Using Cubes in FM Model for c8.1

[markryan]

Hi everyone,

We're currently looking at a client's existing 8.1 rolap model, and someone mentioned using a cube instead.  Some of the report builders mentioned it could be more involved writing the reports etc, and someone also mentioned they weren't sure 8.1 could even write reports against a cube (only analysis studio). 

I'm fairly new to the Cognos world, so I'm not sure what is possible with different versions.  I took the 8.3 FM and Report Studio courses a while back to get my feet wet, but I'm still not always clear on what features are available where.

So could we replace the rolap model in FM with a cube that we could build the same reports off of instead?  And could this cube be used in conjunction with possibly some new version of the FM model if we needed it to?  This is all in 8.1.

Hope someone can clear things up a bit for me.

Thanks

[blom0344]

The answer is : it depends..

Cognos Cubes are very powerful stuff, but also pretty cumbersome. If you want users to be able to navigate through a dimensional model (slice and dice) then a cube is a mighty nice thing.
The alternative is a DMR model from FM, but it will not have all the functionality that a real cube has to offer and performance can be an issue.

Want pixel perfect canned reports for the directive board to play with, then  use Report Studio along with a nicely modelled FM package.

I'd say, a very distinction:

Data analysts:  Cube/DMR
Managers etc:  Rel package + Report Studio (canned reports)

[markryan]

Oh, my favorite answer in the whole world!  It even got me a job once.  "It Depends".

So would you say that Cubes aren't going to work for canned reports?  I couldn't build a cross-tab report and drag data items from my different dimensions in the Cube? 

I think what our assumptions are on what the users will need is a mix of canned reports with some of the users who do like to slice and dice.  We have a mandate already to reproduce a bunch of canned reports built on top of a DMR.  What we're seeing is that the existing solution doesn't always perform, and that at least one major user would love the ability to dissect the data when she sees something curious in a canned report.

So our take was "well can't we just replace the DMR with a cube and build the reports off that?".  Or is it better to have a reporting model that isn't dimensional for the canned reports, and then a cube or DMR for the analysis users?  and is the cube something you can build reports off of in 8.1, or is that a 8.3 new feature?

Thanks for the input!  Keep it coming!

[blom0344]

The majority of managers etc are ususally interested in getting their data in the way Report Studio can deliver. Our management reports consist of periodic reports with tens of queries. Cubes are primarily for multi-dimensional analysis, though you can design reports upfront.

DMR is an option, but it still does not beat a real cube in terms of functionality (try sorting) and performance will/can be a magnitude slower.

However, having spend some hours getting scripts for the Cubeswap right again makes me yearn for a good Cube substitute   :-\