IBM Cognos Analytics 11.1
If you follow me on LinkedIn you probably saw my post about IBM Cognos Analytics 11.1. If you don’t, now might be a good time to make a cup of tea and have a quick look. In this blog post I wanted to explore the new release in a little more detail.
The first question is “What’s new?” In short, quite a lot! IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0.x was quite a shift from Cognos Business Intelligence 10.2.2 and this latest iteration represents another significant leap forward for Big Blue.
One of the most headline grabbing new feature is perhaps what IBM have billed as “AI Conversational Analytics”. This feature allows users to explore their data via a natural language processing engine by typing a phrase such as “Show Sales Value by Regional Manager” to be presented with relevant datasets and recommended visualisations.
Another key feature is the inclusion of some analytics capabilities previously limited to IBM Watson Analytics, rather than the IBM Cognos family of tools. The one that springs to mind for me is the predictive engine, which coupled with the new visualisations, can give very quick insight into what factors are driving your target KPIs.
A couple of notable mentions for new features making their way into this release include:
• Data preparation and modelling is now user-centric and much more intuitive (no more Framework Manager!)
• Improved data visualisations including revised geo-location capabilities
• A changed user experience when authoring dashboards
Should you upgrade? In my opinion, the answer is a very clear “yes”! This new version is such a breath of fresh air, particularly if you are upgrading from IBM Cognos 10. A lot more control has been put into the hands of your users while simultaneously giving them a more powerful tool to gain the insights they require to drive the business forward.
In terms of availability, the cloud instance of IBM Cognos Analytics 11.1 is available today. The on-premise release is scheduled for later this month, with an exact date to follow soon.
Hopefully you have found this post helpful, and if you are as excited about IBM Cognos Analytics 11.1 as I am, please get in touch!
