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Business Intelligence: FAQ

Last Updated: April 19, 2019 11:29:17 AM PDT
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See frequently asked questions and answers about business intelligence (BI).

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How do I get started?

Where you start depends on what type of user you are.

  • Consumers run reports and analyze data, but they do not frequently use Business Intelligence (BI) supported tools.
  • Analysts range from Excel users to new BI report builders.
  • Developers spend much of their time working with data and using Business Intelligence and Analytics supported tools. Developers have extensive knowledge of the data source and a working knowledge of tables and joins.
Contact the IT Services Business Intelligence and Analytics Team to ask what your next steps are.
How do I get access to the data?

Identify the data source(s) you want to use, then follow the access procedures for the specific source.

See available data sources.

Contact the IT Services Business Intelligence and Analytics Team to ask what the procedures are for your source.

How do I get a license for BI tools?
Cognos

UC San Diego has purchased an enterprise license for Cognos. No further action is needed to obtain a license for your project.

Tableau

Departments must purchase a developer license for each user who will be creating or editing reports. You do not need a license to view and/or interact with pre-created Tableau solutions.

The cost for a Tableau developer license is:

  • $1080 for the license, and
  • $300 per year for maintenance

The first year’s maintenance is due at initial purchase.

We co-term the maintenance agreements, so the first year’s maintenance will vary from the standard $300. Contact busintel@ucsd.edu to request a quote.

How do I get access to Cognos or Tableau?

Users get access to Cognos or Tableau via Active Directory (AD) groups.

You are added to specific AD groups based on the kind of user you are and the type of data you would like to use.

Learn more about access.

Is there a maximum on the number of folders or projects a user is allowed to have?

No. There is no maximum on the number of projects (in Tableau) or folders (in Cognos) that users are allowed to have.

However, they should all use a consistent naming convention, e.g: "Your Department Name - Source Name").

Is there a maximum on the number of AD groups attached to a project or folder?

No. There is no limit to the number of AD groups attached to a project (for Tableau) or folder (for Cognos).

Learn more about access.

Once an AD group is added to a project or folder, will the members have access to all content?

Yes. All permissions will be set at the project (for Tableau) or folder (for Cognos) level.

For content where differing permissions are desired, they should be in separate projects (in Tableau) or folders (in Cognos).

How do I present my reports to my consumers and analysts?

BIA recommends hosting the report on Blink or custom pages. Here are some examples of existing report pages:

Blink pages Customized report pages
Contact the IT Services Business Intelligence and Analytics Team with questions.