Using Robot/NETWORK data filters
The newest releases of Robot/SCHEDULE, Robot/NETWORK, and Robot/CONSOLE all feature graphical user interfaces (GUIs). These GUIs all include a powerful new feature called data filters. A data filter is a way to create and display a user-defined subset of items. Let’s look at some of ways you can use this feature.
When you convert to Robot/NETWORK 10, you’ll start using the GUI immediately. Robot/NETWORK’s Status Center lets you monitor message queue messages sent as Robot/CONSOLE statuses, product statuses related to other Robot products, product inactivity, and system connectivity. You may also be monitoring event statuses from non-Robot user applications and network devices. That’s a lot of information to work with.
When you need to find critical statuses for many systems quickly, you can sort the Status Center view by clicking the triangular arrow at the top of a column to display the information in ascending or descending order.
If you need more customized views, use data filters. The Robot/NETWORK Status Center comes with the following standard filters:
- Acknowledged Statuses
- All Statuses
- Attention Statuses
- Information Statuses
- Replied Statuses
- Reply-Waiting Statuses
- Today’s Statuses
- Unacknowledged Statuses
- Warning Statuses
- Acknowledged but not replied to/incorrect reply
The Reply-Waiting Statuses filter is a great one to select as your default filter. Choosing a default filter is easy. Just display the Data Filter Manager, highlight the filter you want to make the default, and press Set Default.
Acknowledged but not replied to filter
Help/Systems included the Acknowledged but not replied to/incorrect reply filter to help Robot/CONSOLE users who have forced selected informational messages to become response-required messages. This change automates paging and escalation; however, it may leave messages hanging. Messages may have been acknowledged, but not actually replied to.
The filter can help you find statuses that have been acknowledged, but still need a reply, or statuses that have been replied to with an invalid reply.
Creating custom filters
It’s easy to create custom filters. Display the Data Filter Manager and click New to create your own filter. Here are some ideas to help you get started:
- Search for device statuses that need a reply or an acknowledgement.
- Search for messages that require operator action.
- Search for Robot/SCHEDULE jobs that ended abnormally.
- Search for Robot/SCHEDULE jobs where dependencies have not been met.
- Search for Robot/SCHEDULE jobs that triggered the Late Start monitor.
- Search for terminated non-Robot jobs tracked by Robot/SCHEDULE.
- Search for CPU statuses waiting.
- Search for all disk status history.
- Search for any message text.
Contributed by Yvonne Schumacher, Technical Training Consultant