OPTIMA

User Reference Guide

Version 5.0.3
© Copyright 2005 AIRCOM International Ltd
All rights reserved

ADVANTAGE, AIRCOM, ARRAY WIZARD, ASSET3g, CONNECT, DATASAFE, ENTERPRISE,

NEPTUNE, OPTIMA, QUALITA, RANOPT, TARGET and WEBWIZARD are recognised trademarks of
AIRCOM International.

Microsoft Word, Microsoft Office, Windows®, Window 95™, Window 98™, Windows NT®, Windows XP®
and MS-DOS™ are trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation.

Other product names are trademarks of their respective companies.

This documentation is protected by copyright and contains proprietary and confidential information. No
part of the contents of this documentation may be disclosed, used or reproduced in any form, or by any
means, without the prior written consent of AIRCOM International.

Although AIRCOM International has collated this documentation to reflect the features and capabilities
supported in the software products, the company makes no warranty or representation, either express or
implied, about this documentation, its quality or fitness for a particular customer purpose. Users are solely
responsible for the proper use of ENTERPRISE software and the application of the results obtained.

An electronic version of this document exists on our website.

This manual finalised on 12 September 2005.
Refer to the Online Help for more information.

This manual prepared by: AIRCOM International

Grosvenor House
65-71 London Road
Redhill, Surrey RH1 1LQ
ENGLAND

Telephone: +44 (0) 1737 775700

Support Hotline: +44 (0) 1737 775777
Fax: +44 (0) 1737 775770
Web: http://www.aircom.co.uk
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Our User Assistance?

Do the Help and User Reference Guides Help You?

AIRCOM is always working to improve the online Help and User Reference Guides
for our products, so that your job is easier to do.
Even if you would not normally do so, please take a look at the Help or User
Reference Guide next time you are unsure of how to do something and if you have
any comments or questions that could help us improve them, please email us on:
[email protected].
We highly value your comments, suggestions, and criticisms. If you did not find the
user assistance you were looking for, needed more assistance than the online help or
user reference guides provided, or have any suggestions for future improvements to
our information, we want to know.
Specifically, consider:
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♦ ♦ ♦
Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction
About This Manual .............................................................................................. 2
Obtaining User Assistance .................................................................................. 2
About the ENTERPRISE User Reference Guides ...................................................... 3
Using ENTERPRISE User Reference Guide PDFs .................................................... 4
Obtaining Further Information and Services................................................................ 4
Obtaining Support........................................................................................................ 5

Chapter 2 Installing OPTIMA

About the Hardware and Software Requirements for OPTIMA........................... 7
Installing OPTIMA ............................................................................................... 8
Installing OPTIMA as Part of ENTERPRISE ............................................................... 8
Installing OPTIMA Lite ................................................................................................. 8
Updating Data.............................................................................................................. 8
About Maintenance and Security................................................................................. 8
Starting OPTIMA ................................................................................................. 9
Changing your OPTIMA Password ................................................................... 10

Chapter 3 About the OPTIMA User Interface

About the Main OPTIMA Toolbar ...................................................................... 12
About the Favourites Toolbar .................................................................................... 13
About the OPTIMA Menus ................................................................................ 14
About the Counter Descriptions Window........................................................... 15
Using Clocks in OPTIMA................................................................................... 16
Offsetting the System Clock ...................................................................................... 17
About Performance Alarms ............................................................................... 17
About the Alarms Explorer......................................................................................... 18
About the Alarms Handler Explorer ........................................................................... 19
About the Data Explorer .................................................................................... 20
About the Filter Explorer ................................................................................... 20
Switching Between Open Windows .................................................................. 21
Defining User Preferences ................................................................................ 21
Setting the Filter Directory ......................................................................................... 21
Setting Confirmation Requests.................................................................................. 22
Setting Grid Preferences ........................................................................................... 22
Setting Expression Editor Preferences...................................................................... 22
Setting Security.......................................................................................................... 23

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 Chapter 4 OPTIMA Administrator Tools
About OPTIMA Security .................................................................................... 26
Example of Using Groups and Users to Configure Security ..................................... 26
Creating Groups ........................................................................................................ 28
Editing and Deleting Groups...................................................................................... 29
Using Groups to Assign Access ................................................................................ 30
Creating Users........................................................................................................... 31
About OPTIMA User Roles........................................................................................ 32
Editing and Deleting Users ........................................................................................ 32
Changing Passwords................................................................................................. 33
Using Contacts in OPTIMA ............................................................................... 33
Adding, Editing and Deleting Contacts in the Address Book .................................... 34
Adding a Contact Group to the Address Book .......................................................... 35
Editing and Deleting Contact Groups ........................................................................ 36
About KPIs ........................................................................................................ 37
Creating KPIs............................................................................................................. 37
Editing a KPI .............................................................................................................. 39
Deleting a KPI............................................................................................................ 39
Synchronising Tables ................................................................................................ 40
Recreating Views....................................................................................................... 42
Adding a Description to a Raw Counter ............................................................ 43
About Global Counters ...................................................................................... 44
About Table and Field Information Settings ...................................................... 45
Setting All Table and Field Information Settings Using the Settings Wizard............. 46
Setting Table Security................................................................................................ 47
Setting the Granularity Period for a Single Table ...................................................... 48
Assigning a Category to a Table ............................................................................... 48
Defining an Association for a Table........................................................................... 49
Adding a Comment to a Table................................................................................... 50
Adding a Comment to a Column ............................................................................... 50
Finding a Counter in the Table and Field Info Dialog Box......................................... 50
Repopulating Data ..................................................................................................... 51
About Categories .............................................................................................. 51
Creating and Editing Categories................................................................................ 52
About Routes .................................................................................................... 53
Adding and Editing Routes ........................................................................................ 53
Downgrading Cells ............................................................................................ 54
Excluding Particular Days from Reports............................................................ 55
Editing and Deleting Holidays.................................................................................... 55
Setting the Busy Hour ....................................................................................... 56
Manually Setting the Busy Hour ................................................................................ 57
Configuring the Capture Settings .............................................................................. 58
Modifying Element IDs ...................................................................................... 59
Editing Element IDs ................................................................................................... 59
Using Wildcards in Element ID Search Strings ......................................................... 60

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Chapter 5 Setting Up and Querying Data
Using the Data Explorer .................................................................................... 62
Finding a Counter ...................................................................................................... 63
Defining a Query........................................................................................................ 63
About OPTIMA Modules ................................................................................... 69
Creating Folders for OPTIMA Modules ..................................................................... 70
Viewing OPTIMA Modules......................................................................................... 71
Creating OPTIMA Modules........................................................................................ 72
Locking OPTIMA Modules......................................................................................... 74
Restricting Editing of OPTIMA Modules .................................................................... 74
Editing and Deleting OPTIMA Modules ..................................................................... 75
Opening an OPTIMA Module in a New Combination ................................................ 75
Copying OPTIMA Modules ........................................................................................ 76
Importing and Exporting OPTIMA Modules ............................................................... 76

Chapter 6 Viewing Data in OPTIMA

About Combination Windows in OPTIMA.......................................................... 79
Creating Folders for OPTIMA Combination Windows ............................................... 80
Viewing Pre-Defined Combination Windows............................................................. 82
Creating Combination Windows ................................................................................ 83
Displaying Element Data Across Modules................................................................. 84
Locking Combination Windows ................................................................................. 86
Restricting Editing of Combination Windows............................................................. 87
Copying Combination Windows................................................................................. 88
Importing and Exporting Combination Windows ....................................................... 89
Adding and Editing Favourites in OPTIMA........................................................ 91
Filtering Data in the Combination Window ........................................................ 92
Filtering Data by Selecting Network Elements .......................................................... 92
Setting a Date Range ................................................................................................ 93
Finding Elements in the Modules Pane............................................................. 94
Finding Elements Within One Module ....................................................................... 94
Finding Elements Across Modules ............................................................................ 94
Filtering Elements in the Modules Pane............................................................ 95
Choosing Where to Save Filters................................................................................ 95
Creating a Filter from a Selection .............................................................................. 96
Creating a Filter From the Grid Pane ........................................................................ 97
Selecting Elements Quickly ....................................................................................... 98
Applying a Filter ......................................................................................................... 98
Using the Filter Explorer.................................................................................... 99
Creating Filters in the Filter Explorer ....................................................................... 100
Editing Filters in the Filter Explorer.......................................................................... 101
Copying Filters in the Filter Explorer ....................................................................... 101

Chapter 7 Customising Grids in OPTIMA

About the Tools for Customising a Grid .......................................................... 104
Customising Columns in a Grid....................................................................... 105
Sorting Data Within Grid Columns........................................................................... 105
Fixing Grid Columns ................................................................................................ 107
Scrolling to a Grid Column....................................................................................... 108
Changing the Grid Column Settings ........................................................................ 108

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 Setting Thresholds and Conditional Fonts............................................................... 109
Refreshing Data....................................................................................................... 110
Saving and Resetting the Layout............................................................................. 111
Searching for Data in Grids ............................................................................. 111
Filtering Data in Grids ..................................................................................... 112
Selecting a Single Value to Filter the Grid............................................................... 112
Filtering One Column of the Grid............................................................................. 113
Filtering More Than One Column In The Grid ......................................................... 114
Summarising Data........................................................................................... 115
Viewing Details of a Single Network Element in a Grid................................... 116
Printing Grids .................................................................................................. 118
Exporting OPTIMA Grids................................................................................. 118
Counting Records in OPTIMA Grids ............................................................... 119
Viewing SQL in Grids ...................................................................................... 119

Chapter 8 Using Graphs

About the Tools for Customising a Graph ....................................................... 122
Changing the Appearance of Graphs.............................................................. 123
Using the General Tab in the OPTIMA Graph Options Dialog Box......................... 123
Changing the Appearance of Graph Axis ................................................................ 125
Changing the Thickness of Graph Lines ................................................................. 126
Using the Functions Tab in the OPTIMA Graph Options Dialog Box...................... 126
Changing the Thickness of Bars on Bar Graphs ..................................................... 127
Displaying Thresholds on Graphs ........................................................................... 127
About the Navigating Tools ............................................................................. 128
Zooming and Scrolling on OPTIMA Graphs ............................................................ 128
Rotating a Graph ..................................................................................................... 128
Viewing Values Using the Cursor Key..................................................................... 128
About the Appearance Tools........................................................................... 129
Viewing the Graph in 3D.......................................................................................... 129
Viewing Gaps in the Data ........................................................................................ 129
Displaying Data per Point on an OPTIMA Graph .................................................... 130
Viewing Weekends and Holidays ............................................................................ 130
Forecasting and Extending Trends on a Graph .............................................. 131
Printing and Exporting Graphs ........................................................................ 132
About the Series List ....................................................................................... 134
Ordering the List of Data for a Graph ...................................................................... 135
About the 3D Options in the Series List Menu ........................................................ 135
Changing the Colours of the Graph Lines and Functions ....................................... 135
Changing the Axis Where Data Appears................................................................. 136
Using the Series List Functions in Line Graphs ...................................................... 137

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Chapter 9 Using OPTIMA Work Areas
About the Work Area Toolbar.......................................................................... 140
Creating a New Work Area ............................................................................. 140
Adding and Removing Combinations .............................................................. 141
Adding and Removing Web Browsers ............................................................ 142
Refreshing Data and Switching Tabs .............................................................. 143
Enabling Data Refreshing and Switching ................................................................ 143
Loading a Work Area ...................................................................................... 144

Chapter 10 Viewing Data on the Map

Displaying Performance Data on the Map ...................................................... 146
Changing the Display of Performance Data .................................................... 147
Using the Clock to Display Performance Data ................................................ 149

Chapter 11 Generating and Scheduling Reports

Download Learning ReportBuilder .................................................................. 152
About Using OPTIMA Reports ........................................................................ 152
Creating Folders for Reports ................................................................................... 153
Viewing Reports....................................................................................................... 154
Creating Reports Using Report Builder ................................................................... 155
Creating Excel Reports............................................................................................ 175
Locking Reports....................................................................................................... 179
Restricting Editing of Reports .................................................................................. 179
Editing and Deleting Reports................................................................................... 180
Copying Reports ...................................................................................................... 181
Printing Reports ....................................................................................................... 181
Importing and Exporting Report Definitions............................................................. 182
Exporting Reports .................................................................................................... 184
Scheduling When Reports Run ....................................................................... 185
Creating Folders for Schedules ............................................................................... 185
Creating a Schedule for a Report ............................................................................ 186
Editing and Deleting Schedules............................................................................... 188
Copying Schedules.................................................................................................. 188
Viewing and Deleting the History of a Schedule ..................................................... 189

Chapter 12 Using Performance Alarms

About Alarm Settings ...................................................................................... 192
Configuring Vendors ................................................................................................ 192
Configuring Technologies........................................................................................ 193
Configuring Element Types ..................................................................................... 193
About Alarm Filters.......................................................................................... 194
Adding, Editing and Deleting Filters ........................................................................ 194
About Ripple Counts ....................................................................................... 196
Defining an Alarm............................................................................................ 197
Activating an Alarm.................................................................................................. 199
Editing and Deleting an Alarm ................................................................................. 199

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 Assigning Alarms to Contacts ......................................................................... 200
Creating an Alarm Handler ...................................................................................... 200
Activating an Alarm Handler .................................................................................... 201
Enabling Contacts to Receive Alerts ....................................................................... 201
Viewing, Clearing and Resetting Alarms ......................................................... 202
Viewing and Clearing Alarm Definitions .......................................................... 204
Viewing and Clearing Alarms History .............................................................. 205
Customising Alarm Information ....................................................................... 207
Sorting Alarm Information by Column...................................................................... 207

Index

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CHAPTER 1

Introduction
OPTIMA is a network performance management and monitoring software that logs
and stores network parameters, enabling you to gain a complete understanding of the
current and past performance of your network.
You can use OPTIMA with ENTERPRISE or standalone, as OPTIMA Lite.
By accessing and analysing invaluable performance data, you can:
• Identify and respond quickly to change
• Accurately pinpoint extra capacity requirements
• Deploy network enhancements in a timely and cost effective manner
• Predict future trends in the network or at any part of the network
Some typical uses of OPTIMA for network operation and performance management
are:
• Daily reporting of cell, site, BSC, MSC and transmission network performance
• Daily reporting of any cluster of cell sites or network elements covering particular
cities, roads or other geographical regions
• Identification of performance anomalies across network regions
• Overall monitoring of alarms and equipment operational status
• Identification and strategic reporting of traffic hotspots and network locations
generating high traffic and revenues

In This Section
About This Manual
Obtaining User Assistance

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 About This Manual
This manual describes how to use OPTIMA to view performance data and statistics.
This table shows which Chapter contains what information:
Use This Chapter For
2 Administrator-only information about configuring OPTIMA and installing OPTIMA Lite.
3 Information on using the OPTIMA interface.
4 Administrator-only information about using Administrator tools.
5 - 11 User information about setting up and view data and using reports.

Obtaining User Assistance

Using Online Help
ENTERPRISE products come with a complete system of online Help which you can
access in three ways:
• From the Help menu, click Help Contents. Scroll through the table of contents and
choose a relevant topic to display.
• To search for something particular, from the Help menu, click Help Contents and
on the Index tab, type in a word.
• Context-sensitive help is available for most of the dialog boxes. Therefore, to get
relevant Help about using a dialog box, in the dialog box, press F1.
We value your comments, suggestions, and criticisms. If you did not find the Help
you were looking for, needed more assistance than the online help provided, or have
any suggestions for future improvements to our online information, we want to
know. Please email your comments with the subject 'ENTERPRISE Manuals' to the
appropriate address as described in Obtaining Support.

Using ENTERPRISE User Reference Guides

AIRCOM also provides a series of User Reference Guides for its software tools. For
information on the full range available, see About the ENTERPRISE User Reference
Guides on page 3.
You can view the manuals supplied as PDFs (Adobe portable document format) on
the ENTERPRISE CD, or print out your own copies of them on a postscript printer.
Tip : You can choose to install the PDFs on your PC when installing.
Note : Adobe and Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe Systems, Incorporated.
For any further documentation, such as application notes and extra reference
information, please email the support team at the address described in Obtaining
Support.

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 About the ENTERPRISE User Reference Guides
This table describes the manuals:
This Manual Contains Information On
What's New The main difference between the latest versions of the ENTERPRISE
suite.
ENTERPRISE Administration and Installation Guide Installing and configuring ENTERPRISE, your network, and Oracle
databases. Using Administrator to create users and groups, and set
permissions.
Also contains information on software licensing.
ENTERPRISE User Reference Functionality that is common to more than one of the products in the
ENTERPRISE suite, including how to access, view, edit and store data.
Also contains reference information about file formats.
ENTERPRISE Database Reference The relationships between tables in the database and the contents of each
table.
ADVANTAGE User Reference Using ADVANTAGE to plan and optimise networks automatically, analyse
network performance, identify problem cells/areas, use network
performance data and more.
ArrayWizard User Reference Using ArrayWizard to automatically generate coverage predictions and
best server arrays, which gives you instantaneous display of coverage and
interference information for pre-selected filters when loaded into ASSET3g.
ASSET3g User Reference Using ASSET3g including information on hierarchical network planning,
propagation modelling, coverage analysis, traffic planning, neighbour list
definition, automatic frequency planning and CW data analysis.
Using the radio planning tool for 3rd generation mobile communication
networks.
Also contains reference information about file formats.
CONNECT User Reference Using CONNECT, the network transmission and microwave link planning
software for full network physical link design and logical link design.
Also contains CONNECT specific reference information.
DATASAFE User Reference Using DATASAFE, our network configuration tool to implement both small
and large scale changes to networks
DIRECT User Reference Using DIRECT to design telecommunications networks of different network
layers. Explains how to plan cellular, PSTN and data networks at a both
general and strategic level.
Also contains DIRECT specific reference information.
NEPTUNE User Reference Using NEPTUNE to collect, import and analyse testmobile data and using
the optional module, PROBE for additional analysis.
Also contains reference information on NEPTUNE file formats.
OPTIMA User Reference Using OPTIMA to view performance data and statistics both with
ENTERPRISE and standalone using OPTIMA Lite.
QUALITA User Reference Using QUALITA including information on how to create Service Level
Agreements, setting Quality of Service filters and benchmarks, configuring
reports and enabling QoS degradation analysis.
RANOPT User Reference Using RANOPT to efficiently find faults in your network, optimise and
validate its performance prior to commercial launch.

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 This Manual Contains Information On
TARGET User Reference Using TARGET as an administrator to design forms, Gantt charts and
reports. Using TARGET to view and edit information about your network
and its roll out.
Also contains TARGET reference information.
WEBWIZARD User Reference Using WEBWIZARD to display GIS and report information of network data,
including creating layers, regions, nodes, layer types, administering and
configuring the system and using the GIS view, explorer and report
viewers.

Using ENTERPRISE User Reference Guide PDFs

To use the PDFs:
1 Make sure you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your PC. If you do not
have this, you can install it from the ENTERPRISE CD, or get it from the Adobe
website.
2 Navigate to the Docs folder in the location where you installed the product.
3 If this folder does not exist or is empty, modify your ENTERPRISE installation
now and choose to install them. To do this:
ƒ From the Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs.
ƒ In the list of items, choose the correct version of ENTERPRISE and click the
Add/Remove button.
ƒ When prompted, select Modify then click Next twice until you are on the
Select Components page of the installation wizard.
ƒ Ensure that the documentation you require is selected.
4 When installed, in the Docs folder, double-click the pdf file that you want to open.

Obtaining Further Information and Services

As well as providing a comprehensive User Assistance system of Online Help and
User Reference Guides, AIRCOM additionally provides:
Knowledgebase
In the Product Support section of the AIRCOM website, you can view our searchable
Technical Database (Knowledgebase). It contains articles created by our support
professionals who have resolved issues for our customers, and is constantly updated,
expanded, and refined to ensure that you have access to the very latest information.
Note : To access the Knowledgebase, you must have a customer web account.

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 Product Support
For information on AIRCOM Product Support, see Obtaining Support.
Training
If you require details of mobile and fixed network training courses, run by AIRCOM,
please contact us at the appropriate email address described in Obtaining Support or
via our website.
Consultancy Services
AIRCOM also provide full radio consultancy services in Network Audits, Business
Planning Support, Licence Applications, Radio Network Planning,
Telecommunications Research and System Modelling and Propagation Analysis and
Modelling.

Obtaining Support
Logging Support Requests Online
To log a support request online:
1 Go to the AIRCOM website, at http://www.aircom.co.uk.
2 Click the link to Support.
3 Log in, using your customer web account username and password.
4 In the Technical Support pane, click Online Helpdesk System.
5 Click Log New.
6 Enter the details of your request, and then click Log.

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 Logging Support Requests via Telephone or Email
Alternatively, this table shows the contact details for any support or assistance you
may require:
Type of Query Contact Email

You have a difficulty you cannot resolve North America [email protected]

yourself using the Online Help Tel : +214 576 2700
Fax : +1 214 576 2794
South America [email protected]
Tel : +55 12 39412199
Fax :+55 12 3911-3727
You have found a possible fault in the Singapore [email protected]
software Tel : +65 372 0548
Fax : +65 372 0350
Middle East and Africa [email protected]
Tel : +971 4 391 2640
Fax : +971 4 391 8660
South Africa [email protected]
Tel : +27 11 745 1475
Fax : +27 11 465 1517
Europe and Rest of World [email protected]
Tel : +44 1737 775777
Fax : +44 1737 775770
You cannot find the Help you were looking UK Documentation [email protected]
for
You would like to suggest future
improvements to the online information
You require further documentation, such as
application notes and further reference
information
You require updated versions of PDF files Visit the AIRCOM website at
http://www.aircom.co.uk
You require details of mobile and fixed Competence Development Solutions [email protected]
network training courses run by AIRCOM

When contacting us with a support query, it would help us if you:

• Give us as much information as possible about the problem and the context in
which it occurred
• State the version and build you are using
• Have all the details of your query to hand
• Are logged into the ENTERPRISE application
• Can send extracts of your data sets if we need them to reproduce your problem

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 CHAPTER 2

Installing OPTIMA
OPTIMA can be used in the following ways:
If using OPTIMA Then
As part of the ENTERPRISE suite To ensure top performance, one of our teams needs to install and integrate
OPTIMA to a network, configuring the collection of performance counters,
data storage and the database.
As a standalone product You should contact your system administrator to find out where on your
network OPTIMA is installed, and to get a username and password.
When you have this information, you can access OPTIMA without having to
install anything.
Over the internet You should contact your system administrator to find out how to use OPTIMA
over the Internet.

In This Section
About the Hardware and Software Requirements for OPTIMA
Installing OPTIMA
Starting OPTIMA
Changing your OPTIMA Password

About the Hardware and Software Requirements for

OPTIMA
You can have one workstation for each client that wishes to use OPTIMA and
ENTERPRISE.
The hardware and software requirements are the same as the latest ENTERPRISE
specification. For more information, see the ENTERPRISE User Reference Guide or
confirm with our Support team, who can be contacted on one of the numbers shown
in Chapter 1 of this guide

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 Installing OPTIMA
You can install OPTIMA in two ways:
• As part of ENTERPRISE
• As OPTIMA Lite

Installing OPTIMA as Part of ENTERPRISE

To use OPTIMA as part of the ENTERPRISE suite, one of our teams needs to install
and integrate OPTIMA to a network. This ensures maximum performance by
configuring the collection of performance counters, data storage and the database.

Installing OPTIMA Lite

A standalone version of OPTIMA has been produced so that:
• You do not have to have any other ENTERPRISE products installed to run
OPTIMA
• You can run OPTIMA Lite over the network with no installation necessary on
your own PC
Note : OPTIMA Lite does not contain the Map View window or the ENTERPRISE
database and filters.
Follow these instructions if you want to use OPTIMA Lite:
1 If you are installing OPTIMA Lite using the InstallShield program on the
ENTERPRISE CD, when selecting components, select OPTIMA Lite.
– or –
Contact your system administrator to find out where on your network OPTIMA
Lite is located, and get a username and password.
2 Locate the OPTIMA_Lite.exe and open it.
You can now start using OPTIMA Lite.

Updating Data
When connected to the network switches and the database, OPTIMA updates itself
and automatically adds new sites and counter data when necessary. The data
collection process is one way and OPTIMA cannot modify the network.

About Maintenance and Security

OPTIMA should need no maintenance except for installing any upgrades. However, it
is recommended that companies have an on-site Oracle database administrator to
attend to any database related problems promptly.
The Oracle server handles security and each user is required to log in before any
statistics can be obtained.

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Starting OPTIMA
To start using OPTIMA as part of ENTERPRISE:
1 Start ENTERPRISE and log into the relevant database. For further information on
how to do this, see the ENTERPRISE User Reference Guide.
2 Select the project you require then click the Info>> button.
3 Scroll to the OPTIMA Login tab:

4 On this Login tab:

ƒ Select the appropriate database in the DataSource box.
Note : An Oracle connection name is specified here, not ODBC.
ƒ Type your UserId and Password then click OK.
Tip : Once you have logged in, you can change your password. For more
information, see Changing your OPTIMA Password on page 10.
5 In the Start Project dialog box, click Start.

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 To start using OPTIMA Lite:
Open OPTIMA Lite and, from the OPTIMA Lite Login Information dialog box,
type your User Name and Password, and select the Service to which you want to
connect.

Tip : Once you have logged in, you can change your password. For more
information, see Changing your OPTIMA Password on page 10.

Changing your OPTIMA Password

When you use OPTIMA for the first time, you must login to the OPTIMA database
with the username and password created by the OPTIMA_Administrator. However,
after you have logged into OPTIMA, you can change your password.
To change your password:
1 From the Tools menu, click Change Password.
The Change Password dialog box appears.
2 Type your old password, new password and confirm your new password.
3 Click OK.
Next time you login to the OPTIMA database, you must use your new password.

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CHAPTER 3

About the OPTIMA User

Interface
The OPTIMA user interface consists of a number of elements, which enable you to:
• View, compare and analyse counter information for network elements using grids
and graphs
• Customise windows and reports
• Define how objects, such as modules and grids, function

In This Section
About the Main OPTIMA Toolbar
About the OPTIMA Menus
About the Counter Descriptions Window
Using Clocks in OPTIMA
About Performance Alarms
About the Data Explorer
About the Filter Explorer
Switching Between Open Windows
Defining User Preferences

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 About the Main OPTIMA Toolbar
To quickly access the frequently used functions, use the OPTIMA toolbar:

OPTIMA Main Toolbar

This table describes the toolbar functions, some of which are only available if you are
running OPTIMA as part of ENTERPRISE:
Click: To:

Exit OPTIMA Close the current project and exit the tool.
Login/Logout Login to and logout of the database but keep ENTERPRISE running.

Open/Close Project Open and close projects but keep ENTERPRISE running.
New 2D View Open the 2D Map View. For more information, see Displaying Performance Data on the
Map on page 146.
Data Explorer Open the Data Explorer. For more information, see About the Data Explorer on page 20.
Filter Explorer Open the Filter Explorer. For more information, see Using the Filter Explorer on page 99.
Module Explorer Access the Module Explorer in which you can view and use modules. If you have
OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions, you can also create,
modify and delete modules. For more information, see Creating OPTIMA Modules on
page 72.
Combination Explorer Access the Combination Explorer from which you can view and use module
combinations. If you have OPTIMA_Administrator OPTIMA_Advanced_User
permissions, you can also create, modify and delete combinations. For more information,
see About Combination Windows in OPTIMA on page 79.
New Combination Create a new OPTIMA window for viewing data. For more information, see Creating
Combination Windows on page 83.
New Work Area Access a New Work Area. For more information, see Creating a New Work Area on
page 140.
Report Explorer Access the Report Explorer. For more information, see About Using OPTIMA Reports on
page 152.
Schedule Explorer Access the Schedule Explorer. You can only schedule reports if you have
OPTIMA_Administrator OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions. For more information,
see Scheduling When Reports Run on page 185.
Counter Legend Access the Counter Legend. For more information, see About the Counter Descriptions
Window on page 15.
OPTIMA Login Retry your login. This button is only enabled if you have had an unsuccessful login
attempt.
Main Clock Access the Main OPTIMA clock. For more information, see Using Clocks in OPTIMA on
page 16.

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 About the Favourites Toolbar
The Favourites toolbar is enabled after you have saved one or more favourites and is
next to the Main OPTIMA Toolbar. This picture shows an example of the Favourites
toolbar:

Favourites toolbar

If you have created a report, module combination or work area that you will reuse
frequently, you can save it as a favourite. When you save it as a favourite you also
select a button to be added to the Favourites toolbar. For information about saving
favourites, see Adding and Editing Favourites in OPTIMA on page 91.

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 About the OPTIMA Menus
Above the OPTIMA toolbar are a series of menus.
This table describes the menu options, some of which are only available if you are
running OPTIMA as part of ENTERPRISE:
From the: You can:
File menu Exit from the database and close OPTIMA.
If you are using OPTIMA with ENTERPRISE, other menu items will be available. For further
information about these items, see the ENTERPRISE User Reference Guide.
Edit, View, Database and Access features available if you are using OPTIMA with ENTERPRISE. For further information
Equipment menus about these menus, see the ENTERPRISE User Reference Guide.
Inspector menu Access the Module Explorer.
Access the Combination Explorer.
Create a New Combination.
Create a New Work Area.
Reporter menu Access the Report Explorer.
Access the Schedule Explorer.
Favourites menu Edit Favourites.
Load Favourites.
Save Favourites.
Performance Alarms Access the Alarms Handler and Explorer.
Administrator menu Access Counter information.
Access the Route Editor and the TCH Editor.
Access miscellaneous information such as holiday entry and trim element ID.
Configure the Busy Hour, that is modify the capture settings and set the busy hour.
Configure database information such as database links.
Manage security in OPTIMA by creating users, groups and contacts.
Note : The Administrator menu is enabled only if you have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions.
Tools menu Login to OPTIMA – only available if your initial attempt to login was unsuccessful.
Access the User Preferences dialog box.
Change your password.
Access the Data Explorer.
Access the Filter Explorer.
View the Counter Legend.
Access the Windows List, which enables you to locate and switch to an open window.
Modify the Main OPTIMA clock.
Windows menu Access the message log - OPTIMA Lite only.
Help menu Access the Help.
Access the Licence Manager.
View information about ENTERPRISE, for example the build number.

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About the Counter Descriptions Window
The Counter Descriptions window displays a list of all the counters used in OPTIMA,
grouped by vendor, along with any further information relating to each counter.
Note : You can only add, edit and delete counters if you have logged into OPTIMA
with OPTIMA_Administrator level privileges.

Counter Descriptions window

To view information about a counter:

1 From the Tools menu, click Counter Legend.
– or –

Click the Counter Legend button .

2 In the Counter Descriptions dialog box that appears, select a vendor from the
Vendor menu.
3 In the Counter box, type the name of the Counter for which you want more
information.
4 Click Find.
The counter is highlighted in the list. Any further information about the counter, if
available, will be displayed.

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 Using Clocks in OPTIMA
Usually, when running OPTIMA, you would have it connected to the System Clock to
show today’s data. However, sometimes you will want to view and compare data for
a different date and time. You can do this by using the Global Clock.
To set the Global Clock:
1 From the Options menu, click Clock
– or –

Click the Clock button .

2 In the dialog box that appears, ensure that the Set to System Clock check box is not
selected.
3 To change the year, click on the year at the top of the calendar and type the year
that you want
4 Use the arrows to scroll to the correct month then click a date on the calendar.
5 Click the hour and change the time as required, then repeat for minutes and
seconds:

6 Providing there is data for that date, you can display the data in different ways:
ƒ If you are using OPTIMA with ENTERPRISE, click Update Map to apply the
time you have chosen to any open Map View window. For more information,
see Viewing Data on the Map on page 145.
ƒ To review data collected over the same period, ensure that in each
combination window, in the Date Range pane, the Link to Main Calendar
check box is selected.
7 When you have finished reviewing data, you can reset the date and time to the
System Clock again by opening the Global Clock and selecting the Set to System
Clock check box.

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 Offsetting the System Clock
When data is collected by OPTIMA, there is usually a one hour processing delay
before that data is available for use in OPTIMA. You can take account of this delay by
offsetting the system clock. To do this:
1 From the Tools menu, click Clock.
– or –

Click the Clock button .

2 In the Global Clock's Offset pane, select the Enable check box.
3 Select an offset period using the arrow keys and drop-down menu.
4 Close the Global Clock.

About Performance Alarms

You can use performance alarms to manage data before it is passed on to third party
fault management systems.
You can set network counter thresholds or key performance indicators (KPIs) and
then receive alerts whenever network conditions are not met. Network data is
processed by OPTIMA and stored in OPTIMA database tables. The network data is
analysed at user defined intervals.
From the Performance Alarms menu, you can select the Alarms Explorer and the
Alarms Handler Explorer.

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 About the Alarms Explorer
To open the Alarms Explorer:
From the Performance Alarms menu, select Alarms Explorer.
This picture shows an example of the Alarms Explorer:

From the Alarms Explorer toolbar you can create alarm definitions and folders and
view alarm definition logs.
This picture shows an example of the Alarms Explorer toolbar:

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 About the Alarms Handler Explorer
To open the Alarms Handler Explorer:
From the Performance Alarms menu, select Alarms Handler Explorer.
This picture shows an example of the Alarms Handler Explorer:

From the Alarms Handler Explorer toolbar you can view, create, edit and delete alarm
handlers.
This picture shows an example of the Alarms Handler Explorer toolbar:

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 About the Data Explorer
In the Data Explorer you can view database tables and create modules and reports
without being familiar with SQL. The Data Explorer can be launched from the main
OPTIMA toolbar or from the Module Maker. For more information about the Module
Maker, see Creating OPTIMA Modules on page 72 .
To open the Data Explorer:

Click the Data Explorer button .

- or -
From the Tools menu, click Data Explorer.

About the Filter Explorer

In the Filter Explorer, you can create, edit and delete personal, global filters and
ENTERPRISE filters.
To open the Filter Explorer, either:
From the Tools menu, click Filter Explorer.
- or -

Click the Filter Explorer button .

The Filter Explorer opens, this picture shows an example:

For more information about the Filter Explorer, see Creating Filters in the Filter
Explorer on page 100.

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Switching Between Open Windows
When you are using OPTIMA, you may have many windows open at the same time.
To make it easier to find the window you want, you can use the Window List.
The Window List will show the names of the following explorer windows, if they are
open:
• Combination Explorer
• Module Explorer
• Schedule Explorer
• Filter Explorer
• Data Explorer
You will also see listed any open work areas and combination windows.
To switch to an open explorer, work area or combination:
1 From the Tools menu, select Show Window List.
2 In the Window List, select the window you want to use and click Switch.

Defining User Preferences

There are a number of user preferences that you can define using the User Preferences
dialog box, including setting your filter directory and grid preferences. These options,
once defined, will be available each time you use OPTIMA or OPTIMA Lite.
To open the User Preferences dialog box:
From the Tools menu, click User Preferences.

Setting the Filter Directory

When you create personal filters, the files are stored in a user-defined location. To
select the location of these files:
1 From the Tools menu, select User Preferences.
2 On the Custom Filter tab in the dialog box that appears, browse to the folder in
which personal filters will be stored.
3 Click OK.
Tip : If you do not set your user preferences, you can select a location for the file when
you first create a filter.
You create personal filters in the Filter Explorer. For more information, see Using the
Filter Explorer on page 99.

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 Setting Confirmation Requests
You can choose to have certain actions, for example opening a read-only copy of a
module combination that is already open, confirmed before the action is carried out.
To set confirmation requests:
1 From the Tools menu, click User Preferences.
2 On the Confirmations tab in the dialog box that appears, select the required
actions.

Setting Grid Preferences

When a grid contains a large number of records, the background processing may slow
down the speed with which data is shown in the grid. You can prevent this by
disabling the tools after a given number of records are returned from a query.
You can also set a limit on the number of values available to select from when you are
filtering a column in a grid.
To set preferences for the grid:
1 From the Tools menu, click User Preferences.
2 On the Grid Settings tab in the dialog box that appears, type the number of:
ƒ records after which tools will be disabled
ƒ values available when filtering columns
ƒ columns to load in the Data Explorer. You can override this option when you
are using the Data Explorer.

Setting Expression Editor Preferences

When you define a query in the Expression Editor, you can choose to insert the
function name or the function name and its parameters.
To set this:
1 From the Tools menu, click User Preferences.
2 On the Expression Editor tab in the dialog box that appears, select how you want
the function to appear.

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 Setting Security
If you have OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions, you
can assign a particular group to be the default owner of all new objects, such as
reports and modules, that you create.
Note : If you do not do this, objects that you create will not be assigned to a default
group and will be available to all users
To set the default group for new objects:
1 From the Tools menu, click User Preferences.
2 On the Security tab in the dialog box that appears, select the Default Group for
New Objects check box.
3 Select a group from the drop-down list.
4 Click OK.
Note: You can also assign owning groups at the individual object level, for example,
for a specific report.

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Page 24 OPTIMA User Reference Guide
Version 5.0.3
CHAPTER 4

OPTIMA Administrator
Tools
You should only read this section if you are an OPTIMA Administrator.
You can only use the OPTIMA Administrator menu if you log in to OPTIMA or
OPTIMA Lite, with OPTIMA_Administrator permissions.
OPTIMA_Administrators can:
• control who has access to the features in OPTIMA and at what level.
• configure settings such as the busy hour and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• define and view performance alarms. For information about using alarms, see
Using Performance Alarms on page 191.

In This Section
About OPTIMA Security
Using Contacts in OPTIMA
About KPIs
Adding a Description to a Raw Counter
About Global Counters
About Table and Field Information Settings
About Categories
About Routes
Downgrading Cells
Excluding Particular Days from Reports
Setting the Busy Hour
Modifying Element IDs

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 About OPTIMA Security
In OPTIMA, there are two ways to configure security. These are:
• at user level by assigning roles, for example, you can choose to give a user read-
only access by making them an OPTIMA_User.
• at object level using groups, for example, you can choose to allow a group of users
access to certain reports in the Schedule Explorer.
You must:
• create groups before you can restrict access to specific objects in OPTIMA
• assign users to each group, they will inherit the permissions of the group.
Note : OPTIMA_Administrators have write-access to all features and objects in
OPTIMA.

Example of Using Groups and Users to Configure Security

First, you create these groups:
• North_Team
• South_Team

OPTIMA Groups dialog box

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 Then you create these users:
User Member Of Role
John North_Team OPTIMA_Advanced_User
Everyone
Pierre North_Team OPTIMA_User
Everyone
Emma South_Team OPTIMA_Advanced_User
Everyone

You can then use these groups to limit access to the folders in the Schedule Explorer,
as shown below:

The results are:

• John can view and run schedules in the NorthCity_A folder and, as he is an
OPTIMA_Advanced_User, he can also create schedules in this folder. John cannot
view or create schedules in the SouthCity_A folder.
• Pierre can view and run schedules in the NorthCity_A folder, but as he is a
OPTIMA_User, he cannot create schedules. Pierre cannot view schedules in the
SouthCity_A folder.
Emma can view and run schedules in the SouthCity_A folder and, as she is an
OPTIMA_Advanced_User, she can also create schedules in this folder. Emma cannot
view or create schedules in the NorthCity_A folder.

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 Creating Groups
You can create groups and then use these groups to give access to objects in OPTIMA.
The group Everyone is automatically created and includes all users. You cannot edit
the Everyone group.
To create a group:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Security and click Groups.
2 In the dialog box that appears, click New Group.
3 In the New OPTIMA Group dialog box, type a name and description for the
group.
Note: You can only use letters, numbers and the symbols $ _ and # in the group
name. You cannot use spaces and you must use a letter or number for the first and
last characters.
4 If you have already created the users that you want to become members of this
group, click Add User. If you have not created any users, see Creating Users on
page 31.
5 Select the users you want to add to this group and use the > button to move them
to the Destination List.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to highlight more than one user at a time and use
the >> button to add all the users to the Destination List.
6 When you have finished adding users to the Destination List, click OK.
The users who are members of this group are listed in the Members pane of the
New OPTIMA Group dialog box.
7 Click Close to save the new group.
You can now assign this group to the different OPTIMA objects, enabling the
members of this group to use those objects. For more information, see Using Groups
to Assign Access on page 30.

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 Editing and Deleting Groups
To add users to and remove users from a group:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Security and click Groups.
The OPTIMA Groups dialog box appears.
2 Select the group and click the Edit Group button.
3 To add a user:
ƒ Click Add Users.
ƒ In the Select Users dialog box, select the users you want to add to this group
and use the > button to move them to the Destination List.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one user at a time and use
the >> button to add all the users to the Destination List.

ƒ When you have finished adding users to the Destination List, click OK.
4 To remove a user: select the user and click the Remove User button.
5 Click Close to save the changes.
To delete a group:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Security and click Groups.
The OPTIMA Groups dialog box displays.
2 Select the group and click the Delete Group button.
3 Click Yes to confirm.
4 If no objects are owned by the group, the group is deleted. However, if there are
objects still owned by the group, then the Change OPTIMA Group dialog box
appears.
5 To select a new owning group for the objects:
ƒ Select a group from the Group list and click the right arrow button.
-or -

ƒ Double-click a group in the Group list.

Note : If you click Cancel, the group will not be deleted.
6 Click OK.
7 Click Close.

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 Using Groups to Assign Access
You can use groups to restrict access to objects and information held in OPTIMA.
Groups can be assigned to objects in the following windows:
• Module Explorer
• Combination Explorer
• Report Explorer
• Schedule Explorer
For example, in the Schedule Explorer, you may have a folder that contains schedules
that only one group of users will work with. This may be a regional group, for
example, such as the South Team. You can make sure that only the South Team can
access those schedules by assigning the South Team group to the folder.
You must create groups before you can assign them. For more information, see
Creating Groups on page 28.
To assign a group to an object:
1 Open the appropriate explorer window from the menu or toolbar.
2 Browse to the folder to which you wish to assign access and click with the right
mouse button on the folder name. From the menu that appears, click Properties.
3 In the dialog box that appears, click the Security tab and then click Add.
A list of available groups appears.
4 Select the group(s) you want to have access to this folder and use the > button to
move them to the Destination List.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one group at a time and use the
>> button to add all the groups to the Destination List.
5 Click OK.
6 Select how you want the group permission to be applied:
Select To Assign Access To
Do not cascade permissions The selected folder level and its objects only.
Users of the group will not be able to access any
subfolders unless they are a member of a group
with access to those folders.

Cascade permission changes to child folders The selected folder and its subfolders. This option
will not overwrite any existing groups that have
already been assigned to the folder or subfolders.
Cascade all permission to child folders The selected folder and its subfolders. This option
overwrites existing groups that have already been
assigned to the folder or subfolders.

7 Click OK to apply the group permissions to the folder.

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 Creating Users
To create a user:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Security and click Users.
2 In the dialog box that appears, click New User.
3 On the General tab of the New OPTIMA User dialog box, add the following
details:
In This Box Do This

Username Type a name for the user, this is the name they will use to log into OPTIMA.
Note: You can only use letters, numbers and the symbols $ _ and # in the
username. You cannot use spaces and you must use a letter or number for the first
and last characters.
Full Name Type the full name of the user.
Description Type a description of the user's account if necessary. This field is not mandatory.
Department Type the name of the user's department if necessary. This field is not mandatory.
Region Type the name of the user's region - this could be actual location or the part of the
country they work deals with, for example, a cell planner covering the North. This
field is not mandatory.

Password, Verify Password Type the password for the user, this is the password they will use to log into
OPTIMA.

User Access Select a role for the user. For more information about roles, see About OPTIMA
User Roles on page 32.

4 To assign groups to this user, click the Group Membership tab.

The user is automatically a member of the group Everyone and this group is listed
in the Group(s) pane.
5 On the Group Membership tab, click Add.
6 In the dialog box that appears, select the groups you want this user to be a
member of and use the > button to move them to the Destination List.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one group at a time and use the
>> button to add all the groups to the Destination List.
7 When you have finished adding groups to the Destination List, click OK.
The group(s) that this user is a member of are listed in the Group(s) pane of the
New OPTIMA User dialog box.
8 If you want to assign contact information to the user:
ƒ Click Assign Contact Info.
ƒ Select the contact name and click Assign Contact.
ƒ In the dialog box that appears, click OK
ƒ Click Close to return to the OPTIMA Users dialog box.
For more information about contacts, see Using Contacts in OPTIMA on page
33.

9 Click Close to add the new user.

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 About OPTIMA User Roles
There are three default roles for users in OPTIMA. They are created during the
installation of OPTIMA and determine the level of system access for a user. You can
further define a user's access by assigning groups. For more information about
groups, see About OPTIMA Security on page 26.
The three default roles are:
Default Role Default Login User Privileges

OPTIMA_Administrators OPTIMA_Administrator The same permissions as the OPTIMA_Advanced_Users

and can also use the OPTIMA Administrator tools.
OPTIMA_Advanced_Users OPTIMA_Advanced_User The same permissions as the OPTIMA_Users and can
also add, edit, and delete modules, reports and schedules.
OPTIMA_Users OPTIMA_User Has read-only access to all of the OPTIMA tools except for
OPTIMA Administrator. Cannot see the items in the
Administrator menu. Can add, edit and delete module
combinations.

Editing and Deleting Users

To edit user details and permissions:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Security and click Users.
The OPTIMA Users dialog box appears.
2 Select the user and click Edit User.
Note : You can change the password or the user group details. If you want to
change the user name, you will have to recreate the user.
To delete a user:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Security and click Users.
The OPTIMA Users dialog box appears.
2 Select the user and click Delete User.
3 Click Yes to confirm.
The user is deleted.

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 Changing Passwords
When a user logs into OPTIMA, they can choose to change their password. For more
information, see Changing your OPTIMA Password on page 10.
If a user forgets their password, and therefore cannot access OPTIMA, you can assign
a new password to that user.
To do this:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Security and click Users.
The OPTIMA Users dialog box displays.
2 Select the user and click Edit User.
3 Type and then verify the password.
4 Click OK to save the changes.

Using Contacts in OPTIMA

In OPTIMA, you can save contact details for individual users and groups of users.
These contact details are stored in the Address Book and, once saved, can be:
• assigned when you create users.
• selected in an alarm handler to determine who receives alerts when an alarm is
raised.
To open the Address Book:
From the Administrator menu point to Security and then click Contacts.
Contacts that contain a group of users are underlined and shown in green text.
In the Address Book, you can:
• sort the list of contacts by clicking on the column headings
• filter the list of contact by selecting All Groups or All Users from the Select menu.

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 Adding, Editing and Deleting Contacts in the Address Book
To add a contact to the Address Book:
1 From the Administrator menu point to Security and then click Contacts.

2 In the Address Book, click the Add button .

3 Type the details for the user in the appropriate boxes.
4 Select the Active check box if you want this user to be able to receive alerts when
an alarm is set or cleared. For more information about alarms, see Using
Performance Alarms on page 191.
5 Click OK.
To edit a contact:

1 Highlight the user and click the Edit button .

- or -
Double-click the user name.
2 Edit the user's details as necessary.
3 Click OK to save the changes.
To delete a contact:

1 Highlight the user and click the Delete button .

2 In the Confirm dialog box that appears, click Yes to delete the user.

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 Adding a Contact Group to the Address Book
You can add a group of users as a contact group to the Address Book. This allows
many individuals to receive the same alert when an alarm is set or cleared. For more
information about alarms, see Using Performance Alarms on page 191.
To add a contact group to the Address Book:
1 Ensure you have created the users that you want to include in the group. You can
add further users at a later date.
2 From the Administrator menu point to Security and then click Contacts.

3 In the Address Book, click the Add Group button .

4 Type a name for the group.
5 If you want to send alarms to a group email address or phone number, type the
email address and phone number.
6 Add a note if necessary.
7 Select the Active check box if you want this contact group to be able to receive
alerts when an alarm is set or cleared.
8 Click Modify Members.
9 In the dialog box that appears, click Add.
10 Select a user from the Name pane and click Add >.
- or -
Type the name of the user and click Add.
Tip : To change the properties of a user, click Properties and in the dialog box that
appears make the changes required.
Note : These users are in addition to any users that are a member of the group
email address that you may have typed earlier. You do not have to add those
users here.
11 When you have finished adding users, click OK and, in the dialog box that
appears, click Yes.
The users appear in the Group Members dialog box.
Tip : To remove a user, highlight their name and click Remove.
12 Click OK to close the Group Members dialog box.
13 In the Group Properties dialog box, click OK and, in the Information dialog box
click Yes to save the group.
The contact group is shown, in green text, in the Address Book and can now be used
with alarms.

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 Editing and Deleting Contact Groups
To edit a contact group:

1 Highlight the contact group and click the Edit button .

- or -
Double-click the contact group name.
2 Edit the details as necessary.
3 Click Modify Members to add and remove users.
4 Click OK to save the changes.
To delete a contact group:

1 Highlight the group and click the Delete button .

2 In the Confirm dialog box that appears, click Yes to delete the contact group.

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About KPIs
Using OPTIMA Administrator, you can create KPIs to show collected key
performance data both in OPTIMA Inspector, using modules and combination
windows, and on the Map View Window.
If you choose to show a KPI on the Map View Window, it will appear in the data
types tree. For more information, see Displaying Performance Data on the Map on
page 146.

Creating KPIs
To create a KPI:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Counters and then click KPI Manager. The
KPI Manager dialog box appears. This picture shows an example:

2 From the KPI menu, click Add

- or -

Click the Add button .

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 3 In the dialog that appears, complete the following information:
In This Box: Do This:
Table Choose the table containing the counter that will form the KPI.

Alias Type a name for the KPI.

Column Order Type a number that corresponds to where you want the column to appear on the 2D
Map data types tree.
Show in 2D Map - Select the Show in 2D Map check box if you want the KPI to be available in the Map
Cell-based KPIs only View Window.
You must select an element and data column from your chosen table.
Equation Type an equation to define the KPI, using the available columns.
Note : The equation must be in syntax that Oracle will understand.
Tip : Double-click a KPI in the Counters for Equation list to have it added to the
equation.
You can build complex equations using the Expression Editor. Click Build Equation to
open the Expression Editor.
Description Type a description of the KPI.

This picture shows an example of the KPI Add dialog box:

4 Click Save.
Note : This may take a few seconds as the equation is automatically tested against
the database.
5 If the counter cannot be saved, correct the error and click Save again.
6 Click Close to return to the KPI Manager dialog box.

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 Editing a KPI
To edit a KPI:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Counters and then click KPI Manager. The
KPI Manager dialog box appears.
2 In the KPI Manager dialog box, click + to view the tables for the appropriate
schema and then select the required table.
3 In the right-hand pane, either:
Double-click the KPI you want to change.
- or -

Select the KPI and click the Edit button .

4 In the dialog box that appears, change the properties as required.
5 Click Save.
Note : This may take a few seconds as the equation is automatically tested against
the database.
6 Click Close to return to the KPI Manager dialog box.

Deleting a KPI
To delete a KPI:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Counters and then click KPI Manager. The
KPI Manager dialog box appears.
2 In the KPI Manager dialog box, click + to view the tables for the appropriate
schema and then select the required table.
3 In the right-hand pane, select the KPI(s) you want to delete.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to highlight more than one KPI at a time.

4 Click the Remove button and then click Yes to confirm.

5 Click Close to return to the KPI Manager dialog box.

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 Synchronising Tables
You can synchronise KPIs and their associated tables by using the Synchronise Tables
function.
To do this:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Counters and then click KPI Manager. The
KPI Manager dialog box appears.
2 In the KPI Manager dialog box, click + to view the tables for the appropriate
schema and then select the required table.
3 If you want to synchronise KPIs, then in the right-hand pane, select the KPI(s) you
want to synchronise.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to highlight more than one KPI at a time.
4 From the Tools menu, point to Synchronise and then click either Selected KPI(s) or
Selected Table.
- or -

Click the down arrow next to the Synchronise Summary Tables button and
click either Selected KPI(s) or Selected Table.
5 In the Synchronise Tables dialog box, set the following options:
In This Pane: Do This:
Associated Tables Select the check boxes of the associated tables that you want to
synchronise.
Tip : Use the Check All button to select all the associated tables in
the list and the Uncheck All button to deselect all the tables.
Note : If the selected table has no associated tables listed, click the
Get Derived Tables button. This will attempt to retrieve all of the
tables that, in conjunction with the selected table, form an
associated list for the table. For example, if the table CELLSTATS
has an association with the daily, weekly and monthly summary
tables, then the daily and monthly summary tables can be derived
from the weekly summary table.
Synchronise Options Select how you want the synchronisation to be done.
If you want to match KPIs exactly during synchronisation, select the
Synchronise to Match KPIs Exactly radio button.
If you want to merge KPIs during synchronisation:
1. Select the Synchronise to Merge radio button.
2. If you want to overwrite KPIs that have duplicate names, select
the Replace KPIs With the Same Name check box.

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 This picture shows an example of the Synchronise Tables dialog box:

6 Click OK. A new summary table appears in the Hierarchy Tree if not already
present.
7 Click Close to return the KPI Manager dialog box.

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 Recreating Views
If you want to use your KPIs in OPTIMA Inspector, you must create views for their
tables in the KPI Manager dialog box.
To do this:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Counters and then click KPI Manager. The
KPI Manager dialog box appears.
2 If you want to recreate a view for a table, in the KPI Manager dialog box, click + to
view the tables and then select the required table.
3 From the Tools menu, point to Recreate View and then click either Selected or All.
4 In the Select Items to Process dialog box, ensure that any table you want to create a
data view for has their Include check box selected.
Tip : Use the Check All button to select all the tables in the list and the Uncheck All
button to deselect all the tables.
This picture shows an example of the Select Items to Process dialog box:

5 Click Process to recreate the view. In the Select Items to Process dialog box, the
Status and Message columns are updated to show the process output for each
selected table. This picture shows an example:

6 Close the Select Items to Process dialog box.

7 Click Close to return the KPI Manager dialog box.
You can see newly created views in their defined category under their respective
schema in the Data Explorer. For more information see, Using the Data Explorer on
page 62.

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Adding a Description to a Raw Counter
OPTIMA enables you to add descriptions for raw counters in your network.
To describe a raw counter:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Counters and then click Raw Counters.
2 In the Raw Counter Descriptions dialog box, click the Add Raw Counter
button .
3 In the Add Raw Counter Description dialog box, type the name of the counter, as
well as a brief description.
4 Click Save.
To edit a raw counter description:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Counters and then click Raw Counters.
2 In the Raw Counter Descriptions window, select the counter you want to edit and
then click the Edit Raw Counter button .
3 In the Edit Raw Counter Description dialog box, edit the information.
4 Click Save.
To delete a raw counter description:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Counters and then click Raw Counters.
2 In the Raw Counter Descriptions dialog box, select the counter you want to delete
and then click the Delete Raw Counter button .
3 Click OK to confirm the deletion.

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 About Global Counters
OPTIMA enables you to view vendor specific information, such as the counters and
global information such as the global counters.
The global counters are defined in the Global Counters dialog box.

Global Counters dialog box

In the Global Counters dialog box, you can add, edit, and delete global counters. You
can also add global counters automatically. To do this:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Counters and click Global Counters.
The Global Counters dialog box displays.
2 Click the Auto Add Counters button. The available global counters will be added
to the list.
To display the global counters for a particular table:
Click on the table name in the Table column.

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About Table and Field Information Settings
The OPTIMA Administrator can use table and field information settings to:
• Allow groups of users access to certain tables
• Set the granularity period for tables
• Assign tables to specific categories
• Assign summary tables to tables
• Add comments to tables and table columns
You configure table and field information settings in the Table and Field Info dialog
box. Tables can be configured individually or all at the same time using the Settings
Wizard.
To open the Table and Field Info dialog:
From the Administrator menu, point to Data Dictionary and click Table and Field
Info.
This picture shows an example of the Table and Field Info dialog box.

Table and Field Info dialog box.

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 Setting All Table and Field Information Settings Using the
Settings Wizard
The Settings Wizard enables you to change permission, category and granularity
period settings for one or more tables at the same time, rather than changing them
individually.
To set table and field information settings:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Data Dictionary and click Table and Field
Info.
2 In the tree view of the Table and Field Info dialog box, select a table, category or
schema:

This selection determines which tables will be available to configure in the

Settings Wizard. For example, if you select a category or schema, then all of the
underlying tables will be available.
3 From the Edit menu, click Change Settings.
- or -
Click with the right mouse button on the schema, category or table you selected
and then, from the menu that appears, click Change Settings.
4 On the first page of the Settings Wizard, select the tables you want to use and then
click Next.
Tip : If you want to select more than one table, hold down the Shift key and click
the tables you want to select.
Note : You cannot apply permissions to tables marked in red as these are internal
tables. If your selection includes internal tables, you must unselect them otherwise
you will not be able to apply permissions. You can still apply category and
granularity period settings to internal tables.
5 On the Table Permission page, select:
ƒ The group you want to apply permissions to
ƒ Whether the permissions are to be reset, updated or removed
For more information about table permissions, see Setting Table Security on page
47.
6 Click Next.

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 7 On the Table Info Settings page, select:
ƒ The granularity period to be applied to all selected tables. For more
information about granularity periods, see Setting the Granularity Period for a
Single Table on page 48.
ƒ The category to be applied to all selected tables. For more information about
categories, see Assigning a Category to a Table on page 48.
8 Click Next.
9 Click Finish to apply your settings and close the Settings Wizard.

Setting Table Security

In OPTIMA, you can configure security at the table level by using groups. For
example, you can choose to allow a group of users access to certain tables.
Important : You must create groups before you can assign them. For more information,
see Creating Groups on page 28.
To set security for a table:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Data Dictionary and click Table and Field
Info.
2 In the tree view of the Table and Field Info dialog box, select the table and click the
Modify Groups button.
A list of available groups appears.
Note : You cannot apply permissions to internal tables. If your select an internal
table, the Modify Groups button will be disabled.
3 Select the group(s) you want to have access to this table and use the > button to
move them to the Destination List.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one group at a time and use
the >> button to add all the groups to the Destination List.
4 Click OK.
5 Click Apply to apply the group permissions to the table.
6 Click Yes to confirm.

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 Setting the Granularity Period for a Single Table
The granularity period is used by the Map View window to determine which is the
nearest time stamp and therefore what data is returned. This means that you do not
have to select the exact time stamp. For example, if you set the granularity period to
15 minutes, data for 13.00 will be displayed if you select 13.15.
You can set the granularity period for a single table or use the Settings Wizard to set
the granularity period for all the tables in a category or schema. This is usually done
once during the initial set-up of OPTIMA.
To set the granularity period for a single table:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Data Dictionary and click Table and Field
Info.
2 In the tree view of the Table and Field Info dialog box, select the table you want to
set the granularity period for.
3 Click the Table Info tab.
4 Click the Apply Table Granularity check box and in the Period column, use the up
and down arrows to select the number of periods.
5 Select a period type from the drop-down menu.
6 Click Apply.
7 Click Yes to confirm.

Assigning a Category to a Table

All database tables must be assigned a category to appear in the Data Explorer list of
tables. When you create a new database table, a category is automatically assigned
when you repopulate the Table and Field Info dialog box. For more information about
repopulating tables, see Repopulating Data on page 51.
However, you can also manually assign a category to a table. To do this:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Data Dictionary and click Table and Field
Info.
2 In the tree view of the Table and Field Info dialog box, select the table you want to
set the category for.
3 Click the Table Info tab.
4 Click the Apply Table Category check box and select a category from the drop-
down list.
5 Click Apply.
6 Click Yes to confirm.
For more information on categories, see About Categories on page 51.

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 Defining an Association for a Table
You can define associations for a single table. To do this:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Data Dictionary and click Table and Field
Info.
2 In the tree view of the Table and Field Info dialog box, select the table you want to
assign an associated table to.
3 Click the Table Info tab.
This picture shows an example of the Table Info tab:

4 In the Associated Tables pane, click the Modify List button.

5 In the Table Selection dialog box appears, select a schema from the Schema drop-
down list.
6 Select the associated table(s) you want to assign to the table and use the > button
to move them to the Destination List.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to highlight more than one associated table at a
time or use the >> button to add all the associated tables to the Destination List.
Note : To add associated tables from more than one schema, repeat steps 5 and 6.
7 Click OK.
8 Click Apply to save your changes.
9 Click Yes to confirm.

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 Adding a Comment to a Table
To add a comment to a table:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Data Dictionary and click Table and Field
Info.
2 In the tree view of the Table and Field Info dialog box, select the table you want to
add a comment to.
3 Click the Table Info tab.
4 Click the Apply Table Comment check box and type a comment.
5 Click Apply.
6 Click Yes to confirm.

Adding a Comment to a Column

To add a comment to a column in a table:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Data Dictionary and click Table and Field
Info.
2 In the tree view of the Table and Field Info dialog box, select the table which
contains the column you want to add a comment to.
3 Click the Column tab.
4 Find the relevant column in the list and click its Comments cell.
5 Type the comment you want to add and click Apply.
6 Click Yes to confirm.

Finding a Counter in the Table and Field Info Dialog Box

You can search OPTIMA's database tables for counters in the Table and Field Info
dialog box in the same way you can in the Data Explorer. For information about how
to do this see, Finding a Counter on page 63.

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 Repopulating Data
If tables or columns have been created or removed in the OPTIMA database, you will
need to repopulate the data to view these changes in the Table and Field Info dialog
box and the Data Explorer. To do this:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Data Dictionary and click Table and Field
Info.
The Table and Field Info dialog box appears.
2 From the View menu, click Regenerate Table Info.
3 From the dialog box that appears, choose to regenerate all table information or
only the table information that has changed in the OPTIMA database by selecting
the appropriate radio button.
Note : If you choose to regenerate all table information, then the category and
granularity period settings for all tables will be reset to the default values.
4 Click the Regenerate button.
5 Click Yes to confirm.
When you repopulate the Table and Field Info dialog box with new tables, category
names are automatically assigned according to the naming convention for the table.
The following table describes the naming conventions:
Category Convention
KPI Tables beginning with V
Summary Tables beginning with XX
Configuration Hard-coded configuration tables
Counters All other tables

For more information about categories, see About Categories on page 51.

About Categories
All the tables in OPTIMA's database are assigned a category. Categories are used to
group tables in the Data Explorer. If a table does not have a category assigned to it,
then it will not appear in the Data Explorer list of tables.
The categories can be manually assigned or automatically assigned when you
repopulate the Table and Field Info dialog box. For more information about
repopulating tables, see Repopulating Data on page 51.
OPTIMA has four default categories, which cannot be edited or deleted:
• Configuration
• Counters
• KPI
• Summary
However, if you are an OPTIMA_Administrator, you can create user-defined
categories and then associate them with database tables.

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 Creating and Editing Categories

Creating a Category
To create a category:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Counters and then click Categories.
The Table Categories dialog box appears.
2 Click Add.
3 In the Add Category dialog box, type a name and description for the category.
4 Click OK.
5 In the Table Categories dialog box, click Close.

Editing a Category
To edit a user-defined category:
1 In the Table Categories dialog box, highlight the category you want to edit.
Note: You cannot edit OPTIMA's default categories.
2 Click Edit, and edit the name and description as required.
3 Click OK.
4 In the Table Categories dialog box, click Close.

Deleting a Category
When you delete a category, you must reassign other categories to all the tables that
were in the category you have deleted. If you do not assign other categories, the tables
will not appear in the Data Explorer.
To delete a user-defined category:
1 In the Table Categories dialog box, highlight the category you want to delete.
Note: You cannot delete OPTIMA's default categories.
2 Click Remove.
3 Click OK to confirm the deletion.
4 In the Table Categories dialog box, click Close.

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About Routes
The route is the connection on the actual network that goes either in or out of a
particular element. The route information is used in any modules or reports that use
the ROUTECFG table.
This table shows the information contained in the Route Editor:
Parameter Description
Route Route name
Element Element the route is connected with
Type Type of element for example BSC, MSC etc.
Location The location in the network
MSC Link If the type is BSC, this parameter shows the MSC to which the BSC is linked
Direction ‘I’ if incoming or ‘O’ is outgoing
Both way 'Y' if the route is incoming and outgoing, 'N' otherwise

Adding and Editing Routes

To add a route to the Route Editor:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Editors and then click Route Editor.
The Route Editor window appears.

2 Click the button and type the required information on the new row
marked with an asterisk.
To edit a route in the Route Editor:

Highlight the route and click on the button.

– or –
Highlight the cell and start typing.
To delete a route in the Route Editor:

1 Highlight the route and click on the button.

2 In the Confirm dialog box, click OK to confirm the deletion.

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 Downgrading Cells
OPTIMA stores:
• The highest recorded number of traffic channels for each cell (Allocated Traffic
Channels or DTCH).
• The last currently used traffic channels (TCH).
These two values should be the same, but are sometimes different, for example, when
the cell has been downgraded, in which case the DTCH value will be higher than the
last used TCH value.
The TCH Editor shows all cells where their TCH value is below the related DTCH
(high water mark) value.

TCH Editor

You can correct OPTIMA, so the historic DTCH values are correct, by downgrading a
cell.
Warning : Downgrading a cell permanently changes historic performance data.
To downgrade a cell:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Editors and then click TCH Editor.
2 In the TCH Editor, double-click on the relevant cell. This will update the cell.
3 Click OK to downgrade the cell.

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Excluding Particular Days from Reports
OPTIMA enables you to excluded particular days, for example holidays, from reports.
These days are specified in the Holiday Entry dialog box.

Holiday Entry dialog box

To add a day that you want to exclude from reports:

1 From the Administrator menu, point to Misc and click Holiday Entry.
2 In the dialog box that appears, select the date you wish to make a holiday for
example 25/12/04.
3 Select the Holiday check box.
4 Type a description in the Holiday Description window then click Apply.
5 Click Yes if you want this holiday date to reoccur every year.
6 Click OK to close the dialog box.

Editing and Deleting Holidays

To edit a holiday:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Misc and click Holiday Entry.
2 In the Holiday Entry dialog box, select the date.
3 Amend the information.
4 Click Apply.
5 Click OK to close the Holiday Entry dialog box and save the changes.
To delete a holiday:
1 In the Holiday Entry dialog box, select the date.
2 Deselect the Holiday box.
3 Click Apply and then click Yes to confirm.
4 Click OK to close the Holiday Entry dialog box and save the changes.

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 Setting the Busy Hour
The Busy Hour is the time when the most amount of traffic is carried by the network.
This is meant to reflect the worst case scenario for optimising the performance of the
network. To make OPTIMA more efficient, the busy hour calculation should be made
as accurate as possible.
You can choose to:
• Have OPTIMA calculate the busy hour automatically, based on the available data.
To do this, set the Busy Hour Rule to Automatic.
• Manually enter the busy hour by setting the Busy Hour Rule to Fixed and then
entering the start time of the Busy Hour. The Busy Hour will run for an hour from
the start time.
You can edit the busy hour rule at any time.
This table shows the levels for which the busy hour can be set:
This Level Affects
Network All the cells in the network.
Note : The default rule for network will be Auto calculate. The busy hour data for the network is calculated
from the cell data.
BSC All the cells under that BSC.
Site ID All the cells at that site.
Cell That cell only.

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 Manually Setting the Busy Hour
To manually set the Busy Hour:
1 Ensure you have set the Capture Settings. For more information about the capture
settings, see Configuring the Capture Settings on page 58.
2 From the Administrator menu, point to Busy Hour Config and select Busy Hour.
3 In the Vendor dialog box that appears, select the relevant vendor and click OK.
4 The Busy Hour window appears.

The full Network Tree is displayed using data from the OPTIMA database.
Tip : If you select a filter, you can limit the number of nodes displayed in the tree.
If child objects exist then all the necessary parents are added to the tree.
5 If you want to set the rule for a particular cell, in the Rule column next to the
object, select the rule you wish to use.
- or -
If you want to set the default rule for any level other than cell, for example the
whole network, double-click on the chosen object and in the Specify Rule for Child
Nodes dialog box, set the rule and click OK.
6 When you setup the busy hour for all the cells, click Apply.

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 Configuring the Capture Settings
Before setting the Busy Hour you need to configure the capture settings. To do this:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Busy Hour Config and click Capture
Settings.
2 In the Vendor Select dialog box that appears, select the relevant Vendor and click
OK.
3 In the Capture Settings dialog box, select either Start Date or End Date to match
the datetimes stored in the OPTIMA database.
4 Select a capture period. This should match the granularity period of the data in
OPTIMA.
5 You can also change the default settings.
This table describes your options:
To change the Do this
Default network rule 1. Click the Default network rule browse button
2. In the Modify Network Rule dialog box, set the Rule as either Auto calculate or
Fixed.
3. If you set the rule to Auto calculate, click OK.
- or -
4. If you set the rule to Fixed then set the time and click OK.
Busy hour formula 1. Click the Busy hour formula browse button.
2. In the Enter Busy Hour Formulae dialog box, set up your equation and click OK.

6 Click Apply to save the changes and then close the Capture Settings dialog box.

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Modifying Element IDs
OPTIMA enables you to add or remove parts of your element IDs. This is useful if
you use an extension as part of your naming conventions when designing a network
in ASSET3g.

Example of Editing an Element ID

When designing the network, you may use an extension as part of your naming convention.
For example the naming convention is to add D00 to the BSC name. Based on this convention,
the name for BSC1 will be D00BSC1.
This means that this will be displayed in the Map View Window as D00BSC1 but when
OPTIMA collects live data it is collecting it from BSC1.
Also, if you are using an ENTERPRISE filter to gather data then the filter will use the naming
convention used in ENTERPRISE, which in this case is D00BSC1. However, when OPTIMA
looks for this on the network, no data will be found as there is no such item on the live
network.
OPTIMA needs to know that when looking for data from D00BSC1 the data is actually from
BSC1. You can achieve this by using the Trimming function in OPTIMA.
Important : Modifying how OPTIMA uses element IDs is global and will be used by all
users of OPTIMA. You cannot configure separate settings for different users.

Editing Element IDs

To edit element IDs:
1 From the Administrator menu, point to Misc and then click Trim Element ID.
This dialog box appears:

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 2 In the Element ID Mapping dialog box, ensure that you have the Trim Element ID
check box selected.
3 Select if you want to Add to or Remove from the element ID depending on the
naming convention.
4 Select if the extension you want to add or remove is at the Beginning of and/or the
End of the element ID.
5 Click the Add button.
6 In the Add New Search String dialog box type the extension you want to add to or
remove from the element ID, for example D00 in D00BSC1.
Tip : You can use wildcards to remove or leave letters in the element ID, for more
information, see Using Wildcards in Element ID Search Strings on page 60.
7 If you have more than one search string, use the Up and Down buttons to position
the strings in the correct order then click OK.
Tip: You can remove a string by highlighting it in the list and clicking Remove.
8 Click OK.
9 To save the current settings, when the Confirm dialog box appears, click OK.
This will add or remove the extension, in this case the D00 from the element ID.
When you use the Map View Window and you display D00BSC1, the related data
in OPTIMA is from the live BSC1.

Using Wildcards in Element ID Search Strings

You can use wildcards when you add or remove extensions. This enables you to edit
similar extensions without creating individual search strings.
There are two wildcards you can use:
• Full stops - represent letters you want to remove
• Question marks – represent letters you do not want to remove

Example of Using Wildcards

If you wanted to remove the extensions A100, B100, C100 from element IDs, instead of creating
three search strings, you can create one using the full stop wildcard.
The search string would be .100. This tells OPTIMA to remove 100 from each element ID and
also remove any letter which appears before the number 100.
If you wanted to leave the first letter in the element ID rather than remove it, you can use the
question mark wildcard.
The search string would be ?100. This tells OPTIMA to remove 100 from each element ID but
leave any letter which appears before the number 100.

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CHAPTER 5

Setting Up and Querying

Data
OPTIMA uses counters to continually record the performance of each operational
network element. The data from these counters is stored in an Oracle database that
can be queried using the Data Explorer. From the Data Explorer you can:
• Search for a counter
• View query results in grid format
OPTIMA_Administrators and OPTIMA_Advanced_Users can set up access to data by
defining modules, which are then used in module combinations, to display specific
data in grid and graph format. Modules are used in the same way that you would use
a template to customise the data you want to display.

In This Section
Using the Data Explorer
About OPTIMA Modules

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 Using the Data Explorer
You can use the Data Explorer to find counters, view data from OPTIMA database
tables and to define modules to be used in combination windows.
To open the Data Explorer:
From the Tools menu, click Data Explorer.
- or -

Click the Data Explorer button on the main OPTIMA toolbar.

If you are an OPTIMA_Administrator or an OPTIMA_Advanced_User and you are
creating a module, the Data Explorer can be accessed by clicking Edit Tree SQL or
Edit Tree Level SQL in the Module Maker. For more information, see Creating
OPTIMA Modules on page 72.
The Data Explorer is made up of a number of panes. The following table describes
these panes.
From The You Can
Schema List pane Browse the list of schemas and the database tables associated with them. The tables are
grouped into categories, for example Configuration, Counters, KPI and Summary. Categories
can only be created by OPTIMA_Administrators. For more information, see About Categories
on page 51.
Columns/Data tabs View the column headings or the data contained within a chosen table.
Tip : Hide or show this pane by clicking the View menu and then clicking Show Data.
Builder/SQL/Filter/ Build a query using SQL or by dragging and dropping tables to create the query if you are not
Preview tabs familiar with SQL.
Tip : Hide or show this pane by clicking the View menu and then clicking Show SQL.

From the Data Explorer Misc menu, OPTIMA_Administrators can access KPIs,
categories and table information. For more information about using these features, see
OPTIMA Administrator Tools on page 25.

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 Finding a Counter
You can search OPTIMA's database tables for any counter that appears as a column
heading in the database tables. For example, you can search for Cell but not the cell
name 10A.
To find a counter in the Data Explorer:

1 Click the Find Counter button .

- or-
From the Edit menu, click Find Counter.
2 In the dialog box that appears, type the name of the counter you wish to find.
Tip : You can modify the search criteria by clicking More. This gives you the
options to search from the start of the schema list and/or search for whole words
only.
3 Click Find Next.
The table containing the counter is highlighted in the schema list and the counter
is highlighted on the Column tab.
4 Click Find Next again and the next occurrence of the counter is highlighted.
5 To close the dialog box and return to the Data Explorer, click Cancel.

Defining a Query
You can define a query which returns data from OPTIMA's database tables. You can
use this query to view data in the Data Explorer or you can create a query as part of a
module.
Note : Only OPTIMA_Administrators or OPTIMA_Advanced_Users can create
modules.
Tip : If you are not familiar with SQL, you can use the Builder tab to create the query.
However, the Builder tab is disabled if:
Your database is not using Oracle 9i or above.
- or -
You have manually edited the SQL on the SQL tab.

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 Using the Builder Tab to Define a Query
To define a query using the Builder tab:
1 In the Data Explorer, click the Builder tab.
2 Add tables to the Builder tab by:
ƒ Double-clicking the table names in the Schema List
- or -

ƒ Selecting a table name and then, while holding down the left mouse button,
dragging it onto Builder tab.
Tip: To remove a table from the Builder tab, select the table and click the button
in the top-right of the table box.
3 Select which columns you want to include in the query by clicking the boxes next
to the column headings.

Tip: Select and clear all the columns in a table by clicking the button next to the
table heading.
4 Add links between the tables by selecting a column heading in one table and then,
while holding down the left mouse button, dragging the heading to a column
heading in another table.

Note : If the two columns cannot be linked, the following icon appears .
Tip: To remove a link, select the link, click with the right mouse button and from
the menu that appears, click Delete Link.
5 Set the link type by double-clicking the link and selecting a type. By default, all
links are inner links. This means that only rows with matching values in the linked
columns will be displayed when the query is run.

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 6 When you have selected the tables and columns for your query, you need to
define the query using the tabs below the Builder tab. The following table
describes these tabs:
Use This Tab To
Criteria Create the Where clause by adding conditions, each of which may
contain one or more criteria.
The default compose condition is All. To change this, click on the word
highlighted in blue and, from the menu that appears, select the
appropriate compose condition.
Click the circle, and from the menu that appears, click Add Condition.
In the line that appears, click to select the first part of the criteria and type
a value or press Shift + Enter. From the menu that appears, double-click
to select the table or column.
The default rule is =. To change this, click on the rule and, from the menu
that appears, select the appropriate rule.
Select the second part of the criteria and type a value or press Shift +
Enter. From the menu that appears, double-click to select the table or
column.
To delete a condition, click on the circled number for that condition and
from the menu that appears, click Delete Condition.
To create a compose condition, add a condition and click on its circled
number. From the menu that appears, click Make Compose Condition.
Selection View the selected table columns. Here you can choose to return an
aggregate value for a column instead of a single row value. To do this:
Double-click in the Aggregate column for the appropriate table column
and, from the menu that appears, select the aggregate function.
Grouping Criteria Create the Having clause. You can only do this if you have included an
aggregate function in the query.
The Having clause is created in the same way as the Where clause,
which is described above for the Criteria tab.
Sorting Define the order for the returned data. The left pane contains all the
columns included in the query. Use the arrows to move the columns to
the right pane to include them in the returned data. You can move all the

columns by clicking the button.

Use the Up and Down buttons to set the order of the columns in the right
pane.
You can change the sort order for each column alphabetically by
selecting the column heading it in the right pane and then clicking the A-Z
or Z-A button.

7 When you have finished, you can add filters to the query. For more information,
see Adding Filters to a Query on page 66.
You can preview the results of the query at any time. For more information, see
Previewing the Results of a Query on page 67.

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 Using the SQL Tab to Define a Query
You can use the SQL tab to define a new query or a query that has been created on the
Builder tab.
Important : If you do this, the Builder tab will be disabled and any further changes to
the query must be made on the SQL tab.
To define a query using the SQL tab:
1 In the Data Explorer, click the SQL tab.
2 Type the SQL for your query.
Tip: You can automatically add text to the SQL tab by double-clicking, or dragging
and dropping, items in the Oracle Commands pane, the schema list and the
Columns tab.

3 To add a complex expression, click the Insert Expression button .

4 The Expression Editor appears. Create an expression by double-clicking column
headings and selecting items from the drop-down menus. Click OK to add the
expression to the SQL tab.
5 When you have finished, if you have not already added filters to the query, you
can add filters using the Filters tab. For more information, see Adding Filters to a
Query on page 66.
You can preview the results of the query at any time. For more information, see
Previewing the Results of a Query on page 67.

Adding Filters to a Query

You can add a date filter and a filter parameter to a query to further define the query.
When the query is run, you will be asked to choose a date range or select a filter.
If the query is created as part of a module, the filter parameter option will be replaced
by elements selected from the module element tree in the Module Maker.
To add a filter to a query:
1 In the Data Explorer, ensure that you have defined your query
2 Click the Filters tab.
3 Select the Add Date Filter check box if you want to add a date filter.
A list of available date fields appear in the Date Fields box.

4 Select the date field you wish to use and click the button to select it.
5 Select the Add filter check box if you want to add a filter parameter. If you want
this filter to replace one already used in the SQL, select the Replace Values in SQL
Criteria check box.
A list of available filters appear in the Filter Names box.

6 Select the filter you wish to use and click the button to select it.
7 You can now preview the results of the query.

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 Previewing the Results of a Query
At any time during the creation of a query, you can preview its results in a grid on the
Preview tab. To do this:

1 In the Data Explorer, click the Execute SQL button .

2 If you have included filters in the query, the Parameter Input dialog box appears.
This table describes how you can filter the query:
On this tab Do this
Filter Select a filter from the list that appears and then select elements you wish
to include using the arrow keys to move the elements to the Selection
pane.
You can add elements from any number of filters. For more information
about creating filters, see Adding Filters to a Query on page 66.
Datetime – Range tab Select the period over which you require data.
To link to the global clock:
1 Select the Start or End check box and then select Synchronise
to Global Clock. The current date and time display.
2 Enter the desired period in the Period box.
Note: You cannot synchronise to the global clock if you set a start and end
date.
To specify a duration whose start or end date you know, click either the
Start or End check box and choose the correct date, then enter the desired
period in the period box.
To specify a period whose start and end dates you know, select the Start
and End check boxes and choose the required dates.
Datetime - Select which days you want to include in the date range. Click with the right
Exclude/Include tab mouse button on the Dates of Week area and, from the menu that appears,
you can Select All or Deselect All the days or choose just Weekdays or
Weekends.
Select the Start and End hours for the days you have included.
Select the check box if you want to Exclude Holidays. For more information
about holidays, see .

3 Click OK to close the Parameter Input dialog box and run the query.
4 You can now customise how the data is shown in the grid. For more information
about customising grids, see Customising Grids in OPTIMA on page 103.

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 Saving and Opening Queries
When you have created a query, you can save it so you can use it again. Queries are
saved as SQL files.
To save a query:

1 In the Data Explorer, click the Save To File button .

2 In the Save SQL File dialog box, open the folder in which you wish to save the file
and type a name for the file.
3 Click Save.
To open an existing query:

1 In the Data Explorer, click the Open File button .

2 In the Load SQL File dialog box, find the query file you wish to open and click
Open.
The query is loaded in to the Data Explorer.

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About OPTIMA Modules
OPTIMA modules consist of:
• Module details – name, description, name of creator, creation date, name of the
last person to edit the module and the date last edited.
• A database query that enables you to create a network element tree for displaying
and selecting specific network elements.
• Database queries to return data when elements are selected from the tree-view. A
separate query can be defined for each tree level. For example, you may have BSCs
on one level and cells on the next level. Therefore you could have a query for each
of these.
This picture shows an example of a module:

Example Module

If you are an OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User, you can:

• Create and delete module folders
• Create and edit modules
• Delete modules
• Restrict editing of modules
• Import and export modules
OPTIMA_Administrators can also lock folders and modules. Other users can still
view locked folders and modules, but only the Administrator can edit them.
All OPTIMA_Users can view modules.

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 Creating Folders for OPTIMA Modules
To create and delete folders in the Module Explorer, you must have
OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions.
To create a new folder:
1 From the Inspector menu, click Module Explorer.
- or –

Click the Module Explorer button .

2 In the Module Explorer window, browse to where you want to create the new
folder and click with the right mouse button. From the menu that appears, click
New Folder.
- or –

Click the New Folder button .

3 Type a name for your new folder and press Enter.
OPTIMA_Administrators can lock folders to prevent other users from accessing them.
For more information about this, see Locking Folders on page 71.

Deleting Folders
To delete a folder:
1 In the Module Explorer window, highlight the folder you want to delete.
2 Click with the right mouse button and, from the menu that appears, click Delete.
- or –

Click the Delete button .

3 In the Confirm dialog box, click Yes to delete the folder and return to the Module
Explorer.

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 Locking Folders
If you have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions, you can lock folders to prevent
other users from editing, moving or deleting them.
To lock a folder:
1 From the Inspector menu, select Module Explorer.
-or -

Click the Module Explorer button .

2 In the Module Explorer, select the folder you want to lock.
3 Click with the right button and then, from the menu that appears, click Properties.
4 On the Security tab in the Module Folder Properties dialog box, select the Admin
Folder check box.

5 Click OK.
6 If the selected folder has child folders, you will be asked if you want to apply
changes to all child folders. This enables you to lock all of the child folders of an
Admin Folder. Click Yes to apply changes, otherwise click No.
To unlock a folder:
Follow the previous steps and clear the Admin Folder check box.

Viewing OPTIMA Modules

To view a module:
1 From the Inspector menu, select Module Explorer.
2 In the Module Explorer, select the file containing the modules you want to view. A
list of the modules will appear in the right hand pane.
3 You can choose to view the modules as a list or as a list with details.
Tip : To change between the two, click with the right mouse button and then, from
the menu that appears, point to View and click List or Details.
4 Double-click on the module name to view that module.

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 Creating OPTIMA Modules
If you have OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions, you
can create modules.
To do this:
1 From the Inspector menu, select Module Explorer.
-or -

Click the Module Explorer button .

2 In the Module Explorer, click with the right button and then, from the menu that
appears, click New Module.
- or -

Click the Add New Module button .

3 On the Module Information tab of the OPTIMA Module Maker dialog box, type
the name and a description of the new module.
4 Select the Enabled check box to enable OPTIMA_Users to use the module.
5 On the Module Definition tab, click Edit Tree SQL to open the Data Explorer. The
Data Explorer enables you to define the selection tree information to be displayed
by the module. For more information, see Using the Data Explorer on page 62.

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 6 When you have defined the selection tree, close the Data Explorer and in the
Module Maker, click Preview Tree to view the selection tree you have created.
A network element tree of the information you have just entered appears in the
right hand pane.

Note : If you have included a date filter in the SQL, you must also define a date and
time in the Date Time Entry dialog box. Select a date range and click OK to
continue.
7 On the Module Definition tab, click Edit Tree Level SQL to open the Data
Explorer. The Data Explorer enables you to define the tree level information which
customises the data displayed in a grid or graph when an item is selected from the
network element tree. For more information, see Using the Data Explorer on page
62.
8 When you have defined the tree level query, close the Data Explorer and in the
Module Maker Graph pane, from the Type and X-axis menus, select the type of
graph and X-axis you would like to use:

The graph is shown when you run a module in a combination window. For more
information, see Using Graphs on page 121.
9 Click OK to finish.

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 Locking OPTIMA Modules
If you have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions, you can lock modules to prevent
other users from editing them. You may want to do this if a module is particularly
complex to create or if a module is used by lots of users, to prevent the module being
changed in error.
To lock a module:
1 From the Inspector menu, select Module Explorer.
-or -

Click the Module Explorer button .

2 In the Module Explorer, select the module you want to lock.
3 Click with the right button and then, from the menu that appears, click Properties.
4 In the Module Properties dialog box, select the Admin Module check box.
5 Click OK.
To unlock a module, follow the previous steps and clear the Admin Module check
box.

Restricting Editing of OPTIMA Modules

You can use an owning group to restrict who has editing access to a module. If a
module is assigned an owning group, then it can only be edited by members of that
group. A module can only have one owning group.
To assign an owning group for a module, you must have one of the following:
• OPTIMA_Administrator permissions
• OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions and be a member the group that owns the
module
To make a group the owner of a module:
1 From the Inspector menu, click Module Explorer.
-or -

Click the Module Explorer button .

2 In the Module Explorer window, select the module you want to set the owning
group for.
Note: You cannot assign the owning group for a module that is locked as an
Admin Module, unless you have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions.
3 Click with the right mouse button on the selected module and from the menu that
appears, click Properties.
4 In the Module Properties dialog box, select a group from the drop-down list.
5 Click OK.

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 Editing and Deleting OPTIMA Modules
To edit a module:
1 Ensure you have OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User
permissions.
2 From the Inspector menu, select Module Explorer.
or –

Click the Module Explorer button .

3 Double-click on the module and make the necessary changes.
4 Click OK to save the changes.
To delete a module:
1 Ensure you have OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User
permissions.
2 From the Inspector menu, click Module Explorer.
– or –

Click the Module Explorer button .

3 Select the module you want to delete, click with the right mouse button and, from
the menu that appears, click Delete
– or –

Select the module you want to delete and click the Delete button .
4 In the Confirm dialog box, click Yes to delete the module.

Opening an OPTIMA Module in a New Combination

To open a module in a new combination:
1 From the Inspector menu, select Module Explorer.
-or -

Click the Module Explorer button .

2 In the Module Explorer, select the module you want to open in a new
combination.
3 Click with the right button and then, from the menu that appears, click Execute.
The New Module Combination dialog box appears with the selected module
added.
For more information about combinations, see About Combination Windows in
OPTIMA on page 79.

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 Copying OPTIMA Modules
If you have OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions, you
can copy existing modules and then modify them.
To do this:
1 From the Inspector menu, click Module Explorer.
-or -

Click the Module Explorer button .

2 In the Module Explorer, select the module(s) you want to copy.

Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one module at a time.
3 Click the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Copy.
4 Select the folder that you want to copy the module(s) to.
5 Click with the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Paste.
The modules are copied to the specified folder.

Importing and Exporting OPTIMA Modules

If you have OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions, you
can export OPTIMA modules to a datafile and then import and use them in another
OPTIMA installation. You can import and export:
• Modules
• Module folders
• A combination of modules and module folders
Note : You must have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions to import and export
Admin modules and Admin folders.

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 Importing Modules
To import a module:
1 In the Module Explorer, select the folder into which you want to import the file(s).

2 Click the Import Module From File button .

- or -
Click with the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Import.
3 Click OK to confirm.
4 In the Import Modules dialog box, click the Browse button.
5 In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the folder which contains the module(s)
you want to import and click OK.
6 In the File Name list, select the file(s) and/or folder(s) you want to import and
click OK.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one file and/or folder at a time.
7 If your selection includes modules in sub-folders, you will be asked if you want to
recreate the directory structure in the Module Explorer. Click Yes to recreate the
directory structure, otherwise click No.
8 In the message box that appears, click OK to import the module(s). The modules
are imported to the specified folder.

Exporting Modules
To export a module:
1 In the Module Explorer, select the module(s) and/or folder(s) you want to export.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one module and/or folder at a
time.

2 Click the Export Module to File button .

- or -
Click with the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Export.
3 If your selection includes modules in sub-folders, then in the Export Modules
dialog box, set the following options by selecting or clearing the appropriate check
boxes:
ƒ Export modules from sub-folders.
ƒ Create folders in destination directory.
4 Click OK.
5 In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the folder into which you want to
export the module(s) and click OK.
6 In the message box that appears, click OK to export the module(s). The modules
are exported to the specified folder.

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 CHAPTER 6

Viewing Data in OPTIMA

OPTIMA enables you to view specific data from your network using combination
windows, which you can define yourself. For example, you can display cell statistics
within a certain date range in both a graph and a grid layout.

In This Section
About Combination Windows in OPTIMA
Adding and Editing Favourites in OPTIMA
Filtering Data in the Combination Window
Finding Elements in the Modules Pane
Filtering Elements in the Modules Pane
Using the Filter Explorer

About Combination Windows in OPTIMA

You can view data in OPTIMA in either a pre-defined combination window or a
window you have created.
A combination window is made up of a number of panes. The following table
describes how you can customise the window using these panes.
This Pane Enables you to
Modules Add and remove modules that customise the data that is to be displayed in the window.
You can run one module, or a combination of modules.
Custom Filter Select, create and edit custom filters. You can hide or display this pane by clicking on the title bar.
Date Range Set the date range for the data to be displayed. You can hide or display this pane by clicking on the
title bar.
Grid Display the data. You can modify the order of the data as well as search for specific information.
Series List Select what data appears in the graph pane.
Graph Display the data in a graph format.

Before you can use combination windows, OPTIMA_Administrators and

OPTIMA_Advanced_Users must first define the modules. For more information, see
Creating OPTIMA Modules on page 72.

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 Creating Folders for OPTIMA Combination Windows
To create and delete folders in the Combination Explorer, you must have
OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions.
To create a new folder:
1 From the Inspector menu, click Combination Explorer.
- or –

Click the Combination Explorer button .

2 In the Combination Explorer window, browse to where you want to create the
new folder and click with the right mouse button. From the menu that appears,
click New Folder.

- or –

Click the New Folder button .

3 Type a name for your new folder and press Enter.
OPTIMA_Administrators can lock folders to prevent other users from accessing them.
For more information about this, see Locking Folders on page 81.

Deleting Folders
To delete a folder:
1 In the Combination Explorer window, highlight the folder you want to delete
2 Click with the right mouse button and, from the menu that appears, click Delete.
- or –

Click the Delete button .

3 In the Confirm dialog box, click Yes to delete the folder and return to the
Combination Explorer.

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 Locking Folders
If you have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions, you can lock folders to prevent
other users from editing, moving or deleting them.
To lock a folder:
1 From the Inspector menu, select Combination Explorer.
-or -

Click the Combination Explorer button .

2 In the Combination Explorer, select the folder you want to lock.
3 Click with the right button and then, from the menu that appears, click Properties.
4 On the Security tab in the Combination Folder Properties dialog box, select the
Admin Folder check box.

5 Click OK.
6 If the selected folder has child folders, you will be asked if you want to apply
changes to all child folders. This enables you to lock all of the child folders of an
Admin Folder. Click Yes to apply changes, otherwise click No.
To unlock a folder:
Follow the previous steps and clear the Admin Folder check box.

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 Viewing Pre-Defined Combination Windows
To view a pre-defined combination window:
1 From the Inspector menu, click Combination Explorer.
– or –

Click the Combination Explorer button .

2 In the Combination Explorer, select the file containing the combination window
you want to view. A list of the combinations will appear in the right hand pane.
Tip : You can choose to view the combinations as a list or as a list with details. To
change between the two, click with the right mouse button and then, from the
menu that appears, point to View and select List or Details.
3 Double-click on a combination name to open that combination window.
4 Select the data you want to view, for example, the network elements and date. For
more information, see Filtering Data in the Combination Window on page 92.

Click the Run All Modules button to view data for all the modules in the
combination
5 If you want to view a single module, select it in the Module pane and click the
Run Highlighted Module button .

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 Creating Combination Windows
To create a new combination window:
1 From the Inspector menu, click New Combination.
– or –

Click the New Combination button .

2 In the New Module Combination window that appears, click the Add Module to
Combination button .
– or –
Click with the right mouse button in the Modules pane and, from the menu that
appears, click Add Module.
3 From the Select Module dialog box, select the module you wish to use and click
Open. The module appears in the Module Pane.
Note : To add more than one module to your combination window, repeat steps 2
to 3.
4 You can now create links between the modules to view associated element data.
For more information, see Displaying Element Data Across Modules on page 84.

5 To save the combination, click the Save button .

– or –
Click with the right mouse button in the Modules pane and, from the menu that
appears, click Save.
6 In the Save Module Combination dialog box, type a name and description and
click Save.

Removing Modules from the Combination Window

To remove a module from the combination window:
1 In the New Module Combination window, select the module you want to remove
and click the Remove Module button .
2 The Confirm dialog box appears, click Yes to delete the module.

3 To save the window, click the Save button , type a name and description in the
Save Module Combination dialog box and click Save.
Note : Removing a module from a combination window does not delete that module
from the Module Explorer.

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 Deleting Combination Windows
To delete a saved combination window:
1 In the Module Combination Explorer window, select the module combination you
want to delete.

2 Click the Delete button .

- or -
Click with the right mouse button and, from the menu that appears, click Delete.
3 The Confirm dialog box appears, click Yes to delete the combination window.

Displaying Element Data Across Modules

When you combine modules you can also add links between them so that the
modules display data for the same elements selected from any of the module network
element trees.
There are two different types of link:
• Tree links – are between modules and link elements in the module trees. When an
element in one module tree is selected, all other elements with the same name are
automatically selected in the other module trees. Links can be edited to include
other matching attributes.
• Drill down links – are between levels in the same or other modules. Drill down
links do not have default settings. When you create a drill down link, you also
have to select a field to be used in the link. This link will enable you to view data
from linked modules.
To enable or disable linking within a combination:
In the Module pane, click with the right mouse button and from the menu that
appears, click Enable Linking:

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 Adding Links
To add links in a module combination window:

1 Click the Edit Module Links button .

- or -
Click with the right mouse button in the Modules pane and, from the menu that
appears, click Edit Links.
The Module Links dialog box appears. The Modules pane lists each module and
each level under that module for which data is available.
2 Highlight a level in the Module pane and click Add.
The Link Editor appears.
3 Select the type of link you want to create, either a Tree link or a Drill down link. If
the link is between data levels in the same module, you must select Drill down
link.
4 From the Additional Levels/Data Fields listed in the Source Module pane, select
the level/field you want to link.
5 From the TARGET Module and Tree Level menus, select the module and level you
want to link to.
The Additional Levels pane shows the list of available levels.
6 Highlight the level you want to link to and click the > and < buttons to add or
remove links from the Additional Links pane.
Note: If you have selected a drill down link, the first link is automatically set to the
TARGET module tree level.
7 When you have finished adding links to the Additional Links pane, click OK.
8 In the Module Links dialog box, click OK to save the changes and return to the
combination window.
You can now run the linked modules from the grid.

Editing and Removing Links

To edit or remove a link:
1 In the Links pane of the Module Links dialog box, highlight the link you want to
edit or remove.
2 Click Edit, the Link Editor appears. Make the required changes and click OK.
- or -
Click Remove.
3 In the Module Links dialog box, click OK to save the changes and return to the
combination window.

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 Running Linked Modules From the Grid
When you have added drill-down links between modules, you can run the linked
modules from the grid.
Note : An asterisk in the column heading indicates that drill-down links are available
for elements in that column.
To run linked modules:
1 Double-click the element name for which you wish to run linked modules. For
example cell 306A.
2 In the Confirm dialog box, click Yes to run the linked modules.
The data for the linked modules will appear in the grid.

Locking Combination Windows

If you have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions, you can lock combinations to
prevent other users from editing them.
To lock a combination:
1 From the Inspector menu, select Combination Explorer.
-or -

Click the Combination Explorer button .

2 In the Combination Explorer, select the combination you want to lock
3 Click with the right button and then, from the menu that appears, click Properties.
4 In the Combination Module Properties dialog box, select the Admin Combination
check box.
5 Click OK.
To unlock a combination, follow the previous steps and clear the Admin Combination
check box.

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 Restricting Editing of Combination Windows
You can use an owning group to restrict who has editing access to a combination. If a
combination is assigned an owning group, then it can only be edited by members of
that group. A combination can only have one owning group.
To assign an owning group for a combination, you must have one of the following:
• OPTIMA_Administrator permissions
• OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions and be a member the group that owns the
combination
To make a group the owner of a combination:
1 From the Inspector menu, click Combination Explorer.
-or -

Click the Combination Explorer button .

2 In the Combination Explorer window, select the combination you want to set the
owning group for.
Note: You cannot assign the owning group for a combination that is locked as an
Admin Combination, unless you have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions.
3 Click with the right mouse button on the selected combination and from the menu
that appears, click Properties.
4 In the Combination Module Properties dialog box, select a group from the drop-
down list.
5 Click OK.

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 Copying Combination Windows
If you have OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions, you
can copy existing combination windows and then modify them.
To do this:
1 From the Inspector menu, click Combination Explorer.
-or -

Click the Combination Explorer button .

2 In the Combination Explorer, select the combination window(s) you want to copy.

Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one combination at a time.
3 Click the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Copy.
4 Select the folder that you want to copy the combination window(s) to.
5 Click with the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Paste.
The combinations are copied to the specified folder.

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 Importing and Exporting Combination Windows
If you have OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions, you
can export OPTIMA module combinations to a datafile and then import and use them
in another OPTIMA installation. You can import and export:
• Combinations
• Combination folders
• A combination of combinations and combination folders
Note : You must have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions to import and export
Admin combinations and Admin folders.

Importing Module Combinations

To import a combination:
1 In the Combination Explorer, select the folder into which you want to import the
file(s).

2 Click the Import Module Combination From File button .

- or -
Click with the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Import.
3 Click OK to confirm.
4 In the Import Module Combinations dialog box, click the Browse button.
5 In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the folder which contains the
combination(s) you want to import and click OK.
6 In the File Name list, select the file(s) and/or folder(s) you want to import and
click OK.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one file and/or folder at a time.
7 If your selection includes combinations in sub-folders, you will be asked if you
want to recreate the directory structure in the Combination Explorer. Click Yes to
recreate the directory structure, otherwise click No.
8 In the message box that appears, click OK to import the combination(s). The
combinations are imported to the specified folder.

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 Exporting Module Combinations
To export a combination:
1 In the Combination Explorer, select the combination(s) and/or folder(s) you want
to export.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one combination and/or folder
at a time.

2 Click the Export Module Combination to File button .

- or -
Click with the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Export.
3 If your selection includes combinations in sub-folders, then in the Export Module
Combinations dialog box, set the following options by selecting or clearing the
appropriate check boxes:
ƒ Export module combinations from sub-folders.
ƒ Create folders in destination directory.
4 Click OK.
5 In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the folder into which you want to
export the combination(s) and click OK.
6 In the message box that appears, click OK to export the combinations(s). The
combinations are exported to the specified folder.

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Adding and Editing Favourites in OPTIMA
OPTIMA enables you to save module combinations, reports and work areas as
favourites. This means you will have fast and easy access to information, via a
customised toolbar. The toolbar contains a shortcut button for each favourite you save
and is enabled after you have saved one or more favourites. This is an example of the
Favourites toolbar:

To add or edit favourites:

1 From the Favourites menu, click Edit Favourites.
Tip : You can click with the right mouse button on the module combination, report
or work area you want to save and click Edit Favourites.
2 In the Edit Favourites dialog box that appears, edit an existing favourite by
selecting it and modifying the information or delete a favourite from the list by
selecting it and clicking Delete.
3 To add a favourite click Add and then, from the Favourite Type dialog box, select
the type of item you want to add and click OK.
4 If you chose to add a module combination, in the Module Combination Explorer
window that appears, select the combination you want to add and click OK.
5 If you chose to add a report, in the Report Explorer window that appears, select
the report you want to add and click OK.
6 If you chose to add a work area, browse to the work area INI file and click Open.
7 The combination, report or work area appears in the Edit Favourites dialog box.
8 Click Icon and then in the dialog box that appears, select the icon file and click
Open.
9 Click Save to close the Favourites Editor.
A new button is added to the Favourites toolbar with the selected icon.
10 You can now access the favourite view by clicking the appropriate button on the
Favourites toolbar.
Tip : To share your favourites, save and load them to a .INI file.

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 Filtering Data in the Combination Window
In the combination window, you can filter the data you view in the grid and graph
panes by:
• Selecting network elements from the modules in the combination. Data is only
displayed for the selected items.
• Setting a date range. This option is available if a date filter has been included in
the module.

Filtering Data by Selecting Network Elements

You can select network elements from module to restrict the data shown in the
combination window. You can select elements in the following ways:
• If you know where the network element appears in the module tree, click the
+ sign to expand the tree under the module containing the element you want and
select the check box.

• If you do not know where the element appears in the module tree, you can search
for it within one module or across all modules. For more information, see Finding
Elements in the Modules Pane on page 94.
• You can apply a filter to select a defined group of elements within the modules.
For information, see Filtering Elements in the Modules Pane on page 95.
Tip: You can select or clear all the elements under each network element by clicking
with the right mouse button on the element name and, from the menu that appears,
clicking All or Clear All.
When you have selected the network element(s):

Click the Run All Modules button or the Run Highlighted Module button
to refresh the data based on this filtering.

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 Setting a Date Range
You can restrict data by filtering on the current date or over a specified date range.
To select a date or date range:
1 In the Date Range pane, on the Range tab, select the period over which you
require data in one of these ways:
To Do this
Link to the global clock Select the Start or End check box and then select Synchronise
to Global Clock. The current date and time appears.
Enter the required period in the Period box. For example, 2
days.
You can set a global data and time in the OPTIMA Main Clock.
For more information, see Using Clocks in OPTIMA on page
16.
Specify a duration whose start or end date Click either the Start or End check box and choose the correct
you know date.
Enter the desired period in the period box. For example, 1
week.
Select the Include Time check box, if you wish to set the start
or end time in hours and minutes.
Specify a period whose start and end dates Select the Start and End check boxes and choose the required
you know dates.
Select the Include Time check box, if you wish to set the start
or end time in hours and minutes.
Note: You cannot synchronise to the global clock if you set a
start and end date.

2 To modify your time period further, on the Exclude/Include tab:

ƒ Select which days you want to include in the date range. Click with the right
mouse button on the Dates of Week area and, from the menu that appears, you
can Select All or Deselect All the days or choose just Weekdays or Weekends.
ƒ Select the Start and End hours for the days you have included.
ƒ Select the check box if you want to Exclude Holidays. For more information
about holidays, see Excluding Particular Days from Reports.

3 Click the Run All Modules button or the Run Highlighted Module button
to refresh the data.
Data for the period that you specified is displayed. The dates you set are saved for
this window and you can save different dates for each window separately unless
you have linked to the global clock.

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 Finding Elements in the Modules Pane
If you want to view data for a particular network element or group of elements, you
can search for it in the Modules pane using the following options:
• Find in module – use this to find elements within a single module.
• Find across modules – use this to find elements across a number of modules.

Finding Elements Within One Module

If you want to search in one module for a single network element:
1 In the Modules pane, highlight the module you want to search.
2 Click with the right mouse button on the Modules pane and, from the menu that
appears, click Find in Module.
3 In the Find dialog box, type the element you want find.
4 Click Find Next. If the element is found, it is highlighted in the Module pane. You
can now select that element and run the module to view the data.

Finding Elements Across Modules

If you want to search across several modules for a network element:
1 In the Modules pane, highlight a module.
2 Click with the right mouse button and from the menu that appears, click Find
Across Modules.
3 In the Find Across Modules dialog box, type the element you want to find.
4 Click Find Next. If the item is found, it is highlighted in the Module pane. You can
now select that element and run the module to view the data.

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Filtering Elements in the Modules Pane
In the Modules pane, you can use filters to select a sub-set of performance data based
on particular network elements. For example, you might want to select data for cells
10A, 10B and 10C only if these are known to be a group of problem cells.
You can use three types of filter in OPTIMA. These are described in this table:
This Type Can be Used By And is Stored

Personal The user who creates them On that user's machine

Global All users In the OPTIMA database

ENTERPRISE Any user with the correct ENTERPRISE In the ENTERPRISE database
permissions

Filters are found in the Custom Filter pane. If the pane is hidden, click on the title bar
to display it.

You can create custom filters in the Filter Explorer. For more information see Creating
Filters in the Filter Explorer on page 100.
Note : You cannot create ENTERPRISE filters in OPTIMA Lite.

Choosing Where to Save Filters

When you create personal filters, the files are stored in a user-defined location. To
select the location of these files:
1 From the Tools menu, select User Preferences.
2 On the Custom Filter tab in the dialog box that appears, browse to the folder in
which personal filters will be stored.
3 Click OK.
Tip : If you do not set your user preferences, you can select a location for the file when
you first create a filter.

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 Creating a Filter from a Selection
You can create a filter by selecting network elements in the Modules Pane. To do this:
1 In the Modules pane, select the check box for each element that you want to add to
the filter.
2 Click with the right mouse button on the Modules pane and, from the menu that
appears, click Create Filter From Selection.
3 To include the parent elements for each element you have selected, click With
Path.
- or -
To include just the selected element names, click Without Path.
4 In the dialog box that appears, type a name for the filter.
5 Click Next.
The values that will be included in the filter are listed in the Filter Values pane.
6 In the Save Filter As pane, select the appropriate check boxes to define the filter
type, and then click Next.
7 Check that the filter details are correct. If not, click Back to go back and correct
them, otherwise click Finish.
The filter is now available from the list of filters that appear in the Custom Filter
pane. This picture shows an example:

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 Creating a Filter From the Grid Pane
If you have run a module and data is displayed in the grid, you can create a filter
from the Grid pane . The filter will only contain the elements shown in the grid.
To create a filter from the Grid pane:
1 Click with the right mouse button and, from the menu that appears, click Create
Filter.
- or -

Click the Create Filter button .

The Custom Filter Wizard appears.
2 Type a name for the filter and then click Next.
3 In the Available Fields pane, select the field you want to include in the filter.
4 If you want to set a threshold to restrict the elements in the filter, select the
Configure Filter Threshold check box and click Filter Threshold. In the dialog box
that appears:
In this box Do this
Fields Select the field to which you want to apply the threshold. Only numerical fields are
listed in the menu.
Operator Select an operator for the threshold.
Value Type the value for the threshold.

Tip : If you have already set a threshold for the field, you can use this instead of
setting a new threshold. To do this, select the Use Existing Threshold check box
and choose the required threshold from the list.
5 Click OK to save the threshold and return to the Create Filter Wizard.
6 Click Next.
The values that will be included in the filter are listed in the Filter Values pane.
7 In the Save Filter As pane, select the appropriate check boxes to define the filter
type, and then click Next.
8 Check that the filter details are correct. If not, click Back to go back and correct
them, otherwise click Finish.
The filter is now available from the list of filters that appear in the Custom Filter
pane.

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 Selecting Elements Quickly
You can use the Quick Selection list to select a list of elements in the Modules pane.
You can also re-use previous lists.
Note: When you apply a filter, any elements you have previously selected will be
cleared.
To quickly select elements:
1 In the Custom Filters pane, in the Quick Selection drop-down, type the list of
elements you want to select. The elements must be separated by commas, for
example, 10A,11B,11C.
Tip : You can use wildcards to represent characters in filter values. There are two
wildcards you can use:
ƒ Asterisk (*) - to represent zero or more characters. For example, if you type
'BSC*', you will filter all the elements that begin BSC.
ƒ Question mark (?) – to represent a single character. For example, if you type
'BSC?', you will filter the four-character elements that begin BSC, such as BSC1
or BSC2.

2 Click the Apply Quick Selection Filter button .

The elements are automatically selected in the Modules pane.
The Quick Selection drop-down list holds the previous ten quick selection filters. To
re-use one of these filters:
1 From the Quick Selection drop-down list, select the one you want to use.

2 Click the Apply Quick Selection Filter button .

The elements are automatically selected in the Modules pane.

Applying a Filter
To apply a filter that has already been created:
1 In the Custom Filter pane, select the filter from the Filter Name menu.
2 Select if you want to apply the filter to All Modules or just a Selected Module. To
apply the filter to a selected module, ensure the module is highlighted in the
Modules pane.

3 Click the Apply Custom Filter button .

The elements within the filter are selected in the Modules pane.
Note: When you apply a filter, any elements you have previously selected will be
cleared.

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Using the Filter Explorer
In the Filter Explorer, you can create, edit and delete personal, global filters and
ENTERPRISE filters.
To open the Filter Explorer, either:
1 From the Tools menu, click Filter Explorer.
- or -

2 In the Custom Filter pane, click the Filter Explorer button .

The Filter Explorer opens, this picture shows an example:

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 Creating Filters in the Filter Explorer
In the Filter Explorer, you can create a filter. If you wish to create a personal filter, you
first need to select a folder for the filter to be saved into. This is done by setting user
preferences. For more information, see Choosing Where to Save Filters on page 95.
To create a filter:
1 In the All filters pane, select the folder in which you want to create the filter, based
on the filter type you are creating. For example, if you want to create a personal
filter, select the Personal Filters folder.

2 Click the Create New Filter button .

– or –
Click with the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click New
Filter.
3 In the dialog box that appears, type a name for the filter and click Next.
4 In the Filter Values pane, type the values on which you want to filter. For example,
if you want to filter on cell 10A, type 'Cell10A'.
Tip : You can use wildcards to represent characters in filter values. There are two
wildcards you can use:
ƒ Asterisk (*) - to represent zero or more characters. For example, if you type
'BSC*', you will filter all the values that begin BSC.
ƒ Question mark (?) – to represent a single character. For example, if you type
'BSC?', you will filter the four-character values that begin BSC, such as BSC1 or
BSC2.
5 In the Save Filter As pane, select the appropriate check boxes to define the filter
type, and then click Next.
6 Check that the filter details are correct. If not, click Back to go back and correct
them, otherwise click Finish.
A new filter is created and stored in the appropriate folder:

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 Editing Filters in the Filter Explorer
In the Filter Explorer, you can edit existing filters. To do this:
1 In the All Filters pane, select the folder containing the filter, and in the Filter Name
pane, select the required filter.

2 Click the Edit Filter button .

– or –
Click with the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Edit
Filter.
3 In the dialog box that appears, edit the filter details as required on each page.
When you are satisfied, click the Finish button on the final page.
Note : You cannot edit ENTERPRISE filters in OPTIMA Lite.

Copying Filters in the Filter Explorer

In the Filter Explorer, you can copy filters between folders, and in this way, change
their permissions. For information on the permissions for the different types of filter,
see Filtering Elements in the Modules Pane on page 95.
To move filters:
1 In the All Filters pane, select the folder containing the filter, and in the Filter Name
pane, select the required filter.

2 Click the Copy filter button .

– or –
Click with the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Copy
filter.
3 In the All Filters pane, select the folder to which you want to move the filter.

4 Click the Paste Filter button .

– or –
Click with the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Paste
Filter.
Tip : You can also drag and drop a filter into a folder.

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CHAPTER 7

Customising Grids in
OPTIMA
You can show data in grid format when you run either:
• A performance alarm in the Alarm Explorer
• A module in the module combination window
• A query in the Data Explorer
For modules, a separate grid is displayed for each module in the combination
window. You can switch between grids by clicking the appropriate tab above the
grid:

Many of the tools used are found by clicking with the right mouse button on the grid.
When a grid contains a large number of records some of the tools, such as filtering
and grouping, may slow down the speed with which data is shown in the grid. This is
due to the background processing of these tools. You can prevent this slow down by
disabling these tools after a given number of records are returned from a query. For
more information, see Setting Grid Preferences on page 22.

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 In This Section
About the Tools for Customising a Grid
Customising Columns in a Grid
Searching for Data in Grids
Filtering Data in Grids
Summarising Data
Viewing Details of a Single Network Element in a Grid
Printing Grids
Exporting OPTIMA Grids
Counting Records in OPTIMA Grids
Viewing SQL in Grids

About the Tools for Customising a Grid

To view the tools menu, hover the mouse cursor over a grid and click with the right
mouse button. This picture shows the menu that appears:

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 You can show the toolbar above the grid by pointing to Toolbars and from the menu
that appears select Toolbar. The toolbar duplicates the options in the popup menu:

Customising Columns in a Grid

You can customise the way each grid displays data using the tools described in the
following sections.
If you have defined a maximum number of columns to display when you run a query
(for more information, see Setting Grid Preferences on page 22), then all the columns
may not appear in the grid. If you want to display all the columns before you begin to
customise them, click the Load All Columns button .

Sorting Data Within Grid Columns

To see by which column data in the grid is sorted, look for the arrow in the column
heading. An up arrow indicates data is in ascending order and a down arrow
indicates data is in descending order:

To sort the data using the column headings:

Click the heading for the column by which you wish to sort the data.
Tip : If you want to sort by more than one column, hold down the Shift key and
click the heading for each column by which you want to sort the data.
The table refreshes to show information sorted in ascending or descending order
by the column you clicked.
To clear a sort on a column:
Hold down the Ctrl key and click the heading for the column from which you
want to remove the sort.

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 Sorting Data Before Running a Module
Before you run a module, you can sort data on the server, . This is particularly useful
if you know the query will return a large amount of data. The sorting function is
much quicker when run on the server.
To sort data on the server:
1 Highlight the module in the Modules pane.
2 Click with the right mouse button on the grid and, from the menu that appears,
click Server-side Sorting.
- or -

Click the Server-side Sorting button .

3 In the Sort Order dialog box that appears, highlight the column by which you
want to sort the data and click the right arrow button. Repeat this step for all the
columns you want to sort by.
Tip: You can move all the selected columns back to the list on the left by clicking
the double left arrow button.
4 Sort the columns in the right-hand pane by using the Up and Down buttons.
5 Use the ASC or DESC button to switch between ascending and descending sort
orders for each column.
6 Click OK to return to the grid.
7 You can now run the module. To do this, in the Modules pane:

Click the Run Highlighted Module button .

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 Fixing Grid Columns
For OPTIMA windows that contain a grid showing data, you can choose to fix any
number of columns in that grid. This means that they remain displayed while the
other columns of data will still scroll.
For example, in a window showing Cell Statistics, you might want to have the Cell
Identification and Site name columns fixed so that they are always shown when you
are scrolling through the data. This makes it easy to see which information belongs to
which cell.
To fix columns:
Click with the right mouse button on the grid, point to Fix columns and choose the
number of columns you wish to fix.
- or -

Click one of the Fix Columns buttons .

Note : If you choose Fix N Columns, in the Fix Columns dialog box that appears,
type the number of columns and click OK.

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 Scrolling to a Grid Column
To scroll to a column
1 Ensure the Row Highlight option is not selected. For more information, see
Viewing Details of a Single Network Element in a Grid on page 116.
2 Click with the right mouse button on the grid and, from the menu that appears,
select Scroll to Column.
- or -

Click the Scroll to Column button .

3 In the Scroll to Column dialog box that appears, select from the drop down menu
the column that you want to scroll to and click OK.

Changing the Grid Column Settings

OPTIMA enables you to change the column settings. You can set the position, size
and width of columns and also hide columns. You can also change how text appears
in the columns.
To change the column settings:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the grid and from the menu that appears
select Column Settings.
- or -

Click the Column Settings button .

2 In the Column Settings window, set up your columns as required:
To: Do this:
Move a column up or down Select the column from the list and click the Move Up and Move Down
buttons as appropriate.

Move a column to the beginning Select the column from the list and click the Move to First and Move to Last
or end buttons as appropriate
Change the width of the column Double-click on the column you want to modify and, in the Column dialog
box, type the width you want the column to be.
– or –
Select the column to which you want to make changes and click the Edit
button. In the Column dialog box, type the width you want the column to be.
– or –
Click in the Width column next to the column to which you want to make
changes and type in the width you want the column to be.
Hide or show a hidden column Select the check box in the Show column for each column to want to display.
You can Show All, or Hide All, by clicking the Show All or Hide All buttons.

Tip : You can also use shortcuts to quickly edit columns. For more information, see
Shortcuts for Changing Column Settings on page 109.

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 You can change how the text appears in all the columns in your grid by changing the
column fonts. If you have also set threshold and conditional fonts, these will
overwrite the column font.
To change the column font:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the grid and, from the menu that appears,
select Font.
- or -

Click the Font button .

2 In the Font dialog box that appears, select how you want the text to appear.
3 Click OK to close the Font dialog box and save the changes.

Shortcuts for Changing Column Settings

You can also change the column settings in the grid using the following shortcuts:
To: Do this:
Change the position of a column Select the column and drag it to the desired location in the table
Change the width of the column Place the cursor between the column titles (above the column divider)
then click and drag the cursor to the required width.
Automatically size the column so you can Place the cursor between the column titles (above the column divider)
read all the column text then double click between the columns. The column to the left will
automatically resize.

Setting Thresholds and Conditional Fonts

You can use conditional fonts to highlight certain data values, for example, if you
want to show congestion greater than 1% in blue, and greater than 2 % in red. You can
do this as part of the process of setting thresholds.
Important : Conditional fonts will override counter thresholds that have been set via
the Thresholds window. For example, if the conditional font has been set on a column
containing Erlang data, the data will be displayed using the conditional fonts rather
than the global Erlang threshold colours.

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 To set thresholds:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the grid and, from the menu that appears,
select Column Settings.
- or -

Click the Column Settings button .

2 In the Column Settings window, double-click in one of the Threshold columns.
3 In the Column window that appears, select a check box to enable that threshold.
4 Type in a value for the threshold and select a logical operator (=, <>, >, >=, <, <=)
from the drop-down menu.

5 Click the button to set the conditional fonts. You can set the colour, size and
font type.
6 Click OK to close the Font dialog box and then click OK to close the Column
dialog box.
Note : You can set up to three threshold for each column.

Refreshing Data
The Refresh data option is used to update data in the grid to show the most recent
query run.
To refresh data:
Click with the right mouse button on the grid and, from the menu that appears,
select Refresh Data.
- or -

Click the Refresh Data button .

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 Saving and Resetting the Layout
When you have made changes to the appearance of the columns in the grid, you can
save the layout so it stays the same the next time you open that combination window
or you can reset the layout to its original format.
To save the layout for future use:
Click with the right mouse button on the grid and, from the menu that appears,
select Save Layout.
- or -

Click the Save Layout button .

To reset the layout to its original format:
Click with the right mouse button on the grid and, from the menu that appears,
select Reset Layout.
- or -

Click the Reset Layout button .

Searching for Data in Grids

You can search for data in a grid using the Search toolbar. To do this:
1 Make sure the toolbar is displayed by selecting Search Bar from the Toolbars
menu:

2 In the Search On box, from the menu select the item that you want to find.
3 In the For box, type a value or element name as required.

4 Select the check boxes if you want to find a Partial Match and/or you want your
search to be Case Insensitive.
Note : If you search for a partial match of CELL and 301, the search would return all
cells containing the number 301. That is 30100, 30101, 40301 and so on.
5 Click Find to start the search.
The grid scrolls and the line that contains the nearest match to your search is
indicated with an arrow:

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 Filtering Data in Grids
You can filter the data in one or more columns of the grid. This makes it easier to view
specific information. For example, the grid could display data for a number of days,
but you may want to quickly view the data for just one of those days.
Tip : If a column has a filter applied to it, the filter arrow is shown in blue.
Using filters, you can define the data in the grid in the following ways:
• Display data for a single value from one or more columns, for example BSC1.
• Display data which is filtered by rules applied to one column, for example where
the Erlang is less than 5 or greater than 10.
• Display data which is filtered by rules applied to more than one column, for
example where the Erlang is less than 5 or greater than 10 and the BSC is equal to
BSC1.

Selecting a Single Value to Filter the Grid

You can select a single value from any column in the grid and only view the data
which applies to that value.
To select a value:
Click the arrow on the heading of the column you want to filter and, from the
menu that appears, click the value. Repeat this for each column that you wish to
filter.

To remove a filter:
Click the blue arrow on the heading of the column from which you want to
remove the filter and then click All.
You can limit number of values that are listed by editing your user preferences. For
more information, see Setting Grid Preferences on page 22.

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 Filtering One Column of the Grid
You can create a filter which applies to only one column of the grid but uses rules to
return more than one value in that column.
To create a filter:
1 Click the arrow on the heading of the column you want to filter and, from the
menu that appears, click Custom.

The Custom Filter dialog box appears.

2 Select a rule and type a value for your filter. If the value is a date, click the arrow
in the value box and a calendar appears from which you can select a date.
3 If you want to define a second rule, you must select a logical operator for your
filter.
4 Click OK.
The grid refreshes to show only the filtered data, the filtered column's arrow
changes to blue and a summary of the filter appears below the grid.
5 Repeat the above steps for each column that you wish to filter.
To remove a filter:
Click the blue arrow on the heading of the column from which you want to
remove the filter and then click All.
- or -
Click X in the filter summary.

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 Filtering More Than One Column In The Grid
You can create a filter which applies to more than one column of the grid and uses
rules to return more than one value for each column. This is done in the Filter Builder.
To open the Filter Builder:
Click Customize, to the right of the filter summary, below the grid.

To create a filter in the Filter Builder:

1 Click Filter and select Add Condition.
2 In the condition row that appears, the first column from the grid is automatically
displayed. To change this, click the column name and from the list of columns that
appear select the appropriate one.

3 To select an operator, click on the default operator and from the list that appears
select the appropriate operator.
4 To select a value, click Empty and type a value. If the value is a date, click the
arrow in the value box and a calendar appears from which you can select a date.
5 Repeat the above steps until you have defined your filter.
6 Click Apply to view the grid with the filter applied.
7 Click OK to apply the filter and close the Filter Builder.

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 To remove a filter:
Click the blue arrow on the heading of the column from which you want to
remove the filter and then click All.
- or -
Click X in the filter summary.

Summarising Data
OPTIMA enables you to summarise the data contained in the grid.
You choose at least one column by which you wish to group the data for example
BSC, the data in this column cannot be summarised. You can then summarise each
column by one summary type, that is either count, average, minimum, maximum or
total. For example:

To create a summary of data in a column:

1 Click the Customise Summaries button.
- or -
Click with the right mouse button and, from the menu that appears, point to
Summary and click Customise Summaries.
2 In the Summary Details dialog box, click Add.
The Add Summary dialog box appears.
3 From the menus available, select the column you wish to summarise and how you
want that data to be summarised.
4 Click OK.
5 Click Close in the Summary Details dialog box to return to the combination
window.

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 To view summarised data:
1 Ensure you have created a summary for each column you want to summarise then
decide by which column you want to group the data, this column must not have a
summary created for it.
2 Click the heading of the column by which you want to group the data and drag
the heading into the grey area above the grid.

The grid displays the summaries.

3 Repeat the step above for each column by which you want to group the data.
To remove the summaries:
Click the heading in the grey area above the grid and drag it back onto the grid.

Viewing Details of a Single Network Element in a Grid

If your grid has many columns, you might want to highlight a row or view all the
details for a single network element. In OPTIMA, you can do this is two ways:

Highlighting a Row in a Grid

To highlight a row:
1 Select a cell in the row you want to highlight.
2 Click with the right mouse button and, from the menu that appears, select Row
Highlight.
- or -

Click the Row Highlight button .

To clear the row highlight, click the button again.

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 Viewing Details in a Grid
To view details for a single network element:
1 Select a cell in the row for the element you wish to view.
2 Click with the right mouse button and, from the menu that appears, select View
Details.
- or -

Click the View Details button .

3 A Grid Details window appears, detailing information on your chosen element.
This picture shows an example:

4 In the Grid Details window, you can manipulate your data in the following ways:
Manipulation To Do This
Move the position of data Click the data you wish to move and drag it to the required position.
Sort the details by Field name or Click on the Field name or Data header box to sort the details. Click again
Data to view the details in descending order.
Delete a piece of data Click with the right mouse button on the data and from the menu that
appears, click Delete.
Note : Deleting data in this way removes it from the Grid Dialog Box only;
it still remains in the Cell Statistics window.
Print the data In the Grid Details window, click with the right mouse button and, from the
menu that appears, select Print or Print Preview.
Note : This will only print data for this network element.

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 Printing Grids
From the combination window, you can print:
• A single network element. To do this, you first need to view the details for that
single element, for more information on this, see Viewing Details of a Single
Network Element in a Grid on page 116.
• The entire grid
To print an entire grid:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the grid and from the menu that appears
select Print.
- or -

Click the Print button .

2 From the menu that appears, click Print.
3 In the Print dialog box, choose your options then click OK.

Exporting OPTIMA Grids

You can export OPTIMA grids to:
• A CSV or HTML file
• The Clipboard, from where you can paste the grid into other applications
• A Microsoft® Excel® spreadsheet
To export a grid:

1 Click the appropriate Export button .

- or -
Click with the right mouse button on the grid and select Export, From the menu
that appears, click Export and choose one of the following:
ƒ Clipboard
ƒ File as CSV
ƒ File as HTML
ƒ Excel
2 If you export to the clipboard, open an application and paste the grid.
– or –
If you export to Excel, an Excel spreadsheet will open and display the data.
– or –
If you select .CSV or .HTML, type a filename then click Save.

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Counting Records in OPTIMA Grids
You can count the total number of cells shown in the grid, even for a particular filter
displayed.
To count the records shown:
Click with the right mouse button on the grid and, from the menu that appears,
select Record Count.
- or -

Click the Record Count button .

A dialog box appears, displaying the number of records.

Viewing SQL in Grids

You can view the SQL query used in the module that calls the data shown in the grid.
You might want to do this to check you are querying the correct tables, or you may
wish to copy the SQL to use it elsewhere.
To view the SQL:
Click with the right mouse button on the grid and, from the menu that appears,
select Show SQL.
- or -

Click the Show SQL button .

A window appears, showing the SQL. You cannot edit the SQL in this window,
but you can copy it by pressing Ctrl+C.

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CHAPTER 8

Using Graphs
When you run a module in the module combination window, the data is shown in
grid and graph format. This Chapter describes the tools you can use to customise the
graph.
Many of the tools used are found by clicking with the right mouse button on the
graph.

In This Section
About the Tools for Customising a Graph
Changing the Appearance of Graphs
About the Navigating Tools
About the Appearance Tools
Forecasting and Extending Trends on a Graph
Printing and Exporting Graphs
About the Series List

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 About the Tools for Customising a Graph
To view the tools menu, hover the cursor over a graph and click with the right mouse
button. This picture shows the menu that appears:
Changes pointer
back to arrow
Zoom in and out
of a graph
Rotate a graph
Changes cursor to a
crosshair to view values
View graphs in 3D
Show gaps on data
Show data value
points
Highlights weekends on
the graph
Shows holidays

Shows threshold lines

Extends any shown
trends on a graph
Export a graph
Preview a graph
before printing
Show / hide the series list
Show / hide the
toolbar
Properties - OPTIMA
graph options

By selecting Toolbar, you can display all the options from the menu as a toolbar. This
picture shows the sections of the toolbar that appears:

Navigating Appearance Functions Printing / Exporting

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Changing the Appearance of Graphs
The OPTIMA Graph Options dialog box enables you to set up the properties of the
graphs. Once this is set up for one graph, it will be used as the default for all other
graphs.
To open the OPTIMA Graph Options dialog box:
Click with the right mouse button on the graph and from the menu that appears,
select Properties.
You can edit the graph options on the following tabs:
• General
• Axis
• Line Series
• Functions
• Bar Series
• Threshold Lines

Using the General Tab in the OPTIMA Graph Options Dialog

Box
On the General tab you can:
• Choose to show or hide the legend key and amend the alignment
• Select auto marks
• Edit the background, weekend and holiday colours

Showing and Hiding the Legend Key

You can select to show or hide the legend key in the OPTIMA Graph Options dialog
box. To do this:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the graph and from the menu that appears,
select Properties.
2 On the General tab, select the Show Legend check box.
3 To amend the alignment of the legend key, in the Legend Alignment pane, click
the required option such as Left, Right, Top or Bottom.
4 Click Apply to view the changes and then click OK to save the changes.

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 Setting the Auto Marks
You can set the mouse so that when it is hovered over a series, the information about
that point in the series automatically shows. This is known as auto marks. To set the
auto marks:
1 Click with the right mouse button on a graph and from the menu that appears,
select Properties.
2 On the General tab, select the Auto marks check box.
3 Click Apply to view the changes and then click OK to save the changes.
Now when you hover over a point on a graph, the information is automatically
displayed, as shown here:

Setting the Colours

You can set different colours for the weekends and holidays shown on the graph as
well as setting the background colour for the entire graph area. To set a colour:
1 Click with the right mouse button on a graph and from the menu that appears,
select Properties.
2 On the General tab, click the Change button next to the holiday, weekend or
background colour.
3 In the Colour dialog box that appears, click on the colour you want to use and
click OK.
4 In the OPTIMA Graph Options dialog box, click Apply to view the changes and
then click OK to save the changes.

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 Changing the Appearance of Graph Axis
On the Axis tab of the OPTIMA Graph Options dialog box, you can:
• Add grid lines to your graph
• Change the values of each axis
• Amend the date format
• Change the angle of the labels on each axis

Adding Grid Lines

To add gridlines to the graph:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the graph then, from the menu that appears,
select Properties.
2 Select the Axis tab and click the Gridlines check box for the relevant axis, either
left, bottom or right.
3 Click Apply to view the changes and then click OK to save the changes.
To remove gridlines, repeat the process.

Changing the Values of an Axis

You may want to change the values of an axis because you wish to view the values as
a percentage or because values for one of two selected counters, shown on different
axes, may be too small to display.
To change the values of an axis:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the graph then, from the menu that appears,
select Properties.
2 On the Axis tab, under the axis you want to change, deselect the Automatic check
box and insert the required minimum and maximum values.
3 Click Apply to view the changes and then click OK to save the changes.

Changing the Date Format

If you want to change the format of any dates that are shown on the graph axis:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the graph and from the menu that appears,
select Properties.
2 On the Axis tab, in the Bottom pane, select the required Date Format from the list.
3 Click Apply to view the changes and then click OK to save the changes.

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 Changing the Angle of the Labels
You can change the angle of the labels on the bottom axis to enable more labels to be
viewed. To do this:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the graph and from the menu that appears,
select Properties.
2 On the Axis tab, in the Bottom pane, use the up and down arrows on the Angle
box to select the angle in degrees.
3 Click Apply to view the changes and then click OK to save the changes.

Changing the Thickness of Graph Lines

If your graph is a line graph, you can adjust the thickness of the lines displayed.
To do this:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the graph and from the menu that appears,
select Properties.
2 On the Line Series tab, select the required line thickness – Thin, Medium or Thick.
3 Click Apply to view the changes and then click OK to save the changes.

Using the Functions Tab in the OPTIMA Graph Options Dialog

Box
In the Functions tab of the OPTIMA Graph Options dialog box you can set a gap
period. The gap period is normally set at twice the data capture period, for example, if
the data is captured at hourly intervals, then the gap period would be set at two
hours.
To set the gap period:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the graph and from the menu that appears,
select Properties.
2 On the Functions tab, in the Gap Period pane, use the up and down arrows to set
the number and from the drop-down list select the time period.
3 In the Moving Average Function pane, set the number of value used in the
moving average function.
4 Click Apply to view the changes and then click OK to save the changes.

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 Changing the Thickness of Bars on Bar Graphs
If your graph is a bar graph, you can adjust the thickness of the bars displayed.
To do this:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the graph and from the menu that appears,
select Properties.
2 On the Bar Series tab, in the Multiple Bar pane, choose how you want the bars to
appear – None, Side, Stacked, Stacked 100%.
3 If your bar graph has DATETIME on the X-axis, you can specify the thickness of
the bars by typing a number between 0 and 100 in the Bar Width field.
Note : The default bar width is 70.
4 Click Apply to view the changes and then click OK to save the changes.

Displaying Thresholds on Graphs

You can set thresholds and then display a threshold line in the graph.
Note : This does not affect the threshold display options in the Grid.
To set the threshold:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the graph and from the menu that appears,
select Properties.
2 On the Threshold tab, click Add.
3 Type a name for the threshold, for example GSM_Standard.
4 Insert a value.
5 Select the Axis and choose a colour.
6 Click OK
7 In the Graph Display Options dialog box, click OK to save the changes.
Tip : To edit or delete a threshold, highlight the threshold and click Edit and make
your changes or click Delete.
To display threshold lines:
Click with the right mouse button on the graph and from the menu that appears,
select Show Threshold Lines.
The threshold lines for this graph are displayed.

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 About the Navigating Tools
You can use the following tools to navigate around the OPTIMA graphs:
• Zoom
• Rotate
• Cursor

Zooming and Scrolling on OPTIMA Graphs

To zoom in on a graph:
Click in the top left section of the area on the graph you want to zoom into and
drag the cursor towards the bottom right until you have covered the area you
want to view.
To zoom out on a graph:
Click in the bottom right of the graph and drag the cursor towards the top left.
You can also scroll to a particular point on the graph. To do this:
Click with the right mouse button and drag the cursor in the required direction:
dragging to the right scrolls the graph right, dragging to the left scrolls the graph
left, and so on.

Rotating a Graph
You can rotate graphs using the rotating tool. To do this:
1 On the graph, click with the right mouse button and then from the menu that
appears, select the Rotate button.
- or -

Select the Rotate button from the toolbar.

2 Click and hold the left mouse button on the graph and drag the cursor in the
required direction.
To turn the rotating tool off, click the Rotate button again.

Viewing Values Using the Cursor Key

Use the cursor key to view values between points. To select the cursor:
1 On the graph, click with the right mouse button and then from the menu that
appears, select the Cursor.
- or -

Select the Cursor button from the toolbar.

2 Hover with the mouse over the graph and drag the cursor in the required
direction, the values are highlighted on the graph.
To turn the cursor tool off, click the Cursor button.

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About the Appearance Tools
You can use the following tools to change the appearance of the OPTIMA graphs:
• View 3D
• Show Gaps
• Show Points
• Show Weekends and Holidays

Viewing the Graph in 3D

You can view graphs in 2D or in 3D. To view a graph in 3D:
On the graph, click with the right mouse button and from the menu that appears,
click View 3D.
- or -

Select the View 3D button from the toolbar.

To revert to a 2D graph, click the View 3D button.

Viewing Gaps in the Data

You can view gaps, or missing data values, in the data shown in a graph.
The gap period is set on the Functions tab in the OPTIMA Graph Options dialog box.
For more information, see Using the Functions Tab in the OPTIMA Graph Options
Dialog Box on page 126.
To view the gaps in the data:
1 Ensure you have set the required gap period.
2 On the graph, click with the right mouse button and from the menu that appears
select Show gaps.
- or -

Select the Show Gaps button from the toolbar.

The gaps will display on the graph.
Tip : To view the gaps closer, use the zooming tool.
To remove gaps from the graph, click the Show Gaps button.

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 Displaying Data per Point on an OPTIMA Graph
You may wish to study data related to a specific point on an OPTIMA graph. To do
this:
1 Click with the right mouse button on a graph and from the menu that appears,
click Show Points.
- or -

Select the Show Points button from the toolbar.

2 Click the specific point on the graph. The Counter value and the date appear. The
grid also scrolls to this value, enabling you to see the relevant data in tabular form.
You can also view the information on the graph automatically with the mouse
hovered over the points. This is called auto marks. For more information, see
Using the General Tab in the OPTIMA Graph Options Dialog Box on page 123.
To remove the points from the graph, click the Show Points button.

Viewing Weekends and Holidays

You may wish to view or analyse points that occur at the weekend or on holidays.
You can change the colour of these points so that they stand out from other points.
This is done in the OPTIMA Graph Options dialog box. For more information, see
Using the General Tab in the OPTIMA Graph Options Dialog Box on page 123.
To view weekend or holiday points:
On the graph, click with the right mouse button and from the menu that appears,
select Show weekends or Show Holidays.
- or -

Select the Show Weekend button or Show Holiday button from the
toolbar.
To remove the points from the graph, click the Show Weekend or Show Holiday
buttons.

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Forecasting and Extending Trends on a Graph
To extend a trend:
1 Selected a trend from the Series list.

2 On the graph, click with the right mouse button and from the menu that appears,
select Extend trends.
- or -

Select the Extend Trends button from the toolbar.

3 In the Time Period dialog box that appears, use the up and down arrows and the
drop down menu to select how far you would like to extend the trends. The
following picture shows an example:

4 Click OK to view the extended trend.

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 Printing and Exporting Graphs
From the combination window, you can print the graph or export it:
• to the Clipboard
• to a File
• via e-mail

Printing a Graph
To print a graph:
1 On the graph, click with the right mouse button and from the menu that appears,
select Print Preview
- or -

Select the Print Preview button from the toolbar.

2 In the Print Preview window, set the following items so your graph prints as
required:
Set the: By Doing This:
Printer Selecting a printer from the list. You can set-the printer properties by
clicking the Setup button.
Paper Orientation Selecting either Portrait or Landscape.
Margins Using the up and down arrows next to each margin value
– or –
Selecting the View Margins check box and dragging the margins to the
desired position on the preview of the graph.
Detail Level Dragging the Detail arrow to either More or Normal.

3 Click the Print button.

The Print Preview window appears.

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 Exporting a Graph
To export a graph:
1 On the graph click with the right mouse button and from the menu that appears,
select Export.
- or -

Select the Export button from the toolbar.

2 In the Export dialog box that appears, select the format type for exporting the
graph.

3 If you want to save the graph to the Clipboard, click Clipboard. The graph is
saved to the clipboard.
4 If you want to export the graph to a File, click File and in the Save as window that
appears, browse to the appropriate folder and save your graph.
5 If you want to export the graph via email, click Email and in the Choose profile
dialog box, ensure the profile is correct and click OK. The graph is added to a
blank email as an attachment.
6 When you have completed your export, in the Export dialog box, click Close.

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 About the Series List
The Series List is the pane to the left of the Graph pane. The list contains the items you
can display on the graph. The type of graph is determined by the module that you are
using. To display an item in the graph, select it in the series list.

Series List

You can show and hide the series list. To show or hide the list:
Click with the right mouse button on the graph, from the menu that appears click
Series List.
To view the series list tool menu:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the series list.
This menu appears and is split into two sections:

2 Use the Select all option to select all the data in the series list and the Unselect all
option to deselect the data.
From the series list you can:
• Order data in the series list
• Move series along the z axis when viewing a graph in 3D
• Change the colours used on the graph
• Change the axis where data appears
• Access extra functions if the graph is a line graph

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 Ordering the List of Data for a Graph
You may wish to order performance data in the list to the left of the graph. OPTIMA
enables you to sort this data alphabetically. This is useful for displaying related data
together when multiple elements have been selected for viewing.
To order the list of data that you can display on a graph:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the series list.
2 From the menu that appears, click Sort.

About the 3D Options in the Series List Menu

The 3D options are only available when a graph is in 3D mode. You can use the 3D
options to move series in a graph on the z axis forward one, back one or right to the
beginning of the axis or to the end of the axis. To do this:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the Series list.
2 From the menu that appears select 3D Options and then select the option you
require.

Changing the Colours of the Graph Lines and Functions

To change the colour of a graph line and function:
1 In the Series List pane, highlight the series or function for which you want to
change the colour and click with the right mouse button.
2 From the menu that appears, click Change Colour.
3 In the Colour dialog box that appears, either choose a colour from the basic colour
palette, or define your own.
4 Click OK to close the Colour dialog box. This applies the colour to the graph.

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 Changing the Axis Where Data Appears
If you are comparing two graphs, it is sometimes easier to gain an accurate picture or
comparison when the graphs you are viewing have the same axis. An example of this
might be if you have a view set up that combines a cell history and cell statistics
module.
However, you may not want all the data displayed using the same axis.
For example, values for one of two selected counters may be too small to display. In
this case, you can select one of the counters and change the axis. To do this:
1 In the Series List pane, click the + sign next to the required counter to expand the
tree.
2 Select the option Change Axis.
The counters are displayed on the right axis.
To change the axis back repeat the process and the counter will display on the left
axis.

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 Using the Series List Functions in Line Graphs
If the graph is a line graph, you can access extra functions such as trend, and average,
for the graph.
To use a function:
1 In the Series List pane, click the + sign next to the required counter to expand the
tree.
2 Click the + sign to expand the Functions option.
3 From the list of functions that appears, select the one you want to use.
This table describes the functions:
Function Description
Trend Constructs a line based on the trend of the Series values; it draws the best
straight line trend through the data.
Low Shows the lowest point of all the series values.
High Shows the highest point of all the series values.
Average Gives you the average for a series across the whole chart.
Moving Average Performs a simple or weighted average of last period series values enabling
you to track the current average as your data charts.
Exponential Average Creates an exponential average based on the series values.
Note : The exponential average is similar to a moving average. It has a weight
factor to add importance to more recent data.
Standard Deviation Shows the standard deviation from the mean of data from the input Series.
Curve Fitting Performs a polynomical Gaussian calculation on the underlying series data to
draw a smooth curve over the original points.
Cumulative Constructs a line based on the cumulative values of the input. It sums the series
values starting from the first point.
Count Draws a horizontal line at Y position that is defined by the number of values in
underlying series.
RSI Calculates a percent value based on financial data.

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CHAPTER 9

Using OPTIMA Work Areas

An OPTIMA work area can contain multiple:
• Web browser pages, which enable you to display web pages
• Combination pages, which enable you to display module combinations
By using a work area, you can:
• save all the items you regularly use then open this one work area rather than
opening each item every time you want to view it. All the settings for the work
area are saved on a per user basis to a local INI file. You can save a work area as a
favourite. This gives you quick, easy access to that work area from the Favourites
toolbar. For more information, see Adding and Editing Favourites in OPTIMA on
page 91.
• set up refresh times so, after a specified interval, queries will be executed again.
• set switching intervals so that you can automatically switch between combinations
and web browsers.

In This Section
About the Work Area Toolbar
Creating a New Work Area
Adding and Removing Combinations
Adding and Removing Web Browsers
Refreshing Data and Switching Tabs
Loading a Work Area

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 About the Work Area Toolbar
This picture shows the work area toolbar:

You can use the options available from the toolbar to customise your work area. For
more options when you have a work area open, click with the right mouse button on
the work area and, from the menu that appears, select the appropriate action.

Creating a New Work Area

A work area consists of two types of page:
• Web browser pages, which enable you to display web pages.
• Combination pages, which enable you to display module combinations.
You can have as many pages in a single work area as you require.
To create a new work area:
1 From the Inspector menu, select New Work Area.
- or -

Click the New Work Area button .

2 Add any combinations you want to save with this work area. For more
information, see Adding and Removing Combinations on page 141.
3 Add any web browser pages you want to save with this work area. For more
information, see Adding and Removing Web Browsers on page 142.
4 Add the switching and refreshing data intervals. For more information, see
Refreshing Data and Switching Tabs on page 143.
5 Click the Save button on the work area toolbar to save your changes.
6 Select a directory and type a filename for the work area then click OK.
Important : When you save the work area it is saved to a local .INI file. If you want to
remove a work area you will need to delete the .INI file from your machine. This will
remove the file completely. You should only do this if you are certain you no longer
need this work area.

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Adding and Removing Combinations
Adding a Combination
To add a combination to a work area:

1 Click the Add Combination button .

2 In the Module Combination Explorer, select the combination you want to add and
click OK.
3 You can now enter the switching interval and the refreshing interval for the page.
For more information see Refreshing Data and Switching Tabs on page 143.
4 Click the Save button on the work area toolbar to save your changes.
Tip: You can also drag and drop an open combination onto a work area.

Removing a Combination
To remove a combination from the work area:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the combination tab you want to remove
and, from the menu that appears, select Remove Combination.
- or -
Click on the combination tab you want to remove and click the Remove
Combination button .
2 In the Confirm dialog box, that appears, click Yes.
The combination is removed from the work area.
3 Click the Save button on the work area toolbar to save your changes.

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 Adding and Removing Web Browsers
You can add web browsers to the work area so that you can view any queries that
may be running via the Intranet or Internet.

Adding a Web Browser

To add a web browser to a work area:

1 Click the Add Web Page button .

2 In the dialog box that appears, type the URL for the web page you want to display
then click OK.
Tip : To change the page you want to display, on the work area toolbar, click the
Edit Web Page button and type the new web page address.
A new page displaying the web page is added to your work area. You can
navigate to other areas from the web page, although the Back web browser button
is not available when navigating from the web page.
3 You can now enter the switching interval and the refreshing interval for the page.
For more information, see Refreshing Data and Switching Tabs on page 143.
4 Click the Save button on the work area toolbar to save your changes.

Removing a Web Browser

To remove a web browser from the work area:
1 Click with the right mouse button on the web page tab you want to remove and,
from the menu that appears, select Remove Web Page.
- or -
Click on the web page tab you want to remove and click the Remove Web Page
button .
2 In the Confirm dialog box, that appears, click Yes.
The web page is removed from the work area.
3 Click the Save button on the work area toolbar to save your changes.

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Refreshing Data and Switching Tabs
You can set up refresh times for the data, so that after a specified interval the query
will be executed again and the data updated. You can also set a switching interval,
which specifies how long each page is shown. Refresh and switching intervals can be
set per page.
To specify the interval for data refresh or switching for a page:
1 In the New Work Area dialog box, select the page you want to set the refresh and
switching intervals for.

2 Click the Tab Options button on the toolbar.

3 From the Tab Options dialog box that appears:
ƒ In the Refresh Interval field, enter the interval time in seconds. This is the
number of seconds that should pass before the query runs to refresh the data.
Tip : If you want the interval to apply to all pages, select the Apply to All check
box.
ƒ In the Switch Interval field, enter the interval time in seconds. This is the
number of seconds that should pass before the work area switches to the next
page.
Tip : If you want the interval to apply to all pages, select the Apply to All check
box.
4 Click OK. If you have selected to apply the refresh and/or switching intervals to
all pages, click Yes to confirm.

Enabling Data Refreshing and Switching

Refresh Option
To turn the Refreshing data option on or off:

On the Work area toolbar, click the Enable Refresh button .

Switching Option
To turn the Switching option on or off:

On the Work area toolbar, click the Enable Switching button .

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 Loading a Work Area
If you have saved a work area previously, you can load it.
Note : Loading a work area involves loading an INI file.
To load a work area:
1 Ensure you have added a combination or web browser page to a work area and
saved the work area. For more information, see Creating a New Work Area on
page 140.
2 From the Inspector menu, select New Work Area.
- or -

Click the New Work Area button .

3 On the work area toolbar, click the Load work area button.
4 In the Open window select the relevant work area file and click Open.
The work area is loaded along with any switching and refreshing procedures
previously set up for that work area.

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CHAPTER 10

Viewing Data on the Map

When using OPTIMA with ENTERPRISE, you can view operational performance
against geographical location using the Map View window.
To enable you to do this, OPTIMA has the category Performance Data in the standard
list of data types available for display in the Map View window.
KPIs, created by the OPTIMA_Administrator, are shown under this category. All
these counters can be displayed on the map.
Note: KPIs which, when they were defined, did not have the Show in Map check box
selected will not appear in the performance data list. For more information, see
Creating KPIs on page 37.
For core information about the ENTERPRISE Map View window, see the
ENTERPRISE User Reference Guide.

In This Section
Displaying Performance Data on the Map
Changing the Display of Performance Data
Using the Clock to Display Performance Data

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 Displaying Performance Data on the Map
When you have collected performance data, you can display it on the map.
To display data on the map:
1 From the View menu, click 2D View to open a Map View window.
- or -

Click the New 2D View button .

2 Click the Show Data Types button .

3 In the list of data types, click the + sign next to Performance Data to expand the
category.

4 Expand the appropriate schema and table and then select the counters that you
want to display on the map.

5 Click with the right mouse button on the map and click Refresh to redraw the map
and show the performance data that you selected.
This picture shows an example.

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Changing the Display of Performance Data
When using OPTIMA to display data on the Map View window, you can customise
the display for the selected performance counter using the Display Properties
window.
You can change properties such as font, colour, symbol, and size of symbol. Also, on
the Data tab you can:
• Choose which data is shown on the map by setting the date and time required.
• Choose the filter required, to specify whether all or a sub-set of cell groups is
shown on the map.
• In the Display Options pane, choose whether to display service area, sector and
text for the cells.
To change how performance data is displayed on the map:

1 In the Map View window, click the Show Data Types button .
2 Expand the Performance Data category.
3 Double-click the counter whose display you wish to change. The Display
Properties dialog box appears.

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 4 On the Data tab:
Select The To display
Link to Main Calendar check Data for the current date.
box
If you do not select this check box, select a date using the calendar in the Date
pane.
Filter Only data that is included in the selected ENTERPRISE filter. Select the All
filter to include all data.
Sector check box The cell as a 3-sector icon
Text check box The textual data that applies to this cell
Service Area check box The area of service provided by this cell. Click Select to choose a 2G or 3g
service area. If you choose 3G, you can also select array settings from the
Array Setting menus.

5 On the Size tab, select:

ƒ A Symbol Size, using either Auto or typing in a set size in metres.
ƒ The minimum and maximum size limits to stop the symbol from dominating
the view when you zoom in or disappearing when you zoom out.
6 On the Colour tab, select:
ƒ The first colour used to show the data type.
ƒ The interval. For every increase in the value you type in the Interval box, the
colour will change to the next colour in the palette.
ƒ The minimum and maximum values displayed by any colour.
7 On the Font tab, change the font settings as required.
8 On the Background tab, select whether a background colour is switched On or Off.
If you choose On, select a colour from the palette.
9 Click OK to save the changes.
10 Click with the right mouse button on the map and click Refresh to redraw the
map.

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Using the Clock to Display Performance Data
You can display performance data by using the OPTIMA clock. By using the Play
function, you can look at the data from different time periods as quickly or as slowly
as you want. To use the clock's Play function:
1 From the Options menu, click Clock.
2 In the Main OPTIMA Calendar dialog box that appears, click Advanced.
This pane appears.

This table shows what you can do in this pane:

In this pane/box Choose

Playing Data in 2D Map – Increment The size of the interval you want between each data display. For example, to see the
by: data at 0000, 0200 and 0400, you would select a step of 2 hours.
Playing Data in 2D Map – Every: How quickly you want the map to refresh with the data you have specified. For example,
if you refresh the map view every minute, it gives you a minute to analyse the data
before it changes.
2D Map Switching – Every: How often you want to switch between maps.

3 When you have selected the step and period value, click Play. The performance
data displayed on the map will alter accordingly.

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CHAPTER 11

Generating and Scheduling

Reports
You can use OPTIMA to generate and schedule reports of performance data. You can
create reports, and then, at times you have defined, have OPTIMA automatically
produce reports and email them to you, print them to a printer or save them to a file.
The reports can be printed or exported in the following formats:
• RAF • XLS
• CSV • BMP
• PDF • JPEG
• XHTML • TIFF
• RTF • RTM
• HTML

You can save a report as a favourite and then have quick, easy access to that report
from the Favourites toolbar. For more information, see Adding and Editing
Favourites in OPTIMA on page 91.
The report system uses the following report applications:
• ReportBuilder, which is a third party report application that is fully integrated
with OPTIMA. For more information, see Creating Reports Using Report Builder
on page 155.
Note : Detailed information on ReportBuilder and how to use it can be found on
the Digital Metaphors website at www.digital-metaphors.com. Digital Metaphors
supply a document called Learning ReportBuilder, which is available for
download from their website.
• OPTIMA Excel Report Editor, which enables you to create and edit Microsoft®
Excel™ reports in OPTIMA. For more information, see Creating Excel Reports on
page 175.

In This Section
Download Learning ReportBuilder
About Using OPTIMA Reports
Scheduling When Reports Run

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 Download Learning ReportBuilder
To access the Learning ReportBuilder document:
1 On the www.digital-metaphors.com Welcome page click the rbuilder

ENTERPRISE link .
2 On the page that is displayed next, select Learning ReportBuilder from the list of
options in the left hand pane.
You can now download the Learning ReportBuilder document, in PDF format.

About Using OPTIMA Reports

Using the OPTIMA Report Explorer, all OPTIMA_Users can:
• Select existing reports to view
• View the history of a report
OPTIMA_Administrators and OPTIMA_Advanced_Users can additionally:
• Create and delete folders
• Create reports
• Restrict editing of reports
• Edit and rename reports
• Copy and paste reports
• Import and export reports
• Print and print preview reports

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 Creating Folders for Reports
To create and delete folders in Report Explorer, you must have
OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions.
To create a new folder:
1 From the Reporter menu, click Report Explorer.
- or –

Click the Report Explorer button .

2 In the Report Explorer window, browse to where you want to create the new
folder and click with the right mouse button. From the menu that appears, click
New Folder.
- or –

Click the New Folder button .

3 Type a name for your new folder and press Enter.
OPTIMA_Administrators can lock folders to prevent other users from accessing them.
For more information about this, see Locking Folders on page 154.

Deleting Folders
To delete a folder:
1 In the Report Explorer window, highlight the folder you want to delete.
2 Click with the right mouse button and, from the menu that appears, click Delete.
- or –

Click the Delete button .

3 In the Confirm dialog box, click Yes to delete the folder and return to the Report
Explorer.

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 Locking Folders
If you have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions, you can lock folders to prevent
other users from editing, moving or deleting them.
To lock a folder:
1 From the Reporter menu, select Report Explorer.
-or -

Click the Report Explorer button .

2 In the Report Explorer, select the folder you want to lock.
3 Click with the right button and then, from the menu that appears, click Properties.
4 On the Security tab in the Report Folder Properties dialog box, select the Admin
Folder check box.

5 Click OK.
6 If the selected folder has child folders, you will be asked if you want to apply
changes to all child folders. This enables you to lock all of the child folders of an
Admin Folder. Click Yes to apply changes, otherwise click No.
To unlock a folder:
Follow the previous steps and clear the Admin Folder check box.

Viewing Reports
To view a report:
1 From the Reporter menu, click Report Explorer.
- or –

Click the Report Explorer button .

2 In the Report Explorer window, browse for the report you want to view and
either:
ƒ Double-click the report name.
- or –

ƒ Click with the right mouse button on the report, and from the menu that
appears, click Open.

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 Creating Reports Using Report Builder
If you have OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions, you
can create and edit reports with Report Builder.
The Report Builder application is incorporated within the Report Designer window.
You use the Report Designer window to create and edit your reports. This picture
shows an example of the Report Designer window:

Report Designer window

The Report Designer window has three tabs, which are described in the following
table:
Use This Tab: To:
Data Select and manipulate the data required for a report. For more
information, see Defining Queries on page 156 and Editing
Queries on page 163.
Design Design the layout of a report. For more information, see Designing
Reports on page 164.
Preview See how a report will look when it is printed.

To create a new report:

1 From the Reporter menu, click Report Explorer.
- or –

Click the Report Explorer button .

2 In the Report Explorer window, browse to where you want to create the new
report and click with the right mouse button. From the menu that appears, click
New Report.
- or –

Click the New Report button .

The Report Designer window appears. You can now choose the content of your
report and design its layout. For more information, see Defining Queries on page
156 and Designing Reports on page 164.

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 Defining Queries
On the Data tab of the Report Designer window, you can define queries to retrieve
information from the OPTIMA database to use in your reports. When you build a
query, you can choose to use either the Query Wizard or the Query Designer. The
following table describes the two options:
Option: Description:
Query Wizard A step by step wizard that guides you through the process of defining a query. You do not
need to be familiar with SQL to use the Query Wizard. For more information, see Using the
Query Wizard to Define a Query on page 156.
Query Designer A dialog box with a series of tabs that can be used to define and edit queries. The Query
Designer is more flexible than the Query Wizard and allows you to edit the SQL manually.
It can also be used for multi-vendor queries. For more information, see Using the Query
Designer to Define a Query on page 160 and Editing Queries on page 163.

Using the Query Wizard to Define a Query

To define a query using the Query Wizard:
1 In the Report Designer window, on the Data tab, from the File menu, click New.

2 In the New Items dialog box that appears, select Query Wizard and then click OK.

3 On the first page of the Query Wizard, in the left-hand pane, select the table that
you want to query and click the > button.
4 Click Next.

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 5 On the second page of the Query Wizard, select the fields that you want to query
by selecting one of the options described in the following table:
Select This Radio Button: If You Want To:
All Fields Select all of the fields in the table.
Choose Fields Select specific fields in the table.
To select a field, select it in the left-hand pane and click the > button.

6 Click Next.
7 On the third page of the Query Wizard, you can add calculations to the fields
selected in Step 5.
To add a calculation to a field:
1. Select the Add Calculations radio button.
2. In the left-hand pane, select the field you want to add a calculation to and click
the > button.
3. In the dialog box that appears, select a function from the Function drop-down
list and a field from the Numeric Field drop-down list.
4. Click OK. The calculation is added to the right-hand pane.
5. To add another calculation, repeat steps 2 to 4.
If you do not want to add any calculations, select the No Calculations radio
button.
8 Click Next.
9 On the fourth page of the Query Wizard, you can group rows together based on
common field values. The following table describes the two grouping options:
Select This Radio Button: If You Want To:
No Grouping Have no grouping.
Select Group Fields Select the fields to group by.
To select a field, select it in the left-hand pane and click the > button.

Note : If your query contains calculations, then it will automatically be grouped by

all selected fields.
10 Click Next.

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 11 On the fifth page of the Query Wizard, you can limit the rows returned by the
query. You might want to do this to restrict the amount of data returned during
the design process. The following table describes the two limiting options:
Select This Radio Button: If You Want To:
All Rows Have all rows returned by the query.
Define Search Criteria Define search criteria to limit the rows returned.
To define search criteria:
1. In the Criteria pane, click with the right mouse button and, from the
the menu that appears, click Insert Criteria.
2. In the Search Criteria dialog box, select a Field and an Operator
from the appropriate drop-down lists and enter a value in the Value
field.
3. Click OK. The search criteria is added to the Criteria pane.
4. To define more search criteria, repeat steps 1 to 3.

12 Click Next.
13 On the sixth page of the Query Wizard, you can set the row order based on the
field values. The following table describes the two row order options:
Select This Radio Button: If You Want To:
Natural Order Use the natural row order.
Set Order Set your own row order.
To set the row order:
1. In the left-hand pane, select the row that you want to be first in the
order and click the > button.
2. In the left-hand pane, select the row that you want to be next in the
order and click the > button.
3. Repeat step 2 until there are no more rows in the left-hand pane.

14 Click Next.
15 On the final page of the Query Wizard, type a name for your query and select one
of the options described in the following table:
Select This Radio Button: If You Want To:
Return to Data Workspace To be returned to the data workspace when you have finished.
Preview this Query Preview the data returned by your query when you have finished.
Modify the Query's Design Modify your query using the Query Designer when you have finished.

16 Click Finish to save your query and close the Query Wizard.

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 This picture shows an example query which returns data from the CELLSTATS table:

Example Query

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 Using the Query Designer to Define a Query
To define a query using the Query Designer:
1 In the Report Designer window, on the Data tab, from the File menu, click New.

2 In the New Items dialog box that appears, select Query Designer and then click
OK. The Query Designer window appears. This picture shows an example:

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 3 On the Tables tab, in the Available Tables list, double-click the table you want to
query. The table is added to the Selected Tables list. This picture shows an
example:

Tip : To remove a table, double-click the table in the Selected Tables list.
4 On the Fields tab, in the Available Fields list, double-click the fields you want to
query. The fields are added to the Selected Fields list. This picture shows an
example:

Tip : You can add all of the fields to the Selected Fields list by selecting the All
Fields check box.
5 On the Calcs tab, you can add calculations to the fields selected in Step 4.
To add a calculation to a field:
1. In the Available Fields list, double-click the field you want to add a calculation
to. The field is added to the Calculations list.
2. In the Calculations list, select the field.
3. Select a function from the Function drop-down list. If you want to use a user-
defined expression, select Expression from the Function drop-down list and
then type the expression in the Expression field.
This picture shows an example of the Sum function:

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 6 On the Group tab, you can select fields to group the results of your query by. To
select a field to group by, double-click the field in the Available Fields list.
7 On the Search tab, you can filter the data returned by your query. For detailed
information about how to do this, see Filtering the Data Displayed in Reports on
page 171.
8 On the Sort tab, you can select fields to order the rows returned by your query.
To select a field to order by:
1. In the Available Fields list, double-click the field you want to order by.
2. If you want the returned rows to be in descending order, select the field in the
Sort Fields list and then select the Desc (z>a) check box. This picture shows an
example.:

Tip : To use the order of the rows stored in the OPTIMA database, select the
Natural Order check box.

9 On the SQL tab, you can view and manually edit the SQL of your query.
Note : Once you have manually edited a query, you can no longer use the Query
Designer tabs to edit your query.
To manually edit a query:
1. Click with the right mouse button on the SQL and, from the menu that
appears, click Edit SQL.
2. Click Yes to confirm. The SQL becomes editable.
10 Click OK to save your query and close the Query Designer.

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 Editing Queries
You can use the Query Designer to edit existing queries. To do this:
1 In the Report Explorer, double-click the report with the query you want to edit.
The Report Designer window appears.
2 In the Report Designer window, click the Data tab.
3 Click with the right mouse button on the query you want to edit and, from the
menu that appears, select the required option.

The Query Designer appears, with the corresponding tab selected.

4 Make the required changes to your query. For more information about using the
Query Designer, see Using the Query Designer to Define a Query on page 160.
5 When you have finished, click OK to save your changes and close the Query
Designer.

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 Designing Reports
After you have selected the content of your report, you can design its layout. You
design reports using the toolbars available on the Design tab in the Report Designer
window.
The Standard Component toolbar contains static components which you use to
enhance the appearance of your report, for example, to add labels or images. This
picture shows an example of the Standard toolbar:

Standard Component toolbar

The Data Component toolbar contains data aware components. You use these
components to display actual data from the OPTIMA database. This picture shows an
example of the Data toolbar:

Data Aware Components

Data Component toolbar

For more information about designing reports using ReportBuilder, see the Digital
Metaphors website at www.digital-metaphors.com.

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 This picture shows an example report design. In the example, static components have
been used in the Header band of the design area to create the visual appearance of the
report and data aware components have been used in the Detail and Footer bands to
display data from the OPTIMA database.

Example Report Design

Displaying Query Data in a Graph

With Report Builder, you can add graphs to your reports to display the data from
queries. You create graphs using TeeChart Pro. TeeChart Pro is a third party charting
application. For more information about TeeChart Pro, see the Steema Software
website at http://www.steema.com.
Note : You must have a query defined before creating a graph. For information about
defining queries, see Defining Queries on page 156.
To display query data in a graph:
1 In the Report Explorer, double-click the report you want to add the graph to. The
Report Designer window appears.

2 In the Report Designer window, click the DB Chart button .

3 In the design area, click where you want the graph to be located.

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 4 Click with the right mouse button on the graph and, from the menu that appears,
click Edit Chart. The Editing ppDPTeeChartControl1 dialog box appears. This
picture shows an example:

5 In the Editing ppDPTeeChartControl1 dialog box, click Add. The TeeChart

Gallery dialog box appears. This picture shows an example:

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 6 In the TeeChart Gallery dialog box, click the type of graph that you want to add. If
you want your graph to be a 2D graph, unselect the 3D check box.
7 Click OK. A new series is added to the Editing ppDPTeeChartControl1 dialog box.
This picture shows an example of a series for a bar graph:

Tip : To rename the series, click Title and, in the dialog box that appears, type a
new name and then click OK.
8 Click the Series tab and then click the Data Source sub-tab.

9 On the Data Source sub-tab, select Data Pipeline from the drop-down list. This
will enable you to link a query to the series.
10 From the Data Pipeline drop-down list, select the query that you want to link to
the series.

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 11 On the Data Source sub-tab, complete the following information:
In This Field: Do This:
Labels Select a label from the drop-down list, if you want a label to be displayed on the
x axis for each series point.
X Select a field from the drop-down list to display on the x axis of the graph.
Bar Select a field from the drop-down list to display on the y axis of the graph.
DateTime Select this check box if you want to display the date and time on the x axis.

DateTime Select this check box if you want to display the date and time on the y axis.

This picture shows an example of a bar series which is linked to the

MIRNC01_Query query and has DAY, Date and Time on the X axis and RAB SU
ACC COMP VOICE % on the Y axis:

12 Click Apply.
13 If you want to add another series to your graph, repeat steps 5 to 12.
14 Click the Chart tab and then click the Titles sub-tab.

15 In the Text pane, type a title for your graph.

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 16 Click Close to save your graph and exit TeeChart Pro.
Tip : To preview your graph, in the Report Designer window, click the Preview
tab.
This picture shows an example of a 3 series bar graph:

Example Bar Graph

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 Saving Reports
To save a report to the OPTIMA database:
1 In the Report Designer window, on the Design tab, from the File menu, click Save
As.
2 In the Save New Report As dialog box, browse to the Report Explorer folder
where you want to save your report, type a name and click Save. The report is
saved to the OPTIMA database.
To save a report to file:
1 In the Report Designer window, on the Design tab, from the File menu, click Save
to File.
2 In the Save As dialog box, browse to the folder where you want to save your
report, type a name and click Save.
Reports are saved in RTM format. This means that you can send reports, by email
for example, and load them into other OPTIMA databases by using the Load from
File option.

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 Filtering the Data Displayed in Reports
In ReportBuilder, you can use filters to limit the data returned when reports are run.
When you run a report with a filter, you are asked to specify the criteria that you
want OPTIMA to report on.
To create a filter for a report:
1 In the Report Explorer window, open the report that you want to add a filter to.
The Report Designer window appears.
2 In the Report Designer window, click the Data tab.
3 Select the query that you want to filter and either:

Click the Search button .

- or -
Click with the right mouse button on the query and, from the menu that appears,
click Search.
The Query Designer appears, with the Search tab selected. This picture shows an
example:

4 In the Available Fields pane, either:

Double-click the field that you want to be a filter.
- or -
Click with the right mouse button on the field that you want to be a filter and,
from the menu that appears, click Insert Criteria.
The selected field appears in the Criteria pane.

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 5 In the Criteria pane, complete the following information:
In This Field: Do This:
Operator Select an operator from the drop-down list. For example, if you want to create a filter that only returns
data for an exact value, then select the = operator.
Note : You must select In List if you want to use OPTIMA filters when the report is run.
Value Either leave this field blank or add default values. If you add default values, they will be pre-selected
in the filter when you run the report. For more information about filter values, see Adding Filter Values
on page 173.
AutoSearch Select this check box if you want to display the Search dialog box when the report is run. For more
information, see Adding Filter Values on page 173.
Note : Do not select the AutoSearch check box if the report is to be scheduled.
Mandatory Select this check box if you want to ensure that a filter value is entered when the report is run.
Show All Select this check box if you want the filter to display all of the values of the field.
Note : This option overrides all other filter options.

This picture shows a filter for the XXTRAFFMEASBH24_ERI.UTRANCELL field

which when run will display the Search dialog box and allow OPTIMA filters to
be used:

6 Click OK.
7 Close the Report Designer and click Yes to save your changes.
Now when you run the report, you will be asked to specify filter value(s) based on
the criteria you have set. For more information about filter values, see Adding
Filter Values on page 173.

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 Adding Filter Values
When you run a report with a filter, the Search dialog box is displayed. In the Search
dialog box, you can choose to add a filter value and/or an OPTIMA filter. The report
will display only the information that relates to the filter value(s) you have added. For
more information about OPTIMA filters, see Creating Filters in the Filter Explorer on
page 100.
Note : The Search dialog box is not displayed when you preview a report in the Report
Designer.
To add a filter value:
1 In the Report Explorer window, run the report you want to filter.
2 In the Search dialog box that appears, type the value that you want to filter and
click Add to List. The value appears in the list of search values.
For example, if your report has a UTRANCELL filter and you want to run the
report for UTRANCELL 1811, simply add the value 1811 to the list. This picture
shows an example:

3 Click OK to close the Search dialog box and run the report with the specified filter
value.

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 To add an OPTIMA filter:
1 In the Report Explorer window, run the report you want to filter.
2 In the Search dialog box that appears, click the Add Optima Filter button.
3 In the Add Optima Filters dialog box that appears, select a filter from the list.
The filter elements associated with the filter appear in the Contents of Filter list.
This picture shows an example:

4 To add an available element to the search values, click the right arrow button.
Tip : To add all of the available elements to the search parameters, click the double
right arrow button.
5 Click OK.
The selected filter elements appear in the list of search values. This picture shows
an example:

6 Click OK to close the Search dialog box and run the report with the OPTIMA
Filter.

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 Creating Excel Reports
If you have OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions, you
can create and edit Microsoft® Excel™ reports in OPTIMA.
To create an Excel report:
1 From the Reporter menu, click Report Explorer.
- or -

Click the Report Explorer button .

2 From the Report Explorer File menu, point to New and click Excel Report.
- or -

Click the New Excel Report button .

The OPTIMA Excel Report Editor window appears. This picture shows an
example:

3 On the Report Information tab, type a name and description and select the
Enabled check box.
Important : Ensure the Enabled check box is selected otherwise the report will not
run.

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 4 On the Report Definition tab, you define and edit the contents of your report by
writing one or more data queries and assigning an Excel template. The data
queries will determine the data that is displayed in the report and the Excel
template how that data is displayed.
This table describes the Report Definition buttons:
Click: To:
Add Create and add a new data query to a report. To do this:
1. Click Add. The Data Explorer appears.
2. In the Data Explorer, define your data query. For more information, see Defining a Query on
page 63.
3. Close the Data Explorer and click Yes to save your data query to the Excel Report.
4. In the dialog box that appears, type a name and description for your data query and click OK.
The new data query is added to your report and appears in the Report Data Queries List.
Remove Remove a data query from a report. To do this:
1. Select the data query you want to remove in the Report Data Queries List.
2. Click Remove.
3. Click OK to remove the data query.
Edit Edit a pre-defined data query. To do this:
1. Select the data query you want to edit in the Report Data Queries List.
2. Click Edit. The Data Explorer appears.
3. In the Data Explorer, edit your data query. For more information, see Defining a Query on page
63.
4. Close the Data Explorer and click Yes to save your data query to the Excel Report.
5. In the dialog box that appears, click OK. The edited data query is added to your report.
Preview Data Preview the data returned from a data query. To do this:
1. Select the data queries you want to preview in the Report Data Queries List.
Tip: Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to highlight more than one data query at a time.
2. Click Preview Data. An Excel workbook appears, containing a separate worksheet for each
selected data query.
3. If you want to create a new Excel report template, add formatting to the workbook and then,
when you have finished, save the workbook as an .XLT file.
Tip : You can use the range function in Excel to specify how each data query is displayed. When
using ranges, ensure that the range name is exactly the same as the corresponding data query
name.
4. Close Excel to return to the Excel Report Editor window.

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 This picture shows an example of the Report Definition tab:

5 Click the Assign Template button.

6 In the dialog that appears, select the Excel template that you want to associate
with your report and click Open. The name of the associated template appears in
the Template File Name field.
7 Click the Preview Report button. An Excel workbook appears, containing a
separate worksheet for each data query associated with the report.
Tip : Repeat steps 5 to 7 if you want to see how your report looks with a different
template applied.
8 If you want to create a new Excel report template, add formatting to the workbook
and then, when you have finished, save the workbook as an .XLT file.
Tip : You can use the range function in Excel to specify how each data query is
displayed. When using ranges, ensure that the range name is exactly the same as
the corresponding data query name.
9 Close Excel to return to the Excel Report Editor window.
10 Click OK to save your report to the OPTIMA database and close the OPTIMA
Excel Report Editor window.

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 This picture shows an example of an Excel report:

Example Excel Report

Viewing Excel Reports

All OPTIMA_Users can view Excel Reports. To view an Excel report:
1 From the Reporter menu, click Report Explorer.
- or –

Click the Report Explorer button .

2 In the Report Explorer window, browse for the Excel report you want to view and
either:
ƒ Double-click the report name.
- or –

ƒ Click with the right mouse button on the report, and from the menu that
appears, click Open.

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 Locking Reports
If you have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions, you can lock reports to prevent
other users from editing them.
To lock a report:
1 From the Reporter menu, select Report Explorer.
-or -

Click the Report Explorer button .

2 In the Report Explorer, select the report you want to lock
3 Click with the right button and then, from the menu that appears, click Properties.
4 In the Report Properties dialog box, select the Admin Report check box.
5 Click OK.
To unlock a report follow the previous steps and clear the Admin Report check box.

Restricting Editing of Reports

You can use an owning group to restrict who has editing access to a report. If a report
is assigned an owning group, then it can only be edited by members of that group. A
report can only have one owning group.
To assign an owning group for a report, you must have one of the following:
• OPTIMA_Administrator permissions
• OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions and be a member the group that owns the
report
To make a group the owner of a report:
1 From the Inspector menu, click Report Explorer.
-or -

Click the Report Explorer button .

2 In the Report Explorer window, select the report you want to set the owning
group for.
Note: You cannot assign the owning group for a report that is locked as an Admin
Report, unless you have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions.
3 Click with the right mouse button on the selected report and from the menu that
appears, click Properties.
4 In the Report Properties dialog box, select a group from the drop-down list.
5 Click OK.

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 Editing and Deleting Reports

Editing Reports
To edit a report:
1 From the Reporter menu, click Report Explorer.
- or –

Click the Report Explorer button .

2 Highlight the report you want to edit and double-click to open it.
The Report Designer window appears.

Renaming Reports
To rename a report:
1 In the Report Explorer, click with the right mouse button on a selected report, and
from the menu that appears, click Rename.
2 Type in the new name for the report and press Enter.

Deleting Reports
To delete a report:
1 In the Report Explorer, highlight the report you want to delete
2 Click with the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Delete.
– or –

Click the Delete button .

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 Copying Reports
If you have OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions, you
can copy existing reports and then modify them.
To do this:
1 From the Reporter menu, click Report Explorer.
-or -

Click the Report Explorer button .

2 In the Report Explorer, select the report(s) you want to copy.

Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one report at a time.
3 Click the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Copy.
4 Select the folder that you want to copy the report(s) to.
5 Click with the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Paste.
The reports are copied to the specified folder.

Printing Reports
To print and print preview reports, you must have OPTIMA_Administrator or
OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions.
To print a report:
1 From the Reporter menu, click Report Explorer.
- or –

Click the Report Explorer button .

2 In the Report Explorer window, highlight the report you want to print and click
with the right mouse button. From the menu that appears, click Print or Print
Preview.
- or –

Click the Print or Print Preview buttons .

3 In the Print Preview dialog box, you can scroll through the report pages and zoom
in and zoom out on the report. Click the Print button to open the Print dialog
box.
4 In the Print dialog box, select the printer and the print properties and click OK to
print the report and return to the Report Explorer.

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 Importing and Exporting Report Definitions
If you have OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions, you
can export reports and then import and use them in another OPTIMA installation.
You can import and export:
• Reports
• Report folders
• A combination of reports and report folders
Note : You must have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions to import and export
Admin reports and Admin folders.

Importing Reports
To import a report:
1 In the Report Explorer, select the folder into which you want to import the
report(s).

2 Click the Import Report From File button .

- or -
Click with the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Import
Report(s) Definition.
3 Click OK to confirm.
4 In the Import Reports dialog box, click the Browse button.
5 In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the folder which contains the report(s)
you want to import and click OK.
6 In the File Name list, select the file(s) and/or folder(s) you want to import and
click OK.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one file and/or folder at a time.
7 If your selection includes reports in sub-folders, you will be asked if you want to
recreate the directory structure in the Report Explorer. Click Yes to recreate the
directory structure, otherwise click No.
8 In the message box that appears, click OK to import the report(s). The reports are
imported to the specified folder.

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 Exporting Reports
To export a report:
1 In the Report Explorer, select the report(s) and/or folder(s) you want to export.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one report and/or folder at a
time.

2 Click the Export Report to File button .

- or -
Click with the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Export
Report(s) Definition.
3 If your selection includes reports in sub-folders, then in the Export Reports dialog
box, set the following options by selecting or clearing the appropriate check boxes:
ƒ Export reports from sub-folders.
ƒ Create folders in destination directory.
4 Click OK.
5 In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the folder into which you want to
export the report(s) and click OK.
6 In the message box that appears, click OK to export the report(s). The reports are
exported to the specified folder.

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 Exporting Reports
If you have OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions, you
can export reports to file and/or email. To do this:
1 In the Report Explorer, select the report you want to export.
2 Click with the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Export.
3 In the Export dialog box that appears, select the format you want to export the
report in by selecting the appropriate radio button. This picture shows an
example:

Note : If you are exporting an Excel report, the Excel File radio button is pre-
selected for you.
4 If you want to zip the report, select the Zip File Before Exporting check box.
5 If you want to export the report to file, click File and in the Save As dialog box that
appears, browse to the appropriate folder, type a name, and click Save.
6 If you want to export the report via email, click Email and in the blank email that
appears, type the email addresses and click Send.
7 When you have finished, click Close to return to the Report Explorer.

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Scheduling When Reports Run
You can manage report schedules in the Scheduler Explorer window. If you have
OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions, you can create,
edit or delete a schedule and view the history of a schedule.

Creating Folders for Schedules

To create and delete folders in the Schedule Explorer, you must have
OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions.
To create a new folder:
1 From the Reporter menu, click Schedule Explorer.
- or –

Click the Schedule Explorer button .

2 In the Schedule Explorer window, browse to where you want to create the new
folder and click with the right mouse button. From the menu that appears, click
New Folder.
- or –

Click the New Folder button .

3 Type a name for your new folder and press Enter.
OPTIMA_Administrators can lock folders to prevent other users from accessing them.
For more information about this, see Locking Folders on page 186.

Deleting Folders
To delete a folder:
1 In the Schedule Explorer window, highlight the folder you want to delete.
2 Click with the right mouse button and, from the menu that appears, click Delete.
- or –

Click the Delete button .

3 In the Confirm dialog box, click Yes to delete the folder and return to the Schedule
Explorer.

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 Locking Folders
If you have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions, you can lock folders to prevent
other users from editing, moving or deleting them.
To lock a folder:
1 From the Reporter menu, select Schedule Explorer.
-or -

Click the Schedule Explorer button .

2 In the Schedule Explorer, select the folder you want to lock.
3 Click with the right mouse button and then, from the menu that appears, click
Properties.
4 On the Security tab in the Schedule Folder Properties dialog box, select the Admin
Folder check box.

5 Click OK.
6 If the selected folder has child folders, you will be asked if you want to apply
changes to all child folders. This enables you to lock all of the child folders of an
Admin Folder. Click Yes to apply changes, otherwise click No.
To unlock a folder:
Follow the previous steps and clear the Admin Folder check box.

Creating a Schedule for a Report

OPTIMA_Administrators or OPTIMA_Advanced_Users can either create a schedule
for a report from the Report Explorer or from the Schedule Explorer.
To create a report schedule:
1 In the Report Explorer window, click with the right mouse button on the report
you want to schedule and, from the menu that appears, click Schedule.
– or –
In the Schedule Explorer, click with the right mouse button on the report you want
to schedule and, from the menu that appears, click New Schedule .
– or –

In the Schedule Explorer, click the New Schedule toolbar button .

2 In the Select Report dialog box, select the report you want to create a schedule for
and click Open.

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 3 In the Schedule Editor dialog box, set the following options:
On this tab Do this
General tab Type a name for the schedule, and a description if required.
Important : Ensure the Enable Schedule check box is selected otherwise the report
will not run.
Recurrence tab In the Pattern pane, select how often you want the report to run. Using the options that
appear, select when you want the report to run.
In the Range pane, select the start and end date and time. You can also select whether
you want the schedule for running the report to end:
On a particular date
After the report has run a specific number of times
To have no end date.
Export tab Choose where you want the report to be exported by selecting:
Printer. Select the Windows default or a specified printer for the report.
File. Click the Browse button and find the client server shared folder. Type a name in
the File Name box and click Save. If you want to overwrite the same report each time
you run the schedule, select the <filename> save method. If you do not want to
overwrite the report, select the <filenameddmmyyyyhhmiss> save method to add a
date and time stamp to each report name.
Email. Type the email addresses and a subject line for the email. You can choose a
format for the email from the Email as: menu.
Note : If you choose File or Email, you can zip the file by selecting the Zip File Before
Exporting check box.
Conditions tab Set any further conditions for the report schedule. Use SQL, which may contain
multiple conditions ('where' clauses). If the SQL returns any results, the schedule is
processed. If no results are returned, the schedule is ignored.
For example, to schedule a report only if the percentage drops rate for any cell goes
above 2%, you would need to add the following code:
SELECT COUNT(*)
FROM LASTREADING
WHERE PDROP > 2
To test the SQL click Test SQL.
Note : Ensure you select the Enable condition on this report if you want the condition
to be active.

4 Click OK to schedule the report.

Note : If you created the New Schedule from the Report Explorer then you will be
prompted to save the schedule to a folder. To do this, select the appropriate folder
and click OK.

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 Editing and Deleting Schedules

Editing Schedules
To edit a report schedule:
1 In the Schedule Explorer, double-click the report you want to edit. The Schedule
Editor is displayed.
2 Amend the details and click OK to save the changes.

Renaming Schedules
To rename a schedule:
1 In the Schedule Explorer, double-click the schedule you want to rename.
2 In the Schedule Editor, select the General tab and delete the current schedule
name and insert the new schedule name.
3 Click OK to save the changes.

Deleting Schedules
To delete a schedule:
1 In the Schedule Explorer, highlight the schedule you want to delete
2 Click with the right mouse button and from the menu that appears, click Delete.
– or –

Click the Delete button .

Copying Schedules
If you have OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User permissions, you
can copy existing report schedules and then modify them.
To do this:
1 From the Reporter menu, click Schedule Explorer.
-or -

Click the Schedule Explorer button .

2 In the Schedule Explorer, select the schedule(s) you want to copy.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one report.
3 Click the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Copy.
4 Select the folder that you want to copy the schedule(s) to.
5 Click the with right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Paste.
The schedules are copied to the specified folder.

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 Viewing and Deleting the History of a Schedule
In the Schedule Explorer you can view the history of a schedule. To do this:
Select the schedule for which you want to view the history. The history appears in
the Schedule History pane of the Schedule Explorer.

Deleting the History of a Schedule

In the Schedule Explorer you can delete the history of a schedule. To do this:
1 Select the schedule for which you want to clear the history. The history appears in
the Schedule History pane of the Schedule Explorer.
2 In the Schedule History pane, click with the right mouse button and click Clear
History.
3 In the Confirm dialog box, click Yes to delete the history.

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CHAPTER 12

Using Performance Alarms

Only OPTIMA_Administrators can use OPTIMA's performance alarms.
Performance alarms enable you to set network counter thresholds or key performance
indicators (KPIs) and then receive alerts whenever network conditions are not met.
Network data is processed, at user defined intervals, by OPTIMA. This data is stored
in OPTIMA database tables in the form of counters. Ripple counts are used to define
the threshold conditions for setting or clearing alarms.
The information from these alarms can be:
• queries in OPTIMA modules and reports.
• viewed in the Alarms Explorer.
• passed on to a fault management system.

In This Section
About Alarm Settings
About Alarm Filters
About Ripple Counts
Defining an Alarm
Assigning Alarms to Contacts
Viewing, Clearing and Resetting Alarms
Viewing and Clearing Alarm Definitions
Viewing and Clearing Alarms History
Customising Alarm Information

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 About Alarm Settings
Before you can define and use an alarm, you must define the following:
• Vendors
• Technologies
• Element types
You define these settings from menus in the Alarms Explorer. To open the Alarms
Explorer:
From the Performance Alarms menu, select Alarms Explorer.
Once defined, these settings can be added to an alarm on the Settings tab of the Alarm
Definition dialog box. The settings provide an easy way to sort information in the
Alarm Log Viewer.

Configuring Vendors
In the Vendor Settings dialog box you can add, edit or delete the vendors that you can
use when creating an alarm.
To add a vendor:
1 In the Alarms Explorer, from the Vendor menu click View.
2 In the dialog box that appears, click Add.
3 Type the name of the vendor and click OK.
To edit a vendor name:
1 In the Alarms Explorer, from the Vendor menu click View.
2 Select the vendor and click Rename
- or –
Double-click the vendor name.
3 Type in the new name for the vendor.
To delete a vendor:
1 In the Alarms Explorer, from the Vendor menu click View.
2 Select the vendor and click Delete.
3 Click Yes to confirm.

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 Configuring Technologies
In the Technology Settings dialog box you can add, edit or delete the technologies that
you can use when creating an alarm.
To add a technology:
1 In the Alarms Explorer, from the Technology menu click View.
2 In the dialog box that appears, click Add.
3 Type the name of the technology and click OK.
To edit a technology name:
1 In the Alarms Explorer, from the Technology menu click View.
2 Select the technology and click Rename
- or –
Double-click the technology name.
3 Type in the new name for the technology.
To delete a technology:
1 In the Alarms Explorer, from the Technology menu click View.
2 Select the technology and click Delete.
3 Click Yes to confirm.

Configuring Element Types

In the Element Type Settings dialog box you can add, edit or delete the elements that
you can use when creating an alarm.
To add an element type:
1 In the Alarms Explorer, from the Element Type menu click View.
2 In the dialog box that appears, click Add.
3 Type the name of the element type and click OK.
To edit an element type:
1 In the Alarms Explorer, from the Element Type menu click View.
2 Select the element type and click Rename
- or –
Double-click the element type name.
3 Type in the new name for the element type.
To delete an element type:
1 In the Alarms Explorer, from the Element Type menu click View.
2 Select the element type and click Delete.
3 Click Yes to confirm.

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 About Alarm Filters
You can create filters to define sets of network elements. When a filter is added to an
alarm, the alarm will monitor only the elements included in the filter.
You create filters from the Filter menu in the Alarms Explorer. To open the Alarms
Explorer:
From the Performance Alarms menu, select Alarms Explorer.
Once defined, filters can be selected on the Settings tab of the Alarm Definition dialog
box.

Adding, Editing and Deleting Filters

To add a filter:
1 In the Alarms Explorer, from the Filters menu, click View.
- or –
If you are already defining an alarm, on the SQL tab of the Alarm Definition
dialog box click Element Selection and then click Filters.
2 In the Filter_ID Settings dialog box, click Add.
3 Type a name for the filter and click OK.
4 In the Filter SQL dialog box that appears, type in the code for the filter.
Tip : The Database pane contains a list of OPTIMA tables and columns, Oracle
keywords and functions. Double-click any of these to add them to the SQL pane.
5 To test the code works correctly, click Test SQL. If your code is correct, results
appear in the bottom pane of the dialog box.

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 This picture shows an example:

6 Click Save.
To edit a filter:
1 In the Filter_ID Settings dialog box, select a filter and click Edit
- or –
Double-click the required filter.
2 Edit the code for the filter and click Save.
To delete a filter:
1 In the Filter_ID Settings dialog box, select a filter and click Delete
2 Click Yes to confirm.

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 About Ripple Counts
Ripple counts are used to define the threshold conditions for setting or clearing
alarms. These conditions need to be met continually until the threshold is reached and
an alarm is raised. If, at any point the condition is not met, the ripple count is reset
and the conditions will have to be met again to raise an alarm.
On the Settings tab in the Alarm Definition dialog box, you can define the ripple
counts using the up and down arrows. This picture shows an example.

The following is an example using ripple counts:

For a SET alarm query returning 5 or greater Erlangs and a CLEARED alarm query
returning 4 or less Erlangs, you enter a SET ripple count of 3 and a CLEARED ripple
count of 4. This means that:
• For a SET alarm to be raised for a particular element in a filter, the element should
have an Erlang factor of 5 or more for the next three polling intervals.
• For a CLEARED alarm to be raised for a particular element in a filter, the element
should have an Erlang factor of 4 or less for the next four subsequent data
granularity periods.
For information about granularity periods, see About Granularity Periods.
This applies to all cells in the filter and with any order of values. So:
1 If the three values 6, 9 and 8 are received, then the SET alarm will be activated on
receiving the third value (8). The ripple process will now wait for a CLEARED
alarm.
2 If the four values 2, 4, 1 and 3 are received, then the CLEARED alarm will be
activated on receiving the fourth value (3). The ripple process will now wait for a
SET alarm.

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Defining an Alarm
Before defining an alarm, ensure you have configured the alarm settings. For more
information, see About Alarm Settings on page 192.
To define an alarm:
1 From the Performance Alarms menu, click Alarm Explorer.

2 In the Alarms Explorer, click the Create New Alarm Definition button .
- or –
In the Alarm Definitions pane, click with the right mouse button and from the
menu that appears, click Add Definition.
The Alarm Definition dialog box appears.
3 On the Information tab, type the alarm name and add a description.
4 On the Settings tab:
In This Pane Do This
Alarm Polling Set the rate at which information from the network is tested against the alarm thresholds. To
do this:
1 From the Next Polling Date Time menus, select a date and a time from which to
run the alarm.
2 From the Alarm Polling Interval menu, select the polling interval frequency and time
duration.
Ripple Counts Select the ripple counts that will define the thresholds. For more information, see About Ripple
Counts on page 196.
Alarm Severity Select the severity levels for your alarm from the list available.
Vendor, Technology, Select a vendor, technology and element type. For more information, see About Alarm
Element type Settings on page 192.
Probable Cause Select a probable cause for your alarm from the list available.
SNMP Select the Forward SNMP Traps check box if you want SNMP traps to be forwarded to a third
party fault management system.

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 5 On the SQL tab:
In This Pane Do This
Tree Filter Operations Select the elements to be included in this alarm:
1 Click Element Selection, the Element Selection Wizard that appears.
2 Select the filter and click Next. If you need to create a filter, see Adding, Editing
and Deleting Filters on page 194.
3 Expand the element tree and select the elements you want to include in the alarm.
4 To include hierarchy details, select the Include Hierarchy in Element ID check box.
Note : If you are working with cells that have similar element IDs, include the
hierarchy details to distinguish between the cells.
5 Click Next and then click Finish.
SET Alarm SQL/ Define the SQL for the alarm:
CLEARED Alarm SQL
1 Click SET SQL or CLEARED SQL.
2 In the dialog box that appears, type in the SQL code.
Tip : The Database pane contains a list of OPTIMA tables and columns, Oracle
keywords and functions. Double-click any of these to add them to the SQL pane.
Note : If you selected a filter and you only want to monitor the elements in that
filter, you must add the %ELEMENTIDLIST placeholder to the SQL.
3 To test the code works correctly, click Test SQL. If your code is correct, results
appear in the bottom pane of the dialog box.
4 Click Save and then click Yes to confirm.
Map the counters that are returned by the alarm:
1 From the Element ID list, select an element.
2 From the Date Time list, select a value.
3 For SET Alarms, select values to use in the problem text, which is defined on the
Problem Text tab.

6 On the Problem Text tab:

In This Pane Do This
Problem Text for Define the problem text that will be received when an alarm is raised:
SET/CLEARED Alarm
1 Click Define.
The Problem Text dialog box appears.
2 Type in the text that you want to be sent when an alarm is raised.
If you wish to include an SQL statement in the problem text:
1 Select the Override SQL check box.
2 In the SQL pane, type the code for the problem text.
Tip : The Database pane contains a list of OPTIMA tables and columns, Oracle
keywords and functions. Double-click any of these to add them to the SQL pane.
3 To test the code works correctly, click Test SQL. If your code is correct, results
appear in the bottom pane of the dialog box.
4 When you have defined the problem text, click Save and then click Yes to confirm.

7 When you have defined both SET and CLEARED alarms, you can activate the
alarm. For more information, see Activating an Alarm on page 199.

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 Activating an Alarm
Once you have created an alarm, you must activate it to start monitoring the network.
To do this:
1 From the Performance Alarms menu, click Alarm Explorer.
2 In the Alarm Definition pane, select the Active check box for each alarm you wish
to activate.
Note : You can have as many active alarms as needed at any one time.

Editing and Deleting an Alarm

To edit an alarm:
1 In the Alarms Explorer, select the alarm you want to edit.

2 Click the Edit Alarm Definition button .

- or –
Click with the right mouse button on the alarm name and from the menu that
appears, click Edit Alarm Definition.
3 Edit the alarm as necessary and click OK to save the changes.
To delete an alarm:
1 In the Alarms Explorer, select the alarm you want to delete.
2 If the alarm is active, clear the Active check box.

3 Click the Delete Alarm Definition button .

- or –
Click with the right mouse button on your alarm definition and from the menu
that appears, click Delete.
4 In the Confirm dialog box, click Yes to delete the alarm.

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 Assigning Alarms to Contacts
You can assign alarms to contacts so they are notified when an alarm is raised. You
can also choose how the alarm is sent, either by email, SMS (text message) or both.
Once defined, these are known as alarm handlers.
You can only assign one alarm to a contact or a group of contacts. Once assigned, an
alarm cannot be used in another alarm handler.
Before you can assign an alarm to a contact, the contact must be defined. Only
OPTIMA_Administrators can define contacts using the Address Book. For more
information, see Using Contacts in OPTIMA on page 33.

Creating an Alarm Handler

To create an alarm handler:
1 From the Performance Alarms menu, click Alarm Handler Explorer.

2 In the Alarms Handler Explorer, click the Create New Alarm Handler button .
- or –
In the Alarm Handler pane, click with the right mouse button and from the menu
that appears, click Add Handler.
The Alarms Handler dialog box appears.
3 On the Information tab, type the handler name and add a description.
4 On the Settings tab:
In This Pane Do This
Alarm Handler Choose which alarm you want a contact to be notified about:
1 Click Select.
2 From the list that appears, select an alarm and click Select.
Note : You can only choose one alarm in an alarm handler.
Notification Type Select how you want the contact to be notified when the alarm is raised.
If you want the contact to receive an alert for each element within the alarm, select the Send
Multiple Notifications Per Email and/or SMS check box.
Note : You should only use this option if the alarm is monitoring a small number of elements.
Amend Alarm Type Select the Apply Handler on CLEAR Alarms check box if you want the contact to be notified
when an alarm is cleared. The contact will also be notified if the alarm is cleared by the
OPTIMA_ Administrator.
Template You do not need to change the report format type.

5 On the Contacts tab, click Assign.

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 6 In the dialog box that appears, select a contact and click Add.
The contacts who will receive notification when this alarm is raised are shown in
the right-hand pane of this dialog box.
Tip : To remove a contact from the list, select the name and click Remove. You
view detail for a contact or activate a contact so they can receive alarm
notifications by selecting their name in the Assign Users dialog box and clicking
Properties.
7 You can now activate the alarm handler so the contact receives the notifications.

Activating an Alarm Handler

Before a contact can receive alarm notifications, you must activate the alarm handler.
To do this:
1 Ensure the alarm in each alarm handler is active. For information about activating
alarms, see Activating an Alarm on page 199.
2 From the Performance Alarms menu, click Alarm Handler Explorer.
3 In the Alarm Handler pane, select the Active check box for each alarm handler you
wish to activate.

Enabling Contacts to Receive Alerts

If a contact is not active, they will not receive alerts. OPTIMA_Administrators can
activate contacts using the Address Book. For more information, see Using Contacts
in OPTIMA on page 33.
If you are not an OPTIMA_Administrator, you can activate a contact from the Alarm
Handler Explorer.
To do this:
1 From the Performance Alarms menu, click Alarm Handler Explorer.
2 In the dialog box that appears, from the Tools menu click Contacts.
3 In the Address Book that appears, select the contact you want to activate and click
the Edit button .
4 In the Properties dialog box that appears, select the Active check box.
5 Click OK and then click Yes to confirm.
Tip : To activate or deactivate all contacts, click with the right mouse button in the
Address Book and from the menu that appears select Activate All or Deactivate
All.

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 Viewing, Clearing and Resetting Alarms
In the Alarms Explorer Viewer Pane, on the Alarms tab, you can view the alarms
which are not acknowledged by a third party Fault Management System (FMS). This
picture shows an example of the Alarms tab:

Alarms Tab

Viewing Alarms
The following information is shown in the Alarms tab:
• Description of the alarm.
• Element type, for example Cell.
• Element ID.
• SQL Date Time, this is the date and time of the data that generated the alarm.
• Alarm Date Time, this is when the data was queried by the alarms program.
• Vendor, Technology and Severity as selected when the alarm was defined.
• Problem Text.
• Forwarded value. The following table describes the two possible Forwarded
values:
Forwarded Value: Description:
0 Alarm has not been forwarded to the FMS by the SNMP program.
1 Alarm has been forwarded to the FMS by the SNMP program.

Tip : You can customise the way alarm information is displayed by using the tools
menu. For more information, see Customising Alarm Information on page 207.

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 Clearing SNMP Forwarded Alarms
If an alarm has been raised and it has been forwarded to the FMS, you can choose to
clear that alarm. You can only clear the alarms whose Forwarded value has been set
to 1. To do this:
1 In the Alarms tab, select the alarm(s) you want to clear.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to highlight more than one alarm at a time.
2 Click with the right mouse button and then, from the menu that appears, click
Delete Forwarded Alarms. You can choose to delete all or delete by alarm id or
definition id.
Cleared alarms can be viewed in the Alarms Historical Log tab.

Resetting SNMP Forwarded Alarms

If an alarm has been raised and it has been forwarded to the FMS, you can choose to
reset that alarm. Resetting an alarm sets its Forwarded value back to 0. You might
want to do this if there was a problem sending SNMP notifications, for example,
during SNMP synchronisation. To do this:
1 In the Alarms tab, select the alarm(s) you want to reset.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to highlight more than one alarm at a time.
2 Click with the right mouse button and then, from the menu that appears, click
Reset Forwarded Alarms. You can choose to reset all or reset by alarm id or
definition id.

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 Viewing and Clearing Alarm Definitions
In the Alarms Explorer Viewer Pane, on the Definition Log tab, you can view
information about the changes made to alarm definitions. The Definition Log tab has
two sub-tabs which are described in the following table:
Sub-Tab: Description:
Definition Log Shows the log for alarm definitions.
Redundant Definition Log Shows the log for deleted and/or non-existing alarm definitions.
You can choose to view either all results or results by definition, by selecting
the appropriate option from the View Data drop-down list.

This picture shows an example of the Definition Log tab:

Definition Log tab

Viewing Alarm Definitions

The following information is shown in both sub-tabs on the Definition Log tab:
• A description of the definition.
• The user who made the change to the definition.
• The date and time when the change was made to the definition.
• The action that was performed on the definition.
Tip : You can customise the way alarm definition information is displayed by using
the tools menu. For more information, see Customising Alarm Information on page
207.

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 Clearing Alarm Definitions
To clear alarm definitions in the Definition Log sub-tab:
1 In the Definition Log sub-tab, select the alarm definition(s) you want to clear.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to highlight more than one alarm at a time.
2 Click with the right mouse button and then, from the menu that appears, click
Clear Items. You can choose to clear one item or all of the items.
To clear alarm definitions in the Redundant Definition Log sub-tab:
1 In the Redundant Definition Log sub-tab, select the alarm definition(s) you want
to clear.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to highlight more than one alarm at a time.
2 Click with the right mouse button and then, from the menu that appears, click
Clear Items. You can choose to clear one item or all of the items.

Viewing and Clearing Alarms History

In the Alarms Explorer Viewer Pane, on the Alarms Historical Log tab, you can view
all historical alarms. The Alarms Historical Log tab has the following two sub-tabs:
• Historical Alarms which shows the historical log for all generated alarms.
• Redundant Alarms Log which shows the alarms for deleted and/or non-existing
definitions.
This picture shows an example of the Alarms Historical Log tab:

Alarms Historical Log tab

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 Viewing Alarms History
The following information is shown in both tabs on the Alarms Historical Log tab:
• Description of the alarm.
• Element type, for example Cell.
• Element ID.
• SQL Date Time, this is the date and time of the data that generated the alarm.
• Alarm Date Time, this is when the data was queried by the alarms program.
• Vendor, Technology and Severity as selected when the alarm was defined.
• Problem Text.
Tip : You can customise the way alarm history information is displayed by using the
tools menu. For more information, see Customising Alarm Information on page 207.

Clearing Alarms History

To clear alarms history in the Historical Alarms sub-tab:
1 In the Historical Alarms sub-tab, select the alarm(s) you want to clear.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to highlight more than one alarm at a time.
2 Click with the right mouse button and then, from the menu that appears, point to
one of the options described in the following table:
Point to: To:
Clear Items Clear one or all items.
Send ADMIN_CLEAR Manually clear alarms which have been raised and not cleared, for
example, if an alarm is in a setting state and its clear conditions have
not been met after a long period of time, and the user has
acknowledged this and is prepared to close the alarm.

To clear alarms history in the Redundant Alarms Log sub-tab:

1 In the Redundant Alarms Log sub-tab, select the alarm(s) you want to clear.
Tip : Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to highlight more than one alarm at a time.
2 Click with the right mouse button and then, from the menu that appears, point to
Clear Items. You can choose to clear one item or all of the items.

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Customising Alarm Information
In the Alarms Explorer Viewer Pane, information is displayed in grid format. You can
customise the way this information is displayed by using the tools menu.
To view the tools menu, hover the mouse cursor over a grid and click with the right
mouse button. This picture shows the menu that appears:

You can show the toolbar above the grid by pointing to Toolbars and from the menu
that appears select Toolbar. The toolbar duplicates the options in the popup menu:

For more information, see Customising Grids in OPTIMA on page 103.

Sorting Alarm Information by Column

To sort alarm information using the column headings:
Click the heading for the column by which you wish to sort the data.
Tip : If you want to sort by more than one column, hold down the Shift key and
click the heading for each column by which you want to sort the data.
To see by which column data in the grid is sorted, look for the arrow in the column
heading. An up arrow indicates data is in ascending order and a down arrow
indicates data is in descending order.
To change the position of a column:
Select the column and drag it to the desired location.

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Page 208 OPTIMA User Reference Guide
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 filtering data • 92
importing • 89
locking • 86
new • 83
removing modules • 83
restricting editing • 87

Index viewing • 82
Copying
combination windows • 88
modules • 76
reports • 181
schedules • 188
Counter types, adding
global • 44
A raw • 43
Viewing • 15
Adding viewing on the map • 145
alarms • 197, 200 Creating
combination windows to a work area • 141 alarms • 197
favourites • 91 combination windows • 83
holidays • 55 custom filters • 95
modules to a combination window • 83 folders • 70, 80, 153, 185
web pages to a work area • 142 KPIs • 37
Alarm definitions links between modules • 84
clearing • 204 new work area • 140
viewing • 204 queries • 63
Alarms report schedules • 186
about • 191 reports • 155, 175
activating • 199, 201 Users • 31
clearing • 202 Custom Filters • 95
defining • 197
deleting • 199
editing • 199 D
resetting • 202
Data
viewing • 202
gathering • 61
Alarms history
grids • 103
clearing • 205
monitoring with alarms • 191
viewing • 205
setting-up • 61
sorting • 105, 106
B summarising • 115
viewing on the map • 146
Busy Hour Data Explorer
about • 56 about • 20
capture settings • 57 adding filters • 66
setting • 56 defining queries • 63, 64, 66
searching • 63
C using • 62
Date Range • 93
Capture Settings • 57, 58 Defining
Categories • 48, 51 associations for a table • 49
Clearing Deleting
alarm definitions • 204 KPIs • 39
alarms • 202 report schedules • 188
alarms history • 205 reports • 180
Clock Drill Down Links • 84
offsetting • 17
play data • 149
setting global date • 16 E
viewing data on the map • 149 Editing
Combination Window KPIs • 39
adding to work area • 141 report schedules • 188
copying • 88 reports • 180
creating • 83 Element IDs • 59
data grids • 103 Excel Reports
deleting • 84 creating • 175
exporting • 89 viewing • 178

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 Exporting editing • 39
combination windows • 89
grids • 118
modules • 76 L
reports • 182, 184 Linking modules • 84
Locking
F combination windows • 86
folders • 71, 81, 154, 186
Favourites modules • 74
adding and editing • 91 reports • 179
Filtering Login to OPTIMA • 9
data in combination windows • 92
data in grids • 112, 113, 114
elements • 95 M
network elements • 92 Modules
using date ranges • 93 about • 69
Finding copying • 76
elements in the modules pane • 94 editing • 75
Folders exporting • 76
creating • 70, 80, 153, 185 Filtering in the Combination Window • 92
locking • 71, 81, 154, 186 finding • 94
importing • 76
G linking • 84
locking • 74
Global Counters • 44 opening in a new combination • 75
Global date and time • 16 removing from the combination window • 83
Granularity Period restricting editing • 74
repopulating tables • 51 setting-up • 61
setting • 48
Graphs
automarks • 123 N
changing apperance • 129 Network elements, selecting • 92
colours • 123
grid lines • 125
legend • 123 O
properties • 123
Opening
Grids
combination windows • 82
exporting • 118
Data Explorer • 20
toolbar • 104
module in a new combination • 75
Using • 103
OPTIMA • 9
Using Thresholds • 109
OPTIMA Lite • 9
Groups, User Permissions • 26
queries • 68
work areas • 144
H
Holidays P
about • 55
Password,changing • 10
entering • 55
Permissions
about • 26
I creating • 31
Printing
IDs • 59 graphs • 132
Importing grids • 118
combination windows • 89 reports • 181
modules • 76
reports • 182
work areas • 144 R
Installing OPTIMA • 8
Raw Counters • 43
Recreating, views • 42
K Report Builder • 151, 155
Report Schedules
KPIs copying • 188
about • 37 creating • 186
creating • 37 deleting • 188
deleting • 39 editing • 188

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 renaming • 188
Reports
about • 151 V
copying • 181 Viewing
creating • 155, 175 alarm definitions • 204
exporting • 182, 184 alarms • 202
filters • 173 alarms history • 205
importing • 182 automarks • 123
locking • 179 combination windows • 82
restricting editing • 179 counters • 15
scheduling • 185 data • 79
viewing • 154, 178 data in the Data Explorer • 67
Resetting, alarms • 202 data on the map view • 145
Route Editor • 53 report schedules • 189
reports • 154, 178
S thresholds • 109
web pages • 139, 142
Selecting Network Elements • 92 Views
Settings Wizard, using • 46 recreating • 42
Sorting data • 105, 106
Starting
OPTIMA • 9
OPTIMA Lite • 9
Synchronising, tables • 40

T
Table and Field Information
about • 45
adding comments to columns • 50
adding comments to tables • 50
assigning categories • 48
defining associations for a table • 49
setting granularity period • 48
setting table security • 47
using the Settings Wizard • 46
Table associations, defining • 49
Table Security, setting • 47
Tables
synchronising • 40
Thresholds
Thresholds • 109
Toolbar
favourites • 13
grids • 104
OPTIMA • 12
Tree Links • 84

U
User Permissions
about • 26
creating • 31
Using
custom filters • 95
Data Explorer • 62
OPTIMA • 9
OPTIMA Lite • 9
quick selection filters • 98
reports • 152
work areas • 139
using windows in the work area • 139

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