Charting, Statistics, Reports and Logs

One of the key features of PaperCut NG is the advanced charting, statistics, reporting and logging. This information can be used by administrators to:

Charts

Charts are ideal for obtaining a quick visual overview. All users and printers have a line chart displaying activity over the last 30-days.

User 30-day account balance history

Figure 3.14. User 30-day account balance history

The Charts Tab under the Printers section hosts a set comparison charts allowing administrators to compare printers side by side.

Printer utilization chart

Figure 3.15. Printer utilization chart

Under each individual printer the Statistics section provides information on all jobs printed on a given printer.

Print page history for a single printer

Figure 3.16. Print page history for a single printer

Reports

Reports provide a tabular data display, often in a printable format, of system information ranging from activity histories, summaries, transaction details, etc. Reports are typically run to print a summary of user activity, printer activity, or group or account activity. To streamline access to common reports, PaperCut NG provides a series of predefined one-click report links under the Reports section. Most reports can be generated over a variety of common date ranges or user defined date ranges.

Standard reports include:

  • User Reports

    • Print summary statistics grouped by user

    • Quick list of the most active print users

  • Printer Reports

    • Summary of print activity grouped by printer

    • Quick lists of the most active/busiest printers

  • Group Reports

    • Summary of print activity grouped by network group (Note: The group needs to be defined under the Groups section.)

  • Share Account Reports

    • Summary of print activity grouped by shared account charged

  • Print Log Reports

    • Detailed lists of all print jobs over a given period

    • Quick list of the largest print jobs

Printer report in PDF

Figure 3.17. Printer report in PDF

Standard reports are provided in a variety of output formats including, HTML, PDF and MS Excel. PDF reports are ideal for printing. HTML versions of the reports are provided for systems without a PDF viewer.

Tip

In addition to the standard reports, administrators can run other reports on ad-hoc data by using the Export/Print option available under most of the data lists. This is covered further in the subsequent report section (See Chapter 8, Reports).

Logging

The PaperCut NG activity logging can be classed into the following areas:

Usage Logging

Usage logging records information about usage events such as printing. Information includes:

  • The date of the use

  • Who performed the use

  • Details of the type of user including, cost and other attributes

Printer usage log

Figure 3.18. Printer usage log

Transaction Logging

All modifications or deductions to an account (user or shared) are recorded in the transaction log. Information recorded includes:

  • The date of the transaction

  • Who performed the transaction

  • Any comment or note associated with the transaction (if performed by a user)

User account transaction log

Figure 3.19. User account transaction log

Application Activity Logging

The Application Log records system events messages such as:

  • User logins

  • Security errors such as incorrect password attempts

  • Backup times and scheduled tasks

  • Any system errors or warning

It is similar to the operating system's event log. It is recommended that system administrators view this log on a daily basis for the first week and weekly thereafter.