Way We Work

Few days back, I got an opportunity to prepare features list for Mobile reporting solution tool.
We all know that days are not too far when everyone will move to I pad/touch-pad or Smartphone to access the real time BI applications.
Mobile Users need business intelligence data wherever they are to make information-driven decisions. Whether it’s salespeople who wants product details or executives who need bird eye view of the business. Mobile BI apps should be able to deliver information by providing interactive reports, dashboards, metrics and other to user’s mobile devices.
There are lot of tools available in the market.
Having knowledge of these features certainly helped me understand the tool better.
I can now use this feature list to compare various options which are available in the market so as to give informed consultancy to my clients.
My personnel opinion is for Cognos go mobile because in version 10 they leverage lot of functionality to satisfy the needs for mobile users.

Below is the link to feature list:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiobrRxK74dwdGpzQjYyMW92b052WnFJZ2xjbndveGc&hl=en_US

Diplaying the List Column header in Vertival mode

11 months ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

Some time we need to display the column header in vertical mode.
You can rotate the text 90 degrees by using the TextFlow & Justification property for the column titles and set the Writing Mode to "Top to Bottom, Left to Right" You will find this by clicking on the column title in the report and then scrolling down in the Properties for the title on the left hand side.

Schedule an Entry/Report Based on an Occurrence/Trigger

about 1 year ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

As part of setting up trigger-based scheduling, you must schedule an entry based on an occurrence.

Trigger-based schedule is activated if the user firing the trigger has:

read and traverse permissions for the schedule entry

traverse permissions for all ancestors of the schedule entry

access to IBM Cognos Administration

Steps
Click the schedule button next to the entry you want to schedule.

Under Frequency, click the By Trigger tab.

In Trigger name, type the name of the trigger occurrence.

Note: The trigger name that you enter may be provided to you by your administrator or developer. If not, you must inform your administrator or developer of the trigger name that you use.

The default start date is "now", and the default end date is "forever", which means the trigger schedule runs when the trigger is fired (either from trigger.bat or from an SDK application). If you enter a valid start and end date, the trigger schedule can only be fired between those dates.

Click OK.

Set Up a Trigger Occurrence on a Server

As part of setting up trigger-based report scheduling , you must set up the trigger occurrence on a server. You link the external occurrence, such as a database refresh or an email, with a trigger on the server that causes the entry to run. You must also specify the name of the occurrence.

Trigger occurrences can also be set up by an SDK developer using the IBM Cognos 8 software development kit (SDK). For more information, see the The IBM Cognos 8 SDK Developer Guide.

Scripts
Using the Windows script named trigger.bat or the shell script named trigger.sh, you can trigger one or more schedules to run on the server.

The script syntax follows where URL is the IBM Cognos 8 server URL, username is a valid username in the specified namespace, password is the password for the username, namespace is the namespace for the username, and triggerlist is a comma separated list of trigger names:

trigger.bat URL [username password namespace]
triggerlist
For example, if users want to schedule a report based on a database refresh and want to schedule a second report based on receipt of an email, your custom trigger command line may look similar to this:

trigger.bat http://localhost:9300/p2pd/servlet/dispatch username
password namespace databaserefreshtriggername,emailtriggername
Steps
If you are setting up a trigger occurrence on a server other than an IBM Cognos 8 server, complete the following tasks:

Ensure that the server has a supported version of either a Java Runtime Environment or a Java Development Kit.

Copy the following files from c8_location/webapps/p2pd/WEB-INF/lib on an IBM Cognos 8 server to the location on the server where you are setting up the trigger occurrence:

activation.jar

axis.jar

axisCrnpClient.jar

commons-discovery.jar

commons-logging.jar

jaxrpc.jar

saaj.jar

mail.jar

xml-apis.jar

xercesImpl.jar

Copy the following files from c8_location/webapps/EventTrigger on an IBM Cognos 8 server, to the location on the server where you are setting up the trigger occurrence:

trigger.bat

trigger.sh

trigger.class (a Java utility that can run on any IBM Cognos-supported platform)

Ensure that the command line runs when the external occurrence, such as a database refresh or email, occurs.

The mechanism that you use to invoke your custom trigger command depends on the application that you are working with, such as a database system or an email application. For information, see the documentation for your application.

Inform users that they can now schedule entries based on the trigger occurrence.

If a user scheduled an entry based on the occurrence, when the user clicks the schedule button for a report view, occurrence information replaces frequency information on the Schedule page.

If a user scheduled an entry based on the occurrence, when the user clicks the schedule button for a report view, occurrence information replaces frequency information on the Schedule page.

After the script runs, the trigger method returns an integer value representing the number of schedules that were run. The following integers represent errors:

-1 is a usage error, such as invalid parameter or syntax

-2 is a communication problem with IBM Cognos 8 server

Why is TM1 in limelight?

over 1 year ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

Only product in market that can be used for “OLAP Analysis” & “Planning” using “Multiple cubes” stored “in-Memory” .
Earlier, TM1 was available in 32bit technology. Limitation is 2 GB RAM. Targeted at solutions having limited data.
With introduction of 64 bit Technology, the available RAM is upto 1TB. This enabled TM1 to target solutions that handle large amount of data.
Sparcity removing algorithm.
Post Cognos Acquisition, TM1 is on long term road map of IBM.

Learning and sharing: CAFE (Cognos Analysis for Excel) Basic

over 1 year ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

Learning and sharing: CAFE (Cognos Analysis for Excel) Basic: "Just wanted to share a video about the integration of Cognos8 with Excel."

Business intelligence for all Cognos 10

over 1 year ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

Cognos 10 BI

IBM Cognos BI provides users with many options to access information. Each
option uses common functions and interfaces. Executives can take IBM Cognos
Active reports offline to keep working while out of the office. Information
consumers and executives can access reports, charts, and other business
intelligence objects using dashboards from IBM Cognos Business Insight. IBM
Cognos Advanced Business Users and Professional Report Authors can use
IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced to create new IBM Cognos BI objects
and to analyze information from any source and from new perspectives. Users
familiar with office productivity tools can use IBM Cognos Analysis for MS Excel
to blend the power of IBM Cognos BI information with the personal workspace of
Excel. Users on the go can use IBM Cognos Mobile to stay connected to their
IBM Cognos BI information.

Stay connected I am going to expalin each feature in details ......

IBM Cognos 10 Redbook link and new features detail...

over 1 year ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

Face The Truth: IBM Cognos 10 Redbook link and new features detail...: "IBM Cognos 10 RedBook Link to the Book http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redbooks/pdfs/sg247912.pdf Some of the Feature I like: New dynamic qu..."

IBM Cognos 10 Redbook link and new features details

over 1 year ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

IBM Cognos 10 RedBook
Link to the Book
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redbooks/pdfs/sg247912.pdf

Some of the Feature I like:

New dynamic query capability. Optimized caching, in-memory calculations, 3x faster query

Cognos admins can export all system metrics to a RDBMS and then analyze with Business Insight(new Dashboard tool integrated in COgnos 10).

The UI works very well and looks very well thought out.

Allows end user to manage their own login credentials reducing the load on IT.

we should more intensively use upgrade manager

Improved content manager performance through caching and faster olap in memory caching

New external data wizard for Cognos10 Report Studio. A feature that supports and encourages agile development

No more messy javascript to modify prompt object text - they are now modifiable properties in cognos10 (this is the best)

http://ow.ly/i/4UH1

Go! Search looks to be included in #Cognos10.

Cognos 10 -Bussiness Insight

over 1 year ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

Business Insight provides an integrated business intelligence experience for business users. This webbased tool allows you to use IBM Cognos content to build sophisticated interactive dashboards that facilitate collaborative decision making. These dashboards can include traditional business intelligence assets, along with Real Time Monitoring information, TM1 Websheets and CubeViews, as well as external data.

To Add Connection to LDAP sever:

almost 2 years ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

• Right click on ‘Directory Server’ and say ‘Add connection’.
• A pop-up will appear as shown in the snapshot below.
• Add the following details in the pop-up
Add host: Cognos url
Port : 389
Base DN : o=organization.com

Scheduling Reports

almost 2 years ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

Scheduling Reports
You can schedule reports to run at a time that is convenient for you, such as during off hours when demands on the system are low.
You can schedule reports individually or in a group by using a job. You can schedule reports to run by minute, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly.
Only one schedule can be associated with each report or job. If you require multiple schedules for the same report, you can create report views and then create a schedule for each report view. Jobs have their own schedules, and these schedules are independent from report schedules.
After you create a schedule, the report or job runs at the time and date specified. You can then manage the properties of your schedules.
Prompts in Scheduled Reports
If a report that contains prompts is scheduled, you must save the prompt values or specify default values to ensure that values exist when the report runs according to the schedule.
In a job, you can specify prompt values for job steps. When a report runs as part of a job, the prompt values saved in the job definition are used instead of the values saved with the report. If no values are specified in the job definition, ReportNet uses the values saved in the report.
SCHEDULE A REPORT
You schedule a report to run it at a later time or at a recurring date and time.
If you no longer need a schedule, you can delete it. You can also disable it without losing any of the scheduling details. You can then enable the schedule at a later time.
ReportNet keeps history information and report outputs each time a report runs according to a schedule. You can specify how many occurrences to keep or for how long to keep them. For example, you can keep the history and report outputs for the ten latest occurrences or for schedules that ran in the last two months. Use the report history to see the times at which the reports ran and whether the reports ran successfully.
To schedule a report or report view, you must have read, write, execute, and traverse permissions for it. You also require the following access permissions to any data sources used by the report.
• dataSource - Execute and Traverse
• dataSourceConnection - Execute and Traverse
(With only Execute access, you are prompted to log on to the database.)
• dataSourceSignon - Execute

Schedule Multiple Reports at Once

You can set the same schedule for multiple reports by creating a job. A job identifies a collection of reports, report views, and other jobs that are scheduled together and share the same schedule settings. When a scheduled job runs, all the reports in the job run.

Jobs contain job steps, which are references to individual reports, jobs, and report views. You can specify whether to run the steps all at once or in sequence.

When the steps are run all at once, all the steps are submitted at the same time. The job is successful when all the steps run successfully. If a step fails, the other steps in the job are unaffected and still run, and the job has a Failed status.

When the steps are run in sequence, you can specify the order in which the steps run. A step is submitted only after the preceding step runs successfully.

The individual reports, jobs, and report views in steps can also have individual schedules.

To schedule a report or report view, you must have read, write, execute, and traverse permissions for it. You also require the following access permissions to all data sources used by the report.

Schedule a Report Based on an Event

You can schedule a report based on an event, such as a database refresh. You specify an event to act as a trigger. When that event occurs the report runs.

Start Query Studio in Preview Mode

about 2 years ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

You can configure Query Studio to start in preview mode. Users can then create or modify reports without retrieving actual data from the database. Instead, simulated data is shown.

If you later upgrade IBM Cognos 8, you must reapply this configuration.
Steps

1. Using IBM Cognos Configuration, stop IBM Cognos 8.
2. Rename the c8_location\templates\ps\async\system.xml.sample file to
system.xml.
Tip: To restore the regular mode, rename the
c8_location\templates\ps\async\system.xml file to system.xml.sample.

3. Using IBM Cognos Configuration, start IBM Cognos 8.

Unsupported IBM Cognos 8 Formatting

about 2 years ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

About 30% of the formatting functions available in IBM Cognos 8 are not supported in Microsoft Excel. In particular, Excel does not allow changing locale-dependent formatting attributes, such as the following:

Decimal Separator

Exponential Symbol

Group Separator

Monetary Decimal Separator

AM String

Day Name

Day Short Name

Decimal Delimiter Symbol

Month Name

Month Short Name

PM String

In addition, Excel does not support the following:

Format Width

International Currency Symbol

List Separator

Percent Symbol (Excel does not support percent symbols for charts)

Multiplier

Overline Text Format

PerMill Symbol

Plus Sign

Scale (Excel has a different scaling formula than IBM Cognos 8)

Calendar (Excel does not allow changing the calendar)

Era Name

First Day Of Week

Show Era

(TR0112) There isn't enough memory available

over 2 years ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

Error:
(TR0112) There isn't enough memory available.

Reason:
"Enable Mutli-Processing" enabled on datasources and the addition of the new datasource appears to push the limitations of this feature based on the size of the data being pulled.
Remove multi-processing from datasources

1. Open the model in Transformer
2. Right click the datasource and select "properties"
3. Click on the General tab
4. Uncheck "enable multi-processing" and click OK
5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for all data source entries
6. Test / Build

Also ensure that there are enough system resources available when building the cube. This includes plenty of free memory, diskspace, and processor time. For example, if your database is using up 90% of the memory while you attempt to launch rsserver to build cubes, the cube build will fail at some point due to lack of memory available. Lack of memory in this case can also seen via monitoring the syslog (on unix system only) file.

TR1907 Transformer cannot gain access to database

over 2 years ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

When a cube is automated to rebuild on a regular basis, transformer fails to create the cube due to the failed authentication. Transformer prompts for user password even if the prompt for password box is unchecked in the Signon Property Sheet and Include Access Manager auto-access in the model is checked in the authentication tab of Model Property Sheet.
Error Details:
(TR1907) Transformer can't gain access to database 'Database Name' with signon information 'username'. [->Cancel] PowerPlay Transformer
Reason:
The Database signon is not recognized by Transformer via Access Manager due to an incorrect database name. Database name specified within transformer needs to be exactly the same as the one set up within Access Manager. This is also case sensitive.

Use Access Manager to record the database authentication and set the auto-access to access manager's signon. Cognos common signons are set to flown from Access Manager user class as well as the database signon

Steps:

1. Create the data source in Access Manager Admin Console
2. Add user signos into the user class Administrator
3. Uncheck the box against Prompt for Password in the user signon property sheet
4. Within datasource property sheet, specify the datasource name, which should be exactly the same as the one in Access Manager. The datasource name is case sensitive.
5. Activate "Include Access Manager auto-access in the model" from Authentication tab of the Model Property Sheet

Interesting article……

over 2 years ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

Flow of Data in Cognos Powerpaly Transformer 7.4

over 2 years ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

Use Transformer to create structured models from various data sources that you then distribute as multidimensional PowerCubes.
You begin by assessing your source data and planning how to organize it to support the types of
business analysis that are important to you. You then build a model that specifies the location of
this data, and the way you want Transformer to restructure it. Finally, you create a PowerCube to distribute to your PowerPlay Enterprise Server administrator or to your PowerPlay users, who can then create reports to distribute to other PowerPlay or Upfront users.

Everybody loves Hanuman by Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik

over 2 years ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik written this article . Its an amazing must read.........

Published in Corporate Dossier, Economic Times supplement, 4 April 2008

Hanuman plays an important role in the Ramayan, yet in the epic itself, he does not hold any great position. He is just one of the many monkeys Ram encounters in the forest. He is not Sugriva, leader of the monkey troop. He is not Angad, who is told to lead the band of monkeys searching for Sita. He is not Jambavan, the bear or Nila, the monkey, who are given the responsibility of building the bridge. He is projected as an obedient follower who, through his intelligence, strength and courage, wins the admiration of Ram and emerges as one of the most revered characters of the tale and a god in his own right. But at no point does Hanuman make any attempt to steal anyone’s glory; while in his own temple he stands powerful with mountain in hand and feet on a demon, in Ram’s temple he is most content sitting at the feet of his master, hands in supplication.

Who would not want a Hanuman in his team? One who is very good at his work, one who will do whatever he is told to do, one who will never seek either reward or recognition and one who finds validation in obeying his master.

If we go to Raju’s auto repair shop, we will find that all the work is done by his Hanuman: Amol, a young boy, who has been working with Raju for three years. Amol is a natural, able to fix the most complex of problems. Raju knows he can totally rely on Amol. No job is too big or too small for Amol. He is as happy changing a tyre, as he is fixing the brakes. He does not boss over the juniors and does not feel slighted if the seniors ask him to fetch tea. If there is a problem that eludes a standard solution, everyone knows that leave it to Amol – he will, like Hanuman crossing the sea, find a way.

Yes, it matters greatly to have a Hanuman in our team. One who will not question you. One who will do exactly what you tell him to do. One who delivers no matter what the odds. One who is loyal and devoted. But is that really good?

The following is a folk story of Hanuman: Hanuman once narrated the entire Ramayan to his mother, Anjani. After the narration, an impressed Anjani sought a clarification. “You are so strong that with a flick of a tail you could have destroyed the whole of Lanka, killed Ravan and rescued Sita. Why did you not do so? So much effort and time would have been saved – you would not have had to build a bridge to Lanka, you could have avoided the war. Why did you not do that?”

And suddenly we wonder if this was opportunity lost. Hanuman was asked to discover Sita’s location; he did that. Hanuman was asked to fetch the mountain of herbs that would save Lakshmana’s life; he did that. No one asked him to destroy the Rakshasas and rescue Sita. Do he did not do that. One common explanation given for why Ram never asked Hanuman to kill Ravan and rescue Sita is that it was Ram’s duty to rescue Sita, not Hanuman’s. Ramayan is about Ram, not Hanuman. But it is not so in the corporate world; the story is about the entire organization, not just about the leaders.

In the entire epic, Hanuman proves his capability time and time again. On his way to find Sita, he displays his extraordinary power (crosses the ocean), brain (outwits the snake-demon Surasa), brawn (kills Simhika) and integrity (not resting on Mandara mountain). And yet, while everyone admires this, no one seems eager to take full advantage of it. Was this refusal to take advantage of Hanuman’s abilities a divine decision or merely a oversight? Is the same being done in the corporate world?

Yes, Raju loves Amol’s work. Yes, Raju admires Amol’s work. But is Raju harnessing the full potential of Amol? Is his contentment with Amol’s obedience preventing him from seeing all that Amol can do, proactively, creatively, independently, if he is given the freedom to do so? Ask Raju and he will say, “But I don’t stop Amol from doing anything.” He does not stop Amol from doing anything, but he does not encourage Amol from doing something either.

The greatest danger of having Hanumans in our team is that his actions are limited by our directions. Maybe we fear that if Hanuman thinks for himself, there will be chaos – he is a monkey after all. Maybe we fear that he will overshadow us. Hence, ultimately, only we decide the goals, we define the vision, we declare the mission and state the objective. Our Hanuman will help you realize all this. But, maybe, the goals could have been greater and grander, if we had let Hanuman do more than merely obey.

Amol once had given Raju a suggestion. “Sir, if we park our cars perpendicular to the wall rather than parallel we can keep more cars in the garage?” Raju ignored this suggestion. “Do you work,” he snapped at Amol without giving his words much thought. But the message he implicitly gave Amol was that – ‘I only want your obedience, not your intelligence.’ Amol immediately complied. And that marked the end of Amol’s creativity that would have perhaps made Raju’s auto repair shop a much greater success.

This is the danger of over compliance and extreme obedience. We prevent followers from thinking and contributing. It makes business sense therefore to take a closer look at the Hanumans in our team; we just might find in their hearts a Ram waiting to be coaxed out.

IBM Cognos Express Webminar

over 2 years ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

Join unveil IBM Cognos Express – the first and only integrated, one-stop BI and planning solution purpose-built and priced for midsize companies.
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/cognos/cognos-express/index.html?mc=-eb_ibm_hp
Thanks and regards
Abhishek

IBM Cognos Express Webminar

over 2 years ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

Load Balancing In Cognos 8

over 2 years ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

Automatic Load Balancing

How to use Pass Through SQL in Report Studio

over 2 years ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

If you place curly braces ({}) around your SQL statement in a Tabular SQL object, that SQL statment will be sent directly to the database. Note that no validity checking is done on the SQL, so the report author is fully responsible for the correct operation of the SQL statement.
Steps:
Create a Tabular SQL object.
Write you SQL statement. Ensure that it is surround by curly braces. For example, if your SQL statement isSELECT * FROM ORDER_HEADERyou need to write it as:
{SELECT * FROM ORDER_HEADER}

Who is talking?

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almost 2 years ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

Schedule Multiple Reports at Once

Schedule a Report Based on an Event

about 2 years ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

about 2 years ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

over 2 years ago | Abhishek Dharga: Learning and sharing

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