ReportCaster > Creating Schedules > Distribution Options in the Basic Scheduling Tool

Distribution Options in the Basic Scheduling Tool

Topics:

The Distribution tab in the Basic Scheduling tool provides the options available for distributing the report output for the scheduled report procedure (FEX). After selecting the option from the shortcut menu of a procedure, you can distribute a report output using one of the following methods.

Note:

Using the Email Distribution Option in the Basic Scheduling Tool

Topics:

How to:

Reference:

When you distribute a report through email, you can include the report in the body of the email (known as an inline email message) or send it as an attachment. Only the DHTML, DOC, GIF, HTML, JPG, PNG, SVG, and WP formats can be distributed as an inline email message.

Note: You must be authorized to distribute by Email in order to create a schedule that uses Email distribution.

Distributing a report as an inline email message is particularly useful when the report is distributed to mobile devices or through email systems that do not support attachments.

You can also distribute a report to a fax machine, as explained later in this section.

Note:

  • The availability of the inline message option when you create a schedule depends on the Inline Report Distribution setting in the WebFOCUS Configuration tool accessible from the ReportCaster Console.
  • The display of a report that is distributed as an inline email message can be affected by settings and restrictions of your email server or email client.
  • Before distributing a coordinated Infographic procedure as an inline email message, you must select the Burst Report check box in the scheduling tool. Infographic procedures that are not coordinated cannot be burst. For more information, see the WebFOCUS Infographics technical content.
  • When distributing HTML reports by email, the scheduled report (.fex) must set a fully qualified FOCEXURL and FOCHTMLURL for the report styling options defined below. These reference the JavaScript components located on the web or application server where the Client is configured. The Distribution Server will set a fully qualified FOCEXURL and FOCHTMLURL for email distribution using the host name and port provided at installation time. This can be overridden by setting these values in the scheduled procedure. For example: 
    SET FOCEXURL='hostname:port/ibi_apps/'
    SET FOCHTMLURL='hostname:port/ibi_apps/ibi_html'

    Styling options include:

    • Accordion reports
    • Table of Contents (TOC) reports
    • Peer Graphics/Data Visualization graphical reporting
    • Multi-drill reports
    • HFREEZE options
  • In the Allowed Email Addresses and Domains dialog box in the ReportCaster Console, if the Restrict user input with this list check box has been selected, user input of email addresses is restricted to a list of allowed email domains and addresses. For more information, see Validating Allowed Email Domains and Addresses.

Reference: Considerations When Sending a Report to Multiple Email Addresses

When you create a schedule that uses email distribution, you can type email addresses in the To field, as shown in the following image.

The Distribution Information section, accessed when setting email distribution options in both Scheduling tools. The To field is highlighted.

If you type multiple email addresses in the To field, you can use a semi-colon or comma symbol between each email address, to designate how the Distribution Server delivers information.

Example: Using a Comma to Separate Email Addresses in the To Field

If you use the comma symbol to separate email addresses, all email addresses are visible to every email recipient.

The following image shows the email addresses EmailA@ibi.com and EmailB@ibi.com separated by a comma.

Two emails in the To field separated by a comma.

The schedule will distribute a report named Sales_Metrics_YTD.htm to these email addresses. When you run the schedule, the log report states that one report named Sales_Metrics_YTD.htm has been distributed to both email addresses through a single email, as shown in the following image.

A log report stating that a report has been sent to two email addresses via a single email

Example: Using a Semi-Colon to Separate Email Addresses in the To Field

If you use the semi-colon symbol to separate email addresses, each recipient only sees their own email address.

The following image shows the email addresses EmailA@ibi.com and EmailB@ibi.com separated by a semi-colon.

Two emails in the To field separated by a semi-colon.

The schedule will distribute a report named Sales_Metrics_YTD.htm to these email addresses. When you run the schedule, the log report states that two reports named Sales_Metrics_YTD.htm have been distributed to EmailA@ibi.com and EmailB@ibi.com through separate emails, as shown in the following image.

A log report stating that a report has been sent to two email addresses via a single email

Procedure: How to Use the Email Distribution Option

Note: You can use parameters (amper variables) when specifying values in the Email settings of a schedule. These parameters can be system variables, such as &YYMD, or any amper variable for which a value is returned by the Reporting Server when the scheduled procedure is executed. To use the dot file extension separator after a variable, terminate the variable with the '|' character (for example, &YYMD|.htm). Similarly, to use the ampersand character itself, follow the ampersand with the '|' character (for example, Smith&|Jones). If a value for a parameter specified in a schedule is not returned by the Reporting Server when the procedure executes, the schedule will fail with a "No report to distribute" error. If the scheduled task is burst, you can also use the '%BURST' symbol to include the burst value. If the Packet Email setting is Yes, the burst value will not be substituted in the Zip filename.

  1. Right-click a report procedure (FEX), point to Schedule, and then click Email.

    The Basic Scheduling tool appears.

  2. Select the Distribution tab.
  3. From the Type drop-down list, select the method you will use to provide the email addresses that will receive the distribution. The options are Distribution List, Distribution File, Dynamic Distribution List, and Email Address(s). For more information, see Creating and Maintaining Distribution Lists. These options all show where the report procedure (FEX) distributes To, From, Reply Address, and Subject. Additionally, in the Email Information section, select whether you would like to send all reports as attachments or send a report as an inline message.
    • Distribution List. The report will be sent to all email addresses in the selected email Distribution List. For more information, see Creating and Maintaining Distribution Lists.
    • Distribution File. Type the full path and file name of the external distribution file you want to use for this schedule. The path and file must be accessible to the WebFOCUS Distribution Server. For more information, see Create an External Distribution File.
    • Email Address(s). This is the default method for supplying email addresses in the scheduling tools. The default value of this field is the email address of the user that is creating the schedule. You can specify multiple email addresses in an email address field. Separate each email address with a comma (,) or a semicolon (;). The email addresses will appear in the To line of a single email when the scheduled output is distributed. Each individual email address can be a maximum of 130 characters, according to the SMTP specification. The total maximum length of this field is 800 characters. For more information, see Specifying Multiple E-mail Addresses.

      Additionally, you can use group mail lists (defined on your mail server) with the Email Address(es) option. You can use group mail lists to distribute a report or notification to multiple recipients without having to maintain multiple email addresses in the Repository. The format of the group mail list depends on the mail server being used. For example, if you are using a Microsoft Exchange Server and your group mail list is defined as #group1, you would enter group1@listdomain in the Email Address(es) field. If the group mail list contains a space within its name, enclose the space with double quotation marks ('' ''). For more information, see your mail server administrator.

    • Dynamic Distribution List. You can use a Dynamic Distribution List to return in memory either a list of burst values and destinations, or only a list of destinations from a data source (for example, a flat file, SQL database, FOCUS data source, or LDAP).

      When Dynamic Distribution List is selected, the To field is enabled to facilitate the selection of the Procedure Name. Once a procedure is selected, you can pass a parameter on the command line of the fex.

  4. In the To box, type the email address of the recipient.
  5. Optionally, click the To button to open the Enter Email Addresses dialog box and type an email address in the To, Cc, Bcc, and Reply fields.

    Note:

    • You can create a schedule that bursts sections of a report to different email recipients. However, if you type an email address in the Cc or Bcc field, every section of a burst report will distribute to the same Cc or Bcc email address.
    • If you type multiple email addresses in the Cc and Bcc fields, Cc and Bcc emails are always sent to each email address individually, regardless of whether a comma or semi-colon is used to separate addresses.
  6. In the From box, type any value (for example, the name of the person creating the schedule). ReportCaster does not require a value for this field, but your email system may require one.
  7. In the Reply Address box, type a valid email address. If recipients reply to the email, their messages will be sent to this address. If your email system is unable to deliver the content, the undeliverable output message is also returned to this address. ReportCaster requires this field.

    Note: If a default Mail Reply Address was not provided in the ReportCaster Configuration tool, the default Reply Address used for this field is the email address of the user that is signed in to WebFOCUS. ReportCaster obtains the email address of the user from the WebFOCUS security system.

  8. In the Subject box, type the text that you want to appear in the email subject line. ReportCaster may not require this information, but it may be needed by your email system. The value you entered in the schedule Title field is the default Subject value.
  9. Specify whether you want to send the report as an email attachment, or within the body of the email inline by selecting or clearing the Send all reports as attachments option. For more information, see Using the Email Distribution Option in the Basic Scheduling Tool.
  10. Optionally, you can type a message to appear in the email body to replace the default message, Please see attachment(s).

    Note: You can also provide a custom default distribution message using the Email Distribution and Notification settings in the ReportCaster Configuration tool in the ReportCaster Console. This allows you to override the default message, Please see attachment(s), by enabling you to create a custom message specific to your organization. The message displays when creating a schedule using Email distribution. The new message will not affect existing schedules.

  11. Optionally, select a file from the WebFOCUS Repository that contains the message you want to distribute with your Email distribution.

    Note: When you use the file option, the information can be maintained in one common place. It can also be revised among multiple schedules. There is no size limit to the contents of the file, other than what the email client and server support.

  12. Optionally, specify a value for the Packet Email or accept the default value. The Packet Email option is set to the default value configured by the Manager. For a schedule that has a task that is burst, you can decide how many emails to send to each recipient. Options include:
    • No. Sends each attachment in a separate email.
    • Yes. Sends one email that contains all attachments.
    • By Burst Values. Sends one email with multiple attachments for each burst value.
  13. Specify whether to send the report as a compressed (.zip) file by selecting or clearing the Add Report to Zip File check box.

    You have the option of converting your distributed report into a password-protected compressed file. By default, the Add Report to Zip File check box is not selected and the report will not be compressed. You can optionally password protect a zipped file by including a password in a Distribution File or Dynamic Distribution List.

  14. If the Add Report to Zip File check box is selected, enter the name of the Zip file in the Zip File Name box.

    Note: Support of Unicode characters in a Zip file name and content within a Zip file on Windows 7 and Windows 2008 Server R2 requires the following hotfix from Microsoft: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2704299/en-us. Without this hotfix, file names are corrupted after you decompress a .zip file in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2.

  15. Additionally, you can override the default minimum size (in KBs) a file must exceed before it is automatically added to a Zip file. The Zip minimum size is set to the default value configured by the administrator. To automatically zip an attachment that exceeds a certain size that is different from the default, set this value to the desired size.

    Note: Compression of files larger than 4 GB requires zip64 extensions. For more information, contact customer support.

  16. Select the Notification tab to specify whether to send an email notification of the schedule job status. If you select Always or On Error, then you have to specify the Reply Address, Subject, Brief Message To, and Full Message To.
  17. Select the Properties tab to specify the Title, Priority, whether to delete the schedule if it will not run again, and whether the schedule is enabled to run. For more information, see About Properties in the Basic Scheduling Tool.
  18. Select the Recurrence tab to specify how often to run the schedule. If you want the schedule to run on the current day, set the Start Date and Start Time to values later than the current time. For more information, see About Recurrence in the Basic Scheduling Tool.
  19. Click Save & Close to save the schedule.

Specifying Email Server Options

The Email Distribution Options dialog box enables you to view and assign the Mail Server Name, select an SSL connection for the server, select a TLS connection for the server, require authentication for the server, and assign Account Name and Password. Click the Email Server icon to access Email Distribution Options.

Mail Server Name. The name of the mail server to be used by this schedule. The default value is set in the WebFOCUS configuration tool.

  • This server requires a secure SSL connection. Check this box if the specified mail server uses SSL.

  • This server requires a secure TLS connection. Check this box if the specified mail server uses TLS.

  • This server requires Authentication. Check this box if the specified mail server requires authentication with a user ID and password.

    • Account Name. A valid user ID for the specified mail server.

    • Password. The password for the specified user ID.

Using the FTP Distribution Option in the Basic Scheduling Tool

How to:

This section provides information about distributing scheduled output using File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP distribution options can be accessed by clicking the FTP Server button in the Options group on the ribbon. The FTP Distribution Options dialog box is shown in the following image.

  • You must be authorized to distribute by FTP in order to create a schedule that uses FTP distribution.
  • Credentials for FTP servers are stored on a user level when a schedule is created in the same way that Reporting Server credentials are stored. The user needs to enter credentials only once for each FTP server. Those credentials will be available in the Basic Scheduling tool each subsequent time that the user creates a new schedule that utilizes that FTP server for distribution.

    If the FTP Server requires SFTP, select the This server requires a secure SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) check box. Select one of the following options to specify an authentication method:

    • Select Password if the server requires authentication with a user ID and password.
    • Select Public Key to authenticate against the server using Public Key Authentication.
    • Select Public Key and Password (Multi-factor) to authenticate using Public Key Authentication and indicate that the server requires authentication with a user ID and password.

      Note:

      • There is more than one format for the Public and Private key pair used for authentication to an SFTP Server. If the Public and Private key pair used by your SFTP server is in a format that is not recognized by the Distribution server, you can generate keys in the appropriate format with the sshkeygen utility on the Distribution server.
      • The Private Key for the server using Public Key Authentication must be added to the sftp_private_key.txt file, which is located in the \cfg directory on the Distribution Server.
  • If the FTP Server requires FTPS, select the This server requires a secure File Transfer Protocol over TLS/SSL (FTPS) check box. Options include:
    • Security Mode. Options include Explicit and Implicit mode.
    • Protocol. Options include Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Socket Layer (SSL).
    • Data Connection Security. Options include Clear security (neither Integrity nor Privacy) and Private security (Integrity and Privacy).
  • When distributing HTML reports by FTP, the scheduled report (.fex) must set a fully qualified FOCEXURL and FOCHTMLURL for the report styling options defined below. These reference the JavaScript components located on the web or application server where the Client is configured. The Distribution server will set a fully qualified FOCEXURL and FOCHTMLURL for FTP distribution using the host name and port provided at installation time. This can be overridden by setting these values in the scheduled procedure. For example: 
    SET FOCEXURL='hostname:port/ibi_apps/'
    SET FOCHTMLURL='hostname:port/ibi_apps/ibi_html'

    Styling options include:

    • Accordion reports
    • Table of Contents (TOC) reports
    • Peer Graphics/Data Visualization graphical reporting
    • Multi-drill reports
    • HFREEZE options

Procedure: How to Use the FTP Distribution Option

Note: You can use parameters (amper variables) when specifying values in the FTP settings of a schedule. These parameters can be system variables, such as &YYMD, or any amper variable for which a value is returned by the Reporting Server when the scheduled procedure is executed. To use the dot file extension separator after a variable, terminate the variable with the '|' character (for example, &YYMD|.htm). Similarly, to use the ampersand character itself, follow the ampersand with the '|' character (for example, Smith&|Jones). If a value for a parameter specified in a schedule is not returned by the Reporting Server when the procedure executes, the schedule will fail with a "No report to distribute" error. If the scheduled task is burst, you can also use the '%BURST' symbol to include the burst value. If the multiple reports are distributed in one archive file, the burst value will not be substituted in the Zip filename.

  1. Right-click a report procedure (FEX), point to Schedule, and then click FTP.

    The Basic Scheduling tool appears.

  2. Click the Properties tab.
  3. Enter a title in the Title box or leave the default. Optionally, enter a summary in the Summary box.
  4. Click the Distribution tab.
  5. From the Type drop-down menu, select the method in which you will provide the file names to distribute to the FTP server. The options are:

    • Distribution List. The report will be sent to all FTP addresses in the selected Distribution List. For more information, see Creating a Distribution List.

    • Distribution File. Type the full path and file name of the external distribution file you want to use for this schedule. ReportCaster cannot validate the file existence. The path and file must be accessible to the ReportCaster Distribution Server. For more information, see Create an External Distribution File.
    • Single File. Type the name and file extension of the file you will distribute. The value contained in the Save Report As field of the schedule will automatically populate the Name field. When you burst the scheduled report, ReportCaster automatically adds the burst value to the end of the file name for each burst file. Optionally, you can add the '%BURST' syntax to the beginning of the file name, add a directory to the beginning of the file name, or both at the same time.

      Note:

      • In order for the report to distribute correctly, you must add a file extension to the Name value. By default, the Single File Name value does not include a file extension. To add a file extension, you can select the Override the Format Specified in the Procedure check box and select a report format in the Task tab or type the file extension manually.
      • ReportCaster does not validate the location of the file path or whether the specified file already exists.
      • The maximum length of this field is 800 characters.
    • Dynamic Distribution List. A Dynamic Distribution List enables you to return in memory either a list of burst values and destinations, or a list of only destinations from a data source (for example, a flat file, SQL database, FOCUS data source, or LDAP).
  6. In the Report Compression section, specify options by which to compress the report. Select Create an archive file (.zip), Create compressed file(s)(.zip), Create compressed file(s)(.gz), or accept the default, None.

    Note:

    • The default setting for Report Compression is derived from the configuration settings. For more information, see Zip Settings.
    • Support of Unicode characters in a Zip file name and content within a Zip file on Windows 7 and Windows 2008 Server R2 requires the following hotfix from Microsoft: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2704299/en-us

      Without this hotfix, file names are corrupted after you decompress a .zip file in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2.

  7. Select the Notification tab to specify whether to send an email notification of the schedule job status. If you select Always or On Error, you must specify the Reply Address, Subject, Brief Message To, and Full Message To.
  8. Select the Properties tab to specify the Title, Priority, whether to delete the schedule if it will not run again, and whether the schedule is enabled to run. For more information, see About Properties in the Basic Scheduling Tool.
  9. Select the Recurrence tab to specify how often to run the schedule. If you want the schedule to run on the current day, set the Start Date and Start Time to values later than the current time. For more information, see About Recurrence in the Basic Scheduling Tool.
  10. Select the FTP Server and specify the FTP Server Name, Account Name, and Password for the FTP Server. Optionally, select the SFTP and FTPS preferences.
  11. Click the Save & Close button.

Using the Printer Distribution Option in the Basic Scheduling Tool

How to:

The report formats that support printing are DOC, PDF (when you configure ReportCaster to enable PDF to print and the printer has the appropriate driver), PS, and WP.

Note:

  • You must be authorized to distribute to a Printer in order to create a schedule that uses Printer distribution.
  • Problems may occur in printed output if the distributed reports contain UTF-8 characters.
  • Since a Printer schedule will not work unless the report output format is a valid print format, ReportCaster always sets the format of a schedule with distribution to a printer to a valid format. If the default configuration of PDF as a valid print format is in place, the override format is set to PDF. Otherwise, the override format is set to DOC. You can change this format on the Task tab.

Procedure: How to Use the Printer Distribution Option

Note: You can use parameters (amper variables) when specifying a value for the Printer Name field of a schedule. These parameters can be system variables, such as &YYMD, or any amper variable for which a value is returned by the Reporting Server when the scheduled procedure is executed. To use the dot file extension separator after a variable, terminate the variable with the '|' character (for example, &YYMD|.htm). Similarly, to use the ampersand character itself, follow the ampersand with the '|' character (for example, Smith&|Jones). If a value for a parameter specified in a schedule is not returned by the Reporting Server when the procedure executes, the schedule will fail with a "No report to distribute" error. If the scheduled task is burst, you can also use the '%BURST' symbol to include the burst value.

  1. Right-click a report procedure (FEX), point to Schedule, and then click Printer.

    The Basic Scheduling tool appears.

  2. Click the Distribution tab.
  3. From the Type drop-down menu, select the method in which you will provide the file names to distribute to the printer. The options are:
    • Distribution List. The report will be sent to all printers in the selected Distribution List. To select a Distribution List, click the icon next to the Distribution List field.
    • Distribution File. Type the full path and file name of the external distribution file you want to use for this schedule. The path and file must be accessible to the ReportCaster Distribution Server. For more information, see Creating an External Distribution File.
    • Printer Name. Specify the printer using the following format. 
      queue@printserver

      where:

      queue

      Is the name of the printer queue.

      printserver

      Is the host name or IP address of the printer.

      ReportCaster can differentiate between the printer queue and the printer host name or IP address due to the presence of the '@' separator. Although ReportCaster supports specifying only the host name or IP address of the printer, we recommend that you specify both the printer queue and host name or IP address when distributing ReportCaster output to a printer. The maximum length of this field is 800 characters.

    • Dynamic Distribution List. A Dynamic Distribution List enables you to return in memory either a list of burst values and destinations, or only a list of destinations from a data source (for example, a flat file, SQL database, FOCUS data source, or LDAP). For more information, see Creating a Dynamic Distribution List.
  4. If you select Distribution List, click the Name button, which will display the Open dialog box to allow you to select a Distribution List. If you select Distribution File, specify in the Name field the fully qualified path and file name where the external Distribution File is located. If you select Printer, specify the printer name in the Name field.
  5. Select the Notification tab to specify whether to send an email notification of the schedule job status. If you select Always or On Error, then you must specify the Reply Address, Subject, Brief Message To, and Full Message To.
  6. Select the Properties tab to specify the Title, Priority, whether to delete the schedule if it will not run again, and whether the schedule is enabled to run. For more information, see About Properties in the Basic Scheduling Tool.
  7. Select the Recurrence tab to specify how often to run the schedule. If you want the schedule to run on the current day, set the Start Date and Start Time to values later than the current time. For more information, see About Recurrence in the Basic Scheduling Tool.
  8. Click Save & Close to save your changes.

Using the Report Library Distribution Option in the Basic Scheduling Tool

How to:

The Report Library provides secure access to distributed report output stored in the Repository and allows you to save multiple versions of the same report output, set an expiration date, and keep a specified number of versions. The Report Library is only available to users who are authorized to access and view the Library reports in the folder location in which they are stored.

Note:
  • You must be authorized to distribute to the Report Library in order to create a schedule that uses Report Library distribution.
  • If the ownership of a schedule that uses Report Library distribution has been changed, you must correct the ownership of any associated Library reports to match the new owner of the schedule.

You can send an email notification informing users authorized to access the Library report of its availability. This will notify these users each time a new version is distributed and provide a URL to directly access the new version.

When creating a schedule for distribution to the Report Library, you select the folder to which the report output will be distributed. Using the Advanced button, you can optionally specify a subfolder to which the output will be distributed. If the subfolder does not exist, it is created dynamically during distribution of the initial schedule execution. During subsequent executions of the schedule, reports are distributed to the existing Library item where it is located. You must specify a pattern to be used for the title of the subfolder when the subfolder is created. The pattern can contain text, parameters (amper variables) and, if the scheduled task is burst, the ‘%BURST’ symbol. If the ‘%BURST’ symbol is used, a new subfolder is created for each burst value. You can also select the option to compress a library report when it is stored in the Repository.

You also have the option to specify a Category value to help you further organize the listing of Library reports within the ReportCaster Explorer. In the ReportCaster Explorer, a Category column is available that can be selected to sort Library reports by the Category values.

Note: A Library report in XML format must be opened in a new window.

When scheduling a report procedure (FEX) stored in the Repository, the default location the report output will be distributed to is the same as the report procedure (FEX) being scheduled. The best practice when distributing reports to the Library is to create and specify a different folder location for each Library report to avoid name conflicts when creating multiple schedules for the same report procedure (FEX). This is important so the security access can be defined and managed at the folder level, and when selecting to burst the distributed report output because the burst value is assigned as the title value to each report section that is distributed. The title value is the value that displays in the Resources tree.

For example, the Regional Product Sales (Quarterly) report is located in the Product Information folder. It is scheduled to distribute burst reports by region to the Regional Product Sales (Library Reports) folder, in the Library, on a quarterly basis. The Regional Product Sales (Library Reports) folder contains a library report for each region value included in the report request results. When creating additional schedules for the regional product sales report with the burst option, create and specify a different folder location because the burst report descriptions will be the same region values.

Procedure: How to Use the Report Library Distribution Option

Note: You can use parameters (amper variables) when specifying values for the Library fields of a schedule. These parameters can be system variables, such as &YYMD, or any amper variable for which a value is returned by the Reporting Server when the scheduled procedure is executed. To use the dot file extension separator after a variable, terminate the variable with the '|' character (for example, &YYMD|.htm). Similarly, to use the ampersand character itself, follow the ampersand with the '|' character (for example, Smith&|Jones). If a value for a parameter specified in a schedule is not returned by the Reporting Server when the procedure executes, the schedule will fail with a "No report to distribute" error. If the scheduled task is burst, you can also use the '%BURST' symbol to include the burst value.

  1. Right-click a report procedure (FEX), point to Schedule, and then click Report Library.

    The Basic Scheduling tool displays in a new window.

  2. Select the Task tab. The Task tab contains the information on where the report procedure is located in the Repository so that the Distribution Server can access it when the schedule runs. Ensure that you complete all the fields in the Task tab. For more information about the Task tab, see About Tasks in the Basic Scheduling Tool.
  3. Select the Distribution tab. The Distribution tab contains the information on how the report information will be distributed.
  4. Verify that the folder location is the folder to which you want to distribute the report output. You can select a different folder for the report output by clicking the Folder Location button, which displays a dialog box from which a folder can be selected .

    Note:

    • You must be authorized to create content in the selected folder.
    • The default folder location for Library output is the folder from which the scheduling tool is launched, provided that you are authorized to create content in this folder. If you are not authorized to create content there, the default location will be the My Content folder under that folder, if there is a My Content folder. If there is no My Content folder, the default folder location will be your first writable folder.
  5. Optionally, click Advanced to set report compression, optional subfolders, version descriptions, and category.

    Use the following information to set these options:

    • Compress Stored Report. Enables you to compress a library report when it is stored in the Repository.

      Note: If you distribute a compressed report to the Library, consider that this may impact the response time in viewing the report. A compressed report must first be decompressed before it is sent. You should evaluate the benefits of saving repository space against the impact of the time it takes to retrieve a compressed report from the Library.

    • Enable Subfolder. Can be enabled to indicate a subfolder to which to distribute a report. If Enable Subfolder is selected, a pattern must be indicated. A pattern can contain text, parameters (amper variables), and the %BURST symbol.
    • Version Description. In the Library Advanced Options dialog box, you can provide parameterized, descriptive text for each version of a report in the Report Library. The Version Description can include text, amper variables, and the ‘%BURST’ symbol if the report is burst. The Version Description is created by the Distribution Server at the time of schedule execution. The description displays next to the version number in the Report Viewer.
    • Category. An optional value that can be used to sort library reports within the ReportCaster Explorer. For more information, see Using the ReportCaster Explorer.
  6. Select Private, Published, Shared, or Shared with to specify the groups and users authorized to access the Library report. To view a Library report, the user must be authorized to access the Report Library.
    • Private (Accessible only to the owner). Only the Owner of the schedule is authorized to access the Library report. This is the default value.
    • Published (Accessible according to ReportCaster security policy). All users that are authorized to view the Library report in the folder location it is stored in can access the report. The destination folder of the Library Report must be a published folder and the schedule owner must be authorized to publish content in this folder.
    • Shared (Appears under Shared Content Folder). All users that are authorized to view the Library report in the folder location it is stored in can access the report. The report appears under a Shared Content folder.
      • Note: When working with a Library schedule for which the access option check box 'Shared (Appears under Shared Content folder)' and the Send Email after Report Saved to Library check box are selected simultaneously, ReportCaster will only send email messages to the schedule owner.
    • Shared with (Appears under Shared Content folder according to Library Access List). Only the groups or users defined in the Access List, and the owner of the schedule, are authorized to access the report. The report appears under a Shared Content folder.

    Note: When the Access Option of an existing schedule is changed, it will be applied to all versions of the private Library report the next time a new version is distributed. Access options specified in the Library schedule are not applied to published Library Reports.

  7. If you select Access List (Shared with), select the Access List button to invoke the Open dialog box from which you can select an Access List which you are authorized to access. Additionally, when bursting is selected, you can limit distribution of the burst values to the values specified in the Access List by selecting the Limit distribution to values in Access List check box.
  8. Select Expire after if you would like the Library report to be deleted after the schedule at a later date. Never Expire is the default selection.
    • version(s). The Report Library stores the output for the most recent number of versions specified. For example, if you specify three versions and the current version is 7, then version 7, 6, and 5 are stored in the library. However, if you delete version 6, then only versions 7 and 5 are stored in the library. If you then distribute version 8 to the library, only version 8 and 7 are stored in the library since you deleted version 6 and version 5 is not among the top three versions.

      Use the up and down arrows to select the number of versions.

      You can store up to 9,999,999 versions of a report in the library.

      Note: The actual number of times a report can be run is 2exp(31) -1.

    • Never Expire. The report remains in the Report Library until it is manually deleted by the owner.
    • day(s). The Report Library stores the report for the number of day(s) specified. Use the up and down arrows to select the number of days.
    • week(s). The Report Library stores the report for the number of week(s) specified. Use the up and down arrows to select the number of weeks.
    • month(s). The Report Library stores the report for the number of month(s) specified. Use the up and down arrows to select the number of months.
    • year(s). The Report Library stores the report for the number of year(s) specified. Use the up and down arrows to select the number of years.

    Note:

    • ReportCaster automatically purges expired reports one hour after the scheduled Log Purge Time. The default Log Purge Time is 1:00 AM. Therefore, the default library purge time is 2:00 AM each day. If you are an authorized user, you can also purge expired Library reports on-demand from the ReportCaster Console.
    • The maximum number of versions of a report scheduled to the library is 9999. If you exceed this limit, the new report will not be stored and you will receive a message in the ReportCaster log file.
  9. Optionally, select the Library Notification tab and then select the Send an Email after Report saved to Library option to send an email notification to users that are authorized to access the Library report each time a new version is distributed. The email message also contains the URL report content in the Library. Depending upon the Access Option selected, one or more users will receive a notification email. If the Access Option is Owner, Published, or Shared, the schedule owner will be notified by email when the schedule executes and output is distributed to the Library. If the Access Option specifies an Access List (Shared With), then each user on the Access List is notified when the schedule executes and output is distributed to the Library. Groups in the Access List are not used to retrieve email addresses. Only listed users will receive an email notification.

    When you select this option, the following fields appear:

    • Mail Server Name. This is the host name of the email server that ReportCaster will connect to distribute the Library email notification.
    • Library URL. This is the URL to sign in and open the Report Library. The default value is specified in the ReportCaster configuration. When a user is sent a Library email notification, the email contains a link to the report in the Library that the user is being notified about. That link is created by adding the specific report ID of the notification to the Library URL. When the link is selected, the user is prompted to sign in. ReportCaster security processing determines if the user is authorized to access the Library report.

      Note: You can configure ReportCaster to not send a link containing a URL. For more information, see ReportCaster Configuration.

    • From. This can be any value, for example, the name of the person creating the schedule. ReportCaster does not require a value for this field, but your email system may require one.
    • Reply Address. The email address of the sender. This is a required field. If report recipients reply to the notification, then their messages are sent to this address.

      Note:

      • If you are authenticating to the mail server with your user ID and password, then the reply address will be the email address associated with that user ID.
      • If the mail server is configured with authentication and the Reply Address is configured in the ReportCaster Configuration tool, then the Reply Address field in the scheduling tools will be disabled. If a Reply Address is not configured, then the field is enabled to allow a Reply Address to be sent to the email server, however the actual Reply Address of the delivered email will be that of the authenticating account.
    • Subject. The optional text that you want to appear in the email subject line.
    • Message. An optional message you want to appear in the body of the email notification.
  10. Select the Notification tab to specify whether to send an email notification of the schedule job status. By default, the value you entered in the schedule Title field is the default Subject value. If you select Always or On Error, then you must specify the Reply Address, Subject, Brief Message To, and Full Message To.
  11. Select the Properties tab to specify the Title, Priority, whether to delete the schedule if it will not run again, and whether the schedule is enabled to run. For more information, see About Properties in the Basic Scheduling Tool.
  12. Select the Recurrences tab to specify how often to run the schedule. If you want the schedule to run on the current day, set the Start Date and Start Time to values later than the current time. For more information, see About Recurrence in the Basic Scheduling Tool.
  13. Click Save & Close to save your changes.

Reference: Consideration When Limiting Distribution to Values in an Access List

When limiting Report Library distribution to values in an Access List, note the following:

  • All other burst values not specified in the Access List are not distributed to the library.
  • This option does not alter the running of the procedure or the retrieval of records from the data source, but simply filters the burst report sections returned from the Reporting Server based on the burst values specified in the Access List.
  • When the Burst this Report option is enabled and the Limit distribution to values in Access List option is not enabled, ReportCaster continues to distribute all burst report sections returned by the Reporting Server to the Report Library.
  • Upon saving the schedule, validation is performed to confirm that the schedule has the Burst this Report option enabled. If it has not been selected, a message appears reminding you that you must enable the Burst this Report option to limit distribution to values specified in an Access List, and the schedule options are redisplayed.
  • The log file contains information specifying that the Limit distribution to values in Access List option was selected. A separate log entry appears for each Access List burst value specifying whether a report section for that burst value was distributed to the library.

Library Bursting To Top-Level Folders Using the Basic Scheduling Tool

How to:

When creating a schedule with Report Library distribution, you can select the Domains folder in the Resources tree as the top-level folder location to which the sub-folders containing library reports will be burst.

You can schedule a library report to be placed in a sub-folder without having to create the sub-folder first. When you schedule a library report to be burst to a top-level folder, the distribution server will automatically create new sub-folders containing the burst library reports.

A library report does not have to be distributed to a single folder. Depending on which sub-folder pattern is used, a user can distribute library reports into multiple sub-folders based on the burst values defined by the chosen variable.

Note: In order to burst library reports to top-level folders, you must be authorized to create new sub-folders in the Domains folder.

Procedure: How to Burst Library Reports to Top-Level Folders Using the Basic Scheduling Tool

  1. Right-click the procedure you wish to distribute, point to Schedule, and then click Report Library.

    The Distribution tab within the Basic Scheduling tool opens.

  2. Click Folder Location.

    The Browse for Folder dialog box opens.

  3. Select the Domains folder, as shown in the following image.
  4. Click OK.
  5. On the Distribution tab, click Advanced.

    The Library Advanced Options dialog box opens.

  6. Click Enable Sub-folder and specify a sub-folder pattern, which will be used to create sub-folder titles. In the following image, the subfolder pattern used is the variable ‘%BURST’.

    For more information on WebFOCUS Variables, see ReportCaster Internal Variables.

  7. Click OK.
  8. Click the Task tab and select the Burst Report check box.
  9. Complete any other items necessary for the schedule to run properly and save the schedule. For more information, see Creating a ReportCaster Schedule in the Basic Scheduling Tool.
  10. From the Home page, right-click the schedule you created and click Run.

    New sub-folders containing your burst library reports are now created in the Domains top-level folder.

    Note: The sub-folder structure is contingent on the variable that is used.

Using the Repository Distribution Option in the Basic Scheduling Tool

How to:

When distributing scheduled output to Repository in the Basic Scheduling tool, specify the Repository folder location to which to distribute the report output.

Note: You must be authorized to distribute to the Repository in order to create a schedule that uses Repository distribution. You must also be authorized to distribute content to your selected folder. For more information, see the WebFOCUS Security and Administration manual.

The best practice for recurring and burst schedules is to create and specify a different folder location for each report being distributed for the same report procedure (FEX). This is important so the security access can be defined and managed at the folder level and when opting to burst the distributed report output because the burst value is assigned as the title value to each report section that is distributed. The title value is the value that displays in the Resources tree.

When the report output is distributed using the Repository distribution option, the Day, Date, and Time information is prepended to the Save Report As value specified in the schedule task information. For example, the Schedule for the Product Packaging & Price report is assigned the default Save Report As value 'Product_Packaging_Price.htm' (blanks and special characters are replaced with an underscore character).

The report output distributed to Managed Reporting on Monday December 19, 2011 at 1:35pm EST is assigned the description: Mon, 19 Dec 2011 01:35 PM EST Product Packaging Price.

Procedure: How to Use the Repository Distribution Option

  1. Right-click a report procedure (FEX), select Schedule, and then select Repository.

    The Basic Scheduling tool displays in a new window.

  2. Enter or verify task information. For more information, see About Tasks in the Basic Scheduling Tool.
  3. Click the Distribution tab.

    The Distribution Server adds Day, Date, and Time to the beginning of the Save Report As value specified in the Task tab.

    Verify that the folder location is the folder to which you want to distribute the report output. The folder location defaults to the same folder as the report procedure (FEX) being scheduled. Users can select a different folder to distribute the report output to by clicking the Folder Location button, which will display a dialog box of the Resources tree from which a folder location can be selected, as shown in the following image.

    Note: You must also be authorized to distribute content to your selected folder.

  4. Optionally, select the Do not add a timestamp to the filename check box if you want the report output to be overwritten with each distribution.
  5. Select the Notification tab to specify whether to send an email notification of the schedule job status. For more information, see Notification Options. If you select Always or On Error, then you must specify the Reply Address, Subject, Brief Message To, and Full Message To.
  6. Select the Properties tab to specify the Title, Priority, whether to delete the schedule if it will not run again, and whether the schedule is enabled to run. For more information, see About Properties in the Basic Scheduling Tool.
  7. Select the Recurrence tab to specify how often to run the schedule. If you want the schedule to run on the current day, set the Start Date and Start Time to values later than the current time. For more information, see About Recurrence in the Basic Scheduling Tool.
  8. Select Save & Close to save your changes.

Distributing to the File System Using the Repository Distribution Method in the Basic Scheduling Tool

The Repository File System Distribution function allows you send reports to a directory accessible by the distribution server. When you distribute to the Repository with the File System configured, you can choose a File System folder, as shown in the following image.

Note:

  • This method does not require an FTP server.
  • When the report is distributed, the Distribution Server adds Day, Date, and Time to the beginning of the Save Report As value specified in the Task tab.

A user must be granted the Distribute to File System privilege to use this distribution method. In addition, an Administrator must populate the File System Distribution Directories field in the Application Directories section of the Administration Console with a valid path for the folder. Users must be authorized to see these folders, which is done by granting users the list command on the File subsystem. For more information, see the WebFOCUS Security and Administration manual.

Once authorized, a user can schedule content to be distributed to a configured folder.

WebFOCUS

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