Saturday, October 22, 2011

How to find the Java version that is being used by IBM Cognos?

While configuring IBM Cognos, using an incompatible Java version is a very common mistake. An incompatible Java version will not allow to IBM Cognos to function correctly. Most of the time the users are not sure what is the Java version that they are using:

Here are three ways with which you can find the versions of the Java that Cognos is using:

Method 1 - Using Command:

If you are aware of the Java home directory that is being used use the command "java -version" to find the exact version for Java.



Method 2 - From Cognos Configuration:
a. Open Cognos Configuration
b. Press Ctrl+F3



Method 3 - From Logs:

a. Open the file cbs_cnfgtest_run.log file under logs directory.
b. Look for the entries: java_vendor, java_version



Once you know the Java version you can always check if that version is supported by version of Cognos that you are using:

IBM Cognos 8.4.1 Supported Environments -
https://www-304.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27017522#java

IBM Cognos 10.1 Supported Environments -
https://www-304.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27019126#java_runtime

Two Cognos 10 Cookbooks that you cannot afford to miss

A deeper look at DQM:
IBM Cognos 10 Dynamic Query Cookbook -
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/data/library/cognos/infrastructure/cognos_specific/page529.html

A must read for Active Reports:
IBM Cognos Active Report 10.1.1 Cookbook -
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/data/library/cognos/reporting/active_report/page593.html?ca=drs-

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Take your big Business Decisions with IBM Big Data

Everyday the amout of data that generated all over the world is simply huge. This data comes from everywhere - from the invoices of airline reservation to the data collected by switches used in telecommunication industry. This data is termed as big data.

Big Data is generally governed by 3 Vs.
1. Variety   - Structured and unstructured data, data of all varieties.
2. Velocity - Real-time, time-sensitive data
3. Volume - Large data: terabytes and petabytes of information

These three parameters make Big data a herculean task; it is an opportunity to find insight in new and emerging types of data, to make your business more agile, and to answer questions that, in the past, were beyond reach.

If you are keen on seeing industry leading solutions with Big data, attend the Big Data and Infosphere Streams - Are you future ready? session in IBM Software Universe 2011. Here are the details of the session: http://www-07.ibm.com/events/in/softwareuniverse/information_analytics.html

More on Big data: http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/bigdata/

Cognos 10 and FileNet integration

With the new release of Cognos 10.1.1, FileNet can now be integrated with Cognos 10. This was not supported in earlier versions.

There is nothing additional required other than having a suitable FileNet environment running.

The following documentation links contain the steps for integration:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/casemgmt/v5r0m0/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.ibm.casemgmt.installing.doc%2Facmcp017.htm

http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/p8docs/v5r0m0/topic/com.ibm.p8.installingpa.doc/bpmia020.htm

To realize the full power of IBM Cognos 10 BI, attend the hands on demos on Cognos in IBM Software Universe 2011. For the details of the available sessions, please refer the following link:
http://www-07.ibm.com/events/in/softwareuniverse/information_analytics.html

IBM Cognos Mobile and iPad

With the recent release of IBM Cognos 10.1.1, IBM Cognos now supports Apple iPad as well. Cognos Mobile users can now access and interact with all of the rich reports and dashboards that they need to make the smartest and quickest business decisions, all on Apple iPad.

With this new feature, users can instantly access Cognos Business Intelligence on Apple iPads with either a native application that can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or a web application (no installation necessary) - or on iPhone using a web application. Users can easily uncover meaningful insights using the same intuitive Apple multi-touch techniques used for everything so the end useers have virtually no learning curve. If users have Cognos Mobile on their iPads, they can even access content when they are disconnected.

The information/content is safe and protected with a combination of Apple and Cognos Business Intelligence security.

If you are keen on seeing industry leading solutions with Cognos Mobile, attend the BI on the Go session in IBM Software Universe 2011. Here are the details of the session: http://www-07.ibm.com/events/in/softwareuniverse/information_analytics.html

Few more articles on Cognos Mobile and iPad:
IBM Cognos Mobile
IBM Cognos 10 Mobile on the iPad
Mobile BI – Cognos 10 on the iPhone

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

IBM SWU 2011 - Where do you get the updates?

All the ongoing updates on IBM SWU 2011 can be found @ IBM Software Universe India blog.

If you are socially inclined, follow the Twitter ID : @ibmsoftware_in and tweet with the event hashtag: #ibmswuin.

Retail Banking and Business Intelligence

The financial enterprises have very less time in implementing software to achieve value and ROI. In Retail Banking, the business requirements are to drive revenue, increase operational efficiency, manage risk and retain the most valuable customers.

Go through the following Performance Blueprints offered by IBM which combine the power of IBM Cognos 8 BI for reporting, analysis, scorecards and more.

Retail Branch Banking Performance:
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/uk/data/cognos/solutions/banking/retail-branch-performance.html

Retail Banking Customer Segment:
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/analytics/banking/retail-banking-customer-segment.html

To see the complete Cognos solutions for retail banking, attend the IBM Software Universe 2011 event which includes a session on Retail Banking Analytics.