Data flow configuration for an IBM Db2 integration

After you install IBM Cognos Analytics, you can configure Concert Operate to synchronize data with IBM Cognos Analytics through an IBM Db2 integration. You can then create a policy to send alerts, incidents, and their timeline activity (alert timeline activity and incident timeline activity) from Concert Operate to populate a dashboard or report.

Note: IBM Cognos Analytics is not supported on IBM Concert Operate on Linux.

The following steps set up the following components.

  • The IBM Db2 reporter schema for issue resolution data. This schema includes tables for alerts, incidents and the adjoining tables that contain metadata detailing changes to incidents and alerts. This schema also includes tables for alert timeline activity and incident timeline activity, which record changes and events associated with alerts and incidents.

  • A IBM Db2 Integration that connects IBM Concert Operate to the IBM Db2 instance.

  • "Populate an external database" policies that export alert and incident data to IBM Db2 on specified triggers.

  • A data server definition in IBM Cognos Analytics that connects to the IBM Db2 instance.

These components are required for alert data to flow from IBM Concert Operate to IBM Cognos Analytics.

Figure 1. Alert data flow from Concert Operate to IBM Cognos Analytics
Diagram of alert data flow from keyword.cp4waiops_short to keyword.cognos_notm

Before you begin

You must have IBM Concert Operate 5.1.0, IBM Db2, and IBM Cognos Analytics installed before proceeding.

Complete the following steps to push Concert Operate alerts to IBM Db2 for use with IBM Cognos Analytics dashboards.

Procedure

  1. Implement the Concert Operate reporting database schema so that the relevant reporting tables are in place. For more information, see Setting up the database schema.

  2. Create a new IBM Db2 integration so that you can store IBM Concert Operate data in your IBM Db2 database. For more information, see IBM Db2 integration.

  3. Switch to the Concert Operate Policy UI and create the policies send alerts or incidents from IBM Concert Operate to populate a dashboard or report in IBM Cognos Analytics.

    If required, configure the policy to trigger when new alerts are added, or existing alerts are updated, so that the live alerts and the alerts in IBM Db2 are in sync.

    For more information, see Populate an external database.

    1. When creating the policy, enable one of the following activity options:
      • Export alert timeline activity (available only when the policy is configured to send alerts to IBM Db2).
      • Export incident timeline activity (available only when the policy is configured to send incidents to IBM Db2).
    2. Optionally, configure the policy to trigger on timeline activity events so that alert or incident timeline activity data is also exported to IBM Db2.

  4. Connect IBM Cognos Analytics to your IBM Db2 database.

    1. In IBM Cognos Analytics, navigate to Menu > + New > Data server connections.
    2. In Select sources, click Data servers and schemas, and select your database, followed by the schema.
    3. Click New + and select Data server.
    4. Provide a name, optional description, and select the relevant IBM Db2 connection type.
    5. Provide the connection details. In the Authentication section, you can create a Signon in which you provide the username and password for IBM Db2. Select Use signon in the drop-down list, click Add signon and then provide the details.
    6. Test the connection before saving.
    7. Select the newly created data server.
    8. Click the Action menu for the respective schema row in the table (the three dots at the end of the row).
    9. Select Assets.
    10. Click the Action menu for the asset row and select Load metadata. This loads the tables for the database.
    11. Click Done when complete.

    For more information, see Using data servers as data module sources.