Planning your upgrade to IBM Cognos Business Intelligence

Review the documentation, assess your existing environment, and start developing your upgrade plan.

Decide when you want to start testing new IBM Cognos Business Intelligence features. You can schedule it as an additional phase after your upgrade plan is implemented or you can include the testing during the validation phase of your upgrade plan.

For assistance in developing or implementing your upgrade strategy, review these IBM Cognos Business Intelligence services offerings .

Recommended reading list:

1. Review the supported software environments.
2. Review discontinued, deprecated and changed features documented in the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.2 Information Center and in the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1.1 Information Center.
3. Become familiar with the upgrade process.
4. Evaluate your current environments and start developing a detailed upgrade plan.
5. Review known issues that could affect your upgrade.
6. Understand the core features of IBM Cognos BI V10.1

Optional reading list:

• Case Study: Upgrade to IBM Cognos BI V10.1

  This proven practices paper shows an example of an upgrade from Cognos BI V8.3 to Cognos BI V10.1

• Best Practices for upgrading IBM Cognos Business Intelligence (PDF file)

  This presentation provides recommendations on how to upgrade to the latest Cognos BI version.

• FAQ about IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Upgrade (PDF file)

  This document provides answers to frequently asked questions about upgrading to Cognos BI environment.

Prepare and set up your test or development environments. Then, start the iterative process of testing applications, validating reports and fine tuning your upgrade plan. Optionally, you can start testing new IBM Cognos Business Intelligence features that you want to leverage.

Recommended reading list:

1. Set up your test environment
2. Apply the latest code fixes
3. Review known issues that could affect your upgrade

Optional reading list:

• Read troubleshooting information (Information Center)
• Review Lifecycle Manager frequently asked questions (PDF)
• Review Lifecycle Manager proven practices (PDF)
• Review Lifecycle Manager capabilities (12-minute video)
• Review the multi-version coexistence capabilities which allows two versions of the software to be accessed through a single portal (5-minute video)
• Review the IBM Cognos BI V10.2 new features (Information Center)

Prepare and set up your quality assurance (QA) or production environments. Then, repeat the process of testing applications and validating reports.

Develop a plan to adopt and incorporate the new Cognos BI features in your environment.

Recommended reading list:
• Review IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.2 new features

  You can use the Cognos BI information center to learn about the new features.

• IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.1 handbook

  You can use this book to understand core features of Cognos BI, realize the full potential of Cognos BI, and learn by example with practical scenarios.

Optional reading list:
• Review the IBM Cognos Dynamic Query capabilities (PDF)

User communities and forums

• Cognos 8 forum and the Cognos BI 10 forum

  Hosted by developerWorks®, you can use these forums to exchange ideas and share solutions with your peers in the IBM Cognos BI software community. You can also review any topics about the upgrade process.

• Business Analytics Proven Practices site

  Created by IBM experts from real-life customer experiences, these proven practices provide technical information that will help you succeed with IBM business analytics products in your specific technology environment.

Documentation, articles, and white papers

• Search through Cognos product documentation

  You have access to the entire Cognos BI V10.2 documentation by visiting the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Information Center. You can also read the Cognos BI V10.2 manuals in PDF format.

• Search developerWorks for all articles, redbooks, and other resources about Cognos Business Intelligence.

Webcasts

• Cognos TechTalk

  You can attend these free webinar series from IBM to learn about the new features of Cognos software.

IBM Software Services for Business Analytics

• IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Service Offerings

  To help accelerate successful deployment of your upgrade, IBM Software Services for Business Analytics can work together with you to provide an upgrade service that best meets your needs. From on-site to remote upgrades, our flexible services will help you achieve your goals. The IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Service Offerings works closely with IBM Cognos Support, Education and Product Development organizations in planning and executing your upgrade.