Course description: Alphablox Essentials and Blox Builder

This course is designed to familiarize the student with IBM Alphablox V9.5. IBM Alphablox will be running under IBM's WebSphere Application Server 6.1 and will be accessing data from DB2 via Cubing Services. The course will focus on the various IBM Alphablox blox tags and how they are used to display multidimensional data in order to do business analytics. Students will also use the Blox Builder feature that allow for the creation of IBM Alphablox applications using an Eclipse based graphical tool.

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Roadmaps that contain this course are:

• Data Warehouse Products

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The course is intended for students who will be developing IBM Alphablox applications.

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There are no prerequisites for this course.

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• Discuss how IBM Alphablox works in conjunction with Cubing Services
• Perform the steps to define: An Alphablox application and A data source accessed by Alphablox applications
• Add a standalone GridBlox and a PresentBlox using tags
• Present the data in a PresentBlox
• Describe the purpose and benefits of using FormBlox
• Explain how to specify members and dimensions on an axis and construct a data query using MDBQueryBlox
• Explain how to use custom user and application properties for personalization
• Implement commenting on data using CommentsBlox
• Describe how to use the calculatedMember DataBlox property to add a calculated member
• Explain how BookmarksBlox and its API can be used to solve problems and build custom solutions
• Explain how to build a relational report using ReportBlox
• Implement an Alphablox application using Blox Builder

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IBM Alphablox Overview

• Define what is an IBM Alphablox application
• Describe what Blox are
• Describe the IBM Alphablox architecture
• Explain the three tiers that make up the IBM Alphablox platform
• Discuss how IBM Alphablox works in conjunction with Cubing Services

Server Administration

• Perform the steps to define: An Alphablox application, A user for accessing Alphablox Applications, A data source accessed by Alphablox applications, and A cube to access relational data as though it were multidimensional
• Launch the application

Introduction to Blox

• Name the major Blox categories and give an example of a Blox in each category
• List the major modes Blox can render in and describe the differences
• Explain how Blox appearances are defined by themes and cascading style sheets (CSS)

FastForward

• List the benefits of FastForward
• Describe the architecture of FastForward
• List the FastForward roles

JSP and Alphablox Tag Libraries

• List the benefits of the JSP technology
• Identify the structure of a JSP page
• Describe basic tag syntax
• List the three steps to using/adding Blox tags
• Add a standalone GridBlox and a PresentBlox using tags

Retrieving and Presenting Data

• Explain the difference between a standalone DataBlox and a nested DataBlox
• List the common properties and tag attributes for DataBlox
• Present the data in a PresentBlox
• Configure the appearance of a PresentBlox
• Describe the use of the <blox:display> tag

Working with GridBlox

• Explain the difference between a standalone GridBlox and a nested GridBlox
• List the common properties and tag attributes for GridBlox
• Set up traffic lighting (cell alerts)
• Configure numeric formatting

Working with Charts

• Explain the difference between a standalone ChartBlox and a nested ChartBlox
• List the common properties and tag attributes for ChartBlox
• Set title and footnote and their styles
• Specify members and titles for axes

Using FormBlox

• Describe the purpose and benefits of using FormBlox
• Use FormBlox for navigation/menu

Blox UI Tag Library

• Describe the four types of Blox UI tags and usage
• Customize grid layout: Applying butterfly layout, Adding blank columns or rows, Highlighting columns or rows, and Compressing headers
• Add custom analysis functions: topN, bottomN, and percentOfTotal
• Customize menu bar and toolbar

Using MDBQueryBlox

• Discuss the purpose and use of MDBQueryBlox
• Describe what a tuple is
• Explain how to specify members and dimensions on an axis and construct a data query using MDBQueryBlox
• Describe the use of a FormBlox with a MDBQueryBlox to set data queries

Using TimeSchemaBlox

• Discuss the purpose and use of TimeSchemaBlox
• Explain how a time schema is defined
• Describe how TimeSchemaBlox, TimePeriodSelectFormBlox, and MDBQuery can work together

Working with Personalization

• Explain how to use custom user and application properties for personalization
• Describe filtering data based on the logged-in user by: Hiding dimensions and members, Setting virtual dimension root, and Suppressing data to which users have no access

Commenting on Data

• Describe header links
• Describe cell links
• Implement commenting on data using CommentsBlox

Calculating Data

• Describe how to use the calculatedMember DataBlox property to add a calculated member
• Position where the calculated member should appear
• Handle missing values
• Explain the use of the scope attribute to limit calculations
• List the functions and keywords provided to form the calculation

Working with Bookmarks

• Describe bookmarks and how they are used
• Explain how BookmarksBlox and its API can be used to solve problems and build custom solutions

Using Reportblox

• Discuss the development approach to building a relational report using ReportBlox
• List the Blox supporting ReportBlox and their purposes
• Explain how to build a relational report using ReportBlox

Blox Builder

• Describe Blox Builder: Applications, Reports, and Queries
• Explain how to create a Blox Builder property
• Deploy a Blox Builder application to an Alphablox server

Writeback

• Enable grids for writeback
• Define editable data cells
• Define queries for writeback
• Add a button to submit changes

Best Practices

• List good Blox tags coding techniques
• Describe IBM Alphablox coding suggestions

Agenda

Day 1

• Welcome
• Unit 1: IBM Alphablox Overview
• Unit 2: Server Administration
• Exercise for Server Administration
• Unit 3: Introduction to Blox
• Exercise for Data Sources
• Unit 4: FastForward
• Exercise for End User Tools
• Unit 5: JSPs and Alphablox Tag Libraries

Day 2

• Unit 6: Retrieving and Presenting
• Exercise on Retrieving and Presenting
• Unit 7: Working with Grids
• Exercise on Grids
• Unit 8: Working with Charts
• Exercise on Charts
• Unit 9: Using FormBlox
• Exercise on FormBlox
• Unit 10: Blox UI Tag libraries
• Exercise on Custom GUI

Day 3

• Unit 11: Using MDBQueryBlox
• Exercise for MDBQueryBlox
• Unit 12: Using TimeSchemaBlox
• Exercise for TimeSchemaBlox
• Unit 13: Working with Personalization
• Exercise for Personalization
• Unit 14: Commenting on Data
• Exercise for Commenting
• Unit 15: Calculating Data
• Exercise for Calculations
• Unit 16: Working with Bookmarks

Day 4

• Exercise for Bookmarks
• Unit 17: Using ReportBlox
• Exercise for ReportBlox
• Unit 18: Blox Builder
• Exercise for Blox Builder
• Unit 19: Writeback
• Unit 20: Best Practices

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