Packt IBM Cognos 8 Planning 424pages software manual

- Build and deploy effective planning models using Cognos 8 Planning
- Filled with ideas and techniques for designing planning models
- Ample screenshots and clear explanations to facilitate learning
- Written for first-time developers focusing on what is important to the beginner
- A step-by-step approach that will help you strengthen your understanding of all the major concepts

Business planning is no longer just about defining goals, identifying critical issues, and then mapping out strategies. In today's dynamic and highly competitive business environment, companies with complex business models want their abstract strategies turned into discrete, executable plans. They want information from the field to reach decision makers in real-time so that they can fine-tune their plans as events unfold. IBM Cognos 8 Planning offers just that.

This book provides you with everything you need to know for building planning models using IBM Cognos 8 Planning. After reading this book, you can begin your journey into model building bringing with you a perspective that comes from three of the most seasoned IBM Cognos Planning consultants in the business.

In this book, you will learn how to build planning models using IBM Cognos Planning's modeling tool, Analyst. We introduce you to key objects in Analyst that let you define, store, and move data. Then we show how you can deploy the model to hundreds or thousands of users using IBM Cognos Planning's web-based tool, Contributor. We demonstrate some of the things you can do as an administrator and as a user. Finally, we show the automation tools that you can use to maintain and support your models. As we go through this, we will share with you tips and tricks and insights from our experience with real implementations.

A step-by-step, practical guide to designing, building, and deploying planning models with useful tips to avoid common model building pitfalls

<b>What you will learn from this book :</b>
- Master the main phases of the model development process and the various considerations you need to think about before embarking on an IBM Cognos Planning project.
- Use Analyst objects to define, store, and move data and leverage powerful data integration tools to let you seamlessly update your models from various data sources.
- Automate common tasks in Analyst such as updating model structures and importing and exporting data by creating Analyst macros.
- Create and configure a Contributor application and deploy it on the Web so that the users can enter budget and forecast data.
- Load data into a Contributor application using different data import methods.
- Automate typical administration tasks in the Contributor Administration Console such as application configuration and the import and publishing of data by creating and scheduling contributor macros.
- Navigate the Contributor Web Client and use it to enter budget and forecast data.
- Apply security to Analyst models and Contributor applications.
- Integrate IBM Cognos Planning with IBM Cognos BI and make planning data available for BI reporting purposes.

<b>Who this book is written for</b>
Written for first-time developers wanting an introduction to IBM Cognos Planning, this book gives clear, easy-to-understand instructions on how to design, build, and deploy Planning models focusing only on the essential tools that you need to know. It is for anyone who wants to understand IBM Cognos Planning and make a transition to this tool from elsewhere.