want this forum to be active

[mrcool]

Hi Frnds...this forum is not so active as b4...I dnt know wats the problem is.According to me this is the best Forum for reportnet.I have learnt so much frm here.lets make this forum active like b4.

[COGNOiSe administrator]

Perhaps it's because the focus shifted to Cognos 8 Report Studio ... :)

[mrcool]

Hmmmm...that may be 1 of the reason...but people like us are still working on reportnet.... ;)
so gurus must look into this forum also.... :D

[MFGF]

Personally, I try to look in on a regular basis, but sometimes my workload does not permit this, so occasionally weeks can fly by before I get a chance to catch up.  I'm sure many others participating on this forum are in a similar position too.  Just the ebb and flow of life, I'm afraid!

MF.

[MDXpressor]

I'm with you MF.  Day jobs pay the bills, but Cognoise is the passion!   ;D

[mrcool]

Hi gurus plz post reply 2 my query

[MFGF]

We already did... ???

MF.

[almeids]

Yes, it's the shift to C8, and yes, it's the ebb and flow of work life.  But some of us oldtimers may also be turned off by things like the full-time use of "IMspeak" to communicate, which frankly looks like gibberish to me.  That and the very nature of some of the questions on this and other forums are indicative of a laziness which in my opinion is becoming epidemic in this industry (and I don't mean the good kind of laziness that leads to automation).  And don't get me started on the smiley faces...

[MFGF]

Hey!  I thought it was my job to be the grumpy old man round here.  Mine!!! Mine!!! (oh darn, I got so agitated, my false teeth just fell out!)

Seriously, I do sympathise with your view on cryptic messages, but sometimes (not always!) this is more a result of English not being the poster's first language than any laziness, so I'm prepared to cut some slack on this (as long as I can decipher what's being said, that is!)

The main reason most of us hang around in here is to provide help to others who are either new or have specific issues they are struggling to overcome. Certainly in some instances, the answers can be very straightforward and easily found either in the documentation or elsewhere in the forums, but generally in those circumstances a gentle prod in the right direction is more helpful than a terse "RTFM".

Having said all that, nobody here is under any pressure to provide answers - it's all voluntary, so those posters saying "it's urgent" or "you must get back to me" should take note.

Just my tuppence (old money, note!)

MF.

[cognosfreelancer]

Almeids

I use 'HTH' sometimes which means 'Hope This Helps' just in case it was not clear

Personally I find the IM vocabulary very economical to use so long as the poster takes care to put the expansion of the abbreviation in parentheses for the first few times.

I am with you though on encouraging posters to use the very good search functionality in these forums.

Also I could not agree more with MDExpressor's succinct statement.

mrcool .. there you go.. you got quite a few responses

NKT (this is not IM Speak... this is my name abbreviated...I am either very shy or very mysterious  ;D)

[Blue]

This is a volunteer forum.  No one who posts here is paid to solve other people's problems here.

As a matter of common courtesy if you know the English language please use it!  Many people are either put off by cryptic messages or cannot follow them as English is their second language.  One of the soft skills most in demand is the ability to communicate clearly and this includes writing ability.

Would you use cryptic spelling or non-familiar acronyms in a cover letter to an employer or a resume?

So if you want people to help you then A) communicate clearly in English to the best of your ability and B) don't demand, request with courtesy.

Blue

[dfite]

I think forums like this are fantastic!  Speaking of which, can one of you gurus please see if you can answer my questions I posted today?  :)  I have been thrust into a 1-deep cognos development position, given no training, no documentation, and no help!  ARGH - its so frustrating.  I'd pay hundreds of dollars for ANY decent cognos book, yet none exist and Cognos' documentation is just absolutely useless!  Oh, I'd so love if you guys could give me a boost over this insideous learning curve!!

[COGNOiSe administrator]

Does anyone want to co-author one with me? I have been putting it off for the past 2 years, but perhaps now is the time to write one ...

[almeids]

All gentle lashings accepted and deserved; at least my grumpy ramblings revitalized the thread!

MF, you are correct about ESL (English as a Second Language) being part of the communications issue.  I specifically avoided mentioning that because I have a personal bias in that regard that's...um...less than tolerant.  It is the folks who can speak English but choose not to in a non-realtime environment that bug me most.

NKT, thanks for the acronym assistance.  Although not fluent in IM, I can get by; I just choose not to.  Sorry, it's just that in my mind set the words all include vowels and the number and order of the letters is significant. 

As far as my laziness comment, that may have been a bit strong.  Maybe it's more of a lack of innovation that concerns me...we've been taught not to reinvent the wheel, so everyone looks for the quick fix, modular, been-there-done-that solution.  But IMHO (hey, it's got vowels...) sometimes trying to reinvent the wheel gets you a better wheel, or at least makes you appreciate the considerations in choosing among the myriad wheels already invented.

Thanks all for your past and future help and for not flaming me for my off-topic opinions.

[mrcool]

Hi all.....Nice to see ur postings...  ;)

[MFGF]

Hi,

Yes - this thread has definitely been revitalized.  It's been a long time since I saw a single thread with more contributing moderators than non-moderators (a 5 / 3 split by my count). It just goes to show that it's the controversial topics that get the most interest.

Almeids, you should never get flamed in this forum - it's not what we're about.  You're entirely free (and welcome) to express your views, as long as they are not imflammatory, or hurtful or offensive to others.

Cognosfreelancer, I'm curious - You said NKT is an abbreviated version of your name.  Is this an abbreviated form of 'Nikita' or is your name really Enkay Tea? (ooer - with a name like MFGF, I'm opening a big can of worms here, I think!)

MF.

[MDXpressor]

I think forums like this are fantastic!  Speaking of which, can one of you gurus please see if you can answer my questions I posted today?  :)  I have been thrust into a 1-deep cognos development position, given no training, no documentation, and no help!  ARGH - its so frustrating.  I'd pay hundreds of dollars for ANY decent cognos book, yet none exist and Cognos' documentation is just absolutely useless!  Oh, I'd so love if you guys could give me a boost over this insideous learning curve!!

In all seriousness, get to the Cognos training.  It is well worth the expense.  I have attended several of their courses and I recommend them highly.

[acabugason]

Wow! You folks have tons of passion about this forum! This is the first time I have spent a considerable amount of time reading through the entries in this forum and I am very much impressed! I am a newbie to this forum as well as Cognos so I don't think I can help answer questions as much right now. I do hope to be of help in the future.

By the way, for whatever it's worth, i went to the authoring, metadata and scorecarding classes. All very helpful. I highly recommend going to the classes.

[Blue]

I'll co-author on a book.  Will this be Cognos BI for Dummies? :)  Or "Cognizent of Cognos in Cogplex and Cogfusing World"?

Bluey

[Blue]

I just found a URL to a Cognos 8 BI book NOT written by Cognos.  Here it is - http://www.cognosbooks.com/consumer.php

I am not recommended it; I'm just amazed that one exists.

Bluey

[michaelsl]

Does anyone want to co-author one with me? I have been putting it off for the past 2 years, but perhaps now is the time to write one ...

I've certainly been interested in the idea of doing a book.  Been thinking about it for a year or two too.  Our company has learned a lot of tips and tricks for working with Cognos, things that other companies may not be making use of and that might make some interesting reading.  If someone's interested in co-authoring, let me know.  It could be a nice project.

[mrcool]

Hi all....I will b waiting 4 ur book.. :)
Book from experts like u will always help beginners...
You will always have support from Us....

[wrightr]

Hi Mr. Cool,

I generally hang out at ITtoolbox.com but I thought I'd check this forum out as well.

Riley

[MFGF]

Welcome to Cognoise, Riley   :)

MF.