Setting Global Criteria

The Global Criteria form is available in the left navigation pane of the Dashboard window.  Global Criteria allows you to set up "default" criteria and quickly adjust the criteria.  For example, you may select the Previous Month as Global Criteria for all Quick View charts, and the Previous Week for all User Explorer forms.  If you find you need a larger picture of the data, simply change the Global Criteria to the Last 90 Days (or another setting).  All charts using Global Criteria instantly expand to the new criteria.

How Global Criteria Works

Global Criteria affects every chart, report, and data form that has <Use Global Criteria Settings> selected in its General Criteria form.

• Dashboard views use Global Criteria by default.
  Most charts, reports, and data forms are initially set to use Global Criteria.
  

• Global settings can work for all charts.
  For many predefined data forms, a date range and user selection is enough to get the results you need. With Global Criteria set, simply click OK at the Criteria box to accept all "default" settings and generate the form.

• You can set different Global Criteria for each tool.
  You can set Quick View to Previous Month, all users and computers, and User Explorer to Last 5 days, excluding an executive user group. Quick View Global Criteria applies to Quick View charts,  Data Explorer Global Criteria applies to Data Explorer forms, and so on.

• It's easy to override Global Criteria settings.
  At any time, you can override the Global Criteria by changing the General Criteria for a specific chart or form.

• Instantly change all charts.
  Change your Global Criteria as your monitoring needs change. When you change the Global Criteria date, computer, and/or user settings in the navigation pane, you effectively change the data selection for all charts in the tool that use the global setting.

Setting Global Criteria

To set the Global Criteria:

1. Open the Global Criteria form.
   Click the Global Criteria arrow (circled below) on the navigation pane to open the criteria form, if necessary.
   
   
   Global Criteria includes three settings: Date/Time, Computers, and Users.
   

2. Set a time period.
   In the top selection box, select a time period from the drop-down list. See Date Criteria. Previous Month has been selected in the illustration above, setting the global (default) time period to last month's recorded data.

3. Select computers.
   In the center box ("All Computers" above), use the drop-down list to select computers or computer groups to include or exclude from views. See Computer Criteria.
   
   Two computers are now excluded
   

4. Select users.
   In the bottom box ("All Users" above), use the drop-down list to select users or user groups to include or exclude from views.

Note: Global Criteria has no User selection while User Explorer is open, because in User Explorer you are already viewing data by user. See User Criteria.  

Only three users are included

5. Click Apply to set the new Global Criteria.
   Quick View charts will automatically refresh, and data in the Events windows will refresh when you go to them. Click Cancel to return to the previous default settings.

Related Topics

Setting General Criteria

Setting Date Criteria

Setting Computer Criteria

Setting User Criteria