Reports display the data extracted from AppManager databases in tables or graphically in charts. The Reporting Console allows you to configure various aspects of the presentation of your reports. For example: color scheme, type of chart, and the display of the X-axis and Y-axis, data points, data streams, legends, and titles.
In addition, you can generate new columns for your tables just using the Console, without depending on SQL queries defined into the reports. You can easily create multiple reports from the same report and add them to a dashboard report that contains reports with related information.
When you select a report, the Reporting Console displays the report in the Results pane, and the contexts of the report in the Tasks pane. To customize the appearance of the report and the data displayed, you can configure the report contexts and properties. After you modify a report, you must save it to retain the changes. Saving also automatically redeploys reports that you previously deployed to SSRS, so you typically do not need to manually redeploy reports after modifying them in the Console.
If you previously set up a subscription for a report and you modified the report in the Console, you must manually redeploy it to reset the subscription. Also, if you modified the data displayed (for example, by changing the Data Query Limit context value), then you must also run the report to update it.
Report contexts include the data controls such as the Data Source connection, time frame, query limit defined in the report. These contexts are displayed in the Tasks > Report Context of the Reporting Console.The information in the Report Context tab changes according to the definitions specified in each report. You can modify most contexts to customize the data displayed in your report. For contexts with a tree, such as Machine and Knowledge Script, you can filter the nodes to display specific data and perform a search on the context tree. For more information about setting the report context, Section 5.2, Setting the Context For a Report.
Reporting Console includes the following Report Contexts:
Data Source Connection: Lists the sources of data for your report. If there is more than one connection available, you can select the Data Source Connection that Reporting Center should use to retrieve data for the report.
Data Source: Lists the available AppManager repository.
Knowledge Script: Lists all the AppManager Knowledge Script that are available both in the Cube and the Warehouse.
Group: Lists all the AppManager machines and machine groups. The machine and machine groups are filtered based on the selected Knowledge Scripts.
Metric: Lists the AppManager static and dynamic legends of the following types:
AM Event Count
AM Event Occurrence
AM NT Performance Data
AM Unix Performance Data
The metrics are filtered based on the selected machines and machine groups.
Measures: Lists the statistics for computing data:
Average
Count
Maximum
Minimum
Standard Deviation
Sum
Time: Allows you to specify the date and time range for a report. You can customize the date and time or choose from predefined ranges. You can also define the interval at which you want to aggregate data in your report. For example, if you specify a time range of 12 months, data is aggregated by month rather than day. You can limit the contents of a report to specific hours of the day and specific days of the week.
Reporting Center allows you to configure a context and use that setting in other reports that contain the same context. The value of a Pinned context overrides the default value of the context in other reports. The value of a context that is Not Pinned is used only in the report displayed.
For example, you can pin the Date Range value of the Time context to Last Month if you want to execute a number of different reports, but only display data from the past month for each report. You can also execute reports that retrieve data for the same servers and metrics, but for a number of different time periods, by pinning other contexts.
When you open a report that does not contain the same context as the one that is pinned, Reporting Center automatically unpins the context for those reports, but keeps it pinned when you switch to a report that contains the context.
To use a context value in multiple reports:
In the Tasks pane, click the Report Context tab.
Click the name of the context at the bottom of the Context pane.
Click Not Pinned at the top of the Context pane, which changes the button to Pinned, and pins that context. When you open another report containing the same context, the Reporting Console displays the pinned value.
Report properties in Reporting Center describe the report (such as name, description, date modified) and specify the appearance of the report (chart type, data series properties, 3-dimensional properties, and so on). You can modify most properties to customize your report.
Each time you modify a property, click Apply to view the changes. When you are done with modifying the report properties, save the report. Before you deploy the reports, experiment with the chart properties to ensure that you are presenting information in the best way for your intended audience. As you design your reports, keep in mind that certain properties in the Reporting Console are not supported by SSRS. For more information, see Section 4.5.1, SSRS Limitations.
If the report is already deployed to SSRS, saving the report in the Console redeploys the report to all SSRS locations. Therefore, if you want to experiment with the appearance of a report, but do not want the report to be redeployed each time, save a test version of the report that you can use to configure in different ways.
Reporting Center makes it easy to configure chart properties to create interesting and relevant reports. Suppose you are preparing a report that contains data over a period of 20 months. In this report, you have a Column chart type, and the maximum value for the Y-axis is set to 100. You can use properties to manipulate the way the chart represents the data. For example, if you use the default settings for Automatic Minimum Axis Value and Automatic Maximum Axis Value (in the Report Properties dialog box, go to Axes > Primary Y-Axis > Configure), Reporting Center calculates the minimum and maximum values for the Y-axis based on the minimum and maximum values of the data in the report.
Although the chart provides an accurate representation of the values, you can use the Y-Axis properties to provide a more meaningful presentation of this information. You can set the Y-axis to match the possible range of values by configuring Minimum Axis Value and Maximum Axis Value, which will provide you with a visual representation of where your data fits into the larger scheme.
To make the chart even more readable, you can limit the number of labels on the X-axis. For example, it is unnecessary to display a date on each data point for 20 months. You can change the frequency of the X-axis labels by changing the Label Interval Type to Auto or by changing it to Data Point, and specifying a number larger than 1 (in the Report Properties dialog box, go to Axes > X-Axis > Configure).
This is just one example of the ways that you can use properties to clarify the information in your charts and make them easier to understand.
For more information about setting the report properties, Section 5.3, Setting the Properties For a Report.
When you configure properties for charts, consider the following information:
If you use scale breaks in your charts, NetIQ Corporation recommends using the default settings provided in the Reporting Console. Microsoft Chart Controls have a limitation in which scale breaks are not supported in the following conditions:
Pie, doughnut, or any stacked chart types are used.
Custom intervals for labels, tick marks or grid lines are enabled.
The minimum or maximum value for the axis is set.
Custom labels are used.
A logarithmic Y-axis is specified.
Axis views on the Y-axis, which include scrolling and zooming, are used.
3-D charts are used.
If any of these conditions are used with scale breaks, the Reporting Console stops working. For more information about this issue, see Microsoft Website.
If you choose any of the Line chart types, specifically Line; Fast Line; Step Line; and Spline, use the Border Line Width and Border Line Style properties to configure the appearance of the data series. This ensures that these charts are displayed correctly when deployed to SSRS. You access these settings in the Report Properties window on the Data Series tab.
Note that, for these chart types, you do not use the Border Line Color option to set the data series color. Instead, you use the Color property in the Configure Data Series dialog box, which you access from the Data Series tab by clicking Configure on the Predefined Data Series or Custom Data Series fields. Click the Chart tab and set a value for the Color field.
If you specify a column for the X-axis that is in date-time format, you cannot group the data by that column, or sort the data in ascending or descending order. For all other data types, the grouping and sorting options are available.
You can share reports by exporting report definitions. Reporting Center allows you to email or export charts and tables in a number of image and file formats. To export report definitions of a report, select the report in the Navigation pane, then click Report > Export Report Definition.