December 30, 2010

Cognos 10

m-Fin reports run significantly faster under Cognos 10, so I am working on upgrade preparations.

Cognos generates sql commands.  The database recieves the sql and returns data to Cognos.  Cognos then formats the data, creating tables with subtotals, rendering charts, putting commas in numbers, bolding text, and so forth.  m-Fin reports are database efficient.  So under CU’s Cognos 8.2 they usually take more time in Cognos than in the database.  Now IBM/Cognos has released Cognos 10 and its processing is more efficient.  It is faster then previous versions of Cognos.  This is a significant advancement for m-Fin reports since that is where they spend most of their time.  Ever since I confirmed this I have been chomping at the bit for Cognos 10.

CU has Cognos 10 now and we can upgrade to it whenever we have our content converted and are ready.  So in addition to enhancing and developing new m-Fin reports, I am also spending time working though Javascript conversion issues.  Most companies that use Cognos do some Javascript customization to improve the user interface.  I have done this some in m-Fin and we also have quite a bit of this in the other Cognos financial reports.

We don’t yet have a date planned for a production upgrade.  I hope to have the Javascript solved in a week or so.  Then we should be able to plan.  Perhaps we can upgrade in March, running on the new UIS hardware that should be ready for production by then as well.