Selecting the metrics to be collected

How performance data is collected

After you save a metric recording request, MainView Threshold Advisor sends the request to all defined MainView host servers.

The data is saved in a temporary staging database (.MDB files). At the next hour boundary, MainView Threshold Advisor moves the data into the specified CDB database. This population process is repeated at regular intervals based on the population frequency that you specified (see To create a metric recording request).

The data collection process must continue long enough to accumulate a sufficient number of samples for statistical processing. What constitutes a sufficient number of samples depends on several factors:

• Number and length of the calendar periods that you define, as described in Defining-business-weeks.
• Length of the corresponding MainView product recording interval. (That is, a 5-minute recording interval results in six times more samples than a 30-minute recording interval.)

BMC recommends that you collect a minimum of two weeks of data, although some situations could warrant a significantly longer period of data collection.

Before you begin creating a metric recording request

Keep these rules in mind as you create metric recording requests:

• You can create multiple metric recording requests, and edit and delete existing requests.
• You can associate a specific recording request with only one:
  • Target CDB profile
  • Target CDB database
  • Population frequency
• A single recording request can collect multiple metrics from multiple views and multiple products.
• For a given CDB profile and database combination, you should create a single recording request that includes all metrics for all views and all products that are stored on that CDB server.

To create a metric recording request

1. In the application toolbar, click Manage MainView Recording Requests.
   
   
2. In the Manage MainView Recording Requests dialog box, select Create a new Metric Recording Request.
   
   
   
   
3. Specify a name and, optionally, a description for the recording request.
   
   

4. Select appropriate values:

   Field	Description
   Target CDB profile	Identifies the CDB server that manages the collected data
   Target CDB data source	Identifies the database that physically stores the data
   Population frequency (hrs)	Specifies, in hours, how frequently to transfer data from a temporary staging area into the CDB database This value determines how soon you can display data from the CDB database in MainView Threshold Advisor.

5. Under Selected MainView products, views, and fields, click Add/Remove.MainView Threshold Advisor displays a list of products that are currently accessible from all of the MainView host servers you defined, as described in Defining-connection-profiles.
   
   

6. In the MainView Product Browser window, display the available product views and fields:

   1. Expand a product name to display the list of instances of the product (that is, the system images on which it is running).
   2. Expand a product instance to open the list of contexts (that is, the PASs from which data can be collected).
   3. Expand a context name, and click the product/instance/context combination that is displayed.

   A list of views and fields that are available for the selected combination is displayed.
   
   
   
   

7. To filter the list to display only recommended views and fields, select Yes in the Best Practice views and fields toggle switch.

   Note

   Initially, BMC recommends that you select the Best Practice views and fields for any given MainView product. When you become more familiar with the application, you can add non-Best Practice views and fields to your data collection, provided that the fields are numeric.

   For a list of Best Practice views and fields, see Best-Practice-metrics-in-MainView-Threshold-Advisor. For guidelines about selecting non-Best Practice views and fields, see Considerations-for-selecting-additional-metrics.

8. When your metric selections are complete, click Add Selection.The selected metrics appear in the Selected MainView products, views, and fields list.
   
   
9. (optional ) If you do not want the recording request to run at this time, select No in the Allow data to be downloaded toggle switch.By default, recording requests begin to run as soon as they are saved. By using this option, you can:
   • Define recording requests ahead of time and hold them until you are ready to use them
   • Allow a recording request to run for a period of time and then turn it off without deleting the request
     
     

10. Click Save Changes to complete your updates.MainView Threshold Advisor begins collecting the requested performance data, as described in .

    Note

    You can also click:

    • Add/Remove to add another metric to the recording request
    • Delete to delete a metric from the recording request
    • Close to cancel your updates