Creating the Incident Monthly Trend pod

This procedure contains steps and procedures for creating the Incident Monthly Trend pod and includes the following:

Creating the Incident Monthly Trend data view

We create the data view by clicking Data Views in the Pod Builder tool, clicking New on the Data View management dialog, specifying Incident Monthly Trend as the data view name, then by making the following selections in the Data Set screen:

The BMC Remedy AR System database schema name, in our case, ARADMIN.
The table (view) that we created earlier when we prepared the data, INCIDENT_SUMMARY_DAILY.
We select all of the columns in the table except for the TIMEZONE_ID column.
We apply the SUM function to the NUM_INCIDENTS column so that the Pod Builder can calculate the total number of incidents reported on a daily basis. The function name is prefixed to the column name, which is then used as the alias. In the example above, the NUM_INCIDENTS column is automatically assigned the alias SUM_NUM_INCIDENTS. You can keep this alias or update it.
We apply the MONTH function to the DATE_POINT column so that the Pod Builder can report the dates in a month format (January through December). The function name is prefixed to the column name, which is then used as the alias.

The Incident Monthly Trend data view is shown below:

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Creating the summary chart

Use the steps in this section to create the summary, or “master” chart for the Incident monthly trend pod.

Using the Create Custom Pod wizard, we use the Name and Layout pane to specify the pod name (Incident monthly trend) and because we know we want to view the summary chart with a breakdown of the data in another chart component, we select the layout type side-by-side layout with a third chart accessible through a chart selector.

The name of the pod should convey the metric or the key performance indicator that the pod visualizes. Use the description field to provide summarized information about the pod.
In the Design pane, we specify the Stacked Area Chart as our chart type for the summary chart since this chart type allows us to visualize the change in the number of incidents reported over time.
In the Select Data for the Chart pane, we select the data view Incident Monthly Trend View then specify the column MONTH_DATE_POINT as the category, using the up arrow to move the column up to the top of the list. Since MONTH_DATE_POINT is at the top of the list, the column name is displayed as the horizontal axis label.

We then select the SUM_NUM_INCIDENTS column as the series column so that the calculated number of incidents is displayed on the vertical axis. The completed pane is shown below:

The completed Select Data for the Chart pane is shown below.

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In the Select Options for the Chart pane, we select the Include a Time Range Selection Component option so that the pod will include a drop-down menu that we can use to display the data for different time ranges. We select DATE_POINT as the field to use for the time range so that the reported date, in the proper timezone, is used in the time range calculation. The completed pane is as follows:

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No pod interactions are specified for this pod component since it is the summary (master) chart.

Creating the breakdown chart

Use the steps in this section to create the breakdown chart for the Incident monthly trend pod.

From the right-side chart area, in the Design pane, we specify the donut chart as the chart type. Using a donut chart allows us to display the number of incidents assigned to a particular groups as a percentage of the total number of incidents reported within that month.
In the Select Data for the Chart pane, we select the Incident View data view and then select ASSIGNED_GROUP as the category column, using the up arrows to move the ASSIGNED_GROUP column up to the top of the list. We then select the SUM_NUM_INCIDENTS column as the series column so that the number of incidents is displayed for that assigned group. The completed pane is shown below:

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In the Select Options for the Chart pane, we enable the option Include optional labels and specify Incident Breakdown by Assigned Group as the chart title. We select the Include a Time Range Selection Component option so that a time range drop down menu is available for the pod and then we specify DATE_POINT as the field to use for the time range so that the date reported data is calculated for the time range. The completed panel is shown below:

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In the Select Pod Interaction for the Chart pane, we select the option Make this a detail component so that the data displayed in the donut chart can be controlled by what is selected in the summary chart on the left. We select MONTH_DATE_POINT as the data columns from the master (summary) pod on which we want the donut chart to be “driven”. By default, the value MONTH_DATE_POINT label and the month value is displayed below the breakdown chart so that we can easily identify the month for which the data is displayed in the donut chart.

The Select Pod Interaction for the Chart pane is displayed below.

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Creating the grid chart

Use the steps in this section to create the grid chart for the Incident monthly trend pod.

To enable the grid chart view for editing, click the Select Chart type icon and select the grid chart from the pop-up menu, as shown below.

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In the Select a Chart pane, select the Data Grid chart type so that the incidents displayed in the summary pod are displayed in a table.
In the Select Data for the Chart pane, select Incident Monthly Trend View as the data view and select Assigned Group, Reported Date Month, Incident Count, Priority, and Status for the table columns. The completed pane is shown below:

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There are no options for pod interaction specified for this chart component.

Finalizing and previewing the pod

Use the steps in this section for performing the following tasks:

assign the pod to a category
make the pod available to users in the executive console
assign the pod to users
add informative text about the pod
preview the pod

We assign the pod to the Incident Management pod category by selecting the pod category from the Pod Category list at the bottom of the pod. If you do not specify a pod category, the pod is assigned by default to the first category in the list. You can modify the category assignment at any time.

The category that you specify can be any of the existing categories available with the product, or you can create your own category that is applicable to your workflow. Create a new category by clicking the Custom Pod Categories button at the top of the Pod Builder utility window.
So that the pod is available for the designated user to see in the Pod Catalog in the executive console, we click the option Make Available to Users. We also assign the pod to the roles of IT Supervisor and Service Delivery Manager in the Role Assignment pane.
To add descriptive information about the pod so that others that use the pod can understand the data that they are viewing, we click the Information about this Pod button at the top of the pod. We enter descriptive information, including what each chart shows, the source of the data, how to filter the data that is shown, as well as other information that is useful to other users of this pod.

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To preview the pod in the administrator console, we click Preview, and then we select the Year to Date time range selection to view the incident data for that time range. The chart view is shown below, showing the data for the Year to Date time range. Update the chart on the right by clicking on a data point. The screen shot below shows the data point for April, and the donut chart shows the breakdown of the incidents, by assigned group, for the month of April.

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The grid view is shown below. The grid view shows all of the incidents in the summary trend pod, including assigned group, priority, status, month in which it was reported, and the total number of incidents submitted in that same month, for the specified time range, Year to Date in our case.

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