IBM Cognos Analytics: Author Reports Advanced (v11.2)

Course Overview

This course teaches Professional Report Authors about advanced report building techniques using relational data models, and ways of enhancing, customizing, and managing professional reports. The course builds on topics presented in the Fundamentals course. Attendees will participate in interactive demonstrations and exercises that illustrate key concepts while learning how to use advanced features in the product builds on topics learned in the Fundamentals course.

Target Audience

Report Authors

Course Objectives

• Create advanced queries
• Create reports based on query relationships 
• Examine dimensional concepts 
• Create advanced dynamic reports
• Design effective Prompts
• Create additional advanced reports
• Examine the report specification 
• Distribute reports through bursting 
• Enhance user interaction with HTML 
• Examine custom controls

Course Content

Unit 1: Create query models

• build query models and then connect them to the report layout
• edit an SQL statement to author custom queries
• add filters and prompts to a report using the query models 

Unit 2: Create reports based on query relationships

• create reports by joining queries
• combine data containers based on relationships from different queries

Unit 3: Introduction to dimensional reporting concepts and dimensional data in reports 

• List and describe the data model types 
• Describe the OLAP data structure and elements 
• Differentiate between report authoring styles 
• use members to build reports 
• identify and use sets and tuples in reports 

Unit 4: Dimensional report context

• understand report context
• root members 
• default members 
• current members
• default measures 
• current measures 

Unit 5: Focus your dimensional data 

• understand how relational data sources behave 
• understand how dimensional data sources behave 
• create efficient queries 
• understand filtering techniques 
• use dimensional objects and functions 
• create slicers and prompts 

Unit 6: Calculations and dimensional functions 

• understand the different types of dimensional functions within Cognos Analytics 
• create reports utilizing dimensional functions 
• use calculations within reports 

Unit 7: Create advanced dynamic reports

• filter reports on session parameter values 
• create dynamic headers and titles that reflect report data
• create a customer invoice report 

Unit 8: Design effective prompts

• control report displays using prompts 
• specify conditional formatting values using prompts 
• create sorted and filtered reports based on prompt selection

Unit 9: Examine the report specification and distribute reports 

• work with the report specification 
• report specification flow 
• considerations when modifying a report specification 
• Create custom toolbox and template objects 
• distribute reports using bursting
• create burst keys
• identify report recipients and data items using burst tables
• distribute reports using email and the IBM Cognos Analytics portal 

Unit 10: Enhance user experience with HTML and Custom Controls 

• create interactive reports by using HTML 
• Include additional information with tooltips 
• Send emails by using links in a report
• understand custom controls 
• AMD models
• adding a custom control
• using JavaScript files 

Unit 11: Advanced techniques

• understand advanced features 
• booklet and reference reports 
• table of contents 
• tabbed reports
• classes and class extensions 
• global parameters
• create a report binder

Course Prerequisites

• Knowledge of your business requirements
• Fundamental report authoring knowledge