How reports work

Reports are fully customizable network data aggregations that enable complete transparency for any asset or activity on the network.

When a report is run, traffic data is collated based on the configured time window, sources/devices, and filters before being grouped by the criteria defined in the report type (e.g., source-destination pairs, applications, etc.). The results are then displayed in the output view, where the modified settings can be applied as required by the current resolution or investigation.

Primary report settings

Plixer Scrutinizer uses the following primary settings to run/generate a report, all of which must be defined when creating a new report configuration:

Data sources/devices

When a report is run, Plixer Scrutinizer aggregates data collected from one or more user-specified network devices or interfaces. These function as the user’s “observation points” and determine the scope of the data to be included in the report.

Report type

The base type of a report determines how network metadata from the selected observation points is aggregated (i.e., by X).

A report type can be selected when creating a new report configuration or as part of refining a report’s configuration.

Report types are grouped according to their functional parameters to facilitate report type selection. The Recommended, Recent (last 16 report types run), and Designed Reports groups can also be used to quickly find frequently run report types.

Hint

For further detailed on available report types, refer to this table.

Time range/window

By default, reports are configured to aggregate data from the past 24 hours. However, this can be changed to a different last X window (e.g., last 5 minutes, last week, etc.) or a custom date and time range.

Hint

When a last X time window is selected, clicking the up or down arrow will automatically shift the date/time period covered backwards or forwards.

Graph type

The report output view includes multiple options for visualizing the aggregated data, and users are able to freely switch between any graph supported by the current report type.

Report graphs are further explained in the section on the report output view.

Additional filters

To supplement the primary settings, additional filters can be applied to further limit or expand the scope of data covered by a report. These filters can be added when creating a new report configuration and/or redefined as needed from the output view.

Custom reports

To learn more about creating custom reports, see the Report Designer topic in the Classic UI section of this documentation.