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This article will cover the basic procedure for installing and configuring IT Analytics 7.1 with the Client Server Management reporting content pack. This process assumes that you already have the Symantec Management Platform installed, and that server already meets the requirements for IT Analytics 7.1 SP2. For the complete list of software prerequisites for IT Analytics please refer to article HOWTO62383 on the Symantec Knowledge Base.

As with other Altiris solutions, IT Analytics 7.1 SP2 and the various reporting content packs are available for install via the Symantec Installation Manager. These installation files can be downloaded directly to your server or you can create offline installation packages.

Installing IT Analytics and Content Packs

1. Launch the Symantec Installation Manager.
2. Click Install New Products.
3. Change the filter from Suites to Solutions.
4. Scroll down the list, and check Altiris IT Analytics 7.1 SP2 and the relevant Content Packs you wish to install from Endpoint Management:

• IT Analytics Client Server Management Pack
• IT Analytics ServiceDesk Pack

5. Click Next and select additional components to install (including documentation).
6. Accept the end user license agreement and click Next and enter your contact information.
7. Allow the Install Readiness Check to complete and install necessary prerequisites if needed.

8. Review the installation details and click Begin install.

Configuring IT Analytics

Once IT Analytics has been installed, there are a few settings that will need to be configured to ensure a successful implementation.

1. In the Symantec Management Console, on the Settings menu, click Notification Server > IT Analytics Settings.
2. In the left pane, click Configuration.
3. In the right pane, under Analysis Server, enter the host name of the Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services. If you did not install SQL Server as the default instance, specify the following format: servername\instancename. Symantec recommends that you type the host name of the server on which Analysis Services reside. Using localhost as a host name restricts the access from the Symantec Management Console to the computer where Analysis Services resides. Note that this connection uses the Symantec Management Platform application ID credentials.

4. Click Verify Connection, and confirm that the Analysis Server name has been verified and saved.
5. Under Analysis Server Database, select an Analysis Server Database. For a new standard configuration, in the Create New Database box, accept the default to create a new Analysis Server Database with the IT Analytics name. If you select an existing database, note that the existing data sources are overwritten with the current Symantec Management Platform database settings.

6. Click Save Database Settings.
7. Under Reporting Server, in the Reporting Server Virtual Directory URL box, type the full URL of the Reporting Services ReportServer virtual directory. If you did not install SQL Server as the default instance, specify the virtual directory in the following format:

http://servername/ReportServer_InstanceName/ 

8. Symantec recommends that you type the host name of the server on which Reporting Services reside. Using localhost as a host name restricts the access from the Symantec Management Console to the computer where Reporting Services resides.
9. Click Verify Connection and confirm that the Reporting Server name has been verified and saved.
10. In the Create new report folder text box, accept the default to create a new IT Analytics Report Folder.  If you select an existing folder, existing data sources are overwritten with the current Analysis Server Database settings. 

11. Under Authentication Type, click one of the following options for accessing Reporting Services:

• Stored Credentials - This explicitly defines the user credentials. It also automatically manages authentication across all application tiers because access to Reporting Services is always authenticated with the same rights for all users. However, Stored Credentials limits the granular control that you have over the information within the reports to which users have access.
• Windows Integrated Authentication – This option allows the user's Windows credentials pass through to the Reporting Server. This method is recommended for restricting access to Reporting Services on a per-user basis. Windows Integrated Authentication allows a more granular control over the information in the reports to which you grant users access. However, additional configuration might be necessary to ensure that authentication is appropriately managed across all application tiers. 

12. Click Save Security Settings and confirm that the Report Folder name is verified and saved. 

Adding Cubes and Reports

Before IT Analytics cubes and reports can be viewed in the Symantec Management Console, they must first be installed from the content pack. You may choose to install all available cubes and reports or just some individually to meet your specific reporting needs.

Installing Cubes

1. In the Symantec Management Console, on the Settings menu, click Notification Server > IT Analytics Settings.
2. In the left pane, expand the Cubes folder. 

3. In the Cubes page, click the Available tab.
4. Check all the cubes that you want to install. To install all of the available cubes, in the header row of the table, click Install.

5. Click Save Changes.
6. At the prompt, click OK to proceed with the installation.
7. IT Analytics Event Viewer window displays the progress of each cube that was selected. Click Close when the process has completed.

8. Verify that the cubes were successfully created by clicking the Installed tab, and then review the list of cubes. 

Installing Reports

1. In the left pane, expand the Reports folders. 

2. In the Report Setup window, click the Available tab.
3. Check all the reports that you want to install. To install all of the available reports, in the header row of the table, click Install.      

4. Click Save Changes.
5. At the prompt, click OK to proceed with the installation.
6. IT Analytics Event Viewer window displays the progress of each report that was selected. Click Close when the process has completed. 

7. Verify that the reports were successfully installed by clicking the Installed tab, and then review the list of reports.

Configuring Cube Processing Tasks

This task is essential for the solution to function properly because the cubes do not contain any data until the cube processing is complete.

You can create and assign processing schedules for all installed cubes. Your business needs to dictate how often the cubes should be processed. For a typical configuration, all cubes should be processed daily.

Multiple processing tasks can be used for more granular control of cube processing. More than one cube can share a dimension. In this case, the last processed date of all cubes that use that dimension updates to the last processed date of the shared dimensions. However, the actual data in the cubes is not processed until a processing task is run that is configured to process that specific cube.

1. In the Symantec Management Console, on the Settings menu, click Notification Server > IT Analytics Settings.
2. In the left pane, expand the Processing folders.

3. Select the schedule that you want for the default processing tasks, and then check the Enabled box. Symantec recommends processing cubes no more than once a day, depending on the number of cubes and amount of data in your environment.
4. Check the box for each available cube that you want to be processed on the current schedule. For a typical configuration, select all cubes.
5. Click Save Changes and confirm that the Default Processing Task is saved. 

6. Click Run Now. The selected processing tasks start asynchronously, which means that the task does not finish by the time that the page refreshes. This task can take several minutes to execute. The execution time depends on the number of the cubes that are selected and the size of data within the database. You can monitor its progress by viewing the events in the IT Analytics Event Viewer window while the manual processing task executes. 

Verifying Your Installation

You can verify your installation and ensure that all of your configuration steps complete successfully:

1. In the Symantec Management Console, on the Reports menu, click All Reports.
2. In the left pane, under IT Analytics, the following items should appear: If you experience pop-up dialog boxes while your cubes load, you need to remove the warning messages. See "Troubleshooting Browser Issues in IT Analytics 7.1" for more information.

• Cubes
• Dashboards
• Reports 

Optional IT Analytics Configurations for Hierarchy

For installation of IT Analytics in a hierarchy, there are several additional configurations that should be considered. Note that the following sections are only valid for architectures that include a hierarchy relationship and do not apply to a single server IT Analytics implementation.

Setting up the Symantec CMDB as an External Connection (Optional)

If you installed IT Analytics on a server that is a parent in a hierarchy with replication, you must consider if you want IT Analytics to process data from the parent or local CMDB and downstream CMDBs. To avoid duplication of data and still process the parent or local CMDB, you must configure the parent or local CMDB as an external connection. By configuring the parent or local CMDB as an external connection, you can use the Cube Inclusion functionality (described in detail at the end of this article). You can also configure which CMDBs should be included to process which sets of cubes.

To configure the parent or local Symantec CMDB as an external connection:

1. In the Symantec Management Console, on the Settings menu, click Notification Server > IT Analytics Settings.
2. In the left pane, expand the Connections folder.
3. Click Symantec CMDB.
4. In the right pane, under Local Symantec CMDB Connection, select Do not include the Symantec CMDB configured for this Symantec Management Platform.

5. Click Save Changes.
6. After the Updating Dependencies dialog box is complete, click Close. 

7. In the Symantec Management Console, on the Settings menu, click Notification Server > IT Analytics Settings.
8. In the left pane, expand the Connections folder.
9. Click Symantec CMDB.
10. Click Add External Connection. If you have already added a connection and want to add another under External Symantec CMDB Connections, click Add. 

11. In the Add/Edit CMDB Connection dialog box, enter the information for each of the connection fields. 

12. Click Create.
13. After the connection is configured, click Close. 

Adding and Configuring External Symantec CMDB Connections (Optional)

The IT Analytics Client and Server Management Content Pack lets you view data from additional Symantec CMDBs to provide global IT Analytics reporting across multiple CMDBs without the need to replicate large amounts of data. By default, the local Symantec CMDB on which IT Analytics is installed is used. If the local Symantec CMDB is the desired configuration and no hierarchy is in place, then you do not need to carry out this procedure.

If the local Symantec CMDB is part of a hierarchy for inventory replication, you must at least configure the local CMDB as an external connection (as described above).

To add and configure additional external Symantec CMDB connections:

1. In the Symantec Management Console, on the Settings menu, click Notification Server > IT Analytics Settings.
2. In the left pane, expand the Connections folder.
3. Click Symantec CMDB.
4. Click Add External Connection. If you have already added a connection and want to add another under External Symantec CMDB Connections, click Add. 

5. In the Add/Edit CMDB Connection dialog box, enter the information for each of the connection fields. 

6. Click Create.
7. After the connection is configured, click Close. 

Excluding Cubes from External CMDBs Cube Processing (Optional)

When processing cubes, you can select cubes to exclude from external CMDBs cube processing. You can select cubes to exclude from processing to avoid duplication of data or for other purposes. For example, you may have two client-facing Symantec Management Platform servers and a third server that is your Asset repository. You can connect IT Analytics to all three servers. Then, you can only process the inventory cubes for the client-facing servers and the asset cubes for the Asset server.

To exclude cubes from external CMDBs cube processing:

1. In the Symantec Management Console, on the Settings menu, click Notification Server > IT Analytics Settings.
2. In the left pane, expand the Connections folder.
3. Click Symantec CMDB.
4. In the right pane, under the External Symantec CMDB Connections section, select the CMDB connection from the drop-down list. Select the CMDB that you want to exclude the cubes from its cube processing. 

5. Click Manage Cube Inclusion Settings.
6. In the Manage Cube Inclusion Settings dialog box, select the cubes that you want to exclude the CMDB from processing. 

7. Click Save.

IT Analytics Configurations for ServiceDesk (Optional)

To integrate ServiceDesk data with IT Analytics, you need to configure the connection to the ServiceDesk database. This connection will need to be configured before you install the IT Analytics ServiceDesk cubes, which is done by following the Installing Cubes and Reports section above. Note that you only need to complete these steps if ServiceDesk and the IT Analytics ServiceDesk Content Pack are installed.

To configure the ServiceDesk connection:

1. In the Symantec Management Console, on the Settings menu, click Notification Server > IT Analytics Settings.
2. In the left pane, expand the Connections folders.
3. Click Symantec ServiceDesk.
4. In the right pane, enter the information for each of the connection fields.

5. Click Save.