Creating Data Collection Rules

Data collection rules allow administrators to automatically collect a variety of data from mobile device(s).

The following series of steps describes how to use the Create Data Collection Rule Wizard to create a data collection rule:

  1. Start the wizard.

    From MobiControl Manager, select the Rules view (tab), then click Rule, click Create Rule, and click Data Collection Rule. Enter a meaningful name for your new data collection rule and then click Next.

  1. Select data items to collect.

    Select individual items or all items from the Available Items list by highlighting and then select the corresponding direction arrow(s). These items will move to the Collected Items list. If you have added something that you would like to remove from the Collected Items list, simply select the item and then click the direction arrow(s) to place the item(s) back into the Available Items list.

    Item Name Description
    Available Memory

    Shows the collected data is the combination of device memory, storage memory and virtual memory on the device
    Available Storage Shows the amount of room that is left on the main memory of the device
    Battery Status Shows what percent the battery was at the time the data collection rule ran
    Call Log Shows the incoming, outgoing and missed calls with call duration
    Cellular Carrier Shows what carrier the device is connected to at the time the data collection rule ran
    Cellular Signal Strength Shows what the signal strength is of the device at the time the data collection rule ran
    IP Address Shows the IP address of the device at the time the data collection rule ran
    Location Shows the GPS latitude, longitude, speed and heading
    SSID Shows the SSID that your device is currently connected to
    Wi-Fi Signal Strength Shows the signal strength of a wireless connection. A value of 0 is collected when there is no Signal listed in Manager

    After selecting the choice(s), click the Next button.

  1. Select devices.

    Select the devices to which the rule will be applied. Apply the rule to all devices in your device tree or simply individual group(s) and/or device(s). Once you have completed this section, click the Next button.

  1. Configure data collection rule schedule and optional settings.


    Section Name Description
    Collection Schedule This option enables you to create a custom data collection schedule with a custom date and time. Select the New button to create the new schedule. This will open up the second dialog box above. If you already have a previously created schedule, you can select edit to open the second dialog box above.
    Schedule Name Enter a meaningful schedule name that will be used to identify your custom schedule(s).
    Run Task Select the frequency for which you want to initiate the data collection on your device(s).
    Delivery Schedule This option will deliver the data collected from the device to the Deployment Serverbased upon the set update schedule. Currently, this option uses device schedule as the delivery schedule and is not configurable.


    Note:

    Creating a frequent collection schedule may affect the device's battery life. Also, frequent data collection can be managed with the truncation options available. This will help control how much data is kept on the device and in the database.



    After entering your choice(s) in the above dialog box, click the Next button.

  1. Configure data truncation settings.

    Choose the size of the data being collected. This helps control memory used on the device and the number of days you would like to retain the data in the database.

    2. Section Name Description
    Device-Side Data Truncation Specify the maximum size of data to be stored from the data collection ruleon the device(s).
    Database Data Truncation Specify the number of day(s) that you would like to retain the information in your database. Data collected older than the number of days listed will be deleted from the database

    After entering your choice(s) in the above dialog box, click the Next button.

  1. Review the summarized information.

    2. By clicking on the Advanced button, the data collection rule Advanced window will appear. By default the rule will be activated immediately upon completion of the wizard. If you wish to delay the activation, you can modify the activate date. A deactivate date can optionally be entered to specify a date from which the rule will be disabled. A data collection rule can also be explicitly disabled by clearing the checkbox next to Enable Rule.




Section Name Description
Activate Date This option enables you to define a date and time when the rule will start collecting data from the selected devices
Deactivate Date If the Specify Deactivation time box is checked, you can define the time at which you wish the data collection to stop.
Enable Rule You can use this option to enable or disable the rule. This option is also available by right-clicking the rule.


    The data collection rule can be deployed real-time or at a pre-set time. The data collection rule, although set to be activated at a scheduled time, can also be set to be deactivated. The deactivation setting is optional.

    Click Finish to complete the wizard.