Getting Started

Start CEA for ISDN

Set Up Your Directory

Creating a New Directory Record

Reconciling the Call Record Directory IDs with the Directory

Customize and Use a Report

Customizing a Call Records Report

Running Your Report from the Parameters Dialog Box

Using a Report As-Is

Deleting a Report

Creating a New Report

Schedule Tasks

Adding Your Call Records Report to the Scheduler

Turning On the Scheduler

What Else Do I Need to Know?

Getting Started

Now that you have installed CEA for ISDN, you need to learn how to use it. This chapter is a tutorial for first-time users. It provides step-by-step instructions for learning the basics of CEA for ISDN.

Remember the high-level task process flow? The tasks you will perform while using this tutorial are highlighted in shadow boxes in Figure 3-1.

Figure 3-1: Getting Started Tasks

Let's get started!

Start CEA for ISDN

To start CEA for ISDN, select Start>Cisco Enterprise Accounting for ISDN> Cisco Enterprise Accounting for ISDN.

The main window appears (Figure 3-2).

Figure 3-2: Cisco Enterprise Accounting for ISDN Main Window

CEA for ISDN provides a friendly Windows-based user interface that makes it easy to navigate through the screens so you can accomplish your tasks quickly. This tutorial uses terminology that all Windows users should be familiar with (for example, "select," "click," "list box," and so on). If you don't know the terminology, or if you don't know how to use Windows applications, see your Windows documentation.

The main window is the starting place for most of your tasks. Take a few minutes to become familiar with the components of the main window, starting at the top:

Menu bar. The menu bar provides access to all CEA for ISDN functions.

: Select the menu names one at a time to view the commands. While a command is highlighted, you can find out what it does by reading the summary in the Status bar at the bottom of the window.

Toolbar. Located just below the menu bar, the toolbar contains the icons you will use frequently for performing routine tasks, such as locating, adding, saving, and deleting records.
Main Menu. The Main Menu, located in the middle of the window, contains large, square buttons on the left that open windows for each of the CEA for ISDN modules. Click on each button and read the descriptions of additional options.

Directory File displays the Directory options for adding and modifying records, generating reports, and running queries against Directory records.
Record File displays the Record File options for adding and modifying records, generating reports, and running queries against call records.
Traffic Statistics Reports displays the options for adding and modifying records and generating reports of your traffic statistics.
Exception Reports displays the options for generating reports and for setting up exception alarms.

Home, Back, and Next buttons. Located at the bottom of Main Menu area, use these buttons to navigate back and forth through all the screens in the Main Menu.
Status bar. Located at the bottom of the main window, the status bar provides a one-line summary of a command.

Now, it is time to set up your Directory.

Set Up Your Directory

CEA for ISDN needs to know about the individuals in your organization. You enter their names, titles, their work locations, and other relevant information into the Directory. The Directory is a database that contains the information on organizations, individuals, locations, and equipment. The Directory is used to determine overall usage and cost information associated with an organization or individual users.

Each record in the Directory is based on an individual, so we'll call these individuals Directory members.

To populate your Directory fully, it is a good idea to have as much information as possible. Here's a checklist of the information you need:

First name, middle name, last name, title, phone number, and primary work location of each Directory member
Names of the organizations to which each Directory member belongs (For example, company name, department name)
Billing ID, a code that identifies the Directory member for billing purposes
GL account, an account number to which you want to assign charges for a Directory member
CEA ID, a code that identifies the device that will service a call for a Directory member
Authorization code and calling card number for each Directory member
Host ID, the code that a Directory member uses to access a network, such as a domain server or LAN segment

Note The Host ID is very important!

Dollar amounts for charging Directory members for network usage
Any other information you might want for tracking purposes

Note If you have not already done so, it is a good idea to verify that data is being collected successfully before you populate your Directory. We covered this in Chapter 2, "Installing and Configuring CEA for ISDN."

Start populating your Directory!

Creating a New Directory Record

To create (or add) a new Directory record, follow these steps:

Step 1 From the Main Menu, click Directory File. Three options appear.

Step 2 Select the first option, "Go directly to the Directory data entry form to add, view, and update records," by clicking on the icon.

The Record Set dialog box appears, with the List tab selected. This tab lists all existing Directory records. Since you are setting up the Directory for the first time, the Record Set dialog box will not show any Directory records.

You will see and use the Record Set dialog box for numerous tasks. Not only do you use it to add new records, you use it to modify records, delete records, and view records.

Step 3 Select the Data Entry tab by clicking on it. This is the data entry form.

Step 4 Click Add on the toolbar to make the fields in the form active.

You can now add a new Directory record.

Step 5 Using your checklist, enter the information on the first Directory member, starting with the Last Name field. To advance to the next field, press Tab or move the cursor with your mouse.

There are two types of fields in this form:

Direct Data Entry field. This is a plain field into which you type the information you want to store for a Directory member. The first four fields are all direct data entry fields.
Drop-down List field. The fifth field, Title, contains a small arrow on the right that faces downward. This is a drop-down list field, and the information you enter becomes a value that gets stored in a lookup table.

: When you entered the member's title, did you notice that CEA for ISDN asked if you want to save it in the lookup table? It is a good idea to answer "yes" because CEA for ISDN will remember it. When you enter the information for another Directory member who has the same title, you can simply select that title from the drop-down list.
: The lookup tables provide a convenient way to store information that you need to use over and over again.

If you are unsure about what to enter in a field, you can probably skip it, or you can get details from the online help. (Using online help is discussed a little later.)

Note You must enter at least the host ID in the Host ID field. This is the ID for the host router from which calls will be made.

Are you finished entering all the information you have on the first Directory member? If so, you are ready to save.

Step 6 Click Save on the toolbar.

Step 7 To enter additional Directory members, repeat steps 4 through 7.

To see all of your records, select the List tab.

Step 8 When you are done, close the Record Set dialog box.

Reconciling the Call Record Directory IDs with the Directory

Anytime you create or change Directory records, you need to reconcile the Call Record Directory IDs with the Directory. Otherwise, CEA for ISDN won't find those records.

To reconcile the call record IDs with the Directory, follow these steps:

Step 1 Select Tools>Reconcile Calls with Directory from the menu bar.

The Reconcile Directory IDs dialog box appears.

Step 2 Select a date range, time range, and the type of reconcile you want.

If you choose to reconcile calls with invalid Directory IDs, only calls that do not contain valid Directory IDs will be reconciled.

An invalid Directory ID means that the ID in the call record does not exist in the Directory. An invalid Directory ID occurs when:

You have costed new calls but have not reconciled them with the Directory. Their Directory ID fields are blank, so they don't match any Directory IDs in the Directory.
Someone uses a new extension, but that extension has not been assigned to anyone in the Directory.
The Directory record to which a particular extension is assigned is deleted from the Directory.

You can view a list of invalid Directory IDs by producing the Directory Mismatch report. This report shows call records that contain Directory IDs that are not in the Directory.

Step 3 Click OK. A confirmation message appears.

Step 4 Click Yes to reconcile calls with the Directory.

You have completed the first Getting Started task, "Set up Directory Records."

Would you like to run a report on your Directory? Let's move on to the next task, "Customize and Use a Report."

Customize and Use a Report

Before we run a report, let's take a minute to discuss the difference between a report and a query.

What is a query?

A query is a snapshot of the records in the database. When you run a query, you retrieve the records for the record set you want, and the output is in grid form in the Record Set dialog box, which you already used to enter your Directory records. You can then add more records, delete records, or make changes to records.

What is a report?

Basically, a report is a formatted version of a query. You retrieve the same information as that in a query, but the output is different, and you cannot make changes to your records from this output.

Both queries and reports employ templates for your convenience. The templates permit various results in your database searches. You can use only one or two templates; you can use several of the predefined templates as-is; or you can customize the templates to accommodate the criteria in your particular database searches.

In this task, you will choose a report, customize it, then produce the report.

Customizing a Call Records Report

Let's say you want to see each month's costing details by peer host ID. This is a valuable and useful report, and you are likely to use it regularly.

In this scenario, we'll use the Record File Module in CEA for ISDN, and we will customize a report called "Peer Host ID Costing Detail."

Follow these steps:

Step 1 From the Main Menu, click Record File.

Step 2 Select the first option, "Produce reports showing call record information," by clicking on the icon.

The Call Records Reports dialog box appears.

Step 3 Select "All Call Record Reports" from the Select a Template list box.

Step 4 Select "Peer Host ID Costing Detail" from the Select a Report list box. This is the report that you will base your customized report on.

Step 5 Click Parameters. The Parameters dialog box appears. This is where you will customize the report.

Step 6 In the Predefined tab, select the Current Month radio button and leave the date range fields as they are.

Step 7 If you wish, select another option in this tab. If you need more information on a field, see the online help by choosing Help>Contents from the menu bar.

We won't discuss the Custom tab in this tutorial; however, you might need to use it to customize your search further. Again, you can get details from the online help.

Step 8 Select the Output Options tab. In this tab, you have several choices for sending the result of the report to a particular output source: screen preview, printer, file, or e-mail address.

Select the Preview radio button.

Note

Now you are ready to run your report.

Running Your Report from the Parameters Dialog Box

To run the report, click Run. You will be asked if you want to save first. Click Yes. The report now reflects your modifications.

Note You must save if you want to run the report.

A preview of how the report will appear printed on paper is displayed.

Using the toolbar that appeared with the preview, you can page through the report right on your screen, zoom in or zoom out for convenient viewing, and send the report to your local printer.

You have finished customizing and using a report. However, we'll take a minute to discuss a few other items about the CEA for ISDN reporting functions.

Using a Report As-Is

If you want to use a report as-is, you don't need to open the Parameters dialog box, unless you need to review the settings for that report.

You can run the report directly. Follow these steps:

Step 1 Go back to the Call Records Reports dialog box.

Step 2 Select the name of a report.

Step 3 Try using each of these buttons to produce your report and send it to a different output source:

To generate a preview the report as it would appear on paper, click Preview. The formatted report is displayed on your screen.
To send a copy of a formatted report to your local printer, click Print. A dialog box appears so you can enter your printing options.
To send a copy of a formatted report to an e-mail address, click Send. A dialog box appears so you can enter an e-mail address.
To save a copy of a formatted report to a file, click Save As File. A dialog box appears so you can enter a file name. The default file type is Rich Text Format (RTF).

Note

Deleting a Report

If you find that you are not using very many reports, you might want to delete the unused reports.

Follow these steps:

Step 1 Go back to the Call Records Reports dialog box.

Step 2 Select the name of a template you don't want.

Step 3 Click Delete. A confirmation message appears to allow you to confirm your action.

Step 4 If you are sure you want to delete the template, click Yes. Otherwise, click No to cancel your action.

Creating a New Report

You can create your own report. It is beyond the scope of this tutorial to describe how to do this. However, you might want to experiment on your own.

To help you get started, follow these steps:

Step 1 Go back to the Call Records Reports dialog box.

Step 2 Click New. The Report Templates dialog box appears.

Step 3 Double-click on the name of the report you want to base your report on. The Parameters dialog box appears. It contains a Predefined tab and a Custom tab.

Step 4 Modify the parameters as necessary.

Step 5 Using the fields and tools in the Custom tab, you can build your own custom expressions. They then become part of the predefined parameters for that report.

Step 6 Do one of the following:

To run the report, click Run. You will be asked to save first. Click Yes.
To test the parameters, click Check. You will be asked to save first. Click Yes.

You are finished with reports. What's next?

You need to learn how to use the Scheduler, a vital part of CEA for ISDN.

Schedule Tasks

The Scheduler is a facility for scheduling certain functions to run at the time and day you specify. For example, say you have numerous reports that you want to produce and send to your printer. Let the Scheduler do this for you on the weekend. Just specify the day and time, load your printer, and turn on the Scheduler. Your reports will be sitting on the printer when you arrive at the office Monday morning.

What can I "schedule?"

You can schedule the following things to run at the time you specify:

Reports
System events
Alarms

What is an event?

An event is a report or an alarm. A scheduled event is "active" when it is turned on and runs at its selected start date and time. An "inactive" event exists in the schedule database but will not run until it is set to active.

A system event is a predefined event that pertains to system maintenance and can be scheduled to run (for example, Cost All Call Records). This type of event is listed in the Select an Event to Schedule drop-down list box in the Scheduler Record Set dialog box and is identified as "System Event."

What is an alarm?

An alarm is used to highlight an event that needs to be examined by an administrator. For example, you might want to define an alarm for calls that exceed a certain duration.

We'll tell you more about alarms in Chapter 4, "Frequently Asked Questions."

Note Before you can use the Scheduler, the Port Monitor must be running.

Let's try it. What do you want to schedule? How about that Call Records report you created earlier?

Adding Your Call Records Report to the Scheduler

Let's schedule the Peer Host ID Costing Detail report to run routinely. Follow these steps:

Step 1 From the CEA for ISDN menu bar, select Tools>Scheduler.

The Parameters dialog box appears with the Predefined tab selected.

Step 2 Click Run. The Record Set dialog box appears with the List tab selected.

Step 3 Click the Data Entry tab.

Step 4 Click Add on the toolbar.

Step 5 Select "Peer Host ID Costing Detail (report)" from the Select Event to Schedule drop-down list box.

When you created this report, you asked for the "current month's" calls. If you schedule the report for once a month, you will have an up-to-date report for each month's worth of calls. The Scheduler makes it easy for you to set this only one time.

Step 6 Let's say you want to send the report to your e-mail address.

(a) Select the E-mail radio button.

(b) Select the format you want from the Format drop-down list box: RTF or HTML.

Step 7 To choose a time on which to run this event, select the On the Last Day of Every Month radio button.

Step 8 Click Save on the toolbar.

Step 9 Close the Record Set dialog box.

Turning On the Scheduler

To run scheduled events, first you need to turn on the Scheduler.

Step 1 From the CEA for ISDN menu bar, select Tools>Scheduler On.

Note The Port Monitor registers state changes you make to the Scheduler in CEA for ISDN.

You're all set! Expect a Call Records report in your e-mail inbox every month.

You have completed the tasks for using the Scheduler. You're done with the tutorial!

What Else Do I Need to Know?

The following items are important, and you might want to check them out immediately:

Setting up exception alarms

: Chapter 4, "Frequently Asked Questions," describes how to do this.

Using online help

: Online help provides more details and describes features we did not cover in this tutorial.
: To display the online help, select Help>Contents from the menu bar.

Chapter 4, "Frequently Asked Questions," will help you determine what else you might need to know about installing and using CEA for ISDN. It will answer your questions about errors or problems you encounter.

Table of Contents

Getting Started

Start CEA for ISDN

Creating a New Directory Record

Schedule Tasks