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GoalsUser Guide

1.0VMC-GOA

VISUAL Message Center Goals User GuideThe software described in this book is furnished under a license agreement and may be used only in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

Copyright Notice

Copyright © 2014 Tango/04 All rights reserved.

Document date: January 2014

Document version: 1.4

Product version: 1.0

No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic mechani-cal, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Tango/04.

Trademarks

Any references to trademarked product names are owned by their respective companies.

Technical Support

For technical support visit our web site at www.tango04.com.

Tango/04 Computing Group S.L. Avda. Meridiana 358, 5 A-B Barcelona, 08027 Spain

Tel: +34 93 274 0051

http:\\www.tango04.comhttp:\\www.tango04.com

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Table of Contents .............................................................................. iii

How to Use this Guide........................................................................ ix

Chapter 1

Introduction ...................................................................................... 11.1. What is Service Level Management? .............................................................1

1.2. What is an SLA? .............................................................................................2

1.3. What are SLIs and KPIs?................................................................................2

1.4. What is Goals?................................................................................................21.4.1. How Goals Works .....................................................................................3

1.5. Goals Definitions.............................................................................................5

1.6. What are the Benefits of Goals? .....................................................................6

Chapter 2

Before You Begin ............................................................................... 82.1. Requirements..................................................................................................8

2.2. Internet Explorer .............................................................................................8

2.3. Security .........................................................................................................10

2.4. How to Log in to Goals..................................................................................11

2.5. First Run .......................................................................................................112.5.1. Goals Engine Configuration ....................................................................122.5.2. AccessServer Configuration....................................................................132.5.3. SharedObjects Configuration ..................................................................132.5.4. PMDB Configuration ...............................................................................132.5.5. General Properties Configuration............................................................13

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2.6. Video Tutorials ..............................................................................................14

Chapter 3

VISUAL Message Center Goals ........................................................... 153.1. Goals Tabs....................................................................................................16

3.2. Filters and Lists.............................................................................................173.2.1. Filters ......................................................................................................173.2.2. Lists.........................................................................................................173.2.3. Goals and Indicator Lists.........................................................................183.2.4. Working with Lists ...................................................................................18

Chapter 4

Common Data ................................................................................. 204.1. Categories.....................................................................................................20

4.1.1. Category List Filter ..................................................................................214.1.2. Category List ...........................................................................................214.1.3. Category Editor .......................................................................................22

4.2. Contacts........................................................................................................224.2.1. Contacts List Filter ..................................................................................234.2.2. Contacts List ...........................................................................................234.2.3. Contacts Editor........................................................................................23

4.3. Contracts.......................................................................................................244.3.1. Contracts List Filter .................................................................................254.3.2. Contracts List ..........................................................................................254.3.3. Contracts Editor ......................................................................................25

Chapter 5

Scheduling Goals ............................................................................. 275.1. Calendars......................................................................................................27

5.1.1. Range Sets .............................................................................................285.1.2. Exclusion Ranges ...................................................................................315.1.3. Creating Calendars .................................................................................315.1.4. Example ..................................................................................................32

5.2. Periods..........................................................................................................335.2.1. Periods List .............................................................................................335.2.2. Creating and Editing Periods ..................................................................355.2.3. Importing Periods ....................................................................................375.2.4. Exporting Periods....................................................................................37

5.3. Excluded Periods ..........................................................................................38

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Chapter 6

Creating a Goal................................................................................ 406.1. Elements of a Goal .......................................................................................40

6.1.1. Templates ...............................................................................................416.1.2. Common Data .........................................................................................41

6.2. KPI v Status ..................................................................................................41

6.3. Connectors....................................................................................................426.3.1. Connector List Filter ................................................................................436.3.2. Connector List .........................................................................................436.3.3. Connector Editor .....................................................................................44

6.4. Variable Instances ........................................................................................476.4.1. Connector Variable Instances List Filter .................................................486.4.2. Connector Variable Instances List ..........................................................48

6.5. Indicators ......................................................................................................506.5.1. Indicator List Filter...................................................................................516.5.2. Indicator List............................................................................................516.5.3. Indicator Editor ........................................................................................52

6.6. Goals.............................................................................................................546.6.1. Goal List Filter .........................................................................................556.6.2. Menu Bar.................................................................................................556.6.3. Goal List ..................................................................................................566.6.4. Goal Editor ..............................................................................................566.6.5. Creating a Goal from a Template............................................................626.6.6. Reprocess Goal Filter .............................................................................63

Chapter 7

Using Templates.............................................................................. 657.1. Indicator Templates ......................................................................................66

7.1.1. Indicator Template List Filter...................................................................667.1.2. Indicator Template List............................................................................66

7.2. Indicator Template Editor..............................................................................677.2.1. Create / Edit Indicator Template .............................................................67

7.3. Goal Templates.............................................................................................687.3.1. Goal Template List Filter .........................................................................697.3.2. Goal Template List ..................................................................................69

7.4. Goal Template Editor ....................................................................................697.4.1. Create / Edit Goal Template....................................................................707.4.2. Goal Alarms ............................................................................................71

7.5. Advanced Template Properties.....................................................................717.5.1. Pre and Post Processing Scripts.............................................................737.5.2. Physical Time Correlation .......................................................................73

7.6. Filter Lists......................................................................................................737.6.1. Creating a Filter List ................................................................................737.6.2. Creating Filters........................................................................................74

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7.6.3. Filter Rules ..............................................................................................757.6.4. Rule Types and Applicable Operators ....................................................76

Chapter 8

Scorecards....................................................................................... 788.1. Real-Time v. Historical..................................................................................79

8.2. Link to this Scorecard ...................................................................................79

8.3. Scorecard Toolbar ........................................................................................80

8.4. Icon Key ........................................................................................................82

8.5. Real-Time Goal Dashboard ..........................................................................828.5.1. Real-Time Goal Scorecard Filter.............................................................838.5.2. Real-Time Goal Dashboard ....................................................................83

8.6. Historical Goal Dashboard ............................................................................868.6.1. Historical Goal Scorecard Filter ..............................................................868.6.2. Historical Goal Dashboard ......................................................................87

8.7. Goal Summary ..............................................................................................888.7.1. Goal Summary Dashboard Filter.............................................................898.7.2. Goal Summary ........................................................................................90

Chapter 9

Management................................................................................... 919.1. Goals Engine Control Panel..........................................................................91

9.1.1. Goals Engine Status ...............................................................................929.1.2. Goals Engine Log....................................................................................92

9.2. Goals Configuration ......................................................................................929.2.1. Goals Engine Configuration ....................................................................929.2.2. AccessServer Configuration....................................................................939.2.3. SharedObjects Configuration ..................................................................939.2.4. PMDB Configuration ...............................................................................939.2.5. General Properties Configuration............................................................93

9.3. License Management....................................................................................94

9.4. Manage System Privileges ...........................................................................959.4.1. Actors ......................................................................................................969.4.2. Application Roles ...................................................................................969.4.3. Privileges.................................................................................................98

Chapter 10

PMDB Configuration....................................................................... 10010.1. Data Sources ............................................................................................100

10.1.1. Creating Data Sources........................................................................100

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10.2. Retention Policies .....................................................................................10110.2.1. Creating Retention Policies.................................................................101

10.3. Main Data Source .....................................................................................102

Chapter 11

Import and Export.......................................................................... 10411.1. Import........................................................................................................104

11.2. Export........................................................................................................105

Chapter 12

Data Collector for Goals ThinAgents ................................................. 107

Appendices

Appendix A: Example of How to Create Goals Using Templates ........... 109A.1. The Scenario ..............................................................................................109

A.1.1. Common Data.......................................................................................110A.1.2. Schedules.............................................................................................110A.1.3. Templates.............................................................................................110A.1.4. Goal Data..............................................................................................110

A.2. The Process ...............................................................................................111

Appendix B: Indicator Calculation Types ........................................... 120B.1. Status Variable Indicator Types..................................................................120B.2. KPI Variable Indicator Types ......................................................................120B.3. Further Calculation Definitions ...................................................................121

B.3.1. Count When..........................................................................................121B.3.2. Transform KPIs.....................................................................................121

Appendix C: Pre and Post Processing Scripts ..................................... 122C.1. Pre and Post Processing Scripts Panel......................................................122

Appendix D: Physical Time Correlation ............................................. 125

Appendix E: Custom Python for Goals............................................... 127E.1. Editing a Python Expression.......................................................................127E.2. Python Classes for Goals ...........................................................................128

E.2.1. Python Variables...................................................................................128E.2.2. SLMObject class...................................................................................128E.2.3. SLMDimension class ............................................................................129

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E.3. Python Constants for Goals........................................................................129E.4. Python Functions for Goals ........................................................................130

Appendix F: Default Retention Policy................................................ 133

Appendix G: SmartConsole Alarm Variables ...................................... 134

Appendix H: Backup and Restore..................................................... 137H.1. Backing Up Goals Configurations ..............................................................137

H.1.1. SharedObjects References ..................................................................138H.1.2. Non-dependent and Dependent Components......................................138

H.2. Archiving Backups......................................................................................139H.3. Importing Saved Configurations .................................................................139

H.3.1. Dependencies.......................................................................................140

Appendix I: Hardware and Space Requirements ................................ 142I.1. Hardware Requirements ..............................................................................142I.2. Database Space Requirements ...................................................................142

I.2.1. Persistence Intervals..............................................................................142I.3. Customize the Persistence Intervals............................................................144

Appendix J: Contacting Tango/04 .................................................... 145

Glossary........................................................................................ 147

Index............................................................................................ 165

About Tango/04 Computing Group .................................................. 171

Legal Notice .................................................................................. 172

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How to Use this Guide

© 2014 Tango/04 Computing Group Page ix

How to Use this Guide

This chapter explains how to use Tango/04 User Guides and understand the typographical conventions used in all Tango/04 documentation.

Typographical ConventionsThe following conventional terms, text formats, and symbols are used throughout Tango/04 printed documentation:

Convention Description

Boldface Commands, on-screen buttons and menu options.

Blue Italic References and links to other sections in the manual or further documentation containing relevant information.

Italic Text displayed on screen, or variables where the user must substitute their own details.

Monospace Input commands such as System i commands or code, or text that users must type in.

UPPERCASE Keyboard keys, such as CTRL for the Control key and F5 for the function key that is labeled F5.

Notes and useful additional information.

Tips and hints that will improve the users experience of working with this product.

Important additional information that the user is strongly advised to note.

Warning information. Failure to take note of this information could potentially lead to serious problems.

Introduction

Chapter 11 Introduction

VISUAL Message Center Goals is a dynamic solution designed to ensure that your enterprise can deliver effective services 100% of the time. But before we can explain exactly what Goals can do for you and how it does it, it is important to first explain some key concepts rooted in the thinking behind the creation of the product itself:

• Service Level Management (SLM)

• Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

• Service Level Indicators (SLIs) / Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

In doing so we will demonstrate why Goals is such an important and powerful tool that can greatly profit your enterprise.

1.1 What is Service Level Management?Service Level Management (SLM) is a mechanism employed by organizations to ensure that all its services are aligned to business needs and that they are provided and maintained to a specific standard. SLM verifies that arrangements between service providers and their customers are in place and adhered to by assessing the impact of change upon service quality and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

While most organizations have implemented service level reporting, they struggle to provide effective SLM, meaning they can only produce reports after-the-fact, identifying a particular problem for an SLA. SLM however, proactively monitors SLA compliance, predicts possible future problems, and takes action to ensure the problem does not occur.

Much more than simply reporting on how an organization has performed, SLM should drive the entire organization, leading to operational success and improvements, and significant cost reductions.

The VISUAL Message Center Goals is specifically designed to ensure that SLM will deliver all of these benefits to an organization.

Effective SLM can improve service quality, achieve business/IT alignment, increase efficiency, and reduce costs.

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Introduction

1.2 What is an SLA?Service Level Agreements are used to define:

• specifically what a service is

• the level at which the service must be provided

• the agreement between all the parties concerned about what the desired result of the service is

An SLA is fundamental to service provision, from the perspective of both the supplier and the recipient, and compliance of the SLA is a critical matter. The SLA may specify the levels of availability, serviceability, performance, operation, or other attributes of the service such as billing. By specifying the level of service to be provided, customers and service providers alike are provided with measurable target values that demonstrate the level of organization performance.

Failure to reach defined service levels can have catastrophic results for both parties. Goals is engineered to ensure this never happens.

1.3 What are SLIs and KPIs?Service Level Indicators (SLIs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are used to measure the performance of a service. A KPI will be specifically used to evaluate the success of a particular activity that contributes to the service, while an SLI provides an indication of the success of the service as a whole.

In terms of their use within VISUAL Message Center, a KPI is a variable retrieved by a ThinkServer monitor, while an SLI is an indicator used by Goals to create a health state for the SLA after the KPI data

has been analyzed.

1.4 What is Goals?Goals is the powerful and intuitive Web-based tool in the VISUAL Message Center solution that monitors SLAs (and indeed any target or goal driven process) in real time, enabling an organization to ensure that SLAs are being met and that the necessary resources are being provided efficiently.

Furthermore where traditional SLM solutions rely on the IT department of an organization and areutilized only by the IT department, VISUAL Message Center Goals can be deployed in any department within an organization that has SLAs in place.

Example of how KPIs and SLIs are employed in the VISUAL Message Center solution

A KPI could represent the total number of deliveries made during a specific time (30 deliveries between 08:00 and 16:00 on Monday). ThinkServer generates a message containing the KPI data which is received by Goals and compared against a relevant SLA, which states that 45 deliveries per day (08:00 - 19:00) will be guaranteed by the Logistics department. Goals then generates an SLI in real time at 16:00 on Monday stating that the SLA status is currently unsuccessful.

Goals could also provide information regarding how many deliveries were still needed, by what time they had to be completed and details of the penalty should the required number of deliveries not be made.

Furthermore Goals can use the SLI information to automate an action which would be designed to ensure the SLA was completed, such as sending an e-mail to the Logistics Manager.


Introduction

Figure 1 – Examples of possible SLAs within various departments of an organization. The VISUAL Message Center Goals can provide SLM for any of these departments, not only the IT department.

SLAs not only exist between an organization and its external customers, but between internal departments. The following diagram illustrates why it is important for all departments to have SLM in place to effectively monitor all the SLAs that exist internally and externally and proactively make sure that each SLA is successfully adhered to. If For example the Production department fail to deliver the number of units agreed in their SLA with the Logistics department, then a knock-on effect could occur, meaning the Logistics department will be unable to deliver on their SLA agreements with external customers. SLM is designed to alert both the Production and Logistics departments to any potential problem in reaching agreed production levels and automatically trigger actions to prevent possible shortcomings. The benefits to the business are extremely clear.

Figure 2 – SLAs between internal and external customers

1.4.1 How Goals WorksBy having SLAs in place, the supplier and recipient of a service define the parameters of their relationship including the level of service required to determine if an SLA is met or not. All of this data needs to be analyzed in relation to various events and external influences as they happen and furthermore, acted upon immediately whenever necessary, to ensure success. This is what Goals does.

SLAs are contracts between service suppliers and recipients that define:

• the services provided

• the metrics associated with these services

• acceptable and unacceptable service levels

• liabilities on the part of both the service supplier and recipient, and


Introduction

• actions to be taken in specific circumstances.

Goals uses the above carefully predefined variables from the SLA and creates Service Level Indicators (SLIs) in real time, making it easy to see the status of an SLA and the actions (if any) that need to be taken. Such actions can even be automated.

Which in simple terms means that Goals has the ability to recognise an event at 3pm that has the potential to cause the non-compliance of an SLA at 9pm, and either deal with it, or tell someone how to

deal with it.

What’s more, Goals is a self-contained Web-based product which guarantees it can be employed anywhere and anytime, to monitor all the essential data required to ensure nothing can happen without Goals knowing about it. Vital piece of mind, when so much is at stake.

Goals utilizes an engine which can connect to the VISUAL Message Center SmartConsole or ThinkServer databases enabling it to incorporate valuable data from VISUAL Message Center, further optimizing the data analysis prowess of Goals.

Figure 3 – Goals workflow

Like all other VISUAL Message Center Web-based products Goals employs AccessServer to manage user roles and permissions. For further information regarding AccessServer see section 2.2 - Internet Explorer on page 8.

Goals also incorporates the VISUAL Message Center Calendar engine which is used to check whether the calculation of a goal is applicable at specific times.

Finally Goals can produce detailed reports chronicling vital historical data for future analysis.

Note Goals is not limited by any means to managing only SLAs, the versatility of Goals means it can be applied to ensure the successful delivery of any target or goal that your enterprise may have defined.


Introduction

Figure 4 – VMC Architecture. Connections between Goals and other products in the VISUAL Message Center solution are made via the PMDB.

1.5 Goals DefinitionsBefore describing Goals in more detail, we’d like to introduce you to a few important terms and concepts that we will use throughout this user guide.

Categories

Categories are used to classify indicators and goals, making them easier to organise and find.

Connectors

External applications from which raw data can be retrieved. (PMDB, BSM or ThinkServer databases).

Contacts

Contact details for the companies involved in the goals, including individuals, whether they are customers, suppliers or internal members of an organization.

Contracts

Provide details of the legal implications of the goals.

Dimensions

Context data for variable values that describes exactly what these variable values measure. The main difference between a category and a dimension is that a category is defined in Goals and refers only to the variable definition, while a dimension is usually generated from the raw data source (BSM or ThinkServer) and refers to the variable value. In this definition by variable we are referring to Connector Variable instances, Indicators or goals.

Excluded Periods

Range of time to be excluded from consideration when calculating indicators / goals.


Introduction

Goals

Define the targets that you want to monitor and the rules by which they will be deemed successful or not. Goals may be defined by your organizations existing SLAs but are flexible enough to represent any target, process or goal that you wish to monitor to ensure a successful outcome.

Indicators

Indicators provide the operations to perform on the values contained in the variable instances (ITIL measurements such as MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) or MTTR (Mean Time to Repair) and other aggregate operations).

Periods

The range of time used for the calculation of indicators.

PMDB

The Performance Management Database (PMDB) is the universal data layer for Goals. PMDB provides persistence for Goals and also manages data sources for all other VISUAL Message Center products, acting as a layer between the application and the database as well as a central hub where all products can connect.

Templates

Templates can be employed by Indicators and goals to create multiple instances that share the same behavior.

Variable Instances

The raw data which links an external application with the Goals engine. The concept of variable instances refers to the fact that variables retrieved from the ThinkServer or SmartConsole can have multiple instances, each one with different dimensions.

1.6 What are the Benefits of Goals?The benefits of Goals to any organization that depend on the completion of its goals, such as the successful delivery of a service are manyfold to both suppliers or recipients of the service.

Benefits to the service supplierBy managing goals efficiently and securing the completion of each goal, a supplier can:

• ensure that agreed services are provided in a secure, efficient and cost effective manner

• ensure the quality of the services provided, at a cost acceptable to the business / customer

• demonstrate their capability and knowledge to deliver the service required

• demonstrate their ability to organize themselves with ingenuity

• demonstrate their flexibility to react to and cope with the unexpected in order to still deliver on time

• identify and fix the weak links in their processes

• continually review and improve their services through a constant cycle of agreeing, monitoring, reporting and improving the current levels of service

• produce detailed historical evidence of the reliability of their services

• automate troubleshooting tasks and reduce the time it takes to resolve issues and costs


Introduction

• optimize applications that are essential to completing goals

• implement proactive actions to seek service improvements where needed and eradicate unacceptable levels of service

• out-perform their competitors because of all of the above

Benefits to the service recipientBy managing goals, a service recipient can:

• monitor and receive detailed analysis of suppliers performances, which provides the data needed when selecting service providers

• ensure penalties that have been agreed upon in the case of non-compliance are enforced

• track transactions and request timely actions from the service provider to resolve problems quickly

• guarantee value for money from the service supplier

• reassess Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) based on previous goal successes and failures

• analyze the impact on the business of goal successes and failures


Before You Begin

Chapter 22 Before You Begin

This chapter provides important information to help you get started with VISUAL Message Center Goals. Please read it carefully before you begin.

2.1 RequirementsVISUAL Message Center Goals requires the following:

• Internet Information Server (IIS) 6.0 or greater

• Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5 or greater

• Java Runtime Environment 1.6 or greater

IIS is available on any Microsoft Windows installation disc.

Microsoft .Net Framework can be auto installed during the installation of VISUAL Message Center ThinkServer or can be downloaded from the Microsoft Web site.

Java Runtime Environment can be downloaded from the Java Web site: http://www.java.com

For more information please refer to the VISUAL Message Center Goals Installation Guide.

2.2 Internet ExplorerWhen using Internet Explorer as the browser for Goals, the privacy settings need to be set to accept all cookies.

To change Internet Explorer privacy settings:

Step 1. Open the Internet Explorer Internet Options

Step 2. Click the Privacy Tab

Step 3. Set the Privacy slider to Accept All Cookies and click OK.

Important Before installing VISUAL Message Center Goals you must first install IIS and then Microsoft .Net framework. It is important that these components are installed in this order.


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Before You Begin

Figure 5 – Internet Explorer Privacy Settings

Depending on your version of IE, the necessary cookies may still be blocked. In this case you’d have to set IE’s Enhanced Security feature to Off.

To change Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration:

Step 1. Open the Server Manager and click Configure IE ESC under Security Information.

Figure 6 – Accessing IE Enhanced Security Configuration through the Server Manager

Step 2. The Enhanced Security Configuration window appears. Switch it Off for both Administrators and Users. Click OK.


Before You Begin

Figure 7 – Switching off Enhanced Security enables Goals to work smoothly with IE

2.3 SecurityGoals security is managed by AccessServer, a middleware product that provides security-related services to Tango/04 applications:

• Authentication Services: seamlessly integrating Tango/04 applications with user provider systems already available in your company (only Windows-based user provider systems at the moment, but others can be supported if required). AccessServer allows you to configure an applications security based on the current user profiles available in your systems, negating the need to manage new user systems just for our products.

• Authorization Services: allows you to define and fine-tune an application’s security privileges based on application roles, system users and system groups.

• Auditing Services: provides the basis for common and flexible auditing requirements.

Figure 8 – AccessServer integration with Tango/04 applications.


Before You Begin

For further information regarding AccessServer please also refer to the AccessServer -Tools and Procedures guide.

2.4 How to Log in to GoalsAccessServer is utilized by Goals to manage the users that have access to the product by requiring authentication in order to log in.

To work with Goals, users must first log in at the Windows User Authentication screen. A user name and

password are required.

To log in to Goals:

Step 1. Open a Web browser and navigate to the location of Goals.

By default Goals is installed here:

http://localhost:8666

NOTE: This address can be configured by the administrator during installation, so the IP address and the port of the URL may be different. Please check with your system administrator if Goals has been installed in a different location.

Step 2. Enter Windows user credentials.

AccessServer opens the Windows User Authentication screen. Enter your user name and password in the fields provided.

Click Login.

Figure 9 – Windows User Authentication powered by AccessServer

2.5 First RunOnly users with administration rights can log in to Goals for the first time after installation. Administratorscan then configure access for other users, for further information please see section 9.4 - Manage System Privileges on page 95.

Log in at the Windows User Authentication screen with the AccessServer administrator credentials entered during installation, see also section 2.4 - How to Log in to Goals on page 11.

Note User credentials for accessing Goals are configured in the Manage System Privileges section of the Management tab. Only users with administration rights have access to this section.

For further information please refer to section 9.4 - Manage System Privileges on page 95.


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Before You Begin

The first time you start Goals a default configuration will be created automatically which will assume that all the required applications are installed on the same machine. If this is not the case, you will need to manually configure the following:

• Goals Engine

• AccessServer

• SharedObjects

• PMDB

• General Properties

You will be presented with the following screen:

Figure 10 – Goals Configuration

2.5.1 Goals Engine ConfigurationIn the fields provided introduce information related to configuration of the Goals Engine:

• IP/Host: details of the Goals Engine host

• Port: port used by the Goals Engine Server


Before You Begin

2.5.2 AccessServer ConfigurationIn the fields provided introduce information related to AccessServer:

• IP/Host: details of the AccessServer host

• Port: port used by AccessServer

• Provider: user provider, (usually the domain name followed by @WindowsNT)

2.5.3 SharedObjects ConfigurationIn the fields provided introduce information related to SharedObjects:

• IP/Host: details of the SharedObjects host

• Port: port used by the SharedObjects

2.5.4 PMDB ConfigurationIn the fields provided introduce details of the connection to the PMDB to be used by default for storing and retrieving configuration data for Goals:

• IP/Host: details of the default PMDB host

• Port: port used by the default PMDB

2.5.5 General Properties ConfigurationIn the field provided introduce information related to configuration of general Goals properties:

• Pagination: how many rows each list will display before creating a new page

• Language: select the language for the product from the drop-down list box

• Date Time format: select the desired date and time format from the drop-down list box

Important The location of AccessServer and SharedObjects should never be localhost or 127.0.0.1 because these values are only valid if everything is installed on the same machine (Goals, AccessServer, PMDB, SharedObjects). Therefore the specific name or IP address of the machine where AccessServer and SharedObjects are installed must be used.

Note The PMDB is required to allow persistence of all Goals data (including configuration and runtime data) and also to configure the data sources of other Visual Message Center products that are available to Goals.

For further information regarding the PMDB please see Chapter 10 - PMDB Configuration on page 100.

Note Once configured, this screen is accessible from the Management tab. Click Managementand select Goals Configuration to open the Goals Configuration page.


Before You Begin

2.6 Video TutorialsA series of video tutorials are available regarding Goals which we highly recommend are viewed before you begin working with this product. The following videos are available, please click View video to play

each video:

No. Title

1 Overview View video

2 Functionalities View video

3 Architecture View video

4 Installation View video

5 Configuration View video

6A Creating a Goal from ThinkServer using templates View video

6B Creating a Goal from SmartConsole View video

6C Goal example using Python View video

7 Understanding log files for troubleshooting View video

8 General advantages of Goals View video

9 Backing up Goals View video


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VISUAL Message Center Goals

Chapter 33 VISUAL Message Center Goals

When you open the Goals you are presented with the following screen:

Figure 11 – Goals welcome screen

Goals opens with the Goals Workflow screen visible. Click on a section of this workflow diagram to go directly to the configuration page for the section in question, for example click on Connectors section of the image to open the Connectors configuration page.

To return to this screen at any time click on the Goals logo in the top left corner.



3.1 Goals TabsGoals is organized into seven main areas accessed by tabs at the top of the screen:

• Scorecards: view goal dashboards. Options available in the Scorecard tab:− Real-Time Goal Dashboard

− Historical Goal Dashboard

− Goal Summary

• Common Data: view and edit the common data required by all goals. Options available in the Tables tab:

− Categories

− Contacts

− Contracts

• Schedules: view and edit scheduling controls to apply to goals. Options available in the Scheduling tab:

− Calendars

− Periods

− Excluded Periods

• Templates: view and edit templates. Options available in the Scheduling tab:− Indicator Templates

− Goal Templates

− Filter Lists

• Goals: view and edit goal data. Options available in the Goals tab:− Connectors

− Variable Instances

− Indicators

− Goals

• Management: general configuration controls for Goals including license management, data source connections and global user level security with AccessServer. Options available in the Management tab:

− Engine Control Panel

− Configuration

− License Management

− Manage System Privileges

• PMDB: configure the PMDB service. Options available in the PMDB tab:− Data Sources

− Retention Policies

− Main Data Source

• Help− About

− Content



Figure 12 – Click the tabs at the top of the screen to navigate to each of the main sections in Goals

Click on a tab to open it in Goals and access the further options available within each tab.

3.2 Filters and ListsEach section of Goals where data can be added and edited consists of two further sub-sections:

• Filters: make it easy to find specific data in large lists

• Lists: manage the data to be used by Goals, providing the options to create new and edit existing instances.

Figure 13 – The Connector List filter and List

3.2.1 FiltersYou can search for a specific data or reduce the number of items that appear in the lists to those that only match selected criteria specified in the filter fields available. Each section has individual filter options which are further explained in the following chapters.

WildcardsWildcards can be used to ensure the filters in Goals are powerful and flexible, providing only the data you need in an instant. The following wildcards can be used:

• *: to replace zero to multiple characters

• ?: to replace a single character

3.2.2 ListsLists are where you access or create the data you need to use in Goals. Each list is managed by a menu bar is situated above each list and contains all the tools needed to manage the items available in each list.

Figure 14 – List menu bar



Refresh

Click the Refresh button to refresh the list.

AddClick the Add button to create a new item in the list. This option opens a new editor window where you can add a new item to the list.

Import

Click the Import button to import selected items from configuration files. For details see Chap-ter 11 - Import and Export on page 104.

Export

Click the Export button to export selected items to a configuration file for importing in other systems that have Goals installed. For details see Chapter 11 - Import and Export on page 104.

3.2.3 Goals and Indicator ListsIn addition to the above standard menu options, the Goals and Indicator lists also contain the following:

Figure 15 – Additional menu options for goal and indicator lists

Select All

Click the Select All button to select all the items in the list.

Deselect AllClick the Deselect All button to deselect all the items in the list.

DeleteClick the Delete button to delete all the selected items in the list.

3.2.4 Working with ListsLists have a number of useful features which further enable users to manage their contents and see the

data contained within exactly how they need to see it.

Grouping by ColumnsEach section has different columns in its list correlating to the data added in each section editor. Lists can be grouped by specific columns simply by dragging a column header to the area at the top of the list. More than one column can be dragged to form a group. Groups can be collapsed so that a list can be arranged to only display specific data as shown below in Figure 16.

Note Scorecards behave differently to other lists and have their own set of controls explained in Chapter 8 - Scorecards on page 78.



Figure 16 – Grouping a list by a column.

To remove a group from a list, simply drag the column header from the area at the top of the list.

Sort by Column Click in a column header to sort the list alphabetically from A-Z by the selected column, click again in the same column to sort from Z-A.

Figure 17 – Host column sorted A-Z

Filter by ColumnClick the Filter icon to access filter options for the column. Select from (All), (Empty), (NonEmpty), or a specific value in the column to filter the list. In the example shown in Figure 18 below, selecting Router Failures from the filter options for the Indicator Template column will display only indicators that use the Router Failures template.

Figure 18 – Sort the list using column filters


Common Data

Chapter 44 Common Data

Goals enables users to provide useful common data that can be accessed and factored into a goal, meaning that information regarding contacts, contracts or categories only need to be entered into the Goals database once, but can be re-used as many times as necessary. Therefore it is useful to prepare all the necessary common data in advance of creating a goal.

Creating common data ensures consistency from one goal to another and also saves valuable time. Once entered into the database, including this information in a goal is as easy as selecting the relevant data from a drop-down list box.

Goals requires that these elements are defined before a goal can be created. This will require an initial investment in the setup of Goals in order to provide all the data required for the console to function. Once this data is provided however, creating wide-ranging, flexible goals is extremely quick and simple.

In this chapter we will explain how to define the common data you will need.

4.1 CategoriesCategories ensure you can organize goal information easily and methodically and provide an excellent way of searching for relevant goals.


Common Data

Figure 19 – Categories List and Filter

To create a Category:

Step 1. Click the Common Data tab and select Categories.

Step 2. Click Add from the Category List menu bar.

Step 3. Enter the required data in the Category Editor explained in section 4.1.3 - Category Editor on page 22.

4.1.1 Category List FilterYou can search for existing categories or narrow the list of categories down by using the following filter option:

• Name Filter Expression: search in the Category Name field

For further information regarding using list filters please refer to section 3.2.1 - Filters on page 14.

4.1.2 Category ListThe Category List manages all the categories configured for use in Goals. For further details regarding how to use the list please refer to section 3.2.3 - Working with Lists on page 15.


Common Data

4.1.3 Category EditorIn the Category Editor create new or edit existing categories.

Figure 20 – Category Editor

The following options are available in the Category Editor panel:

• Name: enter a name for the category

• Description: enter a useful description for the category that will help users identify what the category is used for

Click Save to save changes made to the category or click Cancel to cancel the changes and return to the Category List.

Deleting a CategoryTo delete a category from the list simply click on the category to open the Category Editor and click

Delete .

4.2 ContactsContacts data specifically refers to the companies involved in the process of achieving a goal, such as the parties involved in the contractual agreements that create SLAs for example. But it also provides direct links to individuals involved, both internal or external, be it a maintenance engineer responsible for fixing a problem or a supervisor in charge of ensuring a delivery leaves the warehouse on time.

By providing contact details here you can ensure that this useful information is instantly available directly from Goals itself. The value of this is that at the moment a goal requires direct action, the contact details you need are made instantly available. An operator does not need to go through a lengthy process of finding out who should be contacted and then spend further time searching for their contact information. Goals will display this information as soon as action is required, saving valuable time and efficiently ensuring only those who need to be involved in resolving an issue are indeed involved. Furthermore Goals can use this information to automate a response, sending instructions regarding actions to be

taken to avoid the failure of a goal, directly to the contact responsible.

Note Contacts are required for Contracts so they must be created before attempting to create contract information.


Common Data

Figure 21 – Contacts List and Filter

To create a Contact:

Step 1. Click the Common Data tab and select Contacts.

Step 2. Click Add from the Contact List menu bar.

Step 3. Enter the required data in the Contact Editor explained in section 4.2.3 - Contacts Editor on page 23.

4.2.1 Contacts List FilterYou can search for existing contacts or narrow the list of contacts down by using the following filter option:

• Name Filter Expression: search in the Contact Name field


4.2.2 Contacts ListThe Contacts List manages all the contacts configured for use in Goals. For further details regarding how to use the list please refer to section 3.2.3 - Working with Lists on page 15.

4.2.3 Contacts EditorIn the Contacts Editor create new or edit existing contacts. The editor is divided into the following panels:

• Contact Edit panel


Common Data

Figure 22 – Contacts Editor

Contact EditThe following options are available in the Contact Edit panel:

• Name: company or business name

• ID: enter a unique ID number to identify this contact

Primary Contact Person

• Name: name of contact

• Position: position in company of contact

• Phone: primary phone number of contact

• Email: email address of contact

• Address: business address of contact

• Comments: enter any useful comments or notes here

Deleting a ContactTo delete a contact from the list simply click on the contact to open the Contact Editor and click Delete

.

4.3 ContractsGoals are based on contracts, the binding agreements between the parties involved, and the particular details of a contract are of vital importance when determining goal compliance. Furthermore many different goals can be linked to one contract and therefore contract data needs to be available for each of these. Entering the data once here, means it will be available for any related goal that is created later.

The contract information that can be used by Goals includes contact details for the parties involved, both provider and customer, the dates that the contract is valid for and even a direct link to the contract itself. Including this vital information in Goals guarantees that it is always instantly available, exactly when you need it, at the moment when important informed decisions need to be made.


Common Data

Contract data also utilizes contact data already input into the database making it quick and easy to create and once again ensuring consistency of information.

Figure 23 – Contracts List and Filter

To create a Contract:

Step 1. Click the Common Data tab and select Contracts.

Step 2. Click Add from the Contract List menu bar.

Step 3. Enter the required data in the Contracts Editor explained in section 4.3.3 - Contracts Editor on page 25.

4.3.1 Contracts List FilterYou can search for existing contracts or narrow the list of contracts down by using the following filter options:

• Contract Code Filter Expression: search in the Contract Code field

• Show Non-expired Only: search for contracts that have not expired

• Start Date Greater than: search for contracts that start after the provided date

• Customer: search for all contracts connected with a specific customer

• Provider: search for all contracts connected with a specific provider


4.3.2 Contracts ListThe Contracts List manages all the contracts configured for use in Goals. For further details regarding how to use the list please refer to section 3.2.3 - Working with Lists on page 15.

4.3.3 Contracts EditorIn the Contracts Editor create new or edit existing contracts. The editor is divided into the following panels:

• Create / Edit Contract panel


Common Data

Figure 24 – Contracts Editor

Create / Edit ContractThe following options are available in the Create / Edit Contract panel:

• Contract Code: enter the unique contract code

• Description: enter a useful description for the contract that will help users identify it

• Document Link: enter the location on the server of the actual contract

• Reference: enter a contract reference code if any

• Customer: select the customer from the drop-down list box

• Provider: select the provider from the drop-down list box

• Start Date: click on the date in the calendar that the contract starts, and enter a specific time if relevant

• End Date: click on the date in the calendar that the contract finishes, and enter a specific time if relevant

Deleting a ContractTo delete a contract from the list simply click on the contract to open the Contract Editor and click Delete

.


Scheduling Goals

Chapter 55 Scheduling Goals

It is important to specify the times when a goal is in effect, this will ensure that all states are accurate and reflect the true status of a goal at any given time.

Scheduling tools are available in the Schedule tab in Goals enabling you to define calendars, periods and excluded periods to be utilized by goals, providing flexible control of your goals making certain there are no anomalies in any calculations. Calendars, periods and excluded periods are applied to goals when creating or editing the goal in the Configurator. See section 6.6.4 - Goal Editor on page 56 for further details.

Calendars, periods and excluded periods are all explained in detail in this chapter.

Figure 25 – Calendars tab

5.1 CalendarsCalendars are created using the SharedObjects Calendar Service and define the days and times, such as Monday to Friday 9:00-18:00, that calculations will be applied to the goals. Calendars are used by all VISUAL Message Center products that use SharedObjects but it is important to maintain flexibility on a

product by product basis, and therefore calendars for use by Goals are created within Goals.

Important Goals invokes VISUAL Message Center SharedObjects to create the calendars it needs, but creates the calendars directly within Goals interface.


Scheduling Goals

SharedObjects store the actual calendars and can provide access to them for other products that use calendars. This means typical calendars such as normal weekday working hours, summer timetables, or details of specific shift times only need to be defined once and can then be reused many times by several applications.

Calendars help filter the days or even hours to include in SLI calculations. For example a business hours calendar which includes business hours for normal working days and your Christmas holiday will help if you want to exclude the holiday period from the calculations used to determine the health of a goal.

Figure 26 – Business hours calendar with Christmas holiday details. The upper Range Set indicates that there are no business hours on the 25th of december and the 1st of January, as defined by the values */12/25, */01/01 entered in the Mask field. Normal week day hours are defined in the lower

Range Set.

System calendars work with Range Sets and Exclusion Ranges to define the calendars. Before you can create a Calendar, you must first define the range sets and exclusion ranges to be included in the calendar.

5.1.1 Range SetsRange sets are presented by weekdays and on a 24 hour scale. Here you enter the weekdays and hours to include in your calendar.

To create a range set:

Step 1. Click the New button at the top of the Range Sets list to create a new range set.

Step 2. Click the Edit button and enter a name for the new range set and click Ok .

Step 3. Click Save.

To add a range:

Step 1. Click a box to select the starting point of the range.

Step 2. Next click the box that represents the last day and time in the range.

Important If you click away from the new range set before saving (for example to open a calendar or another range set), all your edits will be lost.


Scheduling Goals

Step 3. Click Add to the calendar to accept the range.

Figure 27 – Add hours to a calendar

To remove certain days and hours from the range:

Select the range you want to remove as described in the steps above, but now click Remove from the

calendar.

Figure 28 – To remove the time slot 15:00 to 17:00, select the range 15 to 16 and click Remove from the calendar.

You can also specify calendar ranges down to the minute.

To configure minutes:

Step 1. Click Configure minutes. The Minutes bar opens up.

Step 2. Click a box to select the starting point of the range.

Step 3. Next click the box that represents the last minute in the range.

Example of how to add a range

To create a calendar for working days from Monday 09:00 to Friday 17:00:

Step 1. Click once in the box that intersects Monday and 09, note that the box turns orange.

Step 2. Next click once in the box that intersects Friday and 16. Note that the whole area between the starting and ending box becomes orange to indicate the selected range.

Step 3. Click Add to the calendar to accept the range. The accepted range is shown in blue.

Example of how to remove a section from a range

To remove the hours 15:00-17:00 on Wednesday from the calendar we created above:

Step 1. Click the box that intersects Wednesday and 15.

Step 2. Next click the box that intersects Wednesday and 16. The range corresponding to 15:00 and 17:00 on Wednesday is highlighted in orange.

Step 3. Click Remove from the calendar and this time slot will be removed from the range.


Scheduling Goals

Step 4. Click Add minutes to save the selection.

Step 5. Click Apply to apply the selected minutes to the calendar.

Figure 29 – Configuring minutes for a time slot. In this example we want to include only 09:30 to 09:59. Once we apply this selection the time slot will appear as for Monday in the image, only half the

09 time slot will be marked in blue.

Once you save the range set, it appears in the Range Sets list in the side bar for use in other calendars.

Figure 30 – Range Sets.

You can create more than one range set for each calendar. The original range set will serve as the base set, for example your base range set could represent regular business hours. The additional range sets function as alternative business hours, for example summer business hours or business hours during holidays.

When you create a second range set you will notice that the new range set appears above the original range set. You will also notice the new Masks field is available at the top of the new range set. The mask is where you define what days the new range set applies to. You can enter individual dates (yyyy/mm/dd) separated by commas, wildcards are also allowed, for example: */07/*

Example of how to configure minutes

Let’s say your business day starts at 09:30.

Step 1. Select the desired date range as described in the examples above.

Step 2. Click Configure minutes to open the Minutes bar.

Step 3. Click minute 30 and then minute 59 to select the second half of the hour.

Step 4. Click Add minutes to save the selection.

Step 5. Click Apply. Notice that the calendar now shows only half the 9-10 block in blue.

Note Once a range set has been included in a calendar you will not have the option to delete it

from the Range Sets list. Only unused range sets can be deleted using the delete button.


Scheduling Goals

5.1.2 Exclusion RangesIn special circumstances you may want to exclude data that occurred as a result of a one off event. For example you may want to exclude data from the power outage that took place from 14:00 to 16:00 on

March 4th 2009. You can exclude certain dates or times from calculations by using Exclusion Ranges.

To add an exclusion range:

Step 1. Click Add on the Exclusion Ranges toolbar.

Step 2. Fill in the New Description field by clicking on the Edit icon and naming the unexpected event.

Step 3. Enter the beginning and ending dates and times you want to exclude in the From and To fields, respectively, and click Save.

Figure 31 – Exclusion range for power outage on September 1, 2011 between 14:00 and 16:00.

The new exclusion range appears in the Exclusion Ranges list in the side bar for use in calendars.

Figure 32 – Exclusion Ranges list.

To add an exclusion range to a calendar, click the Add Exclusion Set button at the top of the calendar.

5.1.3 Creating Calendars

To create a new calendar:

Step 1. Click New in the Calendars section of the side bar.

Step 2. Give the calendar a name.

Step 3. Next you can choose to add existing range sets or exclusion ranges or create new ones here. You can add multiple range sets and exclusion ranges until you have the calendar to your liking.

Click Save to store the calendar. The calendar will appear in the Calendars section of the side bar for use in Goals.

Note You can enter the date manually or select a date from the calendar.

To add a specific time you will need to enter the time manually in the To and From fields.


Scheduling Goals

5.1.4 ExampleExample of how to create a calendar.

Let’s say we want to create a calendar that includes all the business hours for the whole year for our company:

• Regular business hours are Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 17:00, with an hour for lunch between 12:30 and 13:30.

• Summer hours apply from June to August and are from 08:00 to 15:00, Monday to Friday.

• Business is closed on Christmas day and New years day.

First we create our new calendar and call it Business Hours. We will add our range sets to this calendar. Remember to save the calendar before you start creating the range sets.

Next, we create a range set for the regular business hours called Weekdays. Open the Business Hours calendar and click Add Range Set and select the Weekdays range set to add this range set to the calendar.

Figure 33 – Initial range set: Business Hours.

Then we create a range set for the summer hours called Summer Hours and add this range set to the calendar. In the Mask field for the Summer Hours range set, we enter */06/*,*/07/*,*/08/* to represent June, July, and August (note that each value is separated by a comma):

Figure 34 – Notice that the second range set for summer hours appears above the original business hours range set. Also notice the field Mask at the top right of the new range set.

Mask

Second Range Set with Mask

Original Range Set


Scheduling Goals

5.2 PeriodsPeriods define the time of calculation for indicators and goals. Normally you will not need to create new ones, but they can be particularly useful if your fiscal year starts in the middle of the calendar year, or if your working week starts on a day other than Monday.

It is possible to select a length of time for the period such as hourly, daily, weekly and so on, and also specify the exact beginning of the period, so for example if monthly is selected as the period of time, you can also select the first day of the month, the first hour of that day and the first minute of that hour.

Periods created in Goals will be stored by the PMDB engine, so they could be applied to other VISUAL

Message Center products.

5.2.1 Periods ListThe Periods List displays all the Periods defined in PMDB. The following default standard periods are

shipped with PMDB:

Finally, we create and add another range set called Holidays, which is essentially a blank range set with no hours selected to indicate the business is closed on these days. In the mask field we enter */12/25,*/01/01 to represent Christmas day and New Years day.

Figure 35 – Example of masks in Range Sets.

Original Range Set, no mask

Second Range Set with summer mask

Third Range Set with holi-day mask

Note Changing a defined period will change the period of time that calculations are made for each goal that is linked to it.

Period Description

Natural Hour Hour that starts at minute 0


Scheduling Goals

Figure 36 – PMDB Periods

Periods are organized in the list as a tree, where Periods without drill-downs are the root and their drill-ups are the branches, see the Create automatic drill-down periods section on page 35, for further information regarding drill-downs.

The following options are available at the Periods List:

• New: click the New button to open the New Period window to create a new period(see section 5.2.2 - Creating and Editing Periods below)

• Delete: click the Delete button to delete selected periods from the list

• Import: click the Import button to import periods into the list (see section 5.2.3 - Importing Periods on page 37)

• Export: click the Export button to export the selected periods from the list (see section 5.2.4 - Exporting Periods on page 37)

• Edit: click the Edit button to open the Edit Period window to edit the selected Period (see section 5.2.2 - Creating and Editing Periods below).

Natural Day Day that starts at 00:00

Natural Week Week that begins Monday at 00:00

Natural Fortnight Fortnight that begins Monday at 00:00

Natural Month Month that starts on the 1st

Natural Quarter Quarter that begins on the first day of the quarter (1st of January, 1st April, 1st July, or 1st October) at 00:00

Natural Semester Semester that begins on the first day of the semester (1st Janu-ary, or 1st July) at 00:00

Natural Year Year that starts on the 1st of January

Period Description


Scheduling Goals

5.2.2 Creating and Editing PeriodsPeriods are created or edited in the New Period or Edit Period windows respectively. The options available in each of these windows are identical and explained in detail here.

To create a new period:

Step 1. Click the PMDB tab and select Periods from the PMDB menu.

Step 2. Click the New button to open the New Period window.

Step 3. Enter the required data and options for the new period.

Step 4. Click the Accept button to save the new period.

Figure 37 – Add a new period

NameEnter a name for the new period.

DescriptionEnter a useful description for the new period.

Create automatic drill-down periodsDrill-downs can be used to automatically create shorter periods from a longer user-defined period. This is a useful feature that avoids the need to create every single period which would naturally occur during a longer period.

Note Periods can not be repeated, so for example, you will not be able to create a new 1 hour period which starts at minute 0, because Natural Hour already exists. Also when creating a new period and selecting automatic drill-downs, if the drill-downs already exist they will not be created again.


Scheduling Goals

When you create a new period select the Create automatic drill-down periods check box to request the automatic creation of drill-down periods. The following table shows the drill-down periods

automatically created by PMDB:

Note – This table must be read from left-to-right

Periods that are automatically created will include the suffix _DD in the name, to make it easier to distinguish them from the periods created manually.

If you are creating a new period with a customized interval length greater than one, an additional drill-down period will be created with an interval length equal to one.

For example if you create a period with an interval length of 5 months the system will automatically create a period of 1 month associated with your period.

Drill-ups

Drill-ups are the opposite to drill-downs, being the longer periods associated with drill-downs. For example a 1 week period is a drill-up period of a 1 day period.

Interval UnitThe valid values for interval units are:

Interval LengthThe interval length defines the number of interval units the period has (the duration of the period) and also when it starts. Select from the following options:

• Default start: the Period has 1 interval unit (1 year, 1 day, etc.) and the beginning of the period is set to the standard start time for the selected period type as shown in the following table:

Year Semester Quarter Month Day Hour

Week Day Hour

Fortnight Day Hour

• Year • Semester

• Quarter • Month

• Fortnight • Week

• Day • Hour

Period Standard Start

Year January 1st at 00:00:00

Semester January 1st at 00:00:00

Quarter January 1st at 00:00:00

Month 1st day of the month at 00:00:00

Fortnight 1st day of the month at 00:00:00

Weekly Monday at 00:00:00


Scheduling Goals

• Parameter based start: the period has 1 interval unit but you can select a custom start time for the selected period. This is a useful option if you need to define a period which does not start at the standard date.

Period StartEnter the custom start time for the new period if you have selected Parameter based start or Custom as the interval length option above.

5.2.3 Importing PeriodsPre-configured Periods can also be imported into PMDB from other PMDB configurations or backup files.

To import new periods:


Step 2. Click the Import button to open the Periods Import Panel below the Periods List.

Step 3. Click the Browse button to navigate to a previously exported .pmdb file that contains the periods you want to import.

Step 4. Click the Load button to import the new periods.

Figure 38 – Import periods

5.2.4 Exporting Periods

Day At 00:00:00

Hour At 0 minutes

Period Standard Start


Scheduling Goals

Periods can be exported to a .pmdb file which can be imported into other PMDBs or used to create a backup file.

To export new periods:


Step 2. Click the Export button to open the Periods Export dialog window.

Step 3. Select the Save File check box and click OK.

Step 4. The file will be automatically exported to your downloads folder by the browser.

Figure 39 – Export periods dialog window

5.3 Excluded PeriodsExcluded periods are intervals when the goal must not be computed.

By providing details of excluded periods, for example when system maintenance is scheduled, when databases are backed up or when unexpected problems arise such as electrical failures, it is possible to exclude the data from these unrepresentative periods of time from goal calculations.

When creating an excluded period, a reason (cause) for the exclusion must also be entered, which is included in reports, and can be added at any time. It is possible to reprocess a goal to recalculate a past period taking exclusions into account.

Excluded periods provide a flexible solution to ensure that not only scheduled interruptions in services are accounted for, but also those unexpected situations that can often make accurate goal computations difficult.

Excluded periods defined within Goals will be stored by the PMDB engine and applied on a goal by goal basis without affecting calendars and periods.

Example of using excluded periods in Goals

A goal is already configured to make calculations during a specific calendar time; however some maintenance work which would affect the status of the goal has been scheduled. An excluded periodis created in Goals to ensure calculations are not made during this unrepresentative period of time only for this specific goal. The maintenance work does not affect other goals and therefore we do not need to apply the excluded period to any other goals. Neither the existing calendar nor the periodswhich are used by the goal are changed.

The importance of creating excluded periods in Goals is that if we added the exclusion period to the calendar in SharedObjects, then all calculations for all goals that are using the calendar would be modified, rather than only the one specific goal affected by the maintenance.


Scheduling Goals

Figure 40 – Excluded periods


Creating a Goal

Chapter 66 Creating a Goal

Creating a goal could not be easier in Goals. Simply create the various elements required in the Goalstab as illustrated in the process workflow diagram in Figure 41 below and once the goal has been completely configured the results can be viewed in the Scorecards section in real-time or historically.

Figure 41 – Process workflow

Goals ensures you can provide sufficient detail to guarantee that the results of the display are accurate and represent exactly what you need to know in order to mange your goals responsibly.

It is however important that a goal is carefully planned in advance in order to ensure that all the correct data for each component of the goal is in place and that each component is created in the correct order to ensure a smooth and successful process. A detailed example to help with this planning has been provided in Appendix A: Example of How to Create Goals Using Templates on page 109.

Three components are combined to create a goal:

• The main elements of the goal (connectors, variable instances, indicators and goals)

• Templates (for indicators and goals)

• Common data (Categories, Contacts and Contracts)

6.1 Elements of a GoalEach of the elements required are created in a logical order as suggested in the goals menu sub-headings.

To create a goal:

Step 1. Create a connector

Step 2. Select the required variable instances provided by the connector

Step 3. Create an indicator to create calculations on an available variable instance

Step 4. Create the goal which applies specific rules to an indicator.


Creating a Goal

Each part of the process has its own section where it can be configured and is accessed by clicking the relevant sub-heading in the Goals menu. These elements of the process are discussed in detail in this chapter.

Figure 42 – Goals menu

Filters and ListsEach section is comprised of two further sub-sections:

• Filters: to search for particular data

• Lists: to manage the data

For further details regarding filters and lists please refer to section 3.2 - Filters and Lists on page 14.

6.1.1 TemplatesTemplates can be used in conjunction with indicators and goals to enable the fast and consistent creation of goals based on similar calculations, such as when many similar components exist which are subject to the same goal conditions but should be monitored individually. For further details regarding templates please refer to Chapter 7 - Using Templates on page 65.

6.1.2 Common DataBefore you can create a goal the following common data relevant to the goal must be configured first:

• Categories

• Contacts

• Contracts

Please refer to Chapter 4 - Common Data on page 20 for further details.

6.2 KPI v StatusThe first decision to make before creating a goal is based on what type of data is needed. In the VISUAL Message Center solution there are two clear choices:

• Raw data direct from a ThinkServer used for calculating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), or

• Pre-processed data via a SmartConsole for determining the status of services.

The difference is quite straightforward. Raw data from a ThinkServer database is data which has not been processed through various filters to represent a pre-configured state. It is basic numerical data which can have a wide range of calculations applied to it to determine its status within Goals. To use this type of data, select KPIs and other data when creating a connector to a ThinkServer events database in the Connector Editor (see section 6.3.3 - Connector Editor on page 44 for more details).

Pre-processed data from a SmartConsole database has been filtered in the SmartConsole and a status value (up or down) has already been applied to it. Essentially SmartConsole has already done the bulk of the work to determine the health of the variable instances available from its database, Goals simply


Creating a Goal

has to determine how this health state affects the rules of the goal. To use this type of data, select Status of Service when creating a connector to a SmartConsole database in the Connector Editor (see

section 6.3.3 - Connector Editor on page 44 for more details).

6.3 ConnectorsConnectors determine where the data to be used by Goals is retrieved from. As explained above, the kind of connector used depends on the type of data that is needed. Several connectors can be created in Goals and activated as required in the Connector Editor.

Important It is important to know if your SmartConsole is processing data in a manner which matches your goal needs because the first step to creating a goal is to select the connector which will depend on this choice.

For more information regarding configuring SmartConsole please refer to the SmartConsole User Guide.

Example of the difference between data from ThinkServer and SmartConsole

ThinkServer monitors have Health and Actions applied to them which determine the health status of the particular variable instance that is being monitored. ThinkServer sends events from the monitor to the SmartConsole and this data is displayed in the form of a Business View which will change color depending on the health status as determined in the ThinkServer Configurator (red for critical, yellow for warning, blue for minor and green for success). SmartConsole can then apply further criticalness configuration to this Business View to manipulate the status of the variable instance as required. Therefore the health rules applied to the variable instance in ThinkServer can be overridden in the SmartConsole.

The variable instances that Goals access from a SmartConsole database are the Business Views or Service Control Points (SCPs) that are configured in the SmartConsole complete with their current health status (including any manipulation applied to the status in the SmartConsole). The value of the variable instance is represented simply as UP or DOWN depending on the health of the Business View or SCP in the SmartConsole.

So for example a Business View representing a router connection in the SmartConsole (current health status equals success) will appear in the Connector

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