Using CUCM CDR Data for Reviewing Call History

I believe this data is obtained from files, correct? Our PS team has developed custom logicmodules to obtain this info but I do not believe it is available OOB.

Are you sending CDRs in as Netflow or LM Logs or some other method? The way it’s coming in determines how you can use it.

Yes, CUCM is sending the files via FTP to a directory specified by cucm.path on the resource and I am seeing some CDR datasources populating. 

I’m all ears if there is a better way to do this though we generally avoid using Netflow

The easiest way to view a simple table that displays call data, as you’ve outlined above, is to create a datasource that ingests all individual call records and consolidates them into one or more CSVs. If you have LM Logs, you could ingest the CUCM files and create pipelines that look for the data that you want displayed.

Are you licensed for LM Logs? If so, I’d suggest ingesting them that way (there are lots of ways to skin that cat). Once you do, you can use parse methods (or maybe a Log Source, but I think they’re beta) to extract the data into the fields you want. If the files are local to the collector, you can use fluentd to pick them up and send them to LM (why doesn’t the collector have a local LM Logs option @Kellena? You have to use fluentd to get logs from the collector’s disk into LM Logs? Is that right?). Alternatively you can setup a standalone fluentd and use it to gather the logs from your CUCM server(s) and forward them to LM Logs. That would eliminate the custom FTP operation and take the collector out of the picture altogether.

If you want to see them in the custom DS, you’ll probably have to build that yourself or get PS to do it if they built the modules originally.

I’ll look into the LM Logs then. I did also just find there are CUCM API properties that can be set. Is that completely separate from the Logs?

Yes, that would be separate. You can technically set anything. The key is what might pick those properties up and use them to activate datasources that will result in data.

@Stuart Weenig - FluentD is the most widely used option but there are OTel collector and LogStash options as well, depending on the use case. Search for “Log Files on Disk” on this page.

@pgordon - How often do you need these files queried? PropertySources only run automatically once per day.

@Kellena  our VOIP person shows me that CDR records are ingested in other third party reporting tools every few minutes, ours is currently set to ingest files every two minutes

@pgordon - LM Logs would be your best bet, followed by a custom datasource that ingests and consolidates data and spits it all out to one or more CSVs. LM Logs is not OOB and would need to be purchased before it can be used. You can always ask to set up a POV trial period first, to see if it meets your needs.