Challenge

MetaManager Solution

Framework Manager lacks simplicity in performing routine tasks like adding descriptions, screen tips and various other object attributes.

Meta Editor provides an excel-like grid for making sweeping changes and updates to object properties, including sorting and advanced querying of objects.

Model changes cause reports to be "invalidated".  All reports built off of the model must be opened, validated and resaved.

Report Validator automates report validation on selected objects in the content store when changes to the underlying packages are made.

Model changes to the object names (the key field) break all associated reports.

Global Name Changer automatically applies Framework Manager model changes to impacted objects in the content store, both public and personal.

Report updates (changing text expressions, report expressions, images, etc.) are labor intensive and time consuming.

Find / Replace enables full search and replace capabilities within selectable report objects.

Consumers lack insight into the metadata attributes of model and package content.  Screen tips are designed only to be seen by Report Authors, not consumers.

Screen Tip Generator carries metadata through to end-user reports in the form of hover-over screen tips.

Aside from backing up the content store database, Administrators have no way to backup selected objects and restore them at a later time.

Backup / Restore enables full backup on selected objects in the content store.  Backups can be restored to their original location or any other acceptable location in any Content Store.

Report Studio lacks a method of applying a specific template to a selected group of existing reports.

With Blasters, administrators can standardize the look and feel of existing reports (both Public and Personal) with the click of a button.

Cognos Connection does not provide a way to easily share and distribute custom portal tabs to users.

With Blasters, custom pages can be assigned to any number of users in a simple and automated fashion.

Managing Security within Cognos Connection is cumbersome, and it is time consuming to assign the same security to various objects.

With Security Painter, object security can be modified and replicated to any number of Cognos Connection Objects (reports, folders, packages, etc.) with the click of a button.

Model documentation is difficult, and changes require substantial effort and time.

Meta Documenter enables partial or full documentation of the contents of Framework Manager models to PDF, XLS, TXT or HTML.

Content Store documentation is not possible, and Administrators lack insight into personal folder content, security, schedules, etc.

Meta Documenter enables partial or full documentation of the contents of the content store, including report specifications, security, schedules, etc.

It is not possible to extract the report specifications of Query Studio, Analysis Studio or PowerPlay Web objects in the event that modification is necessary or the object has become corrupt.

Within MetaManager, extracting the specification (the underlying XML) of Report Studio, Query Studio, Analysis Studio or PowerPlay Web objects is a right click away.  Once modified, the new XML can be pasted back to the content store in place of the old.

Automating many of the above functionalities are not possible.

MetaManager's command line interface for most modules enable scheduling of the various product functionalities.