Report Scheduling

Every Cisco CallManager writes the CDR data first locally into flat files. A flat file is a temporary file without a file extension stored in the C:Program FilesCiscoCallDetail folder on Cisco CallManager. Flat files store call information to import the data on the publisher server into the CDR database. At a specified time, all the CallManager servers transfer the flat files to the Cisco CallManager publisher. Loading CDR data from flat files into the CDR database on the Cisco CallManager publisher can cause performance degradation on the Cisco CallManager server. Cisco recommends that you use the default loading time or schedule the loading to occur at a time when Cisco CallManager performance will be least affected. By default, CDR data loads every day from midnight to 5:00 a.m.

You can manage CDR loading through the System > Scheduler menu, as shown in Figure 33-9. These menu options are discussed fully in the upcoming sections. Disable CDR loading when you are installing or upgrading the system in the same off-hours during which CDR loading normally occurs. Because loading CDRs drains Cisco CallManager resources, you can suspend CDR loads until other operations complete. Of course, CallManager does not update the CDR data when CDR loading is disabled. Be sure to enable CDR loading again as soon as possible. The CAR tool does not affect CDR generation in Cisco CallManager.

Figure 33-9. Configuring CDR Scheduler Parameters

In addition, the CDR Scheduler menu allows you to generate reports for these periods:

• Days
• Weeks
• Months

Managing the CDR Load

You can use the CDR Load menu to enable and disable the CDR load. Disable loading if you are upgrading the Cisco CallManager in the time specified for CDRs to load. Otherwise, the CDR load could consume critical system resources.

Configure the Load CDR & CMR area parameters as follows, shown in Figure 33-10:

• The Time field specifies time when the CAR tool should start to load CDR data from the local CDR files into the CAR database.
• The Loading Interval specifies how often CAR will load the CDR entries. The minimum interval is 15 minutes and the maximum is 24 hours.
• The Uninhibited Loading of CDR section allows you to define the duration of the loading interval defined to limit the loading time to a maximum length to minimize the impact on Cisco CallManager resources during business hours.

Figure 33-10. Configuring CDR Load Parameters

Note

Depending on your configured loading interval, CAR might not update the CDR records for a full 24-hour period (which is the configured default). This minimizes the near-real-time monitoring of placed calls in the IP telephony network. You will need to balance the loading interval time cycle based on your available resources.

Configuring the Schedulers

You can configure schedulers to generate reports on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. The schedulers are preconfigured as follows:

• CAR generates daily reports (shown in Figure 33-11) every day at 1:00 a.m.

  Figure 33-11. Configuring CDR Daily Reports

• CAR generates weekly reports (shown in Figure 33-12) every Sunday at 4:00 a.m.

  Figure 33-12. Configuring CDR Weekly Reports

• CAR generates monthly bills (shown in Figure 33-13) on the first day in the month at 3:00 a.m., and other reports at 2:00 a.m.

Figure 33-13. Configuring CDR Monthly Reports

The Life field in the schedule configuration specifies the number of days, weeks, or months (depending on the type of the schedule) that the reports are stored on the system. Choose the desired value; for example, for weeks, from 0 to 12. After the configured lifetime has elapsed, CallManager deletes the reports.