SAM report truncate text fields?

robert777

I've built a component monitor to parse a log file (text) looking for selected errors generated by a custom application.

Then created a SWQL query to pull historical Statistics and Messages from my component monitor.  

Building a report based on that query to detail the # of occurrences of selected error codes over the last 24 hours. Including both Statistic and Message values in my report.

Problem: sometimes the Message values are quite long - like the Message values word wrap and take up half a page on my report.  I want to truncate the Message field to no more than about 40 characters.  

But... I can't figure out how to truncate a string field for reports.  Can't find anything in Solarwinds report builder, or SWQL.  The SQL LEFT() function doesn't seem to work in SWQL.

I welcome any input from the community on the best way to truncate a string field for Solarwinds reports.

Thanks.

robert777

Solved it.  Use the 'SubString' function.

In the SWQL query: SubString(<field>,<start character>,<num of characters>)

example SubString(MessageField, 1, 32) 

Thanks to community member 'Diner' who's post from several years ago pointed me to the solution:

https://thwack.solarwinds.com/product-forums/network-performance-monitor-npm/f/forum/77735/swql-trim-syntax/77711#77711 

Diner's post also contained a link to the detail of SWQL functions on GitHub.  Found SubString under String functions:

https://github.com/solarwinds/OrionSDK/wiki/SWQL-Functions 

Cheers.