Re: Cognos Expertise? Urgent

From: <Hannah.M.Doran_at_sb.com>
Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2000 07:10:58 -0500
Message-Id: <10711.124676@fatcity.com>

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What are your business requirements?
I also think that the structure of your database is important and UNDERSTOOD. Part of my issue with Cognos comes from the structure of the underlying database. I have made a new word *Super Associative*, its how I explain the db structure. Instead of NORMAL assoicative tables, there is ONE table with a table field to inidcate which table to associate the data with. It is very messy design. Plus sometimes they use this ONE table, then at other times they hit random code tables...... go figure!

Throw Cognos into the picture and a couple people who are not familiar enough with the complexity of the db in order to write effective queries, then you have a mess.

I can see how Cognos would be useful for marketing and sales data. This is very vanilla stuff. But if you are using something out of the ordininary, then I feel that the product is toooo complex. I mean, I was trying to explain the situation to my boss using DNA strands as examples for the cube.... damn he laughed sooo hard and refuses to erase his whiteboard (of my theoretical drawings), told me I needed a break and sent me home for the day! And even left himself!

Let me know what you are trying to do and maybe then I can suggest something. Cognos is not necessary a bad product, but your users need to be very savvy and trained in order to retrieve the full benefit of the product.

I mean Cognos is used for analysis and not many run of the mill users are really capable of doing the type of analysis that the product was created for.

Hannah

"Tarkanyi Antal" <tantal_at_nagev.hu> on 12/15/2000 02:00:47 AM

Please respond to ORACLE-L_at_fatcity.com

To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L <ORACLE-L_at_fatcity.com> cc:
Subject: Re: Cognos Expertise? Urgent

Hi !

Could you suggest me something instead of COGNOS ?

Thank you !
Anti

---

  It IS costly! And if your are not running marketing numbers, then not very   intuitive either! We hired a consultant to build a cube for us a long time ago
  (after a year ago) . Months after he has been far gone, we found issues with   the setup. The underlying queries are pulling up multiple records in the total
  counts.....ahhhh.... so much for user testing and unfortunately I was NOT   involved in that phase of the project.

  I was basically trying to redefine a dimension with a new query, but the whole   cube went berserk.
.....
.....
.....

  Ok. Enough rant. Going for a little walk, take a little break, then will come
  back and throw my computer out of the window!

  DILBERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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