Frequently Asked Questions for Business Intelligence

Do I have to use Cognos or Tableau to get data?

Pitt IT Business Intelligence provides Cognos and Tableau software to the University. The combination of Cognos and Tableau covers most use cases for institutional data. Advanced users with specialized needs can use other SQL-based tools that can be configured to connect to an Oracle database.

Can I automate data extraction from the University Data Warehouse?

Cognos provides jobs that can be configured to run reports or queries and email the results to a user. Tableau extracts can be scheduled to run to update underlying dashboards. Automated data feeds to school, department, or business unit systems may be possible, subject to security, volume, and use considerations. Contact the 24/7 IT Help Desk for more information.