Query Studio and Analysis Studio Deprecation

[EarthDog]

I hate to admit that i wan't aware of this:

https://www-304.ibm.com/connections/blogs/basupportlink/entry/query_studio_and_analysis_studio_deprecation?lang=en_us

As i understand Query Studio users can be "diverted" to Cognos Workspace Advanced as it closer to the ad-hoc operation model.

Although v10.2.2 will be supported until 2018, this doesnt mean that i want to stay there.

What is the route for the analysis studio users? Competitive advantage of Cognos was that i gave my users analysis studio to work with.

I also understand that .mdc files are obsolete, but ROLAP and DMR models work very good with analysis studio if you have a well designed DW at the back.

We are redesigning our core applications (ERP upgrade, BI e.t.c) and at this point of time i have to think what i would do with Cognos.

What if i dont want to move to TM1? (this is the logic isn;t it?)

Your thoughts?

[Lynn]

Cognos Workspace Advanced supports both relational and dimensional reporting. I think it offers significantly better functionality when compare with either QS or AS. In addition, the XML specification is exactly the same as Report Studio which means that a professional author can "tweak" a user's report built in CWA using any of the myriad RS features and properties and then return it to the user for their continue use and maintenance of the report. In 10.2.2 you can even customize the GUI of CWA to decide how much functionality your different groups of users will most benefit from.

As for cube options, you have dynamic cubes and DMR in addition to TM1. Plus I believe Transformer cubes are still supported for the time being, but I don't think I would begin new development against it.

[EarthDog]

Cognos Workspace Advanced supports both relational and dimensional reporting. I think it offers significantly better functionality when compare with either QS or AS. In addition, the XML specification is exactly the same as Report Studio which means that a professional author can "tweak" a user's report built in CWA using any of the myriad RS features and properties and then return it to the user for their continue use and maintenance of the report. In 10.2.2 you can even customize the GUI of CWA to decide how much functionality your different groups of users will most benefit from.

As for cube options, you have dynamic cubes and DMR in addition to TM1. Plus I believe Transformer cubes are still supported for the time being, but I don't think I would begin new development against it.

First of all, thanlk you..

So, what i make from your reply is that:

1. Report Studio is alive and kicking and not only that. It is the leading tool for reporting in Cognos universe (including DMR reporting).
2. As i understood powercubes are not going to exist in future versions of Cognos BI

From the FAQ:

"Differences in Cognos Workspace Advanced will be bridged in a future release to provide equivalent capabilities" - about RS and AS capabilities in Workspace
"We recommend creating new content in Cognos Workspace Advanced" - about importing existing reports
"No, IBM Cognos Business Intelligence 10.2.2 is the last release with these studios." - for future releases.. So i believe no .mdc after 10.2.2

I am unlucky since i am reengineering my cubes right now...

So what i am told is to switch to memory OLAP (TM1, dynamic cubes)..

But there are some issues there as to what you will do and when..

Its gonna be a lot of frustration for those that are on the verge of Cognos development when Cognos version advances...

Its clear to me though that IBM shifts its interest to TM1 and memory / online /big data BI and dropping legacy...

But i think they should honor more the transition period...

[MFGF]

"No, IBM Cognos Business Intelligence 10.2.2 is the last release with these studios." - for future releases.. So i believe no .mdc after 10.2.2

That's not what I'm reading into this. It's simply saying that Query Studio and Analysis Studio will not exist in future releases of Cognos. It says nothing about whether Transformer and PowerCubes will be included. Where did you get the idea that .mdc (cubes) will not be available after 10.2.2? I don't believe IBM have issued any sort of end-of-life statement for PowerCubes?

MF.

[EarthDog]

That's not what I'm reading into this. It's simply saying that Query Studio and Analysis Studio will not exist in future releases of Cognos. It says nothing about whether Transformer and PowerCubes will be included. Where did you get the idea that .mdc (cubes) will not be available after 10.2.2? I don't believe IBM have issued any sort of end-of-life statement for PowerCubes?

MF.

Absolutely correct my friend...I had a temporary alzheimers probably :)))))

So i can keep everything that i have from analysis studio packages...but i will have to recreate everything from scratch...

[MFGF]

Absolutely correct my friend...I had a temporary alzheimers probably :)))))

So i can keep everything that i have from analysis studio packages...but i will have to recreate everything from scratch...

Generally the sweet spot for Analysis Studio is in performing ad-hoc analysis - slicing and dicing, drilling down/up etc. It's less common to have saved "reports" created using Analysis Studio, since it doesn't really lend itself to report building (no conditional highlighting, formatting etc etc). This usually means that there is not much to re-create when moving to Cognos Workspace Advanced.

If you ever took a saved Analysis Studio analysis and opened it in Report Studio, a quick look at the query will tell you what a convoluted, complex state of affairs AS creates. It can often improve performance to replace all this with a simple, elegant query and report built in CWA.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is that it's not all bad news? :)

Cheers!

MF.

[EarthDog]

Generally the sweet spot for Analysis Studio is in performing ad-hoc analysis - slicing and dicing, drilling down/up etc. It's less common to have saved "reports" created using Analysis Studio, since it doesn't really lend itself to report building (no conditional highlighting, formatting etc etc). This usually means that there is not much to re-create when moving to Cognos Workspace Advanced.

If you ever took a saved Analysis Studio analysis and opened it in Report Studio, a quick look at the query will tell you what a convoluted, complex state of affairs AS creates. It can often improve performance to replace all this with a simple, elegant query and report built in CWA.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is that it's not all bad news? :)

Cheers!

MF.

I hear you MF and i agree. It is not that bad after all.

Nevertheless due to the fact that we are planning ERP consolidation (4countries(instances) -> 1 inststance), i called IBM for a meeting here to clarify the cognos roadmap in terms of its building blocks....

p.s. BTW, can i use a workspace advanced dashboard as a portal tab in cognos portal?

[MFGF]

I hear you MF and i agree. It is not that bad after all.

Nevertheless due to the fact that we are planning ERP consolidation (4countries(instances) -> 1 inststance), i called IBM for a meeting here to clarify the cognos roadmap in terms of its building blocks....

A very wise thing to do! :) I would do exactly the same in your situation!

p.s. BTW, can i use a workspace advanced dashboard as a portal tab in cognos portal?

Anything built in Cognos Workspace Advanced shares the same XML report spec as things built in Report Studio. This means you can take anything built in Workspace Advanced and use it in the same way as if it was built in Report Studio - such as including it in a Report Viewer portlet on a portal page and then adding that portal page as a tab to Cognos Connection.

To be honest, you probably wouldn't do that these days, though. It would be easier to bring the content into a Cognos Workspace and let the user consume that instead of building portal pages.

MF.

[EarthDog]

To be honest, you probably wouldn't do that these days, though. It would be easier to bring the content into a Cognos Workspace and let the user consume that instead of building portal pages.

Our users are a little portal-orineted.

The current best practice is to be somewhat de-portalised? Use CAFE for building excel reports, and have direct links for workspace advanced dashboards?

Or you mean just put workspace dashboards links to a portal page?

Sorry for the newbish questions

[MFGF]

Our users are a little portal-orineted.

The current best practice is to be somewhat de-portalised? Use CAFE for building excel reports, and have direct links for workspace advanced dashboards?

Or you mean just put workspace dashboards links to a portal page?

Sorry for the newbish questions

All I really meant was that Portal Pages are difficult to set up and maintain - generally not intuitive or easy for a non-technical business user to create. You can deliver the same content in a Cognos Workspace - including having multiple tabs within the workspace - and it's easy for business users to create and amend these since it's simply a drag-and-drop operation. You can also set a workspace as a user's 'home', so it's the default place the user gets taken to. I'm seeing Cognos Workspace increasingly used in place of portal pages these days.

Cheers!

MF.

[EarthDog]

All I really meant was that Portal Pages are difficult to set up and maintain - generally not intuitive or easy for a non-technical business user to create. You can deliver the same content in a Cognos Workspace - including having multiple tabs within the workspace - and it's easy for business users to create and amend these since it's simply a drag-and-drop operation. You can also set a workspace as a user's 'home', so it's the default place the user gets taken to. I'm seeing Cognos Workspace increasingly used in place of portal pages these days.

Cheers!

MF.

Yeap, forgot to tell you that we are very IT intensive as far as customization is concerned.

Our users just :

-Look at their portal pages
-Make ad hoc anbalysis with analysis Studio
-Expotr some queries in excel via Query studio
-Run Report studio reports

Every thing else is happening through us..

So i would dive into presentation options for workspace.

where should i start in documentation about this? I mean the portal/dashboard options that i have for frontend?

[MFGF]

I guess the docs are a good place to start:

http://public.dhe.ibm.com/software/data/cognos/documentation/docs/en/10.2.2/ug_buxc.pdf

Cheers!

MF.