Cognos received favourable reviews from customers and
analysts as it launched its ReportNet system yesterday. The
analytics and software company hopes to position the system as a
flagship product.
"Three and a half years ago, Cognos had the vision for this
product. We handed 30 of our programmers a clean sheet of paper and
asked them to build it," said Cognos chief executive officer Ron
Zambonini.
ReportNet is a web-based query and reporting system intended to
offer advanced customisation options while reducing the burden and
costs for administrators, by taking advantage of the features
enabled by web services standards such as XML (Extensible Markup
Language) and Soap (Simple Object Access Protocol).
The software includes multilingual support for languages,
including French, German and Japanese, and can import data from
other applications and business intelligence systems.
That data exchange flows both ways: Cognos' API (application
program interface) is open and extensively documented, and Cognos
is encouraging partners and customers to tweak and extend the
software.
One customer said ReportNet's openness was a point in its favour
during his company's software selection process.
When securities firm Bear Stearns decided to standardise its
patchwork of reporting systems, the company drew up a list of
must-have features, including a flexible and easily learned user
interface, some OLAP (online analytical processing) capabilities,
and a client-free "zero footprint" installation.
ReportNet met those needs, and is helping Bear Stearns reduce
its reporting system costs and improve user satisfaction, said Ashe
Vasthare, managing director of the firm's fixed income business
unit.
Other early-adopter customers include car manufacturer BMW and
pharmaceuticals company Pfizer.
Analysts say ReportNet is a noteworthy move towards an
all-in-one approach to BI.
"ReportNet blurs the traditional boundaries between end-user
query, reporting, and production reporting, establishes Cognos'
foundation architecture for its next generation of BI, and allows
the company to position itself as a single source for all reporting
needs," said AMR Research analyst John Hagerty.
In the turbulent and rapidly consolidating BI sector,
ReportNet's differentiation from other available BI products gives
Cognos an advantage as the market faces a shakeout, Hagerty
said.
Cognos benefits from ReportNet at a time when some of its key
rivals, notably Business Objects and Hyperion Solutions, are
distracted with completing acquisitions and drafting integrated
product roadmaps, said Ventana Research analyst Eric Rogge.
"ReportNet is new to the game and these other competitors have
large installed bases and demonstrated successes," he added.
"Expect opportunities for Cognos to open with ReportNet, but don't
expect the entire market to go to Cognos in one fell swoop. Cognos
and its competitors are both disclosing competitive wins for and
against ReportNet respectively."
Stacy Cowley writes for IDG News Service