Adding events

Events are operations that are performed on selected databases. All Automator events are related to database maintenance tasks (except for the Graphics event and Run Input File transfer). You can automate the following events by adding them to an Automator script.

• Wait for file
• Run Visualizer input file transfer
• Populate
• Scan for exceptions
• Summarize
• Graphics
• Subset data
• Convert database
• Delete data
• Delete data source
• MAS filter
• Rename filter/summary tag

Adding a Run Visualizer input file transfer event

Use the Run Visualizer input file transfer event to automate the process of transferring files that the product needs to populate a database and draw graphs.

The Run event transfers files from the point of origin (MVS, VM, UNIX, Oracle) to Visualizer. If you want your database and graphs available first thing in the morning, this is one of the first steps.

1. To add a file transfer event to a script using the Add Run event dialog box, use one of the following methods:
   • From the Automator Toolbar, click Add Run event.

   • Select Edit > Add Event > Run Visualizer Input File Transfer.

     Note

     Make sure your file transfer program can be run from a script.

2. The Add Run Event dialog box displays the Source Database Group at the top. Select options as necessary.
3. Click OK to record your choices and add a run event to your script.

Adding a Populate event

Once all the input files are transferred or available to Automator, you can begin populating a database. A populated database contains data that is formatted so Visualizer can interpret it.

Once a database is populated, you can select it and use it to draw standard and customized graphs. There are two ways to add a Populate event to a script:

• From the Automator Toolbar, click Add Populate event.
• Select Edit > Add Event > Populate.

Adding a Scan for exceptions event

To manage and evaluate complex systems, you need to identify performance that falls outside established threshold levels. The Automator Add scan for exceptions event does that graphically, by displaying exceptions to acceptable performance levels. You can use the supplied default thresholds or specify your own.

There are two ways to add a Scan for Exceptions event to a script:

• From the Automator Toolbar, click Add Scan for Exceptions Event.
• Select Edit > Add Event > Scan for Exceptions.

Adding a Summarize event

The Automator Add Summarize event lets you store, manage, and reduce data to meaningful increments. There are two ways to add a Summarize event to a script:

• From the Automator Toolbar, click Add Summarize Event.
• Select Edit > Add Event > Summarize.

Adding a Subset event

The Add Subset event lets you customize databases to meet the specialized needs of various reports and different departments. There are two ways to add a Subset event to a script:

• From the Automator Toolbar, click Add Subset Event.
• Select Edit > Add Event > Subset Data. 

Adding a Graphics event

The more data you have in your database, the longer it takes to produce your graphs. Automator lets you schedule a Graphics event as part of your daily script. When you come to work in the morning, your graphs are available for immediate analysis and review. Use this event to automate both Web Publish and Export.

1. To open the Add Graphics Event dialog box, use one of the following methods: 

   • From the Automator Toolbar, click Add Graphics Event.
   • Select Edit > Add Event > Graphics.

   The Add Graphics Event dialog box displays the Source Database Group at the top.

2. To schedule the Graphics event, choose either a template or keystroke file.

3. To make your graphs available on the Web, choose Export or Publish. Export prompts you for a .png, html or other file name. Publish prompts you for the Web Post Server Tag. You must specify the same name you supplied when you first ran the Web Publishing Wizard (under Use this name instead of its internet address or URL when you publish your Web pages to this Web server) to configure Web Publish.

   See also Exporting-graphs-and-projects and Publishing-graphs-to-the-web for more information. 

4. To record your choices and to add a Graphics event, click OK.

Using templates with the graphics event

Use the Graphics event to automate the publishing of graphs. Enter the template file name and the file and Website name. The Website name must match the name you specified during the Web Post configuration process in the Use this name instead of its Internet address or URL field.

Running graphics event serially

Use the following procedure to make sure that one Graphics event finishes before the next one starts:

1. Open an Automator script.
2. Select Options > Time Out.
   The Time Out Parameters dialog box is displayed.
3. Select Hours. Specify the length of time you want Automator to wait for an event to complete before starting the next serialized event. Open and set the time for each Graphics event you want to run serialized.
4. Highlight the Graphics event in the script.
5. Select Edit > Modify.
   The Modify Graphics event dialog box is displayed.
6. Select Wait for End check box to indicate that Automator should wait for an event to complete before starting the next serialized event.

Using keystroke files with the Graphics event

If you are running Windows and Web Post 1.1 you must specify a user ID and password in addition to the Website name. You can use a keystroke file to simplify this process. A keystroke file stores Visualizer keystrokes to automate the performance of one or more actions. The following figures show a sample keystroke file for Export and a sample keystroke file for Web Publish respectively:

The following is a sample web publish keystroke file:

Keystroke commands

The following table lists and explains keystroke commands:

The following table lists various keys and their equivalent keystroke file commands:

To specify keystroke combinations in your file, enter one or more of the following symbols before the character:

• Alt !
• Control ^ Shift +

Editing the keystroke file preamble

The Graphics event contains a dialog box that lets you add commands to the beginning of the keystroke file without having to exit Visualizer. To include your own commands in the Keystroke File Preamble or to select from a predefined set of commands:

1. Open the Add/Modify Graphics Event dialog box.
2. Select Preamble on the Add/Modify Graphics Event dialog box to activate the Edit button.
3. Click Edit.
   The Edit Preamble dialog box is displayed.
   
   
4. Do one of the following to add the parameters to the Keystroke File Preamble box on the right:
   • Enter parameters in the editing box on the right.
   • Select existing parameters from the list on the left and click Add>>> to display them in the editing box on the right.
5. Click OK to add or modify parameters or Cancel to exit the dialog box without making changes.

Adding a Delete data event

If you are populating databases on a daily basis, data becomes obsolete, contributing to the overhead of managing your system resources. Adding a Delete Data event to your script is one way to manage the data. As part of your daily, weekly, and monthly scripts, this event also provides standardization for your organizational databases.

For example, once you subset or summarize data, the measurement data left in the database becomes redundant and contributes to storage overhead. There are two ways to add a Delete Data event to a script:

• From the Automator Toolbar, click Delete Data Event.
• Select Edit > Add Event > Delete Data.

Adding a Delete data source event

You won't run the Delete data source event on a regular basis, but you will need it occasionally. For example, if you subset system data into one database and IO data into another, your data from the source measurements database might become unnecessary.

1. To open the Add Delete Data Source Event dialog box, use one of the following methods:
   • From the Automator Toolbar, click Delete Data Source Event. 
   • Select Edit > Add Event > Delete Data Source.
     The Add Delete Data Source Event dialog box displays the Source Database/Group at the top.
2. Click options as necessary to specify the data source to be deleted.
3. Click OK to record your choices and add a Delete Data Source event to your script.

Adding a MAS filter event

Once you have enough data to build MASF filtering policies, apply those policies on a regular basis as part of a daily, weekly or monthly script. For more information about MASF, see Using-MASF.

1. To add a MAS Filter event, use one of the following methods: 

   • From the Automator Toolbar, click MASF Event.
   • Select Edit > Add Event > MAS Filter.

   The Add Statistical Filter Event dialog box displays the source database/group at the top.

2. Click options as necessary to specify a MAS Filter.
3. Click OK to record your choices and add an MASF event to your script.

Adding a Convert database event

If you're working with multiple versions of Visualizer or multiple databases at different version levels, convert earlier version-level databases to the most current version to take advantage of all the features of the current version.

If you are an existing Visualizer user with populated Paradox databases, you must use the Convert event to change Paradox databases to ODBC–compliant databases.

1. To open the Add a Convert Database to Highest Release Event dialog box, use one of the following methods:

   • From the Automator Toolbar, click Convert Database Event. 
   • Select Edit > Add Event > Convert Database.

   The Add Convert Database to Highest Release Event dialog box displays the Source Database/Group to be converted at the top.

2. Click options as necessary to specify the database where you want to place the converted database.
3. Click OK to record your choices and add a Convert Database To Higher Release event to your script.

Recommendations for working with multiple database versions simultaneously

If you have to work with databases from different version levels, we recommend you schedule the following events in your script:

• Populate the .vis files of the earlier version into an empty target conversion database of the same version level (for example, 1.1 .vis files into an empty 1.1 database).
• Subset data from the earlier version into the higher version database (for example, subset 1.1 data into a 2.1 database).
• Delete the earlier version database so that it is available and empty for the next Populate event (for example, delete the 1.1 database).