B5170G: Essentials for IBM Cognos BI (V10.1)

Essentials for IBM Cognos BI (V10.1) is a blended offering consisting of five-Days of instructor-led classroom training and 21 hours of Web-based self-paced training. This accelerated offering is intended for core project team members wishing to acquire a broad understanding of a Business Intelligence platform implementation. During the ILT, you will perform hands-on demos and workshops that cover three essential topic areas: Report Authoring, Modeling, and Administration of a BI platform. Throughout the ILT, you will be guided to more-in depth training offerings and paths leading to certification.

What You Will Learn

Audience

Prerequistes

Course Outline

Overview of IBM Cognos BI

• Discuss IBM Cognos BI and Performance Management
• Describe IBM Cognos BI components
• Describe IBM Cognos BI architecture at a high level
• Define IBM Cognos BI groups and roles
• Explain how to extend IBM Cognos BI

Introduction to the Reporting Application

• Examine Report Studio and its interface
• Explore different report types
• Create a simple, sorted, and formatted report
• Explore how data items are added t queries
• Create a Simple Active Report Using Static and Data Controls

Create List Reports

• Format, group, and sort list reports
• Describe options for aggregating data
• Create a multi-fact query
• Create a report with repeated data

Focus Reports Using Filters

• Create filters to narrow the focus of reports
• Examine detail and summary filters
• Determine when to apply filters on aggregate data

Create Crosstab Reports

• Format and sort crosstab reports
• Convert a list to a crosstab
• Create complex crosstabs using drag and drop functionality
• Create crosstabs using unrelated data items

Present Data Graphically

• Create charts containing peer and nested items
• Add context to charts
• Create and reuse custom chart palettes
• Present key data in a single dashboard report

Focus Reports Using Prompts

• Identify various prompt types
• Use parameters and prompts to focus data
• Search for prompt items
• Customize prompts to facilitate users' choices
• Navigate between pages
• Display users' prompt selections in the report

Extend Reports Using Calculations

• Create calculations based on data in the data source
• Add run-time information to the reports
• Create expressions using functions

Customize Reports with Conditional Formatting

• Create multi-lingual reports
• Highlight exceptional data
• Show and hide data
• Conditionally render objects in reports

Drill-Through From One Report t Another

• Let users navigate from a specific report to a target report
• Pass parameter values to filter the data in drill-through targets

Identify Common Data Structures

• Define the metadata modeling role in IBM Cognos BI
• Identify a transactional data structure
• Distinguish between normalized and de-normalized data
• Identify a star schema data structure
• Identify common reporting traps (overview then detail slides)
• Define OLAP data structures
• Decide on the appropriate data access strategy

Gather Requirements

• Modeling recommendations overview
• Analyze BI and data requirements
• Interview and view samples
• Identify required business areas
• Work in stages (use a phased approach to importing and modeling)

Create a Baseline Project

• What is Framework Manager?
• Define an FM project and its high level objects (namespace, data sources, packages, etc.)
• Query Subject Types (data source, model, and stored procedure)
• Define Query items
• Examine the model in Cognos BI (what do authors see)

Prepare Reusable Metadata

• Verify and Modify Query Item Properties
• Verify Query Subject Relationships
• Ensure efficient filters by configuring prompt properties

Model for Predictable Results: Identify Reporting Issues

• Describe multi-fact queries and when full outer joins are appropriate
• describe how IBM Cognos uses cardinality
• Identify reporting traps
• Use tools to analyze the model

Model for Predictable Results: Virtual Star Schemas

• Identify the advantages of modeling metadata as a star schema
• Model in layers
• Create aliases to avoid ambiguous joins
• Merge query subjects to create as view behavior

Model for Predictable Results: Consolidate Metadata

• Create virtual facts to simplify writing queries
• Create virtual dimensions to resolve fact-to-fact joins
• Create a consolidated modeling layer for presentation purposes
• Consolidate snowflake dimensions with model query subjects
• Simplify facts by hiding unnecessary codes

Calculations and Filters

• Use calculations to create commonly-needed query items for authors
• Use static filters to reduce the data returned
• Use macros and parameters in calculations and filters to dynamically control the data returned

Implement a Time Dimension

• Make time-based queries simple to author by implementing a time dimension
• Resolve confusion caused by multiple relationships between a time dimension and another table

Specify Determinants

• Use determinants to specify multiple levels of granularity and prevent double-counting

Create the Presentation View

• Identify the dimensions associated with a fact table
• Identify conformed vs. non-conformed dimensions
• Create star schema groupings to provide authors with logical groupings of query subjects
• Rapidly create a model using the Model Design Accelerator

Work with Different Query Subject Types

• Identify key differences and make recommendations for using data source, model, and stored procedure query subjects
• Identify the effects on generated SQL when modifying query subjects, SQL settings and relationships

Set Security in Framework Manager

• Examine the IBM Cognos security environment
• Restrict access to packages
• Create and apply security filters
• Restrict access to objects in the model

Identify IBM Cognos BI Architecture

• The features of the IBM Cognos BI architecture
• The three architectural tiers
• IBM Cognos BI servlets and services
• The default servlet container and alternatives to its use
• An example of IBM Cognos BI request processing
• Installation options
• Load balancing mechanisms
• Configuration options
• The IBM Cognos Application Firewall

Manage Content in IBM Cognos Administration

• Add a data source
• Distribute data and create a distribution list
• Plan a deployment
• Create deployment folders
• Export and import entries
• Identify how to maintain the IBM Cognos BI content store
• Configure saving content t the file system
• Customize the appearance of IBM Cognos BI using styles
• Use portlets to display custom Web content

Manage Run Activities

• Manage current, upcoming and past activities
• Manage schedules

Secure the IBM Cognos BI Environment

• Identify the IBM Cognos BI security model
• Define authentication in IBM Cognos BI
• Define authorization in IBM Cognos BI
• Identify security policies
• Secure the IBM Cognos BI environment
• Set Security in Framework Manager

Post class e-Learning:

• IBM Cognos for Microsoft Office: Integrate with Microsoft Office (V10.1) - Web-Based Training (2 hrs)
• IBM Cognos BI Event Studio: Create and Manage Agents (V10.1) - Web-Based Training (2 hrs)
• IBM Cognos Transformer: Create PowerCubes (V10.1) - Recording (1 hr)
• IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced: Introduction (V10.1) - Web-Based Training (6 hrs) Course Labs