This document discusses various ways to visualize data from System Center Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr), including queries, reports, PowerShell, Power Query/Views, and dashboards. Queries and default reports can provide ad-hoc insights but are not always user-friendly for sharing. Custom reports and PowerShell allow more flexible output but require some technical skills. Power Query/Views in Excel offer a user-friendly interface for presenting data. Custom and professional dashboards are recommended for management to provide high-level visual overviews of client environment status.

1. Visualize your ConfigMgr
data
KENT AGERLUND, CORETECH
ENTERPRISE CLIENT MANAGEMENT MVP
TWITTER: @AGERLUND – BLOG: BLOG.CORETECH.DK/AUTHOR/KEA

2. Why Visualize
Dashboard
Management needs facts to make
decisions
IT Pro’s must be able to spot Trends
and have insights to know what’s
going on and what will happen
Supporters must have detailed information
about devices and deployments to
troubleshoot
Knowing is so much cooler than
guessing:

3. Share insights - enable people
Raise productivity
Avoid human bottlenecks
Let everyone know what's cooking
Data must be easy to access, when
they are they will:

4. Understand your client environment and
prioritize appropriately
With the correct data it will be:
Easier to prioritize
Get there in time
Easy to compare trends

5. Ways to visualize
Queries Reports
Custom
Reports
PowerShell
Power
Queries
Custom
Dashboards
Profesional
dashboards

7. Queries
• Using WMI to retrieve data from the database
• Queries can be written directly in the ConfigMgr console or from any WMI tool
• You can even use PowerShell to test the syntax ahead of time using gwmi
• Usage
◦ Mainly used by the IT pro for ad-hoc purposes
◦ Not super user friendly
◦ Not easy to share
◦ Definitions can be shared between sites

8. Query Examples
• In ConfigMgr
• select distinct SMS_R_System.NetbiosName,
SMS_G_System_WORKSTATION_STATUS.LastHardwareScan from SMS_R_System inner join
SMS_G_System_WORKSTATION_STATUS on
SMS_G_System_WORKSTATION_STATUS.ResourceId = SMS_R_System.ResourceId where
(DateDiff(day, SMS_G_System_WORKSTATION_STATUS.LastHardwareScan, GetDate())>7)
• In PowerShell/WMI
◦ gwmi -namespace rootsmssite_ps1 -computername cm01 -query "select distinct
SMS_R_System.NetbiosName, SMS_G_System_WORKSTATION_STATUS.LastHardwareScan from
SMS_R_System inner join SMS_G_System_WORKSTATION_STATUS on
SMS_G_System_WORKSTATION_STATUS.ResourceId = SMS_R_System.ResourceId where (DateDiff(day,
SMS_G_System_WORKSTATION_STATUS.LastHardwareScan, GetDate())>7)"

9. Reports
• System Center 2012 Configuration Manager ships with more than 400 canned reports.
• Run from your favorite browser or the ConfigMgr console
• Role Based Administration build in
• Usage
◦ Mainly used by the IT pro for ad-hoc purposes like inventory count and monitoring deployments
◦ Out of the 440 reports……..most are never used
◦ Can be easily modified and restored

10. Links
• Introducing to reporting in Configuration Manager
◦ https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg682105.aspx
• Channel 0
◦ http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/MMS/2013/UD-B338

11. Custom Reports
• Custom reports requires a little knowledge about SQL and searching the Internet
• The toolset
◦ SQL Reporting builder
◦ SQL Data Tools
• SQL view
◦ A Microsoft SQL Server view is a virtual table whose contents are defined by a query
◦ SQL view schema maps to the SMS Provider WMI schema
• Usage
◦ Can be used by Management, IT pro’s and supporters
◦ Show overall status, track trends, monitor processes, view history data
◦ Easy to share
◦ Takes a little effort to create

12. Reporting Advice
• Only show the data that are needed
• Use graphics and colour to emphasize data
◦ Eliminate fluff
◦ Thin font
◦ Space instead of lines
◦ Dim labels not values
◦ Limit number of accent colors
◦ Visualize KPI’s
◦ Trend over time, consider using sparkline instread of raw data
• http://blogs.msdn.com/b/bobmeyers/archive/2009/07/31/add-excel-like-color-scale-
conditional-formatting-to-your-reports.aspx

13. PowerShell
• To some, the best thing that has happened to humanity since we invented Coffee
• Quick and dirty ways to show data
• Export data to CSV files
• Export data to grid view
• Usage
◦ Used by the IT pro for ad-hoc purposes
◦ Limited output
◦ Often project driven

14. PowerShell examples
• Export list of maintenance windows
• Export list of packages/applications and active deployments

15. Power Queries & Power Views
• Everyone should be an expert in Microsoft Excel
• This is the #1 “show off” tool when you want to present cool stuff or hide bad compliance
numbers
• Add-in to Excel 2013
• Fetch data directly from SQL and other data sources
• Usage
◦ Can be used by Management and & IT pro’s
◦ Super user friendly and dynamic
◦ Project/Status meetings

16. Power Queries & Power View resources
• Download Power Queries for Excel
◦ http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=39379
• Getting started with Power Queries
◦ http://www.databasejournal.com/sqletc/getting-started-with-microsoft-power-query-for-excel.html
◦ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Microsoft-Power-Query-for-Excel-Help-2B433A85-DDFB-420B-
9CDA-FE0E60B82A94
• Download Power View
◦ http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=26718
• Getting started with Power View
◦ https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh213579(v=sql.110).aspx
◦ http://blogs.msdn.com/b/seanboon/archive/2012/07/30/visualizing-the-olympics-with-power-view-in-
excel-2013-day-1.aspx

17. Custom dashboards
• In essence a custom report on steroids
• Usage
◦ Should provide Management with the correct overview
◦ Right there on the big monitor

18. Custom dashboard resources
• Compliance
• http://blogs.technet.com/b/gary_simmons_mcs/archive/2014/09/16/system-center-2012-r2-
configuration-manager-software-update-compliance-dashboard-part-1.aspx
• Patch Management
• http://blogs.technet.com/b/gary_simmons_mcs/archive/2013/12/09/creating-a-custom-
report-for-system-center-2012-r2-configuration-manager-part-1.aspx
• Client Health
◦ https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/SCCM-Configmgr-2012-SSRS-2863c240
• A little of everything
◦ http://blogs.technet.com/b/configmgrdude/archive/2015/01/06/creating-a-simply-dashboard-using-
smsprov-log-in-configmgr-2012.aspx

19. Professional dashboards
• System Center Configuration Manager dashboard providers:
• Coretech
◦ Configuration Manager - http://www.coretech.dk/products/dashboard/
◦ Operations Manager
• Savision
◦ Operations Manager
• Usage
◦ Used by Management, IT pro’s and supporters
◦ Super user friendly
◦ Provide the right information and level of information at the right time

20. Professional dashboard examples