About Attributes
Attributes directly relate to report scope. Report scope refers to the filters that you can apply to include and exclude data in a report. You can scope by several characteristics, including Host groups, arrays, and attributes. Attributes can be configured for objects to support report filtering.
• Objects: You can select objects in a report scope, which includes data from default and user‑defined objects, such as Host groups. Host groups represent logical relationships between hosts and their relevant characteristics.
• Attributes: When you select attributes, you are further refining the scope by including data from user‑defined attributes. Attributes represent logical relationships between objects and their relevant characteristics. Typically, you’ll set up attributes to further narrow the scope of a report, for example, to include a subset of the hosts in a host group. For example, you might set up a “maintenance contract” attribute that you can associate with the hosts for which you have service coverage. Or, you might create an attribute to organize hosts by geographical location so that the administrators responsible for the hosts at each corporate location can generate reports for their specific sites.
• Attribute Types: Attributes can be defined for the following objects. Note that the Application Database and MS Exchange Organization types currently are available only for custom reports created with the SQL Template Designer or the Dynamic Template Designer. See the APTARE StorageConsole System Administrator’s Guide for details on configuring these attribute types.
• Host
• Array
• Library
• Drive
• Switch
• Application Database
• MS Exchange Organization
For additional Attribute details and related Object Maintenance functions, see:
Attributes vs. Host Groups
Although both host groups and attributes represent logical relationships between objects (such as hosts) and their relevant characteristics, there are circumstances under which you might want to use a host group instead of an attribute.
If most users need to filter based on specific characteristics on a regular basis, create host groups to represent these characteristics. Otherwise, create attributes for these characteristics. Filtering inherently has some overhead and, by definition, host groups perform such filtering in advance. Minor overhead isn’t a problem if you don’t need to apply the specific attribute throughout the course of your day or week.
If you have a lot of backup hosts and you want to add or delete attributes in an automated fashion, use the PL/SQL utilities. For more information, go to the APTARE StorageConsole Database Programmer’s Reference Guide.
When to Use Host Groups and When to Use Attributes
Use a host group to:
• Group hosts that logically belong together and for which you will need frequent reports.
• Limit user access to a particular set of hosts.
Use attributes to:
• Provide additional characteristics that you can use to narrow the scope of clients within a selected host group.