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IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION
1.0 About This Guide ...................... 4
2.0 Glossary ................................... 5
3.0 Finding IBM Cognos Support ... 6
4.0 The IBM Cognos Support Model – Support Groups And Contacts ........ 6
5.0 Service Requests (SR) .............. 8Definition and Logging ...........................8
Severity .................................................8
Resolution ..............................................9
6.0 Multi-Vendor (Third-Party) Coordination ................................. 10
7.0 Joint Commitments .................. 11
IBM COGNOS SUPPORT PLANS FOR SOFTWARE CUSTOMERS
1.0 Software Support Plans in Brief......................................13
2.0 Product Continuation .............. 15Product Release Types.........................15
3.0 Components Common to All Software Support Plans.................17
Fix Packs ............................................. 17
Product Life Cycle ................................ 17
Product End-of-Life (EOL) .................... 17
Product Error Corrections..................... 17
Complementary Software ....................19
3.1 Online Support .............................20
Technotes ............................................20
White Papers .......................................20
Product Information and Downloads .... 21
Product Documentation .......................22
Supportlink Magazine ..........................22
“Tech-Talk” Customer Information Series –
Web Seminars .....................................22
IBM Cognos Diagnostic Tools ..............22
Proactive Notifications ..........................22
4.0 Standard Support Plan .......... 23
4.1 Assisted Support ...........................23
Response Time ...................................23
Support Contact Entitlement ...............23
5.0 Advantage Support Plan ......... 24
5.1 Assisted Support ...........................24
Skilled Product Expert Team ................24
Response Time ....................................24
Issue Resolution Targets ......................25
24x7 Critical Coverage ........................25
Support Contact Entitlement ................25
6.0 Premier Support Plan ............. 26
6.1 Partnership And Prevention .........26
Executive Sponsor ...............................26
Support Account Manager (SAM) ........27
Model Environment ..............................27
Alerts and Summaries ........................28
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
3
6.2 Assisted Support ..........................28
Skilled Product Expert Team ................28
Response Time ....................................28
Issue Resolution Targets ......................29
24x7 Critical Coverage .........................29
Support Contact Entitlement ................29
7.0 Optional Support Components (Add-Ons) ..................................... 30
7.1 Global Support IBM ......................30
Global Support and the
Standard Support Plan.........................30
Global Support and Advantage/
Premier Support Plans ........................30
7.2 Support Contacts (additional) .....31
7.3 IBM Cognos 8 Software
Development Kit (SDK) Support ........31
7.4 IBM Cognos Now! Appliance
Customers (Customers Using Hardware
From Dell) .............................................31
Hardware Support – Onsite .................. 31
Hardware Support –
Your Commitment ................................32
Hardware Support – Conditions and
Limitations ..........................................33
7.4.1 IBM Cognos Now!
Appliance (Customers using IBM
Hardware) ............................................34
7.5 Additional Support Offerings .. 35
Vintage Support ...................................35
IBM COGNOS SUPPORT RENEWAL POLICIES
1.0 Support Renewal Policies ....... 36
1.1 Contacting Support Renewal .......36
1.2 Renewal Cycle and Continued
Coverage ..............................................36
1.3 Calculation of Support Fees ........36
1.4 Late Renewal .................................36
1.5 Support Reinstatement .................36
1.6 Withdrawal of software subscription
and support or Selected Support for a
particular Program .............................36
1.7 Definition of Software Subscription
and Support .........................................37
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION
4
1.0 ABOUT THIS GUIDE
This IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide is the
document referenced in your purchase agreements
with IBM. It describes, in detail, what IBM Cognos
Support offers, and what you should expect in
terms of Support Plans and services. This guide
applies to those customers and partners who are
entitled to Cognos programs aside from IBM
Passport Advantage or Passport Advantage Express.
Passport Advantage customers should refer to the
IBM Support Handbook located on the IBM Web
site: http://www.ibm.com/support/handbook
IBM Business Partners participating in the
IBM Software ValueNet program should refer
to the following web site: http://www.ibm.com/
partnerworld/swvaluenet
Throughout this guide will you see references in
brackets to IBM terminology appearing next to the
Cognos terminology that you have become familiar
with, for example, Interim Fixes.
There are three distinct sections to the guide.
1. Overview and Introduction: assists you
in navigating the guide, and provides basic
background on terminology, the locations of
support, the IBM Cognos Support model,
Service Requests (SRs) and your required
commitment to ensure success.
2. IBM Cognos Support Plans for Software Customers: details Support Plans for IBM
Cognos software customers— those customers
who purchase IBM Cognos software and install
and maintain such software on their own
hardware. Please note that not all support plans
are available in all countries. Please check with
your local representative for details.
3. IBM Cognos Support Renewal Policies: details all applicable policies with respect to
the ongoing renewal of your support services.
To fully utilize the services described in this
guide post-purchase, please see the companion
guide, IBM Cognos Support User Guide, which
explains how to obtain the maximum value from
your chosen Support Plan.
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION
5
2.0 GLOSSARY
IBM Cognos Assisted Support (Assisted Support): available through the IBM Cognos
Support Web site or by telephone, Assisted Support
is when you require an IBM Cognos Support
Analyst to provide interactive technical assistance.
Online Support: refers to the Support self-service
Web site, and collectively all of its features and
assets.
IBM Cognos Support Analyst (Support Analyst): often referred to as a Support Analyst
or Technical Analyst, an IBM Cognos Support
Analyst is a highly skilled, highly trained technical
employee who is ready to assist you when you need
interactive support from IBM.
IBM Cognos Support: collectively refers to
the support organization at IBM dedicated to
supporting your IBM Cognos software, most
typically visible to you through 24x7 online Web
access and IBM Cognos Support Analysts.
Error: is defined as an error in product code,
resulting in the product not functioning as
documented, as per design specification or as
intended by IBM.
Error Correction: is defined as a revision that
corrects errors and deficiencies in product code.
Priority: the severity level of a Service Request,
from 1 to 4, that encapsulates the impact an issue
is having on your business and/or application.
Response Time: relates to a Service Request, and
is the lapsed time from when you log a Service
Request to when an IBM Cognos Support Analyst
is assigned to your issue, and acknowledges such
assignment by initiating return contact. The
Response Time you receive is a function of your
Support Plan and Service Request Priority.
Service Request (SR): a single, reproducible
issue, problem, or symptom that you require
interactive assistance with from an IBM Cognos
Support Analyst.
Support Contact: a member of your team who
is highly trained and skilled in IBM Cognos
products and solutions, and who understands your
implementation of IBM Cognos. The Support
Contact works with IBM Cognos Support to
identify, diagnose and resolve Service Requests.
Support Plan: is a purchasable support service
offering with defined deliverables, rights, joint
commitments and service levels. A Support Plan
encapsulates the shared working arrangement
between you and IBM Cognos Support.
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION
6
3.0 FINDING IBM COGNOS SUPPORT
4.0 THE IBM COGNOS SUPPORT MODEL – SUPPORT GROUPS AND CONTACTS
IBM Cognos Support Analysts are located in
Support Centers worldwide. Support is provided
to most customers from 09:00 to 17:30 local
time, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.
Visit http://www.ibm.com/planetwide to find the
Cognos Support numbers in your country.
For a complete list of Cognos Support locations,
operating hours and languages, visit
http://www.ibm.com/software/data/cognos/
support/contact.html.
IBM Cognos solutions are deployed into
IT software and hardware environments, a
combination of hardware servers, databases,
application servers, Web servers and security
software. Hardware and software environments
are typically housed in a physical location, and
can host many IBM Cognos applications. To
support the users of these applications, you must
select a number of senior technical staff who have
received appropriate training and can demonstrate
extensive knowledge of the IBM Cognos products
used in your company to act as an internal help
desk team. These help desk personnel are your
Support Contacts, and they are the only people
authorized to raise issues with IBM Cognos
Support. IBM Cognos solutions, deployed in a
specific hardware and software environment and
supported by your personnel, or Support Contacts,
are known as Centers of Excellence, Competency
Centers or Support Groups. IBM Cognos
Support is premised on this model, which can be
illustrated as follows:
Customer Support ŁContacts Ł
(internal help desk or IT)
CustomersApp Support
IBM CognosGlobal Support
Contact IBM Cognos
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION
7
Your highly skilled, trained groups of internal
personnel (Support Contacts) are the foundation
for Support Groups.
Their full understanding of system hardware,
software and deployment constraints, as well as
their ability to filter, sort and prioritize calls with
IBM Cognos Support, ensures your priorities are
understood and followed, duplication of issues is
eliminated, and diagnosis and resolution is timely.
There are three different levels of customer
designated Support Contacts: Primary Site
Technical Contact, Secondary Site Technical
Contact, and Authorized Caller/User. You may
select one Primary and as many Secondary Site
Technical Contacts and Authorized Users as
your contract allows (the system limitation for
Secondary Contacts is nine).
IBM Cognos Support provides worldwide coverage
through our Support Centers, divided among three
regions:
• Americas: covering North and South America
and the Caribbean
• Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA): covering Eastern and Western Europe, the
United Kingdom, Scandinavia, the Middle
East and Africa
• Asia-Pacific: covering South and Southeast
Asia and Australia and New Zealand
Support Contacts requiring assistance must access
a Support Center in the region where the software
licenses and support were purchased. For example,
if a company in the United States purchases a
Support Plan, all Support Contacts will register
with and access a Support Center in the Americas
region.
If you are interested in Global Support, so that
your Support Contacts around the world can
contact the Support Center in their country
regardless of the country where your Support Plan
was purchased, contact your local Subscription and
Support representative: http://www-01.ibm.com/
support/docview.wss?rs=3528&uid=swg27014717
You may want to consider upgrading to IBM’s
Passport Advantage, as this support program is
globally orientated. For more information see:
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/howtobuy/
passportadvantage/
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION
8
5.0 SERVICE REQUESTS (SR)
Definition and Logging
A Service Request (SR) is a single, reproducible
issue, problem, or symptom that you require
interactive assistance with from IBM Cognos
Support). Service Requests can be logged with
Support through the Web or by telephone. Should
you need to raise a Service Request, IBM Cognos
Support will respond based on your Support Plans
Service Level Agreement (SLA) for the Service
Request Priority level.
Severity
The Service Request (SR) priority is the assigned
severity level, from 1 to 4, that encapsulates
the impact an issue is having on your business
and/or application. To ensure timely resolution,
the Support Contact who logged the Service
Request must be readily available throughout
the time period that the Service Request is being
worked on. IBM Cognos Support uses four priority
levels to identify the severity of your issue and its
impact on your business.
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION
9
Severity Level
Severity Definitions
Examples
Severity 1
• Critical situation/System Down• Busines critical software component is
inoperable• Usually applies to production environment• Critical interface has failed
• All users of Tivoli Problem Management are unable to register a call
• Lotus Notes mail server is down and affecting all users
Severity 2
Severe impact: A software component is severely restricted in its use, causing significant business impact
• All users of Tivoli Problem Management receive a database manager error while attempting to view open problems
Severity 3
Moderate impact: A non-critical software component is malfunctioning, causing moderate business impact
• A client cannot connect to a server
Severity 4
Minimal impact: A non-critical software component is malfunctioning, causing minimal impact, or a non-technical request is made
• Documentation is incorrect• Additional documentation requested
Resolution
We understand that you are looking for more than
just a response to your Service Request (SR); you
want to know when an issue is going to be resolved.
We strive to resolve your issues as fast as possible
with the highest quality, and look for direct
confirmation from you that the issue has been
resolved.
However, there are instances when an issue will be
deemed resolved without your direct input. Below
is a list of reasons why an issue may be deemed as
resolved.
• You tell IBM Cognos Support that the issue is
resolved or can be closed.
• The issue is not due to an error in the IBM
Cognos product.
• Instructions are provided to you on how to
correctly deploy or use the product feature in
question.
• A workaround to achieve similar results is
provided and accepted by you.
• You are informed of a scheduled product
release that contains an error correction for
the issue.
• The issue is classified as an enhancement
request and IBM Cognos Support determines
that such a change will not be undertaken.
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION
10
• The issue would require a change in existing
product functionality and IBM Cognos Support determines that such a change will not be undertaken.
• The issue is determined to be a third-party vendor issue and you agree to transfer the problem to the third-party vendor for resolution.
• It is determined that you require additional expertise and knowledge that can only be gained through product training or an IBM professional services engagement.
• The issue cannot be reproduced in a baseline
environment and it is determined that an
IBM professional services engagement is
required to assess customization, design or
architectural influences that might be causing
or contributing to the issue.
• IBM Cognos Customer Support has been
unable to contact you (three attempts must
be made by Support) or, seven consecutive
business days have passed awaiting a response
from you. To ensure timely resolution, the
Support Contact who logged the Service
Request (SR) must be readily available
throughout the time period that the Service
Request is being worked on. Any closed
Service Request can be reopened within 28
days.
6.0 MULTI-VENDOR (THIRD-PARTY) COORDINATION
IBM Cognos Support makes no assurances
regarding resolutions related to technology partner
or third-party products. If we determine that your
problem or symptom results from an error in
software from third-party software from another
vendor or an IBM Cognos Technology Partner, we
will use reasonable efforts to resolve the issue with
the vendor or technology partner on your behalf
or ask you to open a Service Request (SR) directly
with the identified vendor or technology partner.
You must have a valid Support Contract with the
technology partner or third-party vendor. IBM
Cognos Support will continue to work with you,
the vendor, or technology partner, as needed to
isolate and resolve the problem.
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION
11
7.0 JOINT COMMITMENTS
IBM Cognos Support commits to:
• Troubleshoot your software product issues
when you are experiencing unexpected results.
• Provide guidance and offer tips and techniques
for new development or maintenance.
• Reproduce potential software code problems,
provide alternative solutions or workarounds,
and log your potential software code errors for
evaluation and potential correction.
If your issue requires advanced assistance, such
as detailed guidance on how to use the product or
guidance on custom code or specific application
attributes, you will be referred to IBM professional
services. IBM professional services provide
additional staff for time critical implementations,
and are the experts capable of assisting you
with: designing a model; developing report
generation code to meet your business needs; and,
application development, management, tuning and
deployment. A successful partnership requires full
cooperation and collaboration between IBM and
its customers. By committing to the following, you
can ensure you receive the most value from IBM
Cognos Support and your investment:
1. Maintaining internal environments according to best practices: Ensure that IBM
Cognos solutions operate in a supported or
conformed environment, as published on http://
www.ibm.com/cognos/support. To find your
IBM Cognos solution, select your IBM Cognos
product and scroll to the Software Environment
section. In addition, troubleshoot, diagnose,
test and implement the suggestions, solutions
and code error corrections supplied by IBM
Cognos Support. It is strongly recommended
that you have a development, testing and
production environment so that issue solution
experimentation, implementation and promotion
can occur.
2. Training and certifying Support Contacts: To reduce issue diagnosis and troubleshooting
time spent on issues, it is strongly recommended
that your designated Support Contacts be
trained on IBM Cognos products with the intent
to become certified on IBM Cognos products at
a future date.
3. Providing timely application and environmental data: To enable rapid resolution
of issues, easy access to key environmental
information is paramount. IBM Cognos Support
will depend on you to provide accurate and
complete information about your environment
and systems to Support Analysts working on
your issue.
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION
12
4. Customer Information Accuracy: Fulfillment
of support services is reliant on the accuracy
of your information such as Support Contacts
and the full address at which the hardware is
physically located. To avoid delays or service
denials you should maintain this information
with IBM Cognos Customer Support and notify
us in a timely manner should it change.
5. Backup your data and software: It is your
responsibility to backup all existing data,
software, and programs on affected systems
before receiving services (including telephone
support) from IBM Cognos Support. Under
no circumstances will IBM or a designated
third-party be responsible for any loss of
software, programs, or data — even if Support
Analysts or technicians have attempted to
assist you with your backup, recovery, or
similar services. Any such assistance is beyond
the scope of this agreement and the assistance
is provided in IBM’s sole discretion, and
without any guarantee or warranty of any
kind. In situations where you cannot meet
these commitments, IBM Cognos Support will
make every effort to troubleshoot issues in
an alternative manner but cannot guarantee
timely resolution.
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
IBM COGNOS SUPPORT PlANS fOR SOfTWARE CUSTOMERS
13
1.0 SOFTWARE SUPPORT PLANS IN BRIEF
The three main IBM Cognos Support Plans are:
Standard, Advantage and Premier. These plans
include:
1. Product Continuation: such as new and
maintenance product releases.
2. Online Support: 24x7, self-serve access
to Web resources such as Technotes, White
Papers, Diagnostic Tools and product
downloads. The difference between the plans
is in the Assisted Support that is offered.
3. Assisted Support: the support services
available to you when you require live
support from IBM Cognos Support.
Standard Support is focused on business
protection and designed for customers with
small to medium solution deployments. It is
the minimum level of support service required
to ensure your success. As a Standard Support
customer, you have unlimited, regular business
hours access to Assisted Support in the region in
which support was purchased.
Medium to large-size customers with larger
installations and greater dependency on application
availability should consider Advantage Support.
Extending Standard Support and for critical issues,
Advantage Support provides 24x7 access to a team
of our most skilled technical Support Analysts in a
low customer to analyst ratio who are focused on
rapid, quality issue resolution.
Large enterprises and global multinational
customers should consider Premier Support.
Extending both Standard and Advantage Support,
Premier Support is focused on partnership and
prevention. Designed to provide a tight partnership
with you, a named team of resources is assigned
to work in concert with you in an effort to foresee
and prevent issues before they occur, and to
rapidly address them should they arise. IBM
Cognos Support, in essence, becomes part of your
performance management team.
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
IBM COGNOS SUPPORT PlANS fOR SOfTWARE CUSTOMERS
14
Below is a high level summary of the Support Plans, with details to follow later in this document:
Support Plan Components Standard Advantage PremierProduct Continuation New Releases • • •
Refresh Packs • • •Fix Packs • • •Interim Fixes • • •Documentation • • •Product Enhancement Program • • •Product Advisories • • •
Online Self-Serve Support Service Request Management • • •Technotes • • •White Papers • • •Product Information and Downloads • • •Product Documentation • • •Supportlink – Online Magazine • • •Tech-Talk Web Seminars • • •Diagnostic Tools • • •Proactive Notifications (RSS Feed) • • •
Assisted Support Support Contacts Based on number of supported
users
4 per Support Group
(in addition to Standard
contacts based on supported
users)
8 per Support Group
(in addition to Standard
contacts based on supported
users) Service Request Logging Unlimited Unlimited UnlimitedResponse Time (Severity 1) within 2 hrs within 2 hrs within 2 hrsResolution Targets (non-code Error) • •Senior Subject Matter Expert Team • •Team Based Issue Resolution • •Low Customer: Analyst Ratio • •
Partnership and Prevention Executive Sponsor •Support Account Manager (SAM) •Modeled Environment •Onsite Visits •Proactive Summaries/Alerts •
Add-on Components Global Support Option Option OptionIBM Cognos 8 Software Development Support
Option Option Option
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
IBM COGNOS SUPPORT PlANS fOR SOfTWARE CUSTOMERS
15
2.0 PRODUCT CONTINUATION
IBM invests significantly in enriching its products.
As an IBM Cognos supported customer you
are entitled to upgrades and documentation for
supported products that become available during
the life of your support contract.
IBM Cognos Support delivers different types of
software releases during the life of a product.
Use the following links to download your IBM Cognos products –
IBM Software and Services site – current
products
http://www.ibm.com/software/howtobuy/
softwareandservices
Cognos Legacy Downloads – back releases of
supported product versions
https://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/iwm/
web/preLogin.do?lang=en_US&source=cognos
Fix Packs, Emergency Fixes, etc. – including
Fix Packs released since Jan. 1, 2009
http://www-933.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/
?productGroup0=ibm/Information%20
Management&ibmsst=Information%20
ManagementBtn
Product Release Types
New ReleasesNew Releases (Major and Minor versions)
feature: new capabilities; new supported
environments; improvements in quality; scalability
and performance; as well as architectural
enhancements. New Releases are fully regression
tested and typically require a full uninstall/
reinstall of the IBM Cognos product. New
Releases are signified by an increment in the
major version number, represented by the
digits to the immediate left of the first decimal
in the version number, or by an increment
in the minor version number, represented by
the digits to the immediate right of the first
decimal in the version number (for example,
IBM Cognos 8.2, Series 7 Version 4 - 7.4).
Refresh PacksRefresh Packs are incremental changes to a
Major or Minor New Release, periodically made
available to supported customers. They primarily
address problems with the software that have
been reported by customers or uncovered through
IBM’s own investigations. Refresh Packs are also
used to add support for new environments. In
some cases they may contain new capabilities
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
IBM COGNOS SUPPORT PlANS fOR SOfTWARE CUSTOMERS
16
and improvements but to a lesser degree than a
New Release. Refresh Packs are subject to full
regression testing and include the accumulation of
corrections made in all previous Refresh Packs and
Interim Fixes since the most recent New Release.
They may require a full install/reinstall of the IBM
Cognos product. Refresh Packs can be signified
in one of two ways. They may add a Release
number or MR number suffix to the major and
minor version number, such as IBM Cognos 8.2 Maintenance Release 1, often abbreviated to IBM Cognos 8.2 MR1. Alternatively they may add a
third decimal point to the major and minor version
number, such as IBM Cognos 8.2.1, leading to
the Point Release reference.
Interim FixShould a specific error, or combination thereof,
warrant immediate release to solve a high priority
issue for a customer, a specific product build
containing the error correction may be designated
as a Interim Fix. These releases are normally
sent only to customers who have reported one
of the corrected errors and the error must be
an extremely high priority. Interim Fixes do not
address customer enhancement requests, and not
all error corrections can be delivered as Interim
Fixes. Interim Fixes include the accumulation of
corrections made in all previous Interim Fixes
since the most recent release. Due to their urgency
and unlike a Fix Pack, Interim Fixes undergo
only targeted testing of specific corrections, not
regression testing. If your issue is not causing a
major business impact, we recommend that you
wait for a scheduled Fix Pack or Refresh Pack,
which is regression tested. Corrections made in
Interim Fixes are automatically included in the
next Fix Pack or Refresh Pack.
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
IBM COGNOS SUPPORT PlANS fOR SOfTWARE CUSTOMERS
17
3.0 COMPONENTS COMMON TO ALL SOFTWARE SUPPORT PLANS
Fix Packs
Fix Packs, provide regular, high quality and stable
error correction releases. Fix Packs use automated
regression test suites to exercise the release prior to
it becoming generally available. Fix Packs contain
selected Interim Fixes and critical corrections
implemented since the last regression tested
release, such as a Refresh Pack, or a previous Fix
Packs. Unlike Refresh Packs, Fix Packs do not add
new environment support and will not contain new
capabilities or enhancements.
Fix Packs are not a fully installable product;
they are targeted corrections to specific product
components. You must already have a Base Release
installed in order to deploy a Fix Pack into your
environment. Fix Packs are signified with an SP
or FP designation after the version number, such
as SP1 or FP2 and can be found in the Support
area of the IBM Web site: http://www.ibm.com/
products/finder/us/finders?pg=ddfinder&cm_
re=other-_-suprcn-_-download
or, FixCentral on the IBM Web site:
http://www-933.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/
?productGroup0=ibm/Information%20
Management&ibmsst=Information%20
ManagementBtn
Fix Packs are only available for IBM® Cognos® 8
Query and Analysis products. IBM may expand
their use in the future.
Product Life Cycle
For products released before January 1, 2009,
excluding IBM Cognos 8 BI Version 8.4
Product End-of-Life (EOL)
End-of-Life is the date in which IBM Cognos
product management will no longer issue any
releases of any type for a product. This applies
to all language versions, platforms and channels
for that product (unless otherwise noted). IBM
provides a minimum of 12 months notice of
product EOL, and publishes notice of EOL on the
Support Web site at http://www.ibm.com/cognos/
support. Products that are EOL will be given a
reference status of Obsolete.
Product Error Corrections
As long as you are current with your IBM Cognos
support contract you will have access to Online
Support and Assisted Support. Through Assisted
Support, IBM Cognos support will provide advice,
guidance, workarounds and known solutions. You
will also remain eligible for New Releases and all
associated upgrade or migration benefits. However,
the level of Assisted Support and availability of
Refresh Packs and Interim Fixes, and your ability
to log and receive Error Corrections is dependent
on the life stage of the product version.
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
IBM COGNOS SUPPORT PlANS fOR SOfTWARE CUSTOMERS
18
After a New Release, reported errors are
strategically corrected with the accumulated error
corrections being bundled into a newer product
build. Should a specific error correction, or
combination thereof, warrant immediate release to
solve a high priority issue for a customer, a specific
product build may be designated as Interim Fix.
At some point in time, a specific product build,
including accumulated error corrections and
Interim Fix, is designated a Refresh Packs or
Fix Pack. The Service Pack is tested and made
generally commercially available. A given product
and/or version will have one of the following
statuses within Product Development. The product
status indicates the ability to log and receive error
corrections, and the level of Assisted Support you
will receive on that product or version.
Development Status
Support Status Description Status
Active Full Development and Assisted Support
• Product updates will be made available through Refresh Packs, Fix Packs and/or Interim Fixes.
• You can log any Assisted Support issues with IBM Cognos Support on the product version, including product errors.
Inactive Assisted Support Only • Product updates will NOT be made available through Refresh Packs, Fix Packs and/or Interim Fixes.
• You can log Assisted Support issues with IBM Cognos Support on
the product version, but you will be encouraged to upgrade to an active product version.
• Assisted Support may include known solutions, advice and workarounds, but will not include product fixes.
End of Life or Obsolete
Vintage Support • Product updates will NOT be made available through Obsolete Refresh Packs, Fix Packs and/or Interim Fixes. • You CANNOT log Assisted Support issues with IBM Cognos Support on the product or version unless you have purchased Vintage Support. • See the Vintage Support section for restrictions and guidelines around Vintage Support.
* Assisted Support Only and Vintage Support is delivered pending resource availability and knowledge of such product versions being available. We understand that customers may have a business reason to stay on an inactive or EOL version for longer than warranted, but at IBM’s discretion, and based upon the length of time that a product version has been Inactive or EOL status, the offering of Vintage Support may not be continued after the term date has ended.
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IBM Cognos products are available in many
different languages. Some IBM Cognos products
include all supported languages simultaneously
available upon product release, while others
release English language product first, followed
by specific language releases. Provided that a
product has not been declared End-of-Life (EOL),
a New Release product version, designated by a
major and minor version number, will remain in
a development status of Active for a minimum of
twelve (12) months from when the last language
release was made commercially available. Product
versions and their development status can be found
at http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/support/
lifecycle/
Products released after January 1 2009, and IBM
Cognos 8 BI Version 8.4, fall under the Standard
IBM Software Support Lifecycle Policy. Under this
policy, IBM Cognos will:
• Provide a minimum of 3 years of product
technical support beginning at the planned
availability date of the version/release of the
product.
• Ensure support is available for all IBM
components of a product or until the product
or bundle is withdrawn from support. In
addition, all components of a bundle have a
common End of Service date.
• Publish a notice of support discontinuance
(“End of Service”) for a product at least 12
months prior to the effective date.
• Align the effective date of support
discontinuance (“End of Service”) to occur on
common dates either in the months of April or
September.
• Make product support extensions available,
where possible, that are designed to allow
migration to the current release to be
completed. For additional information on
product technical support extensions beyond
the three-year minimum period, contact
your IBM representative. Please refer to the
following site for full details of this policy:
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/support/
lifecycle/lc-policy.html
Complementary Software
IBM Cognos Support provides a variety of
complementary software to be used in conjunction
with our products. Open-source and commercially
available software and its use is subject to its own
license terms (typically found in the installation
process). Complementary software is typically
found in the IBM Cognos Supplementary Software
download, and generally falls into one of two
categories: Optional or Required.
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3.1 Online Support
The IBM Cognos Support Web site (http://
www.ibm.com/cognos/support) provides 24x7,
self-service access to assist you in diagnosing
and solving your own issues. You can also gain
knowledge about IBM Cognos products and
solutions. The IBM Cognos Support site provides
access to a vast collection of knowledge resources,
such as Technotes, White Papers, Product
Documentation and Supportlink magazine and
IBM Cognos Diagnostic Tools. The knowledge
resources are collectively searchable and are also
listed on the Cognos Customer Center page on
the IBM web site: http://www.ibm.com/cognos/
customercenter/
Technotes
The extensive text-based and multimedia document collection provides easily accessible solutions to your technical questions.
White Papers
All Support Contacts can access IBM Cognos Proven Practices documents to help them learn how to best use IBM Cognos products within their environment — covering both the practical and theoretical approach to problem solving. Developed, tested and proven in real life customer engagements, IBM Cognos Proven Practice information is collected, created, validated and shared from experiences gained through product
Complementary Software Type
Description Examples IBM Cognos Support Policy
Open Source (optional)
Includes open source software that IBM redistributes according to the license terms specified by the relevant Open-source organization, and which is provided for convenience but is not a necessary component of IBM Cognos products and can be substituted.
Apache Tomcat Java Servlet
Supported as per the IBM Cognos Support Contract, only when used in conjunction with IBM Cognos products.
Commercial Third-Party (Optional)
Includes third-party commercially available software for which the IBM Cognos Support (optional) IBM has negotiated limited redistribution rights, and which is provided for convenience but is not a necessary component of IBM Cognos products and can be substituted.
Commercial Directory server (LDAP)
Supported as per the IBM Cognos Support Contract, only when used in conjunction with IBM Cognos products.
Commercial Third-Party (Optional)
Includes third-party commercially available software for which IBM Cognos Support IBM has negotiated limited redistribution rights, and which is a necessary component of certain IBM Cognos products.
ObjectStore database from Progress
Supported as per the IBM Cognos Support Contract, only when used in conjunction with IBM Cognos products.
Note: If you wish to use the optional or required complementary software independently of IBM Cognos products, or to use capabilities not required for use with IBM Cognos products, you must separately license the software and purchase support from the original third-party vendor.
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reviews and actual deployments. To access Cognos
Proven Practices documents, visit the Cognos page
in IBM developerWorks: http://www.ibm.com/
developerworks/data/products/cognos/index.html
Product Information and Downloads
The Support Web site (http://www.ibm.com/
cognos/support) is where you can find detailed
information about IBM Cognos products. Some of
the information available includes:
• Product Advisories (under Troubleshoot): warnings, advice and updates on known or
potential issues or alerts with IBM Cognos or
third-party software.
• Localized Products (under Plan): a
listing of the languages into which IBM
has translated the user interface and/or
documentation.
• Supported Products (under Support Tools): provides the support status of all
versions of IBM Cognos software. Please note
that this page applies to both English and
localized versions of IBM Cognos products
unless otherwise noted.
• Software Environments (under Plan): provides a listing, by product version, of the
software environments in which IBM Cognos
products are known to work and have been
tested. You can also find supported locales,
character sets, and languages in which data is
supported.
The Downloads section has New Releases,
Maintenance Releases and Service Packs for
applicable IBM Cognos products. Only Primary
and Secondary Site Support Contacts can access
these downloads (see Types of Support Contacts).
If you have received an IBM Customer Number
(ICN) for your existing IBM Cognos software or
purchased new software after January 1, 2009:
1. Create your own IBM Web ID at http://www.
ibm.com/account/.
2. Use the following links to download your IBM
Cognos products:
IBM Software and Services site (current
products): http://www.ibm.com/software/
howtobuy/softwareandservices
Cognos Legacy Downloads (back releases of
supported product versions): https://www14.
software.ibm.com/webapp/iwm/web/preLogin.
do?lang=en_US&source=cognos
If you have not yet received an IBM Customer
Number (ICN) contact the person within your
company responsible for managing the IBM
Cognos relationship.
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Product Documentation
Updated product documentation, including readme
files, installation guides, new feature guides, and
user and technical reference manuals, are provided
with each New Release. In the case of multi-user
licenses, only one set of hard-copy documentation
is provided with the software. The documentation
details new features and enhancements and may
have also been updated based on user feedback. If
required, additional hard copies can be purchased
through your IBM Cognos account manager, or
a soft copy can be downloaded from the Support
Web site: http://www.ibm.com/cognos/support/
doc.html
Supportlink Magazine
All customers can access Supportlink, an online
magazine with technical and product information
written by IBM Cognos customers and partners.
Supportlink is designed to enable you to work
more effectively with IBM Cognos software.
Published by IBM Cognos Support, Supportlink
is a unique source of in-depth information about
IBM Cognos software and services. You can access
Supportlink from the following link: http://www-
931.ibm.com/newsletter/11022
“Tech-Talk” Customer Information Series
– Web Seminars
This online series delivers deep, technical
information and offers the opportunity to pose
questions to IBM Cognos experts. Learn about
best practices and technology updates from
hands-on specialists. You can access TechTalk
Insider from the following link: http://www.ibm.
com/cognos/techtalkinsider/
IBM Cognos Diagnostic Tools
IBM Cognos Support has developed a number
of diagnostic tools to help verify your software
environment, identify and troubleshoot issues and
provide you with the product details and systems
information needed to log a Service Request (SR).
You can access IBM Cognos Diagnostic Tools
from the following link: http://www-01.ibm.com/
software/data/support/cognos_diagnostictools.html
Proactive Notifications
Through RSS feeds, you have access to continually
updated headlines, summaries, and links to full
stories on our Web site. For a list of Cognos related
RSS feeds, see the following link: http://www-01.
ibm.com/software/support/rss/db2/
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4.0 STANDARD SUPPORT PLAN
4.1 Assisted Support
Designed for customers with small to medium
size IBM Cognos solution deployments, Standard
Support includes all the common program
elements such as Product Continuation and Online
Support and adds unlimited regular business hour
access to Assisted Support.
Response Time
Response time is measured from the time you
raise an issue with IBM Cognos Support to the
time an IBM Cognos Support Analyst is assigned
to the issue and acknowledges such assignment
by initiating return contact. Response times are as
follows:
Distributed Platform Response Objectives
Severity Impact Response Goal
1 Critical business impact Within two hours
2 Significant business impact Within two business hours
3 Some business impact Within two business hours
4 Minimal business impact Within two business hours
Support Contact Entitlement
Standard Support contact entitlement provides for
automatic expansion with increased supported
license ownership. For licenses purchased using
a per user license model (or server/user), contact
entitlement is as follows:
Total Supported Users Support Contacts
0-100 2
101-500 4
501-1,000 6
1,001-5,000 8
5,001-10,000 10
10,001-15,000 15
15,001-20,000 20
20,001+ 25
If your purchase is anonymous user or Appliance
CPU based, you are entitled to two (2) Support
Contacts for every two (2) CPUs, to a maximum
of 20 Support Contacts. If you have an Enterprise
License Agreement (ELA) that encompasses
multiple departments, divisions or operating
companies, Support Contact entitlement will
be based on the terms set forth in the ELA.
In absence of ELA specific terms defining
entitlement, per user or anonymous user
entitlement policies will be applied, as pertinent to
the ELA license structure.
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5.0 ADVANTAGE SUPPORT PLAN – No longer commercially available
Designed for medium to large-size customers with
larger installations and greater dependency on
application availability, Advantage Support includes
Product Continuation and Online Support and
adds a comprehensive Assisted Support offering
focused on rapid, quality issue resolution.
Advantage Support is offered per Support Group,
as described previously in this document. Each
Advantage purchase entitles you to Advantage
level support for the Support Group you designate.
This enables you to have broad access to Standard
Support, yet choose the specific deployments,
geographies or business areas that require advanced
support services. If you have many disparate Support
Groups within your company, you will require
multiple Advantage Support Group purchases for
universal coverage. Conversely, if you operate in a
shared service or competency center model, the
number of Advantage Support Groups you require
is reduced. Each Advantage Support Group includes
the following Assisted Support features.
5.1 Assisted Support
Skilled Product Expert Team
As an Advantage Support customer, you will
collaborate with specialized Support Analysts
who have in-depth knowledge in key product
functional areas. These functional experts work as
a team to solve multiple issues simultaneously. Our
knowledgeable Support Analysts provide thorough
issue resolution and deep, targeted knowledge
transfer to your internal team – improving your
understanding of the issue and resolution and
possibly preventing future issues.
Response Time
Response time is measured from the time you
raise an issue with IBM Cognos Support, to the
time an IBM Cognos Support Analyst is assigned
to the issue and acknowledges such assignment
by initiating return contact. Response times are as
follows:
Distributed Platform Response Objectives
Severity Impact Response Goal
1 Critical business impact Within two hours
2 Significant business impact Within two business hours
3 Some business impact Within two business hours
4 Minimal business impact Within two business hours
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Issue Resolution Targets
IBM Cognos Support understands that you are
looking for more than just a response to your
Service Requests (SR); you want to know when
an issue is going to be resolved. For Advantage
Support customers, we have established target
resolution times for issues not requiring product
code changes. The following resolution targets
should be viewed as median resolve times
measured over a period of time, and not as resolve
times for all Service Requests. That means that
often Service Requests will actually be resolved
faster.
Issue Priority Target Median Resolution Time*
1 2 business days
2 5 business days
3 15 business days
4 20 business days
*Note: does not apply to issues requiring product code modifications or error corrections
IBM Cognos Support strives to resolve your issues
as fast as possible with the highest quality and
looks for direct confirmation from you that the
issue has been resolved. Your confirmation that
the issue has been resolved is essential to meeting
target resolution times.
24x7 Critical Coverage
You can log critical Severity 1 issues with IBM
Cognos Support at any time. In order for a Service
Request (SR) to qualify for 24x7 Critical Coverage
assistance, your issue must be a Severity 1 issue
and logged by telephone. Visit http://www.ibm.
com/planetwide to find the Cognos Support
numbers in your country. 24x7 Critical Coverage
is provided in English only. The time at which the
Service Request is logged is governed by your local
time as determined by the country code or area
code registered with IBM Cognos Support for each
Support Contact.
Support Contact Entitlement
As an Advantage Support customer, you are
entitled to four (4) Support Contacts per Support
Group, in addition to your Standard Support
contact entitlement. Only these four (4) contacts
will be able to receive support at the Advantage
level.
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6.0 PREMIER SUPPORT PLAN– No longer commercially available
Designed for customers with large IBM Cognos
solution deployments and/or high application
availability needs, Premier Support delivers
personalized, flexible service, with a focus on
rapid issue resolution and close partnership to
proactively prevent problems. Premier Support
includes Product Continuation and Online
Support, as well as a more comprehensive and
personal Assisted Support offering. It also includes
Partnership and Prevention support features to
decrease risk and maximize the return on your
IBM investment. Premier Support is offered per
Support Group, as described previously in this
document. Each Premier purchase entitles you
to Premier level support for the Support Group
you designate. This provides you with broad
access to Standard Support, while choosing the
specific deployments, geographies or business
areas that require advanced support services. If
you have many disparate Support Groups within
your company, you will require multiple Premier
Support Group purchases for universal coverage.
Conversely, if you operate in a shared service or
competency center model, the number of Premier
Support Groups you require will be reduced. Each
Premier Support Group has access to the following
Premier Support features.
6.1 Partnership And Prevention
Executive Sponsor
As a Premier Support customer you will be
assigned an executive sponsor who will actively
work with you and your senior management team
to ensure that your corporate vision is aligned with
and supported. An executive sponsor is a senior
member of the IBM Cognos management team
who will work to build key relationships between
your organization and IBM Cognos Support to
improve your long-term satisfaction and success.
Through the executive sponsor, IBM Cognos
Support can strategically partner with you to
ensure that the resources, processes and support
required are available. To gain the most value from
your executive sponsor, we ask that you make your
senior executives, CIOs and/or key business leaders
available for corporate visits or strategic discussions
led by your sponsor. Although your sponsor is
open to discussing support issue escalation— your
Support Account Manager (SAM) is the main
contact for any escalation or support related needs.
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Support Account Manager (SAM)
Your trusted partner in IBM Cognos Support,
your SAM (also referred to as Premier Support
Managers – PSMs) can help you achieve your
performance management goals and will make
sure your priorities are our priorities. A SAM helps
reduce downtime by effectively managing the
issue resolution process and by working with you
to identify opportunities to increase productivity.
A SAM does not work explicitly on solving your
Service Requests (SR), but through regular
collaboration and high frequency communication,
your SAM will:
• Develop an understanding of your unique
business challenges, existing and planned
implementations and technical environment
and share this knowledge with IBM Cognos
Support and other internal teams to ensure
fast and thorough issue resolution.
• Provide proactive advice to prevent issues
and deliver high frequency and quality
communication.
• Coordinate support activity and provide a
holistic view of issues to reduce duplication
and churn.
• Work with product development to manage
and drive product corrections. Be a single
point of escalation and the point person on
critical issues to ensure the appropriate IBM
Cognos resources are engaged.
• Be an integral part of the IBM Cognos
solution team by ensuring that support
activity, challenges and successes are regularly
shared with the appropriate internal teams.
• Provide advice on upgrade or deployment
strategies and high impact product issues (this
may require the involvement of IBM Cognos
Professional Services).
• V isit you onsite two times per year to
understand your business and systems and
establish priorities.
Model Environment
To reduce the discovery time associated
with diagnosing an issue and to improve
resolution time, IBM Cognos Support will work
collaboratively with you to create and maintain
a model software environment within the IBM
Cognos Support Center. A model environment is
a scaled down, reasonable approximation of the
hardware and software environment in which you
develop, test or deploy your IBM Cognos solutions.
Because customers often have development, test
and production environments with vast arrays of
hardware, third-party software versions, security
and fail over features, it is not possible to exactly
duplicate your system in-house.
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Alerts and Summaries
Your SAM will work with you to deliver regular Service Request (SR) summaries with status, expectations and next steps and will monitor adherence to response and resolution target times. Based on your modeled environment and the SAM’s insight into your IBM Cognos solution, they will also provide proactive alerts for high impact issues, and advise on identified solutions or workarounds that may be pertinent to you.
6.2 Assisted Support
Skilled Product Expert Team
As a Premier Support customer, you will
collaborate with an elite team of specialized
Support Analysts who have in-depth knowledge
in key product functional areas. Working closely
with your SAM, these product functional
experts work as a team to solve multiple issues
simultaneously. Our knowledgeable Support
Analysts provide thorough issue resolution and
deep, targeted knowledge transfer to your internal
team. This improves your understanding of
the issue and resolution and may prevent future
issues.
Response Time
Response time is measured from the time you
raise an issue with IBM Cognos Support to the
time an IBM Cognos Support Analyst is assigned
to the issue and acknowledges such assignment
by initiating return contact. Response times are as
follows:
Distributed Platform Response Objectives
Severity Impact Response Goal
1 Critical business impact Within two hours
2 Significant business impact Within two business hours
3 Some business impact Within two business hours
4 Minimal business impact Within two business hours
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Issue Resolution Targets
IBM Cognos Support understands that you are
looking for more than just a response to your
Service Requests (SR); you want to know when an
issue is going to be resolved. For Premier Support
customers, we have established target resolution
times for issues not requiring product code
changes. The following resolution targets should
be viewed as median resolve times measured over
a period of time, and not as resolve times for all
Service Requests. That means that often Service
Requests will actually be resolved faster.
Issue Priority Target Median Resolution Time*
1 2 business days
2 5 business days
3 15 business days
4 20 business days
*Note: does not apply to issues requiring product code modifications or error corrections
IBM Cognos Support strives to resolve your issues
as fast as possible with the highest quality, and
looks for direct confirmation from you that the
issue has been resolved. Your confirmation that
the issue has been resolved is essential to meeting
target resolution times.
24x7 Critical Coverage
You can log critical Priority 1 issues with IBM
Cognos Support at any time. For a Service
Request (SR) to qualify for 24x7 Critical Coverage
assistance, your issue must be a Priority 1 issue
and logged by telephone. Visit http://www.ibm.
com/planetwide to find the Cognos Support
numbers in your country. Critical Coverage is
provided in English only, and the time at which the
Service Request is logged is governed by your local
time, as determined by the country code or area
code registered with IBM Cognos Support for each
Support Contact.
Support Contact Entitlement
As a Premier Support customer, you are entitled
to eight (8) Support Contacts per Support Group,
in addition to your Standard Support contact
entitlement. Only these eight (8) contacts will be
able to receive support at the Premier level.
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7.0 OPTIONAL SUPPORT COMPONENTS (ADD-ONS)
7.1 Global Support IBM
Cognos Support provides you with support in the
region where your software licenses and support
were purchased. Your Support Contacts must
reside in, and access support from, one of the
Support Centers in this region. Global Support is a
valuable add-on for multinational customers with
a shared server infrastructure and IBM Cognos
applications supported in different regions. Global
Support enables Support Contacts to access a
Support Center in their local region, regardless
of the region where support was purchased. For
example, if a support plan was purchased in the
United States but applications that use the same
server infrastructure are developed and supported
in Sweden and Britain, Global Support would
allow Support Contacts to be designated in Sweden
and Britain, as well as the United States, and each
would have access to Support Centers within their
region.
Visit http://www.ibm.com/planetwide to find the Cognos Support numbers in your country.
For a complete list of Cognos Support locations, operating hours and languages, visit http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=3528&uid=swg27015566.
Global Support and the Standard
Support Plan
As a Global Support customer you can register
Support Contacts with any Support Center,
regardless of where the support was purchased,
up to your contact entitlement limit. If support
is required outside of normal business hours,
customers may require 24x7 Critical Coverage
Service Request packs.
Global Support and Advantage/Premier
Support Plans
Customers with Advantage or Premier Support
who have Support Contacts outside the region in
which support was purchased, can also choose the
Global Support add-on and nominate personnel to
contact their local Support Centers (during normal
support hours). Although such Support Contacts
will have access to Assisted Support (such as, call
logging), all other applicable support services of
Advantage and Premier (such as, SAM and onsite
visits) are only delivered within the region the
Support Group was purchased, at the primary
location of the Support Group.
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7.2 Support Contacts (additional)
The number of Support Contacts you are entitled
to is determined by the number of supported
users and your Support Plan. If you are interested
in more support contacts, please contact your
local Subscription and Support representative:
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.
wss?rs=3528&uid=swg27014717
7.3 IBM Cognos 8 Software Development Kit (SDK) Support
In addition to the available standard IBM Cognos
Support, with IBM Cognos SDK, you can
upgrade your support to one of two SDK-specific
offerings. Created and delivered by developers for
developers, Accelerated Value for IBM Cognos
SDK provides in-depth technical information and
support to clients who want to integrate and extend
functionality with their SDK solution For more
information, please visit http://download.boulder.
ibm.com/ibmdl/pub/software/data/sw-library/
cognos/pdfs/factsheets/fs_premium_support_for_
sdkclients.pdf.
7.4 IBM Cognos Now! Appliance Customers (Customers Using Hardware From Dell)
Hardware Support IBM Cognos Now! hardware
was sold by Cognos with a three-year warranty
from a third-party provider (Dell). Once the three
year warranty period ends, customers who have
maintained continuous support and maintenance
on the IBM Cognos Now! software are eligible to
purchase a new IBM Cognos Now! appliance from
IBM. Supported customers have two options; they
can purchase an extended hardware warranty
directly from Dell, or they can purchase new IBM
hardware, which will be pre-loaded with the most
current version of the IBM Cognos Now! software.
Customers who purchase new IBM hardware will
have new warranty terms through IBM. Please
note that there is no credit for existing hardware.
You can continue to use your previous Appliance
in parallel with your new Appliance for a ninety
(90) day period from the effective date of your
purchase. After such time, you must permanently
de-install and destroy the IBM Cognos software
on the previous Appliance, along with all related
documentation. You will have no further rights
or interests in the IBM Cognos software on the
previous Appliance. You do, however, retain
ownership of the hardware associated with the
previous Appliance. However, IBM will have no
further ongoing support obligations with respect to
such hardware.
Hardware Support – Onsite
If an issue is determined to be hardware related,
onsite support may be required to diagnose or
solve the issue. IBM reserves the right to deliver
onsite support through a third-party provider.
An IBM Cognos Support Analyst will try to
troubleshoot the issue remotely and determine if
an onsite service technician and/or replacement
parts are required. If IBM determines that onsite
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service is required, a technician will be sent to
your business location (indicated on your invoice
or applicable separately signed agreement). Once
a service technician arrives at your site, they will
continue to work until the issue has been resolved
or until it is determined that different parts or
resources are required to resolve the issue. Work
may be temporarily suspended if additional parts
or resources are required but will resume when
they become available. Onsite hardware service is
provided according to the guidelines below:
Hardware Support – Your Commitment
A successful partnership requires full cooperation
and collaboration between IBM and its customers.
By committing to the following you can ensure you
receive the most value from IBM Cognos Support
and your IBM investment:
Priority Response Time
Special Terms
1
2
3
4
Next Business
Day
• Available 5 days/week (Monday to Friday), 10 hours/day (08:00- 18:00 EST), excluding observed holidays
• Calls received after 17:00 local time and/or dispatches made after that time may require an additional business day for arrival onsite
• Subject to parts availability and geographic restrictions
1. Provision of Hardware Numbers: Upon
request, it is your responsibility to provide
hardware serial numbers, service tag numbers,
system type or model numbers.
2. Onsite Service: Where onsite service is
required, you must provide free, safe and
suitable access to your facilities and the
supported hardware. This includes ample,
hazard-free working space, electricity, local
telephone line, access to parking facility (at no
charge) and security escorts as necessary during
the performance of the service. An adult (over
age 18) must also be present at all times during
the technician’s visit.
3. Insurance: You must maintain adequate
insurance coverage for the hardware throughout
the term of your Support Plan.
4. Adequate Environment: You must maintain
the hardware in an environment that would
reasonably be considered a safe and appropriate
storage environment that will not cause direct
or indirect harm to the hardware, or negatively
impact its use.
5. Unauthorized Repairs: Any repair or
attempted repair of the hardware by any party
other than IBM or a designated third-party
provider will void and cancel this agreement.
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IBM will not reimburse you for any repairs
that you or another person makes or attempts
to make to the system. Repairs necessitated as
a result of alteration, adjustment, or repair by
anyone other than IBM or its designated third-
party provider, are not included.
6. Appliance Relocation: If hardware is to be
relocated outside the country of purchase, you
must request, and IBM will not unreasonably
withhold, approval for a change in country of
origin. Service levels for support may change
based upon the country to which it is relocated.
Hardware Support – Conditions and
Limitations
1. Whole Unit Replacement: If it is determined
that a defective component of the hardware is
not easily disconnected and reconnected (such
as a keyboard or monitor), or that the entire
hardware should be replaced, IBM reserves the
right to take and replace the entire unit. In such
instances, you agree to relinquish the defective
hardware system or the component in question.
If you don’t relinquish the hardware, you must
pay IBM for the replacement unit upon receipt
of invoice.
2. Parts Availability: Repair of hardware is subject
to parts availability. IBM’s third-party hardware
provider stocks hardware parts in multiple
locations. Selected, noncritical parts may not be
stocked in the location closest to your site. Parts
deemed non-critical include, but are not limited
to, floppy drives, modems, speakers, all memory
modules, sound cards, zip drives, internal tape
drives, NICS, monitors, keyboard and mice. If
a part that is needed to repair the hardware is
not available from a facility near your location
and must be transferred from another facility, it
will be shipped using overnight delivery at no
additional cost to you. Spare parts provided may
be new, used or reconditioned.
3. Geographic Limitations: Onsite response
may not be available in all locations and/
or additional restrictions, charges, terms and
conditions may apply. For a complete listing of
service locations and restrictions, please visit:
http://www.dell.com.
4. Appliance Alterations: The Appliance is
provided with specific hardware, IBM Cognos
software and configured environment (that
is, operating systems, drivers and third-party
technologies). With the exception of changes
to hostname, mail server domains, SSL
certificates and IP addresses, you may not alter
or reconfigure the Appliance in any way without
the explicit written consent of IBM, which
IBM will not unreasonably withhold. You are
permitted to use any of the standard services
already operating on the Appliance.
5. Hardware Support Exclusions: hardware
support does not include repair of any system or
system component which has been damaged as
a result of
1. Accident, misuse, or abuse of the system or
component such as, but not limited to, use of
incorrect line voltages, use of incorrect fuses,
use of incompatible devices or accessories
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
IBM COGNOS SUPPORT PlANS fOR SOfTWARE CUSTOMERS
34
2. Use of the hardware in an unsuitable
environment, such as where there is improper
or insufficient ventilation 30
3. Failure to follow operating instructions
4. An “Act of God” such as, but not limited to,
lightning, flooding, tornado, earthquakes and
hurricanes
5. The moving of the system from one
geographic location to another or from one
entity to another
7.4.1 IBM Cognos Now! Appliance (Customers using IBM Hardware)
IBM provides repair or exchange service
depending on the type of warranty specified for
the machine. IBM will attempt to resolve the
problem over the telephone or electronically by
access to an IBM Web site. You must follow the
problem determination and resolution procedures
that IBM specifies. Scheduling of service will
depend upon the time of your call and is subject to
parts availability. Service levels are response-time
objectives and are not guaranteed. The specified
level of warranty service may not be available in all
worldwide locations. Additional charges may apply
Outside IBM’s normal service area. Contact your
local IBM representative or reseller for country and
location-specific information.
Warranties do not cover:
• Failure or damage resulting from misuse
(including but not limited to use of any
machine capacity or capability, other than
that authorized by IBM in writing), accident,
modification, unsuitable physical or operating
environment, or improper maintenance by the
customer.
• Failure caused by a product for which IBM is
not responsible.
• Any non-IBM products, including those
provided with, or installed on an IBM
Machine at the customer’s request.
• Accessories, supply items and consumables (for example, batteries and printer cartridges) and structural parts (for example, frames and covers).
• Service of Machine alterations.
• Service of a Machine on which the customer
is using capacity or capability, other than
authorized by IBM in writing. The warranty
is voided by removal or alteration of
identification labels on the machine or its
parts. IBM does not warranty uninterrupted or
error-free operation of a machine. For specific
warranty information, see IBM Warranty
Information.
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35
7.5 Additional Support Offerings
Vintage Support
From time to time IBM will announce the
End-of-Life (EOL) for a product or version. We
understand that customers may have a business
need to stay on a product or version that has been
declared End-of Life (EOL). For these situations
IBM may offer IBM Cognos Vintage Support at
its discretion based on market demand. Products
released after January 1st 2009 or after the release
of IBM Cognos 8 BI 8.4 are not eligible for Vintage
Support.
Vintage Support provides the following services:
• Customers may continue to log cases with
Customer Support.
• IBM will make every effort to satisfy the
customer’s technical problem given the
restrictions of Vintage Support.
• IBM will attempt to provide a workaround
solution. Vintage support has the following
restrictions:
– IBM will not provide any additional versions
of the product.
– IBM will not provide any additional Interim
Fixes, Refresh Packs, Fix Packs.
– IBM cannot guarantee the compatibility
of the products on any future versions of
Supported Environments beyond those
stated for the version of the products current
at the date Engineering Support ended.
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
IBM COGNOS SUPPORT RENEWAl POlICIES
36
1.1 Contacting Support Renewal
For more information, please contact your local
IBM Cognos Software Subscription and Support
representative, found at http://www-01.ibm.com/
support/docview.wss?rs=3528&uid=swg27014717
1.2 Renewal Cycle and Continued Coverage
For more information, please visit the IBM
Software Support Handbook at ftp://ftp.software.
ibm.com/software/server/handbook/webhndbk.pdf
1.3 Calculation of Support Fees
For more information, please contact your local
IBM Cognos Software Subscription and Support
representative, found at http://www-01.ibm.com/
support/docview.wss?rs=3528&uid=swg27014717
1.4 Late Renewal
If payment is not made within 30 days from the
date of invoice, (or in the case of quarterly advance
billing of recurring charges, within 60 days from
the date of invoice), you may be subject to late
payment charges.
1.5 Support Reinstatement
If you choose not to renew software subscription
and support coverage for certain or all of your
Program licenses and, at a later date, wish to again
obtain coverage for any of those Program licenses,
you must obtain IBM Software Subscription and
Support Reinstatement or Third Party Software
Subscription and Support Reinstatement, as
applicable.
1.6 Withdrawal of software subscription and support or Selected Support for a particular Program
If IBM or the third party, as applicable, withdraws
software subscription and support or Selected
Support for a particular Program, you understand
that
a. IBM will not make software subscription and
support renewal or Selected Support renewal
available for that Program; and
b. if you renewed IBM Software Subscription
and Support for that IBM Program license or
Selected Support for a Selected Program license
prior to the notice of withdrawal, IBM, at its sole
discretion, will either continue to provide IBM
Software Subscription and Support or Selected
Support to you for that Program license until
the end of the then current coverage period
or you may obtain a prorated refund. If you
renewed Third Party Software Subscription and
Support for that Non-IBM Program prior to the
notice, the third party will continue to provide
Third Party Software Subscription and Support
to you for that Non-IBM Program license until
the end of the then current coverage period.
Otherwise, you may obtain a prorated refund.
1.0 SUPPORT RENEWAL POLICIES
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
IBM COGNOS SUPPORT RENEWAl POlICIES
37
1.7 Definition of Software Subscription and Support
1. Software Subscription and Support
a. For Programs running in a System z
environment or equivalent:
(1) Subscription and Support: During the
Software Subscription and Support Period,
for the unmodified portion of a Program, and
to the extent problems can be recreated in
the specified operating environment, S&S is
composed of the following:
(a) Code Corrections: code to correct
reported, substantial deviations from the
Program’s then applicable specifications;
(b) Fixes: existing Code Corrections,
restrictions or known bypasses for
reported problems;
(c) Program Updates: periodic releases of
collections of Code Corrections, Fixes,
functional enhancements and new
versions and releases to the Program and
documentation.
(d) Technical Assistance: a reasonable amount
of remote assistance via telephone or
electronically to address suspected Program
defects.
Technical assistance is available from
Customer’s IBM support center in their
geography. Additional details regarding
Technical Assistance, including IBM contact
information (see Appendix C: Contact
Information), are provided in the Software
Support Handbook at www14.software.ibm.
com/webapp/set2/sas/f/handbook/home.html
S&S does not include assistance for 1) the
design and development of applications,
2) Customer’s use of Programs in other than
their specified operating environment or 3)
failures caused by products for which IBM is
not responsible under this Agreement.
b. For Programs running on IBM distributed
platforms (e.g., IBM Power Systems), IBM
System i, IBM System p, or IBM System x or
equivalent:
(1) Software Subscription and Support: During
the Software Subscription and Support Period:
(a) IBM makes available to Customer the
most current commercially available
version, release, or update to all of the
Programs for which Customer acquires
Software Subscription and Support under
this Agreement, should any be made
available. Customer’s right to upgrade to a
new version, release or update under this
IBM Cognos Support Plans Guide
IBM COGNOS SUPPORT RENEWAl POlICIES
38
subsection may only be exercised during
the Software Maintenance Period and
expires at the end of the Period if Software
Maintenance is not renewed.
(b) IBM provides Customer technical assistance
for Customer’s 1) routine, short duration
installation and usage (how-to) questions;
and 2) code-related questions.
(c) IBM provides technical assistance via
telephone and, if available, electronic
access, to only Customer’s information
systems (IS) technical support personnel
during the normal business hours (IBM
published prime shift hours) of Customer’s
IBM support center in their geography. This
assistance is not available to Customer’s end
users. Additional details regarding assistance
are provided in the IBM Software Support
Handbook at www14.software.ibm.com/
webapp/set2/sas/f/handbook/home.html.
Software Subscription and Support does
not include assistance for 1) the design and
development of applications, 2) Customer’s
use of Programs in other than their specified
operating environment or 3) failures
caused by products for which IBM is not
responsible under this Agreement.
2. Software Subscription and Support RenewalIBM, at its option, may renew expiring Software
Subscription and Support under the Agreement
terms and charges in effect on that date,
subject to applicable law. Subsequent Software
Subscription and Support Periods begin on the
day following the end of the preceding Software
Subscription and Support Period
3. Charges and PaymentIf Customer returns an Eligible Program for
credit or refund as allowed under its license
terms, IBM or Customer’s IBM Business Partner
will terminate and credit or refund any charges
paid for, Software Subscription and Support
ordered with the Program. IBM does not give
credits or refunds for Software Subscription
and Support without return of the associated
Eligible Program.
a. Software Subscription and Support acquired
from an IBM Business Partner
When Customer acquires Software
Subscription and Support from an IBM
Business Partner, the IBM Business Partner
sets the charges and the terms governing
charges. Customer will pay Customer’s IBM
Business Partner directly.
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IBM COGNOS SUPPORT RENEWAl POlICIES
39
b. Software Subscription and Support acquired
directly from IBM
(1) Charges for Software Subscription and
Support during each Software Subscription
and Support Period, called the Software
Subscription and Support Charge, are
invoiced in advance.
(2) The Software Subscription and Support
Charge may vary, depending on, for
example, the machine (type/model), the
Program or group of Programs, or level of
use of the Program.
(3) IBM may increase the Software
Subscription and Support Charge without
notice. An increase will not apply to
Customer if IBM receives Customer’s order
for Software Subscription and Support
before the effective date of the increase
and within three months of receipt by IBM
of Customer’s order IBM makes Software
Subscription and Support available to
Customer.
Customer receives the benefit of a decrease
in the Software Subscription and Support
Charge for amounts which become due on
or after the effective date of the decrease.
(4) Amounts are due and payable upon
receipt of invoice. Customer agrees to pay
accordingly, including any late payment fee.
(5) If any authority imposes a duty, tax, levy
or fee, excluding those based on IBM’s
net income, upon Software Subscription
and Support IBM supplies under this
Agreement, then Customer agrees to pay
that amount as specified in the invoice,
unless Customer supplies exemption
documentation.
4. Software Subscription and Support Transferability Customer may transfer Software Subscription
and Support only to an entity that is within
Customer’s Enterprise and located within
the country in which Software Subscription
and Support is acquired, provided that (1)
the applicable Program is transferable and is
transferred in accordance with its license terms
and (2) the entity receiving the Program agrees
to the terms of this Agreement. When Customer
transfers the Program, Customer must also
transfer a printed copy of this Agreement for
the entity to receive Software Subscription and
Support.
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009
IBM Canada 3755 Riverside Drive Ottawa, ON, Canada K1G 4K9
Produced in Canada November 2009 All Rights Reserved.
The information contained in this publication is provided for informational purposes only. While efforts were made to verify the completeness and accuracy of the information contained in this publication, it is provided AS IS without warranty of any kind, express or implied. In addition, this information is based on IBM’s current product plans and strategy, which are subject to change by IBM without notice. IBM shall not be responsible for any damages arising out of the use of, or otherwise related to, this publication or any other materials. Nothing contained in this publication is intended to, nor shall have the effect of, creating any warranties or representations from IBM or its suppliers or licensors, or altering the terms and conditions of the applicable license agreement governing the use of IBM software.
References in this publication to IBM products, programs, or services do not imply that they will be available in all countries in which IBM operates. Product release dates and/or capabilities referenced in this presentation may change at any time at IBM’s sole discretion based on market opportunities or other factors, and are not intended to be a commitment to future product or feature availability in any way. Nothing contained in these materials is intended to, nor shall have the effect of, stating or implying that any activities undertaken by you will result in any specific sales, revenue growth, savings or other results.
IBM, the IBM logo and ibm.com are trademarks or registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both. If these and other IBM trademarked terms are marked on their first occurrence in this information with a trademark symbol (® or ™), these symbols indicate U.S. registered or common law trademarks owned by IBM at the time this information was published. Such trademarks may also be registered or common law trademarks in other countries. A current list of IBM trademarks is available on the Web at “Copyright and trademark information” at www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml.
References in this publication to IBM products or services do not imply that IBM intends to make them available in all countries in which IBM operates.
Any reference in this information to non-IBM Web sites are provided for convenience only and do not in any manner serve as an endorsement of those Web sites. The materials at those Web sites are not part of the materials for this IBM product and use of those Web sites is at your own risk.
About IBM Cognos BI and Performance Management
IBM Cognos business intelligence (BI) and
performance management solutions deliver
world-leading enterprise planning, consolidation
and BI software, support and services to help
companies plan, understand and manage
financial and operational performance. IBM
Cognos solutions bring together technology,
analytical applications, best practices, and a
broad network of partners to give customers
an open, adaptive and complete performance
solution. Over 23,000 customers in more than
135 countries around the world choose IBM
Cognos solutions.
For further information or to reach a
representative: www.ibm.com/cognos
Request a call
To request a call or to ask a question, go to
www.ibm.com/cognos/contactus. An IBM
Cognos representative will respond to your
enquiry within two business days.
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