Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Plan to document the specific fields you need from the authoritative data source. For ex-
ample, use a table similar to the following.
Required data
Description
Computer name
The Fully Qualified domain name of the computer
Operating system
Friendly operating system name
Operating system environment Server or workstation
Date created in data source
Date the computer joined the domain
Last logon date
Date the computer last updated the attributes in Active Directory
The steps provided discusses an example of identifying input sources and the fields you
plan to use in a requested report.
Optimizing Report Inputs
Once the required data for your reports have been identified and documented, you must
test for validity and consistency. Data sources which are populated by automated pro-
cesses tend to be less prone to consistency errors. Conversely data sources based on
manual entry are prone to errors (for example, correct spelling when typing text into
forms used to populate the data source). Here are typical recommended practices for im-
proving consistency in manual and automated system populated data sources:
• Automated (for example, agent based):
1. Implement agent health check and remediation.
2. Include last agent update information in reports.
• Manual entry:
1. Avoid free text fields, except description or notes.
2. Use a list picker.
3. Implement mandatory constraints on required fields (for example, a re-
quest for e-mail address should only accept the right format for e-mail
addresses.
