IBM Cognos 8 BI Data Manager: Build Datamarts with Enterprise Data (V8.4) SPVC

Getting Started

• Identify the purpose of IBM Cognos Data Manager
• Define data warehousing and its key underlying concepts
• Identify how Data Manager creates data warehouses
• Examine the Data Manager architecture and user interface

Create a Catalog

• Examine the purpose and contents of Data Manager catalogs
• Create a catalog
• Define connections to source and target data
• Access data using SQLTerm
• Configure flat data source files using SQLTXT

Create Hierarchies

• Examine the role of the dimensional framework in Data Manager
• Examine hierarchies and their data sources
• Identify how to create hierarchies from the columns of one table, the rows of one table, and from multiple tables
• Test and view hierarchies
• Create a hierarchy of static date values
• Handle weeks in a date hierarchy

Create Basic Builds

• Examine Data Manager builds and build-related terminology
• Create a dimension build using the Dimension Build wizard
• Create a fact build using the Fact Build wizard
• Test and execute a fact build
• Document a catalog
• Create catalog schema

Create Derivations

• Examine derivations
• Apply operators and functions to derivations
• Examine the derivation timing model
• Add derivations to a fact build

Create Conformed Dimensions

• Examine conformed dimensions and their advantages
• Design conformed dimensions
• Create conformed dimensions
• Create data integrity lookups that use conformed dimensions

Customize Reference Structures

• Create hierarchies manually using different approaches
• Examine the features of a hierarchy
• Examine literals
• Set data access for hierarchy levels
• Examine static and dynamic members
• Examine fostering
• Use derivations in a hierarchy

Process Dimensional History and Late Arriving Facts

• Examine slowly changing dimensions (SCDs)
• Use surrogate keys in SCDs
• Manage type 1 and type 2 changes to dimensional data
• Load historical data for a dimension
• Examine late arriving facts
• Process late arriving facts in a fact build

Transform Data Using Lookups and Derived Dimensions

• Identify when to use lookups
• Identify the requirements for a lookup
• Create a translation lookup
• Create an optional lookup
• Add derived dimensions to fact builds