Working with Reporting Components

As you saw in the overview, VSI has a rich set of components that make up the user interface. We couldn’t do the more complicated elements among them justice in the overview, so here we’ll expand on a few components and show how in-depth how to use each.

Drilling Down on Dashboards

Many of the dashboards, which are usually presented on enterprise level screens, allow you to double click elements on the dashboard to get more details. There are instructions on the individual dashboard graphs that tell you when such an interaction is available.

Working with Most Graphs

Sometimes in our densely populated IT jungles, the data we hope to explore can get equally dense. VSI offers tools to help you hack through the undergrowth and get to just the data you need.

All graphs allow you to highlight any single data point by hovering over it with your mouse.

It is often useful to filter the data that appear on many graphs. You can hover over data elements in the legend of our graphs and the graph will highlight that element. You can also click to turn those elements on or off. In the below example, it maybe be useful to turn the two average lines off so we can focus on the data for our Tier 1 storage.

Working with Time Series Graphs

Time series graphs allow the same basic filtering as most other graphs, but they also allow you to interactively change the time periods under review. You ca accomplish this two different ways.

First, you can use the slider at the bottom of the screen. Using your mouse, grab the handles at either end of the blue time graph at the bottom and drag them to include the time periods that interest you. You can scrub the time area while dragging back and forth along the grid.

Secondly, you can precisely set the dates for the start and end of the series that interests you.

In either case, the graph zooms to allow you to see more granular data.

Working with the Customizable Data Grid

The customizable data grid is the interactive jewel in the VSI crown. It provides a lot of interactive features such as grouping, sorting, filtering, moving and resizing columns to suit your liking, and showing and hiding different columns. Once you get a grid set up the way you like it, you can save the layout. After saving a layout, you’ll see the report that way each time you login, regardless of whether you are using the same device.

Most grids are also searchable, and exportable should you want to slice and dice your data in a tool like Excel. On many reports, filtering the data will change the contents of any graphs displayed in the same report.

Many report grids, especially those at the enterprise level, allow you to double click rows to view a more detailed set of reports concerning the item you selected.

Let’s look at the major features on the Customizable Data Grid.

Sorting Data

Most columns are sortable. To accomplish this, simply over your mouse over the column. When you do this, a hamburger menu shows up which will allow you to access more features available on that column. Sorting, though, doesn’t use the hamburger menu. Instead, click anywhere in the column header, except for the hamburger menu. Clicking a column once sorts the data in the grid in ascending order. An upward facing arrow will appear in the column header to indicate this is happening. Click again and the data are sorted in descending order, and the arrow will change to a downward facing arrow. Click one more time and the data goes back to being unsorted.

Filtering Data

The Customizable Data Grid in VSI allows for sophisticated filtering on column data. The controls that are available are different depending on what kind of data are in the column. In any case, you can access the filtering options by hovering your mouse pointer over any column header. When you do this, a hamburger icon (three horizontal lines) appears in the left side of the column header. Clicking the hamburger opens the menu.

The column options menu has three tabs. The first tab controls some basic options for the column. We’re interested in filtering, so click the second tab with a funnel icon. What you see next depends on what kind of data are in the column.

Filtering Dates and Numbers

In the example above, we’ve selected to filter on a column with dates, so our options look like this:

We’re looking at a drop down menu that allows for traditional operations on numbers:

• Equals

• Greater Than

• Less Than

• Greater Than or Equal To

• Less Than or Equal To

• Not Equal To

• In Range

Beneath that is a date field. You can type a date in, or you can select a date with a calendar by clicking the calendar icon.

If you select “In Range” you get a second date field allowing you to set a start date and an end date for the range.

If the column you selected contains numeric data, the controls are the same, except you aren’t presented with a date picker.

Filtering Text

If the column you selected contains text, the filtering options are similar to those found in Microsoft Excel.

Here, we can select exactly which text elements we’d like to see. Use the check boxes and the search to zero in on the data that interest you. Below, I’m searching for all storage devices that start with “EC”.

Once a filter is applied, you’ll notice a funnel icon appears in the column header to let you know a filter is in use.

To clear a filter, perform the same steps in reverse.

Grouping Data

Units of Measure

Rearranging Columns

Showing and Hiding Columns

Saving the Column Configuration

Deleting the Column Configuration