Join me as I chat with my colleague and Cognos guru John Frazier about the latest release of Cognos, leading up to the anticipated release of the next version, 11.0.7, near the end of Q3.
The latest version of Cognos (11.0.6) debuted on March 21, 2017. You can sign up for a perpetually free trial (like Tableau Online) here.
Version 11 was originally released in December 2015 and was mainly a UI redesign on top of Cognos 10 features. Analysis and Query Studios will eventually be deprecated.
New Features in 11 vs. 10
New UI – responsive web design on UI, but not on reportsBetter self-service capabilities and collaboration for teamsUpload data files – upload delimited text or Excel files to be stored in a columnar format (Parquet) on the file system (not in memory or in the DB). These are immediately usable in dashboards and don’t require entry into FM.Data modules (intent based modeling based on Watson) similar to FM packagesNote: Dashboards only use uploaded files and data modulesAvailable on cloudMobile and desktop from a single reportActive reports as promptsFree cloud trialAdmin console is unchangedNew Features in 11.0.6
Mapping enhancementsMultiple admin boundaries, add’l postal code supportDashboarding enhancementsDirect access to OLAP packages (Framework packages accessible since 11.0.5)Widgets using data from the same source are connected by defaultNew grid widgetColor gradient by measureDate filters can include blanksPortal enhancementsShare/embed through overflow menuFolder customizations can be done directly through the UI more easily (without uploading JSON configs)Create shortcuts and report viewsStorytelling enhancementsNew guided journey templatesNew animations (side fade, slide, scale, zoom, pivot)Better pins (smart named, better search and filter)Timelines – smart namesChange scene template while working on your story/dashboardReporting enhancementsBetter lineage support for FM packagesBusiness glossary (w/IBM InfoSphere Information Governance Catalog integration)Better freeze list column heading controlBetter query support when editing data modulesReport templates – can save for your team or save as style reference reportsSupport for Planning AnalyticsDashboard support for TM1 / Planning cubesREST connectivity to planning analyticsSupport for attribute hierarchiesSupport for localized Planning Analytics cubesData server enhancementsSupport for Google BigQuery and Google Cloud SQL via the BigQuery JDBC and MySQL JDBC drivers, respectively.JDBC URL for Data Server ConnectionsTest connection feedback (this is not just in admin console now)John’s Likes/Dislikes with v11:
For those who are “used” to ReportStudio there is a pretty “steep” learning curve to locate where particular tools or components have been moved.To be fair, ReportStudio had some counter-intuitive placements for some of these same tools (e.g. Hierarchy of design elements, etc.) that caused major headaches for new report designers.Overall the new interface is more “intuitive” and the novice report developers I’ve worked with have picked it up remarkably quickly.There are some changes that are really “nice” – like being able to see which Lists/Graphs use a particular query right from the query tree without having to “search” for where it is used on the “right click” menu.Music
Deep Sky Blue by Graphiqs Groove
Sources
https://www.ibm.com/analytics/us/en/technology/products/cognos-analytics/https://www.ibm.com/communities/analytics/cognos-analytics-blog/the-latest-release-of-cognos-analytics-is-here/http://newintelligence.ca/top-12-reasons-to-upgrade-to-cognos-analytics-a-k-a-cognos-11/https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSEP7J_11.0.0/com.ibm.swg.ba.cognos.ca_new.doc/c_ca_nf_deprecated.htmlhttps://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SSEP7J_11.0.0/com.ibm.swg.ba.cognos.ca_new.doc/c_ca_nf_11_0_x.htmlhttps://www.slideshare.net/senturus/cognos-analytics-version-11-questions-answered
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