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General Info on Cognos please

  • 22-10-2010 10:43am
    #1
    --amadeus--
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,096 ✭✭✭


    Hi all,

    I have a large client (US corporate, Fortune 500 size) that I develop reporting, dashboard and scorecard applications for. They like to use Excel as a front end (no issues with roll outs, limited user training requirments and allows them to manipulate the data). I mainly work with one site running legacy systems on an AS400 but other data is in a rag bag of places.

    They have a new head of IT in place and (while I have yet to meet them) there is a suggestion that they will introduce Cognos. I've done some reading on it and it sounds great but I have some questions I was hoping people could answer...

    First how much work is involved in configuring the connection to the data source? The legacy system in particular has a very confusing topography with no very clear or well defined relationships between the various tables & libraries. How does Cognos interact with this data and how are the data relationships defined? Do you need to do a vast pre configuration or can you create definitions per report?

    Secondly I have never used Cognos but I have a decent grasp of SQL and general database concepts as well as generic programming skills. How hard is it to learn? Is it as powerful as the sales blurb makes out? Is it worth learning for wider job opportunities?

    Thanks!


Comments

  • #2
    DonnieBrasco
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 169 ✭✭DonnieBrasco


    First how much work is involved in configuring the connection to the data source?

    I'm not an expert in cognos but here;s my input anyway.

    Do you use ODBC for excel?

    I've used Cognos impromptu and its no different to setting up data sources via odbc to excel or other reporting / development platforms. If you use SQL in your current processing then you shouldn't have too much trouble once you get through the initial learning curve of Cognos.

    I havent used any of the cognos enterprise solutions. There seems to be quite a bit, enough to warrant the existence of 'professional certification'.

    I must admit my own preference is Excel. Despite all the competition on the market it's still incredibly flexible and an application that most of the user community are comfortable with.
    The legacy system in particular has a very confusing topography with no very clear or well defined relationships between the various tables & libraries.

    It might be worth considering organising this legacy data into a type of Relational "Staging Database", maybe within oracle/MS SQL Server / MySQL etc. This would help transform to the new platform and could be still used by both excel and cognos.

    sounds like an ok project all the same
    good luck
    db


  • #3
    yop
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Regional Midwest Moderators, Regional West Moderators Posts: 16,724 Mod ✭✭✭✭yop


    --amadeus-- wrote: »
    Hi all,

    I have a large client (US corporate, Fortune 500 size) that I develop reporting, dashboard and scorecard applications for. They like to use Excel as a front end (no issues with roll outs, limited user training requirments and allows them to manipulate the data). I mainly work with one site running legacy systems on an AS400 but other data is in a rag bag of places.

    They have a new head of IT in place and (while I have yet to meet them) there is a suggestion that they will introduce Cognos. I've done some reading on it and it sounds great but I have some questions I was hoping people could answer...

    First how much work is involved in configuring the connection to the data source? The legacy system in particular has a very confusing topography with no very clear or well defined relationships between the various tables & libraries. How does Cognos interact with this data and how are the data relationships defined? Do you need to do a vast pre configuration or can you create definitions per report?

    Secondly I have never used Cognos but I have a decent grasp of SQL and general database concepts as well as generic programming skills. How hard is it to learn? Is it as powerful as the sales blurb makes out? Is it worth learning for wider job opportunities?

    Thanks!


    I just joined a company here in Dublin and just passed the Support side of the IBM Cognos certification and it does seem like a good system.
    I would be fairly strong on the SQL side of thing so I am hoping it will help.
    I can't give you any pointers as yet until I have the Analyst training doing so apologise on that front.

    I know that we have the likes of O2, Tesco, Vodafone, Dublin Bus etc so it must be pretty tasty as they use it quite a bit.

    If you have any questions which you are stuck on I will see if i can find some answers but to be truthful its a small market so trying to get assistance outside of the IBM loop or from the installers of Cognos itself if from a partner could be akward.

    Good luck with it.


  • #4
    --amadeus--
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,096 ✭✭✭--amadeus--


    Thanks folks!

    I do use ODBC. I tend to define the DNS name in the code and then use ADO / DAO to retrieve and manipulate the data before throwing it into Excel for presentation. A lot of people are sniffy about "micky mouse macros in spreadsheets" but it is amazing what you can do.

    I've used staging databases before with this client (typically creating pass through queries) but I've tended to use them just to organise the data and as a test bed but have my end files eventually query the main DB. The connections and configuration between the main DB and Cognos will probably be managed by thier internal IT dept and (hopefully!) I'll be creating the reports at the front end.

    I didn't know there was a certification track, I'll have a look at that.

    Thanks again!


  • #5
    DublinWriter
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,560 ✭✭✭DublinWriter


    --amadeus-- wrote: »
    First how much work is involved in configuring the connection to the data source? The legacy system in particular has a very confusing topography with no very clear or well defined relationships between the various tables & libraries. How does Cognos interact with this data and how are the data relationships defined? Do you need to do a vast pre configuration or can you create definitions per report?

    Secondly I have never used Cognos but I have a decent grasp of SQL and general database concepts as well as generic programming skills. How hard is it to learn? Is it as powerful as the sales blurb makes out? Is it worth learning for wider job opportunities?

    I've worked with Cognos products since 1997 and I recertified myself for Cognos 8 last year. If you need any advice free-gratis then drop me a line in private.

    Cognos can be a beast to initially configure. Once installed, you'll need to set up all your metadata In Cognos before you can do anything useful.

    As with any Data Warehouse project, it lives and dies by the quality of the ETL routines. Cognos does come with it's own ETL product (Data Manager) but lately I've been favouring Microsoft's SSIS.

    Have your client gone with it yet?


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