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Northwestern UniversityBusiness Intelligence Solutions

Build Cubes in Cognos 8.4

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New Data Source Types

New Features

Transformer version 8.x supports IBM Cognos Series 7 data sources as well

as packages and reports.

Transformer allows you to leverage metadata from other published OLAP

packages

Import query items from relational or dimensionally modeled relational

(DMR) packages and reports, and the associated filters and prompts, by

choosing the Package or Report data source

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Methods to create cube using package

Relational Package

Relational package for dimensions and IQD for fact

tables

Dimensional Package for dimensions and facts

from IQDs

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Design Considerations

There are 2 methods create cube using Relational Package

1. Use package for dimensions and IQDs for Fact Tables

Add All dimensional queries required for Cube

Add Fact table form IQD

Create Fact ,Dimension Relations

Create Hierarchies

Make lowest level as Unique

Create Cube

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Design Considerations

2. Use package for dimensions and IQDs for Fact Tables

Add One query at a time

Add All dimensional queries required for Cube

Add Fact table form IQD

Create Fact ,Dimension Relations

Create Hierarchies

Make lowest level as Unique

Create Cube

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Create Cubes Using Relational Package

Publish the package to cognos connection

Select Relational package from Data source

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Select Query Subjects from Package

Select single query dimension at a time and click ok

Adding multiple query dimensions one time returns no values

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Create Cube using Dimensional Package

Go to the transformer click New model

Right click the dimension map and click Create dimension using package.

Enter sign on information

Select package required for creation of cube

Then select dimensions from the window

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Dimensions and Measures

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How to do it

Add All queries required for Cube

Add Facts from IQDs

Create Fact ,Dimension Relations

Create Hierarchies

Make lowest level as Unique

Create Cube

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Pros and Cons

Dimensional

Package

Relational

Package

Relational Package

for dimensions and

IQDs from Fact

Impromptu

Query Definition

Hierarchies and Levelsalready created

Need to createhierarchies and levels

Need to create hierarchies andlevels

Need to create hierarchiesand levels

Attributes are not imported

for Level. Only source,label, description areimported

No attributes No attributes No attributes

Performance is low. Time to

complete Granite Cube isaround 11 hours

Performance is good

.Time to completeGranite Cube is around5.5 Hours

Performance is Medium. Time

to completeGranite Cube isaround 7.5 hours due todifferent data sources

Performance is good

.Time to complete GraniteCube is around 5.5 Hours

Easy to Maintain Easy to maintain Easy to maintain package andone Fact IQD

Difficulty to Maintain.Multi Select Statements,Multiple databaseconnections in singleQuery

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Pros and Cons

Dimensional

Package

Relational

Package

Relational Package

for dimensions and

IQDs from Fact

Impromptu

Query

Definition

IQDs from Fact table,current date has to beused to get date

categories

Data sources for alldimensions and Facttables coming from

package

IQDs from Fact table, currentdate has to be used to get datecategories

All data sources areIQDs

Add surrogate keys in thedimensions, publish thepackage and use thepackage with ID as datasource

Add surrogate keys inthe dimensions, publishthe package and usethe package with ID asdata source

Add surrogate keys in thedimensions, publish the packageand use the package with ID asdata source

IDs exists in IQDs

Alternate Drilldown inOLAP is dividing separatehierarchies in transformer

Alternate drilldown arecreated manually

Alternate drilldown are createdmanually

Alternate drilldownare created manually

Need to set up manuallyaggregateProperties for Measures

Aggregate values arenot imported frompackage Transformerdefaults to sum

Need to set up manuallyaggregateProperties for Measures

Need to set upmanually aggregateProperties forMeasures

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Best Approach to build Cube

Create relational Package with IDs

Publish that package to Cognos Portal

Use that package as data source

Create Levels, hierarchies, Measures

Create Fact and dimension Relations

Create Cube

Performance will be good

Easy to maintain

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Publish cube

Publish cube from transformer directly to Cognos Connection

In the Power Cubes list, right-click the PowerCube, and click Publish PowerCube as Data Source

and Package

In the Publish cube dialog box, select the Start publish wizard radio button and click OK.

Click next on the welcome page

Enter signon information

Create the Data Source

Enter sign on information for data source

Test the data source connection

Click finish

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Data source wizard

Create Package

Select the location

Apply suppression settings

Click finish

Cube will be published to Cognos connection

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Design process into the Nightly Loads

To Enable Transformer use Cognos 8 signon automatically

Go to the transformer click signon window

Click the sign on properties

Enter appropriate user id and password

This is not net Id

Click set as Autolog on

Save Model as .PYJ file after modifying the sign on information

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Automatic signon Window

Sign on information

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Modifications to Batch file

Batch file to build the cube is almost similar like cognos 8.2

cogtr replaces the IBM Cognos Series 7 Transformer executables

trnsfrmr.exe on Windows.the syntax is almost same

cd C:\COGNOS8.4.1\bin

;cogtr -n -m"C:\MODEL.mdl

Above expression use to build the cube with auto signon

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Command Line Options

cogtr -a data_source : Runs AutoDesign then creates a cube

cogtr -c -pfilename.py? : generates categories

cogtr h : Displays Help for the command line

Cogtr-l signon=userid/password-pfilename.pyj::Specified Database signon

information

cogtr -nologo -pfilename.py? : prevents the display of the Transformer splash

screen

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Questions ?Xecutablnsfrmr.exe on Windows