ReportCaster Installation Overview

In this section:

This section briefly explains the different ReportCaster installation components, as well as how those components interact. If you are not using ReportCaster, proceed to WebFOCUS and ReportCaster Installation and Configuration Steps.


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ReportCaster Components

ReportCaster enables you to schedule the delivery and automatic running of WebFOCUS reports and alerts, as well as independent files and URLs. ReportCaster distributes reports and files to individuals or lists through FTP, email, or a printer, and it can store reports in a Report Library.

There are three ReportCaster components:


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ReportCaster Processing

To schedule a delivery job, the ReportCaster Distribution Server is accessed through either a ReportCaster user interface or an external API. The ReportCaster API allows independent applications to schedule delivery jobs on the ReportCaster Distribution Server.

After jobs have been scheduled, the ReportCaster Distribution Server handles their execution and delivery. The following steps and figure describe how the Distribution Server processing identifies schedules to be run and distributes scheduled reports for scheduled WebFOCUS procedures (FEX).

  1. The Distribution Server checks the repository every minute for jobs that are scheduled to run. You can change the default value of 1 minute within the ReportCaster configuration tool.
  2. If jobs are found, the Distribution Server extracts the information from the WebFOCUS repository.
  3. Each job is placed in a queue based on a priority setting found in the job description of the repository. Jobs in the queue are submitted to the WebFOCUS Reporting Server as resources become available.
  4. The WebFOCUS Reporting Server receives each request, processes it, and accesses any needed data.
  5. Data is retrieved from data sources to process the requests.
  6. The WebFOCUS Reporting Server creates responses to the requests.
  7. Responses are returned to the Distribution Server, which creates the addressing information necessary to send reports to their recipients. This includes any protocol-specific headers needed for email or FTP.
  8. The Distribution Server sends files to the appropriate servers for delivery, such as a mail server for email or an FTP server for FTP. It can also place them in the Report Library.


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ReportCaster Configuration

ReportCaster components can run on the same machine or be distributed across different machines. The ReportCaster web components are installed with the WebFOCUS Client and must reside on the application server. The ReportCaster Distribution Server can be installed on the same machine as other WebFOCUS components or on its own machine. The WebFOCUS repository, which contains ReportCaster tables, can be on the same machine as the Distribution Server or it can be on a separate machine.


WebFOCUS