Planning Your Model

IBM® Cognos® Transformer is a data modeling tool designed for use with IBM Cognos 8 version 8.3 and subsequent releases.

You use this component to create a model, a business presentation of the information in one or more data sources. After you choose a supported product locale (language), add dimensional metadata, specify the measures (performance indicators), and apply custom views, you can create PowerCubes based on this model. You can deploy these cubes to support OLAP reporting and analysis.

This section provides a high-level overview of the modeling and planning process to meet the OLAP needs of your users, as well as information about how to upgrade an IBM Cognos Series 7 Transformer model.

The documented workflow follows a logical sequence, beginning with analyzing your requirements and building a prototype model. If you have already completed this planning stage, you can proceed to the sections of this document that deal with data sources (Chapter 3), dimensions (Chapter 4), and measures (Chapter 5).