The Content Conundrum, or What To Expect From This Blog

Believe me when I say that I didn't decide to make this blog on a lark. I've been thinking about it for a long time and came close to starting it up a time or two but I couldn't ever answer 'The Dramatic Question' in order to put pen to pixel and start writing.

You're probably thinking, "What the hell does that mean, I came her to learn how to configure a drill through!" Well, let me back up a second...

I came to Cognos from an unconventional background; I received a BA in playwriting and spent a solid chunk of my twenties earning a meager salary as a writer, director, literary critic and script reviewer in Chicago. It wasn't until I wised up to the fact that I was never going to make any money that I pivoted to my other passion - nerd stuffs - and got into IT. 

The Dramatic Question can be phrased a lot of ways but I have always liked "What makes this day different from all the days that came before it?" If you have a great answer to that question you have a great story and I've read hundreds that couldn't answer it at all. I always swore I'd never write one of those stories.  

Or one of those blogs. I can add a little seasoning to the stew when it comes to how-to's but there are already great resources written by people who know way more than I do.  Instead I can bridge the gap from "how do I solve this drill through error?" to "how should I be thinking about drill through as part of a holistic Cognos BI environment?"  That is my focus and what I hope makes this blog different from its forebears.

So what should you expect?  Of course I will highlight the solution to specific technical challenges but in the context of making a coherent and harmonious Cognos BI environment for end users.  I will focus on "how to think" and not just "how to."  And I will reach out to those people who know way more than I do and invite them to contribute.

Because just like The Manifesto says: We need to talk, so let's start now.