Using Data Manager to View Performance Data

The Data Manager was first introduced in Windows Vista as a central location to manage logged performance data files. Each DCS has an associated Data Manager that controls the data management tasks including report generation, data retention policy, conditions/actions, and data transfer for the data in all of the subfolders in the root path of the DCS.

By default, the Data Manager is disabled for a DCS. When you enable the Data Manager for a DCS, the Data Manager creates an overview report to summarize the data results when the data collection is complete. If you don't enable the Data Manager for a DCS, the DCS is still listed under the Reports node in the Diagnostic Console, but a report is not generated for the DCS.

To access the Data Manager Properties for a DCS, right-click the DCS name in the Data Collector Sets node in Performance Monitor and then select Data Manager from the shortcut menu. To enable the Data Manager for the DCS, select the Enable Data Management And Report Generation check box on the Data Manager tab. Note that by default the Data Manager does not act on the selected options until the DCS has completed. To enforce the selected Data Manager options before the DCS starts, select the Apply Policy Before The Data Collector Set Starts check box. When you select this option, previous data is deleted based on the configured Data Manager conditions before the DCS creates the next log file.

The available Data Manager conditions are:

• Minimum Free Disk The amount of disk space that must be available on the drive where log data is stored. If you select this condition, previous data is deleted according to the Resource Policy that you choose when the limit is reached.
• Maximum Folders The number of subfolders that can be in the DCS data directory. If you select this condition, previous data is deleted according to the Resource Policy that you choose when the limit is reached.
• Maximum Root Path Size The maximum size of the data directory for the DCS, including all subfolders. If you select this condition, this maximum path size overrides the Minimum Free Disk and Maximum Folders limits, and previous data will be deleted according to the Resource Policy that you choose when the limit is reached.

You can configure the Resource Policy to perform the following actions on the folders in the root folder of the DCS if one of the preceding limits is exceeded:

• Delete Largest The largest folder within the DCS root folder is deleted when one of the limits is exceeded
• Delete Oldest The oldest folder within the DCS root folder is deleted when one of the limits is exceeded

Note These Resource Policy actions are performed on a folder basis, rather than a file basis.

You can use the Actions tab to define the folder actions to be performed when specified Data Manager conditions are met. The actions defined for the DCS are displayed in the Folder Actions section of the Actions tab window. Using this tab, you can add, edit, or remove folder actions for a DCS. Folder actions allow a user to choose how data is archived before it is permanently deleted according to the selected Resource Policy. You may also elect to not use the Data Manager limits in favor of managing all logged data according to the selected folder action rules. The following folder action options are available:

• Age The age of the data file in days or weeks. If the value is 0, the criterion is not used.
• Folder size The size, in megabytes, of the folder where log data is stored. If the value is 0, the criterion is not used.
• Actions Allows you to select which action to take when either the Resource Policy or Folder Action condition(s) are met. The actions include deletion of the raw data files and/or the report, as well as several cab file options. Cab files can be created, deleted, or sent (moved) to a local or shared folder.