1. What are the limitations of this technology preview?
IPA4BI is a technology preview in alpha stage, but it is useful for creating simple solutions. When creating complex data marts, native DB2 utilities may be required. When making the decision to use the IPA4BI or native DB2 utilities, consider the limitations of IPA4BI:
Snowflake dimensions are not supported.
Degenerate dimensions are not supported.
Associative dimensions are not supported.
Cube view attribute relationships are not supported.
The GUI does not support derived measures.
Data marts created with Cube Views cannot be imported.
It supports only a subset of DB2 data types.
All assets are required to be regenerated at generation time; partial "Asset Generation" is not supported.
The current sample generator does not contain a wizard. Use any spreadsheet application that supports the CSV format to edit these files.
Output directory structure is fixed.
Generated content has fixed formatting.
Generated scripts do not support incremental data load.
Database installation scripts run only under Windows and do not handle all error conditions; they are not easily customizable for other uses.
The GUI does not support linking of non-generated assets to the solution.
2. The tool promotes the sharing of business intelligence templates. Where can I get industry-specific templates?
At this time, IBM is not distributing industry-specific templates via alphaWorks. Templates that are created by industry domain experts may be shared by template creators. IBM Business Partners with a PartnerWorld for Software membership may obtain industry-specific templates from Solutions Builder Express.
