Custom Report Templates

A report template guides you through the process of creating your own custom report. The report fields displayed are predefined in the report template according to the type of report you want. A saved report template containing the options you select for your custom report is called a report request. All custom report requests are based on one of the report templates that are included with Performance Reporting Manager.

Small differences exist between the report templates depending upon the type of request you want to create: a custom performance report or a custom system configuration report. Performance reports are based on properties that yield numerical results and that change over time. The data returned can be plotted over time in a graph, for example. This graph can then be used to determine trends in performance of the machines. The system configuration reports provide data regarding the details of the hardware and software configuration of the host.

When you choose a report request from the File menu in Report Manager, a report template is automatically displayed in a dialog box. The template displayed depends upon the type of report request you choose. The following report templates are available:

• Performance Report Request – Reports that provide information regarding system resource utilization, such as the amount of disk space or processor used.

• System Report Request – Reports that provide basic information on system capacity, such as the number of disks or processors on a host.

• Hardware Configuration Report Request – Reports that provide detailed information on the host. For example, the report might detail the specifics about each processor or each disk on a host.

• Package Report Request – Reports that provide information about the software packages installed on a host.

• Patch Report Request – Reports that provide information about the software patches installed on a host.

• Alarms Report Request – Reports that provide information about the status of alarms on a host.

• System Uptime Report Requests – Reports that provide information about a system's uptime and downtime.

The fields available in a report template are described below. The report field descriptions are grouped according whether the fields are found in both types of reports, only in performance reports, or only in system configuration reports.

Common Custom Report Fields

The fields that can be common to both performance and system configuration reports are:

• Category

• Subcategory

• Report Request

• Report Title

• Data Properties

• Selected Hosts

• Output Mode

• Customize

Category

Select the desired category from the Category drop-down menu. New categories you create also appear in the drop-down menu. This field determines where in the hierarchy view the saved report request appears.

Subcategory

The Subcategory field is optional. Select the desired subcategory from the drop-down menu. New subcategories that you create also appear in the drop-down menu.

Report Request

Provide the name of the report request. This name appears as the title in the report request. The name also appears in both the report summary and the hierarchy views in Report Manager.

Report Title

The Report Title field is optional. This field provides a description of the report that then appears as the title. This description appears in the report summary of Report Manager. The report summary is displayed when the name of the report is selected in the hierarchy view.

Data Properties

Select the data properties to be included in the report in the Data Properties field. Click Edit to make your selections from the Select Data Properties dialog box. Some differences exist between the Select Data Properties dialog box that is displayed in the performance or system configuration report templates. The correct dialog box automatically opens for you. Only the data properties currently being logged on the hosts return data. For more information, see Data Properties.

Selected Hosts

Specify the hosts and corresponding port that you want to include in the report. Only agent machines that have the software installed, that are in the server's topology, and that are linked to the server context return data. If no port is specified for a host, the default port 161 is assigned. The following list describes the host choices:

• Enter Hosts at Run Time – You must provide each host and corresponding port when you run the report request. A separate dialog box for this purpose is displayed at runtime. You can also provide the IP address for the host and corresponding port. The host and corresponding port are not saved to the report request, and can be changed each time the report is run.

• Select Hosts From Main Console Window (Then Click Update) – The hosts and corresponding ports that you provide are saved to the report request. Each time the report is run, data is returned regarding the hosts originally saved. To select the desired hosts, do the following:

  • Go to the Sun Management Center Main Console window.

  • Make your selections either by pressing Shift+Click, or by drawing a lasso around the icons that represent the desired hosts.

  • Click Update in the report template to add the hosts.

• Enter Hosts as Hostname:Port (Comma Delimited) – If selected, you provide the host and the corresponding port. You can also provide the IP address for the host and corresponding port. The proper form is to use a comma delimiter without a space. You can add as many valid hosts and ports as wanted.

• All Hosts

Output Mode

Choose the desired format of the report from the Output Mode drop-down menu. The available options depend on the type of report request you are creating. The following list describes the possible options:

• Line Graph

• Bar Chart

• Stacked Bar Chart

• Area Chart

• Stacked Area Chart

• Pie Chart

• Tabular

• Comma Separated Text

• Tab Separated Text

For more information about the report formats available, see Output Format Options for Reports.

Customize

The Customize field is optional. You can further customize the look of a graph report through the Customize dialog box. For more information, see Customizing the Appearance of Reports.

Performance Report Fields

Three report fields are found only in a performance report template:

• Function

• Time Range

• Graph Orientation

The other possible fields available for this type of report are as described in Common Custom Report Fields.

Function

The Function field controls the type of data that appears in the report. Select the type of data you want from the drop-down menu. For more information about how data is collected, see Data Collection Process. The following list describes the function choices:

• Raw – The raw data logged on the agent machine is returned. Raw data is logged according to the time interval specified in the Property Logging Setting dialog box for each data property. The Raw option is available only for these standard time ranges: Last 4 Hours, Last 24 Hours, Last 3 Days, and Real Time. If the Raw option is chosen for a custom time range, a maximum of three days of raw data is available.

• Maximum – The maximum value of the most granular level of data available in the database is returned.

• Average – The average value of the most granular level of data available in the database is returned.

• Minimum – The minimum value of the most granular level of data available in the database is returned.

Time Range

This field determines the time span of the report. The following list describes the time range choices:

• Standard: Select a predefined time range from the drop-down menu. Choose from the following time ranges:

  • Last 4 Hours – The range starts from the current hour to minus four hours.

  • Last 24 Hours – The range starts from the current hour to minus 24 hours.

  • Last 3 Days – The range starts from 12:00 a.m. three days before the current date to 11:59 p.m. the day before the current date.

  • Last 7 Days – The range starts from 12:00 a.m. seven days before the current date to 11:59 p.m. the day before the current date.

  • Last Calendar Week – The range starts from 12:00 a.m. Sunday of the previous week to 11:59 p.m. of the following Saturday.

  • Last Calendar Month – The range starts from 12:00 a.m. of the first day of the last month to 11:59 p.m. of the last day of the last month.

  • Real Time – The range starts from the current day and time and goes forward. This option is only available when the Function selection is Raw.

• Custom: Use this option to define your own time range.

  First click Edit and then type a Date and Time Range in the Time Range dialog box.

  The From and To fields contain drop-down menus from which you make your selections.

Graph Orientation

If you select Line Graph or Bar Chart as the output mode, you must choose the desired orientation of the graphs in the report. The following list describes the graph orientation options:

• One Host, Many Data Properties – A separate graph for each host included in the report is displayed. Each graph shows all the data properties for that host. Each data property is shown as a separate line or bar on the graph. Each line or bar is distinguished by either its color or its symbol, or both identifiers. The legend for the graph identifies which color or symbol is being used for each data property in the report. The host name is listed at the top of each graph.

• One Data Property, Many Hosts – A separate graph for each data property included in the report is displayed. Each graph includes a separate line or separate bar for every host in the report. Each line is distinguished by its color, or its symbol, or both identifiers. The legend for the graph identifies which color or symbol is being used for each host in the report. The data property is listed at the top of each graph.

• All Hosts and Data Properties on One Graph – Only one graph is displayed. All hosts and data properties in the report are included. Each line or bar is distinguished by its color, its symbol, or both identifiers. The legend for the graph identifies which color or symbol is being used to identify each host and data property in the report.

Custom System Configuration Report Fields

The report template for creating a custom system configuration report has two fields that are found in this type of report:

• Level of Detail

• Filter

The other possible fields available for this type of report are as described in Common Custom Report Fields.

Level of Detail

Use the Level of Detail field to determine the amount of detail wanted in the report. Accept either the default (Detailed) or select Summary. If you select Summary, the following information is returned:

• Alarm Reports – The number of alarms

• Hardware Reports – The number of hosts

• Packages Reports – The number of packages

• Patch Reports – The number of patches

When requesting a System Uptime report, the level of detail options are as follows:

• Detailed – Data is represented as one point per day or week, depending upon the time period requested.

• Total – Data is represented as one point for the entire time period requested.

Filter

The Filter field is optional. Click Set Filter to select the desired filter options from the Filter dialog box. Use the drop-down menus to build an expression that creates the report filter wanted. The filtering options are case sensitive. For more information, see Filtering Reports.