5.2 Report Explorer

The Report Explorer is used to organize and generate reports.

5.2.1 Report Explorer Template Nodes

The Report Explorer hierarchy consists of template nodes that have various types of report templates.

Table 5-3 Report Explorer Template Nodes

Template Node

Report Templates

Node Description

Analysis

Application - Exchange Workloads

Application - SQL Server Workloads

Disk - Average 30 Day Forecast

Disk - Peak

Hardware Utilization - Average 30 Day Forecast

Hardware Utilization - Peak

Memory - Average 30 Day Forecast

Memory - Overutilized

Memory - Peak

Memory - Underutilized

Network -Average 30 Day Forecast

Network - Peak

Processor - Average 30 Day Forecast

Processor - Overutilized

Processor - Peak

Processor - Underutilized

Resource Utilization Trend

Workload Size - Average 30 Day Forecast

Workload Size - Peak

For reporting dynamic data such as hardware utilization and workload sizes.

Chargeback

Cost Allocation

For reporting the transfer of charges incurred by the IT department back to the business units that are using services. See Section 7.4, Chargeback Reporting.

Consolidation

Project

Scenario Summary

Workload Assignment

For reporting on projects, scenarios, and servers in the Consolidation Planning Module. See Section 6.5, Viewing Consolidation Reports for information on how to use templates within this node.

Consolidation Project Samples

Good Consolidation Candidates

Inventory Summary

Poor Consolidation Candidates

Utilization Summary

Workload List with Conditional Formatting

Commonly used sample consolidation reports.

Diagnostics

Error Report

Missing Data - Detailed

Missing Data - Summary

For diagnosing errors that cause monitoring data to be missing from a chart.

Disk

Disk Inventory

For reporting the size and type of physical disks on machines.

Inventory

Hardware - Obsolete

Hardware Inventory

Power and Cooling

Virtual Machine Server Candidates

Virtual Machine State

VM Files Report

VM Snapshots Report

VM Sprawl Report

For reporting static data such as operating system, processor speed, memory, disk space, network, power, and cooling.

Reclamation

Disk Reclamation

Memory Reclamation

Powered On VMs Reclamation

Volume Reclamation

For reporting on elements that can be reclaimed to ensure efficient use of resources.

Software

Application > Application Inventory

Application Complete > Application Complete Inventory

Processes > Process Inventory

Service > Service Inventory

Service Complete > Service Complete Inventory

For reporting installed applications, services, and running processes.

Virtual Infrastructure

Cluster Configuration

Resource Pool Configuration

VI Configuration

VirtualCenter Report

VM Cluster

VM Details Report

VM Resource Pool

VM Virtual Infrastructure

For reporting on virtual machines and virtual machine hosts.

Volume

Volume Inventory

For reporting the space and file system associated with each logical volume on machines.

As shown in Table 5-3, within each report node are one or more templates that you can use as is or that you can customize with sorting, filtering, and view selection options. You can add additional Analysis, Chargeback, Disk, Inventory, Software, and Volume report templates.

5.2.2 Commands

The following Report Explorer commands are accessible by right-clicking a report template or a generated report:

Table 5-4 Report Explorer Commands

Commands

Tooltip/Description

Create Report Template. Create a new report template based on the report node selected.

Copy Report Template. Copy a report template.

Edit Report Template. Edit a report by setting group, views, filters, summaries, and forecasts for a report template or a report.

Generate Report. Generate a report based on the report template selected.

View Report. View an existing (previously generated) report.

Send Report. Send a generated report via e-mail or to an FTP server or network location.

Delete. Delete the selected report or template.

5.2.3 Analysis Reports

Analysis reports use dynamic data such as hardware utilization and workload sizes. To view workloads or utilization of servers that are being monitored, generate an Analysis report. The report is displayed with historical data, which is useful for getting a single value (maximum, minimum, peak, average) for expressions over a specified period of time. Use this data to identify over-utilized or under-utilized server resources.

NOTE:Data must be collected for at least one hour before Analysis reports are generated. If there is insufficient data, the report is displayed without dynamic data.

To get detailed historical data for each data point, click the report cell to view the related detailed chart.

Machines without monitoring data are included in Analysis reports by default to allow complete analysis of all inventoried machines.

Figure 5-2 Sample Analysis Report

5.2.4 Working with Report Templates

Creating a Report Template

  1. Right-click the report type node in the Report Explorer for the type of report that you want to create, then select Create Report Template from the menu.

    The Create Report Template dialog box is displayed.

  2. Define the template settings, using the procedures and guidelines for editing an existing template. See Section 5.3, Editing Report Templates.

  3. Click OK.

    The new template is displayed under the report type node in the Report Explorer.

Copying a Report Template

  1. Right-click the report template you want to copy in the Report Explorer and select Copy Report Template from the menu.

    The Edit Report Template dialog box is displayed with (COPY) added to the template name.

  2. (Optional) Edit the template name.

  3. Click OK.

    The new copy of the template is displayed in the Report Explorer.

Deleting a Report Template

  1. Right-click the report template you want to delete in the Report Explorer and select Delete from the menu.

    The Confirm Delete dialog box is displayed.

  2. Click OK.

    The report template is removed from the Report Explorer.