NoticeCast

[gset]

Hi all,

We are deploying a server with NoticeCast MR2 and are experiencing a lot of issues and limitations.

Does anyone has an experience with this application and what is your feeling about it?
We finally found a lot of amazing limitations.

Is anyone happy with NoticeCast?

Just to know if we completely failed or if the product is really under expectations... Graham.

 

[mutino]

Hi guy, I'm pre sales guy and I have used it sometimes for presentations.
What's your problem???

 

[gset]

- Unable to work on ppx reports
- Unable to send pdf reports from PPES
- No burst mode on PP reports (!!!!)
- more than 10 clicks to send an impromptu report to few users (bery very heavy to use for simple things)
- no integration with impromptu catalog -> need to use direct DB access
- schedule an impromptu report to be sent into PDF format, it arrives first time... then sometimes it arrives as a link, sometimes it does not arrive...

Mutino, when we saw a presentation of NoticeCast, it looked quite good, but when you really use it in a WW env, it is completely another thing. I'm sure Cognos will deliver in release 7 a fully integrated NoticeCast with powerfull features, but as far as we study the product, it is not the case for the moment.

So, as I initially said, is anobody else has the same issues or is fully happy with the product (we want to know if we badly use it!)? Graham.

 

[brownlec]

Couple of notes for you:

PowerPlay Enterprise Server does not deliver the analysis via PDF...it is HTML based...PDF's need to be generated. Therefore, that is the basis of why you are given the URL to link to. This also ensures security.

"Bursting" is a feature of Impromptu, not PowerPlay -- this is regardless of NoticeCast.

I am not sure I agree with your issue on the number of clicks -- it is a very easy wizard to setup the event, and you need to be able to specify all of the information -- schedule, frequency, recipients, notes....

The ability to run event detection directly against the DB (Operational events) would require either Cognos Query (Web based query) or else, use the NoticeCast client. It is very powerful, with multiple conditions, etc.!!

The last one may be a product bug...obviously, that should not be happening...

Hope this is helpful.

Cheers,

Brownlec

 

[gset]

I know that ppes is HTML based (but PPX format s PDF based!), but we bought NoticeCast to *send* reports. So it must provide a mean to do so (PP, impromptu).
Concerning the bursting, it it the same thing, the missing functionality can be either in PPES or in NoticeCast, the final problem is that this required functionality is not there.

Thanks for your message anyway,



Graham.

 

[brownlec]

Yes, OK.

Obviously, you realize that Noticecast is a much more powerful application than just sending reports...being an event detection and notification application. The power is in detecting important and critical business events and notifying key users in order to make quick informed decisions. Not that you cannot use it to disseminate reports, but for PowerPlay, the report would need to be generated into a PDF (although as you may realize, for a PERFORMANCE event (PowerPlay), you monitor a specific "cell" versus a report) and then emailed. The product, to my knowledge, does not have that capability today, but I recall that it is a possible enhancement.

For IWR, all there are, are reports. That is easy.

Cheers,

Brownlec

 

[gianluigi]

We are encountering also a lot of issues with NoticeCast.
The main one is that scheduler works sometimes, but not always. It sends the report once and then no more. We had Cognos consultant one full day to re-install NoticeCast, but it still doesnt work.

Beside that I agree about the limitations with PP.

We bought it also for the web interface, but the bad thing is that one receiver user can change the schedule and the distribution list for a report, and this affects ALL the report receivers.... there should be an Admin web interface, and a user one where he/she could change the schedule only for him/herself and also subscribe or unsubscribe.

We should have tested NoticeCast before byuing it, today I very disappointed.

 

[Recce]

Hi

We were also very interested in NoticeCast in the past and I am glad that we didn't go for it if I look at all the problems. The other thing that put us of from buying NiticeCast is the price, it is very expensive for it does. We developed our own sms and email system inhouse for Cognos.

 

[gset]

I fully agree with you Recce.

With our own development we were able in few days:
- to send emails much more easily
- to add Burst Mode to powerplay report
- to send PPX reports

And as you say, NoticeCast is very very expensive for what it does. Graham.

 

[brownlec]

gianluigi et al;

I "think" you guys may not understand how Noticecast works. You should not be encountering ANY of these issues if it is implemented correctly!!

First, with regards to only getting the notification ONCE, I suspect that you have not setup the "anti-spamming" setting for what you need. When you setup the event, you can choose to decide if you continue to receive emails or not, (suppress duplicate emails) and based on what specific "topics" to evaluate the suppression on.

Also, when using Upfront security, you can set the security priviledges for the users. Those for who you want to have full control of (Administrators) should have WRITE access; for those users that you do NOT want to CHANGE THE SCHEDULE or CHANGE THE RECIPIENTS LIST. I have double-checked this with our implementation and is 100% accurate. We have version 2 (7.1). I believe it was the same with v7.0, but I can't be 100% sure.

On another note, the client version of NOTICECAST is unbelieveably powerful. We have not started to work with it yet, but the capabilities are great!

I don't want to be-little what you may have developed "in-house", I'm sure it does some things you need it to do, however, there is not way it could possibly be anywhere NEAR the power and capability of what Noticecast can do. We have been very happy with our Noticecast implementation and are currently starting to create enhanced emails with HTML etc. And we are looking forward to starting to open the potential of the client.
If all you want to do is email reports, then perhaps you should not be purchasing Noticecast. It is MUCH MORE than a report emailer!!!

Hope this is a little more informative for you...I like to see other organizations successful!

Brownlec

 

[gset]

I'm not sure this forum is the good place to make advert for Cognos products.

When the product is good, we say "the product is good".

When it is not, you have to accept our opinion.

Either this forum is a share of opinion, either it is a place where you advert. If it is the case, the forum will die soon.

THIS FORUM HAS TO BE OBVIOUS AND NOT A PLACE FOR 'PROPAGANDE' ADVERT!

I'm sorry to say that this is just 'stupid'.
Each time someome does not tell what you want to hear on your product, you say: "You don't know the product".


SO PLEASE, RESPECT EACH ONE OPINION.

:-(
Graham.

 

[brownlec]

gset,

You obviously have misunderstood the email. We have been very successful with our implementation of Noticecast. We understand the value of Noticecast and that is why we are already more than happy with our own ROI.

All I am attempting to do is help others better understand what it can do for them, especially for those like GIANLUIGI, who purchased the product from Cognos, but does not seem to fully understand how to implement it. I believe all his issues have simple solutions to them. Why in the world would you oppose this?

Nowhere in my reply do I not accept your "opinion" on the product, in fact, I encourage it. However, I take strong opposition to you "attacking" me for trying to help other fellow Cognos product customers be successful, especially when the issues are a simple lack of education.

One more thing. There are many requests here that ask the opinion of a particular product, in other forums as well. People are more than happy to provide their opinion, based on their personal experience. Are you attempting to shut this process down?

I am not trying to spread any kind of 'Propaganda'. If our company is successful with these implementations, and I wish to be a Champion of the Cognos products, then that is my will. In my opinion, I have given GIANLUIGI some very good information that may help him be successful with his implementation.

Respect MY reason for replying to GIANLUIGI!!

And please, this really isn't the place for a

Brownlec

 

[gset]

Brownlec,

I won't polemize because it is not the aim of the forum.

The only message from me is that the reply you made to Gianluigi was a pre-sales or marketing language.

Even Cognos own teams are completely lost with NoticeCast.

You say "functionaly, it's fine" and you're right.

But for the moment the product does not work.

I now stop replies in this thread.


Just would like feedback news from Gianluigi. Graham.

 

[gianluigi]

Well, it seems there are strong opinions here. I will ty to answer with facts to Mr. brownlec.

I can understand your opinion slightly biased if you are a pre-sale. I was as pre-sale before at a Cognos strong competitor (no name) for 3 years, and (no name) reporting products are just the best in the world ;-)
This was my opinion as pre-sale, but today I am on the other side of the fence, and as a customer when I spend 100K$ for a product I expect it to WORK !!!!

I dont care if this is great technology, or unbelieveably powerful. I want it to WORK and deliver the functionalities promised. My management is expecting this tool to deliver what I told them. And I dont have months to waste to debug a product (or I'll be fired).

After spending several days understanding what was wrong, having two Cognos consultants for one day reinstalling it, re-creating the DB, trying plenty of things without success, I am in the hand of support.

Today I got the answer, it's a BUG. The reasons the scheduler fails are not understood yet, but they reproduced the error on their system. It may have been corrected in 7.1. We are waiting.

Concerning your personal statements, a few rules:
- I you dont want people to get hangry, refrain from judging people knowledge or expertise. Remain on the technical ground. No personal judgments.
- we know how to install software, we had Cognos installing it, they didnt do better than us.
- refrain using statements like "when the issues are a simple lack of education" they can be misinterpreted.
- and the last: give advices NOT judgments

Once the scheduler work (I hope) then I will finally be able to see how POWERFUL this tool really is.

Gianluigi

 

[griffindm]

Okay everyone, take a deep breath and a step backwards. Frustrations with product defects can make one testy (been there, done that), but as gianluigi points out, this is a technical peer-to-peer assistance site. Yes, you make assumptions about posts everyday, given that often the information is sketchy and incomplete. The key is to avoid written characterizations of those assumptions (as they can be wrong) in a negative way. Give the other person the benefit of doubt and keep your help supportive, not derogatory.

When you offer help here, keep in mind your own biases and try to avoid excessive generalization, or at least qualify you help in those terms (i.e. "from my own experience" or IMHO, etc). A little courtesy goes a long way in cyberspace.

I hope no one here is so upset that they cannot see the value in the assistance of others, and cannot reexamine their own points of view through another's perspective.

I hope to see all three of you here continuing to help others.

Regards,

Dave Griffin



The Decision Support Group
Reporting Consulting with Cognos BI Tools
"Magic with Data"
Want good answers? Read FAQ20-2863 first!

http://www.decisionsupportgroup.com

 

[brownlec]

Well Dave et al, I don't visit here very much, but with the beration that has been casted my way here, I am somewhat leary of how much I will try to help in the future. With the successful Cognos implementations we have had, I am proud to be a champion of the Cognos products. Like any software, it does not please EVERYONE. Show me software that does. My point was to highlight it's strengths for others to make their own opinion, and dispell "myths" when from my knowledge, there is legitimate reason to do so. Because even these myths, can have an indirect impact on those of us who rely on the prosperity of an organization (like Cognos) to provide us (and continue to provide us) with the tools to improve the performance of our businesses.

If everyone reviews my message from April 6, you will see that the first 2/3 of the message actually gave PURELY technical advice with regards to every issue that was raised with gianluigi. The last section was to "dispell" the myth that "Noticecast does not work, does basically nothing, is not worth it, and you can build your own Noticast in a few days". Again, the only way to describe these kind of statements (and I hear these things time and time again with all kinds of software) 95% of the time is general lack of a complete understanding of the full potential of a "software product", for which it is evident here, since I gave gianluigi technical answers to his problems (security) that will solve those issues. This is OK...no one should expect to be an expert and know everything. Even software developers don't know EVERYTHING about a product when they are one of a team.

Never did I intend to insult anyone.

I stand by my statement and would write the same thing again.

I guess I will see how things go with regards to the forum...Enough said!

Regards,

Brownlec

 

[griffindm]

Just to provide a little more info on Cognos' treatment of bugs:

I called in a bug report via a Cognos OEM reseller (sells the product unmodified, but with proprietary catalogs, sample reports, and support through them, not Cognos) regarding a difference between the 7 MR2 IWR engine and the client engine in handling user-profile based DATASET filters. These were working in the client piece, but ineffectual in IWR. The call was logged with Cognos on Feb 21, 2003. They had a hotsite fix available on Mar 20, 2003. Not phenomenal performance, but pretty good. Much better than being blown off until the next release date or later.


Food for thought when comparing to other vendors.

Regards,

Dave Griffin

The Decision Support Group
Reporting Consulting with Cognos BI Tools
"Magic with Data"
Want good answers? Read FAQ20-2863 first!

http://www.decisionsupportgroup.com

 

[Recce]

Guys and Girls

I want to thank everyone for their input and the knowledge that they are prepared to share with us. The type of info and knowledge that I get, from a site like this is crucial and very important to me and other inexperienced programmers. So, to make a long story short I would like to thank guys like 'Brownlec' and da man 'Dave Griffin' for trying to calm the nerves down a bit here. I would also like to plead to others not to get to excited about some replies because I/we can not afford to make the guys with the experience negative on this site.....