Differences between Fact Table and Dimension Table

A reality or fact table’s record could be a combination of attributes from totally

different dimension tables. The Fact Table or Reality Table helps the user to
investigate the business dimensions that helps him in call taking to enhance his
business.
On the opposite hand, Dimension Tables facilitate the reality table or fact table to
gather dimensions on that the measures needs to be taken.
The main difference between fact table or reality table and the Dimension table is
that dimension table contains attributes on that measures are taken actually table.

Difference between Fact Table and Dimension Table:

[Link] Fact Table Dimension Table

Fact table contains the

Dimension table contains the attributes
1. measuring of the attributes of a
on that truth table calculates the metric.
dimension table.

In fact table, There is less

While in dimension table, There is more
2. attributes than dimension
attributes than fact table.
table.

1
[Link] Fact Table Dimension Table

In fact table, There is more While in dimension table, There is less

3.
records than dimension table. records than fact table.

While dimension table forms a horizontal

4. Fact table forms a vertical table.
table.

The attribute format of fact

While the attribute format of dimension
5. table is in numerical format and
table is in text format.
text format.

6. It comes after dimension table. While it comes before fact table.

The number of fact table is less

While the number of dimension is more
7. than dimension table in a
than fact table in a schema.
schema.

While the main task of dimension table is

It is used for analysis purpose
8. to store the information about a business
and decision making.
and its process.

What is a Star Schema?

Star Schema in data warehouse, in which the center of the star can have one fact table
and a number of associated dimension tables. It is known as star schema as its
structure resembles a star. The Star Schema data model is the simplest type of Data
Warehouse schema. It is also known as Star Join Schema and is optimized for querying
large data sets.
In the following Star Schema example, the fact table is at the center which contains
keys to every dimension table like Dealer_ID, Model ID, Date_ID, Product_ID,
Branch_ID & other attributes like Units sold and revenue.

2
Example of Star Schema Diagram

What is a Snowflake Schema?

Snowflake Schema in data warehouse is a logical arrangement of tables in a
multidimensional database such that the ER diagram resembles a snowflake shape. A
Snowflake Schema is an extension of a Star Schema, and it adds additional
dimensions. The dimension tables are normalized which splits data into additional
tables.
In the following Snowflake Schema example, Country is further normalized into an
individual table.

3
Example of Snowflake Schema
Difference between Star Schema and Snowflake Schema
Following is a key difference between Snowflake schema vs Star schema:
Star Schema Snowflake Schema
Hierarchies for the dimensions are stored
Hierarchies are divided into separate tables.
in the dimensional table.
One fact table surrounded by dimension
It contains a fact table surrounded by
table which are in turn surrounded by
dimension tables.
dimension table
In a star schema, only single join creates
A snowflake schema requires many joins to
the relationship between the fact table and
fetch the data.
any dimension tables.
Simple DB Design. Very Complex DB Design.
Denormalized Data structure and query
Normalized Data Structure.
also run faster.
High level of Data redundancy Very low-level data redundancy
Single Dimension table contains
Data Split into different Dimension Tables.
aggregated data.
Cube processing might be slow because of
Cube processing is faster.
the complex join.
Offers higher performing queries using
The Snowflake schema is represented by
Star Join Query Optimization.
centralized fact table which unlikely
Tables may be connected with multiple
connected with multiple dimensions.
dimensions.

What is a Business Report?

4
A business report is a bunch of facts written in a systematic way related to a specific
business matter as per a set of standard protocols. It helps concerned stakeholders to
get a thorough knowledge of the problems and how to overcome the problem.
Business reports are about showcasing a set of business-related information like facts,
analysis, figures, and such. The objective of business reports is to give the information
in an organized manner which helps to make major decisions and plan for the future.
Reports help businesses plan budgets and decide on promotions and advertisements
based on the drafted information.
When there are different types of business reports, formatting is a concern to draft a
report that makes it easy for the stakeholders to instantly read through the data
without missing out on anything.

5 Main Types of Business Reporting

Some entrepreneurs may like to do a business daily report to keep tabs on everything
that’s happening on a daily basis. While that may be a useful tool in some situations,
if you are doing such a report daily, it is probably not worth the time to go super in-
depth. You also may not uncover any significant trends if you are looking at changes
on a daily basis, so you may want to also review them on a weekly or monthly
basis to see if you can spot any useful data.
When it comes to more in-depth reports, there are 5 main types of business reporting:
Research Report
Research reports are very important when a business is considering entering a new
geographical market or launching a new product. This type of business reporting
includes statistics and details about the new location or target audience for a new
product. Most companies will hire a market research analysis firm to create this
type of report. Based on the information provided, a better decision can be made as
to whether and how to go forward with the new market, launch or other plan.
Analytical Report
There are a few different types of analytical business reports, and they tend to be
used when deep analysis is needed in order to make a critical decision.
Both qualitative and quantitative data are used to analyze the current situation and
try to predict the outcome of making potential changes. Tools that offer analytics
dashboards are helpful in producing analytical business reports. Two key types of
analytical reports are financial analysis and market analysis:
Financial Analysis
Companies often produce financial analysis reports on a regular basis to make sure
they are on the right track in terms of their revenue and profit projections. The reports
will flag any major deviances from the forecasts and data can help to explain why
these variations have occurred.
Market Analysis
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Market analysis is used to help companies understand what the market for their
particular product looks like in broad terms and what is trending. If, for example,
market analysis predicts that the market is going to grow, a company may allocate
more resources to their marketing budget in order to attract a bigger piece of the
growing pie of potential customers.
Performance Report
A key use of business reporting is to track KPIs and make sure that things are going
according to plan and that the company is performing as expected. Performance
reports can show performance across various timeframes so that any significant
variances can be flagged and investigated.
Operational Report
One type of performance report is an operational report that can help identify
inefficiencies in the way a company is conducting its day-to-day operations.
Inventory Report
No business wants to get caught in a situation where a customer is placing an order
and there is no inventory available to fulfill the order. Regular inventory reports
provide an up-to-date picture of what’s in stock and what needs to be
ordered. Keeping track of inventory can also reveal trends such as which products are
popular and which sit on the shelves for long periods of time with no sales. Many
inventory reports use industry benchmarks as comparisons so that any company can
see where it stacks up against its competitors.
Trend Report
Analysis of statistical trends regarding consumer behavior and growing demographic
groups can really help with business development and choosing the areas in which
to focus growth. A trend report provides this information, looking at the recent trends
in any area of particular interest and relevance to the business. Staying on top of
emerging trends is a good way to keep one step ahead of competitors.

Benefits of Business Reports

There are many benefits to business reporting that go beyond the useful insights that
can be gleaned and the significant business results that can be realized. Some of
the key benefits include:
 Assessment of top risks and opportunities - business reporting can help you
get a much better and deeper understanding of all of the risks and potential
growth opportunities that are open to your business. With all of the
information laid out clearly in front of you, making decisions becomes much
easier.
 Identification of trends - comparing your business against competitors or
industry standards can help you identify trends that you might otherwise have

6
 missed. You might realize that you are underperforming in a particular area
and can then determine action steps to beef up your performance.
 Support of management - for those who work in larger companies, presenting
a business report is a good way to get support for your ideas from management.
Presenting an in-depth analysis and conclusions backed by data will shore up
your recommendations and help to get approval from management so that
critical changes can be implemented quickly.
 Efficiency - strong, useful business reporting is a huge time-saver in
identifying the bottlenecks and issues that are holding back a company from
working at peak efficiency.
 Accuracy - it’s easy enough to make broad statements about what needs to be
done to improve a company’s bottom line. But it’s much more impactful when
these statements can be backed up with data that prove their accuracy. Business
reporting - especially when using data collection and analysis tools - can easily
provide this accuracy in a concise way.
 Engagement - if you need to make a presentation to investors or otherwise
present information about your company, having some existing business
reports can help you tell an engaging and compelling story.

IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Modules, Features and Capabilities

Review and Analysis

IBM Cognos Business Intelligence is a comprehensive enterprise analytics solution

designed for organizations of various sizes, spanning from midsize to large-scale
enterprises, targeting industries such as retail, healthcare, financial services,
manufacturing, and the public sector. The solution can be deployed on-premise, in the
cloud, or in a hybrid environment and offers a variety of pricing models. IBM Cognos
BI provides support in multiple languages, laying emphasis on capabilities such as
self-service analytics, predictive analytics, data discovery, and visualization. By
leveraging our 30 years of hands-on experience, Technology Evaluation Centers has
helped thousands of organizations in their software selection process, bringing the
following key benefits of IBM Cognos Business Intelligence to the forefront:
Key Strength Business Benefits
Advanced Self-Service Empowers business users to independently explore data,
Analytics create reports, and discover insights without relying on
IT personnel.
Powerful Data Provides easy-to-use tools for exploring and visualizing
Discovery and complex data sets, facilitating better decision-making
Visualization and business performance.

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 Robust Predictive Enables organizations to identify trends, patterns, and
Analytics Capabilities potential risks by analyzing historical and real-time data.
Scalable Deployment Supports on-premise, cloud, and hybrid deployments,
Options allowing businesses to choose the best-suited model for
their specific needs.
Comprehensive Facilitates communication and collaboration across
Language Support global teams, enhancing overall organizational
efficiency.
For a full, in-depth analysis of IBM Cognos Business Intelligence, we invite our
readers to download the complete report.

Data Visualization
Brief History of Data Visualization
It has a long and rich history dating back to ancient times. One of the earliest data
visualization dashboard examples is the use of pictographs, which were used by
ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Incas to record data on
everything from food supplies to astronomical events.
In the modern era, the field of data visualization began to take shape in the 18th and
19th centuries, with the development of techniques such as statistical charts and
graphs. One of the pioneers of this field was William Playfair, a Scottish engineer who
developed the line chart, bar chart, and pie chart in the late 18th century.
In the 20th century, the advent of computer technology enabled the creation of more
sophisticated and complex visualizations. In the 1960s, the field of computer graphics
began to emerge, and researchers developed new techniques such as vector graphics,
which enabled the creation of high-quality, scalable images.
Today, it is a rapidly growing field, driven by advances in computer technology and
the increasing availability of large, complex data sets. From interactive dashboards to
3D visualizations, it is an essential tool for analysts, researchers, and decision-makers
across a wide range of industries and disciplines.
Let’s dive deeper into what is Data visualization and Analytics and how you can
leverage it for business growth.

What Data Visualization & Analytics Mean for Businesses?

8
Data visualization and Analytics are two closely related concepts that are often used
together to gain insights from data.
It refers to the process of creating visual representations of data to help people better
understand and interpret the information presented. By displaying data in a visual
format, patterns, trends, and relationships can be quickly and easily identified, allowing
for insights and conclusions to be drawn that may not have been apparent otherwise. A
few examples of it include charts, graphs, maps, and other graphical representations of
data.
Data analytics, on the other hand, refers to the process of examining large data sets to
uncover patterns, trends, and insights that can be used to inform decision-making. Data
analytics involves a range of techniques and methods, including statistical analysis, data
mining, machine learning, and predictive modelling, among others.
In the business world, data visualization and analytics are often used together to help
people understand and make sense of large and complex data sets. It helps to make
patterns and trends more visible, while data analytics can help to uncover the underlying
causes, business challenges, and relationships that drive those patterns and trends.
Together, these two approaches can provide powerful tools for understanding and
leveraging data to drive business and other types of decision-making.

9
What Are the Various Types of Data Visualization?

There is a wide array of data visualization tools, and the choice of visualization
depends on the type of data, the insights you want to gain, and the audience you are
trying to communicate with. Here are some of the most common types of data
visualization:
 Bar Charts: These charts help to compare discrete categories of data, typically
represented as rectangular bars.
 Line Charts: It helps track changes over time, with data points connected by a
line.
 Pie Charts: These are used to show how a whole is divided into parts, with
each part represented as a slice of the pie.
 Scatter Plots: It helps to show the relationship between two variables, with each
data point represented as a dot.
 Heat Maps: These maps are used to show the distribution of values across a
two-dimensional area, typically represented by color.
 Tree Maps: It helps to show hierarchical data, with the size of each rectangle
representing a different value.
 Network Graphs: These graphs help to show relationships between nodes,
typically represented as circles, with lines connecting the nodes to show the
connections.

10
  Geographic Maps: These maps are used to show data in a geographic context,
typically using colors or symbols to represent data points on a map.
These are just a few examples of the many types of data visualization available today
in the business world. However, the key is to choose the visualization that best
represents the data and insights that you want to communicate, while also considering
the preferences and needs of your target audience.
Therefore, consult with the best professionals in town who can guide you with their
hands-on experience with data visualization solutions, and mark your data in a
visually appealing manner for your audience to connect with your brand seamlessly.

What Is the Significance of Data Visualization?

It is significant because it helps people make sense of large, complex data sets,
facilitates informed decision-making, enhances communication, increases efficiency,
and promotes innovation. Some of the significant benefits are listed below:
1. Helps in understanding complex data: It provides a way to understand large,
complex data sets by transforming them into visual representations, such as
graphs, charts, or maps. These visualizations allow people to identify patterns
and relationships that might not be apparent from raw data.
2. Facilitates decision-making: With visualizations, it gets easier for decision-
makers to see trends and patterns, helping them to make informed decisions
based on data-driven insights.
3. Enhances communication: It enable people to communicate complex data to
others more effectively. By presenting data in a visual format, people can easily
convey information to others who may not be familiar with the details of the
data.
4. Increases efficiency: By making it easier to understand and interpret data, it
can save time and increase efficiency. Business decision-makers can quickly
11
 identify relevant information and take their decisions faster than they could by
poring over spreadsheets or other data formats.
5. Promotes innovation: Above all, visualizing data can help uncover new
insights and connections, which can lead to innovative solutions and new
opportunities for growth.
What Is the Process of Data Visualization?

If you’re wondering how to get started with it, and how you can get benefit from it,
here is a quick work process to navigate the starting point. However, to avoid all the
hassles, you can opt to hire data analysts from a trusted, and well-renowned
organization like ours.
Here is the work process, which typically involves the following steps:
Identifying the objective:
Determine the purpose of the visualization and what you want to communicate to the
audience. Is it to show trends, patterns, or comparisons?
Data collection and data cleaning:
Collect relevant data from various sources and clean it to remove any errors,
inconsistencies, or missing values. This step is important to ensure that the visualization
accurately represents the data.
Choose the right visualization tool:
Select a visualization tool or software that can best represent the data based on the
objective and the type of data you have. There are many types of visualization tools
available, such as charts, graphs, maps, and dashboards.
Choose the right chart type:
Choose the chart type that best represents the data and supports the objective. For
example, if you want to show a comparison of values, a bar chart may be more
appropriate than a line chart.
Design the visualization:
Once you have chosen the visualization tool and chart type, design the visualization.
It involves selecting the color scheme, font, and other design elements to make the
visualization aesthetically pleasing and easy to understand.

12
Test and refine the visualization:
Test the visualization with a small audience to ensure that it effectively communicates
the objective and is easy to understand. Adjust as needed.
Publish and share the visualization:
Publish the visualization in a format that can be easily shared with the target audience,
such as a report, webpage, or presentation.
What are the Advantages and Disadvantages?
Advantages:
1. Clarity and simplicity: It provides a clear and concise way to represent
complex data. It simplifies the data and makes it easier to understand.
2. Identification of patterns and trends: They helps in identifying patterns and
trends that may not be apparent from raw data. It provides insights that can
help in making better decisions.
3. Better communication: Visual representations of data are easier to understand
and communicate to others. This can help in conveying information to
stakeholders and decision-makers in a more effective way.
4. Exploration of data: Allow users to explore data and uncover insights that may
not be immediately apparent.
5. Increased efficiency: It allows for faster data analysis and decision-making. It
saves time and resources by presenting information in a more accessible and
understandable way.
Disadvantages:
1. Misrepresentation of data: It can be misleading if the designer is not careful.
The use of inappropriate charts or manipulation of data can lead to
misinterpretation of the data.
2. Over-simplification of complex data: It may oversimplify complex data,
leading to a loss of detail and nuance. This can result in a lack of understanding
of the true complexity of the data.
3. Biased representation: They can be biased based on the designer’s preferences
and assumptions. This can lead to a biased representation of the data.
4. Limited by technology: Some tools may have limitations in terms of the types
of data they can handle or the complexity of the visualization.
5. Limited interpretation: It can only show what is in the data and cannot provide
explanations or interpretations of the data. It is up to the user to interpret and
analyze the data.

Business Performance Measures: Balance Score Card Method

The balanced scorecard includes financial measures that tell the results of actions
already taken. And it complements the financial measures with operational measures
on customer satisfaction, internal processes, and the organization’s innovation and

13
improvement activities—operational measures that are the drivers of future financial
performance.
Think of the balanced scorecard as the dials and indicators in an airplane cockpit. For
the complex task of navigating and flying an airplane, pilots need detailed information
about many aspects of the flight. They need information on fuel, air speed, altitude,
bearing, destination, and other indicators that summarize the current and predicted
environment. Reliance on one instrument can be fatal. Similarly, the complexity of
managing an organization today requires that managers be able to view performance
in several areas simultaneously.
The balanced scorecard allows managers to look at the business from four important
perspectives. (See the exhibit “The Balanced Scorecard Links Performance
Measures.”) It provides answers to four basic questions:

The Balanced Scorecard Links Performance Measures

 How do customers see us? (customer perspective)
 What must we excel at? (internal perspective)
 Can we continue to improve and create value? (innovation and learning perspective)
 How do we look to shareholders? (financial perspective)
While giving senior managers information from four different perspectives, the
balanced scorecard minimizes information overload by limiting the number of

14
measures used. Companies rarely suffer from having too few measures. More
commonly, they keep adding new measures whenever an employee or a consultant
makes a worthwhile suggestion. One manager described the proliferation of new
measures at his company as its “kill another tree program.” The balanced scorecard
forces managers to focus on the handful of measures that are most critical.
Several companies have already adopted the balanced scorecard. Their early
experiences using the scorecard have demonstrated that it meets several managerial
needs. First, the scorecard brings together, in a single management report, many of
the seemingly disparate elements of a company’s competitive agenda: becoming
customer oriented, shortening response time, improving quality, emphasizing
teamwork, reducing new product launch times, and managing for the long term.
Second, the scorecard guards against suboptimization. By forcing senior managers to
consider all the important operational measures together, the balanced scorecard lets
them see whether improvement in one area may have been achieved at the expense of
another. Even the best objective can be achieved badly. Companies can reduce time to
market, for example, in two very different ways: by improving the management of
new product introductions or by releasing only products that are incrementally
different from existing products. Spending on setups can be cut either by reducing
setup times or by increasing batch sizes. Similarly, production output and first-pass
yields can rise, but the increases may be due to a shift in the product mix to more
standard, easy-to-produce but lower-margin products.
We will illustrate how companies can create their own balanced scorecard with the
experiences of one semiconductor company—let’s call it Electronic Circuits Inc. ECI
saw the scorecard as a way to clarify, simplify, and then operationalize the vision at
the top of the organization. The ECI scorecard was designed to focus the attention of
its top executives on a short list of critical indicators of current and future
performance.

Customer Perspective: How Do Customers See Us?

Many companies today have a corporate mission that focuses on the customer. “To be
number one in delivering value to customers” is a typical mission statement. How a
company is performing from its customers’ perspective has become, therefore, a
priority for top management. The balanced scorecard demands that managers
translate their general mission statement on customer service into specific measures
that reflect the factors that really matter to customers.
Customers’ concerns tend to fall into four categories: time, quality, performance and
service, and cost. Lead time measures the time required for the company to meet its
customers’ needs. For existing products, lead time can be measured from the time the
company receives an order to the time it actually delivers the product or service to the
customer. For new products, lead time represents the time to market, or how long it

15
takes to bring a new product from the product definition stage to the start of
shipments. Quality measures the defect level of incoming products as perceived and
measured by the customer. Quality could also measure on-time delivery, the accuracy
of the company’s delivery forecasts. The combination of performance and service
measures how the company’s products or services contribute to creating value for its
customers.

Summarized Features, Modules and Capabilities Review of IBM

Cognos Business Intelligence compared to Business Intelligence &
Data Analytics Market Average
In this detailed review, we will provide an extensive analysis of IBM Cognos Business
Intelligence's modules and compare the features and capabilities to the average
solution offered in the data analytics market. The comparison will be done on a
module-by-module basis, highlighting the key features and explaining how users are
applying them.
Reporting and Analysis: IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Is Better Than
Average
When comparing IBM Cognos Business Intelligence for reporting and analysis
features, it is evident that it excels in comparison to the market average. With support
for 393 out of 398 total features, it has a support rate of 98.13%, while the market
average is only 84.95%. We have complete data for this module, and there are no
unrated features in this comparison. Five essential features found in this module are
report customization, data visualization, dashboard creation, data filtering, and real-
time data access. These features support reporting and analytics processes,
empowering users to make better data-driven decisions. User reviews often
emphasize the value of IBM Cognos' robust and customizable reporting
functionalities.
Analytics: IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Is Significantly Above
Average
IBM Cognos Business Intelligence's analytics module performs exceptionally well
when compared to the market average. It supports 559 out of 569 total features (a
96.93% support rate), while the market average support rate is only 61.59%. There is
complete data for this module, with no unrated features. Key features included in this
module are predictive analytics, trend analysis, data mining, statistical analytics, and
scenario planning. The analytics module enhances business processes by providing
actionable insights and critical decision-making support. Users often highlight the
robust analytics capabilities of IBM Cognos that drive better results for their
businesses.

16
Data Warehousing: IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Is Slightly Better
Than Average
With a support rate of 97.32% (55 out of 56 total features), IBM Cognos Business
Intelligence's data warehousing module outperforms the market average of 84.25%.
We have complete data for this module, and there are no unrated features. Five vital
features found in the data warehousing module are data storage, data indexing, data
cleanup, data transformation, and real-time data synchronization. These features
streamline and automate data management tasks, enabling businesses to store and
access data quickly and efficiently. User reviews often point to the ability of IBM
Cognos to handle large and complex data sets with ease.
Workflow: IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Is Better Than Average
IBM Cognos Business Intelligence performs notably better than the market average in
the workflow module, supporting 123 out of 125 total features, or a 97.48% support
rate, compared to the market average of only 38.78%. There is complete data for this
module, with no unrated features. Key capabilities in this module include workflow
management, collaboration tools, role-based access control, approval processes, and
task delegation. These features enhance the efficiency of business processes and
enable effective communication and collaboration within the organization. User
reviews often note the well-structured and customizable workflow options provided
by IBM Cognos.
Data Integration: IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Is Above Average
IBM Cognos Business Intelligence's data integration module scores higher than the
market average, supporting 262 out of 273 total features (a 93.85% support rate) with
complete data and no unrated features. The market average's support rate is lower at
67.75%. The data integration module offers features such as data import/export, data
mapping, data transformation, scheduling and automation, and API integration.
These capabilities allow businesses to access, combine, and process data from multiple
sources without compromising data quality and integrity. Users often appreciate the
seamless data integration capabilities of IBM Cognos in streamlining their data
management tasks.
Support: IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Is Slightly Above Average
When comparing the support module of IBM Cognos Business Intelligence with the
market average, it is slightly above average. With support for 56 out of 67 total
features, the solution has a support rate of 83.51%, while the market average support
rate is 69.80%. We have comprehensive data for this module, with no unrated features.
Some critical support features include technical documentation, online resources, live
chat support, phone support, and training programs. These support features ensure
that users have access to reliable assistance and guidance when required. User reviews
highlight the quality of IBM Cognos' customer support, contributing to better user
experience.

17
Benefits of IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Features and Modules
List
Get our in Depth Features List Utilizing the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence
modules list, businesses can effectively evaluate the product's capabilities against
their organization's specific Business Intelligence & Data Analytics needs. By doing
so, organizations can easily:
 Identify and prioritize key functionality, saving weeks of extensive research.
 Gain insight into the strengths and weaknesses of IBM Cognos BI in the BI &
Data Analytics landscape.
 Determine whether IBM Cognos Business Intelligence should be further
evaluated, saving valuable time and effort.
 Discover new features, functions, and capabilities of Business Intelligence &
Data Analytics software or IBM Cognos Business Intelligence that may not
have been previously considered.

Choosing the Right Business Intelligence & Data Analytics Solution

IBM Cognos Business Intelligence offers a comprehensive range of BI & Data
Analytics capabilities designed for diverse industries and business sizes. However,
the best-suited solution for an organization can only be determined after a careful
evaluation of all the essential criteria and a comprehensive understanding of the
specific business requirements. Qualitative aspects such as usability, customer
support, training, and the vendor's corporate profile should also be considered to
ensure a perfect fit.
We encourage our readers to download the full report to access all the criteria and in-
depth data needed to make an informed software selection decision.

TEC's Software Evaluation & Selection Process

At Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC), our expert team guides customers through
each step of the software evaluation and selection process, utilizing the following TEC
Process Steps:
 Assess: Assess the client's business processes, goals, and identify their
functional requirements.
 Review: Review solutions and vendor capabilities.
 Identify: Identify the longlist and shortlist of solutions.
 Demonstration: Conduct scripted solution demonstrations.
 Proposal: Manage RFP distributions and proposal management.
 Reference: Evaluate references for vendors and partners.
 Contract: Review and negotiate contracts for cost savings and value
optimization.

18
  Implementation: Oversee implementation by vendors and partners to achieve
organizational goals and drive growth.
Leveraging our in-depth expertise in digital transformation and enterprise software
selection, we are prepared to assist organizations in finding the ideal solution for their
unique business needs. We invite you to get in touch with us to learn more about how
TEC can guide you through your software selection journey.

IBM Cognos 10.2 Architecture Overview

MadhesDWBI / October 20, 2018
IBM Cognos Business Intelligence is designed to address the challenges of enterprise
level reporting, analysis, scorecard and event notification.
IBM Cognos Business Intelligence has a multitiered architecture and was designed for
scalability, availability, openness and platform independent. Cognos servers are uses
industry proven technology, such as Extensible Markup Language (XML), Simple
Object Access Protocol (SOAP), and Web Services Definition Language (WSDL). For
this reason, IBM Cognos BI can integrate with and leverage your existing technology
infrastructure on multiple platforms.
IBM Cognos BI architecture has a common dispatcher and supports leading relational
databases as well as Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) and dimensionally
modeled relational cubes. Cognos BI architectures ensure dynamic load balancing and
provide failover recovery for continuous operation. It provides single point of web
based delegated administration and it is fully open to third party products custom
development.
IBM Cognos Data Manager
IBM Cognos BI also includes Data Manager and it is an ETL tool to extract data from
source systems and data files, transform the data, and load it into a data warehouse.
Multitiered Cognos BI Architecture:

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User Interface Applications:
Cognos has several Web / Windows based user interface applications and below has
the all the user interface applications.

The interfaces that are available to users depend on user permissions and on the IBM
Cognos BI packages that your organization purchased.
Tier-1: Web Server – IBM Cognos BI Gateways
IBM Cognos BI Web server tier contains one or more IBM Cognos BI gateways. Web
communication in IBM Cognos Business Intelligence is typically through gateways,
which reside on one or more Web servers. A gateway is an extension of a Web server
program that transfers information from the Web server to another server.
IBM Cognos BI supports several types of Web gateways, including
• ISAPI – ISAPI can be used for the Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)

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Web server. It delivers faster performance for IIS.
• Apache_mod – You can use an apache_mod gateway with the Apache Web server.
• Servlet – If Web server infrastructure supports servlets or you are using an
application server, you can use a servlet gateway.
• CGI – The default gateway, CGI can be used for all supported Web servers but
should not be used in a production environment.
Tier-2: Applications – IBM Cognos BI Servers
Applications tier contains one or more IBM Cognos BI servers. Cognos BI server also
renders the IBM
Cognos Connection and Metric Studio interfaces.
• Application Tier Components, which include a dispatcher, that operates services
and routes requests
• Content Manager, which manages IBM Cognos BI information
Tier-3: Data Tier – Content Providers
IBM Cognos BI data tier contains Content Store, Data Sources and Metric Store.
Content Store – The content store is a relational database that contains data that your
IBM Cognos BI product needs to operate (such as report specifications, published
models), the packages that contain the connection information for data sources;
information about the external namespace, and the Cognos namespace itself and
information about scheduling and bursting reports.
IBM Cognos Content Database is an instance of an Apache Derby database that can
be optionally installed and used as the default content store.
Data Sources – The data sources that can be accessed through IBM Cognos BI
include relational databases, dimensional or OLAP cubes, flat files, and other
physical data stores. Application Tier Components use data source connections to
access data sources.
IBM Cognos BI can be used with Enterprise Information Integration (EII) products
such as IBM Cognos BI Virtual View Manager.
Metric Store – A metric store is a relational database that contains content for metric
packages. A metric store also contains Metric Studio settings, such as user
preferences.
What is a Framework Manager?
IBM Cognos Framework Manager is used to create business model of metadata
derived from one or more data sources. It is a Windows based tool which is used to
publish the business models to Cognos BI in the form of packages which can be used
for analytical reporting and analysis.
Before you start a new project in Framework Manager, it is necessary that you go
through BI reporting requirements that helps you to identify data strategies, metadata,
report package delivery, etc. This helps you to identify which data sources are
required in the Framework Manager to get the required data in the BI report. You

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should consider the following factors before starting a new project in the Framework
manager.
 Data Sources required to meet BI needs.
 Types of DW system
 Data refresh in Data Warehouse
 BI Reporting- Daily, Weekly, or monthly.

Metadata Modeling

A Metadata model is defined as the collection of database objects (tables, columns and
relationship between objects) imported from the database. When you run the report,
metadata published in BI Cognos portal generates a SQL statement according to the
query.

The IBM Cognos Framework manager can hide the complexity of data in the data
source and also alter the way how data is shown to users. It provides a view that is
easy for BI users to understand and perform analysis and reporting.

IBM Cognos Framework Manager User Interface

The following screenshot shows the IBM Cognos BI Framework Manager User
Interface.

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Following are the various components of the above screenshot that are explained in
detail for better understanding −
 Project Viewer − This pane on left side allows you to access all the existing
projects in a tree format.
 Project Info − This is the center pane that is used to manage objects of an
existing project. This has three tabs: Explorer, Diagram and Dimension.
 Properties − This pane at the bottom is used to set the value of different
properties of an object in a project.
 Tools − This pane on the right side provides you various important useful
tools. You can perform a search, or display an object and its dependent objects,
changing project language, etc.

Cognos - Report Studio

Report Studio is a web-based tool that is used by report developers to create multi
pages, complex reports on top of multiple data sources. You can create sales reports,
inventory reports, account statements, balance sheets, etc.

How to Create a Report in Report Studio?

To create Reports in Report Studio, you should have a good understanding on user
interface. Report Studio user interface is divided into two parts −
 Explorer Bar on the Left Side.
 Work area for report design.

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The above screenshot has three major blocks, which are as follows −
 Insertable Object Pane − The Insertable Objects pane contains objects that you
can add to a report. These objects can be added by dragging them to the work
area. It can contain −
o Source tab (That contains item from the package).
o Data Items (Queries created in the report).
o Toolbox (different objects like graphics that can be added to the report)
 Properties Pane − The Properties pane lists the properties that you can set for
an object in a report. To get the help, select the property and use keyboard key
F1.
 Work Area − The work area is known as the area where the report is designed.

How to Open Report Studio?

On the home page, go to Launch → Report Studio → Select a Package or in the IBM
Cognos Welcome page, click on Author advanced reports to open Report Studio.

On the home screen of Report Studio, you have an option to create a new report or
open an existing report.

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You will be prompted to select the type of report you want to create. You have the
option to select different report types.

Cognos - Report Types

You can use different report types in the Cognos Query Studio to meet the business
requirements. You can create the following report types in the Query Studio −
List Reports − These reports are used to show your entire customer base as shown in
the following screenshot.

Crosstab Reports − These are used to show quantity sold with product and region on
different axis.
Charts − You can insert charts to show data graphically. You can combine a chart with
a Crosstab or also with a list report.

Cognos Data Sources

 IBM Db2 Data Sources
IBM Cognos Analytics supports Db2 data sources.

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 IBM Cognos Cubes
The IBM Cognos cubes that can be used as data sources in IBM Cognos
Analytics include IBM Cognos Planning Contributor and IBM Cognos
PowerCubes.
 Oracle Essbase Data Source
Before connecting to an Oracle Essbase data source, some configuration is
required if the data source uses scenario dimensions, hierarchies, or measures.
 IBM InfoSphere Warehouse Cubing Services
IBM Cognos software provides support for accessing the cubing services
technology of IBM InfoSphere® Warehouse for version 9.5.2 and greater. No
IBM Cognos components need to be installed on the cubing services server.
 Informix Data Sources
IBM Cognos software provides support for Informix® data sources.
 Microsoft Analysis Services Data Sources
IBM Cognos software supports connectivity to Microsoft Analysis Services
from a Microsoft Windows operating system platform.
 Microsoft SQL Server Data Sources
IBM Cognos software supports the following types of Microsoft SQL Server
data sources: ODBC, SQL 2012 Native Client, and SQL 2014 Native Client.
 ODBC Data Source Connections
IBM Cognos software supports ODBC data sources.
 Oracle Data Sources
IBM Cognos software supports Oracle data sources.
 External Repository data source connections
IBM Cognos software supports data source connections to external report
repositories. You use the Report Repository connection to connect to a file
system or an IBM FileNet® Content Manager repository.
 SAP Business Information Warehouse (SAP BW) Data Sources
IBM Cognos software supports access to SAP BW data sources.
 Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise Data Sources
IBM Cognos software supports Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise CT-15.
 TM1 Data Sources
IBM Cognos software provides support for accessing TM1® servers and
cubes.
 XML Data Sources
When you create an XML data source, you must use XML as the type of
connection and specify the location of the XML document in the connection
string.

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