This accelerated offering is intended for core project team members wishing to acquire a broad understanding of a Business Intelligence platform implementation. During the ILT segments, participants will perform hands-on demos and workshops that cover three essential topic areas: modeling, report authoring, and administration of a BI platform. Throughout the ILT, participants will be guided to more-in depth training offerings and paths leading to certification. During the WBT portion of the course, students will be required to complete 22.5 hours of eLearning (6 WBTs and 1 recording).

Please refer to course overview for details.

This advanced course is for:

• Project Managers
• Technical Analysts
• Developers

You should have:

• Knowledge of your business requirements
• Experience using the Windows operating system
• Experience using a web browser

Overview of IBM Cognos BI

• Describe IBM Cognos Business Intelligence (BI) and its position within the IBM Smarter Analytics approach and offerings
• Describe the IBM Cognos 10 Family of offerings
• Describe IBM Cognos BI enterprise components
• Describe IBM Cognos architecture at a high level
• Describe IBM Cognos BI security at a high level
• Explain how to extend IBM Cognos BI

Identify Common Data Structures

• Define the role of a metadata model in Cognos BI
• Distinguish the characteristics of common data structures
• Understand the relative merits of each model type
• Examine relationships and cardinality
• Identify different data traps
• Identify data access strategies

Defining Requirements

• Examine key modeling recommendations
• Define reporting requirements
• Explore data sources to identify data access strategies
• Identify the advantages of modeling metadata as a star schema
• Model in layers

Creating a Baseline Project

• Follow the IBM Cognos and Framework Manager workflow processes
• Define a project and its structure
• Describe the Framework Manager environment
• Create a baseline project
• Enhance the model with additional metadata

Preparing Reusable Metadata

• Verify relationships and query item properties
• Create efficient filters by configuring prompt properties

Model for Predictable Results: Identify Reporting Issues

• Describe multi-fact queries and when full outer joins are appropriate
• Describe how IBM Cognos uses cardinality
• Identify reporting traps
• Use tools to analyze the model

Model for Predictable Results: Virtual Star Schemas

• Understand the benefits of using model query subjects
• Use aliases to avoid ambiguous joins
• Merge query subjects to create as view behavior
• Resolve a recursive relationship
• Create a complex relationship expression

Model for Predictable Results: Consolidate Metadata

• Create virtual facts to simplify writing queries
• Create virtual dimensions to resolve fact-to-fact joins
• Create a consolidated modeling layer for presentation purposes
• Consolidate snowflake dimensions with model query subjects
• Simplify facts by hiding unnecessary codes

Calculations and Filters

• Use calculations to create commonly-needed query items for authors
• Use static filters to reduce the data returned
• Use macros and parameters in calculations and filters to dynamically control the data returned

Implementing a Time Dimension

• Make time-based queries simple to author by implementing a time dimension
• Resolve confusion caused by multiple relationships between a time dimension and another table

Specifying Determinants

• Use determinants to specify multiple levels of granularity and prevent double-counting

Creating the Presentation View

• Identify the dimensions associated with a fact table
• Identify conformed vs. non-conformed dimensions
• Create star schema groupings to provide authors with logical groupings of query subjects
• Rapidly create a model using the Model Design Accelerator

Creating Analysis Objects

• Apply dimensional information to relational metadata to enable OLAP-style queries
• Sort members for presentation and predictability
• Define members and member unique names
• Identify changes that impact a MUN

Introduction to the Reporting Application

• Examine Report Studio and its interface
• Explore different report types
• Create a simple, sorted, and formatted report
• Explore how data items are added to queries

Create List Reports

• Group, format, and sort list reports
• Describe options for aggregating data
• Create a multi-fact query
• Create a report with repeated data

Focus Reports Using Filters

• Create filters to narrow the focus of reports
• Examine detail filters and summary filters
• Determine when to apply filters on aggregate data

Create Crosstab Reports

• Format and sort crosstab reports
• Create complex crosstabs using drag and drop functionality
• Create crosstabs using unrelated data items

Present Data Graphically

• Create charts containing peer and nested columns
• Present data using different chart type options
• Add context to charts
• Create and reuse custom chart palettes
• Introduction to visualization
• Present key data in a single dashboard report

Focus Reports Using Prompts

• Identify various prompt types
• Use parameters and prompts to focus data
• Search for prompt types
• Navigate between pages

Extend Reports Using Calculations

• Create calculations based on data in the data source
• Add run-time information to the reports
• Create expressions using functions

Customize with Conditional Formatting

• Create multi-lingual reports
• Highlight exceptional data
• Show and hide data
• Conditionally render objects in reports
• Conditionally format one crosstab measure based on another

Drill-Through from One Report to Another

• Let users navigate from a specific report to a target report
• Pass parameter values to filter the data in drill-through targets
• Navigate through multiple reports

Create a Report Using Relational Data

• Describe relational data
• Choose a report format
• Build a report
• Use available query items
• Use calculated query items

Introduction to IBM Cognos BI Administration

• A brief overview of IBM Cognos BI
• The role of the Administrator in relation to the
• IBM Cognos BI administration workflow process
• The role of IBM Cognos Administration and IBM Cognos Configuration

Identify IBM Cognos Architecture

• The features of the IBM Cognos BI architecture
• The three architectural tiers
• IBM Cognos BI servlets and services
• The default servlet container and alternatives to its use
• Example: IBM Cognos BI request processing
• Examine the log server
• Performance planning
• Installation planning and options
• Load balancing mechanisms
• Request affinity
• Configuration options
• The IBM Cognos Application Firewall

Secure the IBM Cognos BI Environment

• Identify the IBM Cognos BI security model
• Define authentication and authorization in IBM Cognos BI
• Identify security policies
• Secure the IBM Cognos BI environment

Manage Run Activities

• Manage current, upcoming and past activities
• Manage schedules
• Enable and disable schedules
• Set queue priority for schedules
• Suspend a schedule until a later time

Manage Content in IBM Cognos Administration

• Add a data source
• Distribute data and create a distribution list
• Populate the visualization library
• Plan a deployment
• Create deployment folders
• Export and import entries
• Identify how to maintain the IBM Cognos BI content store
• Configure saving content
• Customize the appearance of IBM Cognos BI using styles
• Use portlets to display custom Web content

eLearning

• IBM Cognos for Microsoft Office: Integrate with Microsoft Office (v10.1/10.2) (B5130G)
• IBM Cognos BI Event Studio: Create and Manage Agents (v8.4/10.1) (B5131G)
• IBM Cognos Transformer: Create PowerCubes (v10.1) - recording (B5169G)
• IBM Cognos Workspace Advanced: Introduction (v10.2.2) (B5A83G)
• IBM Cognos Workspace Advanced: Intermediate (v10.2.2) (B5A84G)
• IBM Cognos BI for Consumers (v10.2.2) (B5A88G)
• IBM Cognos Workspace: Create Workspaces (v10.2.2) (B5A17G)

Prior to enrolling, IBM Employees must follow their Division/Department processes to obtain approval to attend this public training class. Failure to follow Division/Department approval processes may result in the IBM Employee being personally responsible for the class charges.

GBS practitioners that use the EViTA system for requesting external training should use that same process for this course. Go to the EViTA site to start this process: http://w3.ibm.com/services/gbs/evita/BCSVTEnrl.nsf

Once you enroll in a GTP class, you will receive a confirmation letter that should show:

• The current GTP list price
• The 20% discounted price is available to IBMers for GTP delivered courses only. This is the price you will be invoiced for the class.