1.2 Getting Started

This section includes the following:

1.2.1 Log in to ZENworks Reporting

You must log in to ZENworks Reporting with a password; in order to protect the data that you access through the server.

  1. Enter http://<hostname>:<port-number> or http://<IP address>:<port-number> in a Web browser, where <hostname> is the name of the device that hosts the ZENworks Reporting Solution.

  2. In the Login page, specify the user ID and password. The user ID must be the LDAP user ID.

  3. If you want to change the default locale and time zone, click Show locale & time zone, then select the required locale and time zone from the drop-down list.

  4. Click Login.

    The specified user ID internally authenticates with the LDAP server. After authorization, it allows you to log in to the application. Then the ZENworks Reporting Home page is displayed.

1.2.2 The ZENworks Reporting Home Page

From the Home page, you can quickly access the most frequently used features of the server. The menus that are displayed are based on user permissions.

The Home page contains the following icons:

  • View Reports: Displays a list of reports that you can view and run.

  • Create Ad Hoc View: Launches the Data Chooser wizard, followed by the Ad Hoc Editor for designing Ad Hoc views, which is the basis for creating reports on the server interactively.

  • Create Report: Launches the Create Report wizard, which allows you to select an existing Ad Hoc view and generate a report.

  • Manage Server: Launches the Server Settings page. Only administrators can view and access this menu.

    The other menus available on the Home page are (Home), Library, View, Manage, and Create. The following table provides a description of these menus:

    Menu

    Description

    Enables you to return to the Home page.

    Library

    Displays the repository page that contains only the Ad Hoc views, reports, and Dashboards for which the current logged-in user has rights to view and perform actions.

    The Library table has two columns:

    • Created Date: When the resource was created.

    • Modified Date: When the resource was last modified.

    Generally, the created date is earlier than the modified date. However, in scenarios such as the following, the created date might be after the modified date:

    • When an existing report (Report A) is modified, and then is subsequently copied into a new report (Report B). In the Library list, Report B’s creation date is the day it was created, but its modified date reflects the last time Report A was changed.

    • An existing report is exported from one system and imported into another. In the Library list, the Reports Created Date is the date it was imported into the new system, and the Modified Date is the date it was last modified in the original system.

    View

    • Search Results: Displays the repository of resources filtered by the search criteria in the Filters panel. You can also access this by clicking View Reports on the Home page.

      For more information about searching, see section Filtering Search Results.

    • Repository: Displays the repository of files and folders containing resources, such as reports, report output, data sources, and images.

    • Messages: Lists system messages, such as an error in a scheduled report.

    Manage

    • Users: Displays the Manage Users page.

    • Roles: Displays the Manage Roles page.

    • Server Settings: Displays the Server Settings page.

    Only Administrators can view and access. For more information, see Section 4.0, ZENworks Reporting Management.

    Create

    • Ad Hoc View: Launches the Ad Hoc Editor for designing views interactively. You can also access by clicking Create Ad Hoc View on the Getting Started page.

      For creating an Ad Hoc View, see Section 2.2, Creating an Ad Hoc View.

    • Report: Launches the Create Report page for creating a report by selecting the required Ad Hoc view. You can also launch by clicking Create Report on the Home page.

      For creating report, see Section 2.3, Generating an Ad Hoc Report.

    • Dashboard: Launches the Dashboard Designer to integrate reports, input controls, graphics, labels, and Web content in a single, integrated view.

      For more information, see Section 3.0, Working with ZENworks Reporting Dashboards.

    If you log in as an administrator, the Home page is displayed with additional options and menu items for managing users, roles, and settings.

1.2.3 Browsing the Repository

The Repository is the server’s internal storage for reports, analysis views, and related files. The repository is organized as a structure of folders containing resources such as a file system. However, unlike a file system, the repository is stored as a private database that only ZENworks Reporting can access directly.

You can access the Repository page by using any of the following methods:

  • In the Home page, click View Reports

  • Click View > Repository

  • Click View > Search Results

  • Click Library

The Repository page provides a different view of the same set of underlying objects. From the Repository page, you access the reports and other files stored on the server. If you have appropriate rights to these Folders, you can browse the repository content.

1.2.4 Searching the Repository

You can search the entire repository, subject to permissions, or narrow the search by using filters. You can use filters based on the resource name, who changed the resource, the type of resource, the date of resource creation and schedule.

Searching All Resources

To search all resources in the repository:

  1. Click View > Search Results, or use the Search field in the top right corner of the Home page.

  2. In the Filters panel, choose one of these filters: All available, Modified by me, or Viewed by me.

  3. Select All types.

  4. Click .

    The search results displays files that you have permission to view. Click a resource in the list to view

Filtering Search Results

If you enter a search criteria and click at the top of any server page, the server will not use filters. The search feature uses the following default settings:

  • Includes sub folders

  • Starts at the top-most folder visible to the user

  • Searches for reports, report outputs, or other resources

  • Sorts alphabetically by name

If you click View > Search Results and click on the search results page, the server uses the filters that you set in the Filters panel.

NOTE:The search criteria that you enter in the search field is not cleared automatically. Click in the search field; to clear the search criteria.

You can refine a search by using filters. For example, filters can help you to find your most recently viewed reports. You can set the following types of filters:

  • User

  • Resource

  • Access time

  • Scheduled report

NOTE:You can set each filter independently.

The user filter includes the following settings:

Filter Setting

Description

All available (default)

All resources are displayed.

Modified by me

Selects only resources that were last modified by the logged-in user.

Viewed by me

Selects only resources that were run and viewed by the logged-in user. This filter not only applies to visualization types, but also to resources that are included in reports, such as images.

The resource type filter has the following settings:

Filter Setting

Description

All types (default)

All resources are displayed.

Reports

Displays only reports.

Report outputs

Displays only the output from reports that were scheduled or run in the background. Report outputs can be any of the supported export types, such as HTML and PDF.

Ad Hoc views

Displays only views.

Dashboards

Displays only dashboards.

Domains

Displays only domains.

Data sources

Displays only data sources.

Deprecated Reports

Displays only deprecated reports.

The access time filter has the following settings. All times are relative to the user’s effective time zone:

Filter Setting

Description

Any time (default)

All resources are displayed.

Today

Resources viewed or modified during the current day.

Yesterday

Resources viewed or modified yesterday.

Past week

Resources viewed or modified during the past 7 days, including today.

Past month

Resources viewed or modified during the past 30 days, including today.

The scheduled report filter has the following settings:

Filter Setting

Description

Any schedule (default)

All resources are displayed.

Scheduled

Only reports that have scheduled jobs.

Scheduled by me

Only reports that have jobs scheduled by the current logged in user.

Not scheduled

Only reports that do not have scheduled jobs and all other resource types.

Tips for searching for resources:

  • Use word fragments.

  • Search for the display name or part of the display name of a resource.

  • Search for words or fragments in the description of a resource.

  • Use multiple words.

  • Use case-insensitive words.

  • Do not search for folder names.

  • Do not enter quotes around terms or symbols between terms.

1.2.5 Using Repository Resources

After finding a resource in the Repository panel, you can perform the following tasks:

  • Click the name of a report to run and view.

  • Right-click the name of a resource to perform other options in the context menu. For example, Edit or Open in Designer. Options are displayed in the context menu based on the rights assigned to the user.

  • Click anywhere in the row except the resource name to select a resource, or select multiple resources. Use the context menu or buttons above the results list: Run, Edit, Open, Copy, Cut (move), or Delete. If the button is unavailable, it indicates that the resource does not support the operation or you do not have permission. For example, the Open button is available when you select a dashboard or an Ad Hoc report if you have write permission.

    You might also need permission to access the folder or the dependent file; such as an image of a resource. For example, to schedule a report, you need to have read/write/delete permissions on the folder in which the server saves the report output.

The following icons might appear in the Repository panel:

  • This indicates that the report is scheduled to run or is running in the background. Click this icon to view the list of jobs scheduled for the report.

  • This indicates that the report has saved options for its input controls. Click the icon to list the saved options

1.2.6 Sorting the Repository List

To change the order of the list of reports and other resources, use the Sort By controls:

  • Click Name to sort alphabetically (A at the top). This is the default sort order.

  • Click Modified Date to sort by the latest modified time and date (most recent at the top).