The Reporting Database stores all report data (as metadata) that it receives from the Data Receiver. You can install the Reporting Database on a standalone server or on the same server as the Portal Server. The preferred configuration is to have the database on the same server as the Portal. If you use a Managed Services Provider, the Reporting Database and Portal Server are usually off site and hosted by that third-party provider.

Hitachi Storage Viewer manages data in the Reporting Database with automatic purging scripts that run, with specific retention periods per product and even data type. Some reports are more valuable when they have access to historical data. Because the Reporting Database only stores metadata, the amount of data on the Reporting Database is relatively small (GBs).