A well built metamodel is essential for any successful Cognos project. This book offers a solid guide to the best practices for building your model. The entire process of building a model, from joins to dimensional layers, is described in detail.

The chapters are ordered logically, first describing the tool and the various buttons and basic functionality, and then moving on to the advanced features. The book describes the entire process of building a model according to the most effective practices. Modellers will be well suited to keep this book open while building a model, even if it’s just to keep them on track.

In addition to describing the standard modeling features, the book also describes some advanced methods. Various multiuser modelling strategies are detailed; session parameters and parameter maps are explained with useful examples.

Terry does not go into every single trick, or explain how to fix every single bug in a given model (if he did, it would probably have to be several thousand pages long). However, he does lay down a set of guidelines which will provide for a portable and efficient model.

My only criticism is that it is sometimes too short. Some sections feel more like “how-to” guides that give step by step instructions without explaining the theory behind it.

Ultimately, both users who are unfamiliar with Framework, and veterans with years of experience will find it useful to read through and to keep it as a reference.

The book may be purchased from Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/IBM-Cognos-Framework-Manager-ebook/dp/B00CXPRD4G or directly from Packt http://www.packtpub.com/ibm-cognos-10-framework-manager/book