COGNOS INC.Eddie HaizlipDanny RoachGreg Sparks

BackgroundFounded in 1969.Offices in 14 countries.Corporate Offices in Ottawa, CanadaSales Headquarters in Burlington, Mass.1300 Employees Worldwide

HistoryDesigned custom information systems in the 70s and early 80s.PowerHouse 4GL rolled out in the early 80s.Took leadership position in application tools in proprietary mid-range computers.In client/server environment, Cognos rolled out PowerPlay, their first BI solution.

TodayOne million seats in a thousand companies.BI solutions support over 100 OLAP data sources.Can intergrate many enterprise applicationsExamples: Oracle Financials PeopleSoft SAP

Software CategoriesBusiness Intelligence

ImpromtuPowerPlayScenario4Thought

Software CategoriesWeb-based BI

PwerPlay Enterprise ServerImpromptu Web ReportsImpromptu Web QueryDataMerchant

Software Categories4GL Tools

PowerHouse 4GLAxiantPower2000

VisualizerManagement and measurement toolExtends PowerPlay and ImpromptuAdvanced reporting and analysisGraphs multiple data dimensionsGraphs geographical data

Data ExampleLarge amounts of data in succinct visual reports and virtual rooms of information.

www.cognos.com/visualizer/walk6.html

NovaViewCognos OLAP clientUses SQL Server 7.0 OLAP servicesBought from Panorama Software Systems

COGNOSuiteSuite of integrated products for turning data into knowledgeIncludes three key componentsPowerPlayScenarioImpromptu

PowerPlayIndustry-leading OLAP solutionUtilizes Analyze-then-Query approach to data analysis

PowerPlay FeaturesDrill down capabilitiesAbility to slice and dice for flexible presentationAnalyze trends over timeVisualize data graphicallyDrill through to details or other cubes

ScenarioData-mining component of the suiteIdentifies relationship among factorsAllows drill down to supporting factors for a selected factorInverse is also true - Scenario will identify those factors which dont impact a given factorCombined - this means better decisions

Scenario Practical UsesClassification according to key factorsMarket segmentationCustomer profilingAreas of focusTargeted strategies

ImpromptuUsed for ad-hoc reportsFrom scratch or based on canned reportsNo SQL needed (drag and drop)

Advantages of ImpromptuFrees up IS resourcesEmpowers the userResults in the right data in the right handsRaises overall effectiveness of the user through more informed decision-making

COGNOS in ActionSolutions and Case Studies

Challenges FacedIT environments include many different systems, that are not integratedIT departments are impeded by labor-intensive reportingManagers do not have timely access to business information.

Benefits of Business IntelligenceSoftwareUsers can easily explore and analyze all the business information they needIT staff is no longer tied up with time-intensive report processingImproved decision-making processes has led to increased revenues.

Cognos Success StoriesAvon Products, Inc.The Timken Company

Avon Products Inc.Founded in 1886The worlds largest direct seller of beauty products$5.1 billion annual revenues2.7 million independent sales reps.Markets over 400 brands135 countries

Business Process RedesignRedesign began in 1996Avon chose Cognos line of Business Intelligence (BI) products:PowerPlay - quickly and easily explore multi-dimensional information and create OLAP reportsImpromptu - ad hoc querying of data and access to transaction-level information

Avons Succes StoryReduced cost by streamlining their analysis and reporting processesFor example, printing and distribution costsCredits Cognos BI solutions to the $250 million increase in revenue, due to the improved decision making processes.

Future PlansInstallation of PowerPlay Enterprise ServerIncorporates the WebLowers overall cost of business intelligence system because the cubes are built once and are accessible from all users of the system.Gives all users of the BI a common front endAble to extend the benefits of the system to their global operations.

The Timken CompanyEstablished in 1898Headquartered in Canton, OhioProduces tapered roller bearingsOffers a selection of more than 200 types and 30,000 sizesThese bearings are used by every major manufacturing industry worldwide

System NeedsBegan implementation in 1996Needed a new job costing system (JCS)Costing is difficult because Timkens products are made to order.Under the old system, product cost rates were updated once a year based on averages gathered from production history.

New Job Costing SystemChose Cognos Impromptu and PowerPlayImpromptu for generating reportsPowerPlay to track sales and costs by district, type of product, size of product, and where the product originated from.

Benefits of New SystemThe finance, sales, and marketing departments are able to accurately track and set product costs.Results in fairer pricing for all their customersUsing the drill-down features they are able to analyze cost detail to an activity level for any customer order.

Data CubesUsing PowerPlays OLAP tool, Timken integrates the data from the JCS into a data cubeCompare and track the product cost versus the profitabilityCost has in excess of 100,000 rowsProfitability involves more than 1 million rows

Future GoalsExpand the system to implement the Web for faster decision making capabilitiesIn the process of implementing the Web-versions of Impromptu and PowerPlay

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