Skip to main content
Documentation - HPE Usage and Analytics

Creating SmartTags

  1. Last updated
  2. Save as PDF

SmartTags are rules that enable you to enrich your usage and cost data with business information, and/or to clean up inconsistencies in your data for better reporting.  Each rule is triggered by one or more conditions based on your collected data, and performs one or more actions on that data. You can create a series of rules to make multiple changes to your data.

Because rules are defined according to the fields available in a data collection, a rule is always associated with a single collection. Every night after a collection is run, HPE Consumption Analytics portal processes the SmartTags defined for that collection. 

Before you begin creating SmartTag rules, review the following topics:

Creating SmartTags rules

The HPE Consumption Analytics platform features a wizard to guide you through the three steps to create a SmartTags rule:

  1. Adding a rule to a data collection
  2. Defining the conditions that will trigger the rule
  3. Specifying actions the rule will perform on the data

Adding a rule

The first step is to add a SmartTags rule for the appropriate data collection.

To add a rule

  1. Click SmartTags in the left navigation.
    The SmartTags page shows your collections, the SmartTags rules defined for each collection, and a rules preview table that enables you to see the effect of rules on your collected data:
    CAP_smarttags_main.PNG

  2. Click the arrow at left to expand the collection you want to maintain. 
  3. Click Add New Rule at right, above the rules preview table. 
  4. In the selection list, click the position where you want the rule to appear in the list: Before Selected Item, After Selected Item, or Add to End of List.
    The Create Rule wizard displays: 
    CAP_smarttags_rule_cond.PNG
    For each rule, you'll define one or more conditions and one or more actions.

    HPE Consumption Analytics portal runs rules in the order they are listed in the table, top-to-bottom.

    When you select a rule, the table will update to show you the cumulative effect of that rule and its preceding rules.

Defining conditions

The next step is to define the conditions that will trigger your rule.

If you don't specify a condition, the rule is triggered for every row in your dataset.  To select specific rows in your data, define one or more conditions for your rule.

To define conditions for your rule

On the Conditions page of the wizard, define one more conditions for the rule (or click Next to skip the condition, and proceed to specify an action).

For each condition, select one or more fields in your collected data, then define how HPE Consumption Analytics platform should search those fields to find a match.  

  1. Under Select Conditions, select a condition type (Field found in lookup is shown here).
    The detail overlay displays:
    CAP_smarttags_rule_cond_overlay.PNG

  2. Specify details for the condition.
  3. To add another field as part of this condition, click + Add New, and enter the required information for that field.
  4. If you defined multiple fields for this condition, toggle Match between Any and All to define whether either 'any' fields or 'all' fields you defined must be met to trigger the condition. 
  5. Click OK to add your condition to the rule summary box.
  6. Repeat this procedure for any other conditions you want to add.
  7. Click Next.
    The Actions page of the wizard displays:
    CAP_smarttags_rule_action.PNG

 

As you build a rule, the Create Rule wizard shows a textual representation of that rule.

Also, the Rule Preview section at the bottom of the wizard updates when you click Next, so you can see the impact of the rule before activating it.

Specifying actions

The last step is to specify the actions the rule will perform on your dataset.

To specify actions for your rule

On the Actions page of the wizard:

  1. Under Select Actions, select an action type (Set field from lookup is shown here).
    The detail overlay displays:
    CAP_smarttags_rule_action_overlay.PNG

  2. Specify details for the action.
  3. Click OK to add your action to the rule summary box.
  4. Repeat this procedure for any other actions you want to add.
  5. Click Next.
    The Name page of the wizard displays:
    CAP_smarttags_rule_name.PNG

  6. On the Name page, enter a Name for the rule.
  7. Toggle Rule Status between Active and Inactive to either run or skip the rule when you run rules.

    Setting to Active allows your rule to be in effect for future data, to reflect your SmartTag settings.

    If you need to change the position of a rule in the list, you can drag and drop it to the desired position.

  8. Click Save to add the rule to the list of rules defined for the collection.

Running SmartTags rules

HPE Consumption Analytics portal will run your rules automatically after the next nightly collection. When this happens, historical data remains unchanged. If you want to apply your rules to historical data, use the Run Rules Now function.

You need at least one rule to activate SmartTags. 

HPE Consumption Analytics portal runs rules in the order they are listed in the table, top-to-bottom.

When you select a rule, the rules preview table updates to show you the cumulative effect of that rule and its preceding rules.

CAP_smarttags_main.PNG

To run rules now

  1. Click the ellipsis next to the collection with the rules you want to run, and select Run Rules Now.
    The Run Rules dialog displays:
    CAP_smarttags_rule_run_popup.PNG

  2. Select the Start Date and End Date for the span historical data you want to modify with your rules.
  3. Click Run.
    HPE Consumption Analytics portal immediately begins transforming your historical data according to your rules.

Enabling and disabling all SmartTags rules for a collection

If you want to enable or disable all SmartTags rules for a collection, you can toggle that option directly on the SmartTags page.

To enable/disable all SmartTags rules for a collection

  1. Click the ellipsis next to the collection with the SmartTags rules you want to enable or disable.
  2. Select Toggle Status.

Editing and deleting rules

You can edit or delete a SmartTags rule for a collection.

To edit or delete a rule

  1. Select the rule you want to edit or delete.
  2. Do one of the following:
     
    If you want to... Do this
    Edit the rule
    1. Click the Edit icon to display the Edit Rules wizard.
    2. Select the condition or action you want to edit.
    3. Enter your changes and click Save.
    Activate or deactivate the rule Click the Activate/Deactivate button to toggle between these states.
    Delete the rule
    1. Click the trash can icon.
    2. Click Delete to delete the rule.

What to do after creating SmartTags rules

Create views that provide data in a concise dashboard of charts and reports, tailored for the specific needs of your users. For more information, see Working with the default pages.