Analysis

Analysis is a key capability within Cognos 8 Business Intelligence, a single product that provides complete BI capabilities on a proven architecture.

Analysis enables the guided exploration and analysis of information that pertains to all dimensions of your business-regardless of where the data is stored. Analyse and report against online analytical processing (OLAP) and dimensionally aware relational sources.

Robust analysis tools

• Perform complex analysis quickly and easily to get to the “why” behind an event or action to improve business performance.
• Analyse what's driving your business with data organised in logical categories such as fiscal periods, sales regions, and product groups.
• Move from summary level to transaction level detail, or from one PowerCube to another until you find the information you are looking for.
• Sophisticated time trending with built-in customisable time series analysis lets you analyse what has changed over previous years, quarters, months, and other critical measures. No other vendor provides as sophisticated a time trending capability as Cognos.

Easy to use

• Explore large complex data sets using drag-and-drop techniques. Drill down through increasing levels of detail, and view by different dimensions such as sales per region or by product.
• View and analyse data relationships graphically and change displays easily. Industry-leading functionality means end-users can easily drill down, slice and dice, rank, sort, forecast, and nest information to gain greater insight into trends, causes, and effects.
• A common XML-based report format means that a report can be opened in whatever client suits a user’s needs.
• User-friendly interface makes multidimensional analysis simple for all users, regardless of their business or technical level.
• The Windows, Web, and Excel clients mean that users can work within a familiar environment—maximising ROI and decreasing training costs.
• Import and manipulate BI content in MS Office.

Easy to deploy

• Convert one billion consolidated rows and two million categories from multiple data sources into compact PowerCubes ready for analysis.
• Through the Cognos open data strategy, analysis supports all widely used OLAP data sources as well as dimensionally aware relational sources.
• Seamless integration with third-party cubes and OLAP servers lets you maximise return on Oracle, Microsoft, SAP BW, and IBM resources you already own; as well as dimensionally modelled relational sources.
• Cognos analysis processes and summarizes data in the application layer and only returns results at a summary level, conserving bandwidth and optimizing network efficiency.
• Competing solutions cannot scale cubes as large as ours, and may require database design and additional programming to achieve adequate performance.
• Superior multidimensional modelling capabilities, with support for all data sources, comprehensive logging and check points, automated cube builds, and centralised security and administration provide optimal manageability for IT.
• Advanced multidimensional modelling, time-dependant processing, alternate drill paths, distinct category counts, and time-based partitioned PowerCubes create a flexible design environment that streamlines development and enhances ROI.

View Cognos Business Intelligence 8: Analysis Factsheet