Written by Heather L. Cole, March 23rd, 2023 IBM Cognos and Planning Analytics are powerful business intelligence and planning software[...]

Written by Heather L. Cole, August 25th, 2022 Are you an IBM Cognos, IBM Planning Analytics or SPSS client and[...]

Written by Heather L. Cole on December 1st, 2021 Are you an IBM Analytics client that might need more licensing? [...]

Written by Heather L. Cole, September 9th 2021 Can you believe it’s September already?  A season of change with kids[...]

March 26th, 2021If you use IBM Cognos or Planning Analytics you are subject to an IBM audit. You might not[...]

March 19th, 2021If you use IBM Cognos or Planning Analytics you are subject to an IBM audit.  You might not[...]

January 14th, 2021IBM Teaming Agreement Program allows IBM Partners to Work Together for the Benefit of the Clients. Last month[...]

August 27th, 2020 We all know the best price is not always the best value when shopping and it is[...]

August 6th, 2020 Are you a mid-market company using IBM analytics tools like Cognos, SPSS and TM1?  If so, you[...]

June 3rd, 2020 Options for Buying IBM SPSS StatisticsAre you an IBM SPSS Statistics user or looking to buy SPSS[...]

April 8th, 2020 Given the uncertain nature of our world today many IBM Cognos users are scrutinizing all of their[...]

Consolidating IBM Cognos Support Renewals with Other IT AssetsAugust 22, 2019Earlier this year I gave a breakout session called, Successful[...]

August 1, 2019A Cognos Planning Analytics client recently asked Lodestar Solutions for a quote for a few more licenses.  When[...]

March 29, 2019It was a sunny Monday morning and the phone rang, “Heather, it’s Marcus. I'm looking for reduced support[...]

April 4, 2019 Are you an IBM Cognos Planning Analytics also referred to as Cognos TM1 client?  Did you know[...]

2/11/19Recently, a client asked, “ Is the ILMT tool SOX compliant (Sarbanes Oxley) when used with IBM Cognos?” So, I went[...]

2/4/2019 - Written by Heather L. Cole, President of Lodestar SolutionsWhy have I never heard about the IBM ILMT Tool[...]

1/3/19 Have you ever received a notice that IBM is auditing your IBM Cognos Analytics and/or Cognos Planning Analytics licensing?[...]

1/24/2019 You have been working with Cognos for years.  Recently a Lodestar Solutions team member called you and said, “I[...]

 9/7/2018 Myth: I have the correct IBM Cognos Licenses for BI or TM1Are you an IBM Analytics client that inherited Cognos?[...]

6/26/18 Recently, an IBM Cognos client reached out to me because IBM sent him an Improved Relationship SVP Level Notification letter.[...]

6/20/2018 Difference Between the IBM Passport Advantage (PA) and IBM Passport Advantage Express (PAE) Programs for Cognos Clients. The Passport[...]

6/12/2018Are you an IBM Cognos administrator that inherited the system and need to know how to change the primary contact[...]

6/5/2018 Are you receiving multiple IBM Cognos support bills throughout the year?  You might want to consider consolidating your IBM[...]

Have You Secured Funding Yet?  It's Budget Season.  Secure Funding Now for IBM Cognos!​Do you need process improvement and require[...]

5/18/2017 Concierge Service? Sign me up! Do you find yourself running into Cognos road blocks from time to time? Maybe[...]

November 3, 2019Am I Paying Too Much?Have you ever wondered if you are paying too much money for your IBM[...]

2/15/2017Are you curious on how to minimize IBM Cognos Support Costs? You may have heard rumors that you can negotiate[...]

3/2/2016Spring Break is right around the corner and IBM is ready to party! For the pre-party, IBM released Cognos Analytics[...]

2/4/2016 Little unsure about your TM1 licenses? Lodestar Solutions brings you the 13 most common TM1 licensing questions:Little unsure about[...]

1/14/2016Do you currently own IBM Cognos BI, TM1, or SPSS licenses? As a Business Analytics Coach at Lodestar Solutions, I[...]

12/1/15Lodestar wants to draw your attention to an exciting new option for IBM Cognos BI customers. In the past, the Cognos BI Information[...]

11/4/15As Business Analytics Coaches at Lodestar Solutions, we are often asked about Calculating IBM PVU. Questions like – “What is[...]

8/15/15If the code and versions are the same, then what’s the difference between Cognos Express and Enterprise licensing? Answer: User[...]

7/22/15Working with my business analytics clients as a coach, I am often asked questions like, “Should we be on the[...]

4/24/15​Cognos Cloud vs On-Prem - Solutions GuideAre you looking at IBM Cognos Performance Management (TM1) as a budgeting and forecasting[...]

​Drop IBM Connections License Part E03VJLL From Support RenewalDid your recent IBM Cognos support bill include a line for IBM[...]

​IBM Connections part E03VJLL – Why is it on my support renewal bill?Did your recent IBM Cognos support bill include[...]

​Separating Authorized User from PVU Users using Cognos DispatchersMany clients have a mix of Cognos BI licenses where they have[...]

Calculating PVU - How does this work?IBM Cognos BI can be purchased as an authorized user or a Processor Value[...]

Reducing Cognos Licenses can be tricky and we understand that the needs of your business change overtime, whether it’s due[...]

October 13, 2019Are you a new IBM client receiving your first IBM Cognos Support Renewal? Or maybe you’ve been a[...]

The licensing changes went into effect July 29, 2014, and affects a majority of all IBM Cognos BI licenses.  In[...]

What do you mean, My Cognos licenses expired? For those of you who have been taking advantage of price savings[...]

​BM Modified Their IBM Cognos Licensing Again… Does it affect you?It was officially announced last week that IBM was taking[...]

​TM1 Contributor Licenses Functionality ExplainedAre you confused by the TM1 Contributor Licenses Functionality (now called Performance Management User)?Here is the[...]

The grass is not always greener in software.  In the last few weeks I have had a number of old[...]

7 mistakes organizations make in renewing software support licenses: Every year, software vendors send you a bill for support.  In[...]

The IBM Cognos software product line does not warn you if you add users to the system but don’t have[...]

Licensing audits for any software can become a very stressful time for administrators as they scramble to provide information and pray they are in compliance. Below are a few steps to help ensure that you are in compliance if IBM Cognos decides to audit you.

For many of you, it is support renewal time with IBM Cognos but do you even see the bill to review it? Does the invoice go to accounts payable and they just pay the bill? You may not realize a brief review of your bill could save you thousands of dollars. Here are some steps Lodestar Solutions can help you with:

IBM doesn’t haven on official statement on the break out of support as a percentage of the purchase price. In fact, IBM typically will respond that the first year of support is included in the purchase price. This response does not help when the client is trying to apply the rules of accounting and needs to break out the cost. So let’s take a look at the costs.

Most Business Intelligence vendors have a number of distribution channels. They sell direct, thru Value Added Resellers (VARs), and thru Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). OEM is a misleading term for a company that has a special relationship with the Business Intelligence Vendor. OEMs are manufacturers of hardware or software who resell another company's product under their own name and branding.

Most of the major software vendors sell their licenses and include the first year of support and maintenance. As a client, your accounting department will probably ask you to separate out the cost of support and maintenance from the license cost. So, you ask your vendor to break it out and they may respond that there is no break out as it’s included. Let’s discuss why the accountants need it separated in the first place. Accountants are governed by the AICPA guidelines, SOP 98-1 that basically states that they need to allocate the costs of maintenance out of the purchase. They then need to expense the maintenance where the license is capitalized and therefore amortized over a number of years.

I learned recently that IBM removed the hurdle faced by many clients to qualify for a Passport Advantage (PA) program over the Passport Advantage Express (PAE) licensing program. The hurdle was that to qualify for PA, you needed your initial purchase to equate to 500 points. If you are just using IBM Cognos this is a substantial purchase, so most clients only qualified for PAE sites. PAE is like having Silver Status on an airline while the version PA is like having Platinum Status.

A PVU (Processor Value Unit) is a unit of measure used by IBM to determine the usage on the server. Technically, a PVU license is assigned to the Analytic Server, meaning there is a cost per core processor. Simple enough right? Not so fast. The PVU value assigned to each core depends on hardware. Not all core processors are treated alike. It’s kind of like being taxed a little higher for a luxury automobile, the better the performance the higher the tax. A server’s PVU count is defined by the brand, model and number of physical processors running in the server and the number of core chips per processor. In order to calculate the number of PVUs, it also is necessary to refer to IBM’s PVU-per-core ratings for current processor technologies, which are updated on IBM’s website here .

IBM Cognos purchases are governed by the IBM Passport Advantage terms. IBM recently announced enhancements to the IBM International Passport Advantage Agreement which are designed principally to support the expanding offerings available under the program. Changes automatically become effective on July 18, 2011, unless you notify IBM in writing prior to that date, that you disagree with the change.

Did you get your IBM Cognos support renewal bill recently and fall off your chair? Well pick yourself up off the floor because I can help. You, my friend, are a victim of a not so efficient process … but not to worry. With a few easy steps and understanding the situation, it can be resolved. The issue arises primarily for older “Cognos” clients who purchased a large number of licenses initially and negotiated a heck of a deal. Cognos, prior to IBM, typically charged clients 20% of their purchase price for year 2 of support. So, if you negotiated steep discounts on the software purchase you would benefit from a lower support bill in future years. Depending on the contract, the support cost did increase over the years but typically around 5-10%.

IBM has recently approved Lodestar Solutions to resell IBM Support. This is great news for IBM Cognos clients looking for competitive prices on their IBM Cognos Support.

Did you recently inherit responsibility for IBM Cognos licensing? Are you a power user that isn’t sure what you own? Yes, when you first look at the licenses available from IBM Cognos, it gets a little overwhelming … but it’s like when you walk into a deli and they will customize a sandwich for you. IBM Cognos offers a number of different licenses to meet your needs.

As an IBM Cognos Premier Reseller, Lodestar Solutions takes the time to fully understand the ever changing licensing structure from IBM Cognos. We educate our clients on the licensing thru webinars, blogs and personal conversations. Below are some key benefits to working with a Reseller like Lodestar Solutions.

I am repeatedly asked by clients whether they should continue IBM Cognos Support. I am a big believer in maintaining IBM Cognos Support as there are a number of benefits. Many benefits clients don’t even know exist. There are three basic levels of IBM Cognos Support - Standard, Advantage, and Premier. Most clients have Standard Support, so I’ll focus on the benefits associated with standard support.

The base functionality of C10 is very similar to C8, so upgrades will be pretty painless; however Cognos added functionality that is SWEET. My favorite was the Business Insight functionality. Enhanced consumers and higher will be able to create their own workspace where they can analyze and interact with the information displayed through a dashboard unique to them.

IBM recently announced a major licensing change in their IBM Cognos Planning licensing. Clients that are on 8.4.1 of IBM Cognos Planning and own Contributor, will receive an equivalent license for IBM Cognos TM1 Contributor. This is great news for clients looking to complement Planning with TM1. With this licensing change, they are requiring all IBM Cognos Planning clients to be on the latest Cognos Planning Enterprise Licensing Model to download 8.4.1. Clients who purchased Cognos Planning or Adaytum Planning prior to the IBM acquisition may be affected and be required to modify their IBM Cognos licensing. For all older Planning clients, there are a lot of benefits to upgrading your licenses.

This article is a Part 2 on how to Save Money on BI Purchase. 4. Support Renewal- Software Maintenance/Support renew[...]

With 20+ years in the software industry, I’ve decided to share the secrets of saving money on major software purchases. Here’s what the software companies don’t tell you and what you need to know to negotiate a contract…