Trends are significant figures for the IT activity of the company over a given period, allowing measuring the evolutions in the management of elements such as equipment, software, users, contracts, incidents/requests... The sizes for the trends are established starting from observable quantities and are directly measurable or can be calculated from the data. The trends can be tools used for evaluations, follow-ups, and forecasts and as decision-making help.

Each trend:

• Is build out of a filter using a parent query contextual to the module to which it is attached; 
• Its measurement unit can be the number of records extracted from the filtered data (e.g.: Number of late Incidents this Month) or the sum and average of values extracted by the filter (Example: Average Duration for Interventions on closed Incidents this Week);
• Needs to be enabled to trigger its frequency for calculation; 
• Is calculated depending on a given frequency (e.g.: Each month, each day); It can be re-calculated at any moment to display its current value;
• Is compared to threshold values allowing to define gaps (Good, average, bad) depending on the result of the calculations (e.g.: Bad: Result when the number of unsolved incidents this week exceeds the number of 20 incidents);
• Is attached in a folder allowing organizing trends depending on their function.

The results will appear on the Home page of the module to which it is attached (depending on the rights by user
profile) if it is enabled:

• Each report is presented by a pictogram (Example: "good” state );
• The tendency is displayed as a colored arrow (Example: ) ;
• A history of the calculations is saved: it can be detailed graphically in various formats (bar grapg, pies, ...) via , and exported as a CSV file via ;
•  allows to switch between table and gauge display.

Examples

1. The trend Number of Incidents created this Week is defined for the module Operation: It should be calculated each Saturday morning:

• Filter: Recording date of the incident = This Week
• Measurement unit: Number of Records
• Calculation frequency: Every 7 Days at 7 am
• Date of the next calculation: Saturday, July 11^th (Note: Enter a date corresponding to the desired day of week (Here: The date corresponds to a Saturday).

2. The trend is created and enabled on Tuesday, July 7. To check its correct execution immediately and the corresponding display in the Home page of the Operation module without waiting for the Saturday 11^th of July, date of the first calculation:

• Test the calculation of the trend when you create it by clicking on [ CALCULATE ];
• Activate it by entering as next computing date the preceding frequency for the calculation. The first calculation being scheduled for the Saturday 11^th of July, enter as date for the next calculation the Saturday that preceded the first calculation date, meaning Saturday 4^th of July.

Notes

• A trend is defined for a module; his access should be restricted afterwards by profile. 
• Only when you create a new trend, you may create a new parent query. This one is associated to the trend and it will also be available on all pages using a parent query.
• You may add other fields manually to the parent query of the trend (under the condition to own the edit rights for the displays of the module): Click on  related to this field.
• Once scheduled and enabled, the trend appears in the scheduled tasks. If its execution is not triggered, check that the scheduler is started and that all parameters are correct.
• in the Home page of the related module:
  • If no threshold value is entered for a trend, only the result of the calculation is displayed (Absence of status pictograms and tendencies).
  • The result of the calculation of the trend is displayed with a numerical format, without precision about the format and of the frequency.
  • If the description of the trend is not explicit, enter the information such as format or frequency via the comment displaying as hint.
• When recalculating a trend, the displayed value is not stored in the database but will be displayed and kept as long as you do not close your session.
• It is possible to export and to import trends. 

Best practice

• When the value of a trend is not comparable to another one, define the threshold values by domains or use trends expressed as percentages.
• When creating a trend, it is recommended to force the first execution by post-dating the activation date: This allows to check the correct operation of the trend immediately, as well as it initializes its history and its display in the Home page of the related module, without having to wait the scheduled date for the first execution.
• In order to avoid to slow down the network performances, schedule the execution of complex calculations for trends, whose calculations can take some time, outwards the periods where many users need to access the EasyVista application (Overnight or during the Weekends).
• When the triggering of a trend A depends on the end of execution of a trend B with an uncertain processing duration (Variability due to volumes to process, access time...), it is advised to define and to plan a sequencing of tasks between these two processes rather than to define a fixed frequency for the trend A.

Screens description

Menu access: Administration > Trends > Trends

Main Information

Name: Description identifying the trend. Enter an explicit name: this one will be displayed in the Home page of the module.

Comment: Free area allowing entering details about the trend. the comment displaying as hint in the Home page of the module.

Theme: Name of the module to which is attached the trend. The trend is displayed in the Home page of this module (depending on the rights by profile).

Folder Name : Folder name for the trend, specifying where it is stored. 

Parent Query: Name of the parent query to which is attached the trend.

• You may create a new parent query via  (Note: Only when you create a new trend and if you did not select a parent query).
• You may add fields manually via .

Trend Type: Nature of the result of the calculation of the trend.

• Standard: Absolute value presenting a number of records, a sum or an average.
• Percentage: Percentage defined from a ratio between two statistical values.

Filter

Filter that collects the data for the trend and which can be built in assisted mode or in advanced mode.

FilterMode_AssistedAdvanced

Trend

Frequency: Frequency for the calculation of the trend. It is taken into account starting from the Next compute date. The parameters vary depending on the selected frequency:

• Every [N] Month / Days / Hours: Enter the desired frequency, expressed in Universal Time;
• Depends on: Launches the calculation of the trend automatically once the calculation of another trend is finished (Sequencing of tasks). The list proposes all the existing trends.
             Every 3 months, the 30^th at 6 pm; Every 15 days at 10 pm; Every 3 hours. 

Next Compute Date (Note: Only displayed if the selected Frequency is different from Depends on option): Date / Hour where the next execution of the calculation for the trend is scheduled.

• The date is re-actualized at each execution of the calculation for the trend.
• To initialize the execution of the calculation immediately, enter a date for the first calculation prior to the current date.
• Update: also via the Enable wizard 

History Management: Indicates if an history of the calculations of the trend should be managed (checkbox checked) or not (checkbox unchecked).

Threshold Value: Defines and presents graphically the different states by taking into account the results of the calculation of the trend: : "good" state; : "average" state; : "bad" state. 

• The brackets [ ] delimit the values limited to each threshold value.
• If no threshold value is entered, only the result of the calculation is displayed in the Home page of the module to which is attached the trend (no status pictogram and no tendency).
• [ INCREASE ]: Switches from a threshold value of three to a threshold value of five areas.
• [ REDUCE ]: Switches from a threshold value of five to a threshold value of three areas.
• [REVERSE ]: Reverses the order of the threshold values and indicates that the values currently considered as "good" are now considered as "bad" or vice versa.

Domain: Defines the threshold values by domain when the values for the trend are not comparable from one domain to another:

• Select the desired domain in the Domain list (Note: By default, the threshold values are applied on the domain The whole company);
• Define the threshold values for the domain: This one is added in the table as a graphical presentation of the threshold values.

Dividend / Divider (Note: Only displayed for a Percentage trend): Trends allowing to calculate the value of another Percentage type trend by using the following formula for the calculation: 100 * (Dividend / Divider). Note: These trends have to be defined previously to be used.

Number of Records / Sum / Average (Note: Sum and Average are only proposed for the numerical fields of the parent query): Selection of the measuring unit for the result of the calculation of the trend, expressing respectively:

• The number of records corresponding to the filter criteria;

    Trend Number of Incidents created this Week
                      --> Calculation = 61: Indicating a total of 61 incidents created during the week

• The sum of values corresponding to the filter criteria;

    Unit applied to the field Solution Delay for the trend Total Intervention Time for Incidents with immediate Solution Today
                      Situation of the incidents of the day: 4 with immediate solution with an intervention time of 10 minutes; 1 with an intervention time of 30 minutes
                      --> Calculation = (4 * 10 minutes) + (1 * 30 minutes) = 70: Indicating a total intervention time of 70 minutes

• The average of values corresponding to the filter criteria.

     Unit applied to the field Late for the trend Average delay for closed Incidents Today
                      Situation of the incidents of the day: 4 solved being late by 1 hour; 1 solved being late by 5 hours; 1 solved being late by 3 hours
                      --> Calculation = [(4 * 1h) + (1 * 5h) + (1 * 3h)] / 6 incidents = 2: Indicating a 2 hours delay on average for an incident

Procedures and Wizards

How to create a trend and to implement it

1. Proceed to the page Administration  >  Trends  >  Trends and click on .

2. Enter the parameters of the trend by browsing the different steps via [ NEXT ].

• Step 1:
  • You may add fields to the parent query by clicking on  (You need to own a profile with the rights to display the module).
  • You may create a new parent query by clicking on  (Note: Only if you have not selected a query).
• Step 3 : Test the calculation for the trend by clicking on [ CALCULATE ].

3. Save your changes by clicking on [ FINISH ].

4. Enable the new trend:

• Define the access to the trend by user profile.
• Launch the Enable wizard.

• Check the presence of the trend in the Home page of the module to which it is attached and in the list of the scheduled tasks.

How to create a trend from a model

1. Proceed to the list of trends and click on  related to the trend to be used as a model.

2. Enter the name of the new trend and change the desired parameters.

3. In the last wizard step, click on [ SAVE AS ] to avoid overwriting the model.

How to interpret trends starting from pictograms

Smiley: Specifies the state of the trend defined from the threshold values.

: Good state. State reached when the result of the calculation of the trend is equal to the area considered "good"
: Average state
: Bad state

Arrow: Indicates the tendency established by comparing the result of the calculation of the trend to the preceding result

: Enhancement. Compared to the preceding result, the result of the calculation of the trend is considered better
: Stability
: Degradation

Color of the arrow: Indicates the area of threshold value to which the tendency moves, defined by comparing the result of the calculation of the trend to the preceding result.

: Tendency to a Good state. Compared to the preceding result, the result of the calculation of the trend is moving towards an area considered "good"
: Tendency to an Average state
: Tendency to a Bad state
 

Wizards

Enable: Activates the trend and starts its calculation by indicating its first computing date. 

Disable: Stoppes the frequency of calculation of the trend. 

• Launch: also via the Task scheduler

: Updates the trend. 

: Deletes the trend.

: Deletes the history of the calculations of the trend.

• The last history value is kept.
• A new history will be built during the next calculation of the trend.

 (Note: The scheduler needs to be enabled) Re-computes the trend and displays its current value.

: Exports the trend values into a file with CSV format.

• Launch: also via the menu Administration > Import / Export > Export Trends