Oh hey there! This article will walk you through adding a Backup Plan to your Backup Radar account.

Backup Plans is a new, improved, and centralized method for activating and managing your backup results and system alerts, to eventually replace legacy features such as templates, schedules, ticket rules, status calculation, and the Audit page.

Think of a Backup Plan as a container that you create, customize with your expectations (such as scheduling, recovery point objective (RPO), and service-level agreement (SLA) requirements), and group your devices within. 

1. In Backup Radar, navigate to Manage > Backup Plans.

2. Click Add Backup Plan.

Step 1: General Info

Configure the following fields to describe and set identifiers for your Backup Plan, and choose the result type it will be ingesting. To save your progress at any point and finish creating your Backup Plan later, click Save (note: a Plan name is required before progress can be saved). When you're done, click Next.

a. Plan name (required): Name your plan anything you'd like (e.g. Datto Backup Plan).

b. What results will this plan be ingesting? (required): Choose the result type this plan will be ingesting: Backups or System Alerts.

c. Description: You can optionally provide any additional details about this plan.

d. Tags: You can optionally assign one or more tags to your plan. This will apply each tag to every backup result ingested by this Backup Plan.

Step 2: Vendor & Classification

Configure the following fields and click Next:

a. Backup Vendor (required): Choose the applicable backup vendor for the results you would like to be ingested by this plan. If you're unsure, you can double-check this value in the Vendor column on the Activate Backups page.

b. Backup Application (required): Choose the applicable backup application for the results you would like to be ingested by this plan. The options in this menu will be dynamic depending on the backup vendor chosen. If you're unsure, you can double-check this value in the Application column on the Activate Backups page.
 
c. Backup Source (required): Choose your backup source (API or Email) for the results you would like to be ingested by this plan. The available options and potential default selection in this menu will be dynamic depending on the result type, backup vendor, and backup application chosen. If you're unsure, you can double-check this value in the Source column on the Activate Backups page.

d. Classification: For backups only: Select each available backup classification for the results you would like to be ingested by this plan. Note that BCDR applications which support automated replication and verifications (specifically Axcient, Datto BCDR, Slide, and StorageCraft) will have additional classification options. This classification will appear in the Category column on the Daily Activity page.

Primary Backup:	This is a required selection; it will always display as grayed-out and selected. Primary backup will be the only option if the source is email, or if the API integration is not a true BCDR backup application.
Primary Boot Verification:	Screenshot verification of the primary backup. This field will only appear when API is the source and the selected application supports primary verification backup jobs. You'll need to select this option here in order to include it as criteria while configuring your SLA later in Step 5: Service Level Agreement.
Primary Verification:	Non-screenshot verification of the primary backup. These are usually file verifications. This field will only appear when API is the source and the selected application supports primary verification backup jobs. You'll need to select this option here in order to include it as criteria while configuring your SLA later in Step 5: Service Level Agreement.
Replication:	Redundancy backup of the primary backup. This field will only appear when API is the source, and the selected application supports primary verification backup jobs.

e. Category: Optionally assign a category to each selected backup classification to choose your desired internal alias for each classification. This alias will appear in the Category column on the Daily Activity page.

Step 3: Additional Filters

To skip additional filtering and ingest all backup jobs from your vendor, first use the Test button to test your logic*, verify your results, and then click Skip this step (or Next) to continue to Step 4: Schedule. 

*Doing this will test your Backup Plan filters and display all inactive and active backups that have company assignment and match your Backup Plan criteria.

To further refine the results ingested by this Backup Plan beyond the filters you've already selected, click Add Condition or Add Group and follow the steps below to begin configuring your criteria:

1. Configure the following fields as desired and click Next when you're done:
   
   a. Add Condition: Click to create a new rule for your ingestion criteria.
   
   b. Add Group: Click to organize your conditions into groups. This is useful if you would like to apply a different boolean (the AND and OR conditions) to certain rules.
   
   c. Select any of the following options to begin determining which results will be pulled into this Backup Plan:
        
        1. Email Address: Filter based on the outgoing email address for the backup.
        2. Job Name: Filter by job name.
        3. Device Name: Filter by device name.
        4. Company: Filter based on the assigned device company.
        5. Client ID: Filter by Backup Client ID.
        6. Backup Metadata (Only available for certain* backup integrations): 
             • Backup Method: Drop-down of available backup methods.
             • Key: Keys determined from the API values.
             • Value(s): Values determined from the selected key.
        *We support Acronis, Axcient RMC, Datto BCDR, and MSP Backup (N-able Cove). If you have a backup method (or API keys for an existing backup metadata integration) we don't currently support, we want to hear from you! See Submitting Product Ideas to the ScalePad team for instructions on submitting your request to us.
   
   d. Copy: Use this button next to any given condition to duplicate it.
   
   e. Delete: Use this button next to any given condition to delete it.
   
   f. Reorder handle: Click and drag the reorder handle to rearrange conditions into different groups. This has no effect on the order in which conditions are applied.
   
   g. AND/OR: Choose AND if you require every listed condition to be true for a backup result to be pulled into this Backup Plan. Choose OR if you only require at least one condition to be true for a backup result to be pulled into this Backup Plan.
   
   h. Test: Once you have finished building out your criteria, we recommend using the Test button to test your logic. Doing this will test your Backup Plan filters and display all inactive and active backups that have company assignment and match the Backup Plan criteria.

   Note: Backup Plans are applied in a priority order and by default, the most newly-created Backup Plans are the lowest priority. If you don't see a backup in your test results that matches your rules, it might already belong to a higher priority Backup Plan, so it can't be pulled into the new Backup Plan until it's saved and reprioritized. You can do this by customizing your priority order on the Backup Plans list view page using the Edit Priority button.

    

Step 4: Schedule

Configure the following fields and click Next:

a. Timezone (required): Set your desired time zone. This field will default to your local time zone.

b. Backup classifications tabs: These tabs will only appear if you selected Replication backups and a supported BCDR application during Step 2: Vendor & Classification. If you don't see any tabs, all settings on this screen will simply apply to your primary backup.

When these tabs do appear, you can toggle between them to configure your individual schedule settings for each backup classification. If you also assigned categories for your Primary and/or Replication classifications during Step 2: Vendor & Classification, your categories will appear as the top tab labels here (for example, Local Storage and Offsite Storage).

c. Date range (required): Set a start and optional end date for when SLA status data will be displayed on your Dashboards, Reports, and Daily Activity page (if you choose a date in the past, Backup Radar will pull data retroactively).

d. Schedule interval (required): Set your desired schedule (daily, weekly, monthly, or annually), associated day(s) of the week, and/or any unique cadence options as needed. This field will default to a daily schedule.

To reduce ticket noise, you'll want this schedule to match your actual backup frequency. For example, if your backups don't run on the weekend, there's no need for this rule to run on the weekend either.

e. Show advanced mode: In most cases, backups run on regular basis and you can simply set your backup's schedule to match in Backup Radar. However, some backups are scheduled more uniquely to occur on a specific cadence (for example, some backups may run on the third Friday of the month).

Use the Advanced mode feature to set your schedule to match your backup's unique schedule.

f. Expected run days: This is a view-only illustration of your current schedule pattern. Use the arrows to scroll forward and backward to ensure your configurations match your goals.

g. Recovery Point Objective (RPO): You can optionally set your RPO to match the outer limits of data loss that can be tolerated before causing harm to your business. Your RPO is essentially your maximum acceptable amount of lost data in the event of a system failure. The minimum RPO that can be assigned to a Backup Plan is 30 minutes.

If you want your RPO to be different depending on the day of the week, click the button to customize each day as needed.

You'll need to set up your RPO here in order to include it as criteria while configuring your SLA later in Step 5: Service Level Agreement.

Step 5: Service Level Agreement

Now that you've set your schedule and RPO, your next step is to define your SLA window and compliance requirements.

1. Configure the following fields and click Next:
    
   a. Backup classifications tabs: These tabs will only appear if you selected Replication backups and a supported BCDR application during Step 2: Vendor & Classification. If you don't see any tabs, all settings on this screen will simply apply to your primary backup.
   
   When these tabs do appear, you can toggle between them to configure your individual SLA settings for each backup classification. If you also assigned categories for your Primary and/or Replication classifications during Step 2: Vendor & Classification, your categories will appear as the top tab labels here (for example, Local Storage and Offsite Storage).
   
   b. General settings: Select Treat warnings as successful results to require warnings to be treated as successful for the purpose of determining whether the SLA is in compliance.

   c. SLA window: By default, a Service Level Agreement (SLA) window is the full day (12:00am to 12:00am). To refine this further (e.g. if you only want tickets for backups that fail compliance during business hours), set your SLA window to match the time frame during which you want tickets to be generated for non-compliance of SLA (you'll set your SLA compliance requirements later).

   Note: Your SLA window cannot span more than one calendar day.

   If your SLA falls out of compliance during your SLA window, a ticket will be generated.
   
   If your SLA falls out of compliance outside of your SLA window, a ticket will not be created, but the event will still be logged in your Dashboard, Reports, and Daily Activity screens.
   
   d. [ ] successful results in a single calendar day: Use this option to define SLA compliance as a particular number/ percentage (at least 1) of successful results in a single calendar day. When selected, this field will default to 1 successful result.
   
   e. : Toggle between percentage or whole number as your number format.
   
   f. Last result is successful in a single calendar day: Select this option to require a successful last result.
   
   g. Recovery Point Objective is met: Note: This option will only appear (and be auto-selected) if an RPO was configured during Step 4: Schedule (clicking this checkbox will display a read-only view of your selected RPO). Leave this option selected to define your backup results as out of compliance if any RPO fails within any given SLA window for that day.
   
   h. A successful verification in the last [ ] day: This option will only appear if you selected a supported BCDR application and Primary Verification during Step 2: Vendor & Classification.
   
   Select this option to require a successful primary verification (non-screenshot verification; usually a file verification) within your chosen number threshold (at least one day).
   
   i. A successful boot verification in the last [ ] day: This option will only appear if Primary Boot Verification was selected in Step 2: Vendor & Classification. 
   
   Select this option to require a successful primary boot (screenshot) verification within your chosen threshold (at least one day).
   
   j. SLA Compliance Ticket Creation: Select this checkbox if you want Backup Radar to create a ticket if your SLA is out of compliance (you'll define your ticket profile later).
   
   k. Show advanced settings: If you want early notification of your SLA being at risk of breaching your compliance requirements, click and set up your SLA at-risk criteria as desired using the options below.

1. To capture data when insufficient successful results have been received by the time a certain portion of your SLA window has elapsed, select this option and set your percentage or number threshold (at least 1).

2. : Toggle between percentage or whole number as your number formats.

3. To capture data when a certain number of results report a certain result, select this option and set your threshold (at least 1) and result. You can select the In a row option if you've chosen more than one result for your threshold.

4. This option will only appear if you set an RPO in Step 4: Schedule. 

To capture data when RPO is not met within a certain percentage of RPO time, select this option and set your percentage.

5. SLA At-Risk Ticket Creation: Select this checkbox if you want Backup Radar to create a ticket if your SLA is at risk of non-compliance based on your selected criteria.
 

Step 6: Ticket rules

Note: This step will only appear for backups where you enabled SLA Compliance Ticket Creation or SLA At-Risk Ticket Creation in Step 5: Service Level Agreement, or if you selected System Alerts in Step 1: General Info. Otherwise, feel free to skip to the Review step.

For backups:

Configure the following and click Next when you're done:

a. Ticket creation summary: Review a summary of your SLA compliance criteria and make sure everything looks right. If you need to make any changes, just hop back to Step 5: Service Level Agreement.
b. Ticket profile: Select the ticket profile that you would like Backup Plan to use for all tickets generated by this Backup Plan. For a step-by-step guide to creating a new ticket profile, check out Setting up Ticket Profiles.

For system alerts:

1. Toggle the System Alert Ticket Creation option on if you'd like Backup Radar to create ticket when a system alert fails or meets other conditions. Otherwise, click Next and skip to the Review step.
   
    
2. Configure your ticket rules and click Next when you're done:
   
   a. Select this option if you'd like Backup Radar to create ticket when the last result exceeds your specified period of time.
   b. Ticket profile: Select the ticket profile that you would like Backup Plan to use for all tickets generated by this Backup Plan. For a step-by-step guide to creating a new ticket profile, check out Setting up Ticket Profiles.
    

Step 7: Review

You're almost done! Review your changes and click Finish when you're done.

a. Edit: Click the button next to any of the sections to jump back to that step and make changes.
b. Enable backup plan: Select this option to activate this Backup Plan immediately upon finalization. Otherwise, you can enable it manually from the Backup Plans page later.