Creating report templates and customizing branding

By default, the reports shipped with BMC Decision Support for Server Automation use BMC templates and logos. You can create your own report templates. Also, you can customize the branding, including logos and banners, of the reports.

Creating report templates

You can create report templates by using the Report Studio.

To create report templates

1. Log on to BMC Decision Support for Server Automation, and launch the Report Studio.
2. Click BladeLogic from the list of packages.
3. Click Create new.
4. In the New dialog box, click Report Template and then click OK.
5. Format the report headers, footers, and other attributes, such as colors of the report template, as required.
6. To display a logo on the reports, copy the logo to the reports server, as follows:
   • Navigate to the BDS_HOME/portal/webcontent/bladelogic/report directory.
   • Copy your logo file in this directory, for example, MyCorporate_logo.gif.
7. In the Insertable Objects pane, click the Toolbox icon.

8. From the toolbox, drag the Image object to the position on the right pane on which you want the logo to appear in reports.

   Note

   You can also use other objects, such as Text and Hyperlink, from the toolbox and insert them in the report footer and header.

9. Select the Image object.

10. In the URL property of the image, specify the relative path for the logo image as ../bladelogic/report/MyCorporate_logo.gif.

11. Save the report template.
12. Click Tools > Copy Report to Clipboard.
13. Open a text editor and paste the copied XML into it.
14. On the reports server, navigate to the BDS_HOME/portal/webcontent/pat/res directory.
15. Create a backup copy of the templates.xml file.
16. Search for the <xmlFragment id="ReportTemplates"> tag in the templates.xml file.
17. Create the following tags, <template name="templateName"> and </template>, below the <xmlFragment id="ReportTemplates">.
18. Copy the XML generated in step 13 between these  <Template> tags.
19. Save the template.xml file.
20. Restart the Cognos services.
    When you open the Report Studio next time, the new template appears in the list of templates.

Customizing branding

You can customize the branding of your reports by modifying the details on the Cognos connection.

To change the report footer

1. On the reports server, navigate to the BDS_HOME/portal/webcontent/bladelogic/report directory.
2. Rename the Logo-for-page.gif file to Logo-for-pageOriginal.gif.
3. Copy your logo in this directory. For example, Corporate-logo.gif.
4. Rename the Corporate-logo.gif file to Logo-for-page.gif.

To change the logo in the report banner

1. On the reports server, navigate to the BDS_HOME/portal/webcontent/skins/corporate/branding directory.
2. Rename the icon_portal.gif file to icon_portalOriginal.gif.
3. Copy your logo in this directory. For example, Corporate-logo.gif.
4. Rename the Corporate-logo.gif file to icon_portal.gif.

To change the product name in the report banner

1. On the reports server, navigate to the BDS_HOME/portal/templates/ps/portal directory.
2. Open the system.xml file with a text editor.
3. Search for the headerTitle2 tag.
4. Replace BMC Decision Support for Server Automation with the required banner text.
5. Save the file.
6. Restart the Cognos services.