Output Format Options for Reports

Performance Reporting Manager provides the following possible output formats for its reports:

• Tabular

• Line graph

• Bar chart

• Stacked Bar Chart

• Pie chart

• Area Chart

• Stacked Area Chart

• Comma- or Tab-Separated Text

All format options are not available for every report. The type of report determines the format options available. Certain formats do not make sense for particular reports, so these formats are not always given as an option. When creating a custom report request, you choose from the available format options given at that time.

Once a report request is saved, an icon depicting the report format option appears in the hierarchy view in the Report Manager GUI. Each icon is representative of the format chosen for the report. A lock symbol is added to the icon when the request is for a standard report that comes with Performance Reporting Manager. Standard reports have predefined reporting options that you cannot change.

Tabular Report

The tabular report option returns data in table format. The distinctive icon for the tabular option is a table. The table icon is a grid with rows and columns. The cells of the table contain the numerical values for the data properties specified in the report request. You change the column sizing by dragging either edge of the column heading. If the title to a column heading appears truncated or is followed by several dots, you might want to resize the column in order to view all information. Tabular reports can be sorted by clicking on a column, except for performance reports. Performance reports are presorted according to the time field.

When the Real Time range is selected, you can update the information by clicking the Refresh button located at the right top of the table. The new data is added to the top of the table.

Line Graph Report

The line graph report option returns data as graphs with line plots. The line graph icon is a graph with a climbing, jagged line. The number of graphs contained in each report depends on the Graph Orientation option selected in the report request.

When the Real Time range is selected for a report, the graph refreshes according to the refresh interval of the properties being logged. For Real Time reports, only the last hour of data is visible on the graph at any point in time.

Each line graph report has several viewing options. For example, you can use the Zoom button to view finer, more granular data for any point on a line. The Alarms button enables you to obtain the alarm detail for any host included in the report. The Processes button similarly enables you to obtain the top ten CPU processes and the top ten memory processes for any host in the report. For more information, see Line Graph Report Viewing Options.

The following figure shows a sample of a line graph report.

Figure 1–1 Sample Line Graph from a Standard Performance Report

Bar Chart Report

The bar chart report option returns data as one or more graphs with bar lines. The bar chart icon is a graph that contains three vertical bars. The number of graphs contained in each bar chart report is controlled by the Graph Orientation option selected in the report request. This format enables you to create a report that provides a visual comparison of data values.

Each bar chart graph has the same viewing options as the line graph report option. See Line Graph Report.

Stacked Bar Area Chart Report

This report is similar to the stacked area chart report, except the data is displayed in a series of stacked bars instead of graphs. The distinctive icon for this report is two bar graphs. For more detail, see Stacked Area Chart Report.

Pie Chart Report

The number of pie chart reports returned depends upon whether the data property hostname is included in the report request. The report returns data as one pie chart per host if hostname is specified in the report request. If the data property hostname is not specified in the report request, only one pie chart is generated in the report. The following types of reports have the pie chart option: summary reports for system, package, patch or alarm; percent uptime (detailed and total); total uptime (detailed and total). The pie chart icon is a circle with a single line that depicts the radius.

For more information about the selection of data properties in a report request, see Data Properties.

Area Chart Report

The area chart report option returns data for each report property as a separate shaded area in a graph. The distinctive icon for this report is a shaded graph. The number of shaded graphs returned in the report depends upon the Graph Orientation option selected in the report request. If multiple properties are displayed in a report, each area will be distinguished by a different color. The legend at the bottom of the report identifies each color to the corresponding property.

When multiple properties are requested in the report, data can be hidden in this view if one shaded graph overlays another graph. This type of report is good for determining trends, but might not provide the detail required for analysis because certain properties might be obscured in the overlay. If you require all requested properties to show individually, requesting a stacked area chart report or a stacked bar area chart might be a solution.

Stacked Area Chart Report

The stacked area chart report returns data for each property as a separate shaded area in a graph, similar to the area chart report. But unlike the area chart report, data is not hidden when shaded area charts overlay each other. Instead, each property requested in the report has its own color-shaded graph. These graphs are stacked against each other. The legend at the bottom of the report associates each color with the corresponding property. The distinctive icon for this report is two shaded reports overlaid, or stacked upon each other.

This type of report is good for analysis of system status because all the requested properties are displayed. If the requested number of properties is high, however, this type of report can yield a busy-looking report. If you require only a visual representation of overall trends, you might want to request an area chart report instead.

Comma- or Tab-Separated Text Report

This report returns data in a comma- or tab-separated text file, according to the selection made. The distinctive icon for this report is a text file. A file with data in text format can be used with other tools to analyze the data, for example, a spreadsheet program.

If you used previous versions of Performance Reporting Manager, this type of report could only be generated after a graphical report was requested. This step is no longer required and you can request a comma- or tab-separated text report directly.

This type of report can also be scheduled and viewed as a web browser report. For more information, see Scheduling Reports and Options for Viewing Report Output.