Distribution Options in the Basic Scheduling Tool
The Distribution tab in the Basic Scheduling tool provides the
options available for distributing the report output for the scheduled
report procedure (FEX). You can distribute a report output 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 operations. For more information,
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 Basic 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.
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, fax machines,
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. The following image shows the email distribution options
in the Distribution tab of the Basic Scheduling tool when the email
method is selected.
Note:
For more information, see the Developing
Reporting Applications manual.
x
Procedure: How to Use the Email Distribution Option
-
Right-click
a report procedure (FEX), select Schedule,
and then select Email.
The Basic Scheduling tool appears.
-
Select the Distribution tab.
-
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(es). For more information,
see Creating a Distribution List. 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 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(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 the Email Address(s) 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. 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). 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 email address of the recipient.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Optionally,
you can type a message to appear in the email body.
-
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.
-
Next, select
the Properties tab 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.
-
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.
-
Select Save
& Close to save the schedule.
x
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, as shown in the following image.
Mail Server Name. The name of the mail server to
be used by this schedule. The default value is set in the ReportCaster
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.
xUsing the FTP Distribution Option in the Basic Scheduling Tool
This section provides information about distributing scheduled
output using File Transfer Protocol (FTP), as 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, as shown in the following image.
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.
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.
-
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
For more information, see the Developing
Reporting Applications manual.
x
Procedure: How to Use the FTP Distribution Option
-
Right-click
a report procedure (FEX), select Schedule,
and then select FTP.
The Basic Scheduling tool appears.
-
Click the Properties tab.
-
Enter a
title in the Title box or leave the default. Optionally,
enter a summary in the Summary box.
-
Click the Distribution tab.
-
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:
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Select the Save
& Close button.
xUsing the Printer Distribution Option in the Basic Scheduling Tool
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. The following
image shows the printer distribution options in the Distribution
tab section of the Basic Scheduling tool.
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.
x
Procedure: How to Use the Printer Distribution Option
-
Right-click
a report procedure (FEX), select Schedule,
and then select Printer.
The Basic Scheduling tool appears.
-
Click the Distribution tab.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Select Save
& Close to save your changes.
xUsing the Report Library Distribution Option in the Basic Scheduling Tool
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.
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 tree.
For example, the Regional Product Sales (Quarterly) report is
located in the Product Information folder and is scheduled to distribute
burst reports by region to the Library on a quarterly basis to the
Regional Product Sales (Library Reports) folder. 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.
x
Procedure: How to Use the Report Library Distribution Option
-
Right-click
a report procedure (FEX), select Schedule,
and then select Report Library.
The Basic Scheduling tool displays in a
new window with the Task tab selected. 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.
-
Select the Distribution tab.
The Distribution tab contains the information on how the report
information will be distributed.
-
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.
-
Optionally,
click Advanced to set optional subfolders,
category, and report compression, using the following information:
-
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.
-
Category. An
optional value that can be used to sort library reports within the
ReportCaster Explorer. For more information, see
Using the ReportCaster Explorer
.
Note: You
can also use parameters in the Category field.
-
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 WebFOCUS 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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Optionally,
check 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:
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Select Save
& Close to save your changes.
x
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.
xUsing the Managed Reporting Distribution Option in the Basic Scheduling Tool
When distributing scheduled output to Managed
Reporting 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 Managed Reporting in order to create a schedule that
uses Managed Reporting distribution.
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 WebFOCUS tree.
When the report output is distributed using the Managed Reporting 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 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.
x
Procedure: How to Use the Managed Reporting Distribution Option
-
Right-click
a report procedure (FEX), select Schedule,
and then select Managed Reporting .
The Basic Scheduling tool displays in a
new window.
-
Enter or
verify task information. For more information, see About Tasks in the Basic Scheduling Tool.
-
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, as shown in the following image. 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 repository tree from which a folder
location can be selected.
The user must have must
have authority to write and create content in the selected folder
when the scheduled job runs for the report output to be successfully
distributed. 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.
-
Select the Notification tab
to specify whether to send an email notification of the schedule
job status. For more information, see Notification Options in the Basic Scheduling Tool. If you select Always or On Error, then you must specify
the Reply Address, Subject, Brief Message To, and Full Message To.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Select Save
& Close to save your changes.