IBM Cognos Business intelligence is a web based reporting and analytic tool. It is used to perform data aggregation and create user friendly detailed reports. IBM Cognos provides a wide range of features and can be considered as an enterprise software to provide flexible reporting environment and can be used for large and medium enterprise. Cognos also provides you an option to export the report in XML or PDF format or you can view the reports in XML format.

IBM Cognos provides a wide range of features and can be considered as an enterprise software to provide flexible reporting environment and can be used for large and medium enterprises. It meets the needs of Power Users, Analysts, Business Managers and Company Executives.

Power users and analysts want to create ad-hoc reports and can create multiple views of the same data. Business Executives want to see summarize data in dashboard styles, cross tabs and visualizations. Cognos allows both the options for all set of users.

IBM Cognos Business Intelligence is an advanced topic. Even though the content has been prepared keeping in mind the requirements of a beginner, the reader should be familiar with the fundamentals of running and viewing reports or manage schedules, portal layouts, and other users' permissions before starting with this tutorial.