This article will continue the discussion of the new Parameter setup function new to Cognos Analytics version 12. The previous blog post on this subject introduced the new Parameters view and the basics of setting up a parameter and assigning a default value. This article will explore leveraging this new Parameters view/function to provide default parameter values in Scheduled reports and other more advanced techniques.
Read MoreOnce upon a time, new releases of Cognos Analytics (at the time known as Cognos BI) only came around once a year or so. This was how the software industry as a whole used to operate—but these days things are different. More frequent, smaller releases are the name of the game, and with the more rapid release cadence comes a more persistent urge to install new Cognos Analytics software versions, delivering powerful new features and critical bug fixes to end users in an expedient manner.
Read MoreIn Reporting, prior to Cognos 11 versions, it was difficult to change anything related to the parameter without deleting and recreating one. Then in Cognos 11 versions we got the ability to swap parameters for a prompt and rename them and such. Now, with the release of Cognos 12, we have a dedicated page where we can create all the parameters we need beforehand without creating prompts first. There is a wide variety of impressive things you can do with the parameters now, with the addition of a new Parameters Page in Report Authoring, so let’s take a look at what has been added.
Read MoreAlrighty…let’s finish this blog series off with a nice win! The Progress DataDirect Autonomous REST connector included with Cognos Analytics 11.2.2 has been improved by Progress and we can now effectively use it to do some straightforward querying of the U.S. Considering how easy it is, why not give it a shot?
Read MoreIn this article, we will discuss the basics of bursting in Cognos Analytics Reports. After reading this article, you will understand what the burst feature is, how to enable bursting and how to set up parameters, what the content of the report will look like, and how to test run the report. An example report is run for a group of hospitals to show how the bursting operation splits the data so that every hospital only receives the data applicable to it.
Read MoreOne of the most important features of Cognos is the ability to create interactive reports that provide valuable insights to decision-makers. One of the key components of creating these reports is the use of prompts, which allow users to filter and select the data they want to see. In this article, we will focus on one specific attribute of the prompt, the multi-select property, which enables users to select or input multiple values at once.
Read MoreYou have probably heard the term “SQL,” and may even know what it is used for, but if you don’t know how to write or use it, or simply aren’t using it, this article will help you start your journey into learning SQL (Structured Query Language).
Read MoreHey. Remember the Apache Log4j vulnerabilities that had us scrambling last holiday season? Well…we’ve got some new vulnerabilities this holiday season that we should each assess in terms of potential risk to our organizations. Probably not as pervasive as the Log4j issues of old, but certainly worth evaluating. As is often the case, the vulnerabilities are mostly exploited via third party components used by IBM Cognos Analytics. Here are a few of the higher CVSS base score issues on IBM’s radar that were addressed with base 11.2.4 and Fix Pack 6 for 11.1.7…
Read MoreOf the various data containers in Cognos, Crosstabs offers the most flexibility. With the flexibility comes a great deal of complication. From a simple two-dimensional layout to complicated multilevel nesting with subtotals and fancy formatting - the limit is really down to your imagination.
Read MoreWithin most Cognos report objects there are numerous property settings that allow customization to match precise report requirements. It’s even possible to fine-tune aggregations to work in a specified order. With all these properties however, Cognos does not have native functionality to add tooltips (with the notable exception of inside visualizations).
Read MoreCognos version 11.2.3 brings several new features, but one of the most requested is the ability to have cascaded filters in Dashboards. The functionality is similar to the way you used cascading prompts in Reports, which have been around forever. When Dashboards came out, the filtering options were pretty limited. This addition sets the filtering up to be more interactive. Let's take a closer look.
Read MorePsst! Hey you…yeah…the one with the large Cognos Query Studio and Analysis Studio footprint. You know those studios have been around since 2005, right? Those were the Cognos 8 days! We know that there are still plenty of shops with Query Studio and/or Analysis Studio artifacts in use…but times, they are a changin’.
Read MoreWith all the talk about cloud computing these days, does it really make sense to move your Cognos Analytics instance to the cloud? What functionality and benefits are gained or lost when doing so? What about when starting from scratch? What is the best option for your Cognos Analytics (CA) environment? There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes down to it. We’ll discuss the differences which, hopefully, will help you make an informed decision.
Read MoreRoutine Cognos server maintenance is critical in order to ensure your environment performs optimally and remains reliable. Failure to attend to this could likely cause unnecessary downtime and impact critical deadlines. Similar to maintaining a vintage car – all it requires is some shrewd TLC. In this article, I review some key checks to assist in maintaining your Cognos Analytics servers.
Read MoreOnce you have started honing your report authoring skills in Cognos Analytics, you may want to take the next step in your authoring… and customizing the output using Conditional Formatting is one of the ways you can do this. As implied by its name, Conditional Formatting allows the user to apply formatting only when a certain condition is met.
Read MoreTo figure out which version of Cognos Analytics you’re on, you can simply use the UI to get an initial understanding. Click the Personal Menu in the top right, then choose About. To find out deeper information, you can use the cmplst.txt file in your install.
Read MoreJust the other day, I was wrangling with a DIY challenge and spent hours trying to make a scattering of suboptimal tools I had work when a short run to the hardware store would have solved all my problems in minutes. In much the same way in analytics consulting, I see my clients sometimes struggling to find the right service for their challenges of the near and long term. In this piece, I’ll share an overview of two seemingly similar service options and discern the right time to engage for each.
Read MoreOne of the most common questions I've heard as I build my extensions is "How can I hide them from my users?". Ensuring users can only see, and interact with, only the features necessary for their job is of paramount importance. Cognos is certainly a confusing tool to the untrained with a huge range of features. Let’s figure out how to control your UI elements.
Read MoreRunning workloads in the cloud is on everyone’s radar these days. Whether a company is already deployed on the cloud, actively migrating to the cloud, or just thinking about it. For many companies, taking advantage of the scale and the services that public clouds provide is becoming a critical piece of their infrastructure. However, these platforms are large and often complicated for companies looking at them for the first time.
Read MoreData capture and the subsequent reporting were not easy for Kai Ming. Separate local, state, and federal agencies plus private donors and sponsors support Kai Ming. Monthly government-mandated reporting is necessary to maintain funding. Kai Ming’s Governing Board and Parent Council require different formats and content. Furthermore, Dr. Yang needed a comprehensive view of the program, from overall operations to classroom-level analytics and individual family and child records. With the help of PMsquare, Kai-Ming solved its challenges using Cognos.
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