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Cognos Java Security Vulnerability CVE-2010-4476 Exposure Response
Products
Special offersSoftwareSoftware overviewProductsTrials and demosEvents and conferencesBusiness Analytics- Cognos- SPSSEnterprise Content ManagementInformation Management- DB2- Informix- InfoSphereLotusRationalTivoliWebSphereSystem z softwareStorageAll storageDisk systemsTape systemsStorage area networksNetwork attached storageStorage softwareHard drives/microdrivesStorage A to ZServers & systemsAll servers and systemsSystems softwarePower Systems (AIX, IBM i, Linux)System z (Mainframe)System x (xSeries)BladeCenterCluster systemsUNIX serversLinux serversIntel processor-based serversAMD processor-based serversOEM systemsInternet securityNetworkingPersonal computersPoint of salePrinting systems from InfoPrintSemiconductorsUpgrades, accessories & partsCertified used servers & storageCommunitiesSmall business productsMedium business productsHardwareSoftwareMoreSupport & downloads
DownloadFixes, updates and driversTrials and demosTroubleshootSearchDocumentationCommunitiesPlanInstallUseOpen a technical service requestCustomer supportFormer IBM productsPrinting systems from InfoPrintLenovo ThinkPads and ThinkCentresMoreMy IBM
My accountsMy profileMy interestsMy community spacesMy technical supportMy customer supportShopping cartContractsOrders and deliveryInventory and maintenanceInvoices and paymentsSelf-service toolsMore customer supportSubscriptionsMoreWelcome [ IBM Sign in ] [ Register ].Cognos Java Security Vulnerability CVE-2010-4476 Exposure Response
.Flash (Alert)
AbstractLast updated on April 19, 2011.
This Security Alert addresses a serious security vulnerability (CVE-2010-4476) which can cause the Java Virtual Machine to enter an infinite loop. This issue is described in more detail at http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2010-4476.
To find out about applying the JRE patch to Cognos Business Intelligence on the Cloud, go to http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21470017.
To find out about applying the JRE patch to Cognos Business Intelligence Special Edition, go to https://www-304.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21497107.
To find out about applying the JRE patch to the Cognos Now! 4.6.0 appliance, go to http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21473104.
ContentProducts Affected
The issue exists in the Java class libraries and affects all products that use Java. IBM Cognos products that use Java include
Business Intelligence products:
□ Cognos Business Intelligence* versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 8.3.0
□ Cognos Business Intelligence Developer Edition versions 10.1, 8.4.1
□ Cognos Business Intelligence Starter Edition versions 10.1, 8.4.1
□ Cognos PowerPlay versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 7.5.0, 7.4.x,
□ Cognos Mobile versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.3.1, 8.3.0
□ Cognos Now! versions 4.6
□ Cognos DecisionStream version 7.1.4
□ Cognos Impromptu Web Reports versions 7.5, 7.4.x
□ Cognos NoticeCast versions 7.5, 7.4.x
□ Cognos Web Services versions 7.5, 7.4.x
□ Cognos Visualizer versions 7.5, 7.4.x
□ Cognos Query version 7.4.x
□ Cognos Express versions 9.5.0, 9.0.0
□ IBM Smart Analytics System Business Intelligence Module (all versions)
* Cognos Business Intelligence includes all BI components such as Reporting, Analysis, Data Manager, Virtual View Manager, Go! Search.Financial Performance Management products:
□ Cognos Business Viewpoint versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Controller versions 8.5.1, 8.5.0, 8.4.0, 8.3.0
□ Cognos Finance versions 7.5.0, 7.4.x
□ Cognos Metrics versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 8.3.0
□ Cognos Planning versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 8.3.0, 8.1.x
□ Cognos TM1 versions 9.5.1, 9.5.0, 9.4.1, 9.4.0
Analytic Applications products:
□ Cognos Banking Risk Performance - Credit Risk versions 8.4.2, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Customer Performance Sales Analytics versions 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Financial Performance Analytics (AP, AR & GL) versions 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Supply Chain Performance Procurement Analytics versions 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Workforce Performance versions 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 8.3.0, 8.2.0, 8.1.x
□ Cognos Consumer Insight version 1.1.0
Description
This vulnerability can cause the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to hang, enter an infinite loop, or crash when converting "2.2250738585072012e-308" to a binary floating-point number. The result can be a denial of service exposure. This same problem can occur if the number is written without scientific notation (that is, using all of the 324 decimal places). Any Java program that uses the Double.parseDouble method is at risk of this vulnerability.
Solution
To prevent this vulnerability from affecting your product, you must apply a patch to your existing version of Java or install a version of Java that contains the fix.
If you do not require the fix, no action is necessary.
Before you update your JRE on a production system, it is strongly recommended to:
• Apply the patch in a test environment to verify that your product is working correctly
• Make a backup before you apply any changes
Linux or UNIX Installations
On Linux or UNIX, the JRE is not provided by Cognos as part of the product. The JRE used with Cognos is a separately installed component that is available from the operating system, application server or Java vendor.
To resolve the security vulnerability, you will need to patch or upgrade the JRE to a version that is recommended by the Operating System, Application Server or Java vendor. Ensure you stop the Cognos Services before applying the patch and restart the Cognos Services once the patch has been successfully applied.
The following table provides links to vendor-supplied details and solutions to this vulnerability: IBM http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/alerts/cve- 2010-4476.html
HP https://h20392.www2.hp.com/portal/swdepot/displayProductInfo.do?productNumber=HPUXFPUPDATER
Oracle http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/alert-cve-2010-4476-305811.html
Windows Installations
Typically, a JRE is packaged with the Windows versions of Cognos products. However, you may also use a version of Java that already existed on your system.
If you are using a JRE that already existed on the system, the solution is to update the JRE to a version that is recommended by the Operating System, Application Server or Java vendor.
If you are using the JRE version that is provided with your Cognos product, interim fixes are now available for several of the Cognos products. To determine if an interim Windows fix is available for your Cognos product as well as download and installation information, please follow the instructions at http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg24029220.
It is necessary to stop the Cognos services before applying the patch and then restart the Cognos Services once the patch has been successfully applied.
Cognos is continuing to develop interim fixes for the remaining affected products. These fixes will be made available as soon as possible.
If you cannot wait for the patch to become available from Cognos, you can also manually apply the patch to your JRE using the following steps.
Determine which version of JRE you are using
1.In a command window, go to the cognos_location/bin/jre directory.
If you are using a 64-bit installation, go to the cognos_location/bin64/jre directory.
2.Type the following:
java –version
The resulting message will indicate whether you have an IBM or Sun version of JRE.
To apply a patch to an IBM version of JRE, do the following:
Go to the following Web page, and following the instructions provided: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/alerts/cve-2010-4476.html
1.Download the ParseDoubleTest.jar from the link above to verify if you need to apply the patch.
2.Copy the ParseDoubleTest.jar file to the cognos_location/bin/jre directory.
3.Open a command window in the location where you downloaded the file, and type the following:
java –jar ParseDoubleTest.jar
If the result is “Test Succeeded”, you do not have to apply the patch.
4.If you have to apply the patch, download the appropriate patch file from http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/alerts/cve-2010-4476.html.
For example, for JRE version 1.4 on Windows, download PM31983_FIX_1.jar.
5.Download the Java Update Installer from the following location: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/alerts/updateinstaller.html
Unzip the UpdateInstallerforJava.zip.
6.Ensure that you have the patch file and the unzipped Java Update Installer in the same location.
7.In a command window, go to the location where you downloaded the patch file and the Java Update Installer, and enter the following command:
java -jar JavaUpdateInstaller.jar -install [patch JAR file] [JAVA_HOME of target JDK]
For example, for IBM Cognos products, the [JAVA_HOME of target JDK] is cognos_location/bin/jre/.
If you are installing the update for JRE version 1.4 to a default IBM Cognos installation location, the command would look like the following:
java -jar JavaUpdateInstaller.jar -install PM31983_FIX_1.jar C:/Program Files/IBM/cognos//bin/jre//bin
To apply a patch to a SUN version of JRE, do the following:
1.Download the compressed file for Java SE Floating Point Updater Tool:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html#fpupdater
2.Uncompress the file, and then copy fpupdater.jar to cognos_location/bin/jre//bin.
If you are using a 64-bit installation, copy fpupdater.jar to cognos_location/bin64/jre//bin.
3.In a command window, go to the cognos_location/bin/jre//bin directory, and enter the following command:
java -jar fpupdater.jar -u -v
.
Cross Reference information Segment Product Component Platform Version Edition
Business Analytics Cognos Business Intelligence Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX, HP Itanium, Linux, Solaris, Windows 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Mobile Not Applicable Windows 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Series 7 Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX on PA-RISC, Solaris, Windows 7.5, 7.4 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Now! Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, Windows 4.6, 4.5 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Express Not Applicable Windows 9.0, 9.5 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Real-time Monitoring Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, Windows 10.1 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Business Viewpoint Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX on PA-RISC, HP Itanium, Linux, Solaris, Windows 8.4.1, 8.4, 10.1 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos 8 Controller Not Applicable Windows 8.5.1, 8.5, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Executive Viewer Not Applicable Windows 9.5 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Finance Not Applicable Windows 7.5, 7.4 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Planning Not Applicable Windows 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3, 8.1 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos TM1 Not Applicable AIX, Linux, Solaris, Windows 9.5.1, 9.5, 9.4 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Analytic Applications Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, Windows 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos 8 Workforce Performance Not Applicable AIX, Solaris, Windows, HP-UX 8.3, 8.2 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Consumer Insight Not Applicable Linux 1.1 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos 8 Go! Not Applicable Windows, AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Special offersSoftwareSoftware overviewProductsTrials and demosEvents and conferencesBusiness Analytics- Cognos- SPSSEnterprise Content ManagementInformation Management- DB2- Informix- InfoSphereLotusRationalTivoliWebSphereSystem z softwareStorageAll storageDisk systemsTape systemsStorage area networksNetwork attached storageStorage softwareHard drives/microdrivesStorage A to ZServers & systemsAll servers and systemsSystems softwarePower Systems (AIX, IBM i, Linux)System z (Mainframe)System x (xSeries)BladeCenterCluster systemsUNIX serversLinux serversIntel processor-based serversAMD processor-based serversOEM systemsInternet securityNetworkingPersonal computersPoint of salePrinting systems from InfoPrintSemiconductorsUpgrades, accessories & partsCertified used servers & storageCommunitiesSmall business productsMedium business productsHardwareSoftwareMoreSupport & downloads
DownloadFixes, updates and driversTrials and demosTroubleshootSearchDocumentationCommunitiesPlanInstallUseOpen a technical service requestCustomer supportFormer IBM productsPrinting systems from InfoPrintLenovo ThinkPads and ThinkCentresMoreMy IBM
My accountsMy profileMy interestsMy community spacesMy technical supportMy customer supportShopping cartContractsOrders and deliveryInventory and maintenanceInvoices and paymentsSelf-service toolsMore customer supportSubscriptionsMoreWelcome [ IBM Sign in ] [ Register ].Cognos Java Security Vulnerability CVE-2010-4476 Exposure Response
.Flash (Alert)
AbstractLast updated on April 19, 2011.
This Security Alert addresses a serious security vulnerability (CVE-2010-4476) which can cause the Java Virtual Machine to enter an infinite loop. This issue is described in more detail at http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2010-4476.
To find out about applying the JRE patch to Cognos Business Intelligence on the Cloud, go to http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21470017.
To find out about applying the JRE patch to Cognos Business Intelligence Special Edition, go to https://www-304.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21497107.
To find out about applying the JRE patch to the Cognos Now! 4.6.0 appliance, go to http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21473104.
ContentProducts Affected
The issue exists in the Java class libraries and affects all products that use Java. IBM Cognos products that use Java include
Business Intelligence products:
□ Cognos Business Intelligence* versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 8.3.0
□ Cognos Business Intelligence Developer Edition versions 10.1, 8.4.1
□ Cognos Business Intelligence Starter Edition versions 10.1, 8.4.1
□ Cognos PowerPlay versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 7.5.0, 7.4.x,
□ Cognos Mobile versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.3.1, 8.3.0
□ Cognos Now! versions 4.6
□ Cognos DecisionStream version 7.1.4
□ Cognos Impromptu Web Reports versions 7.5, 7.4.x
□ Cognos NoticeCast versions 7.5, 7.4.x
□ Cognos Web Services versions 7.5, 7.4.x
□ Cognos Visualizer versions 7.5, 7.4.x
□ Cognos Query version 7.4.x
□ Cognos Express versions 9.5.0, 9.0.0
□ IBM Smart Analytics System Business Intelligence Module (all versions)
* Cognos Business Intelligence includes all BI components such as Reporting, Analysis, Data Manager, Virtual View Manager, Go! Search.Financial Performance Management products:
□ Cognos Business Viewpoint versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Controller versions 8.5.1, 8.5.0, 8.4.0, 8.3.0
□ Cognos Finance versions 7.5.0, 7.4.x
□ Cognos Metrics versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 8.3.0
□ Cognos Planning versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 8.3.0, 8.1.x
□ Cognos TM1 versions 9.5.1, 9.5.0, 9.4.1, 9.4.0
Analytic Applications products:
□ Cognos Banking Risk Performance - Credit Risk versions 8.4.2, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Customer Performance Sales Analytics versions 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Financial Performance Analytics (AP, AR & GL) versions 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Supply Chain Performance Procurement Analytics versions 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Workforce Performance versions 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 8.3.0, 8.2.0, 8.1.x
□ Cognos Consumer Insight version 1.1.0
Description
This vulnerability can cause the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to hang, enter an infinite loop, or crash when converting "2.2250738585072012e-308" to a binary floating-point number. The result can be a denial of service exposure. This same problem can occur if the number is written without scientific notation (that is, using all of the 324 decimal places). Any Java program that uses the Double.parseDouble method is at risk of this vulnerability.
Solution
To prevent this vulnerability from affecting your product, you must apply a patch to your existing version of Java or install a version of Java that contains the fix.
If you do not require the fix, no action is necessary.
Before you update your JRE on a production system, it is strongly recommended to:
• Apply the patch in a test environment to verify that your product is working correctly
• Make a backup before you apply any changes
Linux or UNIX Installations
On Linux or UNIX, the JRE is not provided by Cognos as part of the product. The JRE used with Cognos is a separately installed component that is available from the operating system, application server or Java vendor.
To resolve the security vulnerability, you will need to patch or upgrade the JRE to a version that is recommended by the Operating System, Application Server or Java vendor. Ensure you stop the Cognos Services before applying the patch and restart the Cognos Services once the patch has been successfully applied.
The following table provides links to vendor-supplied details and solutions to this vulnerability: IBM http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/alerts/cve- 2010-4476.html
HP https://h20392.www2.hp.com/portal/swdepot/displayProductInfo.do?productNumber=HPUXFPUPDATER
Oracle http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/alert-cve-2010-4476-305811.html
Windows Installations
Typically, a JRE is packaged with the Windows versions of Cognos products. However, you may also use a version of Java that already existed on your system.
If you are using a JRE that already existed on the system, the solution is to update the JRE to a version that is recommended by the Operating System, Application Server or Java vendor.
If you are using the JRE version that is provided with your Cognos product, interim fixes are now available for several of the Cognos products. To determine if an interim Windows fix is available for your Cognos product as well as download and installation information, please follow the instructions at http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg24029220.
It is necessary to stop the Cognos services before applying the patch and then restart the Cognos Services once the patch has been successfully applied.
Cognos is continuing to develop interim fixes for the remaining affected products. These fixes will be made available as soon as possible.
If you cannot wait for the patch to become available from Cognos, you can also manually apply the patch to your JRE using the following steps.
Determine which version of JRE you are using
1.In a command window, go to the cognos_location/bin/jre directory.
If you are using a 64-bit installation, go to the cognos_location/bin64/jre directory.
2.Type the following:
java –version
The resulting message will indicate whether you have an IBM or Sun version of JRE.
To apply a patch to an IBM version of JRE, do the following:
Go to the following Web page, and following the instructions provided: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/alerts/cve-2010-4476.html
1.Download the ParseDoubleTest.jar from the link above to verify if you need to apply the patch.
2.Copy the ParseDoubleTest.jar file to the cognos_location/bin/jre directory.
3.Open a command window in the location where you downloaded the file, and type the following:
java –jar ParseDoubleTest.jar
If the result is “Test Succeeded”, you do not have to apply the patch.
4.If you have to apply the patch, download the appropriate patch file from http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/alerts/cve-2010-4476.html.
For example, for JRE version 1.4 on Windows, download PM31983_FIX_1.jar.
5.Download the Java Update Installer from the following location: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/alerts/updateinstaller.html
Unzip the UpdateInstallerforJava.zip.
6.Ensure that you have the patch file and the unzipped Java Update Installer in the same location.
7.In a command window, go to the location where you downloaded the patch file and the Java Update Installer, and enter the following command:
java -jar JavaUpdateInstaller.jar -install [patch JAR file] [JAVA_HOME of target JDK]
For example, for IBM Cognos products, the [JAVA_HOME of target JDK] is cognos_location/bin/jre/.
If you are installing the update for JRE version 1.4 to a default IBM Cognos installation location, the command would look like the following:
java -jar JavaUpdateInstaller.jar -install PM31983_FIX_1.jar C:/Program Files/IBM/cognos//bin/jre//bin
To apply a patch to a SUN version of JRE, do the following:
1.Download the compressed file for Java SE Floating Point Updater Tool:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html#fpupdater
2.Uncompress the file, and then copy fpupdater.jar to cognos_location/bin/jre//bin.
If you are using a 64-bit installation, copy fpupdater.jar to cognos_location/bin64/jre//bin.
3.In a command window, go to the cognos_location/bin/jre//bin directory, and enter the following command:
java -jar fpupdater.jar -u -v
.
Cross Reference information Segment Product Component Platform Version Edition
Business Analytics Cognos Business Intelligence Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX, HP Itanium, Linux, Solaris, Windows 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Mobile Not Applicable Windows 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Series 7 Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX on PA-RISC, Solaris, Windows 7.5, 7.4 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Now! Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, Windows 4.6, 4.5 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Express Not Applicable Windows 9.0, 9.5 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Real-time Monitoring Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, Windows 10.1 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Business Viewpoint Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX on PA-RISC, HP Itanium, Linux, Solaris, Windows 8.4.1, 8.4, 10.1 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos 8 Controller Not Applicable Windows 8.5.1, 8.5, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Executive Viewer Not Applicable Windows 9.5 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Finance Not Applicable Windows 7.5, 7.4 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Planning Not Applicable Windows 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3, 8.1 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos TM1 Not Applicable AIX, Linux, Solaris, Windows 9.5.1, 9.5, 9.4 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Analytic Applications Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, Windows 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos 8 Workforce Performance Not Applicable AIX, Solaris, Windows, HP-UX 8.3, 8.2 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Consumer Insight Not Applicable Linux 1.1 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos 8 Go! Not Applicable Windows, AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Cognos Java Security Vulnerability CVE-2010-4476 Exposure Response
Products
Special offersSoftwareSoftware overviewProductsTrials and demosEvents and conferencesBusiness Analytics- Cognos- SPSSEnterprise Content ManagementInformation Management- DB2- Informix- InfoSphereLotusRationalTivoliWebSphereSystem z softwareStorageAll storageDisk systemsTape systemsStorage area networksNetwork attached storageStorage softwareHard drives/microdrivesStorage A to ZServers & systemsAll servers and systemsSystems softwarePower Systems (AIX, IBM i, Linux)System z (Mainframe)System x (xSeries)BladeCenterCluster systemsUNIX serversLinux serversIntel processor-based serversAMD processor-based serversOEM systemsInternet securityNetworkingPersonal computersPoint of salePrinting systems from InfoPrintSemiconductorsUpgrades, accessories & partsCertified used servers & storageCommunitiesSmall business productsMedium business productsHardwareSoftwareMoreSupport & downloads
DownloadFixes, updates and driversTrials and demosTroubleshootSearchDocumentationCommunitiesPlanInstallUseOpen a technical service requestCustomer supportFormer IBM productsPrinting systems from InfoPrintLenovo ThinkPads and ThinkCentresMoreMy IBM
My accountsMy profileMy interestsMy community spacesMy technical supportMy customer supportShopping cartContractsOrders and deliveryInventory and maintenanceInvoices and paymentsSelf-service toolsMore customer supportSubscriptionsMoreWelcome [ IBM Sign in ] [ Register ].Cognos Java Security Vulnerability CVE-2010-4476 Exposure Response
.Flash (Alert)
AbstractLast updated on April 19, 2011.
This Security Alert addresses a serious security vulnerability (CVE-2010-4476) which can cause the Java Virtual Machine to enter an infinite loop. This issue is described in more detail at http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2010-4476.
To find out about applying the JRE patch to Cognos Business Intelligence on the Cloud, go to http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21470017.
To find out about applying the JRE patch to Cognos Business Intelligence Special Edition, go to https://www-304.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21497107.
To find out about applying the JRE patch to the Cognos Now! 4.6.0 appliance, go to http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21473104.
ContentProducts Affected
The issue exists in the Java class libraries and affects all products that use Java. IBM Cognos products that use Java include
Business Intelligence products:
□ Cognos Business Intelligence* versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 8.3.0
□ Cognos Business Intelligence Developer Edition versions 10.1, 8.4.1
□ Cognos Business Intelligence Starter Edition versions 10.1, 8.4.1
□ Cognos PowerPlay versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 7.5.0, 7.4.x,
□ Cognos Mobile versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.3.1, 8.3.0
□ Cognos Now! versions 4.6
□ Cognos DecisionStream version 7.1.4
□ Cognos Impromptu Web Reports versions 7.5, 7.4.x
□ Cognos NoticeCast versions 7.5, 7.4.x
□ Cognos Web Services versions 7.5, 7.4.x
□ Cognos Visualizer versions 7.5, 7.4.x
□ Cognos Query version 7.4.x
□ Cognos Express versions 9.5.0, 9.0.0
□ IBM Smart Analytics System Business Intelligence Module (all versions)
* Cognos Business Intelligence includes all BI components such as Reporting, Analysis, Data Manager, Virtual View Manager, Go! Search.Financial Performance Management products:
□ Cognos Business Viewpoint versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Controller versions 8.5.1, 8.5.0, 8.4.0, 8.3.0
□ Cognos Finance versions 7.5.0, 7.4.x
□ Cognos Metrics versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 8.3.0
□ Cognos Planning versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 8.3.0, 8.1.x
□ Cognos TM1 versions 9.5.1, 9.5.0, 9.4.1, 9.4.0
Analytic Applications products:
□ Cognos Banking Risk Performance - Credit Risk versions 8.4.2, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Customer Performance Sales Analytics versions 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Financial Performance Analytics (AP, AR & GL) versions 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Supply Chain Performance Procurement Analytics versions 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Workforce Performance versions 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 8.3.0, 8.2.0, 8.1.x
□ Cognos Consumer Insight version 1.1.0
Description
This vulnerability can cause the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to hang, enter an infinite loop, or crash when converting "2.2250738585072012e-308" to a binary floating-point number. The result can be a denial of service exposure. This same problem can occur if the number is written without scientific notation (that is, using all of the 324 decimal places). Any Java program that uses the Double.parseDouble method is at risk of this vulnerability.
Solution
To prevent this vulnerability from affecting your product, you must apply a patch to your existing version of Java or install a version of Java that contains the fix.
If you do not require the fix, no action is necessary.
Before you update your JRE on a production system, it is strongly recommended to:
• Apply the patch in a test environment to verify that your product is working correctly
• Make a backup before you apply any changes
Linux or UNIX Installations
On Linux or UNIX, the JRE is not provided by Cognos as part of the product. The JRE used with Cognos is a separately installed component that is available from the operating system, application server or Java vendor.
To resolve the security vulnerability, you will need to patch or upgrade the JRE to a version that is recommended by the Operating System, Application Server or Java vendor. Ensure you stop the Cognos Services before applying the patch and restart the Cognos Services once the patch has been successfully applied.
The following table provides links to vendor-supplied details and solutions to this vulnerability: IBM http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/alerts/cve-2010-4476.html
HP https://h20392.www2.hp.com/portal/swdepot/displayProductInfo.do?productNumber=HPUXFPUPDATER
Oracle http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/alert-cve-2010-4476-305811.html
Windows Installations
Typically, a JRE is packaged with the Windows versions of Cognos products. However, you may also use a version of Java that already existed on your system.
If you are using a JRE that already existed on the system, the solution is to update the JRE to a version that is recommended by the Operating System, Application Server or Java vendor.
If you are using the JRE version that is provided with your Cognos product, interim fixes are now available for several of the Cognos products. To determine if an interim Windows fix is available for your Cognos product as well as download and installation information, please follow the instructions at http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg24029220.
It is necessary to stop the Cognos services before applying the patch and then restart the Cognos Services once the patch has been successfully applied.
Cognos is continuing to develop interim fixes for the remaining affected products. These fixes will be made available as soon as possible.
If you cannot wait for the patch to become available from Cognos, you can also manually apply the patch to your JRE using the following steps.
Determine which version of JRE you are using
1.In a command window, go to the cognos_location/bin/jre directory.
If you are using a 64-bit installation, go to the cognos_location/bin64/jre directory.
2.Type the following:
java –version
The resulting message will indicate whether you have an IBM or Sun version of JRE.
To apply a patch to an IBM version of JRE, do the following:
Go to the following Web page, and following the instructions provided: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/alerts/cve-2010-4476.html
1.Download the ParseDoubleTest.jar from the link above to verify if you need to apply the patch.
2.Copy the ParseDoubleTest.jar file to the cognos_location/bin/jre directory.
3.Open a command window in the location where you downloaded the file, and type the following:
java –jar ParseDoubleTest.jar
If the result is “Test Succeeded”, you do not have to apply the patch.
4.If you have to apply the patch, download the appropriate patch file from http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/alerts/cve-2010-4476.html.
For example, for JRE version 1.4 on Windows, download PM31983_FIX_1.jar.
5.Download the Java Update Installer from the following location: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/alerts/updateinstaller.html
Unzip the UpdateInstallerforJava.zip.
6.Ensure that you have the patch file and the unzipped Java Update Installer in the same location.
7.In a command window, go to the location where you downloaded the patch file and the Java Update Installer, and enter the following command:
java -jar JavaUpdateInstaller.jar -install [patch JAR file] [JAVA_HOME of target JDK]
For example, for IBM Cognos products, the [JAVA_HOME of target JDK] is cognos_location/bin/jre/.
If you are installing the update for JRE version 1.4 to a default IBM Cognos installation location, the command would look like the following:
java -jar JavaUpdateInstaller.jar -install PM31983_FIX_1.jar C:/Program Files/IBM/cognos//bin/jre//bin
To apply a patch to a SUN version of JRE, do the following:
1.Download the compressed file for Java SE Floating Point Updater Tool:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html#fpupdater
2.Uncompress the file, and then copy fpupdater.jar to cognos_location/bin/jre//bin.
If you are using a 64-bit installation, copy fpupdater.jar to cognos_location/bin64/jre//bin.
3.In a command window, go to the cognos_location/bin/jre//bin directory, and enter the following command:
java -jar fpupdater.jar -u -v
.
Cross Reference information Segment Product Component Platform Version Edition
Business Analytics Cognos Business Intelligence Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX, HP Itanium, Linux, Solaris, Windows 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Mobile Not Applicable Windows 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Series 7 Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX on PA-RISC, Solaris, Windows 7.5, 7.4 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Now! Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, Windows 4.6, 4.5 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Express Not Applicable Windows 9.0, 9.5 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Real-time Monitoring Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, Windows 10.1 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Business Viewpoint Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX on PA-RISC, HP Itanium, Linux, Solaris, Windows 8.4.1, 8.4, 10.1 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos 8 Controller Not Applicable Windows 8.5.1, 8.5, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Executive Viewer Not Applicable Windows 9.5 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Finance Not Applicable Windows 7.5, 7.4 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Planning Not Applicable Windows 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3, 8.1 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos TM1 Not Applicable AIX, Linux, Solaris, Windows 9.5.1, 9.5, 9.4 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Analytic Applications Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, Windows 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos 8 Workforce Performance Not Applicable AIX, Solaris, Windows, HP-UX 8.3, 8.2 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Consumer Insight Not Applicable Linux 1.1 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos 8 Go! Not Applicable Windows, AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
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.Flash (Alert)
AbstractLast updated on April 19, 2011.
This Security Alert addresses a serious security vulnerability (CVE-2010-4476) which can cause the Java Virtual Machine to enter an infinite loop. This issue is described in more detail at http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2010-4476.
To find out about applying the JRE patch to Cognos Business Intelligence on the Cloud, go to http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21470017.
To find out about applying the JRE patch to Cognos Business Intelligence Special Edition, go to https://www-304.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21497107.
To find out about applying the JRE patch to the Cognos Now! 4.6.0 appliance, go to http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21473104.
ContentProducts Affected
The issue exists in the Java class libraries and affects all products that use Java. IBM Cognos products that use Java include
Business Intelligence products:
□ Cognos Business Intelligence* versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 8.3.0
□ Cognos Business Intelligence Developer Edition versions 10.1, 8.4.1
□ Cognos Business Intelligence Starter Edition versions 10.1, 8.4.1
□ Cognos PowerPlay versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 7.5.0, 7.4.x,
□ Cognos Mobile versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.3.1, 8.3.0
□ Cognos Now! versions 4.6
□ Cognos DecisionStream version 7.1.4
□ Cognos Impromptu Web Reports versions 7.5, 7.4.x
□ Cognos NoticeCast versions 7.5, 7.4.x
□ Cognos Web Services versions 7.5, 7.4.x
□ Cognos Visualizer versions 7.5, 7.4.x
□ Cognos Query version 7.4.x
□ Cognos Express versions 9.5.0, 9.0.0
□ IBM Smart Analytics System Business Intelligence Module (all versions)
* Cognos Business Intelligence includes all BI components such as Reporting, Analysis, Data Manager, Virtual View Manager, Go! Search.Financial Performance Management products:
□ Cognos Business Viewpoint versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Controller versions 8.5.1, 8.5.0, 8.4.0, 8.3.0
□ Cognos Finance versions 7.5.0, 7.4.x
□ Cognos Metrics versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 8.3.0
□ Cognos Planning versions 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 8.3.0, 8.1.x
□ Cognos TM1 versions 9.5.1, 9.5.0, 9.4.1, 9.4.0
Analytic Applications products:
□ Cognos Banking Risk Performance - Credit Risk versions 8.4.2, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Customer Performance Sales Analytics versions 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Financial Performance Analytics (AP, AR & GL) versions 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Supply Chain Performance Procurement Analytics versions 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4.0
□ Cognos Workforce Performance versions 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4.0, 8.3.0, 8.2.0, 8.1.x
□ Cognos Consumer Insight version 1.1.0
Description
This vulnerability can cause the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to hang, enter an infinite loop, or crash when converting "2.2250738585072012e-308" to a binary floating-point number. The result can be a denial of service exposure. This same problem can occur if the number is written without scientific notation (that is, using all of the 324 decimal places). Any Java program that uses the Double.parseDouble method is at risk of this vulnerability.
Solution
To prevent this vulnerability from affecting your product, you must apply a patch to your existing version of Java or install a version of Java that contains the fix.
If you do not require the fix, no action is necessary.
Before you update your JRE on a production system, it is strongly recommended to:
• Apply the patch in a test environment to verify that your product is working correctly
• Make a backup before you apply any changes
Linux or UNIX Installations
On Linux or UNIX, the JRE is not provided by Cognos as part of the product. The JRE used with Cognos is a separately installed component that is available from the operating system, application server or Java vendor.
To resolve the security vulnerability, you will need to patch or upgrade the JRE to a version that is recommended by the Operating System, Application Server or Java vendor. Ensure you stop the Cognos Services before applying the patch and restart the Cognos Services once the patch has been successfully applied.
The following table provides links to vendor-supplied details and solutions to this vulnerability: IBM http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/alerts/cve-2010-4476.html
HP https://h20392.www2.hp.com/portal/swdepot/displayProductInfo.do?productNumber=HPUXFPUPDATER
Oracle http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/alert-cve-2010-4476-305811.html
Windows Installations
Typically, a JRE is packaged with the Windows versions of Cognos products. However, you may also use a version of Java that already existed on your system.
If you are using a JRE that already existed on the system, the solution is to update the JRE to a version that is recommended by the Operating System, Application Server or Java vendor.
If you are using the JRE version that is provided with your Cognos product, interim fixes are now available for several of the Cognos products. To determine if an interim Windows fix is available for your Cognos product as well as download and installation information, please follow the instructions at http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg24029220.
It is necessary to stop the Cognos services before applying the patch and then restart the Cognos Services once the patch has been successfully applied.
Cognos is continuing to develop interim fixes for the remaining affected products. These fixes will be made available as soon as possible.
If you cannot wait for the patch to become available from Cognos, you can also manually apply the patch to your JRE using the following steps.
Determine which version of JRE you are using
1.In a command window, go to the cognos_location/bin/jre directory.
If you are using a 64-bit installation, go to the cognos_location/bin64/jre directory.
2.Type the following:
java –version
The resulting message will indicate whether you have an IBM or Sun version of JRE.
To apply a patch to an IBM version of JRE, do the following:
Go to the following Web page, and following the instructions provided: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/alerts/cve-2010-4476.html
1.Download the ParseDoubleTest.jar from the link above to verify if you need to apply the patch.
2.Copy the ParseDoubleTest.jar file to the cognos_location/bin/jre directory.
3.Open a command window in the location where you downloaded the file, and type the following:
java –jar ParseDoubleTest.jar
If the result is “Test Succeeded”, you do not have to apply the patch.
4.If you have to apply the patch, download the appropriate patch file from http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/alerts/cve-2010-4476.html.
For example, for JRE version 1.4 on Windows, download PM31983_FIX_1.jar.
5.Download the Java Update Installer from the following location: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/alerts/updateinstaller.html
Unzip the UpdateInstallerforJava.zip.
6.Ensure that you have the patch file and the unzipped Java Update Installer in the same location.
7.In a command window, go to the location where you downloaded the patch file and the Java Update Installer, and enter the following command:
java -jar JavaUpdateInstaller.jar -install [patch JAR file] [JAVA_HOME of target JDK]
For example, for IBM Cognos products, the [JAVA_HOME of target JDK] is cognos_location/bin/jre/
If you are installing the update for JRE version 1.4 to a default IBM Cognos installation location, the command would look like the following:
java -jar JavaUpdateInstaller.jar -install PM31983_FIX_1.jar C:/Program Files/IBM/cognos/
To apply a patch to a SUN version of JRE, do the following:
1.Download the compressed file for Java SE Floating Point Updater Tool:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html#fpupdater
2.Uncompress the file, and then copy fpupdater.jar to cognos_location/bin/jre/
If you are using a 64-bit installation, copy fpupdater.jar to cognos_location/bin64/jre/
3.In a command window, go to the cognos_location/bin/jre/
java -jar fpupdater.jar -u -v
.
Cross Reference information Segment Product Component Platform Version Edition
Business Analytics Cognos Business Intelligence Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX, HP Itanium, Linux, Solaris, Windows 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Mobile Not Applicable Windows 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Series 7 Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX on PA-RISC, Solaris, Windows 7.5, 7.4 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Now! Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, Windows 4.6, 4.5 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Express Not Applicable Windows 9.0, 9.5 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Real-time Monitoring Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, Windows 10.1 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Business Viewpoint Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX on PA-RISC, HP Itanium, Linux, Solaris, Windows 8.4.1, 8.4, 10.1 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos 8 Controller Not Applicable Windows 8.5.1, 8.5, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Executive Viewer Not Applicable Windows 9.5 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Finance Not Applicable Windows 7.5, 7.4 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Planning Not Applicable Windows 10.1, 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3, 8.1 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos TM1 Not Applicable AIX, Linux, Solaris, Windows 9.5.1, 9.5, 9.4 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Analytic Applications Not Applicable AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, Windows 8.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos 8 Workforce Performance Not Applicable AIX, Solaris, Windows, HP-UX 8.3, 8.2 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos Consumer Insight Not Applicable Linux 1.1 All Editions
Business Analytics Cognos 8 Go! Not Applicable Windows, AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3 All Editions
How to Make the Case for a BI Center of Excellence
The good news is also the bad news. End users are smarter than ever. Many of them have co-opted BI by acquiring their own tools and have funded their own skill development to create specific functionality. As BI is increasingly adopted across organizations, it has become a free-for-all of brand-new silos, unmanaged data, duplicate work efforts and poor data quality, all of which lead to misaligned business decisions. Translation: We're spending too much time and money getting information and not using it cohesively. In response, many BI teams have chosen to launch a center of excellence as a way of refocusing attention on the unique nature of BI projects and the processes that come with them. But such a big project can easily backfire and lead to more chaos. We need to know when the time is right for a BI COE.
Craig's hope was that by announcing a BI COE, his user community would take him and his team more seriously. "I thought the COE concept would give us street cred," he admitted. It had the opposite effect. Immediately, business users began asking why the BI team was getting more funding when they hadn't delivered anything in more than six months.
And it was true. Since the dashboard project's success, BI team members had been focusing their time on infrastructure and platform issues. Data model enhancements and regular data loading activities were absorbing most of the resources. Users weren't seeing value, so Craig's emails advocating a COE seemed self-serving. Craig hoped his COE idea would get attention, but cynical email replies and eye-rolling weren't the kind of attention he wanted.
Craig's users brought their old resentments to the COE discussion. "It's rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic," a segment manager in marketing remarked. "We don't know what these guys are doing - and neither do they. Why should we be the ones to fund a COE when we have no idea what's in their pipeline - and have absolutely no input into it? It's a funding grab if you ask me." Ouch.
I've seen other failed COEs at companies that used high-profile problems - such as an enterprise resource planning system's problems acquiring data or management's desire to standardize on reporting tools - as a pretext for starting a COE. The results have been equally fruitless. In reality, the situations that justify a COE are few and very easy to spot.
And that's the problem with many existing (and increasingly defunct) COEs: They begin prematurely, before stakeholders perceive value. A COE will only become sanctioned if its stakeholders recognize a bona fide need for it. There are three predominant drivers of successful and sustainable COEs:
Reconsider your data provisioning model. There's nothing wrong with a data warehouse availing data to various organizations and reports across the company. Indeed, that's part of its value. But if your BI team spends its days modeling and loading data into data marts, you're being marginalized as infrastructure, not as a value driver. Consider helping a high-profile user group to not only get its data, but to use it. Develop expertise in BI applications as well as platforms. It's a truism in BI (and in IT in general) that he who is closest to the end user wins.
Adopt a BI portfolio approach. When companies develop their BI roadmaps the right way, the whole is usually greater than the sum of its parts. A BI portfolio is a collection of business capabilities deployed over time. A portfolio approach guarantees reuse of common data for a range of analytical applications. Defining the initial set of portfolio applications helps establish the short and midterm development pipeline and gets BI team members back in front of key end users to discuss their need for business information in the context in which they use it.
The portfolio diagram in the provided figure illustrates functional applications at the top accessing reusable data in the data warehouse below. After your initial discovery work with business users, the simple act of unveiling the new portfolio can instill confidence that BI planning is rigorous and deliberate, thereby increasing stakeholder support for the BI COE and your chances for success.
Document your development process. Everyone in BI knows that BI development is different than other IT/business projects. As you consider a BI COE, be rigorous about circumscribing and documenting your BI development process. Activities such as user requirements gathering, data modeling, data loading, application and data acceptance testing, and deployment should be well-defined and within the context of an overall BI-specific delivery method with its own artifacts and handoff points. Instituting regular status updates, closed-loop ROI reviews and project postmortems reflects additional rigor and instills goodwill.
Get serious about staffing. A COE that wants to be sanctioned and funded involves more than just a data modeler and a few developers. Roles and responsibilities should be specific to the BI development process, with clear inputs and outputs between functional areas. Depending on the scope of the COE, it may include functions such as business analysis, data stewardship, metadata management, BI application development and more. Discrete job roles should be defined and well-documented, vetted with HR and accompanied by distinct measures of success.
Create a charter and guiding principles. Many IT leaders view organizational charters and mission statements as extraneous fluff. But only by communicating the COE's fundamental purpose and common philosophies can your BI team enforce an effective pitch. The organizational charter includes a purpose statement, a list of recurring problems the COE will address and a value proposition for the organization at large. This can be the glue that secures the buy-in of executive and user stakeholders.
My client Craig retracted his COE pitch and instead invested in some discovery work, pinpointing three key business applications through which his team could prove its newly documented BI development process. Once the applications were deployed, Craig measured and communicated their business value to a handpicked set of business stakeholders, leveraging his newfound prestige to pitch a COE model to executives.
The results are impressive. The BI COE regularly engages stakeholders both formally (through a structured business requirements-gathering process and periodic vendor presentations) and informally (through lunch-and-learn sessions and a corporate portal for BI information and status). As the rules of engagement have become clearer, so has the team's ability to leverage existing technology platforms and drive additional business value through cost savings and strategic enablement. All in all, the BI COE is a celebrated success. After a visible lapse, it took a deliberate plan to get on the right track.
Jill Dyché is a partner and co-founder of Baseline Consulting (www.baseline-consulting.com), a data integration and business analytics delivery firm. Her first book, e-Data (Addison Wesley, 2000) introduced managers to the concept of enterprise data integration and has been published in eight languages. Her second book, The CRM Handbook (Addison Wesley, 2002) is the CRM bestseller. Jill's work has been featured in major publications, and she is a frequent speaker at industry events. Her latest book, Customer Data Integration: Reaching a Single Version of the Truth was co-authored with Evan Levy. You can reach her at jilldyche@baseline-consulting.com.
Failure to Launch: How Not to Start Your COE
When I asked Craig, the CIO at a regional bank, why he'd decided to launch a BI COE, he explained that, after working for two years as a formal team, the BI developers had practically disappeared. The initial business process management dashboard had been a high-profile success, but users had reverted back to Excel spreadsheets for most of their reporting, enlisting developers only when new query creation proved too complex. Meeting fatigue had become part of the culture, and users didn't want to be proactively engaged in business requirements discussions, however strategic. BI had become commoditized.Craig's hope was that by announcing a BI COE, his user community would take him and his team more seriously. "I thought the COE concept would give us street cred," he admitted. It had the opposite effect. Immediately, business users began asking why the BI team was getting more funding when they hadn't delivered anything in more than six months.
And it was true. Since the dashboard project's success, BI team members had been focusing their time on infrastructure and platform issues. Data model enhancements and regular data loading activities were absorbing most of the resources. Users weren't seeing value, so Craig's emails advocating a COE seemed self-serving. Craig hoped his COE idea would get attention, but cynical email replies and eye-rolling weren't the kind of attention he wanted.
Craig's users brought their old resentments to the COE discussion. "It's rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic," a segment manager in marketing remarked. "We don't know what these guys are doing - and neither do they. Why should we be the ones to fund a COE when we have no idea what's in their pipeline - and have absolutely no input into it? It's a funding grab if you ask me." Ouch.
I've seen other failed COEs at companies that used high-profile problems - such as an enterprise resource planning system's problems acquiring data or management's desire to standardize on reporting tools - as a pretext for starting a COE. The results have been equally fruitless. In reality, the situations that justify a COE are few and very easy to spot.
When the COE Makes Sense
As real as Craig's problem was, announcing a COE wasn't the answer. Craig needed to re-enlist users in a structured process with clear rules of engagement and begin to quantify the value of work tasks to prove that his team was deserving of continued funding. He needed to deploy BI applications that business users would use and establish structure and BI-specific development processes. Only then would a COE make sense.And that's the problem with many existing (and increasingly defunct) COEs: They begin prematurely, before stakeholders perceive value. A COE will only become sanctioned if its stakeholders recognize a bona fide need for it. There are three predominant drivers of successful and sustainable COEs:
- BI projects often compete for funding with other IT projects that are seen as operationally critical. The executive steering committee at a catalog retailer constantly placed BI at the bottom of the funding list. "When funding came down to either BI or a new merchandise management system, we'd lose," said one director of BI, "and we lost most of the time." The director set out to educate the steering committee about why BI development was different, and how it could enable strategic goals like customer retention and promotions effectiveness. With the caveat that cost recovery was an end goal, the steering committee agreed to fund BI as a separate group with its own organizational structure and governance process.
- The data warehouse has become a shared resource across organizations, and the economies of scale justify a central development organization. Alternative, piecemeal and siloed efforts at data management and BI have become not only costly, but also risky, as different versions of data proliferate across the company. A COE not only ensures a deliberate approach to funding and deploying BI, but an ongoing investment in BI-specific tools, skills and data.
- Business operations become dependent on BI. When a company relies on its data warehouse or BI infrastructure for business-critical capabilities such as inventory management or financial reporting, the company should invest in a COE. It has become more common to see that certain high-profile business functions or processes can't run without BI, in which case you've established BI as a business-critical platform that justifies its own skill sets and budget.
Getting Ready for Your COE
Most BI organizations today are in limbo. They have a vision for a COE, but they're not yet qualified to hang the COE shingle. You can take the following steps to prepare before you make your pitch.Reconsider your data provisioning model. There's nothing wrong with a data warehouse availing data to various organizations and reports across the company. Indeed, that's part of its value. But if your BI team spends its days modeling and loading data into data marts, you're being marginalized as infrastructure, not as a value driver. Consider helping a high-profile user group to not only get its data, but to use it. Develop expertise in BI applications as well as platforms. It's a truism in BI (and in IT in general) that he who is closest to the end user wins.
Adopt a BI portfolio approach. When companies develop their BI roadmaps the right way, the whole is usually greater than the sum of its parts. A BI portfolio is a collection of business capabilities deployed over time. A portfolio approach guarantees reuse of common data for a range of analytical applications. Defining the initial set of portfolio applications helps establish the short and midterm development pipeline and gets BI team members back in front of key end users to discuss their need for business information in the context in which they use it.
The portfolio diagram in the provided figure illustrates functional applications at the top accessing reusable data in the data warehouse below. After your initial discovery work with business users, the simple act of unveiling the new portfolio can instill confidence that BI planning is rigorous and deliberate, thereby increasing stakeholder support for the BI COE and your chances for success.
Document your development process. Everyone in BI knows that BI development is different than other IT/business projects. As you consider a BI COE, be rigorous about circumscribing and documenting your BI development process. Activities such as user requirements gathering, data modeling, data loading, application and data acceptance testing, and deployment should be well-defined and within the context of an overall BI-specific delivery method with its own artifacts and handoff points. Instituting regular status updates, closed-loop ROI reviews and project postmortems reflects additional rigor and instills goodwill.
Get serious about staffing. A COE that wants to be sanctioned and funded involves more than just a data modeler and a few developers. Roles and responsibilities should be specific to the BI development process, with clear inputs and outputs between functional areas. Depending on the scope of the COE, it may include functions such as business analysis, data stewardship, metadata management, BI application development and more. Discrete job roles should be defined and well-documented, vetted with HR and accompanied by distinct measures of success.
Create a charter and guiding principles. Many IT leaders view organizational charters and mission statements as extraneous fluff. But only by communicating the COE's fundamental purpose and common philosophies can your BI team enforce an effective pitch. The organizational charter includes a purpose statement, a list of recurring problems the COE will address and a value proposition for the organization at large. This can be the glue that secures the buy-in of executive and user stakeholders.
My client Craig retracted his COE pitch and instead invested in some discovery work, pinpointing three key business applications through which his team could prove its newly documented BI development process. Once the applications were deployed, Craig measured and communicated their business value to a handpicked set of business stakeholders, leveraging his newfound prestige to pitch a COE model to executives.
The results are impressive. The BI COE regularly engages stakeholders both formally (through a structured business requirements-gathering process and periodic vendor presentations) and informally (through lunch-and-learn sessions and a corporate portal for BI information and status). As the rules of engagement have become clearer, so has the team's ability to leverage existing technology platforms and drive additional business value through cost savings and strategic enablement. All in all, the BI COE is a celebrated success. After a visible lapse, it took a deliberate plan to get on the right track.
Jill Dyché is a partner and co-founder of Baseline Consulting (www.baseline-consulting.com), a data integration and business analytics delivery firm. Her first book, e-Data (Addison Wesley, 2000) introduced managers to the concept of enterprise data integration and has been published in eight languages. Her second book, The CRM Handbook (Addison Wesley, 2002) is the CRM bestseller. Jill's work has been featured in major publications, and she is a frequent speaker at industry events. Her latest book, Customer Data Integration: Reaching a Single Version of the Truth was co-authored with Evan Levy. You can reach her at jilldyche@baseline-consulting.com.
Where The IT Dollars Will Go in Banking in 2012
Where The IT Dollars Will Go in Banking in 2012
1. Regulatory. Rep. Barney Frank is planning to retire after his next term, but the financial reform package that bears his name lives on. Many of the interpretations of the Dodd-Frank and changes to Regulation Z will emerge this year. Tech projects tied to the Durbin amendment will get under way soon. Not only will the new laws require banks to improve their disclosures and reports, but the new rules will affect payments technology, data storage and technology used to develop loyalty rewards programs, which are expected to increase in importance as Durbin squeezes traditional fees. “This is a ‘must’ spend, so when banks look at their investment strategy, this is the first thing they have to satisfy,” says Wayne Busch, a senior executive leading Accenture’s North American banking practice.
2. Security. It may seem like an obvious area of IT spending, but security is one of the few line items getting money without a lot of constraints, and Internet crime and data theft aren’t going away. Banks are likely to spend on software to prevent breaches and control access to data, with a particular focus on multifactor authentication and new encryption techniques such as format-preserving encryption, or a stronger means of protecting cardholder data: by using a replacement number that has the same number of digits as the real data figure, and cross-department integration of previously siloed data loss prevention.
“Anything that’s security-related will get attention,” says Jacob Jegher, a senior analyst at Celent. He says one bank exec told him that “he had an unlimited amount of money” when it came to security and data loss mitigation. “He could get anything he wanted if he could prove that it was protecting the bank’s data.”
3. Governance, risk and compliance. The focus on compliance and security will be a boon for any company that sells solutions in the governance, risk and compliance arena, which is good news for firms like Oracle, SAP and SAS.”Whether it’s a holistic platform, a service company or a point solution, GRC’s going to be in high demand,” says Jim Washburn, global practice leader for core banking for Cap Gemini Financial Services. GRC-related expense can take up to 50% of a bank’s overall IT budget, he says. “And that will come at the expense of flat or slow overall IT growth.”
4. Mobile banking. The days of offering simple information and rudimentary transfers on mobile devices is long gone, and banks will expand mobile capabilities, harnessing the innovative power of the actual devices. For customers, that means lots of new person-to-person applications, mobile remote deposit capture and exposure to GPS-enabled marketing. And for internal staff it means more initiatives to allow remote sales and new account onboarding via connections to their bank’s IT network. But it’s the ability of the mobile phone to deliver on-the-spot personalized messages to users that will be the big score for 2012.
“In interviews with the 10 largest banks, 10 of 10 suggest the most important investment in the mobile platform is in marketing,” says Carl Tsukahara, CMO of ClairMail.
5. Mobile payments. The battle over who controls the gateway to the coming multitrillion-dollar, NFC-driven contactless payments market will rage unabated into the year ahead, with Isis, handset manufacturers, PayPal, Google and other participants jockeying for position. Adoption trends suggest a large market is at stake. A recent study by MasterCard found two-thirds (62%) of Americans who use a mobile phone would be open to using their device to make purchases wherever their errands may take them. And Aite Group Mobile says the pay-by-phone market will tally $22 billion in transactions by 2015.
Card payments may also lead to IT investment as moves by card networks to push chip-and-PIN standards may force US banks and merchants to consider costly upgrades. “Visa’s push on EMV in the U.S. will force some spending in that area,” says Gwenn Bezard, research director at Aite Group.
6. Cloud computing. e Banks have been reluctant to adopt outsourced IT delivery modes such as cloud computing because of concerns over reliability and security. That’s starting to change. Economic pressures are likely to nudge banks further into the cloud.
“Those [security and accessibility] concerns are still there,” says Lisa Kart, a research director for Gartner. She says that cloud computing will still be used primarily for non-customer-data-intense applications, and that encryption techniques have improved and service-level agreements have become more detailed. “Banks are starting to be more influenced by the potential benefits, the cost savings and the ease of deployment.”
7. Data management. Data projects of all sorts abound in the in the financial services industry, which means spending on CRM and middleware will increase as banks link disparate business lines together for single-view purposes. Also to be expected is a dramatic increase in data storage requirements from regulatory requirements, along with the need to improve cross-sales and customer service.
“The retail banking climate in the U.S. is dismal, and it’s a bit of a struggle right now,” Jegher says. “Banks that do have some money set aside are going to be investing in things that will lower the cost of transactions and interaction. Online sales and online account openings, cross-selling, a lot of that is based on data analysis. And these are large projects that won’t be started and completed in 2012 alone.”
8. Social media. e The growth of social media will be less a matter of throwing tons of money at networking sites – social media doesn’t cost a whole lot – than an exploration of how the information that pours into the sites can be mined, learned from and monetized. Consumers express tastes, attitudes and their activities on social networking sites, all information that can be used to better understand what they want to do and when. And, most importantly, they often share how they feel about their bank.
Banks are increasingly using social media as part of marketing, lead generation and contests; U.S. Bank has used it to reach out to business clients.
“Banks are going to move beyond just using social media to managing it,” says Nicole Sturgill, research director for TowerGroup. “That means more use of sentiment monitoring and content management tools.”
9. Treasury software. Corporate cash management is ripe for new technology. Automation for corporate payments and remote deposit capture is less mature than the consumer market and the segment is performing better than retail banking.
In 2012, analysts say, spending will be particularly focused on enhancing mobility for executives looking to approve transaction, T&E apps that connect to accounts payable and tablet apps for sales staff. “It’s the most lucrative portion of the banking market,” Jegher says.
10. Branch technology. Digital signage is making a comeback at banks such as Huntington. But that’s only one advancement taking off in the branch, where innovation such as teller capture will become mainstream in 2012. Mobile devices, particularly tablets like the iPad, will be considered as a way to allow in-branch service and sales reps to engage with consumers without having to turn away to look at paper brochures or a PC monitor.
“There is a strong consumer side to the tablet, which can be brought into the branch,” Sturgill says. “It can be used instead of paper to open new accounts and serve customers while they are with a rep.”
This article first appeared on the Bank Technology News web site.
BI is Giving Back – Coming out of recession, more enterprises noting returns from deployments and growing user base
BI is Giving Back – Coming out of recession, more enterprises noting returns from deployments and growing user base
Business intelligence is turning in more contributions to enterprises in 2011, with an expanding net of users and maturing set of implementations since the funk of the recession two years ago, according to a new survey from BI Scorecard.
In “2011 Successful BI Survey,” BI Scorecard categorized and assessed answers from more than 600 respondents involved in business intelligence implementations at their respective enterprises. BI Scorecard, a business intelligence tool and strategy advisory, conducts the survey annually.
Thirty-four percent of respondents said BI significantly contributed to their company’s performance in 2011, a 9-percent jump from 2009, with other responses on contributions hovering around the same percentages as two years ago, according to the survey. Much of that business impact is being felt as a result of maturing implementations: impact was “significant” for 69 percent of enterprises with systems in place for at least a decade, while only 23 percent found business impact in their first year.
In a question on how enterprises gauged their BI deployments, 26 percent stated “very successful,” followed by nearly half at “moderately successful,” 22 percent as “slightly successful” and 5 percent as “failure.” Percentages rank nearly the same as responses to those same questions in 2009, including only a 5-percent bump in “very successful” deployments.
BI Scorecard Founder Cindi Howson says the slight bump in “very successful” BI deployments in the last two years comes from a mix of internal enterprise definitions and a recognition that “there is still so much more to do.” Howson says that success and business impact are related but not synonymous, and many organizations noted that they still have governance or data quality issues to work through with deployments.
“Many people associate BI success with technical architecture, program execution, as well as the business contribution. I think this is why business impact is rated higher than BI success,” Howson says. “IT people in particular are hesitant to say their BI initiative is ‘very’ successful because they know there are problems still to solve.”
The BI user segment has expanded greatly since 2009, according to the survey. Business and financial analysts (67 percent) continue to lead users in this year’s study, but gains in BI use were seen across the board, including executive use (50 percent) up 6 percent from 2009, field staff (41 percent), up 8 percent, and customers and suppliers (33 percent), up 17 percent.
Analytics in 2012 Backs Big Data, Cloud Trends – Davenport and IIA forecast: predictive and unstructured capabilities taken on by more enterprises
Analytics in 2012 Backs Big Data, Cloud Trends – Davenport and IIA forecast: predictive and unstructured capabilities taken on by more enterprises
Big data analytics will top all other areas of growth in analytics during 2012 due to the rapid expansion of social, mobile, location and transaction-based data taken in by various industries, according to predictions from the International Institute for Analytics.
In its annual analytics forecast, IIA and its analysts, including analytics expert Thomas Davenport, slated analytics to follow trends of big data and cloud proliferation in 2012, bringing along a spate of new capabilities and applications. Analysis of big data ranked as the biggest issue in analytics in the coming year, and IIA experts stated that it expects big data analytics to become cheaper and more accessible as vendor offerings for unstructured data, in-memory analytics and data appliances mature. In a related prediction, IIA ranked privacy concerns from analytics with big data as its fourth most notable prediction for 2012, with online browsing behavior and the collection and sale of data to third-party brokers expected to come under more scrutiny.
IIA ranked predictive analytics as its second biggest change for 2012, as more and more enterprises seek predictive competitive capabilities, especially in growing SaaS and cloud offerings, according to Davenport’s presentation of the predictions. Davenport noted that the cloud’s general “uninformed optimism” has been replaced by “informed pessimism” by some, though, in the cloud, predictive analytics has already proven its business worth.
“It was clear from a recent study that those who are experimenting with predictive analytics in the cloud – both deploying predictive analytics in the cloud and using cloud data and resources to develop predictive analytics – are getting positive results. These early adopters were much more likely to see cloud-based predictive analytics as important to their companies and much more likely to adopt them more broadly,” said Davenport.
Coming in at third in its 2012 predictions, IIA put the evolution of performance management applications that merge analytics disciplines with business process engineering, workflow orchestration and social collaboration. The fifth biggest change in analytics in the coming year is a slower demand for analytical talent. However, there will be a special focus on analytics professionals with business and communications skills prior to another expected boost in overall analytics hiring from planned enterprise investments in data warehousing and in-memory solutions, according to Davenport.
In its predictions for this past year, IIA pegged the lack of available, business-focused analytic talent at number five in its predictions. The top prediction by IIA last year was the importance of analytics as a defining competitive advantage in certain industries, a trend that IIA analysts wrote has rung true.
Rounding out the top 10, IIA predictions included:
6) A marked shift in power and influence from the IT function to the analyst.
7) The emergence of analytic asset management as a major challenge.
8) A correlation between the companies advancing their analytic maturity and those executing a complete “analytical ecosystem” strategy.
9) Mainstream use of methods for text analysis and social media analytics.
10) Increase in analytics applied toward health care patient safety hazards.
A broadcast of the predictions is available to members at IIA’s website.
Information Management Online, December 20, 2011
Cognos 8 Diagnostic: Cognos 10 Training
Cognos 8 Diagnostic: Cognos 10 Training: IBM Training Cognos Training Paths and Curriculum Fact Sheets IBM Cognos BI 10.1 – Consumer Role Use this training path to see the cou...
9 tips for Mobile BI succes
9 tips for Mobile BI success
Full article
http://www.yellowfinbi.com/YFCommunityNews-Mobile-Business-Intelligen...
Brief
The results of the IT Executive Outlook survey indicate that there
remains a significant level of doubt, or even scepticism, surrounding
the implementation and adoption of mobile information sharing
strategies and technologies within the enterprise. In response, we’ve
compiled nine tips for success for those considering Mobile BI:
[1] Get onboard or get left behind:
Respected industry expert, Howard Dresner, stated in the wake of his
most recent Mobile Business Intelligence Market Study that
advancements in technology, shifts in information consumption and the
rapid up-take of mobile data sharing strategies within many
organizations, have led him to conclude that Mobile BI is the new
platform for BI itself.
[2] Choose a vendor that offers browser-based, native MA:
With the continued adoption of HTML 5 to support device-based caching,
the debate between delivering reporting and analytics remotely via a
Web-browser or device-specific application will continue. Select a BI
application that offers both to give you flexibility. Whatever the
choice (and it must be a unified one), ensure that the needs of the
information consumer (rather than the report writer) dictates your
chosen approach.
[3] Secure your data assets:
The prevalence of mobile computing and information sharing at the
enterprise level brings with it a plethora of new security risks.
Ensure your data is secure at the application and device level.
Application: Your BI application and its accompanying mobile platform
should easily integrate with existing security protocols to support
authorization and authentication. It should also be 100 percent Web-
based to ensure no data is stored on the actual device.
Device: A password protection system on the device should guard
against unauthorized access to sensitive business data. Additionally,
an automatic lockout system should log users out from a dashboard or
report after a significant period of inactivity.
Broadcast security: Establish and ensure a clear method and system for
segmenting mobile user groups based on their specific job function and
information needs.
[4] Interactivity on-the-go:
Give users the ability to consume, analyze and interact with business
data on their mobile devices the same as they would from their PC.
Select a Mobile BI platform that offers a range of native applications
for major operating systems to allow users to filter results and
reports, drill-down and through data, as well as comment on and share
reports to make critical business decisions in real-time.
[5] Device independent:
Your chosen MA should support total device independence to ensure
higher rates of productivity and faster ROI. Users should be able to
log into their existing BI account and gain instant access to their
report content remotely, without the need to re-create content for the
mobile platform, or repackage it for mobile distribution.
[6] Take advantage of native mobile device features:
Many popular tablets and smartphones (including the iPhone, iPad and
Android family) have amazing intuitive functionality such as multi-
touch interfaces and generous screen sizes. Select a mobile platform
with native applications that support this highly beneficial
functionality.
[7] Carefully consider who actually needs Mobile BI:
Not everybody in an organization needs Mobile BI. Carefully establish
specific user groups based on their likely need for reporting and
analytics on-the-go. Many departments or job functions will not need
to address problems in real-time or are almost entirely desk-bound –
the point of enabling such user groups with Mobile BI is moot.
[8] Define which information will be useful remotely:
There will be limited or no benefit in consuming certain data types
remotely. Establish the specific benefits of being able to consume
specific types of information from mobile devices. Carefully identify
which alerts, reports and dashboards are capable of driving
performance or mitigating risk by being received on mobile devices.
[9] Establish ROI:
Outline the expected business benefits of Mobile BI pre-rollout
(enhanced productivity of user groups, etc) and match them with both
initial and ongoing costs (mobile devices, software, hardware,
maintenance, etc).
The Cash Free Way to Increase Your Cash Flow -- e-book!
The Cash Free Way to Increase Your Cash Flow -- e-book!
So if you need to increase your monthly cash flow then you will benefit from my e-book.
Watch this blog for the "The Cash Free Way to Increase Your Cash Flow" e-book soon.
Cheers
-- WT Paige
More BI Packages Add Collaboration
Tibco is now squeezing on board, joining the likes of Actuate, Adaptive Planning, Birst, LogiXML, and QlikTech, and others that have added collaborative features in 2011. I'm not saying BI vendors shouldn't be adding these features, but as we learned at last week's Enterprise 2.0 Conference, it's hard enough for enterprises to figure out their general-purpose collaboration strategies, as they try to decide how to mimic the influence of social networks inside companies. SharePoint isn't going to easily operate as a social platform for most companies without help from other software, conclude analysts Tony Byrne of the Real Story Group and Rob Koplowitz at Forrester Research. Facebook and Google are likely to launch business social networks, says tech blogger Robert Scoble, which would confuse the collaboration market more.
If enterprises are wrestling with sort out these choices, are they really ready for another layer of collaborative tools around their BI? And what about collaborative tools proposed by supply chain management vendors, or talent management vendors, or performance management vendors, or customer relationship management vendors? Just how many tools and interfaces are you prepared to support? Continuity, usability, training and licensing efficiencies will surely suffer if you offer too many options.
To its credit, Tibco has tried to avoid a siloed approach by integrating with Microsoft SharePoint, as well as Tibco's own enterprise-focused Tibbr social networking option. The SharePoint part is a smart choice given that more than 100 million people are licensed to use that software, according to Microsoft stats. By letting users post Spotfire dashboards, reports and data visualizations alongside Word documents, spreadsheets and team-collaboration environments in SharePoint, Tibco is promoting what it calls contextual collaboration.
But when it comes to enterprise social networking, Tibco insists the capabilities built into SharePoint and Microsoft Outlook aren't adequate. That's where Tibco's Tibbr social platform comes in. Tibbr is aimed at supporting collaboration across multiple applications and environments, not just BI and analytics. These characteristics also apply to SharePoint and Outlook, in my book, but Tibco Spotfire's Lou Bajuk, senior director of product management, insists Tibbr "brings collaboration into one environment and ties into multiple systems more effectively than you can do with SharePoint."
Tibbr was released in 2009, and Tibco claims it has more than 40,000 individual users. The company couldn't come up with any customers using both Spotfire and Tibbr, but it did refer me to Spotfire customer Wildhorse Resources, a small, Texas-based oil and gas company that's considering using SharePoint and Tibbr together.
With just 70 employees, most of whom are on a single floor in an office building in Houston, Wildhorse doesn't have a big collaboration challenge today. But Steve Habachy, vice president of operations, says the firm is looking at SharePoint to provide a single place -- portal, content repository, he's not hung up on the term -- where all information about particular oil fields and wells can be accessed. That might include documents, spreadsheets, Spotfire analyses and so on. Tibbr, meanwhile, would provide a kind of corporate Facebook, a familiar and user-friendly interface with big advantages over email.
"Tone is hard to get across in e-mail and I think people are more comfortable when they communicate through a Facebook-type interface," Habachy explains. "You see a picture, the person is typically smiling, and people don't assume the worst and think people are being critical as they often do when you're communicating by email."
I'm guessing Wildhorse will soon find a lot of overlapping capabilities between SharePoint, Outlook, and Tibbr. Microsoft builds a lot of collaborative functionality -- including presence awareness, personal profiles, and Facebook-style social networking -- into the combination of SharePoint and Outlook.
Collaboration strategy goes well beyond BI and analytics, and business leaders have a lot of broad choices they're trying to figure out well before going after the niche needs. There may well be a place for BI-specific collaboration options, particularly when it gets down into details that can't be addressed by the general-purpose tools, such as drilling down into root-cause data analysis below the top-layer dashboards and reports. If it's free functionality that vendors are simply adding to their existing BI systems, so much the better. But even then, you have to watch out for collaborative featuress overlaps, and collaboration overload.
If enterprises are wrestling with sort out these choices, are they really ready for another layer of collaborative tools around their BI? And what about collaborative tools proposed by supply chain management vendors, or talent management vendors, or performance management vendors, or customer relationship management vendors? Just how many tools and interfaces are you prepared to support? Continuity, usability, training and licensing efficiencies will surely suffer if you offer too many options.
To its credit, Tibco has tried to avoid a siloed approach by integrating with Microsoft SharePoint, as well as Tibco's own enterprise-focused Tibbr social networking option. The SharePoint part is a smart choice given that more than 100 million people are licensed to use that software, according to Microsoft stats. By letting users post Spotfire dashboards, reports and data visualizations alongside Word documents, spreadsheets and team-collaboration environments in SharePoint, Tibco is promoting what it calls contextual collaboration.
But when it comes to enterprise social networking, Tibco insists the capabilities built into SharePoint and Microsoft Outlook aren't adequate. That's where Tibco's Tibbr social platform comes in. Tibbr is aimed at supporting collaboration across multiple applications and environments, not just BI and analytics. These characteristics also apply to SharePoint and Outlook, in my book, but Tibco Spotfire's Lou Bajuk, senior director of product management, insists Tibbr "brings collaboration into one environment and ties into multiple systems more effectively than you can do with SharePoint."
Tibbr was released in 2009, and Tibco claims it has more than 40,000 individual users. The company couldn't come up with any customers using both Spotfire and Tibbr, but it did refer me to Spotfire customer Wildhorse Resources, a small, Texas-based oil and gas company that's considering using SharePoint and Tibbr together.
With just 70 employees, most of whom are on a single floor in an office building in Houston, Wildhorse doesn't have a big collaboration challenge today. But Steve Habachy, vice president of operations, says the firm is looking at SharePoint to provide a single place -- portal, content repository, he's not hung up on the term -- where all information about particular oil fields and wells can be accessed. That might include documents, spreadsheets, Spotfire analyses and so on. Tibbr, meanwhile, would provide a kind of corporate Facebook, a familiar and user-friendly interface with big advantages over email.
"Tone is hard to get across in e-mail and I think people are more comfortable when they communicate through a Facebook-type interface," Habachy explains. "You see a picture, the person is typically smiling, and people don't assume the worst and think people are being critical as they often do when you're communicating by email."
I'm guessing Wildhorse will soon find a lot of overlapping capabilities between SharePoint, Outlook, and Tibbr. Microsoft builds a lot of collaborative functionality -- including presence awareness, personal profiles, and Facebook-style social networking -- into the combination of SharePoint and Outlook.
Collaboration strategy goes well beyond BI and analytics, and business leaders have a lot of broad choices they're trying to figure out well before going after the niche needs. There may well be a place for BI-specific collaboration options, particularly when it gets down into details that can't be addressed by the general-purpose tools, such as drilling down into root-cause data analysis below the top-layer dashboards and reports. If it's free functionality that vendors are simply adding to their existing BI systems, so much the better. But even then, you have to watch out for collaborative featuress overlaps, and collaboration overload.
DB2 best practices: Implementing DB2 workload management in a data warehouse
Using a staged approach, this article guides you through the steps needed to implement the best practices workload management configuration on IBM® DB2 ® for Linux®, UNIX®, and Windows® with sufficient controls to help ensure a stable, predictable system for most data warehouse environments. This initial configuration is intended to be a good base for implementing additional tuning and configuration changes as needed, in order for you to achieve your specific workload management objectives.
In this article
This article presents a set of definitions representing the different stages of maturity for a workload management configuration in a DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows database. These stages range from stage 0 through to the advanced stage 3 configuration. A specific configuration template and process is provided as part of these best practices to enable customers to progress from a stage 0 configuration to a stage 2 configuration. General descriptions and advice are also given about common stage 3 scenarios.
The article assumes a novice beginner and describes the individual steps and mechanisms at each point. A more experienced user can condense many of the listed steps to move from stage 1 to stage 2, making the transition in days of elapsed time rather than weeks as the suggested timeline indicates in a later section.
The steps outlined in this document are focused on the efficiency of the system as a whole, regardless of where the work itself comes from. It is important to note that achieving the goal of a stable system might not necessarily also result in the achievement of any individual application service-level agreement (SLA) or specific performance objectives for queries. These more granular objectives might require subsequent changes to the workload management configuration, such as outlined in the section on stage 3 scenarios, which is outside the main scope of this document.
This article is not a tutorial on DB2 workload management capabilities and does not attempt to provide comprehensive guidance in addressing all possible scenarios where DB2 workload management might be employed. It also does not cover all features within the DB2 product that might be of use in controlling resource consumption. The scope of this article is focused on describing the system stabilization approach in some detail and provides some general guidance for common advanced scenarios.
Downloads
Information about download methods Get Adobe® Reader®
Resources
Learn
Paul Bird is a senior technical staff member (STSM) within the IBM Software Group development organization, sharing his time between the Optim and DB2 development organizations. Since 1991, he has worked on the inside of the DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows product as a lead developer and architect with a focus on diverse areas such as workload management, monitoring, security, and general SQL processing. He recently became a member of the Optim development organization to expand his experiences. You can reach him at pbird@ca.ibm.com. 
Rimas Kalesnykas is a technical writer for DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows. In the last 5 years, he was the documentation owner for a variety of DB2 subject areas, including the Command and API references, the Partitioning and Clustering Guide, Troubleshooting, and Workload Management. In 2008, he was a co-author of a best practices paper that describes how to improve data server utilization and management through virtualization. You can reach him at rimask@ca.ibm.com.
In this article
This article presents a set of definitions representing the different stages of maturity for a workload management configuration in a DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows database. These stages range from stage 0 through to the advanced stage 3 configuration. A specific configuration template and process is provided as part of these best practices to enable customers to progress from a stage 0 configuration to a stage 2 configuration. General descriptions and advice are also given about common stage 3 scenarios.
The article assumes a novice beginner and describes the individual steps and mechanisms at each point. A more experienced user can condense many of the listed steps to move from stage 1 to stage 2, making the transition in days of elapsed time rather than weeks as the suggested timeline indicates in a later section.
The steps outlined in this document are focused on the efficiency of the system as a whole, regardless of where the work itself comes from. It is important to note that achieving the goal of a stable system might not necessarily also result in the achievement of any individual application service-level agreement (SLA) or specific performance objectives for queries. These more granular objectives might require subsequent changes to the workload management configuration, such as outlined in the section on stage 3 scenarios, which is outside the main scope of this document.
This article is not a tutorial on DB2 workload management capabilities and does not attempt to provide comprehensive guidance in addressing all possible scenarios where DB2 workload management might be employed. It also does not cover all features within the DB2 product that might be of use in controlling resource consumption. The scope of this article is focused on describing the system stabilization approach in some detail and provides some general guidance for common advanced scenarios.
Downloads
| Description | Name | Size | Download method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Article in PDF format | DB2BP_Workload_Management_1111.pdf | 1.21MB | HTTP |
| Sample scripts | DB2BP_WLM_Supplements_1111.zip | 446KB | HTTP |
Resources
Learn
- Learn more about DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows in the DB2 Information Center.
- Learn more about IBM Smart Analytics System.
- "DB2 Workload Management using Performance Optimization Feature" (developerWorks, Jun 2010): In this demo, see how a fictional company uses DB2 Workload Management and Optim Performance Manager Extended Edition to allocate database system resources to help a high priority application achieve its objectives in a data warehousing environment.
- "DB2 9.7: Using new Workload Manager features" (developerWorks, Aug 2010): This tutorial provides a series of exercises to help the new user become familiar with Workload Manager.
- " DB2 workload management histograms" (developerWorks, Oct 2008): This 3-part article series introduces the concept of histograms and explains how to use them with with DB2 workload management.
- "An inside look at DB2 Advanced Enterprise Server Edition, Part 3: Workload management" (developerWorks, Sep 2011): This article spotlights the capabilities and benefits offered by DB2 Workload Manager, included in IBM DB2 AESE.
- Learn more about DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows at the DB2 page on developerWorks and get the resources you need to grow your skills.
- Follow developerWorks on Twitter.
- Watch developerWorks on-demand demos advanced functionality for experienced developers.
- Download a trial version of DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows.
- Participate in the discussion forum.
- Get involved in the My developerWorks community. Connect with other developerWorks users while exploring the developer-driven blogs, forums, groups, and wikis.
Paul Bird is a senior technical staff member (STSM) within the IBM Software Group development organization, sharing his time between the Optim and DB2 development organizations. Since 1991, he has worked on the inside of the DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows product as a lead developer and architect with a focus on diverse areas such as workload management, monitoring, security, and general SQL processing. He recently became a member of the Optim development organization to expand his experiences. You can reach him at pbird@ca.ibm.com. Rimas Kalesnykas is a technical writer for DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows. In the last 5 years, he was the documentation owner for a variety of DB2 subject areas, including the Command and API references, the Partitioning and Clustering Guide, Troubleshooting, and Workload Management. In 2008, he was a co-author of a best practices paper that describes how to improve data server utilization and management through virtualization. You can reach him at rimask@ca.ibm.com.
Transform and model your DB2 data using WebSphere Transformation Extender
An application takes data as input for business logic processing in a specific format. The format of the data could be text, XML, EDIFACT, X12, flat files, and so on. The database contains the raw data that needs to be modeled and converted into a specific data format so that the application can use it. For example, a web services-based application requires data in XML format for processing. To achieve this business requirement, you can use WebSphere Transformation Extender for data modeling and data transformation.
Figure 1 shows how WebSphere Transformation Extender performs transformation and routing of data in any format from source system to target system in real-time environments.
Figure 1. Working functionality of WebSphere Transformation Extender
The source system can include files and databases. After retrieving the data from its source, WebSphere Transformation Extender transforms the data and routes it to any number of target systems where it is needed, for example, legacy, J2EE, or web services applications, providing the appropriate content and format for each target system.
WebSphere Transformation Extender uses type trees and maps for defining input data, output data, and transformation logic. A type tree describes the hierarchical structure of a data format. There are two type trees, input and output. The input type tree describes input data in a hierarchical structure, while the output type tree describes output data in a hierarchical structure.
A map is a hierarchical structure that contains input and output cards and encapsulates the rules for data transformation from one data format to another. These cards represent data objects. The input card of a map is associated with a single input terminal of a map, and the output card of a map is associated with a single output terminal of a map. Each input type tree is configured with an input card, and each output type tree is configured with an output card with adapter settings. Each input type tree is mapped to an output type tree using transformation rules. The adapter setting contains the information (location, type, platform, and so on) of a source system and a target system. After running a map successfully, data from a source system is transformed and routed to a target system.
WebSphere Transformation Extender uses load, update, and delete operations during data modeling.
This article uses the following software.
Database to file system
The following sections demonstrate how to use the WebSphere Transformation Extender framework to export data from a DB2 database, perform data modeling, and route the data to a file system. In this example, the source is EMPLOYEE table and the target is a text file called output.txt.
Creating the database object
Use the following SQL statements to create a database SAMPLE with table EMPLOYEE, as shown in Listing 1.
Listing 1. Creating the database and employee table
The Employee table with the data is shown in Table 1.
Table 1. EMPLOYEE table with data
Attaching the database
To attach the database to WebSphere Transformation Extender using Database Interface Designer, perform the following steps.
The input type tree describes the hierarchical structure of input data format. You can create the input type tree manually or automatically using Database Interface Designer. Type trees can be automatically created from databases, queries, stored procedures, or views using Database Interface Designer. Database connections can be established according to the previous section. The following steps are used to create input type tree using tables.
In the previous section you established a connection with the database. Now the same connection is used to generate a type tree from a query. The query can be simple, complex or join, which means that type tree can be generated that references multiple tables. In this section, the type tree is created using a simple query referencing the EMPLOYEE table in the database SAMPLE.
Output type tree describes a hierarchical structure of output data format. In this example, Emp_Query.mtt is used as output type tree which is created in the previous section.
Transformation logic implementation in WTX Design Studio using map
The following steps are for the map development of this scenario.
After successfully configuring the map input and output cards, drag and drop the group InputDBCard from the input card to the output card group rule column as shown in Figure 19.
Figure 19. Mapping between input card and output card
Right-click the map in the outline view and click Build to compile the map, then right-click the map again and click Run. You should get the message map completed successfully as shown in Figure 20.
Figure 20. Run the map
Verifying the result
Right-click the map in the outline view and click Run results. Choose your result file and click OK. As shown in Figure 21, you will be able to see output.txt in the Design Studio with your records from the EMPLOYEE table that have been transformed into a text file.
Figure 21. Output File
In this example, simple mapping is used so that the same data from the EMPLOYEE table is transformed to a text file. However, you can manipulate data using the feature and function of WebSphere Transformation Extender according to your requirements.
Database to database, such as DB2, Informix, Oracle, or Sybase
The following sections demonstrate how to use WebSphere Transformation Extender framework to export data from a DB2 database, perform data modeling, and route the data to another database table. In this example, the source is the EMPLOYEE table and target is the EMP_OUTPUT table in the SAMPLE database.
Creating the database objects
Use the following command to create table EMP_OUTPUT in the SAMPLE database as shown in Listing 2.
Listing 2. Creating the output table in the sample database
Attach to database
Use the instructions in the previous section to attach database SAMPLE with table EMPLOYEE and EMP_OUTPUT.
Create the input type tree of database table (EMPLOYEE)
The Database Interface Designer will produce a type tree as shown previously using EMPLOYEE table. An alert message will be displayed that employee.mtt is created successfully.
Create the output type tree of database table (EMP_OUTPUT)
The output type tree can be created from database SAMPLE and table EMP_OUTPUT with the steps mentioned previously. In this example, you use employee.mtt for output type tree. The employee.mtt is generated in the previous section.
Transformation logic implementation in WTX Design Studio using map
In this section, a map named DB2ToDB2 is created with the detail steps mentioned in the Transformation Logic Implementation in WTX Design Studio using Map section. You will develop the map, configure input Type Tree in input card with the adapter settings, configure output Type Tree in output card with the adapter settings, define the transformation rule, then build and run the map to check the results.
After successfully configuring the input card and output card of the map, drag and drop the group InputDBCard from the input card to the output card group rule column. The mapping between input and output card is similar to what is shown in Figure 19.
Right-click the map in the outline view, click Build to compile the map, click Run to execute the map. You should get the message map completed successfully which is similar to Figure 20.
Verifying the result
EMP_OUTPUT table is empty before running the map as shown in Figure 23.
Figure 23. EMP_OUTPUT Table is empty
Data in EMP_OUTPUT table after running the map successfully which is shown in Figure 24.
Figure 24. EMP_OUTPUT table with modeled data
In this example, simple mapping is used so that the same data from the EMPLOYEE table is modeled to EMP_OUTPUT table at run time. However, we can manipulate data using the feature and function of WebSphere Transformation Extender according to our requirement.
File system to database
This section describes WebSphere Transformation Extender framework to read data from input file, perform data modeling, and store the data to a database table. In this example, the source is input.txt file and the target is EMP_OUTPUT table of SAMPLE database.
Creating the input file
The input data is read from a text file called input.txt as shown in Listing 3.
Listing 3. input.txt
Create the target database and table
The following commands are used to create EMPLOYEE table in SAMPLE database, as shown in Listing 4.
Listing 4. Creating the target database and table
Attach to database
Use the details from the first section to attach database SAMPLE with table EMPLOYEE.
Create the output type tree of database table (EMPLOYEE)
The following steps are used to create output type tree which is similar to the steps shown previously in section 1.
Use the same type tree generated in the previous section.
Transformation logic implementation in WTX Design Studio using map
In this section, a map named as TxtToDB2 is created with the detailed steps described in the first section. You will develop the map by configuring Input type tree in input card with the adapter settings, configure output type tree in output card with the adapter settings, define the transformation rule, then build and run the map to check the results.
After successful configuration of input card and output card, drag and drop the group InputTXTCard from the input card to the output card group rule column. The mapping between input and output card is similar to what was previously shown in Figure 19.
Right-click the map in the outline view, click Build to compile the map, then click Run to execute the map. You should get the message "Map completed successfully" which is similar to what was shown in Figure 20.
Verifying the result
Before running the map, EMPLOYEE table contained zero records. After running the map successfully, the data from the text file is routed to EMPLOYEE table as shown in Figure 25.
Figure 25. EMPLOYEE table with modeled data
In this example, simple mapping was used so that the same data from the text file was transformed to EMPLOYEE table, but you can manipulate data using the feature and function of WebSphere Transformation Extender according to your requirement.
Conclusion
This article has shown how WebSphere Transformation Extender can be used with DB2 database to generate data in different formats. After reading this article, you should be able to use a database with WebSphere Transformation Extender for data modeling to quickly transform the data in a specific format, and in a simple manner.
Resources
Learn
Figure 1 shows how WebSphere Transformation Extender performs transformation and routing of data in any format from source system to target system in real-time environments.
Figure 1. Working functionality of WebSphere Transformation Extender
The source system can include files and databases. After retrieving the data from its source, WebSphere Transformation Extender transforms the data and routes it to any number of target systems where it is needed, for example, legacy, J2EE, or web services applications, providing the appropriate content and format for each target system.
WebSphere Transformation Extender uses type trees and maps for defining input data, output data, and transformation logic. A type tree describes the hierarchical structure of a data format. There are two type trees, input and output. The input type tree describes input data in a hierarchical structure, while the output type tree describes output data in a hierarchical structure.
A map is a hierarchical structure that contains input and output cards and encapsulates the rules for data transformation from one data format to another. These cards represent data objects. The input card of a map is associated with a single input terminal of a map, and the output card of a map is associated with a single output terminal of a map. Each input type tree is configured with an input card, and each output type tree is configured with an output card with adapter settings. Each input type tree is mapped to an output type tree using transformation rules. The adapter setting contains the information (location, type, platform, and so on) of a source system and a target system. After running a map successfully, data from a source system is transformed and routed to a target system.
WebSphere Transformation Extender uses load, update, and delete operations during data modeling.
- In a load operation, WebSphere Transformation Extender exports data from a source system, transforms the data, and writes the data to a target system using transformation rules.
- In an update operation, WebSphere Transformation Extender exports data from a source system, transforms the data, and updates the data to a target system using transformation rule.
- In a delete operation, WebSphere Transformation Extender exports data from a source system, transforms the data, and deletes the data from a target system using transformation rules.
- Database to file system: WebSphere Transformation Extender performs transformation and routing of data from database tables to files. This article describes transformation from a IBM DB2 database to a file.
- Database to database (DB2, ORACLE, Sybase, and so on): WebSphere Transformation Extender performs transformation and routing of data from any database table to any other database table. In this article, we describe transformation from a DB2 database to another DB2 database.
- File system to database: WebSphere Transformation Extender performs transformation and routing of data from file to any database. In this article, we describe transformation from a file to a DB2 database.
This article uses the following software.
- WebSphere Transformation Extender V8.3
- IBM DB2 V9.7
The following sections demonstrate how to use the WebSphere Transformation Extender framework to export data from a DB2 database, perform data modeling, and route the data to a file system. In this example, the source is EMPLOYEE table and the target is a text file called output.txt.
Creating the database object
Use the following SQL statements to create a database SAMPLE with table EMPLOYEE, as shown in Listing 1.
Listing 1. Creating the database and employee table
CREATE DATABASE SAMPLE AUTOMATIC STORAGE YES |
The Employee table with the data is shown in Table 1.
Table 1. EMPLOYEE table with data
| EMPLOYEE_ID | FIRST_NAME | LAST_NAME | MANAGER_ID | MANAGER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 071D | F_Name1 | L_Name1 | 072E | Manager1 |
| 072D | F_Name2 | L_Name3 | 073E | Manager2 |
| 073D | F_Name3 | L_Name3 | 074E | Manager3 |
| 074D | F_Name4 | L_Name4 | 074E | Manager3 |
| 075D | F_Name5 | L_Name5 | 072E | Manager1 |
Attaching the database
To attach the database to WebSphere Transformation Extender using Database Interface Designer, perform the following steps.
- Open Database Interface Designer by clicking Start > WebSphere Transformation Extender V8.3 > Design Studio > Database Interface Designer, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Database Interface Designer - Right-click Database/Query Files in the Database Interface Designer navigator and select New Database/Query File, as shown in Figure 3. Name it DB2_txt.
Figure 3. New Database/Query File - Right-click Databases and select New as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4. Select Database - In the Database Definition dialog, type SAMPLE in the Database Name field as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5. Database Adapter List - In the Adapter field, select DB2 as database type, and Microsoft Windows as platform. WebSphere Transformation Extender offers a number of database adapters, including Oracle, MS SQL Server, Sybase, and Informix. In this article, DB2 is selected as database adapter. The drop-down list for database adapter is shown previously in Figure 5.
- Expand Data Source as shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6. Data Source and Security fields - The Database interface Designer option identifies the database you want to access. Select SAMPLE from the drop-down list as shown in Figure 6.
- The Runtime option identifies the database to access at runtime from the Map Designer, Command Server or Launcher. The runtime and development data sources are same for this article, so select SAMPLE as shown previously in Figure 6.
- Expand the Security options. These options are used to specify the user ID and password to connect to the database instance. Type your user ID and password for DB2. Click OK to save the database connection information as shown previously in Figure 6.
The input type tree describes the hierarchical structure of input data format. You can create the input type tree manually or automatically using Database Interface Designer. Type trees can be automatically created from databases, queries, stored procedures, or views using Database Interface Designer. Database connections can be established according to the previous section. The following steps are used to create input type tree using tables.
- In the Database Interface Designer, right-click Tables in the navigator, and select Generate Tree as shown in Figure 7.
Figure 7. Generate Tree from Tables - Select the EMPLOYEE table from the Tables dialog as shown in Figure 8.
Figure 8. Configuration of Generate Tree from Table - The File Name field specifies the name of the Type tree file to create. Type Emp_Query.mtt in the File Name field as shown in Figure 8.
- Also under Type options select the Override type check box, as shown previously in Figure 8.
- When the type tree is generated for a database table, a group named Row is automatically defined by the Database Interface Designer. The Row group drop-down list lets you specify the format of the Row group as delimited or fixed format. For this example, keep the default values as shown previously in Figure 8.
- Specify Group options such as the delimiter between each field of the record, and the terminator for each record and release character as shown previously in Figure 8.
- For this example, keep the Represent date/time columns as text items default values for National and Data Language fields as shown previously in Figure 8.
- Click the Generate button. As shown in Figure 9, the Database Interface Designer will produce a type tree that corresponds to the EMPLOYEE table and the “Command file completed successfully” notification message will be displayed.
Figure 9. Create Input Type Tree from Employee table
In the previous section you established a connection with the database. Now the same connection is used to generate a type tree from a query. The query can be simple, complex or join, which means that type tree can be generated that references multiple tables. In this section, the type tree is created using a simple query referencing the EMPLOYEE table in the database SAMPLE.
- In the Database Interface Designer, right-click Queries in the Navigator and select New as shown in Figure 10.
Figure 10. Create new query - The query name uniquely identifies the query. Type Emp_Query in the name field as shown in Figure 11.
Figure 11. New Query screen - Type select * from EMPLOYEE as the SQL statement in the Query window, which will select all columns in the EMPLOYEE table as shown previously in Figure 11.
- Click OK. The query name appears in the Navigator under the Queries subheading, as shown previously in Figure 11.
- Select Generate Tree, as shown in Figure 12. The Generate Tree dialog is the same as when generating a type tree from a table.
Figure 12. Generating type tree for a query - Generate the type tree and save it as Emp_Query.mtt. This type tree will be used by map in the next section.
- Right-click DB2_txt.mdq and save it. DB2_txt.mdq is an XML file that contains the information from the database. Figure 13 shows the content of the DB2_txt.mdq file.
Figure 13. XML format of Database_QueryFile1.mdq
Output type tree describes a hierarchical structure of output data format. In this example, Emp_Query.mtt is used as output type tree which is created in the previous section.
Transformation logic implementation in WTX Design Studio using map
The following steps are for the map development of this scenario.
- Start WebSphere TX Design Studio.
- Create an Extender Project by launching WebSphere TX Design Studio for mapping and transformation. Then select Start > IBM WebSphere Transformation Extender > Design Studio. Select a workspace and close the Welcome view.
- Create an Extender project as shown in Figure 14.
Figure 14. Create an Extender Project - Enter the name as TestProject, and then click Finish. A project will be added to your workspace.
- Develop the map with the following steps. The map source file will be created first. The following is the structure for the executable map node in the map source file. Configure input type tree in input card with the adapter settings. Configure output type tree in output card with the adapter settings. Define the transformation rule, and build and run the map to check the results.
- Right-click the Map Files folder in your TestProject and select New > Map Source, as shown in Figure 15.
Figure 15. Create new Map Source file - Right-click the Map source file and create a new Map source with the name EmpMap.mms in the outline view of the Design Studio. Then click Finish.
Figure 16. Map Node Creation - Create a map called DB2Totxt by selecting New Map from the context menu of the Map source.
- Right-click the Map Files folder in your TestProject and select New > Map Source, as shown in Figure 15.
- Add the input card with the following steps.
- Add an input card called InputDBCard in CardName field as shown in Figure 17.
Figure 17. Input Card Settings - Select Emp_Query.mtt in TypeTree and select DBTable in Type field because this group represents the entire table and not a single record as shown previously in Figure 17.
- Select Emp_Query.mtt in TypeTree and select DBTable in Type field because this group represents the entire table and not a single record as shown previously in Figure 17.
- Identify the type of data being used as the data source. When you change the Source setting to Database, the DatabaseQueryFile settings appear in the input card as shown previously in Figure 17.
- The File setting identifies the database/query file (.mdq) that contains the definition for the Table and query. Select DB2_txt.mdq as the File setting which is shown previously in Figure 17.
- The Database drop-down list is automatically updated to display all databases defined in the selected file. SAMPLE is the only database defined in the file DB2_txt.mdq so that it is automatically selected in the database field as shown previously in Figure 17.
- The Query setting identifies the query to use as the data source as shown in Figure 17. If more than one query is defined in the selected database, a drop-down list of all queries is displayed.
- Click OK to save the settings as shown previously in Figure 17.
- Add an input card called InputDBCard in CardName field as shown in Figure 17.
- Add the output card with the following steps.
- Add an output card named OutputTXTCard as shown in Figure 18.
Figure 18. Output Card Setting - Select Emp_Query.mtt in TypeTree and select DBTable in Type field as shown previously in Figure 18.
- Select Target as the File adapter because the output will be written to a text file. so keep
c:/output.txtin the path field as shown previously in Figure 18. - Click OK to save.
- Add an output card named OutputTXTCard as shown in Figure 18.
After successfully configuring the map input and output cards, drag and drop the group InputDBCard from the input card to the output card group rule column as shown in Figure 19.
Figure 19. Mapping between input card and output card
Right-click the map in the outline view and click Build to compile the map, then right-click the map again and click Run. You should get the message map completed successfully as shown in Figure 20.
Figure 20. Run the map
Verifying the result
Right-click the map in the outline view and click Run results. Choose your result file and click OK. As shown in Figure 21, you will be able to see output.txt in the Design Studio with your records from the EMPLOYEE table that have been transformed into a text file.
Figure 21. Output File
In this example, simple mapping is used so that the same data from the EMPLOYEE table is transformed to a text file. However, you can manipulate data using the feature and function of WebSphere Transformation Extender according to your requirements.
The following sections demonstrate how to use WebSphere Transformation Extender framework to export data from a DB2 database, perform data modeling, and route the data to another database table. In this example, the source is the EMPLOYEE table and target is the EMP_OUTPUT table in the SAMPLE database.
Creating the database objects
Use the following command to create table EMP_OUTPUT in the SAMPLE database as shown in Listing 2.
Listing 2. Creating the output table in the sample database
CREATE TABLE ADMINISTRATOR.EMP_OUTPUT |
Attach to database
Use the instructions in the previous section to attach database SAMPLE with table EMPLOYEE and EMP_OUTPUT.
Create the input type tree of database table (EMPLOYEE)
The Database Interface Designer will produce a type tree as shown previously using EMPLOYEE table. An alert message will be displayed that employee.mtt is created successfully.
Create the output type tree of database table (EMP_OUTPUT)
The output type tree can be created from database SAMPLE and table EMP_OUTPUT with the steps mentioned previously. In this example, you use employee.mtt for output type tree. The employee.mtt is generated in the previous section.
Transformation logic implementation in WTX Design Studio using map
In this section, a map named DB2ToDB2 is created with the detail steps mentioned in the Transformation Logic Implementation in WTX Design Studio using Map section. You will develop the map, configure input Type Tree in input card with the adapter settings, configure output Type Tree in output card with the adapter settings, define the transformation rule, then build and run the map to check the results.
- Add the input card as follows. The input card setting is similar to what is shown in Figure 17 previously.
- Add an input card named InputDBCard.
- Select employee.mtt, created previously.
- Select Type in the DBSelect field.
- Change the Source setting to database adapter.
- Change the Source setting to Database, the DatabaseQueryFile settings appear in the input card.
- The File setting identifies the database/query file (.mdq) that contains the definition for the query. Select db2_db2.mdq as the file setting.
- The Database drop-down list is automatically updated to display all databases defined in the selected file. SAMPLE is the only database defined in the file db2_db2.mdq so that it is automatically selected as the database.
- The Query setting identifies the query to use as the data source. If more than one query is defined in the selected database, a drop-down list of all queries is displayed.
- Click OK to save the settings.
- Add the output card as follows.
- Add an output card named OutputDBCard as shown in Figure 22.
- Select employee.mtt, as shown in Figure 22.
- Select Type in DBSelect field as shown in Figure 22.
- Change the Source setting to the adapter Database as shown in Figure 22.
Figure 22. Output Card Setting - The File setting identifies the database/query file (.mdq) that contains the definition for the query. Keep db2_db2.mdq in the File Path as shown previously in Figure 22.
- The Database drop-down list is automatically updated to display all databases defined in the selected file. SAMPLE is the only database defined in the file db2_db2.mdq so that it is automatically selected as the database.
- Enter Table name as EMP_OUTPUT which is shown previously in Figure 22.
- Click OK to save the settings. The output card setting is shown previously in Figure 22.
After successfully configuring the input card and output card of the map, drag and drop the group InputDBCard from the input card to the output card group rule column. The mapping between input and output card is similar to what is shown in Figure 19.
Right-click the map in the outline view, click Build to compile the map, click Run to execute the map. You should get the message map completed successfully which is similar to Figure 20.
Verifying the result
EMP_OUTPUT table is empty before running the map as shown in Figure 23.
Figure 23. EMP_OUTPUT Table is empty
Data in EMP_OUTPUT table after running the map successfully which is shown in Figure 24.
Figure 24. EMP_OUTPUT table with modeled data
In this example, simple mapping is used so that the same data from the EMPLOYEE table is modeled to EMP_OUTPUT table at run time. However, we can manipulate data using the feature and function of WebSphere Transformation Extender according to our requirement.
This section describes WebSphere Transformation Extender framework to read data from input file, perform data modeling, and store the data to a database table. In this example, the source is input.txt file and the target is EMP_OUTPUT table of SAMPLE database.
Creating the input file
The input data is read from a text file called input.txt as shown in Listing 3.
Listing 3. input.txt
071D |F_Name1|L_Name1|072E |Manager1 |
Create the target database and table
The following commands are used to create EMPLOYEE table in SAMPLE database, as shown in Listing 4.
Listing 4. Creating the target database and table
DROP TABLE EMPLOYEE; |
Attach to database
Use the details from the first section to attach database SAMPLE with table EMPLOYEE.
Create the output type tree of database table (EMPLOYEE)
The following steps are used to create output type tree which is similar to the steps shown previously in section 1.
- In the Database Interface Designer, right-click Tables in the navigator and select Generate Tree.
- Select the EMPLOYEE table from the Tables dialog.
- The File Name field specifies the name of the type tree file to create. Type employee.mtt in File Name field.
- Change the Type option to Override type.
- The Database Interface Designer will produce a type tree that corresponds to the EMPLOYEE table, and alert message will be displayed that employee.mtt is created successfully.
Use the same type tree generated in the previous section.
Transformation logic implementation in WTX Design Studio using map
In this section, a map named as TxtToDB2 is created with the detailed steps described in the first section. You will develop the map by configuring Input type tree in input card with the adapter settings, configure output type tree in output card with the adapter settings, define the transformation rule, then build and run the map to check the results.
- Add the input card. The input card setting is similar to what is previously shown in Figure 17.
- Add an input card named InputTXTCard.
- Select employee.mtt, which you created previously.
- Select Type as DBTable.
- Change the Source setting to adapter File.
- Enter the file location, such as input.txt.
- Click OK to save the settings.
- Add the output card. The output card setting is similar to what was previously shown in Figure 18.
- Add an output card named OutputDBCard.
- Select employee.mtt.
- Change the Source setting to the adapter Database.
- Identify the type of data being used as the data source. When you change the Source setting to Database, the DatabaseQueryFile settings appear in the input card.
- The File setting identifies the database/query file (.mdq) that contains the definition for the query. Select txtToDB2.mdq.
- The Database drop-down list is automatically updated to display all databases defined in the selected file. SAMPLE is the only database defined in the file txtToDB2.mdq, so it is automatically selected as the database.
- The Query setting identifies the query to use as the data source. If more than one query is defined in the selected database, a drop-down list of all queries is displayed. Select Employee as the Query.
- Click OK to save the settings.
After successful configuration of input card and output card, drag and drop the group InputTXTCard from the input card to the output card group rule column. The mapping between input and output card is similar to what was previously shown in Figure 19.
Right-click the map in the outline view, click Build to compile the map, then click Run to execute the map. You should get the message "Map completed successfully" which is similar to what was shown in Figure 20.
Verifying the result
Before running the map, EMPLOYEE table contained zero records. After running the map successfully, the data from the text file is routed to EMPLOYEE table as shown in Figure 25.
Figure 25. EMPLOYEE table with modeled data
In this example, simple mapping was used so that the same data from the text file was transformed to EMPLOYEE table, but you can manipulate data using the feature and function of WebSphere Transformation Extender according to your requirement.
This article has shown how WebSphere Transformation Extender can be used with DB2 database to generate data in different formats. After reading this article, you should be able to use a database with WebSphere Transformation Extender for data modeling to quickly transform the data in a specific format, and in a simple manner.
Resources
Learn
- Read more about WebSphere Transformation Extender product page, including product descriptions, product news, training information, support information, and more.
- Visit the DB2 V9.7 Information Center to learn more about IBM DB2 V9.7.
- Visit the WebSphere Transformation Extender information center to learn more about WebSphere Transformation Extender.
- Find out the WebSphere Transformation Extender requirements.
- Stay current with developerWorks technical events and webcasts focused on a variety of IBM products and IT industry topics.
- Attend a free developerWorks Live! briefing to get up-to-speed quickly on IBM products and tools as well as IT industry trends.
- Follow developerWorks on Twitter.
- Watch developerWorks on-demand demos ranging from product installation and setup demos for beginners, to advanced functionality for experienced developers.
- Visit the WebSphere trial downloads page to see the most popular WebSphere trial downloads.
- Download the free IBM DB2 V9.7 Enterprise Edition trial version.
- Visit the WebSphere Transformation Extender support page for information on different support options.
- Build your next development project with IBM trial software, available for download directly from developerWorks, or spend a few hours in the SOA Sandbox learning how to implement Service Oriented Architecture efficiently.
- Participate in the discussion forum.
- Participate in the DB2 Discussion Forum.
- Participate in the WebSphere Transformation Extender Discussion forum.
- Check out the developerWorks blogs and get involved in the developerWorks community.
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