Sample Outdoors database, models, and packages

The Sample Outdoors Framework Manager models illustrate modeling techniques and support the samples.

The models are based on the GO data warehouse and the GO sales transactional database and are the basis for the sample reports and queries. Each model contains two packages for publishing analysis (dimensional) and query views of the data.

You must have access to Framework Manager, the modeling tool in IBM® Cognos® Business Intelligence, to look at the sample models. You may also need to set up the sample databases and connections.

GO Data Warehouse

The GO Data Warehouse model, great_outdoors_data_warehouse.cpf, is based on the database GOSALESDW. It contains data about human resources, sales and marketing, and finance, grouped into business areas. In the Database view, the three business areas are grouped into separate namespaces. The Database view contains a fourth namespace (GO Data) for the common information.

The Database view is very similar to the structure of the underlying database. All tables (database query subjects) are unchanged. This enables IBM Cognos BI to retrieve metadata directly from the package in most cases, instead of using a metadata call to the database. The following changes and additions have been made in the Database view:

Joins have been added as necessary.
To allow for aggregation at different levels of granularity, some model query subjects have been created. For example, see the relationships between Time and Sales or Sales fact.
To allow single joins to be made between the lookup tables and each level in a dimension, lookup tables have been copied. For example, see the Products look up tables.

The Business view contains only model query subjects, with no joins. The following changes and additions have been made in the Business view:

Calculations were added to the model query subjects. For example, the time dimension contains language calculations.
Where the database has multiple hierarchies, new dimensions have been created to organize each hierarchy. For example, the employee hierarchies are organized into several categories, such as manager and region.

The GO Sales transactional database

The GO Sales model, great_outdoors_sales.cpf, is based on the GOSALES database, which is structured as a transactional database. It contains principally sales data.

The Database view is very similar to the underlying database structure. The following changes and additions have been made in the Database view:

To make it possible to join the fact tables to the time dimension, model query subjects and multipart joins have been used.
Other joins have been added as necessary.

The Business view contains only model query subjects, with no joins. The following changes and additions have been made in the Business view:

Calculations were added to the model query subjects.
Model query subjects that were created in the Database view to enable joins on the time dimension have been linked as reference shortcuts.
Where the database has multiple hierarchies, new dimensions have been created to organize each hierarchy.
Sales Staff is a subset of the slowly changing Employee dimension. There is no unique Employee key in GO Sales, so a filter retrieves the current record only. This model does not use historical data.

The samples PowerCubes

The following cubes are delivered with the Sample Outdoors samples in English, French, German, Japanese and Chinese:

sales_and_marketing.mdc
employee_expenses.mdc
go_accessories.mdc
go_americas.mdc
go_asia_pacific.mdc
great_outdoors_sales_en.mdc
great_outdoors_7.mdc

The samples packages

The Sample Outdoors samples include six packages. A brief description of each available package is provided.

Go Data Warehouse (analysis) is a dimensionally modeled view of the GOSALESDW database. This package can be used in all studios, including IBM Cognos Analysis Studio. Using this package you can drill up and down.

Go Sales (analysis) is a dimensionally modeled view of the GOSALES database. This package can be used in all studios, including Analysis Studio. Using this package you can drill up and down.

Go Data Warehouse (query) is a non-dimensional view of the GOSALESDW database. This package can be used in all studios except Analysis Studio, and is useful for reporting when there is no need for drilling up and down.

Go Sales (query) is a non-dimension view of the GOSALES database. This package can be used in all studios except Analysis Studio, and is useful for reporting when there is no need for drilling up and down.

Sales and Marketing (cube) is an OLAP package, based on the sales_and_marketing.mdc cube.

Great Outdoor Sales (cube) is an OLAP package, based on the great_outdoors_sales_en.mdc cube.

Note: The OLAP packages, Great Outdoor Sales (cube) and Sales and Marketing (cube), are not multilingual. The IBM_Cognos_PowerCube.zip archive contains five versions of each package; one in English, French, German, Japanese and Chinese.