Post implementation experiences with Cognos

[Tfel_Tun]

Hopefully this is the right place to post this kind of thing....

Does anyone have any recommendations as to what my organization may want to focus on when doing contract negotiations with Cognos? More specifically, I'm trying to find out if things like training and getting help with the setup and configuration should be something of a focus. Does Cognos offer anything worth while in these two areas? Was there anything lacking from them when you implemented your solution?

Really what I'm looking for here is any "I wish I would have pressed harder for blah blah blah" type comments.

Thanks.

[josepherwin]

I have no recommendations when it comes to negotiating with Cognos.

However, instead of hiring a cognos consultant in to install it, you might be interested in installing it yourself to ensure that the knowledge of the application doesnt leave th company when the consultant goes away.

[blom0344]

I'll second the first reply. Setup and configuration are things that you will want to pick up yourselves. The road seems pretty steep first, as there are some many actions involved. However, it is certainly doable and documentation is plenty (if not a bit fragmented)
Training is another matter. some basic training may be worthwhile, but I picked up a lot more through practice and - for instance - cognoise   :D

[praveennb]

I agree with josepherwin

you could start of with using Virtual servers / Virtual PC for testing installations, configurations..

if you are pressed for time then hire a cognos consultant to do the job.

[Arnab_Chakravarty]

Really, I don't think installation/configuration is something that you would want to do yourself. To have a proper production environment with failover support (distributed install) is something that organizations need to have

I would suggest hiring a consultant to do this task (Cognos consultants are a bit expensive), as you probably don't have time to do it yourself, but ensure that the process is documented in detail so that if the consultant leaves, you can do it if needed. 

If you have any other questions or problems related to Cognos, please do not hesitate to contact me.


Thanks,
Arnab
arnab.chakravarty@kcm-solutions.com

[mgibson]

I'll respond from a slightly different perspective.

After the install and config is complete, you have to start using the toolset - so training is important - but what is also important is learning what they don't teach you.

The Cognos training is good at teaching you the basics, but as the saying goes, 'there are many ways to skin a cat'.  Even though that sounds extremely unappealing, the point is, that the training itself isn't necessarily enough to teach you 'best practice', and unless you learn from the experience of others, you may create a bit of a trap for yourself - where you will say 'I wish I knew this when I started!'.

I'm specifically thinking of best practice in Framework Manager & Report Studio design.

Just as you have to learn how to use the older tools like Transformer.

We've learned a lot since early 2005 (we started with RN 1.1), but we did also have the benefit of some insight provided by an experienced implementation consultant.  Not a lot, but just enough to avoid some mistakes we would have regretted.

Mick

[angela]

One thing I'd encourage in the contract phase is try to get 1 or 2 percent of the maintenance fees knocked off - it'll help in the long run.

As for implementation, we used third party consultants (recommended by Cognos) and although it helped to get us up and running faster, we had NO documentation about system setup and configuration and then the consultant left the consulting business altogether so we had to learn from scratch.  Don't let that happen to you - make SURE you get extensive documentation.  And if for some reason you're doing it yourself, document it extensively for yourself.  You'll be glad when it's time to do upgrades.