Part of my job as an Admin is to understand all aspects of the Cognos environment, from configuring and tuning distributed systems to being able to decipher the cryptic error messages that occasionally plague the users. Obviously this book is not for me. This book is more geared for beginners, as it says in the beginning:
Who this book is for
This book is for beginners planning to learn IBM Cognos BI Administration 10.
So, with that in mind it’s important to remember that experienced admins can skip the book. It is the people with little or no administrative experience who will benefit most from the book.
My concern is the length, at 128 pages there is simply not enough room to go into detail on everything. While it gives descriptions on the various tabs and settings of the administration page, I would have preferred more explanations on the settings and their effects.
Despite the brevity it does cover, albeit briefly, the various elements that are involved in the administrative process. The chapters are split by area of interest, configuration, components, security, etc. It describes the what happens when Cognos gets a request and the path the request takes from the gateway through the dispatcher. It explains the authentication and security system fairly well. Most importantly it also provides advice for new admins on how to run the system.
Ultimately I believe the book succeeds in its goal, namely taking people to the point where they can keep a Cognos server up and running.
You can find the book at the PacktPub website here.
Hi Paul. I am looking for material to help prepare me to take the IBM Cognos 10 Administrator exam. Despite the brevity of this book, do you think it covers enough material to help me pass the exam? Cindy
Hi Cindy,
I don’t think this will get you ready for the admin exam. While I’ve never taken the admin exam, the questions involved will most likely be very specific and you will need to know exactly how it’s done. The book presents a broad overview, lacking the detail needed for the exam.
If you are going to take the COG-622 exam, you might want to do the Cognos 10.2 Administration course (B5255, IIRC). Also, the manuals on the website are very useful, though not very well/compact written. Prepare to read about 1500 pages.
Must reads for administration are the Administration and Secuirity Guide, Architecture and Deployment Guide and Installation and Configuration Guide. The Troubleshooting Guide may provide some extra info about some details.
Also, do an installattion yourself. Windows might be the easiest way. If you want to do Linux, prepare for more study unless you are a Linux intermediate/expert.
Thanks for your reply. I have been wading through the 1500 pages of documentation and looking for a way to study in a more concise way. I think I will just spend the money to take the exam with no expectation of passing it just to see what it on the test! Cindy
Hi Paul,
Thanks for writing a review of my book.
Having taking exams in the past (FM,Report Studio, Transformer, Admin)
You must have the training material. ALL the questions in the exam are from training material and NOT outside books…
You need to read the training guides parrot fashion and you will pass the exam.
Personally I dont rate people having exams. You need real life experience.
“You can have a driving licence, but that doesnt make you a good driver”….
Take exams with a pinch of salt. Because you have a exam it doesnt mean your an expert, it means you can read material and remember it. Unfortuantely a lot of Big companies require you to take the exams. Which is good as you can have the training guides and the best practice. But you wont have the practical experience.
Hope this helps..
I have worked with many clients with persons who have and have not had the exams (some even paid websites for the anwsers to get the exams)…So beware… It gives you a foundation , but wont make you an expert.
john