IBM Cognos Business Intelligence is a web-based integrated
business intelligence suite by
IBM. It provides a toolset for
reporting,
analytics
Analytics is the systematic computational analysis of data or statistics. It is used for the discovery, interpretation, and communication of meaningful patterns in data. It also entails applying data patterns toward effective decision-making. It ...
,
scorecarding, and monitoring of events and metrics. The software consists of several components designed to meet the different information requirements in a company. IBM Cognos has components such as IBM Cognos Framework Manager, IBM Cognos Cube Designer, IBM Cognos Transformer.
Basic components
The elements described below are web-based components that can be accessed from most popular browsers (IBM Cognos specifically supports Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer).
Cognos Connection
Cognos Connection is the Web portal for IBM Cognos BI. It is the starting point for access to all functions provided with the suite. Using this portal, content can be searched in the form of reports, scorecards, and agents, it can be managed, structured, and displayed. In addition, the portal is used for multiple functions, for example to schedule and distribute reports, for creating tasks, administering the server, and the access permissions to content available to different users. You can also create shortcuts, URLs, and pages.
Query Studio
Query Studio allows simple
queries and self-service reports to answer basic business questions. The report layout can be customized and data can be filtered and sorted. Formatting and creation of diagrams is also supported.
[IBM Cognos 8 Mainly this document for Documentation,bm
p.1]
(04.04.2011)
Report Studio
The Report Studio is used to create management reports. It offers two different modes: The professional authoring mode enables users to access the full range of Report Studio functionality. In this mode, users can create any type of report, including charts, maps, lists, and repeat functions. In professional authoring mode all types of Data (relational or multidimensional) can be used, but dynamic data can not be displayed.
The express authoring mode has a more simple user interface, designed for non-technical users. It enables them to create traditional financial or management reports in a more focused user interface. In contrast to the professional authoring mode, the express authoring mode allows the use of dynamic data.
Analysis Studio

Users can create analyses of large data sources and search for background information about an event or action.
Multidimensional analysis allows identifying trends and understanding of anomalies or deviations, which are not obvious in other types of reports.
Drag-and-drop features, elements and
key performance indicators can be included in the analysis,
rows and columns can be switched,
OLAP-functionalities[Hannig Uwe (2008), Vom Data Warehouse zum Corporate Performance Management, p.86][Lusti (2002), Data Warehouse und Data Mining, pp.157] like drill-up and drill-down can be used to get a deeper understanding about the sources of the information used in the analysis.
Event Studio
The Event Studio is a notification tool that informs about events within the enterprise in real time. Therefore, agents can be created to detect the occurrence of business events or exceptional circumstances, based on the change of specified event- or data conditions. A notification may be served by sending an e-mail, its publication in the portal, or by triggering reports. This can be used to handle failure with notification. It is very robust in nature.
Workspace
IBM Cognos Workspace (formerly introduced in version 10.1 as IBM Cognos Business Insight and renamed in version 10.2.0) is a web-based interface that allows business users to use existing IBM Cognos content (report objects) to build interactive workspaces for insight and collaboration.
Workspace Advanced
IBM Cognos Workspace Advanced (formerly introduced in version 10.1 as IBM Cognos Business Insight Advanced and renamed in version 10.2.0) is a web-based interface that allows business users to author/create reports and analyze information.
Windows-based components
* IBM Cognos Framework Manager
* IBM Cognos Cube Designer
* IBM Cognos Transformer
* IBM Cognos Lifecycle Manager
* IBM Cognos Map Manager
Additional components
Go! Office
The Go! Office component lets users work with IBM Cognos content in their familiar
Microsoft Office environment. The component provides access to all IBM Cognos Report contents, including data,
metadata
Metadata is "data that provides information about other data", but not the content of the data, such as the text of a message or the image itself. There are many distinct types of metadata, including:
* Descriptive metadata – the descriptive ...
, headers and footers, and diagrams. Users can use predefined reports or create new content with
Query Studio,
Analysis Studio
Analysis ( : analyses) is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts in order to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle (384 ...
or
Report Studio
A report is a document that presents information in an organized format for a specific audience and purpose. Although summaries of reports may be delivered orally, complete reports are almost always in the form of written documents. Usage
In ...
. By importing content into
Microsoft Excel users can use the formatting, calculation, and presentation features. The created documents can then be imported using Cognos Connection, published, and made available for other users.
Go! Search
In Cognos Connection, you can do a full-text search for content contained in reports, analyses, dashboards, metric information, and events. When searching, an index of the prompts, titles, headings, column names, row names, data elements, and other important fields is used as a base. The full-text search in
IBM Cognos
Cognos Incorporated was an Ottawa, Ontario-based company making business intelligence (BI) and performance management (PM) software. Founded in 1969, at its peak Cognos employed almost 3,500 people and served more than 23,000 customers in over 1 ...
Go! Search is related to the search in regular search engines such as
Google. Users can search operators such as +, - or use "" (quotation marks) to change the default behavior of search queries with multiple words. Search terms are not case sensitive, word, and spelling variants are included in the results. You can also search for a specific type of entry, such as an agent. The search results are sorted in descending order, the entry with the greatest amount of relevant metadata is displayed at the top of the list. In
Analysis Studio
Analysis ( : analyses) is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts in order to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle (384 ...
,
Query Studio and IBM Cognos Viewer, you can either perform a full-text search, as also search for content related to the data of the current view.
[IBM Go! Search Documentation, p.5]
(04.04.2011)
Go! Dashboards
With IBM Cognos Go! Dashboard, interactive
Dashboards (management information systems), dashboards containing IBM Cognos content and external data sources can be created to fit the information needs of an individual user.
The following items can be added to a dashboard:
Report objects, they are displayed in a Cognos Viewer portlet. Report parts such as lists, crosstabs, and charts are displayed in interactive portlets. Lists or crosstabs can be displayed as a chart and vice versa. Content can be shown or hidden dynamically by the use of sliders and checkboxes. The Cognos Search portlet allows searching for published content. In addition, Web links, Web pages, RSS feeds, and images can be displayed on the dashboard.
[IBM Go! Dashboard Documentation, p. ]
(25.04.2011)
The user interface has two modes: In the interactive mode, existing dashboards are viewed and interacted with, creating and editing of dashboards can be done in assembly mode.
Business Applications
According to an IBM publication from 2006, the NYPD uses Cognos systems for the "Real Time Crime Center" to provide real time visualizations of
CompStat crime data.
[ tp://ftp.software.ibm.com/software/solutions/pdfs/ODB-0144-01F.pdf "NYPD changes the crime control equation by transforming the way it uses information" IBM Corporation,
Global Solution Sales New Orchard Road Armonk, NY 10504 U.S.A., 2006. Retrieved on 8 June 2019.]
See also
*
Cognos ReportNet
Cognos ReportNet (CRN) was a web-based software product for creating and managing ad hoc and custom-made reports. ReportNet was developed by the Ottawa-based company Cognos (formerly Cognos Incorporated), an IBM company. The web-based reporting ...
(before IBM Cognos BI)
*
Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Enterprise Edition
*
Business Objects
References
External links
Tecchannel: Ad-hoc-Analysen mit OLAP
{{IBM
Cognos Business Intelligence
Business intelligence
Data visualization software
Data analysis software