Creating dashlets on TrueSight Presentation Server

Introduction to dashlets

A BMC TrueSight IT Data Analytics (ITDA) dashlet displays the statistical data to help users perform a fast root cause analysis and resolve applications-related problems. The details are displayed as one of the selected chart types: Bar, Column, Doughnut, and Line, as shown in the following figure. The ITDA dashlet uses the public saved searches created in the IT Data Analytics application. In this example of a column chart, the Count is plotted against the selected Summarization Field value COLLECTOR_NAME. Tooltips are available on the charts.

Click a bar, column, or doughnut chart to cross-launch the IT Data Analytics Server page, as shown in the following figure:

Use case on performing root cause analysis of known critical events

Scenario: The IT Operations user is using TrueSight to monitor an application for known critical errors.

User action:

1. The user creates a dashboard, which includes an IT Data Analytics dashlet that shows instances of known critical errors in the application log.
2. The user checks this critical error in the IT Data Analytics dashlet and cross-launches the IT Data Analytics application to do the root cause analysis.

Dashlet requirements

• At a minimum, one IT Data Analytics server must be registered with the TrueSight Server.
• You must have the required permissions to access the IT Data Analytics server.

Configuring a dashlet

You can configure this dashlet when you add or edit a dashboard. For more information, see Adding and modifying dashboards .

1. Click Add Dashlet and select the IT Data Analytics dashlet.

2. Click the Configure Dashlet icon.

3. Enter a meaningful and descriptive Title for the dashlet.

4. From the Refresh Rate list, select a frequency for refreshing the chart view.
   The default is 5 minutes.

5. From the IT Data Analytics Server list, select the registered server.
   The Saved Search Name field is displayed with a (Select) link on top.

   Note

   The super admin user belonging to the default tenant (bmcrealm) can only view the saved searches from the default tenant and not the saved searches from all other tenants. However, the super admin user can view all the registered ITDA Servers from all the other tenants.

   
   

6. Click the (Select) link.

   The Search for IT Data Analytics Saved Searches dialog box opens with a list of available saved searches.

7. (Optional) You can narrow down the list by typing the name or a few characters of the known saved searches, as shown in this figure.
   
   

8. Select a saved search from the list and click OK.
   The following fields are populated:

   • Saved Search Name is populated with the selected search name with a (Change) link on top.
     
     

     Note

     Tabular type saved searches are not supported in IT Data Analytics dashlets.

   • Saved Search Description is populated from the selected search.
   • Query String is populated from the selected search.
   • Summarization Field is populated with a default value based on the selected saved search. You have an option to change the value from the list. In Presentation Server, a dashlet which uses the non-tabular saved search, only Hosts and Collector Name fields are populated. You can use Tags to add any additional information.

   • The Chart Type is displayed and by default Column is selected. You can change to one of these types: Bar, Column, Line, or Doughnut.

     Notes

     • When you select Interval from Summarization Field, the Doughnut chart is disabled from Chart Type.
     • If you are using TrueSight Presentation Server prior to version 10.5, then the saved search name is not suffixed with the source details – content pack name or the name of the user who created the saved search.

9. Select the height of the dashlet row: 1X, 2X, or 3X. 
   The value of X is approximately 100 pixels. The default height is 2X.

10. Click Apply to save the configuration changes.

    Best practice

    If you select the Doughnut chart type in the IT Data Analytics dashlet, change the dashboard row size settings to 50% + 50% layout or larger.

Understanding the dashlet data

The graph data displayed depends on the query string from the selected saved search.

Troubleshooting

TrueSight Server times out while obtaining IT Data Analytics Saved Search data.