ORS Reports

ORS Reports

ORS Reports

How to create a report

The main purpose of Observer Reporting Server is to provide reports, either pre-configured reports or ones that you create and customize yourself. Like an onion, there can be many layers or parts of a report, each of which can be customized through filters and more.

Note: If you want reports for a specific site, department, application, address, address range, or for some other reason, you must first create a business group for it. Then you can create custom reports or copy existing reports for that business group.

1.

Choose Reports > Business Group Reports.

2.

Click New. The Report Setup window appears.

3.

Configure your report.

Option

Description

Report name

Type a name for your report.

Report description

Type a description for your report. This can be helpful if you have numerous reports or have people looking at the report lists who are unfamiliar with what each report contains.

Drill down report

Enable this option if you want the report to be a sub-report of another report that you have already created. After the report is created you must move the report by clicking the “Edit report positioning” option and then dragging your report to its desired location.

Show filter information

Enable this option if you want sub-reports, associated with this report, to display the filter criteria that was applied (verbose mode). For more details, see Filtering at the report element level.

Hide report elements that do not contain data when viewing this report

Enable this option to dynamically hide report elements. This option is especially useful when a report contains a search element; if your search returns "empty" results in any of the elements of your report (nothing could be found), those elements become hidden from view.

Use as Alarm report

Enable this option if you want the report to be an Alarm report. Alarm reports can only contain Current Status elements.

Redirect to external website

Select this option if you want your report to behave solely as a URL hyperlink in the web interface.

Limit report access to

Optionally specify the business group that can view this report. If all business groups should have access, ensure “<All Business Groups>” is selected.

Use Address Book

Choose which address this report should use.

Using the probe’s address book uses the current network names address book for aliases on all reports regardless of the day the report is displaying. Should the current address book change on the probe, it is transferred to Observer during the next data transfer.

Using the trending file’s address book uses the addresses contained in the trending data file for that day. The address book is written in the trending data each day when the first trending file is recorded. Should the address book change during the day a new address book is written in the next trending file, and the newest address book is used for Observer for reports showing that day.

For reports with systems using DHCP, you may notice a difference between the probe and trending file’s address book. If your report seems different than what you expect, use the other address book. In general, the trending file’s address book will be more current and should be your default choice.

Option	Description
Report name	Type a name for your report.
Report description	Type a description for your report. This can be helpful if you have numerous reports or have people looking at the report lists who are unfamiliar with what each report contains.
Drill down report	Enable this option if you want the report to be a sub-report of another report that you have already created. After the report is created you must move the report by clicking the “Edit report positioning” option and then dragging your report to its desired location.
Show filter information	Enable this option if you want sub-reports, associated with this report, to display the filter criteria that was applied (verbose mode). For more details, see Filtering at the report element level.
Hide report elements that do not contain data when viewing this report	Enable this option to dynamically hide report elements. This option is especially useful when a report contains a search element; if your search returns "empty" results in any of the elements of your report (nothing could be found), those elements become hidden from view.
Use as Alarm report	Enable this option if you want the report to be an Alarm report. Alarm reports can only contain Current Status elements.
Redirect to external website	Select this option if you want your report to behave solely as a URL hyperlink in the web interface.
Limit report access to	Optionally specify the business group that can view this report. If all business groups should have access, ensure “<All Business Groups>” is selected.
Use Address Book	Choose which address this report should use. Using the probe’s address book uses the current network names address book for aliases on all reports regardless of the day the report is displaying. Should the current address book change on the probe, it is transferred to Observer during the next data transfer. Using the trending file’s address book uses the addresses contained in the trending data file for that day. The address book is written in the trending data each day when the first trending file is recorded. Should the address book change during the day a new address book is written in the next trending file, and the newest address book is used for Observer for reports showing that day. For reports with systems using DHCP, you may notice a difference between the probe and trending file’s address book. If your report seems different than what you expect, use the other address book. In general, the trending file’s address book will be more current and should be your default choice.