By Candace Taylor, Marketing Coordinator for PerformanceG2
 
Do you know the current health of your organization’s Cognos environment? Is your Cognos system mature, up-to-date and conforms to industry standards? Is your Cognos platform efficient and organized? Do you want to be dedicated to making sure your Cognos system is healthy?

While organizations focus on utilizing Cognos software to its fullest through training and best practices, it is also important to think about your Cognos system’s overall health to ensure that the architecture is stable, logical, clean and fully-functional.

Through PerformanceG2’s complimentary Cognos Health Check service, your system is assessed by certified technical specialists who know what they are doing, know what they are looking for and can provide recommendations on how you can get your system cleaned up. They do this by reviewing the overall system and architecture through a validation process, scan the content store for corruption, check for broken reports and inconsistencies, identify broken links and run a variety of other diagnostics to offer a full-view, and grade of the health of your Cognos platform.

To take advantage of our Cognos Health Check service, call us at (877) 742-4276 or email us at info@performanceg2.com and see how you can get started.
 


 
 
 
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Kirk Wiseman, VP of Training for PerformanceG2
 
In Cognos 8.4, it is now possible to use existing IBM Cognos 8 packages and reports as a data source in Cognos Transformer. This has made building data sources that much easier since any Cognos 8 report can be leveraged in Transformer, improving development time and ensuring that the data is all coming from the same underlying data source.

When using IBM Cognos 8.4 as a data source for Transformer, use the following guidelines to achieve efficient cube build times:

• If filtering and/or calculations are required, use Cognos 8 reports as the data source
• Create separate data sources in Transformer for each required dimension as well as for measures
• Include foreign keys found in fact tables to transformer modelers
• Avoid unnecessary local data processing on IBM Cognos 8 servers

 
Use IBM Cognos 8 Reports when Filters and/or Calculations are Required

While you can request that the IBM Cognos Framework Manager modeler include certain filters and calculations in an IBM Cognos 8 package, this requires extra maintenance on the Framework Manager modeler’s part. Instead, Transformer modelers can use list reports that incorporate filters/prompts and calculations as needed. If prompts are used in the report, Transformer modelers can control which filters are applied when the PowerCubes are built.

Regardless of whether the work is done in the Framework Manager model or in a report, the net gain remains the same; where supported, processing will be pushed to the database and the load on Transformer will be reduced. If filters/prompts are used, then Transformer will deal with a reduced record set, thereby decreasing build times.

Using reports allows for a greater degree of control to meet requirements and removes the need for additional development support.
 
Create Separate Queries in Transformer
When using a package as a data source in Transformer, individual queries should be created based on the data sources for the cube; one for each required dimension and one or more for the measures depending on how many underlying fact tables there are and what the business need is.

When using a report as a data source, either use separate list reports, again, one for each dimension and one or more for the measures, or create separate list report queries in one report. Then in Transformer, a query is created for each of the separate list reports or separate list queries within a single report.
 
Expose Fact Table Foreign Keys in the Package
Typically, foreign keys found in the tact table are not presented in the fact query subjects in a Cognos 8 FM model. Either they are not included in the model query subject, or they are hidden form the user. For most ad hoc query users or report authors, they provide little benefit and can cause confusion. To prevent confusion to the larger authoring audience, security can be used to expose the keys to a select group of authors only. For example, only Transformer modelers. In certain cases such as with Tranformer modelers, there is a clear benefit to exposing the foreign keys to the users. It will be more efficient to create a measures data source in Transformer that takes its keys from the actually fact table, rather than from its related dimension tables. In this way, the query will go against one table in the data source, rather than several. The database may rewrite the query to be more efficient before executing it, but a a general rule of thumb, the cleaner the SQL Cognos submits to the database, the more likely an efficient query will be run at the database layer which takes advantage of database optimization.
 
Avoid Unnecessary Local Data Processing on IBM Cognos 8 Servers
Certain query scenarios may require data processing on IBM Cognos 8 servers. In some of these cases, performance is not an issue and may even be required to produce a result set where a database vendor does not support the query. However, there are cases where local processing can adversely affect query performance and in turn, affect PowerCube build times. A typical example of this is when a function that is not supported by the database vendor is used in a calculation. This will cause a retrieval of the entire data set from the database and then perform the calculation locally on the Cognos 8 servers. To rectify the situation, use an equivalent function that is supported by the database vendor.

To see if local processing is occurring for a slow performing query, there are a couple of troubleshooting techniques. One is to look at the Cognos SQL generated for the query and compare it to the Native SQL. This can be done in Framework Manager or in Report Studio. Actions being performed in the Cognos SQL and not in the Native SQL indicate that processing is done locally. Another technique is to set query processing to Database Only. In Framework Manager this setting is found in the properties of the Data Source objects and is called Query Processing. In Report Studio, the setting is found in the properties of the query and is called Processing. When the setting is set to Database Only, an error will be generated in cases where the query can not be fully pushed to the database. The error will typically identify the offending time preventing the push to the database.

NOTE: This is based upon the IBM Best Practices Document which can be found at: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/data/library/cognos/modeling/transformer/page512.html?ca=drs-
 
 
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By Candace Taylor, Marketing Coordinator for PerformanceG2
 
For many years, Cognos Enterprise Planning has been made the market choice for budgeting and forecasting – providing users with a powerful alternative to spreadsheet-based financial modeling. However, the core of the EP application was built more than a decade ago, and lacks the scalability and flexibility necessary to deal effectively with the increasing volumes of financial data that are now common in most organizations. The result is that EP is often difficult to change and costly to manage.   

Cognos TM1 is designed to fix many of the current EP challenges. The time is now to make your Cognos EP to TM1 conversion, and with IBM’s limited time offer of an EP license trade-in promotion, you can receive a TM1 Contributor license for every EP Contributor license you currently own, making the process easier and cost-efficient for your organization.
 

 
Why convert to Cognos TM1? Here are just some reason why your organization should make the move:

1. TM1 allows for a more scalable solution which provides for easier handling of increased volumes of data, unlike its predecessors
2. TM1 functions in real-time, providing on-demand updates and forecasting capabilities
3. TM1 incorporates the breadth of Cognos 8 Studios for optimal reporting capabilities
4. TM1’s cutting edge financial analysis and reporting capabilities is backed by its powerful database engine that delivers comprehensive views of your organization’s financial picture
5. Migrating Cognos EP to TM1 could never be easier and more cost-efficient with IBM’s limited time conversion offer

Read more about the TM1 Advantage, TM1’s new features and how you can start your EP to TM1 migration by downloading our EP to TM1 Fact Sheet. Learn more about how you can save and get started with your migration, also get all of your questions about the process answered - connect with one of our TM1 experts today by emailing us at info@performanceg2.com or call 877.742.4276.
 
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Ken Davenport, President of PerformanceG2
 
If your company is struggling to match the promise of BI and Performance Management (CPM) technologies with the reality of day-to-day work flow and implementation challenges, take heart: you are not alone. According to a recent Ventana Research study of BI and CPM, customer that examined the maturity and direction of technology adoption strategies, a significant percentage of customers face considerable obstacles.

• A mere 9 percent of research participants are very satisfied with their organization’s BI efforts. They have only basic BI capabilities, such as querying sources for specific data (74 percent), generating reports from data (74 percent) and accessing data from a spreadsheet for further analysis (70 percent).
• The capabilities organizations are currently working to deploy are only somewhat more sophisticated: communicating data in the right format (27 percent), searching for data (26 percent), presenting data effectively (25 percent) and creating measures and metrics (24 percent).
• The research also found a small but growing desire to provide mobile device support for BI and performance management as well as what-if scenario analysis and collaboration.

As Julie Langenkamp at Information Management Online notes in a post on the Ventana study, the findings “indicate that most organizations revealed they’re still in early stages of development, with only 15 percent at the highest innovation level of maturity in the Ventana Research Maturity Index. Size of the organization was a relevant factor, and organizations with 10,000 or more employees, or more than $10 billion in revenue, found to be more mature. There is growth in advancing BI into performance management in the areas of operations, finance and customer management in more than half of organizations, and a strong desire to improve in 41 percent of them.”

“The market for BI has been advancing for decades, but organizations have not achieved the value of deployments with lack of sophistication use of technologies and overuse of spreadsheets,” says Mark Smith, CEO and EVP Research of Ventana Research. “But making BI efficient is not sufficient, as helping organizations enable performance management is just as important. Both BI and performance management are not as mature as you think, as this research found that we are at an inflection point of improvement.”

More than anything, the Ventana study shows that effective performance management initiatives require a substantial investment in time and resources – beyond the capital invested to acquire the technology. At PerformanceG2, we have seen many customers make substantial investments in software and services, only to fail to grasp the challenges of user-adoption, change management and end-user training required to ensure long-term success. This is why all of our service engagements include a post-implementation training program that ensures that both administrative and business users are sufficiently trained to get the most out of the new technology. In our experience, effective user-adoption is ofter the key variable in the success or failure of any CPM or BI initiatives.

For more information on CPM and BI services and solutions that can help your organizations, connect with us at (877) 742-4276 or email us at info@performanceg2.com
 
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By Candace Taylor, Marketing Coordinator for PerformanceG2
 
Are you a Business Intelligence Admin looking for more transparency in your BI environment? This awesome app by Motio, MotioPI FREEware for IBM Cognos, allows you to investigate your BI environment’s components, users, content, report details, schedules, dependencies and more. It is the perfect tool to become familiar with a new environment, identify constraints, monitor usage behavior and ensure that your IBM Cognos BI environment is aligned with your resources and infrastructure for optimal performance.

The best part about this app, is that it is a free tool, designed with IBM Cognos BI admins in mind. Watch this short MotioPI demo to learn more about the app and what it can do. Or to start using the free tool, click here to download it.
 

Motio and PerformanceG2, together provide complete and comprehensive solutions and products for organizations to achieve maximum return on their BI and Financial Planning investments. For more information on the Motio and PerformanceG2 partnership, visit performanceg2.com/about/partners/
 
 
And if you are interested in learning how PerformanceG2 can help meet your needs with BI solutions, email us at info@performanceg2.com or call 877.742.4272. Or for complete access to BI, CPM and Cognos industry news, updates and tips and techniques, follow us on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, watch our YouTube Videos or connect with us on LinkedIn.
 
 
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Ken Davenport, President of PerformanceG2
 
 
This week, IBM reported earnings and the company is reporting a significant shift in IT spending with Business Analytics leading the way, click on the link below to read more:

http://www.crn.com/software/224400777;jsessionid=DG3ZBLH3I40ZBQE1GHPCKHWATMY32JVN
 
Also, here is an interview with Rob Ashe that is a must-read:

http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/20/businesss-analytics-oracle-technology-cio-network-ibm.html?boxes=Homepagechannels
 
And finally, Gartner is to name IBM as leader in BPM for 6th consecutive year:

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20100420-907753.html?mod=wsjcrmain
 
 
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By Candace Taylor, Marketing Coordinator for PerformanceG2
 
Join PerformanceG2 Cognos expert and Senior Consultant, Sanjeev Datta, for a complimentary, one-day IBM Cognos TM1 Workshop in Portland on February 18, 2010. You know you need a better solution for financial performance management – planning, budgeting, forecasting, consolidations, analytics and reporting. But during the current economic downturn, cost-cutting measures and making the most of existing resources have become the order of the day. This workshop will provide a pragmatic approach to embracing and transforming the use of spreadsheets for more effective financial and operational performance management.

Experience a real-time approach to consolidating, viewing and editing enormous volumes of multi-dimensional data. With patented, 64-bit, in-memory OLAP server, IBM Cognos TM1 is the fastest way to deliver immediate value to your organization. In this workshop you’ll learn the key concepts and functionality of IBM Cognos TM1 and build a simple, easy-to-use application for expense management.

The seminar will include:

• Understanding OLAP and multi-dimensional databases
• Creating dimensions and cubes
• Loading and managing data
• Defining business rules
• Building powerful end user applications

Register here for this free Workshop.
 
 
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By Candace Taylor, Marketing Coordinator for PerformanceG2
 
It’s simple, IBM’s Cognos Express is a cost and time efficient solution for those companies who have thought about integrating BI and Corporate Performance Management into their business plans, but couldn’t invest the time or money. Just ask Nucleus Research, global provider of research and advisory services. Their recent report on Cognos Express’s bottom line concludes that IBM’s “first and only integrated, one-stop BI and planning solution purpose-built to meet the needs of mid-size companies”, AKA a technology that minimizes time and costs.

So, what is “The Bottom Line” from Nucleus Research regarding their Cognos Express studies? “Senior managers who have balked at the cost and complexity of adopting technology such as business intelligence (BI) and performance management (PM) should consider IBM Cognos Express as a way to adopt these technologies while minimizing time to benefit, deployment costs, and support costs.”

Read the report here: IBM Cognos Express Notes and Reports.

Interested? Talk to one of our Cognos Express experts today, and we will let you play with Cognos Express for free for 30 days. And, we will give you 10% off the purchase of the software. Call us at 877-742-4276 or email us at info@performanceg2.com
 
 

 
 
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By Craig Harding, Consultant for PerformanceG2
 
 
Conditional Blocks

The goal of this report is to prompt users on which display they would prefer, a list or a chart.

To start, create a simple list report in Report Studio. Using the Cognos sample data, product line, order method and revenue are added to the list. From the toolbox, drag and place a pie chart below the list. Select the chart and in the properties pane, attach this chart to query 1:
 

 
 
Now the chart can be populated from the data items tab.
 

 
 
The consumers of this report need the ability to choose between the displays they want to see. To accomplish this, build a blank prompt page allowing them to select from a drop down list either list or chart. Drag a value prompt to the prompt page with the following settings:
 

 
At this point hit ‘Finish”. The dropdown list has to be populated manually though the static choices property of the value prompt. The two choices added are list and chart.
 

 

 
*You can leave the display value blank. If you do so, Report Studio is smart enough that it will take the use value for the display value.

Now that my prompt page is set, return to the Report Page. In order to conditionally display an object, use the conditional blocks object in the toolbox. Drag this to the bottom of the report.
 

 
 
The next step is to attach the variable to the conditional blocks block variable property. This variable is a Boolean variable that either equals a list or doesn’t.
 

 

 

 
 
We need to test if our parameter is equal to the value ‘List’. If the user selected List this expression will evaluate to true, if the user selected ‘Chart’ from the prompt, then this will evaluate to false.

After this step is completed there is a new property on the conditional blocks object that tell us which block we are currently looking at. First, drag the chart into the ‘No’ block.
 

 

 
Now, select the conditional block again, and switch the current block property to ‘Yes’. The conditional blocks object appears empty because there is currently nothing in the ‘Yes’ block.
 

 
The final step is to drag the entire list inside the ‘Yes’ block.
 

 
Now when the report is run, the user will be prompted for their display of choice.
 
 
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By Sanjeev Datta, Consultant for PerformanceG2
 
There are multiple ways of enhancing the performance of TM1 using tools and techniques. This week for my 3-part blog series, I will be discussing Database Techniques.

 
Database Techniques

TM1’s in-memory or “on-demand” architecture is made possible with the way it handles memory management. TM1 uses algorithms which efficiently compress data to allow large data sets to fit in relatively small amounts of RAM which result in reduced storage and improved performance. This sparse memory management scheme allows the server to hold very large cubes in much less space compared to the same amount of data stored in a relational database.

Below are the Database Techniques you could use to improve performance:
 
1. ReadersBypassWriters: This is a manual addition that needs to be made to the configuration file (TM1s.cgf). When this value is st to TRUE, it causes a write to the TM1 database to wait until all prior read requests are executed. Any writing requests to the database only begin when no incoming read requests are detected.
 
2. Locking: This prevents other users from reading or writing to the server while a TI process is executing. This is done within Turbo Integrator (TI) so as not to corrupt memory or cause a server crash when updating server objects at the same time that users are trying to read from the server.
 
3. Batch Updates: A best practice, batch updates allow you to improve the performance of input-intensive applications by holding changes to cube data and saving those changes to cubes in a single batch. This would hold all edits to cubes residing on a selected server in a temporary storage structure until the batch update is saved. After the batch is sent, all edits are committed to the target server and the temp storage structure is destroyed. This process minimizes the impact on users who need to access the server when the TI process is running. Typically performance by a TM1 Administrator or a process creator and can be scheduled to run as a chore in TM1. All edits that are held in batch updates are not written to the servers log file until you save the batch updates. NOTE: If you lose connection to your TM1 server, or if the server shuts down abruptly, all changes/edits would be lost.
 
Check back next week for part 3 of Performance Enhancements to the TM1 Environment blog series where I will be discussing spreadsheets.
 
 
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