Selecting Source Data

When creating a report, you first need to choose the devices or interfaces for which data is included in the report.

Use the data source selection bar to select the devices or interfaces for your report.

To select data sources:

Selecting a Dataset

To create graphs, you need to select a dataset that contains numeric values. The datasets available depend on which devices are selected, the probes used to monitor those devices, what datasets are recorded through those probes, and whether those datasets are being exported to the Reports Server database.

A dataset is available when retention policy for the selected device is not set to None and one of the following is true:

To select a dataset:

Selecting Data Grouping

Grouping by time

In most cases, the selected time scale causes each data point to represent a group of raw samples. Use the data grouping buttons to specify how you want the group of samples represented by a graph data point to be displayed.

To select data grouping for each time period:

Grouping by device or interface

When multiple devices or interfaces are selected, each device or interface's dataset appears as a line or bar on the graph. The Group check box allows you to group the datasets from multiple devices or interfaces into a single dataset that shows the minimum, average or maximum value for all devices in the group over the selected time period.

To view devices or interfaces as one dataset:

Selecting Columns (Table view)

In Table view, regardless of the selected dataset, use the Columns selector to choose the columns to show in the report.

Using the Page Controls

Use the page controls to choose the page of data you want to view.

Selecting a Data Range

You can limit the amount of data from the dataset that is displayed in the report. In selecting a data range, you select data over a time range, and control the density of that data over the specified range. You do this using the Show Data From controls at the bottom of the window. Select a range of data by date, and specify the units to use (hours, days, weeks, months, etc.). Learn more about data range selection options in Data Range Options, below.

Data Range Options

Previous

Select a data in a range of time previous to today.

...to Date

Select all data from beginning of the most recent day, week, month, or year.

The time units vary with your selection.

Specific date

Select data for a specific date.

All dates before

Select all data before the specified date.

All dates after

Select all data after the specified date.

Date Range

Select data from the specified range of dates.

Specifying Time Units

In addition to selecting a range of data over time, you can specify the units used to display the data.

Of course, the data units selected affect the time it takes to display the report. (Displaying data every 5 minutes over a year, for example, represents a large amount of data.)