Cognos updates BI suite

03.04.2006
Cognos Inc. last week brought out an updated version of the Cognos 8 business intelligence (BI) tool set, adding a new search capability and access to enterprise applications.

Cognos 8.1.2 is the first major release of the Ottawa-based firm's BI suite since its launch last September.

Chris Framel, applications group manager for Albuquerque, New Mexico, said the city began testing the new version of the Cognos software last week.

He said he expects that the search capability in Cognos 8.1.2 will make it easier for users outside the city's firewall to access data from publicly available reports, such as lists of political campaign contributions and crime statistics.

"Citizens will be able to type something in a [Google-like] search and get information on anything they want to by querying the Cognos reports," Framel said. External users must now navigate through a series of prompts to find information, he said.

Framel hopes to have the new software available for external users by June 30.