Using the Adapter Setup Wizard

Accessing and Navigating the Adapter Setup Wizard

Steps to Complete the Adapter Setup Wizard

Creating Jobs Using the Adapter Setup Wizard

Accessing and Navigating the Adapter Setup Wizard

To access the Adapter Setup wizard, open SAS IT Resource Management and select New

IT Resource Management

Adapter Setup. To navigate through the pages of the wizard, use the following wizard buttons:

Help

displays a Help topic for the current window.

Cancel

abandons changes that were made after the last save and closes the current window.

Back

displays the previous window in the wizard.

displays the next page of the wizard.

Finish

saves changes that were made after the last save and closes the current window.

Steps to Complete the Adapter Setup Wizard

The Adapter Setup wizard guides you through several steps that help define the ETL jobs, staged tables, summarized aggregation tables, information maps, and Performance Report transformations for the selected adapter. The steps vary based on the requirements of the adapter that you select.

Here are all of the possible steps or pages that the Adapter Setup wizard can present for a given adapter:

Specify an adapter for your input data source.
Specify the configuration level that controls the scope and amount of output jobs.
Specify the IT data mart.
Specify staging parameters such as the location of the raw data and how to handle duplicate data.
Select domain categories for the selected adapter.
Select the time periods for which you want to create aggregation jobs and report jobs.
Specify the location of any user-written formulas.
Specify the location of the SAS Content Server for report packages.
Specify the job deployment information.
View a summary of the specifications that you have chosen and the ETL objects that the Adapter Setup wizard creates when the resulting jobs are executed.

Creating Jobs Using the Adapter Setup Wizard

The Adapter Setup wizard enables you to define and create the ETL jobs that are required to process your IT resource data. You do not need to run the Adapter Setup wizard frequently for a given adapter. For best results, run the Adapter Setup wizard initially for a given adapter. Do not run it again for the same adapter unless you have changes in how you would like to process input data. Running the Adapter Setup wizard additional times does not update the jobs, transformations, or tables from the previous runs. Instead, it creates new jobs, transformations, and tables.

To specify all of the necessary parameters that the Adapter Setup wizard requires to create the jobs for an adapter, perform the following steps:

From the menu bar of the SAS IT Resource Management client, select NewIT Resource ManagementAdapter Setup to open the Adapter Setup wizard.
Specify the adapter for which you want to create jobs.

Specifying the Adapter
1. Click the adapter that you want to use from the list of the adapters provided. You can move the cursor over an adapter to a view a tooltip that provides the full name of the adapter, any former names of the adapter, and information about the types of data that the adapter provides. The remaining pages and parameters that are presented in the Adapter Setup wizard are based on the specific adapter that you select on this page.
  
  Note: The AS/400 and IMS adapters are not available for selection on this page. The staging code that is required for these data sources is not automated by the Adapter Setup wizard. However, SAS IT Resource Management supplies staging transformations for these adapters. You can use these staging transformations to create staging jobs manually for these data sources. For more information about how to create a staging job manually using a staging transformation, see Add a Staging Transformation to a Staging Job.
  
  For more information about the specific adapters that SAS IT Resource Management supports, see Supported Adapters.
2. Click Next.
Specify the configuration level that represents the scope of output jobs that you want the Adapter Setup wizard to create.

Note: If you are using an adapter that does not include aggregations that are categorized with configuration levels, then the level is automatically set to create a staging job only and this page is not displayed.

Specifying the Level of Output

Configuration levels enable you to specify the general scope or amount of aggregation tables and jobs that you want the Adapter Setup wizard to create. These levels provide various presentations of granularity in the data based on the aggregations and metrics that are available for an adapter. The jobs that are created for each level include the metrics that are used in the reports for that level. These jobs might also include other metrics that have been predetermined to be useful for reporting on the given level.

Configuration levels are unique for each adapter. However, in some cases, the levels can be identical for a given adapter. For more information about the metrics and aggregations that are supported for each adapter, see the SAS IT Resource Management metrics documentation. To locate the SAS IT Resource Management documentation, use the Products Index A-Z at http://support.sas.com/documentation/index.html.

To specify the level of output, complete the following steps:
1. Select one of the following configuration levels:
  
  Staging Job Only
  
  creates a staging job only for the adapter. If you select this option, no aggregation jobs, information map jobs, reporting jobs, or exception jobs are created.
  
  Minimal
  
  creates a staging job and additional jobs that include metrics, aggregations, report definitions, and exception definitions for a small number of reports. This level is for reporting on a small scale. You might use this level to create jobs that are related to low-priority, non-critical machines.
  
  Typical
  
  creates the staging job and a set of jobs that include recommended metrics, aggregations, report definitions, and exception definitions that satisfy a typical set of reports for an adapter. (This configuration level includes the output that is part of the Minimal setting.)
  
  This configuration level is the default option.
  
  Full
  
  creates a staging job and a comprehensive set of jobs that include most metrics, aggregations, report definitions, and exception definitions that SAS IT Resource Management supports. This level includes all of the jobs that are part of the Typical level. In addition, it includes many of the other metrics that are recommended for an adapter. You might use this level when you want the full benefits of the domain intelligence that is available with the SAS IT Resource Management solution. In addition, this configuration level provides additional information from the full set of metrics that are available from the adapter data sources.
  
  Note: Increasing the configuration level results in more complex transformations and jobs. If you select Full when you need only the Typical level, then the extra complexity causes the Adapter Setup wizard to be slower to complete than is necessary for your needs. Also, the nightly ETL jobs will take longer to process.
2. Click Next.
Specify the IT data mart where you want to save the ETL jobs that the Adapter Setup wizard will create, or create a new IT data mart.

Specifying the IT Data Mart
1. Select an IT data mart from the list of available IT data marts. If you do not want to use one of the data marts in the list, then click New IT Data Mart. This action launches a wizard that guides you through the process of creating and defining a new IT data mart. When you are finished, the wizard returns you to the Adapter Setup wizard.
2. Click Next.
Specify staging and duplicate-data checking parameters for the selected adapter. Staging parameters vary by adapter as they specify the configurations that are required to extract, transform, and load specific raw data into staged tables.

The parameters that are marked with an asterisk (*) require a value. All other parameters do not require a value.

You can also click Reset for a given staging parameter to use the default value if there is one available for the parameter. If the default value is already selected, then the Reset option is not available. You can also click Reset to defaults to set all the staging parameters to the default values.

Note: Reset to defaults does not reset a parameter that is dependent on another parameter if the parent parameter does not change.

For more information about the staging and duplicate-data checking parameters that are available for each adapter, see Staging Parameters.
1. Specify the staging parameters in order to govern how you want the staging code to execute for the adapter. The following image is an example of the staging parameters for the DT Perf Sentry adapter:
  
  Specifying Staging Parameters for the Adapter
2. Specify the duplicate-data checking parameters in order to govern how you want the duplicate-data checking to execute for the adapter. The following image is an example of the duplicate-data checking parameters for the DT Perf Sentry adapter.
  
  Specifying Duplicate Checking Parameters for the Adapter
3. Click Next.
  
  Note: If you selected the adapter VMware vCenter, then the Adapter Setup wizard presents two pages of staging parameters: one for VMware Data Acquisition jobs and one for VMware vCenter jobs. For more information about accessing raw data for the VMware vCenter adapter, see Data Sources Supported by SAS IT Resource Management Adapters.
Specify one or more domain categories that you want the Adapter Setup wizard to use when creating the resulting jobs.

Note: For some adapters, the Adapter Setup wizard might not create aggregation and information map jobs. For those adapters, the wizard creates only a staging job and skips this page.

Selecting the Domain Categories for the Adapter

The preceding example shows the domain categories that are available for the DT Perf Sentry adapter. All of the domain categories that are related to Server data have been selected. Note that the description in the box on the right corresponds with the domain category that is highlighted in the Select domain categories box.

The Adapter Setup wizard helps you manage system performance by enabling you to select only the domain categories that are essential to the performance management and capacity planning processes for your enterprise. The Adapter Setup wizard creates a predefined set of jobs based on the domain categories that you select. The time that the Adapter Setup wizard takes to create the jobs varies based on the number of staged tables, aggregation jobs, and report jobs that are generated for the domain categories that you select.

Note: If you are using an adapter that does not include domain categories, then this page is not displayed.

For more information about domain categories, see Domain Categories.
1. Click one or more domain categories to enable or disable the domain category for staging and aggregation. At least one domain category must be selected before you can continue to the next page of the wizard.
2. Click Next.
Select the time periods that you want to use for the aggregation and reporting jobs. You can also specify that you want to create aggregation tables that include shift data or that you want to generate aggregation tables that contain key metrics. This page of the wizard displays the number of aggregation tables that will be created based on your selections.

On the lower part of this page, you can specify the cut off time that marks the end of the completed day. The default time is 18:00. If you want to change that time, check the Override default cut off time and use the spinners to specify the cut off time that you want to use.

Note: For some adapters, the Adapter Setup wizard might not create aggregation and information map jobs. For those adapters, the wizard creates only a staging job and skips this page.

Selecting Time Periods and Metrics

The preceding example shows that all time periods and key metrics have been selected and that 14 aggregations will be created. Note that the description in the box on the right corresponds with the time period that is highlighted in the Select time periods box. The cut off time that signifies a completed day is changed from the default value of 18:00 to 15:00.

The time periods are another way that the Adapter Setup wizard helps you manage system performance, aggregations, and jobs. The wizard enables you to select only the time periods that are essential to the performance management and capacity planning processes for your enterprise. The Adapter Setup wizard creates only the aggregation and report jobs that reflect the time periods and key metrics that you select. In turn, you do not have to sort through extra jobs and reports that focus on time intervals that you do not need.

Note: You must select at least one time period or the option Generate key metrics to continue. (That is, you can select any combination of these four choices: Day, Week, Month, or Generate key metrics, but you must select at least one.)

For more information about the specific aggregations that the Adapter Setup wizard creates based on time period and shift, see Aggregations by Time Period.
1. Select the time periods for which you want to create aggregation and report jobs.
  
  Day
  
  creates aggregation jobs and the daily, weekly, and monthly report jobs that generate reports about the daily data.
  
  Week
  
  creates aggregation jobs and the weekly report job that generate reports about the weekly data.
  
  Month
  
  creates aggregation jobs and the monthly report job that generate reports about the monthly data.
2. Select Shift if you want to the generate aggregations, information maps, and reports that are based on shift data, in addition to daily, weekly, or monthly data.
  
  Note: In some cases, Shift might be selected by default because of the adapter that you selected earlier in the wizard.
3. Select Generate key metrics if you want to generate aggregation tables, information maps, and reports that include only the key metrics that focus on the most critical data for a performance area or domain category.
  
  Note: If the domain categories that you selected do not include key metrics, then this option is not available.
4. If you want to change the cut off time that signifies the end of a day, check the Override default cut off time. Then use the spinners to select the cut off time that you want to use.
5. Click Next.
Specify the location of any user-written formulas to use in addition to the formulas that SAS IT Resource Management supplies.

Specifying User-Written Formulas

The staged tables and aggregation tables that the Adapter Setup wizard creates include computed columns that reference various formulas. When the tables with computed columns are instantiated, SAS IT Resource Management looks for the corresponding formulas in the list of supplied formulas.

You might have customized or user-written formulas that you prefer to use. If so, then use this page of the wizard to specify the location of the user-written formulas that you want to use. The Adapter Setup wizard then looks in the folder that you specified for any formulas that have the same name as those in the tables that it creates. If a formula with the same name is in the folder, then the wizard uses that formula. If the formula is not found in your specified location, then the wizard searches for the formula in this location: Shared Data/SAS IT Resource Management/IT Formulas. If the formula is still not found, then the wizard searches for it in this location: Products/SAS IT Resource Management/IT Formula.
1. Click Browse to navigate to and select the folder that includes any user-written formulas that you want to use instead of the formulas that SAS IT Resource Management supplies. This field is optional and does not allow manual entries. If you do not have user-written formulas that you want to use and do not specify a folder in this field, then the Adapter Setup wizard defaults to the supplied formulas.
2. Click Next.
Specify the location of the SAS Content Server where the report definitions are retrieved and where the reports that are generated from the resulting jobs are stored.

This page does not appear if you selected the configuration level Staging Job Only on the second page of the wizard.

Specifying SAS Content Server

The report definitions that the Adapter Setup wizard uses to create the report jobs are stored on the SAS Metadata Server. The reports that are generated from the report jobs are stored on the SAS Content Server.

If you are using domain categories that result in reporting jobs, specify the following parameters for the SAS Content Server:

SAS Content Server

specifies the name of the server that is used as the SAS Content Server for storing report definitions and report job outputs.

Note: Only servers that can be valid SAS Content Servers are included in the drop-down list for this parameter.

Repository folder path

specifies the path within the SAS Content Server where the report definitions and reports are stored. The default location is /SASContentServer/repository/default/sasdav/ITRM.

Note: Use the Administration workspace of ITRM Report Center to add or delete a repository folder path. Do not edit the path. (If you need to change the path, delete it. Then create a new path in the Administration workspace of ITRM Report Center.)

Note: If no report jobs will be generated, this page does not appear.

Click Next.
Specify whether you want the Adapter Setup wizard to automatically deploy the jobs that it creates. If no report jobs will be generated, this page does not appear.

Note: This page does not appear if you selected more than two domain categories. (This restriction does apply, however, if you selected the Staging Only configuration level.)

Specifying Job Deployment

Specify the following fields to deploy jobs automatically:

Deploy jobs automatically

specifies if you want the Adapter Setup wizard to deploy all the jobs that it creates. Otherwise, the Adapter Setup wizard only creates the jobs. You must deploy them manually.

Deployment directory

specifies the location where the jobs are deployed if you select the option to deploy the jobs automatically.

Note: If you are working with z/OS, then the location for deployment can be a directory in the zFS file system or a partitioned data set (PDS) directory. If you are working with traditional z/OS, you are prompted to specify the file system device, values for the primary and secondary space, and the number of volumes.

Click Next.
View a summary of the metadata that you specified for the adapter with the Adapter Setup wizard.

Viewing Specifications

The summary consolidates all of the specifications that you provided on the previous pages of the wizard.
1. Review the summary and ensure that it reflects the specifications and results that you expect. If you want to change a value that you specified on a previous page, click Back to navigate to the appropriate page and change the parameter value as needed.
  
  The last item on the Summary page provides the location where a log file for the current Adapter Setup wizard instance is stored. This text file is automatically stored on your machine after each execution of the Adapter Setup wizard. The log includes all of the information that is detailed on the Summary page of the Adapter Setup wizard. It also includes the dates and times at which the Adapter Setup wizard was run. For more information about the log file, see Log File Created by the Adapter Setup Wizard.
2. Click Finish when complete. The wizard creates the jobs and saves them in an <adapter><number> folder within the IT data mart that you selected. The time that the Adapter Setup wizard takes to create the resulting jobs varies based on the adapter and the parameters that you specify. A progress bar shows the status when the wizard creates the appropriate jobs. If the jobs cannot be created, an error message is displayed.
  
  Note: The first time you edit a job that the Adapter Setup wizard created, the job is marked as needing to be saved. (An asterisk is next to the name in the title bar of the Job Editor window). This is because the Job Editor is storing the initial editor settings for how the job is displayed in the window. The job was saved when the Adapter Setup wizard executed.
If you do not want the Adapter Setup wizard to automatically deploy the jobs that it creates, then you must deploy the resulting jobs if you want to run them in batch mode. You can right-click a job to open a menu that provides various options such as deployment and scheduling tasks. For information about deploying and scheduling the jobs that the Adapter Setup wizard creates, see Deploy and Run Jobs That the Adapter Setup Wizard and Add Domain Category Wizard Create.