Easily Connect Power BI & Tableau to Cognos Data

Easily Connect Power BI& Tableau to Cognos Data

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Agenda

• Introduction

• Overview of Senturus Analytics Connector

• Demo

• Additional resources

• Senturus overview

• Q&A

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Introduction

Michael Weinhauer

Director

Senturus, Inc.

Poll #1

Which BI platforms is your organization currently using?

(Welect all that apply)

• Cognos

• Power BI

• Tableau

• Other

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Poll #2

How large is the Tableau and/or Power BI user community in

your organization?

• Less than 50 users

• 51-250 users

• More than 250 users

• Don’t know

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Overview of the Senturus Analytics Connector

Predictable vs. exploratory (source: Gartner 2017)

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Enabling bimodal BI

Bimodal approach is growing

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Huge value in existing BI models

Organizations have invested heavily in existing models that

provide governed, secure, business-friendly, performant

results.

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BUT…visual analytics users circumvent them!

Using Cognos for ETL and/or recreating models in other

tools wastes time, compromises data integrity and security!

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Why you shouldn’t (re)-create metadata

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The solution? The Senturus Analytics

Connector!

Visual analytics users can connect directly to the Cognos

application layers, giving them instant access to high quality

data.

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Instant access to quality data sets

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Instant access to quality data sets

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Including your reports!

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Don’t sacrifice integrity and security for

agility!

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Publish and deploy!

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The Senturus Analytics Connector gives youFaster, more accurate reportingAnalysts can spend time doing actual analysis instead of manipulating data and remodeling data already curated in

Cognos.

Reduced change management cost and riskChanges in Cognos Framework Manager models are automatically picked up by the Analytics Connector, eliminating costly and

time-consuming changes to individual files.

Increased trust in the dataAuditable, governed data provides a single version of the truth that is the basisfor all reporting. With trust in the reporting data, company-wide adoption increases.

Improved securityEliminates redundant security application, reduces risks associated with the use of unsecure data sources (flat files, Excel

exports) and allows appropriate guardrails to be set up around data access.

Superior performancePoorly modeled data can dramatically decrease performance. Analytics Connector users leverage the performance-optimized

data modeled in Cognos.20

What’s new in 5.1

• Windows authentication using SQL Server connection (SSO)

• Standalone calculation support in data modules

• Navigation path support in data modules

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Demo

Frequently asked questions

Live/Direct Query vs. extract/import

• Both methods are supported

Supported Cognos platforms and versions

• IBM Cognos 10.1.x/11 and higher, including 11.1.7, 11.2

• On prem AND cloud

Supported data sources

• Relational, PowerCubes, DMR, Dynamic Cubes, TM1

• Framework Manager Packages, Data Modules, and Reports

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Frequently asked questions

Release date

• GA November 7, 2016

• In development for over 6 years, current version v5.1

Minimum software requirements

• Very lightweight footprint

• Dual-Core i7/Xeon, 8GB RAM, 20GB disk

• Negligible CPU utilization

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Frequently asked questions

Supported versions/platforms

• Power BI Desktop (June 2018 or later)

• Tableau Desktop, Server and online (10 or later)

• Microsoft Windows operating system (Windows 10, Windows

Server 2012, 2016, 2019)

• Tableau Linux

• Tableau Desktop Mac OSX

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Frequently asked questions

Connector installation location

• Wherever connectivity to Cognos is required

• Desktop

• Tableau Server

• Power BI on-premise data gateway

• Connector client-server (recommended)

• Nothing installed on Cognos servers

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Frequently asked questions

Cognos environment impact

• Users leveraging the Analytics Connector will generate load on

the Cognos servers similar to an interactive report user on

those systems

• Mode 2 users tend to be more interactive, which increases load on

the Cognos servers

• Queries tend to be summarized, which reduces the load on

Cognos

• Important step in development lifecycle to ascertain the net load on

the Cognos system

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Frequently asked questions

Licensing requirements - Cognos

• Live/direct query: Cognos Analytics user or equivalent

• Extract/import: Cognos Analytics user for extracts/imports, users accessing extracts/imports would require an Analytics Connector license

Security

• Automatically enforces security defined within the Cognos environment – package, RLS, etc.

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Frequently asked questions

Framework Manager modeling requirements

• No special modeling requirements

• Tools require that joins are created between query subjects –

Analytics Connector creates dummy joins by default

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Frequently asked questions

Method for accessing Cognos

• Power BI – Custom Connector (ODBC), or SQL Server

• Tableau – ODBC or SQL Server

Support and maintenance

• Provided by Senturus, included with your subscription

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Senturus/Tableau architecture (standalone)

Publish

Live/Extract

Live/Extract

Data Sources (Relational,

PowerCube, DMR, Dynamic Cube,

TM1)

Packages/Reports

Data Modules

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Senturus/Tableau architecture (client-server)

Publish

Live/Extract

Data Sources (Relational,

PowerCube, DMR, Dynamic Cube,TM1)

Packages/Reports

Data Modules

1Live/Extract

Client

Client

Server

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1

Power BI architecture (client-server)

Publish

Live/Import

Live/Import

Data Sources (Relational,

PowerCube, DMR, Dynamic Cube, TM1)

Packages/Reports

Data Modules

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ROI with the Senturus Analytics Connector

Save huge amounts of time (and money)

• STOP creating metadata from scratch and save hours to

weeks of time, depending on the number of packages and

report complexity

• STOP converting reports outside Cognos

• STOP maintaining multiple metadata layers between tools

Reduce data security risk

• Maintain correct data security such as GDPR, PII, HIPAA,

SOX, FERPA

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ROI with the Senturus Analytics Connector

Maximize your Cognos investment

• Your visual analytics tools use the governed prepared data in

Cognos

Ensure accurate and aligned business metrics• No compromise to data integrity because data remodeling is

avoided

• Performance improves because numbers match up between

Cognos and visual analytics tools

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Coexist? Or cut the cord?

Do what’s best for your organization, not what your technology is trying to force you to do…

The experts at Senturus can help!

vs

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Customer case studies

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Northwestern University

Senturus Analytics Connector test drive

• Free 30-day trial

• Includes customer support

Request a test drive: https://senturus.com/products/analytics-connector/

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Additional resources

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Insider viewpointsTechnical tipsUnbiased product reviews

Product demos Upcoming eventsMore on this subject

Upcoming events

•Take Control of Your Cloud

•Managing Azure and AWS capacity for improved performance and reduced cost

•Wednesday, Nov 17, 2021, 11am PT/2pm ET

•Register: https://senturus.com/events/take-control-of-your-cloud/

•Extending Power BI Functionality with R

•Learn the basics to get started

•Thursday, Dec 2, 2021, 11am PT/2pm ET

•Register: https://senturus.com/events/extending-power-bi-functionality-with-r/

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Your path to modern BI

Accelerating self-service analytics for

the enterprise

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Decisions and actionsBusiness needs

Bridging the gap

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Analysis-ready data

Full spectrum of BI services

• Data preparation and modern data warehousing

• Dashboards, reporting and visualizations in Power BI, Cognos and Tableau

• Hybrid BI environments (migrations, security, etc.)

• Software to accelerate bimodal BI and migrations

• BI services and support retainer (expertise on demand)

• Training and mentoring

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Complete BI training

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Instructor-led online courses Self-paced learning

MentoringTailored group sessions

A long, strong history of success

•20+ years

•1350+ clients

•3000+ projects

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Join theSenturus team

Send your resume to: [email protected]

We’re hiring talented and experienced professionals

• Senior Cognos BI Architect/Project Manager

• Modern Analytics Solution Architect

• Senior Microsoft BI Architect

• ETL Developer

• And more

See job descriptions: https://senturus.com/company/business-analytics-careers/

Q & A

•If your question or issue

is broader than what we

are able to answer today,

contact us at:

• [email protected]

•and we will set up a

free consultation.

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www.senturus.com 888 601 6010 [email protected]

Thank You

© 2021 by Senturus, Inc. This presentation may not be reused or distributed without the written consent of Senturus, Inc.