ScreenETA Diagnostic Tool

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6,542,602

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6,785,370

6,965,886

7,240,328

7,474,633

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Revision HistoryNICE ScreenETA (Enhanced Test Agent) Guide

Revision Modification Date Description

A0 June 2009 • Includes an overview, system requirements, installation, uninstallation, and operation instructions

Blank page for double-sided printing.

NICE ScreenETA Diagnostic Tool

NICE ScreenETA (Enhanced Test Agent) is a special version of the standard NICE ScreenAgent application, modified to generate detailed screen-related information about the customer’s environment. This generated information enables NICE personnel to configure and tweak NICE ScreenAgent to best suit site requirements. NICE ScreenETA records the captured screen data rate, providing an exact calculation of the generated screen activity. In addition, NICE ScreenETA simulates the same effects that system performance and hardware/software conflicts may have on the agent’s workstation, and can therefore accurately predict potential installation issues.

NICE ScreenETA for NICE Perform is a new version of the NICE ScreenETA application, designed specifically to operate in the NICE Perform Release 3 environment. Although NICE ScreenETA for NICE Perform works in a similar way to previous versions of NICE ScreenETA, the application user interface has changed and its generated report files are not compatible with report files generated in previous versions. To view the report files for NICE ScreenETA for NICE Perform, a new parser tool is provided.

Contents

Introduction.......................................................................................................................8NICE ScreenETA Objectives........................................................................................8Installation Requirements.............................................................................................9

General Workflow for Using NICE ScreenETA ............................................................10

Installing NICE ScreenETA ............................................................................................ 11

Uninstalling NICE ScreenETA........................................................................................15

Using NICE ScreenETA ..................................................................................................16

Viewing NICE ScreenETA Report Results ....................................................................22NICE ScreenETA Reports Viewer ..............................................................................22Report Details ............................................................................................................24Report Analysis ..........................................................................................................28

Citrix/Terminal Server Users..........................................................................................30

NICE ScreenETA Diagnostic Tool

NICE Perform® Release 3, 3.1, 3.2: NICE ScreenETA Guide (Rev. A0)

7

Introduction

IntroductionNICE ScreenETA is designed to assess of potential hurdles in a NICE ScreenAgent installation, such as hardware or software conflicts and workstation performance degradation. In addition, NICE ScreenETA simulates the actual screen capture process and is therefore able to accurately calculate the aggregated load on the NiceScreen Logger.

The NICE ScreenETA application was designed to be user-friendly. Its main application features are listed below:

• Best configuration recommendation

The NICE ScreenAgent application has numerous parameters that can be tweaked for best results. NICE ScreenETA is designed to test the most common configurations and recommend the best configuration for your environment.

• Comprehensive reports

NICE ScreenETA generates a detailed report, presented in a simple and straightforward format.

• Automated procedure with manual user control

NICE ScreenETA requires minimal user feedback and intervention. Most of the application options are fully automated. While tests are running, your agents can continue to perform regular work activities.

NICE ScreenETA Objectives

The NICE ScreenETA application provides the three (3) following objectives:

• Component compliance verification

When you install and activate NICE ScreenETA on your host machine, you can validate that there are no software or hardware collisions between system components.

It is virtually impossible to provide a comprehensive compliance list of all supported combinations of video cards and applications. ScreenETA is the only way to guarantee that the NICE ScreenAgent application will run smoothly on the customer’s environment.

• Verification that agent performance is not degraded

The NICE ScreenAgent can impact system performance and response time. The level of performance degradation is usually negligible, however, the impact is more noticeable on certain configurations and client applications. NICE ScreenETA enables you to evaluate the level of degradation and its impact.

• Generated data rate

A major unknown factor in a customer’s environment is the amount of screen activity that each recorded workstation generates. The data rate can have drastic implications on the network load and the over-responsiveness of the clients’ network applications. In addition, the actual data rate also determines the total number of possible concurrent recordings per NiceScreen Logger and the number of NiceScreen Loggers that are required at the site.

8 NICE ScreenETA Diagnostic Tool


Introduction

By using the data rate information generated by NICE ScreenETA, you can calculate the required number of NiceScreen Logger channels that are required for your environment.

Installation Requirements

Operating Systems

• Workstation: Windows 2000 SP4 and above

• Server: Windows Server 2003 and above

Software Requirements

• Microsoft .NET 2.0

• At least 10 MB of free disk space

• Administrator privileges (during ScreenETA installation only)

IMPORTANT For NICE ScreenETA to generate accurate results that truly represent your environment, you must run tests on an actual agent workstation. Throughout the tests, the agent must take calls, operate site applications, and work as usual.



General Workflow for Using NICE ScreenETA

General Workflow for Using NICE ScreenETA The general workflow for using NICE ScreenETA is described below:

1. Install NICE ScreenETA on the designated workstation.

2. Using the desktop shortcut, activate ScreenETA.

3. Enter all required information for the customer name, site name, and workstation description.

4. Select the NICE ScreenETA operation mode: Standard or Advanced.

If you select Advanced mode, you will also need to specify which tests to run, the duration of each test, and the location for saving report files.

5. Start the tests.

6. The test terminates automatically after approximately thirty (30) minutes.

7. After a test completes its operation, you are requested to fill in a short evaluation form.

8. Depending on test results, a second or third test may be required. When required, you will need to select different configuration setting.

9. When all tests end, copy the generated result file to a temporary location.

10. Close NICE ScreenETA and uninstall it.

11. Send the generated report back to NICE Systems for further analysis.

NOTE: • The test period is configurable.

• You can manually terminate any test during system operation.



Installing NICE ScreenETA


To install NICE ScreenETA:

1. Run Setup.exe.

The ScreenETA Welcome window appears.Figure 1 Installation Wizard Welcome Window

2. Click Next.

The Destination Folder screen appears.

The default destination path is: C:\Program Files\Nice Systems\ScreenETA.

IMPORTANT • Administrative access privileges are required during installation and uninstallation of the

NICE ScreenETA application.

• NICE ScreenETA cannot be installed alongside NICE ScreenAgent. Make sure to uninstall NICE ScreenAgent before installing NICE ScreenETA.




Figure 2 Destination Folder Window

3. To change the default destination path, click Browse, and select the new location. To accept the default destination location, click Next.

The Ready to Install the Program window appears.Figure 3 Ready to Install the Program Window

4. To change installation settings, click Back, and redefine settings.

5. Click Install.

Setup installs ScreenETA.




The Wizards Completed screen appears. Figure 4 Installation Completed Window

6. Click Finish.

To complete the installation, certain environments require restarting the computer. In these environments, the following message will appear.Figure 5 Reboot required screen

7. Click Yes.

The ScreenETA installation creates a Program Group called Nice ScreenETA. You can now access ScreenETA from the Start > Programs menu. A shortcut named ScreenETA appears on the desktop.

IMPORTANT If your system requires restarting the computer to complete the ScreenETA installation, ScreenETA will not operate correctly until you restart the system.




Figure 6 ScreenETA Program Group

Figure 7 ScreenETA Desktop Shortcut



Uninstalling NICE ScreenETA

Uninstalling NICE ScreenETAYou uninstall NICE ScreenETA from the Control Panel’s Add/Remove Programs option.

To uninstall ScreenETA:

1. From the Control Panel, select Add or Remove Programs.Figure 8 Add or Remove Programs Window

2. Select ScreenETA and click Remove.

NICE ScreenETA uninstalls.



Using NICE ScreenETA


To use NICE ScreenETA:

1. Install NICE ScreenETA on a workstation that best represents your typical contact center environment. See Installing NICE ScreenETA on page 11.

2. From the desktop, double-click ScreenETA .

The NICE ScreenETA Welcome window appears.Figure 9 NICE ScreenETA Welcome Window

3. Click Next.

The Fill Description Information window appears.




Figure 10 Fill Description Information Window

4. Enter the Customer Name, Site Name, and a Workstation Description.

These fields enable you to differentiate between report files from different machine hardware components and/or sites.

• To customize which tests to run, the test duration, and the saved location of the generated report file, click Advanced Mode. Figure 11 appears. Proceed to Step 5.

-or-

• To run the default test scenario, click Next. Figure 12 appears. Proceed to Step 7.Figure 11 Advanced Mode Window

NOTE: Certain environments do not support all capture methods. A capture method that is not supported in your environment will appear disabled and will be inaccessible.




5. Configure test settings as described below.

6. Click Next.

The Test Summary window appears. Information about the selected test appears.Figure 12 Test Summary Window

7. Click Start Test.

The selected test starts.

NICE ScreenETA becomes minimized to the Windows task bar. A balloon tip indicates the name of the test that is currently operating.

Option Description

• Tests to run Select the tests you need to run. You can select any combination of the following three tests: Test Capture using Hooking, Test Capture using Scraper, and Test Capture in Grayscale Mode.

• Duration Define the duration, in minutes, for each of the selected tests. You can select a test range between 10-60 minutes in increments of 10 minutes.

• Report Location Define the path to the ScreenETA report file. You can choose to keep or customize the default location. NOTE: You must have write privileges to the defined folder.




Figure 13 Windows Task Bar - ScreenETA Balloon Tip

• To view the status of a test in operation from the Windows task bar, hold the mouse over the ScreenETA icon in the task bar. The status appears. See below.Figure 14 Windows Task Bar - Test Status

• To view the status of a test in operation from the main ScreenETA screen:

• From the Windows task bar, double-click the ScreenETA icon .

-or-

• From the Windows task bar, right-click ScreenETA icon and select Show ScreenETA.

The main screen indicates the remaining time for the current test.Figure 15 Test Status Window

To abort a test that is currently running, click Stop Test.

When the test ends, the Windows task bar displays a balloon tip with information about the test completion. The tip indicates if the test completed its operation or whether it was aborted.




Figure 16 Windows Task Bar - Test Completed

Figure 17 Windows Task Bar - Test Aborted

The User Experience Feedback window appears.

8. In the User Experience Feedback window, grade the deviations in workstation performance. Enter all additional relevant comments in the text field.Figure 18 User Experience Feedback Window

9. Click Next.

NICE ScreenETA processes test results.

If additional tests are required, Figure 12 reappears. Follow steps 7-8.

If no additional tests are required, the All Test Completed window appears.




Figure 19 All Tests completed Window

The name of the generated report file is displayed. To open the folder containing the report file, click the report file name.

10. To close NICE ScreenETA, click Finish.

Report file name



Viewing NICE ScreenETA Report Results

Viewing NICE ScreenETA Report ResultsThe NICE ScreenETA test report is generated in binary format, and resides in the Report Location folder you defined in Figure 11 on page 17. The file uses the .nse extension. This section describes how you can view the report files.

NICE ScreenETA Reports Viewer

You can view NICE ScreenETA reports in the NICE ScreenETA Reports Viewer. Figure 20 NICE ScreenETA Reports Viewer Window

IMPORTANT Before deleting report files from the workstation, send the files to NICE representatives for further analysis.




NICE ScreenETA Reports Viewer Options

The NICE ScreenETA Reports Viewer options are described below.Figure 21 NICE ScreenETA Reports Viewer Toolbar

NOTE: Availability of options depends on the action that is currently being performed.

Toolbar Button Name Description

Open ScreenETA Report File

Opens report files generated by NICE ScreenETA. Clicking the button opens a Browse window that enables you to select the desired file You can open multiple report files at one time. Each file opens in its own tab. TIP: You can open a report by dragging the report file into the Reports Viewer window.

Save Report as Document File

Saves the currently opened report file as a document file.The saved document file can be viewed later in WordPad, Word or any document viewer application that supports .rtf format. The document file contains only the currently displayed report details. See Expand Report Details below.

Close Currently Opened File

Closes the currently opened report file. If multiple files are opened, clicking this button closes the report file that is currently displayed.

Expand Report Details

Expands a report’s level of details. When a report initially opens, the Summary detail level is displayed. Summary is the default detail level.Repeatedly clicking the Expand Report Details button increases the level of report details. Different detail levels enable you to focus on different report information. From less to greater detail, the detail levels are as follows: Summary, Detailed Tests Results, System Information, Component Logs

Reduce Report Details

Reduces the level of details that are displayed in the report. Repeatedly clicking the Reduce Report Details button decreases the level of report details.




Report Details

This section describes the following four (4) detail levels of the NICE ScreenETA report display:

• NICE ScreenETA Report Summary . See page 25.

• NICE ScreenETA Detailed Test Results Report. See page 26.

• NICE ScreenETA System Information Report. See page 27.

• NICE ScreenETA Report Component Logs. See page 28.

Print Preview Displays a preview of the report document in print format.Clicking this button opens the Print Preview window. In the Print Preview window, you can review the pagination, zoom in/out, and print the document.

Print Prints the currently displayed report document. Clicking this button opens the Printer Selection window enabling you to select the preferred printer. If multiple report files are open, the report document that is currently displayed will be printed. NOTE: Only the level of details that are currently displayed will be printed.

Send Report to Mail

Sends a report as an attachment via email. Clicking this button generates a new Outlook email message and automatically embeds the report document as an attachment. NOTE: This option requires Microsoft Outlook.

About Displays information about the NICE ScreenETA Reports Viewer application.

Toolbar Button Name Description




NICE ScreenETA Report Summary

The NICE ScreenETA Report Summary displays an executive summary of the NICE ScreenETA report. The Summary includes the following information:

• Company name, site name, and workstation description that were entered when using NICE ScreenETA. See Figure 10 on page 17.

• A list of the tests that were run, and the average data rate for each test.

If a specific test failed to run, it is listed and marked as Failed.

• Recommendations that the ETA Reports Viewer application generates based on the analysis of the data rate of each test and the user experience score that the user graded.

The ETA Reports Viewer generates the two following recommendations:

• Recommended setting according to data rate: The capture method that generated the lowest data rate.

• Recommended setting according to user experience: The capture method(s) that received the highest user experience grade. If more than one test received the highest grade, both tests will be recommended.

Optimally both recommendations will consistently recommend the same capture method. However, if the recommended capture method according to data rate is different than the recommended capture method according to user experience, prioritize the recommendation according to user experience.

See the following example.Figure 22 Summary Section Example




NICE ScreenETA Detailed Test Results Report

The NICE ScreenETA Detailed Test Results report displays the following information about each test that was run:

• Name of the test.

• Whether the test completed successfully or not.

• Cause for test completion - whether the test duration elapsed or the user aborted the test.

• Test run-time duration.

• Average data rate of the test – this is the calculated overall data rate derived from the total measured screen activity divided by the total test time.

• User experience score – lists the user’s performance feedback on a scale of 1 (slowest) to 5 (fastest), and supplemental notes.

• A graph displaying the data rate sampling for each test. Each of the tests is represented by a different color in the graph.

See the following example.Figure 23 NICE ScreenETA Report Detailed Test Results Graph




NICE ScreenETA System Information Report

The NICE ScreenETA System Information report displays the following hardware and software information about the system on which the tests were run:

• Operating system information – the operating system version, Service Pack version and whether it’s a 32bit or a 64bit operating system.

• Display information – the workstation display settings. This includes the number of attached screens, the resolution and color of each screen, and the display driver information of each screen.

• Desktop features information – indicates which enhanced desktop features were enabled.

• Full Windows dragging - shows window content while dragging.

• Windows Animations - shows animation for window minimize and maximize.

• Mouse cursor name.

• Windows startup programs information - the applications that are automatically activated during workstation log-in.

• Running processes information – all the processes that were running on the system at the time of the test.

See the following example.Figure 24 NICE ScreenETA Report System Information




NICE ScreenETA Report Component Logs

The NICE ScreenETA Report Component Logs display the ScreenETA internal logs. In the event that a test fails, these can indicate the cause for failure. When necessary, the ScreenETA Report Component Logs must be analyzed by NICE Customer Services.

Report Analysis

Analyze the NICE ScreenETA report according to the following three primary objectives:

• Are there any hardware or software conflicts?

See Component Compliance on page 28.

• Has the tested workstation suffered unacceptable performance degradation?

See Agent Workstation Performance Degradation on page 28.

• Does the generated data rate exceed the NICE System limitation(s)?

See Generated Data Rate on page 29.

A positive answer to any of these questions indicates a high-risk NICE ScreenAgent installation. The detailed report information can assist in providing a preliminary diagnosis. Use this diagnosis to tweak and configure NICE ScreenAgent. Use the configuration that was recommended by NICE ScreenETA. The recommended configuration will best suit the customer’s environment.

Component Compliance

In the event that a hardware or software conflict was discovered:

• If a hardware/software inconsistency arises during ScreenETA installation, the installation will fail. If this occurs, no ScreenETA report is generated.

• If a hardware/software inconsistency arises during the execution of a test, the test in progress will fail and the failure will be noted in the ScreenETA Report.

• In rare cases, a conflict can cause visual artifacts or cause an application to malfunction (without any error in the ScreenETA application). In such occasions, the malfunction should be described by the user inside the comment field in the User Experience Feedback window. See Figure 18 on page 20.

Agent Workstation Performance Degradation

If the tested workstation suffered unacceptable performance degradation:

• The report indicates the agent’s performance grade in the field user rating, on a scale of 1 (slowest) to 5 (fastest). Compare the user rating value between tests to find the least degrading configuration.

• Reliable agent feedback is one of the key elements of the entire process. The agent must provide clear and concise information about his or her work experience with the system, focusing on the following questions:




• Was there a noticeable difference in system performance between a standard workday and during test duration?

• Was the machine response-time adequate?

• The basic question is whether ScreenETA (Nice ScreenAgent) slows down the machine to an unacceptable level. If this is the case, the ScreenETA report must be accompanied by a detailed description of the client application and work method (for example, mainframe emulation, multiple screen shifting, solid data entry, etc).

Generated Data Rate

• The average user is assumed to produce data at a constant rate of 10 KB/sec to 15 KB/sec. Data rates in this range are acceptable and are handled by the NiceScreen Logger.

• The average data rate of the entire test appears in the Average Data Rate field in the NICE ScreenETA Report Summary on page 25 and in NICE ScreenETA Detailed Test Results Report on page 26. Use the average data rate to calculate the following:

• The required number of NiceScreen Loggers.

• The storage area that is required by the storage center for screen archiving.

• Do not rely on the calculated data rate only.

• Always examine the data rate samples that appear in the data rate graph. ScreenETA measures the average data rate that the actual screen activity generates every 60 seconds.

• Look for sample periods with low data rate. These may indicate when the agent was on a break during the test. In this case, the average data rate for this test will not indicate the real work environment.



Citrix/Terminal Server Users

Citrix/Terminal Server UsersYou can run NICE ScreenETA in the Citrix/Terminal Server environment, enabling you to evaluate NICE ScreenAgent application in these environments as well.

To operate NICE ScreenETA in the Citrix/Terminal Server environment:

1. Install NICE ScreenETA as described in Installing NICE ScreenETA on page 11.

2. Open a session to the server.

This session must be a session of an agent that is working and taking calls. Note that ScreenETA does not run automatically. It runs upon user request only.

3. Run NICE ScreenETA.

4. Once the test ends, copy its report file locally.

5. Uninstall NICE ScreenETA from the server.

IMPORTANT • Do not run ScreenETA simultaneously in more than one session.

• To run ScreenETA in the Citrix Published Applications or Server 2008 RemoteApps environments, the ScreenETA application must be published.

