# Introduction
What is PA Accelerator?
PA Accelerator is a tool set that, among others, enables you to quickly review the health of your Performance Analytics (PA) implementation on any level and quickly improve and correct where necessary. It is comprise of 3 general sections. Note these key points:
* Use the PA Accelerator [dashboard](/user-guide/dashboard) to gain insight in the overall health of your PA implementation
* Use [Quality Manager](/user-guide/quality-manager) to check and review individual dashboards, widgets and indicators or sets of dashboards, widgets and indicators
* Select the health checks you want to carry out
* Save the selection of dashboards, widgets or indicators with the desired health checks in a reusable project
* Review errors, warnings and best practice tips and directly link to the right form to study and apply the corrections
* Use the PA Accelerator [toolbox](/user-guide/toolbox) to simplify many otherwise convoluted and labour-intensive PA tasks
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[User guide](/user-guide/home-page)
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[Installation and configuration](/installation-and-configuration/installing-the-application)
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# Home page
After [installing](/installation-and-configuration/installing-the-application) the PA Accelerator application in your ServiceNow instance, the application navigator contains a TCP PA Accelerator application menu with modules for, among others, PA Accelerator, Quality Manager and Toolbox.
Select PA Accelerator from the menu to access the home page. From there, access is provided to the included sections and tools.
# Quality Manager
Quality manager provides detailed insight in the quality of your Performance Analytics environment. Quickly analyse your overall quality or focus your attention on individual Dashboards, widgets and indicators. Directly link to the elements that are faulty or can be otherwise improved and fix the issues straight away. Monitor the development of new dashboards to see where work is not finished or mistakes have been made.
## Overview
Selecting the Quality Manager tile on the PA Accelerator start page will take you to the Quality Manager page. This page is split into two parts. The top part shows a pre-defined dashboard with widgets that show an overall overview of PA’s health state. The bottom part of the page contains the Quality Manager projects that have been defined. From here you can go to the project results, open the project definition form or view a project specific dashboard.
## Project Definition
The Project Definition form allows you to create and edit projects. New projects can be created by clicking on the New Project button in the Quality Manager page. Existing projects can be edited by clicking on the pencil icon on each existing project tile.
Projects are created with the purpose of checking the health of a specific set of PA elements such as a dashboard and all the PA content on that dashboard, but it is also possible to create an overall project that checks the health of every PA element included in Quality Manager. Projects are saved for easy future access.
A good use case for a project is the definition and creation of a new PA dashboard. Throughout the development cycle of the dashboard, the project can be reviewed and any issues can be addressed straight away.
### Creating a new project
After clicking on the New Project button, you need to supply a name for the new project. Click on Save to save the new project with this name.
### Project details
This will take you to the Project details page. Here, a description can be supplied for the dashboard and the included element selection can be made.
The Scheduled checkbox will include the project in the daily collection job.
This function in the daily collection job will only run the project of the parameter used (sys\_id).
### Scope options
The available Scope options are:
* Include all platform elements
* This will do a complete check of all PA elements. Best used to establish a baseline after the installation of Quality Manager.
* Dashboards
* Allows you to select one or more specific dashboards to include in the check. The check will include all PA elements that are related to the selected dashboard(s).
* Widgets
* Allows you to select one or more specific widgets to include in the check. The check will include all PA elements that are related to the selected widget(s).
* Indicators
* Allows you to select one or more specific Indicators to include in the check. The check will include all PA elements that are related to the selected Indicators(s).
* KPI Composer
* This scope option is available only if the KPI Composer application is installed in the instance. When available a KPI Composer project can be selected. The check will include all PA elements that are related to the selected KPI Composer project.
The available options are mutually exclusive; you can only select one type of included element per project or include all elements.
### Check options
Lastly, you can select which [checks ](/user-guide/quality-manager/checks)should be included in the project. You can either choose the Run All Checks option to include all available checks, or you can select a subset of the available checks. This allows you to, e.g., only include errors in the results and exclude warnings and best practices. Any desired combination of checks is possible.
## Quality Manager Project Results
By clicking on the Show Results link on a project tile, the project results page for the selected project is opened. This page is comprised of four tabs. An All tab that shows all the health check results on one page, followed by an Indicator details, Widget Details and Dashboard Details tab that filters the results per entity type.
From the results page, the details of each result can be reviewed and the element included in the result can directly be opened with the purpose of investigating and/or fixing the issue found by the health check.
### Result fields
The following attributes are available for an individual result:
* Check
* Shows the name of the check that was carried out and led to the opened result
* Project
* Shows the name of the Project that includes the opened result
* Status
* Shows the status of the opened result. Use to clarify in which phase the investigation/solution is. This field can also be used to exclude a specific result from the list because it is not regarded an actual issue or it should simple be ignored. For this purpose, set the status of the result to “Ignore”.
* Description
* Describes the characteristics of the health check that produced the opened result
* Severity
* Shows the type of result the health check produced. Used to categorize the results
* Main Element
* Shows the element that was selected as the subject to be included in the health check.
* Sub Element
* When applicable, shows the element related to the Main Element that lead to the result. For example, the Main Element is an actively formula indicator and the sub element is an automated indicator that is not included in any collection job.
* Note
* A free form text field
* Resolved
* Date field that is filled automatically as soon as the Resolved status is set in a result
* Closed
* Date field that is filled automatically as soon as the Closed status is set in a result
* Opened
* The creation date of the result
* Resolution Target Date
* Date field that can be set manually to the desired resolution date or that is set automatically when a target resolution duration has been linked to the Severity of the result.
Please note that when an issue is resolved and the health check is rerun, the result will disappear from the list because it is no longer an error, warning or best practice result.
## Quality Manager Project Dashboard
A pre-defined project specific dashboard is available for each project. These dashboard can be viewed by clicking on the individual project tiles. The dashboard provides more detailed insight in the state of an individual project and it’s development over time. You can also directly jump to the open errors for the selected project from here.
### Quality Manager Project Tabs
All: This will display all projects.
With issues: This will only display projects that contain open issues.
Favorites: This will display all of your Favorited (Star Icon) projects.
# Checks
These are the currently available checks
| Reference ID | **Name** | **Severity** | **Description & Solution** |
| ------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| BP01 | Inconsistent use of apply time series to result option | Best practice | Description: Formula Indicators within dashboard do not use the same setting for apply time series to result
Solution: Set the Formula Indicator option for apply time series to result consistently throughout the dashboard
|
| ER01 | Indicator breakdown missing | Error | Description: Indicator is used in a Formula Indicator but the added breakdowns are inconsistent. The Formula Indicator has breakdowns which are missing from the underlaying indicators
Solution: Add the missing breakdowns to the indicators used in Formula Indicator, make sure to (re)collect the scores for these breakdowns.
|
| ER02 | Indicator and collection job frequency mismatch | Error | Description: Automated Indicator collected in job where the indicator frequency is smaller than the job collection frequency. For example: a daily indicator is being collected monthly
Solution: Add the indicator to a collection job with the correct collection frequency.
|
| ER03 | Breakdown matrix option should be enabled for Automated Indicator | Error | Description: A breakdown dashboard has a breakdown widget (making it two levels of breakdowns), breakdown matrix option should be enabled for the Automated Indicator
Solution: Enable the breakdown matrix collection option for this Automated Indicator, make sure to exclude breakdowns which would return too many results.
|
| ER04 | Dashboard breakdown missing | Error | Description: Dashboard contains a breakdown that is not present in the included widget indicator while follow element for this widget is active
Solution: Add the missing breakdown to the indicator used in the widget or disable the follow element setting.
|
| ER05 | Formula Indicator missing references | Error | Description: Formula defined within the Formula Indicator has obsolete references
Solution: Fix the formula by applying the correct references.
|
| ER06 | Job collection error | Error | Description: The last collection run for this job resulted in an error, indicators included in this collection might have missing or incorrect data. This check includes all indicators, widgets and dashboards impacted by the collection error
Solution: Correct the error in collection job. Recollect the scores for indicators related to the collection job since the collection job is in state error.
|
| ER07 | Indicator has no Indicator Source | Error | Description: Automated Indicator has no Indicator Source
Solution: Link the automated indicator to the correct indicator source.
|
| ER08 | Breakdown excluded from collection job | Error | Description: Breakdown is used in a breakdown widget on a dashboard but the breakdown is excluded from the collection job
Solution: Include the breakdown in the collection job (or remove it from the exclusion list).
|
| ER09 | Widget follow element can be enabled | Error | Description: Dashboard contains a breakdown that is present in the included widget indicator while follow element for this widget is not active
Solution: Enable the follow element setting on the widget
|
| IN01 | Unused widget contains collected indicators | Orphaned elements | Description: Automated Indicator is actively collected but not being used (not linked to any widget present on a dashboard and not being used in a formula indicator)
Solution: Widget can be removed to clean up the platform or kept for later use if intended.
|
| IN02 | Unused widget without any collected indicator | Orphaned elements | Description: Formula indicator contains collected indicators and is not being used (not linked to any widget present on a dashboard and not being used in a formula indicator)
Solution: Widget can be removed to clean up the platform or kept for later use if intended.
|
| IN03 | Unused Breakdown Source | Orphaned elements | Description: Breakdown Source is not being used (not related to any breakdown that is mapped, not used by any breakdown and not used by any dashboard)
Solution:
|
| IN04 | Unused uncollected Automated Indicator | Orphaned elements | Description: Collection job has no related indicators
Solution:
|
| IN05 | Unused collected Automated Indicator | Orphaned elements | Description: Formula indicator contains uncollected indicators and is not being used (not linked to any widget present on a dashboard and not being used in a formula indicator)
Solution:
|
| IN06 | Unused Formula Indicator contains collected indicators | Orphaned elements | Description: Widget is not used on any dashboard and without any collected indicator
Solution:
|
| IN07 | Unused Formula Indicator contains uncollected indicators | Orphaned elements | Description: Widget is not used on any dashboard and contains collected indicator(s)
Solution: Indicator can removed or kept for later use if intended.
|
| IN08 | Collection job has no related indicators | Orphaned elements | Description: Automated Indicator is not collected and being used (not linked to any widget present on a dashboard and not being used in a formula indicator)
Solution:
|
| WA01 | Indicator collected in multiple jobs | Warning | Description: Indicator is being collected in more than one active collection job
Solution: Indicator should only be collected in one active collection job.
|
| WA02 | Automated Indicator used on a dashboard is not being collected | Warning | Description: Automated Indicator used on a dashboard is not scheduled in any active collection job
Solution: Add the Automated Indicator to an active collection job.
|
| WA03 | Formula Indicator used on a dashboard contains uncollected indicators | Warning | Description: Formula Indicator used on a dashboard contains Automated Indicators which are not scheduled in any active collection job
Solution: Add the Automated Indicator used in the formula to an active collection job.
|
| WA04 | Heatmap widget excessive breakdown count | Warning | Description: The breakdown count for the second level breakdown calculations could possibly result in the widget not functioning correctly.
Solution:
|
| WA05 | Widget average loading time exceeds threshold | Warning | Description: The average loading time of the widget has exceeded the threshold
Solution:
|
# Dashboards
The Quality Overview dashboard provides end-to-end insight in the quality of your Performance Analytics landscape. The dashboard provides tabs per quality focus area as well as an overall quality index tab that rolls up the underlying quality scores into an overall quality index. Furthermore, the process that governs the quality management of PA is measured and visualized in this dashboard.
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Load the PA data for this dashboard to work properly. [Learn how](/installation-and-configuration/configuring-the-application#loading-dashboard-data)
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There following dashboards are included with the PA Accelerator application:
* TCP PA Accelerator - Summary
* Contains a sub set of the tabs and information found in the detailed Dashboard.
* These tabs include the Overview, Quality Manager Results, Orphaned Content, PA Dashboard Usage, Performance and the Documentation.
* TCP PA Accelerator - Detailed
* Contains everything in the Summary Dashboard with some additional tabs.
* The additional tabs are Quality Manager Details, Content Growth, and PA Dashboard Adoption.
### Content
The following areas are covered by the dashboard:
* Overall Overview: Provides overall indexed numbers of all the underlying areas
* Quality Manager Results: Contains KPIs that measure the performance of the PA quality governance processes.
* Quality Manager Details: Provides further details on the KPIs shown on the previous tab.
* Orphaned Content: provides insight in the development over time of PA orphaned content (content that is present, but not used in or by any active PA element)
* Content Growth: Provides insight in the growth of newly created PA indicators, widgets and dashboard over time
* PA Dashboard Usage: Provides insight in the usage of PA dashboards and widgets in your instance
* Dashboard Adoption: Provides insight into the extent to which newly created PA dashboards are shared with other groups and users in your instance
* Performance: Provides insight in the performance of collection jobs, widgets and dashboards
# Toolbox
Speed up and simplify daily PA maintenance and development tasks. Lower the chance of making mistakes and leaving omissions. Intensify the usage of PA by removing the workload and complexity involved in many day-to-day tasks.
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Tools require additional [access](/installation-and-configuration/configuring-the-application#setting-application-access) to the PA tables
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## Overview
Clicking on the Toolbox tile in the PA Accelerator start page will take you to a UI page that allows you to select the individual tools that are available:
* Add Indicator Targets
* Limit Indicator Time Series
### Add Indicator Targets
This tool will help you significantly speed up the definition and management of indicator targets. When setting a target for an indicator, a number of things have to be taken into account: Is the target an overall target or a target per breakdown or even breakdown element? Is the target linked to a time series, what is the target start date?
Depending on the outcome of the arguments mentioned above, potentially a large number of targets will have to be manually defined (one by one) and maintained over time.
The Indicator Targets tool allows you to initially set and later modify all targets for all required breakdowns, breakdown elements and or time series in one go. With target start dates where required and for one or multiple indicators at the same time. This can save a lot of time and can make it much easier to decide to actually start using targets at the lowest level of granularity.
### Limit Indicator Time Series
When creating an indicator, especially when creating a formula indicator, it is important to think about the time series that the users that will consume the indicator can choose from. By default, many time series are not applicable to a formula indicator but are available for selection. This can lead to incorrect values being shown in a dashboard (e.g. 7 day running average in combination with average duration). Furthermore, time series exist for both standard calendars and fiscal calendars that are normally not used simultaneously for a specific indicator.
In a standard PA environment, you will have to manually set exclusions for all non-applicable time series for each indicator. The Indicator Time Series tool lets you select and exclude (or include) all unwanted and non-applicable time series in one go. For one or multiple indicators at the same time.
# Installing the application
Make the application available on the desired instances from the [ServiceNow Store](). The application is availabe as free download.
Once made available, browse to the All Applications module in the instance. Find the PA Accelerator application and install it. Follow the configuration steps after installation.
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[Configuring the application](/installation-and-configuration/configuring-the-application)
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# Configuring the application
## Loading dashboard data
On initial installation, the QM Historic data collection job needs to be run to populate the dashboards.
Once in Jobs under the Data Collector module in Performance Analytics, select QM Historic.
Run the job as System Administrator for 6 months as shown below and hit Execute Now.
You can also have it collect farther back by changing Relative Start to a year ago or set it as desired.\
Next, make sure the Daily Collection Job is set to Active.
You can also set when you want this Daily Job to run. Running this off hours is recommended.
## Setting application access
The PA Accelerator Toolbox requires access to the Performance Analytics tables.
The three tables that need to be accessed are pa\_targets, pa\_target\_values, pa\_indicator\_aggregate\_excl.
Select the table you want to modify.
Under Application Access, enable permissions to create, write and delete for all application scopes.
Repeat this process for the other tables.
## Setting target resolution time
Go to Tables and locate x\_wean\_westbury\_hc\_probeseverity.
Under the Related Links, select Show List.
Select the Severity type you would like to adjust the Target Resolution Date for.
Enter the value desired in the Resolution Duration (Days) field.
Keep in mind, the Resolution Target Date will be this Value added to the Creation Date for any result.