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Documentation - HPE Usage and Analytics

Creating and managing collections

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A collection defines the data source from which HPE Consumption Analytics portal should collect usage data, and provides the credentials for accessing that data. You can configure as many collections as you need, including multiple collections of a particular type. For example, you can configure several Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure collections.

The Collections screens lists all of your collections. From here, you can create a new collection, edit an existing collection, and view the history and status of a collection. HPE Consumption Analytics portal collects data from your sources every night. However, if you need to start a collection immediately, such as to recollect historical data, you can do so manually on the Collections page.

CAP_data_collections_fig1.png

Video overview

The following video helps you understand what a collection is, and how to successfully connect to your cloud sources:

Creating collections

Before you create a collection, you must assemble the information required to connect HPE Consumption Analytics portal to your source data, as described in the topics for each provider. For detailed information about assembling those credentials and creating collections for specific cloud providers, see the following topics:

Editing collections

Use this procedure if you need to update a collection. For example, you might need to take one or more of the following actions:

  • Update the credentials needed to access the data source.
  • Update the Microsoft Azure Access Key.
  • Change the collection start date.
  • Set the source currency for the cost and rate data being collected.
  • Change the active/inactive status of the collection.

To edit a collection

  1. On the Data > Collections screen, click the name of the collection you want to edit (or click the ellipsis icon at the far right in its row, then select Edit. from the selection list).
    The Editing Data Collection dialog box displays.
    CAP_data_collections_edit.png
  2. Modify the collection as needed, and then click Save.

If you change the Earliest Date to Collect to an earlier date, HPE Consumption Analytics portal starts the collection process for the added date range after you save the updated collection.

Viewing the history and status of a collection

The list of collections provides some information about each collection: 
CAP_data_collections_list_info.png

In addition to Last Updated information, it shows the Earliest Date to Collect you specified for the collection, and Days Missing This Quarter (the number of days in the current quarter for which your collection is missing data).

Click the ellipsis icon, then select Status to open a dialog that shows the collection status for each day since the Earliest Date to Collect. Green segments indicate successful collections of data, while grey segments indicate data is missing for some days. If you mouse over a grey segment, HPE Consumption Analytics portal displays the range of dates for that segment, making it easier for you to identify the range you need to enter when recollecting data.
CAP_data_collections_status.png

If you are missing data, look for Health Checks that might indicate a problem with the collection credentials. If the collection is configured correctly, contact HPE Consumption Analytics portal Support for assistance.

Starting collection manually

A collection retrieves data from your cloud data source on a regular schedule, starting with data from the Earliest Date to Collect defined in the collection. You can start collection manually if you want to collect data from an earlier date, or if you are missing data for one or more days. 

If you run collection manually to resolve an issue with missing data, and the data is still missing after recollection, check with your cloud provider to ensure the data is available. If the missing data is indeed available from your provider, contact HPE Consumption Analytics portal Support for assistance.

To start collection manually

  1. On the Data > Collections screen, click the gear icon  and select Recollect.
    The Recollect dialog box displays:
    CAP_data_collections_recollect.png
  2. Select a range of dates for the collection, and then click Recollect.
    HPE Consumption Analytics portal begins collecting data for the dates you selected.

What to do after creating collections

After creating a collection, create SmartTag rules that will supplement and transform your data before it is used in reports.