Creating Reports

Network Director has built-in reporting features to create standardized reports from your network data. You can schedule these reports either to run in real time or in batch to provide insight into the network for compliance, maintenance, or troubleshooting. To define a new report, you select from a number of preconfigured report types and set the scheduling and output options.

This topic describes:

How to Create a Report Definition

You create new reports from the Report Definition page while in the Report mode. To locate this page:

Select Report in the Network Director banner. The Report Tasks pane opens, displaying the tasks available in the Report mode.
(Optional) Select the node on which to run the report in the View pane. Some reports are designed to run at a specific scope in the network tree. For example, if you select an EX Series switch node and attempt to run a Network Neighborhood report that reports on RF strength, the report runs, but is empty.
Select Manage Report Definitions in the Tasks pane.
Table 1 describes the information provided about report definitions on the Manage Report Definition page.

Table 1: Manage Report Definition Fields
Field	Description
Report Definition	The name of the report definition. Specify a name that indicates the purpose of the report.
Format	The format or file extension of the report output; the final rendering of the output. Valid values are: PDF—(Portable Definition Format) is used for output that is either viewed in a reader or printed. CSV—(Comma Separated Format) is used for output that is exported into a spreadsheet. HTML—(Hypertext Markup Language) is used for output that is viewed in a Web browser.
Reporting Mode	(Optional) Where the generated report is sent. Valid values are: Email—Sends a zipped file of the report to an e-mail address. SCP–Sends a zipped file to a secure server.
Schedule	(Optional) When the report is scheduled to run.
Last Updated By	The user ID of the last person to modify the report definition.
Last Updated Time	Time when the report definition was last updated.
Execute Report	Click Run Now to run the report.

Creating a Report Definition

A report definition defines the properties that are used to generate one or more reports. It includes these properties:

Name of the report definition
Report type(s)
Reporting filters
Scheduling options
Output format

To create a report definition:

Click Add on the Manage Report Definition main page to open the Create Report Definition wizard Basic Settings page.
Type a name for the report in the Report Definition Name field. After the report runs, you can find a report by this name in the Generated Reports list. Names can contain letters, numbers, spaces, dashes (-), and underscores (_).
Select the report types for the report definition in the Select Report Type area:
- To add one or more report types:
  1. Click Add. The Assign Report Types window opens.
  2. Select one or more report types from the list in the Assign Report Types window.
  3. Click OK.
    
    The report types you added appear in the Select Report Type list. Table 2 describes the information about report types that is available in the Select Report Type table.
  Tip:
  When adding multiple reports types, be sure all of the reports you select are supported for the node type selected in the view pane.
- To delete one or more report types, select their check boxes in the Select Report Type list, then click Delete.
(Optional) Edit the report type options for the added report types by clicking Edit Report Options in the Customize Report Options column. Configure report type options in the Filter Options window, then click OK. Table 3 describes the available report type options.
Click Next or Report Options to set up the report options. You can also click Cancel to exit the wizard. For details on report options, see Setting Report Options.

Table 2: Select Report Type Table Columns
Column Heading	Description
Type	The Report name.
Category	The general classification of the report.
Scope	Shows the scopes that are applicable for the report type. (Appears only in the Assign Report Types window that opens when you click the Add button.)
Description	A description of the use or purpose of the report.
Report Option	Lists the applied report type options.
Customize Report Options	Click the link to change the report type options for that report type.

Table 3: Report Type Options for Data Filtration
Filter Option	Description
Classification Reason	For the Rogue Summary report, filters the rogue devices included in the report to only those that are classified as rogue for the selected reason.
Connection State	Limits the report to devices in this state.
Device Types	Limits the report to this type of device.
Number of Users	Customizes the report to the specified number of users.
Percentage Utilization Exceeding	Specifies the utilization percentage threshold for the report. Only results that exceed the threshold will appear in the report.
Search Parameter	Specifies search parameters. Only results that match the parameters will appear in the report. The search parameters are compared to these properties of results to filter the results that appear in the report: IP address, MAC address, username. Separate multiple search parameters with commas (,).
Time Interval	Limits the report to the indicated time period. If you select Custom, the From and To fields become available, enabling you to set a specific reporting period.
Top N Count	Sets the number of items to include in reports that show a fixed number of items. For example, the Traffic and Congestion Summary report includes the top `N` number of devices that have the highest port utilization and latency. If the scope is a single device, the top `N` number of ports on the device are included in the report.

Setting Report Options

This page establishes the report schedule and the output format of the report.

Choose from the following scheduling options:

Run the report now
Select or create a schedule for the report
Select to both run the report now and to run the report by a schedule

Options for report scheduling are shown in Table 4.

Table 4: Schedule Options for Reports
Field	Action
Run Now	Select this option to immediately run the report one time.
Select Schedule	Select this option to either create a schedule so that it is run at regular intervals, or to select an already established schedule. The Add Schedule link enables you to create a new schedule. The Select button opens Choose Schedule window that displays the currently configured schedules. Select the check box to choose a schedule to use for the report. To associate the schedule to your report, click OK.

Establish the report output format and destination.

Field	Options
Select Format	A report is available in these formats: PDF–Choose this format If you want to print the report. Portable Definition Format (PDF) enables the report to be printed from any operating system with the same formatting results. CSV–Choose this format if you want to export the report data to a spreadsheet or other business application. The Comma-Separated Values (CSV) format takes the raw data from the report and delineates the fields with commas so that it imports into popular spreadsheet programs. HTML–Choose this format if you want to view the report in a browser. Note: Because reports can be quite large, they are initially delivered as a zipped (compressed) file.
Mode	Reports can be sent to your e-mail address, to a secure server, or to both. Select EMAIL and type the e-mail address to have the report sent through e-mail. Network Director uses SMTP server settings for e-mail routing. You can configure an SMTP server from the Tasks pane. Select SCP to send the report to the secure server that is marked as active, using Secure Copy Protocol. The settings for secure servers are available in Tasks > Manage SCP Servers.

Field

Options

Select Format

A report is available in these formats:

PDF–Choose this format If you want to print the report. Portable Definition Format (PDF) enables the report to be printed from any operating system with the same formatting results.
CSV–Choose this format if you want to export the report data to a spreadsheet or other business application. The Comma-Separated Values (CSV) format takes the raw data from the report and delineates the fields with commas so that it imports into popular spreadsheet programs.
HTML–Choose this format if you want to view the report in a browser.

Note:

Because reports can be quite large, they are initially delivered as a zipped (compressed) file.

Mode

Reports can be sent to your e-mail address, to a secure server, or to both.

Select EMAIL and type the e-mail address to have the report sent through e-mail. Network Director uses SMTP server settings for e-mail routing. You can configure an SMTP server from the Tasks pane.
Select SCP to send the report to the secure server that is marked as active, using Secure Copy Protocol. The settings for secure servers are available in Tasks > Manage SCP Servers.

Click Next or Summary to review the report definition.

Reviewing the Report Definition

The Report wizard guides you to the Summary Page where you can review your report configuration and make any changes before you run the report.

Review your Report Name and Report Type in basic settings. If you want to change either of these settings, click Edit to return to the Basic Settings page.
Review your Report Options. If you want to change these settings, click Edit to return to the Report Options page.
Click Finish when you are done with the report configuration and to exit the wizard.

Changing a Report Definition

You can change an existing report definition file from the Manage Report Definition page.

To change a report definition:

Select the check box for the report definition.
Click Edit to reopen the report definition in the Report wizard. The system returns you to the Summary page, where you can make changes to the report definition.
Click Details to review the details of the report definition or click Delete to remove the report definition. To remove all of the report definitions, select the check box in the header next to Report Definition to select all of the report definitions and click Delete.