Build a Report to lookup by policy name

Hi Dennis,

Rather than trying to build a template from scratch, it is almost always far easier to modify an out of the box template and create a new template.  The out of the box Job Summary report already includes the columns you specified, and is also already configured to allow policy name filtering. Start with the Job Summary template, customize it by setting the product layer to NetBackup, and drag and drop two fields where you want them: 

• NetBackup Policy.Policy Type Name
• Job.Summary Status Description

You can  permanently suppress unwanted fields in your custom DTD by  changing those Field Types from Column to Hidden. (or you can use the Filter option after the new template is run to suppress unwanted columns and save that as a report).

Save the template - you will only be presented with the initial option to Save As.  You can use the runtime Filter option to limit to a specific Policy Type.

ZenOfAnalytics 

What on earth does NBUITA call the field for backup job return code? If a backup job fails with a RC=58, I need the report to provide Backup Job Status, 58

Also, why is a report so blasted wide when I only need 50 characters of space for the report I am generating and it's giving me 128 characters wide for output? My leadership will not be happy with this at all. Please advise.

I mean, this is a bit "much" don't you think?

Why can't we have the ability to tell the report how many columns we want in the output per field? On this page seems like the best place to ask for that. Right?

So, out of the new Dynamic Template that I start a new report from. I have been able to get the client host name, backup policy name, job start, job finish data/time, but I'm having a heck of a time trying to figure out what to pick for job status, an error message if there is one and I've also been able to get what I could muster as the Job Status Description. What I'm needing here is a RC=0 if successful, and error message can be blank if the job is successful. Here's a snippet of what I'm trying to wrap my head around:

Error Code really needs to be the Return Code of the job and I need it to reflect a "0" if the job is successful.

The Dynamic Template builder is a powerful tool, but it can be difficult to use if you don't know exactly what you're looking for.

I think the development team could make the Dynamic Template builder more user-friendly by providing better documentation and by making it easier to find the right fields. They could also add some pre-built reports that would be useful for common tasks, such as auditing backups.

I think it would also be helpful if the development team worked with NetBackup administrators to get feedback on how to improve the Dynamic Template builder. This would help them to make sure that the tool is meeting the needs of the users.

In the meantime, there are a few things that you can do to make it easier to create custom reports in NBUITA. First, you can use the NetBackup documentation to learn about the different fields that are available. You can also use the NetBackup API to programmatically create reports.

Finally, you can use the following tips to make it easier to find the right fields in the Dynamic Template builder:

• Use the "Search" field to find specific fields.
• Use the "Field Description" field to learn more about a particular field.
• Use the "Sort By" field to sort the fields in alphabetical order.

I would say talk to the account team re: training. 

As other have indicated, without SQL knowledge, customizing reports is challenging, and the DTD just like anything also requires some knowledge.  Taking an existing report and modifying it will be quicker than creating one from scratch.  

Interestingly, I find myself in a situation similar to OP's, as I'm also attempting to grasp the process of crafting dynamic templates featuring specific columns I'm interested in.

My ongoing challenge revolves around the scope not cooperating when I attempt to employ a subdirectory within the Whole Host Group. Successfully getting the scope to function as intended with a subdirectory would potentially negate the necessity of utilizing filters, given the multitude of systems within.

Much like DPeaco, my goal is to precisely pinpoint the policy name assigned to each client, their retention info, schedule times, storage units used then extracting this data to compile a comprehensive report.

DPeaco, have you tried looking at the veritas report library? (https://reportlibrary.veritas.com/) The reports are old but some still seem to work and might have something you are after. I intend to use the SQL query code from that and try to modify the parameters but alas it isn't the easiest thing to achieve.

MyDingaling  What is the issue you are having with scoping / not cooperating?  The host groups / scoping is designed to pre-process client list, however if you are using policy, in your report, its possible that there will be clients outside of the scope, depending on how the report is created.  

I agree that it may be easier to use a report from the reportlibrary, or start with existing Dynamic Template and modify it for your needs..

-R

Robert_Geller I am using the existing 'Netbackup Policies' Template. Specifically, the issue arises when attempting to select a subdirectory within a host group. While the policy information can be successfully extracted and displayed when the in-scope setting is directed at the entire host group, the same does not hold true for subdirectories. When I narrow down my selection to a specific subdirectory within the host group, the system fails to retrieve any policy information for the hosts located in that subdirectory. I am using the latest IT analytics version 11.2

See pictures attached, I had to blank some parts due to confidentiality. Already have a case opened with Veritas but even they are perplexed and admitted to me that they are still undergoing training as they came from OpsCentre..

What i did find to work is when i used one of those reports in https://reportlibrary.veritas.com/ which worked with the sub directory, so obviously there is something I can work with but i am no SQL query expert so there are a few lines in the query that i need to fix.

Apoligies to OP, did not mean to hijack your thread.