IBM Cognos Framework Manager

IBM Cognos Framework Manager is one of the most important component of IBM Cognos BI Tool.I referred a lot for making this post.Hoping that this post will give you valuable information about Cognos Framework Manager.

IBM Cognos Framework Manager is the IBM Cognos BI modeling tool for creating and managing business related metadata for use in IBM Cognos BI analysis and reporting.IBM Cognos Framework Manager is the metadata model development environment for IBM Cognos BI.

It is a Windows-based client tool that you can use to create simplified business presentations of metadata that are derived from one or more data sources. Framework Manager can rapidly create relational and dimensional models through a guided workflow driven modeling process , check the execution path of the queries , define filters and
configure data multi-language support and security filters. Potential reporting errors known as ‘reporting traps’ can be resolved in the Framework model in order to avoid these errors being made in reports or other data analysis. Dynamic Query Mode (DQM) is anoption in Framework Manager to speed up query performance of certain cubes, by providing in-memory data caching.With IBM Cognos Framework Manager, you can publish that metadata to IBM Cognos BI in the form of a package.Metadata is published for use by reporting tools as a package, providing a single, integrated business view of any number of heterogeneous data sources.

Framework Manager stores all sorts of information about your data in a Framework model. This process is known as metadata modelling. In IBM Cognos Framework Manager, the modeler ensures that metadata is presented in a manner that business users can understand. Using Framework Manager items from several database tables can be collected into a single item (known as a query subject), given user-friendly and meaningful names and then ‘published’ to Cognos Connection from where users and report developers can use it to produce reports and analyses. 

IBM Cognos Framework Manager

Modelers import the metadata from one or more databases, and then add to the model to meet user requirements.You can also use it to add dimensional information to relational data sources that allow for OLAP-style queries.This type of model is known as a Dimensionally Modeled Relational (DMR) model.Data can be modelled relationally, similar to how database tables are joined together or dimensionally, which means data can be represented in hierarchies with levels.For example, modelling a date dimension allows the user to view summarized data at Year level, then drill down see it summarized at Quarter, Month and even Day level if required. 

The Model Design Accelerator is a graphical “wizard” which walks you through the design process for a relational model, complete with physical, logical, and presentation layers.Filters can be built into the model, and prompts created in Framework Manager are available to any number of reports and analyses through the published package.Users can create model for predictable results and for OLAP style queries.The ability to rename data items in terms that are meaningful to the data users is an important feature of Framework Manager.

Cognos Framework Manager

If you change the name in the model and republish the package, the report will error out with references to data items which cannot be found. While there have been some workarounds for a while, the ability to create “Durable Models” in framework manager provides an elegant solution.Once modelled data can be packaged in several ways depending on its function. Framework Manager has a sophisticated security system,  which means we can set row level security,so you can restrict sensitive items to particular users, user groups or users assigned to particular ‘roles’, for example Administrators.

A well-written and tested Framework model makes reporting faster and avoids potential errors and duplication, as the same package can be used in any number of reports and analyses.

Framework Manager can be used to

• model for predictable results (star schema)
• model for OLAP-style queries (model dimensionally)
• create one or more business views
• add calculations
• create and apply filters
• add prompts
• set row level security

The main new features in Framework Manager are:

• The ability to create “Durable Models”
• Model Design Accelerator
• Dynamic query Mode

Durable Models

This feature helps us to rename Framework Manager objects after the reports have already been written.The Framework Manager objects include query subjects, query items, filters, namespaces etc.But if users try to rename in the model and then try to republish the package,the report will pop up an error that reference to data items cannot be found.But if we utilize the ability in Framework Manager to create durable models ,the feature provides an excellent solution.

Model Design Accelerator

The Model Design Accelerator is a graphical “wizard” which walks you through the design process for a relational model, complete with physical, logical, and presentation layers.You can launch Model Design Accelerator from the Tools menu.

Dynamic Query Mode

Dynamic Query Mode (DQM) is an option to speed up query performance of certain cubes, by providing in-memory data caching.