COGNOS ANALYTICS TRENDS FOR 2021Photo by Austin Distel

Originally Posted On: Cognos Analytics Trends for 2021 (lpa.com)

 

As the flagship business intelligence tool for IBM, Cognos Analytics gets all the cool features. With an AI-powered data processing engine, a powerful cloud-based backend, and the ability to power beautiful and informative visualizations, there’s no better way for data scientists to amplify their insights.

With that said, Cognos isn’t a monolith. With this summer’s release of Cognos Analytics 1.1.7, the analytics tool gained several interesting new features. These improved abilities will have a massive effect on the way that people work using Cognos, with ripples that almost certainly inform the shape of the coming year.

Improved Mobile Apps Empower Citizen Data Scientists

Previously, Cognos users were only able to use the tool remotely by looking in through a web browser. While the browser version was well-supported, screen size was a huge issue—it was difficult to optimize Cognos dashboards so they could be useable on a phone or tablet.

IBM has begun to rectify this issue by releasing two mobile apps. First is a reporting app, which basically takes the web UI and transplants it into a mobile form. If you didn’t previously have issues with the web UI, you can just switch to the reporting app and call it a day. IBM also offers a new Analytics App which is specifically optimized for smartphones. This one lets you set alerts, pin your favorite visualization, and even ask natural language questions using an AI assistant.

This mobile update is going to have huge effects on the way that people use Cognos. First, this is an update that will primarily affect remote users—except everyone is a remote worker this year, and everyone will most likely remain a remote worker well into 2021. It’s very gratifying to have the ability to use Cognos without camping out in the home office, but adding natural language processing abilities is a truly inspired touch.

By adding natural language processing, IBM can expand the number of Cognos users beyond those who are trained data scientists. By simplifying Cognos controls to include voice, IBM will be able to increase the Cognos userbase to include citizen data scientists who need to perform data science tasks without formal education.

With cognos analytics mobile optimization like this, your coming year working with Cognos will feel efficient and fresh. You’ll also stay ahead of the coming cognos analytics trends!

Data Set Editor Expands Cognos Functionality

With the mobile app, IBM gave users the ability to use Cognos anywhere. With the data set editor, IBM has multiplied users’ productivity; IBM cognos analytics at it’s finest!

To recap, you used to be able to edit data sets in Cognos directly, although an update put a stop to this. Afterward, the only way to transform your data set was to create a data module. This slowed down productivity, but IBM has given it back to us in the form of a data set editor.

With this update, users can once again speed up their reports by aggregating data on their device, as opposed to the database. You can now create joins, queries, unions, and more, all without creating a new module or switching to a different application. As a result, users can mitigate database bottlenecks and speed up their reports.

By restoring this functionality, IBM is restating its commitment to listening to users. The original ability to edit data sets was only available by using a hack—and when IBM took away that ability, the users complained bitterly. Expect to see more user-requested features as Cognos releases more updates over the next few years.

Cognos Continues Surfing a Wave of APIs

Apart from artificial intelligence, API integration is one of the hottest trends in computing. The software industry as a whole has added approximately 168 APIs per month since 2015, and the new update to Cognos is in line with that trend.

Cognos added three new REST APIs in version 11.1.7, and they all add extremely interesting functionality to the service. These APIS will allow users to:

  • Extract information from any web-based resource, allowing users to make better use of publicly available data sets in your analytics platform.
  • Automate Cognos functions using an external application, including capabilities, content, customizations, network connections, and so on. This greatly expands the automation potential for Cognos and acts as an alternative for an older SOAP-based SDK.
  • Create custom styling for dashboards and add new context not found in baseline Cognos deployments. This adds additional automation potential.

Automation continues to be a hot topic in data science, and two out of three new APIs now support additional automation within Cognos. We’re interested to see how Cognos users utilize these APIs to create new automated workflows!

Keep Your Finger on the Pulse of Cognos with LPA

With some of the deepest skills in the analytics industry today, LPA is the proven expert for various data science and AI solutions. Finding the right one for you is the first step, finding the right implementation partner comes next. Let LPA be your guide: 4 Steps to Implement AI in Your Organization.