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Restricting data collection for monitor attributes

The collection of monitoring data from your infrastructure is one of the main features of BMC Helix Operations Management. Use BMC Helix Operations Management to limit the amount of data that is collected from your infrastructure to a few critical instances or attributes. This feature helps you focus on the data that you're interested in, especially when a large amount of data is being collected.

As a tenant administrator, you can apply filters on specific attributes and stop the data collection for those attributes. You can stop data collection in the following scenarios:

  • For all attributes in selected instances
  • For selected attributes in all instances
  • For selected attributes in selected instances

You can view, create, enable, disable, copy, edit, and delete the monitor attribute filters. that restrict data collection.

As an operator, you can only view the existing monitor attribute filters.

Related topic

Defining-monitor-policies

Scenario

Sarah is a tenant administrator at Apex Global. Her company uses BMC Helix Operations Management to monitor their infrastructure. Sarah uses monitor policies to collect data about the infrastructure in Apex Global. She notices that one of the monitor policies collects information from all the instances in her network. For more efficiency, she wants to see data collected only from specific attributes in specific instances in the system. 

She wants to restrict the data collection without editing any of her existing monitor policies or without creating a new policy. How does Sarah achieve this goal?

Sarah can achieve this goal by restricting attributes from collecting data without editing an existing policy or creating a new policy.

When you create monitor attribute filters, an internal policy is generated in the system. In BMC Helix Operations Management, you can view this policy on the Configuration > Monitor Policies page in the Internal tab.

mon_pol_internal_tab.png

You can only view the internal polices. You cannot perform any action on them.


To restrict monitor attributes from collecting data

  1. In the BMC Helix Operations Management console, go to Configuration > Filter Monitor Attribute.
  2. Click Create.
  3. In the Deactivate Monitor Attribute dialog box, add a name for the filter.
  4. In the Agent field, select the PATROL Agent where you want to restrict data collection.
  5. In the Monitoring Solution and Monitor Type fields, select the monitoring solution and monitor type.
  6. In the Scope field, select Instances or Attributes.
    • If you select Instances, you can choose to restrict data collection from all attributes or just certain attributes in the selected instances.
      deactivate_mon_attr_ins.png
    • If you select Attributes, the data collection is restricted on the selected attributes in all instances of the selected monitor type in the PATROL Agent.
      deactivate_mon_attr_attr.png
  7. Click Save.
    You can see the filter on the Filter Monitor Attributes page. The attribute filter is enabled by default.


To confirm stopped data collection

When you create an attribute filter, it is applied to the selected attributes on the selected instances and data collection for the attributes stops immediately. To verify, perform the following steps:

  1. Go to Monitoring > Devices.
  2. Go to the Device Details page of the PATROL Agent where you applied the filter.
  3. From the Monitors tab, go to the monitor that you selected.
  4. In the Performance Overview graph, confirm that data for the selected attributes is no longer being collected. 


To view a monitor attribute filter

As an operator, you can view the existing monitor attributes in the system by performing the following steps:

  1. In the BMC Helix Operations Management console, go to Configuration > Filter Monitor Attribute .
  2. Click the three-dotted menu against an attribute filter and click View.


To enable or disable a monitor attribute filter

As a tenant administrator, you can enable or disable a monitor attribute filter by performing the following steps. When you create a filter, it is enabled by default. You can disable a filter when you don't want to delete it but you don't want to use it any longer.

  1. In the BMC Helix Operations Management console, go to Configuration > Filter Monitor Attribute.
  2. Click the three-dotted menu against an attribute filter.
  3. Perform one of the following actions:
    • If the filter is disabled, you can see the Enable option. Click Enable.

    • If the filter is enabled, you can see the Disable option. Click Disable.

      If a filter is disabled, it might take a few minutes to enable it.

  4. Click Yes on the confirmation message.


To copy a monitor attribute filter

As a tenant administrator, you can copy a monitor attribute filter by performing the following steps. The Copy functionality helps when you have to create monitor attribute filters on several PATROL Agents.

Scenario

Sarah is a tenant administrator at Apex Global. Her company uses BMC Helix Operations Management to monitor their infrastructure. For increased efficiency, Sarah uses monitor attribute filters to restrict data collection from some PATROL Agents in her system. Now, Apex Global has added 20 new PATROL Agents in the system. How can Sarah quickly create filters for each of the new PATROL Agents? Sarah can quickly achieve this goal by copying an existing filter and making the required changes in it.

  1. In the BMC Helix Operations Management console, go to Configuration > Filter Monitor Attribute.
  2. Click the three-dotted menu against an attribute filter and click Copy.
  3. In the Deactivate Monitor Attributes dialog box change the filter name.
  4. Make other changes as required and click Save.


To edit a monitor attribute filter

As a tenant administrator, you can edit a monitor attribute filter by performing the following steps:

  1. In the BMC Helix Operations Management console, go to Configuration > Filter Monitor Attribute.
  2. Click the three-dotted menu against an attribute filter and click Edit.
  3. Make your changes in the Deactivate Monitor Attributes dialog box and click Save.


To delete a monitor attribute filter

As a tenant administrator, you can delete a monitor attribute filter by performing the following steps:

  1. In the BMC Helix Operations Management console, go to Configuration > Filter Monitor Attribute.
  2. Click the three-dotted menu against an attribute filter and click Delete.
  3. Click Yes on the confirmation message.



 

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