Cognos Cube Build Automation Tool

[ArloUSA]

Hi Guys,

I've developed a tool (Windows app) to fully automate the building of Cognos 10 cubes.  The tool allow users to:
- run / stop cube builds (on demand)
- view log files of cube builds (+ retains a rolling history of 10 previous cube builds for comparison)
- email cube build logs to designated personnel + trigger an OnPage (www.onpage.com) alert if required
- enable / disable scheduled cube build jobs
- manage a list of users authorized to use the tool and set permissions to determine which functionality then can use within the tool

Forthcoming functionality:
- manage schedules for the cube builds themselves
- generate reports on cube build status, schedules and stats on average cube build time

I wrote this tool out of a need to give our IT support engineers AND end users a one-stop tool that they could use to self-serve their Cognos cube building needs.

I would be delighted to hear from any Cognoise community members that may have an interest in this tool as, depending on interest, I am potentially looking to take it to a higher level and offer it commercially.  A screenshot is attached to give you an idea!

Happy New Year one and all - I welcome your comments and feedback!

Kind regards,
ArloUSA.

[MFGF]

Sounds cool! Is this just for PowerCubes or does it handle TM1 cubes and / or Dynamic Cubes?

MF.

[ArloUSA]

Presently, this is just for PowerCubes, but of course, for a future enhancement, I'm sure that TM1 and Dynamic Cubes could be accommodated.

I used to use an old tool in the 7.x days called CubeRunner which does some of what my tool does and I was very surprised as I transitioned through Cognos 8.x and 10.x that there wasn't any kind of tool or easier, more user friendly way of doing this - necessity is the mother of invention  :)

[bdbits]

Looks awesome! As an organization, we might be interested. I would have to gauge interest from departments, and pricing would be a big factor due to the way things are funded here (government IT). Currently powercube gen is an IT-only thing where we just have a set of batch files and scheduled tasks, with the logs available through some shares on the cube-generating server. Works OK, but very restricted in who is allowed to do it.

I also helped start a Cognos user group here. If you proceed, I would be happy to mention it at our next quarterly meeting in mid-February.

If you don't want to go the commercial route, maybe you could consider making it an open source tool.

[ArloUSA]

Thanks for the feedback :)

I have about another month of good development work to make the tool more feature rich and to make it more generic and usable in any Cognos installation, especially if the tool will reach a wider audience.  I already have a fair chunk of time and money invested in the tool (software and equipment), so if it does make it to market, it will have  a price tag on it, albeit a realistic one; I've seen the price of some of the 3rd party Cognos tools and frankly I don't know how some of these companies charge what they do - I guess anything Cognos related is considered a niche market.  This will not be priced like that!

If you (or anyone) would be interested in beta testing it in about a months time, please email your details.  If I can generate enough interest in the next 2-3 weeks, then I will certainly go all out and take it to the next level!

Thanks!

[bdbits]

I sent you a message here containing my email address. I can think of another local organization that might have some interest, and I will tell them about this thread.

Pricing is a very tricky business, and given that our gracious host sells Cognos tools, I probably ought not to say too much about that.  :-X

One other thing if you did not already know this... if you developed this on an employer's or client's time, licenses, and/or infrastructure, be careful. In the US at least, there are legal parameters that if you are not careful could entitle the employer/client to ownership of your tool. If they gave you a verbal OK, get it in writing to protect yourself.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

[CharlesAZ]

Can it manage the .vcd file for time based partition cubes?

Thanks

Charlie

[bdbits]

Arlo, did you ever go any further with this? Just wondering, as we still might be interested. We've got a patchwork solution of batch files, scheduled tasks, and system monitoring tools. An integrated solution would be nice.