IBM® Tivoli® Software: Document Version 4
IBM® Tivoli® Software: Document Version 4
CONTENTS
Revision History ............................................................................................................... iv
1
Overview ..............................................................................................................5
2.1.2
2.1.3
2.1.4
2.1.5
2.1.6
2.1.7
4.2
4.3
4.4
5.1
5.2
5.1.2
Reference Materials.........................................................................................................48
iii
REVISION HISTORY
Date
Version
Revised
By
Comments
June 2013
PD
November 2012
PD
July 2012
PD
September 2011
PD
PD
Initial Release
April 2011
ReportPlanningGuideforRelease75_rev4.doc
Overview
IBM Maximo Products include an Open Reporting Architecture, which enables you a number of
different reporting options to choose from. This guide is intended to review each of those
options as you make your report decisions in Version 7.5.
To guide you through this process, this document will be composed of three main sections
including:
Reviewing Data Analysis Options
Understanding Report Options
Developing Reports
Each of these sections is intended to give you features to consider, along with detailed
information and decision points to evaluate, as you determine your report plan for Version 75.
The document concludes by including reference materials where you can access further
information
As you begin evaluating your report requirements for Version 7.5, there are a number of items
you should consider. You may want to review your custom report requirements, along with the
latest available features that can be utilized to access and display data to your users.
This first section details these various data analysis options, so you can determine what
combination of formats your data needs should best be delivered in.
2.1
Custom Reports
You may have a list of custom reports that your users have requested for Version 7.5, or that they
want to have upgraded from prior releases. Each of these individual reports must be designed,
developed, tested, administered and maintained. Additionally, design specifications and test
plans may be required, and the report design code must be properly maintained. This can be a
significant investment in terms of resources and time.
Because there may a significant investment in report creation, you may want to evaluate
reducing the number of custom reports you create. You may find that with the data analysis
features of Version 7.5, users may no longer need custom reports, as the data can be analyzed
through other mechanisms.
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Depending on the individual business case and user, you may want to use one or a combination
of these features instead of creating a custom report.
For example, one of your users may need to know the Number of Work Orders Overdue each
day. This information is critical as this user needs to know if the number is above the targeted
value. Instead of creating a custom report for this individual user, you could quickly create a KPI.
The KPI would visually display the value on the users Start Center, and your user would know if
action was required or not.
An overview of each of these options is detailed below.
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You can select the content to display with the field values, or in graphic format as shown below.
Once available within the portlet on the Start Center, you can immediately view it, or be taken
directly to the application where you can then act on it.
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Their results are then exported to xls for additional data analysis. In this example, you can see
that multiple database objects and attributes are exported, including the highlighted fields from
the Workorder and Asset Objects.
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Each business has unique business requirements which impact their reporting needs. These
needs may be set by their industries, or by their corporate standards. Regardless of the reason,
the V7 reporting architecture is very flexible in its ability to integrate with a wide range of these
reporting systems.
This section reviews the report options available to you in the Version 7 Releases. These options
include the embedded reporting tool, along with report integrations. While the embedded
reporting tool will enable you the deepest level of report system level functionality, integrated
reporting options enable you the greatest flexibility in using your reporting tool of choice.
Additionally, you can choose to use any combination of these reporting tools. You may want to
use the embedded reporting tool for the large number of reports delivered out of the box and its
deeply embedded application functionality, and also an integrated reporting tool for your custom
report needs.
This section will provide data for you to answer the next set of questions, including What
Reporting Features are most important to my environment?
17
The report options have been significantly enhanced in Version 7 and include a wide range of
reporting tools. These tools include the embedded reporting tool, BIRT, along with IBM Cognos
Reporting. The integration to the powerful Cognos Reporting Products enables a silent log in
to the Cognos Server, along with the dynamic creation of a metadata layer for reduced report
development efforts.
ReportPlanningGuideforRelease75_rev4.doc
4.1
The numerous report options in Version 7.5 provide you with a variety of reporting tools to
choose from. Each of these tools contains its own inherent functionality, which is then
supplemented when utilized within the V7.5 Product Suite.
The amount of functionality that is added to insure a seamless integration varies by reporting
tool. For example, minimal functionality is added for the Open Database Platform where you
create reports directly against the V7.5 database. This contrasts significantly with the embedded
reporting tool of BIRT, which contains a silent install, hundreds of out of the box reports, and
deep embedded capability like direct printing and ad hoc reporting.
After reviewing the options and the functionality they provide below, you may determine that
you want to utilize multiple report options. For example, you may choose to use BIRT for its
embedded capabilities of Direct Print and ad hoc reporting, and then create your custom reports
with your separate, corporate reporting tool.
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4.2
BIRT, Business Intelligence and Reporting, is the embedded reporting tool in the Version 7.5
Releases. As the embedded reporting tool, it enables the deepest levels of integrations
throughout the various Maximo applications.
Delivered Reports
Depending on the specific products you are licensed for, over 150 Out of the box reports are
delivered out of the box. These reports span the variety of Applications, and include Analysis,
Detail, Hierarchical, and Drill down Reports. Reports can update the database, hyperlink to one
another to enable more detailed analysis, and refresh data dynamically. These reports are
designed to quickly and clearly convey information to the end user, and approximately 20%
include graphs, including pie, bar and line charts along with daily and monthly calendar views and
control limits.
The out of the box reports provide you a starting point for your custom report needs. You can
quickly customize these reports to meet your individual business needs, and also utilize the
delivered business logic to create any new reports you need.
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Developing Reports
Developers can use the Eclipse Based BIRT Designer Tool to create or customize Maximo Based
Reports. Utilizing the popular Eclipse Platform reduces learning curves and minimizes unique
development platforms.
A large number of Maximo report templates are included which enable developers to quickly
create Maximo reports. Also, Libraries and Style sheets are used to simply development, and
insure a consistent look and feel among all reports. Report designs are saved as XML Files, which
are easily imported into the Database, and accessed at run time to display the users requested
information.
Executing Reports
From within the various applications, users can execute reports immediately for display in the
report browser. From the report browser, reports can be searched through for particular data
sets, converted to PDF for printed, or downloaded to other file formats including xls, pdf and ppt
for additional analysis.
To enable users to quickly retrieve their filtered data in a report, Maximo reports can be
configured to execute against either the applications current query, or against user inputted
parameters. User inputted parameter options include single or multi values, required or nonrequired and report lookups.
End users can access a variety of one click actions for reports within an application. These
include Browser View, which opens the report immediately in the Report Browser, or Direct Print,
which prints the report directly to the users default printer. Direct Print with Attachments is also
enabled, which prints both the report and any print-able attachments directly to the users
default printer.
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Ad Hoc Reports
Within the embedded reporting tool, Ad Hoc Reporting functionality has been enabled via the
Maximo Framework. This functionality is called Query Based Reporting, and enables users to
quickly create their own custom reports from any application. This greatly reduces the number
of reports that need to be designed, created, tested, administered and maintained, leading to
large time and cost savings.
Within the applications, users can access the ad hoc reporting familiar in a familiar environment.
They can then select what type of report they want to create, which fields they want to display,
and whether to group and sort the results. Additionally, they can define unique report
parameters, and also determine if they want the report to execute against the applications
record set.
Users can then choose to save and share the reports with others, or determine that it is needed
for a one time usage only. If a user saves his report, it can be scheduled and automatically
emailed to him or a number of users just like standard enterprise reports, or the user can
download the reports contents to other file formats like Microsoft Excel for additional analysis.
In the 7.5 release, the users ability to edit his ad hoc reports has been enabled. The example
below shows the types of ad hoc reports that can be created
ReportPlanningGuideforRelease75_rev4.doc
Installation
The embedded reporting tool is silently installed during the Maximo installation process. No
separate install or integration process is required to activate the embedded report engine. This
significantly reduces your setup time, and enables a quick deployment for development
environments.
Report Administration
The Report Administration application enables administrators to configure and manage reports.
Based on standard Maximo functionality and user interface, the report administration features
include importing and exporting of report designs to the database repository, and defining and
viewing report security. Within this application, you can also configure reports to enable
application tool bar access, priorities, record limits and parameters. The ability to register and
view multiple data sources is also available.
Security
Report Security which users can have access to which reports is enabled in the Report
Administration application. Security can be granted at the individual report level, the application
level or can be granted access to all reports. Multiple views are available so you can quickly see
which reports each security group has access to. Additionally, with the embedded reporting tool,
no synchronization of security groups with external reporting systems is required.
Report Performance
A variety of mechanisms have been enabled for you to optimize report performance. Because
reporting enables a number of different processes, report performance is categorized into five
separate components, including Configuration, Designing, Developing, Administering and
Running. Each of these five functional areas is described in detail in the Report Performance
Guide, with the most frequently requested information on Configuration and Administration
described at a top level here.
Configuration
The embedded reporting tool can be configured to be a separate, dedicated server called
BROS (BIRT Report Only Server.) Additionally, the report server can be clustered, and
since report scheduling is done via a cron task, the report server can be optionally located
on a cron cluster.
Administering
Administration of reports is very critical to their performance success. Specific items that
administrators can enable include: Record Limits to prevent end users from
inadvertently executing reports against large record sets, and specifying Schedule Only
functionality. Schedule only functionality can be implemented on complex, batch
reports to define the exact days and times of the week when the report can be executed.
Additionally, administrators can use tools like the Performance Tab and Viewing Report
Processing to monitor report performance.
23
Additionally, in the 7.5 release, report administrators can specify the maximum number
of scheduled reports a user can make. This can force users to manage their scheduled
reports, and delete recurring scheduled reports which are no longer required and
thereby minimizing unnecessary report processing.
Report Logging
Additionally, report logging is available to monitor the usage and execution of the embedded
reports. This valuable information can be used to answer the questions Which Report takes the
longest to execute? Are users scheduling reports and Which reports are executed most
frequently?
Application Toolbar Settings
Heavily used reports are often required to be accessed within the applications via a minimum
number of mouse clicks. In certain scenarios, they are also required to be directly printed to the
users default printer. This functionality can be enabled through the use of application toolbar
settings. Three different variations of this functionality are available including Browser View
Direct Print
Application toolbar settings are enabled only for the embedded reporting tool, which are
application reports. Application reports are also known as launch in context and dynamically
pass the users application query and/or filter to the report engine at run time.
Browser View
enables a report to automatically display in the separate report browser via
one click from the toolbar. Once the report opens, the user can choose any actions from the
reporting toolbar, including printing, searching and downloading.
ReportPlanningGuideforRelease75_rev4.doc
Direct Print
enables a report to automatically print to the users default printer via one click
action on the icon. The report browser does not open only a temporary window displays during
the printing process which closes when the print operation is complete.
Direct Print with Attachments
enables a report to automatically print to the users default
printer via the icon in the toolbar, along with any printable attachments it may have. The report
browser does not open. A temporary window displays during the printing process which closes
when the print operation is complete, and a window asking the user to confirm if he wants to
print the attached documents displays.
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4.3
Cognos Features
In the 7.5 Release, a Cognos Reporting Integration is enabled. This integration extends the
current suite of reporting tools that Maximo enables into a deeper level of Strategic Reporting.
The integration utilizes the Cognos Reporting Products of Developers Studio, Query Studio,
Cognos Connection and Framework Manager Products.
Silent Integration
The Cognos integration enables clients to further analyze the powerful Version 7.5 dataset. By
enabling detailed drilldown analysis capabilities, users will have powerful flexibility and capability
in analyzing data.
Users can see and access Cognos reports from within the various applications. Based on the
users report inputs, the Cognos reports are displayed in a separate browser session within the
Cognos Portal. This is enabled through a silent log-in to the Cognos Server, where the user is
authenticated.
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Developing Reports
The powerful Cognos Reporting Products enable two different tools to create custom reports.
Query Studio is used to create Ad Hoc reports, and Report Studio is used to create standard,
enterprise reports. Both of these tools are very powerful in that they are browser based, but
more importantly, they utilize the metadata layer. This reduces report development time
because developers no longer have to create sql statements for their reports.
Integration Enablement
The Cognos Integration can be enabled thru a clients license of the Cognos Reporting Products,
or thru the Tivoli Common Reporting (TCR) Enablement.
Utilizing TCR enablement is referred to as the Maximo-Cognos Indirect Integration, versus using
your existing license is known as the Maximo-Cognos Direct Integration.
The TCR Enablement process provides licensing for the Cognos Reporting Products for use with
any Tivoli Product. Utilizing this feature can enable you to create Tivoli Cross Products report
which you can access from the Cognos Portal.
ReportPlanningGuideforRelease75_rev4.doc
3. Localization of reports. The ability to localize reports including their labels, titles and
individual data is not enabled for the initial integration. This includes the ability to localize the
metadata layer.
4. The embedded reporting functionality which deeply engulfs reporting in the various
applications is not reproduced in this integration offering. A listing of some of the embedded
functionality not included is:
A. Full Product Suite of Out of the box Reports
B. Scheduling, emailing, or canceling a Cognos Report within the V7.5 applications.
NOTE: This functionality can be enabled within the Cognos Reporting Products.
C. One Click Direct Print: Enabling a Cognos Report print directly to a users default
printer via a one click action from an applications toolbar in V7.5.
D. Direct Print with Attachments: Enabling the Cognos Report print directly to a users
default printer along with any printable attachments it may have (ex. xls, doc, pdf, jpeg)
within the Maximo Applications.
E. Application Changes, including Direct Print on Status Change and direct database
updates from an executed report within the V7.5 applications.
5. Additionally, because this is a separate integration, full platform support is not enabled. For a
detailed listing of platform differences, reference the Cognos documents at the end of this guide.
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4.4
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In the previous sections, information on design features to consider and the various report
options were detailed. This last section is intended to bring the output of those sections into an
actionable plan that you can undertake for your custom report requirements.
This actionable plan can be used by both clients upgrading to Version 7.5 from prior Maximo
versions, or those creating new custom reports in Version 7.5.
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5.1
If you choose to utilize the embedded reporting tool of BIRT in V7.5, there are a number of
options you can pursue to develop your custom reports. These options include customizing the
out of the box reports provided, or using the embedded ad hoc reporting functionality as a
starting point for your custom report.
ReportPlanningGuideforRelease75_rev4.doc
The first workbook V75 Reports lists details of each out of the box report, including:
Name: Name of the Report. By clicking on its name, it will hyperlink to a pdf copy of the report.
Description: Description of what the report does
Additional Report Description Details?: Highlights if the report has additional information on its
content, or on the code in how it was developed.
Report File Name: Report design file name.
Maximo Application(s): Application or Applications that the report can be accessed from.
Graph: If the report includes a graph, the type of graph utilized and what it displays.
Enabled for Rich Text Formatting? Details if the report includes a long description field with this
unique control.
Configurable BV, DP, DPA, Limits Enabled: Details if Application Toolbar Access Settings are
enabled out of the box. These include Browser View, Direct Print and Direct Print with
Attachments.
Parameters: Details if parameters are specified for the report, like Start Date or End Date, and if
they are required or non-required parameters. If parameters are not specified, the report
executes against the current/selected record set, in what is known as Launch in Context.
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Suggested Demo Data: If you want to execute these reports from a maxdemo environment, the
suggested demo data column lists maxdemo data that can be used for report execution.
Template: Details which template is used, and if grouping or sorting is used
To best utilize this information, you may want to search for information you need on your custom
report from this page. For example, if you need to create a custom report with a pie graph, you
may want to look at an out of the box report which has a pie graph. As shown below, the Details
of Asset Failures by Location report includes a pie chart.
You can then open up the report in its pdf format by clicking on its report name
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You could modify this report for your custom data needs, or you could use portions of its code
within your unique custom report. You can open its source file in the Report Design Tool. The
Report Source is located in <V75>\reports\birt\reports
Additionally, if a report has a Yes in the Additional Report Description Details? column within
the spreadsheet, it indicates that additional information is available for the report. This is shown
with the same report Details of Asset Failures.
The additional information is available in the second worksheet Additional V75 Report Desc.
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Once on this page, you could also search to find additional information that may be included in
the out of the box reports. This example details how a bound date parameter can be used.
ReportPlanningGuideforRelease75_rev4.doc
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Then, the report is exported for its repository in the database to a local file system. This is done
via a command utility. Enabling the command utility is a properties file which first must be
configured. The property file is: reporttools.properties file.
To configure this file, browse to the tool location ...<V75> \reports\birt\tools. Locate and open
the reporttools.properties file shown below. Enter the standard values required for this file.
*NOTE: For more details on configuring this file and the variations that can be enabled,
reference the V75 Report Developers Guide noted at the end of this document.
After configuring the properties file, you can export the Ad Hoc Report by opening a command
window. Navigate down to the exportcommands path. <V75>reports\birt\tools
Then, export all of the reports from the asset application by:
exportreports app asset
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*Note: You can also export only a single report by using the command:
exportreport report <application> <reportfilename>
However, all command files work with file names not the report descriptions that users assign
during Ad Hoc Report Creation. So to use this command, you first must know the exact name of
the QBR report. To find the report file name, access the Report Administration application. You
can either filter on the Created By field in the list tab, or utilize a query to quickly locate your Ad
hoc reports. Ad Hoc reports are identified where the Created By field is not null.
41
Once you have exported the ad hoc report, open up the Report Designer tool. From the menu,
click File Open File and navigate to the directory where you exported your reports. Select the
Ad Hoc Reports .rptdesign file, and it displays in the designer.
You can immediately see that you have an excellent beginning to extend this report further for
any other customizations you may need. Multiple data sets (subreports) can be already
populated, parameters included and complex sql statements including application queries can
already be formed for you.
This can become an excellent starting point for your report developer.
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5.2
If you choose to utilize Cognos Reporting to create your custom reports in Maximo 7, you can
utilize either the powerful Cognos Query Studio or Cognos Report Studio. Cognos Query Studio
enables you to create Ad Hoc Reports, whereas Cognos Report Studio enables you to create
standard Enterprise Reports. Both tools are web based, and enable report creation via a visual,
dynamic interface.
43
To add a field to the Ad Hoc report, simply drag and drop the field in the report authoring
section.
Continue building your report by adding other fields from the main table or related tables.
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Additionally, you can apply filters, add calculations, sort, group along with numerous other
features including graphing and pivot tables to create your own powerful, custom Ad Hoc Report.
With minimal training, the business user can quickly create an Ad Hoc report within Cognos
Query Studio to meet his individual business or project needs. Once complete, it can be saved
for future access, and also shared with others.
45
A few of the benefits developers will see when developing reports within the Cognos Reporting
Product Suite include*
Reports can be created in a wide variety of formats and objects, including graphs, charts,
crosstabs, lists and other dynamic non-BI components like images and logos.
The report development tools deliver a zero-footprint, browser based interface for all
reporting functionality. This eliminates the need for IT to install and manage client
desktop software.
Casual or novice users can author and modify their own reports with minimal training or
IT involvement. The flexibility of the task based interface reduces the time required to
author and modify a report.
Report developers can create reports containing any number of report objects charts,
cross tabs, and lists, as well as non-BI components such as images, logos, and live
embedded applications that can be linked to the information.
Reports can be built with multiple data queries. Each query can draw data from any data
source or a combination of sources and be linked together in context or left as
independent.
Users can arrange report objects by dragging and dropping them into the report
authoring window. Report layout automatically adapts and rearranges as report objects
are added or removed.
When used with dimensional data, query and reporting capabilities provide automatic
recognition of hierarchies and automatic drill-up and -down for both text reports and
charts, without the need for authoring by the user. Queries on dimensionally modeled
relational data can be enabled for drilling-up and down on each dimensional hierarchy.
Additionally, like Query Studio, because Developers Studio utilizes the Cognos packages or
metadata layer, developers no longer are required to write sql to join database objects together.
This enables them to very quickly create powerful enterprise reports
*Reference: Reporting with IBM Cognos 8 Business Intelligence. February 2009, File
wp_reporting_dashboard.pdf
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A few examples of the types of custom reports you can create within the Cognos Reporting Tools
include:
For a demo of more detailed, interactive capabilities of Report Studio, access the link below, and
access the Reporting demo on the right.
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/cognos/products/cognos-8-businessintelligence/reporting.html
47
REFERENCE MATERIALS
To access additional Maximo Report Reference materials, access this IBM Maximo Wiki
Page:
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/mydeveloperworks/wikis/home?lang=en#/wiki/IB
M%20Maximo%20Asset%20Management/page/Reporting%20Documentation
or its shortened url of http://ibm.co/1321CuI
This page contains the latest listing of report reference materials, including description,
revision levels and hyperlinks to the documentation
Additional details on Maximo Reporting can be found throughout the Wiki Pages here
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/mydeveloperworks/wikis/home?lang=en#/wiki/IB
M%20Maximo%20Asset%20Management/page/Reporting
or its shortened url of
http://ibm.co/VgncuK
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