By Candace Taylor, Marketing Coordinator for PerformanceG2
 
While Q4 is right around the corner, so are some of the industry’s must-attend Business Intelligence, performance management and Cognos events. To make things easy, here is a list of those events with information on how to register. Most of these are free events, that you don’t want to miss – the events will increase your knowledge in the world of business analytics, will provide industry trends and what to expect for the rest of the year, as well as Cognos tips and tricks, and upcoming Cognos training courses – take advantage of these valuable events today.
 

FREE Virtual Summit: IBM Cognos Midsize Business Analytics Virtual Summit
Date: Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Time: 6:00 AM EST, 12:00 PM EST or 8:00 PM EST
Location: Virtual
Cost: Complimentary

Description: If you’re interested in learning how technology can help your organization turn data into insight, to help manage costs and drive business growth, then join us on Wednesday, September 15 for the third quarterly virtual summit. IBM Cognos will be unveiling the newest capabilities of IBM Cognos Express reporting, analysis and planning software that’s purpose-built for midsize companies.

Through this online simulated conference and expo, you will:
* Learn how adopting integrated business planning increases the accuracy, agility and adaptability that midsize companies need to compete in today’s volatile global economy
*Hear how Everlink Payment Services Inc. implemented BI for quick benefits and is now adding planning capabilities for a totally integrated environment
*See IBM Cognos Express in action, featuring the newest product capabilities for easy to use planning, budgeting and forecasting
*Network and chat live with peers, colleagues and industry experts
*Visit the PerformanceG2 virtual booth to download rich resources, connect with PerformanceG2’s expert team members and more

Whether you’re a technical, financial or business manager, you won’t want to miss this event! Register today – thousands have participated in the previous events. See what it’s all about on Wednesday, September 15.

Check out this FREE virtual summit event to learn more about business analytics and Cognos Express!

FREE: Query Studio Online Training Course
Date: September 16, 2010
Time: 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM CST
Cost: Complimentary
 

Description: The Cognos 8 Query Studio course is designed for business authors who want to learn how to create, modify and organize ad hoc reports. This covers how to use different report capabilities and the appropriate use of each, how to graphically display the data and how to create reports with the same look and feel through the use of templates. The course also covers basic administrative tasks, such as scheduling reports and delivering reports in different formats (HTML, PDF, Excel, etc.). Sign up for this complimentary online training course today!*

*Space is limited
*Only one registrant per company available

Two-Day Report Studio Online Cognos Training Course
Date: Wednesday, September 29 and Thursday, September 30, 2010
Time: 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM CST
Location: PerformanceG2 Online Classroom
Cost: $795 p/person

Description: The C8 Report Studio Course starts with an introduction to Cognos Connection, report management through Cognos Connection, basic and intermediate report building techniques, and ways of enhancing, customizing and managing professional reports in Report Studio. Through hands-on demos, you will also learn advanced techniques for creating, modifying and distributing professional reports using Report Studio and Cognos Connection. In addition, you will learn the proper techniques for creating Cognos 8 Dashboards.

Sign up for this two-day Report Studio training course.

Two-Day Report Studio Online Cognos Training Course
Date: Wednesday, October 20 and Thursday, October 21, 2010
Time: 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM CST
Location: PerformanceG2 Online Classroom
Cost: $795 p/person

Description: The C8 Report Studio Course starts with an introduction to Cognos Connection, report management through Cognos Connection, basic and intermediate report building techniques, and ways of enhancing, customizing and managing professional reports in Report Studio. Through hands-on demos, you will also learn advanced techniques for creating, modifying and distributing professional reports using Report Studio and Cognos Connection. In addition, you will learn the proper techniques for creating Cognos 8 Dashboards.

Sign up for this two-day Report Studio training course.

IBM Information On Demand/Business Analytics Forum 2010
Date: October 24 – 28, 2010
Location: Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV
Cost: Use PerformanceG2’s Conference Code, G10PERFG2, and Save $800

Description: Join PerformanceG2 at this year’s premier conference for information and analytics – IBM’s Information On Demand and Business Analytics Forum 2010 – and use our exclusive discount code to save a total of $800 off registration!

Register before August 31, 2010 to receive an instant $500 off registration, follow the instructions below and use the exclusive PerformanceG2 registration code to save a total of $800 off your registration:

1. Visit the IBM Information On Demand 2010 Web site registration page
2. Enter your email address and choose the registration type
3. Select the sessions and activities you are primarily interested in attending and continue to the next page
4. Select the relevant attendee type and complete the requested attendee information
5. Under the ‘Promotion Code Information’ section, enter the PerformanceG2 code G10PERFG2 to save an additional $300
6. Complete the remaining fields on the enrollment form clicking ‘Continue’ at the bottom of each section
7. Click ‘Submit Registration’ to finalize your registration process

For more information or questions on registering, please contact Candace Taylor at candace.taylor@performanceg2.com.

For more information on these Business Intelligence events, or other events, visit http://performanceg2.com/events/.
 
 
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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
 
Last week’s $5.8 billion purchase of Sybase by SAP, sent shockwaves through the industry, and made smaller by one of the few truly “independent” technology providers in the market. The acquisition of Sybase follows the 2007 purchase of Business Objects by SAP, and comes on the heels of a 24 month consolidation spree that saw Cognos swallowed up by IBM and Hyperion becoming part of Oracle.

So what will the impact of the SAP/BO/Sybase mashup be?

An interesting take can be found on Boris Evelson’s blog at Information Management. Boris is a principal analyst at Forrester Research, and is a leading expert in the BI marketplace. Here’s a snippet of his take on the Sybase deal:

“The Obvious:

• SAP Gets its own relational (Sybase ASE) and analytical (Sybase IQ) DBMS. Why is this a positive since SAP already has tight partnerships with major DBMS and DW vendors such as: Oracle, IBM, Microsoft, Teradata and HP? Simple. First, SAP can now control the code. Second, SAP can now potentially reduce reliance on DBMS partners, most of whom (Oracle, IBM, Microsoft) have their own full software stacks and therefore compete, often putting a strain on partnership relationships.
• SAP also gets highly relevant (for low latency BI) and currently missing CEP technology from the Sybase Aleri acquisition and on OEM version of Coral8.
• Sybase gets badly needed BI front end on top of its Sybase IQ analytical DBMS. While Sybase is leading the market in the columnar DBMS, it is somewhat challenged selling and positioning the products with the business buyers, since they can’t really see, feel or touch it.

The Not-So Obvious:

• Will SAP BW be now certified on ASE, IQ or both? IQ is probably a better choice, since BW is mostly analytical and not transactional. But first, that would require giving IQ an MDX interface which it does not have…”

To read Boris’ full-blog on the deal, click here.

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By Candace Taylor, Marketing Coordinator for PerformanceG2
 

Clark County Nevada, the United States’ 15th largest county and home to the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, provides regional services to its more than 2 million residents and employs more than 8,000 people in 38 departments. Clark County Family Services Department is the local public agency whose role is to help keep children safe, as required by the Federal Adoption and Safe Families Act. The department runs numerous services – from child protective services to foster care services to adoption services – all of which require a large amount of data input and access via a case management system. Executive management, BI analysts and child welfare staff all use the system frequently to run ad hoc and daily reports.

Clark County Family Services Department needed to implement a BI solution that would not only streamline reporting, but also help comply with new state regulations. IBM Cognos 8 BI worked with the statewide system to improve the department’s reporting process, benchmark new services and measure business performance.

“In light of a fast-growing state population and struggling economic climate, we were able to not only boost our quality of service, but also generate about $4 million in new revenue. The IBM Cognos solution, with its ability to help identify bottlenecks and improve business processes, was instrumental in these successes – so much so that other county departments are now implementing the solution and mirroring our BI infrastructure.” – Eboni Washington, QA/QI Supervisor, Family Services Department, Clark County
 

 
To read more on this client success story and how IBM Cognos and PerformanceG2 were able to help Clark County, click here.

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.
 
 
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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
 
For this month, there are a series of complimentary performance management and business intelligence events, dedicated for you to expand your knowledge, to finish the first quarter off strong and stay on-top of the evolving industry. Check them out below, and attend!
 
Virtual Summit: IBM Cognos Midsize Business Analytics Virtual Summit
Date: Thursday, March 11, 2010
Time: 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM OR 8:00 to 11:00 PM EDT

 
Description: Join IBM Cognos and Advanced IBM Business Partner, PerformanceG2, for a complimentary, three-hour IBM Cognos Midsize Business Analytics Virtual Summit.

Whether you are new to business analytics or have been using it for some time, the IBM Cognos Midsize Business Analytics Virtual Summit can show you how to transform insight into action for better business outcomes. This virtual summit is the first in a series of quarterly, interactive forums focused on reporting, analysis and planning solutions for midsize companies.

The session will include:
* Keynote address- “Why Should You Care About Business Analytics?”
* Customer session and live case study overview
* Business analytics workshop: IBM Cognos Express
* Virtual expo hall, an interactive exhibit area- connect with PerformanceG2 here with any Cognos Express questions

Learn more and register
 
 
Forum: New Intelligence
Dates: Thursday, March 11, 2010- Dallas, TX
Tuesday, March 16- Columbus, OH
Thursday, March 18- San Francisco
Time: 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM

 
Description: Join IBM and PerformanceG2 to learn how to transform your company’s information into a strategic asset to optimize business performance. Learn first hand how IBM is changing the game by providing leading edge information management and delivery capabilities tailored to your industry’s ever-changing demands. Gain insight into how lead organizations are finding success using new and innovative techniques for unlocking the business value of information including:

* Business Intelligence and performance management
* Data quality, governance and integration
* Master data management
* Data warehousing
* Predictive, text analytics
* Data visualization, enterprise mashups
* Enterprise content management

Interact with IT and business decision-makers grappling with similar information management and business analytics challenges you face.

Learn more and register
 
 
Want instant event invitations sent directly to your inbox? If so, simply sign up here: http://ow.ly/19YDs. Or email us and we will be sure to include you on our event invitations.
 
Looking for other ways to meet those performance management goals? Connect with us at info@performanceg2.com or call 877.742.4276. We will work with you and provide options on the best BI, CPM, FPM, data warehousing, consulting and staffing solutions out there.
 
 
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By Candace Taylor, Marketing Coordinator for PerformanceG2
 
The February edition of PerformanceG2’s eNewsletter, InSight, is now available – this month includes must-read BI articles, Cognos TM1 and Cognos Express Webinars, as well as free upcoming events.

Sign up to receive our BI and CPM industry newsletter here: http://ow.ly/19YDs. Or email us and we will personally send you the most recent edition.
 

 
Looking for other ways to meet those performance management goals? Connect with us at info@performanceg2.com or call 877.742.4276. We will work with you and provide options on the best BI, CPM, FPM, data warehousing, consulting and staffing solutions out there.
 
 
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Ken Davenport, President of PerformanceG2
 
Perhaps nowhere is the promise of data analytics greater than in health care – where reams of data in newly evolving clinical information systems provide the basis for what could be valuable long-term analysis of cost and care outcomes. Unfortunately, progress has been hit and miss. As Jim Ericson, editorial director of Information Management, points out in his article “BI’s March to Health Care”, clinical health care data is heavily dependent on interpretations of care practices that change over time – particularly as diagnostic tools and medications improve. Thus, static snapshots of clinical outcomes at any given point in time may not have as much value as they would in other industries.

“We generate and use data like any other industry, but heath care does not lend itself to the use of discrete data because the outcomes are necessarily fuzzy and ongoing,” says Dick Gibson, M.D., the CIO at Legacy Health, an integrated network of six hospitals with research and other facilities in Portland. “Airlines have seats, schedules and know if you landing on time. In health care, we know you’re alive but the big money goes to broad sets of descriptive terms around patient care that are very qualitative.”

For BI and performance management to have meaning, these terms need to be unified and reconciled in their definition and accuracy. This can be a challenge in an industry that lacks standards and common data categories and definitions. “The challenges of data quality are multiplied by the number of codes and procedures managed in systems for lab results, pharmacy, check-in and other processes. Even within a single institution, the lack of standards, or ironically, the fact there are far too many, creates huge data quality and integration challenges.

As Ericson points out, however, “it’s a challenge providers must meet, both in response to consumer demand and regulatory interest in keeping down costs. That’s why information systems are increasingly required to bring a compliant and cohesive view to inpatient and outpatient facilities, right down to the bedside of the patient at the point of care. The approaches to meeting this challenge vary by hospital, with some opting for a single-vendor approach, while other turn to multiple software partners. The evolution of provider software companies offers an interesting comparison to other industries, which have adopted enterprise resources planning tools only to find the tools lacking. Nonetheless, the data warehouse in the clinical setting is here to stay.”

Read the rest of Jim’s informative article here – and see how he discusses how to implement BI effectively in a health care arena.
 
 
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