Distribution Options in the Advanced Scheduling Tool

In this section:

The Distributions tab in the Advanced Scheduling tool provides the options available for distributing the scheduled report procedure (FEX), as shown in the following image.

distribution options

You can distribute a report using one of the following methods.

Note:



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Using the Email Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool

How to:

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 HTML, DHTML, WP, and DOC formats can be distributed as an inline email message.

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

Note: To send an inline email message to a fax machine, you must register your email address with a third-party email distribution provider. The features offered by providers, such as supported area codes and file formats and requirements on the structure of email parameter values, may vary. It is important that you select a provider whose features are compatible with ReportCaster.

The following image shows the email distribution options in the Distribution tab of the Advanced Scheduling tool when the Email method is selected.

email distribution

Note:



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Procedure: How to Use the Email Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool
  1. In the Advanced Scheduling tool, select the Distributions tab.
  2. Click the New drop-down list and select Email.

    The Distribution dialog box appears, as shown in the following image.

    email distribution

  3. In the Distribution Name box, enter the name for this Distribution definition.

    Email is the default value.

  4. From the Type drop-down list, select the method in which you will provide the email addresses that will receive the distribution. The options are:
    • Distribution List. The report will be sent to all email 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. The path and file must be accessible to the ReportCaster Distribution Server. For more information, see How to Create an External Distribution File.
    • Email Address(es). If you select Email Address(es), you can specify multiple email addresses in the Email Address(es) 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 Email Addresses.

      Additionally, you can use group mail lists (defined on your mail server) with the Email Address(es) option. Group mail lists enable you to distribute a report or notification to multiple recipients without having to maintain multiple email addresses in the WebFOCUS 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. 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.

      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, as shown in the following image.

  5. In the To box, type the value of the email of the recipient.
  6. In the From box, type any value (for example, the name of the person creating the schedule). ReportCaster does not require the field, but your email system may require the field.
  7. In the Reply Address box, type a valid email address. If recipients reply to the email, their messages are 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.
  8. In the Subject box, type the text 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 or not 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).
  11. If the Add Report to Zip File check box is selected, clear it to prevent Report Compression.

    By default, the Add Report to Zip File check box is not selected and the Report will not be compressed.

  12. In the Zip File Name box, enter a name for the schedule.
  13. Click OK to save the schedule.

    The schedule to distribute appears in the Advanced Scheduling tool.

  14. Click OK to save the Email Task.


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Procedure: How to Set Mail Server Information Using Email in the Advanced Scheduling Tool

After you specify distribution options for Email in the Advanced Scheduling tool, you can customize settings for Mail Server Information.

  1. In the Distribution dialog box, click the Options tab.

    The Options tab displays, as shown in the following image.

    email options

    The default Mail Server displays in the Mail Server Name field.

  2. If you would like to change the Mail Server, enter the name for the new Mail Server in the Mail Server Name field.
  3. Check the This server requires a secure SSL connection check box if the Mail Server requires an SSL connection.
  4. Check the This server requires a secure TLS connection check box if the Mail Server requires a TLS connection.
  5. Check the This server requires authentication check box if the Mail Server requires authentication.

    If you select this check box, the Account Name and Password field check boxes are enabled, allowing you to set values for these fields.

  6. Click OK to save the entry or click the General tab.

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Using the FTP Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool

How to:

This section provides information about distributing scheduled output using File Transfer Protocol (FTP).



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Procedure: How to Use the FTP Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool
  1. In the Advanced Scheduling tool, select the Distributions tab.
  2. Click the New drop-down list and select FTP.

    The Distribution dialog box appears, as shown in the following image.

    FTP distribution

  3. In the Distribution Name box, enter the name of the Distribution definition.

    FTP is the default value.

  4. From the Type drop-down list, select the method in which you will provide the FTP, location, and file name or file names the report will be distributed to. The options are:
    • Distribution List. Enter the Distribution List Name. 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. The path and file must be accessible to the ReportCaster Distribution Server. ReportCaster does not validate that the file exists. For more information, see How to Create an External Distribution File.
    • Single File. Type the name of the fully qualified path and file name of the file to which the report will be distributed. ReportCaster does not validate the location or whether the specified file already exists. The burst option is not supported with this distribution option. 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.
  5. In the Directory box, type the destination where the output will be sent.
    • You cannot create new Prepared Reports. However, all previously created Prepared Reports will be supported.
    • For WebFOCUS Server Procedures and Managed Reporting reports other than Prepared Reports, specify the FTP logon directory and path of the user ID to whose account on the SFTP or FTP server the report will be sent.
    • If left blank, this specifies that WebFOCUS Server Procedures distributed using FTP will be sent to the home directory of the FTP user.

    Note: When scheduling an FTP distribution, the maximum number of characters you can specify for the directory is 255, including the full path name.

  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. For more information, see Zip Settings.

    Note: The default setting for Report Compression is derived from the configuration settings. For more information, see Zip Settings.

  7. In the optional Index File Name field, specify a name for the index file of the report.

    Note: Availability of this option is dependent on your ReportCaster configuration. For more information, see FTP Settings. For WebFOCUS Server Procedures, if you are going to specify that the report is to be burst, type the name of the file in which you want the index page to be created.

    Important: You must type the name of the index in the case specific to your operating system.

    The following table lists the case you should use for a specific operating system.

    Case

    Operating System

    Uppercase

    z/OS

    Lowercase

    Windows

    UNIX

    Note: Index pages for burst report output contain only the burst values specified in the Distribution List.

  8. Click OK to save the schedule.

    The schedule to distribute appears in the Advanced Scheduling tool.

  9. Click OK to save the FTP task.


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Procedure: How to Configure FTP Server Information Using FTP in the Advanced Scheduling Tool

After you specify distribution options for FTP in the Advanced Scheduling tool, you can customize settings for FTP server information.

  1. In the Distribution dialog box, click the Options tab, as shown in the following image.

    set FTP server

    The current value for FTP Server Name, Account Name, and Password display by default.

  2. To change the FTP Server Name, enter the new value in the FTP Server Name field.
  3. To change the Account Name, enter the new value in the Account Name field.
  4. To change the Password, enter the new value in the Password field.
  5. Check the This server requires a secure SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) check box if the FTP Server requires SFTP. Choose one of the following options:
    • Select Password if the server requires authentication with a user ID and password.
    • Select Public Key to authenticate using Public Key Authentication.

    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. For more information, see the WebFOCUS and ReportCaster Installation and Configuration for Windows manual.
    • 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.

  6. Click OK or click the General tab.

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Using a Printer Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool

How to:

The report formats that support printing are DOC, PDF (when you configure ReportCaster to allow print distribution for PDF format and the printer has the appropriate driver), PS, and WP. For more information, see ReportCaster Configuration.

Note: Problems may occur in printed output if the distributed reports contain UTF-8 characters.



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Procedure: How to Use a Printer Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool
  1. In the Advanced Scheduling tool, select the Distributions tab.
  2. Click the New drop-down list and select Printer.

    The Distribution dialog box opens, as shown in the following image.

    printer distribution

  3. In the Distribution Name field, enter the name of the printer Distribution definition.

    Printer is the default value.

  4. Select the output type you would like to print.

    The following distribution output types are available for Print in the Advanced Scheduling tool.

    • Distribution List. The report will be sent to the printers specified in the selected Distribution List. To select a Distribution List, click the icon next to the Distribution List field. 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. The path and file must be accessible to the ReportCaster Distribution Server. For more information, see How to Create an External Distribution File.
    • Printer Name. Specify the printer name in the Value box 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 an at sign (@) separator. Although ReportCaster supports specifying only the host name or IP address of the printer, we recommend specifying 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.
  5. Specify an amount for the Value field.
  6. Click OK to save the Printer task.

    The schedule task appears in the Advanced Scheduling tool.


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Using the Report Library Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool

How to:

When scheduling a report procedure (FEX) to distribute report output to the Report Library, specify the Distribution information. This includes the WebFOCUS Repository folder to which to distribute the report, as well as Access Options. These include Owner (Private), Share to Everyone, or Access List (Share Advanced). Expiration of Reports in Library and Report Compression can also be specified.



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Procedure: How to Use the Report Library Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool
  1. In the Advanced Scheduling tool, select the Distributions tab.
  2. Click the New drop-down list and select Report Library.

    The Distribution dialog box opens, as shown in the following image.

  3. In the Distribution Name field, enter the name of the Report Library Distribution definition.

    Report Library is the default value.

  4. Verify that the folder location is correct or make manual edits in the Folder Location field.

    The folder location defaults to the same folder as the report procedure (FEX) being scheduled. Users can also select a different folder that they have authority to write to and create content in for the report to be distributed to that location.

    Note: As a best practice, create and specify a different folder to which the Library reports will be distributed.

  5. Enter the Category information manually.

    Category is 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 in order to determine which groups and users are authorized to access to the Library report.

    If you select Shared with, click the Access List button to invoke the Open dialog box from which you can select an Access List that you are authorized to access.

  7. 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.
  8. Check the Compress Stored Report check box if you would like the Library report to be compressed when stored in the WebFOCUS Repository.
  9. Click OK.
  10. Select Save & Close to save your changes.


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Procedure: How to Set Report Library Information Using Report Library in the Advanced Scheduling Tool

After you specify distribution options for the Report Library in the Advanced Scheduling tool, you can customize settings for Mail Server Information.

  1. In the Distribution dialog box, click the Options tab.

    The Options tab displays, as shown in the following image.

    report library options

    The present value for Distribution Name displays by default.

  2. Optionally, check the Send 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.

    Once the Send email after report saved to library check box is checked, you can customize Mail Server Information and Email for Library settings.

  3. If you would like to change the Mail Server, enter the name for the new Mail Server in the Mail Server Name box.
  4. Check the This server requires a secure SSL connection check box if the Mail Server requires an SSL connection.
  5. Check the This server requires a secure TLS connection check box if the Mail Server requires a TLS connection.
  6. Check the This server requires authentication check box if the Mail Server requires authentication.

    If you check the This server requires authentication check box, the Account Name and Password boxes are available to set values for these respective fields.

  7. If you would like to change the Account Name, enter the name for the new Account Name in the Account Name box.
  8. If you would like to change the Password, enter the name for the new Password in the Password box.
  9. In the From box, type any value (for example, the name of the person creating the schedule). ReportCaster does not require the field, but your email system may require the field.
  10. In the Reply Address box, type a valid email address. If recipients reply to the email, their messages are 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.
  11. In the Subject box, type the text 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.
  12. Optionally, you can type a message to appear in the email body.
  13. Click OK or click the General tab.

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Using the Managed Reporting Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool

How to:

When distributing scheduled output to Managed Reporting in the Advanced Scheduling tool, specify the folder location.



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Procedure: How to Use the Managed Reporting Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool
  1. In the Advanced Scheduling tool, select the Distributions tab.
  2. Click the New drop-down list and select Managed Reporting.

    The Distribution dialog box appears, as shown in the following image.

    managed reporting

  3. In the Distribution Name box, enter the name of the schedule.

    Managed Reporting is the default value.

  4. Verify that the folder location is correct. Use the folder location button to select a folder or make manual edits in the text field.

    The folder location defaults to the same folder as the report procedure (FEX) being scheduled. Users can also select a different folder that they have authority to write to and create content in for the report to be distributed successfully to that location.

  5. Click OK.
  6. Select Save & Close to save your changes.

WebFOCUS