Northwestern UniversityBusiness Intelligence Solutions

Build Cubes in Cognos 8.4

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

Methods to create cube using package

Relational Package

Relational package for dimensions and IQD for fact tables

Dimensional Package for dimensions and facts from IQD’s

Design Considerations

There are 2 methods create cube using Relational Package

1. Use package for dimensions and IQD’s 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

Design Considerations

2. Use package for dimensions and IQD’s 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

Create Cubes Using Relational Package

Publish the package to cognos connection

Select Relational package from Data source

Select Query Subjects from Package

Select single query dimension at a time and click ok

Adding multiple query dimensions one time returns no values

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

Dimensions and Measures

How to do it

Add All queries required for Cube

Add Facts from IQD’s

Create Fact ,Dimension Relations

Create Hierarchies

Make lowest level as Unique

Create Cube

Pros and Cons

Dimensional Package

Relational Package

Relational Package for

dimensions and IQD’s from Fact

ImpromptuQuery

Definition

Hierarchies and Levels already created

Need to create hierarchies and levels

Need to create hierarchies and levels

Need to create hierarchies and levels

Attributes are not imported for Level. Only source, label, description are imported

No attributes No attributes No attributes

Performance is low. Time to complete Granite Cube is around 11 hours

Performance is good .Time to complete Granite Cube is around 5.5 Hours

Performance is Medium. Time to complete Granite Cube is around 7.5 hours due to different data sources

Performance is good .Time to complete Granite Cube is around 5.5 Hours

Easy to Maintain Easy to maintain Easy to maintain package and one Fact IQD

Difficulty to Maintain.Multi Select Statements, Multiple database connections in single Query

Pros and Cons

Dimensional Package

Relational Package

Relational Package for

dimensions and IQD’s from Fact

ImpromptuQuery

Definition

IQD’s from Fact table, current date has to be used to get date categories

Data sources for all dimensions and Fact tables coming from package

IQD’s from Fact table, current date has to be used to get date categories

All data sources are IQD’s

Add surrogate keys in the dimensions, publish the package and use the package with ID as data source

Add surrogate keys in the dimensions, publish the package and use the package with ID as data source

Add surrogate keys in the dimensions, publish the package and use the package with ID as data source

ID’s exists in IQD’s

Alternate Drilldown in OLAP is dividing separate hierarchies in transformer

Alternate drilldown are created manually

Alternate drilldown are created manually

Alternate drilldown are created manually

Need to set up manually aggregate Properties for Measures

Aggregate values are not imported from package Transformer defaults to sum

Need to set up manually aggregate Properties for Measures

Need to set up manually aggregate Properties for Measures

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

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

Data source wizard

Create Package

Select the location

Apply suppression settings

Click finish

Cube will be published to Cognos connection

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

Automatic signon Window

Sign on information

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

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

Questions ?Xecutablnsfrmr.exe on Windows