Create and Edit Dashboards

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Users with write permission to a domain can create and edit data viewers and other dashboard objects such as imported images, shapes, lines, and text.
Introscope dashboards allow total layout control of objects on a dashboard.
You create data viewers in the dashboard editor window by doing one or both of the following:
  • Creating data viewers automatically by dragging and dropping data from the Investigator onto a dashboard
  • Creating an empty data viewer in the dashboard editor, then adding the data to the viewer
The Dashboard Editor tool is not available in APM WebView.
About dashboard objects
There are two types of dashboard objects: data viewer objects, and shapes, images and text objects.
Data viewer objects
Depending on the type of metric or element selected, the Workstation can display the data in a data viewer as these objects:
  • Graph
  • Application Triage Map
  • String Viewer
  • Bar Chart
  • Text Viewer
  • Dial Meter
  • Alert Status Indicator
  • Equalizer
You can import these objects to a new or existing dashboard through either of these methods:
  • Dragging and dropping from the Investigator Browse Tree (or, in the case of the Application Triage Map element, dragging and dropping from the Map Tree).
Formatting text in string or text objects
You can format the text that appears in a dashboard as a string viewer or text viewer. See Formatting text in string viewers and text viewers.
Shapes, images and text objects
You can add text blocks, images, shapes, and lines to the dashboard, to help explain and illuminate your data.
For example, you could:
  • add a conceptual diagram of your application environment
  • add your company logo to your dashboards
  • insert images of your products
  • add text blocks to the dashboard to explain dashboard elements in your company's language
  • draw a rectangle without a fill to visually group items on a dashboard
  • draw arrows to point to an object and add emphasis
  • draw connectors between objects to create a simple flow chart
Graphic and text objects
Graphic and text objects correspond to simple tools found in image editing programs, with the addition of the imported graphic.
  • Rectangle
  • Basic Line
  • Rounded Rectangle
  • Straight Connector
  • Oval
  • Elbow Connector
  • Polygon
  • Imported Graphics
  • Scribble (freehand drawing tool)
  • Text box
Creating dashboards
By creating new dashboards, you can create collections of different data viewers for different uses. For example, you might have one dashboard containing database information, and one dashboard for system Alerts.
Creating a new dashboard in the Console
You can create a new dashboard from a command in the Console.
To create a new dashboard in the Console:
  1. In the Console, select Dashboard > New dashboard.
  2. Enter a name for the new dashboard, and choose a Management Module to contain the dashboard.
    • Select a Management Module from the drop-down list.
    • Click Choose, select a Management Module from the list, and click Choose again.
  3. Click OK.
    The new dashboard opens in the dashboard Editor.
  4. Edit the dashboard to suit your needs, as described in Editing a dashboard.
  5. Select File > Save.
    The new dashboard appears in the Management Module Editor tree, under the domain and Management Module in which you saved it.
  6. If you are finished editing the dashboard, select Workstation > Close Window.
Creating a new dashboard in the Management Module Editor
To create a new dashboard in the Management Module Editor:
  1. Select Elements > New dashboard.
  2. Enter a name for the new dashboard, and choose a Management Module to contain the dashboard.
    • Select a Management Module from the drop-down list box.
    • Click Choose, then select a Management Module from the list and click Choose again.
  3. Select the Description tab to enter descriptive text and any important information about the dashboard in the Description Text field.
    This field should contain no more than 64 KB of data. After it is applied, it will be persisted in the management module jar.
  4. Click OK.
    The new dashboard appears, highlighted, in the Management Module Editor tree.
Editing a dashboard
To add or manipulate dashboard contents, you can:
  • open the dashboard directly for editing in the Console.
  • open the dashboard for editing from the Management Module Editor tree.
Only a user with write access to a domain or SuperDomain can edit a dashboard.
To open a dashboard in the dashboard Editor:
  1. In the Console, select the dashboard tab to activate it.
  2. Select Dashboard > Edit Dashboard.
    The dashboard editor opens.
To open a dashboard for editing from the Management Module Editor:
  1. Select the dashboard in the Management Module tree.
  2. With the dashboard selected, you can edit any of its elements in the editor pane.
About the tools palette
The tools palette contains all the tools for creating and editing dashboard objects. It contains standard drawing tools, tools for connecting objects, and tools for adding text. It also contains tools for drawing empty data viewers, onto which you can place data.
Resizing a dashboard
To resize a dashboard workspace area:
  1. In the Console, select Dashboard > Edit dashboard.
  2. Select Edit > Change dashboard Properties.
  3. Enter new width and height values (in pixels) in the fields.
  4. Enable Snap to Grid and set a grid size, if you want dashboards to snap to a specific location as you drag them.
  5. Enable Clear Previous Lens Settings if you want the lens cleared each time a user selects this dashboard. See Dashboard links support agent lens for more information.
  6. Click OK.
    The dashboard workspace area resizes to the defined size.
  7. Select File > Save to save dashboard changes.
Saving a copy of a dashboard
To save a copy of a dashboard:
  1. With a dashboard open in the dashboard Editor, select File > Save As.
  2. Enter a name for the copy of the dashboard.
  3. Choose a Management Module to contain the dashboard.
    • Select a Management Module from the drop-down list box.
    • Click Choose, then select a Management Module from the list and click Choose again.
    You can only choose a Management Module that belongs to a domain to which you have access, and that has access to all elements and metrics viewed in the dashboard.
  4. Click OK.
    The new dashboard appears in the Management Module Editor tree, under the domain and Management Module in which you saved it.
Renaming a dashboard
With a dashboard open in the dashboard Editor, select File > Save and Rename.
  1. Enter a new name for the dashboard.
  2. Click OK.
You can also rename a dashboard by selecting it in the Management Module Editor, and editing the name in the Preview pane.
Deleting a dashboard
To delete a dashboard from the Management Module Editor:
  1. In the Management Module Editor tree, select the dashboard to delete.
    • Right-click on it, and select Delete
      <Dashboard_Name>
      .
    • Select Elements > Delete
      <Dashboard_Name>
      .
      The Delete Confirmation dialog box opens.
  2. Click Yes to delete the dashboard.
Formatting text in string viewers and text viewers
To format the text belonging to string or text objects:
  1. Open a dashboard for editing.
  2. Place a string viewer or text viewer object on a dashboard, or select an existing one. See Creating data viewers in a dashboard.
  3. With the object selected, choose Properties > Text.
  4. In the dialog, apply formatting as desired and click OK.
    The string viewer or text viewer will display text formatted in the format you chose.
Domain enforcement in dashboard editing
The domains and Users features partition agents into specific Domains. Users have access only for certain Domains. Introscope enforces domain access as you create and edit dashboards. Any time you create or modify a data viewer in the dashboard editor, the operation is validity-checked against the domain visibility rules.
  • Elements in dashboard objects in the SuperDomain can reference elements and data in any domain
  • Elements in dashboard objects in a user-defined domain can only reference elements and data in the same domain
For more information on Domains and domain enforcement, see the Installing and Upgrading sections
.
Data type
Default data viewer type
Metric
graph
Metric grouping
graph
Alert
status indicator
Calculator
graph
Create Data Viewers in a Dashboard
There are two ways to create data viewers in Introscope:
  • Select one of the following:
    • a metric in the Investigator tree
    • a metric grouping
    • an element from the Management Module Editor tree
    Drag the item onto a dashboard, automatically creating the default data viewer for that type of information.
When you create or make changes to a dashboard, always save the dashboard as the last step. Although it isn't necessary to save changes to a dashboard after every individual edit, it is important that you save changes frequently to make changes available to other Workstation users with access to that dashboard.
Creating a data viewer automatically
The easiest way to create a data viewer is to select a metric (or element, etc.) from the Management Module Editor tree, and drag-and-drop it onto the dashboard Editor window. You can drag-and-drop in two ways:
  • Drag the data onto an existing data viewer in a dashboard (the new data replaces the existing data in the viewer).
  • Drag the data to an empty area on a dashboard, which automatically creates a new viewer to contain it.
These are the default data viewer types for each of the data types:
Data type
Default data viewer type
Metric
graph
Metric grouping
graph
Alert
status indicator
Calculator
graph
Create a Data Viewer by Dragging and Dropping Data
The easiest way to create a data viewer automatically is to select an object (metric group) from the Investigator tree and drag it onto the dashboard.
Dashboards with objects imported by dragging and dropping from the Investigator are not supported in WebView. WebView users who open the dashboards see a box where the object should be, with an error message.
Follow these steps:
  1. In the Console, select Dashboard, Edit dashboard.
  2. Open an Investigator window and position it so both the Investigator window and dashboard are visible.
  3. In the Investigator, click and hold a metric in the tree. Drag it to the dashboard and drop it when you see the blue highlighted line all around the dashboard.
    If you attempt to drag something to a dashboard in violation of domain enforcement rules, you do not see the blue highlight on the dashboard and nothing appears on the dashboard when you release the mouse button.
    If you drop the selection when only an existing data viewer is highlighted, and the data viewer type is compatible with the selection, the information you are dragging replaces what is in that viewer.
  4. Select File, Save to save dashboard changes.
Creating an empty data viewer and adding data
In this process, you create a data viewer first, then specify the data to appear in the viewer. You create a data viewer using the Tools Palette.
There are two ways to add data to an empty data viewer.
Creating an empty data viewer
To create an empty data viewer:
  1. In the Console, open the dashboard to edit by selecting Dashboard > Edit dashboard.
  2. Select a dashboard object creation tool from the Tools Palette.
  3. Click and drag the location and size of the empty data viewer on the dashboard area.
  4. Release the mouse button.
    The data viewer appears on the dashboard as drawn. You can now manipulate the data viewer.
  5. Select File > Save to save dashboard changes.
Adding data to a data viewer by dragging and dropping
You can add data to a data viewer by dragging and dropping from the Investigator or the Management Module Editor.
You can use this function to:
  • Add data to an empty data viewer.
  • Replace the data displayed in existing data viewer.
To add data to a data viewer by dragging and dropping:
  1. Create a new dashboard, or open an existing dashboard in edit mode.
  2. Select the data to add to the dashboard:
    • To add a metric to the dashboard, open an Investigator window and position it so both the Investigator window and dashboard are visible, then click and hold a metric in the tree.
    • To add an element to the dashboard, open the Management Module Editor, and click and hold an element in the tree.
  3. Drag the metric or element to the dashboard and drop it when you see the blue highlighted line around the data viewer.
    If you try to drag a metric or element to a dashboard that violates domain enforcement rules, you do not see the blue highlight on the dashboard, and nothing populates the data viewer when you release the mouse.
    If the data viewer already contains data, it is replaced by your new data when you drop it.
  4. Select File > Save to save dashboard changes.
You can embed the contents of a tab view in a dashboard by dragging and dropping.
To add the contents of an Investigator tab view to a dashboard:
  1. Create a new dashboard, or open an existing dashboard in edit mode.
  2. In a separate window:
    1. Open a new Investigator
    2. Browse in the Investigator tree to the metric you want to include in your dashboard.
    3. In the Investigator viewer pane, click on the tab whose contents you want in your dashboard.
  3. Click on the tab in the Investigator and drag it to the editable dashboard.
The contents of the tab view are imported to the dashboard. Note that when you drag a metric or tab in live mode, the clock at the bottom of the object will continue to tick.
Note:
The following actions are not supported:
  • Dragging and dropping from the triage map tab
  • Dragging and dropping from the location map tab
See Tab Views in the Metric Browser Tab for a description of Investigator tab views.
Adding data to data viewer using the data options dialog
To add data to data viewer using the data options dialog:
  1. In the Console, open the dashboard to edit by selecting Dashboard > Edit dashboard.
  2. Right-click on the empty data viewer and select Data Options.
    The Data Options window opens.
  3. From the left side of the window (Data Type), select a data type for this data viewer. Data Type options differ depending on the data viewer type. Possible options are Metric grouping, alert, calculator, or metric.
  4. From the Data Selection list, select the data selection to appear in the data viewer.
  5. Click OK.
    The data viewer is populated with the data selection.
  6. Select File > Save to save dashboard changes.
How to tell which data appears in a data viewer
Some data viewers (such as alerts) do not display the name of the metrics that supply its data.
To discover which data is displayed in a data viewer:
  1. In the Console, open the dashboard to edit by selecting Dashboard > Edit dashboard.
  2. Right-click on the data viewer and select Data Options...
    The Data Type and exact Data Selection that are used are highlighted in the Data tab.
  3. Click Cancel or OK to close the Data Options window.
Setting data-viewing properties of a data viewer
In the dashboard Editor window, you can change these properties of a data viewer:
  • Viewer display type
  • Scaling options
  • Sorting/filtering options
  • Whether labels are on or off
  • View period
Data viewer display options
In the Workstation, you can define views for almost all types of metrics. These views can appear as several view types, depending on the data defined in the metric.
Because metric data can consist of different information (text, dates, counters, numbers, and so forth), not all data can appear in every data viewer type. For example, the data from the metric Java Version cannot appear as a Graph, because its data is text.
To find out what view display types are available for the selected view, right-click on the data viewer and look at the View As... submenu.
To change the data viewer display type:
  1. In the Console, open the dashboard to edit by selecting Dashboard > Edit dashboard.
  2. Select the data viewer whose display type you want to change in one of these ways:
    • Right-click and select View As and the new data viewer display type from the submenu
    • Select Properties > View As and select the new data viewer display type from the submenu
  3. Select File > Save to save dashboard changes.
Changing scaling options for a data viewer
You can change the scale of graph charts while viewing live data in Introscope Workstation, to provide a more readable view. You change the scale of a chart by setting a minimum and maximum value for the chart's data axis. See Changing the scale of graph charts.
Changing Sorting and Filtering Options
You can define sorting and filtering options for Graph and Bar Chart viewers.
In the Sorting/Filtering Options tab, you can:
  • Enable/disable filtering.
  • Switch between top/bottom metric filtering.
  • Specify how many metrics to filter (default is 10).
  • Add, remove, or clear included or excluded metrics.
While sorting/filtering is in use, these metric viewing options are not available: bring to front, send to back, and hide/show metric.
Defining type and number of metrics shown in Filtered View
To define type and number of metrics shown in Filtered View
  1. Select the Enable Filter checkbox.
  2. In the Show the Top/Bottom pull-down menu, choose whether to show the Top N or Bottom N metrics.
  3. In the X Metrics field, enter the number of metrics to view in the Filtered Views list. The default number is 10.
    Top N charts can use significant Enterprise Manager memory and CPU resources. The resource amount depends on the number of metrics that the Enterprise Manager must analyze to generate the charts.
    See CA APM Sizing and Performance for guidelines about reducing Top N chart negative impact on Enterprise Manager performance.
  4. Click OK.
    The data viewer shows the number of top or bottom metrics you defined, and identifies the number of metrics it is displaying.
The 'Top 10' bar graph data viewer shows a horizontal bar graph that allows the user to compare relative sizes of metrics.
  1. Select File > Save to save dashboard changes.
Including selected metrics
To include selected metrics:
  1. On the Sort/Filter tab, in the Included Metrics area, click Add.
  2. The window lists metrics that currently match the metric grouping, sorted alphabetically. Metrics that are already defined in the Included or Excluded metrics lists do not appear.
  3. Click to select the metric to add to the Included Metrics list. Select multiple metrics using Shift or Ctrl key.
  4. Click OK, then OK again.
    The included metrics appear in the Included Metrics list in the Sorting/Filtering Options window.
    A message notifies you if no additional metrics are available.
  5. Select File > Save to save dashboard changes.
Excluding selected metrics
You can exclude any metrics, regardless of whether they are ranked in your defined top or bottom viewer.
To exclude selected metrics:
  1. In the Excluded Metrics area of the Sort/Filter tab, click Add.
    The window lists metrics that currently match the metric grouping, sorted alphabetically. Metrics already defined in the Included or Excluded metrics lists are not shown.
  2. Click to select the metric to add to the excluded metrics list. Select multiple metrics using Shift or Ctrl key.
  3. Click OK, then OK again.
    The excluded metrics appear in the excluded metrics list in the Sorting/Filtering Options window.
    A message notifies you if no additional metrics are available.
  4. Select File > Save to save dashboard changes.
Removing selected metrics from included or excluded metric lists
To remove individual metrics from the included or excluded metrics lists:
  1. In either the Included or Excluded metrics list, click on the metric you want to remove from the list. Select multiple metrics using Shift or Ctrl key.
  2. Click Remove.
  3. Click OK.
    The metric is removed from the Included or Excluded metric list.
  4. Select File > Save to save dashboard changes.
Clearing all included or excluded metrics
To clear all metrics from the included or excluded metrics list:
  1. In either the Included or Excluded metrics list, click Clear All.
  2. Click OK.
    All metrics in the list are removed.
  3. Select File > Save to save dashboard changes.
Changing the view resolution
You can change the view resolution on every viewer type except for an alert status indicator. Note that this only changes the view resolution in the data viewer, not the collection resolution for any referenced metric groupings or other elements.
To change the view resolution for a data viewer:
  1. Open the dashboard in the dashboard Editor.
  2. Select the data viewer with the Selection tool and right-click and select Data Options and then click the Miscellaneous tab.
  3. Select a new view resolution and click OK.
    The viewer displays historical data using the new time-resolution value. Changes do not affect live mode.
  4. Select File > Save to save dashboard changes.
Turning labels on and off
Labels that you can turn on and off refer to the metric information shown in a data viewer. The illustration below shows labels under the graphic chart.
The illustration shows a typical graph of metrics, with labels identifying each line of the graph.
You can turn labels on and off in:
  • Graphs
  • Bar charts
  • Dial meters
  • Graphic equalizers
  • String viewers
  • Text viewers
To turn labels on and off in a data viewer:
  1. In the Console, open the dashboard to edit by selecting Dashboard > Edit dashboard.
  2. Select the data viewer with the Selection tool.
  3. Select Properties > Data Options, then click the Miscellaneous tab.
  4. Turn Labels on or off in one of these ways:
    • Check the Show Labels or Legend checkbox to turn Labels on.
    • Uncheck the Show Labels or Legend checkbox to turn Labels off.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Select File > Save to save dashboard changes.
Changing alert status indicator options
Alert status indicator viewers can display:
  • An alert status indicator, which contains three symbols; only one of the three symbols is colored to show the current status. For example:
The illustration shows three alert indicators, with only one of them colored, indicating that it is displaying the active status of 'caution.'
  • A single alert status indicator, which contains only one indicator; the indicator changes color and shape according to current status.
To change the options for an alert status indicator:
  1. In the Console, open the dashboard to edit by selecting Dashboard > Edit dashboard.
  2. Select an alert status indicator with the Selection tool and right-click and select Data Options, then click the Alert tab, or, select Properties > Data Options, then click the Alert tab.
  3. In the Alert Type field, use the pull-down menu to choose either a Single Indicator or Multiple Indicator option.
  4. Click OK.
    The alert status indicator changes to the selected view.
  5. Select File > Save to save dashboard changes.
Add an Application Triage Map to Dashboards
You can import any Application Triage Map as a dashboard object. Once it is placed in the dashboard, its elements have the same interactive functions as they have when the map is displayed in the Investigator. You can view current alert states, hover to see metrics, double-click to open the Locations pane, select map elements, and so on. In addition, the scrollbars, toolbar, and Locations pane all function normally, and the context menus appear as usual on right-click.
Note that actions that cause a different map or data overview tab to be displayed in place of the current map will instead bring up an Investigator window with the requested map or overview.
For more information on how the Application Triage Map works, see The Triage Map Tab.
Before you begin:
  • Open a new or existing dashboard for editing, and identify the spot to place the map element.
To import the Application Triage Map to a dashboard:
  1. Click the map import button:
    The appMap import button on tool palette allows you to import an empty application triage map element.
    The cursor changes to a rectangle creator.
  2. Click and drag the cursor diagonally across the open area on the dashboard.
    When you release the mouse button, the application triage map element fills the space you designated.
  3. Set the map element to be populated with data from a Business Service, Business Transaction, or Frontend.
    1. Right-click the map element placeholder.
    2. Under Data Type, select from among Business Service, Business Transaction, or Frontend.
    3. Under Name, select the individual data source.
    4. Click OK.
    The map will display data from the selected data source. See more information on using the Data Options dialog.
Adding multiple maps on a dashboard will lead to degraded performance. CA Technologies recommends no more than five maps on a single dashboard.