TABLE OF CONTENTS Thus far in this guide, we ve been focused primarily on constructing queries to extract information from any number of sources: IIS (Internet Information Server) log files, file system information, even router and IDS (intrusion detection system) logs. However, all of this doesn t mean much if we aren t able to format this data into meaningful and useful output. In our final chapter, we ll take a look at how Log Parser will allow you to create reports and charts that will help you understand and analyze the results of your well-crafted queries.
As you re about to see, Log Parser offers you almost as much flexibility in deciding how your data should be displayed as it does is designing your queries in the first place. Log Parser 2.2 offers you ten potential output choices, ranging from an on-screen display for a one-off or ad hoc query, to a pie chart or graph created for you automatically, to the ability to log your results to an SQL or Syslog server. And each of these choices can be further customized to meet the specific needs of your task.
The simplest way to view the output of a Log Parser query is to simply echo it to your monitor screen (that s stdout to you C programmers or system.out.println to Java devotees). You have two options for displaying your query results on-screen: the text-based Native format, and the built-in Datagrid Windows GUI. We ll discuss each...
