IBM COGNOS

IBM Cognos is a self-service, web-based analytics platform which empowers users of all skill levels to
explore data through reporting, data analytics, KPI monitoring, events and metrics. Reports give users
the ability to not just visualize their insights, but also share them with colleagues. This enterprise
software provides various features to perform data aggregation and create user-friendly detailed
reports. Cognos also offers an option to export reports in XML or PDF format and view the reports in
XML format. Also provide a toolset for reporting, analytics, score carding, and monitoring of events and
metrics. It allows describing, summarizing, and comparing data and drawing conclusions of data analysis
in one organization. The software suite was designed to enable non-technical personnel in large
enterprises to extract corporate data, analyze them and then produce reports that would help the
business make informed decisions.

There advantages of Cognos Analytics which are

Stay in Control: Provide oversight over user data with built-in data management and data governance
features.

Flexible Deployment: Deploy either in the cloud or on-premise.

Mobile Sharing: Share data reports and monitor analytics via a mobile portal.

Out-of-the-Box Capabilities: Allow users to start analyzing almost instantly with numerous
preconfigured settings.

Visualization: Get automatic recommendations for the best visualizations for particular data templates.
Format reports quickly with styles.

As for the cost, a majority of users feel that its licensing models are restrictive, especially when
compared to other BI solutions; though the vendor seems to address pricing and ease of use with
version 11.1.3. In summary, Cognos Analytics is among the best BI solutions in the market today and
IBM, with its ear to the ground, is delivering enhanced data analysis and reporting capabilities at scale.

There are Key Features of IBM cognos BI

Components: Boost the feature set of the core platform with components that enhance data modeling,
visualization and analytics capabilities.

Powerful Reporting: Create detailed charts, graphs, maps, voiceovers and repeat functions with the
robust, professional reporting suite. Simplify reporting for non-technical users with express mode.

Web-based Interface: Access the platform on any hardware via the web.

Natural Language-powered AI: Interrogate data and receive natural, consistent responses with a built-in
AI, powered by NLP. ( neuro – linguistic programming)
Automated Modeling: Verify and combine data via automated modeling, and assess relationships
between separate data points.

Limitations of IBM cognos

Some of the product limitations include:

Integration with MS SharePoint is not supported

Lacks write back capability for reports

Does not integrate well with OLAP data and IBM Planning Analytics

Expensive for start-ups and small organizations

The IBM Cognos platform provides complete auditing capabilities that enable auditing and managing
system usage. By default, system messages, errors, and other product details are logged to flat files that
reside in the log directory. IBM Cognos BI provides an additional option to output audit usage
information to a relational database. With the usage audit data stored in a relational data source,
reporting becomes possible. IBM provides a sample audit model that includes several sample reports to
assist in providing immediate benefit from the audit data. In this article, we’re going to discuss specific
audit tables and activities to tailor your auditing needs.