WebFOCUS Online Help > ReportCaster Development and Administration > Creating and Maintaining a Schedule > Specifying Distribution Options

Specifying Distribution Options

In this section:

The Distribution tab enables you to select how you want to distribute scheduled output. ReportCaster Administrators can specify which distribution methods will appear in the Distribution tab using the Schedule Method setting in the ReportCaster Server Configuration tool (for more information, see Specifying Schedule Method Settings). By default, you can distribute scheduled output using one of the following methods:

You can only schedule multiple tasks when using the Email and Printer distribution methods.

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Distributing Scheduled Output Using E-mail

You can distribute scheduled output as e-mail attachment(s) or inline within the body of an e-mail message. Distributing scheduled output as an inline e-mail message is particularly useful when output is distributed to mobile devices, fax machines, or through e-mail systems that do not support attachments. For more information about distributing scheduled output to a fax machine, see Distributing Scheduled Output to a Fax Machine Using E-mail.

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.

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Procedure: How to Distribute Scheduled Output Using E-mail
  1. In the Distribution tab, select Email from the Distribute Reports by drop-down list. The following options appear.

  2. In the Mail Server Name field, the SMTP e-mail server specified in the ReportCaster Server Configuration tool appears. You can accept the default e-mail server, or type another name for the e-mail server that will distribute the scheduled output. ReportCaster requires the SMTP server domain name, not its IP address.
  3. Specify whether you want to distribute the scheduled output as one or more e-mail attachments, or inline within the body of an e-mail message. (The availability of the inline option depends on your ReportCaster configuration.)
    • If you want to distribute the scheduled output as an e-mail attachment, select the Send all reports as attachments option button. If you want to send an optional message within the body of your e-mail, click Message. Type the message (you may specify a maximum of 256 characters of text) and then click OK.
    • If you want to distribute the scheduled output inline within the body of an e-mail message, select the Select one report as inline message option button. Select the Task from the drop-down list, which displays all Tasks created for this schedule.

      When distributing to PDA or Blackberry, check the capabilities of the device. If the device does not support attachments, use the inline option. The WP format is recommended.

    Note: You can only distribute one Task as an inline e-mail message. If you are scheduling multiple Tasks using e-mail, the additional Tasks must be distributed as e-mail attachments.

  4. From the Type drop-down list, select Distribution List, Distribution File, Single Address, or Dynamic Address.
  5. In the From field, type any value (for example, the name of the person creating the schedule). This field is not required by ReportCaster, but may be required by your e-mail system. This field is disabled if you are scheduling an alert when a Two-Way Email template is attached.
  6. In the Reply Address field, type a valid e-mail address. If recipients reply to the e-mail, their messages will be sent to this address. If your e-mail system is unable to deliver the content, the undelivered output message is also returned to this address. This field is required by ReportCaster. This field is disabled if you are scheduling an alert when a Two-Way Email template is attached.

    Tip: You can retrieve e-mail addresses defined in an LDAP data source. For more details, see How to Retrieve E-mail Addresses for a Schedule Using Address Search.

  7. In the Subject field, type the text you want to appear in the message subject line. This information is not required by ReportCaster, but may be needed by your e-mail system. If you typed a value for the Description in the Schedule tab, this value will be used as the default subject value unless you decide to change it.

    When creating a schedule, you can place multiple parameters and burst values from the scheduled procedure in an e-mail subject line. This allows the subject to be dynamically created in order to personalize e-mails to recipients. Parameters referenced in the subject line must be stored with the schedule information in the ReportCaster tables.

    Parameters must be specified in the format '&parmname' (where parmname is the name of the parameter). Burst values must be specified using the syntax '%BURST'.

    Note:

    • The parameter name cannot also be the name of an existing WebFOCUS procedure. You may specify an unlimited number of parameters.
    • Burst values are only retrieved from the first Task in a multi-Task schedule. If you have multiple burst values in a Distribution List, only the first value sent to the ReportCaster Distribution Server is included in the subject.

    For an example of specifying parameters and burst values in an e-mail subject line, see Specifying Parameters and Burst Values in an E-mail Subject Line.

  8. In the Zip File for Report section, choose whether or not to Zip the reports related to this distribution.

    If you select the Zip File for Report option, then enter a name for the file in the Zip File Name field.

    Note:

  9. Click the Settings tab (see Specifying Optional and Notification Settings).

Note: For considerations you should be aware of when using a Microsoft Exchange Server or cc:Mail, see Considerations When Distributing Scheduled Output Using E-mail.

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Example: Specifying Parameters and Burst Values in an E-mail Subject Line

This schedule specifies burst values and multiple parameters in the e-mail subject line:

The above schedule might result in an e-mail similar to the following:

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Procedure: How to Retrieve E-mail Addresses for a Schedule Using Address Search

To search for e-mail addresses to add to a schedule:

  1. While creating or editing a schedule, click the Address Search icon that appears next to any field where you can specify e-mail addresses.

    Note: The Address Search icon only appears if the Email LDAP Enabled parameter is set to YES in the ReportCaster Server Configuration tool. For more information, see LDAP Settings.

    The Address Search window opens.

  2. Type the search string. You can search using the following combinations:
    • Last Name [Equals | Starts with | Ends with | Contains]
    • First Name [Equals | Starts with | Ends with | Contains]
    • Email [Equals | Starts with | Ends with | Contains]

    For example, if you type S after the Last Name Starts with field, ReportCaster retrieves last names that start with the letter S:

    Note: By default, ReportCaster retrieves a maximum of 300 e-mail addresses. You can change this default value for the duration of your session. However, if you log out and log back in, the Address Search window displays the default value of 300. ReportCaster allows the retrieval of a maximum of 500 e-mail addresses. If you suspect your search will return more than 500 records, you should refine your search criteria.

  3. Click Search. ReportCaster retrieves the specified names from the LDAP data source:

  4. Select the e-mail address(es) you want to use in your schedule. You can multi-select e-mail addresses by pressing the Ctrl key or the Shift key.
  5. Click the field (for example, To) for which you want to insert the e-mail address(es) within your schedule.

  6. Click OK.

    In this example, the e-mail addresses are added to the To field of your schedule:

    By default, ReportCaster separates multiple e-mail addresses with a comma. The e-mail addresses will appear in the To: line of a single e-mail when the scheduled output is distributed.

Note: Repeat these steps if you want to change your search criteria or insert additional e-mail addresses into your schedule. If you insert additional e-mail addresses while the original e-mail addresses are selected, the new e-mail addresses will replace the old ones. If your cursor is positioned after the original e-mail addresses, the new e-mail addresses will be appended to the old ones, separated by a comma. However, be aware that the maximum number of characters is 800 when inserting addresses.

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Example: Distributing Scheduled Output to a Fax Machine Using E-mail

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

The following example shows how to distribute scheduled output directly to a fax machine. The e-mail address, john_doe@ibi.com, was registered with the e-mail distribution provider called emfax.com. During the processing of the request, ReportCaster generates the scheduled output and then distributes it using the e-mail address of emfax.com. The reply address specified in ReportCaster is the registered e-mail address that will be validated by emfax.com. If the e-mail address is valid, emfax.com will distribute the scheduled output to the fax number 12129999999. The validation of the registered e-mail address is performed by emfax.com, not by ReportCaster.

Note: The syntax used in this illustration is specific to this example. The required syntax for your provider may be different.

  1. In the Distribution tab, select Email from the Distribute Reports by drop-down list. The following options appear.

  2. In the Mail Server Name field, the SMTP e-mail server specified in the ReportCaster Server Configuration tool appears. You can accept the default e-mail server, or type another name for the e-mail server that will distribute the scheduled output. ReportCaster requires the SMTP server domain name, not its IP address.
  3. Select the Select one report as inline message option button. Select the report (for example, Sales Report) from the drop-down list, which displays any Tasks created for this schedule in the Tasks tab.

    Note: You cannot distribute an e-mail attachment to a fax machine.

  4. From the Type drop-down list, select Single Address from the drop-down list.
  5. In the To field, type the e-mail address to be used by the e-mail provider according to their requirements. In this example, it is phone-number@emfax.com or 12129999999@emfax.com (where emfax.com is the name of your e-mail provider).

    Note: You can also select a Distribution List, Distribution File, or a Dynamic Address. However, be sure to use the syntax required by your provider.

  6. In the From field, type any value (for example, the name of the person creating the schedule). This field is not required by ReportCaster, but may be required by your e-mail system. This field is disabled if you are scheduling an alert when a Two-Way Email template is attached
  7. In the Reply Address field, type your registered e-mail address. If your e-mail system is unable to deliver the content, the undelivered output message is returned to this address. This field is required by ReportCaster. This field is disabled if you are scheduling an alert when a Two-Way Email template is attached
  8. In the Subject field, type the text you want to appear in the message subject line. This information is not required by ReportCaster, but may be needed by your e-mail system or e-mail provider. If you typed a value for the Description in the Schedule tab, this value is used as the default subject value unless you change it.
  9. Click the Settings tab (see Specifying Optional and Notification Settings).
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Reference: Considerations When Distributing Scheduled Output Using E-mail

Note: If the Email Delivery, Restrict Email Domains option is set to yes in the ReportCaster server configuration tool, then only those e-mail domains (the portion of the e-mail address following the at symbol) listed in Allowed Email Domains (also in the server configuration tool) are valid e-mail recipients. The Distribution Server will not deliver output to an e-mail address whose domain is not on this list. Instead, the schedule will fail and an error message is written to the ReportCaster log.

ReportCaster transfers e-mail asynchronously to your e-mail system. The delivery time depends upon your e-mail system.

Exchange Mail Server Considerations:

CC:Mail Considerations:

When you distribute ReportCaster generated e-mail attachments greater than 20K in size to users of cc:Mail, cc:Mail renames the attachment textitm.txt, ignoring the file name and extension supplied by the user. This change affects DOC, HTML, and WP formats on UNIX and Windows platforms. However, despite the naming convention issue, the attachments contain the correct output and can be viewed if the attachment is saved to disk with the correct extension.

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Distributing Scheduled Output Using FTP or SFTP

The following topics provide information about distributing scheduled output using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) or SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). The benefit of using SFTP over FTP is that it encrypts the data and user credentials distributed over the network. Host key fingerprints are not used in this SFTP implementation.

Note:

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Procedure: How to Distribute Scheduled Output Using FTP or SFTP

The following procedure shows how to distribute scheduled output using FTP or SFTP. The SFTP distribution method does not support Prepared Reports.

  1. In the Distribution tab, select FTP or SFTP from the Distribute Reports by drop-down list.

    The following image shows the New Schedule Distribution tab for FTP distribution. The selection are the same for SFTP distribution.

  2. In the (S)FTP Server Name field, the (S)FTP server specified in the ReportCaster Server Configuration tool appears. You can accept the default (S)FTP server, or type another name for the (S)FTP server that will distribute the scheduled output.

    In this field, you can also designate a port for the (S)FTP server other than the default assignment using the syntax, hostname:port.

  3. In the Directory field, type the destination to which the output will be sent.
    • You cannot create new Prepared Reports. However, all previously created Prepared Reports will be supported.
    • For WF Server Procedures and Managed Reporting reports other than Prepared Reports, specify the (S)FTP logon directory and path of the user ID to whose account on the (S)FTP server the report will be sent.
    • If left blank, this specifies that WF Server Procedures distributed using (S)FTP will be sent to the home directory of the (S)FTP user.
    • If the (S)FTP server resides on an OpenVMS file system, use UNIX-style directory specifications.
    • If the (S)FTP server resides on a z/OS UNIX system in data set mode, you must type a forward slash (/) as the first character for the directory.
    • If the (S)FTP server resides on a VM system, you must type ./ for the directory. This will send reports to the default VM minidisk of the (S)FTP user.

    Note: When scheduling a Managed Reporting report from Domain Builder for (S)FTP distribution, the maximum number of characters that can be specified for the directory is 64, including the full path name.

  4. In the (S)FTP User and (S)FTP Security Information fields, type the user ID and password for the (S)FTP server account to which the scheduled output will be sent. You can specify a default (S)FTP user ID and password within the ReportCaster Server Configuration tool.
  5. From the Distribution Information drop-down list, select Distribution List, Distribution File, Single Address, or Dynamic Address.
  6. In the optional Index File for Report, File Name field, specify a name for the index file of the report. (Availability of this option is dependent on your ReportCaster configuration.)
    • For Managed Reporting reports, if you want to distribute the reports using the Domain Prepared Reports folder, you must provide a file name. If the report is burst, this will be the name of the index page containing links to the burst sections. If the report is not burst, this will be the name of the file.
    • For WF 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.

    The name of the index must be typed 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

    Upper

    z/OS

    Lower

    Windows

    UNIX

    Note: HTML, PDF, EXL2K, and (S)FTP are the only formats that generate an index page for burst report output. These index pages only contain the burst values specified in the Distribution List.

  7. In the Zip File for Report section, choose whether or not to Zip the reports related to this distribution.

    • Select None if you do not want to Zip the output.

    • Select Add Reports to One Zip File to Zip the output in a single file. Type a name for the file in the Zip File Name field.

    • Select Create Separate Zip Files for Each Burst Value if the schedule task is burst and you want separate Zip files rather than a single file.

    Note:

  8. Click the Settings tab (see Specifying Optional and Notification Settings).
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Reference: Considerations When Distributing Scheduled Output Using FTP or SFTP

The following are known limitations when using (S)FTP distribution to a z/OS machine:

  • EXL2K, EXL2K FORMULA, EXL2K PIVOT, EXL2K TEMPLATE, and EXL97 formats are distributed with .xls format. Internally, these formats must be set to binary in the httpd.conf file.
  • TABT format must be imported into Microsoft Access in order to work properly.
  • When the report distributed is burst, the index page is generated with extra characters preceding the burst values. The links on the page to the report sections are correct.
  • Additionally, when using (S)FTP to transfer Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) files from any platform to UNIX System Services, if the UNIX System Services httpd.conf file contains the default MIME type of 8-bit for CSS files, then the CSS files must be in binary mode.
  • When distributing scheduled output using SFTP, any file that is transferred in binary mode will be readable when transferred between any platforms. Formats that use a binary mode transfer are EXCEL, GIF, JPG, SVG, PNG, WK1, and PDF.

    A file in any other format will be transferred in text mode as an ASCII file. Files in these formats are readable when transferred to UNIX and Windows file systems. Files in these formats that are transferred to a z/OS platform must be translated to EBCDIC before they can be read. The following is the command to translate the file: 

    iconv -fISO8859-1 -tIBM-1047 ascii.file > ebcdic.file
  • Be sure to use the z/OS DSname conventions when assigning a name to an FTP or SFTP zip file that will be distributed to a z/OS MVS system. If naming conventions are not followed, the schedule cannot be distributed and an invalid data set name error is returned.
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Reference: Distributing Scheduled Output to a PDA Using FTP or SFTP

If you are distributing a report to a Palm™ Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), you must select the DOC format and a .txt extension for the report. The Palm Memo Pad application requires that all file names end with the .txt extension. For more information about how to transfer reports to a PDA using the HotSync process, see your PDA documentation.

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Distributing Scheduled Output to a Printer

When printing on Windows and UNIX, ReportCaster uses the lp (line printer) protocol, which runs on top of TCP/IP to communicate to printers. lp printing with the Novell Client is not supported. For printing on z/OS, ReportCaster uses the lpr (line printer remote) UNIX command, which has special options on the mainframe for sysout dest and class.

Note:

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Procedure: How to Distribute Scheduled Output to a Printer
  1. In the Distribution tab, select Printer from the Distribute Reports by drop-down list. The following options appear.

  2. From the Distribution Information drop-down list, select Distribution List, Distribution File, Single Address, or Dynamic Address from the drop-down list.

    Note: If the printer you specify is unrecognized, the "Cannot connect to specified printer" message will be recorded in the log file when the ReportCaster Distribution Server tries to distribute the report.

  3. Click the Settings tab (see Specifying Optional and Notification Settings).
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Distributing Scheduled Output to Managed Reporting

As a ReportCaster Administrator, you can schedule My Reports and Standard Report for distribution to Managed Reporting.

Tip: Information Builders recommends distributing scheduled output to the Report Library rather than to Managed Reporting. The Report Library includes secure access to library content, the ability to save multiple versions of the same output, and the ability to set an expiration date or keep a specified number of versions.

When you select the Managed Reporting distribution method, the report output is distributed to Managed Reporting as a Standard Report or a My Report. The report is available to other users who have access to the Domain where the report resides.

ReportCaster performs the following tasks when you create a schedule to distribute output to the Managed Reporting Repository:

  1. The WebFOCUS Reporting Server communicates to Managed Reporting using the HTTP protocol. The WebFOCUS Reporting Server sends a request to Managed Reporting to create a Standard Reports or My Reports group folder containing the report output.
  2. The output is stored differently depending on where the report was scheduled:
    • If the report was scheduled in Standard Reports, ReportCaster creates a folder in Standard Reports within the same Domain. The report output is stored in the Domain /app directory.
    • If the report was created in My Reports, ReportCaster creates a folder in My Reports within the same Domain. The report output is stored in the user's directory in the Managed Reporting Repository. Since ReportCaster does not distinguish subfolders, it distributes the reports to the highest level folder regardless of the folder hierarchy within Managed Reporting.

    Note:

    • Multiple Managed Reporting reports are stored in the same folder if they both run at the same time. We recommend assigning each Managed Reporting report a different start time.
    • ReportCaster can be configured to distribute scheduled output to Managed Reporting to a new folder each time the schedule runs, or to distribute the output to the same folder each time it runs. If a new folder is created each time the schedule runs, the folders will have a time stamp to distinguish them. If a folder is reused each time the schedule runs, each output in the folder will have a time stamp.
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Procedure: How to Distribute Scheduled Output to Managed Reporting
  1. In the Distribution tab, select Managed Reporting from the Distribute Reports by drop-down list.

    The following image shows the Distribution tab dialog box for Managed Reporting.

  2. In the Folder Name field, type the job description of the scheduled report. This description must not exceed 90 characters.

    This is will be the name of the folder(s) that contain the output of the schedule when it runs.

  3. Click the Settings tab (see Specifying Optional and Notification Settings).
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Reference: Considerations When Distributing Scheduled Output to Managed Reporting

When distributing scheduled output to Managed Reporting, consider the following:

  • The PostScript (PS) format is not supported for this distribution method.
  • When ReportCaster is configured with a WebFOCUS Client on a z/OS UNIX Web server and a WebFOCUS Reporting Server on z/OS, Managed Reporting distribution is not supported for EXCEL or WK1 format. This limitation is due to an EBCDIC to ASCII translation problem. This problem does not occur when the WebFOCUS Client is installed on UNIX (AIX, HP‑UX, Sun) or Windows platforms. Information Builders recommends using the EXL2K format instead.
  • When distributing scheduled output to Managed Reporting with a format of COMMA, the following information must be added to the /client76/wfs/etc/mime.wfs file to open the output in Excel:
    <ADDTYPE> .csv application/vnd.ms-excel binary yes yes no yes no
  • When distributing a report to Managed Reporting, you can drill-down to either a WebFOCUS Server procedure or a Managed Reporting procedure.

    To drill-down to a WebFOCUS Reporting Server procedure or a Managed Reporting procedure, the original procedure you are scheduling must include the following command: 

    SET FOCEXURL=http://hostname[:port]/wf_context_root/WFServlet;

    where:

    hostname[:port]

    Is the host name and optional port number of the Web/Application Server on which the WebFOCUS Client is installed.

    wf_context_root

    Is the site-customized context root for the WebFOCUS Web application deployed on your Application Server. ibi_apps is the default value.

    The following FEX shows the coding for a Managed Reporting procedure using the FOCEXURL command.

    -* FEX that is scheduled and distributed to the Report Library
-* Set FOCEXURL value for navigation back to WF Client and MR context
-* for execution of drill down request.  Must be coded using
-* concatenation of so that WF describe (auto prompting) is not invoked 
-* and also for character encoding within URL to be done correctly.
-* Protocol, host and port to WF client. 
-* Do not use localhost for the host value!
-SET &FOCEXURL='http://host:port';
-*
-* Call to WF Client.  /ibi_apps is the default URL context 
-* but can be customized
-SET &FOCEXURL=&FOCEXURL | '/ibi_apps/WFServlet?IBIF_webapp=/ibi_apps' '&';
    -* If report contains a drilldown the next set of lines are also needed.
-* Set WF Reporting Server to run request on
-SET &FOCEXURL=&FOCEXURL | 'IBIC_server=EDASERVE' | '&';
-*
-* Set whether the message viewer feature is ON or OFF.
-* When message viewer feature is ON the browser window displaying the 
-* report will have multiple frames.  The top frame displays 
-* the report and the bottom frame displays any messages returned 
-* from the WF Server from the report execution.
-* Most often utilized during report development or to debug a problem.
-SET &FOCEXURL=&FOCEXURL | 'IBIWF_msgviewer=OFF' | '&';
-*
-* IBIMR_drill tells WF client subsequent request is a drill down
-* and the information after X, is the HREF of the MR domain 
-* that the drill down FEX is located in.
-* In this example 'salesrpt' is the internal 
-* domain directory and salesrpt.htm is the HTML file 
-* containing the metadata information for the contents
-* within the salesrpt domain.
-SET &FOCEXURL=&FOCEXURL | 'IBIMR_drill=X,salesrpt/salesrpt.htm'| '&';
-*
-* SET environmental variable FOCEXURL
SET FOCEXURL='&FOCEXURL'
-*
TABLE FILE CAR
SUM CAR.BODY.SALES
BY CAR.ORIGIN.COUNTRY
BY CAR.COMP.CAR
BY CAR.CARREC.MODEL
ON TABLE SET STYLE *
TYPE=DATA, COLUMN=CAR.ORIGIN.COUNTRY,
 FOCEXEC=salesrpt/app/carmodel.fex,
 $
ENDSTYLE
ON TABLE SET HTMLCSS ON
ON TABLE NOTOTAL
END

    The following is an example of the drill down FEX that resides in Managed Reporting.

    -* HTML Tool
-* Created by Report Assistant
-* FF Line do not change this line! Field Name
-* FF Line do not change this line! Alias
-* FF Line do not change this line! Format
-* FF Line do not change this line! Segment
-* FF Line do not change this line! displayTree=0
TABLE FILE CAR
SUM CAR.SPECS.MPG
CAR.SPECS.RPM
CAR.BODY.SEATS
BY CAR.COMP.CAR
BY CAR.CARREC.MODEL
BY CAR.BODY.BODYTYPE
ON TABLE SET HTMLCSS ON
ON TABLE NOTOTAL
END
-* End Report Assistant
  • If you are distributing a large report to Managed Reporting, take into consideration the amount of memory configured on your Application Server. The report output returned to Managed Reporting will be stored in memory by the WebFOCUS Client (Servlet) and then written to the Managed Reporting Repository. If there is not enough memory available on your Application Server, the ReportCaster servlet trace file will contain the message “return code not found. See your application server trace for information”. The log report will include the message “Unable to distribute to Managed Reporting: return code not found”. The problem can be resolved by one or more of the following:
    • Increase the memory available on your Application Server.
    • Modify your report so that it returns a smaller report or less output.
    • Limit the number of scheduled jobs distributing to Managed Reporting during the same time period.
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Distributing Scheduled Output to the Report Library

When you create a schedule, you can specify to distribute scheduled output to the Report Library, a storage and retrieval facility. The Report Library can contain any information that is distributed by ReportCaster. When distributing to the Report Library, you can send an e-mail informing users of its availability and the link to the content in the library.

The Report Library includes secure access to library content, the ability to save multiple versions of the same output, and the ability to set an expiration date or keep a specified number of versions. The Report Library is only available to ReportCaster users who have been granted library privileges.

The Report Library stores items in categories that you create. These categories allow you to organize scheduled output in the Library for easy identification and tracking. When you choose the Report Library distribution method, you must designate the category that you want the scheduled output to be distributed to in the Category in Library option found in the New Task dialog box. This is a required field except when scheduling Managed Reporting tasks (Standard Reports and My Reports), where there is a default category name using the domain under which the report reside.

The Report Library consists of the Library Access List, Library Content, and Library Management interfaces. For information on accessing and using these interfaces, see Report Library.

Note: When a report is distributed to the Report Library, the Log Report will include the report ID and the report version number. This allows you to confirm which reports and report version were distributed to the Library.

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Procedure: How to Distribute Scheduled Output to the Report Library
  1. In the Distribution tab, select Library from the Distribute Reports by drop-down list. The following Library options appear.

  2. Optionally, select the Email for Library check box (Send email after report saved to library) if you want to send an e-mail message to users with access rights to the content in the Report Library. Any user with access to this report will receive this e-mail message, which contains the URL address needed to access the scheduled output.

    Note: You can limit to whom the Email for Library option is available. For details, see Suppressing Library Distribution Options.

    Select the Send email after save report to library check box and then click Email Options. The Email for Library window opens.

  3. The only field that requires user input is the Reply Address field. The Email for Library window contains the following fields:

    Note: When a Managed Reporting report (Standard Report or My Report) is distributed to the Report Library, and Public distribution is specified, the library e-mail is sent only to the Managed Reporting users authorized to access the Domain from which the report originated. For Access List distribution, there is no filtering/validation done for the library e-mail, as it is the responsibility of the Access List owner to maintain the list so that it only includes authorized users. Users who receive a library e-mail who are not authorized to view the report as per Managed Reporting security cannot view the report in the library.

    Click OK to return to the Distribution tab.

  4. From the Access Options drop-down list, select one of the following option buttons to specify which users can view the report in the library. Depending on what you previously specified, these users may also receive an e-mail notification when the report is distributed to the library.

    Note: You can limit the Access Options that appear on the Distribution tab. For details, see Suppressing Library Distribution Options.

  5. Optionally, select the Limit distribution to values in Access List check box. When you select this check box, only the burst values specified in an Access List are distributed to the Report Library. This option is used in combination with the Burst Report option (located on the Tasks tab) and is only enabled when the Access List option is selected. For more information, see Considerations When Limiting Distribution to Values in an Access List.
  6. From the Expiration of Reports in Library drop-down list, select one of the following option buttons:
    • Expire after. If you select this option button, specify a number and then select one of the following options:

      version(s). The Report Library will store the output for the top number of versions specified. For example, if you specify 3 versions and the current version is 7, then versions 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 version 6 was deleted and version 5 is not among the top 3 versions.

      day(s). The Report Library will store the output for the number of day(s) specified.

      week(s). The Report Library will store the output for the number of week(s) specified.

      month(s). The Report Library will store the output for the number of month(s) specified.

      year(s). The Report Library will store the output for the number of year(s) specified.

      Note: ReportCaster automatically purges expired output one hour after the Log Purge Time. The default Log Purge Time is 1:00 A.M., therefore, the default library purge time is 2:00 A.M. each day.

    • Never Expire. The output will remain in the Report Library until it is manually deleted by the owner or ReportCaster Administrator.
  7. Optionally, to conserve repository space, you can select the Compression check box (Compress Stored Report) to compress files stored in the Report Library. Compression is seamless to users viewing content in the Report Library. However, ReportCaster Administrators can see which files are compressed, and their compression ratios, in the Library Management Interface. For more information, see Library Management.

    ReportCaster Administrators can set compression on by default using the Compression setting in the Library tab in the ReportCaster Server Configuration tool (for more information, see ReportCaster Server Configuration). However, you can override the default setting by selecting the Compression check box.

    Note: If you distribute a compressed report to the library, consider that this may impact end user response time in viewing the report. A compressed report must first be decompressed before it is sent to the user. You should weigh the benefits of saving repository space against the impact on end user report retrieval time from the library.

  8. Click the Settings tab (see Specifying Optional and Notification Settings).
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Reference: Consideration When Drilling-Down to Another Report

When distributing a report to the Report Library, you can only drill-down to another report if it is a procedure on the WebFOCUS Reporting Server. There is currently no support for drill-down functionality to Managed Reporting procedures.

To drill-down to a WebFOCUS Reporting Server procedure, the original procedure you are scheduling must include the following command: 

SET FOCEXURL=http://hostname[:port]/wf_context_root/WFServlet;

where:

hostname[:port]

Is the host name and optional port number of the Web/Application Server on which the WebFOCUS Client is installed.

wf_context_root

Is the site-customized context root for the WebFOCUS Web application deployed on your Application Server. ibi_apps is the default value.

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Reference: Changing the Burst Option When Distributing to the Library

Enabling or disabling the burst option in a schedule being distributed to the library is not recommended because burst and non-burst reports display differently in the library. Rather than editing your schedule and changing this option, Information Builders recommends creating a new schedule as follows:

  1. Clone your existing library schedule (see Maintaining a Schedule) and specify a unique name for the new schedule job description.
  2. Edit the new schedule as follows:
    1. Select the Enabled check box to activate the schedule.
    2. Enable or disable the burst option as needed.
    3. Click OK to save the schedule.
  3. Optionally, delete the original schedule if it is no longer needed and evaluate whether you need the existing content in the library.

Note:

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Reference: Considerations 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 WebFOCUS Reporting Server based on the burst values specified in the Access List.
  • When the Burst 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 WebFOCUS Reporting Server to the Report Library.
  • Upon saving the schedule, validation is performed to confirm that the schedule has the Burst Report option enabled. If it has not been selected, a message appears reminding you that you must enable the Burst 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.
WebFOCUS