December 17th, 2020
In our last blog, Where IBM Cognos Clients Can Go to Get IBM Questions Answered, we discussed where to get answers to your IBM Cognos licensing, functionality, and support renewal questions. This is the second part of the series where we will address where IBM Cognos Clients Can Go to Get Technical Support.
What If You Have a Cognos or TM1 Support Issue?
If your Cognos Analytics, TM1, SPSS or Controller question is related to an IBM technical support issue than you need to contact IBM technical support. Typically, your IBM Cognos sales rep and IBM support renewal rep won’t be able to help. To log a case with IBM you will need to be current on IBM support and on a supported version of the Cognos Analytics software. Additionally, you will need to be set up as a person authorized to log cases with IBM Cognos technical support. Below Lodestar Solutions will address each of these situations.
1. Current IBM Support
You probably know if you are current on support with IBM. If you paid for IBM support in the last year, you should have it. If you use Cognos but are not sure if you are current on support, contact us at Renewals@lodestarsolutions.com and we will research it for you.
Embedded Solution Providers
Sometimes clients get confused thinking they have IBM Cognos technical support when, in reality they purchased their Cognos tools not from IBM or an IBM reselling business partner but from what IBM refers to as an Embedded Solutions Provider. An Embedded Solutions Provider has software and intellectual property that they developed, and they contracted with IBM to offer Cognos Analytics or Cognos Planning Analytics with their solution. Note if you have this type of software you cannot contact IBM for help. You must call the software company that is providing the Embedded Solution.
It’s important to note that often your IBM Cognos licensing under an Embedded Solution is restricted to only their data and may have limited functionality. So, if you have seen one of Lodestar’s webinars or blogs with new functionality but cannot find it in your system, that could be why. If you have questions on if your version is part of an Embedded Solution or if you want to explore getting a full use, unrestricted versions of Cognos or Planning Analytics TM1, email sales@lodestarsolutions.com.
2. Supported Versions of Cognos Analytics or Planning Analytics TM1
The next question to validate is whether you are on a supported version of Cognos Analytics, Planning Analytics, SPPS or Controller. I have received several calls over the last couple months where clients ran into an issue and when they contacted IBM Cognos technical support they were told, sorry even though you pay support, we can’t help you until you upgrade to a supported version of IBM Cognos. The supported versions of IBM Analytics change often. Below are the oldest versions supported at the time of this blog and links so you can look up if your version of Cognos is supported.
IBM Lifecycle and Supported Versions of IBM Cognos Analytics – Lodestar recommends you check the IBM Software Lifecycle page of the IBM website to get the latest updates of what versions of IBM Cognos are supported and which versions are unsupported.
What IBM Analytic software is supported at the time of this blog?
- Supported Versions of IBM Cognos Planning Analytics (TM1) version 2.0.x is supported. TM1 versions 10 or earlier are no longer supported. See this article for details.
- Supported Versions of IBM Cognos Analytics (BI) version 11.0.x is still supported but will be sunset or end of support on September 30, 2021.
- Supported Versions of SPSS - SPSS has many parts, so we recommend you check the IBM site for exactly what you are using.
- SPSS Statistics - Many of our Lodestar Solutions clients use SPSS Statistics. With SPSS Stat, if you are on version 23 or earlier you are unsupported. Version 23 was sunset Sept 30, 2020.
SPSS Stat version 27 is recommended.
- Supported Versions of IBM Cognos Controller - Version 10.3.x of IBM Cognos Controller is still supported but will be sunset or end of support on September 30, 2021.
What if I am on an unsupported version of IBM Cognos and need help ASAP?
If you find yourself in that bad place where you are having an issue, and on an unsupported version of IBM Cognos, contact Lodestar Solutions. Our technical team has deep knowledge on old versions and might be able to help get you through your crisis and plan your upgrade. Remember you don’t have to go it alone. Lodestar Solutions is here to help. Email us at Services@lodestarsolutions.com or call 813-415-2910.
3. Getting Authorized to Submit IBM Support Issues
Finally, if you inherited ownership of your Cognos Analytics software, you may want to change the persons authorized to contact IBM technical support. For details on how to change your Primary contact with IBM check out our blog appropriately named How to Change the Primary Contact Name for IBM Cognos.
If you have inherited Cognos from someone that was promoted or still in the company, you will need them to send an email to IBM requesting the change. This is a lot faster than changing it after someone has already left the company. You will need to supply the IBM Customer Number of your organization, which can be found on your support renewal invoice or quote. If your organization has more than one IBM Site ID, include the Site ID. This will also be on your support renewal invoice or quote from IBM. You will need to supply the below to paonline@us.ibm.com:
- First name and last name of the previous Contact.
- First name and last name of the individual to be designated as the new Contact.
- Phone number of the individual to be designated as the new Contact.
- Email address of the individual to be designated as the new Contact.
If the primary contact is no longer with the company or you can’t find your IBM site information email renewals@lodestarsolutions.com and our team can help you. Again, check out our blog How to Change the Primary Contact Name for IBM Cognos.
Get Cognos Help!
You are not alone! As I mentioned earlier Lodestar Solutions is here to help! Above we shared, Where IBM Cognos Clients Can Go to Get Technical Support but if you want to make your life easier engage with Lodestar Solutions. We can help you navigate the IBM red tape! We specialize on helping you succeed with your IBM Cognos Analytics Solutions. So, contact us today at 813-415-2910, and join our family.