TOPICS

Course Outline
1. Overview of IBM Cognos BI
Discuss IBM Cognos and Performance Management
Describe IBM Cognos components
Describe IBM Cognos architecture at a high level
Define IBM Cognos groups and roles
Explain how to extend IBM Cognos
2. Identify Common Data Structures
Examine the characteristics of operational databases and databases designed for reporting
Examine relationships and cardinality
Identify different data traps
Examine dimensional data sources
3. Gather Requirements
Examine key modeling recommendations
Define reporting requirements
Explore data sources to identify data access strategies
4. Create a Baseline Project
Examine the IBM Cognos BI 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
5. Prepare Reusable Metadata
Identify facts and dimensions
Examine relationships, and data traps
Verify relationships and query item properties
Ensure efficient filters by configuring prompt properties
6. Model for Predictable Results: Identify Reporting Issues
Describe multi-fact queries and when full outer joins are appropriate
Describe how IBM Cognos BI uses cardinality
Identify reporting traps
Use tools to analyze the model
7. Model for Predictable Results: Virtual Star Schemas
Identify the advantages of modeling metadata as a star schema
Model in layers
Create aliases to avoid ambiguous joins
Merge query subjects to create as view behavior
8. 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
9. 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
10. Implement 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
11. Specify Determinants
Use determinants to specify multiple levels of granularity and prevent double-counting
12. Create 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
13. Work with Different Query Subject Types
Identify key differences and recommendations for using data source, model, and stored procedure query subjects
Identify the effects on generated SQL when modifying query subjects, SQL settings and relationships
14. Set Security in Framework Manager
Examine the IBM Cognos BI security environment
Restrict access to packages
Create and apply security filters
Restrict access to objects in the model
15. Create Analysis Objects
Apply dimensional information to relational Metadata to enable OLAP-style queries
Define members and member unique names
Identify changes that impact a MUN
Sort members for presentation and predictability
16. Manage OLAP Data Sources
Connect to an OLAP data source (cube) in a Framework Manager project
Publish an OLAP model
Publish a model with multiple OLAP data sources
Publish a model with an OLAP data source and a relational data source
17. Advanced Generated SQL Concepts and Complex Queries
Governors that affect SQL generation
Stitch query SQL
Conformed and non-conformed dimensions in generated SQL
Multi-fact/multi-grain stitch query SQL
Variances in Report Studio generated SQL
Dimensionally modeled relational SQL generation
Cross join SQL
Various results sets for multi-fact queries
18. Use Advanced Parameterization Techniques in Framework Manger
Identify environment and model session parameters
Leverage session, model, and custom parameters
Create prompt macros
Leverage macro functions associated with security
19. Model Maintenance and Extensibility
Perform basic maintenance and management on a model
Remap metadata to another source
Import and link a second data source
Run scripts to automate or update a model
Create a model report
20. Optimize and Tune Framework Manager Models
Identify and implement techniques to optimize and tune your Framework Manager models
Use Dynamic Query Mode in Framework Manager
21. Work in a Multi-Modeler Environment
Segment and link a project
Branch a project and merge results
22. Manage Framework Manager Packages
Specify package languages and function sets
Control model versioning
Nest packages
23. Appendix A: Employ Additional Modeling Techniques
Leverage a user defined function
Set the order of operations in a model calculation
Externalize query subjects
Prepare IBM Cognos 10 content for use as a data source in Transformer
Create query sets
Use external source control through Windows Explorer
24. Appendix B: Model Multilingual Metadata
Customize metadata for a multilingual audience
25. Appendix C: Additional Resources
Links to sites where the customer can find more information about course-related material.