In Watchdoc, printing activity is recorded in an SQL® or PostgreSQL® statistical database called Watchdocstats.
This database is populated with data collected by Watchdoc via the SNMP protocol.
It can be used for analysis purposes, but also to manage printing quotas.
The data is displayed in the Watchdoc administration interface but can also be used and exported by WDIS. The data can also be used by users on their “My Account” page.
The SQL database can also be used as a directory:
User directory: in rare cases where the organisation does not have an LDAP directory, it can use an SQL table as a user directory (see Creating and configuring a User database).
Guest directory: WSC offers a default Guest database based on an SQL table. This directory allows you to reference users who are not in the organisation's directory but who must be recognised by Watchdoc in order to print (e.g. a visiting partner, an intern, a contractor on a fixed-term contract, etc.). (see Manage the Guest database).
Print codes (PUK code): this directory is used to generate PUK print codes for users registered in the Entra ID directory (Microsoft Azure). (see Create and configure a PUK code database)
It is therefore necessary to install a database prior to installing Watchdoc. To do so, please refer to:
Furthermore, as the data in the database varies, query processing may be slowed down due to index fragmentation. To avoid this problem, we recommend that you regularly clean up your database by following the maintenance plan provided.
It is sometimes useful to restore the database.
Finally, you may also need to transfer the database.