January 23rd, 2020
IBM continues to provide 4-5 new Cognos Analytics releases each year. In December 2019, IBM released Cognos Analytics 11.1.5. While not a major release, this release does provide a number of key enhancements and new features that you should take advantage of. I do not have the space to cover every change or enhancement. I will highlight what I believe to be the most valuable below. Thank you IBM for the continued enhancements to an already stellar product!
Dashboards
Let’s start with Dashboards in Cognos Analytics 11.1.5.
- Display Members in a Data Tree – expand hierarchies to show the children or members in each data tree.
- Drill Through from Dashboard to Dashboard
- Customize Tabs – can now move tabs around the dashboard and stylize each one.
- Show or Hide Rows in a Crosstab Visualization
- Enhancement to Forecasting – In short, the algorithms were improved, which results in a 20% accuracy improvement. For more info on the forecasting enhancements click here.
- Search and Zooming in on Maps
- Customize Missing Values


Explorations
Now we will take a look at Explorations in Cognos Analytics 11.1.5
- click here.
- Multiple Requests Concurently – Each request is not handled and cached seperatly.
- Display Members in a Data Tree – expand hierarchies to show the children or members in each data tree.
Reporting
Cognos Analytics 11.1.5 added in a number of items to the reporting module.
- link. Schematics – These are visualizations that can map data into a graphic representation. For example; floor plans, seating charts, mechanical drawings, etc. For more info on how to create and distribute schematics check out this
- Custom Visualizations Now Support Nested and Hierarchies
- Search and Zooming in on Maps

Modeling
Enhancements in Cognos Analytics 11.1.5 include:
- Display Members in a Data Tree – expand hierarchies to show the children or members in each data tree.
- Custom Tables – creates a new custom tabs area in the data module for central viewing of these items.
- Redesigned User Experience for Intent Driven Modeling - When adding tables to a data module, you can engage the system to suggest the most appropriate tables for your module.
For more information on Data Modules check out this link.
Samples
The samples in Cognos Analytics 11.1.5 now include a number of new Jupyter Notebooks and are also organized into 3 categories now, see below. I think this is a great move by IBM Cognos. This change makes it much easier for the user to find the samples they need. If you haven’t used the samples or you don’t have them loaded in your environment, reach out to us at Services@lodestarsolutions.com. We can quickly show you how to load them in and you can be working with them in a matter of minutes.

Miscellaneous Items
- Cloud Storage for Reports
- Microsoft Azure Analysis Server Support
- Support for MemSQL Data Server
As I mentioned above, this is not a major release. However, Cognos Analytics 11.1.5 does provide a number of enhancements. If you are on version 11.1.3 or earlier, I would highly suggest upgrading to 11.1.5 now. With the major 11.1.4 release and what is included in 11.1.5, you are missing out if you are on an earlier version! See what was new in 11.1.4 here.
We are here to help with your upgrade. Contact us at services@lodestarsolutions.com and we can discuss your current version, upgrading and work with you to get upgraded ASAP. The process is not hard and as long as you are current on your support the software download is free. Schedule a call with us today to map out your upgrade or to see a demo of everything new in Cognos Analytics 11.1.4 and 11.1.5.
Does Cognos 11.1.5 work with Oracle 19c databases?
What is the highest release of Cognos that works with Oracle 12.2 Enterprise Edition database
What is the highest release of Cognos that works with Oracle 19c Enterprise Edition database
IBM is always modifying what versions can run in your environment so I recommend you check the IBM website for the latest information on supported environments. Here’s this link. https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/735235