services and lineage and search features. based on fictitious business scenarios. 217 . In this chapter..7 Chapter 7. 2010. Executing the step-by-step instructions that we include in this chapter. Self service interface for business users This chapter provides an overview of the features of IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced. All rights reserved. you can become familiar with IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced and how it can address real business situations.
This tool also allows users to take advantage of the interactive exploration and analysis features while they build reports. otherwise.7. For more information. Its interface is intuitive to allow the minimum investment in training. and allows them to show their data in lists.1 Explore the IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced interface IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced is a web-based tool that is used by advanced business users and professional report authors and analysts to create and analyze reports.1 Handbook . refer to the IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced User Guide. However. Objective of this chapter: The objective of this chapter is give an overview of the major features of IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced. it is important that you choose a reporting style that helps users make the most of their data and avoid mixing dimensional and relational concepts.. This chapter does not include all the features. and charts. as well as external data. This tool allows users to work with both relational and dimensional data sources. reports can display unpredictable results. The interactive and analysis features allow them to assemble and personalize the views to follow a train of thought and generate unique perspectives easily. crosstabs.
notice that one block with the current selection of the hierarchy is created in your report. Self service interface for business users 219 . 7. When you add a dimension level or dimension members in this area.1.1 Page layers The Page layers area is used to create sections or page breaks in reports. you must recreate a new version of the reports in IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced if you want to use this studio for those reports. Chapter 7. If you have reports that were created in these studios.
you must add the Time dimension on the Page layers area. 220 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.For example. To change the section. to analyze the Gross Profit metric by region for separate pages for each year.1 Handbook . as shown in Figure 7-2. Figure 7-2 Adding Page layers Page layers: The Page layers configuration is applied to the entire report. click the arrows in the page navigation.
Self service interface for business users 221 . For example. to analyze the Gross Profit metric by region but only for web sales. as shown in Figure 7-3.7. Context filters: The Context filters configuration applies only to the selected object. you can add the order method web to the Context filter. you will notice that one block with the context selection is created in your report.2 Context filters The Context filters area is used to filter reports for separate contexts of information. When you add a hierarchy or members of a hierarchy in this area. you must select each object and then add the desired dimension member.1. Figure 7-3 Adding Context filters Chapter 7. If you need to apply the same Context filters for two or more objects.
Inside each dimension. the toolbar contains shortcuts to set properties that impact the behavior of the report when you insert data from a dimensional model and allow users to add external data. or Context filter areas. These objects are grouped in the following tabs: Source Toolbox The Source tab shows the data model. and create labels. separate contents.1 Handbook . and dimensions. you can find dimensional members and metrics or query subjects and their query items. IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced removes the prior configuration automatically. measures. such as spreadsheets or comma-separated value (CSV) files. the Page layers configuration is reset and the Quarter is placed in the Context filter section. 7. View Members Tree For dimensional models or Dimensionally Modeled Relational (DMR) models.3 Insertable Objects pane The Insertable Objects pane contains the objects that you can add to the reports. As shown in Figure 7-4. because one configuration suppresses the other configuration. this view displays measures folders. Page layers. if you have Year in the Page layers section and you add Quarter to Context filters. For example. 222 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Exploring this data model.1. What you see in this tab depends on the selection that you made in the Insertable Objects Source toolbar. Therefore. when you add a dimension member from a hierarchy that is used in the other configuration.. such as the Work.Adding a dimension member: You cannot add the same dimension level or members of a dimension both in the Page layers and Context filter areas. .
If you expand a dimensional data model (Figure 7-6). this view displays these items: Folders Namespaces Measure folders Measures Dimensions Hierarchies Levels Figure 7-6 Dimensional data source displayed on View Metadata Tree 224 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook .
and query items. Self service interface for business users 225 . Figure 7-7 Dimensional data source displayed on View Metadata Tree Chapter 7.If you expand a Relational model (Figure 7-7). query subjects. namespaces. this view displays folders.
Figure 7-9 Page navigation on first page of report 226 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.Toolbox tab This tab shows objects that allow users to display data. These icons allow users to scroll down.1.1 Handbook .4 Page navigation The icons in this page navigation area become enabled if the report retrieves more than one page. and go to the top and to the bottom of the report pages without having to run the report (Figure 7-9). Large reports: Do not include large reports in dashboards (IBM Cognos Business Insight workspace). and improve the layout. such as lists. labels. create new columns with calculations. scroll up. blocks. Figure 7-8 Toolbox objects 7. and charts. crosstabs. such as the text items. images. and hyperlinks (Figure 7-8).
to change the background of the rows inside a crosstab. Ancestor button The Properties pane has a icon called Ancestor.1. charts. this area does not show live data. Chapter 7. If you see an asterisk character (*) in a list.1.6 Properties pane This pane displays the formatting options that are available for a selected object in a report. which allows users to select any part of a selected object. crosstab. If the Page Preview in the View menu is enabled. such as lists. crosstabs. Self service interface for business users 227 . If Page Design is enabled. this area shows live data and the user can interact with it. one of the following conditions was detected: An unknown currency A value with an unknown or questionable unit of measure. You typically use this icon for layout purposes.7. such as separate currencies in the calculation or roll-up 7. and layout components. What to do if you see an asterisk (*) character: The following behavior can happen when you use IBM Cognos Transformer cubes or SAP Business Warehouse (BW) data sources. or chart.5 Work area This area contains all the objects that are dropped on the report. for example.
1 Handbook . Figure 7-10 shows the display in the Ancestor properties if the user selects a crosstab cell. all levels above the selected object displays. Figure 7-10 Ancestor properties Also. for example. a crosstab inside a table. 228 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. this feature is useful when you need to find an object inside another object.When you select one object and then select the Ancestor icon.
Toolbar and menu The Business Insight Advanced interface shows a toolbar with shortcuts for commonly used features. and report properties Edit: Cut. add headers and footers to reports. change summarization criteria. show and copy the specification. Microsoft Excel. copy. and configure the number of rows that is displayed on the Work area when Page Preview is set Structure: Set group configuration. CVS. and save reports. PDF. and show dimensional analysis features. Self service interface for business users 229 . and configure advanced options of the interface behavior Chapter 7. PDF configuration. and XML Tools: Allow Cognos to check the report’s specification. such as the interface behavior (Figure 7-11). enable and disable toolbars and visual aids. create calculations. Explore. such as Insert Children. paste. swap rows and columns. suppress data. and Drill options Style: Set styles and conditional formatting to objects Run: Allow users to run the report in various output types: HTML. manage external data. Figure 7-11 Top toolbar menu The following list describes several of the options for each of the menu items: Blue bullet (upper-left corner): Create. and convert lists to pivots. Data: Set configurations to filter. sort. This interface also displays a menu at the top of the window that allows users to configure more advanced features. and delete commands View: Switch between Page Design and Page Preview. open.
filter. To make this possible and easy.2 Choose a reporting style Before users start authoring reports. the IBM Cognos interface provides a seamless integration between the IBM Cognos Business Insight and IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced products. and customize reports. Mixing both reporting styles in one report can cause unpredictable results. users must answer the following questions: Do you think about your data as tables and columns? If yes. Lynn decides to use this existing report as a base for her analysis. For more information about leading practices when using relational or dimensional reporting styles. an Advanced Business User of a GO Americas subsidiary.7. Lynn knows that there is one chart inside the IBM Cognos workspace of the Great Outdoors company that already displays the return quantity by product lines. needs to analyze which product lines result in the greatest number of returns so that the GO Americas management can focus on these product lines to decrease the number of returns. sort.3 Change existing reports Lynn Cope. use relational reporting style. Resource information: You can use the relational reporting style even when you create reports that are based on a dimensional data source. 230 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. refer to the Relational Reporting Style and Dimensional Reporting Style sections in the IBM Cognos Report Studio User Guide. When choosing the reporting style. 7. it is imperative that they choose the reporting style that they will adopt in working with data: relational or dimensional. Do you think about your data as a number of dimensions intersecting at cells? If yes.1 Handbook . The reporting style determines how to insert. use dimensional reporting style. So.
Chapter 7. Figure 7-12 Business Insight and Business Insight Advanced integration: Modifying an existing report After Lynn clicks Do more. Self service interface for business users 231 . and click Do more on the top of the report’s frame (Figure 7-12).4 on IBM Cognos Connection. 2. Find the chart for which she is looking.3. the IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced interface replaces the IBM Cognos Business Insight interface and shows the selected report. Lynn follows these steps: 1.Using this integrated approach. Open the IBM Cognos workspace of Great Outdoors by clicking My Folders Business Insight GO Sales Dashboard_6.
3. she changes the sorting configuration for the chart to allow her to see the product lines in the chart sorted by the return quantity of their products.1 Sort data With the IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced interface opens. To execute this task: 1. Figure 7-13 Selecting the chart area 232 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Lynn makes improvements to the report to meet her needs. First.1 Handbook . Click in the chart area to see the chart components (see Figure 7-13).7.
and then click Edit Layout Sorting. On the top toolbar. Self service interface for business users 233 . Click Intersection (tuple). click Sort. click Descending. 4.. as shown in Figure 7-14. Figure 7-14 Advanced Layout Sorting option: Set Sorting window Chapter 7.. Click Product line in the Series area (Figure 7-14). and click the ellipsis (. 3. 5. which opens a window that allows you to insert a tuple.). In the Sort type section.2.
1 Handbook .6. Click GO Data Warehouse (analysis) Sales and Marketing (analysis) Returned items Returned items (Figure 7-15). Figure 7-15 GO Data Warehouse package tree: Expanding Returned items folder 234 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.
7. and drag it onto the Intersection members and measures area (Figure 7-16). Figure 7-16 After the Return quantity member has been added 8. Click the Return Quantity data item under the Returned items metrics folder. Self service interface for business users 235 . 9. Chapter 7. Click OK to close the Set Sorting window. Click OK. The Set Sorting window opens again.
as shown in Figure 7-17. Figure 7-17 Report after sorting has been performed 236 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook . Lynn determines that Outdoors Protection is the product line that has the worst performance in terms of the return quantity of all Great Outdoors subsidiaries.After executing these steps.
Self service interface for business users 237 . Lynn needs to filter the report to display only GO Americas and 2007 (current year) totals.3. Using Context filters Because Lynn is working with a dimensional data model.7. Click GO Americas under the Organization dimension. 2. Figure 7-18 Adding a Context filter Chapter 7. she can easily filter her data using the Context filter feature by following these steps: 1. and then drag it onto the Context filter area. Navigate to GO Data Warehouse (analysis) Sales and Marketing (analysis) Sales Organization (Figure 7-18).2 Filter data To meet her business needs.
To have the best insight about the return quantity for the current scenario. 2006. Navigate to GO Data Warehouse (analysis) Sales and Marketing (analysis) Sales. Lynn notices that. 2. 238 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Figure 7-19 Report after GO Americas Context filter is applied The current report shows the total of Return Items for all of the years (2004. as shown in Figure 7-19. she follows the same steps to apply another Context filter for 2007 (Figure 7-20): 1. the performance of the Outdoors Protection product line and the performance of the Camping Equipment product line in terms of return quantity are extremely close.After performing these steps. Lynn needs to filter the report to show only the data for the current year (2007). Drag 2007 under the Year dimension to the Context filter area.1 Handbook . To achieve this result. in fact. 2005. and 2007).
has an extremely high number of returns. only one product line.Figure 7-20 Report after 2007 Context filter is applied Now. Chapter 7. the Camping Equipment product line. in fact. Self service interface for business users 239 . Lynn can determine that.
Drag this object to the same place as the Return quantity metric . For more information about how to use the Measure Dimension. as shown in the Figure 7-21 on page 241.1 Handbook . 2. Measures: To create this calculation. use the following measures: One measure from the Sales folder One measure from the Returned Items folder Do not set the Measure Dimension. 240 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Lynn can create this calculation easily by using the Query Calculation object in the Insert Objects pane. In the Name field. 3. To find more meaningful information.3 Perform calculations If we think about the business problem. Click Calculated measure.Default measure (y-axis). a Product line with a high number of returns for its products does not necessarily mean a large percentage of returns based on the number of products sold for the product line.7. type % of Items Return. Click Query Calculation inside the Insert Objects pane.3. Lynn needs to calculate the percentage of returns against the number of products sold. as shown in the following steps: 1. refer to the IBM Cognos Business Insight Advantage User Guide.
Self service interface for business users 241 .Figure 7-21 Creating a query calculation Chapter 7.
4. Figure 7-22 Inserting a member from the Data items tab into Expression Definition 242 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Open the Data Items tab. Drag the [Return quantity1] measure to the Expression Definition area (see Figure 7-22).1 Handbook .
and drag the forward slash character (/) into the Expression Definition area (Figure 7-23). Figure 7-23 Inserting operator into Expression Definition Chapter 7. expand the Operators folder. Self service interface for business users 243 .5. Open the Function tab.
Drag [Quantity] to the Expression Definition (see Figure 7-24). Figure 7-24 Inserting [Quantity] item into Expression Definition 244 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook . 7.6. and navigate to Go Data Warehouse (analysis) Sales and Marketing (analysis) Sales Sales fact. Open the Source tab.
To validate the expression. Figure 7-25 Starting Expression Definition validation Chapter 7. click the Validate icon at the top of the window (see Figure 7-25 and Figure 7-26).8. Self service interface for business users 245 .
Figure 7-26 Validation results 246 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook .
Figure 7-27 Report with the new percent of Returned items metric After performing these steps.. 2. Click Product line in the Series area. Under the Intersection (tuple).After these changes.. click the Sort icon. Click % of Returned items.). Self service interface for business users 247 . 4. 6. Lynn determines that the Camping Equipment product line has 1. Chapter 7. and then click Edit Set Sorting. click Return quantity. Click the Calculate members and measures tab. she follows these steps: 1. In Intersection members and measures. To solve this issue. On the top toolbar. Lynn realizes that the sorting is not working as expected. 3. Click the left arrow. click the ellipsis (.8% of its items returned (see Figure 7-27). 5. 7.
Click the right arrow (see Figure 7-28). Figure 7-28 Members window after the Return quantity member has been removed 9.1 Handbook . Click OK to close the Members window. 248 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. 10.8.Click OK to close the Set Sorting window.
the chart shows the bars in the correct order (see Figure 7-29).After performing these steps. Self service interface for business users 249 . Figure 7-29 Report after sorting change to percent of Returned items Chapter 7.
She uses the drill-down and drill-up features as follows: 1. To drill down into the data. Figure 7-30 Drill down on the product line 250 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. and the report is updated to show the product types (see Figure 7-30).3.1 Handbook .4 Set the right level of detail for the analysis To complete her analysis. double-click Camping Equipment. now Lynn needs to discover which brands have the highest percentage of returned items.7.
On the Set Sorting window. click the <#children(Lanterns)#> data expression. Lynn is satisfied with the results. Click in the chart area. e. d. On the top toolbar. double-click again on the Lanterns product type (see Figure 7-31). Chapter 7. To fix the sorting (as shown in Figure 7-32 on page 252): a. click the Sort icon. b. Click Edit Set Sorting. In the Series section. but she needs to fix the sorting of the report. Figure 7-31 Drill down on the product type 3. c.2. click Descending. After this action. Self service interface for business users 251 . After this action.
Click % of Returned items.. click the ellipsis (. k.f.). Click the right arrow. j. Click OK to close the Set Sorting window. i. g. Click OK to close the Members window. l. h. To the right of the Intersection (tuple) field. Click the Calculated members and measures tab.. Click Intersection (tuple).1 Handbook . Figure 7-32 Set Sorting properties for percent of Returned items 252 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.
ordered by percent of Returned items 7. an Advanced Business User of the GO Americas subsidiary.4 Create content Now. needs to create two reports that answer the following questions: Are we selling the right products? How does this year’s performance compare with the prior year’s performance? Lynn inserts these reports in the Great Outdoors company workspace.After performing these steps. Self service interface for business users 253 . Chapter 7. Figure 7-33 Report after drilling down. Lynn has a report that shows the products that have a higher percentage of returned items (Figure 7-33). Lynn Cope.
The Select a package window opens. Click GO Data Warehouse (analysis) to create a report that is based on this package. To create this report. Lynn uses IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced and follows these steps: 1.7. 3. launch Business Insight Advanced (see Figure 7-34). Figure 7-34 Opening IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced from IBM Cognos Connection 254 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Lynn decides to create a list that shows the bottom ten product sales by region. In IBM Cognos Connection. Navigate to Cognos Public Folders Samples Models. 2.1 Handbook .1 Create a crosstab To answer the first question.4.
Figure 7-35 Welcome window of IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced Chapter 7. Self service interface for business users 255 . Click Create new to create a report (Figure 7-35).4.
IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced provides a flexible approach to develop reports. Chart.1 Handbook . and lists on the report. crosstabs. you can include other charts. Figure 7-36 Default report types on IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced Flexibility: Even if a you initially selected a List. 256 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Crosstab.5. or Financial report type. Click the Crosstab report type (Figure 7-36).
rename the text header to Bottom 10 product sales by region. To insert the text. Self service interface for business users 257 . First. Figure 7-37 Inserting a report name Chapter 7. double-click Double-click to edit text (Figure 7-37).6.
In the Insertable Objects pane. On the Insertable Objects pane. On the Insertable Objects pane.1 Handbook . navigate to Go Data Warehouse (analysis) Sales and Marketing (analysis) Sales Sales fact. 11. Drag the Quantity metric under Sales Fact to the Columns area. 258 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.Drag the Product level to the Rows area.7. 10. click View Metadata Tree to see the data model structure instead of live data (Figure 7-38). Figure 7-38 Switch to View Metadata Tree 8. navigate to Go Data Warehouse (analysis) Sales and Marketing (analysis) Sales Products. 9.
Click the Explore icon of the toolbar.Click any product in the rows.After performing these steps. Lynn has a list of all products with their quantities (Figure 7-39). Chapter 7. Self service interface for business users 259 . Figure 7-39 Crosstab after adding columns and rows 12. 13.
Figure 7-40 Using Bottom 10 feature 260 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.14.Click Top or Bottom.1 Handbook . and then click Bottom 10 based on Quantity (Figure 7-40).
4. Click Specified text. 2. Click the Ancestor icon. 5. or metrics) area. rows. Chapter 7. Figure 7-41 Report after Bottom 10 function has been applied Including accessibility features Now. To include accessibility features: 1. 6. Lynn wants to insert a summary text item to be used by screen readers for the crosstab. Self service interface for business users 261 . Lynn is able to see the bottom 10 performing products (Figure 7-41). Click Crosstab. Click the ellipsis (. she can add the text for objects using the Summary text property. 3. Using the acessibility features of IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Advanced.. Click the Summary text property.After performing these steps..). Click anywhere in the crosstab (columns.
launch Business Insight Advanced. click Add. Navigate to Cognos Public Folders Samples Models. Lynn uses IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced to access a relational data source of Great Outdoors data and follows these steps: 1. and then insert the summary text for the chosen language (Figure 7-42): – Default text: Bottom 10 product sales by region – Spanish text: Los 10 productos menos vendidos por region Figure 7-42 Adding localized text for internationalization Now. To create this report.2 Create a chart Lynn needs too answer the second question asked earlier: How does the performance of this year compare with the prior year? She decides to create a chart that shows a line chart. The Select a package window opens. insert the summarization text. Lynn can save this report to use it in the Great Outdoors company workspace in IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced. 262 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook . 7.4. which compares historic information from the current year (2007) and the prior year (2006). select the language. 2. In the Default text field. In IBM Cognos Connection.7. If you want to insert summarization text for multiple languages.
4. Click GO Data Warehouse (query) to create a report that is based on this package. 8. 6. 5. Click the List report type. In the Insert Chart window. in the left pane. Click in one column of the list.3. click Line. Go Data Warehouse (query) Sales and Marketing (query) Sales Sales fact Revenue 7. Self service interface for business users 263 . Chapter 7. Drag the following items to the list: a. On the top toolbar. Go Data Warehouse (query) Sales and Marketing (query) Sales Time Month b. click Insert Chart (Figure 7-43). Click Create New to create a report. Figure 7-43 Creating a chart that is based on a list 9.
navigate to Edit. Figure 7-44 Selecting a chart type 12.Click OK.On the top menu bar. and in the Properties pane. and click Delete (Figure 7-45). 11. Figure 7-45 Deleting option 264 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook . click Clustered Line with Circle Markers (Figure 7-44).Click in the list.10. click Ancestor.In the right pane. 13.
14. as shown on Figure 7-46. Self service interface for business users 265 . Figure 7-46 Move Revenue metric from Default measure (y-axis) to Series (primary axis) Chapter 7.Drag the Revenue metric from Default measure (y-axis) to Series (primary axis).
In the New Conditional Style window. 4. Chapter 7. 6. In the Conditional Style . click the Add icon. Click Add in the lower-left corner of that window. Click New Conditional Style. as shown on Figure 7-65. click Style Conditional Styles (Figure 7-65). Figure 7-65 Setting a new conditional style for % (Revenue. Lynn follows these steps: 1.Numeric Range window. Sales target). Sales target) metric 5. Click one of the values in the % (Revenue. Type 90%. Click Add. and click OK.To implement this conditional formatting. and click OK. in the Name field. Type 100%. type % target. click % (Revenue. 9. In the Conditional Styles window. Sales target) column. Self service interface for business users 279 . and then on the top menu. 2. 3. 8. 7.
11.Change the values to the drop-down list box options that are displayed in the Style column.Click OK twice to exit the Conditional Styles windows. 280 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.Click Add. To change the style. 12. click the pencil icon on the right side of the style drop-down list box.1 Handbook . Condition style options: Users can use the pre-built styles or create their own styles for a condition. Figure 7-66 Add intervals to a Conditional Style 13. and click OK. as shown in Figure 7-66.Type 120%.10.
Figure 7-68 Changing the label of a column Chapter 7. Right-click the column and click Edit Data Item Label (Figure 7-68). She follows these steps for the percent columns under the quarters and the total columns: 1.After Lynn performs these steps. Lynn wants to change the label of the new percentage columns. 2. as shown in Figure 7-67. Self service interface for business users 281 . Figure 7-67 Example of one Product line’s values after applying a conditional style To improve the readability of the report. Repeat these steps for the calculation under the 2007 column. the report displays. type % of target. In the Data item name field.
1 Handbook . Lynn needs to deliver this report to the six Great Outdoors subsidiaries with a clear separation between the performance of each region. To separate the information for each subsidiary. she drags the Organization member to the Page layers area. 282 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Figure 7-69 Adding a member on the Page layers area Finally. she renames the report to Sales Revenue x Target.Now. as shown on Figure 7-69.
Figure 7-70 Report to be delivered to GO Accessories subsidiaries Figure 7-71 Report to be delivered to GO Americas subsidiaries 7.After all these steps. launch Business Insight Advanced. To analyze the execution query path: 1. Lineage feature: You can use the Lineage feature when executing a report on IBM Cognos Viewer. The Select a package window opens. wants to understand how the Planned Revenue metric is calculated. an Advanced Business User.4. Lynn can deliver reports comparing the current revenue and sales targets for 2007 for each subsidiary (Figure 7-70 and Figure 7-71). She uses the Lineage feature to help her identify what calculation was applied to create the metric and if there is a filter applied for it. Chapter 7. In IBM Cognos Connection. Self service interface for business users 283 . Lynn Cope.4 Analyze the execution query path The Lineage feature of IBM Cognos makes it easy for report authors and business analysts to examine the origin of the data that is used in the reports and their query paths.
and then right-click Planned Revenue. and then click in List.1 Handbook . Figure 7-72 Selecting the Lineage feature 284 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Click Lineage (Figure 7-72). navigate to Go Data Warehouse (analysis) Sales and Marketing (analysis) Sales Sales fact. Navigate to Cognos Public Folders Samples Models. In the Insertable Objects pane. 4. 3. 5. Click GO Data Warehouse (analysis) to create a new report that is based on this dimensional package. 6. Click Create New to create a new report.2.
you can see an overview of the data’s definition (Figure 7-73). The Technical View tab shows detailed metadata of the data item. Chapter 7. In this view. Figure 7-74 Lineage: Technical View On the Technical View. advanced business users and professional report authors can analyze the filters and calculations that are applied to the data (see Figure 7-74).The Business View window opens. users can click each item in the diagram to see its metadata and definition. With this view. Click the Technical View tab. Self service interface for business users 285 . Figure 7-73 Lineage: Business View window 7.
Clicking the Planned revenue metric. PDF. such as HTML.1 Handbook . and XML. an Analyst for the Great Outdoors company. Microsoft Excel 2007.5 Render output in various formats and print content IBM Cognos supports various types of output formats. wants to export Microsoft Excel and PDF formats for the Sales Revenue x Target report that Lynn Cope created.4. 286 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. All of these formats are available in IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced. Figure 7-75 Lineage: Planned revenue formula 7. Lynn notices that it is calculated based on the formula Unit price * Quantity (see Figure 7-75). delimited text (CSV). Microsoft Excel 2002. Ben Hall.
Render in Microsoft Excel format To render the report in Microsoft Excel format. with the same name as the report and splits the content of the pages into tabs in Microsoft Excel (Figure 7-77 and Figure 7-78). Figure 7-76 Selecting Run option IBM Cognos generates a new Excel file. Self service interface for business users 287 .Excel 2007 (see Figure 7-76). Figure 7-77 Report rendered in Microsoft Excel: First page Chapter 7. on the top menu. click Run Run Report .
click Run Run Report .1 Handbook . Figure 7-79 Report rendered in PDF format Save reports locally IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced and IBM Cognos Report Studio provide a feature that allows you to save and open reports on the local hard drives. such as IBM Rational® ClearCase®. This feature can be useful when backing up and managing reports using a configuration management tool.Figure 7-78 Report rendered in Microsoft Excel: Second page Render in PDF format To render the report in PDF format.PDF (see Figure 7-79). 288 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.
Chapter 7. The dynamic link library (DLL) is located in the bin directory where IBM Cognos Business Insight is installed.dll 4. Register the LFA.dll file. users must register the LFA. 7. 3. Close and restart IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced. Self service interface for business users 289 . 6. click the blue bullet on the top menu. Click the Advanced tab. 5. 8.To save a report. Open a command prompt window to the location of the LFA. from the Tools menu. and click (Local) Save As (see Figure 7-80). Obtain the LFA. Select the “Allow local file access” option. To enable (Local) Save As for IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced. click Options. set your computer and the IBM Cognos Business Insight server as trusted sites. and then click OK. follow these steps: 1.dll from your IBM Cognos Business Insight administrator. In IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced. Figure 7-80 Saving a report locally Feature requirements To save and open reports locally. In your browser.dll file by typing the following command: regsvr32 LFA.dll on Microsoft Windows. 2. The menu items (Local) Open and (Local) Save As displays in the File menu.
profit margin. and then click Create New. you can perform a member search in IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced to find the data that you need for your report quickly. and then select Quantity sold. 4.5 Search for meaningful information For dimensional data sources. product cost. 7.1 Handbook . 3. Launch Business Insight Advanced. you must enable ActiveX in your browser. Drag the selected items to the Columns area of the crosstab. Now. has to create a report for senior management that contains quantity. and Revenue (press Ctrl to select all members). navigate to GO Sales Cube Measures. because it is based on ActiveX technology. On the Source tab. Click Crosstab. Lynn Cope. To use this feature. and dimensionally modeled relational (DMR) data sources. so she uses the Search option in IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced to find them. The senior managers need this information for their meeting with the manufacturer of these products. and then click OK. If you have problems running this feature. and revenue figures for all Seeker products in their portfolio. open the GO Sales Cube package. perform a search on Product dimension to find the Seeker products. 2. the Advanced Business User for the Great Outdoors company. check the ActiveX configuration for your browser. online analytical processing (OLAP) data sources. Profit margin %. 290 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.Internet Explorer: This feature is supported only for Internet Explorer. To use the Search option to find meaningful information: 1. Lynn is unsure to which product line these products belong. Product cost.
5. as shown in Figure 7-81. Right-click the Products dimension. Self service interface for business users 291 . Figure 7-81 Search option on a menu Chapter 7. and click Search.
The new Search tab opens with the results of the search. 292 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook . enter the keyword Seeker. In the Member Search window. Click Search. but click Search all descendants to include searching on all levels of the Product dimension (see Figure 7-82). or you can directly add members from the Search tab to a report. Figure 7-83 Results of the search You can browse the hierarchy to explore members at lower levels.6. as shown in Figure 7-83. Leave the option Starts with any of these keywords selected. Figure 7-82 Search options 7.
To apply a summarization function. as shown in Figure 7-84. Nonetheless. The end report displays. because instead of inserting all of the products into a report and adding a filter. 7. users can create new summarized columns and rows using these functions if it makes sense to them.1 Summarization IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced provides the following summarization functions to users: Total Count Average Minimum Maximum The first calculation applied depends on what is set on the data model. 2. and drag them to the Rows area. Self service interface for business users 293 . Click one member of a set or data item (depending on the type of data source that you use) to create a summarization column or row.6. Chapter 7.8. you can search quickly and insert them from here. despite it. Select all members (press Ctrl). On the top toolbar. Figure 7-84 Report containing results of the search 7.6 Summarize data and create calculations IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced provides a range of summarization functions and calculations that can be applied to reports to help advanced business users get the best insight from their data. click the Summarize icon. follow these steps: 1. You save time with this method.
a new column is created on the right side of the crosstab with the Average title (Figure 7-86). Figure 7-85 Inserting a summarization column After you follow these steps. Click the desired summarization function (Figure 7-85). Figure 7-86 Report after an Average summarization function is applied 294 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook .3.
The number can be provided when the user clicks the Custom option. Round up. If the columns or rows are measure items. such as addition. the user is unable to insert additional summarization columns and rows. percentage. users can apply a range of calculations. Several of the calculations that are available for relational and dimensional data sources differ. Self service interface for business users 295 . Calculations available for relational data sources When using a relational data source.Create reports using a dimensional data source Reports that are based on a dimensional data source always apply summarization to sets. charts. and to the entire list. Absolute. Chapter 7. IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced allows users to deal easily with strings and remove blank spaces (remove trailing spaces). Last ? characters). If the user does not turn on the Create Sets for Members option in the Insertable Objects pane (Figure 7-87). subtraction. Several of these calculations require a number value if the calculation involves one measure only. Figure 7-87 Create Sets for Members option 7. Round. In the case of relational data sources.2 Calculation IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced provides several calculations for users.6. the summarization functions are applied to the nodes of the crosstabs. and difference. and division of a column. multiplication. Round down. as well as truncate blank spaces based on a number of characters (First ? characters.
IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced does not display the calculations for string. which is an advantage for the dimensional approach. subtraction. which is set when the user clicks the Custom option.Figure 7-88 and Figure 7-89 show examples of applied calculations. Several of these calculations need a number value.1 Handbook . Figure 7-88 List report showing truncate. and difference. 296 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. If the columns or rows are a measure. Users can calculate the percent of the difference between the first product line in terms of revenue and all other product lines easily. such as addition. users can apply a range of calculations. IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced provides a capability to perform calculations across rows and columns. multiplication. When using dimensional data sources. and round calculations Figure 7-89 Crosstab report showing addition calculation Calculations available for dimensional data sources When using dimensional data sources. percent. percentage. and division of a column.
an Advanced Business User of the Great Outdoors company. and subtraction calculations Example Lynn Cope. Revenue). Figure 7-92 Simple report Chapter 7. Self service interface for business users 297 . To create a percent of base calculation. Personal Accessories) calculation Figure 7-91 Percent difference (Planned revenue. wants to make a quick comparison between the top product type in the Personal Accessories product line and the other product types in the same line using a dimensional data source.Figure 7-90 and Figure 7-91 show examples of how to work with the calculations. Figure 7-90 Revenue percent of Base (Revenue. Create a simple report that groups Revenue by Product types under the Personal Accessories product line using a crosstab (Figure 7-92). she follows these steps: 1. division.
Figure 7-93 Sorting the Revenue column in descending order 5. click the Sort icon.1 Handbook . Click the Revenue measure. 3. 4. 298 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Click Descending (Figure 7-93). Click the Revenue measure and press Ctrl. On the top toolbar.2.
Figure 7-94 Creating a percent of Base calculation After performing these steps. as shown in Figure 7-94. and then click % of Base (Revenue. refer to the IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced User Guide. Click the first member of the Rows area (Eyewear). Lynn can see the percent of the Revenue of all product types against the Eyewear revenue (Figure 7-95). Eyewear). Figure 7-95 Percent of Revenue of all types against Eyewear type Revenue Resource: For more information about how to work with calculations. click Calculate. right-click one of the selected items. Self service interface for business users 299 .6. Chapter 7.
refer to the Focusing Relational Data and Focusing Dimensional Data sections of the IBM Cognos Report Studio Guide. which is based on a relational data source. they must understand the differences when a filter is applied in a report that uses dimensional data sources as opposed to relational data sources.1 Handbook . and avoid unpredictable results. 7. Summary and detailed filters When creating a report. and make the appropriate selection in the Application section (see Figure 7-96). and analysts must understand how to use filters. report authors.7. Resource: For more information about leading practices on filtering. users can filter the data that is retrieved in the queries and apply the filter before or after auto aggregation. To apply a filter before or after auto aggregation. Figure 7-96 Creating a filter in a report that is based on a relational data source 300 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. open the Edit Filters dialog box.7 Add filters to refine data To create reports that meet clients’ expectations. This section describes the behavior differences between the two data source types.7. provide accurate information.1 Filter reports for relational data sources Consider the following points when filtering reports for relational data sources. Also. advanced business users.
Greater than (>). For example. Filtering features You can use the Filter menu (shown in Figure 7-98 on page 302) to create filter expressions easily. or NOT. AND. OR. Between x and y and Not Between x and y: Retrieve data that is between or not between selected values. Greater and Lower: Retrieve data that is Lower than (<). Lower than (<) or Equal (=). the following list shows several commonly used filter expressions: Include x. click the expressions that you want to place inside the parentheses with the Shift key pressed.Combined filters A complex filter is a combination of two or more filters creating AND or OR logic. Figure 7-97 Complex filtering expression created using Combined Filter feature Expressions: To create AND. Include Null and Exclude Null: Include or exclude null values for the selected column. or exclude the selection from the results. Chapter 7. or Greater than (>) or Equal (=) a specific value. y and Exclude x. and NOT expressions with parentheses. Self service interface for business users 301 . and select OR. as illustrated in Figure 7-97. y: Focus on data that is based on the selection. advanced business users can create advanced filtering expressions easily. With this feature.
2 Filter reports for dimensional data sources Use filters to remove unwanted data from reports. you can filter only by members and measures. Data is retrieved from the database only if it meets the filter criteria..Figure 7-98 Filter features menu 7.1 Handbook .7. When working with dimensional data sources. which is based on a dimensional data source. When creating a report. 302 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.
or chart). the user clicks one or more members of a dimension and drags them to the report object (list. they need to choose this option. View Member Tree option: Using the View Member Tree on the Insertable Objects pane toolbar is a quick option to focus the data that the users want to see. Self service interface for business users 303 . Chapter 7. as shown in Figure 7-99. a new set is created for the selection of members.Focus reports using members You can specify the members who you want to see in a report using the View Member Tree on the Insertable Objects pane toolbar. If the users know what they want to see and will always use the same set. crosstab. To specify a member. allowing the user to summarize and create calculations with the data. Figure 7-99 Inserting members in a crosstab Create Sets for Members option: If the Create Sets for Members option is enabled.
1 Handbook . To apply filters in a Set: 1. Figure 7-100 Applying a filter within a Set You have the following options for filtering: Caption: Filter by the member caption value. Click Filter Set. 3. Filtering the members in a Set is not the same as relational detail or summary filters. 2. click Explore. you can select the kind of filter that you want to apply. In this window.Applying filters to members within a set Filters on dimensional reports need to be applied to a Set of members. Click the Set that you want to filter. which is indexed data Property: Filter by a descriptive data value. On the top toolbar. Figure 7-100 shows the Set Filter Condition window. which is not indexed data Intersection: Filter by an intersection of members and metrics (tuple) that you define 304 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.
Chapter 7. and revenue as the measure. It does not limit or change the items in the rows or columns. The members that are used as the context filter appear in the report header when you run the report. and you see blank cells. you drag Asia Pacific and web from the source tree to the Context filter section of the overview area. The crosstab then shows the revenue for only Asia Pacific and web. To change the context. Changing the context changes only the values that appear. or slicer filters. When you filter data. Instead. Context filters: Context filters differ from other filters. the following crosstab contains product lines in the rows. their values are filtered. Any summary values in the report are recomputed to reflect the results that are returned by the context filter. Self service interface for business users 305 . We want to filter the values to show us the revenue for only web orders from Asia Pacific. you can use context filters. to focus your report on a particular view of the data quickly. members that do not meet the filter criteria are removed from the report. A context filter does not remove members from a report. For example. you can verify that the filter logic was applied or you can change the logic that was applied by clicking Explorer Edit Set (see Figure 7-101). years in the columns. Figure 7-101 Visualizing the Set Definition Context filters When working with dimensional data.After applying a filter.
Figure 7-102 Crosstab with a Top 3 filter applied If you exclude a member from the initial set. Explore features IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced also provides several ways to filter dimensional data using the Explore button: Top or Bottom filters: Focus data on the items of greatest significance to your business question (for example. Figure 7-103 Exclude a member from the initial set 306 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. and use only one member per hierarchy. Top 5 Sales’ Performers or Bottom 10 Clients’ Revenue). the crosstab applies the Top 3 filter again and excludes the selected member (Figure 7-103). use only members from hierarchies that are not already projected on an edge of the crosstab.1 Handbook .Guideline: When creating context filters. consider a crosstab with a Top 3 filter applied (Figure 7-102). for instance. Exclude and Include Member: Exclude members from current set or initial set Drill down and drill up: Display parents or children of the selected valued in the dimension hierarchy If the set definition has more than one level.
Self service interface for business users 307 .000 (this condition hides Outdoor Protection from the results). Lynn Cope. wants to filter a crosstab to show only the Product lines that have Revenue greater than USD5.If you exclude a member from the current set. they can create customized expressions to filter members on reports. Figure 7-105 shows the report. and the crosstab shows only two values on the edge on which the Exclude logic was applied (Figure 7-104). Figure 7-104 Exclude a member from the current set Using custom filters When report developers need to create complicated logic for filtering in a dimensional data source. Figure 7-105 Initial result for the report: Revenue by Product line for 2007 Chapter 7. Lynn must replace the default row or column with a new expression. For example. To implement this logic. the Top 3 filter is kept.000. who is a Professional Report Author.
select Other expression. and then click OK. on the Toolbox tab. In the Insertable Objects pane.1 Handbook .[Products].Lynn follows these steps: 1. type the following expression: filter([Sales (analysis)]. 3. Click OK. In the Name field. Figure 7-106 Creating a filter expression 308 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. drag Query Calculation to the same place as Product line (Rows area). [Revenue] > 5000000) 4. In the Expression Definition section. 2. type Filtered Product line.[Product line]. as shown in Figure 7-106.[Products].
7. even if they do not have values for the metrics.After performing these steps. Chapter 7. the user notices that there are many rows with no values on the report. Self service interface for business users 309 . IBM Cognos returns all the members of the hierarchy.3 Suppress data When a user works with dimensional data sources and creates an analysis nesting dimensions (in a crosstab or chart). Figure 7-107 Final result for the report: Revenue by Product line for 2007 7. When working with dimensional data sources. Lynn notices that the Outdoor Protection product line is removed from the results (Figure 7-107).
Figure 7-108 Report without the Suppress data feature applied 310 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced provides the Suppress data feature that hides all the rows or columns (or both) that do not have data for the intersections. as shown in Figure 7-108 and Figure 7-109.To avoid this scenario.1 Handbook .
and then click the Crosstab icon.7. calculations are always performed before the suppression. launch Business Insight Advanced. Click GO Data Warehouse (analysis) to create a new report that is based on this package. To create this report: 1. In IBM Cognos Connection.Figure 7-109 Report with the Suppress data feature applied The rows with all null values are removed.4 Example Lynn Cope. for 2007 and 2006. 3. 4. Chapter 7. 7. Suppress feature: When using the Suppress feature. and for GO Americas only. wants to create a report to show data for the Camping Equipment Product line. an Advanced Business User for the Great Outdoors company. Self service interface for business users 311 . The Select a package window opens. Click Create New to create a new report. Navigate to Cognos Public Folders Samples Models. 2.
8. In the Insertable Objects pane. Figure 7-111 Filtering a report based on a selection 312 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Click 2006. 11. 10. 6. 7. and click 2007.On the top toolbar. 2007 (Figure 7-111).Click Include 2006. press Ctrl. Drag Time under the Sales folder to the Columns area. Figure 7-110 Initial report showing the Revenue for all Camping Equipment members by year 9. Drag Camping Equipment under Products to the Rows area.1 Handbook . Drag Revenue under Sales fact to the Measures area (Figure 7-110). click the Filters icon.5. navigate to Go Data Warehouse (analysis) Sales and Marketing (analysis) Sales Products.
by creating a Context filter. Figure 7-113 Final report filtered for GO Americas scenario Resource: For more information about how to work with multiple types of filters. Chapter 7. but Lynn wants to filter this report to show information for GO Americas only. Self service interface for business users 313 . the report is displayed with the Revenue totals for 2006 and 2007 grouped by Camping Equipment product types (Figure 7-112). 2006 and 2007 years only Lynn decides to slice the report for GO Americas. Figure 7-112 Revenue by Camping Equipment product types. as shown in Figure 7-113.After performing these steps. refer to the IBM Cognos Business Insight User Guide or contact IBM Cognos Education services.
The IBM Cognos modeler can override these governors in IBM Cognos Framework Manager. the users cannot store the data on the server. Maximums: The maximum file size that a user can import is 2.5 MB. To be successful when creating reports using external data.7. If the user wants to merge external data with a relational data source. a package with a new data model merging the data source of the report and the external data is created. Import your external data This step depends on the data source.8 Add external data IBM Cognos Business Insight and IBM Cognos Report Studio allow users to integrate external data.1 Handbook .. the user can link the external data directly with the enterprise data source or to a list report. When users import external data using this feature. professional report authors. users need to follow the workflow that is shown in Figure 7-114. into their reports. A user can import a maximum of one external data source file per package. the user must create a list report and link the external data source to the content of the list report (Figure 7-128 on page 328 shows an example).000 rows. and analysts must know their external data (the enterprise data to which they are trying to connect to make their analysis) and the objective of their analysis. Only a link for the local data source is created. If the user wants to merge external data with a dimensional data source. 314 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. with a maximum of 20. such as spreadsheets.
lists. Users can create reports with their data and perform many operations.Create reports with your external data file After IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced creates the package. grouped by Product line and Product type. With this second method. because she knows it is not available in the data warehouse. and charts. Self service interface for business users 315 .8. an Advanced Business User of the Great Outdoors company. users can create their reports with the new data source in the same manner as with regular packages. Chapter 7. and grouping and adding calculations. 7. If you want to share a report. She can easily create this report in IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced using the External Data feature. If a you want to share the report. Resource: For more information about working with the External Data feature. you must maintain the report to keep it current. you usually save the report in you My Folders folder. She wants to use this information to build her report. because you do not have to distribute your file to each person with whom you want to share a report. Determine whether to share the reports After you create a report using external data. refer to the IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced User Guide.1 External Data feature example Lynn Cope. Lynn has received a spreadsheet with the translation of the units to English and French. needs to create a catalog report with product sizes and quantity available in English and French units. applying sorting. the people who are to see the report need to obtain the file that is used by the external data source for their computers and have it located in the same location so that IBM Cognos BI can find the source file. Another option is to place the source file on a shared drive that IBM Cognos BI can access and create the external data source based on that location. summarizing data. it is easier to share reports. such as creating crosstabs.. In IBM Cognos Connection. In the Insertable Objects pane. To create the External Data package: 1.1 Handbook . Click Create New to create a new report. 6. If required. 2. 4. she needs to create a list report with the data that she wants to be available in the external data package. The Select a package window opens. Click GO Data Warehouse (analysis) to create a new report based on this dimensional package. Navigate to Cognos Public Folders Samples Models. launch Business Insight Advanced. click List. and then click OK. 316 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. click View Metadata Tree. 5.Create the External Data package Because Lynn wants to merge external data with a dimensional data source. Save the report in the My Folders folder with the name Product information. 3.
Click Browse and choose the location of the external data (Figure 7-116 on page 318).This location can be on the local machine or on a network share.csv) files XML (*. you are prompted to select the external data file each time that you run the report. View Metadata Tree Manage External Data Figure 7-115 Simple list report with Product data and Quantity values 9. If you change the default name for the namespace.xml) files Here. The following extensions are supported: – – – – Microsoft Excel (.8. By default. the namespace is the imported file name without the extension. select the “Allow the server to automatically load the file” check box. The users need to specify a namespace to use. Click the Manage External Data icon (Figure 7-115). Chapter 7.txt) files Comma-separated value (. users can specify which data they want to include on their reports. To avoid this step. Self service interface for business users 317 . The namespace provides a unique name to associate with the data items that the users import.xls) spreadsheet software files Tab-delimited text (. The namespace appears in the data tree of the Source tab in the Insertable Objects window and is used to organize the data items.
click PRODUCT_SIZE_CODE. 318 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. 11.. click the ellipsis (. 13.Figure 7-116 Selecting an external data source 10.In the Existing report list. and then click Open. 15.In the External data list.Browse to the My Folders folder.).1 Handbook .Click the Product information report..Click Next.In the Existing report section. click Product size code. 12. 14.
Click New Link (Figure 7-117). Self service interface for business users 319 . Figure 7-117 Mapping the external data against an IBM Cognos data source Relational data source: When using the External Data feature with a relational data source. They can link the external data to the relational IBM Cognos package. 17. users do not need to create a report to link the data. Chapter 7. product size code).Click Next twice. Linking columns: Before you create the data mapping. make sure that the columns that will be linked match (for example.16.
Figure 7-118 Setting mapping options 320 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. click Some values exist more than once (Figure 7-118).In the Existing query subject items section.1 Handbook .18.
21.On the Manage External Data window.Set the location of the Package to My Folders.Click Finish.. 20. Figure 7-119 Manage External Data window Chapter 7. as shown in Figure 7-119. click the ellipsis (.19.).. and name it: Go Data Warehouse (analysis) External Data with Dimensional 22.Click Save. Self service interface for business users 321 .
A message displays with information about the new package that will be created (see Figure 7-120).23. Figure 7-120 External data source information message 322 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.Click Publish.1 Handbook .
After the package is created. – This new package consists of two subjects: – One subject accesses the external data The other subject accesses the dimensional data that is extracted from the Product information report.24. the package that is used for the current report is changed. Figure 7-121 External Data package Chapter 7. Self service interface for business users 323 . and the new package appears in the Insertable Objects pane (see Figure 7-121).Click OK.
26.. 27.1 Handbook .On the top toolbar.25.Click No to saving the existing report because it is saved already. click the New icon.
28. Self service interface for business users 325 .From Go Data Warehouse (analysis) External Data product_size Product information). Figure 7-124 Including Quantity measures from the query subject created with the dimensional data Chapter 7.
On the top toolbar.In the crosstab. Product type. Product. click the Group/Ungroup icon (Figure 7-125). click Product line. 31.1 Handbook .30. PRODUCT_SIZE_EN. Figure 7-125 Grouping list columns 326 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. and PRODUCT_SIZE_FR.
34.32.In the crosstab.On the top toolbar.Click Edit layout sorting (Figure 7-126). Self service interface for business users 327 . Figure 7-126 Edit Layout Sorting option Chapter 7. click the Sort icon. click Product line. 33.
the report shows the information from both external data and enterprise data sources. as shown in Figure 7-127. After performing these steps. Figure 7-127 Setting Grouping & Sorting configuration 36.Click OK. Product type. Figure 7-128 Report showing external and enterprise data ordered by Product line. and Product (Figure 7-128). and Product 328 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook . ordered by Product line.35. Product type.Drag each member from the Data items area to the Groups section.
you can create packages in IBM Cognos Connection. Then. Select IBM Cognos Administration and navigate to the Security tab.9 Create a package with the Self Service Package wizard In Chapter 4. however. and they will be listed in Public Folders or My Folders. On the Connection tab. For certain online analytical processing (OLAP) sources. Figure 7-129 Enabling self-service package capability for a data source Chapter 7. you have to enable the option Allow personal packages (see Figure 7-129). click Capabilities Capability Self Service Package Wizard. “Create reporting packages with IBM Cognos Framework Manager” on page 33. Self service interface for business users 329 . you must create and publish a package from IBM Cognos Framework Manager. For SAP Business Information Warehouse (SAP BW) and IBM Cognos PowerPlay Studio PowerCube data sources. For details about setting the permission.7. You must enable the self-service package capability for a data source. it is a property of a data source in IBM Cognos Administration. You must meet two prerequisites to perform this task: The user must have execute permissions for the Self Service Package wizard capability. we discussed metadata modeling and how to create a reporting package in IBM Cognos Framework Manager. refer to IBM Cognos Administration and Security Guide.
9.7. Figure 7-131 Select a data source for a package 3. Open the IBM Cognos Connection. Select the data source that you want to add from a list. and then click OK. follow these steps: 1. The default location for packages is My Folders.1 Handbook . click Sales and Marketing Cube (see Figure 7-131). The data source must have the self-service package capability enabled to be listed as a data source in the Self Service Package wizard (see Figure 7-129 on page 329). Select a location for a package. click the New Package icon. For our example. Enter the name for the package (leave the default name. Click Next. as shown in Figure 7-130. and in the upper-right corner. In our example. you first must create a package. To create a package for a PowerCube data source. the data source is a Sales and Marketing Cube that is part of the IBM Cognos samples. Figure 7-130 Creating a new package from IBM Cognos Connection 2. 330 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. but you can change that here if you click Select another location. Sales and Marketing Cube).1 Create a package for Cognos PowerCubes If you have an IBM Cognos PowerPlay Studio PowerCube as a data source and if you want to use it in one of the IBM Cognos Studios for creating reports or analysis.
– Allow access to suppression options: Allows the studio user to choose which types of values will be suppressed. Figure 7-133 New package for a Cognos PowerCube Chapter 7. as shown in Figure 7-133. as shown in Figure 7-132. 6. Self service interface for business users 331 . all options are checked. By default. such as zeros or missing values.4. A new package for a Cognos PowerCube is added to IBM Cognos Connection. You can define null-suppression options here: – Allow null suppression: Enables suppression. – Allow multi-edge suppression: Allows the studio user to suppress values on more than one edge. Any of the IBM Cognos Studios can use this package for reporting. Figure 7-132 Null suppression options for a Cognos PowerCube 5. Click Finish.
further expanding the breadth of reporting capabilities provided by IBM Cognos 332 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. which might have an impact on its performance for other applications. you can edit variable properties (click Edit the SAP BW variable properties for the package after closing this dialog) or click Close to finish creating the package. You can change these settings. To have objects in the model organized in the same way that they are organized in Business Explorer Query Designer. A new package for an SAP BW will be added to IBM Cognos Connection. By default. Select the objects that you want to include. Click Next. 10. To add an SAP BW data source in a package. Specify the object display name. To import SAP BW queries that contain dual structures and use the structures in IBM Cognos queries to control the amount and order of information that your users see.7.1 Handbook .10 Create statistical calculations IBM Cognos Statistics.9. click Enhance the package for SAP BW organization of objects. Select the languages to include in the package. 7. Type the name for the package. click the New Package icon in the upper-right corner. powered by IBM SPSS. but be aware that the longer an SAP BW import takes. 9. 4. the more time the server spends processing the request. Click Finish. you can select a maximum of two cubes and five info queries. refer to the IBM Cognos Administration and Security Guide. select Use Dynamic Query Mode. 2. For details about how to set these parameters. 8. provides analysts with the ability to distribute reports with statistical insight to the larger business community.When the “Package successfully created” message appears. the prerequisites are the same. If you want to use Dynamic Query Mode with the data source. 6. 5. but creating a package has additional SAP BW-specific steps. The number of objects that you can select is limited. 3. 7. click Enable SAP BW Dual Structures support.2 Create a package for SAP BW For SAP BW data sources. and click Next. and click Next. follow these steps: 1. In IBM Cognos Connection.
saving valuable time.software. analysts no longer need to extract standardized trusted data from their business intelligence (BI) data warehouse into a separate tool to analyze and report on statistical information. Because IBM Cognos Statistics is seamlessly integrated into IBM Cognos Report Studio. IBM Cognos Statistics provides the necessary fact-based statistical evidence to support key organizational decisions. Chapter 7. The statistical capabilities that are provided by IBM Cognos Statistics are powered by the trusted market-leading IBM SPSS statistical engine. In this section. Whether you are obtaining additional insight into key business variables or predicting future outcomes. you can show descriptive statistics along with more formal analyses. With these images. IBM Cognos Statistics is easy to use for existing IBM Cognos Report Studio authors. we introduce each statistical function.1 IBM Cognos Statistics overview In this section. Descriptive Statistics Descriptive Statistics quantitatively summarize a data set. we provide the functions of IBM Cognos Statistics and sample images that were created from the Great Outdoors sales company data.10. 7. For more information about any of these features. Self service interface for business users 333 . enabling you to make the most of best-in-class analytics within your organization. see the IBM Cognos Report Studio User Guide. Now. analysts can assemble reports containing statistical information easily and distribute the information across the enterprise. because it uses IBM Cognos Report Studio objects and provides a convenient wizard interface. we introduce and provide a use case of IBM Cognos Statistics. we describe the types of statistical objects in Descriptive Statistics. For an overall sense of the data being analyzed. In this section.
Half of the cases fall above the median. The smallest value of a numeric variable.Basic Descriptive Statistics Descriptive tables describe the basic features of data in quantitative terms: Summary descriptive statistics: One value In this table. 334 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. and half of the cases fall below the median.147. Deviation N Median Minimum Maximum The arithmetic mean is the sum of samples divided by the number of cases. or records. we use the Salary to Analysis variable and the Employee to Case variable (see Figure 7-134).664. A measure of dispersion around the mean.18 and that the standard deviation is extremely high: 31189.1 Handbook . Figure 7-134 Summary descriptive statistics: One value Notes regarding Figure 7-134: Mean Std. The largest value of a numeric variable. observations. You can see that the average salary of this company is 49. The number of cases.
You can compare the salary of each country. and Country to Grouping variable. Figure 7-135 Summary descriptive statistics: Multiple values Descriptive statistics by grouping variable In the table in Figure 7-136. we use the Salary to Analysis variable. Employee to Case variable. we use the Salary and Bonus value to Analysis variable and the Employee to Case variable.Summary descriptive statistics: Multiple values In the table in Figure 7-135. Figure 7-136 Descriptive statistics by grouping variable Chapter 7. Self service interface for business users 335 . You can see that the standard deviation of Bonus value is lower than the standard deviation of Salary in this company.
Product to Case variable. You can use a histogram to summarize the frequency of observations graphically.Histogram Histograms display the range of variable values in intervals of equal length. is a convenient way to show groups of numerical data. and Country to Grouping variable. Figure 7-137 uses the Unit price to Analysis variable. such as these types: Minimum and maximum values Upper and lower quartiles Median values Outlying and extreme values 336 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. which is also known as a “box-and-whisker” chart. Figure 7-137 Histogram Boxplot A boxplot. Unit price distribution regarding all the products of this company displays.1 Handbook .
Extreme value Outlying value Whisker 75th percentage Median 25th percentile Figure 7-138 Boxplot Chapter 7.S. You can see the Gross profit distribution of retailers of each region and that VIP Department Stores is an excellent retailer in the U. Self service interface for business users 337 . and Region to Grouping variable. Retailer name to Case variable.Figure 7-138 uses the Gross profit to Analysis variable.
05 or less are typically considered significant. One-Sample t-Test The One-Sample t-Test tests the probability that the difference between the sample mean and a test value is due to chance. including the normal distribution.1 Handbook . Figure 7-139 uses the Salary to Analysis variable and Employee to Case variable. that is. if the difference is due to something other than random chance. 338 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. You can see that several of the high-salaried and low-salaried employees are out of range in the normal distribution in this company.Q-Q Plot You can create a quartile-quartile (Q-Q) plot to chart the quartiles of a variable’s distribution against a distribution of your choice. Figure 7-139 Q-Q Plot Means comparison You can compare the means of two or more groups to determine if the difference between the groups is statistically significant. Probabilities of . You can use two types of statistical objects in means comparison.
You can check for homogeneity of variance by using the Levene’s test. Figure 7-140 One-Sample Statistics Figure 7-141 One-Sample Test One-Way ANOVA You can use One-Way ANOVA to assess whether groups of means differ significantly. ANOVA assumes that there is homogeneity of variance. Self service interface for business users 339 . Check the Sig. and Golf Equipment do not differ significantly compared to the Test value. One-Sample t-Test provides two types of results: one type is One-Sample Statistics (Figure 7-140) and the other type is One-Sample Test (Figure 7-141).In this table. we use the Revenue to Analysis variable. or significance values in the One-Sample Test. and 30000000 to Test value. and you can see that Camping Equipment. Product line to Grouping variables. Chapter 7. Personal Accessories. Probabilities of .05 or less are typically considered significant. Product to Case variable. but Mountaineering Equipment and Outdoor Protection differ significantly. that the variance within each of the groups is equal. that is.
Figure 7-144. the Branch region to Independent variable. For example. this test provides these three tables and one chart (see Figure 7-142. we use Salary to Dependent variables. Figure 7-142 ANOVA Figure 7-143 Multiple Comparisons 340 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. and the Employee to Case variable. and Figure 7-145).In this table. Figure 7-143. The Multiple Comparisons table shows the salary difference for each country.1 Handbook . One-Way ANOVA provides various kinds of results.
Figure 7-144 Homogeneous subsets Figure 7-145 Means Plots Chapter 7. Self service interface for business users 341 .
You can see Central Europe is the region whose employees take the most vacation. and Employee to Case variable.. One-Way Chi-Square Test One-Way Chi-Square Tests.1 Handbook . compare observed frequencies against expected frequencies using data from a single categorical variable. In this table.Nonparametric tests You use nonparametric tests to compare frequencies in categorical data. which are also known as chi-square goodness-of-fit tests. Vacation days taken to count variable.
Figure 7-148 Case Processing Summary Figure 7-149 Crosstabulation Figure 7-150 Chi-Square Tests Chapter 7. The Two-Way Chi-Square Test provides various types of results (Figure 7-148. In this table.Two-Way Chi-Square Test Two-Way Chi-Square Tests. compare observed frequencies against expected frequencies using data from two categorical variables. which are also known as chi-square tests of independence. we use Level of education to Analysis variable1. Figure 7-149.5). Self service interface for business users 343 . which means that there is a significant difference between the default rates of customers with differing levels of education. Previous defaulted to Analysis variable2. and Figure 7-150). and the Customer ID to Case variable. You can see Pearson Chi-Square is significant (<0.
Figure 7-151 Basic Correlation chart 344 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Basic Correlation provides these kinds of results (see Figure 7-151.904.1 Handbook .Correlation and Regression Correlation and regression analysis let you examine relationships between variables. and Figure 7-153). Quantity to Analysis variable2. Figure 7-152. This table uses Unit price to Analysis variable1. You can see that the Pearson Correlation is 0. The existence of a correlation does not imply causality. which means that there is a positive relationship between Product cost and Gross profit. and the Product to Case variable. but simply helps you to understand the relationship. Basic Correlation Basic Correlation is a measure of association between two variables.
we use the Gross profit to Dependent variable. Chapter 7. Figure 7-155.528. Self service interface for business users 345 . based on a scatterplot. Product cost 0. You can use Linear Regression to predict the dependent variable when the independent variables are known. The regression equation is as follows: dependent variable = slope * independent variable + constant The slope is how steep the regression line is. The key statistic of interest in the coefficients table is the unstandardized regression coefficient. In this table. and Product to Case variable. The constant is where the regression line strikes the y-axis when the independent variable has a value of 0. Linear Regression provides various types of results (see Figure 7-154. Product cost to Independent variable.Figure 7-152 Basic Correlation Descriptive Statistics Figure 7-153 Basic Correlation correlations Linear Regression Linear Regression examines the relationship between one dependent variable and one or more independent variables. and Figure 7-157). Figure 7-156.
528* Product cost + 2861822. Figure 7-154 Linear Regression Variables Entered/Removed Figure 7-155 Linear Regression Model Summary Figure 7-156 Linear Regression ANOVA 346 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.528. and the constant is 2861822.972.1 Handbook . the slope is 0. the regression equation is the predicted value of Gross profit = 0.In this example.972. So.
Self service interface for business users 347 . expressed as the correlation coefficient R square. The aim of Curve Estimation is to find the best fit for your data..
This table uses the Gross profit to Dependent variable. You can see differences between the estimated line and the actual value. Product cost to Independent variable. You can try using separate models with your data to help you find the model with the optimum fit. and Product to Case variable with Linear model. and Figure 7-161). Figure 7-158 Curve Estimation chart Figure 7-159 Curve Estimation Model Summary 348 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Figure 7-159. Curve Estimation provides these kinds of results (Figure 7-158.1 Handbook . Figure 7-160.
Chapter 7. Self service interface for business users 349 . Control Charts plot samples of your process output collected over time to show you whether a process is in control or out of control.Figure 7-160 Curve Estimation ANOVA Figure 7-161 Curve Estimation Coefficients Control Charts All processes show variation. but excessive variation can produce undesirable or unpredictable results. You use statistical process control (SPC) to monitor critical manufacturing and other business processes that must be within specified limits.
Figure 7-163. and Figure 7-164). An X-Bar chart is often accompanied by either the R chart or S chart (Figure 7-162.1 Handbook . Figure 7-162 X-Bar chart Figure 7-163 X-Bar Rule Violations 350 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.X-Bar Plot the average of each subgroup.
Figure 7-165 R chart Chapter 7. Self service interface for business users 351 .Figure 7-164 X-Bar Process Statistics R charts R charts plot range values by subtracting the smallest value in a subgroup from the largest value in the same subgroup. The center line on the chart represents the mean of the ranges of all the subgroups (Figure 7-165)..
Figure 7-167 Moving Range Chapter 7. Self service interface for business users 353 . The center line on the chart represents the average change from one sample to another sample (Figure 7-167).Moving Range Moving Range charts plot the difference between each sample value and the preceding sample value.
1 Handbook . Figure 7-168 Individuals chart Figure 7-169 Individuals Rule Violations p chart The p chart plots the percentage of defective units. 354 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. such as the percent of automobiles with defects per shift. The center line on the chart represents the average of all individual samples in the chart (Figure 7-168 and Figure 7-169).Individuals Individuals charts plot the measured value of each individual sample. Sample sizes do not need to be equal. They can vary between collection periods.
such as the number of automobiles with defects per shift. Self service interface for business users 355 . They can vary between collection periods. he wants to show which product is a “pain” point or poor seller. Chapter 7.2 IBM Cognos Statistics use case: Create an IBM Cognos Statistics report Chapter 3. Click the Insert Table icon. and create a 1 x 2 table.. Sample sizes must be equal. Drag a Curve Estimation statistic object from the Insertable Objects pane to the left side of the table. 3. Sample sizes must be equal. Create a statistics chart First. u chart The u chart plots the number of defects per unit. Also. Ben creates a statistics chart. Ben Hall is the Analyst. 2.10.np chart The np chart plots the number of defective units. 7. Sample sizes do not need to be equal. He wants to create a sales summary report that shows the statistical relationship between the sales quantity and the inventory in the second quarter (2Q) of 2007 with IBM Cognos Statistics. “Business scenario and personas used in this book” on page 21 introduces the Great Outdoors company business scenario. such as the total number of defects per shift. c chart The c chart plots the number of defects. Launch IBM Cognos Report Studio with the Go Data Warehouse (query) package. such as the number of defects per automobile per shift. To create the chart: 1.
356 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Figure 7-170 Select Statistic dialog box 5. as shown in Figure 7-171: – Quantity to Dependent variable – Opening inventory to Independent variable – Product to Cases variable Figure 7-171 Insert measures and items 6. Insert the following measures and items.1 Handbook . and click Curve Estimation. click Cancel. In the Select Statistic dialog box. Click OK. In the next window. expand Correlation and Regression. as shown in Figure 7-170. Create an advanced filter with Year=2007 and Quarter=’Q2’.4.
If you want to identify the item name of the pain point. So. The red circles show the pain points. Run a report. which means that these items had too much inventory compared to their sales quantities. Figure 7-172 shows the result. These points are much lower than the estimated line. you can use the crosstab to identify them.7. Figure 7-172 Curve Estimation chart Chapter 7. there is no direct way to identify the pain points at this point. Self service interface for business users 357 .
Drag a Crosstab object from the Insertable Objects pane to the correct table. you can recognize the following equation: predicted value of Quantity = 0. Insert Quantity and Opening inventory in the Columns area.425 Figure 7-173 Coefficients 2.533) column. Before creating a crosstab. Delete the (Opening inventory * 0. d. c. Insert Product in the Rows area.533 – Constant: 17297. Figure 7-174 Crosstab 4. and click OK. Click +(addition) in operation.533* Opening inventory + 17297. To create a crosstab: 1.1 Handbook . b.425) in the Number field. e. and add a custom calculation. as shown in Figure 7-174. type Constant value(17297. 358 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Click *(multiplication) in the operation. make a note about the following information in the statistical report (see Figure 7-173): – Slope: 0.533) column. Create the estimated column: a. and click OK. type slope value(0.533) in the Number field.425 From this information. 3. Create the same advanced filter for the crosstab that you created in the statistic report. Click the (Opening inventory * 0. 5. Ben creates a crosstab. and add a custom calculation. Click Opening inventory.Create crosstab to identify pain point Next.
533) + 17297. and set the order as Descending (Figure 7-176).425) cell.f. Click the ((Opening inventory * 0. Adjust the crosstab location appropriately. Click the Regression. Figure 7-176 Crosstab 9. Chapter 7. and rename it as “Regression” in the property pane (Figure 7-175). Click the (Regression . Figure 7-175 Crosstab 6. and add the calculation (Regression Quantity). 7. Move (Regression . Quantity cell. Self service interface for business users 359 .Quantity) to the right edge of the crosstab. 8.Quantity) cell.
the crosstab shows the order of difference between the estimated line and the actual sales Quantity.Run the report. as shown in Figure 7-177. In this report. Figure 7-177 Statistic report 360 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. You can see that these item names are “Glacier Basic” and “Double Edge”.10. You can identify the item name of the pain points with Quantity and Opening inventory values.1 Handbook .
when you need it. Actionable analytics everywhere IBM Cognos Business Intelligence (BI) offers various capabilities that allow more people to take advantage of business intelligence in more places.8 Chapter 8. 361 . All rights reserved. This chapter includes the following topics: Accessibility and internationalization Disconnected report interaction Interact with IBM Business Analytics using mobile devices IBM Cognos Analysis for Microsoft Excel Business driven workflow © Copyright IBM Corp. so that you can make the best decisions possible is best described as actionable analytics. we introduce the actionable analytics that are available with IBM Cognos BI. 2010. In this chapter. Having access to the data that you.
you can open and display the contents of a drop-down list with the Alt+Down arrow key combination. 362 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. see the IBM Cognos Business Insight User Guide. Additionally. and tables Specify whether table cells are table headers When using IBM Cognos Business Insight or IBM Cognos for Microsoft Office.1 Handbook . such as images and charts Add summary text for crosstabs. lists. you can do the following activities: Add alternative text for non-text objects. For example. you can move to the first item or object with the Ctrl+Home key combination.1 Enabling access for more people When creating reports using IBM Cognos Report Studio and IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced. For example. For more information. 8. report consumers can do the following activities: Navigate without a mouse using arrow keys and function keys. we introduce functions that you can use to enhance accessibility and the support language of IBM Cognos BI.1. as shown in Figure 8-1.1 Accessibility and internationalization IBM Cognos BI includes features to help you create reports that are more accessible to people with a physical disability. Use any combination of high contrast system settings and browser minimum font settings to control the display. when you set the operating system to high contrast.8. graphic icons are replaced with text icons for easier viewing. such as restricted mobility or limited vision. In this section.
Actionable analytics everywhere 363 . Switch from graphs to tables and control the palette settings to meet specific accessibility needs. IBM Cognos BI provides the ability to enable accessible output at many levels. or they can choose to enable accessible output for all reports using a user preferences setting. see the IBM Cognos Business Insight User Guide. Users can enable accessible output by report. JAWS is supported only with the Mozilla FireFox browser for this release of IBM Cognos Business Insight. For more information. Administrators can control assessable output as a server-wide option. are documented as well. so that all reports for all IBM Cognos BI users have accessibility features enabled. Chapter 8. see the IBM Cognos Connection User Guide and the IBM Cognos Administration and Security Guide. including keyboard shortcuts.Figure 8-1 Text icons for high contrast Use the Freedom Scientific JAWS screen reader. IBM Cognos Business Insight is accessibility enabled. The documentation includes alternate text for all graphics so that screen readers can interpret graphics. For more information. The accessibility features. Accessibility settings in the user preferences and report properties overwrite this setting.
1. and Simplified Chinese New Group 1 language translations Traditional Chinese.8. and the indexed search functionality (see Figure 8-2). and Italian Figure 8-2 Setting for supported language 364 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Brazilian Portuguese. the search functionality. Existing Group 1 language translations French. Spanish. Japanese.1 Handbook . The following Group 1 languages are supported in the product user interface. Korean. German.2 Providing internationalization IBM Cognos BI now expands language support for IBM Group 1 translations.
IBM Cognos Active Report is a report output type that provides a highly interactive and easy-to-use managed report.2. such as a chart. Some users prefer viewing the numbers. making this an ideal solution for remote users such as the sales force. 8. You use IBM Cognos Report Studio to create active reports. Report authors build reports that are targeted at users’ needs. Actionable analytics everywhere 365 .1 IBM Cognos Active Report overview IBM Cognos Active Report includes reports that are built for business users.2. Users continue to benefit from the enterprise value of one version of the truth. allowing them to explore data and derive additional insight. You use active report controls to create the layout of an active report and to filter and sort data in the report. IBM Cognos Active Report can be consumed by users who are offline.2 IBM Cognos Active Report features IBM Cognos Active Report produces reports that are an extension of existing IBM Cognos Report Studio values and the IBM Cognos Platform. 8.8.2 Disconnected report interaction IBM Cognos BI offers a report function called IBM Cognos Active Report. keeping the user experience simple and engaging. and new interactive control types in IBM Cognos Report Studio serve as building blocks for creating active reports. and other users prefer viewing a visualization. IBM Cognos Active Report extends the reach of business intelligence and analytics to employees in the field and business partners. Layout Users need data organized in a way that is easy to consume and understand. Chapter.
You can show or hide a column in a list or a column or row in a crosstab when the report is viewed. Figure 8-4 Drop-down list 366 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. as shown in Figure 8-3 Figure 8-3 Tab controls Decks of cards for layering report items You can use decks and data decks to show different objects and different data respectively based on a selection in another control. Filtering and sorting Users need to focus on the data in which they are most interested. By allowing report authors to add easy to-use controls to a report. Control data for hiding or showing list columns Users can control the data that displays using check boxes. users can interact with the data and filter it to obtain additional insight. users can select one or more items in a list box. IBM Cognos Report Studio provides several filtering controls: List and drop-down list control (as shown in Figure 8-4) Use list boxes and data list boxes to provide a list of items that users can choose from. In data list boxes.To help report authors deliver content in the most consumable way possible.1 Handbook . For example. clicking a radio button in a radio button group control shows a list object and clicking a different radio button shows a chart object. the lists are driven by a data item that you insert in the control. In reports. IBM Cognos Report Studio provides the following layout controls: Tab controls for grouping similar report items. To help report authors deliver the content in the most consumable way possible.
In reports. users can click one or more buttons simultaneously.Interactions with charts (as shown in Figure 8-5) Use list boxes and data list boxes to provide a list of items from which users can choose. the radio buttons are driven by a data item that you insert in the control. In reports. Figure 8-7 Check boxes Toggle buttons (as shown in Figure 8-8) Use toggle button bars and data toggle button bars to add a group of buttons that change appearance when pressed. In data toggle button bars. In data check box groups. Figure 8-5 List box Radio buttons (as shown in Figure 8-6) Use radio button groups and data radio button groups to group a set of buttons that have a common purpose. Actionable analytics everywhere 367 . the check boxes are driven by a data item that you insert in the control. the buttons are driven by a data item that you insert in the control. the lists are driven by a data item that you insert in the control. Figure 8-8 Toggle buttons Chapter 8. users can select one or more check boxes simultaneously. In data list boxes. In reports. Figure 8-6 Radio buttons Check boxes (as shown in Figure 8-7) Use check box groups and data check box groups to group a set of check boxes. In reports. users can select one or more items in a list box. In data radio button groups. users can click only one radio button at a time.
we introduce the Great Outdoors company business scenario. users can click only one button at a time. The report is divided by Product Line. “Business scenario and personas used in this book” on page 21. The business partner is not connected to the Great Outdoors company intranet or the IBM Cognos BI infrastructure.Push button controls (as shown in Figure 8-9) Use button bars and data button bars to add a group of push buttons. the buttons are driven by a data item that you insert in the control. Authors can upgrade existing reports to be interactive by adding the controls that we mentioned previously. you can run active reports from IBM Cognos Connection. In data button bars.2. 368 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. creates a sales summary report that shows the lowest sold products in 2007 3Q. Figure 8-9 Buttons Upgrade considerations IBM Cognos Active Report is an extension of traditional IBM Cognos reports. and you can schedule and burst these reports to users. Similar to existing IBM Cognos reports. We can use IBM Cognos Active Report to answer the following business questions for Great Outdoors company: Are we selling the correct products? Do we need to discontinue products? Company executives want to send a summarized report of sales performance to a business partner by email. Create IBM Cognos Active Report Lynn Cope. The generated report needs to be interactive and must show data without requiring a connection to the IBM Cognos Platform.3 IBM Cognos Active Report use case In Chapter 3. 8.1 Handbook . In reports. who is in the role of the Professional Report Author in this example. providing users with an easy to consume interface.
Convert the report to an active report by clicking File Convert to Active Report. 2. Create a list report. and set the order to Ascending to Quantity and the grouping to Product line. Add an Active Report Object. Insert a Data Tab Control object from the Insertable Objects pane to the left side of the list table and insert the Product line to Drop Item here as shown in Figure 8-10.To allow users to use the Active Report feature: 1. Add a Context filter with Q3 2007. Launch IBM Cognos Report Studio and create a list with Product line. Figure 8-10 Insert Data Tab control Chapter 8. 3. and Quantity of [GO Data Warehouse(analysis)]-[Sales and Marketing(analysis)]-[Sales]. Product type. Actionable analytics everywhere 369 . Product.
1 Handbook . as shown in Figure 8-11. Create a connection by clicking the Interactive Behavior icon. Then. Figure 8-11 Create a connection 370 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.4. select Create New Variable and enter Product line Variable 1.
Chapter 8. change the limit setting within Active Report Properties. Figure 8-12 shows the result. If your result data rows are more than 5. Figure 8-12 Active report For more information. Actionable analytics everywhere 371 .000. Save and run the report.5. see the IBM Cognos Report Studio User Guide.
To open the active report file.(mht|mhtml)$/. She wants to download the Active Report as a local file and send it to a business partner. right-click the file. use Internet Explorer (V7 or higher) or Mozilla Firefox (with UnMHT) to open an active report.mht extension.mht file to the business partner by email. To download a report: 1. If you use Mozilla Firefox. (as shown in Figure 8-13).Download IBM Cognos Active Report Lynn Cope is also an Advanced Business User. and select appropriate browser (for example. Click each Product Line button to find the lowest sales quantity of each product line as shown in Figure 8-14. Using the active report When the business partner receives an email from Lynn Cope.*\. delete the URL filter by selecting Tools IE Tab option Delete /^file:\/\/\/. Open the active report. 2. Figure 8-13 Downloaded Active Report file 2. he can use the report that is attached to the email to analyze the data to determine the lowest sold product at each product line in 3Q 2007. Send the . 372 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. The file has a . Click the developed Active Report in IBM Cognos Connection and then select download to local storage.1 Handbook . To analyze the report: 1.
see the IBM Cognos Report Studio User Guide. Mobile users want to take advantage of personal mobile devices while interacting with business intelligence on the device.Figure 8-14 Disconnected active report IBM Cognos Active Report can provide a robust and interactive experience for disconnected analysis of business information. For more information. In this section. Chapter 8. This function provides decision makers with access to business critical information wherever they are and whenever they need it. we introduce supported devices and a use case for IBM Cognos Mobile. 8.3 Interact with IBM Business Analytics using mobile devices IBM Cognos Mobile provides timely and convenient access to IBM Cognos BI information from a mobile device. Actionable analytics everywhere 373 .
Prompting uses prompt identifiers and the surrounding text and formatting that desktop users see. Support for IBM Cognos Business Insight In addition to reports and analyses.2 Simplified experience across all devices You can connect to. Users can run prompted reports intuitively by using prompting mechanisms that suit the mobile device. interact with.1 Extended device support IBM Cognos Mobile now supports the mobile devices that we describe in this section. Users can use familiar iPhone actions to access the same business intelligence content and IBM Cognos Mobile features that are available on other devices in previous releases. and make decisions with IBM Business Analytics on your mobile device as we describe in this section. Support for Symbian S60 and Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 devices. Support for Apple iPhone. users can create a list of favorites and select one dashboard or report to display automatically on the Welcome window when they start IBM Cognos Mobile. users can have dashboards that were created in IBM Cognos Business Insight delivered to their devices.8. Apple iPad.1 devices IBM Cognos Mobile continues support for Symbian S60 and Microsoft Windows Mobile 6. and Apple iPod Touch devices.3. 374 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Support for RIM BlackBerry Smartphones IBM Cognos Mobile now supports the enhanced BlackBerry user interface for BlackBerry OS 4. In addition. Improved prompting IBM Cognos Mobile offers improved prompting in the web application for the Apple iPhone. Apple iPad.3. 8. and Apple iPod Touch IBM Cognos Mobile now supports Apple iPhone.2 and higher. The new user interface is easier to navigate and provides an improved overall experience when accessing IBM Cognos BI content.1 Handbook .
which makes deployment transparent to users. users can return to the original report where they began the drilling process. and Zooming functions. These features allow users to gain additional insight into the information that they are consuming. Actionable analytics everywhere 375 .Drill up and drill down IBM Cognos Mobile offers drill up and drill down capabilities. Panning. It enables the following functions: Rapid mass deployment to enterprise mobile users Faster device support to sustain the speed at which new devices enter the marketplace Instantaneous software updates that occur at the server You do not need to update mobile client software. Users can see the fields within the IBM Cognos BI content on their devices on which they can drill up or drill down. Zero footprint IBM Cognos Mobile for the Apple iPhone and Apple iPod Touch is an HTML 5 web application. Chapter 8. Browsing improvements IBM Cognos Mobile offers Report Thumbnails. After drilling up or drilling down on one or more of those fields.
Figure 8-15 IBM Cognos Mobile welcome window on Apple iPhone 376 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.8.1 Handbook . see the Welcome window opens. as shown in Figure 8-15.3. When you connect to IBM Cognos Mobile on the Apple iPhone.3 IBM Cognos Mobile use case Lynn Cope is an Advanced Business User who wants to reference a sales summary report on her Apple iPhone.
Figure 8-16 Favorites tab Chapter 8.Figure 8-16 shows the Favorites tab. Actionable analytics everywhere 377 .
as shown in Figure 8-17.1 Handbook . Figure 8-17 Recently run reports 378 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.The third tab shows recently run reports by thumbnails.
Lynn searches for Sales reports as shown in Figure 8-19.The Explorer tab shows IBM Cognos reports (similar to using IBM Cognos Connection) as shown in Figure 8-18. Actionable analytics everywhere 379 . Figure 8-18 Explorer tab The Search tab allows you to use the search function. In this example. Figure 8-19 Search tab Chapter 8.
Figure 8-20 Text prompt You can use the zooming function to show report detail as shown in Figure 8-21.1 Handbook . Figure 8-21 Zooming function 8.You can use the text prompt as shown in Figure 8-20 Features of IBM Cognos Analysis for Microsoft Excel This section introduces the features of IBM Cognos Analysis for Microsoft Excel. you have the option of converting data on the current worksheet. Calculation Calculations are now supported for explorations and lists. copying and moving the data to a new worksheet. we introduce the features and a use case for IBM Cognos Analysis for Microsoft Excel.Measure Summary. and you can reorder items. you can rename column and row headings. You can use the calculation function without converting to formulas.common business intelligence portal and can improve the user experience for financial analysts who work with a variety of data sources. You can add business calculations. through the Microsoft Excel function by clicking Style from the Format menu. or specifying the location for the converted data. You can open these Microsoft Excel reports using IBM Cognos Business Insight Advance. and IBM Cognos Analysis Studio. such as font and alignment. When you convert your exploration.4. Chapter 8. Cell formatting Additional custom styles are available for formatting cells. In this chapter. In addition. The IBM Cognos styles are listed along with default Microsoft Excel styles. such as IBM Cognos Analysis Studio. Publish Microsoft Excel reports You can publish explorations and lists directly to IBM Cognos Connection. You can gain access to IBM Cognos Analysis Studio styles. which enables Microsoft Excel users to author reports in Microsoft Excel and distribute them as secured web reports without the additional step of using a studio package. You can save an exploration as a web report. IBM Cognos Report Studio. 8. such as totals and percentage change between years. Actionable analytics everywhere 381 . and then save the changes to a template to use again. you can convert an exploration to a formula. After items are placed in the cells of a worksheet.Calculated Row Name or IBM Cognos . You can modify attributes. which enables you to create and maintain reports using advanced functions in an easy-to-use environment with drop zones. such as IBM Cognos .
or block. 8. these comments and values are not deleted. Receiving the data as unformatted data can speeds processing time. create a crosstab report with IBM Cognos Analysis for Microsoft Excel. and insert Product to row. Comments You can add and preserve user comments and values. Figure 8-22 Create an exploration 382 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. create an exploration. You can change the format of data that is received from the IBM Cognos BI server to CSV. column. First. You can also add blank rows and columns in the middle of explorations or lists to enhance readability. You can create Microsoft Excel calculations for the entire row. Revenue to data in [GO Data Warehouse(analysis)]-[Sales and Marketing(analysis)]-[Sales] as shown in Figure 8-22. Create a sales report.4. To allow users to use the IBM Cognos Analysis for Microsoft Excel feature: 1. If you refresh the data in a Microsoft Excel sheet.1 Handbook . Then. Time to column.2 IBM Cognos Analysis for Microsoft Excel use case Lynn Cope is an Advanced Business User who wants to create a sales summary report in Microsoft Excel.User-defined rows and columns You can add user-defined rows and columns in the middle of explorations and lists to add calculations. Performance A streaming data mode for list-oriented queries supports large volumes of data requests with speed.
First. and select 2007 .2.2006 as shown in Figure 8-23. add a column to show the difference of revenue between 2006 and 2007. Add a calculation. click the calculation button. Then. Figure 8-23 Add a calculation Figure 8-24 shows a new column that reports the difference between 2007 revenue and 2006 revenue. Figure 8-24 Calculated column Chapter 8. press Ctrl while you click the 2007. 2006 cell. Actionable analytics everywhere 383 .
1 Handbook . Then. Figure 8-25 Change name and order 384 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.3. order the columns by right-clicking the year cell (for example 2004) and clicking IBM Cognos Analysis Reorder / Rename (see Figure 8-25). Change the new column name to Latest Difference.
You can change the cell format by clicking the Camping Equipment cell and clicking Format Style Modify as shown in Figure 8-26. text. and create formula. and changing cell attributes. You can reflect the cell attribute to other cells by selecting the appropriate Style name in the Style window. Figure 8-27 User-defined column Chapter 8. Add rows and columns by clicking the Insert User Row / Column icon. Figure 8-26 Cell formatting 4. Actionable analytics everywhere 385 . shown in Figure 8-27.
Figure 8-28 Add comment 6. Add comments to appropriate cells (see Figure 8-28).1 Handbook .5. Figure 8-29 Publish 386 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Publish the Microsoft Excel report to IBM Cognos Connection as shown in Figure 8-29.
5.1 Enhanced event management The IBM Cognos Platform includes a new service to support enhanced event management functionality called the Human Task Service. Tasks can request approval for actions to be taken based upon an event. This service is based upon an open specification called WS-Human Tasks. you cannot capture what a user does with information that is provided by the event agent. 8.5 Business driven workflow In this version. With email and news item posts. we introduce WS-Human Tasks and features and provide a use case of IBM Cognos Event Studio and My Inbox. you cannot define how users are expected to respond to the event.Figure 8-30 shows the published Microsoft Excel report in IBM Cognos Connection. In this section. Figure 8-30 Published Microsoft Excel report in IBM Cognos Connection 8. In addition. user interaction with these events was provided only using email and IBM Cognos portal news items. The enhanced event management features of this version permit event authors to configure tasks to be assigned to individual users or groups of users. IBM is leading the working Chapter 8. However. IBM Cognos Platform introduces the ability to encompass user actions into business intelligence events and processes in a way that can be managed and audited. event authors could configure agents that detected events within a business intelligence data source and that took action based upon reconfigured criteria. Actionable analytics everywhere 387 . or they can request that a user decide how the agent should proceed to execute configured tasks based upon the user's analysis of or reaction to the event condition or task contents. In previous versions. These tasks can include expectations around when work on a task must be started by and completed by.
see the IBM Cognos Administration and Security Guide. This task sends an approval request related to an event to the task inbox of specified recipients in IBM Cognos BI. You can add deadlines to an ad-hoc task when you create it. by updating the task from their task inbox. Ad-hoc task You can create an ad-hoc task to send a task to the task inbox of the recipients you specify. Features of IBM Cognos Event Studio You can create the following human tasks in IBM Cognos Event Studio: Approval request task You can create an approval request task to an agent when you want an event to occur only after approval.. such as report output. 388 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. in a notification request.1 Handbook . Notification request task You can create a notification request task to an agent to send a secure notification about an event to the inbox of specified recipients in IBM Cognos BI. My Inbox A task inbox contains the following human tasks: Notification task You can also create a notification request task in My Inbox. Alternatively. see the IBM Cognos Event Studio User Guide. The My Inbox area of IBM Cognos Connection (notification requests and ad-hoc tasks) A watch rule set up for a report (notification requests only) For more information. potential owners or stakeholders can add deadlines at a later date. You can include content.
Approval Request scenario In this example.5. it must be approved by the Sam Carter. we provide two use cases that use the human task service. Figure 8-31 Task list Chapter 8. for a quality check.8.2 Human task service use case In this section. perform the following: 1. Actionable analytics everywhere 389 . To submit the report for approval. Launch the IBM Cognos Event Studio with Go Data Warehouse (analysis) package and add the Run a report task as shown in Figure 8-31. the Administrator. Lynn Cope is a Professional Report Author who wants to take a sales report definition and burst it into reports for the following countries: USA Japan Brazil Before the bursted report is sent.
Figure 8-32 Burst report task 390 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.2. and change settings as shown in Figure 8-32. Select the burst report.1 Handbook .
and set Sam Carter as a potential owner. Add Run an approval request. Figure 8-33 Approval request task Chapter 8. Enter a subject and body. and attach the bursted reports as shown in Figure 8-33. Actionable analytics everywhere 391 .3.
Icon. Priority. Figure 8-34 Approval request task options 392 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook . Task Owner Action as shown in Figure 8-34. For more information. You can select Due Dates.4. see the IBM Cognos Event Studio User Guide. Options (Send email or not on each phase).
As these requests return. 9. a cache is built. the Dynamic Query Mode offers different performance optimizations to improve the speed of data analysis.1 What is Dynamic Query Mode Dynamic Query Mode is an enhanced Java-based query execution mode that addresses increasing query complexity and data volumes through key query optimizations and in-memory caching.1 Handbook . Depending on the data source that you use. thus. whether those results are metadata or data. This caching results in fewer request sent to the underlying data source and.9. we provide a basic overview of the high performance in-memory query mode known as Dynamic Query Mode. Running and building reports requires several requests. query execution. to be made to the data source.1. provides better query performance. for future re-use. and results that are returned while maintaining the security context.. such as metadata and data requests. Table 9-1 lists these optimizations.1 Overview of Dynamic Query Mode In this section. 404 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. These improvements benefit the query planning. the Dynamic Query Mode caches the results. This cache is data source and user specific and can be shared across report processes that are running on the same dispatcher.
the underlying data source has to endure high work loads. You can. because IBM Cognos TM1 implements its own caching. In addition.Dynamic Query Mode cache: The Dynamic Query Mode cache is not maintained for packages that are based on IBM Cognos TM1 cubes. and IBM Cognos Report Studio include an enhanced suppression feature that can reduce the amount of cells that need to be evaluated to achieve the desired result. for example. IBM Cognos Query Studio.4. “Analyzing queries” on page 424. the master query is pushed as a separate edge to the detail query. Enhanced null suppression Deeply nested reports generate large amounts of cells. the longer it takes for the report to evaluate which rows and columns contain only null values. IBM Cognos Business Insight Advance. refer to 9. there is a higher probability that null values can occur where the relationship between the nested edges returns no data. create a list report that contains an Order Method and link a crosstab inside this list to display detailed information in the context of this particular Order Method. In Compatible Query Mode. Query visualizations To get the best performance possible from your IBM Cognos investment. For more information about this tool. it is important that you can troubleshoot unexpected results or slow run times easily. The Dynamic Query Analyzer allows for easy access and analysis of Dynamic Query Mode log files using a graphical user interface. these master-detail relationships generate a separate query for every element in the master result set. Chapter 9. Enterprise ready performance and scalability 405 . you can use a single report to display information that normally would take multiple reports. Optimized master-detail relationships A master-detail relationship links information and queries from the following types of data objects within a report: A master data object A detail data object Using a master-detail relationship. resulting in only one query sent to the data source for all output formats. These issues can make reports large and difficult to read. With the Dynamic Query Mode. which can impact performance. The higher the amount of cells. Thus.
The same is true for executing reports in different output formats.1. Analysis users also benefit from caching but in a slightly different way. the modification can be performed on the measures already in cache. affecting both speed and performance. such as adding a calculation. The nature of analyzing data requires a lot of metadata requests to present results to the user. For Dynamic Query Mode. Thus. running in a 64-bit JVM provides the advantage of an increased size of the address space. Changing a reports output format from.. which results in faster executing queries. CSV to PDF format does not trigger a new query to the data source because all that data is already in the cache. 9. With the introduction of Dynamic Query Mode.9. These requests can create a high load on the underlying data source. This increase in 406 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook .1.2 Why use Dynamic Query Mode Using Dynamic Query Mode and its features offers some significant benefits to the IBM Cognos administrator. more types of metadata results can be cached. for example. Dynamic Query Mode is a Java-based query mode that addresses the increasing query complexity and data volumes. In case the added calculation is based on measures already present in the initial report. to a report without this change resulting in another query to the underlying data source. we need to take a quick look at how the query mode is built. the 64-bit JVM is capable of addressing more virtual memory than its 32-bit variant. The query mode is also streamlined to take advantage of the metadata and query plan cache. The implementation of various caching containers allows report authors and analysis users to take advantage of another performance optimization. The cache allows for report authors to make minor modifications. Implementing the query mode in Java allows it to take advantage of a 64-bit enabled Java Virtual Machine (JVM). which results in faster navigation and exploration of the hierarchy.3 Technical overview To truly understand the nature of the features in Dynamic Query Mode.
the results from the planning phase and execution phase are placed into the respective layer’s cache container. Both layers have security-aware. which enables the Dynamic Query Mode cache to use as many resources as possible. The transformation layer then goes through every node on this tree and checks for nodes that qualify for transformation. From a software architecture point of view. These transformations that implement the query planning logic are contained within separate transformation libraries and are called by the transformation layer to execute the node conversions. the plan tree is transformed in to a run tree and is now ready for execution by the execution layer. When Dynamic Query Mode receives a query request. When the planning iterations are complete. The execution layer executes and processes the result from the planning phase during the execution phase. Enterprise ready performance and scalability 407 . Chapter 9. To improve performance and reduce interference with the dispatcher or content manager. It is these transformations that allow the query mode to generate customized and enhanced MDX that is specific to your OLAP source. No Java heap memory space is shared with the content manager or dispatcher. After this conversion is complete. self learning caching facilities for improved performance. Every time a query is executed. This process can take several iterations to finish. during the planning phase. query transformations can be performed. After the execution layer completes its process. the tree can be passed on to the transformation layer so that the query planning can begin. These layers reuse data from the cache only if the data that is needed exists and if the users security profile matches. Dynamic Query mode is spawned in its own JVM instance as a child process of the dispatcher. the results are passed onto the report service to render the report.addressable memory allows Dynamic Query Mode to maintain more of the metadata and data cache in memory as long as needed. Dynamic Query Mode consists of the following main components: The transformation layer The execution layer The transformation layer provides for a runtime environment where. it converts this request into a tree structure called a plan tree.
Specify the data source name.2 Configuring Dynamic Query Mode For a package to use Dynamic Query Mode. you can also specify a description and tooltip for this entry. In the Data Source Connections section. 408 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. click New Data Source. As with Compatible Query Mode. To create a connection: 1. Figure 9-1 Launch IBM Cognos Administration 2.2. Click the Configuration tab. Optionally.1 Creating a connection in IBM Cognos Administration The first step in enabling Dynamic Query Mode connectivity. 4. you need to install the appropriate database client software. Open IBM Cognos Administration by clicking Launch IBM Cognos Administration as shown in Figure 9-1. Choose IBM Cognos TM1 as the as data source type. we use the Great Outdoors sample database. is to create a data source connection to the OLAP database. 9. 3. For the purpose of this example. after installing the database client software. you need to make configuration changes. IBM Cognos TM1. The connection can be used later when creating the IBM Cognos Framework Manager model and package.1 Handbook .9. and click Next. and click Next. 5. prior to a data source connection and before a package can be created. that comes with the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence (BI) version 10 samples package.
9. all data sources that are referenced in the package must be supported by the query mode.6. you can create an IBM Cognos Framework Manager model and import cubes to publish to IBM Cognos Connection as a package. such as Administration host and server name. At the end of the publishing wizard. the publish will not succeed. you can include and mix multiple data sources in a package.2 Creating a package in IBM Cognos Framework Manager After you create the connection to the OLAP database server. follow these steps: 1. Otherwise. Specify the IBM Cognos TM1 connection string details. Return to the page where you entered the connection string details. 2. Using multiple data sources: With IBM Cognos Framework Manager. However. Chapter 9. when using Dynamic Query Mode. and complete the required credentials. as illustrated in Figure 9-2. and click OK. and click Finish to end the wizard.2. Creating an IBM Cognos Framework Manager project and package to use with Dynamic Query Mode is similar to creating those for Compatible Query Mode. Give the project a name. Click Test the connection to verify the current configuration. you need to specify to use Dynamic Query Mode. To create a new project and publish the default package using the Dynamic Query Mode. and click the Create a new project link. Enterprise ready performance and scalability 409 . Note that the result page now shows a successful state for both Compatible Query Mode and Dynamic Query Mode. Open IBM Cognos Framework Manager. Figure 9-2 Connection test 7.
3. Choose the data source that you created in 9. and click Next as shown in Figure 9-3.1. IBM Cognos Framework Manager presents a list of supported metadata sources from which you can choose.2. Figure 9-3 Metadata source 4. Choose the plan_Report cube. and click Next. Choose Data Sources. “Creating a connection in IBM Cognos Administration” on page 408.1 Handbook . 410 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. 5. and click Next to continue.
At this point. Enterprise ready performance and scalability 411 . IBM Cognos Framework Manager has detected that no additional modeling is required and suggests that a package is created for publishing.Finish window. and click Yes on the subsequent prompt to launch the package Publish wizard. Figure 9-4 Create a default package 7. Continue until you reach the Metadata Wizard . Verify that the “Create default a package” option is selected. Chapter 9. Give the package a name. as shown in Figure 9-4. and click Finish.6.
Figure 9-5 Use Dynamic Query Mode 9. Then. as shown in Figure 9-6. Click Next until you reach the Options page of the Publish wizard.After the package is published and available in IBM Cognos Connection.1 Handbook . and click Publish as shown in Figure 9-5. select the “Use Dynamic Query Mode” option. click the package’s properties icon to verify that the query mode is in use. Figure 9-6 Package properties 412 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Click Finish.8. 10. If the package is published. the final window of the publishing wizard displays.
IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager is also a great tool to identify any issues with the transition of your current IBM Cognos version 10 packages and reports. You can enable IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager the Dynamic Query Mode on either a global project level or on a individual package basis. It provides a proven practice upgrade process where you execute and compare report results from two different IBM Cognos releases to let you identify upgrade issues quickly. IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager also provides the possibility to verify and compare reports using this query mode. Enterprise ready performance and scalability 413 .9. Chapter 9. onto Dynamic Query Mode.3 Transitioning to Dynamic Query Mode using IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager assists you and enables you to be successful in the critical process of verifying upgrades from IBM Cognos ReportNet®. If you take these two features into consideration. An additional advantage to this approach is that you are not affecting any packages and reports that users currently access. With the introduction of Dynamic Query Mode. based on Compatible Query Mode. previous versions of IBM Cognos 8.2. or IBM Cognos BI version 10 to IBM Cognos BI version 10.
414 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. click Settings Configure. one for the source environment and one for the target environment. Figure 9-7 IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager project settings In the Dynamic Query Mode Options section. You can now choose one of the following options: The Default option instructs IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager to validate or execute reports and packages using the query mode that is specified on the individual package. notice two drop-down lists where you can enable Dynamic Query Mode. The DQM Disabled option instructs IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager to validate or execute all reports and packages in this project using Compatible Query Mode.To enable the use of the Dynamic Query Mode on all packages in an IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager project.1 Handbook . and navigate to the Preferences tab as shown in Figure 9-7.
Testing note: Attempt testing against Dynamic Query Mode only if all data sources that are included in the package are supported by this query mode. Enterprise ready performance and scalability 415 . Chapter 9. If you select the Default option. the DQM in bold means that Dynamic Query Mode engine is enabled on this package. 9. you can specify the query mode on the package views individually. Validating and executing packages that contain unsupported data sources will fail. Figure 9-8 Specify query mode In the Options column. as shown in Figure 9-8.The DQM Enabled option instructs IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager to validate or execute all reports and packages in this project using Dynamic Query Mode. Double-clicking DQM disables the use of the new query mode and the DQM is no longer bold.
new metrics and tuning options are added. By default. all metrics record performance information. a starting point of a new state. in IBM Cognos Administration by opening the Metrics pane for the respective service.3. and tuning of services that re available in the IBM Cognos instance. Figure 9-9 IBM Cognos Administration 9.1 Query Service metrics You can monitor and configure the Query Service status and its thresholds. as shown in Figure 9-9. exposed as the Query Service in IBM Cognos Administration. but no thresholds are configured because acceptable threshold values depend on the IBM Cognos operating environment and need to be configured accordingly. 416 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. With the addition of Dynamic Query Mode. configuring.IBM Cognos Administration allows for easy monitoring.1 Handbook .
The query mode can store the data cache in memory as long as needed. 9. Dynamic Query Mode includes a self-learning in-memory cache. Enterprise ready performance and scalability 417 .2 Manage the cache in IBM Cognos Administration To increase the performance of recurring reports and to minimize the load on underlying data sources. One side effect that stems from caching metadata and data request on an ever-changing data source is the possibility that the data that is contained in the Chapter 9. Sample agents that monitor the audit database for threshold violations and perform common actions when violations are detected are included in the audit samples package.3.
1 Handbook . To help overcome this issue. The file name adheres to the following template: SALDump_<datasource>_<catalog>_<cube>_<timestamp>. IBM Cognos Administration includes flexible cache maintenance features. all report servers in the selected server group that host a Query Service clear the cache or dump the statistics to a file. Example 9-1 Server group cache statistics file SALDUMP_all_all_all_1283781787890. This issue leads to reports that do not display the most recent data./logs/XQE/ folder on all IBM Cognos servers in that particular server group that host an instance of the Query Service.xml Example 9-1 shows an example of this file. If you write the cache statistics disk. a new file is created in the . After this task runs. Figure 9-10 Query Service Caching This new entry in the IBM Cognos Administration tool allows the administrator to clear the cache and write cache statistics to file on a Server Group basis in a ad-hoc fashion..xml 418 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.cache has become old and stale. You can locate the first feature by clicking Configuration Query Service Caching as depicted in Figure 9-10.
notice that for this package. Under the Cache Metrics comment. Figure 9-11 Cache state This example illustrates a cache state that contains metrics for a package called DQM_GODB . Chapter 9. This package is based of the GODB cube using the Essbase data source Essbase_DAN.Figure 9-11 shown an example of the content of this file. 285 query requests were issued with five requests not being fulfilled by the package cache.DAN. Enterprise ready performance and scalability 419 .
all report servers that host a Query Service clear the cache or dump the statistics to file. You can schedule these tasks to clear or to write statistics to file based on data source. and cube as shown in Figure 9-13.Other than clearing the cache per Server Group.1 Handbook . catalog. After this task runs. you can now also create or schedule Query Service Administration tasks. with the only difference being the granularity. Figure 9-12 Query Service Administration task The cache maintenance tasks that you can create are the same as under the Query Service Caching section. Figure 9-13 Query Service Administration task options 420 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. You can locate these tasks by clicking Configuration Content Administration as shown in Figure 9-12.
3. there is another area in IBM Cognos Administration that deals with the administration of the Query Service. You can locate this dialog box by clicking Configuration Dispatchers and Services Query Service properties as illustrated in Figure 9-14. SALDump_<datasource>_<catalog>_<cube>_<timestamp>. Enterprise ready performance and scalability 421 .You can determine the values that you need to enter here by examining Figure 9-11 on page 419. a task that is clearing the cache will dump a a file according to the following template as shown in Example 9-2.xml 9.3 Query Service settings In addition to the cache maintenance dialog boxes. This dialog box allows you to modify logging information and connection time-out. Figure 9-14 Query Service properties Chapter 9.xml Example 9-2 Individual cache statistics file SALDUMP_Essbase_DAN_GODB_GODB_1283781787890. For example.
Figure 9-15 Query Service settings The Settings tab allows you to modify the following settings: Audit Logging level Controls the amount of audit information that is recorded for this service.Figure 9-15 shows the Settings tab within this dialog box. Query execution trace This switch toggles the recording of the run tree or also known as the query execution phase. The higher you set the logging level. 422 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook . Query plan trace This switch toggles the recording of the plan tree or also known as the query planning phase. the more it degrades system performance.
Click the IBM Cognos services entry under the Environment section.txt Disable query plan cache This switch toggles the caching of the plan tree or also known as the query planning phase. To disable the Query Service: 1. See Example 9-3. disable this service so that the resources that might be used by the Query Service can be used by other components running on this instance. Example 9-3 Model file GreatOutdoors. Idle connection timeout This setting controls how long connections can be idle for before being terminated. Enterprise ready performance and scalability 423 . Find the Query Service enabled entry. Chapter 9. and set this to False.4 Disabling the Query Service The Query Service is spawned as a child process of the dispatcher JVM process and. Save and restart the IBM Cognos Service. 3. If for some reason you do not use the Query Service.Write model to file This switch toggles the model information to be written to file for a given package when a report is run against it.3. Open IBM Cognos Configuration.txt and is typically requested by Customer Support as an aid in troubleshooting. 2./logs/XQE/model/ folder as <packagename>. as with other process. 4.. The file will be saved in the . 9. it takes up memory and resources.
4 Analyzing queries This section introduces Dynamic Query Analyzer. rather than looking through text-based log files. This feature allows for a better understanding when it comes to important query decisions.1 What is Dynamic Query Analyzer Dynamic Query Analyzer provides a graphical flow representation of the dynamic query run tree.1 Handbook .Figure 9-16 shows where in IBM Cognos Configuration you can disable the Query Service to give those expensive resources back to the system. 9.4. Figure 9-16 Disable the Query Service 9. Modelers and professional report authors can use this tool to tune and improve the model and reports that they build. 424 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.
4. a new folder is created in the .3. and contains the trace files that can be interpreted with Dynamic Query Analyzer.2 Working with Dynamic Query Analyzer As a prerequisite.9. After this setting is applied.3. you need to configure Dynamic Query Mode to log the run trees to a file for every query that it handles. shown in Example 9-4. Enterprise ready performance and scalability 425 . “Query Service settings” on page 421. Example 9-4 Query plan trace folder 20100901_16h56m243s_Quantity_Per_Year Chapter 9../logs/XQE/ folder for every report that is executed using this query mode. The new folder is labeled according to the <date>_<time>_<reportname> template. You can find more information about enabling this query execution trace in 9.
you can also specify credentials to use for authenticating to that remote location. create a virtual directory pointing to the . In the case of a web server.The tool can open these file types either from the local file system or remotely using the HTTP protocol./logs/XQE folder. 426 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Supplying this information enables Dynamic Query Analyzer to browse the content manager and run reports from within the tool. Figure 9-17 Dynamic Query Analyzer preferences Note that in case the remote location is secured. Other than the Remote Log Access. You can launch the Preferences dialog box by clicking Window Preferences. you can also specify IBM Cognos version 10 server and authentication information. and amend Dynamic Query Analyzer Remote Log Access preferences as shown in Figure 9-17.1 Handbook ..
You can add this view by opening the Show View dialog box: 1. 2. and double-click Content Store to add the view. Click Window Show View. the Content Store view does not display. Enterprise ready performance and scalability 427 . Figure 9-18 Show View dialog box Chapter 9.By default. Expand Navigation (Figure 9-18).
Figure 9-19 Content Store view 428 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. the view displays the packages and reports that are available in the Content Store.A new view is added to the Dynamic Query Analyzer interface. If you entered the server information in the Preferences dialog box (Figure 9-17 on page 426) correctly.1 Handbook . This view is similar to the view shown in Figure 9-19.
Enterprise ready performance and scalability 429 . Figure 9-20 Query run tree Chapter 9.
which displays the data source specific query in a conveniently formatted syntax. Figure 9-21 Graph Navigation and Query views The second view is the Query view. 430 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. shown on the left side in Figure 9-21. which can be exported by clicking File Export Graph. shown on the right side in Figure 9-21. which displays the same run tree in another graphical tree that is easily expanded or collapsed. The first view is the Graph Navigation view. there two more views that can be of great interest when analyzing report queues.1 Handbook .Apart from the Tree Graph view.
All rights reserved.1 release. The focus is broken into the following main topics: IBM Cognos Administration overview Moving to IBM Cognos BI version 10.10 Chapter 10. 431 . IBM Cognos system administration In this chapter.1 from a previous release Using the administrative features Managing the environment Auditing © Copyright IBM Corp. we discuss new administration capabilities introduced as part of the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence (BI) version 10. 2010.
IT can be to your company what high-tech firms have been to the economy—a catalyst for change and an engine driving rapid growth. In this way. Why? Technology and information have become so important to how companies operate that even small changes can dramatically affect your ability to manage the performance of the business. 432 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. it can become an immediate distraction. the application can become a critical part of the business. networks) that must all work together to provide a positive user experience. IT publications often compare IT’s job and the managing of enterprise applications to conducting an orchestra. IT has lost user buy-in and. it is impossible to initiate and support more strategic opportunities. or worse.1 IBM Cognos Administration capabilities IBM Cognos Administration provides capabilities for IT professionals to manage their business analytics systems proactively to prevent problems before they occur. any way in which to reduce the time and effort to administer and maintain enterprise applications becomes a strategic gain. IT also has a strategic role to play.1. There are multiple moving parts (databases. Table 10-1 System administration capabilities Category Knowing the business intelligence system System administration capability Understand usage patterns. which means going beyond the fundamentals. If this happens.10. As noted in The Performance Manager: Proven Strategies for Tuning Information into Higher Business Performance (ISBN-10: 0973012412). Understand the IBM Cognos BI system environment. most likely.1 IBM Cognos Administration overview Meeting service commitments to the business and anticipating and responding to changing business requirements—all within tight budget constraints—are fundamental IT tasks. something deemed untrustworthy by users. 10. servers.1 Handbook . If IT spends all of its time and resources ensuring service commitments. a critical failure. Working in concert. Understand the business expectations. These system administration capabilities (Table 10-1) let IT address the important considerations necessary to exceed commitments to the business while respecting budgetary and other resource constraints. Out of tune. a portion of its return on investment.
managing a centrally located user community that distributes pre-generated reports over email is not the same as managing a group of users who are always on the road and who want to access all information with a mobile device. Chapter 10. certain metrics provide a good indication of how well the business intelligence solution is adapting to how people use it. IBM Cognos system administration 433 . What are the peak periods versus the slower periods? How much are business intelligence applications being used? This is useful for determining optimal times to schedule batch reporting. and distributes it. To gain a better understanding of usage patterns. Others vary depending on the industry or the culture of how the organization communicates. and how they use the solution. Looking at processed requests alone provides a sense of magnitude in terms of system usage. where these users are located. Certain patterns are more obvious and better defined.Category Resolving and preventing issues System administration capability Determine what thresholds to address. There is no one simple approach to understanding usage patterns. how much time they spend using the solution. Whereas this does not tell you how the business is using the system. Understanding usage patterns means knowing the number of users that access a system at any given period of time. Track and evolve over time. Whereas no one metric provides a complete picture of the system. Understand usage patterns Understanding usage patterns is important for both troubleshooting immediate system issues and for performance-tuning activities over the life cycle across the many components of the business intelligence system. They are unique to the cycle of how the organization gathers information. it does provide insight into how many people choose to use the system. these metric examples are a starting place for tracking usage patterns: Number of sessions This system-level metric provides the number of user sessions actively logged onto the system. For example. For example. quarter-end and year-end typically generate extra system activity for most departments. reviews it. Number of processed requests This metric provides the number of requests received at a specific point in time.
This flexible platform offers many deployment options based on the preferred IT infrastructure and enterprise architecture strategy. A high number of queue requests might indicate a high volume of system activity at a particular point in time or an issue that needs to be addressed. If one dispatcher is handling a 434 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. This is a useful metric to monitor for changes on a regular basis. This metric is useful for determining and tracking server throughput.1 Handbook . As the solution expands. the assumptions driving the initial architecture infrastructure might change. you might have initially deployed business intelligence in a centralized server environment with certain affinities in place to handle usage patterns for the initial deployment.. Understand IBM Cognos BI system environment IBM Cognos BI is built on a modern service-oriented architecture (SOA) platform. As it increases. an IBM Cognos BI system administrator can determine whether this is regular activity or an anomaly that needs explanation and potential action. Longest time in queue The time in queue high watermark metric provides the longest time that a request has been in the queue. Number of processed requests per dispatcher The number of processed requests per dispatcher is a good indicator of load balance in the business intelligence system. it should monitor the initial deployment strategy to ensure that it still fits the current deployment landscape.Number of queue requests This metric provides the number of requests that have gone through the queue. there might be a change to the usage patterns that requires further investigation. If queue times increase over a short period. To better understand the overall health of the business intelligence system environment. With a more consistent and deeper understanding of usage patterns. For example. it indicates more system activity and longer waits. As the organization extends the IBM Cognos BI system. You might have decided to dedicate a particular server to running reports that are processing intensive or you might have allocated a local server for a geographic location without adequate network access. You might need to revisit them to ensure optimal solution performance.
but monitoring failure rates would be key to ensuring that they are delivered in time to enable a streamlined process. IT can flag issues before they affect users. Understand the business expectations Whereas formal service level agreements (SLAs) provide a structured approach to communicate and set system expectations. if an organization is trying to reduce costs through process optimization. By contrast. Ensuring that critical call center information is readily available on demand will be at the top of the priority list. This metric gives you trending information over longer periods of time to understand how the business intelligence services are performing. and lead to support calls. IT would want to monitor and ensure system uptime and report response times related to the call centers. Is this a deliberate configuration choice based on the usage patterns. is important to effective system management. or does it require further review? Percentage of failed requests This metric provides the percentage of failed requests based on the total number of requests handled. and how to prioritize follow-up actions. you need to understand why. Taking time to understand what metrics are vital for system management of your business intelligence solution is essential before setting any thresholds. Determine what thresholds to address Setting metrics and gathering data on usage patterns and technology environments and understanding business expectations. users might wonder whether there is a system issue. the thresholds to set. Too much information makes taking the right course of action as difficult to determine as having no information at all. IBM Cognos system administration 435 . a company’s strategy might center on customer service with an objective to improve call center performance. IT is no different from the users it supports. If queue and wait times increase. if the longest time in queue starts increasing. For example. There can be hundreds of system metrics. Identifying thresholds for those metrics simplifies IT’s task (and communication with business owners) by giving the context to determine when to take action.heavier load. IT needs to keep the communication channels open with business owners and ensure that priorities align with organizational strategy. Thresholds make IT proactive. These reports might not demand faster response times. For example. then weekly or monthly reports are critical to manage. Business expectations set the agenda for what metrics to track. Having an agreed-upon threshold on this metric Chapter 10. it might require further investigation. breach SLAs.
IT professionals can use this data to initiate conversations with their business partners—bridging technology and information requirements—to stay in touch with user expectations and service commitments. Better IT decisions can affect everyone across the organization. Users would know the threshold and also know that their IT department is dealing with the issue. IT must use dashboards. IT managers need to understand their business intelligence solution: Usage patterns Business intelligence system environment User expectations It also means being able to resolve problems and take actions quickly to prevent issues from occurring. and the roadmap to more effective performance management. consolidated view 436 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. To do this. it can respond to current situations proactively to avoid business disruption.1 Handbook . Track and evolve over time After IT has identified key metrics and set thresholds. To accomplish this. and improve service standards. IT can tune the business intelligence solution and adapt metrics and thresholds to maintain. IT needs to monitor metrics. Metrics provide IT and business users with insight into changing usage patterns and technology environments over time. With IBM Cognos BI. Task-oriented system monitoring gives administrators a new. and alerts to deliver the correct information to drive improved decisions within the IT department. meet. reports. Summary: Five steps to effective business intelligence system management To effectively manage their business intelligence solution. IT has the facility to adapt to changes in usage and new business needs. The next consideration for system management is making system metrics work for IT and the business over the long term. This becomes the means to drive continuous improvement in the performance of your business intelligence solution. IT needs business intelligence reporting on its system information. set thresholds. With this information.would identify the point when IT needs to take further action to understand what is happening. and analyze usage patterns and key aspects of the business intelligence system environment. business intelligence administrators and IT professionals gain new facilities to manage the health of the business intelligence system. As described in The Performance Manager. scorecards. analysis.
using the IBM Cognos Platform. proactively manage the system. With these system management capabilities. delivers broad system management for IT to confidently deploy business intelligence. and respond to new requirements while meeting on-time service commitments. To launch the administration console. web-based administration console that provides administrators with the tools that are necessary to manage the IBM Cognos application. IBM Cognos system administration 437 . IT can deliver on its fundamental tasks (that is. use one of the following methods: Click the IBM Cognos Administration link from the Launch menu within IBM Cognos Connection (Figure 10-1) Figure 10-1 Launching the administration console from IBM Cognos Connection Chapter 10.of all system activity. IT can realize its full potential as leaders and change agents within organizations. In this way. meeting service-level commitments and responding to changing business requirements within budgetary constraints) and have the capacity to drive strategic objectives. IBM Cognos BI. Proactive administration through detailed system metrics and the ability to set thresholds that can be monitored let IT professionals identify and correct anomalies. 10.2 The IBM Cognos Administration user interface IBM Cognos BI provides a centralized. from scheduled and interactive reports to servers and dispatchers.1.
Figure 10-3 Administration console tabs 438 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook . called tasks. on the left side of the user interface.
waiting. To change the display in the right part of the interface.Status tab The Status tab is designed to provide administrators with the visibility and insight into which objects are currently running both interactively and in the background (scheduled or batch). The default view displays what is currently being handled through the background (batch) processes. In addition to the object execution details. which have executed in the past. IBM Cognos system administration 439 . 1. or suspended state. Locate the Filter frame in the lower-left side of the page. Looking at the top of the Current Activities interface. pending. Chapter 10. click Apply. but it is not possible to view both simultaneously. Toggle between the background activities and interactive activities by selecting the appropriate radio button. and those that have been slated to execute in the future. 2. a summary graph displays all of the current objects and the state that they are in. It is possible to toggle between background and interactive activities. Figure 10-4 Status tab and the associated tasks Current activities task The current activities task exposes all the objects in the environment (interactive or background) that are currently running in an executing. the Status tab provides a health check of the overall IBM Cognos environment (Figure 10-4). 3.
440 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. the Hide Details icon removes the additional line of detail.1 Handbook . To see more details about the object. in addition to the summary chart.Focusing first on the background activities. Looking at an entry. all of the objects currently in the system display in a paginated list.. click the Show Details icon on the toolbar. This expands the list to include a second line of detail. Keep in mind that the details that are shown might differ from task to task due to the nature of the task and the level of information available to the task. Conversely.
a series of filter options are included in the Filter section in the lower-left frame (see Figure 10-6). IBM Cognos system administration 441 . click Apply for the result set to be updated. a dispatcher (which provides administrators with the insight to identify which dispatcher is handling which objects). and so on). Chapter 10. the type (job.To help reduce the number of objects displaying or to quickly isolate and focus in on particular objects. agent. and after the options have been determined. import. Clicking the Advanced options link allows for filtering by the owner of an object being executed. the current state that it is in. Any single filter option or a combination of options can be selected. report. and the priority that has been assigned to the object. Figure 10-6 List of filters available to help reduce the results displayed in the list The default filter options allow the result set to be filtered by user running the object. and scope (package or folder in which the object resides).
One important thing to note about this interface is that only the objects that were executed in the background will be recorded. Past Activities task As the name implies. The only default filter option available for the interactive view is the ability to filter by status. For this type of information. the result set can be narrowed down to objects run by an individual user. most of the level of detail that was available in the background activities view is still applicable.1 Handbook . Figure 10-7 Result list displaying past activities based on filter criteria The interface groups objects into three execution states: Succeeded Failed Cancelled The basic filter options permit filtering on predefined time periods or a user-defined custom period. The advanced options provide the ability to filter by dispatcher. Either it is pending (queued) or is executing. 442 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. As with the current activities task.Moving on to the interactive activities. you need to use the audit data (see Figure 10-7). with a couple of minor exceptions: The objects running interactively have fewer states. Interactive requests do not record histories that can be displayed through this task. this task displays objects that were executed in the past.
“Reacting to bottlenecks due to unexpected events” on page 495. An interactive chart was introduced to better represent the estimated pending load on the system. Clicking a specific hour bar in the chart automatically filters the results in the list. To provide visual context to the filtered list. see 10. it is possible to scroll between days by using the Next and Previous buttons beside the date at the top of the chart.2. which can be at a later date. the currently applied filters are included above the list (Figure 10-9). Beneath the chart is a filtered list of the individual activities that are scheduled to execute.4.Upcoming activities task This task has gone through changes in the IBM Cognos release. This enables administrators to select a specific scheduled object and postpone the execution time. This is accomplished by displaying an hourly breakdown of the amount of objects that have been scheduled to start in that particular hour timeslot (Figure 10-8). Chapter 10. For more details regarding postponing scheduled executions. Figure 10-9 List of scheduled objects based on the criteria set in the chart More information: Using the buttons to scroll the chart between days does not automatically change the filtered list. Figure 10-8 Hourly breakdown of scheduled activities in the system In addition to the filter options on the left part of the interface. IBM Cognos system administration 443 .
When creating a schedule. That is. When the engine is ready to handle a new request it takes the oldest priority 1 request before it takes requests with a priority of 2 or higher. privileged users can assign a priority of 1 (high) to 5 (low) for the object. is terminated when a priority 1 request is received. System task This task provides administrators with an overall glimpse of how the system is faring through the use of status indicators on a dashboard. Metrics: Upper-right frame that lists all of the metrics. Priority reports: Priority does not mean that a long-running priority 5 report execution. The System task interface is divided into three fragments: Scorecard: Left frame that displays a summary of the overall health of the components that make up the environment. Priority indicates in which order the dispatcher processes requests when items are queued. It means that the priority 1 request is executed first after the priority 5 request has completed executing. and their score. they will be placed into a queue and processed when the engine resources become available. The default is to display the metrics for the overall system (environment). All other users have a default priority of 3 when defining a schedule. in a busy environment where report executions are submitted when the engine is at capacity. that pertains to the object in focus (from the scorecard fragment).1 Handbook . 444 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Settings: Lower-right frame that shows a read-only view of the configuration parameters that pertain to the object in focus. in the process of executing.
which allows administrators to navigate through the system topology to verify the health of the servers. and services. Besides the indicator lights that show the overall health of the object based on tolerance thresholds that can be applied to the metrics.The scorecard frame provides two views: The default standard view. Industry standard terms employed are: Partially available: Indicates that one or more of its children is unavailable Available: Indicates that the object is online Unavailable: Indicates that the object is offline or is not started Chapter 10.. dispatchers. The sample shows that there are two servers that make up this particular environment. IBM Cognos system administration 445 . as well as their corresponding metrics The comparative view.
for example. while the ca093489 server is partially available.1 Handbook . There is. using the Change view button beside an entry allows the results to be filtered to obtain the desired view. and their current state. This maximizes the frame within the interface and provides a comparative view (Figure 10-12). To access this view. which maintains the parent/child relationships. server groups. dispatchers. provides a list of all report services. drilling down on the ca093489 server name reveals the dispatchers running on that server (Figure 10-11). Monitoring services side by side in the Scorecard view does not provide the ability to easily compare metrics across similar services in the environment. report service. a comparative view that allows administrators to see certain predefined metrics as they pertain to related objects in one single view. each with a different status Besides the ability to drill up and down. Selecting a service. however. Figure 10-12 Comparative view of services in the environment 446 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. The ability to perform metric comparisons is not be possible though unless you switch focus back and forth between report services. The net effect is that the overall system status becomes partially available due to the fact that at least one child is unavailable. expand the scorecard frame by clicking Maximize. Figure 10-11 Server dispatchers. This drop-down menu allows for filtering of all servers. and services. as well as selecting individual services. The underlying dispatchers and services can be viewed by drilling down on the server name. their overall health. the wottmassons server is online and available.In the previous example. For example.
who created the schedule. IBM Cognos system administration 447 .At first glance it is difficult to determine which dispatcher each of the report services belongs to. The summary chart is grouped by status (Figure 10-14). Figure 10-13 Tool tip on icon displays the dispatcher name Schedules task The schedules task displays all of the active (enabled or disabled) schedules in the environment and which user scheduled the object. and the status and the priority assigned to the schedule (Figure 10-15). The parent dispatcher is visible by hovering over the service icon. Figure 10-15 Detailed list of schedules in the system Chapter 10. Figure 10-14 Summary chart displaying the status of the schedules The result list shows the scheduled objects along with the last modified date. which produces a tooltip with the parent’s name (Figure 10-13).
this task also provides the ability to create consistency checks and enhanced search index updates. Data source connections task The data source connections task permits administrators to define and manage connections to data sources and the signon credentials associated with them. 448 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Configuration tab The Configuration tab is a collection of administrative tasks pertaining to managing the content and the various aspects of the environment. data source connections. and configuring parameters as they relate to the dispatchers and services that make up the IBM Cognos topology. Content administration task This task is the interface that allows for the creation and management of content import and export definitions. and roles task This task allows administrators to create and manage application-specific groups and roles in the built-in Cognos namespace. is a collection of features that can be granted.Security tab The Security tab contains all of the tasks that are required for managing the namespaces and capabilities. In addition to the content deployment objects. to the user community. The IBM Cognos BI release allows for a customizable approach to administration and responsibility so that various areas of responsibility can be delegated to more focused administrators.1 Handbook . created. and managed for the IBM Cognos BI solution. Items such as managing printers. groups. The capabilities task is the tool that allows administrators to set the global capabilities that dictate which features and functionality are available to the users logging in to access the application. are located on this tab. In addition. the external third-party security namespaces can be browsed and the contents of the users’ My Folders area can be viewed. This helps to effectively distribute the administrative duties across users and groups. or denied. not to be confused with security. Printers task This task is where printer connections are defined. Capabilities task Capabilities. and then either execute or schedule them. Users.
Index Search tab The Index Search tab provides administrators with the settings and parameters required to create and manage the enhanced search index. see 10. Denying access to a particular style for a user removes the ability to select that style as part of the user’s preferences.1 Using IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager to test the IBM Cognos environment IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager is a utility that performs automated testing of IBM Cognos BI report content in multiple environments. Access can be granted or denied to each style in the list as required. Portlets task The portlets task is the mechanism within the product that allows administrators to manage and control the access rights to the portlets that are part of the IBM Cognos BI solution.3. or they can be set individually on each dispatcher independent of the parent settings. IBM Cognos system administration 449 . This testing is achieved by Chapter 10.Styles task This task allows administrators responsible for the IBM Cognos Connection portal to assign privileges to the various styles (skins) available to the user community. 10. Configuration parameters can be set at the highest level and pushed down to the individual dispatchers through acquired properties..2. This index provides search results to enhanced consumers when executing searches to answer key business questions.1.1 from a previous release Upgrading. For more information regarding the Index Search tab. and the management of business intelligence applications. “Enhanced search” on page 464. 10. is made easy with use of IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager.2 Moving to IBM Cognos BI version 10.
You can find information about these practices at:. Start the IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager process by going to Windows Start All Programs IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager Startup. you must deploy content from an IBM Cognos 8. Figure 10-16 IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager welcome panel 4. On the New Project dialog box. the folder structures in both environments must be identical. Creating an IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager project To do this: 1. select the Create blank project radio button.1 Handbook . 3.com/developerworks/data/library/cognos/cognosproven practices.html To successfully complete the report executions and comparisons. 2. Before you can start testing. there are options to open an existing project or to create a new project.programatically validating. Click the new project link (Figure 10-16).ibm. From the IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager interface. 450 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. and then comparing report output to ensure that there are no deltas between versions when upgrading.x Business Intelligence source environment and upgrade the content to the IBM Cognos target environment following IBM Cognos documented upgrade practices. Launch the application by going to Windows Start All Programs IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager URI. executing.
9. Click Create.5. On the Basic tab. Figure 10-17 Creating a new IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager project 7. IBM Cognos system administration 451 . supply the following information for both the target and source environment: – Name – Gateway URI – Dispatcher URI – Version Chapter 10. Select Validation Project from the drop-down Project Type menu (Figure 10-17). Provide a name for the project. Back in the IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager interface. 6. click Configure to launch the Configure dialog box. 8. It is a good idea for the name to be indicative of the versions or content to be included. where the configuration parameters for both the target and source environments can be supplied.
1 Handbook .– Maximum number of connections that IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager will make to the individual environments The more connections specified. Figure 10-18 Defining the servers to use for the project Information unknown note: If certain required information is unknown. more connections will result in a shorter time to complete the report executions. 452 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. the more simultaneous requests will be made to each of the environments. In theory. but there are many influencing factors (Figure 10-18). obtain the parameter values by launching the appropriate versions of IBM Cognos Configuration.
and perform report comparisons between the target and source environments. which removes the need to supply the passwords every time that the project is opened.On the Security tab. Figure 10-19 Supply the required security credentials and ensure that they test successfully 11.10. IBM Cognos system administration 453 . but it is advisable that you do not use this option because of the persistence of the password on the file system. none of the default options are modified. execute. The default PDF option is used for this example. The Preferences tab controls the various types of output and locales that will be generated for comparison. supply the username. password. There is an option to save the passwords. 12. For this example. and namespace ID that will be used to connect to each environment (Figure 10-19).Click Test Connection to test the validity of the credentials.Click Save. Generate report content to be validated For IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager to validate. The Advanced tab contains various options that can be selected and customized. Chapter 10. the list of content to include in the project must be specified.
Using the Select Search Paths dialog box. 2. select the desired collection of folders and the package to include by clicking the appropriate check boxes (Figure 10-20).1 Handbook . 454 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Figure 10-20 Selecting content to include in the validation project Click OK.To generate report content to be validated: 1. click Generate Report List. From the IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager interface.
We assume that the collection of reports in the source environment is functional. you can exclude objects from the project by clicking their status and selecting Out of Scope (see Figure 10-21). Figure 10-22 The IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager project is now ready for comparative testing 10.2 Validating the target environment Although there are both source and target environments. IBM Cognos system administration 455 . so the reports should be validated in the IBM Cognos BI target environment to ensure consistency. only the target environment needs to be validated.2. it displays in the IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager interface and is ready for the validation and execution steps (Figure 10-22).Excluding objects: If there is content that is included as part of this process that you later determine is not required. Chapter 10. Figure 10-21 Out of scope content for an IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager project After the content is loaded.
If there are missing prompt values. Value import note: If prompt values are defined and saved in IBM Cognos Connection. you must supply the values for the prompts manually. or individually select the objects that have prompt values missing.1 Handbook . which means that the prompt values must be supplied before IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager can programatically execute the reports. as usage of report prompts is common. 2. It is more than likely that there will be required prompts contained within the reporting environments. Figure 10-23 Automatically generate prompt values for missing report prompts 4. 456 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Click GO. select Automatic Prompt Values Generation (Figure 10-23). IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager attempts to generate a prompt value automatically. they are imported automatically into the IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager projects and used when the reports are executed. Select the Target Validate task from the left side of the IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager interface. such as a type in prompt control. This is achieved by including prompts in the reports that can change the results returned based on the selected prompt values. Click the check box in the upper-right corner of the header to select all of the content. The process of examining all of the selected content begins and verifies whether there are prompt values that need to be satisfied. To generate a prompt value automatically: 1. 3. Using the drop-down menu in the footer.Automatically generating prompt values One of the advantages of IBM Cognos BI reports is the ability to author a single report to satisfy different requests. In certain cases.
Click the action for Manual Prompt Capture (Figure 10-24). 7. Figure 10-25 Manually enter a prompt value Click OK. 3. Select the Prompt Values tab. complete these steps: 1. Verify that the status of that report is changed to New. Chapter 10. Click Back. 6. IBM Cognos system administration 457 . A Prompt dialog box opens. Manually enter a prompt value that satisfies the prompt criteria (Figure 10-25). Navigate to a particular report with a Prompt Values Missing status. Click the report name to change to the Properties page for that report. 4.If there are prompt values that are still required after automatically generating them. 2. Figure 10-24 Manual prompt generation for a report 5.
Continue the process until all missing prompt values are defined. Using the drop-down menu. From the main IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager interface. or both). versus submitting all content for execution. 5. from both systems. Based on priority. which ensures that the report output that is created for comparison contains the same parameters.1 Handbook . based on the format and language options and the supplied prompt values. 4. Click the Source Execute task. 6. you need to execute reports in both the source and target systems. 2. source. Select the content to execute by clicking the appropriate check boxes. Typically. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for the target environment. To execute target and source content: 1. Click GO.2. Figure 10-26 Completing the validation process 10. the objects are marked as out of scope for the project. executed. follow these steps: 1. select Execute reports. Initially. it is advisable that you execute the reports incrementally in smaller batches. Instead. Because report executions are submitted through the SDK and executed on the system (target. After the reports have finished executing. Then. a project contains all of the necessary content. IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager does not retrieve output from IBM Cognos Content Store. 3. 458 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. select Validate models/reports. folders and packages are validated. 2.3 Executing target and source content After the validation process has completed successfully. and compared incrementally. or both. but the content is in different stages of validation. click Target Execute. Click GO to start the validation process (Figure 10-26). it generates all content. execute only report content that is required immediately to keep the amount of time to generate the output to a minimum.
you need to validate and execute a report in both the source and target systems.4 Compare the output to ensure consistency If the report comparison indicates deltas. IBM Cognos system administration 459 . Click the check boxes next to the reports that you want to compare. Chapter 10. Use the drop-down menu to click Compare reports and click Go. and the other option does a PDF text comparison looking for changes to the contents. Before comparing output versions. Figure 10-27 Performing the Source and Target Execute tasks (source shown) 10. To compare report output versions: 1. The first option uses Adobe Flash as part of a visual comparison tool.2. There are two options for comparison. you do not need to be connected to the source and target systems to complete the compare task. Click Output Compare to navigate to the Output Compare window. 2. Given that IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager saves all data locally.Figure 10-27 shows the Source Execute window within IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager. 3. you need to complete further analysis to determine the nature of the difference and whether the difference is expected or acceptable.
1 Handbook . Figure 10-28 Output Compare showing reports that have been compared with no differences The compare task executes.5 Analyzing the project status A summary of project status can be viewed at any time throughout the validation process by opening IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager’s Task Summary view. and the difference is approved. 10. the approved status causes the status on the package to change to Completed.2. The Task Summary view in IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager has a print option and is also exportable to an Adobe Flash file. and the status of each report is updated to show the result of the compare task. the ability to comment on the status or progress is critical. and there might be multiple people participating. As each step in the project completes.Figure 10-28 shows an example of the Output Compare window. The page is separated into the following sections: Tasks Validate Run Compare Total (which is a list of every report in the project along with the report execution times in both the source and target systems) 460 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager provides content validators with the ability to annotate any content object. In addition to the commentary. Because validation projects can span multiple days or weeks. if one report in a package produced a delta. For example. which can then be opened in most web browsers. the status of each task is updated and rolled up into the summary view. content validators can also approve or reject the comparisons based on the findings.
you must provide a prompt value for each one before you can execute the report. – Out of Scope: Informs IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager to ignore this object during the validation. execution. – Valid: Following validation. or output comparison operation has not been performed on the object – Prompts Missing: Indicates that certain reports in the package or folder require prompts. execution. or output comparison operation.Figure 10-29 shows the IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager Task Summary window. indicates that the object is valid – Invalid: Following validation. When Chapter 10. Every IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager project moves through five phases and various states within each phase: Validate source/validate target. IBM Cognos system administration 461 . indicates that the object is invalid – New: Indicates that the validation. Figure 10-29 IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager: Task Summary (status summary for a project) Clicking around the Task Summary interface provides a filtered view of the statuses of project tasks for each phase of an IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager project. Each section shows the total number of objects that are in or have passed through each status within each project phase. and no prompt values are defined If a report has required prompts.
indicates that the object executed successfully – Fail: Following validation.1 Handbook . Compare – No Differences: Following output comparison. execution. – Succeeded: Following execution.this value is specified. execution. or output comparison operation has not been performed on all children of an object or has failed for one or more children of an object – Partial Success: Indicates that the execution or output comparison operation was partially successful For example. or output compare. but there are differences in the PDF output. you compare reports in XML and PDF formats. indicates that differences were found – New – Prompts Missing – Out of Scope – In Progress – Partial Success – Visual: The output type that the report was executed in requires a visual compare using the compare tool – Approve: Following output comparison. and the XML reports are identical. indicates that differences found were approved – Reject: Following output comparison. indicates that no differences were found – Differences: Following output comparison. indicates that the object failed the operation – New – Prompts Missing – Out of Scope – In Progress: Indicates that the validation. indicates that differences detected were rejected 462 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. you can apply it to all of the object's children by selecting the Apply to all actions target and source check box Execute source/execute target.
When a note exists for a report within a project.. A missing icon indicates that phase has not yet been started. IBM Cognos system administration 463 . an icon displays in the row for that report under the Notes column.For quick visual reference. IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager allows a report administrator to provide commentary related to specific reports. Hovering the mouse pointer over the note icon for a report provides a pop-up containing text-based commentary associated with the report. the bottom panel of the IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager Task Summary window also provides a status icon displaying the status for each phase of the project: A green dot on a report icon indicates that a phase completed successfully. A black dot indicates that the status for that phase is new. Hovering the mouse pointer over the status icons in the Progress column for a report provides a pop-up containing the status of each phase in text form. Figure 10-31 Notes associated with a rejected report in IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager Chapter 10. A red dot on a report icon indicates that a phase failed or was rejected. Figure 10-30 shows an example of status icons for a single report in IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager.
2. To perform a one-click comparison: 1. Select the new content to be compared by clicking the appropriate check boxes.3 Using the administrative features This section highlights administrative features in IBM Cognos BI version 10.1 Handbook . 4. Change the drop-down menu to the Compare reports option. there is a way to streamline the process.10. click the Output Comparison task. the project is ready for analysis of any reported deltas. With IBM Cognos BI. 10.1. Comparison note: This method of comparing reports simultaneously submits requests to both the source system and the target system. report output.3. In the IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager interface.6 One-click comparison Now that the phases of the IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager utility are understood. and spend large amounts of time browsing report output searching for desired results.1 Enhanced search When trying to answer critical business questions. or identify new trends. After the comparison finishes. licensed enhanced consumer users have the ability to search for keywords located in report names. values in the 464 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. The reports are sent to the target for execution and the output is returned to IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager. users might potentially execute many reports. gain insight.2. 3. Both versions of the output are compared. Click GO. modelled metadata. Performing this type of comparison executes the following operations: The reports are sent to the source for execution and the output is returned to IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager. These steps are performed without any user interaction. 10.
which is an excellent way to include content that is not IBM Cognos so that users are presented with more inputs to help answer their questions.. Selecting one of these refinements filters the results contained in the results frame. Users can use the default query and then customize to query to create a report that can be reused or shared with others.reporting databases. profit. if there is a report template that should be used for financial reports. object type. or budget. owner of the object. and results returned from an external third-party search engine. The last section provides users with suggested content based on predefined suggestions that are defined on the Index Search tab. When performing a search through IBM Cognos Connection. For example. such as the Google search appliance. The types of filters that are available are creation date. then a suggested definition can be created that displays the link to the report template any time that users searched on words such as sales. IBM Cognos system administration 465 . results. Based on the search criteria. there can be multiple sections within the search results returned. Chapter 10. such as the Google search appliance. and metadata. The standard section contains the search results directly related to the criteria used to perform the search. The Create and Explore section provides the user with a default query that is based on the search criteria on which to start building a report. Results Center frame that displays the search results based on the search criteria and the refinements applied.
466 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. build an initial index that just includes IBM Cognos content. After the first index has been created. This type of index results in a shortened time to build the search index and allows users to perform searches for content immediately versus having to wait for a full index to be constructed. Because creating an index can be a lengthy process. depending on the types of objects included and whether reporting data is being indexed. an enhanced search index must first be constructed.Figure 10-32 Enhanced search user interface Before users can use the new search capabilities with IBM Cognos.1 Handbook . Administrators can influence the contents of an index by customizing the types of objects that are included as part of the build process. incremental additions can be made to the index to expand the search results returned to business users.
Typically defined once and only changed when the business requires. Index scope Not applicable Proven practice Reduction of content types to index results in faster build times. Only entries that have changed Expand the index to include reporting data values. IBM Cognos system administration 467 . the index will have to be refreshed to reflect the changes. Only entries that have changed Chapter 10. Initial index containing only IBM Cognos content to quickly enable search capabilities for enhanced consumer users. Build and schedule initial index. Table 10-2 Steps to building an effective enhanced search index Step Define indexable object types. As the reporting environment evolves. Executed once when the initial reporting content is ready to be used. All entries Refresh the search index.Table 10-2 provides steps for building an effective enhanced search index. Reoccurring task that can be run nightly or weekly depending on the frequency of changes to the content. Monitor usage and business requirements so that data values for popular reports and packages are incrementally added to the index.
deselecting the output type eliminates the time required to crawl through the report output results stored in the IBM Cognos content store (Figure 10-34). For the initial build. it is good practice to verify that all of the content types are required for a particular environment or to meet business requirements. 468 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. To modify the types of content included in the search index: 1. select the Index task from the left frame and the General tab in the right frame (Figure 10-33).1 Handbook .Define indexable object types Although the default parameter settings for enhanced search allow administrators to build an initial index.. After the desired object types have been selected. On the Index Search tab from within the administration console. select the object types to be included in the initial search index. click Save. Figure 10-33 Index Search General tab 2. In the Indexable Types section.
see the IBM Cognos Installation and Configuration Guide. Chapter 10. General must be selected. Update Policies These are the minimum considerations required to build the initial index. Specifies whether the index access control list is updated when an incremental index is run. but is turned on by default because it speeds up searching. Under Security. or how to predefine suggested content for users. how to include third-party search engine content. consult the “Managing Index Search” chapter in the IBM Cognos Administration and Security Guide. To secure the index and search results: 1. Also. the internal security check is used. click Launch IBM Cognos Administration. All three index access control list settings are selected by default. the Content Manager security check is used. the Content Manager security check is used. If all three settings do not match. On the Index Search tab. For more information regarding the index search options. For more information. General and in Storage. in the upper-right corner. 3. click Index General. IBM Cognos system administration 469 . Index Access Control List in Search. review the settings listed in Table 10-3. This option consumes additional resources. The setting is selected by default. In IBM Cognos Connection. When deselected.Securing the index and search results The index update service can retrieve the access control list from IBM Cognos Content Manager during indexing. When selected. Table 10-3 Index search security considerations Setting Index Access Control List Description Specifies whether the access control list for each object is retrieved from Content Manager during indexing. 2.
Click Next. all of the reporting content located in the Public Folders is included. 4. Click Next. search results only show content to which the user performing the search has access. index all Public Folder content unless there is absolutely content that should not be included.1 Handbook . which launches the New Index Update wizard. Specify a name of Initial Index for the new index update task on the Specify a name and description wizard page. Content can be selected for exclusion if desired. and then click Finish. 470 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. 5. 2. To build an initial index: 1. On the Select an action wizard page. the other values can be supplied as well. Only the name is required. By default. but for the initial index. the content to be included in the search index can be specified. On the Select the content wizard page. Build the search index with an account that has access to all content in the public folders so that all content is available to users. 3. Navigate to the Content Administration task on the Configuration tab within the administration console. if desired. but.Build an initial index Search results depend on the access permissions of the person who indexes the content and the user who searches the content. click Save only. Select the New Index Update icon from the toolbar. User permissions note: Regardless of the user permissions that built the enhanced search index.
whether metadata and reporting data values are included. Click the Run with options icon in the Actions list. select Later.This results in an index update definition being created. 3. IBM Cognos system administration 471 . Figure 10-35 Index update definition created and ready to be executed Building the initial index for enhanced search can be a lengthy. 2. depending on the options selected to index. To help ensure that building the initial index has limited impact on users. the common practice is to schedule the index build process to not occur during periods of heavy reporting usage: 1. Using the drop-down calendar control beside the date field. ensure that only the Properties and metadata option is selected for the content options. select a month and day on which the task will execute. Because the initial index should just include the reporting content. Chapter 10. and the topology of the installed IBM Cognos components. which launches the Run with Options dialog box. Assuming that the task is to be run at a later time. resource-intensive process. but will not have executed the actual build process because the Save only option was selected (Figure 10-35). Modify the time that the task will run so that it does not coincide with heavy reporting periods. 5. 4.
Click Run (Figure 10-36).6. The scope should be set to All entries. 7. Figure 10-36 Scheduled initial index update task definition 472 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. the All entries option would replace the older index with the index created as part of this task. as this is the initial creation of an index.1 Handbook . If an index had previously been created.
To locate the history detail for the index update task. In the administration console. To avoid staleness of the search index. you can use the Advanced options in the Filter section. Neglecting to periodically update the search index results in search results returning links to reports that are no longer present. the execution duration for that task must be used. “Auditing” on page 503.5. 2. After the frequency of change has been detected. IBM Cognos system administration 473 . navigate to Status Past Activities. navigate to the Upcoming Activities task on the Status tab and then use the graph Next control to scroll to the appropriate date.To verify that the index update task has been scheduled for the desired time. 3. administrators must ensure that the contents of the search index remain as accurate as the business demands. Because the only point of reference at this juncture is the initial index update task. that corresponds to the date and time when the index update task was started. it is essential to understand how long it takes to build the search index. Refer to 10. If auditing is enabled. or incomplete results because newer content is not highlighted. or click the Edit link to define a date range using calendar controls. for more details regarding the audit facility within IBM Cognos BI. After the date is located. If a lot of results are expected for the selected date range. the easiest way to check the volume of change to the content for a given period of time is to execute a report against the audit database. Click Apply. use either the Period drop-down menu in the Filter section to select one of the pre-generated periods. 1. it is important to first determine how frequently the content is changing. the index update task displays in the results list (Figure 10-37). 4. click the Advanced options link and select Type Index update. Chapter 10. If the task was set to run at a much later date. Figure 10-37 Upcoming scheduled index update task Refresh the search index As the content of the IBM Cognos BI analytics solution evolves.
but the last dimension to providing users with a complete enhanced search index is the inclusion of data values from the underlying reporting databases. Figure 10-39 Verifying time taken to execute the initial index update task Expand index to include reporting data values With an incremental index update strategy defined and in place. Figure 10-38 Viewing the run history details of an index update task 6. However. there is still a factor missing from the equation. Examining the upper portion of the “View run history details” dialog box reveals the start time. in case the duration spanned more than one day. administrators are now provided with the maximum amount of time that should be required to update the index incrementally (Figure 10-39). and date.5.1 Handbook . end time. Because future index updates will not likely include all of the content that this task did. locate the index update in question and select Initial Index View run history details (Figure 10-38). In the list of results on the right frame of Past Activities interface. you might expect there will no longer be any additional search index updates required. 474 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. The previous sections covered creating the search index and populating it with both modeled metadata and object properties.
modify the index update task to include one of the following types of data: Referenced data Specifies that only data referenced by the expressions encountered in reports. only the object metadata and properties were included as part of the initial index. and schedules on the Status tab in IBM Cognos Administration to monitor the server activities and manage schedules (as long as they have been granted access). Users can access current activities. upcoming activities.As shown in Figure 10-36 on page 472.2 Restricting the scheduling options Administrators for IBM Cognos environments are able to control user access to object such as reports. The scheduling capability controls access to the scheduling functionality for items that can be run. Schedule by hour Users can schedule entries by the hour. To grant access to the scheduling functionality independently from the monitoring functionality. queries. Chapter 10. packages. 10. The following secured features are associated with this function: Schedule by day Users can schedule entries daily. use the scheduling capability. To expand this data to include actual data values that are contained within the report and the reporting database. create a new index update task with the appropriate settings and ensure that the scope is set to include only entries that have changed so that this new content is added to the index incrementally. such as reports. IBM Cognos system administration 475 . or analyses After a strategy is devised for which content will have data included in the index. and analyses that are included in the scope of the indexing task are indexed All data Specifies that all data encountered in the models that are within the scope of the indexing task are indexed. as well as access to functionality within the application. past activities. regardless of whether the metadata has been used in reports. queries. and data sources.3.
Click the Security tab. Schedule by month Users can schedule entries monthly. To simplify the addition of this capability for more users in the future.1 Handbook . Sam is busy and decides to delegate several of his more simple tasks so that he can pay more attention to other work. Sam Carter is the Administrator for the IBM Cognos environment at the Great Outdoors company. by minute scheduling is also denied for other capabilities that allow by minute scheduling. Schedule by week Users can schedule entries weekly. 3. Scheduling Priority Users can set up and change the processing priority of scheduled entries. 2. User denied access to schedule by minute: If a user is denied access to the schedule by minute capability. for example. Sam decides to permit certain users at the Great Outdoors company to access the IBM Cognos scheduling features so that they can create and manage their own schedules. Sam creates a new role in the Cognos namespace called self-serve scheduling and adds Lynn Cope to that role. Schedule by trigger Users can schedule entries based on a trigger. Because Lynn Cope is an Advanced Business User and Report Author at Great Outdoors company. Sam decides to grant her access to IBM Cognos scheduling capabilities. Log on to IBM Cognos BI using credentials for a user with access to administrative features and open IBM Cognos Administration. To grant access to scheduling capabilities within IBM Cognos BI: 1. 476 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Schedule by year Users can schedule entries yearly. Sam now grants scheduling capabilities to the new self-serve scheduling role. the schedule by month capability.Schedule by minute Users can schedule entries by the minute. Click Capabilities.
IBM Cognos system administration 477 . Figure 10-40 shows the Capabilities panel. you can display the scheduling capability by clicking the Next icon. 5. If necessary.4. Scheduling capabilities are controlled through a capability called Scheduling. This indicates that there are additional features associated with this capability that can be secured individually. Figure 10-40 The Capabilities panel within IBM Cognos Administration Chapter 10. Note that the scheduling capability is highlighted as a live link. The default display settings for IBM Cognos BI only display 15 items per window. Click Scheduling.
478 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook . 8. Click Add and browse to the Cognos namespace by clicking Cognos. Access to secured functions can be configured through the capability’s properties. Figure 10-41 shows the features that are available within the scheduling function. click Permissions. Figure 10-41 Setting properties to grant access to schedule by hour capabilities 7. Click the down arrow next to Schedule by hour. and then click Set Properties. When the Set Properties window opens.6.
Figure 10-42 shows the process of selecting the role that will be granted access to the schedule by hour capability. IBM Cognos system administration 479 . Select the role by selecting Self-serve Scheduling.9. Figure 10-42 Selecting the custom self-serve scheduling role Chapter 10. click the add arrow. and then click OK.
whereas another can be limited to only scheduling activities on a weekly basis. Figure 10-43 shows an example of granting access to a capability for an IBM Cognos role. Figure 10-43 Granting access rights 11. one group of users can be granted full access to scheduling functionality.Grant self-serve scheduling execute and traverse rights for the schedule by hour capability by selecting Self-serve Scheduling and then selecting Execute and Traverse under the Grant column. Click OK. You can also use the process that we described previously to restrict access to scheduling capabilities. For example.10.1 Handbook . 480 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Administrators can permit or deny users the right to schedule their own activities based on schedule frequency or by trigger.Members of the self-server scheduling custom-created role can now access scheduling functionality and schedule their own activities without administrator involvement.
m. it can become challenging to manage user signons for large volumes of users across multiple data sources. If deeper personalized analysis was required. on Mondays.3. their own unique database signon.m. For example. This is essential when certain reports require a personalized view of the data instead of a generic result set. on Mondays 10. and 8:00 a. IBM Cognos system administration 481 .m. a job can be scheduled to run every 5 minutes between the hours of 6:00 a. and persist. Figure 10-44 Schedule frequency set to run every 5 minutes between 6:00 a. managers could provide. Activities within IBM Cognos can be scheduled to execute on a recurring basis within a window of time during a single day. Chapter 10. a generic database credential is employed when running a summary call center report that compares the hourly breakdown comparison of incoming calls versus resolution rates.3 Intra-day scheduling window Administrators can further manage the distribution of system processing load through the use of intra-day scheduling features for IBM Cognos. such as managers looking to see their teams’ individual call closure rate.3.10.4 Allowing users to persist personal database signons As an administrator. IBM Cognos allows administrators to empower selected users to manage their own database credentials. Figure 10-44 shows an example schedule frequency setting that uses the intra-day scheduling feature. For example. and 8:00 a.m.
3. If the namespace is large. select it by clicking the corresponding check box. On the Security tab. From the access control list on the left. there are numerous namespaces. After you locate the appropriate user. Remember to select Show users in the list if browsing for a user account. Navigate to a specific user. 5. or role.1 Handbook . Otherwise. select the Capabilities task from the left frame. ensure that the Override the access permissions acquired from the parent entry check box is selected. group. administrators can search for specific accounts by selecting the Search link in the upper-right corner of the page. Using the Actions drop-down menu for the manage own data source signons capability.Empowering users to manage signons Administrators can provide users with the ability to manage signons by granting them access from within the administration console: 1. group. b. 482 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. On the Permissions tab. select the newly added entry by clicking the appropriate check box. only groups and roles display. Click OK. Click the Add link to add users. 8. or the location of the desired entry is unknown. groups. select Set Properties (Figure 10-45). Then. or role by browsing the namespaces from the “Available entries” dialog box. Launch the administration console by selecting either the Administer IBM Cognos content link from the Welcome menu or by clicking the IBM Cognos Administration link from the Launch menu within IBM Cognos Connection. Figure 10-45 Setting the properties on the manage own data source capability 4. click the green arrow button to the right of the dialog box to add the object to the “Selected entries” dialog box. or roles to the capability access control list. 2. 7. a. 6.
when standard defined signons are required to ensure data consistency for all users executing reports. Stored as part of the user profile and accessible through the My Preferences interface. and the policy in the left frame updates automatically (Figure 10-46). Table 10-4 Order of preference for data source signons Signon type Defined and managed by IT Storage location Defined and stored under the data source connection name in the administration console (data source connections task). providing that the users are aware of the necessary credentials. There cannot be more than one signon per data source connection. and they cannot have any access to an existing defined signon. in most cases. managed by IT. For users to manage their signons.9. for example. Click OK. There is an order of operation in effect when the query layer is determining which signon to use when the query is executed (Table 10-4). they must be granted the ability execute and traverse on the manage own data source signons capability. the execute and traverse actions must be granted. To enable this capability. Behavior If a user has access to multiple signons for the same data source. Select the Grant check boxes for both of these actions. Personal Chapter 10. Figure 10-46 Assigning execute and traverse actions Removing the IT burden of managing signons There are a few scenarios in which the management of data source signons should be managed by IT. However. IBM Cognos system administration 483 . he is prompted to select one to use. Created at the request of the user. it is a good idea to empower users to manage their own signons.
In an IBM Cognos environment that has been deployed with IT managing the data source signons. granting the user community access to at least one signon forces the usage of the defined signons. while ignoring the existence of any saved personal credentials.Signon type Prompt Storage location When a user does not have access to a defined signon or a personal signon in his profile. If corporate policy changes and IT needs to assume responsibility once again. Behavior When the prompt is presented. Figure 10-47 Privileged users can optionally persist data source credentials The key element to this feature is that although it empowers the user to manage his own data source credentials. the user is optionally able to persist that signon in their profile if he has access to the correct capability (Figure 10-47). IT always retains control of the data source authentication strategy. either deleting the signons or denying everyone access to the existing signons (the most advisable approach).1 Handbook . a prompt is presented to execute the report. quickly converts the authentication strategy and shifts the responsibility to the user. 484 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.
one week.. IBM Cognos system administration 485 . The calculation is simple: (Number of failed or successful requests / number of received requests) * 100 These percentage metrics are excellent metrics to monitor when resetting the metrics is either not possible or is not going to be done. and never return to a green status. With count metrics for failed and successful requests (NumberOfFailedRequests and NumberOfSuccessfulRequests). thresholds are eventually reached after a period of time. This averaged value maps to the latency metric in the administration console.4 Managing the environment The IBM Cognos BI release contains a variety of features around the area of system management. and so on).. The reason for this is that tolerance thresholds built on the percentage metrics are always relevant regardless of when the last reset occurred. after the threshold is exceeded (one day. one month. For example. if the threshold score is set to turn red after 50 failed requests.10. FailedRequestPercent and SuccessfulRequestPercent This metric displays the percentage of failed/successful requests that have occurred. Chapter 10.
NumberOfFailedRequests Number of failed requests. QueueLengthHighWaterMark The value for this metric is an indication of what the highest amount of requests in the queue has been since the metric was last reset. is a cumulative count of the number of successful requests that have occurred since the last reset. ResponseTimeHighWaterMark The value for this metric shows the longest period of time spent processing a request. NumberOfSuccessfulRequests Number of successful requests. This value maps to the number of queue requests in the administration console. NumberOfRequests This specifies the amount of requests that have passed through the queue since the last time that the metrics were reset. not to be confused with the failed request percentage metric. Due to this. thus moving the red score to yellow and then eventually green. MillisecondsPerSuccessfulRequest This is the average amount of time spent processing a successful request. From that point forward. either successful or failed. NumberOfSessions This indicates the amount of user sessions that are currently active in the environment. is a cumulative count of the number of failed requests that have occurred since the last reset. NumberOfSessionsHighWaterMark This indicates the maximum amount of user sessions that were active in the environment at one time. the metric value decreases. no resetting of metrics ever needs to occur. the value is 100% and more than likely results in a threshold score of red. if every request is successful. Using the previous example. not to be confused with the successful request percentage metric. NumberOfProcessedRequests This specifies the amount of received requests that have been processed by the dispatcher. 486 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. The percentage metrics change over time. if only the percentage metrics are monitored through thresholds.1 Handbook .the threshold score is always red until the service is restarted or the metrics are reset. if the failed requests hit 50 after the first 50 requests.
The formula is: (Number of successful requests * service time for successful requests) / 60 seconds For example. After the second minute. the traditional definition would indicate the average is 10 requests per minute. The actual use of this metric in IBM Cognos BI would be 20 after one minute and would still be 20 after 2 minutes. including both failed and successful. the value would be 5. This metric is a great way to track server throughput. ServiceTimeFailedRequests This metric value is the total amount of processing time that was used for all failed requests. 10 requests are executed successfully and the server has spent 30 seconds executing the requests. as the total time spent (30 * 1.5 seconds. but rather it is an indication of how many requests have been processed during the amount of time that the system has spent processing them. For example. This is done to provide a real value that is not impacted by periods of inactivity. and so on.ServiceTimeAllRequests The service time metrics show the amount of time that was spent processing the requests. When looking at the metric after a minute.5) is 45 seconds. This particular metric value is the total amount of processing time that was used for all requests. each with a queue time of 1. TimeInQueueHighWaterMark This displays the longest amount of time that one object has spent in the queue. This algorithm shows that what the average successful requests is based on is the amount of processing time that it took to execute them and not the actual time. IBM Cognos system administration 487 . This value does not indicate an ongoing average from minute to minute. TimeInQueue This cumulative metric shows the total amount of time that has been spent by all objects in the queue. of successful requests per minute. SuccessfulRequestsPerMinute The definition of this metric slightly differs from the traditional definition. Chapter 10. the value for the metric is 45. if 30 requests have been in the queue at some point. or perception.
2. Understanding what actions are performed by each of the services provides greater insight into the values that are being reported. the length of the queue.1. dispatchers to the server. metrics are then consolidated through the rest of the topology: services to dispatcher. and how much time requests have spent. see 2. From the service level. The metrics are collected at the service level.Metric groups The individual metrics are divided into three main metric groups: Request These metrics pertain to the specific requests that are handled by each component in the environment. The system task displays metrics at all of the levels of the topology. Services The final dimension to the system metrics is how the individual metrics and metric groupings relate to the service to which they are associated. Therefore. which is the lowest level in the topology.1 Handbook . for example). requests to the individual services affect the metric values at the higher server and system levels. Process These metrics display information regarding the amount of processes required by the product to function. There are a few metrics located outside of the three main metric groups (JVM uptime and heap size information. When viewing the metrics scorecard that is 488 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Several metrics in this group are the amount of requests that have been in the queue. but the majority of the individual metrics are a part of the three metric groups. For more information about the services that make up the IBM Cognos BI solution. “IBM Cognos BI services” on page 16. This is an important fact when working with environments that are made up of multiple servers or dispatchers. and then the servers to the system level. Metrics such as the number of current processes and the maximum number of processes that were spawned are available.
refreshing the metrics frame updates the metric values. yellow. whether any key metrics are not performing as well as expected without having to drill down to lower levels of the hierarchy. This is possible by using the Reset button beside the metric grouping name in the Metrics dialog box. they are volatile and thus are reset every time that the service or server is restarted. That said. such as a server or the system. Because the metrics are live. but does not change the contextual object or refresh any of the values in any of the other windows (Figure 10-49). that this limited the ability to thoroughly analyze a series of metrics if the values changed on a regular basis. Figure 10-49 Refresh button will retrieve the current values for the metrics Chapter 10. is that there is no auto-refresh feature. all of the metrics that belong to the service in context are reset. The metric values are updated in real time and reside in an MBean within the dispatcher Java process. Figure 10-48 Reset the request metrics as they pertain to the Content Manager service An important note regarding the metrics. and red traffic light indicators reflect the most severe indication value in the hierarchy. in the system task. In certain situations it might be desired to have the metrics reset without restarting the entire application. For example. the poorest indication rises to the top. If a higher level is in context. based on the general feedback from administrators. When the Reset is clicked. As the metrics are dynamic and reside as part of the dispatcher. there are a few manual refresh options available within the administration console: Fragment refresh This is the button located in the upper-right corner of the fragment that refreshes the values of the contents in the frame. is executed. they are dynamic and are only reset when the IBM Cognos BI service or process is restarted or when an explicit request. IBM Cognos system administration 489 . the green. That is. all of the metrics that pertain to that object are also reset (Figure 10-48). This was done to provide administrators with the ability to visually see. It was a design decision. either manual or programmatic.available as part of the system task in the administration console. at a glance. and the administration console in general.
after the refresh has occurred. When clicked. or by creating self-service personal alerts in IBM Cognos Viewer. metrics. it is possible to manually set a tolerance threshold on the individual metrics.4. For example. there is a summary bar at the bottom of each frame that displays the last time that a refresh occurred (Figure 10-51).1 Handbook . which can provide the basis for automated alerts through IBM Cognos Event Studio. 490 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. clicking this button when viewing the system task refreshes the scorecard. This action causes all context to be lost and. To provide a reference as to the timeliness of the information being viewed. and settings frames without losing context (Figure 10-50). Figure 10-51 Bottom of frame indicates when the values were generated and displayed 10. With this in mind. Figure 10-50 Button to refresh the entire page Browser refresh Using the browser refresh button to update the administration console causes all pages to be refreshed.1 Metric tolerance thresholds Whereas the ability to have real-time metrics displayed in the administration console provides valuable information when monitoring the environment. the entire page being viewed is refreshed.Page refresh This button is available on the main IBM Cognos BI toolbar located at the top of the browser page. the value all but disappears when not actively in the console watching the metrics. the default view allowed by your administrative capabilities displays.
which means that certain underlying service metrics have values that are nearing the acceptable norm and might warrant further investigation. Click BatchReportService. drill down on an available server. 4. The current metric values are displayed in the system task as green. Figure 10-52 System Scorecard showing all dispatchers A quick glance at the scorecard indicates that there is a dispatcher that has a yellow indicator. based on the range that the value resides. 2. tolerance thresholds must first be defined on the key metrics: 1. Launch the IBM Cognos administration console. 3. IBM Cognos system administration 491 . an overall scorecard is possible (Figure 10-52). Creating a threshold Before an overall scorecard can be established. Chapter 10. and red traffic light indicators. yellow. Drill down again on an available dispatcher to reveal the underlying services. When a series of thresholds is assigned to key indicators that pertain to the specific environment.These thresholds allow administrators to set ranges that provide them with a quick overall view into the system health. In the scorecard frame. 5. Select the System task on the Status tab.
select Low values are good.1 Handbook . The “Set thresholds for metric . The second section is where the actual threshold values or ranges that will drive the type of indicator are defined. which specifies whether high.Percentage of failed requests” dialog box opens. or low values are good (a green traffic light indicator). 3. 4. middle. Expand the Request metric grouping by clicking the plus sign (+). which displays metrics about the amount and duration of requests handled by the batch report service Take the following steps: 1. The first section is the Performance pattern. 492 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.Request . which provides metrics about the amount of configured and running batch report processes Request.Clicking the BatchReportService object changes the focus of the metrics frame on the upper-right side so that all of the relevant metrics for the batch report service are displayed (Figure 10-53). Because failed requests are undesirable. This dialog box is divided into two sections. 2. Figure 10-53 Request metrics for the batch report service The metrics batchreportservice frame consists of two metric groupings: Process. Locate the percentage of failed requests metric and click the pencil icon.
Figure 10-54 shows that the indicator light is green until the value for the particular metric hits 3%. which means that at 3% the indicator changes from green to yellow. the indicator light changes to a red. which results in 3.0% remaining green. 6.0%.5. Chapter 10. Click OK to save the threshold. then it turns yellow.0% moves the box down to the green threshold. Figure 10-54 Defining a metric threshold Light indicator: The yellow indicator light value is 3. If the metric value continues to increase and a value of 5% is obtained. but anything higher changing the status to yellow. IBM Cognos system administration 493 . Enter a value in both of the boxes to define the range. Clicking the down arrow beside 3.
Returning to the metrics frame. volume of reports being executed. if auditing is enabled for the IBM Cognos BI version 10. Programatically setting thresholds One of the most common questions that is asked is why there are no default thresholds? The is because there are many factors that influence metric values. Figure 10-55 Metrics frame with newly created metric performance pattern After you define metric thresholds. Not only could setting metric thresholds be a timely exercise based on the volume of metrics available. number of concurrent users. server hardware. the status indicator for the newly created metric threshold is displayed (Figure 10-55). any threshold exceptions (changes to the indicator light color) are written to the COGIPF_THRESHOLD_VIOLATIONS table. This table allows administrators to proactively create IBM Cognos Event Studio agents that monitor the audit table for exceptions and that notify the required administrators. available memory. such as size of the user base. This reporting is key in indicating peak periods of usage and keeping track of unexpected changes to usage patterns. it is impossible to provide defaults that would have any relevance in all environments.1 Handbook . but what values should be used that make sense for the environment in question? Are the values being used based on the current 494 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. The audit database entries also provide the information that is required to report on the volume and severity of the exceptions over time. and so on.1 environment.
For more information about setting the metric thresholds. programatically through the SDK. Select the Upcoming Activities task on the status task. Using the metric export capability. 3. due to scheduled routine maintenance. IBM Cognos system administration 495 . 4. the reports can be shifted to 3 p.ibm. typically spanning a high reporting period when available. the IBM Cognos Administrator. To ensure that any reports scheduled during this time do not fail. select Until. 5.settings? If so. Reacting to these occurrences is critical to maintaining service level agreements and ensuring that the data in reports is accurate and not out of date. to compensate for any additional minor delays. or if only certain entries will be impacted by the database outage. which changes the list display at the bottom of the page.2 Reacting to bottlenecks due to unexpected events System administrators are occasionally faced with unexpected environmental events or unforeseen changes to usage patterns. 6. use the Actions drop-down menu beside one of the selected items to choose the Suspend option or use the Suspend button from the toolbar menu.m.m.4. manually select the objects or use the Advanced options on the left to filter the results to display only the impacted objects and select all. Launch the IBM Cognos administration console. and then using the metric exports.m. see the System Management Methodology located at:. time slot on the chart by clicking the bar above 13 along the x-axis. Using a Great Outdoors company scenario. In the Suspend Activities dialog box. it is possible to gather metric exports for a period of time. For example.com/developerworks/data/library/cognos/page258. After you select the objects. set the threshold ranges based on the real-world usage statistics for a given environment. Chapter 10. Sam Carter. to 2 p.m. 2.m.html 10. receives a message indicating that there will be a 60-minute outage of the reporting database from 1 p. to 2 p. and change the calendar control to reflect a period when the reporting database is back online. are these values indicative of a typical day? What about during peak periods? Won’t all of the metric thresholds turn red during peak period usage? There is help for this. Sam must react to the situation by taking the following steps: 1. Select all of the entries by clicking the check box in the upper-left corner or the list. Select the 1 p.
Select the Upcoming Activities task on the status task. In the Suspend Activities dialog box. select Indefinitely. 6. The scenario describes reacting to a planned database outage. The ability to allocate scheduled objects throughout the day can help ensure system throughput. there is no new estimate as to when the database will be back online and available for reporting. Launch the IBM Cognos administration console. Using the Actions drop-down menu beside one of the selected items.7. Click OK. Sam Carter receives word that there are complications with the database maintenance and that the outage will last longer than the previously anticipated 60 minutes. Unfortunately.1 Handbook . Select the objects that had been previously rescheduled. Sam chooses to Suspend the selected items. to 4 p. He must take the following steps: 1. Click the bar above 15 along the x-axis to change the filtered list to the objects scheduled to run from 3 p. 8. The Upcoming Activities chart updates to reflect the changes. 3. but the ability to suspend reports for a predefined period of time can also be used to help spread an unexpected scheduling load across other less active periods. 5. 4.m. Click OK. Building on the previous scenario. or using the toolbar menu. 2.m. so it is a good practice for IBM Cognos administrators to proactively examine the upcoming load for the day and make changes were necessary. 496 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Sam must now react differently to this unforeseen hurdle because there is no estimated time for the resolution.
which connects to the IBM Cognos Chapter 10.. so there is no way to represent them on the chart. and load (ETL) tool to load them into a reporting database.Contrary to when the schedules were postponed and a new time was defined in the first scenario. After they are loaded into the database. the rescheduled items do not appear in any specific time slot in the chart. Figure 10-56 Upcoming activities chart with legend 10. There are a couple of ways to accomplish the recording of the metrics. there is an entry in the chart legend called Suspended that indicates the number of suspended objects (Figure 10-56). reports can be created so that analysis of key metrics can be tracked. there is no defined time for their execution. This is a continual process of exporting and then loading the metrics so that the reports are always current. The other mechanism is to use a tool that is both capable of connecting to the Java environment directly and writing the values to the reporting database. To identify that there are items that are suspended indefinitely. One such tool is IBM Tivoli Directory Integrator. The first mechanism uses product functionality to export the metrics to a text file and then using an extract.4. it becomes almost impossible to answer these questions without a mechanism to record the metric values. Because they were suspended indefinitely. it is possible to quickly respond to unexpected changes in usage patterns.3 System trending Through the combination of viewing the metrics available in the aDministration Console and proactively monitoring metric thresholds using IBM Cognos Event Studio alerts. transform. IBM Cognos system administration 497 .
4. Besides the administration console. see the System Management Methodology located at:. a JMX agent must be created to interface with the IBM Cognos MBean. which is available as part of the Java V1.4 Consuming system metrics from external tools This section discusses Java Management Extensions and JConsole. MBeans. 498 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. These resources are represented by objects called MBeans. represent a resource running in the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). reads the metrics from a customizable list of services. and then writes out the values to a relational database. How this translates to the IBM Cognos topology is that the dispatcher component stores the raw metrics in an MBean within the JVM running the IBM Cognos BI application. the Java MBean must first be made available for external access. a parameter must be added to one of files within the application server. Before the metrics can be exposed to external sources. for tools such as IBM Tivoli Monitoring to connect to the IBM Cognos metrics.html 10. For more information regarding system trending. which stands for Managed Bean. To accomplish this. Connecting to metrics using JConsole This section describes the steps required to view the metrics externally using the JConsole application. Thus. and the metric values can be written to the database at almost any interval. This process is automated and can be scheduled so that there is no manual intervention required.com/developerworks/data/library/cognos/page258. Java Management Extensions Java Management Extensions (JMX) is a Java technology that supplies tools for managing and monitoring applications and service-orientated networks. the metrics are accessible externally by using the industry-standard JMX.5 JDK package.JVM.1 Handbook .
Save the file. 3. Port number note: The number specified in the added string pertains to a port number. and then click the pencil icon. IBM Cognos system administration 499 . anybody can connect to the MBean if the proper connection string is known. In the explorer frame. but these policies do not apply when connecting externally. Chapter 10. Locate the External JMX Port property in the Environment . Figure 10-57 Enabling the rmi registry port for JMX support 2. Click the value field of the External JMX credential property.Group Properties dialog box and type 9999 (to match the port number used for the rmiregistryport entry from a previous step). Uncomment the existing rmiregistryport line by removing the # symbol (and modify the port number if required) (Figure 10-57). To enforce user name and password external access: 1. That is. 2. Navigate to the <install_dir>\webapps\p2pd\WEB-INF directory and open the p2pd_deploy_defaults. select Environment. It is important to note that there is no security associated with the JMX implementation. Ensure that the port number specified is available for use and is not being occupied by another application. so after the entry has been added to the file. product access to the metrics can be locked down through the security policies in IBM Cognos Connection and the administration console.For a default Tomcat installation. Open IBM Cognos Configuration. 4.properties file in a text editor. complete the following steps: 1.
server. If there are spaces in the installation path and the non-default IBM JRE is being used. Save the new configuration parameters. Figure 10-58 Securing the IBM Cognos JMX interface 6.exe executable in the bin directory of the Java JDK and launch it. 7.External JMX credential” dialog box. Locate the jconsole. specify the user ID and password that will be used to secure the IBM Cognos MBeans (see Figure 10-58). After you start or restart the application: 1. Click OK. JConsole must be executed using the following command line: Jconsole -J-Djava. On the “Value . JMX implementation note: The JMX implementation does not allow for spaces in the install path when using a JRE other than the default IBM JRE provided with the IBM Cognos installation.rmi.useCodebaseOnly=true 500 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Because this is a setting that is read when the application is started. a restart is required if the IBM Cognos BI application is already running.5.1 Handbook .
7. 4. 5. This is the location of all of the metrics that reside in the administration console. View the metrics for a service. When presented with the JConsole: Connect to Agent dialog box. Chapter 10. by expanding the reportService entry to expose the objects beneath. which displays all of the metric names and values in the right frame.. for example. Supply the proper credentials if the External JMX credential value was supplied in IBM Cognos Configuration. Click Connect to connect to the system metrics using JMX. 6. Ensure that the MBeans tab is selected (if not selected by default).cognos section of the tree. 3. select one of them and expand the dispatcher name entry in quotation marks.2. IBM Cognos system administration 501 . Expand the com. If more than one dispatcher is present in the environment. switch to the Advanced tab (see Figure 10-59). report service. Click the Metrics option beneath the dispatcher. 9.
and navigate to the System task within the administration console. although there might be slight formatting differences (Figure 10-60 and Figure 10-61). Drill into the same dispatcher as used in the JConsole interface. launch IBM Cognos BI. Open a web browser session. Figure 10-60 Report service metrics in IBM Cognos administration console Figure 10-61 Identical report service metrics in JConsole 502 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.ReportService frame are identical to the values displayed in JConsole. 3. Keep drilling down until the ReportService entry is located. Providing that no additional report service requests were made. 4.To compare the metrics displayed in the IBM Cognos administration console and JConsole: 1. Click ReportService to filter the metrics in the upper-right frame. the values displayed in the Metrics . 2.1 Handbook .
5 Auditing IBM Cognos Platform provides a complete auditing capability that permits administrators to report on and manage system usage. IBM Cognos system administration 503 .10. type a name (we used Audit in our example) and click Database as the type. errors. right-click Logging. an audit destination must first be configured in IBM Cognos Configuration: 1. In fact. using the drop-down menu. click the type of database target (DB2. a sample audit model is supplied that includes several sample reports to assist in providing immediate benefit from the audit data. Informix®. 3. SQL Server. In the New Resource – Database dialog box. 10. expand Environment. With the usage audit data stored in a relational data source. type the database name and. Right-click the newly created Audit database and click New Resource Database. and so on).5. viewing or reporting on the data is complicated and difficult to manage. Use the data contained in the default log files primarily for troubleshooting and not for tracking usage. and then click Resource Destination. file rollover parameter in IBM Cognos Configuration). 4. IBM Cognos BI provides the ability to output usage information to a relational database. Although the information provides the ability to identify possible errors that have occurred in the environment. Within the Explorer pane.1 Configure the audit database For the usage data to be captured in a relational source. 5. Chapter 10. In the New Resource – Destination dialog box. Even if the desired date range was still accessible. Open IBM Cognos Configuration. The information logged by IBM Cognos Platform auditing can be used to support administrative requirements such as: Capacity planning Licensing conformance reporting Performance monitoring Identifying unused content By default. system messages. reporting then becomes possible. and other product details are logged to flat files that reside in the <c8_install>/logs directory. the information is volatile because of the versioning mechanism (that is. 2.
During the start phase. 8. 9. such as database host name and port number. click the newly created database name and type the necessary parameters. Save the configuration by clicking Save on the IBM Cognos Configuration toolbar. into the fields in the Properties pane.6. Start (or restart if already running) the IBM Cognos BI services by clicking the Start icon (or the Restart icon) from the toolbar. In the Explorer pane. These steps define the JDBC connection that will be used to populate the audit database. and the database name. 7. 504 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook . which prompts the application to create the necessary tables within the configured database. database login credentials. Test the audit database connectivity either by right-clicking the newly created database name in the Explorer pane and then clicking Test or by clicking the new database name and then clicking the Test icon from the IBM Cognos Configuration toolbar. the configuration change is identified. Changes do not take effect until after the IBM Cognos BI services have been restarted.
When the application starts. Figure 10-62 IBM Cognos Audit database tables Chapter 10. and the COGIPF_THRESHOLD_VIOLATIONS records metric threshold exception details that are derived from the IBM Cognos BI system metrics (Figure 10-62). The COGIPF_SYSPROPS table contains a single record that indicates logging version detail. The COGIPF_MIGRATION table is reserved for an upcoming migration application. but only 11 are used for auditing usage.2 Audit table definitions After an audit database has been added to the configuration parameters in IBM Cognos Configuration.5. IBM Cognos system administration 505 .10. 18 tables are added to the audit database. the audit database schema is added to the database the next time that the application is started.
The levels start at minimal. For collecting audit detail. which should only be used for troubleshooting purposes under the guidance of customer support. which for the purposes of auditing means disabled. and at the end of the spectrum is full.5. the 506 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.3 Audit levels The auditing facility within IBM Cognos BI provides five levels of detail..1 Handbook . for example.
Understanding what functions are performed by each of the services provides greater insight into the audit detail that they record. 10.2. Assigning the correct level of audit detail to the appropriate service provides a customized view of usage data.5.5 Setting audit levels Setting the audit levels is done through the dispatchers and services task in the administration console in IBM Cognos Connection: 1. if only login information is desired. Table 10-6 IBM Cognos audit and logging levels System activity type System and service startup and shutdown. Table 10-6 shows IBM Cognos audit and logging levels. under the guidance of IBM Customer Support. similar to the full level. For more information about the IBM Cognos services. the only service that needs to have auditing enabled is the Content Manager Service. the Configuration tab. Only use trace. 2.5. “IBM Cognos BI services” on page 16. Each of these services has a configurable audit level. Request provides essentially the same level of detail as basic. IBM Cognos system administration 507 .4 Audit and logging for IBM Cognos BI services The IBM Cognos BI architecture comprises various services. From within IBM Cognos Connection. click Launch IBM Cognos Administration to launch the IBM Cognos administration console. Chapter 10. and then click Dispatchers and Services. see 2. For example.only choices are minimal (disabled) and basic (enabled).1.
Overriding the settings on a dispatcher breaks the inheritance model.Configuration icon on the main toolbar (Figure 10-63). This is the suggested way to set the audit settings. click the Set properties . 5. When presented with the Set Properties dialog box. Because of the inheritance model. This reveals the list of services that make up the dispatcher. as typically all dispatchers should be recording the same level of detail. Figure 10-63 Selecting the Configuration Properties to set audit levels 4.1 Handbook . other unique situations might require that settings differ from the dispatcher. 6.3. and parameters with an acquired value of No will no longer be acquired from the 508 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. On the Configuration pane of the Dispatchers and Services window. set the auditing level for each of the services that make up the IBM Cognos BI environment. and then clicking Logging. select the dispatcher by clicking the link with the dispatcher’s name. Filter the displayed settings to show only settings related to logging by clicking the Category drop-down menu. To configure customized settings on a dispatcher. Using the drop-down menus or check boxes. Repeat the steps above to set the individual audit settings on the dispatcher. and in those cases. However. audit settings must be configured for each dispatcher individually. After the levels have been specified for the desired services. examine the properties shows that the value changed from Yes to No. audit settings made at the top level will be pushed down to all dispatchers and services that make up the environment. 7. click the Settings tab. click OK to save the new parameter values. After you configure the customized settings for an individual dispatcher.
3. Select the dispatcher that you want to configure by clicking the dispatcher’s link in the Configuration pane. which selects all of the logging configuration settings. Click the Set Properties . click the Settings tab. it simply overwrites them with the current configuration settings from the global configuration. there is a periodic need for troubleshooting. Click the check box in the upper-left corner. there is an option to delete the configuration settings of the children. Click OK to save the changes. Select this option. 7.parent configuration. To do this: 1. the configuration settings can be reset from the top level and pushed down to the dispatchers in the environment. At the bottom of the dialog box.configuration icon on the main page of the Dispatchers and Services panel. 3. To re-synchronize the parameters so that the values can be acquired: 1. 5. On the “Set properties – Dispatcher” dialog box. Click the Set properties – dispatcher icon. 4. One of the troubleshooting mechanisms with the IBM Cognos BI application is through the IPF component. Alternatively. Click the Reset to parent value link at the bottom-right corner of the window. Change the drop-down menu to Logging. 2. IPF trace note: Implement IPF trace only with the guidance of IBM Support. 6. called IPF traces. IBM Cognos system administration 509 . and then click OK to save the changes (see Figure 10-64).5. Chapter 10. 2. which resets the parameter values to the parent configuration and resets the acquired values to Yes.6 Maintaining audit detail while troubleshooting Among applications. This does not really delete them. Figure 10-64 Option to reset all dispatcher configuration settings to the parent values 10. Click the Settings tab. which filters the parameter list to only display the audit-related entries.
By default.indications. the IPF client trace functions and audit records continue to be logged to the audit database. various levels of detail can be output to different sources.LogTypedLogger"> <level value="warn"/> <appender-ref </category> Example 10-1 highlights the TCP connection parameters and the important parameter for the audit level.0.xml file when troubleshooting might cause regular audit information to stop being recorded to the audit database.Enabling an IPF trace does not require a restart of the application and is enabled when a file called ipfclientconfig. for example. Example 10-1 Important fields to ensure uninterrupted audit logging <appender name="clientTCP" class="com.sample. Take care when editing the ipfclientconfig.indications. Change the remoteHost value and the Port value to match the log server host and port number in IBM Cognos Configuration.LogTCPSocketAppender"> <param name="remoteHost" value="127. As long as the TCP connectivity parameters are correct and the audit level is set to warn.xml file.xml file: Improper editing of the ipfclientconfig. Each IBM Cognos software component provides a sample IPF Client Trace file to be used when instructed by IBM Support.0.xml.xml is found in the <install_location>/configuration directory. 510 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. the master template file called ipfclientconfig.cognos.1 Handbook .cognos. providing that server logging configuration settings are correctly entered into the ipfclientconfig. Within that file.xml template is configured to continue recording regular audit detail to the audit database. ipfRSVPclientconfig.LogLocalUDPAppender"> <param name="Port" value="9362"/> </appender> <category name="Audit" class="com.indications. Example 10-1 highlights the fields that are important to ensuring that audit logging is not interrupted during IPF trace activities.cognos.1"/> <param name="Port" value="9362"/> <param name="LocationInfo" value="false"/> <param name="ReconnectionDelay" value="30000"/> </appender> <appender name="clientRemote" class="com.
If the Enable TCP? parameter is set to False. IBM Cognos system administration 511 . we explore the table structures of the audit database and provide example queries to satisfy common audit requirements. To verify whether clientRemote or clientTCP needs to be used as the appender-ref value. To demonstrate possible uses for the information stored within the IBM Congos audit database. More detailed examples Chapter 10.7 Audit scenarios In discussing audit scenarios. The database used to record audit information for IBM Cognos BI can also be used as a reporting data source for system administrators. we apply audit functionality and walk through common scenarios to provide an overview of how IBM Cognos audit data can be used to provide a complete view of system activity. Figure 10-65 Logging server port and TCP settings in IBM Cognos Configuration 10. then the clientRemote must be used. Given that the audit information for IBM Cognos BI is stored in a relational database. Selecting the Logging entry beneath the Environment section displays the logging parameters in the right frame. the clientTCP will be the require entry in the IPF file (Figure 10-65). the parameters within IBM Cognos Configuration need to be examined.5. If the value is set to True. IBM provides sample reports to be used for various auditing scenarios. administrators can also use SQL queries to get a detailed view of system activities.
ibm. Authentication Authentication is handled through the IBM Cognos Content Manager Service. Detailed information about jobs and job steps can be obtained from the COGIPF_RUNJOB and COGIPF_RUNJOBSTEP tables using COGIPF_REQUESTID. COGIPF_USERNAME. Therefore. security events. 512 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.com/developerworks/data/library/cognos/cognosproven practices. Details about user sessions. jobs. Example 10-2 Sample SQL query to retrieve user logon information SELECT COGIPF_HOST_IPADDR. and so forth:. Upon examining the COGIPF_USERLOGON table. reporting activity. John Walker (jwalker) logs into IBM Cognos Connection. Details about parameters used by IBM Cognos components can be obtained by query interactions with the COGIPF_PARAMETER table using COGIPF_REQUESTID. In the following scenario. we see a single entry for the login process (Example 10-2). COGIPF_LOCALTIMESTAMP. and so on can be obtained by query interactions with the COGIPF_USERLOGON table using COGIPF_SESSIONID. auditing is set to minimal for all services except the IBM Cognos Content Manager Service.html Tables within the IBM Cognos audit database can be joined to provide further information about user sessions. COGIPF_USERID. logons. Logging into IBM Cognos Connection causes audit data to be written into two tables: COGIPF_USERLOGON COGIPF_ACTION The primary information related to the user logon (that is. For example.1 Handbook . COGIPF_LOGON_OPERATION. COGIPF_NAMESPACE. user name and authenticating namespace) is contained in the COGIPF_USERLOGON table. recording authentication-related detail requires auditing to be enabled for the IBM Cognos Content Manager Service. and secondary information such as group membership is recorded in the COGIPF_ACTION table.
To identify corresponding entries. In a busy environment where many users are logging in. the records are not consecutive and therefore are hard to correlate. COGIPF_LOGON_OPERATION.COGIPF_STATUS FROM COGIPF_USERLOGON Figure 10-66 shows the results of the query. COGIPF_NAMESPACE. COGIPF_USERNAME. The only record that is important from an audit standpoint is the record that queries the security namespace for the group membership of the user. User session expirations (the default passport timeout is 60 minutes of inactivity) are also indicated in the COGIPF_USERLOGON table. Figure 10-66 Results of a query showing the audit table row created for user John Walker’s logon As shown in Figure 10-66. which shows logon operations and sessions expiring due to inactivity. IBM Cognos system administration 513 . (The complete entry is truncated in Example 10-3 due to the length of the field. Example 10-3 SQL query using COGIPF_SESSIONID to select record for one session SELECT COGIPF_HOST_IPADDR. The same login operation also records two audit entries in the COGIPF_ACTION table. The namespace that the user belonged to is also included. a single record is written to both the COGIPF_USERLOGON and COGIPF_ACTION tables. the records must be matched on COGIPF_SESSIONID (Example 10-3). Records are logged to the audit database. The default inactivity timeout is 60 minutes. so it becomes possible to identify users from different business units if they are not part of the same security namespace.) When users log out of the application. the user logging in and the time of the operation are recorded. COGIPF_LOCALTIMESTAMP. COGIPF_STATUS FROM COGIPF_USERLOGON WHERE (COGIPF_SESSIONID LIKE 'F37A9BB97C040B4FF7CE95FDEEE51314F55B83B1') Chapter 10. COGIPF_USERID.
Figure 10-68 An audit entry for user logon attempts . Whenever an unsuccessful login attempt occurs.<. the ability to track unsuccessful login attempts is critical for identifying unauthorized user access.both failed and successful Example 10-4 shows the value for the COGIPF_ERRORDETAILS column for an invalid logon attempt.</messageString></item> </messages> 514 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.Whereas tracking user authentication is crucial for identifying usage patterns and license management.1 Handbook . a record is written to the COGIPF_USERLOGON table (Figure 10-67).
Example 10-5 Error message <messages xsi: <item xsi: <messageString xsi:CAM-AAA-0055 User input is required.Because the audit record only indicates a success or failure status. to just track saved report access. COGIPF_REPORTPATH. the records are identical except for the error details (Example 10-5). All of this information is also available as part of a single record in the Chapter 10. IBM Cognos system administration 515 . additional information can be obtained. In the case of incorrect passwords. This report was created to help identify unauthorized access to the IBM Cognos environment. auditing for the presentation service must be enabled. In the following scenario. COGIPF_TARGET_TYPE. Example 10-6 SQL query SELECT COGIPF_LOCALTIMESTAMP. Example 10-6 shows the SQL query.<_REQUESTID. COGIPF_REPORTFORMAT FROM COGIPF_VIEWREPORT By joining the COGIPF_VIEWREPORT and COGIPF_PARAMETER tables on COGIPF_REQUESTID. COGIPF_PACKAGE. auditing is set to minimal for all services except the presentation service. COGIPF_STATUS. Viewing a saved report Serving up saved content is the responsibility of the presentation service.</messageString></item> </messages> A sample report called security risk mitigation is available as part of the IBM Cognos System Management Methodology. such as the package used and the format in which the report was viewed. paying attention to the error details is important when trying to isolate unauthorized access to the application versus users incorrectly typing their passwords. Therefore.
The most basic requirement is tracking the fact that a report was executed. Example 10-7 Linking the report view with the correct user SELECT a.COGIPF_VIEWREPORT table. enabling auditing on the report service at a basic level records individual report executions (Example 10-8).COGIPF_SESSIONID LIKE b. COGIPF_PACKAGE FROM COGIPF_RUNREPORT 516 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Example 10-8 SQL query SELECT COGIPF_PROC_ID.COGIPF_REPORTPATH. You can also determine the internal storeID of the report that was viewed. it becomes possible to obtain that level of detail. it becomes possible to tie the report view with the correct user (Example 10-7). The information that is missing is the ability to identify which user viewed the saved report output. COGIPF_REQUESTID.1 Handbook . and using the operation type of VIEW indicates that saved content has been viewed. Listed in the following section is a sample of all the types of report output formats. Executing a simple report interactively There are various items of detail that might be required when tracking report executions. If the COGIPF_USERLOGON table is joined with the COGIPF_VIEWREPORT table on COGIPF_SESSIONID. versus a report actually being executed. COGIPF_RUNTIME. COGIPF_STATUS. b.COGIPF_SESSIONID) Viewing different types of report output produces different entries in the COGIPF_REPORTFORMAT column.COGIPF_USERNAME FROM COGIPF_VIEWREPORT AS a CROSS JOIN COGIPF_USERLOGON AS b WHERE (a. Because interactive reports are handled by the report service. Running the same report view query again with the additional auditing enabled reveals an entry in the COGIPF_USERLOGON table. Logging audit data for the Content Manager service is done by setting the logging level for the Content Manager service to basic. COGIPF_REPORTPATH. COGIPF_TARGET_TYPE. COGIPF_LOCALTIMESTAMP. By enabling auditing for the Content Manager service.
From an information standpoint. it also becomes possible to correlate the report execution to the BIBUS process that handled the execution. For example. In addition to these details. As part of the report execution audit detail. COGIPF_USERNAME. COGIPF_USERID. and certain records indicate whether the action was from a series of steps involved in a prompted report. COGIPF_LOCALTIMESTAMP. there are no useful parameter details for a report execution unless the internal object storeID is required. the service that handled the request (report or batch report). COGIPF_STATUS FROM COGIPF_USERLOGON Example 10-10 SQL query SELECT COGIPF_HOST_IPADDR. What is missing from this level of detail is the ability to determine who executed the report. auditing must be enabled for the Content Manager Service (Example 10-9 and Example 10-10). but the package that was modified as part of the IBM System Management Methodology isolates each piece of information in its own query item. and the time of the execution (COGIPF_LOCALTIMESTAMP). the BIBUS process ID (PID) can be obtained. COGIPF_LOCALTIMESTAMP. By examining the COGIPF_PROC_ID column. Example 10-9 SQL query SELECT COGIPF_HOST_IPADDR. the package that the report was executed against (COGIPF_PACKAGE). The COGIPF_TARGET_TYPE contains various pieces of information that are all part of the same record. Chapter 10. the amount of time it took to execute in milliseconds (COGIPF_RUNTIME). COGIPF_LOGON_OPERATION. COGIPF_USERNAME. COGIPF_NAMESPACE.The SQL statement in Example 10-8 provides the necessary information to obtain details such as the report name and where the report was executed from (COGIPF_REPORTPATH). the type of object executed (report or analysis). For this to occur. IBM Cognos system administration 517 . The sample audit package has all of this information contained in the same query item. COGIPF_LOGON_OPERATION. fourrecords is written to the COGIPF_PARAMETER table.
By enabling an auditing parameter called audit the native query for report service.LEN("COGIPF_THRESHOLD_VIOLATIONS".charinde x('service ='."COGIPF_RESOURCE_TYPE"."COGIPF_RESOURCE_ TYPE") + 8).10) = 'com."COGIPF_THRESHOLD_VIOLATIONS"."COGIPF_RESOURCE_TYPE") -((charindex('service='. Example 10-11 List of reports executed and the users who executed them SELECT a.COGIPF_SESSIONID) One of the major differences between viewing saved report output is that running a report interactively executes queries at the database layer."COGIPF_METRIC_HEALTH" in ('poor'.COGIPF_REPORTPATH."COGIPF_RESOURCE_TYPE") + 8.COGIPF_USERNAME FROM COGIPF_RUNREPORT AS a CROSS JOIN COGIPF_USERLOGON AS b WHERE (a. 'average')]]></thirdparty> 518 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 Handbook . convert(datetime. case when substring("COGIPF_THRESHOLD_VIOLATIONS".1)) else "COGIPF_THRESHOLD_VIOLATIONS".COGIPF_USERID. Example 10-12 Sample from COGIPF_REQUESTSTRING <thirdparty><![CDATA[select "COGIPF_THRESHOLD_VIOLATIONS". COGIPF_NAMESPACE. "COGIPF_THRESHOLD_VIOLATIONS"."COGIPF_RESOURCE_TYPE". current_timestamp."COGIPF_THRESHOLD_VIOLATIONS" "COGIPF_THRESHOLD_VIOLATIONS" where "COGIPF_THRESHOLD_VIOLATIONS"."COGIPF_RESOURCE_TYPE" end from "dbo"."COGIPF_THRESHOLD_VIOLATIONS". b. COGIPF_STATUS FROM COGIPF_USERLOGON Joining the COGIPF_USERLOGON and COGIPF_RUNREPORT tables on COGIPF_SESSIONID provides a list of reports executed and the users who executed them (Example 10-11). Examining a sample from COGIPF_REQUESTSTRING shows that the SQL statement being used in the query is contained within the record detail (Example 10-12).cognos' then substring("COGIPF_THRESHOLD_VIOLATIONS".COGIPF_SESSIONID LIKE b."COGIPF_METRIC_NAME". convert( char(8).1."COGIPF_LOCALTIMESTAMP". 112 ). it becomes possible to isolate the queries being sent to the reporting database. 112).
IBM Cognos system administration 519 . Example 10-14 SQL query SELECT COGIPF_LOCALTIMESTAMP. various tables can be written to as a result of a job execution. Executing the job produces a lone record in the COGIPF_RUNJOB table (Example 10-14). Example 10-13 Determining which user executed the SQL statement SELECT a.COGIPF_REQUESTSTRING. COGIPF_REQUESTID. COGIPF_SESSIONID. COGIPF_JOBPATH. when it was executed.COGIPF_SESSIONID’) Executing reports through a job Depending on the steps contained within the job.To determine which user executed the SQL statement. join the COGIPF_NATIVEQUERY and COGIPF_USERLOGON tables on COGIPF_SESSIONID (Example 10-13).COGIPF_USERNAME FROM COGIPF_NATIVEQUERY AS a CROSS JOIN COGIPF_USERLOGON AS b WHERE (a. COGIPF_RUNTIME FROM COGIPF_RUNJOB Examining the audit entry provides information such as the path to the executed job.COGIPF_SESSIONID LIKE ‘b. and how long it took to run in milliseconds (COGIPF_RUNTIME) (Figure 10-69). Setting the audit level to basic for the job service provides a a sufficient amount of audit data pertaining to the job execution to complete this task. b. This scenario details the audit entries that are recorded when a job is executed that contains two report steps. COGIPF_STATUS. Figure 10-69 Query results showing records related to running jobs Chapter 10. COGIPF_TARGET_TYPE.
COGIPF_RUNTIME.1 Handbook . logging for the batch report service must be set to Basic. and joining the tables on this field does not provide the necessary information (Figure 10-70). To capture that additional level of detail. There are two entries because there were two report steps contained within the job (Example 10-15). COGIPF_REPORTPATH. the information is there to determine that one job and two reports were executed. Executing the same job results in a single entry in the COGIPF_RUNJOB table and two entries in the COGIPF_RUNREPORT table. This is because the request IDs are different. it is not the component responsible for executing the report steps. COGIPF_PACKAGE FROM COGIPF_RUNREPORT With auditing enabled at both the job service and batch report service levels. COGIPF_STATUS. it does not record specifics regarding the report steps. COGIPF_REQUESTID. But further examination of the audit records indicates that there is no association between the job and reports. Figure 10-70 Query results showing the two batch report service entries for the steps in our job 520 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. Example 10-15 SQL query SELECT COGIPF_LOCALTIMESTAMP. COGIPF_TARGET_TYPE. Because the job service is responsible for executing jobs. Therefore.What is not provided are the details regarding the contents of the executed job.
the schedule object uses trusted credentials to authenticate the user.5. Figure 10-71 is based on the job execution with contents – by user report that is available as part of the System Management Methodology content package. COGIPF_USERNAME. IBM Cognos Framework Manager model IBM Cognos Framework Manager is a model that is based on the audit detail contained within the audit database. Chapter 10. Although the metadata is designed to provide a head start to interpret and analyze the usage detail. Therefore.The constant that ties these records together is the user that executed the job and reports. COGIPF_USERID. joining the three tables together on that column provides the necessary detail to see who executed the job and which reports were associated to that job. COGIPF_LOGON_OPERATION.8 Sample audit package This section introduces the IBM Cognos Framework Manager model and DS Servlet. IBM Cognos system administration 521 . Keep in mind that additional changes might cause the provided reports in the audit content package to fail when executed. the user authentication action is recorded (Example 10-16). Example 10-16 SQL query SELECT COGIPF_SESSIONID. By enabling auditing at a basic level for the IBM Cognos Content Manager Service. COGIPF_LOCALTIMESTAMP. the IBM Cognos Framework Manager model can be modified to suit any particular need. Figure 10-71 Query results showing logon and logoff for job step execution 10. COGIPF_NAMESPACE FROM COGIPF_USERLOGON The identifier of a user’s session is the session ID. Even if the job was scheduled to run during off hours.
as well as the additional content that is part of the IBM Cognos System Management Methodology. when a user logs in and runs a report. see IBM developerWorks: Servlet Audit detail is captured as actions occur within the application.com/developerworks/data/library/cognos/page258.ibm. Additional information regarding the configuration and deployment of the audit reports can be found as part of the core product documentation. The fact that a report is never accessed means that it will never appear in the audit files. For more information about the DS Servlet. 522 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. This allows activities to be traced. Sample audit reports The audit package provided as part of the IBM Cognos BI samples contains various reports that are intended as a head start to begin the analysis of the usage data contained within the audit database.1 Handbook . The information is returned in an XML format that can be consumed as a data source and can therefore be reported on.5. To obtain this information. and how to import content packages. perform an entire backup of the content store. Consult the IBM Cognos Administration and Security Guide documentation regarding the steps required to perform a content store backup. how to create data sources.html 10. Before any deployments are executed. there might be a desire to discover content that is not being used. but what about the need to trace something that does not happen and therefore is not recorded? Specifically.9 Audit content package This section provides a summary of the default sample audit package that is provided with IBM Cognos BI. For example. an SDK application is provided with IBM Cognos BI that queries the IBM Cognos Content Manager component and provides a list of content. the login event is recorded along with the report execution details.
does not have any recipients specified. Agent that checks for daily report execution failures and sends out an email notification when failures are detected.by package Failed interactive report executions . The list is sectioned by namespace ID. Agent that checks for daily job execution failures and sends out an email notification when failures are detected. as certain conditions might affect logoff operations. Active means that users are currently logged in and using the product or sessions that are waiting for the inactivity timeout to be reached before they are logged out. Table 10-7 Reports available with the System Management Methodology SSM report name Active user sessions Description Provides a list of active user sessions in the environment. The prompted list report provides a date and package filter and is sectioned by package. The report contents that are displayed are the reports that made up the last job execution. The report is sectioned by dispatcher IP. Shows the reports along with the process ID associated with them for reports that do not have a termination status. The email. add at least one valid email recipient. add at least one valid email recipient.by package Process IDs for active reports . The email by default does not have any recipients specified. thus providing inaccurate entries. login time. There is a filter set to only show the current day's sessions. by default. and session ID. which includes their user name. Before running the agent. This report lists all of the failed interactive report executions. IBM Cognos system administration 523 .Table 10-7 shows reports available with the System Management Methodology. Before running the agent. Tracks the data source signons being used for each package and which users are using them. Displays all of the reports that are executed as part of a job and the last that time the job was executed. Daily job execution failures Daily report failures Data source signon usage . The previous activities task in the administration console only tracks histories of objects run in the background. Useful for identifying potential unauthorized access attempts.by IP address Report content by job Security risk mitigation Chapter 10. Prompted report (date range) that tracks the failed login attempts.
This report lists all of the successful interactive report executions.SSM report name Successful interactive report executions . The charts are filtered with a date range prompt. reports have been created based on the Audit Extension SDK application (Table 10-8). The report shows a graphical representation of whether the action is granted or denied. Table 10-8 Audit extension reports Additional report name Object security policies Description Provides the list of all permissions for each user. Threshold exceptions In addition to the reports that are based on the sample audit package.EVERYONE 524 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. The prompted list report provides a date and package filter and is sectioned by package. severity.Version 2\SDK Applications directory. The multiple chart report provides insight into threshold exceptions: frequency. group. or role that is explicitly part of an object’s security policy.1 Handbook . extract the files from the file located in the \SMM . The reports are located in the folder within the System Management Methodology folder. Provides the list of all permissions for the EVERYONE role that is explicity part of an object’s security policy.by package Description The previous activities task in the administration console only tracks histories of objects run in the background. Security Policy . For more information about the Audit Extension application. and the services to which they pertain. The report shows a graphical representation of whether the action is granted or denied.
are not included. However. For each dispatcher registered in the target system. created and modified dates. search path. Usage The application is managed through a web front end that allows the configuration of server and namespace information and can be used to turn on or off individual audit types for a given server. Status audit An audit of the current state of a server and related dispatchers. the configuration and activity is logged.10 Audit extension The standard auditing features with IBM Cognos cover many aspects of operation. and so on).ibm. see: Chapter 10.5.10. any saved parameter values applied to saved reports. IBM Cognos system administration 525 . saving information such as time taken to connect. from Event Studio) Using a simple URL/web form call The results of each audit are logged to a database. This audit processes through the content store tree and logs all the objects (folders. and the details of report output versions). This allows reporting on the IBM Cognos user base.com/developerworks/data/library/cognos/page155. and so on) that it finds. and request duration. The aim of the audit extension application is to provide additional auditing for these areas. For more information and to download the application. It currently covers the following areas: Account audit An audit of all the user accounts that are found in all configured namespaces and certain properties of those accounts (basic details. Audits can be initiated in three ways: Using the management web interface Using a web services call (that is. portal pages. Content audit An audit of all the objects that exist in the main content store. object permissions. such as the auditing of users and capability assignments. and an IBM Cognos Framework Manager model is provided to help report the data. reports. It logs the basic information (such as name. certain areas. created and modified date) and certain details more specific to the item types (such as the specification XML of reports and queries. number of active processes. queries.
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and reports seamlessly. metrics.. All rights reserved. 2010. actual data. In this chapter.11 Chapter 11. 529 .
no matter how vast the data set might be. you can view instant updates from streamed data and drill through to transaction systems for added context and. and short-term or continuous forecasting. IBM Cognos Planning.2 IBM Cognos Planning Planning. analytics. The OLAP 64-bit technology of IBM Cognos TM1 meets even the most complex. IBM Cognos Planning provides the capabilities to create long-range strategic plans. and reporting needs with the following capabilities: Exceptionally fast analytics Data and user scalability Data integrity A multi-dimensional database and data tools Workflow A choice of interfaces. These processes are critical because they enable organizations to define strategic goals. and the IBM Cognos TM1 Contributor for managed participation 11.11.1 IBM Cognos TM1 Complex planning. the web.1 Overview of IBM Cognos Business Analytics solutions This section provides an introduction to the IBM Cognos Financial Performance Management portfolio of products. analysis.1. budgeting. thus. 530 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. including Microsoft Excel. and forecasting are critical financial management processes in most organizations. greater accuracy in decision making. multi-dimensional analytics needs of large-scale operations. 11. intermediate-range budgets. IBM Cognos TM1 addresses all interrelated planning. and real-time reporting to high levels of detail with millions of items require the power of IBM Cognos TM1. In addition.1. and IBM Cognos Controller. to create tactical plans. So. you can query data when you need to. and to track the progress on achieving those plans and goals. It gives an overview on basic functionality and features of IBM Cognos TM1. These functions exist within inter-connected models that are fed from as many planning participants as an organization needs to include in the planning process.1 Handbook .
data validations. and timeliness that are characteristic of a planning system solely based on spreadsheets.IBM Cognos Planning allows you to maximize the accuracy and efficiency of the planning. budgeting. and forecasting. version control. commentary. large and complex plan models. IBM Cognos Planning Contributor IBM Cognos Planning Contributor streamlines data collection and workflow management. and forecasting. and large amounts of plan data Increased plan accountability through visual workflow status indicators and full audit tracking capabilities Powerful user features. Chapter 11.. budgeting. users review only what they need to review and add data where they are authorized. Integrating IBM Cognos BI with IBM Cognos Business Analytics solutions 531 . analysis. such as Breakback (goal allocation). It eliminates the problems of errors. budgeting. and forecasting processes by providing the following capabilities: Aggregation and consolidation of planning data in a centralized location Scalability for large amounts of plan contributors. Users have the option to submit information simultaneously through a simple web or Microsoft Excel interface.. These models include the drivers and content that are required for planning. external data linking. The models can then be distributed to managers using the web-based architecture of IBM Cognos Planning Contributor. versioning. Using an intranet or secure Internet connection.
IBM Cognos Controller supports IFRS. IFRS. Basel II. IBM Cognos Controller includes the following features: Web-based. best-practice financial reporting and consolidation—all in one solution.11. finance organizations can prepare financial information and analyze and then investigate and understand it in a centralized. To meet these requirements and to handle new governance and financial reporting standards. IBM Cognos Controller is a comprehensive. dashboards. web-based solution that offers power and flexibility for streamlined. and analytics 532 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. and Sarbanes-Oxley requirements and can handle any GAAP or regulatory environment—all from a single application. and compliant environment. Adding to that challenge is that many times an organization has disparate financial information systems within various operating divisions and geographies. and other regulatory requirements Standard reporting that provides information about financial performance for business stakeholders and managers Financial and management measures and metrics for scorecards. automatic report book generation and distribution Support for IAS. controlled. local GAAPs.1. consolidate its accounts from all operations and partnerships. With IBM Cognos Controller. US GAAP. organizations can rely on IBM Cognos Controller. It also enables individual segment reporting by customer. A key component of the IBM Cognos performance management platform. fully scalable for any size organization Flexible processing of modifications to corporate and account structures and group histories Integrated scenario manager for simulation and modeling Real-time reconciliation of internal balances in data input Allocations that are automatically included in consolidation with status Extensive process monitoring and control Practical.3 IBM Cognos Controller The ability of an organization to close its books. FASB. and prepare accurate and auditable financial statements is critical to maintaining credibility with existing and potential investors and financial markets. product. or market and generates an extensive audit trail to satisfy the needs of external and internal auditors.1 Handbook .
depending on the models that are defined within the applications. budgeting. financial consolidations. workforce information. Professional Report Author: Lynn Cope (skills include report and dashboard authoring) Chapter 11. you can use the reporting techniques that we discuss in this book to create IBM Cognos BI content. product costing. and IBM Cognos Controller applications with IBM Cognos BI.11.. Integrating IBM Cognos BI with IBM Cognos Business Analytics solutions 533 . This scenario shows how to provide a reporting source for IBM Cognos BI professional authors and analysts. This information is valuable and must be presented to decision-makers on a timely basis along with the capability for the decision-maker to perform analysis and drill-down to details. In addition. we present a business scenario that integrates the IBM Cognos TM1. We use the following roles in these sections: Modeler: John Walker (skills include IBM Cognos TM1 and IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Framework Manager).2 Business scenarios and roles to take advantage of IBM Business Analytics In this section. IBM Cognos BI and the integration between the IBM Cognos Financial Performance Management applications provide these capabilities. and other information. IBM Cognos Planning. forecasting. After reporting sources for each of the IBM Cognos Financial Performance Management applications are provided.. 545 . All rights reserved.Part 6 Part 6 Appendixes © Copyright IBM Corp.
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Point your web browser at:. Locating the web material The web material that is associated with this book is available in softcopy on the Internet from the IBM Redbooks web server. All rights reserved.ibm.com/redbooks Select the Additional materials and open the directory that corresponds with the IBM Redbooks form number. © Copyright IBM Corp. SG247912. you can go to the IBM Redbooks website at: ibm. Additional material This book refers to additional material that you can download from the Internet as we describe in this appendix.redbooks.A Appendix A.com/redbooks/SG247912 Alternatively. 547 . 2010.zip file into this folder. and extract the contents of the web material . How to use the web material Create a subdirectory (folder) on your workstation.
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com/redbooks SG24-7912-00 ISBN 0738434817 . INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL SUPPORT ORGANIZATION BUILDING TECHNICAL INFORMATION BASED ON PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE IBM Redbooks are developed by the IBM International Technical Support Organization.Back cover ® IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. This IBM Redbooks publication addresses IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10. For more information: ibm. Administrator. Experts from IBM.1.1 Handbook ® Understand core features of IBM Cognos BI V10. You can use this book to: Understand core features of IBM Cognos BI V10. Customers and Partners from around the world create timely technical information based on realistic scenarios. Modeler. Professional Report Author.1 Realize the full potential of IBM Cognos BI Learn by example with practical scenarios This book uses a fictional business scenario to demonstrate the power of IBM Cognos BI. Specific recommendations are provided to help you implement IT solutions more effectively in your environment.1 Realize the full potential of IBM Cognos BI Learn by example with practical scenarios IBM Cognos Business Intelligence (BI) helps organizations meet strategic objectives and provides real value for the business by delivering the information everyone needs while also reducing the burden on IT. and IT Architect. The book is primarily focused on the roles of Advanced Business User.