Have you checked out the Analytic Desktop Tool, Cognos Insight?  What did you think?  For those of you who are advanced Cognos BI users, did you dismiss it?  Well, hold on a minute!  Cognos Insight can be a valuable tool to help you become recognized as a “Business Analytics Expert” in your organization.

What is Cognos Insight?

Cognos Insight (CI) is a desktop tool that allows users to create custom dashboards and applications.  It’s a personal analytics solution that empowers users to independently explore, analyze, visualize and share data without relying on IT for assistance.  The tool empowers the end users, while maintaining the integrity and IT guidelines of the IBM Cognos Enterprise solutions.  End users can drag CSV files of data in to immediately create multidimensional models; it’s like Excel on steroids!  In summary, it provides the flexibility your end users seek, while allowing you to preserve the integrity of your Enterprise-wide Business Analytics solution.

How can you leverage Cognos Insight? 

CI can help you get recognized as a BA expert.  Here’s how:

Existing IBM Cognos BI Users:  Many clients have Cognos BI deployed in certain departments, or to meet particular business needs.  Lodestar Solutions recommends you expand how and where Analytics and BI are used in your organization.  By hosting a Cognos Insight workshop, you can introduce functional areas that aren’t using Cognos to the power of Cognos.  They can test drive the software and bring in data which they are probably reporting off of with Excel today.  This is a great baby step into the world of Business Analytics.  For Finance departments, you can use Cognos Insight to introduce them to the write back functionality and multidimensionality of TM1/Performance Management.   (Lodestar can help you host a Cognos Insight workshop, just contact us.)

Existing IBM Cognos TM1/ PM Users:  If you have Cognos TM1/Performance Management but not currently using Cognos BI, Cognos Insight can provide an introduction to the robust dashboarding and visualization tools available in BI.   Lodestar Solutions recommends that you host a Cognos Insight workshop to introduce the concepts of BI.  This is a great baby step into the world of Business Intelligence.  You can also use the CI workshop to expose other areas of the business that heavily relay on Excel, like Marketing and HR, to the power of TM1 and the benefits of a multidimensional solution. (Lodestar can help you host a Cognos Insight workshop, just contact us.)

Non-Cognos clients: If you don’t currently use IBM Cognos products, but are looking to educate your organization on the power of Business Analytics, Cognos Insight is a great way to provide them an introduction.  By hosting a Cognos Insight workshop with Lodestar Solutions, you can set a foundation and roadmap for Business Analytics in your organization. IBM has some great sample models for various industries that you can download.  I recommend you customize the content to the functional area you are presenting to.  So, show marketing people marketing information.  For more information on the sample models go to www.analyticszone.com.

Set Expectation for Cognos Insight:  My one word of caution is to make sure you set proper expectations. Cognos Insight is a personal analytics solutions that can leverage the Framework of Cognos, but it is not an Enterprise solution.  However, it connects perfectly with IBM’s Enterprise and Express solutions. Flexibility and Structure all in one solution. What more can you ask for?

To help set up a Cognos Insight Workshop in person or virtually, email sales@lodestarsolutions.com or call us at 813-254-2040.