IBM Cognos Transformer: Design OLAP Models (V10.2)

Course Outline

Overview of IBM Cognos BI

• Discuss IBM Cognos and Performance Management
• Describe IBM Cognos BI components
• Explain how to extend IBM Cognos BI

Transformer Fundamentals

• Discuss the basics of OLAP analysis
• Review Transformer capabilities and its role in IBM Cognos 8 BI
• Discuss Transformer components
• Define categories and members

The Transformer Development Process

• Describe the purpose of a model plan
• Match business requirements to the model
• Discuss an approach for creating a model plan

Data sources in Transformer

• Discuss the types of data used by Transformer
• Create data source files and define properties
• Preview source data and SQL
• Add IBM Cognos data sources to the model
• Discuss data filtering

Building a Model

• Create model structures and modify property sheets
• Confirm the data source origin
• Generate categories to populate the model
• Modify the model using the dimension diagram
• Verify the model and create a PowerCube
• Publish as a data source and package

Considerations for Designing Successful PowerCubes

• Describe model types and data entities
• Define members and member unique names
• Address changes that Impact a MUN
• Discuss when category codes can change

The Time Dimension

• Define a regular time dimension
• Examine standard and nonstandard time dimensions
• Limit the range of valid dates

Relative Time

• Compare trends over time
• Set the current period
• Create relative time categories
• Customize relative time categories

Use Multiple Data Sources

• Discuss the use of multiple data sources
• Plan the data sources
• Define data source types
• Uniqueness

• Identify and resolve conflicts between data sources
• Validate a multiple data source model
• Discuss a unique move

Working with Measures

• Discuss the purpose and uses of measures
• Describe regular and calculated measures
• Set measure properties
• Compare rollup options
• Create a calculated measure
• Create calculations before or after rollups
• Create a category count

Allocated Measures

• Discuss measure allocation
• Allocate measures as a constant and by another measure
• Check measure distribution

Currency Conversion

• Apply and use currency conversion techniques

Alternate Hierarchies within a Dimension

• Discuss primary and alternate hierarchies
• Describe the benefits of alternate hierarchies
• Create an alternate drill-down path
• Define convergence levels and identify uniqueness issues

Advanced Dimensional Modeling

• Discuss techniques for customizing dimensions
• Add a new source level to an existing dimension
• Create a manual level in a dimension
• Create orphan categories
• Modify a dimension using a subdimension
• Create a special category
• Create a scenario dimension
• Use calculated columns and categories

Customize Cube Content

• Create various types of PowerCubes
• Omit dimensions and exclude measures
• Create and apply dimension views

Examine IBM Cognos Security

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

Applying Security

• Review model security
• Create custom views
• Assign security to custom views
• Assign custom views to PowerCubes
• Combine custom views with dimension views
• Examine a union of custom views

Maintain Models and PowerCubes

• Maintain models and PowerCubes
• Understand data source, model, cube updates
• Synchronize the model and data source
• Incrementally update PowerCubes
• Copy and activate a newer version of the PowerCube without affecting users

Considerations for Drill Through

• Identify conformed values between data sources
• Discuss using drill through in IBM Cognos BI
• Define a report drill through
• Define a package-based drill through
• Identify drill-through values
• Discuss modeling recommendations

Optimize PowerCubes

• Examine cube groups
• Plan for disk space
• Optimize PowerCube inputs and outputs
• Determine factors that affect PowerCube build time and user response time

Partition PowerCubes

• Identify the pros and cons
• Develop a partitioning strategy
• Create a time-based partitioned cube
• Automatic vs. manual partitioning
• Understand multi-file PowerCubes