About Attributes
Note: Starting with APTARE StorageConsole 10, attributes are no longer specific to a single object type. Attributes now apply to all object types, such as hosts, arrays, and switches.
• Attributes enable you to
define a distinct data set based on a specific characteristic. Attributes represent
logical relationships between objects and their relevant characteristics. This categorization mechanism aids reporting on clearly defined sets of data. Typically, you will create attributes to identify an additional data set for a report’s scope or to use in the
Inventory view to categorize data. See
Attribute Example.
• A default set of system attributes is included in the Portal software. See
System Attributes.
• Not all attributes can be modified. For example, System Attribute details (domain, name, and description) cannot be modified, but the values assigned to them can be revised. The Domain can also restrict who can modify attributes. Attributes that can be fully modified are displayed in bold.
• Attributes directly relate to report scope. Report scope refers to the selections that you make to include and exclude data in a report. You can scope by several characteristics, including host groups, hosts, arrays, and attributes. Attributes can be configured for objects to define a distinct data set, based on a particular characteristic. You can also use Attributes to organize your Inventory view. Once set up, these attributes are available for selection in the Hierarchy panel within the Inventory view.
Attribute Example
Attributes can be configured for objects to define a distinct data set, based on a particular characteristic. For example, you might set up a “maintenance_contract” attribute that you can associate with the hosts for which you have service coverage. Then, you can generate a report to list all hosts with a maintenance contract by dragging the maintenance_contract attribute into the report scope.
Similarly, you might create an attribute to organize arrays by geographical location. In this case, for example, the report scope could include EMC Symmetrix and NetApp arrays and a Location attribute with a value set to London and another Location attribute with the value set to Edinburgh. In this example, four sets of data would be included in the report’s scope.
When you create an attribute, APTARE StorageConsole automatically makes that attribute available for all object types, simplifying administration.
Note: Report templates created with the Dynamic Template Designer have access to only Array, Host, Library, and Drive objects and attributes.
Bulk Load Utilities and Attributes
Bulk load utilities—that is, the scripts that import large sets of data into the StorageConsole database from comma-separated values (CSV) files—process attributes in the following manner:
If an attribute already exists for the attribute name that is being loaded, the utility uses the existing attribute and creates the corresponding attribute for the other object types. For example, if an array attribute named Criticality exists for an array, when the utility attempts to add an attribute with the same name, it will simply create the attribute for the remaining object types.
For additional details, see
Attribute Bulk Load Utilities.
System Attributes
A default set of system attributes is included in the Portal software. These attributes cannot be deleted, however, you must create the list of values (LOV) for your enterprise. See
Editing or Renaming Attributes and
Attribute Inheritance Overrides.
When you assign a list of values to an attribute, the values are available to all objects. Typically, a list of values will be suitable for all object types (hosts, arrays, etc.). There may be cases where you require a list of values for one type of object and a separate list of values for another type of object. For these cases, you would need to create a user-define attribute with a different name.
The system attributes shipped with APTARE StorageConsole include:
• Application - Enables grouping by Application for certain inventory configurations and report scope selectors, for all StorageConsole objects. User-defined values must be assigned to this attribute.
• Business_Unit - Enables grouping by Business Unit for certain inventory configurations and report scope selectors, for all StorageConsole objects. User-defined values must be assigned to this attribute.
• Data_Center - Enables grouping by Data Center for certain inventory configurations and report scope selectors, for all StorageConsole objects. User-defined values must be assigned to this attribute.
• Department - Enables grouping by Department for certain inventory configurations and report scope selectors, for all StorageConsole objects. User-defined values must be assigned to this attribute.
• Environment - Enables grouping by Environment for certain inventory configurations and report scope selectors, for all StorageConsole objects. User-defined values must be assigned to this attribute.
• Location - Enables grouping by Location for certain inventory configurations and report scope selectors, for all StorageConsole objects. User-defined values must be assigned to this attribute.
• Organization - Enables grouping by Organization for certain inventory configurations and report scope selectors, for all StorageConsole objects. User-defined values must be assigned to this attribute.
• Owner - Enables grouping by Owner for certain inventory configurations and report scope selectors, for all StorageConsole objects. User-defined values must be assigned to this attribute.
• Region - Enables grouping by Region for certain inventory configurations and report scope selectors, for all StorageConsole objects. User-defined values must be assigned to this attribute.