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IBM Certified Designer - IBM Cognos Analytics Author V11
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Interview Questions and Answers

Cascading prompts are a series of prompts where the selections in one prompt filter the options available in subsequent prompts. They are implemented by defining filter expressions in the prompt definitions, linking the prompt values to the data being filtered in the other prompts.

Drill-through allows users to navigate from a summary report to a more detailed report based on a specific data point. It provides a way to explore the underlying data and gain deeper insights. Drill-through definitions can be created in Framework Manager or Cognos Analytics.

Troubleshooting performance issues involves analyzing query execution plans, optimizing data models, tuning database settings, and monitoring Cognos server resources. Identifying slow-running queries, optimizing filters, and caching frequently accessed data can improve performance.

Cognos Workspace (replaced by Cognos Analytics Workspaces) is a dashboarding tool that allows users to create interactive dashboards by dragging and dropping report objects onto a canvas. It provides a visual and intuitive way to monitor key performance indicators and gain insights from data.

Framework Manager supports various data item types, including measures (numeric values that can be aggregated), attributes (descriptive characteristics of the data), and identifiers (unique keys that identify each record).

A master detail relationship in Cognos is created by linking two reports together, where the selection in the master report drives the data displayed in the detail report. This is usually achieved through a drill-through definition, passing parameters from the master to the detail report.

Cognos reports can be exported to various formats, including PDF, Excel, CSV, and HTML. The export options are available within Cognos Connection or Cognos Analytics, allowing users to choose the desired format and customize export settings.

Cognos Analytics is the newer version of the Cognos BI suite. Cognos Analytics has a redesigned user interface, enhanced self-service capabilities, and improved integration with other IBM products. It represents a more modern and user-friendly approach to business intelligence.

Reports can be scheduled in Cognos Connection. You can define the schedule frequency (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly), start and end dates, and notification options. Scheduled reports can be delivered via email or saved to a network location.

Prompts are interactive elements that allow users to specify values or criteria to filter the data displayed in a report. They can be used to select specific dates, regions, products, or other relevant parameters. Prompts enhance report flexibility and interactivity.

Calculations can be added to Cognos reports to perform mathematical operations, string manipulations, or date/time calculations. You can create calculations using the expression editor, which supports a variety of built-in functions and operators.

Security in Cognos is implemented through user authentication, authorization, and data-level security. User authentication verifies user identity, while authorization controls access to specific features and objects within Cognos. Data-level security restricts access to certain data based on user roles or groups.

Relational reporting involves querying relational databases using SQL-like syntax. Dimensional reporting, on the other hand, uses OLAP cubes and MDX (Multi-Dimensional Expressions) to analyze data from multiple dimensions. Dimensional reporting is typically faster and more efficient for analyzing large datasets with complex relationships.

Cognos is a business intelligence (BI) and performance management software suite from IBM. It provides tools for reporting, analysis, dashboarding, and scorecarding, enabling organizations to analyze data, track key performance indicators (KPIs), and make informed business decisions.

The main components of Cognos include Cognos Analytics (for reporting, analysis, and dashboards), Cognos Planning (for budgeting and forecasting), Cognos TM1 (for planning, budgeting, and financial consolidation), and Cognos Controller (for financial consolidation and reporting).

Benefits include improved data analysis and reporting, better decision-making, enhanced operational efficiency, streamlined financial planning, improved collaboration, and increased business agility. Cognos provides a centralized platform for accessing and analyzing data from various sources.

Cognos allows for the creation of various report types, including list reports, crosstab reports, chart reports, map reports, and financial reports. Users can customize these reports with filters, calculations, and formatting options.

Cognos connects to data sources through JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) and ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) drivers. You can configure data source connections within Cognos Administration or Cognos Connection, specifying the database type, server address, credentials, and other connection parameters.

Framework Manager is a metadata modeling tool in Cognos. It allows you to create and manage metadata models based on your organizations data sources. These models define the relationships between data, implement security, and provide a simplified view of the data for reporting and analysis.

A Cognos cube is a multi-dimensional data structure (also known as a data cube) used for Online Analytical Processing (OLAP). Cubes are created in Cognos TM1 or can be imported from other OLAP systems. They provide fast and efficient access to summarized and aggregated data, allowing users to analyze trends and patterns from different perspectives.

Business intelligence includes the strategies and technologies used by enterprises for the data analysis of business information. BI technologies provide historical, current, and predictive views of business operations.

A reporting application goes through three stages: authoring, managing, and delivery.

In general Reporting Services components are of the following types: Report Builder, Report Designer, Report Manager, Report Server, Report server database and Data sources.

You can export the reports to various formats once you have run your report. Tabular reports can be exported to spreadsheets, Text, PDF and HTML. Graphs can also be exported to image files or documents.

BI applications support various activities, such as decision support systems, online analytical processing, querying and reporting, forecasting and data mining, and statistical data analysis.

There are 4 key areas where report generation slowdown may occur: Data refresh, Model calculations, Visualization rendering, Everything else

The database schema of a database is it's structure described in a formal language supported by the database management system (DBMS). The term \"schema\" refers to the organization of data as a blueprint of how the database is constructed (divided into

A data-driven subscription provides a way to use dynamic subscription data that is retrieved from an external data source at run time. A data-driven subscription can also use static text and default values that you determine when the subscription is defin

Universe is a semantic layer that maps complex data into descriptive business terms used across the organization, such as product, customer, region, revenue, margin or costs. This layer resides between an organization's database and the end-user.

OLTP (Online transaction processing) captures, stores, and processes data from transactions in real-time. OLAP (Online analytical process) uses complex queries to analyze aggregated historical data from OLTP systems.

Data Warehouse System is a system used for reporting and data analysis, and is considered a core component of business intelligence. Data Warehouses are central repositories of integrated data from one or more disparate sources.

Snowflak

Slicing and Dicing is about breaking down a body of information into smaller pieces, or analyzing it from various points of view so that you can better understand it. In data analysis, the term usually means a systematic reduction of smaller sections or v

Data masking or data scrambling or data anonymization is the process of replacing sensitive information copied from production databases to test non-production databases with realistic, but scrubbed (eg *, #), data based on masking rules. Sometimes Data

Canned reports, Ad hoc and Batch reports.

Ad hoc reporting is a report created for a one-time-use. A reporting tool can make it possible for anyone in an organization to answer a specific business question and present that data in a visual format. Canned reports are preformatted reports that are

C++, Python, Java, C#, proprietary programming language of the reporting tool, ABAP etc.

The security setup required for Authorization Concepts in reporting needs. The Authorization Concepts are segregated to several different categoriesof users as end-users, developers, production support, testing etc

High-level Categories:

– Fu

Steps to create parameters to dynamically change what you see, and even sort by measurements that do not even have to be seen.

Step 1: Create your first parameter.

Step 2: Create a table calculation to link your parameter to measures.

Step

TRUNCATE always removes all the rows from a table, leaving the table empty and the table structure intact while DELETE may remove conditionally if the where clause is used. The rows deleted by TRUNCATE TABLE statement cannot be restored and you can not sp

The traditional database stores information in a relational model and prioritizes the transactional processing of the data. This is known as an OLTP database. Data warehouses prioritize and gives importance to analysis, and are known as OLAP databases.

Explain with examples keeping in job JD in mind.

Model–view–controller(MVC) is a software design pattern used for developing user interfaces that separate the related program logic into three interconnected elements. Each of these components is built to handle specific development aspects of an applicat

Explain specific instances with respect to the job JD.

(1) Choose the Right Technology when picking up a programming language, Database, Communication Channel.

(2) The ability to run multiple servers and databases as a distributed application over multiple time zones.

(3)Database backup, correcti

Object-oriented programming is a programming paradigm based on the concept of \"objects\", which can contain data, in the form of fields, and code, in the form of procedures. A feature of objects is that objects' own procedures can access and often modify

Most modern development processes can be described as agile. Other methodologies include waterfall, prototyping, iterative and incremental development, spiral development, rapid application development, and extreme programming.

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a process used to design, develop and test high-quality software. Also referred to as the application development life-cycle.

Software testing is called the process or method of identifying errors in an application or system, such that the application works according to the requirement of end-users. It is an examination carried out to provide users the information on the quality

Explain specific instances with respect to the job JD.

A good software engineer is someone who is not only competent to write code but also competent to create, produce and ship useful software.

The primary aim of the code review is to ensure that the codebase overall product quality is maintained over time. It helps give a fresh set of eyes to identify bugs and simple coding errors. All of the tools and processes of code review are designed to t

Use a phased life-cycle plan, Continuous validation, Maintain product control, Use the latest programming practices, Maintain clear accountability for results.

Software engineering always requires a fair amount of teamwork. The code needs to be understood by designers, developers, other coders, testers, team members and the entire IT team.

Schedule, Quality, Cost, Stakeholder Satisfaction, Performance

A software project manager determines the project specifications, builds the project team, draws up a blueprint for the whole project outlining the scope and criteria of the project, clearly communicates the project goals to the team; allocates budget, an

The most common software sizing methodology has been counting the lines of code written in the application source. Another approach is to do Functional Size Measurement, to express the functionality size as a number by performing Function point analysis.

The major parts to project estimation are effort estimation, cost estimation, resource estimate. In estimation, there are many methods used as best practices in project management such as-Analogous estimation, Parametric estimation, Delphi process, 3 Poin

software configuration management (SCM) is the task of tracking and controlling changes in the software code, part of the larger cross-disciplinary field of configuration management. Whereas change management deals with identification, impact analysis, d

Basecamp, Teamwork Projects, ProofHub, Zoho Projects, Nifty, Trello, JIRA, Asana, Podio, etc.

A feasibility study is a study that takes into account all of the related factors of a project — including economic, technological, legal, and scheduling considerations — to assess the probability of completing the project.

Functional requirements are the specifications explicitly requested by the end-user as essential facilities the system should provide. Non-functional requirements are the quality constraints that the system must satisfy according to the project contract,

Pseudocode is an informal high-level explanation of the operating principle of a computer program. It uses the structural conventions of a normal programming language but is intended for human reading rather than machine reading.

Validation is the process of checking whether the specification captures the user's needs, while verification is the process of checking that the software meets the specification.

Different Types Of Software Testing - Unit Testing, Integration Testing, System Testing, Sanity Testing, Smoke Testing, Interface Testing, Regression Testing, Beta/Acceptance Testing.

Quality control can be described as part of quality management that is focused on fulfilling quality requirements. While quality assurance relates to how a process is performed or how a product is made.