IBM Cognos 8 Planning

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Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter 1: Planning with IBM Cognos
Chapter 2: Getting to know IBM Cognos Tools
Chapter 3: Understanding the Model Development Process
Chapter 4: Understanding the Analyst Environment
Chapter 5: Defining Data Structures: D-List
Chapter 6: Storing Planning Data: D-Cube
Chapter 7: Moving Planning Data: D-Links
Chapter 8: Understanding the Contributor Environment
Chapter 9: Building, Configuring, and Updating the Contributor Application
Chapter 10: Securing and Controlling Contributor Web Client Template/Application
Chapter 11: Importing Data into a Contributor Application
Chapter 12: Working with the Contributor Web Client
Chapter 13: Reporting Planning Data—Publish and BI Integration
Chapter 14: Maintaining Analyst Models
Chapter 15: Maintaining Contributor Applications
Chapter 16: Maintaining Security
Index

• • Planning in a dynamic business environment
    • Common problems with the planning process
      • Disconnect between operating reality and financial plan
      • Confrontational versus collaborative
      • Cycle times
      • Ownership and accountability
    • Spreadsheet-based planning
    • Lack of control
    • Spreadsheet error
    • Lack of transparency
    • Consolidation and version control
  • How technology enables planning best practices
  • Introducing IBM Cognos Planning
    • Corporate Performance Management
    • Benefits of IBM Cognos Planning
  • Summary

• • Scenario
  • IBM Cognos Planning – Contributor
    • Contributor administration
    • Contributor client
  • IBM Cognos Excel add-in for Analyst and Contributor
  • IBM Cognos Metric Designer and Metric Studio
    • Metric Designer
    • Metric Studio
  • IBM Cognos Reporting Studios
  • IBM Cognos Framework Manager
  • IBM Cognos Event Studio
  • IBM Cognos Connection web portal
  • Summary

• • The process
  • Considerations for building an Analyst planning model
    • Planning functional models
    • Planning cycles and horizons
    • Planning approaches
  • Designing the model template in Analyst
    • Flowcharting the model structure
    • The concept of multi dimensionality
    • Understanding dimensions, datastore, and data flow
      • Determining dimensions: D-List
      • Building the datastore: D-Cubes
      • Controlling data flow: D-Links
    • What makes an optimal model?
      • Principles of model building
  • Building the Contributor application
  • Entering and reviewing plans in the Contributor Web user interface
  • Publishing and reporting planning data
  • Maintaining the planning models
  • Example: ABC Company
  • Summary

• • Getting familiar with Analyst
    • Using Analyst shortcuts
    • Accessing Analyst objects
    • Navigating within Analyst
  • The building blocks of an Analyst model
    • Analyst objects
      • D-List
      • D-Cube
      • D-Link
      • Allocation Table (A-Table)
      • File Map
      • Saved Format
      • Saved Selection
      • Macro
  • Organizing objects by using libraries
    • Creating a library
    • Deleting a library
    • Considerations for creating libraries
    • Types of libraries
      • Common library
      • Model library
      • Staging library
      • Archive library
  • Basic administration tools
    • Maintain Libraries and Users
    • Rebuild the index file
    • Refresh references
    • Validate D-Lists
    • Locate ODBC sources
    • Locate Built-in Functions
  • Configuring Analyst
    • Changing the path to the Filesys.ini
    • Changing the maximum workspace
    • Changing keyboard layout
    • Changing the number of undos and redos
  • Summary

• • Overview of D-List
    • Creating the D-List
      • Manually typing the D-List Items
      • Importing D-List items from an ASCII file
      • Importing the D-List items from a File Map
      • Importing the D-List items from an ODBC source
      • Importing the D-List items from data in a D-Cube
      • Importing the D-List Items from another D-List
      • Modifying the import parameters
      • Updating the D-List
      • Updating D-List item names from a data source
      • Adding new items to a D-List
      • Deleting D-List items
      • Reordering D-List Items
      • Implementing D-List changes
      • Non-permissible characters in a D-List
      • Item ID (IID) in a D-List
    • Entering formulas in a D-List
      • How formulas are written
      • Using the Paste function when writing formulas
      • Writing conditional statements
      • Conflicts in calculation
      • Using the D-List priority option
      • Built-in functions
      • Inserting a BiF into a D-List Item
    • Configuring a Timescale D-List
    • Formatting D-List items
      • Numeric format
      • Date format
      • Text format
      • D-List format
      • Calc option
      • Categorizing D-Lists
      • The e.List
  • Summary

• • Overview of the D-Cube
  • Creating a D-Cube
    • Order of dimensions
    • Size considerations
  • Working with the D-Cube
    • Opening a full view of the D-Cube
    • Opening a selection of the D-Cube
    • Viewing different slices of the D-Cube
    • Saving a selection
    • Opening the saved selection
    • Modifying the saved selection
    • Restructuring dimensions of a D-Cube
      • Adding a dimension
      • Deleting a dimension
      • Substituting a dimension
      • Reordering D-Cube dimensions
    • Formatting data using the D-Cube Format
      • Numeric
      • Date format
      • Text format
      • D-List format
      • Format priority
    • Exporting data from the D-Cube
      • Export
      • Header/Footer
      • Zeros
      • Show Det/Tot
    • Breakback
      • Breakback on hierarchies
    • Configuring D-Cube options
      • Widths
      • Lines
      • Zeros
      • Breakback
      • Stored Copy
      • Show Det/Tot
      • AutoSum
  • Entering data into D-Cubes
    • Data color conventions
    • Data entry commands
    • Entering data using the keyboard characters
    • Applying mathematical operations
    • Locking, protecting, and holding cells
  • Summary

• • Overview of a D-Link
    • Creating a D-Link
      • Creating a D-Link between two D-Cubes
      • The D-Link dialog box
  • Connecting to external data sources
    • File Map
      • Creating a D-Link using File Map as a source
    • ODBC connection
      • Creating an ODBC data source name
      • Creating a D-Link using an ODBC connection as the source
    • Executing the D-Link
      • Executing a D-Link
      • Running several D-Links into a single target D-Cube
      • Executing a batch of D-Links
    • Allocating dimension items
      • Allocating dimension items using Matched Description
      • Using Cut Sub-Columns
      • Allocating dimension items using a local allocation
      • Matching descriptions within a local allocation table
      • Selecting items from unpaired dimensions
      • Many to one and one to many allocations
      • Modes
      • Dump option
    • Special D-Links
      • Limitations of special D-Links
      • Look Up D-Links
      • Creating a Look Up D-Link
      • Accumulation D-Links
      • Creating an Accumulation D-Link
    • Allocation tables (A-Table)
      • Creating the A-Table
      • Allocation items
      • Creating the source or target items from a D-List
      • Creating the source or target items from a delimited ASCII file
      • Creating the source or target items from a mapped ASCII file
      • Creating the source or target items from an ODBC data source
      • Using a D-Cube as an allocation table
    • Analyst <> Contributor links
    • Importing from IBM Cognos Package
    • Analyst <> Cognos Finance D-Links
  • Summary

• • Understanding IBM Cognos Planning components
  • Understanding the IBM Cognos Planning technical architecture
    • Tier 1: Web Server or Planning Gateway
    • Tier 2: Application
    • Tier 3: Data
  • Using the Contributor Administration Console program
    • IBM Cognos Planning System settings
      • Planning Store
      • System settings
      • Access Rights
      • DataStores
      • Jobs, Job Servers, and Job Server Clusters
      • Upgrade the Planning Administration Domain (PAD)
    • Developing applications
      • Logon As… and Log Off
      • Email
      • Save
      • Go To Production (GTP)
      • Set online and offline
      • Reset Development to Production
      • Refresh console
      • Application and Publish DataStores/Containers
      • Application folders
      • Macros
      • Administration links
    • Deploying, monitoring, and troubleshooting applications
      • Deployment
      • Monitor console
      • Local log files
      • Help
  • Summary

• • Creating the Contributor application
    • Determining the Contributor application prerequisites
      • Analyst model
      • Technical environment
      • e.List
    • Creating the Contributor application—the process
    • Understanding the post application creation steps
      • The application's development and production areas
  • Configuring the Contributor application for the user web interface
    • Configuring commonly used options
      • Navigation
      • Orientation
      • Breakback (Grid options)
      • Multi-view
      • Slice and dice
      • Multiple owner
      • Planner Only cubes
    • Understanding uncommonly used options
  • Deploying a Contributor application to the Web: The GTP and Reconciliation process
    • Understanding GTP
    • Executing the GTP—the process
    • Understanding the Reconciliation job
  • Making Analyst model changes (synchronize)
    • Understanding synchronization
    • Synchronizing the Contributor application—steps
  • Determining the synchronization impact
  • Enabling Contributor extensions
    • Configuring admin extensions
    • Configuring client extensions
      • Print to Excel
      • Export to Excel
      • Get data
  • Summary

• • Securing application access
    • Understanding e.List dimensions
      • Determining the e.List ownership
      • Creating and maintaining an e.List
    • Securing an application with Rights
      • Assigning the Rights to e.List items
  • Securing the application data
    • Understanding access tables
      • Differentiating access levels
      • Defining Access Table
      • Applying Access Table cautiously
    • Understanding saved selections
      • Creating saved selections for Access Table
  • Validating users' data input
    • Understanding the Data Validations feature
      • Terminology
    • Configuring the Data Validations feature
      • Deciding to validate or not to validate
      • Defining the validation rules
      • Defining the Rule Sets
      • Assigning the Rule Set to e.List items
      • Applying the validation rule on the Contributor Web Client
  • Improving the application performance: The cut-down feature
    • Understanding cut-down feature
    • Selecting cut-down options
      • Cut-down configuration options
      • Cutting-down an application
    • Applying the cut-down feature carefully
  • Summary

• • Updating assumption cubes in Analyst
  • Importing data from external files/databases
    • Understanding the import process—concepts
    • Importing data
      • Bypassing importing data steps
  • Administration Links
    • Creating Administration Links
    • Running Administration Links
  • Importing data using IBM Cognos packages
  • Analyst to Contributor D-Links
    • Creating and running Analyst to Contributor D-Links
  • System Links
    • Creating System Links
    • Running System Links
  • Local Links
  • Summary

• • Managing the Contributor workflow
    • The roles of the planner and reviewer
      • The planner
      • The reviewer
    • Examine a typical workflow for an organization
  • Working with the Contributor Web Client
    • Exploring the Contributor Web Client
      • The tree and e.List
      • The Table
    • Workflow states
    • Opening the application grid for inputting data
    • The menu bar and its buttons
    • Entering data
      • Editing and saving data
      • Editing data using shortcuts
      • Validating data
      • Swapping rows and columns
      • Breakback
      • Annotations
      • Adding documents
      • Submitting data
    • Importing and exporting data from Web Client
      • Exporting Contributor data
      • Importing data to Contributor
    • Working offline
  • Using Contributor with Excel
  • The new Contributor Web Client
    • The new interface
    • New features
      • Customization of the Contributor web view
      • Freeze Panes
  • Summary

• • Accessing planning data
  • Publish
  • Storing published data
    • Who can publish?
    • Publishing using the Table-only layout
    • Publishing data changes (incremental publish)
    • Publishing using the View Layout
    • Automating publishing jobs
    • Understanding the impact of changes
      • e.List changes
      • Model changes
      • Dimension for publish changes
  • Reporting Planning data using BI Tools
    • Real-time reporting options
      • Publish the application as a package to IBM Cognos Connection
      • Using IBM Cognos Planning Contributor as a data source in Framework Manager
    • Reporting from published data
      • Creating a Framework Manager model using the Framework Manager extension
  • Summary

• • Automating common tasks using Analyst macros and batch jobs
    • Types of Analyst macros
    • Creating and running Analyst macros
      • Creating a macro using the wizard
      • Recording a macro
      • Executing a macro
    • Automating typical tasks
      • Updating a D-Cube structure using macros
      • Updating D-Cube data using macros
      • Importing and exporting data using macros
      • Running a series of macros
    • Scheduling Analyst macros
      • Creating a batch job using the Analyst batch utility wizard
      • Scheduling a batch job
  • Administering libraries and users
    • Managing access to Analyst libraries
  • Managing Analyst objects
    • Other maintenance tasks
      • Highlighting unused objects
      • Previewing D-List
      • Reveal File Name
      • Defining Access
      • Using the Copy Wizard to Copy Libraries
    • Creating menus and flowcharts using Manager
  • Summary

• • Automating tasks using Contributor macros
    • Types of Contributor macros
    • Macro security
    • Creating, editing, and running Contributor macros
      • Creating, executing, and editing macros
      • Executing a macro
      • Editing a macro
      • Deleting a macro
      • Transferring macros and macro steps
    • Automating typical tasks
      • Updating a Contributor application
      • Publishing data from a Contributor application
    • Running and scheduling Contributor macros
      • Scheduling Contributor macros in IBM Cognos Connection
      • Scheduling Contributor macros using batch files
  • Controlling rights to administrative functions
    • Typical operations that can be assigned rights
    • Assigning Access Rights
      • Adding groups and roles
      • Assigning Access Rights to the group or role
      • Cascading rights
  • Monitoring jobs and managing Job Servers
    • Typical jobs
    • Monitoring jobs
      • The Job Management screen
      • The Monitoring Console
    • Managing Job Clusters
      • Adding a Job Cluster
      • Adding a Job Server
      • Adding objects to a Job Cluster
      • Adding objects to a Job Server
      • Removing Job Servers
      • Removing Job Clusters
      • Removing objects from a Job Cluster or Job Server
  • Summary

• • Overview of security in IBM Cognos Planning
    • Authentication and authorization
      • Authentication
      • Authorization
    • Users, groups, and roles
      • Users
      • Groups
      • Roles
    • IBM Cognos 8 namepace
      • To view the contents of the IBM Cognos namespace
      • IBM Cognos 8 namespace planning roles
      • Capabilities
  • Managing security profiles
    • Analyst security
      • Assigning security at the library level
      • Assigning security at object level
      • Assigning security at item level
    • Contributor security
      • Access Rights
      • Macro security
      • Controlling access to the Contributor application
  • Summary

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Jason Edwards

Ned Riaz

Rich Babaran

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