My Experience with Cognos Analytics
Cognos is one of the IBM products that offer a wide range of business analytics for small, mid-sized, and large companies. It is essential for big data analysis and business intelligence (BI). There are several editions of the Cognos. The express edition utilizes the Cognos 8 BI functions and has additional functionalities for planning, budgeting, and forecasting (Sumter, 2017). Cognos has tools that are easy to use and enable users to visually experience the reports of their business analytics right on the dashboard, without any IT assistance. The first step to allow you use the product is signing up for an analytics account that is free of charges. There are, however, limitations which may not deny one to get useful reports as well as business intelligence out of the available functionalities. Once you, the user, is logged in, you upload the file with your data. There is a feature called smart modeling which allows you to add more intelligence, and it guides you to create the data module. You can either use the plus button or the intent search to find and drag your file to the module. Filters, as well as other tools, allow users to module data to fit their requirements. It is at this point that you prepare data that will be visualized. By using the pre-built templates (clicking the plus button again), the data to be analyzed is just dragged and dropped into a workspace.
I have been a die-hard fun of power excel in performing business analysis, but I have come to appreciate the reporting and the expression editor functions with Cognos analytics. The product is also capable of dynamic data visualization. The Cognos Analytics support linked data modules, and data that is created by other users can be used to create new ones while still preserving the original data. Data reuse capability in Cognos saves time, avoid duplication, and enables data creation to be done once and can be distributed widely while still ensuring data integrity of the original module.
Where the data has come from does not matter in Cognos Analytics. Therefore, it saves time because there is no need for data conversion. Moreover, Cognos enables one to work easily by pinning column headers to easily see and edit all filters that are applied to the analytics.
From a Cognos analytics, it is easier to have a snap of the entire event and even predict the future patterns, simply through visualization. The reports speak for themselves as they are easily understood. Cognos analytics tool gives a platform where you can convert flat files (.csv, .json, and .xls) into objects that can be dragged and dropped. The Cognos visualization engine also improves the quality of visualization and increases the variety of the chart types that are currently supported. The storytelling enrichments in the product allow a person to create infographics and blueprints that direct the flow of the story. Once the data is on the analytics platform, the user can freely design a dashboard of his choice.
In Cognos Analytics, business intelligence gets fun. When you add other data on top of the existing one, the graphics reshapes automatically to fit the business situation. With Cognos; moreover, users can pick the data visualization that best suits them, so that they may arrive at better conclusions and recommendations where necessary. While Cognos and Watson share the same visualization engine for data, I prefer Cognos Analytics because of its wide range of products as well as its flexibility that I would require for my small business projects. Moreover, the geospatial capabilities in Cognos are what I have also come to appreciate a lot. The spatial analytics tools in Cognos make it possible to present your data in the form of maps for location-based appreciations. Mapping allows both readers and users to instantly have a geographical views, trends, and patterns of the data. All these mean faster data interpretation and informed decision making.
Cognos Analytics tools are even better today. There are more features that you can utilize to have quick answers to any information you may need. The new mapping for visualization capabilities gives a new clarity and perspective for analytics results. In addition to these capabilities, I can attest that Cognos Analytics: support access to Relational Framework Get research paper samples and course-specific study resources under homework for you course hero writing service – Manage r packages where you can create dashboard for content created in Cognos BI, has a URL capability whereby users can embed and share stories and reports displayed in Cognos dashboards, has new types for visualization of reports and additional properties, and has customized features that can be used for tailored analytics to suit the needs of a user.
Cognos Analytics is a tool that IBM gives a free to try option. It allows one to move forward with work fast as analysis can be done in real-time. People do not have to spend months working out reports and historical data for analysis. The IBM Cognos has a wide range of capabilities, and I consider it as enterprise software which has flexible reporting environment for both small and large enterprises. The tool meets the needs of business managers, analysts, power users and company executives (Sharda, Delen, & Turban, 2016: 2024 – Do my homework – Help write my assignment online).
References
Sharda, R., Delen, D., & Turban, E. (2016: 2024 – Do my homework – Help write my assignment online). Business Intelligence, Analytics, and Data Science: A Get research paper samples and course-specific study resources under homework for you course hero writing service – Manage rial Perspective. Pearson.
What is Cognos? – Definition from WhatIs.com. (n.d.). Retrieved December 16, 2017, from http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/Cognos
Feedback on the New Cognos Analytics User Experience. (n.d.). Retrieved December 16, 2017, from https://essays.homeworkacetutors.com/write-my-essay/ibmbigdatahub.com/event/feedback-new-cognos-analytics-user-experience
Sumter, C. (2017, April 05). Business intelligence and Cognos Analytics. Retrieved December 16, 2017, from https://www.ibm.com/blogs/business-analytics/business-intelligence-and-cognos-analytics/
Analytics. (n.d.). Retrieved December 16, 2017, from https://www.ibm.com/analytics/business-analytics
