Usage and Analytics

The Axeda Usage application is comprised of three tabs: Analytics, Rules, and Configuration. You can use the information and search tools in these tabs to track how your assets are being used. From this information you can determine how better the assets may be used, how suitable the asset is to the actual use, how the asset may be overused, increasing its potential for problems, or underused, meaning another model or type of asset may be more to the actual use. You can use the analysis tools to gather pay per use data. Obtaining usage information for your assets provides you with access to business-oriented data.

Analytics

Use the tools in this tab to search for and display, view, chart, print, and export usage data. You filter the usage data by running a search against the Platform. There are three types of usage queries: simple, advanced, and target. Each provides a different way to filter usage data for viewing. When completing a search form, you apply filters to limit the type and amount of data shown. If you do not apply any filters, all available usage data is shown. For example, you can apply organization and usage item filters so that the usage data returned corresponds to the selected organization and usage item(s).

The table shows the results of the last search run. Above the table, Filtered by identifies how the values shown in the table are filtered, based on the filter values selected in search. The table shows different columns and information depending upon the search run. For example, it may show only the timestamp and the model name. Or, it may show timestamp, organization, location, asset and usage items selected for the search. The more filter values you define for the search, the fewer columns shown in the results.

Note: All usage queries are performed in GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) to ensure that the all usage queries will return consistent results and usage data, regardless of the time zone selected by the actual Axeda Applications user who runs the query.

You can save the search to be rerun later, export results to Microsoft Excel format, print the results, and chart the results in either bar or pie chart format. You can save exported data to CSV or other format supported by Microsoft® Excel.

Need more information?

See About Axeda Usage for more information about using Axeda Usage to track asset and system usage.

Procedures from this tab

From this tab, you can select to run simple, advanced or target queries for usage data; export the search results; print the search results; view the search results in a chart format; and save queries for later reuse. Click the title of a procedure to display it; click the title again to hide it:

To perform a search for usage data

1. In the tab heading, click the type of search you want to run: Simple Search, Advanced Search, or Target Search. (To close a popup form without running a search, click the name of the search in the heading again.)

2. In the displayed popup form, type or select the values by which you want to filter the database for usage data.

Simple Search form - intended for basic (and quick) database search for analytics information

Advanced Search form - provides for a more advanced search for usage data that can include the use of wildcards, and manufacturer and asset name filters.

Target Search form - provides filters to define usage data falling outside defined ranges.

3. When you are finished defining the filter values, click Search to run the analytics search.

The form closes, the search is run, and the results appear in the Analytics tab table.

To save data results

1. Below the table, click Save Search.

2. In the Save Search As box, type a name for the search (no extension, no path).

3. Click Save. This saves the search filter selections to the server under the name defined. This search will be available for later use from the Saved Searches menu.

Notes: A saved search does not include the date range. When you select to run a saved search, the default date range (that is, the current month) is applied to the search.

If you save the search with the same name as an existing search, the earlier search is overwritten with this search.

Saved searches are particular to the logged in user and available for selection by that user from the Saved Searched menu.

To export the search results

Note: This export tool requires that Microsoft Excel be an installed program on your local computer; otherwise, the export operation does not work.

1. Below the table, click Export Data. A Microsoft® Excel spreadsheet appears with the search results.

2. Do the following with the information shown in the spreadsheet:

a. Save to a format supported by Microsoft Excel, such as CSV, HTML, or TXT.

b. Perform calculations on the values shown using the Microsoft Excel formula calculation tools.

c. View the search results in a Microsoft Excel chart format.

To print the search results

You can print the results to your local or LAN-based printer.

1. Below the table, click Print. A new browser window appears with a print preview of the table.

2. Using the browser's tools, select print the window shown.

Note that the resulting printed table differs from the table shown in this page as follows:

§ There is no screen adornment (such as tabs or menus) in the printed version.

§ The filter and search section of the page is not included in the printed version. Only the table of results is printed.

§ All rows of the table are printed, not only the specific page shown when you select to print.

To chart the search results

For the results shown, you can create a chart of the values. There are two ways to chart usage data, and two types of charts available for each method:

o Whole Usage Data Charting - Based on the whole search results; not just the results shown in the current page. The result can be either a line chart or a bar chart. To create this type of chart, "Group By" must be selected as one of the search criteria. Selecting an Interval for the search will result in a line chart. Otherwise, the result is a bar chart. The chart appears above the usage data table.

o Row- or Column-based Charting- Based on the individual row or column of the result table. The result can be either a bar chart or a pie chart. An icon in the row or column indicates the type of chart you can create for that row or column:

$image\usage_barcharticon.gif$ - creates a bar chart for the selected item and timeframe

$image\usage_piecharticon.gif$ - creates a pie chart for the selected item and timeframe

The chart opens in a separate pop-up window. A column-based pie chart is available only if Interval is not part of the search. Also, pie charts show positive numbers only; they do not show zero values or negative numbers.

Axeda® Usage Home