Add a custom chart or table to a web-based report in the SolarWinds Platform

When you are familiar with the SolarWinds Platform database, or comfortable with creating SQL or SWQL queries, you can create custom charts or tables and use them in reports.

To ensure that the charts and tables show meaningful results, you need to know what data you are using, from which instances it originates, and what you do with the data.

1. Click Add Content in the column to which you want to add a custom chart.
2. Group by Reports to find the Custom Chart or Custom Table resources.
3. Select Custom Chart or Custom Table, and click Select and Continue.
4. Use one of the following methods to configure the objects displayed in the chart or table:

• Specific Objects (static selection) - use when you know which objects you want to include in your chart or table.

  1. Filter or search for the objects you want to include.
  2. Select the objects' check boxes.

  This is the most straightforward selection method, and recommended for new users. It is also the preferred method for relatively permanent network objects.

• Dynamic Query Builder - use to select objects based on object properties.

  1. Select Basic Selector to create and/or queries or select Advanced Selector to create complex queries.
  2. Choose the object type you want to include.
  3. Enter your conditions.

  This is the preferred selection method for groups of objects of a specified type that may change over time. "All Cisco nodes in Austin" is an example of a group best defined using the Dynamic Query Builder.

• Advanced DataBase Query (SQL, SWQL) - only use if you are comfortable querying your SolarWinds database directly using SQL or SWQL.

  1. Select SQL or SWQL, and enter your query.
  2. Click Preview Results to test your query.
5. Enter a name for this selection in the Selection Name field, and click Add to Layout.

You must now edit the chart or table to choose the data series or columns you want to use and modify display and filtering settings.

Add a data series and customize a chart

Once you have specified the objects for your custom chart, you need to select the data series. You can also change the sample interval and filter the results.

1. If you have just added a custom chart, the Edit Resource page opens. Click Edit Chart on the resource in the Layout Builder page to open this page.
2. Click Add Data Series in Left Y-axis.
3. Filter or search for the data series, and select the one you want to use.

   The groups available and the data series within these groups will depend on the object selected.

4. Click Add Data Series. The data series is added to the Left Y-axis.
5. For additional settings for each data series, click More. Here you can:
• Edit the Display name for this data series.
• Select a custom Color for this data series.
• Show the 95th percentile line for this data series.
• Show Trend for this data series.
6. Enter a Custom label for the Left axis.
7. Select the Units displayed, Chart type, and select the Show the sum of all data series, if required.
8. Select the Sample Interval. This can be as frequent as once a minute to once a week. Data within each sample interval are summarized so that a single point or bar is plotted for each of these periods.  

   It is possible to select a sample interval that is longer than the reporting period.

9. Choose how you want to filter the data.
1. Select how you want to sort this selection of records from the Sort records by drop-down menu. The choices depend on the data series selected.
2. Select either Ascending or Descending from the Sort order drop-down.
3. Select the Data aggregation method required to summarize your data by time period.
4. Click Advanced if you want to sort records using a secondary field.
10. Set up additional data series using the right axis to superimpose two charts using different labels, units, and chart type.

You cannot use a separate time period or filter results settings for the right axis series.

11. Click Submit to return to the Add Report page.

Add a data series and customize a table

After you have specified the objects to be reported on for a custom table, select the data series. You can also sort and filter the results.

1. If you have just added a custom table, the Edit Resource page opens. You can open this page by clicking Edit Table on the resource in the Layout Builder page.
2. Click Add Column.
3. Filter or search for the column, and select the column you want to use.

   The columns and options available depend on the objects selected.

4. Click Add Column.
5. For additional settings for a column, click Advanced. Here you can:
• Edit the Display name for this column.
• Select Hide this column in the resulting table, if you want to use this column when querying the database but do not want to show it. For example, you may want to use this column's data in the time-based settings but not show the data in the table.
• Select Allow HTML tags, if you want to use any HTML tags retrieved from the database for this column.
• Select the Display settings to be used for this column. This applies the selected formatting to the data in this column.
• Select the Data aggregation method to use for this column, to summarize your data by time period.
• Select the Alignment for this data. This can be left, right, or center.
6. Click the plus sign in the table layout section to add more columns.
7. Filter the number of records shown in the table by either a specific number or a percentage.
8. Restrict data in your table to a specific time period by selecting Yes from the Time-based settings drop-down menu.

   You can only do this if your table contains a column with historical data.

   1. Select the column used to specify the time period from the Date/Time column in this table drop-down menu.
   2. Select the Sample Interval. This is used to summarize your data by time period.
9. Use the Group results by option to organize the table by the values in the columns you select.
10. Click Submit to return to the Add Report page.

Build conditions

Use the Dynamic Query Builder selection when objects may change over time.  For example, as your network ages, you will replace or upgrade various pieces of equipment. You can select each piece of equipment individually, or you can create a dynamic query that adds objects to the custom chart or table based on the properties you select.

The Advanced Selector provides access to all network object characteristics, and the Basic Selector provides access to a smaller subset of the most frequently used network object characteristics.

1. Select the type of selector query you want to use (Basic or Advanced).
2. Select the type of objects to report on from the I want to report on drop-down menu.
3. For the Basic Selector:
   1. Click Add Condition.
   2. Select All child conditions must be satisfied (AND) or At least one child condition must be satisfied (OR).
   3. Select a property of the monitored object, a conditional relation, and provide a value.
   4. Click Add Simple Condition if you want to add another condition.
4. For the Advanced Selector:
   1. Select All child conditions must be satisfied (AND) or At least one child condition must be satisfied (OR).

   2. Select which field you want to evaluate, a conditional relation, and provide a value.

   3. Click the + sign to add child conditions.
   • Add Single Value Comparison (Recommended) - The child condition evaluates a single field, like Status
   • Add Double Value Comparison - The child condition evaluates two conditions, such as Status and OS
   • Add And/Or block - Adds a sub condition block