Performance Reporting in the 21st Century- changes in scope and direction

Performance and capacity reporting have been critical enterprise functions since the start of commercial computing. The reporting role has changed through the years. In the 21st century, there are often three audiences-- the capacity, performance and business specialists. To further add to one’s dilemma, there are more tools and report platforms today. Skill sets of the reporters have changed. The specialist must learn to adapt presentations, build confidence or "Zen " in each audience, and still manage to communicate effectively. A modular approach to reporting is invaluable. The Performance Reporter’s Challenge In the 21 st century, computing has evolved to an advanced state. It has also come full circle away from what some could consider to be multiple platforms and back again into them. UNIX, Linux, z/OS 1, and Windows 2 are four platforms that dominate in 2006. In the 1970s, there were probably as many platforms as there wer