Using the Email Distribution Option


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 DHTML, DOC, GIF, HTML, JPG, PNG, SVG, and WP 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 or through email systems that do not support attachments.

Note: You can use parameters (amper variables) when specifying values in the Email settings of a schedule. These parameters can be system variables, such as &YYMD, or any amper variable for which a value is returned by the Reporting Server when the scheduled procedure is executed. To use the dot file extension separator after a variable, terminate the variable with the '|' character (for example, &YYMD|.htm). Similarly, to use the ampersand character itself, follow the ampersand with the '|' character (for example, Smith&|Jones). If a value for a parameter specified in a schedule is not returned by the Reporting Server when the procedure executes, the schedule will fail with a "No report to distribute" error. If the scheduled task is burst, you can also use the '%BURST' symbol to include the burst value. If the Packet Email setting is Yes, the burst value will not be substituted in the Zip filename.

Procedure: How to User the Email Distribution Option

  1. Right-click a report procedure (FEX), point to Schedule, and then click Email.

    The Basic Scheduling tool appears.

  2. Select the Distribution tab.
  3. 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(s). 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.
    • 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 WebFOCUS Distribution Server.
    • 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 an email address 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.

      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).

      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.

  4. In the To box, type the email address of the recipient.
  5. Optionally, click the To button to open the Enter Email Addresses dialog box and type an email address in the To, Cc, Bcc, and Reply fields.

    Note:

    • You can create a schedule that bursts sections of a report to different email recipients. However, if you type an email address in the Cc or Bcc field, every section of a burst report will distribute to the same Cc or Bcc email address.
    • If you type multiple email addresses in the Cc and Bcc fields, Cc and Bcc emails are always sent to each email address individually, regardless of whether a comma or semi-colon is used to separate addresses.
  6. 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.
  7. 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. requires this field.

    Note: If a default Mail Reply Address was not provided in the Configuration tool, the default Reply Address used for this field is the email address of the user that is signed in to WebFOCUS. ReportCaster obtains the email address of the user from the WebFOCUS security system.

  8. In the Subject box, type the text that you want to appear in the email subject line. ReportCaster may not require this information, but it may be needed by your email system. The value you entered in the schedule Title field is the default Subject value.
  9. Specify whether 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.
  10. Optionally, you can type a message to appear in the email body to replace the default message, Please see attachment(s).

    Note: You can also provide a custom default distribution message using the Email Distribution and Notification settings in the Configuration tool in the Console. This allows you to override the default message, Please see attachment(s), by enabling you to create a custom message specific to your organization. The message displays when creating a schedule using Email distribution. The new message will not affect existing schedules.

  11. Optionally, select a file from the WebFOCUS Repository that contains the message you want to distribute with your Email distribution.

    Note: When you use the file option, the information can be maintained in one common place. It can also be revised among multiple schedules. There is no size limit to the contents of the file, other than what the email client and server support.

  12. Optionally, specify a value for the Packet Email or accept the default value. The Packet Email option is set to the default value configured by the Manager. For a schedule that has a task that is burst, you can decide how many emails to send to each recipient. Options include:
    • No. Sends each attachment in a separate email.
    • Yes. Sends one email that contains all attachments.
    • By Burst Values. Sends one email with multiple attachments for each burst value.
  13. Specify whether to send the report as a compressed (.zip) file by selecting or clearing the Add Report to Zip File check box.

    You have the option of converting your distributed report into a password-protected compressed file. By default, the Add Report to Zip File check box is not selected and the report will not be compressed. You can optionally password protect a zipped file by including a password in a Distribution File or Dynamic Distribution List.

  14. If the Add Report to Zip File check box is selected, enter the name of the Zip file in the Zip File Name box.

    Note: Support of Unicode characters in a Zip file name and content within a Zip file on Windows 7 and Windows 2008 Server R2 requires the following hotfix from Microsoft: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2704299/en-us. Without this hotfix, file names are corrupted after you decompress a .zip file in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2.

  15. Additionally, you can override the default minimum size (in KBs) a file must exceed before it is automatically added to a Zip file. The Zip minimum size is set to the default value configured by the administrator. To automatically zip an attachment that exceeds a certain size that is different from the default, set this value to the desired size.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. Click Save & Close to save the schedule.