Relational and dimensional reporting styles

You can create reports in IBM® Cognos® Analytics - Reporting using either a relational reporting style or a dimensional reporting style.

The Reporting tools and query language are the same for both styles. However, it is important to choose a reporting style to ensure that you are making the most of your data and to avoid mixing dimensional and relational concepts.

How to choose a reporting style

When authoring a report, first choose your preferred reporting style for working with data: relational or dimensional. You can choose a reporting style from your viewpoint:

  • If you think about your data as tables and columns, you have a relational viewpoint and should use a relational reporting style.
  • If you think about your data as a number of dimensions intersecting at cells, you have a dimensional viewpoint and should use a dimensional reporting style.

Relational reporting style

The relational reporting style consists of lists. You focus the data with filters and summarize with header and footer summaries.

  • If your data is purely relational, then only query subjects and query items appear in the Source tab source tab, and you must use the relational reporting style.
  • If your data is dimensional, then dimensions appear in the Source tab source tab, and you can still use a relational reporting style, but instead of query items (columns) and query subjects (tables), you use measures, levels, and level properties.

    To see an example of relational style reporting with dimensional data, see the Manager Profile sample report in the GO Data Warehouse (analysis) package.

The relational reporting style is similar to report authoring in IBM Cognos Query Studio.

Dimensional reporting style

The dimensional reporting style consists of measures and members from different hierarchies arranged in a crosstab with cell values at the intersections. You focus the data with set expressions that navigate from specific members in the hierarchy and summarize with set summaries.

To see an example of dimensional style reporting with dimensional data, see the GO Balance Sheet as at Dec 31, 2012 sample report in the GO Data Warehouse (analysis) package.

The dimensional reporting style is similar to report authoring in IBM Cognos Analysis Studio.

Guidelines for each reporting style

This user guide is divided into relational and dimensional reporting sections so that you can follow the best practices for using this product with the reporting style that you have chosen. The following table outlines the best practices for both reporting styles.

Item

Relational reporting

Dimensional reporting

Report type

Lists

Crosstabs pivoted from lists

Charts created from lists

Maps created from scratch or from lists

Crosstabs

Charts created from scratch or from crosstabs

Maps created from scratch or from crosstabs

Package tree

In the Source tab source tab, click the Options icon dimensional data view options icon, and then click View members tree.

If you are using dimensional data, hide members in the source tree by right-clicking the tree, clicking Package Tree Settings, and clearing the check boxes for Members and Members for each level.

The view will include the following:

package

folder

namespace

query subject

query item

measure

level

In the Source tab, click the Options icon, and then click View members tree.

Ensure that the option Create sets is selected.

The view will include the following:

package

folder

measure

member

named set

Inserting data

From the package tree, add query items or levels to the report.

Avoid using hierarchies directly in the report.

Avoid using named sets.

From the package tree, add sets of members to the report.

You can also choose to insert just the member, just the children of the member, or the member and its children.

Calculating data

Add query calculations using only relational and common constructs.

Choose only Other expression.

Add query calculations using only dimensional and common constructs.

Use Other expression only for value calculations.

Avoid Common functions that are marked with an exclamation mark (!) because they have limited support.

Summarizing data

Headers and footers in lists

Crosstab member summaries; for example, aggregate within detail

Member set summaries; for example, aggregate within set

Focusing data

Add detail or summary filters to view only the data you want to see. For example, add the Quarter query item to a list and filter by Q3.

Add only the relevant members to an edge of the crosstab or to the context filter. For example, only add the Q3 member to your report.

Use a set expression such as Topcount or Filter.

Drilling

Drilling through by value

Drilling through by member

Drilling up and down

Page and section breaks

Simple page breaks

Page sets

Sections

Master detail relationships using parameterized filters

Simple page breaks

Page sets

Page layers

Master detail relationships using parameterized edge or slicer expressions