Top Safety Tips
with Mike Napthine
Bluffers Guide to
10.2
Why upgrade?
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Bug fixes
Performance upgrades
New features
Keeping pace with other systems
Regular updates easier to manage
Avoid being forced into an emergency upgrade
8.4.1 moves out of support this year
You’ve paid for it as part of your support
10.2 New features
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All 64bit architecture (including Metrics)
Support for Chrome & Safari (run time)
New Dynamic Cubes Source
Tabbed Workspace, Freeze Panes
Studio renamed (again)
10.2 Welcome page
Studio names
10.2
Workspace
Workspace on the web
Workspace Advanced
Author Business reports
Insight
Workspace on my computer
Query Studio
Query my Data
Analyst Studio
Analyse my Data
Report Studio
Author Advanced reports
10.1 / 10.1.1
Insight
8.41
Go Dashboard
Insight Advanced
Report Studio (express)
IBM Cognos Insight
<new>
Query Studio
Query Studio
Analyst Studio
Analyst Studio
Report Studio
Report Studio (full)
10.2 Environment changes
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Integrates with TM1 10.1 & Cognos Planning 10.1
SQL 2012 added
NTLM, Oracle 9, Server 2003 & SQL 2000 dropped
Check “Cognos 10.2 Support Environments”
Who can use 10.2 facilities?
10.2
Workspace
Workspace Advanced
Insight
Recommended License
Enhanced Consumer
Advanced Business Author
Advanced Business Author
Query Studio
Advanced Business Author
Analyst Studio
Report Studio
Metrics Studio
Transformer
Event Studio
SDK
Framework Manager
Administer Content
Advanced Business Author
BI Professional
BI Professional
BI Professional
BI Professional
SDK User (only)
Administrator (only)
Administrator
Other Licenses
All Higher Licences
Professional Author
Professional Author
IBM Cognos Insight
Professional Author
Business Author
Business Analyst
Professional Author
Business Manager
10.2 OLAP offerings
Technology
OOR
(DMR)
Dynamic
Cubes
Ease of Cost Bits
WareDynamic Performance Integration
use
house

As
Required Yes

Source

Transformer 
TM1
£
As
Required Yes
Source

32
No


64
Yes


Using 64 bit mode - dispatchers
You will need a 32bit dispatcher as well for 32 bit data sources e.g. Powerplay
Using 64 bit mode - connections
Don’t forget to copy the JAR files to the Cognos Lib directory!
That’s 10.2 bluffed!
Threats to BI stability &
how to neutralise them
Threats
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Infrastructure failure
Environmental change / Upgrades
New business requirements
Users (high usage, poor usage)
Users / Performance
• Cognos Audit
– Records every report / query
– Execution time & outcome
– Easy to setup (no XML required)
– Results in Cognos
Quote from Rob Lightbody, AGBarr
From my point of view in IT, I was faced with "the system is slow
today can you do something about it?" coming at me from both
my bosses and from the business.
However all the basic checks of servers etc. showed everything
was fine. The audit package reports gave me the ammunition I
needed to do something about it, to the extent now that there
are no complaints about performance.
Barrachd did some fixes, and we started doing targeted training
here aimed at the people with the slow reports. Now we know
that everybody else is getting their reports quickly, we can target
users with the slow reports.
Example reports (courtesy AGBarr)
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..\load balance.pdf
..\performance trend.pdf
..\performance by time of day.pdf
..\report execution times.pdf
Users - accidents
• Cognos backup
– No IT involvement
– Allows selective restore
– Can go back to any point in time
Example backup strategy
Example restore strategy
Upgrade & change continuity
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Separate development & UAT environments
Change control process
Version management
Impact assessment
Regression testing
Impact assessment
• From Framework Manager
• Using the ‘DRU’
Example search specification
Traversing: /content/folder[@name='Packages']/package[@name='Orders']...
Performing transformations on (report): Orders Test Report
Performing transformations on (report): Quantity Report
Traversing: /content/folder[@name='Packages']/package[@name='Orders
Cube']...
Performing transformations on (analysis): Location Report Example
Performing transformations on (report): Orders Cube Test Report
Traversing: /content/folder[@name='Packages']/package[@name='Orders
Cube Builder']...
Traversing: /content/folder[@name='Packages']/package[@name='Orders
DW Cube']...
Performing transformations on (report): London Report
Transform (success): Example Cube Reference 3.15
Traversing: /content/folder[@name='Packages']/package[@name='Training
TM1']...
Traversing: /content/folder[@name='Planes']...
Regression testing
• Using Lifecycle manager
• Using a Cognos job
Example changes log
Example version control
Resilient infrastructure
Warehouse
1
Cognos 1
Load
Balancer
Mirror / Grid
Source
Systems
Warehouse
2
Cognos 2
Cubes
Content Store
Your scores
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2 points for performance management (Cognos audit)
2 points for regression testing (lifecycle)
1 point for selective restore
2 points for infrastructure resilience - only if tested
1 point for backup – only if checked daily
1 point for backup – only if tested a restore within year
1 point for configuration properly documented
1 point for change management process
1 point for a change request system
1 point for change logging / version control
1 point for change impact assessment
Any Questions?