Aircom Optima User Reference Guide Ver6.1

OPTIMA
User Reference Guide
Software Version Candidate 6.1

Reference Guide Edition 2
Copyright 2008 AIRCOM International

All rights reserved
ADVANTAGE, ASSET, CONNECT, DATASAFE, DIRECT ENTERPRISE, NEPTUNE,
ARRAYWIZARD, OPTIMA, OSSEXPERT, and WEBWIZARD are recognised
trademarks of AIRCOM International. Other product names are trademarks of their
respective companies.
Microsoft Excel , .NET, Microsoft Office, Outlook , Visual Basic Windows,
Windows XP, Windows Vista and Word are trademarks of the Microsoft
Corporation.
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 expressed or implied, about this documentation, its
quality or fitness for 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.
This User Reference Guide finalised on 16 May 2008.
Refer to the Online Help for more information.
This User Reference Guide prepared by:
AIRCOM International Ltd
Cassini Court
Randalls Research Park
Randalls Way
Leatherhead
Surrey
KT22 7TW
Telephone:
Support Hotline:
Fax:
Web:
+44 (0) 1932 442000

+44 (0) 1932 442345
+44 (0) 1932 442005
www.aircominternational.com
Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction
11
About This Manual
12
About the OPTIMA Operations and Maintenance Guide
12
Explanation of Symbols
12
Obtaining User Assistance
13
Who is This User Reference Guide For?

About the ENTERPRISE User Reference Guides
Can You Improve Our User Assistance?
Obtaining Support
Obtaining Further Information and Services
Chapter 2 Installing OPTIMA
14
14
15
16
17
19
About the Hardware and Software Requirements for OPTIMA
20
Installing OPTIMA
20
Installing OPTIMA as Part of ENTERPRISE

Installing OPTIMA Lite
Updating Data
About Maintenance and Security
20
20
21
21
Starting OPTIMA
22
Changing your OPTIMA Password
23
Chapter 3 About the OPTIMA User Interface
25
About the Main OPTIMA Toolbar
26
About the Favourites Toolbar
27
About the OPTIMA Menus
27
About the Counter Descriptions Window
29
Using Clocks in OPTIMA
30
Offsetting the System Clock
About Performance Alarms

About the Alarms Explorer
About the Alarms Handler Explorer
31
31
32
33
About the Data Explorer
34
About the Filter Explorer
34
Switching Between Open Windows
35
Defining User Preferences
36
Setting Confirmation Requests

Setting Grid Preferences
Setting Expression Editor Preferences
Setting Security
Setting Default Grid Options
Setting Default Graph Options
OPTIMA User Reference Guide
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Setting Trace File Options

Setting Administrator Options
39
40
Using the Find Dialog Box
44
Chapter 4 About OPTIMA Administrator Tools 47

About the Table Editor
48
Adding, Editing and Deleting Rows in Tables
49
About the Database Config Settings
50
About Database Links

About Regional Settings
50
52
About OPTIMA Security
52
Example of Using Groups and Users to Configure Security

Creating Groups
Editing and Deleting Groups
Using Groups to Assign Access
Creating Users
About OPTIMA User Roles
Editing and Deleting Users
Changing Passwords
Using Contacts in OPTIMA
53
54
55
56
57
58
58
59
59
Adding, Editing and Deleting Contacts in the Address Book

Adding a Contact Group to the Address Book
Editing and Deleting Contact Groups
About Table and Field Information Settings
61
61
62
63
Setting All Table and Field Information Settings Using the Settings Wizard
Setting Table Security
Setting the Granularity Period for a Single Table
Assigning a Category to a Table
Defining an Association for a Table
Adding a Comment to a Table
Applying Changes to Element and Date Columns
Setting Table Level
Adding a Comment to a Column
Finding a Counter in the Table and Field Info Dialog Box
Repopulating Data
About Categories
64
65
66
66
67
68
69
69
70
70
70
71
Creating and Editing Categories
71
About Table Periods
73
Creating and Editing Table Periods

Creating and Editing Entities
74
75
Excluding Particular Days from Reports
77
Editing and Deleting Holidays
77
Setting the Element ID Translation Option
78
Mapping Element IDs
78
Chapter 5 Setting Up and Querying Data in OPTIMA 79

Using the Data Explorer
80
Finding a Counter
Defining a Query
About KPIs
81
82
100
About OPTIMA Modules

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114
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Creating Folders for OPTIMA Modules

Viewing OPTIMA Modules
Creating OPTIMA Modules
Element Aggregation in Module Queries
Restricting Access to OPTIMA Modules
Restricting Editing of OPTIMA Modules
Editing and Deleting OPTIMA Modules
Opening an OPTIMA Module in a New Combination
Copying OPTIMA Modules
Importing and Exporting OPTIMA Modules
Using the Element Hierarchies Explorer

About the Element Hierarchies Explorer Toolbar
Creating Element Hierarchies in the Element Hierarchies Explorer
Setting Element Hierarchy Security
Finding Element Hierarchies
Copying Element Hierarchies in the Hierarchies Explorer
Viewing Element Hierarchies in the Element Hierarchies Explorer
Previewing Element Hierarchies in the Element Hierarchies Explorer
Chapter 6 Viewing Data in OPTIMA
115
116
117
119
126
127
127
128
128
129
131
132
132
135
135
136
136
137
139
About Combination Windows in OPTIMA

Creating Folders for OPTIMA Combination Windows
Viewing Pre-Defined Combination Windows
Creating Combination Windows
Displaying Element Data Across Modules
Saving Combination Windows as Templates
Restricting Access to Combination Windows
Restricting Editing of Combination Windows
Copying Combination Windows
Importing and Exporting Combination Windows
140
141
143
144
146
148
151
151
152
152
Adding and Editing Favourites in OPTIMA
154
Filtering Data in the Combination Window
155
Filtering Data by Selecting Network Elements

Setting a Date Range
Setting Parameter Values
Setting Time Aggregation
155
156
157
158
Finding Elements in the Modules Pane
158
Finding Elements Within One Module

Finding Elements Across Modules
158
159
Filtering Elements in the Modules Pane
159
Creating a Static Filter from a Selection

Creating a Static Filter From the Grid Pane
Applying Filters
Selecting Elements Quickly
160
161
162
163
Displaying Data in Graphs
164
Using the Filter Explorer
165
About the Filter Explorer Toolbar

Creating Static Filters in the Filter Explorer
Creating Dynamic Filters in the Filter Explorer
Converting a Dynamic Filter to a Static Filter
Setting Filter Security
Editing Filters in the Filter Explorer
Renaming Filters
Deleting Filters
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Finding Filters
Copying Filters in the Filter Explorer
Viewing Filters in the Filter Explorer
Chapter 7 Customising Grids in OPTIMA
172
172
173
175
About the Tools for Customising a Grid
176
Customising Columns in a Grid
177
Sorting Data Within Grid Columns

Fixing Grid Columns
Scrolling to a Grid Column
Changing the Grid Column Settings
Setting Thresholds and Conditional Fonts
Refreshing Data
177
178
179
179
180
181
Searching for Data in Grids
181
Filtering Data in OPTIMA Grids
182
Selecting a Single Value to Filter the Grid

Filtering One Column of the Grid
Filtering More Than One Column In The Grid
182
183
184
Summarising Data
185
Viewing Details of a Single Network Element in a Grid
187
Printing Grids
188
Exporting OPTIMA Grids
189
Counting Records in OPTIMA Grids
189
Viewing SQL in Grids
190
Chapter 8 Using Graphs 191

About the Options for Customising a Graph
192
Changing the Appearance of Graphs
193
Using the General Tab in the OPTIMA Graph Options Dialog Box
Changing the Appearance of Graph Axis
Changing the Thickness of Graph Lines
Using the Functions Tab in the OPTIMA Graph Options Dialog Box
Changing the Thickness of Bars on Bar Graphs
Displaying Thresholds on Graphs
Using Advanced Options
Using Chart Themes
About the Navigating Tools
199
Zooming and Scrolling on OPTIMA Graphs

Rotating a Graph
Viewing Values Using the Cursor Key
199
200
200
About the Appearance Tools
201
Viewing the Graph in 3D

Viewing Gaps in the Data
Displaying Data per Point on an OPTIMA Graph
Viewing Weekends and Holidays
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196
197
197
197
198
198
201
201
202
202
Changing the X-Axis Field
203
Ordering Graph Data
204

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Selecting and Extending Trends on a Graph
205
Viewing Details in a Graph
206
Printing OPTIMA Graphs
207
Exporting OPTIMA Graphs
208
Saving OPTIMA Graphs as Pictures
209
About the Series List
209
Ordering the List of Data for a Graph

About the 3D Options in the Series List Menu
Changing the Colours of the Graph Lines
Changing the Type of Graph
Changing the Axis Where Data Appears
Using the Series List Functions in Line Graphs
210
210
211
211
212
212
Chapter 9 Using OPTIMA Work Areas 215

About the Work Area Toolbar
216
Creating a New Work Area
216
Adding and Removing Combinations
217
Adding and Removing Web Browsers
218
Refreshing Data and Switching Tabs
219
Enabling Data Refreshing and Switching
220
Loading a Work Area
Chapter 10 Viewing Data on the Map
220
221
Displaying Performance Data on the Map
222
Changing the Display of Performance Data
223
Using the Clock to Display Performance Data
225
Displaying Cell-Handover KPIs on the Map
226
Chapter 11 Generating and Scheduling Reports
229
Download Learning ReportBuilder
230
About Using OPTIMA Reports
230
Creating Folders for Reports

Viewing Reports
Creating Reports Using Report Builder
Creating Excel Reports
Restricting Access to Reports
Restricting Editing of Reports
Editing and Deleting Reports
Copying Reports
Printing Reports
Importing and Exporting Report Definitions
Exporting Reports
Scheduling When Reports Run

Creating Folders for Schedules
Creating a Schedule for a Report
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273
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Editing and Deleting Schedules

Copying Schedules
Viewing and Deleting the History of a Schedule
277
277
278
Chapter 12 Using Performance Alarms 279

About Alarm Settings
280
Configuring Vendors
Configuring Technologies
Configuring Element Types
Configuring Problem Texts
Configuring Alarm Maintenance Parameters
280
281
281
282
283
Defining an Alarm
284
Defining an Alarm using the Alarms Wizard

Defining an Alarm using an Editor
Activating an Alarm
Editing and Deleting an Alarm
284
290
293
293
About Ripple Counts
294
Assigning Alarms to Contacts
295
Creating an Alarm Handler

Activating an Alarm Handler
Enabling Contacts to Receive Alerts
295
296
297
Viewing, Clearing and Resetting Alarms
298
Viewing and Clearing Alarm Definitions
300
Viewing and Clearing Alarms History
301
Viewing Alarms Run History
302
Customising Alarm Information
303
Sorting Alarm Information by Column
303
About the Alarms Backend Applications
304
Troubleshooting
304
Glossary of Terms 307

Index
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311

Version 6.1
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
OPTIMA is a network performance management and monitoring software tool 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 for 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
About the OPTIMA Operations and
Maintenance Guide

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12
12
13
Page 11
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
Administrator-only information about configuring OPTIMA and installing OPTIMA Lite.
Information on using the OPTIMA interface.
Administrator-only information about using Administrator tools.
5 - 11
User information about setting up and view data and using reports.
12
Administrator-only information about using performance alarms.
About the OPTIMA Operations and Maintenance Guide

The OPTIMA Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Guide is an accompaniment to the
OPTIMA User Reference Guide. It contains the operation and maintenance
procedures for the OPTIMA Data Loading processes and describes how to install and
configure the OPTIMA backend applications.
Please contact AIRCOM International Support to obtain the latest version of the O&M
Guide. For contact details, see Obtaining AIRCOM Support on page 16.
Throughout this guide, where appropriate, some symbols are used to highlight
particular pieces of text. Three different symbols are in use, and are explained as
follows:
Symbol
Page 12
Brief Description
Full Description
Note
Signifies text that should be noted or carefully considered.
Tip
Signifies text that may help you do something in an easier or

quicker way.
Warning or Important
Signifies text that is intended as a warning or something

important.

Version 6.1

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
using the Index tab or Search tab, type in a letter or word to start searching for
relevant topics.
Press F1 in a dialog box to view context-sensitive help (available for most dialog
boxes).
If you are using ENTERPRISE within a CITRIX environment, to ensure that the
Help graphics are displayed, you should ensure that your visualisation settings are
configured to display greater than 256 colours.
Using ENTERPRISE User Reference Guides
If you prefer to read printed content, we also provide User Reference Guides. To view
or print these as PDFs (Adobe Acrobat portable document format):
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.
Adobe and Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe Systems, Incorporated.
Click Start on the taskbar, point to Programs, then AIRCOM International, then
ENTERPRISE, then Docs.
- or Navigate to the Docs folder in the location where you installed the product.
If neither of these exists, please contact your administrator.
Double-click the PDF file that you want to view.
If you have a customer web account, you can also download the latest User
Reference Guides from our website.

Version 6.1
Page 13
Checking Release Notes

Each release of the ENTERPRISE software is accompanied by Release Notes, giving
important information on system requirements, installation, known issues, upgrades
and so on. These notes are included in the ENTERPRISE CD, or you can download
them from our website.
For any further documentation, such as application notes and extra reference
information, please email the support team at the address described in Obtaining
Support on page 16.
Who is This User Reference Guide For?

The ENTERPRISE User Reference Guides are intended for different audiences,
depending on the particular product. Typical prerequisites include a good
understanding of the following:
The appropriate telecoms technologies and the associated network planning
methods (for planning software)
Relational database management, and in particular Oracle database creation and
administration procedures (for administrative software)
The various parameters utilised for monitoring and optimising networks (for OSS
software)
Irrespective of the particular product, the following basic knowledge is required:
Microsoft Windows concepts
The functions of the Microsoft Office suite of tools, in particular Excel
About the ENTERPRISE User Reference Guides

This table describes our range of User Reference Guides:
This Guide
Contains Information On
What's New
The main difference between the latest versions of the ENTERPRISE

suite.
ENTERPRISE Installation and Administration
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.
Page 14
ENTERPRISE Database Reference
The relationships between tables in the database and the contents of each
table.
ENTERPRISE User Reference
Functionality that is common to most of the products in the ENTERPRISE

suite, including how to access, view, edit and store data.
ENTERPRISE Technical Reference
File formats, as well as antenna and diffraction calculations.
ADVANTAGE User Reference
Using ADVANTAGE to plan and optimise networks automatically, consider

measured data in analysis/optimisation, analyse network performance,
identify problematic areas/cells, 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 ASSET.

Version 6.1
This Guide
Contains Information On
ASSET User Reference
Using ASSET, the network planning and analysis tool, to design a range of
cellular networks.
Includes information on hierarchical network planning, propagation
modelling, service and bearer definition, coverage analysis, traffic planning,
neighbour planning, frequency planning, CW data analysis, detailed
reporting, analysis arrays and simulation of network performance.
ASSET Technical Reference
Array descriptions and information on some of the algorithms used in

ASSET.
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.
OSSEXPERT User Reference
Using OSSEXPERT to manage optimisation tasks in wireless networks.
RANOPT User Reference
Using RANOPT to efficiently find faults in your network, optimise and

validate its performance prior to commercial launch.
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.
Can You Improve Our User Assistance?

We are always trying to improve the online Help and User Reference Guides.
If you cannot find the Help you were looking for, need more information, or have any
suggestions for improvements, we would be grateful for your feedback.
Also, if you are generally satisfied with these resources, we would appreciate any
positive feedback.
Online Questionnaire
You can help us by completing our brief online questionnaire
(http://tinyurl.com/y47rqn).
Alternatively, you can contact us directly at docs@aircominternational.com.

Version 6.1
Page 15
Obtaining Support
If you have a difficulty you cannot resolve yourself using the online Help or
Reference Guides, or you have found a possible fault in the software, you can log a
support request as described below. You may also wish to contact us if you want to:
Register for a customer web account to access the Support area
Obtain further documentation, such as application notes and extra reference
information
Logging Support Requests Online
To log a support request online:
1
Go to the AIRCOM website, at www.aircominternational.com.
Click the link to Support.
Log in, using your customer web account username and password.
In the Technical Support pane, click Online Helpdesk System.
Click Log New.
Enter the details of your request, and then click Log.
Contacting us via Telephone or Email

If you wish to contact us directly, here are the contact details of our regional offices:
Location
Regional Office
Contact Details
Europe
United Kingdom
Tel : +44 (0) 01932 442345

Fax :+44 (0) 01932 442005
support@aircominternational.com
Middle East, Africa and Central Asia
Sweden
support@aircominternational.se
France
support@aircominternational.fr
Italy
support@aircominternational.it
Germany
support@aircominternational.de
Belgium
support@aircominternational.be
United Arab Emirates
Tel : +971 4 391 2642

Fax :+971 4 391 8660
support@aircominternational.ae
South Africa
Tel : +27 11 3243600

Fax : +27 11 7848027
support@aircominternational.com
Americas
Mexico
support@aircominternational.com.mx
USA
Tel : +1 866 207 8083

Fax : +1 214 360 7241
support@aircominternational.us
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Version 6.1
Location
Regional Office
Contact Details
Brazil
Tel : +55 12 3941-2199

Fax : +55 12 3911-3727
support@aircominternational.com.br
Asia and Oceania
Australia
support@aircominternational.com.au
Singapore
support@aircominternational.sg
China
support@aircominternational.cn
Taiwan
support@aircominternational.com.tw
India
support@aircominternational.in
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
Obtaining Further Information and Services

As well as comprehensive online Help and User Reference Guides and dedicated
Product Support, AIRCOM additionally provides:
Online Knowledgebase of Articles
If you register for a customer web account, you can view our searchable technical
database in the Product Support section of the AIRCOM website. This
Knowledgebase 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.
Online Technical Forum
You can obtain useful information from our online problem-solving technical forum.
The URL address is: http://www2.aircom.co.uk/techforum
If you would like permission to access to this resource, please email the support team
at the address described in Obtaining Support on page 16.
Power Tools
If you register for a customer web account, you can download from a selection of
useful power tools, such as file conversion utilities.

Version 6.1
Page 17
Latest Copies of the User Reference Guides

If you register for a customer web account, you can download the latest User
Reference Guides (PDFs) from our website. If you do this, please check the back of the
reference guides for any additions or corrections.
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.
Training
There is a wide variety of courses run by AIRCOM. These courses range from tool
training to technology training. For details, contact Competence Development
Solutions (training@aircominternational.com).
Page 18

Version 6.1
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

Version 6.1
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20
22
23
Page 19
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 Product Support, who can be contacted on one of the numbers shown in
Obtaining AIRCOM Support on page 16.
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
OPTIMA Lite does not contain the Map View window or the ENTERPRISE
database and filters.
Page 20

Version 6.1
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.
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.
Select the project you require then click the Info>> button.
Scroll to the OPTIMA Login tab:
On this Login tab:
Select the appropriate database in the DataSource box.

An Oracle connection name is specified here, not ODBC.
Type your UserId and Password then click OK.
Once you have logged in, you can change your password. For more
information, see Changing your OPTIMA Password on page 23.
5
Page 22
In the Start Project dialog box, click Start.

Version 6.1
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.
Once you have logged in, you can change your password. For more

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.
Type your old password, new password and confirm your new password.
Click OK.
Next time you login to the OPTIMA database, you must use your new password.

Version 6.1
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Version 6.1
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
Search for objects such as modules and reports
In This Section

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29
30
31
34
34
35
36
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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:
Page 26
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 222.
Data Explorer
Open the Data Explorer. For more information, see About the Data Explorer on page
34.
Filter Explorer
Open the Filter Explorer. For more information, see Using the Filter Explorer on page
165.
Element Hierarchies Explorer
Open the Element Hierarchies Explorer. For more information, see Using the Element
Hierarchies Explorer on page 131.
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 About OPTIMA Modules on
page 114.
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 140.
New Combination
Create a new OPTIMA window for viewing data. For more information, see Creating
Combination Windows on page 144.
New Work Area
Access a New Work Area. For more information, see Creating a New Work Area on
page 216.
Report Explorer
Access the Report Explorer. For more information, see About Using OPTIMA Reports
on page 230.
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 273.
KPI Manager
Access the KPI Manager. For more information, see About KPIs on page 100.

Version 6.1
Click:
To:
Counter Legend
Access the Counter Legend. For more information, see About the Counter Descriptions
Window on page 29.
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 30.
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 154.

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

Equipment menus
Access features available if you are using OPTIMA with ENTERPRISE. For further information
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.
KPI menu
Access the KPI Manager.

Access the Global KPI.

Version 6.1
Page 27
From the:
You can:
Favourites menu
Edit Favourites.
Load Favourites.
Save Favourites.
Performance Alarms
Access the Alarms Handler and Explorer.
Administrator menu
Access Counter information.

Access miscellaneous information such as holiday entry and element ID translation.
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.
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 Element Hierarchies 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.
Page 28

Version 6.1

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

Version 6.1
Page 29

When running OPTIMA, it is common practice to have it connected to the System
Clock to show todays 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 Tools menu, click Clock.

or
Click the Clock button
In the dialog box that appears, ensure that the Set to System Clock checkbox is not
selected.
To change the year, click on the year at the top of the calendar and type the year
that you want.
Use the arrows to scroll to the correct month then click a date on the calendar.
Click the hour and change the time as required, then repeat for minutes and
seconds:
Providing there is data for that date, you can display the data in different ways:
Page 30
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 221.
To review data collected over the same period, ensure that in each
combination window, in the Date Range pane, the Link to Global Clock
checkbox is selected.
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 checkbox.

Version 6.1
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

or
Click the Clock button
In the Global Clock's Offset pane, select the Enable checkbox.
Select an offset period using the arrow keys and drop-down menu.
Close the Global Clock.

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.

Version 6.1
Page 31
About the Alarms Explorer

To open the Alarms Explorer:
From the Performance Alarms menu, select Alarms.
This picture shows an example of the Alarms Explorer:
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:
Alarms Explorer toolbar
Page 32

Version 6.1
About the Alarms Handler Explorer

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

Version 6.1
Page 33

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 117.
To open the Data Explorer:
From the Tools menu, click Data Explorer.
- or Click the Data Explorer button

In the Filter Explorer, you can create, edit and delete personal, group, administrator
and ENTERPRISE filters.
To open the Filter Explorer, either:
From the Tools menu, click Filters.
- or Click the Filters button
The Filter Explorer opens , this picture shows an example:
Filter Explorer
For more information about the Filter Explorer, see Using the Filter Explorer on page
165.
Page 34

Version 6.1

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:
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, click Show Window List.
In the Window List, select the window you want to use and click Switch.

Version 6.1
Page 35

There are a number of user preferences that you can define using the User Preferences
dialog box, including setting your confirmation requests and grid preferences. These
options, once defined, are stored in the OPTIMA database and will be available each
time you use OPTIMA or OPTIMA Lite.
User preferences are stored per username. When you exit OPTIMA, your user
preferences are saved to the OPTIMA database. If another user with the same
username as you then logs in, they will have your user preferences.
To open the User Preferences dialog box:
From the Tools menu, click User Preferences.
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
On the Confirmations, select the required actions.
Click OK.
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
On the Grid Settings tab, type the number of:
Page 36
Records after which tools will be disabled.
Values available when filtering columns.
Columns to load in the Data Explorer. You can override this option when you
are using the Data Explorer.
Click OK.

Version 6.1
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
On the Expression Editor tab, select how you want the function to appear.
Click OK.
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.
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
On the Security tab, select the Default Group for New Objects checkbox.
Select a group from the drop-down list.
Click OK.
You can also assign owning groups at the individual object level, for example, for
a specific report.
Setting Default Grid Options

You can set grid options to use as your default settings for all of the grids in OPTIMA.
For more information about grids, see Customising Grids in OPTIMA on page 175.
To set default grid options:
1
On the User Defaults tab, on the Grid Options sub-tab, complete the following
information:
In this field:
Do this:
Highlight Row
Select this checkbox if you want the Row Highlight option to be set by default. For
more information, see Viewing Details of a Single Network Element in a Grid on page
187.
Autofit All Columns
Select this checkbox if you want to autofit the columns of grids by default.
Show Toolbar
Select this checkbox if you want the grid toolbar to be available by default. For more
information, see About the Tools for Customising a Grid on page 176.
Change Default Grid Font Click this button to open the Font dialog box. In the Font dialog box, select how you
want the text to appear and then click OK to save your changes.

Version 6.1
Page 37
This picture shows an example:
When you have finished, click OK to save your default settings and exit the User
Preferences dialog box.
Setting Default Graph Options

You can set graph options to use as your default settings for all graphs in OPTIMA.
For more information about graphs, see Using Graphs on page 191.
To set default graph options:
Page 38
On the User Defaults tab, click the Graph Options sub-tab. This picture shows an
example:

Version 6.1
On the General sub-tab, set the following options:

Use this option:
To:
3D View
View graphs in 3D.
Show Gaps
Show gaps in graph data.
Show Points
Show data value points.
Show Toolbar
Show the graph toolbar.
Auto Marks
Set the auto marks.
Show Weekends
Show weekend data points.
Show Holidays
Show holiday data points
Weekend Colour
Change the weekend colour. To do this, click the Change button and then, in the Colour
dialog box that appears, click on the colour you want to use and click OK.
Holiday Colour
Change the holiday colour. To do this, click the Change button and then, in the Colour
Background Colour
Change the background colour. To do this, click the Change button and then, in the Colour
For more information about these options, see About the Tools for Customising a
Graph on page 192 and Changing the Appearance of Graphs on page 193.
4
On the Legend sub-tab:
Select the Show Legend checkbox if you want a legend key to be displayed
with all graphs.
Set the alignment of the legend key, in the Legend Alignment pane, by clicking
the required option such as Left, Right, Top or Bottom.
When you have finished, click OK to save your default settings and exit the User
Preferences dialog box.
Setting Trace File Options

dipti.swaroop
godisgr8The OPTIMA trace file maintains a record of the SQL that
is executed while you are logged in to OPTIMA. The following shows an example
trace file entry:
Timestamp: 27/01/2006 09:39:41
Select USER_NAME from SECURITY_USER where USER_NAME =
:USER_NAME
:USER_NAME = OPTIMA_ADMINISTRATOR
Each time you logout and login again to OPTIMA, the existing trace file is
overwritten.
The trace file can become very large if you are logged in to OPTIMA for a long
period of time.

Version 6.1
Page 39
To set trace file options:

1
On the Directory tab, complete the following information:
In this field
Do this
Trace File Directory
Browse to the folder in which you want the trace file to be stored.
Create Trace File
Select this checkbox if you want OPTIMA to create a trace file.
Click OK.
Setting Administrator Options

You can set the following administrator options:
General Options
OPTIMA Email Client Settings
These options are available only for the administrator. The administrator can save
these settings globally so that they are not specific to a particular user.
Setting General Administrator Options

The general options enable you to set your preferences for:
Showing the cancel dialog boxes
Setting the maximum tree size for a module hierarchy
Prompting the users to save combination templates when closing a combination
To set general administrator options:
1
On the Administrator tab, click the General Options sub tab.

This picture shows an example of the General Options sub tab:
Page 40

Version 6.1
Select the Cancel Query Enable checkbox to show the Cancel dialog boxes while
executing a query.
This picture shows an example of the Cancel dialog box that appears when you
execute queries throughout OPTIMA:
The selection of this option is always recommended.

4
The Maximum Size text box sets the maximum number of nodes a module can
display. If this number is exceeded, then the module tree will not load within a
combination. This property is added to save memory consumption, setting this to
a very high number will allow users to create very large modules and therefore
may require a high amount of memory to run.
If the number of nodes for a module is greater than the Maximum Size value,
then an error message saying that the row count is exceeded is displayed in the
Module Combination window as shown here:
Recommended value is 100,000.

5
Select the Combination Templates Enable checkbox to receive the prompt to

update the combination templates when closing the combination.

Version 6.1
Page 41
Setting Email Client Options

This tab allows you to set OPTIMA client settings. When you set this option, the client
overrides your system's default mail client to use the OPTIMA email client settings
when emailing reports.
The OPTIMA Email Client Settings check will not run if the virus check on your
system is blocking emails. Ensure that you turn off the virus check before you set the
email client options.
To set the email client options:
Page 42
Select the Use Optima Client checkbox.
In the SMTP Server text box, type the name of the SMTP server.
In the Port Number text box, type the port number.
Optionally, select the Use Authentication checkbox.
In the SMTP User Name text box, type the name of the SMTP user.
In the Password text box, type the password.
In the Report "From" address field text box, type the name of the user from
whose email id the email will be sent.
Click Test Connection to test the connection.
Click OK to save these settings.

Version 6.1
After you have set these options, the following email client is displayed when you
export a report to email:
Tips:
You can click To or CC to open the OPTIMA Address Book to retrieve the email
addresses.
Once you have set your email address, click Test Connection to check your
connection. When this succeeds, click Send to export the report via email.

Version 6.1
Page 43

You can use the Find dialog box to search for items, such as modules or reports, in the
following explorers:
Module Explorer
Report Explorer
Schedule Explorer
Alarms Explorer
To search for an item in an explorer:
1
From the View menu, click Find.

- or Right-click a folder in the tree, and from the menu that appears, click Find.
The Find dialog box appears.
Type the name (or part of the name) of the item you wish to find in the Name
field.
If you want to search for whole words or a full name only, select the Find Whole
Words Only or Find Full Name Only checkbox as appropriate.
If you are searching for a name, you cannot use the Find Whole Words Only
option.
If you have chosen the Find option from the context menu, OPTIMA will search
the currently selected folder. However, you can modify this search if required:
To include the subfolders of the currently selected folder, select the Include
Subfolders checkbox
- or -
To search all folders, ensure that the Search Folder checkbox is not selected
If you have chosen the Find option from the View menu, OPTIMA will
automatically search all folders.
4
Click Search.
All items that match the search criteria are displayed in the lower pane.
If you type * in the Find dialog box, then all the items are displayed in the
lower pane.
Page 44

Version 6.1
You can view an item in the list by double-clicking the item's name, and/or
navigate the Explorer to a folder in the list by double-clicking the folder.
You can also type *

Version 6.1
Page 45
Page 46

Version 6.1
CHAPTER 4
About OPTIMA
Administrator Tools
This section describes the tools that are available to OPTIMA Administrators.
You can only use the OPTIMA Administrator menu if you log in to OPTIMA or
OPTIMA Lite, with OPTIMA_Administrator permissions.
In This Section
About Categories
About Table Periods

Version 6.1
48
50
52
59
63
71
73
77
78
Page 47

OPTIMA Administrators can use the Table Editor to edit the data in any table which
has been added to the AIRCOM.EDITABLE_TABLES table.
You add tables to the AIRCOM.EDITABLE_TABLES table via the OPTIMA database. If
the AIRCOM.EDITABLE_TABLES table is empty, a message box is displayed when the
Table Editor is opened.
To open the Table Editor dialog box:
From the Administrator menu, point to Editors and click Table Editor. The Table
Editor dialog box appears. This picture shows an example:
You can use the options in the Search / Filter pane of the Table Editor dialog box
to search for specific table rows and to filter table data.
The permissions (insert, update, and/or delete) that you have for any selected
table are displayed in red text at the bottom of the Table Editor dialog box. If you do
not have a certain permission, then the relevant button is disabled.
Page 48

Version 6.1
Adding, Editing and Deleting Rows in Tables

Adding a Row
To add a row to a table:
1
From the Administrator menu, point to Editors and click Table Editor. The Table
Editor dialog box appears.
In the Table Editor dialog box, select the table you want to edit from the Table
drop-down list.
Table data is returned a few rows at a time. You can return all of the rows by
scrolling to the end of data but this can take a few seconds for large tables.
Click the Insert Record button
Type the required information on the new row marked with an asterisk.
Click Apply to save your changes.
Click OK to close the Table Editor dialog box.
Editing a Row
To edit a row in a table:
1
drop-down list.
Click the Edit Record button
Highlight the row and type the required changes.
Deleting a Row
To delete a row from a table:
1
drop-down list.
Click the Delete Record button
Click OK to confirm the deletion.

Version 6.1
Page 49

The Database Config Settings include the following:
Database Links
Regional Settings
About Database Links

OPTIMA enables you to create a Database Link. A Database Link is the way in which
Oracle allows you to connect from one database to another.
To create a Database Link:
1
Page 50
From the Administrator menu, point to Database Config and click Database Links.
This dialog box appears:

Version 6.1
Click
. The Create Database Link window appears:
In the Create Database Link window, specify the following details:
In the Link Name text box, type the name of the link.
In the Database to connect to text box, type the name of the database with
which you want to create a link.
You can get the name of the database that you want to link to from the
tnsnames.ora file on your computer.
In the User name and Password for connection text boxes, provide the user
name and password that you have set for that database.
Click OK. The new link will appear in the Database Links dialog box.
Once you have created a Database Link, you can use it in the SQL tab in the Data
Explorer to get data from another database in the following way:
Suppose, you have created a database link OPT_521 as shown in the above picture.
Now in the SQL tab of the Data Explorer, type the following SQL statement:
Select * from CellStats@OPT_521
where:
CELLSTATS is the name of the table in the OPT_DEV_521 database
OPT_521 is the name of the database link
It is important to write the SQL query in the following syntax:
Select * from TableName@DatabaseLinkName
Now, when you click
, the information will be retrieved from the OPT_DEV_521
database and displayed.

Version 6.1
Page 51
About Regional Settings

The Regional Settings dialog box enables you to change the country settings for
OPTIMA.
To do so:
1
From the Administrator menu, point to Database Config and click Regional
Settings. The Regional Settings dialog box appears:
From the drop-down list, select the country where you are currently.
Click OK to save your changes.

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 readonly 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
OPTIMA_Administrators have write-access to all features and objects in
OPTIMA.
Page 52

Version 6.1
Example of Using Groups and Users to Configure Security

First, you create these groups:
North_Team
South_Team
OPTIMA Groups dialog box
Then you create these users:

User
Member Of
Role
John
North_Team
Everyone
OPTIMA_Advanced_User
Pierre
North_Team
Everyone
OPTIMA_User
Emma
South_Team
Everyone
You can then use these groups to limit access to the folders in the Schedule Explorer,
as shown below:

Version 6.1
Page 53
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.
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.
In the dialog box that appears, click New Group.
In the New OPTIMA Group dialog box, type a name and description for the
group.
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.
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 57.
Select the users you want to add to this group and use the > button to move them
to the Destination List.
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.
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.
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 56.
Page 54

Version 6.1
Editing and Deleting Groups

To add users to and remove users from a group:
1

The OPTIMA Groups dialog box appears.
Select the group and click the Edit Group button.
To add a user:
Click Add Users.
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.
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.
When you have finished adding users to the Destination List, click OK.
To remove a user: select the user and click the Remove User button.
Click Close to save the changes.
To delete a group:
1

The OPTIMA Groups dialog box displays.
Select the group and click the Delete Group button.
Click Yes to confirm.
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.
To select a new owning group for the objects:
Select a group from the Group list and click the right arrow button.
-or -
Double-click a group in the Group list.

If you click Cancel, the group will not be deleted.
Click OK.
Click Close.

Version 6.1
Page 55
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
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 54.
To assign a group to an object:
1
Open the appropriate explorer window from the menu or toolbar.
Browse to the folder to which you wish to assign access and right-click the folder
name. From the menu that appears, click Properties.
In the dialog box that appears, click the Security tab and then click Add.
A list of available groups appears.
Select the group(s) you want to have access to this folder and use the > button to
move them to the Destination List.
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.
Click OK.
Select how you want the group permission to be applied:
Page 56
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.
Click OK to apply the group permissions to the folder.

Version 6.1
Creating Users
To create a user:
1
From the Administrator menu, point to Security and click Users.
In the dialog box that appears, click New User.
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.
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 58.
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.
On the Group Membership tab, click Add.
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.
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.

Version 6.1
Page 57
If you want to assign contact information to the user:
Click Assign Contact Info.
Select the contact name and click Assign Contact.
In the dialog box that appears, click OK
Click Close to return to the OPTIMA Users dialog box.

For more information about contacts, see Using Contacts in OPTIMA on page
59.
Click Close to add the new user.
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 52.
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
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

The OPTIMA Users dialog box appears.
Select the user and click Edit User.

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

The OPTIMA Users dialog box appears.
Select the user and click Delete User.

The user is deleted.
Page 58

Version 6.1
Changing Passwords
When a user logs into OPTIMA, they can choose to change their password. For more
If a user forgets their password, and therefore cannot access OPTIMA, you can assign
a new password to that user.
To do this:
1

The OPTIMA Users dialog box displays.
Select the user and click Edit User.
Type and then verify the password.
Click OK to save the changes.

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 the Schedule Editor to determine who reports are emailed to. For more
information about scheduling reports, see Scheduling When Reports Run on page
273.
Selected in an alarm handler to determine who receives alerts when an alarm is
raised. For more information about alarms, see Using Performance Alarms on
page 279.

Version 6.1
Page 59
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. This
picture shows an example:
Address Book
In the Address Book, you can:

Search the list of contacts by selecting a column from the Search Column dropdown list and then typing the text you are looking for into the Search Text field.
As you type text into the Search Text field, non-matching contacts are removed. To
clear the search text and restore the list of contacts, click the Show All Contacts
button.
You can use wildcards to represent characters in your search text. There are
two wildcards you can use:
Asterisk (*) - to represent zero or more characters. For example, if you type
'BSC*', you will find all the elements that begin BSC.
Question mark (?) to represent a single character. For example, if you type
'BSC?', you will find all the four-character elements that begin BSC, such as
BSC1 or BSC2.
Filter the list of contact by selecting All Groups or All Users from the Contacts
Type drop-down list.
Sort the list of contacts by clicking on any of the column headings.
Page 60

Version 6.1
Adding, Editing and Deleting Contacts in the Address Book

To add a contact to the Address Book:
1
In the Address Book, click the Add User button
Type the details for the user in the appropriate boxes.
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.
To delete a contact:
1
Highlight the user and click the Delete button
In the Confirm dialog box that appears, click Yes to delete the user.
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:
Report when a scheduled report is emailed. For more information about
scheduling reports, see Scheduling When Reports Run on page 273.
Alert when an alarm is set or cleared. For more information about alarms, see
Using Performance Alarms on page 279.
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.
In the Address Book, click the Add Group button
Type a name for the group.
If you want to send alarms to a group email address or phone number, type the
email address and phone number.
Add a note if necessary.
Select the Active checkbox if you want this contact group to be able to receive
alerts when an alarm is set or cleared.
Click Modify Members.

Version 6.1
Page 61
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.
To change the properties of a user, click Properties and in the dialog box that
appears make the changes required.
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.
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.
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.
Click Modify Members to add and remove users.
To delete a contact group:
Page 62
Highlight the group and click the Delete button
In the Confirm dialog box that appears, click Yes to delete the contact group.

Version 6.1

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
Set the table 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 box:
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.

Version 6.1
Page 63
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
Info.
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 Right-click the schema, category or table you selected and then, from the menu
that appears, click Change Settings.
On the first page of the Settings Wizard, select the tables you want to use and then
click Next.
If you want to select more than one table, hold down the Shift key and click the
tables you want to select.
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.
Page 64

Version 6.1
On the Table Permission page, select:
The group you want to apply permissions to
Whether the permissions are to be reset, updated or removed
For more information about table permissions, see Setting Table Security on page
65.
6
Click Next.
On the Table Info Settings page, select:
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 66.
The category to be applied to all selected tables. For more information about
categories, see Assigning a Category to a Table on page 66.
Click Next.
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.
You must create groups before you can assign them. For more information, see
Creating Groups on page 54.
To set security for a table:
1
Info.
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.
You cannot apply permissions to internal tables. If your select an internal table,
the Modify Groups button will be disabled.
Select the group(s) you want to have access to this table and use the > button to
move them to the Destination List.
Click OK.
Click Apply to apply the group permissions to the table.

Version 6.1
Page 65
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
Info.
In the tree view of the Table and Field Info dialog box, select the table you want to
set the granularity period for.
Click the Table Info tab.
Click the Apply Table Granularity checkbox and in the Period column, use the up
and down arrows to select the number of periods.
Select a period type from the drop-down menu.
If you want to assign a table period, select the table period you require from the
drop-down list.
If you want to create a new table period, you can open the Table Properties
dialog box by clicking the button
Editing Table Periods on page 74.
Click Apply.
. For more information, see Creating and
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 70.
However, you can also manually assign a category to a table. To do this:
Page 66
Info.
set the category for.
Click the Apply Table Category checkbox and select a category from the dropdown list.

Version 6.1
If you want to create a new category, you can open the Table Properties dialog
box by clicking the button
Categories on page 71.
5
Click Apply.
. For more information, see Creating and Editing
For more information on categories, see About Categories on page 71.
Defining an Association for a Table

You can define associations for a single table. Associated tables are used for:
Synchronising table KPIs. For more information, see Synchronising Tables.
Time aggregation. For more information, see Enabling Time Aggregation for a
Query on page 94.
To define an association for a table:
1
Info.
assign an associated table to.

This picture shows an example of the Table Info tab:

Version 6.1
Page 67
In the Associated Tables pane, click the Modify List button.
In the Table Selection dialog box that appears, select a schema from the Schema
drop-down list.
Select the associated table(s) you want to assign to the table and use the > button
to move them to the Destination List.
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.
To add associated tables from more than one schema, repeat steps 5 and 6.
Click OK.
If you want to assign a table period for an associated table, click in the table's row
and select the table period you require from the drop-down list. This picture
shows an example:
10 Click Yes to confirm.
Adding a Comment to a Table

To add a comment to a table:
Page 68
Info.
add a comment to.
Click the Apply Table Comment checkbox and type a comment.
Click Apply.

Version 6.1
Applying Changes to Element and Date Columns

To set the element and date columns at the table level:
1
Info.
add a comment to.
Click the Apply Changes to Element and Date Columns checkbox.
From the Element Column drop-down list, select the element level for the selected
table.
This will be used as the element level for that table throughout OPTIMA.
From the Date Column drop-down list, select the date level for the selected table.
This will be used as the date level for that table throughout OPTIMA.
Click Apply.
Setting Table Level

To set the table level:
1
Info.
add a comment to.
Select the Apply Table Level checkbox.
From the Table Level drop-down list, select the level of the selected table.
Click Apply.

Version 6.1
Page 69
Adding a Comment to a Column

To add a comment to a column in a table:
1
Info.
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.
Click the Column tab.
Find the relevant column in the list and click its Comments cell.
Type the comment you want to add and click Apply.
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 81.
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
Info.
The Table and Field Info dialog box appears.
From the View menu, click Regenerate Table Info.
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.
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.
Click the Regenerate button.
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:
Page 70
Category
Convention
KPI
Tables beginning with V.
Summary
Tables beginning with XX.
Configuration
Hard-coded configuration tables.

Version 6.1
Category
Convention
Counters
All other tables.
For more information about categories, see About Categories on page 71.
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 70.
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.
Creating and Editing Categories

Creating a Category
To create a category:
1
From the Administrator menu, point to Data Dictionary and then click Table
Properties.
The Table Properties dialog box appears.
On the Table Categories tab, click Add.
In the Add Category dialog box, type a name and description for the category.
Click OK.
In the Table Properties dialog box, click Close.

Version 6.1
Page 71
Editing a Category
To edit a user-defined category:
1
In the Table Properties dialog box, on the Table Categories tab, highlight the
category you want to edit.
You cannot edit OPTIMA's default categories.
Click Edit, and edit the name and description as required.
Click OK.
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 Properties dialog box, on the Table Categories tab, highlight the
category you want to delete.
You cannot delete OPTIMA's default categories.
Page 72
Click Remove.

Version 6.1
About Table Periods

All the tables in OPTIMA's database must be assigned a table period. For information
about assigning time periods, see Setting the Granularity Period for a Single Table on
page 66.
Table periods are used when running data queries with time aggregation. If a table
does not have a period assigned to it, then it cannot be used for time aggregation. For
more information about time aggregation, see Enabling Time Aggregation for a Query
on page 94.
OPTIMA comes pre-configured with several default table periods, for example,
Hourly and Daily, and also a Not Applicable period for tables such as configuration
tables that do not contain time-related data.
OPTIMA Administrators can use the Table Properties dialog box to add, edit and
remove table periods. For more information, see Creating and Editing Table Periods
on page 74.
OPTIMA Administrators can use the Table Properties dialog box to add, edit and
remove entities. For more information, see Creating and Editing Entities.
To open the Table Properties dialog box:
1
From the Administrator menu, point to Data Dictionary and click Table
Properties.
Click the Table Periods tab. This picture shows an example:

Version 6.1
Page 73
Creating and Editing Table Periods

If you are an OPTIMA_Administrator, you can create user-defined table periods and
then assign those periods to database tables. For more information, see Setting the
Granularity Period for a Single Table on page 66.
Creating a Table Period
To create a table period:
1
Properties.
On the Table Periods tab, click Add.
In the Add Table Period dialog box, type a name and description for the table
period.
Click OK.
Editing a Table Period

To edit a user-defined table period:
1
In the Table Properties dialog box, on the Table Periods tab, highlight the table
period you want to edit.
Click Edit, and edit the name and description as required.
Click OK.
Deleting a Table Period

To delete a user-defined table period:
Page 74
In the Table Properties dialog box, on the Table Periods tab, highlight the table
period you want to delete.
Click Remove.

Version 6.1
Creating and Editing Entities

The Entity Map tab of the Table Properties dialog box lists all the element types and
their properties.
The following table describes the entity properties:
Property
Description
Entity Name
Name of the entity
Display Name
Display Name of the entity
Comment
Information about the entity
Physical
Indicates whether it is a physical or logical entity.

1: Logical
0: Physical
Priority
Priority of the entity in the network
Custom_K
Indicates if it is an AIRCOM created entity which cannot be edited or deleted

1: AIRCOM
0: User
To create an entity:
1
Properties.
Click the Entity Map tab.
Click Add.
The Edit Entity dialog box appears.
In the Entity Name text box, type the name of the entity.
In the Display Name text box, type the display name for the entity.
Select the Entity Type as logical or physical.
In the Comment text box, type a comment for the entity.

When you add details of this new entity, it will appear in the Current Network
Priority pane.
In the Current Network Priority pane, drag and drop the new entity at the level at
which you want it to be used in the network.
Click Save.
This new entity is now visible in the list of entities and it located at the same level
at which you placed it in the Current Network Priority pane.

Version 6.1
Page 75
To edit an entity:
1
Properties.
Select the entity that you want to edit and click Edit.
In the dialog box that appears, make changes to the entity.
Click Save.
You cannot edit or delete the entities which are shown in Red. The entities which
are shown in Red are the ones created by AIRCOM.
To delete an entity:
1
Properties.
Page 76
Select the entity that you want to delete and click Remove.
Click Yes to complete the deletion. The entity is deleted.

Version 6.1

OPTIMA enables you to exclude 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 Editors and click Holiday Entry.
In the dialog box that appears, select the date you wish to make a holiday.
Select the Holiday checkbox.
Type a description in the Holiday Description window then click Apply.
Click Yes if you want this holiday date to reoccur every year.
Click OK to close the dialog box.
Editing and Deleting Holidays

To edit a holiday:
1
From the Administrator menu, point to Editors and click Holiday Entry.
In the Holiday Entry dialog box, select the date.
Amend the information.
Click Apply.
Click OK to close the Holiday Entry dialog box and save the changes.

Version 6.1
Page 77
To delete a holiday:
1
In the Holiday Entry dialog box, select the date.
Deselect the Holiday box.
Click Apply and then click Yes to confirm.
Click OK to close the Holiday Entry dialog box and save the changes.

Before you can use OPTIMA with ENTERPRISE, you must set the Element ID
Translation option. To do this:
1
From the Administrator menu, click Element ID Translation.
In the dialog box that appears, select one of the options described in the following
table:
Select this radio button
If the
No translation required (OPTIMA and

ASSET use the same cell ids)
OPTIMA and ASSET cells IDs are the same.
Cell ids translated using the ID

Translation Administrator
OPTIMA and ASSET cells IDs are not the same and require
mapping.
For information about how to do this, see Mapping Element IDs
on page 78.
Click OK.
Mapping Element IDs

When using OPTIMA with ENTERPRISE, you need to ensure that the ASSET and
OPTIMA element IDs match. If the element IDs do not match, you can map them
using the ID Translation Administrator.
For more information, see the ID Translation Administrator User Reference Guide.
Page 78

Version 6.1
CHAPTER 5
Setting Up and Querying

Data in OPTIMA
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

Version 6.1
80
114
131
Page 79

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.
on the main OPTIMA toolbar.
The Data Explorer appears. This picture shows an example:
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 Query in the
Module Maker. For more information, see Creating OPTIMA Modules on page 117.
Page 80

Version 6.1
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 71.
Columns / Data / KPI tabs
View the column headings, data or KPIs contained within a chosen table.
Hide or show this pane by clicking the View menu and then clicking Show Data.
Builder / SQL / Filters /

Parameters / Preview tabs
Build a query using SQL or by dragging and dropping tables to create the query if you
are not familiar with SQL.
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 table
categories. For more information about using this feature, see About Categories on
page 71.
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
- orFrom the Edit menu, click Find Counter.

2
In the dialog box that appears, type the name of the counter you wish to find. If
you want to search for whole words only, select the Find Whole Words Only
checkbox.
You can use wildcards to represent characters in counter names. There are two
wildcards you can use:
'BSC*', you will filter all the elements that begin BSC.
'BSC?', you will filter all the four-character elements that begin BSC, such as
BSC1 or BSC2.
Click the Find First button
The first occurrence of the counter is highlighted on the Column tab.

4
Click the Find Next button

highlighted.
Click Cancel to close the dialog box and return to the Data Explorer.

Version 6.1
and the next occurrence of the counter is
Page 81
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 or report.
Only OPTIMA_Administrators or OPTIMA_Advanced_Users can create modules.
Follow these steps to define a query:
1
Create the query using either the Builder tab or the SQL tab.
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
Add unions to the query.
Add filters to the query.
Define parameters for the query.
Enable time aggregation for the query.
Preview the results of the query.
Save the query to file or as a custom view.
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.
Add tables to the Builder tab by:
Double-clicking the table names in the Schema List

- or -
Selecting a table name and then, while holding down the left mouse button,
dragging it onto Builder tab.
To remove a table from the Builder tab, select the table and click the
in the top-right of the table box.
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button

Version 6.1
Select which columns you want to include in the query by clicking the boxes next
to the column headings.
Select and clear all the columns in a table by clicking the

table heading.
4
button next to the
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.
If the two columns cannot be linked, the following icon appears
To remove a link, select the link, right-click 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.
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.

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Use This Tab
To
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.
When you have finished, you can add filters and/or parameters to the query. For
more information, see Adding Filters to a Query on page 86 and Defining
Parameters for a Query on page 87.
You can preview the results of the query at any time. For more information, see
Previewing the Results of a Query on page 95.
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.
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.
Type the SQL for your query.

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.
You can automatically add a KPI to the SQL query by clicking the KPI tab.
To do so:
Click the KPI tab.
Search for the required KPI in the Search option and drag the KPI in the SQL
statement.
-or-
Drag and drop the required KPI from the tree structure. The KPI is added in
the form of a KPI parameter. For example, a KPI with the name Total_Calls
is shown as %KPI(Total_Calls).
You can slide your mouse over the KPI to see a tool tip showing the KPI
formula.
Using the KPI within a SQL statement will update the KPI_Param table.
Hence, you can update the KPI dynamically as the changes will be reflected.
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You can right-click on a KPI category and sort the KPIs into different
categories as shown in this picture:
To add a complex expression, click the Insert Expression button
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.
When you have finished, if you have not already added filters and/or parameters
to the query, you can add them using the corresponding tabs. For more
information, see Adding Filters to a Query on page 86 and Specifying Default
Parameter Values on page 89.
You can preview the results of the query at any time. For more information, see
Adding Unions to Queries

You can use unions to combine the results of two or more queries. There are two
types of union: Union and Union All. Use Union if you want to select only distinct
values when the queries are run and Union All if you want to select all values.
To add a union to a query:
1
In the Data Explorer, ensure that you have defined a query.
Click the Builder tab.
Right-click in the Query List and, from the menu that appears, click Add Union.

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A new query with a Union All is added to the Builder tab. This picture shows an
example:
If you want to use Union rather than Union All, right-click the query in the Query
List and then, from the menu that appears, click Union All.
Create the second query. For information about how to do this, see Using the
Builder Tab to Define a Query on page 82.
All corresponding columns need to be of the same data type.
When you have finished, if you have not already added filters and/or parameters
to the query, you can add them using the corresponding tabs. For more
information, see Adding Filters to a Query on page 86 and Defining Parameters
for a Query on page 87.
You can preview the results of the union at any time. For more information, see
Adding Filters to a Query

You can add a date filter and an element filter 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.
The Filters tab is disabled if you use the Data Explorer to create a report query. For
more information, see Defining Queries on page 234.
If the query is created as part of a module, the element filter 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.
Click the Filters tab.
Select the Date Filter checkbox if you want to add a date filter.
A list of available date fields appear in the Date Fields box.
Page 86
Select the date field you wish to use and click the
button to select it.
Select the Element Filter checkbox if you want to add an element filter.
Version 6.1
A list of available filters appear in the Data Fields box.

Select the Show All Fields checkbox if you want to see all of the data fields.
6
Select the filter you wish to use and click the
You can now preview the results of the query.
button to select it.
Defining Parameters for a Query

You can define parameters, using items such as formulae or counters, to filter data
when a query is run. For example, you could define a parameter to filter all dropped
calls greater than 10%.
You can use parameters in:
Modules
Reports
Report Schedules
To quickly define a parameter (or parameters) based on the available field (or fields)
in the current query:
1
Click the Parameters tab.
Click the Add All Fields
button .
All of the available fields in the current query are added as parameters, and
appear in the parameters list:
If a parameter has already been created for a particular field, you will be given the
option to create a new one with a different name or just keep the existing one.

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To define a parameter manually:

1
Click the New Parameter button

In the Parameter Editor dialog box, complete the following information:
. The Parameter Editor dialog box appears.
In this field:
Do this:
Name
Type a name for the parameter.

- or Leave blank if you want this field to be automatically updated with a counter
name when you create the parameter.
Data Type
Select a data type from the drop-down list.

- or Leave blank if you want this field to be automatically updated with a counter data
type when you create the parameter.
Prefix Table / Alias Name
Select this checkbox if you want to prefix columns with the table or alias name.
Create a parameter by double-clicking column headings and selecting items from

the drop-down menus.
When you have finished, click OK to save the parameter and return to the Data
Explorer.
Now when you run the query, you will be asked to specify parameter values based on
the criteria you have set. For more information, see Previewing the Results of a Query
on page 95.
If you do not want to specify parameter values each time you run the query, you
can set default parameter values. For detailed information about how to do this, see
Specifying Default Parameter Values on page 89.
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Specifying Default Parameter Values

If you have created a parameter for a query, you can set a default value for that
parameter. The default value will be pre-selected when the parameter is run.
To specify a default parameter value:
1
In the Data Explorer, ensure that you have defined a parameter for your query.
On the Parameters tab, 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.
Values
Type the default value(s) for the parameter.

Multiple values must be separated by commas.
- or Click the Values button
and, in the dialog box that appears, set the
default values you require and click OK.
This button is only available when using certain data types (DATE
and NUMBER) and/or operators (Between, Not Between, In List and Not In
List).
Show All
Select this checkbox if you want the parameter to display all of the values
of the field.
You can now preview the query with the default parameter value(s) pre-selected.
For more information, see Previewing the Results of a Query on page 95.

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Editing and Deleting Parameters

To edit a parameter:
1
In the Data Explorer, click the Parameters tab.
Select the parameter you want to edit and click the Edit Parameter button
- or Double-click the parameter name.

3
In the Parameter Editor dialog box that appears, make the required changes.
When you have finished, click OK to save your changes and return to the Data
Explorer.
To delete a single parameter:

1
Select the parameter you want to delete and click the Delete Parameter button
.
Click Yes to confirm. The parameter is deleted.
To delete all parameters:

1
Click the Clear All Parameters button
All parameters in the parameters list are deleted.
About Explain Plan

The Explain Plan option enables you to determine the execution plan that the Oracle
database follows to execute a specified SQL statement.
The Explain Plan statement inserts a row describing each step of the execution plan
into a specified table. If you are using cost-based optimization, then this statement
also determines the cost of executing the statement. If any domain indexes are defined
on the table, then it also inserts user-defined CPU and I/O costs.
To issue an Explain Plan statement, you must have the necessary privileges to:
Insert rows into an existing output table that you specify to hold the execution
plan
Execute the SQL statement for which you are determining the execution plan
Access a view if the SQL statement is based on a particular view
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To view the explain plan for a SQL query:

1
In the Data Explorer, ensure that you have defined a query.
Click
to view the explain plan. The dialog box that appears gives the
execution plan that the Oracle database will follow to execute the defined query.
This picture shows an example of the Explain Plan dialog box:
Example of an Explain Plan

The following statement determines the execution plan and cost for an UPDATE
statement and inserts rows describing the execution plan into the specified
plan_table table with the STATEMENT_ID value of 'Raise in Tokyo':
EXPLAIN PLAN
SET STATEMENT_ID = 'Raise in Tokyo'
INTO plan_table
FOR UPDATE employees
SET salary = salary * 1.10
WHERE department_id =
(SELECT department_id FROM departments
WHERE location_id = 1200);
The following SELECT statement queries the plan_table table and returns the
execution plan and the cost:
SELECT LPAD(' ',2*(LEVEL-1))||operation operation, options,
object_name, position
FROM plan_table
START WITH id = 0 AND statement_id = 'Raise in Tokyo'
CONNECT BY PRIOR id = parent_id AND
statement_id = 'Raise in Tokyo';

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The query returns this execution plan:

Operation
Option
Object_Name
Position
UPDATE STATEMENT
UPDATE
TABLE ACCESS
FULL
VIEW
EMPLOYEES
EMPLOYEES
index$_join$_002
HASH JOIN
INDEX
RANGE SCAN
DEPT_LOCATION_IX
INDEX
FAST FULL SCAN
DEPT_ID_PK
The value in the POSITION column of the first row shows that the statement has a cost
of 2.
Selecting Filter Values and Parameters

The Selection dialog box enables you to select filter values and parameters.
Each section of Optima opens the Selection screen when:
Data Explorer:
When you define filters, parameters, element aggregation for the query or when time
aggregation is available for the tables used.
Reports:
When you preview a report that has filters, parameters, element and time
aggregation.
Alarms:
When you set values to alarms in the Alarm Wizard.
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This picture shows an example of the Selection screen:
The following table describes the various panes in the Selection dialog box:
In This Pane
Do This
Queries
From the Queries pane, select a particular query.

Once you select a particular query, the right hand pane has all the information
pertaining to the selected query.
Under the Element Agg column, select the element level at which you want to run
the query the default level, for example: CELL, or at parent level, for example:
BSC, to return the aggregated data.
You can right-click in the Queries pane to see the aggregated data query.
Date Range
Select the date range to be applied to the query. You can click the date text box or
you can click
to change the date.
Select the Apply to all queries checkbox if you want to apply the date range to
all the queries.
Element Selection/Parameters
Select the elements and the parameters for the query. To do so:
1. Select the Element Hierarchy tab and click
to select an element hierarchy.
2. Click the Filter tab and select the filter. For more information, see Adding Filters
to a Query on page 86.
3. Click the Manual Input tab and type in your manual elements.
Select the Apply to all queries checkbox if you want to apply your selection to
all the queries. Select the Include all elements checkbox if you want to include all
the elements.
Save settings as default

Version 6.1
This option is available only if you have accessed the Selection dialog box while
previewing a report. Select this option to save the report settings as default.
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Enabling Time Aggregation for a Query

Time aggregation enables you to display data for different time periods (hourly, daily,
weekly, and so on) in the same query. Time Aggregation is applied by replacing
tables in a data query with the corresponding associated tables for the selected time
period. This means you do not have to create separate queries for each time period
you want to display.
Before you can use time aggregation, you must first configure:
A table period for each table in the query. For more information, see Setting the
Granularity Period for a Single Table on page 66.
An associated table for each time period, for example, which table contains hourly,
daily, and weekly busy hour data. For more information, see Defining an
Association for a Table on page 67.
Time aggregation can only be applied in a query if the associated tables and table
periods have been configured for every table defined in the query (excluding
configuration tables).
To enable time aggregation:
1
Select the Enable Time-Aggregation check box.
You will now be asked to select a time period each time the query is run. For more
information, see Previewing the Results of a Query on page 95.
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Version 6.1
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
If you have included filters and/or parameters in the query, the Selection dialog
box appears. This table describes how you can filter the query:
On this tab
Do this:
Network Elements
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 86.
Date Range - Range sub-tab
Select the period over which you require data.

To link to the global clock:
1. Select the Start or End checkbox and then select Synchronise to
Global Clock. The current date and time display.x
2. Enter the desired period in the Period box.
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 checkbox 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 checkboxes and choose the required dates.
Date Range - Exclude / Include sub- Select which days you want to include in the date range. Right-click the
tab
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 checkbox if you want to Exclude Holidays. For more
information about holidays, see Excluding Particular Days from
Reports on page 77.
Parameters
Select an operator from the drop-down list and then type a value for
the parameter.
The parameter value must match the specified data type,
otherwise an error message will be displayed when the query is run.
For more information about parameters, see Defining Parameters for a
Query on page 87.
Time Aggregation
Select the time period on which you want to run the query.
A time period is only available if an associated table with that
table period has been set for every data table in the query. If the
associated tables have not been configured for any one of the tables in
the query, the list will be empty and disabled. For more information,
see Defining an Association for a Table on page 67.
For more information about time aggregation, see Enabling Time
Aggregation for a Query on page 94.

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Click OK to close the Selection dialog box and run the query.
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 175.
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
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.
Click Save.
To open an existing query:

1
In the Data Explorer, click the Open File button
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.
Saving a Query as a Custom View

If you are an OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User, you can save a
query as a custom view. Custom views are data queries that can be stored and reused
in reports, modules, alarms, KPIs and other queries.
To save a query as a custom view:
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Version 6.1
In the Data Explorer, click the Save As User View button

Wizard appears. This picture shows an example:
. The User Views
On the Details tab of the User Views Wizard, complete the following information:
In this field:
Do this:
Name
Type a name for the custom view.
Description
Type a description for the custom view.
Add to Data Model
Select this checkbox if you want to add the custom view to the OPTIMA,
Global or Vendor schemas. To do this:
Select a schema from the drop-down list.
This option is only enabled if you have OPTIMA_Administrator
permissions.
Category
Select a category for the custom view from the drop-down list. For more
information about categories, see About Categories on page 71.
Security Type
Choose the security type, by selecting the appropriate radio button.

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Click Next.
If you set the security type as Group or Administrator, the Security tab appears.
On the Security tab, complete the following information:
In this field:
Do this:
Group list
Select the user group(s) that can use the custom view.
To add a new group:
1. Click Add.
2. In the Select Groups dialog box that appears, select the group(s) you want to have access
to this custom view and use the > button to move them to the Destination List.
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.
Click Next.
On the Completing View tab, check that the details are correct. If not, click Back to
go back and correct them, otherwise click Save.
Click Yes to confirm. The custom view is displayed in the Schema List pane of the
Data Explorer.
Editing and Deleting Custom Views

To edit a custom view:
1
In the Data Explorer, in the Schema List pane, select the custom view you want to
edit.
Right-click and, from the menu that appears, click Edit. The custom view's SQL is
displayed on the SQL tab.
Make any required changes to the SQL, then click the Save as Custom View button
.
If the SQL is invalid, a window appears, showing the SQL. Correct the error and
save again.
In the User Views Wizard that appears, edit the details as required on each page.
When you are satisfied, click Save on the final page to save your changes and
return to the Data Explorer.
To delete a custom view:
Page 98
In the Data Explorer, in the Schema List pane, select the custom view you want to
delete.
Right-click and, from the menu that appears, click Delete.
Click Yes to confirm. The custom view is removed from the Schema List in the
Data Explorer.

Version 6.1
Viewing KPIs in the Data Explorer

You can view information about existing KPIs on the KPI tab, in the Data Explorer.
To do this:
In the Data Explorer, select the base table for which you want to see the KPIs.
The KPI tab indicates the name, equation and description of the KPI. It also
indicates whether the KPI is valid.

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About KPIs
Using the KPI Manager, 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.
From the drop-down list on the right-hand side, you can select the criteria to
group the KPIs.
When you open the KPI Manager, you can view information about existing KPIs
which you have access to in a tree structure grouped by the following:
Option
Grouped on the basis of
Security
Security levels
Security, Schema, Table
Security levels, schema levels, and table level
Security, Table
Security levels, and table level
Security, Element Level
Security levels, and element levels
This picture shows an example of KPIs grouped at the security level:
KPI Manager
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Version 6.1
Creating KPIs
To create a KPI:
1
From the KPI menu, click KPI Manager.

-orClick the KPI Manager button
In the KPI Manager window, from the File menu, click New KPI.
In the dialog box that appears, complete the following information:

In This Box:
Do This:
Name
Type a name for the KPI
Description
Type a description for the KPI
Security
Select the Personal option to create a personal KPI.

All users and administrators can view and create personal KPIs but only the
administrator and the creator of a personal KPI can edit it.
Select the Group option to create a group KPI.
Group KPIs are shared with all the user groups. All users can create group KPIs
but only the aministrator and the creator of a group KPI can edit it.
If you are creating a group KPI, click Select Group to select all the groups that the
particular KPI is shared to.
Select the Admin option to have the administrative rights over the created
KPI.
Data
1. Select the Multi table KPI option to share the KPI with more than one table.
2. Click Select/show tables to select the KPI usage tables.
3. In the dialog box that appears, select the required tables and click Save.
-or1. From the Base schema drop-down list, select a base schema for the KPI.
2. From the Base table drop-down list, select a base table for the KPI.
Equation
Type an equation to define the KPI, using the available columns.

The equation must be in correct Oracle syntax.
You can build complex equations using the Expression Editor. Click
to
open the Expression Editor. Double-click a KPI in the Counters for Equation list to
have it added to the equation.
To activate the aggregation function, you need to write the following
equation:
% aggr(tch)
where tch is the KPI equation.
Element Aggregation
From the drop-down list, select the element aggregation function.

This function will replace the '%aggr' keyword when the KPI aggregation
function is used in the Query Builder.

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Time Aggregation
From the drop-down list, select the time aggregation function.

This function will replace the '%aggr' keyword when the KPI aggregation
function is used in the Query Builder.
This picture shows an example of the New KPI dialog box:
In this example, a personal KPI is being created with the base schema as
ERICSSON2G and base table as BSCGPRS.
4
Click Save. When prompted, click Yes to create and view the list of tables.
These usage tables are the ones on which this new KPI is valid.
To make dynamic changes to this list, select the check boxes corresponding to
the tables in which you want to use the KPI.
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Version 6.1
This picture shows an example of KPI Usage Tables:
Click Save to create the KPI.

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Editing a KPI
To edit a KPI:
1

In the KPI Manager, select the KPI that you want to edit.
From the Edit menu, click Edit.

This picture shows an example to edit a KPI:
Page 104
Modify the KPI information.
Click Save to save your changes.

Version 6.1
Deleting a KPI
To delete a KPI:
1

Select the KPI that you want to delete.
From the Edit menu, click Delete.
In the dialog box that appears, click Yes to continue. The selected KPI is deleted.
Importing and Exporting a KPI

You can export KPIs to move them to another database.
The file format for exporting a KPI is .KPI.
To export a KPI:
1

Select the KPI that you want to export.
Right-click and from the menu that appears, click Export.
In the dialog box that appears, click Yes to confirm.
Browse to the folder where you want to export the KPI.
Click OK. The KPI is exported.

When you export a multi table KPI, the base tables of the KPI are not exported.
To import a KPI:
1

In the KPI Manager dialog box, right-click and from the menu that appears, click
Import.
In the Confirm dialog box that appears, click OK. The Import Objects window
appears.
Click
Click OK. The contents of the folder are displayed in the Import Objects window.
to browse the the location from where you want to import the KPI.

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Select the KPI that you want to import and click OK.
If you import a multi table KPI, there will be an option to set the base tables for
it. Click Yes to set the base tables for the multi table KPI that you are importing. In
the dialog box that appears, click
to set the base table.
Click Save. The KPI is imported.

If you do not select the base table, then the KPI is imported and saved as an
invalid KPI.
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Version 6.1
Recreating Views
This section enables you to to create KPI views with the following different options:
Option
Creates Views For
Selected Table
The base table of the selected KPI
Selected Schema
All the tables in the base schema of the selected KPI
All
All the tables in all the schemas
The security level for these KPIs must be Group and access should be set to
everyone.
Creating Views for a Table
To create a view for a base table of the selected KPI:
1
In the dialog box that appears, select the KPI associated with the base table for
which you want to create a view.
Right-click and from the menu that appears, point to Recreate View and click
Selected table.
Select the checkbox corresponding to the base table of the selected KPI.
In this case, there is only one base table displayed as you are creating the view
for a table.
Click Process. The view is created.

This picture shows an example of the Create KPI Views dialog box:
The status column indicates:

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Whether the view has been created successfully
Number of the Valid KPIs for the base table/Total KPIs, for example,
Success(86/87) indicates 86 valid KPIs/87 total KPIs
Whether the KPI is valid or not
The Message column indicates:
Errors for the invalid KPIs
Click Close.
Creating Views for a Schema

To create a view for a schema for the selected KPI:
1
In the dialog box that appears, select the KPI associated with the base schema that
includes the base tables for which you want to create views.
Right-click and from the menu that appears, point to Recreate View and click
Selected schema.
The Create KPI Views dialog box opens and lists the selected schema with all the
usage tables under that schema. These are the usage tables in the base schema that
were selected while creating the selected KPI.
Select the tables for which you want to create the view.

This picture shows an example of the Create KPI Views dialog box:
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Version 6.1
Click Close.
Creating Views for All Schemas and All Tables

To create views for all schemas and all tables:
1
In the KPI Manager window, right-click and from the menu that appears, point to
Recreate View and select All.
The Create KPI Views dialog box opens and lists all the schemas with all its usage
tables. These are the usage tables in the base schemas that were selected while
creating the selected KPI.
Select the schemas and their respective base tables for which you want to create
the view.

This picture shows an example of the Create Views dialog box:

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Click Close.
About Global KPI Views

A Global KPI View consists of a single view showing all existing common public KPIs
for various vendor tables.
Notes:
The security level for these KPIs must be Group and access should be set to everyone.
The KPI names must match across all the tables selected in the global KPI dialog box.
The KPIs listed in the view will be the ones that exist when you create the view. If you
add another KPI after you have created the view, you will have to create the view
again for this new KPI to be shown.
This picture shows an example of the Global KPI Explorer:
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To access a global view that has been created:

1
From the KPI menu, click Global KPI.
In the dialog box that appears, from the left-hand pane, expand the tree and select
the global view that you want to see.
The global view shows the data of the current view that you have selected. It also
specifies the KPI name, equation, and the description.
Creating a Global KPI View

Only users with administrative privileges can create a global view.
To create a global view:
1
In the dialog box that appears, from the Edit menu, click Add Global View.
-orIn the dialog box that appears, right-click in the left-hand pane and click Add
Global View.
The dialog box that appears lists all the tables for different schemas in the lefthand pane.
Select the tables that you want to include in the global view.

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In the right-hand pane, click the Configure Selections button. The first grid is
populated with your selection.
The table in the grid lists the following:
The Primary Key for each table that you have selected
The common public KPIs for each table that you have selected
Notes :
You can change the primary key values. Click the column to edit the primary key.
It is mandatory to follow the following two restrictions to edit the primary key:
All the values must be of the same data type
Each column name must be unique
If, for example, there are two column names that are same, then you will not be
able to save the global view and an error message will appear in the OPTIMA
message log. However, it will be possible for you to preview the global view and
see the results.
This picture shows an example of the Global View Explorer:
Click the Preview Global View button to see the configurations for the global
view. The second grid is populated with the global view values.
The information is based on each vendor and its primary keys and KPIs.
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Version 6.1
This picture shows an example of the second grid at the bottom:
In the View Name text box, type the name of the view.
In the View Description text box, type a description for the view.
Click Create Global View to save the global view.
Editing a Global KPI View

To edit a global KPI view:
1
In the dialog box that appears, in the left-hand pane, select the global view that
you want to edit.
From the Edit menu, click Edit Global View.

-orIn the left-hand pane, right-click in the left-hand pane and click Edit Global View.
Make the required changes.
Click Create Global View to save the changes.
Deleting a Global KPI View

To delete a global KPI view:
1
In the dialog box that appears, in the left-hand pane, select the global view that
you want to delete.
From the Edit menu, click Drop Global View.

-orRight-click in the left-hand pane and click Drop Global View.
Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

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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 the main parts of a module:
Example Module
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If you are an OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User, you can:

Create and delete module folders
Create modules
Edit and delete modules
Restrict editing of modules
Import and export modules
OPTIMA_Administrators can also restrict access to folders and modules. Other users
can still view restricted folders and modules, but only an Administrator can edit
them.
All OPTIMA_Users can view modules.
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 Modules.

- or
Click the Modules button
In the Module Explorer window, browse to where you want to create the new
folder and right-click. From the menu that appears, click New Folder.
- or
Click the New Folder button
Type a name for your new folder and press Enter.
OPTIMA_Administrators can restrict access to folders to prevent other users from

accessing them. For more information about this, see Restricting Access to Folders on
page 116.
Deleting Folders
To delete a folder:
1
In the Module Explorer window, highlight the folder you want to delete.

- or
Click the Delete button
In the Confirm dialog box, click Yes to delete the folder and return to the Module
Explorer.

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Restricting Access to Folders

If you have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions, you can restrict access to folders to
prevent users who do not have Administrator permissions from editing, moving or
deleting them.
To restrict access to a folder:
1
From the Inspector menu, select Modules.

-or Click the Modules button
In the Module Explorer, select the folder you want to restrict.
Right-click and then, from the menu that appears, click Properties.
On the Security tab in the Module Folder Properties dialog box, select the Admin
Folder checkbox.
Click OK.
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 restrict all of the child folders of an
Admin Folder. Click Yes to apply changes, otherwise click No.
To remove the restriction from a folder:

Follow the previous steps and clear the Admin Folder checkbox.
Viewing OPTIMA Modules

To view a module:
1
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.
You can choose to view the modules as a list or as a list with details.
To change between the two, right-click and then, from the menu that appears,
point to View and click List or Details.
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Double-click on the module name to view that module.

Version 6.1
Creating OPTIMA Modules

can create modules.
To do this:
1

In the Module Explorer, right-click and then, from the menu that appears, click
New Module.
- or Click the Add New Module button
The OPTIMA Module Maker dialog box appears.

3
In the Details pane:
Type a name and a description for the new module
Select the Enabled checkbox to enable OPTIMA_Users to use the module
In the Element Hierarchy pane you define the selection tree information to be
displayed by the module. To do this either:
Click Select to open the Element Hierarchy Selection dialog box. Select the
element hierarchy you want to use and click OK. For more information about
element hierarchies, see Using the Element Hierarchies Explorer on page 131.
If you want to manually edit the element hierarchy SQL, click Edit Query
and click Yes in the message box that appears. In the Data Explorer that
appears, edit the query as required. When you have finished, close the Data
Explorer and click Yes to save your changes. For more information, see Using
the Data Explorer on page 80.
Editing an element hierarchy in this way breaks the link between the
module and the original element hierarchy. Any changes that you make will
not be updated in the original element hierarchy. Similarly, changes to the
original element hierarchy will not be captured by the module.
- or
Click Edit Query

and, in the Data Explorer that appears, define the query
for the network element tree. When you have finished, close the Data Explorer
and click Yes to save your changes. For more information, see Using the Data
Explorer on page 80.
If the Element Hierarchy pane is hidden, click the Preview Query/Tree button
to display it.

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When you have defined the selection tree, click Preview Tree to view the selection
tree you have created.
A network element tree of the information you have just entered appears on the
Preview tab. This picture shows an example:
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.
6
In the Element Queries pane you can define a separate query for each tree level.
This customises the data displayed in a grid or graph when an item is selected
from the network element tree. The following table describes how to do this:
In this column
Do this
Description
Click in the row and, in the dialog box that appears, type a description and click
OK.
Query
Click in the row and, in the dialog box that appears, click Edit. In the Data Explorer
that appears, define the tree level query. When you have finished, close the Data
Explorer and click Yes to save your changes. For more information about the Data
Explorer, see Using the Data Explorer on page 80.
Graph Type
Click in the row and select the type of graph you require from the drop-down list.
The graph is shown when you run a module in a combination window. For more
information, see Using Graphs on page 191.
X-Axis Field
Click in the row and select the x-axis field you require from the drop-down list.
Plot Data
Click in the row and, in the dialog box that appears, choose how you want to plot
data by selecting the appropriate radio button and clicking OK.
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Click OK to finish.

Version 6.1
Element Aggregation in Module Queries

Element Aggregation enables a module data query defined at one element level (e.g.
the cell level) to be run at parent element levels (e.g. the BSC and MSC level) to return
aggregated data. For example, if a query defined at the cell level returns traffic data
for individual cells, the same query when run at the BSC level can be configured to
return average or total traffic data by BSC.
For example, consider the element hierarchy shown below:
Network
MSC
BSC
Cell
In this hierarchy, a data query defined at the Cell level can be run at the BSC, MSC,
and Network level. A data query defined at the BSC level can be run at the MSC and
Network level, and so on.
When the query is run at a parent element level, OPTIMA generates an aggregation
query by enclosing the original query in an outer Group by query. The outer query
has:
A SELECT clause that contains the parent elements, all date-time fields, and the
aggregated counters
A GROUP BY clause that groups the data by the parent elements and the datetime fields
For example, supposing that your CELL element level query is:
SELECT
ERICSSON2G.CELLSTATS.BSC,
ERICSSON2G.CELLSTATS.CELL,
ERICSSON2G.CELLSTATS.SDATE,
ERICSSON2G.CELLSTATS.ERLANG
FROM ERICSSON2G.CELLSTATS

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When the query is run at the BSC level, the query is modified to produce the
aggregation query below. The aggregation functions applied to each counter are
specified when the query is defined.
SELECT BSC, SDATE, AVG(ERLANG)
FROM
(
SELECT
ERICSSON2G.CELLSTATS.BSC,
ERICSSON2G.CELLSTATS.CELL,
ERICSSON2G.CELLSTATS.SDATE,
ERICSSON2G.CELLSTATS.ERLANG
FROM ERICSSON2G.CELLSTATS
)
GROUP BY BSC, SDATE
Configuring Element Aggregation

To configure a module to use element aggregation:
1
In the Module Explorer, select the folder containing the modules you want to
view. A list of the modules appears in the right hand pane.
Double-click a module name to view that module.
From the Element Queries pane in the dialog box that appears, double-click the
element level for which the query is defined. The Data Explorer opens.
In the elements list box in the Filters tab, set the data field for each element level at
which you want to run the query. (When the data field is set, the element agg
checkbox is automatically selected to indicate that the query can run at that
element level.)
In the Column Settings tab, set the aggregation functions for each counter that you
want to include in the aggregated queries.
You can select a standard aggregation function, such as AVG, SUM, or write
your own aggregation formula using the Expression Editor.
The following table describes the different column types for each column and data
field:
Only the query 'Counter' columns can be aggregated.
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Column Type
Description
Identifier
Indicates the text fields in the SQL query.
DateTime
Indicates the date and time fields in the SQL query.
Counter
Indicates the numerical fields in the SQL query.

Version 6.1
This picture shows the Column Settings tab:
To set the aggregation type:
Click the Aggregate Type column corresponding to the Counter column type
and select a function from the drop-down list to set the aggregate type and
formula.
To define your own aggregation function:
Select the User Defined option from the drop-down list.
In the Aggregate Formula column, click and type the formula directly in the
cell or click
to launch the Expression Editor.
You need to do this for each counter type.
Alternatively, to set the functions for multiple counters at the same time:
Click the Set Multiple Aggregates button
From the Global Aggregate drop-down list in the Quick Aggregation dialog
box that appears, select the counter type you require.
Click the Apply Aggregate to All Fields button if you want to apply the
counter type to all columns.
- or If you want to apply the counter type to one or more columns, select the
column(s) in the Field Name list and click the Apply Aggregate to Selected
Fields button.

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You can only set the aggregate type and formula for the COUNTER
column type. If you select User Defined aggregate type, click the Aggregate
Formula column to define a new aggregate type in the Expression Editor
dialog box.
Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to highlight more than one column at a time.
To clear all counters, click the Clear All Aggregates button.
Click OK to save your changes and close the Quick Aggregation dialog box.
This picture shows an example of the Quick Aggregation dialog box:
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Version 6.1
To set the aggregate description:
In the Description column, type the description for the column.

-orClick the Get Default Column Descriptions button
to populate the
description column with the data. This data is present in the table and field
information dialog box. For more information, see About Table and Field
Information Settings on page 63.
You can edit this description information and it is saved only for this data
query. It does not get reflected in the Table and Field Information Settings.
Click Preview SQL

. The Selection dialog box opens. Select the elements
and parameters for element aggregation. For more information, see Selecting
Elements and Parameters on page 92.
Click OK to run the query. The Preview tab is populated with the output data of
the aggregated query.
You can click View/Test element aggregation SQL button to view the aggregation
query and check that the query is valid.
Displaying Element Aggregated Data in Inspector

Element Aggregation allows you to change an module element level query by
aggregating to a parent level. For more information on element aggregation, see
Element Aggregation in Module Queries on page 119.
When a module query is run at a parent element level, aggregated data is displayed in
both the data grid and in the graph.
The aggregated data is displayed in the graph only if a graph is defined.
To set the level at which you want to run a module data query:
1
From the Inspector menu, click Module Combinations.
In the Module Combination Explorer, select a folder containing the module

combinations you want to view. A list of module combinations appears in the
right hand pane.
Double-click a module combination.
In the Modules pane, expand a module to view its element tree.
Select the elements whose data query you want to run.

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For example, in the picture below, the selected module has an element tree
containing BScs, Sitenames, and Cells. As shown, two cell are selected, hence the
cell level data query is run.
Page 124
Select the element level at which you want the data query. You can do this in two
ways:

Version 6.1
Right-click a Cell and from the menu that appears, point to Run Level
(Element Aggregation) and click the element level (Cell, Sitename, BSC) at
which you want to run the query as shown in the picture below:
In the Module pane, click the Module Settings button . In the Module
Settings dialog box that appears, select the Aggregation tab and set the
Element Aggregation level.
When you select a parent level for element aggregation, all the elements at that
level become green in color. For example, if you select the run level for element
aggregation as SiteName, the sites in the tree are shown in the green color.
For example, as shown in the picture below, the following sites are green in color:
Green Hall
Institute Victoria
Island City Hotel
Peco Industrial
Rentokil
Victoria Street
Wisma Rajab

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From the toolbar, click
to run the selected module.
Restricting Access to OPTIMA Modules

If you have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions, you can restrict access to modules
to prevent users who do not have Administrator permissions 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 restrict access to a module:
1

In the Module Explorer, select the module you want to restrict.
In the Module Properties dialog box, select the Admin Module checkbox.
Click OK.
To remove the restriction from a module, follow the previous steps and clear the
Admin Module checkbox.
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Version 6.1
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

In the Module Explorer window, select the module you want to set the owning
group for.
You cannot assign the owning group for an Admin Module, unless you have
OPTIMA_Administrator permissions.
Right-click the selected module and from the menu that appears, click Properties.
In the Module Properties dialog box, select a group from the drop-down list.
Click OK.
Editing and Deleting OPTIMA Modules

To edit a module:
1
Ensure you have OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User

permissions.

or
Double-click on the module and make the necessary changes.

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To delete a module:
1
Ensure you have OPTIMA_Administrator or OPTIMA_Advanced_User

permissions.

or
Select the module you want to delete, right-click and, from the menu that appears,
click Delete.
or
Select the module you want to delete and click the Delete button
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

In the Module Explorer, select the module you want to open in a new
combination.
Right-click 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 140.
Copying OPTIMA Modules

can copy existing modules and then modify them.
To do this:
1

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Version 6.1
In the Module Explorer, select the module(s) you want to copy.
Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one module at a time.
3
Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Copy.
Select the folder that you want to copy the module(s) to.
Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Paste. The modules are copied
to the specified folder.
Importing and Exporting OPTIMA Modules

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
You must have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions to import and export Admin
modules and Admin folders.
Importing Modules
To import a module:
1
In the Module Explorer, select the folder into which you want to import the file(s).
Click the Import Module From File button
- or Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Import.

3
Click OK to confirm.
In the Import Modules dialog box, click the Browse button.
In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the folder which contains the module(s)
you want to import and click OK.
In the File Name list, select the file(s) and/or folder(s) you want to import and
click OK.
Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one file and/or folder at a time.

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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.
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.
Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one module and/or folder at a
time.
Click the Export Module to File button
- or Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Export.

3
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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
checkboxes:
Export modules from sub-folders
Create folders in destination directory
Click OK.
In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the folder into which you want to
export the module(s) and click OK.
In the message box that appears, click OK to export the module(s). The modules
are exported to the specified folder.

Version 6.1

In the Element Hierarchies Explorer, you can create, edit and delete element
hierarchies. Element hierarchies are re-usable SQL queries which enable you to
display network elements in the form of a hierarchical tree. You can use element
hierarchies in OPTIMA modules instead of defining a new element tree SQL each
time you create a module. For more information, see About OPTIMA Modules on
page 114.
You can use three types of element hierarchy in OPTIMA. These are described in this
table:
This Type
Can be Used By
Personal
The user who creates them and administrators.
Group
The user who creates them, group members, and administrators.
System
Administrators only.
To open the Element Hierarchies Explorer:

From the Tools menu, click Element Hierarchies.
- or Click the Element Hierarchies button
The Element Hierarchies Explorer opens, this picture shows an example:
Element Hierarchies Explorer

Version 6.1
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About the Element Hierarchies Explorer Toolbar

This picture shows the Element Hierarchies Explorer toolbar:
Element Hierarchies Explorer toolbar
Creating Element Hierarchies in the Element Hierarchies

Explorer
To create an element hierarchy:
1
In the Element Hierarchies Explorer, either:
From the File menu, point to New Element Hierarchy.
- or
Click the Create New Element Hierarchy button
The Element Hierarchy Creation Wizard appears. This picture shows an example:
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Version 6.1
In the Element Hierarchy (Add) dialog box, on the Details tab, complete the
following information:
In this field:
Do this:
Name
Type a name for the element hierarchy.
Description
Type a description for the element hierarchy.
Type
Choose the OPTIMA type you require by selecting the appropriate radio button.
Click Next.
On the SQL tab, you define the data query for the element hierarchy. To do this:
Click Edit. The Data Explorer appears.
In the Data Explorer, define the SQL for the element hierarchy. For more
information, see Defining a Query on page 82.
When you have finished, close the Data Explorer to save your SQL. The SQL is
added to the SQL pane.
Click Next. The query is executed and the results are displayed on the Preview
tab.
Click Next.
If you chose to save your element hierarchy as a Group or Administrator

hierarchy, on the Security tab, complete the following information:
In this field:
Do this:
Admin Only
Select this checkbox if you only want Administrators to access the element hierarchy.
This option is only enabled for Administration element hierarchies.
Group list
Select the user group(s) that can use the element hierarchy.
To add a new group:
1. Click Add.
2. In the Select Groups dialog box that appears, select the group(s) you want to have
access to this element hierarchy and use the > button to move them to the Destination
List.
On the Complete tab, check your element hierarchy details and then click Finish.
The element hierarchy is now available from the list in the Element Hierarchies
Explorer.

Version 6.1
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Editing Element Hierarchies

In the Element Hierarchies Explorer, you can edit existing element hierarchies. To do
this:
1
In the Element Hierarchies Explorer, select the element hierarchy you want to edit.
Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Edit Element Hierarchy.
- or Click the Edit Element Hierarchy button
If the element hierarchy is used by any modules, a message box is displayed

listing these modules. Click Yes to continue editing the element hierarchy.
In the Element Hierarchy (Edit) dialog box that appears, edit the element
hierarchy details as required on each page. When you are satisfied, click the Finish
button on the final page.
Renaming Element Hierarchies

In the Element Hierarchies Explorer, you can rename existing element hierarchies. To
do this:
1
In the Element Hierarchies Explorer, select the element hierarchy you want to
rename.
Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Rename.
Type in the new name for the element hierarchy and press Enter.
Deleting Element Hierarchies

You can only delete an element hierarchy if it is not used in any modules.
To delete an element hierarchy:
1
delete.
Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Delete.

- or Click the Delete Element Hierarchy button
Page 134
In the message box that appears, click Yes to confirm. The element hierarchy is
deleted from the list in the Element Hierarchies Explorer.

Version 6.1
Setting Element Hierarchy Security

If you are the creator of a group element hierarchy or an OPTIMA Administrator, you
can select which groups are allowed to use that group element hierarchy. To do this:
1
In the Element Hierarchies Explorer, select the group element hierarchy.
Right-click and, from the menu that appears, click Properties. The Element
Hierarchy Properties dialog box appears.
In the Element Hierarchy Properties dialog box, on the Security tab, select the user
group(s) that can use the element hierarchy. To add a new group:
Click Add.
In the Select Groups dialog box that appears, select the group(s) you want to
have access to this element hierarchy and use the > button to move them to the
Destination List.
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.
Click OK to close the Element Hierarchy Properties dialog box and return to the
Element Hierarchies Explorer.
Finding Element Hierarchies

If you want to view a particular element hierarchy, you can search for it in the
OPTIMA database.
To find an element hierarchy:
1
From the Edit menu, click Search.

- or Click the Search button
In the Find Element Hierarchy dialog box that appears, type the name of the
element hierarchy you wish to find.
Element hierarchy names are case-insensitive.
Click Find First and the first occurrence of the element hierarchy is highlighted.
Click Find Next and the next occurrence of the element hierarchy is highlighted.
To close the dialog box and return to the Element Hierarchies Explorer, click Cancel.

Version 6.1
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Copying Element Hierarchies in the Hierarchies Explorer

To copy an element hierarchy:
1
In the Element Hierarchies Explorer, select the element hierarchy that you want to
copy.
Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Copy Element Hierarchy.
- or Click the Copy Element Hierarchy button
Select the folder where you want to copy the element hierarchy to.
Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Paste Element Hierarchy.
or
Click the Paste Element Hierarchy button
The element hierarchy is copied to the specified folder.
Viewing Element Hierarchies in the Element Hierarchies

Explorer
To view the different types of element hierarchy available in the Element Hierarchies
Explorer:
In the Element Hierarchies Explorer, in the left-hand pane, click the element
hierarchy type you want to view. All existing element hierarchies of that type are
then displayed in the right-hand pane. For example, click Group to view the
Group element hierarchies.
If you only want to view your own personal element hierarchies, right-click in
the left-hand pane and, from the menu that appears, click Show only current user's
hierarchies.
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Version 6.1
Previewing Element Hierarchies in the Element Hierarchies

Explorer
To preview an element hierarchy in the Element Hierarchies Explorer:
1
preview.
Click the Preview tab and click OK to confirm in the message box that appears.
- or Click Run.
The element hierarchy is displayed on the Preview tab:

Version 6.1
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Version 6.1
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

Version 6.1
140
154
155
158
159
164
165
Page 139

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. This picture shows an
example:
Combination Window Example
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Version 6.1
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. For
more information, see Creating Combination Windows on page 144.
You can run one module, or a combination of modules.
Filters
Select, create and edit custom filters. You can hide or display this pane by clicking on the
title bar. For more information, see Filtering Elements in the Modules Pane on page 159.
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. For more information, see Setting a Date Range on page 156.
Grid
Display the data. You can modify the order of the data as well as search for specific
information. For more information, see Customising Grids in OPTIMA on page 175.
Series List
Select what data appears in the graph pane. For more information, see About the Series
List on page 209.
Graphs
Display the data in a graph format. For more information, see Displaying Data in Graphs on
page 164.
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 117.
Creating Folders for OPTIMA Combination Windows

To create and delete folders in the Combination Explorer, you must have
1

- or
Click the Module Combinations button
In the Combination Explorer window, browse to where you want to create the
new folder and right-click. From the menu that appears, click New Folder.
- or
3

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page 142.
Deleting Folders
To delete a folder:
1
In the Combination Explorer window, highlight the folder you want to delete

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

prevent users, other Administrators, from editing, moving or deleting them.
1
From the Inspector menu, select Module Combinations.

-or Click the Module Combinations button
In the Combination Explorer, select the folder you want to restrict.
On the Security tab in the Combination Folder Properties dialog box, select the
Admin Folder checkbox.
Click OK.

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Version 6.1
Viewing Pre-Defined Combination Windows

To view a pre-defined combination window:
1

or
Click the Module Combinations button
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.
You can choose to view the combinations as a list or as a list with details. To
change between the two, right-click and then, from the menu that appears, point
to View and select List or Details.
Double-click on a combination name to open that combination window.
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 155.
Click the Run All Modules button
combination
to view data for all the modules in the
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
In the New Module Combination window that appears, either:
Right-click the Modules pane and, from the menu that appears, click Add
Module.
- or Click the Add Module to Combination button
From the Select Module dialog box, select the module you wish to use and
click Open. The module appears in the Module Pane.
or
In the Module Explorer, select the module you wish to use and drag and drop
it onto the Modules pane. The module appears in the Module Pane.
If you want to select more than one module, hold down the Shift key and
click the modules you want to select before dragging.
You can now create links between the modules to view associated element data.
For more information, see Displaying Element Data Across Modules on page 146.
To save the combination, right-click the Modules pane and, from the menu that
appears, click Save.
or
Click the Save button
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In the Save Module Combination dialog box, type a name and description and
click Save.

Version 6.1
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
The Confirm dialog box appears, click Yes to delete the module.
To save the window, click the Save button

, type a name and description in the
Save Module Combination dialog box and click Save.
Removing a module from a combination window does not delete that module
from the Module Explorer.
Refreshing Modules in the Combination Window

You use the Refresh Module option to update a module in the combination window.
To refresh a module:
1
In the Modules pane, highlight the module you want to refresh.
Right-click the Modules pane and, from the menu that appears, select Refresh
Module.
In the message box that appears, click Yes to confirm.

The selected module is refreshed.
Deleting Combination Windows

To delete a saved combination window:
1
In the Module Combination Explorer window, select the module combination you
want to delete.
- or Right-click and, from the menu that appears, click Delete.

3
The Confirm dialog box appears, click Yes to delete the combination window.

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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, right-click and from the menu that appears, click Enable
Linking:
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Version 6.1
Adding Links
To add links in a Module Combination window:
1
Click the Edit Module Links button
- or Right-click 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.
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.
From the Additional Levels/Data Fields listed in the Source Module pane, select
the level/field you want to link.
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.
Highlight the level you want to link to and click the > and < buttons to add or
remove links from the Additional Links pane.
If you have selected a drill down link, the first link is automatically set to the
TARGET module tree level.
When you have finished adding links to the Additional Links pane, click OK.
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.
Click Edit, the Link Editor appears. Make the required changes and click OK.
- or Click Remove.
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

When you have added drill-down links between modules, you can run the linked
modules from either the grid or the graph.
Elements in a grid column that have available drill-down links are underlined and
shown in blue text.
To run linked modules from the grid:
1
Double-click the element name for which you wish to run linked modules. For
example cell 306A.
In the Confirm dialog box, click Yes to run the linked modules.
The data for the linked modules will appear in the grid.
To run linked modules from the graph:

1
Double-click the series point for which you wish to run linked modules.
In the Confirm dialog box, click Yes to run the linked modules.
The data for the linked modules will appear in the grid.
Saving Combination Windows as Templates

If you want to save the settings of a module combination and reuse them, you can
save them as a template. You can also set a template to be your personal default for a
module combination.
When you save a combination window as a template, the following are saved:
Layout
Font
Colours
Threshold
Module Selection
Date Range
Tiling information of the graphs
Graph Scroll Information
If you are the creator of a module combination and you set a template to be the
default, it becomes the default template for every user viewing the module
combination unless they have personal settings particular to that module
combination.
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Version 6.1
To save a combination window as a template:

1
In the Module Combination window, click the double down arrow

the Template pane.
In the Template pane, click Save As New Template.
to expand
In the dialog box that appears, type a name and click OK to save your template.
Loading Combination Window Templates

If you have created your own combination window template, you can load it when
you open a module combination.
To load a combination window template:
1
In the Module Combination window which contains the module combination you
want to apply the template to, click the double down arrow
Template pane.
to expand the
In the Template pane:
Select the Run All Modules Immediately checkbox, if you want to run the
template straight away. If you just want to load the template without running
the modules, leave this checkbox unselected.
Select the template you want to load from the Change to Load Template dropdown list.

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In the message box that appears, click Yes to confirm. The template is loaded.
Editing Combination Window Templates

If you are the creator of a template, you can edit that template and/or set it as the
default template for a combination window.
To edit a combination window template:
1
In the Module Combination window, click the double down arrow

the Template pane.
to expand
Make the required changes to the combination window and then click Update
Settings.
In the message box that appears, click OK. The template is updated with the new
settings.
If you want to set the template as the default template, click Set As Default
Template and, in the message box that appears, click OK.
The template is set as the default for the combination window.
Deleting Combination Window Templates

To delete a combination window template:
1
In the Module Combination window which contains the module combination you
want to apply the template to, click the double down arrow
Template pane.
Page 150
to expand the
In the Template pane, select the template you want to delete from the Change to
Load Template drop-down list.
In the message box that appears, click Yes to confirm. The template is deleted.

Version 6.1
Restricting Access to Combination Windows

If you have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions, you restrict access to combinations
to prevent users, other Administrators, from editing them.
To restrict access to a combination:
1
From the Inspector menu, select Module Combinations.

In the Combination Explorer, select the combination you want to restrict.
In the Combination Module Properties dialog box, select the Admin Combination
checkbox.
Click OK.
To remove the restriction from a combination, follow the previous steps and clear the
Admin Combination checkbox.
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:
combination
To make a group the owner of a combination:
1

In the Combination Explorer window, select the combination you want to set the
owning group for.
You cannot assign the owning group for an Admin Combination, unless you
have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions.
Right-click the selected combination and from the menu that appears, click
Properties.
In the Combination Module Properties dialog box, select a group from the dropdown list.
Click OK.

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Copying Combination Windows

can copy existing combination windows and then modify them.
To do this:
1

In the Combination Explorer, select the combination window(s) you want to copy.
Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one combination at a time.
3
Select the folder that you want to copy the combination window(s) to.
Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Paste. The combinations are
copied to the specified folder.
Importing and Exporting Combination Windows

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
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).
Click the Import Module Combination From File button
- or Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Import.

3
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Version 6.1
In the Import Module Combinations dialog box, click the Browse button.
In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the folder which contains the
combination(s) you want to import and click OK.
click OK.
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.
In the message box that appears, click OK to import the combination(s). The
combinations are imported to the specified folder.
Exporting Module Combinations

To export a combination:
1
In the Combination Explorer, select the combination(s) and/or folder(s) you want
to export.
Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one combination and/or folder
at a time.
Click the Export Module Combination to File button
- or Right-click, 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 checkboxes:
Export module combinations from sub-folders
Click OK.
export the combination(s) and click OK.
In the message box that appears, click OK to export the combinations(s). The
combinations are exported to the specified folder.

Version 6.1
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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:
Favourites toolbar
To add or edit favourites:

1
From the Favourites menu, click Edit Favourites.

You can right-click the module combination, report or work area you want to
save and click Edit Favourites.
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.
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.
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.
If you chose to add a report, in the Report Explorer window that appears, select
the report you want to add and click OK.
If you chose to add a work area, browse to the work area .INI file and click Open.
The combination, report or work area appears in the Edit Favourites dialog box.
Click Icon and then in the dialog box that appears, select the icon file and click
Open.
Click Save to close the Favourites Editor.

A new button is added to the Favourites toolbar with the selected icon.
You can now access the favourite view by clicking the appropriate button on the
Favourites toolbar.
To share your favourites, save and load them to a .INI file.
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Version 6.1

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.
Setting parameter values. This option is available if a parameter has been included
in the module.
Setting time aggregation. This option is available if you have configured time
aggregation.
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 checkbox.
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 158.
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 159.
You can select or clear all the elements under each network element by rightclicking the element name and, from the menu that appears, clicking All or Clear All.

Version 6.1
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When you have selected the network element(s):

or the Run Highlighted Module button
to refresh the data based on this filtering.
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 New Module Combination window, click the double down arrow
expand the Date Range pane.
to
In the Date Range pane, click the Date Range button

Parameter dialog box appears.
On the Range tab, select the period over which you require data in one of these
ways:
. The Changing Date
To
Do this
Link to the global clock
Select the Start or End checkbox 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 30.
Specify a duration whose start or end

date you know
Click either the Start or End checkbox and choose the correct date.
Enter the desired period in the period box. For example, 1 week.
Select the Include Time checkbox, if you wish to set the start or end time in
hours and minutes.
Specify a period whose start and end

dates you know
Select the Start and End checkboxes and choose the required dates.
Select the Include Time checkbox, if you wish to set the start or end time in
hours and minutes.
You cannot synchronise to the global clock if you set a start and end date.
To modify your time period further, on the Exclude/Include tab:
Select which days you want to include in the date range. Right-click 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 checkbox if you want to Exclude Holidays. For more information
about holidays, see Excluding Particular Days from Reports on page 77.

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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Version 6.1
Setting Parameter Values

If you have pre-defined parameters, you can set parameter values to filter module
data. For more information about defining parameters, see Defining Parameters for a
Query on page 87.
To set parameter values:
1
In the Module Combination window, click the Module Settings button

Module Settings dialog box appears.
In the Module Settings dialog box, on the Parameter Settings tab, complete the
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.
Values
Type the default value(s) for the parameter.
. The
Multiple values must be separated by commas.

- or Click the Values button
and, in the dialog box that appears, set the
default values you require and click OK.
This button is only available when using certain data types (DATE
and NUMBER) and/or operators (Between, Not Between, In List and Not In
List).
Show All
Select this checkbox if you want the parameter to display all of the values
of the field.
If you want to set parameter values globally for all modules with the same
parameter, select the parameter you require and click Apply Selected Values
Globally.
Click OK.

to refresh the data.

Version 6.1
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Setting Time Aggregation

If you have configured time aggregation for a module, you can set the time period at
which to run the module. For more information about time aggregation, see Enabling
Time Aggregation for a Query on page 94.
To set time aggregation:
1
In the Module Combination window, click the Module Settings button
The Module Settings dialog box appears.

2
In the Module Settings dialog box, on the Time Aggregation tab, select the time
period for the module, at the element hierarchy level you want the query to run.
If you want to set time aggregation globally for all modules, select the time period
you require and click Apply Selected Values Globally.
This setting will only be applied to queries that can run at the specified time
period.
Click OK.

refresh the data.
to

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:
Page 158
In the Modules pane, highlight the module you want to search.
Right-click the Modules pane and, from the menu that appears, click Find in
Module.
In the Find dialog box, type the element you want find.
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.

Version 6.1
Finding Elements Across Modules

If you want to search across several modules for a network element:
1
In the Modules pane, highlight a module.
Right-click and from the menu that appears, click Find Across Modules.
In the Find Across Modules dialog box, type the element you want to find.
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.

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.
Filters are found in the Filters pane. If the pane is hidden, click the double down
arrow
to display it.
Filters pane
You can create custom filters in the Filter Explorer. For more information see Using
the Filter Explorer on page 165.

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Creating a Static Filter from a Selection

You can create a static filter by selecting network elements in the Modules Pane. For
more information about static filters, see Creating Static Filters in the Filter Explorer
on page 166.
To create a static filter from a selection:
1
In the Modules pane, select the checkbox for each element that you want to add to
the filter.
Right-click the Modules pane and, from the menu that appears, click Create Filter
From Selection.
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.
In the Custom Filter dialog box that appears, complete the filter details as required
on each page. For more information, see Creating Static Filters in the Filter
When you are satisfied, click the Finish button on the final page.
The filter is now available from the list of filters that appear in the Filters pane.
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Version 6.1
Creating a Static Filter From the Grid Pane

If you have run a module and data is displayed in the grid, you can create a static
filter from the Grid pane . The filter will only contain the elements shown in the grid.
For more information about static filters, see Creating Static Filters in the Filter
To create a static filter from the Grid pane:
1
Right-click and, from the menu that appears, click Create Filter.
- or Click the Create Filter button
The Custom Filter dialog box appears.

2
In the Custom Filter dialog box that appears, complete the filter details as required
on each page. For more information, see Creating Static Filters in the Filter
When you are satisfied, click the Finish button on the final page.
The filter is now available from the list of filters that appear in the Filters pane.

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Applying Filters
In the Filters pane, you can apply filters in different ways using the Filters Pane
toolbar. This picture shows an example of the Filters Pane toolbar:
Filters Pane toolbar
To apply a filter:
1
In the Filters pane, select the filter you want to apply by selecting its checkbox.
You can apply more than one filter at a time. To select another filter simply
select its checkbox.
When you select a filter, the word Include is displayed next to it. This means that
the filter's values will be included when the filter is applied. You can exclude a
filter's values by clicking Include and changing it to Exclude.
Page 162
If you want the filter(s) to apply to all modules, ensure the Apply: all Modules
checkbox is selected.
If you only want the filter(s) to apply to a selected module, unselect the Apply: all
Modules checkbox and, in the Modules pane, select the module you want to filter.

Version 6.1
Apply the selected filter(s) by using one of the three methods described in the
following table:
If you want to:
Do this:
Apply the selected filter(s) to the module

tree.
Click the Select in Module Tree button
The elements within the filter(s) are selected in the Modules pane.
Only show the selected filter(s) in the
module tree.
Click the Display in Module Tree button
Only the elements within the filter(s) are shown in the Modules pane.
Apply the selected filter(s) to the grid and
graph.
Click the Apply to Grid and Graph button
Only the elements within the filter(s) are shown in the grid.
When you apply a filter, any elements you have previously selected will be
cleared.
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.
When you apply a filter, any elements you have previously selected will be
cleared.
To quickly select elements:
1
In the 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.
You can use wildcards to represent characters in filter values. There are two
'BSC*', you will filter all the elements that begin BSC.
'BSC?', you will filter all the four-character elements that begin BSC, such as
BSC1 or BSC2.
Click one of the buttons on the Filters Pane toolbar to apply your selection. For
more information, see Applying Filters on page 162.
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.
Click one of the buttons on the Filters Pane toolbar to apply your selection. For
more information, see Applying Filters on page 162.

Version 6.1
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In the Graphs pane, you can add and arrange graphs. If the pane is hidden, click the
double down arrow
to display it.
Graphs pane
The following table describes the options that are available in the Graphs pane:
Click this:
To:
Add Graph
Add a new graph to the combination window. You can add as many
graphs as required.
Align Horizontally
Align Vertically
Tab / Tile Graphs
Undock All Graphs
Align graphs horizontally in the combination window.

Align graphs vertically in the combination window.
Display each graph on a separate tab.
Detach graphs from the combination window and display them in their
own dialog box.
To dock the graphs again, click the Re-dock button
Link Graphs
Link graphs that have the same x-axis field. In the message box that
appears, you can choose to link graphs by either x-axis only or by x-axis
and y-axis. Once you have linked your graphs, they will zoom and scroll
in unison.
To unlink graphs, click Link Graphs again.
Save Graphs to HTML

Bring Graphs to Front
Graph Scrolling
Export graphs to an HTML file.

Display detached graphs in front of other open windows.
Set all the graphs to equal size. It initially aligns all the graphs horizontally
and then sets the size of each graph to 1/3 of the screen size.
For detailed information about customising graphs, see Using Graphs on page 191.
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Version 6.1

In the Filter Explorer, you can create, edit and delete filters. You can use four 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 and

administrators
In the OPTIMA database
Group
The user who creates them, group

members, and administrators
System
Administrators only
ENTERPRISE
Any user with the correct ENTERPRISE

permissions
In the ENTERPRISE database
You cannot create ENTERPRISE filters in OPTIMA Lite.

To open the Filter Explorer, either:
From the Tools menu, click Filters.
- or Click the Filters button
The Filter Explorer opens, this picture shows an example:
Filter Explorer

Version 6.1
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About the Filter Explorer Toolbar

This picture shows the Filter Explorer toolbar:
Filter Explorer toolbar
Creating Static Filters in the Filter Explorer

Static filters are based on fixed filter values that you specify as part of the filter
definition.
To create a static filter:
1
In the Filter Explorer, either:

From the File menu, point to New and click New Static Filter.
- or Click the Create New Static Filter button
The Static Filter (Add) dialog box appears. This picture shows an example:
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Version 6.1
In the Static Filter (Add) dialog box, on the Filter Details tab, complete the
In this field:
Do this:
Name
Type a name for the filter.
Description
Type a description for the filter.
Filter Type
Choose the OPTIMA or ENTERPRISE filter type you require by selecting the appropriate
radio button.
Click Next.
On the Filter Values tab, complete the following information:

In this pane:
Do this:
Filter Values
Type the values on which you want to filter. For example, if you want to filter on cell 10A,
type 'Cell10A'.
You can use wildcards to represent characters in filter values. There are two
Asterisk (*) - to represent zero or more characters. For example, if you type 'BSC*',
you will filter all the values that begin BSC.
Question mark (?) to represent a single character. For example, if you type 'BSC?',
you will filter all the four-character values that begin BSC, such as BSC1 or BSC2.
You cannot use wildcards with ENTERPRISE filters.
Load Filter
If you want to load filter values from a file, click the browse button, browse to the filter file
and click Open.
Click Next.
If you chose to save your filter as a Group or Administration filter, the Security tab
appears. On the Security tab, complete the following information:
In this field:
Do this:
Admin Only
Select this checkbox if you only want Administrators to access the filter.
This option is only enabled for Administration filters.
Group list
Select the user group(s) that can use the filter.

To add a new group:
1. Click Add.
access to this filter and use the > button to move them to the Destination List.
Click Next.
On the Complete Filter tab, check your filter details and then click Finish. The
filter is now available from the list of filters that appear in the Filter Explorer.

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Creating Dynamic Filters in the Filter Explorer

Dynamic filters produce a list of filter values by running a data query. This type of
filter is dynamic because the values returned by the data query can change. For
example, you could define a dynamic query to return all cells with percentage
dropped calls less than 5% in the past 24 hours which could return different filter
values each time it was run.
To create a dynamic filter:
1
In the Filter Explorer, either:

From the File menu, point to New and click New Dynamic Filter.
- or Click the Create New Dynamic Filter button
The Dynamic Filter (Add) dialog box appears. This picture shows an example:
Page 168
In the Dynamic Filter (Add) dialog box, on the Filter Details tab, complete the
In this field:
Do this:
Name
Type a name for the filter.
Description
Type a description for the filter.
Filter Type
Choose the OPTIMA or ENTERPRISE filter type you require by selecting the appropriate
radio button.

Version 6.1
On the SQL tab, you define the data query for the dynamic filter. To do this:
Click Edit. The Data Explorer appears.
In the Data Explorer, define the SQL for the data query. For more information,
see Defining a Query on page 82.
When you have finished, close the Data Explorer to save your SQL. The SQL is
added to the SQL pane.
Click Next. The query is executed and the filter results are displayed in the Filter
Values pane of the Filter Values tab.
Click Next.
In this field:
Do this:
Admin Only
Group list

To add a new group:
1. Click Add.
access to this filter and use the > button to move them to the Destination List.
On the Complete Filter tab, check your filter details and then click Finish. The
filter is now available from the list of filters that appear in the Filter Explorer.
Converting a Dynamic Filter to a Static Filter

There are two options you can use to convert dynamic filters into static filters. This
table describes the two options:
Use this option:
To:
Create New Filter
Convert a dynamic filter into a static filter which you can change the
name, description and/or type of.
Replace Dynamic Filter
Convert a dynamic filter into a static filter with exactly the same
name, description and type.

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To create a new static filter from a dynamic filter:

1
In the Filter Explorer, select the dynamic filter you want to convert.
Right-click, point to Convert to Static Filter and click Create New Filter. The
dynamic filter's data query is executed and then the Custom Filter (Convert
Dynamic Filter to Static Filter) dialog box appears.
In the Custom Filter (Convert Dynamic Filter to Static Filter) dialog box, on the
Filter Details tab, you can:
Type a new name and/or a description for the filter
Change the filter type by selecting the appropriate radio button
Click Next. The results of the data query are displayed as fixed filter values in the
Filter Values pane on the Filter Values tab.
Click Next.
In this field:
Do this:
Admin Only
Group list

To add a new group:
1. Click Add.
2. In the Select Groups dialog box that appears, select the group(s) you
want to have access to this filter and use the > button to move them to
the Destination List.
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.
Click Next.
On the Complete Filter tab, check your filter details and then click Finish. A new
static filter is created.
To replace a dynamic filter with a static filter:
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In the Filter Explorer, select the dynamic filter you want to convert.
Right-click, point to Convert to Static Filter and click Replace Dynamic Filter.
In the message box that appears, click Yes to confirm. The data query is executed
and a new static filter is created. The results of the data query provide the fixed
filter values for the new static filter.

Version 6.1
Setting Filter Security

If you are the creator of a group filter or an OPTIMA Administrator, you can select
which groups are allowed to use that group filter. To do this:
1
In the Filter Explorer, select the group filter.
Right-click and, from the menu that appears, click Properties. The Filter Properties
dialog box appears.
In the Filter Properties dialog box, on the Security tab, select the user group(s) that
can use the filter. To add a new group:
Click Add.
In the Select Groups dialog box that appears, select the group(s) you want to
have access to this filter and use the > button to move them to the Destination
List.
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.
Click OK to close the Filter Properties dialog box and return to the Filter Explorer.
Editing Filters in the Filter Explorer

In the Filter Explorer, you can edit existing filters. To do this:
1
In the Filter Explorer, select the filter you want to edit.
Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Edit Filter.
- or Click the Edit Filter button
In the Custom Filter (Edit) 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.
You cannot edit ENTERPRISE filters in OPTIMA Lite.
Renaming Filters
In the Filter Explorer, you can rename existing filters. To do this:
1
In the Filter Explorer, select the filter you want to rename.
Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Rename.
Type in the new name for the filter and press Enter.

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Deleting Filters
To delete a filter:
1
In the Filter Explorer, select the filter you want to delete.

- or Click the Delete Filter button
In the message box that appears, click Yes to confirm. The filter is deleted from the
list of filters in the Filter Explorer.
You cannot delete ENTERPRISE filters in OPTIMA Lite.
Finding Filters
If you want to view a particular filter, you can search for it in the OPTIMA database.
To find a filter:
1
From the Edit menu, click Search.

- or Click the Search button
In the Find Filter dialog box that appears, type the name of the filter you wish to
find.
Click Find First and the first occurrence of the filter is highlighted.
Click Find Next and the next occurrence of the filter is highlighted.
To close the dialog box and return to the Filter Explorer, click Cancel.
Copying Filters in the Filter Explorer

To copy a filter:
1
In the Filter Explorer, select the filter that you want to copy.
Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Copy Filter.
- or Click the Copy Filter button
Select the folder where you want to copy the filter to.
Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Paste Filter.
or
Click the Paste Filter button
The filter is copied to the specified folder.
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Version 6.1
Viewing Filters in the Filter Explorer

To view the different types of filter available in the Filter Explorer:
In the Filter Explorer, in the left-hand pane, click the filter type you want to view.
All existing filters of that type are then displayed in the right-hand pane. For
example, click Group to view the Group filters.
If you only want to view your own personal filters, right-click in the left-hand
pane and, from the menu that appears, click Show only current user's filters.

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Version 6.1
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. This picture shows an example:
Example Combination Window

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Many of the tools used are found by right-clicking the grid.

You can also set options to use as the default settings for all grids in OPTIMA. For
information about how to do this, see Setting Default Grid Options on page 37.
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 36.
In This Section
176
177
181
182
Summarising Data
185
Viewing Details of a Single Network Element in a Grid187
Printing Grids
188
189
189
190

To view the tools menu, hover the mouse cursor over a grid and right-click. This
picture shows the menu that appears:
Grid tools menu
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Version 6.1
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:
Grid toolbar

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 36), 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:
Grid columns
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.
Right-click the grid and, from the menu that appears, click Server-side Sorting.
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.
You can move all the selected columns back to the list on the left by clicking
the double left arrow button.
Sort the columns in the right-hand pane by using the Up and Down buttons.
Use the ASC or DESC button to switch between ascending and descending sort
orders for each column.
Click OK to return to the grid.
You can now run the module. To do this, in the Modules pane:
Click the Run Highlighted Module button
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:
Right-click the grid, point to Fix columns and choose the number of columns you
wish to fix.
- or Click the Fix N Columns button
and in the Fix Columns dialog box that
appears, type the number of columns and click OK.
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Version 6.1
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 187.
Right-click the grid and, from the menu that appears, select Scroll to Column.
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
Right-click the grid and from the menu that appears select Column Settings.
- or Click the Column Settings button
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 checkbox 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.
You can also use shortcuts to quickly edit columns. For more information, see
Shortcuts for Changing Column Settings on page 180.

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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
Right-click the grid and, from the menu that appears, select Font.
In the Font dialog box that appears, select how you want the text to appear.
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

read all the column text
Place the cursor between the column titles (above the column divider)
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.
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.
To set thresholds:
1
Right-click the grid and, from the menu that appears, select Column Settings.
- or Click the Column Settings button
Page 180
In the Column Settings window, double-click in one of the Threshold columns.
In the Column window that appears, select a checkbox to enable that threshold.
Type in a value for the threshold and select a logical operator (=, <>, >, >=, <, <=)
from the drop-down menu.
Click the
font type.
Click OK to close the Font dialog box and then click OK to close the Column
dialog box.
button to set the conditional fonts. You can set the colour, size and

Version 6.1
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:
Right-click the grid and, from the menu that appears, select Refresh Data.
- or Click the Refresh Data button

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:
In the Search On box, from the menu select the item that you want to find.
In the For box, type a value or element name as required.
Select the checkboxes if you want to find a Partial Match and/or you want your
search to be Case Insensitive.
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.
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:

Version 6.1
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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 36.
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Version 6.1
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.
If you want to define a second rule, you must select a logical operator for your
filter.
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.
Repeat the above steps for each column that you wish to filter.
To remove a filter:
- 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:
Page 184
Click Filter and select Add Condition.
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.
To select an operator, click on the default operator and from the list that appears
select the appropriate operator.
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.
Repeat the above steps until you have defined your filter.
Click Apply to view the grid with the filter applied.
Click OK to apply the filter and close the Filter Builder.

Version 6.1
To remove a filter:
- 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,
you could choose to group by CELL.
The data in the column you choose to group by cannot be summarised.
You can then summarise each column by one summary type, that is either count,
average, minimum, maximum or total. For example:
Summaries Example

Version 6.1
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To create a summary of data in one or more columns:

1
Right-click and, from the menu that appears, click Customise Summaries.
- or Click the Customise Summaries button
In the Quick Aggregation dialog box that appears, select the summary type you
require from the Global Aggregate drop-down list.
If you want to apply the summary type to all columns, click the Apply Aggregate
to All Fields button
- or If you want to apply the summary type to one or more columns, select the
column(s) in the Field Name list and click the Apply Aggregate to Selected Fields
button
Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to highlight more than one column at a time.
To clear all summaries, click the Clear All Aggregates button

4
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Click OK to save your changes and close the Quick Aggregation dialog box.

Version 6.1
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.
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.
Right-click and, from the menu that appears, select Row Highlight.
To clear the row highlight, click the button again.

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.
Right-click and, from the menu that appears, select View Details.
- or Click the View Details button
A Grid Details window appears, detailing information on your chosen element.

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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

Data
Click on the Field name or Data header box to sort the details. Click
again to view the details in descending order.
Delete a piece of data
Right-click 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, right-click and, from the menu that appears,
select Print or Print Preview.
Note : This will only print data for this network element.
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 187.
The entire grid.
To print an entire grid:
1
Right-click the grid and from the menu that appears select Print.
- or Click the Print button
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In the Print dialog box, choose your options then click OK.

Version 6.1

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
Right-click the grid, point to Export and choose one of the following:
Clipboard
File as CSV
File as HTML
Excel
- or If you just want to export to Excel, click the Export to Excel button
2
If you export to the clipboard, open an application and paste the grid.
or
If you export to Excel, an Excel spreadsheet displaying the data opens.
or
If you select .CSV or .HTML, type a filename then click Save.

You can count the total number of cells shown in the grid, even for a particular filter
displayed.
To count the records shown:
Right-click 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.

Version 6.1
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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:
Right-click the grid and, from the menu that appears, select Show SQL.
A window appears, showing the SQL.
You can copy the SQL in this window by pressing Ctrl+C.
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Version 6.1
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 right-clicking the graph.
In This Section
Ordering Graph Data

Version 6.1
192
193
199
201
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
209
Page 191

To view the tools menu, hover the cursor over a graph and right-click. This picture
shows the menu that appears:
Graph tools menu
By selecting Toolbar, you can display the navigating, appearance, function, printing,
and exporting options from the menu as a toolbar. This picture shows the sections of
the toolbar that appears:
Graph toolbar
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Version 6.1

You can set up the properties of graphs using the OPTIMA Graph Options dialog box.
Once this is set up for one graph, it is used as the default for all other graphs.
To open the OPTIMA Graph Options dialog box:
Right-click the graph and from the menu that appears, select Properties.
You can edit the graph options on the following tabs:
General
Axis
Series
Functions
Threshold Lines
Advanced Options
Chart Themes
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
On the General tab, select the Show Legend checkbox.
To amend the alignment of the legend key, in the Legend Alignment pane, click
the required option such as Left, Right, Top or Bottom.
Click Apply to view the changes and then click OK to save the changes.

Version 6.1
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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 is automatically:
Displayed in the graph
Highlighted in the grid
This is known as auto marks. To set the auto marks:
1
Right-click a graph and from the menu that appears, select Properties.
On the General tab, select the Auto marks checkbox.
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:
Page 194
Right-click a graph and from the menu that appears, select Properties.
On the General tab, click the Change button next to the holiday, weekend or
background colour.
In the Colour dialog box that appears, click on the colour you want to use and
click OK.
In the OPTIMA Graph Options dialog box, click Apply to view the changes and
then click OK to save the changes.

Version 6.1
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
Hide the x-axis border
Amend the date format
Change the angle of the labels on each axis
Change the position of the x-axis border
Adding Grid Lines
To add gridlines to thegraph:
1
Right-click the graph then, from the menu that appears, select Properties.
Select the Axis tab and click the Gridlines checkbox for the relevant axis, either
left, bottom or right.
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 in an OPTIMA graph:
1
Right-click the graph then, from the menu that appears, select Properties.
On the Axis tab, under the axis you want to change, deselect the Automatic
checkbox and insert the required minimum and maximum values.
Hiding the Border

If you want to hide the x-axis border of a graph:
1
On the Axis tab, in the Bottom pane, select the Hide Border checkbox.

Version 6.1
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Changing the Date Format

If you want to change the format of any dates that are shown on the graph axis:
1
On the Axis tab, in the Bottom pane, select the required Date Format from the list.
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
On the Axis tab, in the Bottom pane, use the up and down arrows on the Angle
box to select the angle in degrees.
Changing the Position of the Border

If you want to change the position of the x-axis border:
1
On the Axis tab, in the Bottom pane, use the up and down arrows on the Position
box to select a percentage between -100% and 100%.
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:
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On the Line Series tab, select the required line thickness Thin, Medium or Thick.

Version 6.1
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
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.
In the Moving Average Function pane, set the number of value used in the
moving average function.
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
On the Bar Series tab, in the Multiple Bar pane, choose how you want the bars to
appear None, Side, Stacked, Stacked 100%.
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.
The default bar width is 70.
Displaying Thresholds on Graphs

You can set thresholds and then display a threshold line in the graph.
This does not affect the threshold display options in the Grid.
To set the threshold:
1
On the Threshold tab, click Add.
Type a name for the threshold, for example GSM_Standard.
Insert a value.
Select the Axis and choose a colour.
Click OK.
In the Graph Display Options dialog box, click OK to save the changes.

Version 6.1
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To edit or delete a threshold, highlight the threshold and click Edit and make your
changes or click Delete.
To display threshold lines:
Right-click the graph and from the menu that appears, select Show Threshold
Lines.
The threshold lines for this graph are displayed.
Using Advanced Options

On the Advanced Options tab of the OPTIMA Graph Options dialog box you can set a
wide range of graph options. The Advanced Options tab has two sub-tabs which are
described in the following table:
On this sub-tab:
You can:
Chart
Perform or set many of the options for graphs, for example:

Print Preview
Zoom
Scroll
Axis
Titles
Legend
Export
Set the options for exporting graphs.
Using Chart Themes

On the Chart Themes tab of the OPTIMA Graph Options dialog box, you can apply
pre-defined themes, such as Windows XP, to your graphs.
To apply a theme to a graph:
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Right-click the graph and, from the menu that appears, select Properties.
On the Chart Themes tab, select a theme from the list in the left-hand pane.
Click Apply to apply the theme to your graph.
Click OK to save your changes and return to the combination window.

Version 6.1

You can use the following tools to navigate around the OPTIMA graphs:
Zoom
Rotate
Cursor
Zooming and Scrolling on OPTIMA Graphs

You can point to an area on the graph and manually zoom in or zoom out. To do this:
1
Click the Arrow & Manual Zoom button
on the toolbar.
Click and hold the left mouse button on the graph and drag the cursor to select an
area: dragging to the right zooms in the graph, dragging to the left zooms out, and
so on.
Release the left mouse button to achieve the desired effect.
You also have options to zoom in or zoom out by only 10%. To do this:
To zoom in on a graph:
On the graph, right-click and from the menu that appears, click Zoom In.
- or Click the Zoom In button
To zoom out on a graph:

On the graph, right-click and from the menu that appears, click Zoom Out.
- or Click the Zoom Out button
You can also scroll to a particular point on the graph. To do this:

1
On the graph, right-click and from the menu that appears, point to Mouse Options
and click Drag Mode.
- or Click the Drag Mode button
on the toolbar.
Click and hold the left mouse button on the graph 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.
To turn scrolling off, click the Drag Mode button again.

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Rotating a Graph
You can rotate graphs using the rotating tool. To do this:
1
On the graph, right-click and then from the menu that appears, point to Mouse
Options and click Rotate.
- or Click the Rotate button
on the toolbar.
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 any one of the following buttons on the toolbar:
Arrow & Manual Zoom button
Cursor button
Drag button
Viewing Values Using the Cursor Key

Use the cursor key to view values between points. To select the cursor:
1
On the graph, right-click and then from the menu that appears, point to Mouse
Options and click Cursor.
- or Click the Cursor button
on the toolbar.
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 any one of the following buttons on the toolbar:
Arrow & Manual Zoom button
Rotate button
The Rotate button
is active only if the graph is in the 3D view.
Drag button
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Version 6.1

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, right-click and from the menu that appears, click View 3D.
- or Click the View 3D button
on 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 197.
To view the gaps in the data:
1
Ensure you have set the required gap period.
On the graph, right-click and from the menu that appears, point to Extra Info and
click Show Gaps.
- or Click the Show Gaps button
on the toolbar.
The gaps will display on the graph.

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
Right-click a graph and from the menu that appears, point to Extra Info and click
Show Points.
- or Click the Show Points button
on the toolbar.
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 193.
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 193.
To view weekend or holiday points:
On the graph, right-click and from the menu that appears, point to Extra Info and
click either Show weekends or Show Holidays.
- or Click the Show Weekend button
or Show Holiday button
on the toolbar.
To remove the points from the graph, click the Show Weekend or Show Holiday
buttons.
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Version 6.1

To change the x-axis field of a graph:
1
Right-click the graph and, from the menu that appears, select Change X-Axis
Field.
In the message box that appears, click Yes to confirm.
In the Select Field dialog box that appears, in the left-hand pane, select the module
with the field that you want to be the x-axis. This picture shows an example:
Select either Date Type or Non-Date type from the View drop-down list,
depending on which data type you require.
In the right-hand pane, double-click the field you want to be the x-axis field.
All x-axis fields must have matching data types.
When you have finished, click OK to save your changes and return to the
combination window.

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Ordering Graph Data

You may wish to order values in a graph in ascending or descending order.
You can only do this if the current x-axis field is non-date type.
Each new series you add to the graph will have the same order applied.
To order graph data:
1
Click the Apply Order to Graph button
In the grid, click the heading for the column by which you wish to sort the data in
the graph.
The graph refreshes to show the data sorted in ascending or descending order.
This picture shows an example of a graph with its y-axis data sorted in ascending
order:
Repeat step 2, if you want to order graph data by a different column heading.
To stop ordering graph data, click the Apply Order to Graph button
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again.

Version 6.1

To select a trend:
1
From the Series list, select the Counters or the Elements tab.
On the selected tab, select a node.
Right-click and from the menu that appears, point to Series Properties and select
All Series Options.
In the dialog box that appears, click the Functions column corresponding to the
selected node.
Select the Trend Function Type.

Click the Colour column to select the colour of the trend in the graph.
This picture shows an example of selecting a trend for a node:
Click OK.

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To extend a trend:
1
Select a trend.
On the graph, right-click and from the menu that appears, select Show Extents.
- or Select the Show Extents button
from the toolbar.
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.
Click OK to view the extended trend.

To view details for a series point on a graph:
1
Select the point on the graph you wish to view details about.
Right-click and, from the menu that appears, select View Details.
- or Click the View Details button
A Grid Details window appears, detailing information on your chosen point.

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In the Grid Details window, you can sort your data by clicking on the Field name
or Data header box.

Version 6.1

From the combination window, you can print a graph.
To do this:
1
Right-click the graph and from the menu that appears, select Print Preview.
- or Select the Print Preview button
from the toolbar.
In the Print Preview window, 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 checkbox 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.
Click the Print button.

The Print Preview window appears.

Version 6.1
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From the combination window, you can export a graph:
To the Clipboard
To a File
Via e-mail
To export a graph:
1
Right-click the graph and from the menu that appears, select Export.
- or Select the Export button
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from the toolbar.
In the Export dialog box that appears, select the format type for exporting the
graph.
If you want to save the graph to the Clipboard, click Clipboard. The graph is
saved to the clipboard.
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.
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.
When you have completed your export, in the Export dialog box, click Close.

Version 6.1

From the combination window, you can save a graph as a picture.
To do this:
1
Click the Save Graph as Picture button
on the toolbar.
In the Save As dialog box that appears, browse to the appropriate folder, type a
name, and click Save.
The graph is saved as a JPEG file.

The Series List is the pane to the left of the Graph pane and contains a list of counters
and elements.
Select counters and elements to display its corresponding series values on the
graph.
The following picture shows the Series List.
You can show and hide the series list. To show or hide the list:
Right-click the graph, from the menu that appears click Visible Tree.
To view the series list tool menu:
Right-click the series list.
Use the Selections Options to select all the data in the series list and the
Unselect all option to deselect the data.

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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
Change the graph type between bar, line and point graphs
Access extra functions if the graph is a line graph
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
Right-click the series list.
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:
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Right-click the Series list.
From the menu that appears select 3D Options and then select the option you
require.

Version 6.1
Changing the Colours of the Graph Lines

To change the colour of a graph line:
1
In the Series List pane, select the node for which you want to change the colour
and right-click.
From the menu that appears, point to Series Properties and click All Series
Options.
In the dialog box that appears, click the Colour column corresponding to the
selected node.
Choose a colour from the colour palette.
Click OK to close the dialog box. This applies the colour to the graph.
You can also change the colour of a series in the following way:
1
Select a series on the graph.
Right-click and click Change Series Colour.
In the dialog box that appears, select a colour for the series.
Click OK. The series has the selected colour in the graph.
Changing the Type of Graph

You may wish to display data on different types of graph. You can use this function to
switch between area, bar, line and point graphs.
To do this:
Right-click the series list and, from the menu that appears, point to Change
Graph Type and click either Area, Bar, Line or Point.
The graph data is then displayed in the new graph type.

If you do this at the module level, you can change the graph type for all
items in the series list.

Version 6.1
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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:
In the Series List pane, click the
displayed on the right axis.
next to the required counter. The counters are
To change the axis back repeat the process and the counter will display on the left
axis.
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:
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In the Series List pane, select a node and right-click.
From the menu that appears, point to Series Properties and click All Series
Options.
In the dialog box that appears, click the Functions column corresponding to the
selected node.
From the list of functions that appears, select the one you want to use.

Version 6.1
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.

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.

Version 6.1
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Version 6.1
CHAPTER 9
Using OPTIMA Work Areas

An OPTIMA work area can contain two types of page:
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 154.
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
Loading a Work Area

Version 6.1
216
216
217
218
219
220
Page 215

This picture shows the work area toolbar:
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, right-click the work area and, from
the menu that appears, select the appropriate action.

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
Add any combinations you want to save with this work area. For more
information, see Adding and Removing Combinations on page 217.
Add any web browser pages you want to save with this work area. For more
information, see Adding and Removing Web Browsers on page 218.
Add the switching and refreshing data intervals. For more information, see
Refreshing Data and Switching Tabs on page 219.
Click the Save button on the work area toolbar to save your changes.
Select a directory and type a filename for the work area then click OK.
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.
Page 216

Version 6.1

Adding a Combination
To add a combination to a work area:
1
Click the Add Combination button
In the Module Combination Explorer, select the combination you want to add and
click OK.
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 219.
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
Right-click 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
In the Confirm dialog box, that appears, click Yes.

The combination is removed from the work area.

Version 6.1
Page 217

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
In the dialog box that appears, type the URL for the web page you want to display
then click OK.
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. This picture
shows an example:
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.
Page 218
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 219.

Version 6.1
Removing a Web Browser

To remove a web browser from the work area:
1
Right-click 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
In the Confirm dialog box, that appears, click Yes.

The web page is removed from the work area.

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.
Click the Tab Options button
From the Tab Options dialog box that appears:
on the toolbar.
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.
If you want the interval to apply to all pages, select the Apply to All
checkbox.
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.
If you want the interval to apply to all pages, select the Apply to All
checkbox.
Click OK. If you have selected to apply the refresh and/or switching intervals to
all pages, click Yes to confirm.

Version 6.1
Page 219
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
Loading a Work Area

If you have saved a work area previously, you can load it.
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 216.
From the Inspector menu, select New Work Area.

- or Click the New Work Area button
On the work area toolbar, click the Load work area
button.
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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Version 6.1
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.
KPIs which, when they were defined, did not have the Show in Map checkbox
selected will not appear in the performance data list. For more information, see
Creating KPIs on page 101.
For more information about the ENTERPRISE Map View Window, see the
ENTERPRISE User Reference Guide.
In This Section

Version 6.1
222
223
225
226
Page 221

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
Page 222
Click the Show Data Types button
In the list of data types, click the + sign next to Performance Data to expand the
category.
Expand the appropriate schema and table and then select the counters that you
want to display on the map.
Right-click the map and click Refresh to redraw the map and show the
performance data that you selected.

Version 6.1
This picture shows an example.

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
Expand the Performance Data category.
Double-click the counter whose display you wish to change. The Display
Properties dialog box appears.

Version 6.1
Page 223
On the Data tab:

Select The
To display
Link to Global Clock
Data for the current date.

If you do not select this checkbox, select a date using the calendar in the
Date pane.
Page 224
Filter
Only data that is included in the selected ENTERPRISE filter. Select the All
filter to include all data.
Sector checkbox
The cell as a 3-sector icon.
Text checkbox
The textual data that applies to this cell.
Service Area checkbox
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.
On the Size tab, select:
A Symbol Size, using either Auto or typing in a set size in metres
The minimum and maximum size limits to stop the symbol from dominating
the view when you zoom in or disappearing when you zoom out
On the Colour tab, select:
The first colour used to show the data type
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
The minimum and maximum values displayed by any colour

Version 6.1
On the Font tab, change the font settings as required.
On the Background tab, select whether a background colour is switched On or Off.

If you choose On, select a colour from the palette.
10 Right-click the map and click Refresh to redraw the map.

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
In the Main OPTIMA Calendar dialog box that appears, click Advanced.
This pane appears.

Version 6.1
Page 225
This table shows what you can do in this pane:
In this pane/box
Choose
Playing Data in 2D Map Increment by:
The size of the interval you want between each data display.
For example, to see the 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.
When you have selected the step and period value, click Play. The performance
data displayed on the map will alter accordingly.

To display cell-handover KPIs on the map:
1
From the View menu, click 2D View to open a Map View window.
- or Click the New 2D View button
Page 226
Click the Show Data Types button
In the list of data types, click the + sign next to Performance Data to expand the
category.
Expand the appropriate schema and table and then select the counters that you
want to display on the map.
Right-click the map and click Redraw to refresh the map and show the
performance data that you selected.
Click the Display Neighbours button
Right-click a cell on the map and, from the menu that appears, select the
neighbour cell. A line is drawn between the cells. The thickness of the line is
determined by the value of the selected cell-handover KPI.

Version 6.1

Version 6.1
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Version 6.1
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
CSV
PDF
XHTML
RTF
HTML
XLS
BMP
JPEG
TIFF
RTM
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 154.
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 232.
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 262.
In This Section

Version 6.1
230
230
273
Page 229

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

ENTERPRISE link.
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.

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
Filter report data
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
1
From the Reporter menu, click Reports.

- or
Click the Reports button
In the Report Explorer window, browse to where you want to create the new
- or
Click the Create New Folder button

page 231.
Deleting Folders
To delete a folder:
1
In the Report Explorer window, highlight the folder you want to delete.

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

deleting them.
1
From the Reporter menu, select Reports.

-or Click the Reports button
In the Report Explorer, select the folder you want to restrict.

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On the Security tab in the Report Folder Properties dialog box, select the Admin
Folder checkbox.
Click OK.

Viewing Reports
To view a report:
1

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

- or
Right-click the report, and from the menu that appears, click Open.
Creating Reports Using Report Builder

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:
To create a new report:
1

- or
In the Report Explorer window, browse to where you want to create the new
report and right-click. From the menu that appears, click New Report.
- or
Click the New Report button
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Version 6.1
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
234 and Designing Reports on page 252.
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 234 and Editing Queries on page 242.
Calc
Perform calculations and dynamically control visual aspects of the report layout. For more
information, see Controlling Visual Aspects of a Report on page 243.
Design
Design the layout of a report. For more information, see Designing Reports on page 252.
Preview
See how a report will look when it is printed.

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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 Data Explorer, the Query Wizard or the Query
Designer.
The following table describes the options:
Option:
Description:
Data Explorer
An OPTIMA explorer that enables you to build a query using SQL or by dragging and
dropping tables to create the query if you are not familiar with SQL. For more information,
see Using the Data Explorer to Define a Query on page 234 and Editing Queries on page
242.
If you create a report query with the Data Explorer, you cannot subsequently use the
Query Designer tabs to edit that query.
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 235.
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 238 and Editing Queries on page 242.
Using the Data Explorer to Define a Query

To define a query using the Data Explorer:
Page 234
In the Report Designer window, on the Data tab, from the File menu, click New.
In the New Items dialog box that appears, select Data Explorer and then click OK.

Version 6.1
The Data Explorer appears.

3
In the Data Explorer, define the SQL for the query. For detailed information about
how to do this, see Defining a Query on page 82.
When you have finished, close the Data Explorer and click Yes to save your SQL.
The query is added to the Report Designer window.
Using the Query Wizard to Define a Query

To define a query using the Query Wizard:
1
In the New Items dialog box that appears, select Query Wizard and then click OK.
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.
Click Next.
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.
Click Next.
On the third page of the Query Wizard, you can add calculations to the fields
selected in Step 5.

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To add a calculation to a field:
Select the Add Calculations radio button.
In the left-hand pane, select the field you want to add a calculation to and click
the > button.
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.
Click OK. The calculation is added to the right-hand pane.
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.
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:
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.
If your query contains calculations, then it will automatically be grouped by all

selected fields.
10 Click Next.
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:
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, right-click and, from 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.
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Version 6.1
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:
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:
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:
Using the Query Designer to Define a Query

To define a query using the Query Designer:
1
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Version 6.1
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:
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:
To remove a table, double-click the table in the Selected Tables list.

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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:
You can add all of the fields to the Selected Fields list by selecting the All Fields
checkbox.
5
On the Calcs tab, you can add calculations to the fields selected in Step 4.
To add a calculation to a field:
In the Available Fields list, double-click the field you want to add a calculation
to. The field is added to the Calculations list.
In the Calculations list, select the field.
Select a function from the Function drop-down list. If you want to use a userdefined 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:
Page 240
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.
On the Search tab, you can filter the data returned by your query. For detailed
information about how to do this, see Creating Filters for Reports on page 258.
On the Sort tab, you can select fields to order the rows returned by your query.

Version 6.1
To select a field to order by:
In the Available Fields list, double-click the field you want to order by.
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) checkbox. This picture shows an
example:
To use the order of the rows stored in the OPTIMA database, select the
Natural Order checkbox.
9
On the SQL tab, you can view and manually edit the SQL of your query.
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:
Right-click the SQL and, from the menu that appears, click Edit SQL.
Click Yes to confirm. The SQL becomes editable.
- or
If you want to use the Data Explorer, right-click the SQL and, from the menu
that appears, click Data Explorer.
Click Yes to confirm. The Data Explorer appears.
In the Data Explorer, make the required changes to your query. For more
information, see Defining a Query on page 82.
When you have finished, close the Data Explorer and click Yes to save your
changes and return to the Query Designer.
10 Click OK to save your query and close the Query Designer.

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Editing Queries
You can edit report queries using either the Query Designer or the Data Explorer,
depending upon the following conditions:
If you have created the report query with the Query Designer, you can edit it
using either the Data Explorer or the Query Designer.
If you have created the report query with the Data Explorer, you can only edit it
using the Data Explorer.
If you have already edited the report query with the Data Explorer, then you can
only edit it using the Data Explorer.
To edit an existing query using the Data Explorer:
1
In the Report Explorer, double-click the report with the query you want to edit.
The Report Designer window appears.
In the Report Designer window, click the Data tab.
Right-click the query you want to edit and, from the menu that appears, click Data
Explorer.
If the query was defined using either the Query Wizard or the Query Designer, a
message box appears asking you to confirm you want to manually edit the query.
In the Data Explorer, make the required changes to your query. For more
information about using the Data Explorer, see Using the Data Explorer on page
80.
changes.
To edit an existing query using the Query Designer:
Page 242
In the Report Explorer, double-click the report with the query you want to edit.

Version 6.1
Right-click 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 238.
When you have finished, click OK to save your changes and close the Query
Designer.
Controlling Visual Aspects of the Report Layout

On the Calc tab of the Report Designer window, you can use an event-based
environment to perform calculations and dynamically control visual aspects of the
report layout while the report is generating.
The Calc tab is divided into the following areas:
Code Explorer
Code Toolbox
Code Editor
Message Window

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This picture shows an example of the Calc Tab of the Report Designer:
Code Explorer
Code Editor
Message
Window
Code Toolbox
Calc Tab
About the Code Explorer

The upper area of the Calc tab is called the Code Explorer. The Code Explorer area
contains a tree view to enable you to navigate your report's code.
In the Code Explorer, you can manage the report code using different views:
Variables View
Events View
Module View
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Version 6.1
Viewing the Report Variables

In the Variables view, you can display the variables within a report. Variables enable
you perform calculations.
This picture shows an example of the Variables view:
Variables View
To view the variables in a report:

Right-click in the Code Explorer area and from the menu that appears, click
Variables.

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Viewing the Report Events

In the Events view, you can view all components contained within a report. You can
also view any events associated with the currently selected component.
This picture shows an example of the Events view:
Events View
To view the events contained within a report:

Events.
Viewing the Report Modules

In the Module view, you can view a global view of the declarations, events, programs,
and event handlers. This view is useful when you want to examine all of the reports
code.
It displays the following:
Page 246
Module
Description
Declarations
Variables and constants that are globally visible throughout the report
Events
Report events
Programs
Procedures and functions that are globally visible throughout the report and
can therefore be called from any event handler
Event Handlers
Event handlers that have been implemented in the report

Version 6.1
This picture shows an example of the Module view:
Module View
To view the report modules:

Module.

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About the Code Toolbox

The lower right-hand side area of the Calc tab is called the Code Toolbox. It is a visual
code repository that contains identifiers and code elements.
It consists of the following three tabs:
Data
Objects
Language
Viewing Data Fields
In the Data tab of the Code Toolbox, you can view data pipelines and fields and drag
and drop field references into the Code Editor.
To use the data fields in the code:
1
In the Code Explorer, ensure that you are displaying the Events view and select
the Data tab.
Select a field and drag it in the Code Editor. The code necessary to retrieve the
field value is generated.
For example, if you drag the City field from the Code Toolbox, you get the following
code in the Code Editor:
Value := Clients[City]
This picture shows an example of the Data tab of the Code Toolbox:
Data Tab of the Code Toolbox
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Version 6.1
Viewing the Report Objects

In the Objects tab of the Code Toolbox, you can view report objects and their
properties, and drag and drop properties into the Code Editor.
To use the report objects in the code:
1
the Objects tab.
In the Code Toolbox: Report Objects pane, select an object in the tree. The
properties of the object are displayed in the Properties for Detail pane.
In the Properties for Detail pane, select and drag a property to the Code Editor.
The code necessary to retrieve the value of the property or call the method is
generated.
For example, if you drag the AutoSize property from the Code Toolbox, the
following code generates in the Code Editor:
Label1.AutoSize
This picture shows an example of the Objects tab of the Code Toolbox:
Objects Tab of the Code Toolbox

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Viewing the Report Application Pascal (RAP) Language Elements

In the Language tab of the Code Toolbox, you can view the RAP language elements
and drag and drop elements into the Code Editor.
To use the RAP language elements in the code:
1
the Language tab.
In the Code Toolbox: Language pane, select a category in the tree to view elements
for that category.
In the Code Toolbox: Language pane, select and drag an element to the Code
Editor. The code necessary to reference or use the element is generated.
For example, if you drag Copy to the Code Editor, the following code is generated:
Copy(S, Index, Count);
When you drop an item such as a function call, the function's parameter list is
provided.
This picture shows an example of the Language tab of the Code Toolbox:
Language Tab of the Code Toolbox
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Version 6.1
About the Code Editor

The lower left-hand side area of the Calc tab is called the Code Editor and it contains
the code.
This picture shows an example of the Code Editor:
Code Editor
To create the code in the Code Editor:

Right-click an event in the Code Explorer and from the menu that appears, click
New. An outline of the code for the selected element is displayed in the Code
Editor. You can then edit the code.
-orSelect an element in the Code Toolbox and drag it to the Code Editor. The code for
the selected element is displayed in the Code Editor. You can then edit the code.
-orRight-click in the Code Editor and select New. The outline of the code is displayed
in the Code Editor. You can then edit the code.
The New option is only enabled if there is no existing code for the item currently
selected in the Code Explorer.
To compile, save, delete, or revert the code, right-click and from the menu that
appears, click the appropriate option.
About the Message Window
In the Message Window, you can see the error messages from the compiler when you
compile the code in the Code Editor.

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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.
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.
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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.
You must have a query defined before creating a graph. For information about
defining queries, see Defining Queries on page 234.
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.
In the Report Designer window, click the DB Chart button
In the design area, click where you want the graph to be located.

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Page 254
Right-click the graph and, from the menu that appears, click Edit Chart. The
Editing ppDPTeeChartControl1 dialog box appears. This picture shows an
example:
In the Editing ppDPTeeChartControl1 dialog box, click Add. The TeeChart

Gallery dialog box appears. This picture shows an example:
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 checkbox.
Version 6.1
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:
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.
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.
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.
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 checkbox if you want to display the date and time on the x axis.
DateTime
Select this checkbox if you want to display the date and time on the y axis.

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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.

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

In OPTIMA, you can use filters and parameters to limit the data returned when
reports are run. When you run a report with a filter or a parameter, the Selection
dialog box is displayed. In the Selection dialog box, you select the values for the filters
and parameters.
Creating Filters for 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.
Select the query that you want to filter and either:

Click the Search button
- or Right-click the query and, from the menu that appears, click Search.
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Version 6.1
The Query Designer appears, with the Search tab selected. This picture shows an
example:
In the Available Fields pane, either:

Double-click the field that you want to be a filter.
- or Right-click 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.
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.
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 for Reports on page 260.
AutoSearch
Select this checkbox if you want to display the Search dialog box when the report is
run. For more information, see Adding Filter Values for Reports on page 260.
Do not select the AutoSearch checkbox if the report is to be scheduled.
Mandatory
Select this checkbox if you want to ensure that a filter value is entered when the report
is run.
Show All
Select this checkbox if you want the filter to display all of the values of the field.
This option overrides all other filter options.

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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:
Click OK.
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 for Reports on page 260.
Adding Filter Values for Reports

When you run a report with a filter, the Selection dialog box is displayed. In the
Selection 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.
To add a filter value:
1
In the Report Explorer window, preview the report you want to filter.
In the Selection dialog box that appears, select the filter values that you want to
add. For more information, see Selecting Filter Values and Parameters on page 92.
Click OK to close the Selection dialog box and run the report with the specified
filter value.
Creating Parameters for Reports

With OPTIMA reports, you can use parameters to limit the data returned when
reports are run. When you run a report with a parameter, you are asked to specify the
criteria that you want OPTIMA to report on.
Creating a parameter for a report requires you to manually edit the report query.
Once you have manually edited a query, you can no longer use the Query Designer
tabs to edit that query.
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Version 6.1
To create a parameter for a report:

1
In the Report Explorer window, open the report that you want to add a parameter
to. The Report Designer window appears.
Select the query that you want to filter and either:

Right-click the query and, from the menu that appears, click Data Explorer.
If the report query was defined using the either the Query Wizard or the Query
Designer, a message box appears asking you to confirm you want to manually edit
the query. Click Yes to confirm.
In the Data Explorer, create the parameter. For detailed information about how to
do this, see Defining Parameters for a Query on page 87.
changes.
Close the Report Designer and click Yes to save your changes.
Now when you run the report, you will be asked to specify parameter values
based on the criteria you have set. For more information about parameter values,
see Setting Parameter Values for Reports on page 261.
Setting Parameter Values for Reports

When you run a report with a parameter, the Search dialog box is displayed. In the
Search dialog box, you set the parameter value(s) you want to use.
If you do not want to specify parameter values each time you run a report, you can
set default parameter values. For detailed information about how to do this, see
Specifying Default Parameter Values on page 89.
To set a parameter value:
1
In the Report Explorer window, preview the report you want to filter.
In the Selection dialog box that appears, set the parameter values for the reports.
For more information, see Selecting Filter Values and Parameters on page 92.

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Creating Excel Reports

can create and edit Microsoft Excel reports in OPTIMA.
To create an Excel report:
1

- or Click the Reports button
From the Report Explorer File menu, point to New and click Excel Report.
- or Click the New Excel Report button
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Version 6.1
The OPTIMA Excel Report Editor window appears. This picture shows an
example:
On the Report Information tab, type a name and description and select the
Enabled checkbox.
Ensure the Enabled checkbox is selected otherwise the report will not run.
On the Report Definition tab, you define the contents of your report by writing
one or more data queries. Data queries determine what data will be displayed in
your report.
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 82.
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.

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Click:
To:
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 82.
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.
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. Close Excel to return to the Excel Report Editor window.
This picture shows an example of the Report Definition tab:
Click Create Blank template. This creates a blank Excel template for your report.
- or Create your own Excel template. For detailed information about how to create an
Excel template, see Creating an Excel Template on page 265.
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Click the Assign Template button.

Version 6.1
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.
Click the Preview Report button. The data is exported to Excel and displayed in
the named ranges defined in the Excel template.
In Excel, add any further formatting you require to your report, for example,
headings or graphs.
10 When you have finished, remove the data and re-save the workbook as an .XLT
file.
11 Close Excel to return to the Excel Report Editor window.
12 Click OK to save your report to the OPTIMA database and close the OPTIMA
Excel Report Editor window.
This picture shows an example of an Excel report:
Example Excel Report
Creating an Excel Template

When you create an Excel report in OPTIMA, you also need an Excel template so you
can add formatting to your report. For more information about Excel reports, see
Creating Excel Reports on page 262.
To create an Excel template:
1
In the OPTIMA Excel Report Editor window, on the Report Definition tab, select
the data queries in the Report Data Queries List that you want to use in the
template.
Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to highlight more than one data query at a time.
Click Preview Data. An Excel workbook appears, containing a separate worksheet

for each selected data query.

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In Excel, create a cell range for each data query that you want to be displayed. You
can define the cell ranges in the same worksheet or in separate worksheets.
To create a cell range:
Select the range of cells that you want to use.

When selecting a range, you can simply select the top left cell rather than
the full range. If you select a range which is smaller than the data size, only the
data that fits the range will be displayed.
Select the Name Box at the left-hand end of the formula bar.
Type a name for the cell range.

The name of each cell range must match the corresponding data query
name, otherwise the data will not be displayed in the range when it is
exported to Excel. Data query names are case sensitive.
Press Enter.
For more information about cell ranges, see the Microsoft Excel Help.
4
Delete the data from the Excel worksheet(s).
Save the workbook as an .XLT file.
Close Excel to return to the Excel Report Editor window.
Viewing Excel Reports

All OPTIMA_Users can view Excel Reports. To view an Excel report:
1

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

- or
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Right-click the report, and from the menu that appears, click Open.

Version 6.1
Restricting Access to Reports

If you have OPTIMA_Administrator permissions, you can restrict access to reports to
prevent users who do not have Administrator permissions from editing them.
To restrict access to a report:
1
From the Reporter menu, select Reports.

In the Report Explorer, select the report you want to restrict.
In the Report Properties dialog box, select the Admin Report checkbox.
Click OK.
To remove the restriction from a report follow the previous steps and clear the Admin
Report checkbox.
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:
report
To make a group the owner of a report:
1
From the Inspector menu, click Reports.

In the Report Explorer window, select the report you want to set the owning
group for.
You cannot assign the owning group for an Admin Report, unless you have
OPTIMA_Administrator permissions.
Right-click the selected report and from the menu that appears, click Properties.
In the Report Properties dialog box, select a group from the drop-down list.
Click OK.

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Editing and Deleting Reports

Editing Reports
To edit a report:
1

- or
Highlight the report you want to edit and double-click to open it.
Renaming Reports
To rename a report:
1
In the Report Explorer, right-click a selected report, and from the menu that
appears, click Rename.
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

or
Copying Reports
can copy existing reports and then modify them.
To do this:
1

In the Report Explorer, select the report(s) you want to copy.
Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one report at a time.
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Version 6.1
Select the folder that you want to copy the report(s) to.
Right-click, 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

- or
In the Report Explorer window, highlight the report you want to print and either:
Right-click and from the menu that appears, click Print or Print Preview.
- or
Click the Print or Print Preview buttons
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
box.
to open the Print dialog
You can preview more than one report at a time. To do this repeat step 2.
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.
Importing and Exporting Report Definitions

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
reports and Admin folders.

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Importing Reports
To import a report:
1
In the Report Explorer, select the folder into which you want to import the
report(s).
Click the Import Report From File button
- or Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Import Report(s) Definition.
3
In the Import Reports dialog box, click the Browse button.
In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the folder which contains the report(s)
you want to import and click OK.
click OK.
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.
In the message box that appears, click OK to import the report(s). The reports are
imported to the specified folder.
Exporting Reports
To export a report:
1
In the Report Explorer, select the report(s) and/or folder(s) you want to export.
Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one report and/or folder at a
time.
Click the Export Report to File button
- or Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Export Report(s) Definition.
3
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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 checkboxes:
Export reports from sub-folders
Click OK.
export the report(s) and click OK.
In the message box that appears, click OK to export the report(s). The reports are
exported to the specified folder.
Version 6.1
Exporting Reports
can export reports to file and/or email. To do this:
1
In the Report Explorer, select the report you want to export.
Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Export.
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 preselected for you.
4
If you want to zip the report, select the Zip File Before Exporting checkbox.
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.
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.
If the OPTIMA Email Client Settings have been enabled in the User
Preferences, then the OPTIMA client will appear and you can use the OPTIMA
email address book to select the appropriate email addresses. For more
information, see Setting Email Client Options on page 42.
When you have finished, click Close to return to the Report Explorer.

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Using the Fast CSV (*.CSV) Option

To save time, you also have the option of exporting the file in a fast way using the
Fast CSV (*.CSV) option. When you use this option, the details of the Design tab are
ignored and only the columns in the Select statement of the SQL query are exported
to the CSV file.
Note : The Fast CSV option is available only to Report Builder reports. It is not
available for Excel reports.
To use the Fast CSV option:
1
In the Report Explorer, select the report you want to export.
Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Export.
In the Export dialog box that appears, select the Fast CSV (*.CSV) option.
If you want to export the report to file, click File.

In the dialog box that appears, click Yes to confirm. The dialog box informs that
the report layout will be ignored and the report will be exported without the
details of the design tab.
Browse to the appropriate folder, and click OK. The report is exported.
-orIf you want to export the report via email, click Email.
In the dialog box that appears, click Yes to confirm. The dialog box informs that
the report layout will be ignored and the report will be exported without the
details of the design tab.
In the blank email that appears, type the email addresses and click Send.
When you have finished, click Close to return to the Report Explorer.
Note : When you use the Fast CSV (*.CSV) option, the number of reports exported
is equivalent to the number of SQL queries in the Data tab of the Report Designer.
The filename of the report that is saved is a combination of the report name and a
unique number.
For example, if you export a report called Test with three SQL queries, then the
filenames of the reports will be:
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Test.csv
Test_1.csv
Test_2.csv

Version 6.1

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
1
From the Reporter menu, click Schedules.

- or
Click the Schedules button
In the Schedule Explorer window, browse to where you want to create the new
- or

page 274.
Deleting Folders
To delete a folder:
1
In the Schedule Explorer window, highlight the folder you want to delete.

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

Version 6.1
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deleting them.
1
From the Reporter menu, select Schedules.

-or Click the Schedules button
In the Schedule Explorer, select the folder you want to restrict.
On the Security tab in the Schedule Folder Properties dialog box, select the Admin
Folder checkbox.
Click OK.

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, right-click the report you want to schedule and,
from the menu that appears, click Schedule.
or
In the Schedule Explorer, right-click 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
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In the Select Report dialog box, select the report you want to create a schedule for
and click Open.

Version 6.1
In the Schedule Editor dialog box, set the following options:

On this tab/sub-tab
Do this
General
Type a name for the schedule, and a description if required.

Ensure the Enable Schedule checkbox is selected otherwise the report will not
run.
Recurrence
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 Rang 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
End after the report has run a specific number of times
Have no end date
Export
Choose where you want the report to be exported by selecting the appropriate Export
To checkbox(es).
Export/Printer
Select the Windows default or a specified printer for the report.

You can choose a format for the report from the Export Format drop-down list. The
default format is PDF.
Export/File
Click the Browse button and, in the dialog box that appears, find the client server
shared folder, type a name and click Save. Click Add to add the file to the File Names
list. You can add as many files as you want.
It is important to specify a network path.
If you have specified the name of the file as .csv, the Fast CSV checkbox is enabled.
You can use this option to export the file in a fast way. When you use this option, the
details of the Design tab are ignored and only the columns in the Select statement of
the SQL query are exported to the CSV file. When you use the Fast CSV (*.CSV)
option, the number of reports exported is equivalent to the number of SQL queries in
the Data tab of the Report Designer. The filename of the report that is saved is a
combination of the report name and a unique number.
The Fast CSV option is available only to Report Builder reports. It is not available
for Excel reports.
If you want to overwrite the same report each time you run the schedule, select the
<filename without date stamp> radio button.
If you do not want to overwrite the report, select the <filename with date stamp> radio
button. Select a date format from the drop-down list and, if you want to specify a date
offset, select the Apply Date Offset checkbox and change the offset as required.
You can zip the file by selecting the Zip File Before Exporting checkbox.

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On this tab/sub-tab
Do this
Export/Email
Click the Select Contacts button, and in the Address Book that appears,787 select the
user(s) and/or group(s) you require and click OK. If you select a group, you are asked
to confirm whether you want to export to the individual users in the group or to the
group email address.
Type a subject line for the email.
You can choose a format for the email from the Format drop-down list. If you select
the *.CSV option, then the Fast CSV check box is enabled. When you use this option,
the details of the Design tab are ignored and only the columns in the Select statement
of the SQL query are exported to the CSV file.
Notes:
The Fast CSV option is available only to Report Builder reports. It is not available for
Excel reports.
You can zip the file by selecting the Zip File Before Exporting checkbox.
Conditions
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.
Ensure you select the Enable condition on this report if you want the condition to
be active.
Parameters
Set any parameter values for the report schedule. To do this either:
Select an operator from the drop-down list and type the required values in the Value
field.
- or If you want to display all of the values, select the Select All checkbox.
For more information, see Setting Parameter Values for Reports on page 261.
Click OK to schedule the report.

Note :
Notes:
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.
If you have selected the Fast CSV option, click Yes in the confirmation message
that appears to save the schedule.
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Version 6.1
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.
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.
In the Schedule Editor, select the General tab and delete the current schedule
name and insert the new schedule name.
Deleting Schedules
To delete a schedule:
1
In the Schedule Explorer, highlight the schedule you want to delete
Right-click and from the menu that appears, click Delete.

or
Copying Schedules
can copy existing report schedules and then modify them.
To do this:
1
From the Reporter menu, click Schedules.

-or Click the Schedules button
In the Schedule Explorer, select the schedule(s) you want to copy.

Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select more than one report.
Select the folder that you want to copy the schedule(s) to.
Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Paste. The schedules are copied
to the specified folder.

Version 6.1
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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:
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Select the schedule for which you want to clear the history. The history appears in
the Schedule History pane of the Schedule Explorer.
In the Schedule History pane, right-click and click Clear History.
In the Confirm dialog box, click Yes to delete the history.

Version 6.1
CHAPTER 12
Using Performance Alarms

Only OPTIMA_Administrators can use OPTIMA's performance alarms.
OPTIMA users can view performance alarms but cannot configure them.
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
Defining an Alarm
About Ripple Counts
Troubleshooting

Version 6.1
280
284
294
295
298
300
301
302
303
304
304
Page 279

Before you can define and use an alarm, you must define the following:
Vendors
Technologies
Element types
Problem text
Maintenance parameters
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 Config menu, click Vendor.
Type the name of the vendor and click OK.
To edit a vendor name:

1
In the Alarms Explorer, from the Config menu click Vendor.
Select the vendor and click Rename

- or
Double-click the vendor name.
Type in the new name for the vendor.
To delete a vendor:
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In the Alarms Explorer, from the Config menu click Vendor.
Select the vendor and click Delete.

Version 6.1
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 Config menu, click Technology.
Type the name of the technology and click OK.
To edit a technology name:

1
In the Alarms Explorer, from the Config menu click Technology.
Select the technology and click Rename

- or
Double-click the technology name.
Type in the new name for the technology.
To delete a technology:
1
In the Alarms Explorer, from the Config menu click Technology.
Select the technology and click Delete.
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 Config menu, click Element Type.
Type the name of the element type and click OK.
To edit an element type:

1
In the Alarms Explorer, from the Config menu click Element Type.
Select the element type and click Rename

- or
Double-click the element type name.
Type in the new name for the element type.
To delete an element type:

1
In the Alarms Explorer, from the Config menu click Element Type.
Select the element type and click Delete.

Version 6.1
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Configuring Problem Texts

In the Problem Text dialog box, you can add or delete the problem text definitions
that you can use when creating an alarm.
To add a problem text:
1
In the Alarms Explorer, from the Config menu, click Problem Text.
In the Name column, type the name of the problem text.
In the Definition column, click the empty row.
In the text box that appears, click Edit.
In the dialog box that appears, type in your definition, either as an SQL query or
simple text.
If you are using SQL query, check the Override SQL checkbox so that the system
knows that the written text is SQL.
You can double-click any of the items in the list of OPTIMA tables and
columns, Oracle keywords and functions in the Database pane on the right-hand
side to help you write the problem text.
To test that the code works correctly, click Test SQL. If your code is correct, results
appear in the bottom pane of the dialog box.
Click Save.
Following is a problem text example for Route congestion alarm:

SET PROBLEM TEXT
FDN:%ELEMENTID
DATETIME:%DATE
CONGESTION:%LAST(%CONGESTION)
OG CALLS:%LAST(%NCALLSO)
OG TRAF:%LAST(%OG_TRAF)
RIPPLE:%COUNT(%CONGESTION)
Result of Set Problem Text:
FDN:MSC:MRG05;ROUTE:BRSI-BRSO
DATETIME:26-03-2007 12:00:00
CONGESTION:1,09
OG CALLS:2475
OG TRAF:74
RIPPLE:1
CLEAR PROBLEM TEXT
%ELEMENTID CLEARED
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Version 6.1
To delete a problem text:

1
In the Alarms Explorer, from the Config menu, click Problem Text.
Select the problem text that you want to delete and click Delete.
Configuring Alarm Maintenance Parameters

In the Alarm Maintenance dialog box, you can configure parameters that you can use
to schedule the alarm maintenance routine.
To configure alarm maintenance parameters:
1
In the Alarms Explorer, from the Config menu, click Maintenance.
Select the number of days that you want to keep the alarms in the database.
Select
if you want the user to acknowledge an
alarm before it is removed from the system.
The user will only be able to acknowledge an alarm only on the OPTIMA web
interface. Therefore, you should only select this option only if the OPTIMA web
interface is installed on the user's system.
Click OK.

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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 280.
You can define an alarm in one of the following two ways:
Define an alarm using a wizard
Define an alarm using an editor
Defining an Alarm using the Alarms Wizard

To define an alarm using the alarms wizard:
1
From the Performance Alarms menu, click Alarms.
In the Alarms Explorer, click the Create New Alarm Definition button
- or In the Alarm Definitions pane, right-click and from the menu that appears, click
Add Definition.
The Alarm Definition dialog box appears.
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In the dialog box that appears, select the Create with wizard option.
In the dialog box that appears, type the name and description of the alarm.
Click Next.

Version 6.1
In the dialog box that appears:

Item
Description
Schema, Table, Element

Column, Date Column
Select the schema, table, element column, and date column to define the alarm.
Date Period to be scanned

back
This determines how far back the data is monitored and is required if any of the following
conditions arise:
There has been a delay in loading the data into the OPTIMA database
The alarm service has not been running.
By default, the date scan back period is set to 4 weeks.
Element Selection
The alarm monitors these elements. By default, it monitors all the network elements of the
type selected in the element column.
You can change the selection to apply the alarm only to a subset of elements. To do so:
1. Select the Filter Elements option
2. Click Select. The Selection dialog box appears.

3. You can select the elements monitored by the alarm in any one of the following three
ways:
Element Hierarchy: You can select elements from only one element hierarchy level.
Click
to select the element hierarchy. For more information on element
hierarchy, see Using the Element Hierarchies Explorer on page 131.
Filters: You can apply filters on element hierarchy and select the elements. Click
to select the elements using the filters. For more information on filters, see
Applying Filters on page 162.
Manual Selection: You can manually enter element values. Click
elements manually.

Version 6.1
to specify the
Page 285
Click Next.
In the dialog box that appears:

For This
Do This
Severity
This defines the severity of the alarm threshold.

From the Severity drop-down list, select a severity for the threshold.
You can click <Select> to get the Severity drop-down list.
You have the following options:
Minor
Major
Critical
Information_Only
Intermediate
Warning
Parameter Name and

Expression
To add the parameters and expression:

Click
to add the parameters and expression for the alarm threshold.
The Parameter Editor dialog box opens.
You can also click
in the Parameter Name column to add a parameter.
In the Parameter Editor dialog box:

1. In the Name text box, type the name of the parameter.
2. From the Data Type drop-down list, select the data type of the parameter.
3. From the Functions pane, select the number, string, date, and custom values for the
parameter.
4. From the Operators pane, select the operator.
5. Click OK.
You can also right-click in the Threshold dialog box to add or delete a parameter.
Operator and Value
To set the operator and value:

1. Click
to set the operator and value for the parameters.
Selection dialog box appears.
You can also click
The
in the Operator and Value columns to set operator values.
2. From the Operator drop-down list, select the operator for each parameter.
3. In the Values column, type the value for the parameter.
4. Select the Apply to all queries checkbox to apply all the parameters to the queries in the
Queries pane on the left-hand side.
5. Click OK.
You can also right-click in the Threshold dialog box to set the value.
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Version 6.1
Override the parameters for

Clear
If this option is not checked, the system automatically adds an identical clear parameter for
every set parameter that you create.
Select this checkbox if you want to create a separate clear parameter for the set
parameters that you create.
If this option is selected, then you have the option to click
to edit the operator value for
the clear parameter. After setting a different value for the clear parameter, if you uncheck
this option, a warning message is displayed that the clear parameter will be synchronized
with the set parameter. Click Yes to continue.
It is mandatory to have at least one set and clear parameter.
Click Next.
10 In the dialog box that appears:

In This Pane
Do This
Alarm Process Mode
Select the alarm process mode from any one of the following options:
Normal: If you select this option, the system raises an alarm for the first time when the
SET condition is met. Then it checks for the CLEAR condition. If the CLEAR condition
is not met, it keeps checking for the CLEAR condition until it is met. After the CLEAR
condition is met, it again checks the SET condition. That means that there is always a
pattern SET-CLEAR, SET-CLEAR.
Monitor active alarms: If you select this option, the system raises an alarm when the
SET condition is met and then checks for the CLEAR condition. If the CLEAR
condition is not met, it checks for the SET condition again. If the SET condition is met.
it raises a SET alarm. This means that the pattern need not be SET-CLEAR,SETCLEAR as in the normal mode and several SET alarms can be raised before a CLEAR
alarm is raised.
The option Monitor set on granularity is selected automatically when you select the
Monitor active alarms process mode.
Select Problem Text
You can select an existing problem text from the drop-down list or you can add a new
problem text.
To add a new problem text:
1. Click Add. The Problem Text dialog box appears.
2. Click Add.
3. In the Name column, type the name of the problem text.
4. In the Definition column, click the empty row.
5. In the text box that appears, click Edit.
6. In the dialog box that appears, type in the SQL code or simple text.
If you type simple text, double-click any of the items in the list of OPTIMA tables and
columns, Oracle keywords and functions in the Database pane on the right-hand side. If
you type the actual code, check the Override SQL checkbox so that the system knows that
the written text is SQL.
7. To test that the code works correctly, click Test SQL. If your code is correct, results
8. Click Save.
Vendor, Technology, Element

Type
Select a vendor, technology, and element type.

To add a new vendor, technology, and element type, click
corresponding to the
correct row. For more information, see About Alarm Settings on page 280.

Version 6.1
Page 287
11 Click Next.
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.
13 Click Next.
In This Pane
Do This
Handler Type
Select the method via which you want to send the alarm notifications.It can be any of the
following methods:
Email: Alarm notification is sent by email.
SMS: Alarm notification is sent by sms.
SNMP: Alarm notification is sent by SNMP.
Handler Location
Click
Select Contacts
to specify a location to save the alarm handler.
To select contacts:
1. Click
to select a contact from the address book. You can search users,
groups, and contacts to select your contact.
2. Click OK.
3. Select the Send multiple notifications per email and/or SMS checkbox if you want to send
multiple alarm notifications.
4. Select the Apply handler on 'Clear' alarms checkbox if you want to send the notifications
for cleared alarms also.
SNMP
This pane is active only if you have select SNMP as your handler type.
Select the type of event and probable cause for your alarm from the available lists.
15 Click Next.
The Alarm Wizard - Summary dialog box lists all the details of the alarm.
You can click any right-hand side menu items to edit your alarm information.
Page 288

Version 6.1
This picture shows an example of the Alarm Wizard - Summary dialog box:
16 Click Finish. A new alarm definition is created.

It is possible to add incomplete alarm definitions and edit them later.
However, you have to specify the Information, Data and Threshold details.
17 When you have defined an alarm, you can activate it. For more information, see
Activating an Alarm on page 293.

Version 6.1
Page 289
Defining an Alarm using an Editor

To define an alarm:
1
In the Alarms Explorer, click the Create New Alarm Definition button
- or
In the Alarm Definitions pane, right-click 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.
On the Settings tab:

In This Pane
Do This
Alarm Process Mode
Select the alarm process mode from any one of the following options:
Normal: If you select the Process Mode for the defined Alarm as Normal, the
system raises an alarm for the first time when the SET condition is met. Then it
checks for the CLEAR condition. If the CLEAR condition is not met, it keeps
checking for the CLEAR condition until it is met. After the CLEAR condition is met,
it again checks the SET condition. That means, there is always a pattern SETCLEAR, SET-CLEAR.
Monitor active alarms: If you select the Process Mode for the defined Alarm as
Monitor active alarms, the system raises an alarm when the SET condition is met
and then checks for the CLEAR condition. If the CLEAR condition is not met, it
checks for the SET condition again. If the SET condition is met. it raises a SET
alarm. This means that the pattern need not be SET-CLEAR,SET-CLEAR as in the
normal mode and several SET alarms can be raised before a CLEAR alarm is
raised.
Note : The option Monitor set on granularity is selected automatically when you select
the Monitor active alarms process mode.
Page 290
Ripple Counts
Select the ripple counts that will define the thresholds. For more information, see About
Ripple Counts on page 294.
Alarm Severity
Select the severity levels for your alarm from the list available.
Vendor, Technology,
Element type
Select a vendor, technology and element type. For more information, see About Alarm
Settings on page 280.
Probable Cause and

Event Type
Select a probable cause and type of event for your alarm from the list available.
SNMP
Select the Forward SNMP Traps checkbox if you want SNMP traps to be forwarded to a
third party fault management system.

Version 6.1
On the SQL tab:

In This Pane
Do This
SQL
SET Alarm SQL/
CLEAR Alarm SQL
To define the Set Alarm SQL:

1. In the Set Alarm pane, click Set SQL. The Data Explorer launches.
2. Define the SQL query to set an alarm. For more information, see Using the Data
Based on the the SQL query, the Element ID and Date Time drop- down lists are
populated with values.
3. From the Element ID drop-down list, select a value.
4. From the Date Time drop-down list, select a value.
5. Select the counters that you want to include in the problem text.
To define the Clear Alarm SQL:
1. In the Clear Alarm pane, click Clear SQL. The Data Explorer launches.
2. Define the SQL query to clear an alarm. For more information, see Using the Data
Based on the the SQL query, the Element ID and Date Time drop- down lists are
populated with values.
3. From the Element ID drop-down list, select a value.
4. From the Date Time drop-down list, select a value.
Element Selection
The alarm monitors these elements. By default, this selection includes all the network
elements of the type selected in the element column.
You can change the selection to apply the alarm only to a subset of elements. To do so:
1. Select the Filter Elements option
2. Click Select. The Selection dialog box appears.

3. You can select the elements monitored by the alarm in any one of the following three
ways:
Element Hierarchy: You can select elements from only one element hierarchy
level. Click
to select the element hierarchy. For more information on
element hierarchy, see Using the Element Hierarchies Explorer on page 131.
Filters: You can apply filters on element hierarchy and select the elements. Click
to select the elements using the filters. For more information on filters, see
Applying Filters on page 162.
Manual Selection: You can manually enter element values. Click
the elements manually.
to specify
Threshold
Severity
This defines the severity of the alarm threshold.

From the Severity drop-down list, select a severity for the threshold.
You can click <Select> to get the Severity drop-down list.

Version 6.1
Page 291
In This Pane
Do This
Operator and Value
To set the operator and value:

1. Click
to set the operator and value for the parameters. The
Selection dialog box appears.
2. From the Operator drop-down list, select the operator for each
parameter.
3. In the Values column, type the value for the parameter.

4. Select the Apply to all queries checkbox to apply all the parameters to the queries in
the Queries pane on the left-hand side.
5. Click OK.
You can also right-click in the Threshold dialog box to add or delete a parameter.
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
You can define the problem text from a predefined list or by creating your own.
To define own problem text:
1. Select the Define own problem text checkbox.
2. Click Define. The Problem Text dialog box appears.
3. Type in the text that you want to be sent when an alarm is raised.
-orSelect the Override SQL checkbox if you want to include an SQL
in the SQL pane, type the code for the problem text.
statement and
If you type SQL code, double-click any of the items in the list of OPTIMA tables
and columns, Oracle keywords and functions in the Database pane on the right-hand
side. If you type the actual code, check the Override SQL checkbox so that the system
knows that the written text is SQL.
4. To test the code works correctly, click Test SQL. If your code is correct, results
5. When you have defined the problem text, click Save and then click Yes to confirm.
To select problem text from a predefined list:
From the drop-down list, select a predefined problem text.
-orTo add a new problem text:
1. Click Add. The Problem Text dialog box appears.
2. Click Add.
3. In the new row, type the name of the problem text.
4. In the Definition column, click the empty row.
5. In the text box that appears, click Edit.
6. In the dialog box that appears, type in the SQL code or simple text.
7. Close the window to exit.
Page 292

Version 6.1
On the Schedule 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.
Click Apply. A new alarm definition is created in the system.

It is possible to add incomplete alarm definitions. However, you have to
specify the Information, Data and Threshold details.
When you have defined both SET and CLEARED alarms, you can activate the
alarm. For more information, see Activating an Alarm on page 293.
Activating an Alarm
After you have created an alarm, you must activate it to start monitoring the network.
You can have as many active alarms as needed at any one time.
To do this:
1
In the Alarm Definition pane, select the Active checkbox

you wish to activate.
for each alarm
You cannot activate an alarm whose definition is incomplete. It is grey in color

indicating that the alarm definition is incomplete.
Editing and Deleting an Alarm

To edit an alarm:
1
In the Alarms Explorer, select the alarm you want to edit.
Click the Edit Alarm Definition button
- or
Right-click 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.

Version 6.1
Page 293
To delete an alarm:
1
In the Alarms Explorer, select the alarm you want to delete.
If the alarm is active, clear the Active checkbox.
Click the Delete Alarm Definition button
- or
Right-click your alarm definition and from the menu that appears, click Delete.
4
In the Confirm dialog box, click Yes to delete the alarm.
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.
Ripple Count pane
The following is an example of 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 Setting the Granularity Period for a
Single Table on page 66.
Page 294

Version 6.1
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.
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.

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 59.
Creating an Alarm Handler

To create an alarm handler:
1
From the Performance Alarms menu, click Alarm Handlers.
In the Alarms Handler Explorer, click the Create New Alarm Handler button
- or
In the Alarm Handler pane, right-click 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.

Version 6.1
Page 295
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.
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 checkbox.
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 checkbox 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.
On the Contacts tab, click Assign.
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.
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.
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:
Page 296
Ensure the alarm in each alarm handler is active. For information about activating
alarms, see Activating an Alarm on page 293.
In the Alarm Handler pane, select the Active checkbox for each alarm handler you
wish to activate.

Version 6.1
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 59.
If you are not an OPTIMA_Administrator, you can activate a contact from the Alarm
Handler Explorer.
To do this:
1
In the dialog box that appears, from the Tools menu click Contacts.
In the Address Book that appears, select the contact you want to activate and click
the Edit button
In the Properties dialog box that appears, select the Active checkbox.
Click OK and then click Yes to confirm.

To activate or deactivate all contacts, right-click the Address Book and from the
menu that appears select Activate All or Deactivate All.

Version 6.1
Page 297

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:
Alarm has not been forwarded to the FMS by the SNMP program.
Alarm has been forwarded to the FMS by the SNMP program.
You can customise the way alarm information is displayed by using the tools
menu. For more information, see Customising Alarm Information on page 303.
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Version 6.1
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.

Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to highlight more than one alarm at a time.
Right-click 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.

Right-click 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.

Version 6.1
Page 299

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
You can customise the way alarm definition information is displayed by using the
tools menu. For more information, see Customising Alarm Information on page 303.
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.
Page 300
Right-click and then, from the menu that appears, click Clear Items. You can
choose to clear one item or all of the items.

Version 6.1
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.
Right-click and then, from the menu that appears, click Clear Items. You can

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
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
You can customise the way alarm history information is displayed by using the
tools menu. For more information, see Customising Alarm Information on page 303.

Version 6.1
Page 301
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.
Right-click 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.
Right-click and then, from the menu that appears, point to Clear Items. You can

In the Alarms Explorer Viewer Pane, on the Run History tab, you can view alarm
processing messages for the alarms that you have selected in the Alarm Definitions
pane.
This picture shows an example of the Run History tab for the alarms:
Page 302

Version 6.1
The following table shows the various parameters and their description:
Parameter
Description
Message
Message for the alarm
Date and Time
Date and Time at which the alarm was created
Definition ID
Definition ID of the alarm
Element
Element for which the alarm is raised
Ripple Status Number
Indicates whether the alarm is set or clear: 0 = clear, 1 = set
Ripple Count Number
Indicates the ripple counts for the alarm
Data Modified Date
Date at which the alarm was created
Last Date
Last date when the input table was updated in the database
Message Severity Number
indicates the level of severity of the message. The available options are:
1 - Debug
2 - Information
3 - Warning
4 - Minor
5 - Major
6 - Critical

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. For more
information, see About the Tools for Customising a Grid on page 176.
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.
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.

Version 6.1
Page 303

The alarms you define in OPTIMA are processed by two backend applications:
The OPTIMA Alarms Service checks the next schedule date of each alarm and then
processes and updates any alarm whose schedule date is due
The OPTIMA Alarm Notifier polls the OPTIMA database for recently raised
alarms and sends alarm notifications via email or SMS
You can find detailed information about installing and configuring the alarms
backend applications in the OPTIMA Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Guide.
Please contact AIRCOM International Support to obtain the latest version of the O&M
Guide. For contact details, see Obtaining AIRCOM Support on page 16.
Troubleshooting
The following table shows troubleshooting tips for the OPTIMA O & M Guide:
Symptom
Possible Causes
Solution
Long delay when browsing

through the alarm definitions
Trying to bring back all the records from

Alarms table and Alarm logs tables to
populate the grids. Bug in S/W.
Problem is fixed and patched. So apply latest patch.
When trying to edit an alarm

definition, the severity, vendor and
technology combo boxes are
empty.
Synonym, Grant missing for the tables :

'ALARM_VENDORS',
'ALARM_TECHNOLOGY',
'ALARM_ELEMENT_TYPE',
'PROBABLE_CAUSE'
Make sure that these tables have proper synonyms,

grants and also they have all the rows from the
original installation.
Rows deleted from these tables.

Does not receive Alarms SMS but
receive Alarms email
Wrong option selected in Alarm Handler

GUI
Make sure that the right option is selected in Alarm

Handler definition
Insufficient privileges error

message in optima log when
opening Alarm Handler Explorer
Insufficient privileges/ Not enough

access rights on the tables
Check the table access privileges. Run the

necessary scripts. If the database is installed from a
production template this should not happen.
Check the OPTIMA file and see which query has
failed. This might give a clue as to which table has
the grants missing
Page 304
The ALARM definition is shown as Expected behavior.

active but in the Alarm definition
window, the Alarm status is
inactive
Expected behavior. A definition is made inactive

when it is opened for editing as we do not want the
user to edit a definition when the alarm is being
processed.
Error message: ID Invalid

Identifier in Alarms Handler
Explorer
Problem is fixed and patched. So apply latest patch.
Bug in Software

Version 6.1
The ALARM definition. is shown

as active but no alarm is
triggered and the Next Schedule
Date is not updated
This can be a problem with the SET SQL Remove the double quoted alias from the SET
query. The SQL with double quoted
SQL.
ALIAS works fine through the TEST SQL
Will be providing a better solution soon.
button but gives oracle error Missing
Expression in the trace file.
Right-click Alarm Explorer window Synonym missing for SNMP package

and select either delete or reset
forwarded alarms. It generates the
following error message: PLS00201: identifier
'SNMP_PKG.DEL_FWD_ALA
RMS_ALL' must be
declared.
CREATE PUBLIC SYNONYM SNMP_PKG FOR

AIRCOM.SNMP_PKG;
Keeps on repeating same alarm

and inbox is filled with same SMS
alarm issue
Select the Normal mode if that serves the purpose.

If the Process Mode for the defined Alarm is set to
be Normal, the program raises an alarm (once)
when the Set condition is met and the alarm will
not be raised again until the Clear condition is met
for that alarm. Check if the Process Mode is set to
Normal.( This is in the Alarm definition Settings
The wrong option for Process Mode

might be selected. If the Process Mode
for the defined Alarm is set to be
Continuous the alarm will be raised
whenever the SET condition is met ,
even if the clear condition is not met after
a set.
tab
Alarms explorer not displaying any Bug in S/W

alarms in the GUI even when the
alarms are generated and is in the
database
Install the latest patch
Alarms not being generated and

receiving Oracle error- 911in the
alarmservice trace file when using
% sign in the alias in Set SQL
definition.
The problem was not using the % in

double quoted alias in the SET SQL.
After defining the SET SQL, when you
map the counters bought back by the
SQL, if the values list contains the alias
with %, this was not handled properly by
the Alarms package.
Install the latest version of OPTIMA_Alarms

package
OPTIMA_alarm_element_debug
table gets populated even if the
Enable_alarm_log parameter is
set to 0 in the Optima_common
table
Bug in OPTIMA_Alarms package
Install the latest version of OPTIMA_Alarms

package

Version 6.1
Page 305
Problem with alarms such that

sometimes the date filter is not
working (missing) in the
problem_text. Customer says:
Bug in OPTIMA alarms package
Install the latest version of the package
I have about 17000 rows in my

ALARMS table for around half a
day (4 active alarm definitions),
around 7000 is missing the date.
Below is the SQL for the
PROBLEM_TEXT for 1 of the
alarm definitions
CALL DROP FOR CELL
%ELEMENTID AT %DATE IS
%LAST(%CALL_DROP_RATE)
eg. It will appear as
CALL DROP FOR CELL C-LHR4028-03 AT 15-10-2006 00:00:00
IS 23.3333
in the problem_text (which is
correct) but sometimes the
date will be missing and it will
appear as
CALL DROP FOR CELL N-SWT8182-03 AT IS 13.6364
which is incorrect.
Problem text not working when
using the override sql option.
Blank results in the problem text
column.
Page 306
User was using the %Date placeholder in the where

clause of sql statement. Need to se a to_date
conversion in front of it as he was comparing it with
a date column

Version 6.1
Glossary of Terms
B
BSC
Base Station Controller. A piece of equipment that controls one or more BTS (Base
Station Transceivers).
BTS
Base Transceiver Station.
C
CSV
Comma-Separated Values. A type of data format in which each piece of data is
separated by a comma.
F
FTP
File Transfer Protocol. The standard protocol for exchanging files across the Internet.
I
INI
Initialization file. INI files are used to initialize, or set parameters for, the operating
system and certain programs.
IP
Internet Protocol. This defines the format for all data travelling through a TCP/IP
network, performs the routing functions and provides a mechanism for processing
unreliable data.
K
KPI
Key Performance Indicator. A quantifiable measurement, agreed beforehand,
representing a critical success factor of an organization.

Version 6.1
Page 307
M
MIB
Management Information Base. A type of database used to manage the devices in a
network. MIBs are especially used with SNMP.
MSC
Mobile Switching Centre. In a cellular network, this is a switch or exchange that
interworks with location databases.
P
PDU
Protocol Description Unit. The PDU format is used to send and receive SMS
messages.
S
SMPP
Short Message Peer-to-peer Protocol. The protocol used for exchanging SMS messages
between SMS peer entities such as SMSCs.
SMS
Short Message Service. The text messaging system, enabling messages to be sent
to/from GSM phones and to external systems (for example, email or voicemail).
Messages that cannot be delivered straight away (due to the receiver's mobile being
switched off or out of range) are stored, and delivered as soon as possible.
SMSC
Short Message Service Centre. A network element in the mobile telephone network
which delivers SMS messages.
SMTP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. A protocol used to send and receive email messages.
SNMP
Simple Network Management Protocol. SNMP is the protocol used for network
management and the monitoring of network devices and their functions.
SQL
Structured Query Language. SQL is an ANSI and ISO standard computer language
for getting information from and updating a database.
Page 308

Version 6.1
T
TCP
Transmission Control Protocol. The protocol used (along with the IP) to ensure
reliable and in-order delivery of data across the Internet.

Version 6.1
Page 309
Page 310

Version 6.1
Index
A
Adding
alarms 284, 295
combination windows to a work area 217
contact groups 61
contacts 61
favourites 154
holidays 77
modules to a combination window 144
web pages to a work area 218
Alarm definitions
clearing 300
viewing 300
Alarms
about 279
activating 293, 296
clearing 298
defining 284
deleting 293
editing 293
resetting 298
viewing 298
Alarms history
clearing 301
viewing 301
C
Categories 66, 71
Clearing
alarm definitions 300
alarms 298
alarms history 301
Clock
offsetting 31
play data 225
setting global date 30
viewing data on the map 225
Combination Window
adding to work area 217
copying 152
creating 144
data grids 175
deleting 145
exporting 152
filtering data 155
importing 152
new 144
removing modules 145
restricting access 151
restricting editing 151

Version 6.1
viewing 143
Combination window templates
deleting 150
editing 150
loading 149
saving 148
Contact groups
adding 61
deleting 62
editing 62
Contacts
adding 61
deleting 61
editing 61
Converting, filters 169
Copying
combination windows 152
Copying
filters 172
modules 128
reports 268
schedules 277
Counters
finding 81
Viewing 29
viewing on the map 221
Creating
alarms 284
custom filters 159
element hierarchies 132
filters 166, 168
folders 115, 141, 231, 273
KPIs 101
links between modules 146
new work area 216
queries 82
report schedules 274
reports 232, 262
table periods 74
users 57
Custom Filters 159
Custom Views
deleting 98
editing 98
saving queries as 96
D
Data
gathering 79
grids 175
monitoring with alarms 279
setting-up 79
sorting 178
summarising 185
viewing on the map 222
Data Explorer
about 34
adding filters 86
defining queries 82, 84
searching 81
using 80
Date Range 156
Defaults
parameter values 89
Page 311
Defining
associations for a table 67
parameters 87
Deleting
combination window templates 150
contact groups 62
contacts 61
custom views 98
filters 172
KPIs 105
parameters 90
reports 268
table periods 74
Drill Down Links 146
E
Editing
contact groups 62
contacts 61
custom views 98
filters 171
parameters 90
reports 268
table periods 74
tables 49
Element hierarchies
creating 132
deleting 134
editing 134
finding 135
previewing 137
renaming 134
setting security 135
viewing 136
Element IDs
mapping 78
translating 78
Enabling, time aggregation 94
Excel Reports
creating 262
viewing 266
Explain Plan, about 90
Exporting
graphs 208
grids 189
modules 129
reports 269, 271
about 165
converting 169
copying 172
creating 166, 168
deleting 172
editing 171
finding 172
renaming 171
viewing 173
Finding
counters 81
elements in the modules pane 158
filters 172
items in explorers 44
Folders
creating 115, 141, 231, 273
locking 116, 142, 231, 274
restricting access 116, 142, 231, 274
G
Global
date and time 30
Global KPI Views (root)
creating 111
deleting 113
editing 113
Granularity period
repopulating tables 70
setting 66
Graphs
advanced options 198
automarks 193
changing appearance 201
changing x-axis field 203
chart themes 198
colours 193
exporting 208
grid lines 195
legend 193
linking 164
ordering 204
printing 207
properties 193
saving as pictures 209
Grids
exporting 189
toolbar 176
Using 175
using thresholds 180
Groups
permissions 52
H
F
Favourites
adding and editing 154
Filtering
data in combination windows 155
elements 159
network elements 155
report data 258, 260, 261
using date ranges 156
Filters
Page 312
Holidays
about 77
entering 77
I
Importing
modules 129
reports 269

Version 6.1
work areas 220

Installing
OPTIMA 20
K
KPIs
about 100
creating 101
deleting 105
exporting 105
importing 105
L
Linking
graphs 164
modules 146
Loading
Locking, folders 116, 142, 231, 274
Login to OPTIMA 22
M
Map View
viewing data 221
Modules
about 114
copying 128
editing 127
exporting 129
filtering in the combination window 155
finding 158
importing 129
linking 146
opening in a new combination 128
refreshing in the combination window 145
removing from the combination window 145
setting-up 79
N
Network elements
selecting 155
O
Opening
Data Explorer 34
module in a new combination 128
OPTIMA 22
OPTIMA Lite 22
queries 96
work areas 220
P
Parameters
defining 87
deleting 90
editing 90

Version 6.1
specifying default values 89

Password,changing 23
Permissions
about 52
creating 57
Previewing, element hierarchies 137
Printing
graphs 207
grids 188
reports 269
R
Recreating, views 107
Report Builder, using 229, 232
Report Schedules
copying 277
creating 274
deleting 277
editing 277
renaming 277
Reports
about 229, 252
copying 268
creating 232, 262
exporting 269, 271
filtering 258, 260, 261
importing 269
scheduling 273
viewing 232, 266
Resetting, alarms 298
Restricting access
folders 116, 142, 231, 274
modules 126
reports 267
S
Saving
queries 96
Scheduling
reports 273
Searching
explorers 44
Selecting
network elements 155
Setting
time aggregation 158
trace file options 39
Settings
Wizard 64
Sorting
data 178
Starting
OPTIMA 22
OPTIMA Lite 22
Symbols used in Help/Guide 12
T
Table and Field Information
about 63
Page 313
adding comments to columns 70

adding comments to tables 68
assigning categories 66
defining associations for a table 67
setting granularity period 66
setting table security 65
using the Settings Wizard 64
Table associations, defining 67
Table Editor
about 48
editing tables 49
Table periods
about 73
creating 74
deleting 74
editing 74
Table Security, setting 65
Thresholds
setting 180
Time aggregation
enabling 94
setting 158
Toolbar
favourites 27
grids 176
OPTIMA 26
Trace file options, setting 39
Tree links, using 146
U
User Permissions
about 52
creating 57
User preferences, defining 36
Using
custom filters 159
Data Explorer 80
Grids 175
OPTIMA 22
OPTIMA Lite 22
quick selection filters 163
reports 230
windows in the work area 215
work areas 215
V
Viewing
alarm definitions 300
alarms 298
alarms history 301
automarks 193
counters 29
data 139
data in the Data Explorer 95
data on the map view 221
filters 173
reports 232, 266
thresholds 180
web pages 215, 218
Views
recreating 107
Page 314

Version 6.1

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OPTIMA

User Reference Guide

Software Version Candidate 6.1

Copyright 2008 AIRCOM International

+44 (0) 1932 442000

About This Manual

About the OPTIMA Operations and Maintenance Guide

Obtaining User Assistance

Who is This User Reference Guide For?

Chapter 2 Installing OPTIMA

About the Hardware and Software Requirements for OPTIMA

Installing OPTIMA as Part of ENTERPRISE

Changing your OPTIMA Password

Chapter 3 About the OPTIMA User Interface

About the Main OPTIMA Toolbar

About the Favourites Toolbar

About the OPTIMA Menus

About the Counter Descriptions Window

Using Clocks in OPTIMA

Offsetting the System Clock

About Performance Alarms

About the Data Explorer

About the Filter Explorer

Switching Between Open Windows

Defining User Preferences

Setting Confirmation Requests

Setting Trace File Options

Using the Find Dialog Box

Chapter 4 About OPTIMA Administrator Tools 47

Adding, Editing and Deleting Rows in Tables

About the Database Config Settings

About Database Links

About OPTIMA Security

Example of Using Groups and Users to Configure Security

Using Contacts in OPTIMA

Adding, Editing and Deleting Contacts in the Address Book

About Table and Field Information Settings

Creating and Editing Categories

About Table Periods

Creating and Editing Table Periods

Excluding Particular Days from Reports

Editing and Deleting Holidays

Setting the Element ID Translation Option

Mapping Element IDs

Chapter 5 Setting Up and Querying Data in OPTIMA 79

About OPTIMA Modules

Creating Folders for OPTIMA Modules

Using the Element Hierarchies Explorer

Chapter 6 Viewing Data in OPTIMA

About Combination Windows in OPTIMA

Adding and Editing Favourites in OPTIMA

Filtering Data in the Combination Window

Filtering Data by Selecting Network Elements

Finding Elements in the Modules Pane

Finding Elements Within One Module

Filtering Elements in the Modules Pane

Creating a Static Filter from a Selection

Displaying Data in Graphs

Using the Filter Explorer

About the Filter Explorer Toolbar

Chapter 7 Customising Grids in OPTIMA

About the Tools for Customising a Grid

Customising Columns in a Grid

Sorting Data Within Grid Columns