Export and Reporting | VM Data Export and Report Generation Guide

Export your VM instance data and generate reports for analysis, documentation, and sharing with your team.

Data Export#

Export Overview#

The VMs Dashboard allows you to export complete instance data in multiple formats for use in external tools, reporting systems, and documentation.

Export Benefits

  • Create backups of infrastructure inventory
  • Import data into analysis tools
  • Generate compliance reports
  • Share infrastructure data with stakeholders
  • Archive historical data
  • Integrate with billing systems

Export Formats#

CSV Export#

What's Included

  • Instance name
  • Cloud provider type (AWS, GCP, Azure)
  • Current status
  • Zone/region
  • Organization
  • Instance ID
  • Creation date
  • Created by user

File Format

name,type,status,zone,organization,instanceId,createdAt,createdBy
web-server-01,AWS,running,us-east-1,production,i-1234567890abcdef0,2024-01-15,[email protected]
db-server-01,GCP,stopped,us-central1-a,staging,1234567890,2024-01-10,[email protected]
app-server-01,Azure,running,eastus,production,subscription/vm-name,2024-01-20,[email protected]

Opening in Excel/Sheets

  1. Download CSV file
  2. Open in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets
  3. Data imports automatically
  4. Columns organize for easy viewing
  5. Can create pivot tables and charts

CSV Use Cases

  • Quick inventory view
  • Spreadsheet analysis
  • Email distribution
  • Printing for documentation
  • Integration with external systems

JSON Export#

What's Included

  • Complete instance information
  • All metadata and configuration
  • Status and metrics
  • Creation and modification details
  • Custom tags
  • Network configuration
  • Storage details

File Format

[
{
"id": "vm-001",
"instanceName": "web-server-01",
"type": "AWS",
"status": "running",
"zone": "us-east-1a",
"organization": "production",
"instanceId": "i-1234567890abcdef0",
"createdAt": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
"createdBy": "[email protected]",
"configuration": {
"vCPU": 2,
"memory": 4,
"storage": 100
}
}
]

Opening JSON Files

  1. Download JSON file
  2. Open in text editor or IDE
  3. Parse with JSON tools
  4. Import into applications
  5. Use with APIs and automation

JSON Use Cases

  • API integration
  • Application import
  • Automation scripts
  • Data migration
  • Advanced analysis tools

Exporting Data#

From Dashboard Header#

Quick Export

  1. Click the overflow menu (⋮) in page header
  2. Select "Export as CSV" or "Export as JSON"
  3. File downloads to computer immediately
  4. Browser shows download progress

Export Button Location

  • Top right of dashboard
  • Dropdown menu with both options
  • Also available in right-click context menu

From Individual Instance#

Single Instance Export

  1. Open instance detail panel
  2. Click "Export" button in panel header
  3. Choose format (CSV or JSON)
  4. Only this instance is exported

Report Generation#

Creating Reports#

Report Options

  • Generate complete inventory report
  • Performance trend report
  • Cost analysis report
  • Compliance documentation
  • Custom filtered reports

Filtering Before Export#

Filter to Specific Instances

  1. Use dashboard filters before exporting
  2. Choose status filter (Running, Stopped, etc.)
  3. Choose provider filter (AWS, GCP, Azure)
  4. Use search to find specific instances
  5. Export shows only filtered results

Benefits of Filtering

  • Smaller file size
  • Focused analysis
  • Specific team reports
  • Reduced clutter

File Management#

Downloaded Files#

File Location

  • Files download to default Downloads folder
  • Can be moved to any location
  • Recommended: Create VM Reports folder for organization

File Naming

  • Format: vm-instances.csv or vm-instances.json
  • Timestamp: Add date to name for archives
  • Example: vm-instances-2024-01-15.csv

Organizing Files

  • Create folders by month/quarter
  • Label by environment (prod, staging, dev)
  • Archive old files
  • Maintain for compliance period

File Storage#

Cloud Storage Integration

  • Upload to Google Drive
  • Save to Dropbox
  • Store in AWS S3
  • Archive in company repository

Backup Strategy

  • Regular exports for backup
  • Multiple copies in different locations
  • Version control for changes over time
  • Long-term archival for compliance

Using Exported Data#

In Excel/Google Sheets#

Import CSV

  1. Open Excel or Google Sheets
  2. File → Open → Select CSV
  3. Import dialog appears
  4. Configure column separators
  5. Data imports with headers

Analysis

  • Sort by status, provider, organization
  • Filter for specific criteria
  • Create pivot tables
  • Generate charts
  • Calculate statistics

Adding Data

  • Add cost column from billing data
  • Add team owner column
  • Add project assignment
  • Add custom metadata
  • Track dates and changes

In Programming/APIs#

Reading JSON Data

import json
with open('vm-instances.json', 'r') as f:
instances = json.load(f)
for instance in instances:
print(f"{instance['name']}: {instance['status']}")

Using in Automation

  • Feed data into provisioning scripts
  • Update infrastructure database
  • Generate documentation
  • Sync with other tools
  • Trigger workflows

In Documentation#

Including in Reports

  1. Export CSV data
  2. Create summary table in document
  3. Include metrics and statistics
  4. Add charts from pivot tables
  5. Document current state

Compliance Documentation

  • IT audit requirements
  • Infrastructure inventory
  • Change management records
  • Access control documentation
  • Cost tracking

Cost Analysis#

Analyzing Instance Costs#

Using Exported Data for Cost Analysis

  1. Identify Expensive Instances

    • Export all instances
    • Add hourly cost to spreadsheet
    • Sort by cost
    • Review highest cost instances

  2. Find Unused Instances

    • Filter by status: Stopped
    • Calculate cost of stopped instances
    • Consider deleting unused instances
    • Potential savings: 50-70% of compute cost

  3. Optimize Instance Types

    • Export instances with metrics
    • Compare actual usage vs. allocated
    • Right-size instances
    • Potential savings: 10-30%

  4. Reserve Instances

    • Identify consistent workloads
    • Use export data to prove business case
    • Purchase reserved instances
    • Potential savings: 20-40%

Cost Reporting#

Monthly Cost Report

  1. Export instances on first of month
  2. Get cost data from billing system
  3. Create comparison to previous month
  4. Identify trends and anomalies
  5. Share with finance team

Cost Optimization Review

  1. Quarterly review of exported data
  2. Identify cost optimization opportunities
  3. Calculate potential savings
  4. Implement recommendations
  5. Measure actual savings

Team Collaboration#

Sharing Data with Team#

Exporting for Distribution

  1. Filter to relevant instances
  2. Export as CSV for easy sharing
  3. Send via email or collaboration tool
  4. Team can import and analyze
  5. Maintain version control

Read-Only Sharing

  • Export to PDF for static view
  • Share via cloud storage
  • No accidental modifications
  • Good for stakeholders

Collaborative Analysis

  • Export to Google Sheets
  • Multiple team members edit
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Comments and notes
  • Version history

Compliance and Auditing#

Audit Trail Documentation#

Creating Audit Records

  1. Export instance data regularly
  2. Include creation date and creator
  3. Document changes over time
  4. Maintain compliance records
  5. Archive for retention periods

Compliance Reports

  • SOC 2 compliance
  • ISO 27001 requirements
  • GDPR data mapping
  • HIPAA security documentation
  • PCI DSS infrastructure inventory

Regular Exports#

Scheduled Exports

  • Monthly: First business day
  • Quarterly: End of quarter
  • Annually: Year-end inventory
  • On-demand: For special audits
  • Before/after: Major changes

Export Archive

  • Maintain historical records
  • Show infrastructure evolution
  • Track compliance changes
  • Support audit investigations
  • Prove retention policies

Integration with External Tools#

Third-Party Integrations#

Monitoring and Analytics

  • Import into Datadog
  • Use with CloudHealth
  • Send to Cost Optimization tools
  • Feed into ITSM systems
  • Custom dashboards

Automation Platforms

  • Terraform for IaC management
  • Ansible for configuration
  • CloudFormation templates
  • Puppet for infrastructure
  • Chef for automation

BI and Reporting

  • Power BI for analytics
  • Tableau for visualization
  • Looker for dashboards
  • QlikView for analysis
  • Custom reporting tools

Data Privacy#

Protecting Sensitive Data#

Before Sharing Exports

  • Remove sensitive IPs if needed
  • Anonymize user information
  • Redact internal hostnames
  • Filter to relevant columns only
  • Encrypt files before sharing

Data Security

  • Use encrypted file transfer
  • Set file access permissions
  • Use password protection
  • Limit distribution list
  • Track who has copies

Troubleshooting#

Export Issues#

File Won't Download

  1. Check browser download settings
  2. Disable pop-up blockers
  3. Try different browser
  4. Check available disk space
  5. Try again after clearing cache

File Is Empty

  1. Ensure you have VMs to export
  2. Check filters aren't too restrictive
  3. Refresh dashboard before export
  4. Try exporting single instance
  5. Contact support if issue persists

File Is Corrupted

  1. Try exporting again
  2. Try different format
  3. Try different browser
  4. Clear browser cache
  5. Check file downloaded completely

CSV Not Opening in Excel

  1. File shows as text instead of spreadsheet
  2. Right-click → Open With → Excel
  3. Or import using Excel's import function
  4. Check file extension is .csv not .txt
  5. Try renaming extension to .csv

Best Practices#

  1. Regular Exports

    • Monthly backup exports
    • Quarterly compliance reports
    • Before major changes
    • After infrastructure updates

  2. Organized Storage

    • Create folder structure by month
    • Label files with date
    • Archive old exports
    • Cloud backup for important files

  3. Version Control

    • Track changes over time
    • Compare month-to-month
    • Identify growth trends
    • Document major changes

  4. Data Quality

    • Verify exported data matches dashboard
    • Spot-check instance details
    • Validate before sharing
    • Update regularly

  5. Security

    • Encrypt sensitive exports
    • Restrict access to exports
    • Use secure file transfer
    • Audit who accesses exports

Next Steps#