Cognos Report studio basic questions

[czaarsvk]

I come from Microsoft BI stack where for the SSRS reports we write stored procedures (with parameters) and mdx queries for the OLTP and OLAP data sources respectively.
1.) So for report studio i see you pull framework models which are either cubes or tables, Correct? Please correct me if i am wrong.
2.) From report studio Is there a possibility to query  the tables directly? If so is it a usual practice to do so in real time? I am assuming in real time you would only use framework models. Please correct me if i am wrong.
3.)  Do you use stored procedures anywhere at all in real time?
4.) In real time typically where do you build the frame work models from stock tables or data warehouse tables?
I was amazed by the Cognos BI capabilities and i want to understand more. Please give me your experiences. Thanks.

[MFGF]

Hi,

One of the great things about the Cognos solution is that as a report author, you don't have to grapple with the complexities of the underlying data source(s). There is an option to allow manual coding of SQL and/or MDX queries, but generally it's a last resort when all else fails.

1. Framework models are metadata that describes the underlying data and presents it in intuitive business groupings. The objects you bring in to a report as you author it are defined in the published metadata (package), and appropriate queries are generated under the covers based on the objects you bring in and the way the model has been defined.
2. Yes, if you absolutely have to. But don't. It's like buying a ferrarri and pushing it to your destination instead of driving it.
3. They can be incorporated into the FM model (and therefore the published metadata package) if necessary. Generally they are used for specific tasks where the code has already been written and tested in the SP and it's just easier to call it than to re-create the logic in the model. Otherwise why would you, when the tool generates queries for you?
4. Yes. And yes. It can be either or both. The ideal scenario is to model tables in a data warehouse, because (in theory) the data is clean, consistent and optimised for fast, easy reporting. In real life it's often necessary to sit over transactional schemas, though.

Have fun with Cognos. It's a lot different from SSRS, and once you have your metadata packages it's far (far) easier to build and maintain reports.

Cheers!

MF.