As many of us know IBM has produced some of the leading business intelligence and data science tools on the market. Such as IBM Cognos Analytics, IBM Planning Analytics, IBM Watson Studio, etc. All these tools allow the user to gain insight into their data, with impressive visualization and reporting abilities that can be shared throughout an organization. We asked our experienced trainers for a few tips and tricks on two of IBM’s most popular software solutions (IBM Cognos BI).
IBM Cognos Reporting
– Always send published reports as fixed content, that way the data cannot be changed by the recipient. If you send it as a Microsoft document then anyone can open it regardless of whether they have IBM Cognos or not.
-Try and avoid list object embedding within list objects, as this may cause limitations to the target. You can however, import repeaters in objects and tables.
-Aim to keep your tables size to a minimum as anything above set size may not be displayed properly.
-Do not rely on the report context to define the size of your images, define image properties.
IBM Framework Manager
-Don’t mistake this for a ETL tool. This tool is excellent at complex calculations, table joins, managing data security etc but, it will not convert data or improve data quality.
-Make sure you utilize the calculations functionality when doing the same calculations on multiple reports, this creates reports more efficiently.
-Use business terms when publishing in business and presentation view.
-Only allow one user on the same project at a time, as changes can only be saved by one user. If you require team work on a single project consider source control software.
-Use parameter maps, this allows the user to write a report using the description field, however IBM Framework Manager will pass the key to the database instead of the description.
Want to learn more? We offer onsite and live instructor-led virtual IBM Cognos training. To find out more about our business intelligence classes, visit our website.
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