Cognos Analytics V11 Report Authoring Demonstration

Get Under the Hood of V11

DEMO: REPORT AUTHORING IN IBM COGNOS ANALYTICS

• Introduction• IBM Cognos Authoring

– A Brief History and Look Ahead• IBM Cognos Analytics v11 Authoring Demos

– Using Templates– Creating Basic Reports– Exploring Data

• Q & A• Senturus Overview• Additional Resources

Agenda

Copyright 2016 Senturus, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Presenters


Albert ValdezVice President of Learning

SolutionsSenturus, Inc.

Greg HerreraPresident and Co-

FounderSenturus, Inc.

Presentation Slide Deck on www.senturus.com

RESOURCE LIBRARYAn extensive, free library of past webinars, demonstrations, whitepapers, presentations, helpful hints, and more.


To see the demonstrations from this webinar: Report Authoring in IBM Cognos Analytics, visit our website at: http://www.senturus.com/resources/demo-report-authoring-cognos-analytics

/

While you are there, you can also view and download this deck and the Q & A log.

See the Demos


http://www.senturus.com/resources/demo-report-authoring-cognos-analytics/



REPORT AUTHORING WITH IBM COGNOSA BRIEF HISTORY


Upgrade

Upgrade

Upgrade

The IBM Cognos Author – Always Evolving

• Impromptu (late 1990s ~ 2003)– Thick Windows client – major change series 7 to

CRN/Cognos 8 • ReportNet Report Studio (2003 ~ 2005)

– Early web-based authoring• Cognos 8 Report Studio (2005 ~ 2010)

– More robust web-based authoring• Cognos 10 Report Studio (2010 – present)

– Continued improvements• Cognos Analytics Authoring (2016 - ????)

– Evolution of web-based authoring to modern, graduated user experience

Migration


The IBM Cognos Author – The Fear

• What to Expect– Are my existing reporting skills going to become

obsolete?– What’s going to happen to existing reports?

• How to Proceed– Keep Calm and Author On!– Continue learning!– Come see what’s new!– TAKE YOUR TIME!


The IBM Cognos Author – The Realities

• Existing Authors– Report Studio and Workspace Advanced Skills are

100% still relevant– Start to think about a truly “singular” authoring

experience– No more Studios– No more choosing EITHER Pro Authoring OR

Ad-hoc/data exploration• Migrating to Cognos Analytics

– Still same basic architecture (more in future events…)

– Report specifications support fully in-line upgrades (from Report Studio and Workspace Advanced)

– Other areas – maybe not so painless, stay informed

http://www.senturus.com/blog/transitioning-v10-skills-to-cognos-v11/


Report Templates in IBM Cognos Analytics – Notes

• Legacy Templates– Will appear as your default

option after initial install• New Templates and

Themes– Will appear as your ONLY

option once the Templates sample package is deployed

• Revert to Legacy Templates– Not yet figured out how to

do this

DEMO: REPORT AUTHORINGIN COGNOS ANALYTICSGET UNDER THE HOOD OF V11

To see the demonstrations in this webinar, download this deck and the questions log, visit our website:

http://www.senturus.com/resources/demo-report-authoring-cognos-analytics

/

The Senturus comprehensive library of recorded webinars, demos, white papers, presentations, and case studies is available on our website at:

http://www.senturus.com/resources/

See the Demos










The IBM Cognos Author – The Path Forward

• KEEP BUILDING Skills– Continue to invest in training – Cognos 10 skills will

not become obsolete (Report Studio and Workspace Advanced)

• CHECK OUT What’s New– V11 New Features for Experienced Authors source

(see next slide)– Senturus Resources– YouTube

• PLAN to Take Advantage of New Features

Announcing: New Course for V11 Transition


IBM Cognos Analytics (Version 11)New Features for Experienced Authors

• Length: 1 day• Cost: $699

– 25% off during the Half-Yearly Sale-–ends tomorrow• Dates:

– June 3, 7am – 3pm Pacific Time – June 28, 8:30am – 4:30pm Pacific Time– July 18, 7am – 3pm Pacific Time– August 3, 8:30am – 4:30pm Pacific Time– August 31, 7am – 3pm Pacific Time

http://www.senturus.com/training/custom-training/v11-new-features-experienced-authors/



Half Yearly Training Sale - 25% Off All Courses

• ALL Tableau and Cognos Courses

• Ends Tomorrow at Midnight Pacific

• Instructor-led Online Format

• Led by Experts with Current, Real-world Experience


To hear the recording from this webinar, visit our website. While you are there, you can also view the answers to the many questions asked during this webinar: http://www.senturus.com/resources/demo-report-authoring-cognos-analytics

/

The Senturus comprehensive library of recorded webinars, demos, white papers, presentations, and case studies is available on our website at:


Hear the Recording








Answers to Questions Asked by Viewers During the Webinar

QUESTIONS LOG

Q&A: Report Authoring Authoring in IBM Cognos Analytics


Q: Are there any limitations using the data modules for Active Reports?A: Not that we are aware of at this time. Data modules should work the same in Active Reports as a relational package would.

Q: Are there any changes to the security model...namespaces, session parameters, etc.?A: No, security, namespaces, and session parameters all function exactly the same.

Q: Is there a way to access the data items generated in the query, similar to the old query browser in Report Studio?A: Yes, the query explorer is still there as we demonstrated during the event. You have exactly the same features with queries in CA11 as you did in Cognos BI v10.



Q: Does the preview option return the full data set? A: As always you are only seeing the first 20 rows of the entire result set, by default it is not filtered. We expect with HTML rendering; each page is only showing a small subset of the actual result set to render. You can adjust this by changing the row per page property on the list or crosstab object.

Q: Can we use different packages for different charts in the same report in Cognos Analytics?A: No, we do expect future enhancements to allow for reporting from multiple packages.

Q: How do I apply global filters, as was demonstrated in the report example?A: To do so, you base all of the displays on the same query.



Q: After the report has been created does it allow dynamic filtering? A: Yes, this is one of the top three things we like about the new platform. Once the report is viewed, an interactive report viewer allows for inline filtering, sorting, and displaying personalization. To change display types, you need to adjust the palette.

Q: Is there a toned-down report interface for ad-hoc users? A: The entire point of the new user experience is one of “graduated” capabilities interface. This means more sophisticated features are hidden from view so more casual users can still have the power to create and edit reports in the same environment. All the features are contained in this singular interface.

Q: For report properties, have you found where you can generate a report link?A: We have not found a way to do this yet.



Q: Can we customize the RAVE visualization through the Cognos properties or using JSON code? Do we have any other visualization engine?A: More and more of the RAVE objects are exposing properties to authors via the Properties pane; however, full customization of the underlying JSON specifications is not available this way. You would use some external JSON editing tool to make those modifications. As with v10, CA11 will support the RAVE objects as well as the traditional chart objects that we are familiar with. Both have their own advantages and drawbacks. The good thing is that you can mix and match RAVE and traditional charts within the same reports.

Q: Is the demonstration environment using a gateway?A: Yes, we have this setup for our training servers. It was a bit of a struggle, but we understand that IBM is addressing this with an upcoming release to make gateway distribution much easier.



Q: From my point of view, the new authoring interface is slower. Is that really how it is or is this due to GoToWebinar? Also, what browser is Albert using? A: There are some actions that feel a bit “stickier” than in the past due to the fact that you are navigating within the reporting capability “in-frame” with all of the other portal content and embedded capabilities. However, the core reporting functions seem to respond at least as well as what we were used to in v10. You definitely want to stay on top of the current infrastructure requirements, we recommend close to the same hardware sizing as what you are running for v10.2.2. For the most current list of supported software and recommended hardware, see IBM’s compatibility report: http://www-969.ibm.com/software/reports/compatibility/clarity-reports/report/html/softwareReqsForProduct?deliverableId=1374252186332&osPlatform=Windows#sw-15.



Q: In Cognos BI v10.2.2, we create roles to allow staff to develop in Workspace Advanced and run reports. However, they do not see Report Studio and the other studios on their welcome screens. Will it be possible to continue to do this in Cognos Analytics?A: Yes, you will still roll out features and functionality (capabilities) the same way in CA11. Obviously the concept of Report Studio versus Workspace Advanced is gone, so we recommend that you devise a strategy for addressing this specific set of users.

Q: What will happen to existing portal pages? How do we migrate them to Cognos Analytics?A: These will migrate forward as-is and will appear in separate browser tabs when accessed, at least for the time being. We recommend creating a long-term plan to convert portal pages. We assume some aspect of the new dashboarding capability will be best-suited to address this.



Q: Is the layer feature (page by) still available as it was in PowerPlay 7?A: Not exactly, but there is a page layers feature with OLAP data sources, just as it was available with Report Studio and Cognos Workspace Advanced v10.

Q: What browser does Senturus recommend using? Some of us were told Chrome and some were told Firefox.A: Internet Explorer is still the most supported, but Chrome and Firefox are more supported now. Here is the full list of supported software: http://www-969.ibm.com/software/reports/compatibility/clarity-reports/report/html/softwareReqsForProduct?deliverableId=1374252186332&osPlatform=Windows#sw-15.

http://www-969.ibm.com/software/reports/compatibility/clarity-reports/report/html/softwareReqsForProduct?deliverableId=1374252186332&osPlatform=Windows#sw-15






Q: Will existing reports designed using Report Studio be available after migrating to Cognos Analytics? A: Yes, just migrate your content forward like you would with any upgrade and they will be available.

Q: Is there a way that the global filter can be applied on the go for displays pointing to different queries?A: Yes, if you use a prompt you can apply the parameter to any of the existing queries in a report.

Q: Is there a way to upgrade existing Cognos BI v10.2 reports to Cognos Analytics which can use new features such as dynamic filtering and sorting? A: V10.2 reports will easily upgrade. However, you will need to turn on "interactive mode" on a report-by-report basis.



Q: Can we still do SQL based reports?A: Yes, the query explorer still exists and works the same as before.

Q: Are user interface profiles carried through to Cognos Analytics?A: Custom user interface profiles are available. If you go to the Administration Console, under the Security tab, you see the same user interface profiles area. We have not tested this in CA11, but the same features exist as we saw in v10.2.2.

Q: What do portal pages, which we have deployed as tabs in Cognos BI v10, look like after we move them to Cognos Analytics?A: The portal pages still exist, but they cannot be setup as tabs across the top of the screen.



Q: Will Senturus be offering a similar transition course for Cognos administration/security using Cognos Analytics? A: We will definitely be creating an updated course for System Administration for CA11. We expect approximately 70% of the material to be similar to v10, but there will be some important changes. We will offer this training in early 2017.

Q: Can we use packages to create dashboards or is it just to be used with uploaded files?A: As of right now, only data modules can be used to create dashboards. We do expect this to change before end of 2016 with a major new release coming in September or October.

Q: Do existing Report Studio reports from Cognos BI v10.2.2 open in a new tab when they are run?A: No, they run in the new viewer pretty much the same way a new report would.



Q: We provide Report Studio for authors and Workspace Advanced for business users. The business users cannot modify the data sources or session parameters used to restrict data in queries. How will this work in the Cognos Analytics? Do we need to use the user profiles feature?A: It appears you can still use custom user interface profiles. This feature will become even more important given the user experience in CA11. You are still able to restrict permissions to specific features/capabilities using the Admin console. However with the loss of the Report Studio/Workspace Advanced paradigm this will cause a bit of a challenge in addressing your Report Studio versus Workspace Advanced user audience. Remember, the idea was to eliminate the need to navigate between the two tools, which we believe has much more benefit than this potential drawback, but it does need to be addressed when planning your upgrade.



Q: What is the Cognos Analytics plan for storing and using data in the Cloud?A: In CA11 you can connect directly to Amazon Redshift as a data source. Any cloud implementation that can be read via JDBC should eventually become accessible.

Q: Are there any migration gotchas with regards to reports that use a lot of graphics, charts, and visualizations?A: We recommend after migration to double check to see if all of your referenced images and visualization objects ported to CA11, but we do not anticipate any issues.

Q: Are there any migration issues with reports that use a lot of prompts?A: Not from a functional standpoint; however, we have noticed that rendering of prompts in the CA11 HTML viewer can be a bit unexpected, so you will want to test them from a layout and appearance perspective.



One of our attendees has provided the following list of current limitations when using data modules for Reports (not dashboards). We have vetted these and thought to include them in our Q&A resource: IBM Cognos Analytics data modules can model multiple data sources, including relational data sources, other data modules, and uploaded files. The following limitations exist when you use data modules in relational reporting:• Query calculations, report bursting, package drill-

through definitions, and conditional styles are not supported

• Generated prompts do not use the metadata to generate the proper prompt, instead a text box is used

• Query view and query properties are not available • You cannot edit filters or create custom filters

Note from Senturus: IBM is telling us the v11.0.3 release will address many of the issues, but it won’t be available until October or November, 2016.

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Cognos Analytics V11 Report Authoring Demonstration

Data & Analytics

Transcript of Cognos Analytics V11 Report Authoring Demonstration