Creating a Data Collection Package

Applies To: Windows 7, Windows Vista

By using the Application Compatibility Manager, you can create data-collection packages (DCPs) to gather your installed software, hardware, and device information, in addition to determining any associated compatibility issues based on application or Windows® update, for your selected client computers.

Creating a New Data-Collection Package

From the Application Compatibility Manager, you can create new data-collection packages, which can then be deployed to your client computers to collect inventory and potential issue data.

To access the Collect screen

  • In the Application Compatibility Manager navigation pane, click Collect.

    The Collect screen appears with all of your existing data-collection packages sorted by name or by status.

To create a new data-collection package

  1. On the Collect screen, click File from the toolbar, and then click New.

    The New <DCP_Name> dialog box appears.

  2. In the Package Name box, type a custom name for your data-collection package.

  3. In the Evaluate compatibility when area, click one of the following options:

    • Deploying a new Operating System or Service Pack. Enables you to detect potential issues with your installed software and devices, due to the deployment of a new operating system or a service pack. This option runs the Inventory Collector, the Windows Compatibility Evaluator (WCE), and the User Account Control Compatibility Evaluator (UACCE) evaluators.

    • Applying Windows Updates. Enables you to detect potential software and device issues that might occur due to the deployment of a Windows update. This option runs the Inventory Collector and the Update Compatibility Evaluator (UCE) evaluators.

  4. Click Advanced.

    The Advanced Settings dialog box appears.

  5. Review the compatibility-evaluator information. You can clear any compatibility-evaluator check boxes that you do not want to run in your organization, if required.

Important

If you intend to deploy your DCP to any computer that is running the Windows 2000 operating system, you must select the Prompt users to restart if required by the installation (Microsoft Windows 2000 only) check box.

Note

If you are creating a DCP for the Applying Windows Updates option, you will be able to configure additional settings, such as whether to disable registry logging, the maximum amount of disk space to use, whether to include filtered applications, and so on. For more specific information and a complete list of the additional settings you can configure, see Configuring Advanced Settings

  1. In the When to monitor application usage area, define when your data-collection package will run and for how long, including:

    • Starting: To set the date and the time that your data-collection package will begin collecting data, click one of the following options:

      • As soon as possible after install

      • At specified date and time

Important

ACT uses Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) instead of local time. Therefore, if you set your data-collection package to start at 6:05 P.M. Eastern Standard Time and run for five minutes, the data-collection package will actually start at 3:05 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, 5:05 P.M. Central Standard Time, 6:05 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, and so on. Selecting a specific date and time means that your compatibility evaluators will not begin collecting data until your configured date and time. However, you must deploy your data-collection package prior to your specified time, so it can install your compatibility evaluators.

  - **Duration**: In the box, type a numerical value that defines how long the data-collection package will run, and then select **Days**, **Hours**, or **Minutes** in the list.  
      

Important

Your data-collection package duration runs in chronological time. Therefore, if you shut down your computer and the specified duration elapses while the computer is off, when you turn the computer back on, the data is uploaded and the data-collection package exits.

  - **Upload data every**: Select **2 hours**, **4 hours**, **8 hours**, or **12 hours**, depending on how long you set ACT to wait between each upload of your application-compatibility data.  
      

Important

If you are running a data-collection package based on the Applying Windows Updates option, we recommend that you select the 2-hour upload option.

  1. In the Output Location field, browse to the directory location to store your log files.

  2. In the Label name field, add any unique text you want to use to identify your collected data. For example, if the data will be collected from your sales department, you can add the term, "Sales" and it will be automatically added to every returned data item.

  3. On the toolbar, click Save and Create Package, click Browse to select the directory location to store your compiled package, and then click Save.

    The data-collection package is created and stored in your selected location, and then the New <DCP_Name> dialog box closes.

  4. Deploy and run your data-collection package. For more information, see Deploying a Data Collection Package.

Modifying an Existing Data-Collection Package

You can view and modify your existing data-collection packages from the Collect screen. You can also view the status of a specific package.

Sorting by Name

You can sort your existing data-collection packages by name.

Note

Double-clicking the data-collection package name opens the <DCP_Name> - Application Compatibility Manager dialog box so that you can modify the data-collection package.

To sort by name

  • Click By Name from the Current View area of the Collect screen.

    The Collect screen shows the existing data-collection packages, sorted by name, including the following information:

    • Data Collection Package Name: Your unique name for the data-collection package.

    • Last Updated: The date that the data-collection package was last changed.

    • Log File Location: The location selected for storing the log file for this data-collection package.

Sorting by Status

You can sort your existing data-collection packages by their deployment status in your organization.

Note

Double-clicking on the data-collection package name opens the <DCP_Name> dialog box so that you can view any issues and the general status information for the data-collection package.

To sort by status

  • Click By Status from the Current View area of the Collect screen.

    The Collect screen shows the existing data-collection packages, including the following information:

    • Data Collection Package Name: Your unique name for the data-collection package.

    • Number of Computers: The number of computers on which the data-collection package has run.

    • Complete: The number of computers on which the data-collection package has successfully completed.

    • In Progress: The number of computers on which the data-collection package is currently running.

    • With Errors: The number of computers on which the data-collection package generated errors.

See Also

Concepts

What Compatibility Evaluators are Available?
Phase 1: Collecting Your Compatibility Data
Deploying a Data Collection Package