Definition

EndDefinition

• The configuration of the trend will depend on its type.
• When enabled, it will run based on the frequency defined.
• Trends are displayed on the Home page via a Service Apps app (subject to access rights). You define the formatting, i.e. color, data format, charts, etc. in the app.
• Trends can be stored in folders that are organized by function.

Type of trends

Standard trends

• They are built around a parent query.
• A filter enables you to extract only the data you want.
• The result of the trend is calculated based on the number of records retrieved by the filter. It can also be the sum or the average of field values for the records retrieved by the filter.

Ratio trends

• The result of the trend is calculated using the values of two other trends.

Notes

• You can create or modify a trend as long as you are authorized to access the Administration > Trends > Trends menu.

• Display trends via an app:
  • To create the app, you must have Service Apps.
  • To display the app in Service Manager, you must have access rights to the app.

• Parent query of a trend:
  • You can only create it without any specific user rights when creating a trend.
    • The new parent query will be available for all Service Manager internal reporting tools, e.g. trends, alerts, reports, and purges.
    • It will not be available for parent queries used to define standard Service Manager objects, e.g. forms, lists of values, filters, quick filters, views.
  • You can modify it as long as you are authorized to edit display presentations.  See User Profiles > Edit rights and display rights.
    • Manually added fields will be available for all reporting tools and purges.
    • They will not be available for parent queries used to define standard Service Manager objects.

• Access rights to the app displaying the trends are defined in Service Apps.

• If the calculation of a trend is not triggered, check that the Scheduler is started and correctly configured.

Caution

• If you delete a trend, its history will be completely deleted. If you want to stop calculating it temporarily, you should disable it using the relevant wizard. This way, its history will not be lost.

Best Practice

• Use a KPI widget to display the history of a trend. It provides a quick overview of changes using  icons and a miniature trend chart,  or .

• When you create a trend, you should backdate its start date so that it will run immediately. This enables you to check the results immediately without waiting for the first execution date. This will also initialize its history and its display on the Home page.

  example  

  • Current Date: 10 February.
  • First execution date: 1 March.
    ==> In the Next Compute Date field, enter the first day of the month prior to the current date, i.e. 1 February.

• If the running of trend B depends on the completion of trend A whose processing time is unknown (due to large data volumes, access time, etc.), we recommend that you schedule the tasks in a sequence instead of defining a specific time for running trend B.
   

Ensuring optimal network performance

• Schedule the calculation of complex trends during periods where users do not need to access Service Manager, i.e. at night or on weekends.
• If you work in an international organization with different service hours for each country, you may want to run the calculation of trends in a specific environment, instead of in the production environment.

Characteristics specific to versions 2016 and earlier

The trends in versions 2016 and earlier are different.

• Edit rights are assigned to each user profile in the module associated with the menu item using the trend.  See User Profiles.
• Trends are displayed on the Home page of the associated menu.
• Once thresholds have been specified for each domain, users can analyze results quickly thanks to the icons (, , , , ) and quantitative scale that displays segments graphically in different colors.  See the description.
• When a trend is recalculated, the value displayed is not stored in the database. It is displayed and stored as long as the session is open.

• Calculation history
  • It can be displayed in a chart and exported in a CSV file.
  • You can manage its display or delete it on the Home page.
  • By default, the number of values displayed in the trend's history is 15. You can modify this value in Other Parameters.

• Graphic interface

Menu access

Administration > Trends > Trends

Trends that are enabled appear in Administration > Scheduled Tasks > Trends .

Screens description

Main Information

Name: Name of the trend.

Comment: Comment field for describing the trend.

Theme: Name of the menu associated with the trend. 

Folder Name: Name of the folder where the trend is saved. 

Parent Query (Note: Only for Standard trends): Name of the parent query used to configure the trend.

• You can click  to add a query only when creating a new trend. Do not select the parent query.
• The fields available in an existing parent query are parent query fields and other fields manually added to Service Manager internal reporting tools and purges.

Trend Type: Type of trend that will determine its configuration and calculation.

• Standard: This calculates the trend based on the number of records retrieved by the filter. It can also be the sum or the average of field values for the records retrieved by the filter.
• Ratio: This calculates the trend using the values of two other trends.

Filter

Note: Only for Standard trends

Filter used to extract the data to be included in calculating the trend.  See Visual filter editor.

• All fields in the trend's parent query as well as other manually added fields will be available for the filter.

Trend

Frequency: Used to define the frequency for calculating the trend.

• The frequency will be applicable after the date specified in the Next Compute Date field. 
• The parameters depend on the selected frequency.
  • Every [N] Months / Day / At (Hour): Define the relevant frequency using Universal Time (UT).
  • Depends on: Used to sequence the running of two trends successively. Select the trend whose processing precedes the execution of your trend from the drop-down list.

Next Compute Date (Note: Only if the frequency is not Depends on): Date and time at which the trend should next be calculated.

• The date initializes the start of the frequency.

  example  Frequency: Every seven days at 7 am; the next compute date is a Saturday ==> The trend will run every Saturday

• You can also update the date using the Enable wizard.

    Enter a date earlier than the current date in order to run the calculation of the trend immediately.

History Management: Used to indicate if the trend's calculation history should be stored (box is checked) or not (box is not checked).

• You can click  to delete the history in List mode.
  • You can reinitialize the start date of the history.
  • The last value in the history is stored.

Dividend / Divisor (Note: Only for  Ratio  trends): Trends used to calculate the percentage value of the current trend.

• Percentage value of the trend = 100 * (Dividend trend / Divisor trend).
• You must first define the trends.

Note: The two fields below are not used in Service Manager versions later than 2016. You define the configuration in the Service Apps app displayed on the Service Manager Home page.

• Domain: List of domains where quantitative thresholds are applicable.
• Thresholds: Thresholds in a quantitative scale of values based on the result of the calculated trend.
   

Number of Records / Totals / Average (Note: Only for Standard trends): Used to indicate how the trend is calculated.

• You can only choose one option.
• The Totals and Average options only apply to numeric fields in the parent query.

• Number of Records: The result is equal to the number of records that satisfy the filter criteria of the trend.

  example  Number of incidents created this week trend

  • Result = 61  ==>  61 incidents created this week

• Totals: The result is equal to the sum of records that satisfy the filter criteria of the trend.

  example  Total intervention time for immediate resolution incidents today trend - Total calculated using the Solution Delay field 

  • Snapshot of today's incidents: Four immediate resolution incidents with an intervention time of 10 minutes; one with an intervention time of 30 minutes

  • Result = (4 * 10 min) + (1 * 30 min) = 70  ==>  Total intervention time is equal to 70 minutes.

• Average: The result is equal to the average of values from the selected field for all records that satisfy the filter criteria of the trend.

  example  Average late time for incidents solved today trend - Average calculated using the Late field 

  • Snapshot of today's incidents: Four solved with a delay of 1 hour; one solved with a delay of 5 hours; one solved with a delay of 3 hours

  • Result = [(4 * 1h) + (1 * 5h) + (1 * 3h)] / 6 incidents = 2  ==>  Average late time for incidents solved is equal to 2 hours.

Procedures and Wizards

How to create a trend

Step 1: Create the new trend.

1. Select Administration > Trends > Trends in the menu.

2. Click + New.

Step 2: Specify the main information on the trend.

1. Enter the main information on the trend.

2.(Note: Only for Standard trends) Select the parent query.

• You can click  to create a new parent query. You must not select an existing query.  See How to create a parent query.

• You can add fields to a parent query.
  • Select the parent query associated with the new trend.
  • Click  next to the field.
    The list of fields from the parent query associated with the trend and other fields manually added to Service Manager internal reporting tools and purges will appear.
  • Add the fields you want.  See How to modify a parent query.

3. Click Next.
(Note: Only for Standard trends) The visual filter editor will appear.

Step 3: Define the conditions for the filter used by the trend.

Note: Only for Standard trends

1. Define the filter conditions.  See Visual filter editor.

• All fields in the trend's parent query as well as other manually added fields will be available.

2. Click Next.

Step 4: Configure the trend.

1. Define the frequency.

2. Indicate how the trend will be calculated.

• Select Number of Records.
  or
• Select Totals or Average for one of the numeric fields in the parent query.
   

Step 4: Test and save the trend.

1. (optional) Click Calculate to test the trend immediately and check the consistency of the calculated results.

2. Click Finish.
The list of trends will be refreshed.

Step 5: Enable the new trend.

1. Select Administration > Trends > Trends in the menu and select the trend you want.

2. Run the Enable wizard.

3. Enter the first calculation date, click Next and click Finish.

4. Check that the trend is enabled.

• Select Administration > Scheduled Tasks > Trends  in the menu.

• Check that the trend appears in the list of scheduled tasks.

How to create a trend using a template

Step 1: Select the template trend.

1. Display the list of trends.

2. Click  next to the template.
The properties window of the trend will appear.

Step 2: Create the new trend.

1. Modify the relevant information in the template trend.

2. Click Save as to avoid overwriting the template trend. Give a name to the new trend.

How to display trends on the Home page via an app

Step 1: Create the Service Apps app.

1. Log in to Service Apps.

2. Create an empty app.

• Click Create App in the App Gallery toolbar.
• Click  in the template library.
• Specify the general properties of the app and click OK.
  The graphic editor will appear.
   

Step 2: Display trends in the app.

1. Add an EasyVista KPI data source and link it to the relevant trend defined in Service Manager.

2. Add a Chart widget.

• Point it to the EasyVista KPI data source.
• Define the layout of the trend using the graphic properties of the widget.

3. Similarly, add all trends to be displayed in the app by defining an EasyVista KPI data source for each trend and by linking it to a Chart widget.

Step 3: Save the app.

1. Click  to return to the App Gallery.
The app will automatically be saved.

Step 4: Display the app on the Service Manager Home page.

1. Click  at the bottom of the menu pane in Service Manager.
The menu editor will appear.

2. Configure the Home page.

• Click the menu item, Home.
• Select the app you configured for displaying trends.
  Note: Only the apps you are authorized to access will appear.

• Select the app page where the relevant trends are displayed.
• Click Update Home.

3. Click OK.
The menu editor will close.
 

Step 5: Check the display of the app on the Service Manager Home page.

1. Click the Home menu item at the top of the menu pane.

2. Check that the app opens and displays the relevant trends.

How to check if a trend is enabled or disabled

Step 1: Check if the trend is enabled or disabled.

1. Select Administration > Trends > Trends in the menu.

2. Display the List view.

3. Look at the Enabled box for the relevant trend.

• If the box is checked, the trend is enabled.
• If the box is not checked, the trend is disabled.
   

Step 2: Check that the corresponding scheduled task exists.

1. Select Administration > Scheduled Tasks > Trends  in the menu.

2. Check the presence of the trend.

• If the trend appears in the list, it is scheduled to run based on the frequency defined.
• If the trend does not appear in the list, it is not scheduled to run.

Wizards

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