Configuring the System group data explorer template

The System group data explorer template enables you to compare metrics across systems belonging to a group.

To configure a view using the System group data explorer template

The following video (7:00) illustrates the process of using the System group data explorer template in a custom view.

https://youtu.be/Na3QE8fjPfw

1. Open the view page with the System group data explorer template:
   • For a new view, add a view and select System time forecasting as the template. For detailed steps, see Adding and managing views .
   • For a new page in an existing view, add a page and select System time forecasting as the template. For detailed steps, see To add a page to an existing custom view.

2. In the view page, fill in the following properties:

   • Title: Type a title for the page.

   • To display information related to a particular system, use the following system filters:

     1. Display system type: Select the type of system to display in the view. You can select one or more similar system types from the list. For example, Virtual Machine - AIX LPAR, Virtual Machine - AIX Shared Processor LPAR and Virtual Machine - AIX VIO LPAR.

     2. Filter label: Type a label for the system type filter. By default, the name of the system filter is selected as the label.

     3. (Optional) Filters: To add more filters, click (Change). You can add up to two additional filters to aid in the selection of the system.

        For example, if you do not know the exact systems for which you want to view data, you can use additional filters to restrict the number of systems to choose from.

        If you select VMware Virtual Machine as the base system type filter, you can select VMware Virtual Host and VMware Virtual Cluster as the additional filters that you can use to restrict the number of VMware Virtual Machine systems to choose from.

        In the edit box that appears at the bottom, perform the following steps:

        1. (Optional): Subresource: Click the button to enable or disable subresource filter for the selected system types. When you enable this filter, a Label field for the subresource is enabled and System type filter 2 field is disabled. In the Label field for the subresource, type the required filter label to be displayed in the view. If multiple systems are selected in the Display system type, this filter can be used only if the systems are of similar type. This filter enables the Capacity Planner to filter the storage and network interface details according to the available subresources (BY metrics).

        2. (Optional): Select the system type from the System type filter 1 list. If you have selected more than one system in the Display system type, you can select the common parent system type for the selected systems. For example, if you have selected the Display system type as Virtual Machine - AIX LPAR, Virtual Machine - AIX Shared Processor LPAR and Virtual Machine - AIX VIO LPAR, you can select Virtual Host - AIX PowerVM in the System type filter 1 list.

        3. (Optional): Label: The field is populated with the filter name you select. You can type a different label.

           Similarly, select System type filter 2, if required.

           For more information, see Using system type filters in views.

     4. Click Apply. The additional filters appear under Filters (Change) in the top edit area of the view. 

        To delete filters, click X on the filters.  

3. To edit tabs, click on the tab that you want to configure. By default, 10 tabs are displayed, and the first tab is enabled.

   1. If the chart is disabled, click to enable it. If you disable a tab, it is not displayed in the view.

      Note

      You must enable at least one tab.

   2. In the Tab label box, type a name for the tab.

   3. 
      

      (Optional) To add custom text, click Add custom text. To update an existing custom text, click Change in the custom text panel. You can add descriptions, instructions, links, or any other textual information for the users of the view page. Use markdown tags to format the content of custom text and to add images, links, and tables. For example, add a description such as “Displays performance metrics for Payroll application”, or a label such as "NY Datacenter - Capacity Metrics".

      • Title: Type the required title for the custom text.

      • Always expand custom text: Select to display the custom text as expanded or collapsed.
      • Editor: Type the required content and format it by using markdown tags such as * to create an unordered list and # to increase the font size. A preview of the formatted content is displayed in the Preview section.
      • Insert image: Enable you to add an image. The selected image is displayed in the Preview section. 

      The following image illustrates the preview of the commonly-used standard markdown language tags. 

      

      

      For more information about markdown tags, see  Showdown's Markdown syntax .

   4. To configure the charts, click  in the individual chart. 
       denotes that the display of the chart is enabled.  denotes that the display of the chart is disabled. 

      By default, the display of only one chart is enabled. If you disable the display of the chart, it is not displayed in the Summary tab.
      
      Configure the following properties for charts:

      1. Title: Type a title for the chart.

      2. Template: Select a template from the list, based on which to render the chart. The following templates are available.

         • Area Chart
         • Bar Chart
         • Line Chart
           
         • Pie Chart
         • Stacked Area Chart
           
         • Stacked Bar Chart
         • Top 10 Workloads by <metricName>
           

         For information about the types of charts, see Analysis chart types.

         You can also add custom templates that you have created.

         Info

         The following functions from the analysis chart types are not supported in the charts:

         • Trendlines
         • Right axis on line charts
         • Calendar charts
         • Other minor customization options (Format of ticks, Format of dates, Label rotation, Format of chart grid, Logarithmic axes, Palette, Dashed lines)

      3. Metrics: Click Add to add the metrics to display in the chart. To add a metric, click + Add. To edit existing links, click Change.
         You can add a single metric. 

         • Perform the following to add or change the metrics:
           

           1. In the  System type  panel, select the system type from which to select the metrics. Select from the following options:  All System types or Specified type .

              Information

              • If you have selected a system type from the Display system type list in step 2, that system type is also displayed and selected by default.
              • The Workload system type option is available only if you select Top 10 Workloads by <metricName> as the template in the previous step.

           2. If you select Specified type, select a system, or systems, from the list.  

           3. In the Metrics  panel, depending on the system type you select, the Metrics  panel lists the available metrics for that system type, to choose from. 

              The metrics are grouped by category, for example, CPU, Disk, Formulas, Memory, BYFileSystem, Workload, and so on.
              Click the category to expand it and select a metric. You can also search for a metric . If you have enabled the subresource filter, select a BY metric from the list of available metrics.
              The selected metric is listed in the  Selected metrics  panel.
              

           4. Click Done.

         • To customize the metric statistics or display on the right Y axis, click the corresponding Customize link. In the Customize Metric <metricName> screen that opens, specify the following options:

           • You can choose to select a different statistics for this metric. Selecting the default value retains the original statistics. 
           • Select Show Value to show the metric values on the chart. 
             

           • Select Show on Right Y Axis to show this metric value on the right Y axis. Selecting this option for any of the metrics in the chart displays two Y axes, one on the left and other on the right side of the chart. This feature can be useful for viewing a chart configured with metrics of different units. 

      4. Related information: You can add drill-down links for the chart. To delete available links, click X at the top-right of that link. To add or edit links, click Change. In the edit area at the bottom, do the following:
         
         • To add a link, click + Add link.
         • In the Link Label box, type a name for the link.
         • From the Target page list, select the page you want to link to.
         • Click Apply. The links you add appear under Related information and you can continue to configure the tabs.

   5. Click Done to go back to the previous edit screen.

4. Click Apply. The changes are updated dynamically in the view, and you continue to be in the edit mode.

   When you click Apply, a live preview of your configuration is displayed, without saving the changes. This live update helps you to review your changes, and if required, quickly make further changes as you continue to be in the edit mode.

5. If you are satisfied with the changes, and do not want to edit the page further, click Save.

6. The custom view page is displayed with the new configuration.

   Views tab uses a separate color to represent each system in the system group. The color is consistently used across charts, to help you identify the same system in different charts.

   The screenshot indicates how different charts use the same color to identify each system.
   

Example of a view page with a System group data explorer template