About Tasks in the Basic Scheduling Tool

In this section:

When you access the Basic Scheduling tool, the information for the Task tab options is predefined with the selected report procedure (FEX) information. You can complete the available task options, such as specifying parameter values, as well as select whether or not to burst the report.

The following image shows an example of a predefined Task tab in the Basic Scheduling tool.

basic scheduling tool


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Task Options in the Basic Scheduling Tool

The options available when you select the Task tab are:


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Specifying Parameter Values

In this section:

How to:

Reference:

You can customize a report and control its execution with parameters. When scheduling a report procedure (FEX), the schedule task Parameters section allows you to supply a value for parameters referenced in the report procedure or add a parameter to the schedule by creating a new parameter and specifying the parameter name and value.

For information on parameters, also referred to as variables, and how they are utilized in report procedures, see the Customizing a Procedure with Variables topic in the Developing Reporting Applications manual.

If your Server Procedure contains Pre/Post Procedures, see How to Use the Pre/Post-Procedures Tab or a Report.



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Procedure: How to Specify Parameter Values

If the scheduled procedure contains parameters for which values must be supplied at run time, these parameters are displayed in the parameters section of the scheduling tool.

In the Basic Scheduling tool, click on the Parameters tab in the ribbon to open the Task Parameters dialog box.

Parameters may have default values and may have values that can be selected from a static or dynamic list. For more information about selecting parameters in the Scheduling Task Parameters dialog box, see the examples provided in this chapter. For more information about defining parameters, see the Developing Reporting Applications manual.



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Reference: Considerations When Specifying Parameter Values

The following are considerations when specifying parameter values for a procedure:



Example: Specifying a Default Parameter Value in the Report Procedure (FEX)

Specifying default parameter values can be done with the -DEFAULT or -DEFAULTH command or within the WHERE statement. Default values specified with the -DEFAULTH command are not prompted for. For more information on parameter prompting, see the Amper Auto-prompting topic in the WebFOCUS Developing Reporting Applications manual.

The following procedure sets a default value of NY for the STATE (2-3 letters for US State) parameter. For more information on creating and specifying values for parameters, see the WebFOCUS Developing Reporting Applications manual.

-DEFAULT &STATE=NYTABLE FILE GGSALES
SUM DOLLARS UNITS
BY ST
BY CATEGORY
BY PRODUCT
ON TABLE SUBHEAD
"Product Sales Report"
WHERE ST EQ '&STATE.2-3 letters for US State.'END

The parameters that have default values defined in the report procedure (FEX) are listed within the Parameters tab with the default value in the Value column. When parameters are stored in a schedule, ReportCaster adds a -SET for the parameter to the schedule procedure sent to the Reporting Server to be run. A -SET command overrides a value specified in a -DEFAULT command.

The following image shows the Task Parameters dialog box with parameter STATE that has a default value specified. The STATE parameter has the value Yes displayed in the Task Parameters table Use Default column. The STATE parameter is indicated in the Parameter Properties section, displaying a value of NY in the Value field.

Note: If you want the schedule to use the default parameter value specified in the procedure (FEX), uncheck the Enabled check box to specify that the parameter should not be saved with the schedule.

To use a value other than the default value at schedule execution time, so that it will be used even if the procedure is changed, click the parameter and change the parameter value within the Parameter Properties section. Values for simple parameters are specified by entering a value for the parameter in the Value field. There are also static and dynamic parameter types that allow selection of a single or multiple values, which are explained in the following examples.

When parameters are stored in a schedule, ReportCaster adds a -SET for the parameter to the schedule procedure sent to the Reporting Server to be run. A -SET command overrides a default value specified in a -DEFAULT command.



Example: Adding a Static Single-Select List of Parameter Values

The following procedure provides a list of static values that are valid for the CATEGORY (Category) parameter.

-DEFAULT &STATE=NY
TABLE FILE GGSALES
SUM DOLLARS UNITS
BY ST
BY CATEGORY
BY PRODUCT
ON TABLE SUBHEAD
"Product Sales Report"
WHERE ST EQ '&STATE.2-3 letters for US State.'
WHERE CATEGORY EQ '&CATEGORY.(Coffee,Food,Gifts).Category.'END

The following image shows the CATEGORY (Category) parameter selected in the Task Parameters table. The CATEGORY parameter has a default value of Coffee. The Task Parameter Use Default column is blank for CATEGORY and the Parameter Properties section Value field is blank for STATE.

To supply a value for a single select parameter, select the parameter in the Task Parameters table and select the list control at the end of the Value field in the Parameter Properties section. From the list of the values, select a value to assign to the parameter. You can select only one value for a static single-select parameter.

The selected value appears in the Value field and the Value column. The following image shows the value Food was selected.



Example: Adding a Dynamic Single-Select List of Parameter Values

The following procedure provides a single select list of values that are valid for the PRODUCT (Product Name) field. This list is dynamically populated with values from the GGSALES data source.

-DEFAULT &STATE=NY;
TABLE FILE GGSALES
SUM DOLLARS UNITS
BY ST
BY CATEGORY
BY PRODUCT
ON TABLE SUBHEAD
"Product Sales Report"
WHERE ST EQ '&STATE.2-3 letters for US State.'
WHERE PRODUCT EQ '&PRODUCT.(FIND PRODUCT IN GGSALES).Product Name.'END

The following image shows the PRODUCT (Product Name) parameter selected in the Task Parameters table. The PRODUCT parameter does not have a default value specified so the Task Parameter Use Default column and the Parameter Properties section Default Value field are blank.

To supply a value, click the PRODUCT (Product Name) parameter in the table and change the parameter value within the Parameter Properties section. Select the list control at the end of the Value field to list the values specified for the parameter. You can select only one value from the dynamic single-select list.

Select the value to be used. The selected value appears in the Value field and the Value column. The following image shows the value Latte was selected.



Example: Adding a Static Multi-Select List of Parameter Values

The following procedure provides a static multi-select list of values that are valid for the CATEGORY (Category) field.

-DEFAULT &STATE=NY
TABLE FILE GGSALES
SUM DOLLARS UNITS
BY ST
BY CATEGORY
BY PRODUCT
ON TABLE SUBHEAD
"Product Sales Report"
WHERE ST EQ '&STATE.2-3 letters for US State.'
WHERE CATEGORY EQ '&CATEGORY.(OR(Coffee,Food,Gifts)).Category.'END

The following image shows the CATEGORY parameter selected in the Task Parameters table.

To supply values, click the CATEGORY (Category) parameter in the table and then in the Parameter Properties section, click the Value button to open the Parameter Value selection dialog box. You can select one or more values from the list, as shown in the following image.

Once you have selected the values from the list, click OK. The selected values appear in the Value field in the Parameter Properties section and in the Value column in the parameter table. The following image shows that the values Food and Coffee were selected.



Example: Adding a Dynamic Multi-Select List of Parameter Values

The following procedure provides a dynamic multi-select list of values that are valid for the PRODUCT (Product Name) field. This list is dynamically populated with values from the GGSALES data source.

-DEFAULT &STATE=NY;
TABLE FILE GGSALES
SUM DOLLARS UNITS
BY ST
BY CATEGORY
BY PRODUCT
ON TABLE SUBHEAD
"Product Sales Report"
WHERE ST EQ '&STATE.2-3 letters for US State.'
WHERE PRODUCT EQ '&PRODUCT.(OR(FIND PRODUCT IN GGSALES)).Product Name.'END

The following image shows the PRODUCT parameter selected in the Task Parameters table.

To supply values, click the PRODUCT parameter in the table and then in the Parameter Properties section, click the Value button to open the Parameter Value selection dialog box. You can select one or more values from the list, as shown in the following image, or select the No Selection check box if you do not want to perform any data selection test.

Once you have selected the values from the list, click OK. The selected values appear in the Value field in the Parameter Properties section and in the Value column in the parameter table.



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Deleting a Parameter

It is important to verify that the parameters you delete when scheduling a report procedure (FEX) will be handled as follows so that the scheduled job will run successfully:

To delete a parameter so that it is not stored with the schedule information, highlight the parameter in the parameter table you want to delete, and click the Delete button.



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Creating a New Parameter

If you need to have the schedule job send a parameter and value that is not defined in the report procedure being scheduled, you can create a new parameter in the Task Parameters dialog box. Parameters referenced during processing by the Reporting Server must be assigned a value for the scheduled job to run successfully. The schedule job log report will contain information when required parameter values were not provided.



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Procedure: How to Create a New Parameter

You can create parameters for a task as follows:

  1. Click Parameters on the ribbon to display the Task Parameters dialog box, as shown in the following image.

    new parameter

  2. Click the New button located above the Parameter Properties section.

    The Task Parameter dialog box displays, as shown in the following image.

  3. Enter a value in the Name and Value boxes.
  4. Click OK.

    The Name and Value boxes are populated in the Task Parameters dialog box Parameters table.

  5. If you would like to specify a description or change the parameter value, select the parameter in the Parameters table and specify the values in the Description and Value fields located in the Parameter Properties section.
  6. Click OK when you have completed entering parameter settings for the task.

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Selecting a Report Format

Use the following guidelines when selecting a format:


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Schedule Pre-Processing and Post-Processing Procedures

How to:

If you are scheduling a Server Procedure or report procedure (FEX), you can schedule a maximum of two pre-processing and post-processing procedures. The pre-processing and post-processing procedures that you schedule must reside on the Reporting Server.

pre/post procedure



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Procedure: How to Use the Pre/Post-Procedures Tab or a Report
  1. Click the Pre/Post-Procedures tab.
  2. Enter the following information:

    The procedure (FEX) name can be entered with or without the application path. When an application path is not specified, the Reporting Server default search path is used to locate the specified procedure.

    One or more parameter values can be assigned using a name and value pair, and multiple pairs must be separated by commas, as follows:

    procedurename name=value, name=value

    You do not have to enter the pairs in the order in which they are encountered in the procedure. For additional information on supplying parameter values for a procedure, see the Supplying Variable Values From Another Procedure topic in the Developing Reporting Applications manual.

  3. Click OK.

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