Data Collection Cycle

NOTE: Applying data collection to a device group is done through Group Policies on page 112.

As data is collected, it is stored in tables within the HP Web Jetadmin database. Data retention is set to one year beyond the initial collection date. This value can be changed in Tools > Options > Shared > Server Maintenance > Reports (Manage the Report Data on page 44). Data collections for Reports can be retained for up to 5 years.

Data collection types all have a specific collection cycle that may or may not be dependent on a schedule. The Device Utilization by User data collections are triggered when printers send job-trap packets into the

HP Web Jetadmin host. All other types are schedule-triggered. All data collections collect data every 24 hours except for the Hourly Peak Usage data collection which is collected once every hour to provide greater reporting resolution.

The default start time for the data collection 24 hour cycle is set at 12:00AM at the HP Web Jetadmin host. This can be configured for each data collection in Tools > Options > Device Management > Reports > Data Collection Times. When subscribing a device to a data collection, you can choose the time of collection if you prefer a different time. The 24 hour cycle is designed to ensure reporting accuracy. Data within reports will be marked if the data collected did not represent a full 24 hour cycle.

Initial Data Collection

Activating data collection always launches the specific data collection type on selected devices. This is done to gather initial or baseline data that is then stored in the database. This is not a user-selectable action. The result of this initial data collection can be observed in the Results display for any completed data collection.

Device Utilization by User and Data Collections

The Device Utilization by User data collection type uses SNMP traps to trigger the HP Web Jetadmin host data collection. Every time a print job is completed by the device, a trap is sent and HP Web Jetadmin runs a complete query of the device’s job table. Any new entries in the job table are stored in the HP Web Jetadmin database; all old entries that were previously stored are discarded.

Device Utilization by User accuracy may be limited by two things:

●the device’s ability to store only a limited number of jobs in the job table.

●the device’s ability to trap when multiple print jobs are queued.

Both of these are dependant on device printer model and firmware. Device Utilization by User and Reporting should never be used as a substitute for job accounting. HP Web Jetadmin Reports features are designed for trending and analysis purposes.

NOTE: For devices that don’t support job-traps, HP Web Jetadmin will collect the device’s job table once every 24 hours.