The external data collection script allows a Hotspots Detection or System Scorecard Activity to be run on a machine that does not have the Rational Developer for Power server component installed.
This feature is useful in circumstances when installation of the Rational Developer for Power server is impractical, or when the server is not under the control of the performance engineer. For instance, if a product developed with Rational Developer for Power experiences a performance problem by a customer, the development team may distribute the RDPPA_External_Data_Collection.tar file to the customer so that they may run the data collection on the exact system where the problem was encountered.