SPLK-3002 Glass Tables

Glass Tables Detailed Explanation

1. What Are Glass Tables?

Simple Definition

A Glass Table is a type of dashboard in ITSI (IT Service Intelligence) that lets you create custom visual layouts of your services, systems, and their health—in real time.

But unlike regular dashboards (which might just show bar graphs or line charts), a Glass Table is:

• Interactive

• Visual

• Dynamic

Imagine being able to draw your system using icons, shapes, and diagrams—and then connect those drawings to live data.

Real-Life Analogy

Think of a Glass Table like a control room screen in a power plant or airport:

• It shows which machines or areas are working fine

• Which parts are under stress

• Where alarms are triggered

• All in a single, easy-to-understand display

This is exactly what ITSI’s Glass Table does—but for your IT systems and services.

2. What Is the Purpose of a Glass Table?

Glass Tables are used to:

• Visualize your entire IT environment

• See service health and KPI statuses at a glance

• Understand which part of the system is in trouble

• Provide information for quick decisions

In short: Glass Tables give you the “big picture” view, but in a way that’s clear and instantly useful.

Example Use Case

Let’s say you manage a company’s online store.
Your Glass Table might show:

• Web servers

• Databases

• Payment APIs

• Network links

Each of these components can change color based on real-time data:

• Green: everything is working fine

• Yellow: warning

• Red: critical issue

If the database turns red, you know right away: “We have a database issue affecting the store!”

3. Key Features of Glass Tables

a. Visual Components

You can build your Glass Table using:

• Icons (servers, apps, networks)

• Shapes (circles, boxes, lines)

• Text (labels, service names)

• Images (like diagrams or logos)

It’s like making a map or flowchart, but live and connected to real data.

b. KPI Integration

You can link visual elements to real KPIs.

Example:

• A server icon shows green if CPU is normal

• Turns yellow if CPU is high

• Turns red if it hits the critical limit

This makes it easy to understand system health without reading logs or graphs.

c. Drill-Down Actions

You can click on any part of the Glass Table to:

• Open a Deep Dive (to investigate KPI behavior)

• Jump to a different dashboard

• Launch a search or run a report

It’s not just a pretty picture—it’s a functional tool.

d. Animations and Transitions

You can add movement to your Glass Table:

• Arrows can blink or flow to show data movement

• Elements can fade in or flash when status changes

• These effects help you spot issues immediately

This makes Glass Tables especially useful on large NOC screens or wall displays.

4. Design Best Practices for Beginners

Creating your first Glass Table? Here are tips to help:

Use Consistent Color Coding

• Stick to a traffic light model:

  • Green = healthy

  • Yellow = warning

  • Red = critical

• Helps viewers understand status quickly

Limit Clutter

• Only show important services or components

• Too many icons or lines will confuse people

• Keep the layout clean and focused

Tailor the Table to Your Audience

• For executives:

  • Use fewer technical details

  • Focus on business impact

• For engineers or ops teams:

  • Show more KPIs

  • Include drilldowns and error indicators

Summary: What to Remember About Glass Tables

• They are custom dashboards built for visualization, not just data.

• You can design them with icons, shapes, and images.

• They display real-time KPI status, using color and animation.

• You can click into them to troubleshoot or investigate.

• Good design makes them a powerful tool for decision-making and monitoring.

Glass Tables (Additional Content)

1. Glass Table Data Sources (KPI from Base Search)

Why it's helpful:
This explains the logical data flow in ITSI, connecting the backend search logic to frontend visualizations. It reinforces how raw data becomes an actionable visual indicator.

Suggested Explanation:

Glass Tables visualize KPIs that are powered by base searches. Each KPI is calculated using Search Processing Language (SPL) in the form of a base search, which retrieves, filters, and aggregates data from indexes.

The typical flow is:

Raw Data → Base Search → KPI → Glass Table Panel

This linkage ensures that what you're visualizing is not abstract, but based on structured and query-driven measurements from your infrastructure or application logs.

2. Animation Trigger Conditions (e.g., KPI Status Change)

Why it's helpful:
This emphasizes that Glass Tables are not static dashboards. They respond dynamically to real-time events, helping viewers immediately detect problems.

Suggested Explanation:

Glass Tables support animation effects, such as flashing, color changes, or pulsing, which are triggered by KPI status changes.

For example:

• If a KPI’s health status changes from Normal to Critical, the corresponding panel in the Glass Table can start flashing red or display an animated warning icon.

• These effects are configurable in the panel properties when you bind it to a KPI or health score.

Animations increase situational awareness, making Glass Tables ideal for use in Network Operations Centers (NOCs) or live monitoring displays.

3. Where to Find the Glass Table Editor (UI Path)

Why it's helpful:
Knowing where to access this feature supports practical use and accelerates onboarding for new users.

Suggested Explanation:

To create or modify a Glass Table in ITSI, navigate to:

Settings → ITSI → Glass Tables

From there, you can:

• Create new Glass Tables

• Edit existing ones

• Bind visual elements (icons, gauges, charts) to KPIs, services, or health scores

This interface is drag-and-drop friendly and supports a wide range of customizations.

Summary

Although not strictly required by SPLK-3002 exam objectives, these additions give you:

• A deeper understanding of how data becomes visualization

• Insight into real-time, event-driven animations

• Practical guidance for navigating and using the Glass Table interface