Distribution Options in the Advanced Scheduling Tool
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.
You can distribute a report using one of the following methods.
- Email
- FTP
- Printer
- Report Library
- Managed Reporting
Note:
- Distribution methods can be limited
globally (for all users) in ReportCaster configuration and for groups
or individual users by security privileges. For more information
on ReportCaster configuration, see ReportCaster Configuration. For more information on security, see
the WebFOCUS Security and Administration manual.
- Maps can be distributed to the Library and Managed Reporting
only. Maps distributed by Email or FTP do not open correctly. For
more information, see the WebFOCUS InfoAssist User’s Manual.
xUsing the Email Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool
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.
Note:
- The availability
of the inline message option when you create a schedule depends
on the Inline Report Distribution setting in the ReportCaster Server 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.
x
Procedure: How to Use the Email Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool
-
In the Advanced
Scheduling tool, select the Distributions tab.
-
Click the New drop-down
list and select Email.
The Distribution dialog box appears,
as shown in the following image.
-
In the Distribution
Name box, enter the name for this Distribution definition.
Email is the default value.
-
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.
-
In the To box,
type the value of the email of the recipient.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Optionally,
you can type a message to appear in the email body to replace the
default message, Please see attachment(s).
-
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.
-
In the Zip
File Name box, enter a name for the schedule.
-
Click OK to
save the schedule.
The schedule to distribute appears
in the Advanced Scheduling tool.
-
Click OK to
save the Email Task.
x
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.
-
In the Distribution
dialog box, click the Options tab.
The Options tab displays, as shown
in the following image.
The default Mail Server
displays in the Mail Server Name field.
-
If you would
like to change the Mail Server, enter the name for the new Mail
Server in the Mail Server Name field.
-
Check the This
server requires a secure SSL connection check box if
the Mail Server requires an SSL connection.
-
Check the This
server requires a secure TLS connection check box if
the Mail Server requires a TLS connection.
-
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.
-
Click OK to
save the entry or click the General tab.
xUsing the FTP Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool
This section provides information about distributing
scheduled output using File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
x
Procedure: How to Use the FTP Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool
-
In the Advanced
Scheduling tool, select the Distributions tab.
-
Click the New drop-down
list and select FTP.
The Distribution dialog box appears,
as shown in the following image.
-
In the Distribution
Name box, enter the name of the Distribution definition.
FTP is the default value.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Click OK to
save the schedule.
The schedule to distribute appears
in the Advanced Scheduling tool.
-
Click OK to
save the FTP task.
x
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.
-
In the Distribution
dialog box, click the Options tab, as shown
in the following image.
The current value for FTP
Server Name, Account Name, and Password display by default.
-
To change
the FTP Server Name, enter the new value in the FTP Server Name
field.
-
To change
the Account Name, enter the new value in the Account Name field.
-
To change
the Password, enter the new value in the Password field.
-
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.
-
Click OK or
click the General tab.
xUsing a Printer Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool
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.
x
Procedure: How to Use a Printer Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool
-
In the Advanced
Scheduling tool, select the Distributions tab.
-
Click the New drop-down
list and select Printer.
The Distribution dialog box opens,
as shown in the following image.
-
In the Distribution
Name field, enter the name of the printer Distribution definition.
Printer is the default value.
-
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.
-
Specify
an amount for the Value field.
-
Click OK to
save the Printer task.
The schedule task appears in the
Advanced Scheduling tool.
xUsing the Report Library Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool
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.
x
Procedure: How to Use the Report Library Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool
-
In the Advanced
Scheduling tool, select the Distributions tab.
-
Click the New drop-down
list and select Report Library.
The Distribution dialog box opens,
as shown in the following image.
-
In the Distribution
Name field, enter the name of the Report Library Distribution definition.
Report Library is the default value.
-
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.
-
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
.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Check the Compress
Stored Report check box if you would like the Library
report to be compressed when stored in the WebFOCUS Repository.
-
Click OK.
-
Select Save
& Close to save your changes.
x
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.
-
In the Distribution
dialog box, click the Options tab.
The Options tab displays, as shown
in the following image.
The present value for Distribution
Name displays by default.
-
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.
-
If you would
like to change the Mail Server, enter the name for the new Mail
Server in the Mail Server Name box.
-
Check the This
server requires a secure SSL connection check box if
the Mail Server requires an SSL connection.
-
Check the This
server requires a secure TLS connection check box if
the Mail Server requires a TLS connection.
-
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.
-
If you would
like to change the Account Name, enter the name for the new Account
Name in the Account Name box.
-
If you would
like to change the Password, enter the name for the new Password
in the Password box.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Optionally,
you can type a message to appear in the email body.
-
Click OK or
click the General tab.
xUsing the Managed Reporting Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool
When distributing scheduled output to Managed Reporting
in the Advanced Scheduling tool, specify the folder location.
x
Procedure: How to Use the Managed Reporting Distribution Option in the Advanced Scheduling Tool
-
In the Advanced
Scheduling tool, select the Distributions tab.
-
Click the New drop-down
list and select Managed Reporting.
The Distribution dialog box appears,
as shown in the following image.
-
In the Distribution
Name box, enter the name of the schedule.
Managed Reporting is the default
value.
-
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.
-
Click OK.
-
Select Save
& Close to save your changes.