When authoring reports in IT Analytics, it may be beneficial to combine data from custom inventory previously configured to achieve the desired result set. For example, an administrator may want to combine hardware inventory data with registry settings acquired from custom inventory, all within the same report. Because IT Analytics is built on standard, proven technologies the process to combine data from IT Analytics and the Symantec CMDB into a single report is achievable with a consistent pattern through leveraging Microsoft Report Builder. The example below illustrates how to achieve this goal, without needing to understand the underlying schema or implement complex queries.
To complete this example, you will need the Computers Cube from the Client and Server Management Content Pack installed and processed, previously have run a custom inventory script that populates data in the Symantec CMDB and includes GUID information, and have Report Builder 3.0 installed. Note that while SQL Server 2005 meets the minimum prerequisites for installation of IT Analytics, it will only include Report Builder 1.0. If possible, Symantec strongly recommends using SQL Server 2008 SP2 or higher to take advantage of new features included in Report Builder 3.0 for a more robust custom report authoring experience. For more information on using Report Builder, please see the Microsoft website.
=Lookup(Fields!Computer___Name.Value,Fields!Name.Value,Fields!Image_Version.Value, "CustomInv")
=Lookup(Fields!Computer___Name.Value, Fields!Name.Value, Fields!Deployment_Date.Value, "CustomInv")
=Lookup(Fields!Computer___Name.Value, Fields!Name.Value, Fields!Deployment_Technician.Value, "CustomInv")
IT Analytics provides users several ways to author custom reports, from simple drag-and-drop views to leveraging proven 3rd party applications (like Microsoft Report Builder), all in an effort to deliver flexible and robust reporting. This advanced authoring technique shows how users can tie data together from different sources and expand reporting capabilities to meet various requirements, without needing to have advanced knowledge in developing SQL reports. Additionally, this also opens the door to additional reporting possibilities utilizing various out-of-the-box cube and CMDB combinations to help meet the business’ evolving report needs.